Around the Year in 52 Books discussion

Last year, TIME updated their Best YA books of All Time, and caused quite a splash with it. This list is perfect for people who don't read a lot of YA, but enjoy the classics, or for people who are interested in more contemporary YA, because these books span the decades. Even if the list is a bit arbitrary, we appreciate the diversity in the selections, and there's sure to be a book for every person!

Note: There is an earlier version of the list that was published in 2015. You can use this list as a Keep It Simple option, but the prompt was intended to mean only the most current list.

TIME 100 Best YA Books of All Time: https://time.com/collection/100-best-...

ATY Listopia: https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1...
Please do not add any new books to the listopia.

What are you reading for this prompt, and do you have any recommendations?

It's incredible how many of these I've never heard of, and how many of my favorite YAs aren't on there. I feel like it's too contemporary. Where's Ender's Game?? Where's The Outsiders?? Where are any of the Harry Potters??

I do not like YA fiction - the obsession with romance, the over-the-top angst, the unending dramatics. I guess I wasn't a normal teen because I would not have enjoyed YA fiction when I was the target market age. As an adult, I find it even more unrelatable.

That said, I do have one book from this list on my Owned & Unread pile so that is what I'll use for this prompt - The Marrow Thieves by Cherie Dimaline.

I may read A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, or Firekeeper's Daughter because I've heard so much about it, or The House on Mango Street. Or maybe this is the year I'll finally read Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe.

I highly recommend either of the books by Elizabeth Acevedo (and yes I know she's one of the creators of the list, but her books really are excellent). She narrates the audios and is one of the rare examples of authors who do a great job at narrating.

dalex I know what you mean about YA, but looking through the list, there are so many books that aren't like that. Actually I'd argue that most of the books are not typical YA angsty romances.

Nancy wrote: "dalex I know what you mean about YA, but looking through the list, there are so many books that aren't like that. Actually I'd argue that most of the books are not typical YA angsty romances."

I've tried to find ya books that are not drama-angst-romance but never could so I kind of gave up.

I actually threw The Hunger Games across the room when I was reading it. They were in a life or death situation and they were making out in a cave in the midst of it. Omg .... no. Just no. Or The Shadow of the Wind, where this 11 year old boy is lusting after a 17 year old girl. Ewww. And what was that one where the girl had to live one day over and over and it was just so much *drama*!

Done. Just done. Ha!

I'm probably going to read Children of Blood and Bone for this prompt: a friend gave me a copy but I never opened it, so it will be one of my long owned physical books knocked out.

Children of Blood and Bone was fantastic. Very mythological and very little teenage angst (lol dalex).

According to the listopia, I've read 44 of these books and have another 11 on my TBR, which is a lower number than I expected all around lol. I read a lot of YA.

I might read Graceling or The Westing Game. Or I might cheat. There are some books in a series on the list. I might read another book in the same series - just not the one on the list.

I’m slowly working my way through a list of Essential Women Writers and haven’t yet ticked off Ursula Le Guin so I’ll probably read The Wizard of Earthsea and kill two birds with one stone so to speak.

I’m not crazy about the list but there are a few I would recommend- A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, Poet X, and From the Mixed up Files… I’ll probably read The Westing Game or The Marrow Thieves. I had to do an ILL to request A Hero Ain’t Nothin’ but a Sandwich since neither library even has it! (Maybe I get it and maybe I don’t.) Some of the books on this list that I’ve read are mid-grade, in my opinion. I was 9 or 10 when I read them in the 70s. I’m not interested in re-reads with the exception of A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. I avoided the book for so long thinking it was a kids book. It really isn’t though!

I think I will do The Westing Game. I don't believe I have ever read it.



Steve wrote: "It's incredible how many of these I've never heard of, and how many of my favorite YAs aren't on there. I feel like it's too contemporary. Where's Ender's Game?? Where's The Outsiders?? Where are a..."

I tend to agree, as it says it is the best "of all time."

Pam wrote: "I’m not crazy about the list but there are a few I would recommend- A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, Poet X, and From the Mixed up Files… I’ll probably read The Westing Game or The Marrow Thieves. I had t..."

I agree with you - I loved A Tree Grows in Brooklyn when I read it a few years ago (for the PBS Great American Read). I also loved The Book Thief and The Fault in our Stars, both of which i had avoided for years.

I thought that I might read something that is also on the (rejected prompt) 50 best SFF list from NPR, but I can't spot any commonalities at the moment.

I haven't read most of the books on the list, so I'd like to hear more opinions from older grown-ups. I'm considering:
Anne of Green Gables
A Wizard of Earthsea
Six of Crows
Firekeeper's Daughter
An Ember in the Ashes
The Astonishing Color of After

Edit - Since posting this, I read:
Firekeeper's Daughter 5 stars
Wizard of Earthsea 4 stars

This is probably my least favourite prompt for 2022. I dislike all of the list prompts, but I am so over most YA now days that this one just grates on me. And so I will go for the easiest one, the one that will be least like a YA since it's actually more of a middle grade anyway, The Lightning Thief. It's pretty short and I prefer middle grade over YA for the most part so it should be a quick and easy one to get through.

NancyJ- I read both A Wizard of Earthsea and Anne of Green Gables for the first time in my 50s and liked both of them. I didn’t continue with either series, though.

NancyJ:

I loved Anne of Green Gables. I read all 8 books when I was a child/teenager. But in re-reading them with my kids, I got so much more out of them as an adult.

NancyJ, I read and liked A Wizard of Earthsea as an adult and am planning to continue with the series. I have read other works by the author, and she's generally good.

I have not read Six of Crows yet, but the some of the ladies in my in-person book club liked it pretty well.

NancyJ, Six of Crows is really good but I'd recommend reading the Shadow and Bone trilogy first (and that is a lot more YA than Six of Crows).

I've read 21 of the books on this list. Here are my favorites:

1) Firekeeper's Daughter - one of my best reads of 2021, it doesn't read like a YA book, and deals with several contemporary issues of indigenous/Anishinaabe people in the context of a fast-paced mystery/thriller plot

2) The Book Thief - one of my favorite books of all time, historical fiction set in Munich during WWII

3) A tie among several positively portrayed LGBTQIA+ and culturally diverse characters, all quick reads: Aristotle & Dante, The Marrow Thieves, and The Black Flamingo

YA Fantasy: If you're looking at either Six of Crows or Children of Blood and Bone - Six of Crows is much much better (I did not read the earlier trilogy set in the same world as this, but felt the author provided enough background that it wasn't necessary - the sequel Crooked Kingdom is also good). Children of Blood and Bone made me want to stop reading YA fantasy altogether to avoid further disappointment and wasted time (no more over-the-top interpersonal teenage drama and predictable plots please). A Wizard of Earthsea is a solid story for middle-grades fantasy.

I've heard good things about Long Way Down and Brown Girl Dreaming, so I'll probably read one of those, or The Lightning Thief which has been on my TBR for ages.

Steve wrote: "It's incredible how many of these I've never heard of, and how many of my favorite YAs aren't on there. I feel like it's too contemporary. Where's Ender's Game?? Where's The Outsiders?? Where are a..."

Agreed. It's a very odd list.

That said, I've been meaning to read Akata Witch for a while, so I may pick that one.

I find the list really weird based on the article. Time published a list in 2015 and then decided it needed to be updated. When they updated the list they decided that 50% would be from the past decade. I don’t get why they are calling top 100 of all time while focusing on one decade.

I don’t think there is anything wrong with YA; I just don’t enjoy them as much as I once did.

I agree that it's a bit unbalanced, Jillian, but, to be fair, YA just started getting popular as a genre in the the 00s. Most of the classics on this list were written for children, not teenagers (like Anne of Green Gables), although publishers didn't really distinguish between the two.

Personally, I think novels focused on teenage issues have gotten a lot better, more nuanced and complex, over the last 10-15 years, although I don't read a lot of classics to begin with so I may be biased lol. I read a lot of YA, and I like list prompts, so I'm really excited about this prompt.

From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler was one of my favorite books when I was younger so I plan to re-read it. I might also read The Westing Game because I don't recall if I have read it and it looks like one I would enjoy.

I enjoyed the audio version of Akata Witch earlier this year.

I like YA so I've enjoyed many of these, even the angsty books! Some of these are more middle grade as others have said. I'd recommend The Book Thief, Graceling, The Poet X, Speak (heavy issues), Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood and March: Book One.

I plan to read one of these:

The Marrow Thieves - Cherie Dimaline
March: Book Two - John Lewis
A Wizard of Earthsea (Earthsea Cycle #1) - Ursula K. Le Guin

I thought the audio of Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe, done by Lin-Manuel Miranda, was wonderful. The sequel is out soon but unfortunately doesn't show up on this list. Some of the books here seem more for grade school children and others are very adult.

There is one book on the list which I picked up recently at a library sale. I don't think I even knew it was YA, I just remembered I had heard of it. That is The Sun Is Also a Star, so I guess I'll read that.

I can never predict how I will react to a YA book. I was disappointed by Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe, though I understand why most people like it. (I think I've read too many books in my life that touched on similar- important- issues so it didn't feel new to me. It didn't live up to its title imo). I really liked A Very Large Expanse of Sea about a smart but angry Muslim girl in an American High School, who forms a break dancing group with her brother. I was happy to see it on the list because I think it deserves to get more attention.

Sandra wrote: "NancyJ, Six of Crows is really good but I'd recommend reading the Shadow and Bone trilogy first (and that is a lot more YA than Six of Crows)."
Angie wrote: "NancyJ, I read and liked A Wizard of Earthsea as an adult and am planning to continue with the series. I have read other works by the author, and she's generally good. ..."
Kelly wrote: "I've read 21 of the books on this list. Here are my favorites: o..."
Dubhease wrote: "NancyJ:
I loved Anne of Green Gables. I read all 8 books when I was a child/teenager. But in re-reading them with my kids, I got so much more out of them as an adult."
Pam wrote: "NancyJ- I read both A Wizard of Earthsea and Anne of Green Gables for the first time in my 50s and liked both of them. I didn’t continue with either series, though."

Thanks everyone for the great advice! Anne of Green Gables and Earthsea (and other LeGuin books) fit multiple prompts so I will definitely read them both. I'm glad to knock Children of Blood and Bone off my TBR, and I think I'll try Six of Crows to see if it pulls me in.)

I also should fit in Elizabeth Alcevido somewhere, and I have "astonishing" as a possible word for the two-books that share a title word.

I'm the odd one out here lol I like YA for the most part. I have When Dimple Met Rishi on my physical shelf so I'll read that one.

I've been meaning to read Firekeeper's Daughter ever since it came out. Reviews are so good, and I'm excited for the Indigenous representation too.

dalex wrote: "I do not like YA fiction - the obsession with romance, the over-the-top angst, the unending dramatics. I guess I wasn't a normal teen because I would not have enjoyed YA fiction when I was the targ..."

The Marrow Thieves is EXCELLENT!

Crystal wrote: "I've been meaning to read Firekeeper's Daughter ever since it came out. Reviews are so good, and I'm excited for the Indigenous representation too."

It is such a good book!

I couldn't wait for 2022. In November I read FIrekeeper's Daughter and Wizard of Earthsea, and I really liked them both. I also strongly recommend To Kill a Mockingbird, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, and The Book Thief for anyone of any age.

What I would like to read:

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith
The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan
Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys
Daughter of Smoke & Bone by Laini Taylor
Legend by Marie Lu
To All the Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han
Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein
The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants by Ann Brashares
Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli
Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon
Monster by Walter Dean Myers
Me and Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews

I have to giggle that The Lightning Thief is rated as YA. I gave it to my nephew at 7 and it is his favourite present from me ever, he dragged his dad out to buy the rest of the series and has now at 9 moved on to the Heroes of Olympus and Magnus Chase books.

He learnt some new words (started reading them with his dad) and giggled his way through (Dad has videos of him reading and giggling to himself). Yes he's a bright little man but 7 is nowhere near YA and if he can get the humour it does make me wonder.

I guess it is more appropriate than me reading Sidney Sheldon at 8 because it was all that was around in English that I hadn't already read.

I consider it to be middle grade, not YA. But I don't think there's an official genre for middle grade books.

There are so many great books on this list. If you haven't read these yet I highly recommend:
Speak
Firekeeper's Daughter
The Hate U Give
Poet X

I'm probably going to read either Six of Crows or You Should See Me in a Crown.

Well, I tried. Firekeeper’s Daughter was a 2 Star book for me. It was so boring and annoying. And of course it had all the angtsy romance stuff that seems to be a requirement for ya books. *eye roll* I even asked myself if I would’ve liked the book if I’d read it when I was 15. Nope. I do not like ya. *shrug*

A Very Large Expanse of Sea is absolutely one of my favorite books I read in 2020 and cannot recommend it enough.

For this, I owe it to myself to read Anne of Green Gables, finally.

Sandra Cisneros Das Haus in der Mango Street
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

I thought I would read The Book Thief for this prompt, but A Very Large Expanse of Sea caught my attention first. I agree with all the accolades here.

Ah crap, I'd been loosely working through the old list, and had read The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn for this prompt. Now I see they've scrapped it from the new list (rightly so, IMO). Now I have to squeeze it in somewhere else and find a new book.

Edit: Wow, this new list bears almost no resemblance to the old one.

dalex wrote: "Well, I tried. Firekeeper’s Daughter was a 2 Star book for me. It was so boring and annoying. And of course it had all the angtsy romance stuff that seems to be a requirement for ya books. *eye rol..."

Dalex I completely identify with your frustrations, lists like this one make me groan with annoyance because I'm not interested in 99% of the content 😂 I'll likely read The Hunger Games, hopefully it won't be a total slog, but its on my shelf and I want an excuse to get rid of it lol. Maybe it will pleasantly surprise me! I'm open.

Books I do recommend from this list and would read again:
Little Women ~ classic, and so beautifully written
An Ember in the Ashes ~ this one stunned me and turned out to be the start of a great series
Anne of Green Gables ~ just a delight
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn ~ I barely remember the story but the memory of the experience of this book has stayed with me since high school (so about 15 years)

Jody wrote: "Ah crap, I'd been loosely working through the old list, and had read The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn for this prompt. Now I see they've scrapped it from the new list (rightly so, IMO..."

Technically, the prompt doesn't specify which list (old or new) it has to be off, so I'd say you could still use Huckleberry Finn.

I have read only a couple of these so far.
Recommend to others
The Marrow Thieves
The Giver It is not long but I really enjoyed it.

Considering these
Elsewhere
From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler
A Swiftly Tilting Planet
Ella Enchanted
Angus, Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging
Feed
Noggin

I'm planning on reading Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi. It's staring at me from my book shelf! :)

Others on the list that I enjoyed and would recommend:
Little Women, Anne of Green Gables, The Diary of a Young Girl, To Kill a Mockingbird, Holes, The Hunger Games, and Dumplin'.

The two on the list that I have read and would not recommend:
Ella Enchanted - I read this with my daughter, and she enjoyed it, but oh my goodness, I could not stand this book! It was so boring and awful.
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn - I know it is thought of as a "classic," but Smith's ingrained misogyny comes through in pretty awful ways in the book. It is often touted as "feminist" literature, but it is pretty anti-feminist. It annoys me to no end to see it on "best" lists.

I’m so excited for this prompt! I love YA. I teach both middle and high school classes and am always catching up on what my students are reading or finding titles I think they will enjoy. I have read many of the ones on the list. That being said, there are definitely titles on this list that I am genuinely confused as to how they could be in the top 100 for their genre!

The Westing Game was my favorite book for such a long time. I read it for the first time when I was in fifth grade and have shared it as a read aloud with my nieces and with various classes over the years. A fun mystery! I also very much enjoyed Jandy Nelson’s “I’ll Give You the Sun”. I might try Akata Witch, as I have read other books from Okafor and enjoyed them, and that one has been calling to me for awhile.

What are you reading for this prompt, and do you have any recommendations?

I read Speak. I used to read a lot of young adult but I've slowed down the past couple of years. My favorite series was the Divergent and the The Hunger Games. Of course I loved Harry Potter. I also liked The Hate U Give.

I read Firekeeper's Daughter by Angeline Boulley. I loved it - 5 stars.

Hmm I think I will give I'll Get There. It Better Be Worth the Trip. a try - there's a dachshund! :-)

I read The Lightning Thief for it was holding my interest while I was in a reading slump. And I really really enjoyed it.

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz.

I got this from the library for the 'book that features a loving LGBTQIA+ relationship' prompt, but felt the relationship was under the radar for a lot of the story, so I've used the book for this prompt.
I thought it was a very insightful look at the experiences and problems of adolescence.