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eparadysz

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Looking for some character-driven contemporary. Less concerned about pretty writing than character arcs and good examples of pacing for character-driven plots. Can't figure out of my WIP is character driven or just unfocused plot-wise.

Thanks :)

How about Gayle Forman - If I Stay and Where She Went, or Please Ignore Vera Dietz (A.S. King).
 

Yeasayer

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Can anyone think of contemporary YA about either of the following:

-- Geeky characters, especially geeky characters in love. Any kind of geek will do.

-- A book that includes blog posts? Not necessarily a book told in blog format (though, that would be cool too) but one that has a couple blog posts mixed in with regular text.


Thanks!
 

yayeahyeah

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Can anyone think of contemporary YA about either of the following:

-- Geeky characters, especially geeky characters in love. Any kind of geek will do.

-- A book that includes blog posts? Not necessarily a book told in blog format (though, that would be cool too) but one that has a couple blog posts mixed in with regular text.


Thanks!

Sarra Manning's Adorkable has a geeky female lead.

Big Woo by Susie Day is written as a blog, and is fantastic.
 

bethany

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Looking for some character-driven contemporary. Less concerned about pretty writing than character arcs and good examples of pacing for character-driven plots. Can't figure out of my WIP is character driven or just unfocused plot-wise.

Thanks :)

One of my favorite character driven books is Skin Deep by E.M. Crane, which came out in 2008? And got way too little attention. Otherwise it does seem like lately all the contemps I'm reading are high concept (to be fair I'm not reading much and not reading much contemporary right now at all). Katie McGarry's Pushing the limits is probably somewhere in between though, very character driven, but the plot is great (but not high concept) Not that there isn't a space between high concept and character driven, but I'm not thinking deeply enough to define it.
 

Rhoda Nightingale

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Hey guys,

I'm looking for a good ol' fashioned ghost story. I know I saw it on the New Stuff shelf over at B&N awhile back--like two, three months ago--and I should've written down the title or author, because I haven't been able to find it since.

I have read Katie Alender's Bad Girls Don't Die series, which is awesome, and Kendare Blake's Anna Dressed In Blood is on my list, but this is another one that seemed a bit like that. Anyone know what I'm talking about?

(Should've written it down... Bad Rhoda!)
 

Sage

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Cheering you all on!
Can you give more details? I can think of a couple new ghost novels. Spookygirl: Paranormal Investigator is pretty new, but is kinda fluffy, IMO (maybe it's just the MC), and The Diviners came out in the mad YA rush in September. That one's darker and set in the 20s, with a murdering ghost.
 

Rhoda Nightingale

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Can you give more details? I can think of a couple new ghost novels. Spookygirl: Paranormal Investigator is pretty new, but is kinda fluffy, IMO (maybe it's just the MC), and The Diviners came out in the mad YA rush in September. That one's darker and set in the 20s, with a murdering ghost.

The Diviners does look pretty cool, but no that's not it. The cover looked slightly more like Mister Death's Blue-Eyed Girls, but that wasn't it either. Gah! I should've written it down. That's literally all I can remember. :(
 

Dagrami

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Looking for something speculative (fantasy, scifi, whatever!) in first person present. Anything else goes!

I've read Hunger Games, Divergent and The Knife of Never Letting Go.


Thaaaaank y'all!
 

Sage

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Well, this is pretty easy, since a lot of YA is FPPresent these days.

Let's start with some AW books:
A NEED SO BEAUTIFUL by Suzanne Young
THE MASQUE OF THE RED DEATH by Bethany Griffin
WHEN THE SEA IS RISING RED by Cat Hellison

Let's see, on my shelf I find:
LIAR by Justine Larbalestier
WHITE CAT (& sequels) by Holly Black
ANNA DRESSED IN BLOOD by Kendare Blake
ACROSS THE UNIVERSE by Beth Revis
THE FOREST OF HANDS AND TEETH by Carrie Ryan
WITHER by Lauren DeStefano
THE LOST GIRL by Sangu Mandana
THE GIRL OF FIRE AND THORNS by Rae Carson
 

bertrigby

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Hey guys, a 13 -yr-old student of mine is graduating onto YA. She's just finished Hunger Games and I've been able to rec a lot of dystopian/sci-fi/action books to her as a lot of my recent faves are in that category. But her other request was for YA to follow on from Harry Potter, which stumped me a bit! So, any younger-end fantasy YA recs?
 

breaking_burgundy

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Hey guys, a 13 -yr-old student of mine is graduating onto YA. She's just finished Hunger Games and I've been able to rec a lot of dystopian/sci-fi/action books to her as a lot of my recent faves are in that category. But her other request was for YA to follow on from Harry Potter, which stumped me a bit! So, any younger-end fantasy YA recs?

-His Dark Materials
-Tamora Pierce
-Artemis Fowl
 

SheilaJG

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Hey guys, a 13 -yr-old student of mine is graduating onto YA. She's just finished Hunger Games and I've been able to rec a lot of dystopian/sci-fi/action books to her as a lot of my recent faves are in that category. But her other request was for YA to follow on from Harry Potter, which stumped me a bit! So, any younger-end fantasy YA recs?

Scott Westerfield's Leviathan series is YA, but it always struck me as high-MG (it has pictures, and the protag is youngish, plus a very tame budding romance).
 

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Also THE HEALING WARS by Janice Hardy. The subject matter is a bit grim, but if she read Hunger Games, it's no problem.

I also have a request. I want YA thrillers but more of the suspense variety. I can't think of examples beyond Cyia's PREMEDITATED or maybe I HUNT KILLERS. No procedurals, no spy comedies, no Nancy Drew. HEIST SOCIETY, perhaps, though it's more lighthearted. CRUSHER is too much of a crime novel.
 

TudorRose

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I also have a request. I want YA thrillers but more of the suspense variety. I can't think of examples beyond Cyia's PREMEDITATED or maybe I HUNT KILLERS. No procedurals, no spy comedies, no Nancy Drew. HEIST SOCIETY, perhaps, though it's more lighthearted. CRUSHER is too much of a crime novel.

DEAD GIRL MOON by Charlie Price is one that came out within the last few weeks - sounds like it could be a bit bleak though, so dunno if this is what you're after.
 

yayeahyeah

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Also THE HEALING WARS by Janice Hardy. The subject matter is a bit grim, but if she read Hunger Games, it's no problem.

I also have a request. I want YA thrillers but more of the suspense variety. I can't think of examples beyond Cyia's PREMEDITATED or maybe I HUNT KILLERS. No procedurals, no spy comedies, no Nancy Drew. HEIST SOCIETY, perhaps, though it's more lighthearted. CRUSHER is too much of a crime novel.

Dark Eyes by William Richter is a good thriller.
 

breaking_burgundy

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I have a scene where a character is wandering through the woods and is attacked, but I have no idea how to approach it. Can you think of a book that has good ambush scenes that might help me brainstorm a bit more?
 

breaking_burgundy

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I also have a request. I want YA thrillers but more of the suspense variety. I can't think of examples beyond Cyia's PREMEDITATED or maybe I HUNT KILLERS. No procedurals, no spy comedies, no Nancy Drew. HEIST SOCIETY, perhaps, though it's more lighthearted. CRUSHER is too much of a crime novel.

Hushed by Kelley York?
 

Windcutter

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Thanks! If you have more, I'll be happy to know. :)
 

LadyA

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Also THE HEALING WARS by Janice Hardy. The subject matter is a bit grim, but if she read Hunger Games, it's no problem.

I also have a request. I want YA thrillers but more of the suspense variety. I can't think of examples beyond Cyia's PREMEDITATED or maybe I HUNT KILLERS. No procedurals, no spy comedies, no Nancy Drew. HEIST SOCIETY, perhaps, though it's more lighthearted. CRUSHER is too much of a crime novel.

My favourite type of book! I can't think of that many off the top of my head, but here's a couple to get you going:

THE MISSING GIRL by Norma Fox Mazer

PROVE YOURSELF A HERO (Goodreads description is a bit rubbish, but the book is better than the cover and description make out)
and
A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DEATH, both by K.M. Peyton - About a kidnapping and a murder, respectively - the 1st one is my favourite but the second one has so much suspense/tension it's unbearable lol. (Note, on GR it says AMND is #1 in the series and PYAH #2, but it's the other way round.)

SHATTERING GLASS by Gail Giles. My favourite YA book, end of. One that you think about for days afterwards, brutal and shocking and worryingly possible.


That's all I've got, hope it helped!
 

The_Ink_Goddess

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WHAT HAPPENED TO CASS MCBRIDE? by Gail Giles - holy shit, the tension really was unbearable.

Possibly the young James Bond books or Alex Ryder?
 

eventidepress

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Hey guys, a 13 -yr-old student of mine is graduating onto YA. She's just finished Hunger Games and I've been able to rec a lot of dystopian/sci-fi/action books to her as a lot of my recent faves are in that category. But her other request was for YA to follow on from Harry Potter, which stumped me a bit! So, any younger-end fantasy YA recs?

A bit younger than HP, but Goblin Secrets was amaaaaziiiing. Reminded me of if Howl's Moving Castle met with a younger version of Neverwhere.