Here are some books that I would have never picked up on my own. Yet, through assignments, some encouragement of friends, or sheer boredom, I read them up and surprise, surprise….I loved them!
Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen
While it might not be surprising that I read this novel, because it is assigned regularly for classes to read, I thoroughly enjoyed it. I found the humor of Mr. Bennett amusing, the story entertaining, and the overall message powerful! Jane Austen won me over, although I have not read any of her other novels.
The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks
Now, this isn’t YA, so it is cheating a bit. However, this is the biggest shocker on my list. I read this novel after completing a standardized test in grade school early, with nothing of my own to read. Across the 2-3 days of testing I devoured this novel. I bought into the story from the beginning and felt all of the emotions along the way.
Love, Hate, & Other Filters by Samira Ahmed
This is a book that I wouldn’t pick up on my own, the cover doesn’t peak my interest, the title doesn’t peak my interest, even the pitch of the book doesn’t peak my interest. But once you open this book, you can’t stop reading it. “What happens next, what happens?” next is constantly going through your mind. I love this book and would recommend it to anyone.
Legendborn by Tracy Deonn
Maybe you wouldn’t be surprised I’ve read this book, but if you knew me before reading it you’d be surprised. I am not a fan of magical, mystical, sci-fi type novels. I read Harry Potter, but other than that, I don’t read about anything remotely close to sci fi. That was my previous stance at least, thanks to this book. It was the first one I read for my summer course and it was such an eyeopener for me. The ideas I had put in my head about what I should and shouldn’t read were completely bogus and this book helped me realize that. Also, this book deals with A LOT of relevant stuff, like race for instance. Love this book!!
The Fault In Our Stars by John Green
This is a novel that surprised me as well. How could a novel about teenage love and cancer be something I would like to read? How could it be something I wanted to read again? It doesn’t make sense, but the emotion is so raw, the story feels so real, that is why I loved it so much.
Jason's Thoughts 