My favourite genre without exception is YA. I love, love, love it. I know I’m an adult, but can’t I just pretend I stopped ageing at 16? To be honest, I think it’s probably true anyway.
I adore the innocents of it, the newness of life and every adult experience they have is difficult and I really love the fight and drive the kids have. But more than anything, I adore the fact that they never give up hope, and generally speaking the hero wins out. Guilty pleasure or what?!
Well, for fans of the YA genre, this will blow your mind. If you haven’t ever read a YA book then I guarantee you can find one on this list.
Epic Reads via Harper Collins have a mine field of infographics and book lists containing every awesome YA book… like…. EVER. It’s like every bibliophiles paradise. I died in a big mushy pile of excitement went straight to YA library heaven! Are you getting the message yet? This shit is awesome!
You cant read that right? No I know. Well if you go to Epic Reads page then you can download it there.
But wait, there is oh so much more…
- For the super YA geeks there is a timeline of YA fiction.
- There’s a periodic table of Epic Reads.
- A list of 162 Epic YA Retellings.
- The United States of YA – where you can literally read your YA self across America.
- 25 YA Books to read if you like Game of Thrones
- and finally a list of 30 YA books that will change your view of the world.
I mean basically this is candy to me and to be honest total hell too! How am I meant to find the time to read all these?
Do you like YA Fiction? If So, why and what’s on your ultimate YA list?
Cat Clarke is one of my favourite YA authors. have loved all her books. They are very dark.
Awesome thank you will look her up ??
I love YA and am in the middle of writing a novel with a ghostly slant, which I am told is YA. Some of my favourites are How I Live Now by Meg Rosoff (fabulous writer and great to listen to), Postcards from No Man’s Land by Aidan Chambers (an elderly writer who can really get inside the young mind – he used to be a teacher – I’ve met him and he is awesome), Half Bad by Sally Green, and Lottie Biggs is not Mad by Hayley Long, who is mad and lovely and wonderful to know!
Thanks for the suggestions really appreciate that – always helps to narrow down a whopper of a list like that with suggestions 😀
I love YA too, less gore and violence than a lot of adult books! I recently read Relentless by Karen Lynch, I like a good bit of paranormal, so this fitted the bill very well.
I am so with you Rosie!! I adore the hope that runs through them all too! Thanks for the suggestion
I love YA too! Like you, I feel like inside I never grew up past a certain point. Certain life episodes dragged me kicking and screaming into the realms of adulthood, like being a parent, although that is also a good excuse to indulge your childish side. Its kind of weird now that my sons and I enjoy the same books and movies. I have no doubt that they will move on while I am still reading YA… I need the escapism!
could not agree more. I got to 16… and stopped! at least I am pretty sure I did anyway! maybe a smidgen older! pahaha they will move on and you will stay there! brilliant, I hope at least one of them clings to their youth for you!! :p
Not my natural home but I’m not so narrow as to dismiss it; after all there are fabulous stories there. It takes real skill to write too as it always has to meet the requirements of good literature but hook an audience that isn’t always as receptive as the older one.
I didn’t think it would be. But what IS your natural genre of choice then geoffle? I think that’s a good point though about the audience – they are pretty fickle and have high octane expectations too… gulp, better start editing! haha
This is awesome! I’m going to have to look this up. Kudos to the person who put all those books together!
I know right! proper kid in a candy store!
I often read YA novels without recognising the target audience is a couple (cough cough) of years younger than me.
pahahaha Diana, you do make me giggle! Nothing wrong with reading YA no matter your age! a good story is a good story! 😀
Even though I write YA I have read distressingly few of the popular series – however, I certainly enjoy the genre. I just need more time to read! Can we have an extra day in the week, please?
What What What?! outrageous! :p I’m messing, I suspect that is the case for a lot of people actually. What genre do you read? I am not reading a great deal at the moment either – sucks. 🙁 I want one of those extra days too please!
I do like fantasy and read a fair bit, though leaning towards urban fantasy. I’m not much of a one for crime mysteries, but I make an exception for Kerry Greenwood’s excellent Phryne Fisher mysteries. I like biographies too, and just good stories in general. Though I have a pile of books by my bed that are waiting to be read – no time to do it at the moment! What about you?
Ooh any urban fantasy recommendations? Me – ooh not much I wont read, but LOVE fantasy, anything YA, science fiction, and psychological thrillery disturbing thought provoking stuff!
I read a lot of Charles De Lint, especially his Newford books. And this isn’t urban fantasy but I love Marion Zimmer Bradley’s Darkover series – I’ve managed to track down a lot of the older books online or in second hand stores, plus the stories are now being continued by other writers since she passed away. It’s a great mix of sci fi and fantasy.
Oh my gosh! Freaking out! Aaaahhhh! This is awesome and you are awesome and the world is sunny and bright!
Guess who I had in mind writing this post up….. Bet u can’t guess…. ?
How many guesses do I get? O_o
Not sure u even need one!
Hey! I get one. You were thinking… Katniss. Wait, wait! No! Tris. Hah! I know what’s what.
Pahahaha, if I were a YA kick ass female protagonist who would I be….! :p love that game!
Ooh! Pick me! I wanna play. (This is a real game or one we just made up? Just so I’m aware.)
Haha, totally made up and I was joking…. but….. I mean really how do you choose? Tris… Katniss…. they are all so kick ass – I favour Tris – but silly cow dies… I wouldnt die, too risk averse! lol Your turn!
She… Whaaa…? She…dies?! WTF!
No, I’m kidding. You can stop sweating.
Okay, okay. So my choices are death or life with severe, permanent psychological damage. Hmm. Can I just be Hermione?
Shit. I forgot about hermione!! Lol… TBF… You could be Thomas from the maze runner… Curiosity will probably kill that cat too! (Don’t tell me the end!)
Or what’s her face from the testing… Determined too trusting and utterly forgettable but set in an awesome dystopia that u just have to read….
Nah, sod it none of them are right…. I’ll write my own! ??… Speaking of which Brentyn… I believe u owe me a decision…….
I won’t tell you that Thomas dies. Because he doesn’t. Or does he? *zips lips* Technically Hermione is not YA. So there’s Cassia (Matched) and Lena (Delirium) and the girl from The Testing is Cia. But, yes, I will wait for yours. 🙂
A decision? From moi? Hmm… Chocolate.
Alright. What do I need to do again? (Sorry we’re having a conversation on your poor blog…)
Wow! Just brilliant. I’ve nearly finished the last in the ‘Pure’ (Julianna Baggott) so needed some more ideas. Can’t wait! Thank you 🙂
Thanks Esther – it is a bit of a treasure chest – I am like YAAAAAY ohhhh god, how can i ever read them all?!
I know…it’s a YA fan’s dream but far too many. Though, good to have some new ones to choose from 🙂
Ha! I’ve just read Sarah’s post on YA opening lines. You just had to list more than she, didn’t you? I don’t know if you have read the Tomorrow series by Australian author John Marsden but I think they are pretty good. http://www.johnmarsden.com.au/books/tomorrow_when_the_war_began.html
I think there may be not many on the list that I have, or will read, not because I wouldn’t or wouldn’t want to, simply other priorities for my time.
Pahahaha oh Norah, you make me giggle – do you know, I actually kind of wrote this post with Sarah in mind. WE adore YA fiction and talk about it all the time, so I knew a list like this would be like christmas for her :D.
I havent read that series, but its going straight on my TBR pile – love a good suggestion thanks Norah.
I read adult and YA literature about evenly, though I admit it’s mostly fantasy and science fiction. *lol* But here are some of my favorite YA books off the top of my head:
– Graceling and Fire, two separate novels by Kristen Cashore
– Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor (this one has great crossover appeal for the adult crowd, IMO)
– The Grisha Trilogy and Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo (I admit I’ve only read the first book in the Grisha Trilogy, but I plan on reading the others!)
– The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky (not fantasy, but such a good story – I wanted to reach through the pages and hug Charlie when I was done)
– The Distance Between Lost and Found by Kathryn Holmes (a 2015 YA contemporary that seems to have flown under the radar, which is a shame because it’s one of the best books I’ve read this year)
What a fab set of suggestions. I am popping those on my list. I am so grateful for the recommendations – nothing better than knowing what you pick up is worth it 😀
and btw – there is nothing wrong with loving fantasy 😀
Excellent share! I’m going to bookmark allllll of this for future reference when I need my next book to read! 🙂
gosh, thank you so much. Glad you enjoyed it 😀 and thank you for stopping by 😀