What YA book are you reading RIGHT NOW?

FAKING 19 was also written about almost 10 yrs ago so maybe that's why?

I'm currently reading OUT OF REACH. It was a National Book Award finalist, about a girl whose brother (addicted to meth) goes missing and she goes after him...

LadyA said:

I know many posh British boys

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Now we YA-ers are going to forumstalk you in the name of research. xD

LadyA said:

Reading FAKING 19 by Alyson Noel. Not in love, to be honest. I like the main character and that she's not perfect, and the characterisation's good (she's in love with Richard Branson, lol) but the love interest (not Richard Branson) is another brit-boy stereotype.
He speaks really formally, almost never uses contractions, and just sounds like a 50-yr-old man. I know many British boys - I know many posh British boys, too - and even they don't speak like that. It just annoys me.

Also, his name is Connor Firth. As in, blatant Colin Firth rip-off. grrr.

/rant

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Ugh, what? The posh British boys thing as a Brit just bugs me. It's such weird American pandering and so unrealistic. I attend a school which is pretty much the Breeding Ground of Posh Brits, and they're not like that! And Connor Firth...facepalm.

Still not over THE BUNKER DIARY, btw. Sorry to bring it up again, but one of my problems is that it was just so gratuitous? Unoriginal and grim, like written torture porn for teens.

Windcutter said:

Now we YA-ers are going to forumstalk you in the name of research. xD

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haha Sadly, I know no royalty though - unlike practically every brit stereotype character I read about.
Although my dad's cousin's best friend was once engaged to Earl Spencer, Princess Diana's brother. Actually true lol

The_Ink_Goddess said:

Ugh, what? The posh British boys thing as a Brit just bugs me. It's such weird American pandering and so unrealistic. I attend a school which is pretty much the Breeding Ground of Posh Brits, and they're not like that! And Connor Firth...facepalm.

Still not over THE BUNKER DIARY, btw. Sorry to bring it up again, but one of my problems is that it was just so gratuitous? Unoriginal and grim, like written torture porn for teens.

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I can't stop thinking of him as Colin Firth, and although this book was written in 2005, now Colin's kind of...middle aged. So every romantic scene is really weird now!

THE BUNKER DIARY - yeah, it sticks with you, doesn't it? The bit at the end, with Jenny - don't want to spoil it, but you know what I mean - that bit still haunts me.
Grim is the right word. I wouldn't say it's unoriginal, I can't think of any contemp YA that gets that dark, with such a brutal ending.
I'd say it's what Robert Cormier might've written if he was in a really vicious and despairing mood.

Ha, and I've lent it to one of my friends to read, so I'll let you know her opinion! I told her how awful it was, so I hope she doesn't just think, pah, whatever.

Finished THE DIVINERS by Libba Bray, which I enjoyed but did have issues is. It's got a great sense of period (albeit slightly over-egged with period research in parts) and I liked the over-arching storyline set up and the supernatural elements - particularly her take on the haunted house, which I found quite chilling. However there were too many character points of views, 3 of which didn't go anywhere for the purposes of this plot line. I found that a bit frustrating and it slowed down the plot development so that the main murder storyline didn't really go anywhere until the final third, at which point it began to feel rather rushed and the climax was a bit ho-hum for me. I'm definitely going to read the next one though because the over-arching strands are interesting.

Have just started ASH MISTRY AND THE CITY OF DEATH by Sarwat Chadda, which is the second in a trilogy that draws on Indian mythology (kind of like Percy Jackson but with Hindu demons). I'm enjoying the second book more than the first (which I did enjoy too but had a lot of set up) - it's very fast-paced, I like the way the hero is being isolated and there is a shock death in the opening pages that makes me think anything could happen.

MM

I got Poison by Bridget Zinn in the mail yesterday. Got to say the first chapter hooked me. Can't say for the rest yet, but it looks like a good book.

Oh I hear good things about POSION. So tragic what happened to the author too

I began reading D0UBL3 CLUTCH today. It's a self pubbed YA that did so well it got UK rights. It's very contemp YA romance love triangle but I like that the main character has a sense of humor and has a good relationship with mom & stepdad

Just finished FUSE, the sequel to PURE by Julianne Baggot. Pretty engaging and a solid second book.

Will be reading Nobody. The excerpt hooked me, and it does not have that grating first person or second person present tense.

Reading Out of the Easy by Ruta Sepetys. It's okay, definitely not as good as her first book. I have some issues with the characterisation and pacing but it's enjoyable enough I guess.

Finished DOUBLE CLUTCH. I immediately ordered book 2 and 3!! Ahhh that ending is a killer! *swoon* Some of the writing was cheesy but I was able to look past it bc the characters were engaging and witty.

Smiley0501 said:

Oh I hear good things about POSION. So tragic what happened to the author too

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I do like the book. It's easy to get through, humorous. I thought how great it was I FINALLY found a good book because I'm so picky and then I realized Ms. Bridget Zinn died of colon cancer, I'm pretty sure, and there will be no more sequels or other novels by her. So sad.

LadyA said:

haha Sadly, I know no royalty though - unlike practically every brit stereotype character I read about.
Although my dad's cousin's best friend was once engaged to Earl Spencer, Princess Diana's brother. Actually true lol

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See, every brit knows some royalty, at least through his or her relatives!
#
I finished MIND GAMES. So so so cool. Fresh, edgy, daring. One of the fav reads of 2013 for sure. And the ending is perfect. It leaves things open for the sequel, and yet it gives the story a powerful, breathless closure. It even has a smart twist.

Read Cat Clarke's UNDONE this weekend. I'm still devastated. Unbelievably good!

I've just finished Changing Jamie, by Dakota Chase. It's an m/m novel with a secondary character who's a "bug chaser" - someone deliberately trying to catch AIDS.

I can't choose between MILA 2.0 and PULSE.

Reading Scumble, by Ingrid Law. It's the companion book to Savvy. They're upper-MG, but good reads for younger YA readers -- and adults who love YA (the MCs in both books are 13).

I started reading PULSE while waiting for CL0CKW0RK PRINCESS (ah the beauty of Kindle, getting books sixty seconds after release). Nothing much to say so far, except that it has a really distant camera-like third person style which I almost never see in YA.

Finished ASH MISTRY AND THE CITY OF DEATH by Sarwat Chadda, which was a well paced, surprisingly dark sequel that really focused on the difficulties and isolation about being a hero. I really enjoy the way he weaves in Hindu mythology, there's plenty of action and a nice tongue in cheek way of acknowledging popular culture (Indiana Jones gets name checked a number of times).

Have just started IN DARKNESS by Nick Lake, which is about a 15 year old boy trapped in the Haiti earthquake. Early days but I'm enjoying the voice and the way Lake weaves in local patois.

MM

Excited to start Clockwork Princess tomorrow.

Then I want to re-read Night Beach. I sped through it the first time because I was so happy to have something new by Kirsty Eagar (such a big fan of hers), and I want to better understand some aspects.

Ellaroni said:

Read Cat Clarke's UNDONE this weekend. I'm still devastated. Unbelievably good!

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Eeek! I ordered it and it's on its way. I can't wait to read it!

I finished Lauren Oliver's Requiem yesterday and I was disappointed.

nightowling said:

Excited to start Clockwork Princess tomorrow.

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I have read the ending five minutes ago.

SillyMom25 said:

I finished Lauren Oliver's Requiem yesterday and I was disappointed.

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Mine won't arrive until after Easter, so I still have a while to wait before I am possibly as disappointed as many readers seem to have been... I just hope Requiem corrects some of the things that irritated me a bit with Pandemonium. (No spoilers, please!)