I’m the kind of reader who loves to be taken away into a different world where extraordinary things happen. It’s probably one of the reasons I primarily read dystopian, paranormal, fantasy, and mysteries. But Monday’s post about reading in different genres got me thinking.
We can all agree that the tide of YA paranormal, fantasy, and most recently dystopian fiction has taken the spotlight in publishing trends. Just like everything returns in cycles, I see two things happening: a surge of middle-grade fiction returning and also a surge of contemporary fiction in general.
I’ll be the first to admit that if I had to choose between a ghost story and a contemporary novel, that I wouldn’t pick the latter, but one of my reading goals this summer is to find some great contemporary novels (both adult and YA) to put on my reading lists.
I keep a record of books that I’ve read and contemporary novels are not well represented. But here are some contemporary novels (mostly YA) that I’ve read in the last 18 months:
Dairy Queen by Catherine Murdock
Many Stones by Carolyn Coman
Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac by Gabrielle Zevin
Jumping off Swings by Jo Knowles
This Full House by Virginia Euwer Wolff
Three Willows by Ann Brashares
The Secret Year by Jennifer Hubbard
Some Girls Are by Courtney Summers
So help me out guys. What are some good contemporary books (both YA and adult) that I can read?
Everyone have a great Memorial Day weekend! Be safe and remember the sacrifices our troops have made for us. Also get some writing done!
I loved Dairy Queen. For me, it’s all in the writing, not the genre - on why I love a book.
Dirty Little Secrets, C. J. Omololu
Harmonic Feedback, Tara Kelly
The Tension of Opposites, Kristina McBride
Black Box, Julie Schumacher
Headlong, Kathe Koja
Holdstill, Nina LaCoeur
Hardlove, Ellen Wittlinger
Godless, Pete Hautman
(and–the jury’s is still out on how good it is–The Freak Observer, by me…)
Most contemporary fiction I read are contemporary romance. I’ve read some great ones by Sara Zarr, Sarah Dessen, and Elizabeth Scott.
Laura: Yes, DAIRY QUEEN was a good read. Have you read the sequel? I heard that it was good as well.
Blythe: Thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment. Always love it when Blue Boarders come by. Actually I saw THE TENSION OF OPPOSITES during my bookstore browse today. The title intrigued me. I’ll definitely have to put it on my TBR list. I’ve read HARDLOVE and it’s one of my YA classic favorites.
Sandy: I’ve read Sara Zarr — STORY OF A GIRL was excellent. I haven’t had a chance to read her latest. I should put them on the list. I’ve read most of Sarah Dessen books. The only book I;ve read from Elizabeth Scott has been LIVING DEAD GIRL, but I know her other work is much more lighter. That book still haunts me to this day.
I absolutely LOVE Sarah Dessen!