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The 20 Hottest Debuts of the Season
Posted by Cybil on August 06, 2018
Posted by Cybil on August 06, 2018
Rejoice, readers! We're in debut season—that time of year when publishing houses tend to print a delightfully large number of new writers. And this year, between July and September, is proving to be a gold mine of authors to discover.
If you're in the mood for historical fiction, Heather Morris' World War II love story The Tattooist of Auschwitz is already an international hit. Or perhaps your reading will take you to Colombia during the time of drug lord Pablo Escobar's reign in Fruit of the Drunken Tree.
For readers looking for some fantasy, check out The Mermaid and Mrs. Hancock, set in 18th-century London, or head deep into a magical forest with the adult fairy tale The Sisters of the Winter Wood. For a dash of magical realism, turn to She Would Be King, a fantastical take on Liberia’s formation.
There's also some dystopia (Vox), an evil child (Baby Teeth), and a war hero-turned-bank robber-turned debut author's gritty first novel (Cherry). In short, you're bound to find a book for whatever reading mood you're in.
If you're in the mood for historical fiction, Heather Morris' World War II love story The Tattooist of Auschwitz is already an international hit. Or perhaps your reading will take you to Colombia during the time of drug lord Pablo Escobar's reign in Fruit of the Drunken Tree.
For readers looking for some fantasy, check out The Mermaid and Mrs. Hancock, set in 18th-century London, or head deep into a magical forest with the adult fairy tale The Sisters of the Winter Wood. For a dash of magical realism, turn to She Would Be King, a fantastical take on Liberia’s formation.
There's also some dystopia (Vox), an evil child (Baby Teeth), and a war hero-turned-bank robber-turned debut author's gritty first novel (Cherry). In short, you're bound to find a book for whatever reading mood you're in.
Want to know more? Check out our recent interviews with these debut authors:
Check out more recent blogs:
The Top 100 YA Books on Goodreads
31 Adaptations that Prove Hollywood Loves YA
Catch Up Now: These Big Series All Have Books Coming Out in August
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R.O. Kwon delves into a dangerous cult in her debut, The Incendiaries
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The debut Ohio maps a fateful homecoming for four former classmates
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In dystopian debut, women's words are policed and restricted
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Ingrid Rojas Contreras draws on her Colombian childhood for Fruit of the Drunken Tree
Check out more recent blogs:
The Top 100 YA Books on Goodreads
31 Adaptations that Prove Hollywood Loves YA
Catch Up Now: These Big Series All Have Books Coming Out in August
Published from Prison: The Books that Inspired a Former Bank Robber
Posted by Cybil on August 06, 2018
Posted by Cybil on August 06, 2018
This month, Nico Walker's first novel will be published. But the author's personal story has already captured the attention of readers, beginning with a 2013 Buzzfeed profile titled How a War Hero Became a Serial Bank Robber. A former U.S. Army medic who served on more than 250 missions in Iraq, Walker returned home suffering from severe PTSD and became addicted to heroin. That's when he started robbing small Midwestern banks, hitting ten in all before being caught and sentenced to 11 years in prison. While behind bars, he wrote Cherry. He has two more years left on his sentence.
Goodreads asked Walker to share the books he's read in prison that have made a difference to him.
Goodreads asked Walker to share the books he's read in prison that have made a difference to him.
I didn't always read much. But I did read. When I was a kid, I liked Joyce and Vonnegut and some others. I liked e.e. cummings—always it's Spring and everyone's in love and flowers pick themselves. (You see.)
I liked stuff like that.
I stole a copy of the Cherry Orchard by Chekhov. I just wanted it. It's still somewhere, I think. If my mom saved it. (She doesn't know it's stolen.)
So I read.
But I wasn't what you'd call a reader. I got into other things. There were times I hardly read at all. It wasn't till I came around to jail, where I've been for years now, that I really got the habit bad. I read for hours every day now. My eyes aren't what they used to be, and I wonder if that doesn't have anything to do with it. But eyes or no eyes, I read a lot these days. I don't know. I can't picture life without books. I love them. I love the good writers. There are so many good writers. The time it would take to read them all, I'll be dead before I could.
But maybe.
I'll have to hurry, though.
Right now I'm reading Turgenev's Sketches. My first time reading it. I'm 33 years old, and I don't know how I got by this long without reading this book. I wonder, What took me so long to get here?
The spirit of the thing is beautiful. It overflows with love. And like all good books, it confirms all kinds of various things that you knew but you didn't know you knew, that you hadn't ever brought out and put into words before, though they were there for a long time, dormant down in your soul somewhere. The eternal truths. The ones that when one of them gets found out, you say, Yeah that is it, isn't it.
And we all know.
So Turgenev's been dead over a hundred years and he's speaking directly to my soul these days (by way of a translator, who also probably is long dead), and that's something of a miracle, I think. And that's what all the real art does, whether it's books or paintings or songs or what-have-you: art. Yet what's special about books is the reader's making it up just as much as the writer. The writer leaves the directions, but the reader does the work; the reader's the one who's got to picture how the things go. And it's the reader's having a share in the creativity that makes books different from the other mediums. When a book connects with a reader, then the reader becomes the writer. There's no deeper contact in art than that, I don't believe.
But this is neither here nor there. And I'm going on. I've been asked to put together a list of the five most formative books that I read in jail. I'm supposed to tie them in somehow with my own book, Cherry, so forgive me when I do that. And I'm sorry that there can only be five books on the list.
The list goes:
1. A Disaffection by James Kelman
It's about a guy, Patrick Doyle, and he isn't doing so well. He's got ideals he can't live up to. He can't reconcile himself with the nature of what's around him. It's Scotland, maybe the 1980s. Patrick's teaching school, and it's got him feeling like he's the polis. Patrick's origins are working class, and he doesn't like the polis. Not at all. So there's that. Then there's he's in love with a married woman. He feels a need to disappear. This is how the story begins.
It's told beautifully. The writing's second to none. It's vivid. It's dynamic. Kelman writes with a militant conviction that's balanced by a careful sensitivity. Also his jokes don't miss.
I love his technique. He takes chances with the language, and it's brilliant, so if you're into that, then you're in luck because there's plenty. He'll honor sound before syntax when he has to. And it's all poetry. The prose is lyrical. And the dialogue reads natural, and it's subtle. He's got a fine sense of how to increase the tension with it.
I cannot say enough about this book. The way it ends is genius. I won't tell you about it because you need to read it. I'll warn you, though: Don't read it if you're the type who's gonna say, "Why, there's no commas in this!" Or if you're gonna say, "Not much plot here really," then don't read it. It isn't meant for you. This book's meant for people with sensitivity and love and compassion, who are interested in what's real and true.
The reason I thought I could get away with including A Disaffection on this list of books, a list of books I'm supposed to tie in with Cherry somehow, is Kelman's book, like mine, deals with depression, the morbid kind, the kind that beats you and that you might carry with you all your life. And Kelman works miracles with the subject, how he delivers the most expressive account of a condition that usually leaves most all its experts at a loss for words because they're tired and they don't care anymore. Yeah, Kelman's a hero of mine.
2. Hill William by Scott McClanahan
People sometimes ask me how much of Cherry was real. And they're all right, but I don't love it when they ask me that. What's worse is sometimes they'll even say, "Oh, but this is just an autobiography!" Like they know something. And usually these are people who haven't ever had to worry much about structuring a novel or anything like that. God bless them.
So go on, you say.
All right. Where I'm going with this is I imagine Scott McClanahan maybe has the same bad luck as I do sometimes, and people will say all he's doing is writing about himself and his life and it's easy. Well, I can tell you, I know Scott McClanahan, and Scott McClanahan knows more about book writing than rooms full of people who would call themselves writers. And Scott writes novels. And they're beautiful.
But sometimes you pay a price for writing what you know or for using the first person or for being authentic and giving people some truth.
Anyway.
I've included a McClanahan novel on this list. It's called Hill William, and it's a masterpiece. If you haven't read it already, you really should. It is one of the funniest, saddest, most powerful, most not-scared-of-anything novels you'll ever read, and it's amazing. Scott writes like Walt Whitman. I'm not lying or exaggerating. And the way the novel is structured is brilliant.
Read this. You'll remember it forever.
3. Panama by Thomas McGuane
Cherry is a love story. So is this one. And it just howls. It's like what would happen if Dostoyevsky lived in Florida in the 1970s and did coke. And then you've got McGuane's chops. No one's got better chops than McGuane.
When you read this, watch how he shifts back and forth between the main narrative and the backstory on the same page and in the same chapter and stays in the same tense throughout, just a simple past tense, and you follow him around and you don't even know. I read it three times before I picked up on this. He won't even transition with a sentence in a perfect tense. It's so rock 'n' roll.
But to the heart of the matter, I've read some things people have written about this book where they try and tell you McGuane's guilty of taking the piss here, so to speak. But whatever; they just missed what's going on, is all. There's heart in this story, and it's real. Only McGuane, he's not gonna be heavy about it; he's gonna lay it down with style, and he's cool about it. Because that's what he does.
4. Angels by Denis Johnson
This is a book about some people. Like in Cherry, there're some robberies in it.
Denis Johnson died last year. He's one of the greatest writers who ever lived, someone who understood what human beings are like. Angels was Denis Johnson's first novel. The writing is beautiful. It's first-rate, and it'll break your heart if you're paying attention. It's a love song about desperation.
5. Life and Fate by Vasily Grossman
I read this book a few years ago. And I was working on Cherry, and things weren't going incredibly well with that. So then sometimes when I'd get to feeling bad regarding what was difficult about writing in prison, I'd think about what Grossman was up against in his life and times as a writer, and it'd be enough so as I'd stop feeling sorry for myself.
Life and Fate is about war. It's about other things. It's also about prison. All the prisons everywhere. And still it's about more than that. If you haven't read this, you actually need to.
So there's the list. I hope you like these. If you've already read them, you could reread them and that way no one feels left out. Take care of yourself. Good luck.
Nico Walker's Cherry arrives in U.S. stores on Aug. 14. Don’t forget to add it to your Want to Read shelf.
I liked stuff like that.
I stole a copy of the Cherry Orchard by Chekhov. I just wanted it. It's still somewhere, I think. If my mom saved it. (She doesn't know it's stolen.)
So I read.
But I wasn't what you'd call a reader. I got into other things. There were times I hardly read at all. It wasn't till I came around to jail, where I've been for years now, that I really got the habit bad. I read for hours every day now. My eyes aren't what they used to be, and I wonder if that doesn't have anything to do with it. But eyes or no eyes, I read a lot these days. I don't know. I can't picture life without books. I love them. I love the good writers. There are so many good writers. The time it would take to read them all, I'll be dead before I could.
But maybe.
I'll have to hurry, though.
Right now I'm reading Turgenev's Sketches. My first time reading it. I'm 33 years old, and I don't know how I got by this long without reading this book. I wonder, What took me so long to get here?
The spirit of the thing is beautiful. It overflows with love. And like all good books, it confirms all kinds of various things that you knew but you didn't know you knew, that you hadn't ever brought out and put into words before, though they were there for a long time, dormant down in your soul somewhere. The eternal truths. The ones that when one of them gets found out, you say, Yeah that is it, isn't it.
And we all know.
So Turgenev's been dead over a hundred years and he's speaking directly to my soul these days (by way of a translator, who also probably is long dead), and that's something of a miracle, I think. And that's what all the real art does, whether it's books or paintings or songs or what-have-you: art. Yet what's special about books is the reader's making it up just as much as the writer. The writer leaves the directions, but the reader does the work; the reader's the one who's got to picture how the things go. And it's the reader's having a share in the creativity that makes books different from the other mediums. When a book connects with a reader, then the reader becomes the writer. There's no deeper contact in art than that, I don't believe.
But this is neither here nor there. And I'm going on. I've been asked to put together a list of the five most formative books that I read in jail. I'm supposed to tie them in somehow with my own book, Cherry, so forgive me when I do that. And I'm sorry that there can only be five books on the list.
The list goes:
It's about a guy, Patrick Doyle, and he isn't doing so well. He's got ideals he can't live up to. He can't reconcile himself with the nature of what's around him. It's Scotland, maybe the 1980s. Patrick's teaching school, and it's got him feeling like he's the polis. Patrick's origins are working class, and he doesn't like the polis. Not at all. So there's that. Then there's he's in love with a married woman. He feels a need to disappear. This is how the story begins.
It's told beautifully. The writing's second to none. It's vivid. It's dynamic. Kelman writes with a militant conviction that's balanced by a careful sensitivity. Also his jokes don't miss.
I love his technique. He takes chances with the language, and it's brilliant, so if you're into that, then you're in luck because there's plenty. He'll honor sound before syntax when he has to. And it's all poetry. The prose is lyrical. And the dialogue reads natural, and it's subtle. He's got a fine sense of how to increase the tension with it.
The reason I thought I could get away with including A Disaffection on this list of books, a list of books I'm supposed to tie in with Cherry somehow, is Kelman's book, like mine, deals with depression, the morbid kind, the kind that beats you and that you might carry with you all your life. And Kelman works miracles with the subject, how he delivers the most expressive account of a condition that usually leaves most all its experts at a loss for words because they're tired and they don't care anymore. Yeah, Kelman's a hero of mine.
2. Hill William by Scott McClanahan
People sometimes ask me how much of Cherry was real. And they're all right, but I don't love it when they ask me that. What's worse is sometimes they'll even say, "Oh, but this is just an autobiography!" Like they know something. And usually these are people who haven't ever had to worry much about structuring a novel or anything like that. God bless them.
So go on, you say.
But sometimes you pay a price for writing what you know or for using the first person or for being authentic and giving people some truth.
Anyway.
I've included a McClanahan novel on this list. It's called Hill William, and it's a masterpiece. If you haven't read it already, you really should. It is one of the funniest, saddest, most powerful, most not-scared-of-anything novels you'll ever read, and it's amazing. Scott writes like Walt Whitman. I'm not lying or exaggerating. And the way the novel is structured is brilliant.
Read this. You'll remember it forever.
3. Panama by Thomas McGuane
Cherry is a love story. So is this one. And it just howls. It's like what would happen if Dostoyevsky lived in Florida in the 1970s and did coke. And then you've got McGuane's chops. No one's got better chops than McGuane.
But to the heart of the matter, I've read some things people have written about this book where they try and tell you McGuane's guilty of taking the piss here, so to speak. But whatever; they just missed what's going on, is all. There's heart in this story, and it's real. Only McGuane, he's not gonna be heavy about it; he's gonna lay it down with style, and he's cool about it. Because that's what he does.
4. Angels by Denis Johnson
This is a book about some people. Like in Cherry, there're some robberies in it.
Denis Johnson died last year. He's one of the greatest writers who ever lived, someone who understood what human beings are like. Angels was Denis Johnson's first novel. The writing is beautiful. It's first-rate, and it'll break your heart if you're paying attention. It's a love song about desperation.
5. Life and Fate by Vasily Grossman
Life and Fate is about war. It's about other things. It's also about prison. All the prisons everywhere. And still it's about more than that. If you haven't read this, you actually need to.
So there's the list. I hope you like these. If you've already read them, you could reread them and that way no one feels left out. Take care of yourself. Good luck.
Nico Walker's Cherry arrives in U.S. stores on Aug. 14. Don’t forget to add it to your Want to Read shelf.
31 Adaptations that Prove Hollywood Loves YA
Posted by Cybil on July 30, 2018
From The Hunger Games to The Fault in Our Stars, some of Hollywood's biggest movies began as beloved young adult novels.
It's a trend that's showing no signs of slowing down. In August alone, movie versions of The Darkest Minds starring Amandla Stenberg and The Miseducation of Cameron Post starring Chloë Grace Moretz arrive, along with the Netflix adaptation of Jenny Han's To All the Boys I've Loved Before. Later this year, moviegoers will see the adaptation of Angie Thomas' 2017 Goodreads Choice Award-winning debut, The Hate U Give.
Because we're always on Team Read the Book, check out this list of YA novels that have been adapted for film and television. Which ones are your favorite reads, and which ones are you adding to your Want to Read shelf?
Dystopia & Science Fiction
Contemporary Love Stories
But wait! There's more...
Posted by Cybil on July 30, 2018
From The Hunger Games to The Fault in Our Stars, some of Hollywood's biggest movies began as beloved young adult novels.
It's a trend that's showing no signs of slowing down. In August alone, movie versions of The Darkest Minds starring Amandla Stenberg and The Miseducation of Cameron Post starring Chloë Grace Moretz arrive, along with the Netflix adaptation of Jenny Han's To All the Boys I've Loved Before. Later this year, moviegoers will see the adaptation of Angie Thomas' 2017 Goodreads Choice Award-winning debut, The Hate U Give.
Because we're always on Team Read the Book, check out this list of YA novels that have been adapted for film and television. Which ones are your favorite reads, and which ones are you adding to your Want to Read shelf?
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What adapted YA novel would you recommend as a great read? Let us know in the comments!
Check out the complete coverage of YA Week:
45 Hidden Gems for YA Superfans
The Most Anticipated YA Books
The Top 100 YA Books on Goodreads
Check out the complete coverage of YA Week:
45 Hidden Gems for YA Superfans
The Most Anticipated YA Books
The Top 100 YA Books on Goodreads
The Most Anticipated YA Books
Posted by Hayley on July 30, 2018
Fantasy
Yumeko is more than a peasant girl. A kitsune shapeshifter, half human and half fox, she escapes demons and defies a samurai to find the Scroll of a Thousand Prayers, an ancient artifact with the power to summon a dragon and grant any wish.
Once there were three sisters, equal heirs to the crown, struggling to control their magic and destiny. Now Mirabella and Arisonoe hide in the shadows while Katharine sits on the throne in this epic installment in the Three Dark Crowns series.
She has been a slave, a king's assassin, and a queen. As Aelin Galathynius' heroic journey comes to an end, she finds herself a captive of the Fae, helpless as war erupts across her world in this seventh and final book in the Throne of Glass series.
The demon king of Ikhara entertains himself with his Paper Girls, consorts chosen from the lowest and most oppressed caste. The young women are trained to be charming, timid, and obedient. But what happens when two of them fall in love?
In this dazzling sequel to Strange the Dreamer, Lazlo and Sarai grapple with their new identities as god and ghost. As forgotten doors are opened and new worlds are revealed, they both question what makes anyone a hero—or a monster.
The Shadowhunters have become the hunted. To end a deadly curse and stop a civil war, Julian and Emma put aside their forbidden love to retrieve the Black Volume of the Dead in this thrilling final novel in The Dark Artifices trilogy.
Historical Fiction
Elizabeth has nothing; Victor Frankenstein has everything—except a friend. In 18th century Geneva, an inseparable bond forms, but as the years pass, Victor's dangerous temper and depraved dreams threaten to sink both their lives into darkness.
Weary of lovestruck suitors and the patriarchy, Felicity escapes the confines of stuffy English society via pirate ship. Her impulsive decision leads her on a perilous quest from the German countryside to secrets lurking beneath the Atlantic.
Five generations of a single African and American family pursue an elusive dream of freedom, from 18-year-old Liberian Togar, who's on the run from government militia, to the Wright siblings as they flee a Virginia plantation in 1827.
Mystery
Sadie's sister is dead. Determined to bring the killer to justice, she leaves her life behind. As she follows the meager clues, radio personality West McCray is on her trail, eager to turn her quest for revenge into a hit true-crime podcast.
After her father is framed for murder, Ky returns to her hometown, hoping for sanctuary. Instead, she finds herself at the center of a scandal. With a rookie FBI agent as her only ally, she sets out to expose the town's hidden skeletons.
Science Fiction
After an unsuccessful alien invasion, a fragile peace exists between humans and the conquered Luxen race. None of it concerns Evie until she meets the otherworldly Luc in this book set in the world of Armentrout's Lux series.
Nax and his fellow space academy rejects are the sole witnesses to the biggest crime in the history of space colonization—and the perfect scapegoats. On the run, the misfits just need to stay alive long enough to tell their story.
Contemporary
Darius speaks more Klingon than Farsi, and he knows more Hobbit social cues than Persian ones. On a trip to Iran, he shocks himself by making his first true friend. Sohrab is the boy next door, and he makes Darius dread returning to America.
The Bennets get a Brooklyn update in this vibrant retelling of Pride and Prejudice. Here it's Zuri Benitez, proud of her Afro-Latino roots, resisting the uptight charms of the wealthy Darcy in her rapidly gentrifying neighborhood.
The universe threw them together, and now the universe is keeping them apart. Holding on to the optimism Broadway has taught him, Arthur keeps trying to make things work with Ben. But what if life really isn’t like a musical? And what if it is?
Shirin is tired of being a stereotype. It is a year after 9/11, and the rude comments—about her race, her religion, the hijab she wears—will not stop. She withdraws inward until a strange boy named Ocean James insists on getting to know the real her.
Posted by Hayley on July 30, 2018
While 2018 has already been a wildly entertaining year for YA fans, the best may be yet to come. From big series conclusions by Sarah J. Maas and Cassandra Clare to irresistible twists on classics like Frankenstein and Pride and Prejudice, these bold books have something enticing for every type of reader.
To find the best books that will be hitting bookshelves through the rest of the year, we focused on what Goodreads members are anticipating and reactions from early reviewers. We measured anticipation by how many times a book has been added to Want to Read shelves, and then we only included books that have earned at least a four-star rating. (If you're curious how you can read prepublished books and be among the first to rate them, take a look at our book giveaways.)
Check out the most anticipated YA books in all your favorite genres below. Don't forget to add what catches your eye to your Want to Read shelf!
To find the best books that will be hitting bookshelves through the rest of the year, we focused on what Goodreads members are anticipating and reactions from early reviewers. We measured anticipation by how many times a book has been added to Want to Read shelves, and then we only included books that have earned at least a four-star rating. (If you're curious how you can read prepublished books and be among the first to rate them, take a look at our book giveaways.)
Check out the most anticipated YA books in all your favorite genres below. Don't forget to add what catches your eye to your Want to Read shelf!
Yumeko is more than a peasant girl. A kitsune shapeshifter, half human and half fox, she escapes demons and defies a samurai to find the Scroll of a Thousand Prayers, an ancient artifact with the power to summon a dragon and grant any wish.
Once there were three sisters, equal heirs to the crown, struggling to control their magic and destiny. Now Mirabella and Arisonoe hide in the shadows while Katharine sits on the throne in this epic installment in the Three Dark Crowns series.
She has been a slave, a king's assassin, and a queen. As Aelin Galathynius' heroic journey comes to an end, she finds herself a captive of the Fae, helpless as war erupts across her world in this seventh and final book in the Throne of Glass series.
The demon king of Ikhara entertains himself with his Paper Girls, consorts chosen from the lowest and most oppressed caste. The young women are trained to be charming, timid, and obedient. But what happens when two of them fall in love?
In this dazzling sequel to Strange the Dreamer, Lazlo and Sarai grapple with their new identities as god and ghost. As forgotten doors are opened and new worlds are revealed, they both question what makes anyone a hero—or a monster.
The Shadowhunters have become the hunted. To end a deadly curse and stop a civil war, Julian and Emma put aside their forbidden love to retrieve the Black Volume of the Dead in this thrilling final novel in The Dark Artifices trilogy.
Elizabeth has nothing; Victor Frankenstein has everything—except a friend. In 18th century Geneva, an inseparable bond forms, but as the years pass, Victor's dangerous temper and depraved dreams threaten to sink both their lives into darkness.
Weary of lovestruck suitors and the patriarchy, Felicity escapes the confines of stuffy English society via pirate ship. Her impulsive decision leads her on a perilous quest from the German countryside to secrets lurking beneath the Atlantic.
Five generations of a single African and American family pursue an elusive dream of freedom, from 18-year-old Liberian Togar, who's on the run from government militia, to the Wright siblings as they flee a Virginia plantation in 1827.
Sadie's sister is dead. Determined to bring the killer to justice, she leaves her life behind. As she follows the meager clues, radio personality West McCray is on her trail, eager to turn her quest for revenge into a hit true-crime podcast.
After her father is framed for murder, Ky returns to her hometown, hoping for sanctuary. Instead, she finds herself at the center of a scandal. With a rookie FBI agent as her only ally, she sets out to expose the town's hidden skeletons.
After an unsuccessful alien invasion, a fragile peace exists between humans and the conquered Luxen race. None of it concerns Evie until she meets the otherworldly Luc in this book set in the world of Armentrout's Lux series.
Nax and his fellow space academy rejects are the sole witnesses to the biggest crime in the history of space colonization—and the perfect scapegoats. On the run, the misfits just need to stay alive long enough to tell their story.
Darius speaks more Klingon than Farsi, and he knows more Hobbit social cues than Persian ones. On a trip to Iran, he shocks himself by making his first true friend. Sohrab is the boy next door, and he makes Darius dread returning to America.
The Bennets get a Brooklyn update in this vibrant retelling of Pride and Prejudice. Here it's Zuri Benitez, proud of her Afro-Latino roots, resisting the uptight charms of the wealthy Darcy in her rapidly gentrifying neighborhood.
The universe threw them together, and now the universe is keeping them apart. Holding on to the optimism Broadway has taught him, Arthur keeps trying to make things work with Ben. But what if life really isn’t like a musical? And what if it is?
Shirin is tired of being a stereotype. It is a year after 9/11, and the rude comments—about her race, her religion, the hijab she wears—will not stop. She withdraws inward until a strange boy named Ocean James insists on getting to know the real her.
Which YA book are you most excited to get your hands on? Tell us why in the comments!
Check out complete coverage of YA Week:
The Top 100 YA Books on Goodreads
45 Hidden Gems for YA Superfans
The Best YA Books of 2018 (So Far)
Check out complete coverage of YA Week:
The Top 100 YA Books on Goodreads
45 Hidden Gems for YA Superfans
The Best YA Books of 2018 (So Far)
YA Week 2018
Posted by Hayley on July 30, 2018
The Top 100 Young Adult Books on Goodreads
From The Hunger Games to The Hate U Give, check out our readers' favorite picks.
What will you be reading for YA Week?
Let us know in the comments!
Posted by Hayley on July 30, 2018
Within the pages of these YA books, adventure awaits. Whether you're a fan of dystopian rebels or high school sweethearts, mischievous royals or small-town sleuths, we've got irresistible book recommendations just for you.
45 Hidden Gems for YA Superfans
Posted by Marie on July 30, 2018
If you love Sarah J. Maas' Throne of Glass series
(or epic fantasies featuring swords, sorcery, and kingdoms in peril)…
If you love John Green's The Fault in Our Stars
(or tear-inducing contemporary fiction about catharsis and self-discovery)…
If you love Suzanne Collins' The Hunger Games trilogy
(or thrilling sci-fi with dystopian regimes and terrifying tech)…
If you love Jenny Han's To All the Boys I've Loved Before
(or tender romances with humor, drama, and "adorkable" mishaps)…
If you love Cassandra Clare's The Mortal Instruments series
(or urban fantasies with paranormal activity in modern-day cities)…
What's your favorite under-the-radar YA novel? Share it with us in the comments!
Posted by Marie on July 30, 2018
From the sprawling territories of Erilea to the 12 districts of Panem, YA superfans have covered a lot of familiar ground. To help take these seasoned explorers off the beaten path, we skipped the classics and bestsellers and put together a list of hidden gems just waiting to be discovered.
For this roundup, we chose books that have been added fewer than 200,000 times on Goodreads members' shelves. To put this in perspective, members have added The Hunger Games to their shelves more than 6 million times. From there, we only included titles with a minimum four-star rating. Then we broke down the results into recommendations for fans of Sarah J. Maas, Suzanne Collins, John Green, Jenny Han, and Cassandra Clare.
This list is far from exhaustive, so make sure to add your own under-the-radar recommendations in the comments. And don't forget to add what catches your eye to your Want to Read shelf!
For this roundup, we chose books that have been added fewer than 200,000 times on Goodreads members' shelves. To put this in perspective, members have added The Hunger Games to their shelves more than 6 million times. From there, we only included titles with a minimum four-star rating. Then we broke down the results into recommendations for fans of Sarah J. Maas, Suzanne Collins, John Green, Jenny Han, and Cassandra Clare.
This list is far from exhaustive, so make sure to add your own under-the-radar recommendations in the comments. And don't forget to add what catches your eye to your Want to Read shelf!
(or epic fantasies featuring swords, sorcery, and kingdoms in peril)…
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(or tear-inducing contemporary fiction about catharsis and self-discovery)…
(or thrilling sci-fi with dystopian regimes and terrifying tech)…
(or tender romances with humor, drama, and "adorkable" mishaps)…
(or urban fantasies with paranormal activity in modern-day cities)…
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What's your favorite under-the-radar YA novel? Share it with us in the comments!
Check out complete coverage of YA Week:
The Most Anticipated YA Books
The Best YA Books of 2018 (So Far)
The Top 100 YA Books on Goodreads
The Most Anticipated YA Books
The Best YA Books of 2018 (So Far)
The Top 100 YA Books on Goodreads
The Best YA Books of 2018 (So Far)
Posted by Marie on July 30, 2018
Hot New Series
Epic Sequels
Must-Read Standalones
Posted by Marie on July 30, 2018
This year, the YA world said hello to fierce newcomers like Zélie Adebola and bid adieu to beloved favorites like Lada Dracul. With 2018 more than halfway over, we decided to take a look back at the genre's best and brightest (so far).
To create this list, we focused on books that were published from January to July and included the titles that have been added the most to Goodreads members' shelves. And to make sure we were serving up the cream of the YA crop, we only listed books with at least a four-star average rating. This is why A Court of Frost and Starlight, War Storm, and The Fates Divide did not make the cut.
How many of these top-rated titles have you read? Don't forget to add your favorites to your Want to Read shelf!
To create this list, we focused on books that were published from January to July and included the titles that have been added the most to Goodreads members' shelves. And to make sure we were serving up the cream of the YA crop, we only listed books with at least a four-star average rating. This is why A Court of Frost and Starlight, War Storm, and The Fates Divide did not make the cut.
How many of these top-rated titles have you read? Don't forget to add your favorites to your Want to Read shelf!
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Which titles are you most excited to read? Let us know in the comments!
Check out complete coverage of YA Week:
31 Adaptations that Prove Hollywood Loves YA
45 Hidden Gems for YA Superfans
The Most Anticipated YA Books
Check out complete coverage of YA Week:
31 Adaptations that Prove Hollywood Loves YA
45 Hidden Gems for YA Superfans
The Most Anticipated YA Books
The 21 Most-Popular Graphic Novels for Middle Grade Readers
Posted by Marie on July 27, 2018
Posted by Marie on July 27, 2018
If you're still looking for books to inspire your young reader, middle grade graphic novels just might do the trick. Perfect for children between the ages of 9 and 12, these novels are fast-paced, visually hypnotic, and tell heartwarming stories that explore everything from feeling out of place to forging friendships in different solar systems. So we took a look at the most popular titles in this rapidly growing (and award-winning) genre and brought you the best of the best.
For this round-up, we measured popularity by looking at how many times a book has been added to Goodreads members' Want-to-Read shelves. From there, we narrowed down our list to only include titles with at least a 3.9 star rating. Which titles will your middle grade readers be picking up this summer?
For this round-up, we measured popularity by looking at how many times a book has been added to Goodreads members' Want-to-Read shelves. From there, we narrowed down our list to only include titles with at least a 3.9 star rating. Which titles will your middle grade readers be picking up this summer?
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What graphic novels would you recommend for middle-grade readers? Let us know in the comments!
Check out more recent blogs:
12 New Graphic Novels to Keep Kids Reading All Summer
The Top 100 YA Books of All Time
12 Top Nonfiction Audiobook Picks from Audible Editors
Check out more recent blogs:
12 New Graphic Novels to Keep Kids Reading All Summer
The Top 100 YA Books of All Time
12 Top Nonfiction Audiobook Picks from Audible Editors
The Top 100 YA Books on Goodreads
Posted by Hayley on July 25, 2018
Posted by Hayley on July 25, 2018
A battlefield where wild magic fills the air. A high school where a fierce rivalry transforms an entire town. A near-future wasteland where a group of misfits seeks something greater than survival…
This is the world of YA. Whether you're a lifelong fan or a curious reader looking to try something new, come along with us as we reveal the very best of the genre.
There are thousands of YA books, so how did we go about finding the most beloved ones on Goodreads? We started by focusing on what's been added the most to Goodreads members' shelves. But this isn't simply a popularity contest; we wanted the best. So we narrowed down our list to include only books with at least a four-star average rating. We also decided to select just the first book in a series—otherwise prolific authors like Leigh Bardugo, Marie Lu, and Sarah J. Maas would claim many more spots on this list.
And now, without further ado, we present the Top 100 YA Books, ranked by popularity on Goodreads. How many have you read? Tell us in the comments!
This is the world of YA. Whether you're a lifelong fan or a curious reader looking to try something new, come along with us as we reveal the very best of the genre.
There are thousands of YA books, so how did we go about finding the most beloved ones on Goodreads? We started by focusing on what's been added the most to Goodreads members' shelves. But this isn't simply a popularity contest; we wanted the best. So we narrowed down our list to include only books with at least a four-star average rating. We also decided to select just the first book in a series—otherwise prolific authors like Leigh Bardugo, Marie Lu, and Sarah J. Maas would claim many more spots on this list.
And now, without further ado, we present the Top 100 YA Books, ranked by popularity on Goodreads. How many have you read? Tell us in the comments!
How many have you read? Let us know in the comments!
Check out complete coverage of YA Week:
31 Adaptations that Prove Hollywood Loves YA
45 Hidden Gems for YA Superfans
The Most Anticipated YA Books
Check out complete coverage of YA Week:
31 Adaptations that Prove Hollywood Loves YA
45 Hidden Gems for YA Superfans
The Most Anticipated YA Books
Catch Up Now: These Big Series All Have Books Coming Out in August
Posted by Hayley on July 25, 2018
Posted by Hayley on July 25, 2018
There's nothing like the pain of finishing a book with a cliffhanger…and needing to wait months (if not years) for the next book. Save yourself some misery and jump into a beloved series that has a new installment coming out in August!
To find these series, we rounded up the top August sequels your fellow Goodreads can't wait to read, which we measure by how many times a book has been added to Want to Read shelves. Below, we've featured the first book in each of these series—as well as the first line to give you a taste. Which ones pique your curiosity?
To find these series, we rounded up the top August sequels your fellow Goodreads can't wait to read, which we measure by how many times a book has been added to Want to Read shelves. Below, we've featured the first book in each of these series—as well as the first line to give you a taste. Which ones pique your curiosity?
Genre: Fantasy
First book: Kings of the Wyld
First line: "You'd have guessed from the size of his shadow that Clay Cooper was a bigger man than he was."
Bloody Rose, book #2 in the series, hits bookshelves on August 28.
First book: Kings of the Wyld
First line: "You'd have guessed from the size of his shadow that Clay Cooper was a bigger man than he was."
Bloody Rose, book #2 in the series, hits bookshelves on August 28.
Genre: YA science fiction
First book: The Thousandth Floor
First line: "The sounds of laughter and music were dying down on the thousandth floor, the party breaking up by bits and pieces as even the rowdiest guests finally stumbled into the elevators and down to their homes."
The Towering Sky, book #3 in the series, hits bookshelves on August 28.
First book: The Thousandth Floor
First line: "The sounds of laughter and music were dying down on the thousandth floor, the party breaking up by bits and pieces as even the rowdiest guests finally stumbled into the elevators and down to their homes."
The Towering Sky, book #3 in the series, hits bookshelves on August 28.
Genre: Urban fantasy
First book: Magic Bites
First line: "I sat at a table in my shadowy kitchen, staring down a bottle of Boone's Farm Hard Lemonade, when a magic fluctuation hit."
Magic Triumphs, book #10 in the series, hits bookshelves on August 28.
First book: Magic Bites
First line: "I sat at a table in my shadowy kitchen, staring down a bottle of Boone's Farm Hard Lemonade, when a magic fluctuation hit."
Magic Triumphs, book #10 in the series, hits bookshelves on August 28.
Genre: YA fantasy
First book: Frostblood
First line: "I offered my hand to the fire."
Nightblood, book #3 in the series, hits bookshelves on August 21.
First book: Frostblood
First line: "I offered my hand to the fire."
Nightblood, book #3 in the series, hits bookshelves on August 21.
What big sequels are you looking forward to? Come talk books with us in the comments!
Check out more recent blogs:
7 Great Books Hitting Shelves Today
12 Top Nonfiction Audiobook Picks from Audible Editors
The Best Romance Novels of the Year (So Far)
Check out more recent blogs:
7 Great Books Hitting Shelves Today
12 Top Nonfiction Audiobook Picks from Audible Editors
The Best Romance Novels of the Year (So Far)
