book rec time!

[lirazel]

Except that it's y'all reccing things to me.

I'm speeding through Megan Whalen Turner's The Queen's Thief series and OMG MY LOVE FOR THIS SERIES I CANNOT DESCRIBE VOMITING RAINBOWS EVERYWHERE. But I'm going to finish it pretty soon, and I'd like to have something else waiting for me when I finish. So.

What are your favorite YA books? I think I'm just going to read YA for a while, honestly, because A) easy to read, B) favorite, C) unpretentious, D) despite the fact that I am indeed an adult I mostly don't feel like one. I mostly like fantasy or historical stuff, but if you've got some contemporary books that are just wonderful, feel free to tell me about those, too.

And...go!

Comments

[viorica8957.livejournal.com]

I really love Angeline by Karleen Bradford- it's historical fiction about a girl sold into slavery in Egypt after the failure of the Children's Crusade. I'm sure there are others, but I'm blanking at the moment- I'll check my collection and get back to you.

[marketchippie.livejournal.com]

ATTOLIA ATTOLIA ATTOLIA ATTOLIA ATTOLIA. ♥ Also, Gen/Attolia, I DIE.

(Will mull over YA recs, but CAN WE JUST.)

[uwsannajane.livejournal.com]

Oooh! I mostly lurk on LJ, but on this topic I can weigh in with confidence - on British fic, which I've read a ton of in the past year or two, even though I live on the other side of the Atlantic. If you're not in the UK, you can buy books w/ no shipping fee via the Book Depository - a lot cheaper than Amazon. Most are for older teens unless otherwise noted.

Heartiest recs:

Siobhan Dowd - A Swift Pure Cry, Bog Child, Solace of the Road, and (for slightly younger readers), The London Eye Mystery - all "realistic," all splendid.

Gillian Philip - Bad Faith (dystopian future), Crossing the Line (knife crime, with a ghost), and Firebrand, which is getting a lot of attention right now - it's a fantasy novel, set in Scotland, the first in a planned series.

Keren David - When I Was Joe and its sequel, Almost True - young man on the run.

Helen Grant - The Vanishing of Katharina Linden and The Glass Demon - European mysterious creepiness, done v. well.

Candy Gourlay - Tall Story - again, written for slightly younger readers, lovely story about an Anglo-Filipino family.

Lee Weatherly - Child X and Missing Abby - maybe a bit younger?, anyhow both really good reads.

Patrick Ness - The Knife of Never Letting Go and its sequels are v. cool (dystopian fantasy)

Do you already know any of these?

[deird1]

Most of my favourite YA books are Australian...

As in explicitly Australian, not just written by Aussies.

There's:

- the Tomorrow When The War Began series, which I've already talked about at length. Sudden war, teenagers stuck running around making up guerilla warfare to try and survive.

- Feeling Sorry For Celia, and its sequel Finding Cassie Crazy. Told entirely through letters - some real, and some imaginary. Typical high school girls doing interesting high school things.

...and everything else I've got is either over 50 years old, actually a comic book, mindmeltingly strange, or Harry Potter.

[ghostrunner7.livejournal.com]

Oh, god I love those books so hardcore. SO HARDCORE.

Have you read any Holly Black?

[ghostrunner7.livejournal.com]

Wait, what? There's a sequel to Feeling Sorry for Celia?

CANADA apparently

[streussal.livejournal.com]

Alice, I Think trilogy by Susan Juby! Contemporary series, told in the form of a journal and ridiculously hilarious. I love Alice so much. Possibly my favourite first lines of any book ever: "I blame it all on the The Hobbit. That, and my supportive home life." Also, Canadian.

Anything by Kit Pearson, who also happens to be Canadian. Awake and Dreaming is a beautiful contemporary book with fantasty elements (it won the Governor General's Award, which is pretty huge). The Guests of War trilogy is set during World War Two. A Handful of Time flips between the present and the time of the main character's mother (fantasy element).

Martha Brooks' Two Moons in August (set in the 1950s). I also like True Confessions of a Heartless Girl, but my dad disliked the protagonist (I think she was supposed to be a little unlikeable, but ymmmv). ...Oh god she's also Canadian.

...I swear this was by accident.

[laeria.livejournal.com]

My very favourite YA of all time is Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan.

It's contemporary. It's a love story. Music and queerness are integral to it. Nothing much happens. It's largely about communication and art, the various forms thereof. There's discussions about gender and religion and faith and sexuality and class and style and the Beatles, and the protagonists are simultaneously teenaged and mature.

I'm pretty sure the protagonists' arcs ought to appeal to you - not saying more so I don't spoil you, unless you want me to. But I'd definitely love to hear what you think about it. (Disclaimer: it might not be your cup of tea, because I think you really have to love the hero and heroine in order to enjoy the book.)

[penny-lane-42.livejournal.com]

That sounds really fantastic--and I love anything to do with Egypt. I'll put it on my list! Yay!

[penny-lane-42.livejournal.com]

OMG SHE IS FLAWLESS!

And I kind of want to be her. And marry Gen. PERFECTION.

It amazes me how much I love them. I started out thinking Attolia was just evil and power-mad or whatever, and then you find out she's so much more! And I was kind of sort of shipping Gen/Eddis until he captured Attolia and they were in the boat together and I was all BOOM. INSTANT SHIP. OTP FOREVER. OMG I CANNOT GET OVER MY LOVE FOR THEM!

I'm also loving Costis a lot. And everyone! I started King of Attolia this morning and I'm about to finish it. I hear the next book is about Sophos? I like him, so I'm pleased about that, but I hope Gen and Attolia show up a lot.

[penny-lane-42.livejournal.com]

Oooooh! I love British stuff, and thank you for letting me know where I can get them without shipping!

I haven't heard of any of those! But I'm especially excited about anything involving Scotland or dystopian fantasy, because those are two of my favorite things. Thank you so much!

[laeria.livejournal.com]

Oh, also, there's a film based on it, but I haven't seen it. I don't think I want to until someone I trust assures me it didn't erase or charicaturise the queerness or otherwise ruin the point of the story.

[penny-lane-42.livejournal.com]

Yes! The Tomorrow... series I started then had to take back to the library because I got too busy with other things, but they're definitely on my list. And I have actually heard of Feeling Sorry for Celia!

I looove mindmeltingly strange things. You have good taste. Thanks again!

[snickfic]

You've been talking about Terry Pratchett, and his YA series about Tiffany Aching works very nicely as a standalone, no other Discworld knowledge necessary.

You're familiar with Robin McKinley, yes? If not, Beauty is a good place to start.

Also I assume you've read Anne McCaffrey's YA Pern trilogy? If not, definitely those. They're by far my favorite part of Pern.

The Ear, The Eye, and the Arm and In The House of the Scorpion, both by Nancy Farmer, are two of the most spectacularly weird books I've ever read. Both YA, both near-future SF.

I feel like we've discussed this, but if you haven't read Ellen Ruskin's The Westing Game, YOU NEED TO. RIGHT THIS MINUTE. Fabulous ensemble cast and quirkiness and mystery and tricky POV transitions.

[penny-lane-42.livejournal.com]

I KNOW I AM SO OBSESSED I CANNOT EVEN TELL YOU.

I haven't! I know of her, of course, but I haven't actually read any of her. Where would you start?

Re: CANADA apparently

[penny-lane-42.livejournal.com]

Ha! I love it though! Those all sound great!

The answers are making me delirious with joy thinking of all the lovely books there are to read!

[penny-lane-42.livejournal.com]

Oh, I've read that one! I have! And I enjoyed it a lot, actually! It's definitely not my favorite of all time, but I liked it a lot. I was livid at the casting of the movie, and I refuse to watch it, though I hear it's horrible so no loss there.

[penny-lane-42.livejournal.com]

Oh, good! I want to read Pratchett but I was always intimidated trying to figure out where to start. But that sounds like a good place.

Robin McKinley's my favorite always. Have you read Outlaws of Sherwood? It's my favorite adaptation of the Robin Hood stories EVER. I like it even more than the cartoon Disney version, which is otherwise my favorite.

I actually haven't read any McCaffrey! I should probably do that, though....

are two of the most spectacularly weird books I've ever read. Both YA, both near-future SF.

Those sound lovely!

I LOVE THE WESTING GAME. We read it in school, and I've reread it several times since then. PERFECT BOOK.

Thank you!

[uwsannajane.livejournal.com]

Gillian Philip's books are terrific, and you'll love Firebrand! I will say that of all the books on the list above, my absolute favorites are Siobhan Dowd's, particularly A Swift Pure Cry and Bog Child - both set in Ireland in the 80s. A Swift Pure Cry could easily have been published as a novel for adults; it's lyrical and tough at the same time, in a way that's hard for any writer to pull off.

Have fun.

[marketchippie.livejournal.com]

YES YES YES YES YES. This book has such a place in my soul, I don't even know how to talk about it; just, perfectly captured humans and music love and city vibrancy and infatuation. ALSO HOTELS AND ICE MACHINES, oui.

(And the film is—all right. Cute, but it doesn't have the truth-and-beauty-bomb power of the book's writing. Kat Dennings is a perfect Norah; Michael Cera is Michael Cera instead of Nick. But they don't caricaturise the queerness, no. It's mostly just cute and innocuous overall, with a delish soundtrack.)

[deird1]

Three, actually...

[snickfic]

The only problem with the Tiffany Aching books is that you'll not be much further into Discworld than before you read them; they feel almost like a different universe. But much fun!

McCaffrey is often not very good; you have to pick and choose. But Dragonsong, Dragonsinger, and Dragondrums make up a quite satisfying coming-of-age arc with bonus companion mini-dragons.

[gryfndor-godess.livejournal.com]

Aaah, I feel like this post was made for me.

1. The Bartimaeus Trilogy by Jonathan Stroud. It takes place in an AU world where corrupt magicians rule the world because they are able to summon and control djinnis. The book is told from the alternating perspectives of a sarcastic 5000-year-old djinni and the 12-year-old boy who summoned him and doesn't even realize he's losing his soul (metaphorically; not literally) in the process.
It is a perfect blend of fantasy and history. Even though it takes place in mostly modern times, the AU is different enough (the British and Czech empires rule the world; Gladstone and Disraeli were *magician* prime ministers) that it feels historical. The characters are stunningly three-dimensional, the world is beautifully developed, and the writing is great. I cannot recommend this series enough.

2. Artemis Fowl, by Eoin Colfer. It's not historical, but the fantasy element (technologically advanced fairies live beneath the earth) is superb. The books are witty, and you want the characters to be your best friends.

3. Percy Jackson and the Olympians, by Rick Riordan. Greek mythology! What is not awesome about that? I have never seen another series that is more like Harry Potter in structure (not nearly as good as HP, but nothing is) and character arc. Though the first book definitely meanders and Percy is kind of a brat, he's 12. His growth and emotional maturity throughout the rest of the series are fantastic, the adventures are page-turning, and the romance is wonderful. If you wanted a Harry/Hermione romance and were disappointed, Percy will give you that dynamic (which is not to say there is a 'Ron' character who gets shafted; I know Ron/Hermione is one of your OTPs, so I mean 'you' in the general sense).

The Westing Game, by Ellen Raskin. Perfect, perfect, perfect book. It's not fantasy, but it takes place in the 70s, which is historical enough for me (b/c you can really tell it was written back then; the characters are wonderfully flawed and some of those flaws include attitudes that are wrong and politically incorrect but were unfortunately prevalent a few decades ago). It's a mystery book, and it won the Newberry, and it is utterly fantastic.

I'm not a big fan of contemporary YA paranormal because so much of it is romance with stupid heroines in love with horrible jerks, but one series that does stand out is the "Shiver" series by Maggie Stiefvater. It's a werewolf love story, but the writing is lyrical, the mythology is kind of cool, and the romance is sweet rather than nauseating. And I don't even like werewolves.

I guess I kind of failed on the historical part, but if you read any of them, I hope you like them!

[alwaysjbj.livejournal.com]

The Queen's Man and sequels by Sharon Penman.

It's 1193. In a bleak and bitterly cold England, King Richard, on his way back from the crusades, has been missing for two months, and his ruthless brother John is scheming for the throne...

I love all her books, but unlike her other more weighty (but truly fabulous) books, her Justin DeQuincy books are quickly read and very enjoyable.

I imagine if you are into Fantasy that you have already read them, but just in case... Anne McCaffrey's Dragonriders of Pern series.

HOW CAN ONE GIRL SAVE AN ENTIRE WORLD?

To the nobles who live in Benden Weyr, Lessa is nothing but a ragged kitchen girl. For most of her life she has survived by serving those who betrayed her father and took over his lands. Now the time has come for Lessa to shed her disguise—and take back her stolen birthright...

[penny-lane-42.livejournal.com]

It still might be a good way to dip my toes in.

I've heard uneven things about McCaffrey, yeah. But hey--that's the solution, then: read that trilogy and then I don't have to wade through the bad stuff and I'll be able to say I've read her!