The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han
If I Stay by Gayle Forman
This book is a great example of a novel you should read before watching the movie, which hits theatres August 22nd, 2014. Now of course, I have not gotten the chance to watch the movie as it is not quite out yet, but I would still strongly recommend reading the book first. This book contains a certain magic to it, that just captures you from the first chapter and while it does contain some underlying paranormal themes, they are just that - underlying and hidden away, so you don't get taken too far away from the story of the young girl's, Mia Hall's life and tragedies she has to go through to keep holding on.
Personally, I believe this is an extremely underated novel and unfortunately been overlooked by many major book lists. This novel follows the life of Isabel 'Belly' Conklin and some of the things she goes through while growing up. When I first read this book, I was bout the same age as Belly was when the first novel of this series takes place and it managed to identify with me in a way that few books have. Rather than glamorizing teenage drama and making it all seem either way too light or way to heavy from what it really is, this book has an amazing accurate portrayl and what is like to grow up and fall in love for the first time. I strongly recommend this book to any teenaged girl and basically anyone who is interested in reading it
If you're looking for a dyspotian novel that doesn't follow the norms and routines of most other books from it's genre, Wither is the book for you. As prestated, Wither is a dyspotian novel with a very different plot and twists you could never see coming. The main girl, Rhine Ellery, is living a life that no one can be jealous of, and that's what truly adds to the novel. While Rhine is a strong and very indepdent person, she living through a certain hell, as she is made to be a sister-bridge at only sixteen years of age and to make matters worse, only has four more years left to live, as a virus claims all female lives at twenty and all male lives at twenty-five. Racing against time and fate, Rhine tries desperately to escape the life she's being forced to live. While this novel explores some more disturbing themes, it is truly a great read. While it does offer some escapism, it also really makes you think. Afterall, do you know what you would do if you knew you were only going to live till twenty or twenty-five, with the rest of your years stolen from you?
If the name isn't enough to get you intereted, the whole idea of the book revolving around a girl who is secretly one of the most famous fanfiction writers for a series that is very Harry Potter-esque, should most definitely get you intrested. This novel is great and any person who can identify themselves as a 'fangirl' or a 'fanboy' will probably be able to relate with this. However, the whole novel isn't just about being a fangirl but going to University for the first time, learning who you truly are and who you are meant to be, dealing with heartache and personal struggles, and just living life. Honestly, this book is such an easy and fun read, that I just recommend you go to the nearest bookstore and pick this one up ASAP. The author, Rainbow Rowell, is an absolutely amazing woman who has such a skill for writing, that all other contemperary YA authors out there might want to watch out. She's quickly growing to fame and she deserves absolutely every ounce of fame she is gaining. This woman is a writing savant.
Wither by Lauren DeStefano
Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell
Book Recommendations
With all the books I have read over the last few years, I'd like to think that I am capable of recommending some of my favourites for my fellow readers to try reading. In the last couple of years, I have compiled a list of some of my all-time-favourite books. Here, you will be able to find a list of eight books that I love. I will change this list every month, so feel free to check back and see what other novels I have in store for you all. If you click on the covers of each of the books, an additional webpage will open up, leading you to the Goodreads page. Here, you can find a full description of the novel, reviews, and learn different ways you can purchase the novels.
If You Find Me by Emily
Murdoch
This Star Won't Go Out by
Esther Earl
Warning: this book is a definite psychological thriller. While beautifully excuted, it does contain some darker and more disturbing themes. However, if you're willing to pick it up and read something like this, you should probably bump it up to the top of your 'To Read' list. To be perfectly honest, I would most likely not have read this book if I hadn't been stumbling around the bookstore and found this one, completely at random. I had never heard a word about this book, but I am so happy I decided to buy it. While the description on the back had me intrigued, by the end of the first five pages, I was hooked. I could not put this book down and even got in trouble by some of friend, by bringing it along with me to a sleepover, but I'm sorry, it was just that good! From the first chapter, I thought I had the whole book pinned and I thought I guessed the ending, but I was wrong - so, so wrong. Everything I thought was going to happen never did and everything I expected to go right, went wrong. It was just one of those books and I cannot recommend it anymore highly than I already do.
For an indepth review of this novel, please check out the review page here!
If you loved the brilliant novel 'The Fault In Our Stars' by John Green, you should most definitely read this autobiography, for this is about the girl that inspired the beloved Hazel Grace Lancaster. Esther Earl was an amazing and brave girl who lost her battle to cancer on August 25th of 2010. She was a long time Nerdfighter (the strongly devoted fans of the VlogBrothers, John and Hank Green) and was just an all around great person. Following her death, John Green and the Earl family put together a sort of memoir featuing journals, fiction, letters, and sketches by the late Esther. I don't entirely know exactly what to say about this biography, besides saying that you should really read it, as it is definitely one of those books that will stick with you forever and forever. And in addition to reading it, you should also check out the website for the foundation created in Esther's name and read more about her story at 'This Start Won't Go Out'. If possible, please even donate to the wonderful foundation by clicking this link, here. Rest in Peace, Esther.
Prophecy of the Sisters
by Michelle Zink
Maze Runner by James Dasher
One day I was a Costco and stumbled across this book. Never having heard of it before, I was little skeptical of buying it, but somehow I managed to walk out of there with all three of books of the series in my hands and wow, am I glad. Now, keep in mind, I am a huge nerd when it comes to the Victorian time period, so this book was just up my alley and when I heard it features the paranomral and prophecies in addition to being a historical fiction piece, I was bound and determined to read it as fast as possible. This novel, the first of the trilogy, is a great read. The story dives into the lives of twin sisters, who have had a prophecy placed unknowingly on their shoulders since birth. The rest of the story revolves around one of the sisters and her struggles with coming to terms with the prophecy and dealing with her twin sister, who has quite an affinity for the 'darker' side of life, if you know what I mean. If you love historical pieces, prophecies, and the good-old bad twin versus the good twin idea, you will love this one. Mixed in with some great romance, it is definitely a strong recommendation.
As most of you may know by now, the Maze Runner will be hitting theatres quite soon. September 11th of this year to be exact, and to top it all off, it will be starring the very attractive Dylan O'Brien, which is like the cherry ontop of the icecream sundae and let me tell you - I am most definitely excited. For whatever reason, because I honestly can't think of any logical ones, I put off reading this book for the longest time until one day, I decided I was going to give it a shot. I picked it off my shelf, sat down on my chaise lounge, and began reading and never put it down until I reached the last page. Now, a really great thing about this YA novel, is that it wasn't promoted for one gender, which is something that drives me insane - it's a book for crying out loud, it doesn't need to be based on a gender, so thankfully this one was targeted at both genders. While that was an absolutely great feature about this novel, it features the perfect amount of action, mystery, and romance, to make it a perfect read for everyone and anyone. Long story short, next time you are at the book store, pick this one up.