Tuesday, November 1, 2016

Ten Books To Read If Your Book Club Likes To Read Super Discussable YA

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For this week's topic, we chose ten books to read if your book club likes to read totally discussable YA novels. 


Jamie's Picks

1. All the Rage by Courtney SummersAll the Rage will get your blood boiling and touched on a lot of important issues — victim-shaming, slut-shaming, rape and rape culture, etc which are sure to get your book club talking. I couldn't put this one down. 


2. Firsts by Laurie Elizabeth Flynn: This is one of those books that people have strong feelings about. I personally really liked it. Firsts is definitely a honest and provocative book that will make you uncomfortable for sure but I loved the honest and open exploration of teen sexuality in it though I felt kind of conflicted about certain aspect


3. All the Bright Things by Jennifer Niven: I read this with my book club and we had SO much to talk about with this one. It was certainly a divisive one.


4. Tease by Amanda Maciel: Tease is told from the perspective of a girl who, along with her best friend and others, bullied another girl who ended up killing herself. It goes back and forth between what started the bullying/led to the suicide and then also is in the present where she’s fighting a case against her and the others for their responsibility in the girl’s death as well as trying to live life after this event. It's definitely a book where people are going to have opinions plus it's a good discussion starter re: bullying.


Bridget's Pick

5. Tiny Pretty Things


Lauren's Picks

Short preface for my picks today... I dug deep for these picks for this week's topic. These novels are truly near and dear to me. I normally don't wear my heart on my sleeve, but let's just say I wore a damn tank top today. Enjoy!

6. Never Fall Down by Patricia McCormick: This is a YA historical fiction novel based on a true story about a child of war. You've seen it on the news, maybe read a Facebook article or two, or have just seen a monochromatic photo of a young child holding an assault rifle. This novel pulls you into the world of an innocent child facing an impossible reality... one that involves humanity diving to one of it's lowest points... all starting with the taking of an individual's childhood.


7. The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary E. Pearson: This novel raises one of the simplest, yet amazingly complex issues that we all may trip upon in our future... or maybe our children's future. Ethics are called into question and we all feel like we know what the right answer is, but if our life were on the line... if our child's life were at stake... what would you do?


8. Belzhar by Meg Wolitzer: Ok, I'll be honest... this novel involves a classroom setting and while reading, every time I put the novel down, I felt like I had just left the philosophy night class that I took in college. I felt mentally exhausted, but exhilarated by how I had just viewed all of life. We all see ourselves in a certain light, but in that same light, others see us differently. This book reminded me of how I am just a speck in this world, but also how this speck is meaningful and has a purpose.


9. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak: This should be on the world's top five YA novels to read. And I can almost 100% guarantee every single person who has read this book would agree. It's not another historical fiction novel with a main character we can all relate to. It's not another novel some teacher added to your reading list and you have to drag ass to figure out what is symbolic and what is a metaphor. It truly reaches deep down, grabs your heart, finds what makes you well, you... then rips it out. At least, that's how I felt when I read it the first 3 times. And each time I discover another missed detail that would've made my heart beat a little faster before it's fateful death (no death pun intended).


10. Fever 1793 by Laurie Halse Anderson: This was an early read for me... as in I can't even remember how old I was when I read this novel for the first time. But I can remember how the main character felt and consequently how I felt. When the season changed to winter, I felt cold. When news of the sickness was getting closer, I felt scared. When death was knocking at the neighbor's door, I felt complete despair. This novel will raise the hairs on the back of your neck and make you yearn to have the power to save lives.



What book club picks are on your list?






7 comments:

  1. Never Fall Down is amazing. It is difficult to get an accent right, especially in first person but she nailed it. I read this as I was travelling around Cambodia a couple of years ago so it was a memorable read for me.

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  2. The Book Thief is on my list too -- it is such an amazing novel. I've read it twice and it sent chills up my spine afterword.

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  3. Ooh nice picks! Pretty much all new to me ones!

    Here's my Tuesday Post

    Have a GREAT day!

    Old Follower :)

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  4. Great picks! Although I couldn't get my book group to read All the Rage, we loved The Book Thief. We also really liked Eleanor & Park and The Fault in Our Stars.

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  5. Can't believe I forgot about Firsts this week! That book was quite thought-provoking in its own way and I think it'd make a good book club read. Great picks. :)

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  6. The Book Thief! Everyone should read that book. I didn’t put it on my list this week because I talk about it constantly.

    Aj @ Read All The Things!

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  7. This was a really great topic idea! Never Fall Down is one I've been wanting to pick up for quite a while, and Fever 1793 brings back so many memories from when I read it so many years ago! I loved it so much and was so shocked by how intense it was.

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