This week’s list is all in eBook format since I’ve been in and out of town and haven’t had a chance to get by the physical branch. (I need to go soon, though, because I have a bunch of books due and I’m going to owe money if I don’t get them back.) Anyway, this week is all “realistic” YA reading because I need to catch up on what other authors have been doing lately. I’ve been so consumed with writing my own books that I haven’t had much chance to keep up with the field. Since “realistic” YA is all the rage right now, I want to do some catching up.
I doubt I’ll start writing much realistic fiction because I don’t enjoy it that much and it would show. Not that there’s anything wrong with realistic tales, but I’m not usually a fan of realistic YA because 1) I think that fantasy offers more room for just a rollicking good story, and 2) I live in reality and don’t necessarily want to read about it. When I read and write, I want to get as far away from reality as possible, which is why I’ve always been drawn to fantasy, sci-fi, horror, and magical realism. But I can appreciate a tale well told and I like to know what the trends are, so I’m going to give some different books a chance.
- 99 Days, by Katie Cotugno. This is a realistic YA novel about a girl who dumps one brother for another and how she deals with the fallout over the ensuing summer.
- I’ll Give You the Sun, by Jandy Nelson. This tale of a twin brother and sister who stop speaking to each other and have to find their way back together is all the rage right now. I haven’t read it yet so I don’t know why they stopped speaking, but it should be interesting to find out.
- Drive Me Crazy, by Terra Elan. This is a light road trip novel about two girls who have to travel cross country with their newly-married grandparents. Since they didn’t hit it off at first, the trip is all about getting over their dislike and becoming friends.
- Paper Towns, by John Green. Green’s latest movie is about to hit the big screen, so I thought I’d read the book since I’ve never gotten around to it. It’s another road trip novel where the main character is trying to track down a girl he likes who has mysteriously disappeared. It’s not a random disappearance, however, since she’s left clues behind that he must follow.
(Photo courtesy of GaborfromHungary)