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It was difficult to narrow this list down to only ten books. There are so many great stories coming out this autumn that I ultimately decided to give this a Young Adult spin.

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1.The Forest of Ghosts and Bones by Lisa Lueddecke

Publication Date: October 1

Why I Want to Read It: The idea of acid rain freaked me out a little when I was a kid. While I’m not sure if the rain in this world is quite like that, I’m curious to find out.

2.

Leave the World Behind by Rumaan Alam 

Publication Date: October 6

Why I Want to Read It: Unexpected blackouts are scary but also fascinating.

3. We Hear Voices by Evie Green

Publication Date: 

Why I Want to Read It: It’s normal for a child to have an imaginary friend, but generally they aren’t as violent as this one. I have no idea where this blurb is going with this idea and hope it’s a creative one.

4. Sugar in Milk by Thrity Umrigar,

Publication Date: October 6

Why I Want to Read It: I haven’t read many picture books about immigration before. It will be cool to see how its written.

5. A Cuban Girl’s Guide to Tea and Tomorrow by Laura Taylor Namey

Publication Date: October 6

Why I Want to Read It: I’ve often wondered what it would be like to work in, or better yet own, a bakery.

6. The Magic Fish by Trung Le Nguyen

Publication Date: October 13

Why I Want to Read It: The protagonist’s love of fairy tales grabbed my attention immediately, and I only wanted to read it more after the blurb mentioned him having a secret.

7. My Heart Underwater  by Laurel Flores Fantauzzo  

Publication Date: October 20

Why I Want to Read It: This book covers so many topics I find interesting, from coming out to immigrating. I think it will be a great read.

 

8. Seven and a Half Lessons About the Brain by Lisa Feldman Barrett

Publication Date: November 17

Why I Want to Read It:

 

9. Patience & Esther: An Edwardian Romance  by SW Searle

Publication Date: November 17

Why I Want to Read It: I rarely read romances, but this one looks good. It’s always interesting to see examples of how LGBT+ people lived in the past.

10. This Is Not a Ghost Story by Andrea Portes

Publication Date: November 17

Why I Want to Read It: There’s something about late autumn to late winter that makes me even more apt to read ghost stories than usual.

 

Hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl

I was the sort of kid who ignored age recommendations and read everything that grabbed my interest, so this week’s prompt was a little tricky for me. In the end, I decided to narrow this down to young adult books published in the last decade or so that I would have loved as a kid.

Of course I can read them as an adult, too, but I think they would have been even more meaningful to me if I were still a kid or teenager. Some of my answers have to do with the desire to read about characters like me in some way, and I’ve noted which ones fit into this category. Everything else simply seemed like it was a great story!

It will be interesting to see how all of you interpreted this prompt!

1. Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

2. Hot Dog Girl by Jennifer Dugan

3. Starfish by Akemi Dawn Bowman

4. Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon

I have a food allergy, too, and would have loved to read about a protagonist who understood what it was like to have to watch what she ate so carefully. That can be a lonely experience when you’re a teenager and everyone else can eat whatever they wish (or so it seems at that age).

5. Timekeeper by Tara Sim

I would have loved this paranormal LGBTQ+ tale. It was rare for me to find books about non-heterosexual characters back in the day. Once again, representation matters!

6. The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo

7. Love, Hate and Other Filters by Samira Ahmad

8. Want by Cindy Pon

9. Dread Nation by Justina Ireland

10. The Star-Touched Queen by Roshani Chokshi

Hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl

This post contains mild spoilers for a few books that were published years ago.

I’ve also decided that being deceased is no reason for an author not to answer a friendly question or two, but that is the extent of my necromancy abilities.

Author: Jean M. Auel

My Questions: What happened to Ayla’s first son after she was permanently separated from him in the Clan of the Cave Bear series? Will you ever write a sequel about his life?

 

Author: Steven King

My Questions: What percentage of your family mealtimes are taken up by you asking your loved ones how they’d respond to increasingly bizarre scenarios you’re dreaming up for future novels? Does Mrs. King enjoy these conversations? Do you ever censor yourself around any grandchildren you might have now?

 

Author: Octavia E. Butler

My Questions: How was the Parable series supposed to end? Did you ever consider hiring a ghostwriter to finish it?

 

Author: Angie Thomas

My Question: Can I be one of your beta readers if I promise not to breathe a word about it to anyone?

 

Author: Kevin Kwan

My Questions: Should I read Crazy Rich Asians before or after watching the film? What are your thoughts on the film version of your story in general?

 

Author: Malala Yousafzai

My Questions: Will you be writing more books for adult readers in the near future? What are your longterm plans for your life?

 

Author: Sarah Waters

My Question: What is your research process like? There are so many years between your books that I can only imagine how much time you spend researching every detail of the eras you write about!

 

Author: Paul Stamets

My Question: How many new readers did you gain after Mycelium Running was used for a Star Trek: Discovery plot?

 

Author: Neil Gaiman

My Questions: How would you describe your friendship with Tori Amos? Do you two let each other know in advance when you write about your friendship, or is it a pleasant surprise?

 

Author: Langston Hughes

My Question:  Would you write a poem about 2020 for us?