10 Young Adult Books I Must Read
There are many (and I mean MANY) books I have in my TBR list. Some I already own, others I wish I did. There are some YA books I have not yet read which should really lose me my book reader/blogger credibility. I mean, I am literally ashamed that I have not gotten round to reading these books yet.
Here are the 10 Young Adult books that top this list:
1. A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle: This book has been on my radar for a few years (probably since I first joined Goodreads). I cannot believe I never read this when I was younger. I hadn’t even heard of it! It looks so amazing too, I know I would have been enthralled. I really want to read it now but what if it is one of those books that you really need to read as a youngster to enjoy? Could I have missed the boat on this one?
2. The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky: Again, I am flabbergasted as to why I haven’t read this. I own the book and have seen the movie (something I normally wouldn’t have done – normally I have to read to book first) but for some reason I haven’t gotten round to it yet. It’s crazy because I already know I will like the book but maybe I am afraid of it will not meet my expectations? Whatever it is, I really need to get over it and read the darn thing!
3. Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson: This looks like a really powerful and affecting book. I have wanted to read it for a while but whenever I go on a book-buying splurge this one always seems to get forgotten about. It has to be bought (or loaned from the library) very soon!
4. Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor: I bought this book not long after it first came out. I then dutifully bought the second book, then the third when they were released, but still haven’t read them yet. I’m hoping the fact that all books have now been released will give me the motivation to read this series now – Daughter of Smoke and Bone was supposed to be the first book I was going to read in 2014! The best laid plans and all that.
5. The Princess Diaries by Meg Cabot: It is hard to miss this series. It even had a couple of successful films made (starring Anne Hathaway) yet it is one that has completely skipped by me. I really need to at least attempt to read this series considering how popular it is.
6. The Fault in Our Stars by John Green: Everyone has heard of John Green who has become something of a juggernaut in the YA market. I have yet to read a single one of his books. I intend to change this soon and this book seems like the best one to start with since it has a movie coming out shortly. The subject matter might be a bit hard for me to read at the moment though so it might get shelved for a little while yet.
7. The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier: I have been aware of this book since I was a teen (many years ago now) so I really have no excuse as to why I haven’t read it yet.
8. Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi: I adore dystopian settings so this book instantly intrigued me when I first came across it and I bought it right away. It is still sitting there gathering dust on my shelf (or bedside table to be exact). I must read it this year. It is a requirement!
9. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak: I love the look of this book but I am scared it will be too sad for me to cope with (and I love me some angst in books). This looks to be the true definition of a weepy but moving read.
10. Divergent by Veronica Roth: This book looks like it could fill the void that finishing The Hunger Games trilogy left in my heart. I have wanted to read this for a while but some things I have heard about the last book have made me somewhat cautious about this book. I do not want to be disappointed.
Well, that is my list of books I feel somewhat shamed by not reading. Are there any books on your TBR that you feel embarrassed about not having read yet? Let me know in the comments below.
This is a good list. I have only read 4 out of the 10. And A Wrinkle in Time I read all the way back in middle school and don’t remember much of it. I might have to put it on my re-read list! Good Luck getting through all of them!
Thanks! I have wanted to read A Wrinkle in Time for a few years now – this year I think I will actually do it!
A few of these I haven’t read—but some of them are my favorites. A Wrinkle in TIm ei sone that’s especially dear to my heart. Love Madeleine L’Engle. Happy reading!
So many people have raved about A Wrinkle in Time to me – it looks amazing and I am kicking myself that I haven’t already read it. 😉
🙂 You’ll enjoy it, and if you do, you should read the rest of that series. I loved A Swiftly Tilting Planet, which is the last of the books that deal with the Murray children.
Glad to hear! I plan on reading the whole series soon. 😀
I really like the way you’ve done the cover picture montage on this blog post; I may have to copy you 😉
Thanks – I recently discovered PicMonkey and have been having a lot of fun with it. 😉
I’ve endeavoured to read A Wrinkle in Time and The Book Thief for years now, but still haven’t been able to get to them. I hope you’ll enjoy these books!
I am the same – there are so many books I want to read but these definitely are at the top of a (very) long list! I hope I enjoy them when I finally do get round to reading them. 😉
omg…you HAVE to read The Fault in Our Stars. Great book. Also Divergent is amazing…better than The Hunger Games, in my opinion. Speak was very sad. I felt depressed while I read it but its wonderful.
I still need to read Daughter of Smoke and Bone!! It sounds so awesome. And I have seen the Princess Diaries (both) movies but haven’t the read the whole series. And the Book Thief movie was amazing…just need to read the book too.
I have The Fault in Our Stars on my bookshelf – I will hopefully be able to get round to it soon. Both Divergent and Speak look really good – I really need to read them soon. I wanted to see the Book Thief movie but it didn’t feel right to see it without reading the book first. 😉
From your list, I haven’t read A Wrinkle in Time, The Book Thief, Daughter of Smoke and Bone, and The Chocolate War. Most of the other books, though, were amazing. I hope you enjoy them when you get around to reading them!
Thanks – hopefully I will enjoy them. I’m glad to hear that the ones you have read have been mostly amazing. 🙂
I love Under the Never Sky, there’s something really special and different about it that only gets better as the series goes on. The second was my fav. Daughter of Smoke and Bone is one of my all time favorite books. It’s one of those reads that if you’re a writer you’re so impressed that you feel terrible about yourself and pretty envious. For me, it was a wow read, almost life changing. Quirky, poetic, dark and totally edgy. Plus there’s a good deal of Czech culture which is always fascinating. Oh The Princess Diaries, I read them all so long ago. They’re cute.
I bought Under the Never Sky years ago because it looked like something I would really enjoy. I’m glad to hear the whole series is amazing! Daughter of Smoke and Bone looks fantastic as well.
I think the Princess Diaries is maybe a series I should have read when I was younger – I am not sure if I will be able to appreciate them as much now. 🙂
Believe it or not you are not alone Brin. I haven’t read majority of the books you have listed here and I think it’s not something you have to feel embarrassed at. Maybe it’s the pressure of owning too many eARCs that’s why you/we haven’t caught up on reading these amazing books. 😀
I haven’t read Perks of Being a Wallflower, Daughter of Smoke and Bone, If I stay series and a lot more! 😛
I am glad I’m not the only one lol. 😉
I know what you mean though – it is hard to keep up with all the ARCs – I wish I could get caught up so I could read some of my outstanding backlog!
I have read the If I Stay series – it is definitely worth reading. 😀
I am planning on reading that before the movie release! I keep on avoidin the movie trailers! 🙂
You will not be disappointed! I loved both books but Where She Went was my favourite of the two. 😉
I have both books already! Just waiting for the right time haha
It can be hard finding the right time sometimes! 🙂
Don’t feel bad – I have yet to read a lot of those as well. I have had The Book Thief sitting on my eReader just waiting for me! I told myself I was going to read it last winter but that never ended up happening… I hope you do get to reading these books soon! The few that I’ve read are really wonderful! 🙂
It is hard trying to fit in all the books you want to read. My unread stack is getting really crazy – think I may have to impose a book ban soon!!