I'm interested in almost everything, but what I talk about here is primarily young adult fiction. Specifically, literature. I'm not rushing to read the next book about mean girls, or paranormal heartthrobs. I don't trust buzz or most cover blurbs. What I want to see are well-developed plots and genuine and believable characters whether their worlds are fantastical or not. I love science fiction, be it social or techy. I love male narrators when they sound real. I adore girls who kick ass. Historical fiction feeds my soul. I'm bored by sports, but enjoy a good sports novel. I am obsessed with the zombie apocalypse, and was before it was cool. I am not a hipster. I'm looking for books to give the real teens I serve in my library. They want to see themselves in books: the underdog; the minority; the stranger in a strange land.
Some of my personal favorites in alpha order (I'm a librarian, it's compulsive):
Laurie Halse Anderson
Don Calame
Michelle Cooper
A.M. Jenkins
Chris Lynch (Vietnam series)
L.A. Meyer
L.M. Montgomery
Garth Nix (Abhorsen trilogy)
Richard Peck
Tamora Pierce (Tortall Books)
Matthew Quick
Dana Reinhardt
Gary D. Schmidt
Megan Whalen Turner
Jenny Valentine
Ellen Emerson White
