Hello PubCrawlers! Now that my debut YA novel, Ivory and Bone is out in the world, some of my friends who don’t normally read YA have given it a try. Most of these friends have discovered they enjoy YA, (hooray!) and a few have asked me for further recommendations.
So today we’d like you to tell us: What’s your go-to book recommendation—YA or otherwise? Here are a few of ours. Please share yours in the comments!
Julie Eshbaugh
My go-to recommendation has long been Incarceron by Catherine Fisher. This futuristic story about a boy locked inside a living prison, the warden’s daughter forced to live in a bizarre world that imitates the seventeenth century, and the relationship that results when each of them find a crystal key that allows them to communicate. It’s full of surprises and I loved every page!
S. Jae-Jones (JJ)
Hmmm, if we’re doing underappreciated reads I keep foisting on people, it would be Ysabeau Wilce’s books. These are criminally underappreciated: set in an alternate 18th-century California, it has magic, whimsy, intrigue, boys who wear kilts and maquillage, women who are generals of an army, and plucky heroines who use ingenuity to save the day!
EC Myers
I most often recommend Mortal Engines by Philip Reeve, which has some of the most amazing world building I’ve read and the most complex and sympathetic characters.
Rachel Seigel
If I have a customer looking for a good MG read my go-to is A Snicker of Magic by Natalie Lloyd. It’s one of those books that has wonderful language and a magical realism story that appeals to all ages from really young as a read-aloud to 8th graders. It’s only a couple of years old, but I love getting people to discover this modern classic.
Stephanie Garber
I’m constantly recommending The Kiss of Deception by Mary E. Pearson—I love the way she plays with POVs in this book. I also love the sequel, The Heart of Betrayal—the villain in this book is excellent.
For my under appreciated reads I might go with The Falconer by Elizabeth May—a historical fantasy with one of my favorite romantic lines of all time!
How about you? What are your favorite books to recommend to other readers? Please share your recommendations in the comments!
The Books of Pellinor by Alison Croggon, starting with The Gift (The Naming in the US). Epic fantasy with a traditional quest, wonderful characters (male and female), and elegant writing style. There’s a prequel out now as well, The Bone Queen, in the UK and Australia, but US readers will have to wait until next year for it (or buy the British/Australian edition).
If you want to read about memorable characters with profound friendships, this is the series.
The Glasshouse by Charles Stross. In a post-scarcity world, the only real crime is messing with people minds.
Ghost Bride by Choo Yangsze
A Face Like Glass by Frances Hardinge
Kitchen by Banana Yoshimoto
Marina by Carlos Ruiz Zafon
Monstrumologist series by Rick Yancey
I chat about YA Reads 24/7 with my students, co-workers, and friends! My constant go-to recommendations…
Something Strange and Deadly and Truthwitch by Susan Dennard
Defy by Sara B. Larson
Darkest Minds and Passenger by Alexandra Bracken
Star-Touched Queen by Roshani Chokshi
Throne of Glass and A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas
Vengeance Road by Erin Bowman
Fire and Flood by Victoria Scott
Every Last Word by Tamara Ireland Stone
The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern, Sputnik Sweetheart by Haruki Murakami, Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel, The Rose and the Beast by Francesca Lia Block, and What Is Not Yours Is Not Yours by Helen Oyeyemi.
I’m adding Incarceron and Flora Segunda to my list of books to check out, as both of them sound absolutely fantastic. The Falconer is already on my TBR, so I’m definitely looking forward to that!