Wild Things: YA Grown-Up discussion

Hi, I'm looking for books about dreams/dream-travelling or secret-keeping/sisterhood at the moment. Any good suggestions?

Try Wake series by Lisa McMann and Dreamhunter by Elizabeth Knox - these are books about dreams.

Someone Like You by Sarah Dessen is a good needy BFF book. The Cinderella Society is a secret sisterhood book; it was pretty cute.

I second the Wake series, so good!

Hi Phoebe, if you don't mind me asking, the way you phrased your question made me curious: Do you think of these subjects as conflated or related? If so, how? Or did you just list some subjects?

I don't think I've ever read anything about secret-keeping together with sisterhood - do you have a recommendation?

Well, it's not really the practice but the larger culture of secret-keeping that I'm interested in. So, something like the Safe-Keepers series by Sharon Shinn.

I've already read Dreamhunter by Elizabeth Knox. To me it was more about historical consciousness and territory associated with national identity than anything else.

As for Wake. I've read that. It had a promising plot that was poorly executed. The premise, however, was certainly intriguing.

Thanks for the recommendations though. Keep them coming.

Ah... I'm glad I asked - I could see myself reading some of these books. Not Ya-Ya (tried it) or Traveling Pants (can't relate) but some of the more serious ones. I absolutely loved that series by Sharon Shinn and I wish there were more, even though I really generally don't like series.

Eh, maybe a little; I can see where you get that. But not really.

I was very impressed by The Giver, and have read it twice. But the tone, the community, the characters, etc. are very different. Lowry's is more speculative fiction, almost like a dystopia, almost like a child's version of John Brunner. Shinn's would be enjoyed more by fans of Vivian Vande Velde imo.

Goodness, I read it a few years ago but I'll give it a try...I think the book deals a lot with tradition and generational conflict, but in a quite fantastic way of course, although the setting is provincial and almost nostalgic. There's a lot of family intrigue, so if you enjoy that I think you'll like this one. There's also an element of romance. I don't remember much about the characterisation. For me it was more the plot that was propelling the story along.

I liked the series because of the concept, the premise, which gives Shinn a unique situation in which to challenge her characters. I can't explain it well, so I'm cutting&pasting a good explanation from the review page:

CuriousLibrarian rated it
Shelves: 2009, best-reads---2009
I really like the premise for this book and the types of characters that inhabit it. First you have "Safe-Keepers:" a person in a village who keeps everyone's secrets. Then there is a "Truth-Teller" who is bound to tell the truth for good or ill. One person in a generation is a "Dream-Maker," a person who causes dreams to come true and luck to people she encounters, though she has no control over this power and it comes with terrible misfortune and sacrifice on her part.