Standalone Teen and Adult Novels

             One of the library displays this month is staff favorite standalone novels. To go along with that theme I decided to pick out a few of the books on display to talk about for the staff picks blog this month! Okay, okay, they might be some of my favorites… but hey! who wouldn’t take the chance to gush about their favorite books when an opportunity like this presents itself?
​
So right to business. We’ll start with #1.
 I Am the Messenger By Markus Zusak
A lot of you might have heard of Zusak from reading or watching, one of his other popular works, The Book Thief (A great book), and maybe came across this book already when perusing what else Mr. Zusak had written. If you haven’t already heard of this book, I’m here to tell you that you should definitely give it a look. I Am the Messenger is a wonderful read. Its opening scene is one of the best I’ve read, and Zusak’s writing style never fails to catch me. I Am the Messenger is about an underage cabby named Ed Kennedy. Ed has his dog, his friends, and a nice routine…until the first card arrives in the mail… DUN DUN DUN. Okay, seriously though, the plot of the book is funny, at times serious, and it’s well conceived. It isn’t pretentious and has depth that might surprise you. It does have strong language, violence, and frank talk about sex. The recommended age for reading this book is 15 and up due to some gritty and mature content according to commonsensemedia.org.

For #2 I’ll go with…
The Supernaturalist By Eoin Colfer
Eoin Colfer is also a well-known author because of his Artemis Fowl series. I’ve given them a go and they’re pretty good, but The Supernaturalist is an old and all-time favorite of mine. The main character is a parentally challenged boy named Cosmo Hill. The Supernaturalist is a funny and unique science fiction set in the third millennium. The characters and descriptive world Mr. Colfer creates are well worth the read. It does have some violence and is recommended for age 10 and up according to commonsensemedia.org.
If you like this story, a few other books I would recommend are Steelheart, By Brandon Sanderson, Holes, By Louis Sachar, and of course Artemis Fowl, By Eoin Colfer

On to #3…
One of Those Hideous Books Where the Mother Dies By Sonya Sones
Sonya Sones is one of my favorite underappreciated authors. Seriously though, the book isn’t even on the review site, commonsensemedia.org. The main character in this story is Ruby, and the book is about her being sent to live with her estranged father after her mother dies. This book is written in verse and it really works well for the story. I really enjoyed the character development in this book and Ruby’s ongoing story. This book is a quick read with a nice meaning behind it.
If you like this book, a few other books I would recommend are Love and Leftovers By Lisa Scott, Cinder and Ella By Kelly Oram, and Lock and Key By Sarah Dessen.

Ok, #4 is really one of my favorites on this list (Ask my coworkers. I won’t stop talking about it).
Stitching Snow By R.C. Lewis
Stitching Snow is one of my favorite books and it tops a few of my lists: fairytale retelling and young adult literature to name a couple. Stitching Snow was one of the first fairytale retellings I read, and the first one retelling the story of snow white that I had seen. It is wonderful. Snow white is one of my least favorite fairytales, but the way R.C. Lewis tells it made me reconsider. It is a science fiction version set in a different universe (Or maybe the same just a long way down the road), and it takes place on multiple planets. This book is a really unique retelling of a classic fairy tale. I love this book. It was the first one I ordered in when I started working at the library and the one I get all giddy about when someone tells me they liked it. The author is definitely one I keep an eye on for any upcoming new releases. She is creative, and aside from a slightly sappy scene that seemed more for form rather than plot, I have no complaints. There is some violence in this book but no language problems. The recommended age would probably be 12 and up for interest and reading level.
If you like this story, a few books I would recommend are Rapunzel Untangled By Cindy C Bennett, The Lunar Chronicles series by Marissa Myers, Beastly By Alex Flinn, and Ella Enchanted By Gail Carson Levine.

 Last, but not least, # 5.
What the Night Knows by Dean Koontz
What the Night Knows is part crime drama and part supernatural thriller. The main character is a police officer that has a personal history with a multiple homicide case in which he found the killer. Things start to go awry when similar murders start occurring again with the original killer now dead. The writing, like most of Koontz’s work, is quick and thrilling. It leaves you wondering just what is actually going on. There are intensely graphic descriptions of material not suited for kids as well as strong language. This is most definitely an adult fiction. 

​Until next time!
Crystal

---