Feel free to recommend me a book!
Books listed here aren't the only ones that I've enjoyed reading. I read a lot, but I might not have read what you're thinking of (recommend it to me above!). There are some books that I've enjoyed yet felt conflicted about recommending to everyone. Some books, I simply haven't finished the series for, and thus feel uncomfortable recommending (an ending can be CRITICAL!). And sometimes I don't remember enough of my experience with a book to recommend it! That doesn't mean that book is bad -- more that trying to shove thousands of books worth of knowledge into my mind is kind of hard, ya know? I also have not run into a single novel that has made me think: I WOULD RECOMMEND THIS TO NO ONE. Nope, every book has its audience.
I don't describe any of the books below in detail. I'd suggest you compare our reading tastes and look at the Goodreads page to determine whether the book is something you would enjoy. If you're curious about my opinion on a book, feel free to connect with me at any of the listed social media sites and I'll try my best to respond.
LAST UPDATED 04/28/16. (Need to add recs from December-April still though).
*note: some books are genre benders, and some incorporate more than one genre in general (historical romantic fantasy, for example). In such cases, where I've placed those recommendations is, honestly, kind of arbitrary.
Middle Grade:
** Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret by Judy Blume.
** Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson.
** The Gallagher Girls series by Ally Carter.
** The Harry Potter series (+ John Granger's Deathly Hallows Lectures).
** Anything Diana Wynne Jones wrote, including Howl's Moving Castle, Castle in the Air, House of Many Ways, Charmed Life, & The Lives of Christopher Chant.
** Percy Jackson and the Olympians and The Lost Heroes of Olympus by Rick Riordan.
** The False Prince by Jennifer Nielsen.
** Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt.
** The Glass Sentence by S.E. Grove & The Golden Specific by S.E. Grove.
** Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson.
** George by Alex Gino.
Young Adult:
Contemporary:
** Heist Society by Ally Carter.
** Meant to Be by Lauren Morrill.
** The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants by Ann Brashares.
** The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han.
** The Truth about Forever by Sarah Dessen.
** My Life Next Door by Huntley Fitzpatrick.
** The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith.
** Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins and Anna and the French Kiss and and Isla and the Happily Ever After.
** Pushing the Limits by Katie McGarry.
** The Duff by Kody Keplinger.
** Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell.
** North of Beautiful by Justina Chen.
** This Song Will Save Your Life by Leila Sales.
** If I Stay and Where She Went by Gayle Forman.
** Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta.
** The Fault in Our Stars by John Green.
** Charm and Strange by Stephanie Kuehn (+ Complicit by Stephanie Kuehn and Delicate Monsters by Stephanie Kuehn).
** Stolen by Lucy Christopher.
** The Spectacular Now by Tim Tharp.
** Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson.
** She Is Not Invisible by Marcus Sedgwick.
** The Sky is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson.
** Don't Touch by Rachel Wilson.
** Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock by Matthew Quick.
** Made You Up by Francesca Zappia.
** The Last Time We Say Goodbye by Cynthia Hand.
** Dumplin' by Julie Murphy.
** The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart.
** Love Letters to the Dead by Ava Dellaira.
** Love Letters to the Dead by Ava Dellaira.
** My Heart and Other Black Holes by Jasmine Warga.
** The Truth about Alice by Jennifer Mathieu.
** Forbidden by Tabitha Suzuma.
** The Truth about Alice by Jennifer Mathieu.
** Forbidden by Tabitha Suzuma.
** Little Blue Envelope duology by Maureen Johnson.
** Cracked up to Be by Courtney Summers.
Science Fiction:
** The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer.
** The Under the Never Sky trilogy by Veronica Rossi.
** Adaptation by Malinda Lo.
** The Sky Chasers trilogy by Amy Kathleen Ryan.
** The Tin Star duology by Cecil Castellucci.
** Salvage by Alexandra Duncan.
** The Birthmarked trilogy by Caragh O'Brien.
** All Our Yesterdays by Cristin Terrill.
** Alienated by Melissa Landers.
** Cracked up to Be by Courtney Summers.
Science Fiction:
** The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer.
** The Under the Never Sky trilogy by Veronica Rossi.
** Adaptation by Malinda Lo.
** The Sky Chasers trilogy by Amy Kathleen Ryan.
** The Tin Star duology by Cecil Castellucci.
** Salvage by Alexandra Duncan.
** The Birthmarked trilogy by Caragh O'Brien.
** All Our Yesterdays by Cristin Terrill.
** Alienated by Melissa Landers.
** Across the Universe by Beth Revis.
Dystopian/Post-Apocalyptic:
** Incarnate by Jodi Meadows.
** Matched trilogy by Ally Condie.
** Wither by Lauren DeStefano.
** For Darkness Shows the Stars by Diana Peterfreund.
** Angelfall by Susan Ee.
** Legend trilogy by Marie Lu.
** Divergent by Veronica Roth.
** Not A Drop to Drink by Mindy McGinnis (+ In a Handful of Dust).
** The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins.
** The Scorpion Rules by Erin Bow.
Paranormal Romance/Thriller/Urban Fantasy:
** The Elementals series by Brigid Kemmerer.
** The Iron Fey by Julie Kagawa.
** The Wicked Lovely series by Melissa Marr.
** The Devil's Kiss by Sarwat Chadda.
** Hex Hall trilogy by Rachel Hawkins.
** Unspoken by Sarah Rees Brennan.
** The Evernight series by Claudia Gray.
** The Vampire Academy series by Richelle Mead.
** The Wings series by Aprilynne Pike.
** The Blue Bloods series by Melissa de la Cruz.
** The Nightshade trilogy by Andrea Cremer.
** My Name Is Memory by Ann Brashares.
** The Mind Games duology by Kiersten White.
** Another Little Piece by Kate Karyus Quinn (+ Don't You Forget about Me by Kate Karyus Quinn).
** The Mara Dyer trilogy by Michelle Hodkin.
** The Shatter Me trilogy by Tahereh Mafi.
** Daughter of Smoke and Bone trilogy by Laini Taylor.
** The Raven Cycle by Maggie Stiefvater.
** A Need So Beautiful by Suzanne Young.
Dystopian/Post-Apocalyptic:
** Incarnate by Jodi Meadows.
** Matched trilogy by Ally Condie.
** Wither by Lauren DeStefano.
** For Darkness Shows the Stars by Diana Peterfreund.
** Angelfall by Susan Ee.
** Legend trilogy by Marie Lu.
** Divergent by Veronica Roth.
** Not A Drop to Drink by Mindy McGinnis (+ In a Handful of Dust).
** The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins.
** The Scorpion Rules by Erin Bow.
Paranormal Romance/Thriller/Urban Fantasy:
** The Elementals series by Brigid Kemmerer.
** The Iron Fey by Julie Kagawa.
** The Wicked Lovely series by Melissa Marr.
** The Devil's Kiss by Sarwat Chadda.
** Hex Hall trilogy by Rachel Hawkins.
** Unspoken by Sarah Rees Brennan.
** The Evernight series by Claudia Gray.
** The Vampire Academy series by Richelle Mead.
** The Wings series by Aprilynne Pike.
** The Blue Bloods series by Melissa de la Cruz.
** The Nightshade trilogy by Andrea Cremer.
** My Name Is Memory by Ann Brashares.
** The Mind Games duology by Kiersten White.
** Another Little Piece by Kate Karyus Quinn (+ Don't You Forget about Me by Kate Karyus Quinn).
** The Mara Dyer trilogy by Michelle Hodkin.
** The Shatter Me trilogy by Tahereh Mafi.
** Daughter of Smoke and Bone trilogy by Laini Taylor.
** The Raven Cycle by Maggie Stiefvater.
** A Need So Beautiful by Suzanne Young.
** Modern Faerie Tales by Holly Black.
** Lament by Maggie Stiefvater.
** The Shadow Society by Marie Rutkoski.
** Lament by Maggie Stiefvater.
** The Shadow Society by Marie Rutkoski.
** Pivot Point by Kasie West.
High Fantasy:
** The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater**
** The Assassin's Curse duology by Cassandra Rose Clarke
** Scarlet trilogy by A.C. Gaughen.
** The Throne of Glass series by Sarah J. Maas.
** The Grisha trilogy by Leigh Bardugo.
** Cruel Beauty by Rosamund Hodge (+ Crimson Bound by Rosamund Hodge).
** Witchlanders by Lena Coakley.
** The Winner's trilogy by Marie Rutkoski.
** The Girl of Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson.
** The Lumatere Chronicles by Melina Marchetta.
** The Queen's Thief series by Megan Whalen Turner.
** The Graceling Realm trilogy by Kristin Cashore.
** Seraphina & Shadow Scale by Rachel Hartman.
** The Remnant Chronicles by Mary E. Pearson.
** Crown Duel by Sherwood Smith.
** Serpentine by Cindy Pon.
** Poison Study by Maria Snyder.
** A Thousand Nights by E.K. Johnston.
** The Hero and the Crown by Robin McKinley.
** Sunshine by Robin McKinley.
** Dreamstrider by Lindsay Smith.
** Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo.
** An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir.
High Fantasy:
** The Assassin's Curse duology by Cassandra Rose Clarke
** Scarlet trilogy by A.C. Gaughen.
** The Throne of Glass series by Sarah J. Maas.
** The Grisha trilogy by Leigh Bardugo.
** Cruel Beauty by Rosamund Hodge (+ Crimson Bound by Rosamund Hodge).
** Witchlanders by Lena Coakley.
** The Winner's trilogy by Marie Rutkoski.
** The Girl of Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson.
** The Lumatere Chronicles by Melina Marchetta.
** The Queen's Thief series by Megan Whalen Turner.
** The Graceling Realm trilogy by Kristin Cashore.
** Seraphina & Shadow Scale by Rachel Hartman.
** The Remnant Chronicles by Mary E. Pearson.
** Crown Duel by Sherwood Smith.
** Serpentine by Cindy Pon.
** Poison Study by Maria Snyder.
** A Thousand Nights by E.K. Johnston.
** The Hero and the Crown by Robin McKinley.
** Sunshine by Robin McKinley.
** Dreamstrider by Lindsay Smith.
** Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo.
** An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir.
** Keturah and Lord Death by Martine Leavitt.
** The Captive Prince trilogy by C.S. Pacat (not YA but oh well)
** The Star-touched Queen by Roshani Chokshi
Magical Realism:
** Chime by Franny Billingsley.
** We Were Liars by E. Lockhart.
** Bone Gap by Laura Ruby.
** The Walls Around Us by Nova Ren Suma & Imaginary Girls by Nova Ren Suma.
** The Accident Season by Moira Fowley-Doyle.
** Love in the Time of Global Warming by Francesca Lia Block.
Historical:
Some of these aren't strictly historical...
** Out of the Easy by Ruta Septys (+ Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Septys).
** Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein (+ Rose Under Fire by Elizabeth Wein).
** The Vespertine by Saundra Mitchell.
** His Fair Assassin trilogy by Robin LaFevers.
** The Gemma Doyle trilogy by Libba Bray.
** In the Shadows by Kiersten White & Jim DiBartolo.
** The Cure for Dreaming by Cat Winters.
** Passenger by Alexandra Bracken.
** Timeless by Alexandra Monir.
** Walk on Earth a Stranger by Rae Carson.
** Vengeance Road by Erin Bowman
Horror:
I don't read many horror books. I had nightmares after watching The Sixth Sense and some James Bond movie where a snake slithers into the room from an air ventilation shaft. To this day, I have nightmares about tarantulas if something reminds me of them. I can't do horror, not without having nightmares or startling or being extra paranoid. So I don't have many recommendations.
** Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake.
** Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea by April Genevieve Tucholke.
** The Captive Prince trilogy by C.S. Pacat (not YA but oh well)
** The Star-touched Queen by Roshani Chokshi
Magical Realism:
** Chime by Franny Billingsley.
** We Were Liars by E. Lockhart.
** Bone Gap by Laura Ruby.
** The Walls Around Us by Nova Ren Suma & Imaginary Girls by Nova Ren Suma.
** The Accident Season by Moira Fowley-Doyle.
** Love in the Time of Global Warming by Francesca Lia Block.
Historical:
Some of these aren't strictly historical...
** Out of the Easy by Ruta Septys (+ Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Septys).
** Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein (+ Rose Under Fire by Elizabeth Wein).
** The Vespertine by Saundra Mitchell.
** His Fair Assassin trilogy by Robin LaFevers.
** The Gemma Doyle trilogy by Libba Bray.
** In the Shadows by Kiersten White & Jim DiBartolo.
** The Cure for Dreaming by Cat Winters.
** Passenger by Alexandra Bracken.
** Timeless by Alexandra Monir.
** Walk on Earth a Stranger by Rae Carson.
** Vengeance Road by Erin Bowman
Horror:
I don't read many horror books. I had nightmares after watching The Sixth Sense and some James Bond movie where a snake slithers into the room from an air ventilation shaft. To this day, I have nightmares about tarantulas if something reminds me of them. I can't do horror, not without having nightmares or startling or being extra paranoid. So I don't have many recommendations.
** Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake.
** Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea by April Genevieve Tucholke.
Anthologies:
Anthologies are great. They're an easy way to discover new authors while reading about fascinating worlds and fun characters. The nature of the short story means that everything has to be compact; every scene must work on multiple levels. I've enjoyed every anthology that I've read, if not every story within them, and I'm glad for these YA anthologies, especially because they helped me discover some of my favorite authors:
** Shards and Ashes edited by Melissa Marr and Kelley Armstrong & Enthralled: Paranormal Diversions edited by Melissa Marr and Kelley Armstrong
** My True Love Gave to Me: Twelve Holiday Stories edited by Stephanie Perkins.
** Corsets & Clockwork: 13 Steampunk Romances edited by Trisha Telep & Kiss Me Deadly: 13 Tales of Paranormal Love edited by Trisha Telep & The Eternal Kiss: 13 Vampire Tales of Blood and Desire edited by Trisha Telep.
New Adult OR Novels That Take Place in/before College:
Some of these are not actually New Adult, but they do take place in college or before college, so they get special emphasis from me.
** Unteachable by Leah Raeder (+ Black Iris by Leah Raeder).
** The Sea of Tranquility by Katja Millay.
** Just One Day by Gayle Forman.
** Psych Major Syndrome by Alicia Thompson.
** Easy by Tammara Webber.
** Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell.
** The Losing It series by Cora Carmack.
** The Secret Society Girl series by Diana Peterfreund.
** The Secret History by Donna Tartt.
Adult:
I've read a lot fewer adult titles than young adult ones, and I'm not going to bother separating them into their individual genres aside from Fiction and Nonfiction.
Fiction:
** How to Be a Proper Lady by Katharine Ashe.
** What I Did for a Duke (Pennyroyal #5) by Julie Ann Long.
** Tempt Me at Twilight (The Hathaways, #3) by Lisa Kleypas.
** Anything Sarah McLean writes.
** Anything Meredith Duran writes, especially The Duke of Shadows or A Lady's Lesson in Scandal or At Your Pleasure.
** Anything Courtney Milan writes, especially Unveiled or The Duchess War.
** Anything Sherry Thomas writes, especially Private Arrangements or The Luckiest Lady in London.
** Anything Tessa Dare writes.
** The Cocktail series by Alice Clayton.
** On Dublin Street by Samantha Young.
** The All Souls trilogy by Deborah Harkness.
** Soulless (Parasol Procterorate, #1) by Gail Carriger.
** The Fever series by Karen Marie Moning.
** The Dani O'Malley trilogy by Karen Marie Moning.
** The Chicagoland Vampires series by Chloe Neill.
** Warm Bodies by Isaac Marion.
** The Bone Season by Samantha Shannon.
** Feed by Mira Grant.
** The Elephant Vanishes by Haruki Murakami.
** After Dark by Haruki Murakami
** Bared to You by Sylvia Day
** The Book of Imaginary Beings by Jorge Borges.
** The Magicians by Lev Grossman.
** Atonement by Ian McEwan. Also First Love, Last Rites and Amsterdam.
** Every work by Jane Austen. My favorites of hers are Pride and Prejudice, Emma, and Northanger Abbey.
** Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng.
** Daughter of the Forest (Sevenwaters #1) by Juliet Marillier, Son of the Shadows (Sevenwaters #2) by Juliet Marillier, and Child of the Prophecy (Sevenwaters #3) by Juliet Marillier.
** Uprooted by Naomi Novik.
** Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte.
** The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald.
** The Odyssey by Homer.
** Antigone by Sophocles.
** The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood.
** The Hakawati by Rabih Alameddine.
** Distant Star by Roberto Bolaño.
** The Road by Cormac McCarthy.
** The Passion by Jeanette Winterson.
** Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury.
** Palace Walk by Naguib Mahfouz.
** The Sheltering Sky by Paul Bowles.
** Cal by Bernard MacLaverty.
** Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf.
** The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien.
** The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne.
** Dracula in Love by Karen Essex.
** Graveminder by Melissa Marr.
** Great Expectations by Charles Dickens.
** Little Mountain by Elias Khoury. & Yalo by Elias Khoury.
** The Plot Against America by Philip Roth.
** Silk by Alessandro Baricco.
** Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston.
** Grendel by John Gardner.
** Witches of East End by Melissa de la Cruz.
** The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon.
Nonfiction & Poetry & Misc.:
** Six Myths of our time by Marina Warner.
** Faces of Love: Hafez and the Poets of Shiraz translated by Dick Davis.
** The Diving Bell and the Butterfly by Jean-Dominique Bauby.
** Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World that Can't Stop Talking by Susan Cain.
** The Silk Road: A Short Introduction - James A. Millward
Anthologies are great. They're an easy way to discover new authors while reading about fascinating worlds and fun characters. The nature of the short story means that everything has to be compact; every scene must work on multiple levels. I've enjoyed every anthology that I've read, if not every story within them, and I'm glad for these YA anthologies, especially because they helped me discover some of my favorite authors:
** Shards and Ashes edited by Melissa Marr and Kelley Armstrong & Enthralled: Paranormal Diversions edited by Melissa Marr and Kelley Armstrong
** My True Love Gave to Me: Twelve Holiday Stories edited by Stephanie Perkins.
** Corsets & Clockwork: 13 Steampunk Romances edited by Trisha Telep & Kiss Me Deadly: 13 Tales of Paranormal Love edited by Trisha Telep & The Eternal Kiss: 13 Vampire Tales of Blood and Desire edited by Trisha Telep.
New Adult OR Novels That Take Place in/before College:
Some of these are not actually New Adult, but they do take place in college or before college, so they get special emphasis from me.
** Unteachable by Leah Raeder (+ Black Iris by Leah Raeder).
** The Sea of Tranquility by Katja Millay.
** Just One Day by Gayle Forman.
** Psych Major Syndrome by Alicia Thompson.
** Easy by Tammara Webber.
** Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell.
** The Losing It series by Cora Carmack.
** The Secret Society Girl series by Diana Peterfreund.
** The Secret History by Donna Tartt.
Adult:
I've read a lot fewer adult titles than young adult ones, and I'm not going to bother separating them into their individual genres aside from Fiction and Nonfiction.
Fiction:
** How to Be a Proper Lady by Katharine Ashe.
** What I Did for a Duke (Pennyroyal #5) by Julie Ann Long.
** Tempt Me at Twilight (The Hathaways, #3) by Lisa Kleypas.
** Anything Sarah McLean writes.
** Anything Meredith Duran writes, especially The Duke of Shadows or A Lady's Lesson in Scandal or At Your Pleasure.
** Anything Courtney Milan writes, especially Unveiled or The Duchess War.
** Anything Sherry Thomas writes, especially Private Arrangements or The Luckiest Lady in London.
** Anything Tessa Dare writes.
** The Cocktail series by Alice Clayton.
** On Dublin Street by Samantha Young.
** The All Souls trilogy by Deborah Harkness.
** Soulless (Parasol Procterorate, #1) by Gail Carriger.
** The Fever series by Karen Marie Moning.
** The Dani O'Malley trilogy by Karen Marie Moning.
** The Chicagoland Vampires series by Chloe Neill.
** Warm Bodies by Isaac Marion.
** The Bone Season by Samantha Shannon.
** Feed by Mira Grant.
** The Elephant Vanishes by Haruki Murakami.
** After Dark by Haruki Murakami
** Bared to You by Sylvia Day
** The Book of Imaginary Beings by Jorge Borges.
** The Magicians by Lev Grossman.
** Atonement by Ian McEwan. Also First Love, Last Rites and Amsterdam.
** Every work by Jane Austen. My favorites of hers are Pride and Prejudice, Emma, and Northanger Abbey.
** Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng.
** Daughter of the Forest (Sevenwaters #1) by Juliet Marillier, Son of the Shadows (Sevenwaters #2) by Juliet Marillier, and Child of the Prophecy (Sevenwaters #3) by Juliet Marillier.
** Uprooted by Naomi Novik.
** Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte.
** The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald.
** The Odyssey by Homer.
** Antigone by Sophocles.
** The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood.
** The Hakawati by Rabih Alameddine.
** Distant Star by Roberto Bolaño.
** The Road by Cormac McCarthy.
** The Passion by Jeanette Winterson.
** Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury.
** Palace Walk by Naguib Mahfouz.
** The Sheltering Sky by Paul Bowles.
** Cal by Bernard MacLaverty.
** Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf.
** The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien.
** The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne.
** Dracula in Love by Karen Essex.
** Graveminder by Melissa Marr.
** Great Expectations by Charles Dickens.
** Little Mountain by Elias Khoury. & Yalo by Elias Khoury.
** The Plot Against America by Philip Roth.
** Silk by Alessandro Baricco.
** Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston.
** Grendel by John Gardner.
** Witches of East End by Melissa de la Cruz.
** The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon.
Nonfiction & Poetry & Misc.:
** Six Myths of our time by Marina Warner.
** Faces of Love: Hafez and the Poets of Shiraz translated by Dick Davis.
** The Diving Bell and the Butterfly by Jean-Dominique Bauby.
** Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World that Can't Stop Talking by Susan Cain.
** The Silk Road: A Short Introduction - James A. Millward
** Sea Monsters on Renaissance Maps by Chet Van Duzer.
** Nurtureshock by Po Bronson and Ashley Merryman.
** Nurtureshock by Po Bronson and Ashley Merryman.
** "The Paper Menagerie" by Ken Liu, a short story.
** The Broken Wings by Khalil Gibran & The Prophet by Khalil Gibran. Anything by Khalil Gibran.
** The Broken Wings by Khalil Gibran & The Prophet by Khalil Gibran. Anything by Khalil Gibran.
