Books anyone? Oh and somethings I dislike about the YA books :)

CorgiWaddles
CorgiWaddles Posts: 81 Member
edited November 9 in Chit-Chat
Hey all! I read/listen to ALOT of books! What are some books that you have read that you love? I need some new ones (Yes I am a young adult reader and have read almost ALL of the mainstream ones and others so I need new ones)

Okay. I am a YA book reader and I read all sorts of other books too but that is one of my favorites! I do have one issue with it though, I am NOT skinny shaming at all so if you are fabulously(Uhh spelling?) slender please do not take offense! This is just something I would love to see in some books I read, In most books if it involves females they always include a description right? It usually involves a tiny girl who weighs under 120lbs, while there is nothing wrong with this. I would love to see some books with curvier girls sometimes, I would find the girls a bit more relatable. That's just me!

What do you think?

Replies

  • TheRoadDog
    TheRoadDog Posts: 11,788 Member
    I'm getting old. I had to Google "YA Books". I, too, am a voracious reader, but I would guess that our tastes in books differ. As far as strong female protaganists go, though, you might try Faye Kellerman. My wife and all three daughters also read very much, but I'm not sure about the authors. They kind of make fun of me, because I can't relate to most female Authors. I'm not a sexist; it's just that the point of view differs.
  • My_Mind_Is_My_Cage
    My_Mind_Is_My_Cage Posts: 1,344 Member
    YA
    The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole Age 13 3/4
    The Phantom Tollbooth

    ADULT
    Motherless Brooklyn
    A Confederacy Of Dunces
    25th Hour
    She's Come Undone
    *kitten* Out Of Carolina
  • jesiann2014
    jesiann2014 Posts: 521 Member
    I recently discovered Jojo Moyes. She's pretty good. Road Dog, you might like The Heart And The Fist by Eric Greitens. Actually, I can't imagine someone NOT enjoying this book. I listened to it on Audible. Eric himself narrated. Fabulous listen.
  • TheRoadDog
    TheRoadDog Posts: 11,788 Member
    jesiann2014 wrote: »
    I recently discovered Jojo Moyes. She's pretty good. Road Dog, you might like The Heart And The Fist by Eric Greitens. Actually, I can't imagine someone NOT enjoying this book. I listened to it on Audible. Eric himself narrated. Fabulous listen.

    Thanks. I haven't read it yet, but I am familiar with the Author. Right now I am reading Private India. My wife turned me on to the "Private" series by James Patterson. I don't consider him a great authhor but he writes enjoyable stories. MANY of them. Very prolific.

  • jesiann2014
    jesiann2014 Posts: 521 Member
    Oh yeah, I'm into the Private series as well. I haven't read India yet. Is it as good as the previous ones? The positive reviews are slacking off as the series continues...
  • jesiann2014
    jesiann2014 Posts: 521 Member
    RD, You might also like The hit series by David Baldacci. I think there are 3 in the series right now. I very much enjoyed these characters.
  • CorgiWaddles
    CorgiWaddles Posts: 81 Member
    Thank you all! I have a few more books to check out!
  • TheRoadDog
    TheRoadDog Posts: 11,788 Member
    jesiann2014 wrote: »
    Oh yeah, I'm into the Private series as well. I haven't read India yet. Is it as good as the previous ones? The positive reviews are slacking off as the series continues...

    I don't like Private India as much as the others in the series. I have read a lot of David Baldacci.

    My favorite authors of that genre are Lee Child. Jack Reacher Series.
    Robert Crais. Wrote the Joe Pike and Elvis Cole Series.
    All time favorite is Andrew Vachss. He wrote the Burke Series. I would caution you on Andrew Vachs, however. Very dark subject matter. Google him and you will understand why.

  • CorgiWaddles
    CorgiWaddles Posts: 81 Member
    I can say I like sci-fi and end of the world type books, I don't know why. I always have I think one of my all time favorites that made me really think was Childhood's End by Arthur C. Clarke. That was a very amazing book. Anyone else read that?
  • CorgiWaddles
    CorgiWaddles Posts: 81 Member
    Oh and of course War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells
  • PapaPeace
    PapaPeace Posts: 1,432 Member
    Everything by Patrick Rothfuss!
  • lewispwest
    lewispwest Posts: 498 Member
    I heard that in Twilight they don't even give a description of the female lead character so that it's easier for the reader to project themselves on to her?
  • DaveTimeKeeper
    DaveTimeKeeper Posts: 103 Member
    jrharper2 wrote: »
    Oh and of course War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells

    I love you

    any thing H. G. Wells is good,
  • seltzermint555
    seltzermint555 Posts: 10,740 Member
    The Diary of a Chav series by Grace Dent is AMAZING. Her character Shiraz Bailey Wood is so awesome I read these books in my 30's and forgot they were about a teenage girl. Shiraz describes some of her friends and herself in a funny way and at one point has a weight loss ordeal, which is pretty entertaining.

    Do you ever venture into graphic novels? I am generally not a big comics type of person at all - no interest in superhero or anime - but I LOVE graphic memoirs especially by Lucy Knisley, Nicole Georges, Craig Thompson, and others. Some of them are labeled as YA in my local library.

    "French Milk" by Lucy Knisley might be a fun place to start. She's a smaller girl but briefly describes some of her own body image struggles in the book and it's about a Parisian trip she took with her mother while college aged. If you read it I really hope you will enjoy it.
  • gimpygramma
    gimpygramma Posts: 383 Member
    I second the vote for Sue Townsend's Adrian Mole series. I am also a big fan of Susan Juby's three book Alice series ..."Alice, I Think" "Miss Smithers" and "Alice Macleod, Realist at Last." We are not told much about Alice's appearance. One YA novel about a bigger girl is "Looking Good" by Carole Lazar. It is available only on Kindle. Cara, the protagonist in that story is probably not overweight so much as just cursed because as she says, she is built like a Russian peasant.
  • CindyMarcuzAdams
    CindyMarcuzAdams Posts: 4,007 Member
    Robert j Sawyer is a Canadian SciFi author. Most of his stories take place in Canada...I am Canadian. I find him enjoyable. sfwritrer.com. He offers first chapter reads on his website. Just a thought.
  • seltzermint555
    seltzermint555 Posts: 10,740 Member
    I have also heard a ton of great views for Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell.
  • charlottemmarks
    charlottemmarks Posts: 61 Member
    I'm not sure how 'mainstream' it is or isn't since I don't really keep track of these things much, but Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs was super fun, and a quick read. There's a second book, too, but I've yet to consume it.
  • TheRoadDog
    TheRoadDog Posts: 11,788 Member
    Lightning by Dean Koontz.
    They Thirst & Stinger by Robert McGammon.
    The Light at the End by John Skipp and Craig Spector

    These are four of my all-time favorite books.
  • Joannah700
    Joannah700 Posts: 2,665 Member
    There are some groups on here catering to reading. You can try out this one: http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/477-when-im-not-on-mfp-im-reading
  • ehuschka
    ehuschka Posts: 47 Member
    An oldy but a goody is the Redwall series.... depending on how you feel about talking animals.
  • earth_echo
    earth_echo Posts: 133 Member
    jrharper2 wrote: »
    I can say I like sci-fi and end of the world type books, I don't know why. I always have I think one of my all time favorites that made me really think was Childhood's End by Arthur C. Clarke. That was a very amazing book. Anyone else read that?

    You might enjoy:

    Across the Universe series
    Starbound series

    Although YA, I'm 40 and I enjoyed both immensely. Both are sci-fi but also dystopic, which is an odd combo.
  • CorgiWaddles
    CorgiWaddles Posts: 81 Member
    I read Miss Pereigrin's and the Across the Universe Series. I loved them both very much and who ever mentioned Twilight just.... Grr...
  • CorgiWaddles
    CorgiWaddles Posts: 81 Member
    I cannot spell at all. Sorry!
  • smantha32
    smantha32 Posts: 6,990 Member
    lewispwest wrote: »
    I heard that in Twilight they don't even give a description of the female lead character so that it's easier for the reader to project themselves on to her?

    No, they describe her as thin and not athletic.

  • smantha32
    smantha32 Posts: 6,990 Member
    There's a writer Katie MacAlister, who writes vampire books. She's a heavy girl and all her main characters are heavy girls.
    She has decent stories, but I've started to not like her writing because she loves to use the same turns of phrase and euphemisms, and all her characters start to sound alike.
    But if you're looking for someone who writes stories with non typical skinny girls, she fits the description.

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