Book Riot's Read Harder Challenge discussion

This thread is for dropping ideas, questions, resources, comments, and discussion about Task 11: A YA Novel

A list to get you started:

http://bookriot.com/2014/12/04/2014-y...

There are several I'm considering, some will be double duty for other categories.
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian
Please Ignore Vera Dietz
Brown Girl Dreaming
The Sleeper and the Spindle
Going Bovine
Jackaby
I'll Give You the Sun, read
Heap House
Code Name Verity
The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making

THis is one of the easier ones for me as I have many, many, many YA novels on my TBR at home.

Truth About Alice, the Rithmatist, Mystic City and/or a few others. I don't own a ton of YA books so this one such be easy enough to just pick one up and read it. Is Mistborn YA?

Malvina, Sanderson's Steelheart is considered YA. Mistborn has been remarketed for them with new editions, but I think it was originally for adults.

I picked Brown Girl Dreaming originally, but since I might finish it this weekend I'll have to choose another one.

I have to do Code Name Verity. I have had my friends raving about it for a long, long time, and it's time I get around to it!

I enjoyed Inhuman by Kat Falls

Karin wrote: "I have to do Code Name Verity. I have had my friends raving about it for a long, long time, and it's time I get around to it!"

That' a wonderful book. I'd also like to suggest that you listen to the audio version. The readers are fantastic.

I highly recommend The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater. I loved this book!

If anyone has trouble finding a YA book that they are interested in Epic Reads is a website that specializes in YA. They have tons to choose from.

I've had Wonder on my shelf forever. Will read it for this category.

I plan on reading Divergent for my YA read.

I think I will read one of the John Green books, probably Looking for Alaska.

Divergent

I couldn't wait and read Brown Girl Dreaming, so I need a new book.

This is such a easy category for me. I read YA like it's my job! Probably will use Speak since I already own it.

lots to choose from; so the first YA I read this year will be entered as my YA entry.

I have several series to finish up or continue in 2015 (hopefully)...it will probably be Allegiant or the Percy Jackson series since I borrowed it from my mom over the holiday.

I'm not too big on YA books, so this will be tough. I can recommend WWW: Wake and the follow on books by Robert Sawyer.

I'll be going with some Diana Wynne Jones, I just love her books and I have plenty I haven't read yet.

The Hunger Games

I'm going with The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. I've been wanting to read it for awhile!

I read We Were Liars this summer and just loved it. I read a lot of YA (I teach Freshman English) and I can recommend several books.

The Grisha Trilogy:
Shadow and Bone
Siege and Storm
Ruin and Rising
Loved every minute of it.

Anything by Rainbow Rowell. Eleanor & Park is fantastic.

I enjoyed Winger. Totally the mind of a 14 year old boy and rugby.

I have more if you want them!

Rainbow Rowell is my favorite author right now!

Samantha wrote: "Rainbow Rowell is my favorite author right now!"

I have devoured everything she has out. Landline was basically a walk through my high school years in the early 90s.

Jennifer wrote: "Samantha wrote: "Rainbow Rowell is my favorite author right now!"

I have devoured everything she has out. Landline was basically a walk through my high school years in the early 90s."

I have read everything too, and subscribed to her website so I can be sure to know when she has something new coming out! Attachments was probably my favorite.

I am hoping to finish the Mara Dyer series here, Rick Yancy, or the latest Lorien Legacy. I do read a lot of YA but these are at the top of my list.

I have yet to read The Book Thief, so I'm going with that one for this category.

Elizabeth wrote: "I think I will read one of the John Green books, probably Looking for Alaska."

That book is a very good choice...

I'm reading Paper Towns by John Green.

I just picked up Red Rising from the library, which I think will be my YA read. I'm not really a fan of most of the other works that it gets compared to, but I've heard enough rave reviews about it to be pretty intrigued.

Reading "Rage" by Jackie Morse Kessler

I just finished True Believer, my first read of the year, and absolutely loved it. Great YA book written in verse.

Reading The Book Thief for this category

Does anybody have any tips for non-ya readers? Any good starting points? I've been recommended The Prydain Chronicles but it seems like that's middlegrade? I read mostly classics, literary fiction and some sff. Thanks in advance!

Juanita wrote: "Does anybody have any tips for non-ya readers? Any good starting points? I've been recommended The Prydain Chronicles but it seems like that's middlegrade? I read mostly classics, li..."

The first recommendation that comes to mind is Sabriel - it's fantasy, and an all-around good book with a well-paced plot and an excellent heroine.

I second Sabriel! Such a wonderful book.

Juanita wrote: "Does anybody have any tips for non-ya readers? Any good starting points? I've been recommended The Prydain Chronicles but it seems like that's middlegrade? I read mostly classics, li..."

Would you be willing to look at Pure by Julianna Baggott? When I worked at Barnes & Noble, we shelved it in general fiction (as opposed to the YA section), but the story is told from the teens' POV (but third-person, not first). It's definitely science-y, but I wouldn't really call it science fiction. IIRC, the language here is definitely literary for a YA, so thought that might track with your reading tastes.

Still on the science track, I really liked Partials by Dan Wells. This one is definitely YA, but the science is explained a bit better than in Pure.

If you don't want that much science, and you've already read The Hunger Games and Divergent, I thought Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi was an entertaining variant of the X-Men (though it seems pretty love it/hate it in the reviews) and Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo was an interesting fantasy.

As far as realistic fiction, all I can really recommend is Yaqui Delgado Wants to Kick Your Ass by Meg Medina. I did love it, but most of my reading is more in the SFF arena, so I can't really add any other books here.

I've always wanted an excuse to read The Golden Compass; this may be it!

Lydia wrote: "Reading "Rage" by Jackie Morse Kessler"

I enjoyed this series, and it was an interesting take on things.

Jenny wrote: "There are several I'm considering, some will be double duty for other categories.
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian
Please Ignore Vera Dietz
[book:Brown..."

I want to read several of those as well, but I have read Jackaby, and I really enjoyed it!

Read a new one, The Haunting of Sunshine Girl.

I read "City of Bones" for my YA pick. Not my usual read, but decent.

I read BelzharBelzhar for this challenge.

Just finished Vivian Apple at the End of the World, which I picked up after it was announced as the Reblog Book Club pick. I highly recommend it!

Anything by Maggie Stiefvater & the Throne of Glass series by Sarah J Maas.

I recommend Can't Look Away by Donna Cooner or anything by Sarah Dessen.

I read Scarlet by Marissa Meyer that I am using for this task as of now. It was a good second book in the series.

Just finished Code Name Verity as my first book of the challenge. I gave it a 3/5. Ultimately I just don't think I'm a YA fan. This is one in a list of YA books that many people I know raved over, but I couldn't form as strong a connection to it.