Hey there. I’m a 17 year old aspiring author who writes fantasy, sci-fi and dystopian. Since I technically write YA, I think I need to read more within the demographic.
My favorite books: Blood Meridian, The Stranger, Annihilation, Brave New World, The Catcher in the Rye, Slaughterhouse Five. Within YA, I liked Arc of a Scythe and the Poppy War.
I’m especially looking for nice prose, thematic depth or anything else similar to the books I’ve listed. Anything that touches on or references philosophy is also a huge bonus! It’s one of my main interests at the moment.
Nothing with romance as the main genre, please (subplots are fine).
by Geometryck
4 Comments
*The Outsiders* is very heavily and clearly inspired by Catcher in the Rye and is basically the start of YA as we know it, so worth reading for that imo.
The Outside by Ada Hoffman
Gideon the Ninth by Tamsin Muir
Blood Roses by Francesca Lia Block
Maybe a shorter sci fi classic like the chrysalids by John Wyndham? The girl with all the gifts by m r Carey?
I think you’d like the Scholomance series, the main character is very moral, but very angry about having to do the right thing.
My personal favorite book is Warm Bodies by Isaac Marion, a zombie retelling of Romeo and Juliet. Though it sounds silly, it has very profound themes about our connections to each other, living vs surviving, and what to do when you feel like there’s no hope left.