New To YA

I'm not sure if I'm alone in this or not, but I have always been one of the only major bibliophiles among my friends and family. Don't get me wrong, they all read and enjoy a good book when they come across one, but are no where near as avid a reader as I am. I was an English major and have just always loved a good book, and the occasional bad one as well. So my sweetheart of a former roommate suggested that I start this blog (thanks M!) and I owe her big time! I think she was probably sick of hearing me gush over new books I was reading and new authors I was coming to love. She couldn't really relate because she hadn't read the books I was talking to her about, and she didn't have any plans on getting to them anytime soon. The girl was busy getting her MBA...and life keeps everyone swamped, I get it.

So this blog, my readers, and all of my fellow bloggers out there have become like a big reading family. I love this blogosphere and being able to hear from other readers about what they're interested in, what they just read, and the recommendations they throw my way. It's been over a year since I started the blog and I can't imagine not having this community to reach out to. But lately (within the last couple of months) something happened. My sister, B got herself a kindle! It was a shock, but she travels a lot for work and needed a way to pass the time. As it turns out, the girl likes to read (almost) as much as her sister! And to be honest...I love that! I get so excited hearing about what books she's been reading and what she liked and didn't like. I have to constantly remind myself that she's still not as crazy and book obsessed as I am, because when we get to talking about all the books I can't seem to stop, and need to reign myself in.

Each time she finishes up a book she's immediately asking me what else she should check out. Since I mainly stick to the young adult genre I don't always have a huge list of titles for her to, but I had a thought. She recently read (finally!) The Hunger Games trilogy and of course fell in love with them just like everybody else. So I'm thinking that now that she's seen that young adult titles aren't just for youngsters I tried to pull a list together for her to pick from. Here are a few I think she might enjoy, do you have any other suggestions you think I should send her way?

The Ivy (The Ivy, #1) by Lauren Kunze and Rina Onur

Congratulations! You have been admitted to the most prestigious university in the world. Now what are you going to do?

Callie Andrews may not have money or connections or the right clothes, and she may have way too many complications in her love life, what with

Gregory
the guy she loves to hate ...

Evan
the guy she'd love to forget ...

Clint
the guy she'd love to love ...

and Matt
the guy she really should love ...

all vying for her attention.

But she has three fantastic roommates (best friends or her worst nightmare?) and a wholesome California-girl reputation (oops) and brains and beauty and big, big dreams.

Will it be enough to help her survive freshman year at Harvard?

Who didn't love this book? I've become a huge fan of this series and can't wait for book four to come out. But I'm thinking once B starts with this series opener she won't be able to put it down. It's got all the key elements that I think will ease her into the YA genre. Boy drama, college hysterics, secret societies (who can resist those) and everything in between. The catty girls and their high end designer label wardrobes, not to mention the jocks and their all-American resumes to leave us all drooling. It's a fabulous combination that I think she'll love and one that will leave her rushing to get the next editions in the series.

Love Story by Jennifer Echols

She's writing about him. he's writing about her. And everybody is reading between the lines..

For Erin Blackwell, majoring in creative writing at the New York City college of her dreams is more than a chance to fulfill her ambitions--it's her ticket away from the tragic memories that shadow her family's racehorse farm in Kentucky. But when she refuses to major in business and take over the farm herself someday, her grandmother gives Erin's college tuition and promised inheritance to their maddeningly handsome stable boy, Hunter Allen. Now Erin has to win an internship and work late nights at a coffee shop to make her own dreams a reality. She should despise Hunter . . . so why does he sneak into her thoughts as the hero of her latest writing assignment?

Then, on the day she's sharing that assignment with her class, Hunter walks in. He's joining her class. And after he reads about himself in her story, her private fantasies about him must be painfully clear. She only hopes to persuade him not to reveal her secret to everyone else. But Hunter devises his own creative revenge, writing sexy stories that drive the whole class wild with curiosity and fill Erin's heart with longing. Now she's not just imagining what might have been. She's writing a whole new ending for her romance with Hunter . . . except this story could come true.

We're all suckers for the romantic comedies and the romances in general, don't you think? I like an action thriller and dystopian novel just as much as the next girl, but put a romance in front of me and there's not much of a chance that I'll be turning it down anytime soon. Since B has always leaned more towards chick lit and romances, I thought this would be another one that would grab her attention and have her reading late into the night. Echols is one of my favorite authors, so of course I'm slightly biased but I think it'll be something B and I have in common. Echols' characters tug at your heart and have readers thinking they're good friends, not just people on a page.

The Lonely Hearts Club by Elizabeth Eulberg

Love is all you need... or is it? Penny's about to find out in this wonderful debut.Penny is sick of boys and sick of dating. So she vows: no more. It's a personal choice. . .and, of course, soon everyone wants to know about it. And a few other girls are inspired. A movement is born: The Lonely Hearts Club (named after the band from Sgt. Pepper). Penny is suddenly known for her non dating ways . . . which is too bad, because there's this certain boy she can't help but like. . .

It's no secret Eulberg is one of my top five favorite authors ever! I have yet to read one of her books that I didn't fall instantly in love with and rave incessantly about to anyone who would give me the chance. I remember trying to get B to read this after I'd first come across it and I think she tried to appease me by saying she would, but never actually did. Now that she's a Kindle owner and quite the reader herself, I think it's time she gave it another go...for real this time! Who doesn't just adore Penny and her club of lonely hearts, right? I've read this one more than once and each and every time I fall in love with these characters and The Beatles all over again...definitely a must!

Matched (Matched, #1) by Ally Condie

Cassia has always trusted the Society to make the right choices for her: what to read, what to watch, what to believe. So when Xander's face appears on-screen at her Matching ceremony, Cassia knows with complete certainty that he is her ideal mate... until she sees Ky Markham's face flash for an instant before the screen fades to black.

The Society tells her it's a glitch, a rare malfunction, and that she should focus on the happy life she's destined to lead with Xander. But Cassia can't stop thinking about Ky, and as they slowly fall in love, Cassia begins to doubt the Society's infallibility and is faced with an impossible choice: between Xander and Ky, between the only life she's known and a path that no one else has dared to follow.

After becoming a dystopian convert, I'm curious to see if it's genetic. I think this would be a good one for B to check out since she was such a fan of The Hunger Games. Yet again we're talking about a futuristic dystopian society where the government is suffocating its citizens with their rules and laws and general ways of life. Let's not forget the love triangle Condie presents readers with, to the point where it's all readers can but sympathize with Cassia and the predicaments she finds herself in.

B's birthday is in June and I think I might just need to throw in one or two of these books in the mix as well as maybe an Amazon Kindle gift card so she can check out the others. What do you think? Did I leave out any that you would recommend to B? Let me know and I'll add them to the list that I'm doing my best to keep fully stocked and ready to go for whenever she's on the lookout for her next read.