Reading YA: 18 Literary Novels You’ll Love
If the term “literary” frightens you, you’re not alone. It’s something of a buzz word, and a confusing one at that. Literary YA, though, is a little different to literary adult fiction–generally speaking, it’s more accessible, and a great place to get started if you’re curious about lit fic, especially if you love language. These novels run the gamut from fantasy through contemporary, some light, some dark, some in between, each with a strong focus on character. Some are...
Read MoreReading YA: 8 E-Books Worth Reading
Yesterday, I posted about the growth of e-books and the possible need for e-agents. Thinking about e-books set me a-wander, and here are the results. Not all of the stories presented here are novel length; some are short stories–there’s even a short graphic novel. All are worth a proper sit down read through, and, to me, YA appropriate (remembering that I’m very liberal). A note on Fairyland: it’s all there save for the final chapter. Although it can be frustrating to wait for an...
Read MoreReading YA: 7 Fairy Tale Books You Need To Read Now
Fairy tale literature, once mostly stock standard retellings of The Brothers Grimm and Charles Perrault, is moving on. Old fairy tales are still being retold (Book of a Thousand Days), but new ones are constantly being written, too (Once Upon a Marigold). Of course, that leaves dedicated fairy tale readers like me in a bit of bind–there’s so much to read that sometimes the best books get lost in the bookshelf shuffle. Here’s a list of some of the great fairy tale lit you may have...
Read MoreReading YA: 11 Magic Realism Novels For Your Reading List
Yesterday, I posted about Magic Realism and promised a reading list of novels. It’s important to remember, though, that in YA, Magic Realism is snuggled right up against the fantasy border–meaning some of the books on this list may be a bit less realistic than the adult style (Paul Coelho, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Isabel Allende). A few, such as Terri Windling’s The Wood Wife and Alice Hoffman’s The River King, are adult novels that may pique the interest of mature YA readers. Want...
Read More9 Great Soccer Reads For The World Cup
It’s been an exhausting week–an exhausting month, really! Baby’s teeth are driving us both around the bend and down the freeway. I’m hoping to get back to my regular posting schedule next week, when Baby’s grandparents are around to help. And now for our regularly scheduled booklist… The World Cup is fast approaching–and if you love the game like me, I’ll bet you can barely wait. Here are a few selections, from picture books through memoir through...
Read MoreCelebrate Teen Lit Day with 7 YA Mysteries Worth Reading
What’s a mystery? Are they only stories with murders or crimes of some sort? Perhaps. But mystery can be so much more than that! This list brings together ten unusual mysteries, where characters learn about themselves and their worlds, stories that’ll rip you out of your comfortable, expected reading zone, get inside in your head, and rearrange things until you’re thoroughly confused–but dying for more. Want the whole list? Get the PDF here; get a titles only download here. *book...
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