I love to read and with my lovely little Kindle I received from Zack this Christmas it's become a full on obsession. I tend to read books of the humor variety or the dystopian variety, but with how easy it is to download on the device I'll read basically anything at this point.
I lean toward young adult fiction as well. Should I admit that? I have never read Twilight, so none of that will show here, but I thought I'd share my top 6 young adult books.
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The Maze Runner 1-3 / James Dashner - Some save the best for last, I say give it at the beginning. Easily my favorite three books I read in 2011. It took the dystopian novel to a whole new level for me. The main character is thrusted into a giant maze with absolutely no explanation. Over the course of the series he gets out, gets caught by those who are running the maze, trying to justify it by saying it's to cure a disease that has wreaked havoc on the world. After escaping the maze he's again thrusted into a shadeless sun-ball desert and then on the run for the third book. It's non-stop action the entire time, there is not a single moment of downtime in the entire series which makes for excellent reading.
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The Hunger Games 1-3 / Suzanne Collins - I really only want to talk about the first book. I will dodge your stones, but I can safely say that the second and third just didn't do it for me. The first book, however was insanely well-written. It reminded me a lot of The Giver, which I'll talk about in a moment. Dystopian society, kids killing kids to survive and a "not gay but totally gay" wardrobe consultant named Cinna. I am Team Peeta (more stones). Read now, so we can talk about the movie.
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The Giver / Lowis Lowry - This is one of my favorite books to this day. I have read and re-read this countless times and I'd be hard pressed to find one junior high aged kid that didn't enjoy this book. Of all the books your forced to read in school this is the one that I didn't mind. It was my first look into the dystopian fiction I find so joyous today. Only seeing in black and white, pills to stop the "stirrings" of adolecense and celebrating your birthday with everyone else born in the same year. Interesting, eh?
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Just As Long As We're Together / Judy Blume - I can basically recite the first chapter off the top of my head. "Stephanie is into hunks." Doesn't that opening line just make you want, no, need to read more? For the record the hunk that Stephanie is into is Richard Gere. She has a poster of youngin' Gere on her ceiling and she calls him Benjamin Moore. I have read this book more than any other book out there and even as an adult I can relate it into my life. Never be too organized, it's okay to gain weight, it happens to everyone and apparently if a boy has hairy legs he is experienced? Oh Judy Blume.
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Harry Potter 1-7 / JK Rowling - Now, I became addicted to Potter quite late in life. I began the first books in seventh grade and finished the last four in my twenties. I'm actually happy that I waited so long to finish because I believe I got more out of it. The world of magic may seem like it's for children, but the world of Harry Potter is actually steered towards the older crowd. It was designed to grow with the reader and that it did.
I still believe that if I had the right wand I'd be able to conjure my patronus charm (it's Aadi).
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The Perks Of Being A Wallflower / Stephen Chbosky - I bought this book and read it in an hour. Tell me one emo kid that can't quote the whole thing. It's a "coming of age" book if there ever was one and quick to get through so you can read it again and again.
Yay for Potter!! I have not read the Hunger Games series yet but I am sure that I will eventually. I always get sucked into those.
ReplyDeleteI like this list. I have to admit that I haven't read a few of the books on your list, but The Hunger Games, The Giver and HP are all good (I still have three more in the HP series to read). And I'm going to confess I watched Hannah Montana myself, and tend to lean toward the young adult fiction too. It's just that much more better.
ReplyDeleteOh and tickets for The Hunger Games movie opening night are already purchased! I cannot wait!
ReplyDeleteI love this list. Did you know that the Giver is also one of my favorites, and it was one of the first, "holy crap I love reading" books I ever read?
ReplyDeleteWell it was.
Also, people who don't like the Harry Potter series don't have souls. I say the series because Harry is by no means my favorite character (GO HERMOINE, this may be my feminist side stepping out, because hell yeah the awkward smart girl is the one that saves the day!)
I have a feeling that the Hunger Games will be for the current generation of young readers what the Giver was for ours.
Have you read the "sequels" to the giver? Gathering Blue and The Messenger. They aren't necessarily about Jonas, but they are about his world and he shows up in them.