So this week is #TeenReadWeek (Oct 13-19th), and yes this post is very late, but my question for you is — why stop with a week? Let this campaign be the start of a change in lifestyle!
Reading has been such an integral part of my life for such a long time, that I don’t think about doing anything else. I am a reader. I am a writer. And it’s because people kept putting books in my hands. Kept encouraging me to find books that I liked, not just books that I was told to read.
I completely understand why reading is something that teens aren’t necessarily fond of doing, I used to be one of those teens. BUT I believe it was because I was forced to read books that I wasn’t able to connect with. Or books that were so beyond my understanding.
That is why I’m so thankful for Young Adult Fiction. Thanks to YA, I was introduced to worlds and characters that I could relate to. I could see myself in the books I read, regardless of whether it was fantasy, paranormal, dystopian, whatever. There were elements of life that were (and still are) so real to me — I could feel what many of the characters were feeling.
To keep with the spirit of #TeenReadWeek, I want to suggest/recommend 5 books/books series that not only changed my life, but increased my already fiery passion for reading.
Goodreads: Percy Jackson is about to be kicked out of boarding school… again. And that’s the least of his troubles. Lately, mythological monsters and the gods of Mount Olympus seem to be walking straight out of the pages of Percy’s Greek mythology textbook and into his life. And worse, he’s angered a few of them. Zeus’ master lightning bolt has been stolen, and Percy is the prime suspect.
Now Percy and his friends have just ten days to find and return Zeus’ stolen property and bring peace to a warring Mount Olympus. But to succeed on his quest, Percy will have to do more than catch the true thief: he must come to terms with the father who abandoned him; solve the riddle of the Oracle, which warns him of betrayal by a friend; and unravel a treachery more powerful than the gods themselves.
Why You Should Read: This is actually my second favorite book series of ALL-TIME. The world-building is definitely the main reason to fall in love with this series. Greek mythology in a way that you’ve never ever seen. And the characters are just like you and me — only they’re demigods. They feel all of the same emotions that we feel, but their parents are immortal beings.
The adventures that Percy Jackson and friends go on are unreal. And Riordan’s descriptions of monsters is so detailed and specific that you can’t help but think “how cool” as you read. The emotional journey that this book, and it’s sequels (four additional books), takes you on is something that I have NEVER experienced before and will never be able to experience again.
Goodreads: When fifteen-year-old Clary Fray heads out to the Pandemonium Club in New York City, she hardly expects to witness a murder — much less a murder committed by three teenagers covered with strange tattoos and brandishing bizarre weapons. Then the body disappears into thin air. It’s hard to call the police when the murderers are invisible to everyone else and when there is nothing — not even a smear of blood — to show that a boy has died. Or was he a boy?
This is Clary’s first meeting with the Shadowhunters, warriors dedicated to ridding the earth of demons. It’s also her first encounter with Jace, a Shadowhunter who looks a little like an angel and acts a lot like a jerk. Within twenty-four hours Clary is pulled into Jace’s world with a vengeance, when her mother disappears and Clary herself is attacked by a demon. But why would demons be interested in ordinary mundanes like Clary and her mother? And how did Clary suddenly get the Sight? The Shadowhunters would like to know. . . .
Why You Should Read: This book is the first installment in my ABSOLUTE favorite series ever, The Mortal Instruments. Hands down, this series changed me. Cassandra Clare is on my list of authors that have changed my life for the better. Because of this series, I discovered my desire to become an author. Clare has the unmatched ability to bring together all of my favorite fantastical characters — vampires, werewolves, warlocks, angels — and have them co-exist in a world that is beyond my wildest imagination.
You get a dose of magic, romance, action, humor AND beautiful dialogue between characters that you can’t help but fall in love with. I found myself wondering what creature I would be, if I lived in the world of Shadowhunters (angelic humans) and downworlders (vampires, werewolves, warlocks, etc.). She painted a picture so clear, that sometimes I couldn’t tell my world from the book’s world, which is dangerously amazing. I am forever grateful to Clare’s talents and skills that allowed me to fall this in love with a series.
Goodreads: After the 1st wave, only darkness remains. After the 2nd, only the lucky escape. And after the 3rd, only the unlucky survive. After the 4th wave, only one rule applies: trust no one.
Now, it’s the dawn of the 5th wave, and on a lonely stretch of highway, Cassie runs from Them. The beings who only look human, who roam the countryside killing anyone they see. Who have scattered Earth’s last survivors. To stay alone is to stay alive, Cassie believes, until she meets Evan Walker. Beguiling and mysterious, Evan Walker may be Cassie’s only hope for rescuing her brother—or even saving herself. But Cassie must choose: between trust and despair, between defiance and surrender, between life and death. To give up or to get up.
Why You Should Read: This is actually the first Sci-Fi book that I’ve read… and absolutely LOVED. It’s my second favorite book of 2013, so far. It’s also the first book in a trilogy. Rick Yancey’s love for action, adventure, explosions, and parallel connections is very apparent. I kept reading the book thinking — while I know this can’t happen in real life, I just see how it could if given the proper opportunity. And to me, that is the scariest notion. To be able to know and understand how something so horrible could actually happen.
Rick Yancey pulled at all of my feel strings throughout this books — from anger, to sadness, to frustration, to happiness — I felt it all. And I think you will too. It’s a brilliant book of excellent characters and plot development. The characters at the end of the books are definitely different from the characters by the end. Because they’ve been through A LOT. Rick demonstrates a lot of skill and restraint with how he chose to grow his characters. And it shows. I loved it.
Goodreads: Anna is looking forward to her senior year in Atlanta, where she has a great job, a loyal best friend, and a crush on the verge of becoming more. Which is why she is less than thrilled about being shipped off to boarding school in Paris–until she meets Étienne St. Clair. Smart, charming,beautiful, Étienne has it all…including a serious girlfriend.
But in the City of Light, wishes have a way of coming true. Will a year of romantic near-misses end with their long-awaited French kiss?
Why You Should Read: This is just a nice, easy feel good book. If you don’t want anything that’s too heavy or too detailed, then I definitely recommend this lighthearted read. Perkins does a good job of making anyone’s day feel better when they read this book. It’s cute, it’s cuddly, it’s all the feels and more.
This is actually the first part of a trilogy, but you can totally read it as a standalone.
Goodreads: Harry Potter has never played a sport while flying on a broomstick. He’s never worn a Cloak of Invisibility, befriended a giant, or helped hatch a dragon. All Harry knows is a miserable life with the Dursleys, his horrible aunt and uncle, and their abominable son, Dudley. Harry’s room is a tiny cupboard under the stairs, and he hasn’t had a birthday party in ten years.
But all that is about to change when a mysterious letter arrives by owl messenger: a letter with an invitation to a wonderful place he never dreamed existed. There he finds not only friends, aerial sports, and magic around every corner, but a great destiny that’s been waiting for him… if Harry can survive the encounter.
Why You Should Read: This is the first book in an amazing 7-book journey. JK Rowling builds a world of wizardry, witchcraft, spells, and incantations. It is absolutely unreal how beautifully done this book is. Regardless of whether it is truth or fiction, you really immerse yourself into what it means to be a magical being. You follow Harry on these insane and dangerous adventures, where you think you’ll surely be killed. It’s just so much fun!
These books are certainly classic YA material and should be on the top of everyone’s reading list, if you haven’t read them already. I was introduced to this book when I was in the 9th grade. And my world was changed.
I am forever grateful for the opportunity to read books and immerse myself into different worlds. I honestly don’t know what I would do or who I would be without books. Each one I read becomes a part of me. And I hope with these recommendations, you are able to begin immersing yourself into new worlds and meeting new and interesting characters. Hopefully your world is rocked! Just as mine was when I first picked up Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.
And don’t worry if these books don’t have the same effect on you, as they did for me. Just don’t give up. Keep looking for books. Find one that speaks to you, because there is at least one. I promise you that.
Happy Reading!
Christina Marie
Blogger | Booknerd | Shadowhunter | Whovian | Better In Black | Book Tumblr: http://luloreads.tumblr.com
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