"Outside a dog a book is man's best friend, inside a dog it is too dark to read!" -Groucho Marx========="The person, be it gentleman or lady, who has not pleasure in a good novel, must be intolerably stupid." -Jane Austen========="I don’t believe in the kind of magic in my books. But I do believe something very magical can happen when you read a good book."-JK Rowling========"I spend a lot of time reading." -Bill Gates=========“Ahhh. Bed, book, kitten, sandwich. All one needed in life, really.” -Jacqueline Kelly=========

Monday, July 2, 2012

Top Ten Tuesday: Books for fans of John Green

Broke and Bookish
Top Ten Tuesday topic: Top books for people who liked author: X.

Featured author X: John Green...John writes realistic YA literature that has plenty of heart, humor, and gritty angst. His characters are interesting and complex. His books make me think and feel.  I always take time to pause and reflect when I am reading one of his books.  My favorite John Green book is always the one I just finished reading.  For a long time it was Looking for Alaska, then it was Paper Towns, and now it is The Fault in Our Stars.

If you like John Green books then I recommend:

1.  Tales of the Madman Underground by John Barnes...Karl Shoemaker is one of my favorite characters in YA Lit.  He has trouble in his life but he works hard to take care of others that he views as worse off than himself. I love this book and always recommend it whenever it fits.

2. Sorta Like a Rock Star by Matthew Quick...Amber Appleton is another complex and positive character even though things are pretty tough in her life. I was really touched by this book.

3. Me, Earl, and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews...you are beginning to think that John Green books must be depressing books because these first three suggestions all deal with very tough situations.   Though there are lots of similarities with Green's The Fault in Our Stars, this book is much cruder and often funny. I like the format as well.

4.  The Running Dream by Wendelin Van Draanen...the main character, Jessica, works through her amputation and is able to run again.  This book is very inspiring.

5. Going Bovine by Libba Bray...Is it magical realism or just an hallucination? Whatever it is, this book is very, very funny, yet the characters are complex and fascinating.

6. Stupid Fast by Geoff Herbach...This book is a sports, funny, poignant look at a teenager who deals with issues related to fitting in and growing up despite family problems. This book surprised me by its complexity.

7. Jasper Jones by Craig Silvey...Charlie's biggest problem is who is tougher--- Superman or Batman, that is until Jasper Jones involves him in a mystery and a terrible secret.  This book is very complex and satisfying.

8. The Future of Us by Carolyn Macklar and Jay Asher...two terrific YA authors team up to write a surprisingly thoughtful novel which poses the question if we are masters of our destiny or not.

9. Stolen by Lucy Christopher...even though the situation is deplorable, the writing is superior and I find this book captivating.

10. The Last Summer of the Death Warriors by Francisco X. Stork... I think that all of Stork's book deal to some degree with issues of integrity. I appreciate that and like watching his characters learn and grow (grow up). This one is my favorite of the his books.

  

4 comments:

  1. I picked John Green as well, and we have no books in common! That means I better get reading. :) I've had Jasper Jones on my TBR for a long time. It sounds like a book I'd love.
    My Top Ten

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  2. I actually want to read more John Green books since I've only read one - Will Grayson Will Grayso, which he co-wrote, so I don't even know if that counts :-)

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  3. Your link apparently took me to another week but when I clicked on your home page to read more I found this week's offering. I enjoyed reading your descriptions of the various books. Thanks.

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  4. I'm definitely going to have to pick up some of these books! I've never even read any John Green books... but I have started reading Me, Earl, and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews. I'll also have to check out Going Bovine by Libba Bray. I just finished Libba's Beauty Queens, and it is definitely one of my favorite books now. Thanks so much for the recommendations!

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