[kategoka]

Just finished 3 great books that most of you all have probably already read:

-THE BOOK THIEF by Markus Zusak
-WONDER by RJ Palacio
-OKAY FOR NOW by Gary D Schmidt

Okay for Now was one of those books that made me realize I don't know a thing about writing a book!  :

All 3 were assigned for a YA class I just took with Lynn Hazen and Elissa Haden Guest and were great examples of craft.

[mrh Posts: 4,752 Status: Offline www.marciahoehne.com WWW]

Just starting THE PRINCESSES OF IOWA by M. Molly Backes.

[Pons Posts: 2,636 Status: Offline]

Just started Bury Your Dead by Louise Penny after finishing The Brutal Telling by Louise Penny. Turns out BYD is almost a continuation of TBT even though The Brutal Telling can certainly stand alone. I love making discoveries like this.

[Mike Jung]

It's pretty rare for me to read a contemporary realistic YA novel and wish I'd written it, just because contemp YA isn't my genre of choice as either a writer or reader, but I kinda feel that way about DR. BIRD'S ADVICE FOR SAD POETS by Evan Roskos. Holy cow, I love this book.

[AnneN Posts: 509 Status: Offline]

Oh, Mike, you've tipped me over the fence! I keep picking up DR. BIRD and thinking about reading it--now I most certainly will. Thanks!

I'm reading Shannon Hale's PALACE OF STONE and Terry Pratchett's JINGO--two books about politics, as it turns out! A reread of BITTERBLUE would make a perfect third....

[G.R. Posts: 631 Status: Offline I love kids' books!]

Just the other day I started Victor Hugo's Les Miserables (Signet Classics unabridged edition) -- I read it once before when I was a Freshman in high school, and I remember it taking a couple of months or so to get through. Hopefully, it won't take me quite as long to finish this time... :D

[Stephanie Ruble Posts: 1,904 Status: Offline author/illustrator WWW]

I just finished Emily Windsnap and the Land of the Midnight Sun by Liz Kessler. This is a great series and the newest addition did not disappoint!

Now I'm reading, Fox Forever, by Mary Pearson. This is the last book in a trilogy. I loved the first two books, and so far am loving the final book. Can't wait to see how she ends the series and wraps up all the story lines!

[LTMadison Posts: 109 Status: Offline Cover art avatar by 2020 WWW]

Whew, let me catch my breath...just finished The Fifth Wave by Yardley. This reads like a blockbuster...we'll see if it catches fire before the inevitable film. Post-apocalyptic alien-invasion survivor story with some romance and no bug-eyed monsters...you can read the first 20 chapters or so for free in a little booklet available at B&N (and other bookstores, I presume).

Also finished Mike Mullin's sequel to post-apocalyptic Ashfall, Ashen Winter. Recommended.

[rab Posts: 541 Status: Offline WWW]

Just finished (and loved) A.S. King's Everybody Sees the Ants. Now reading Madeline Miller's The Song of Achilles which, although it was published for adults, has a YA feel to it, at least in the first half.

[Monica Rondino Posts: 81 Status: Offline I love kids' books! WWW]

Just finished to read The hound of Rowan by Henry H.Neff (a very nice book)and now I'm reading Raven's Gate-The power of five by Anthony Horowits.

[Marcia Posts: 474 Status: Offline Never Too Late To Be What You Were Meant to Be WWW]

I listen to a lot of audio books—just finished Summer at Forsaken Lake by Michael Beil and now I’m listening to The Sixty-Eight Rooms by Marianne Malone.

[olmue Posts: 3,588 Status: Offline WWW]

I just finished Fat Chance: Beating the Odds against Sugar, Processed Food, Obesity, and Disease, by Robert H. Lustig. Really excellent--it's not a diet book but a book explaining how metabolism works and how a worldwide swing towards sugar (esp. high fructose corn syrup) as well as environmental pollutions are changing our metabolism. Part chilling, part empowering, the bottom line of what to do about it is Eat Real Food.

Currently reading This Is What Happy Looks Like, by Jennifer E. Smith.

[Joanna Posts: 162 Status: Offline WWW]

Reading "The Runaway King" by Jennifer Nielsen—a little over halfway through.

[ChristineSarmel Posts: 228 Status: Offline WWW]

Just finished SORTA LIKE A ROCKSTAR by Matthew Quick - contemporary YA with a huge heart and great voice.

[olmue Posts: 3,588 Status: Offline WWW]

Wondering if amnesia is the new thing--I'm reading a book called Unremembered, but I just read another book called Forgotten. Then there was Unspoken... Or maybe it's UN titles that are in right now??

[ChristineSarmel Posts: 228 Status: Offline WWW]

Wondering if amnesia is the new thing--I'm reading a book called Unremembered, but I just read another book called Forgotten. Then there was Unspoken... Or maybe it's UN titles that are in right now??

STACKED had a blog post not long ago about the prevalence of amnesia in YA

http://www.stackedbooks.org/2013/05/mini-trend-amnesia-in-ya.html

[AnneB Posts: 3,775 Status: Offline]

I'm reading Ruth Sepetys's new novel Out of the Easy. Definitely not your mother's 'How I Survived a Stalinist Purge' story, that's for sure!

I purposely didn't read the jacket copy or any reviews so I don't yet know what genre it is -- thriller? mystery? coming-of-age? I'm pretty sure it's not a paranormal but...it could still go in that direction.  I'm only on page 16 but I was hooked from the very first line and I can tell it is going to be a wonderful weekend!

[Shannywriter Posts: 507 Status: Offline Believe in yourself and never give up WWW]

ARC of You Look Different in Real Life by Jennifer Castle

[RaeE Posts: 140 Status: Offline]

Just finished rereading THE TRUE MEANING OF SMEKDAY and now I'm reading THE LETTERS OF E.B. WHITE. I love this man.

[rab Posts: 541 Status: Offline WWW]

Just finished rereading THE TRUE MEANING OF SMEKDAY and now I'm reading THE LETTERS OF E.B. WHITE. I love this man.

RaeE, those are two of my favorite books! If you don't know it, Michael Sims' The Story of Charlotte's Web is also fun.

I'm reading Orson Scott Card's The Lost Gate. And rereading Forster's A Passage to India.

[RaeE Posts: 140 Status: Offline]

Thanks for the recommendation, rab!

[smichel]

Been reading some wonderful books, lately.

1. The Runaway King, by Jennifer Nielsen  Very good, but I enjoyed The False Prince more.
2. Insurgent, by Veronica Roth
3. The Lucy Variations, by Sara Zarr 
4. The Namesake, by Jhumpa Lahira
5. Daughter of Smoke and Bone, by Laini Taylor.  Wonderful! My favorite of the batch.

Now I'm looking forward to reading Days of Blood and Starlight, book 2 in Laini Taylor's YA trilogy.

Stella

[LindaB Posts: 332 Status: Offline I want to write!]

I'm reading Towering by Alex Flinn. I love her books!

[Joanna Posts: 162 Status: Offline WWW]

Just finished "Extraordinary" by Nancy Werlin and I LOVED it. Couldn't put it down.

[RaeE Posts: 140 Status: Offline]

I sobbed my way through WAITING FOR NORMAL, and just started DR. BIRD'S ADVICE FOR SAD POETS. I love it so far!

[Lwrites Posts: 159 Status: Offline]

I am reading WILD AWAKE by Hillary T. Smith and it is an absolutely amazing contemp YA. Highly recommended!
(Remember that hilarious publishing blog, THE INTERN? I know there are some people on here who read it....well, this is Intern's first book!)

[Dani Duck Posts: 79 Status: Offline WWW]

Finished the first four books in the "The Mortal Instruments" series ("City of Bones" ect) by Cassandra Clare recently. Not my favorite series but better than the "Twilight" series. Love Magnus Bane!

Both "Enclave" and "Outpost" by Ann Aguirre. Kind of a Zombie series. Some really gross stuff in the second one. I can't wait for the third.

"The Runaway King" by Jennifer A. Nielsen. Sequel to "The False Prince". I didn't heart it as much as I did the first book, but I did like the story.

Read a few others here and there. Just finished the 4th book of "The Mortal Instruments" last night so not sure what I'm going to read next!

[Tom Owens]

LWrites:

Thanks for the background on WILD AWAKE. I loved The Intern blog.

Thank you for connecting the dots!

[rab Posts: 541 Status: Offline WWW]

Great to know about The Intern's book!

I'm reading an oldie: Nancy Mitford's The Pursuit of Love, which is perfect for those missing Downton Abbey.

[KatyD Posts: 844 Status: Offline www.katyduffield.com WWW]

LWrites:  I am going to look for WILD AWAKE. I'm a contempt YA fan.

rab: Your Downton Abbey reference caught my eye, so I'll be looking for THE PURSUIT OF LOVE as well.

I love finding books on this thread that I might have otherwise overlooked. Thanks, everyone!