Books You HAVE To Read (Updated 4/23/13)

This is a random list of books I’d recommend, broken down into genre. I will change the date when I update and at some point, I will add links to the books themselves.

YA:

1) Everything by Sarah Dessen

2) Everything by John Green, especially The Fault in Our Stars

3) Amy and Roger’s Epic Detour by Morgan Matson. Her new book, Second Chance Summer, is also excellent.

4) Anna and the French Kiss and Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins

5) The Pull of Gravity by Gae Polisner

6) The Mockingbirds and The Rivals by Daisy Whitney

7) Wonder by R.J. Palacio

8) Everything by Courtney Summers

9) Hate List by Jennifer Brown

10) How to Say Goodbye in Robot by Natalie Standiford. Her others are also excellent.

11) Sorta Like a Rock Star by Matthew Quick

12) Anything by Ellen Hopkins. My favorite is Burned, but her others are also good.

13)  Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell.  LOVE THIS BOOK.

14)  If You Find Me by Emily Murdoch.

Paranormal YA:

1) Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake

2) The Infernal Devices novels by Cassandra Clare

3) The Caster Chronicles (Beautiful Creatures, Beautiful Darkness and Beautiful Chaos) by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl

4) The Shade Trilogy (Shade, Shift and Shine) by Jeri Smith-Ready

5) The Soul Screamers series by Rachel Vincent

6) The Griffin trilogy by Darby Karchut

7) The Demon-Trapper’s Daughter series by Jana Oliver

8) The Diviners by Libba Bray

Dystopian YA (I’m going to assume you’ve read the Hunger Games trilogy):

1) Legend by Marie Lu

2) Across the Universe by Beth Revis (sequel is also wonderful)

3) Divergent by Veronica Roth. Insurgent is also excellent.

4) Glow by Amy Kathleen Ryan. Spark is also excellent.

Religious YA:

1) Faking Faith by Josie Bloss

2) OyMG by Amy Fellner Dominy

3) Pure by Terra Elan McVoy

4) What Would Emma Do? by Eileen Cook (and then read her others)

Fiction:

1) Anything by Chris Bohjalian (but especially Sandcastle Girls, Midwives, Trans-Sister Radio and The Night Strangers).

2) Anything by Jodi Picoult (but especially Plain Truth, The Pact, My Sister’s Keeper and 19 Minutes).

3) The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon. This is my favorite book EVER.

4) Room by Emma Donoghue

5) Ready Player One by Ernest Cline

6) Unpredictable by Eileen Cook

7) The Meryl Streep Movie Club by Mia March

Mysteries:

1) All of Harlan Coben’s standalone mysteries

2) Everything by Michael Connelly, but start with The Poet

3) Everything by Laura Lippman

4) Everything by Sara Paretsky

5) Everything by Lisa Gardner

6) Everything by Marcus Sakey

7) Everything by Sara Blaedel

8)  The Burning Air by Erin Kelly

9)  Stolen by Daniel Palmer

Scary stuff:

1) Heart-Shaped Box by Joe Hill

2) It by Stephen King

3) Pet Sematary by Stephen King

4) The Shining by Stephen King

5) The Ruins by Scott Smith

Nonfiction:

1) Bossypants by Tina Fey

2) The Year of Living Biblically by A.J. Jacobs (really, ANYTHING by A.J. Jacobs)

3) Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? and Other Concerns by Mindy Kaling

4) The Wilder Life by Wendy McClure

5) Changing Shoes by Tina Sloan

6) Shock Value by Jason Zinoman

7) Let’s Pretend This Never Happened by Jenny Lawson

Religious Nonfiction:

1) Love Wins by Rob Bell

2) Blue Like Jazz by Donald Miller

3) Girl Meets God by Lauren F. Winner. Still is also excellent.

4) Red Letter Revolution by Shane Claiborne and Tony Campolo