Let's Talk YA Books

I think I may have figured out the time that I can attempt to write regularly here. My schedule has moved to me closing on Mondays. Which means I have Monday mornings off. And I can't do my laundry then because that's when my landlady does hers. And it's hard to schedule appointments then because a lot of places aren't open Monday morning. And what errands have I to do that I didn't just do two days before on Saturday? Thus, I am going to try to do my Austen writing on Monday mornings (unless something gets in the way). Cheers all around! YAY!

So, for my first real post "back," let me update you on some of the YA books I've been reading so you know I really am doing that challenge. And somehow 75 books seems even more daunting. But at least now I have the excuse with some of them that I have to read them for work. I do. I had to have 3 read (and I'm assuming ones from our library collection) for the Teen Book Chat I begin leading tonight. (Thank goodness it is only once a month.) And would you believe it--I actually got 4 finished?!

I know. I should have gone through more. But my audio time has gotten limited, since it's a little harder for me to listen at my desk right now. I have to keep giving my car's CD player breaks so it will be nice. And my teeny cassette player likes to drain batteries fast. And I've read quite a few of the YA audio books our library has to offer. Not to mention that whole "It's not quite YA" books I keep picking up. *sigh* Will I ever make it?

Anywho. Again, full reviews are found on my GoodReads account. But these are the 4 (from the library collection) that I finished this past month.

1. Palace of Mirrors by Margaret Peterson Haddix. Not a fabulous book, but still very enjoyable for me. Light and fluff and a fairy-tale-like book. I actually liked it better than its predecessor Just Ella. I wonder if that's because I did the print this time. Some books just want me to read them in print. I think I like to go my own pace with the fractured fairy tales (Goose Girl, Book of a Thousand Days, Bella at Midnight, etc.)

2. The Dark Side of Nowhere by Neal Shusterman. I've heard this author's name with a few books, so it was about time I tried him. And interesting to do a scifi book in the YA genre. I don't do much scifi. Not because I don't like the genre as I'm more focused on the other books I like to read as well as preferring fantasy over new worlds with a high portion of the book including technology and such. But this book had a good balance, as it used our world with alien life forms that were living on Earth. The scifi aspect did not engulf me and I was able to ease my way into it. When I have to be too caught up in figuring out the world than I can spend enjoying the story, I usually stay away. I didn't have that problem with this book and I was grateful. The audio was good. I wonder if it made it more interesting for me. Perhaps I should considering doing scifi in audio and we'll see if I can add more to my reading arsenal.

3. Bloomability by Sharon Creech. Another author I knew I should read at least one book of. And I was pleased with the choice. An easy read and enjoyable, too. I didn't know what to expect, so I was happy that I was happy with this one. The audio was enjoyable for it as well.

4. Inkheart by Cornelia Funke. My favorite of the trilogy, but it was a lot of listening hours to get through the whole thing. I'm glad I finished, but I wouldn't recommend it to everyone. I'm not sure who I would recommend it to. This one is a hard one for me to nail on who would enjoy it. It's one I thought I would like considering other books I've enjoyed. But I really didn't like it as some do. And I've seen the same with other readers. I've seen the opposite as well--those I didn't think would like it ended up loving it. I don't think it's a waste of time to read, but if you aren't as caught up in it, you will feel like it took forever. However, if you love it, you'll, well, you'll love it.

I have two print YA books waiting for me. I started into The Grand Tour be Patricia Wrede and it seems it may take a little on the slow side. I don't think it's going to draw me back as quickly as Palace of Mirrors. I've also heard it's just not as good as the first. I can see that, and part of that is the format. I read the authors' comments about that, so I'm going in more open-minded of it. But I think the problem for me right now is trying to remember what all did happen in the first book (no matter how much I loved it, I still forgot a lot!). I'm going to try, though. Only two more in the trilogy and I really think I could finish it.

The other book (Cross My Heart and Hope to Spy) I'm pretty sure I'll whirl through fast as I did the first one. From what I've heard, I don't think I will like it as much as I did the first because I don't like the direction it is going. (Nothing bad, just not what I wanted.) But as it is light and fluffy and such, I don't think I'll hate it. We'll see.

If only it didn't take so long for me to read print books. Not that I'm that slow of a reader. It's that I really only have time for about 10 pages a day. Maybe with the blanket being done I can spend less time crocheting and more time reading. I may have to consider putting my Netflix on hold again just so I can focus on reading. But I don't want reading to become a chore.

So, what YA books have you been reading lately?