Since May of 2008, when I started working in libraries, I have written down every book that I’ve read. I never give them any kind of rating or write down anything about the plot—just the title and author. I’m now on my second journal, and I find myself in these strange strange times looking back to what I’ve read in years past to find some comfortable reads that feel familiar and lived in.
I’ve noticed some patterns in my reading over the years. First, I read a lot of YA, young adult, literature. Second, within that category, I definitely favor some genres, which I’m going to share with you here. All of these reads are kind of like brain candy, which, frankly, is what I want to be reading right now. I’ll save the Dostoyevsky for when the world seems less grim. Seriously, if you haven’t read any YA lit as an adult, you’re missing out on great plotting, interesting characters, a quick pace, and a lot of risk taking with storytelling.
First, some YA travel and road trip books:
The second in Rainbow Rowell’s Simon Snow series finds Simon, Baz, and Penelope in a Mustang driving across the American West. Read the first one first (Carry On) but stick around for the magic of book two!
This is John Green, of The Fault in Our Stars fame’s, second book. It’s the story of an erstwhile child prodigy Colin Singleton and his quest to prove his mathematical theorem that proves why he’s been dumped 19 times, all by girls named Katherine.
After his girlfriend, Margarite Campbell, breaks up with him, Hugo needs another Margarite Campbell to accompany him on a cross-country train trip. Mae, a budding filmmaker fits the bill. Told over one week, this is a sweet rom-com about two young people who need each other.
Next, a couple of YA books set at boarding schools (which conveniently removes parents from the story.)
This is one of my all time favorite books. E. Lockhart, who is probably best known for We Were Liars, sets up a great mystery/romance set at a posh boarding school, where Frankie Landau-Banks finds out about a secret society for wealthy boys and decides to infiltrate.
Warning: this is the first in a trilogy, and be prepared to read all three! This mystery, set at a fictional Vermont boarding school opened by the wealthy Albert Ellingham, weaves together a century old kidnapping, the girl determined to solve it, and the present day murders that plague the school.
I’ll keep mining my log of all the books I’ve read for the past 12 years for patterns, and until I find more, I hope you like these suggestions.