Dystopian YA Books

Try these books if you're looking for:

• dystopia
• young adult novels
• focus on characters and relationships, story, action, or events
• read like Divergent, Maze Runner, Cinder, Unwind, Ender's Game

5th Wave 
By Rick Yancey
YA F YANCEY
Cassie Sullivan, the survivor of an alien invasion, must rescue her young brother from the enemy with help from a boy who may be one of them. 

Glitch 
By Heather Anastasiu
YA F ANASTASI Glitch #1
In the Community, where implanted computer chips have erased human emotions and thoughts are replaced by a feed from the Link network, Zoe starts to malfunction, or glitch, and begins having her own thoughts, feelings, identity--and telekinetic powers.

Pathfinder 
By Orson Scott Card
YA F CARD Pathfind #1
Thirteen-year-old Rigg has a secret ability to see the paths of others' pasts, but revelations after his father's death set him on a dangerous quest that brings new threats from those who would either control his destiny or kill him.

Life as We Knew It 
By Susan Beth Pfeffer
YA F PFEFFER Last Sur #1
Through journal entries sixteen-year-old Miranda describes her family's struggle to survive after a meteor hits the moon, causing worldwide tsunamis, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions.

Fun Romances and a Non-Fiction Adventure

Try these books if you're looking for:

• romance
• fun
• light, but with some complexity
• not too much physicality
• read like Marina Adair, Robin Bielman, Deanna Raybourne

Queen of Babble 
By Meg Cabot
F CABOT
Lizzie Nichols discovers that her inability to keep her mouth shut has landed her in hot water when she aggravates her unfaithful boyfriend, is stranded in London, and takes a job as a bartender for a catered wedding at a French chateau. This title is also available as an ebook on Overdrive.

Can You Keep a Secret? 
By Sophie Kinsella
F KINSELLA
Terrified by a rough take-off, Emma Corrigan spills her darkest secrets to a stranger on an airplane. But come Monday morning, Emma's office is abuzz about the arrival of Jack Harper, the company's elusive CEO. Suddenly Emma is face-to-face with the stranger from the plane, a man who knows every single humiliating detail about her. This title is also available as an ebook on Overdrive.

The Rosie Project 
By Graeme Simsion
F SIMSION
Don Tillman, a professor of genetics, sets up a project designed to find him the perfect wife, starting with a sixteen-page, scientifically valid questionnaire. Then he meets Rosie, who is everything he's not looking for in a wife, but an unlikely relationship develops as they collaborate to help Rosie find her biological father. Don comes to realize that despite your best scientific efforts, you don’t find love, it finds you.

Venetia 
By Georgette Heyer
ROMANCE HEYER
Venetia Lanyon--beautiful, intelligent and independent--lives in comfortable seclusion in rural Yorkshire with her precocious brother Aubrey, but when she meets the dashing, dangerous rake Lord Damerel, her well-ordered life is turned upside down. This title is also available as an ebook on Overdrive.

The Lost City of Z: A Tale of Deadly Obsession in the Amazon 
By David Grann
918.1104 GRA
In 1925, the legendary British explorer Percy Fawcett ventured into the Amazon jungle, in search of a fabled civilization. He never returned. Over the years countless perished trying to find evidence of his party and the place he called “The Lost City of Z.” In this masterpiece of narrative nonfiction, journalist David Grann interweaves the spellbinding stories of Fawcett’s quest for “Z” and his own journey into the deadly jungle, as he unravels the greatest exploration mystery of the twentieth century. This title is also available as an ebook on Overdrive.

You may also enjoy these titles:
Hero at Large by Janet Evanovich (ebook available)
Lucy Sullivan is Getting Married by Marian Keyes
Anyone But You by Jennifer Crusie (ebook available)

Chick-Lit and Fantasy with Happy Endings

Try these books if you're looking for:

• chick lit
• happy endings
• fantasy
• read like Jane Austen, Eragon, Sarah Eden

Eon 
By Alison Goodman
YA F GOODMAN
Eon has a secret, keeping it will result in either life or death. This coming of age novel takes place in feudal Asia, during a time when dragons still exist and men are the supreme rulers of everything. Could all of that be about to change??? With a strong protagonist, shrewd evil villain and unique supporting characters, this is a great fantasy in which to escape. Do not be discouraged if you think the beginning moves a bit slow. The adventure picks up quite nicely.

Persuasion: A Latter-day Tale 
By Rebecca H. Jamison
ROMANCE JAMISON
Eight years ago, Anne told Neil Wentworth she’d marry him. The next day, bowing under her parents’ disapproval and her own fear that she didn’t know how to have a happy marriage, especially after watching her parents’ marriage dissolve, she broke it off. Though they went their separate ways, Anne never forgot him or found anyone else. Now Neil’s back…This is a modern retelling of Jane Austen’s classic.

The Apothecary’s Daughter 
By Julie Klassen
F KLASSEN
Set in England when society’s rules allowed women little advancement of the mind or spirit, Lilly Haswell tries to balance two worlds. Lilly is a sensible, intelligent, strong willed young woman who has had much family responsibility set on her shoulders. Her wealthy Aunt and Uncle offer her a “dream come true” when they invite her to stay with them in London. Sometimes life just does not work out like the fairy tales and she is suddenly called home. Strong characters, attention to detail describing the life and customs of England and the apothecary’s world plus a fun plot make this an enjoyable read.

Teen Adventures with a Female Lead

Try these books if you're looking for:

• teen books
• adventure books
• female lead

Keturah and Lord Death 
By Martine Leavitt
YA F LEAVITT
When Lord Death comes to claim sixteen-year-old Keturah while she is lost in the King's Forest, she charms him with her story and is granted a twenty-four hour reprieve in which to seek her one true love.

Wither 
By Lauren DeStefano
YA F DESTEFAN Chemical #1
After modern science turns every human into a genetic time bomb with men dying at age twenty-five and women dying at age twenty, girls are kidnapped and married off in order to repopulate the world.

Birthmarked 
By Caragh M. O’Brien
YA F O’BRIEN Birthmar #1
When her midwife mother is forcibly taken away by the very people she serves, sixteen-year-old Gaia Stone starts to question the role of the Enclave and whether it deserves the loyalty her family has so faithfully given.

The Adoration of Jenna Fox 
By Mary Pearson
YA F PEARSON Jenna Fo #1
In the not-too-distant future, when biotechnological advances have made synthetic bodies and brains possible but illegal, a seventeen-year-old girl, recovering from a serious accident and suffering from memory lapses, learns a startling secret about her existence.

Under the Never Sky 
By Veronica Rossi
YA F ROSSI Under #1
Aria and Perry, two teens from radically different societies--one highly advanced, the other primitive--hate being dependent on one another until they overcome their prejudices and fall in love, knowing they can't stay together.

Historical Fiction with Romance, Adventure, and Fantasy

Try these books if you're looking for:

• historical fiction
• romance
• adventure
• fantasy

For Darkness Shows the Stars 
By Diana Peterfreund
YA F PETERFRE For Dark #1
It's been generations since a genetic experiment gone wrong caused the Reduction, decimating humanity and giving rise to a Luddite nobility who outlawed most technology. Elliot North has always known her place in this world. Four years ago she refused to run away with her childhood sweetheart, the servant Kai, choosing familial duty over love. Now Elliot's estate is foundering, forcing her to rent land to a group of shipbuilders, including renowned explorer Captain Malakai Wentforth—an almost unrecognizable Kai. And while Elliot wonders if this could be their second chance, Kai seems determined to show Elliot exactly what she gave up.

The Shades of Milk and Honey 
By Mary Robinette Kowal
F KOWAL Shades #1
In a Jane Austen-inspired alternate universe, two sisters, one beautiful and the other skilled in the glamour arts, test the limits of their gifts on an unscrupulous suitor.

The American Heiress 
By Daisy Goodwin
F GOODWIN
Presents the story of vivacious Cora Cash, whose early twentieth-century marriage to England's most eligible duke is overshadowed by his secretive nature and the traps and betrayals of London's social scene.

Swept Off Her Feet 
by Hester Browne
F BROWNE
Enlisted by her straight-laced sister to value various objects in a friend's dilapidated Scottish castle, antiques dealer Evie Nicholson is swept up in plans for a romantic ball while uncovering scandalous secrets about an Edwardian woman and falling for her host.

The Flight of Gemma Hardy 
By Margot Livesey
F LIVESEY
After her widowed father drowns, Gemma Hardy leaves Iceland to live with family in Scotland where she encounters many difficulties as she grows up. Eventually she accepts a post as an au pair on the Orkney Islands where she finds herself attracted to her employer, Mr. Sinclair. When Gemma returns briefly to Iceland to search for her family she understands more about herself. This story is set in the 1950s and 60s.

Light Fantasy Adventure Stories

Try these books if you're looking for:

• light reading
• fantasy stories
• adventure stories

Peter and the Starcatchers 
by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson
YA F BARRY
In this terrific story—a “prequel” to Peter Pan—Peter is an orphan who sails from England on the ship Never Land. On board he meets Molly, a young Starcatcher, whose mission is to guard a trunk of magical stardust from a greedy pirate and the native inhabitants of a remote island. A fast, fun read.

Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore 
By Robin Sloan
F SLOAN
The Great Recession has shuffled Clay Jannon out of his life as a San Francisco web-design drone and landed him a new gig working the night shift at Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore. But after just a few days on the job, Clay begins to realize that this store is even more curious than the name suggests. There are only a few customers, but they come in repeatedly and never seem to actually buy anything. Soon he embarks on a complex analysis of the customers' behavior and ropes his friends into helping him figure out just what's going on.

Inkheart 
By Cornelia Caroline Funke
YA F FUNKE
Twelve-year-old Meggie learns that her father, who repairs and binds books for a living, can "read" fictional characters to life. The fun begins when one of those characters abducts them and tries to force him into service.

The Graveyard Book 
By Neil Gaiman
YA F GAIMAN
Nobody Owens is a very small boy who wanders out of the house just before his entire family is murdered. He wanders down the street to the local graveyard where he is adopted by the ghosts who reside there. Nobody has quite an unusual upbringing and of course, there’s some unfinished business.

Fast-Paced, Compelling Paranormal Romance

Try these books if you're looking for:

• fast-pace
• compelling story
• paranormal romance

Unearthly 
By Cynthia Hand
YA HAND Unearthl #1
Sixteen-year-old Clara Gardner's purpose as an angel-blood begins to manifest itself, forcing her family to pull up stakes and move to Jackson, Wyoming, where she learns that danger and heartbreak come with her powers.

Sisters Red 
By Jackson Pearce
YA PEARCE
After a Fenris, or werewolf, killed their grandmother and almost killed them, sisters Scarlett and Rosie March devote themselves to hunting and killing the beasts that prey on teenaged girls, learning how to lure them with red cloaks and occasionally using the help of their old friend, Silas, the woodsman's son.

Evermore 
By Alyson Noel
YA NOEL Immortal #1
Since the car accident that claimed the lives of her family, sixteen-year-old Ever can see auras and hear people's thoughts, and she goes out of her way to hide from other people until she meets Damen, another psychic teenager who is hiding even more mysteries.

Once Dead, Twice Shy 
By Kim Harrison
YA HARRISON Madison #1
Spunky teen Madison, though technically dead, uses a stolen amulet to retain the illusion of a body and help her in the struggle between Light and Dark reapers.

Character-Driven, Heartwarming Fiction

Try these books if you're looking for:

• character-driven
• inspirational
• general fiction
• clean read
• between 200-250 pages

The Wednesday Letters 
By Jason F. Wright
F WRIGHT
After the death of their parents, three siblings return home and find a box of letters written by their father to their mother that uncovers the shocking truth about the past. 280 pages.

The Quilter’s Apprentice 
By Jennifer Chiaverini
F CHIAVERI Elm Cree #1
Sarah, struggling to find a job and a sense of place in her new town, finds herself learning how to quilt from a cantankerous old woman who also teaches her about the deep love that can exist between friends. 271 pages.

Sarah: Women of Genesis 
By Orson Scott Card
F CARD Women #1
Fictionally explores the life of Sarah, daughter of a king, wife of a prophet, faithful follower of the God of Abraham, recipient of a miracle, and mother of nations. 390 pages.

The Dressmaker 
By Kate Alcott
F ALCOTT
Tenacious Tess Collins, a maid determined to use her seamstress skills to transcend her class, meets world-renowned fashion designer Lucile Duff Gordon just moments before boarding the majestic and doomed ship. Lucile’s hesitant agreement to hire Tess as her personal maid sends both women on a life-altering trajectory of volatile friendship, convoluted mentoring, loyalty, and conflict, all of which comes to a head in the wake of their survival. 306 pages.

Adventure and Action Thrillers

Try these books if you're looking for:

• adventure books
• action thrillers

The Reluctant Assassin 
By Eoin Colfer
YA COLFER W.A.R.P. #1
In Victorian London, Albert Garrick, an assassin-for-hire, and his reluctant young apprentice, Riley, are transported via wormhole to modern London, where Riley teams up with a young FBI agent to stop Garrick from returning to his own time and using his newly acquired scientific knowledge and power to change the world forever. This book has nonstop adventure like the Brandon Mull books.

The Will of the Empress 
By Tamora Pierce
YA PIERCE Circle Reforged #1
On visit to Namorn to visit her vast landholdings and her devious cousin, Empress Berenene, eighteen-year-old Sandry must rely on her childhood friends and fellow mages, Daja, Tris, and Briar, despite the distance that has grown between them. All of Peirce’s books have magical elements of adventure and action.

Redwall 
By Brian Jacques
YA JACQUES Redwall #1
When the peaceful life of ancient Redwall Abbey is shattered by the arrival of the evil rat Cluny and his villainous hordes, Matthias, a young mouse, determines to find the legendary sword of Martin the Warrior which, he is convinced, will help Redwall's inhabitants destroy the enemy. The Redwall series is action packed and fast paced with worlds being built.

Southern Historical Fiction

Try these books if you're looking for:

• Southern historical fiction
• Focus on Gone with the Wind

The March 
By E. L Doctorow
F DOCTOROW
Doctorow is known for his lyrical language and ability to mesh accurate historical events with the most imaginative of historical fiction. In The March, Union General William Sherman marches through Georgia and the Carolinas during the final years of the civil war. Doctorow depicts all of the death and destruction that come from this march, but also the love and care that spring up in its wake. 

The Wind Done Gone 
By Alice Randall
F RANDALL
Randall tells the tale of Cindy, the beautiful, illegitimate half-sister of Scarlett O'Hara. The book focuses on describing the seedy underbelly of the genteel south and un-romanticizing the south Margaret Mitchell illustrates.

The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter 
By Carson McCullers
F MCCULLER
Set in a Georgia Mill town in the 1930’s, John Singer, a deaf-mute, becomes the confidant for various types of misfits in a Georgia. Each person’s goal is to escape their doomed small town. Generally considered a masterpiece of southern historical fiction, The Heart is a Lonely Hunter is also a part of Oprah’s Bookclub.

The Help 
By Kathryn Stockett
F STOCKETT
In Jackson Mississippi, in 1962, there are lines that are not crossed. With the Civil Rights Movement exploding all around them, three women start a movement of their own, forever changing a town and the way women – black and white, mothers and daughters – view one another.

Some other YA authors you might want to try are John Green, Ellen Hopkins, or Ann Brashares.

Hard-to-Put-Down Books

Try these books if you're looking for:

• books that are hard to put down
• clean reads
• read like Lisa T. Bergen, Shannon Hale, Suzanne Collins, Veronica Roth, Gerald Lund

The Little Lady Agency 
By Hester Browne
F BROWNE
Reviled by her snobby family but adored by her friends, unemployed etiquette expert Melissa Romney-Jones reinvents herself as Honey, and goes into business as a matchmaker for inept bachelors.

Michael Vey: The Prisoner of Cell 25 
By Richard Paul Evans
YA EVANS Michael Vey #1
Michael Vey, a fourteen-year old who has Tourette's syndrome and special electric powers, finds there are others like him, and must rely on his powers to save himself and the others from a diabolical group seeking to control them.

The Testing 
by Joelle Charbonneau
YA CHARBONN
Sixteen-year-old Malencia (Cia) Vale is chosen to participate in The Testing to attend the University; however, Cia is fearful when she figures out her friends who do not pass The Testing are disappearing.

Paranormalcy 
By Kiersten White
YA WHITE Paranorm #1
Evie, the only known human with the ability to see through supernatural "glamours," works for the International Paranormal Containment Agency (IPCA) tracking down dangerous creatures. (Really, she finds the work dull and would rather be shopping, watching TV, or at the very least at home painting her weapons pink.) But when a mysterious shape-shifter invades the IPCA and brings news of a string of paranormal murders, things start to heat up. -- Description by Ellen Foreman.

Fun Fiction with Clean Language and Little Violence

Try these books if you're looking for:

• cleaner language
• little violence
• like authors Agatha Christie, Jessica Day George, & Jane Austen

Maisie Dobbs 
By Jacqueline Winspear
MYSTERY WINSPEAR Maisie #1
Maisie Dobbs entered domestic service in 1910 at thirteen, working for Lady Rowan Compton. When her remarkable intelligence is discovered by her employer, Maisie becomes the pupil of Maurice Blanche, a learned friend of the Comptons. In 1929, following an apprenticeship with Blanche, Maisie hangs out her shingle: M. Dobbs, Trade and Personal Investigations.

The Corinthian 
By Georgette Heyer
ROMANCE HEYER
When a man comes across a beautiful young woman climbing out of a window in a bid to escape, he finds the ideal opportunity to realize his own escape in this sparkling Regency romance with a decidedly Shakespearean twist.

The Star of Kazan 
By Eva Ibbotson
YA IBBOTSON
After twelve-year-old Annika, a foundling living in late nineteenth-century Vienna, inherits a trunk of costume jewelry, a woman claiming to be her aristocratic mother arrives and takes her to live in a strangely decrepit mansion in Germany.

Thrilling Fiction, Sci-Fi, and Military Non-Fiction

Try these books if you're looking for:

• fiction with a factual basis
• engrossing non-fiction with a lot of action
• thought-provoking science fiction

Snow Crash 
By Neal Stephenson
SCI-FI STEPHENS
In twenty-first century America, a teenaged computer hacker finds himself fighting a computer that battles virtual reality technology and a deadly drug that turns humans into zombies.

The Templar Legacy 
By Steve Berry
F BERRY Cotton #1
Former secret agent Cotton Malone and Stephanie Nelle, a U.S. Justice Department prosecutor, must solve the mystery of fourteenth-century Templar riches and secrets before Raymond de Roquefort and his murderous allies prevail.

Napoleon’s Pyramids 
By William Dietrich
F DIETRICH Ethan Ga #1
Acquiring an ancient medallion covered in indecipherable symbols, expatriate American Ethan Gage is forced to flee for his life when he is framed for murder and forced to accompany Napoleon Bonaparte on the emperor’s quest to conquer Egypt.

Lone Survivor 
By Marcus Luttrell
958.1047 LUT 2007
The leader, and only survivor, of a team of U.S. Navy SEALs sent to northern Afghanistan to capture a well-known al Qaeda leader chronicles the events of the battle that killed his teammates and offers insight into the training of this elite group of warriors.

American Sniper 
By Chris Kyle
BIO KYLE 2012
A member of the Navy SEAL Team 3 describes his life as a father and a husband, and as the serviceman with the most sniper kills in the history of the United States military while serving in Iraq and Afghanistan.