Making Reading Fun - Advent Calendar Idea (Part 3)

Today we are looking at Young Adult Novels. By now your child probably knows what they like, and you do too. So there is no need to get into too much detail about the following books. Instead, I am going to them by theme so you check them out if that sounds interesting to your and your child.

1. Vampire Books - This is one of my favourite types of books. Naturally, a list of Vampire books would not be complete without mentioning Twilight by Stephannie Meyers. This one gets mixed reviews, it is a love story and not for everyone. But one that I would suggest to everyone is The Black Dagger Brotherhood by J.R. Ward. These Vampires are badass and they are fighting a war, all while falling in love. Lyndsay Sands' Argeneau Series. These Vampires are a little more traditional but it goes through the lives of the whole Argeneau family as they try to lead "normal" lives. One of the most popular series thanks to the TV show is The Vampire Diaries and it is a series of books by L.J. Smith that could be a very interesting read. Also, The House of Night Series. This follows a group of Vampire Students learning about their powers and how to be a Vampire. And of course, how could we talk about Vampires without talking about Anne Rice. Her "Interview with a Vampire" is a classic and one of the most well-known Vampire movies behind Dracula by Bram Stoker.

Bonus: I have never heard about this series but it has amazing reviews. This series called The Vampire Wish by Michelle Madow. Another series I stumbled upon and yet know nothing about is the Vampire Academy Series by Richelle Mead. And if you like strong vampire women the Amber Fang Series by Arthur Slade may be fore you!

2. Romance Novels - These are a dime a dozen but it is all about finding the right author or theme. I actually really enjoyed Harlequin Romance when I was a Young Adult (and still do), and I think those are great books, they have a lot of different series so usually you can find something for yourself. Of course, Nicholas Sparks is the King of Romance Novels and they are very good for Young Adults. Sparks is the author of A Walk to Remember, The Last Song, Safe Haven, The Notebook, and Dear John. Also popular lately because of the Netflix movies To All the Boys I Loved Before Series by Jenny Han, and The Kissing Booth Series by Beth Reekles. Some of my favourite Romance Novels are She Went All the Way by Meg Cabot, P.S. I Love you By Cecelia Ahern, The Time Traveller's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger, and Ranson by Daniel Steele (arguably the Queen of Romance).

Bonus: The Fault in Our Stars by John Green. This is one I have not read and I have not seen the movie. I was hesitant to add it to this list because the themes of the book are a little heavy for a traditional "romance novel" but it does have a love story.

3. Dan Brown and similar books. Dan Brown books are so hard to categorize. They are action and adventure with some romance thrown in. But also they have some mystery to it, some treasure hunts and riddles. It's a mix of everything! But to be honest I have never seen anything like it. And yet there are so many lists dedicated to books you would enjoy if you enjoyed Dan Brown's books (you can find two of them here and here).

4. Mystery - Of course there are many different kinds of "mystery" series. I am going to focus on the classics because they are my favourites. Agatha Christie is the Queen of Mystery, her novels are classic and iconic. Some of my favourites are the Poirot Series, And Then There Were None, and of course The Murder on the Orient Express. And of course the King of Mystery Sir. Arthur Conan Doyal, famous for his Sherlock Holmes stories. Of course like I said, there are so many different types of Mystery stories. You have Crime Mystery like Bait by Karen Robards which is one of my favourite books.

Bonus: I have one of Gillian Flynn's books on my bookshelf but I haven't gotten around to reading it yet. But you may know her for her book, Gone Girl which was turned into a movie starring Ben Affleck.

5. Magic - Of course, I am adding Harry Potter to this list. It's no secret that the later books in the series get quite dark, and they are perfect for young adults, especially if they grew up with the series or already loved the movies. J.K. Rowling's books also have a prequel to them, "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them" and her universe has spawned many books from the "Hogwarts Library".

Bonus: I have never heard of this series "The Witch's Rebels" (by Sarah Piper) but the cover looks amazing and the description seems pretty interesting. It seems there are six books so far in the series starting with Shadow Kissed. Another series I found was called the Night Realm Trilogy by Chandella LaVaun and Megan Montero, again these covers were amazing. And finally, one whose name caught my eye more than the cover, "Elements" by Michelle Madow. There are claims that if you like Harry Potter and/or Percy Jackson, you will enjoy these books.

6. Dystopian Novels - These have become quite popular lately due in large part of "The Hunger Games" franchise by Suzanne Collins. Bit this style is gaining popularity with books like The Maze Runner Series by James Dashner, The Divergent Series by Veronica Roth, and of course The Handmaid's Tale Series by Margaret Atwood.

Bonus: I am not much of a Dystopian fan but the books above I have heard of. I have never heard of this book set, "The Darkest Minds" (by Alexandra Bracken) but apparently they are very popular and are being made into movies.

7. History Books - This is not for everyone. However some people just love reading about history. One of my favourite historical authors is Erik Larson. He is known for The Devil in the White City as well as In the Garden of the Beast. Another series of books I like is the "Killing Series" by Bill O'Reilly and Martin Dugard. They talk about factual deaths in history like the Kennedy assassination, and the LIncoln assassination. And it doesn't always have to be non-fiction, they do have a lot of stories that are fiction and yet pull from historical events. One such book is 11/26/63 by Stephen King. It revolves around the assassination of John F. Kennedy and how the world would change if someone was able to travel back in time and top it. A great author for fictional history books is Bernard Cornwell. He has a series of books following Richard Sharpe, a rifleman in the Napoleonic Wars. He also has many other series based mostly in European history.

Bonus: I got a great deal on History books this year from Chapters/Indigo and so I bought a lot of them. I didn't get to read them yet but here is the ones I selected that I thought would be interesting. Choosing War by Douglas Carl Peifer, The World Remade: America In World War I by G.J. Meyer, Lincoln's Greatest Case: The River The Bridge And The Making Of America by Brian McGinty, 1st Conspiracy: The Secret Plot To Kill George Washington by Brad Meltzer, The Hidden History of America At War: Untold Tales From Yorktown to Fallujah by Kenneth C. Davis, Twenty-six Seconds: A Personal History of the Zapruder Film by Alexandra Zapruder, and Shackleton's Heroes: The Epic Story of the Men Who Kept the Endurance Expedition Alive by Wilson McOrist. Also one I wish I would have gotten, The Book Thief by Markus Zusak.

8. Fantasy - There are a number of different types of "Fantasy" books. For this section I am going to stick with a general fantasy thing seeing as I have dived into the different subject quite in depth in this list already. Arguably one of the best Fantasy writers, J. R. R. Tolkien is the go to to Fantasy books. Known for his "Lord of the Rings Series" and its prequel "The Hobbit". Tolkien is practically a household name. Also quickly becoming a household name George R.R. Martin and his "Game of Thones" Series is known world wide. Though some may not know he has many other "spin-offs" to the original Song of Ice and Fire series. I also read a series called Conclave of Shadows. I really didn't find them all that great which is odd because I couldn't put them down. I read three of the books in a few months. And I couldn't stop reading them. Even when I was done with this part of the story, I wanted to read the rest of Raymond E. Feist's books.

Bonus: I have never heard of, "The Furyck Saga" but it seems quite interesting. It sounds like a little mix of everything including romance maybe? As of right now there are six books in the Saga by A.E. Rayne. I alsofound, "The Lost Daughter of Angor Series" by Settle Myer. This book looks very interesting, and the cover is beautiful. Another series I found was "The Elemental Collection" by L.B. Gilbert.

9. Horror - First, Stephen King. What else is there to say? He is the King of Horror and his books are unrivaled. That is really the only one I can recommend or say anything about. All I can really say is they have a "The Great Horror and Fantasy Collection Box Series" that may include something that reaches those Horror lovers in your life. Also this list seems promising.

Bonus: I have seen a few series online that if I was inclined to read Horor I would probably pick them. One being Horror Stories to Tell in the Dark by Bryce Nealham.

10. Crime Action - This is a very interesting topic. While they may be more popular as movies, they do make great books. Some of the best examples of this is the Jason Bourne Series by Robert Ludlum. I also find that John Grisham as many books that would fit this category.

Bonus: I havenever heard of this series but it does seem very similar to the Bourne Series, The Jack Widow Series by Scott Blade seems to have quite a few books in its series as well as The Silencer Series and The Cain Series also by Mike Ryan.

11. General Knowledge Books - In general children, even young adults are curious and that doesn't always stop just because they grow up. One of the best things I have ever found is, "The Book of" series. This series includes: The Book of Useless Information, The Book of Bizarre Truths, The Book of Unusual Knowledge, The Book of Extraordinary Facts, The Book of Who Said That? The Book of Incredible Information, The Book of Amazing Curiosities, The Book ofWeird and Unusual Trivia, The Book of Amazing History, The Book of The Truth Behind the Story, and The Book of Random Oddities.

12. Young Adult - I know this whole list is supposed to be Young Adult and it is, but some books don't really fit anywhere else but under the young adult banner. Books like, "The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants" series by Ann Brashares, Legally Blond by Amanda Brown, and certain "Chicken Soup" books by Jack Canfield.

Bonus: One of Us is Lying by Karen M. McManus, this book has a very Breakfast Club feel to it and has recently been made into a TV Series. I would also recommend Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher, especially if you have someone in your household that likes the TV series.

13. Angels - Now this one is just an added bonus because I couldn't finish this list without adding a section about Angels. I was never into fantasy, until I came across J.R Ward's Black Dagger Brotherhood Series. And then I just thought it was a Vampire thing, but then I started reading her other series, "The Fallen Angel Series". And I fell in love with it.

Bonus: As I was searching for other books having to do with angels I came across this one, "Guardian Angel Academy" Series by Tamara Hart Heiner.