Help me welcome Joy Preble!
5 YA Books That Have Impacted Me As a Reader
I find it impossible to choose just five, but if I must...
1. A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray
This book let me see how powerful first person, present tense could be. It taught me that one could combine genres, write a story that had historical elements, romance, and fantasy and strong female characters who grew and evolved. Amazing storytelling. Fabulous series arc.
2. Forever by Judy Blume
I will always be in awe of how Judy Blume deals so straightforwardly with sex in this book. Okay, it’s all a bit clinical at times, but I forgive it that. A girl loves her boyfriend. They have protected sex. She actually enjoys it. And no one dies or suffers. Brilliant! *revamped cover shown
3. A tie: Just Listen and This Lullaby by Sarah Dessen
I really can’t put one above the other. And actually, I love all Dessen’s books. But these two are my favorites. Two reasons: Owen in Just Listen. Dexter in This Lullaby. And particularly in This Lullaby, the character of Remy, who has to learn to believe in love and herself. Dessen constructs characters so real that I swear I’d recognize them if they walked in the room. Again, brilliant!
4. The Harry Potter series by JK Rowling
Do I have to explain? Really? If you want to write a series with phenomenal continuity, then read these books.
5. The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
I know I've used the word brilliant a lot, but this book really is. It made me weep more than once. It is so damn good that as I was reading it, I was honestly thinking that maybe I should just stop writing because John Green has said all there is to say. Which is not true, but that’s how good this book is. How deeply honesty yet funny while being brutal about what it means to live in this world even if you’re not sure how long you have. A girl who names her oxygen tank. And has an amazing kiss in the Anne Frank House. God, I love this book.
Great list, Joy! I have been meaning to rude Forever for, well....ever! I will remedy this year for sure. Anyone else agree with Joy's list? So hard to think of just five!
Thank you, Mundie Moms for organizing. Here are the rest of the stops for Haunted!
2/20- Cari Blogs, author interview
2/21- Mundie Moms, review
2/22- I Read Banned Books, guest post
2/23- Sarah's Books & Life, excerpt
2/24- Mundie Moms, author interview
2/25- Girls In The Stacks, review
2/27- Page Turners, guest post
2/28- Portrait of a Book, excerpt
2/29- Once Upon A Twilight, author interview
