I'll throw in another vote for Megan W Turner and Patricia Wrede -- not so much the Enchanted Forest series (really only liked the first couple) but Mairelon the Magician, Sorcery and Cecilia, and the Lyra books. Also, the Secret Country series by Pamela Dean is excellent. Maybe "So You Want to be a Wizard?" by Diane Duane. And they're only minimally fantasy, but Joan Aiken's Dido series, that begins with Wolves of Willoughby Chase, is a lot of fun. Hounds of the Morrigan is excellent, if you can find it. And Enchanter's Glass is nice if you like Spencer.

I've been working my way through the Claidi books by Tanith Lee (first one Wolf Tower The Claidi Journals I), and the sheer quirkiness of them, combined with their humour reminds me of Diana Wynne Jones...

Fiona wrote: "So, other then Diana Wynne Jones - what other books do you read within this genre?"

Do you mean YA fantasy? Hmmm... I'll have to think about that. Most of what I can think of has already been mentioned.
Artemis Fowl
The Lightning Thief
Inkheart
The Dark Is Rising Sequence Silver on the Tree; The Grey King; Greenwitch; The Dark Is Rising; and Over Sea, Under Stone--I read these when I was probably 10 or 11 and I loved them then.
The Wish Giver Three Tales of Coven Tree
A Wrinkle in Time

I agree with whoever mentioned The Graveyard Book, and all of Robin's recs in message 13 are good ones.

Some of these are probably more for children than YA. I'm 30--that line has gotten pretty blurry for me! But I think they're all good. It has been quite a few years since I read some of them!

Kara wrote: "I'm a fan of Patricia C. Wrede, personally. ^^"

These are great books. You'll have to pick them up once your book ban is over, Fiona.

Did anyone other than me see some parallelisms between Howls and Gaiman's Stardust? They both had the same fairytaleish quality to them.

Ooh yes, Robin McKinley's good (although I didn't enjoy her recent Sunshine very much, and I haven't being hearing good things about Deerskin), I just found The Blue Sword in a second-hand bookstore the other day, can't wait to read it!
In reference back to messages 12 and 14, the quote on the front of Neil Gamain's The Graveyard Book is from DWJ: "The best book Gamain has ever written." (I disagree, I liked Neverwhere better!)

I recommend The Hero and the Crown and The Blue Sword by Robin McKinley...or anything else by her, really.

On the back of my copy of The Game, there is a quote from her: "I love Diana Wynne Jones!"

haha - I'm on a book ban. I have 281 books to get through... so it might be a while!

YES! Another convert! Well, almost. Tell me what you think when you've read them!

I think that's the thing ACTING your age.

People think that if you like YA books then you're immature, stupid or not ACTING like an adult. I think more people actually act like adults then actually being an adult.

Reading YA or children's books for your own pleasure doesn't mean you're not adult, if anything it makes you more well rounded as a person as you aren't defined by the types of books you read, or don't let yourself be. If you have to act like an adult, you can't be an adult. ;)

I loved the Otori series - I was sucked in from the word go. I love the style of writing she uses. I hope if you give it a second go that you enjoy it too.

And The Sherwood Ring sounds really really good as does Summers at Castle Auburn... damn more books added to my TBR!

Lian Hearn is the Australian author Gillian Rubenstein - I've yet to read the Otori series, I tried once, but couldn't get into it.... time to give it another go, I think!
I'm the same, Fiona, I'm 22, and still love YA the most above everything! Often I feel like I shouldn't, and that I really should grow up and act my age, but since coming onto GR, I've realised I'm definitely not the only one! AND I recommend The Sherwood Ring, and Summers at Castle Auburn - YA reads with a good mix of fantasy, romance and witty cleverness.

I've had Ursula Le Gui's Earthsea collection for a while, which I really want to read, she sounds like she'll be good.

I love the children's/YA genre and I really hope I don't grow out of it - being 23 already and still loving it - I want to keep my imagination fresh and withit.

I love the Otori series by Lian Hearn - she writes more an older audience I think but I adore that series of books. Lian Hearn isn't her real name, she has another I can't remember what now - but I'd like to read them.

Also, I love Eva Ibbotson - she writes romances. I'm not a romantic usually but I can't deny - I love a love story and she writes so elegantly - though very golden hued.

Susie - I've read Coraline, Stardust and Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman, and I'm currently starting The Graveyard Book. Coraline was deliciously creepy, I thought the movie of Stardust better than the novel, but I loved Neverwhere!
Also, the sequels to The Thief (in my humble opinion) outshine it, so read them, quick! :D

Some of my other other "recent favorites"
Good Omens The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch
The Amulet of Samarkand
The Name of the Wind
Mistborn The Final Empire
The Crown ConspiracyAvempartha

bookcover:Avempartha|5038322]

In full disclosure the last two were written by my husband but they still classify as a favorite of mine.

Jonathan,

Yup, that's very true - especially her newer books. Her technique seems to be to take some issue and amplify it as much as she can manage. I almost never agree with her views 100% but her books are still darned good.

Josie, thanks! I keep forgetting to read the sequels to The Thief. That was an amazing book.

Has anyone here read Neil Gaiman? Opinions?

hmm. never heard of S. Tepper, or Turner, but I sometimes agree that man isn't the best thing for the world ^^

I thought I'd mention The Thief, The Queen of Attolia, and The King of Attolia, because not only are they GREAT, but their author, Megan Whalen Turner, cites DWJ as one of her influences..

Sheri S Tepper is a lot of fun, her only drawback is her occasional tendency to decide that all men (sometimes all humanity) are evil, and that the world/universe would be better off without them. Good writer though :)

oh yeah I have tried ursula! yeah I liked them

Yes, Patricia Wrede is awesome! Mairelon the Magician and The Magician's Ward are good too if youlike a little romance.

I like Sheri Tepper's books - her writing reminds me of Diana Jones' - but very much for adults rather than children. She is very good at the surprise endings and mid-story twists. The best books to start with are the True Game books (there are 9 of them). Make sure you read them in the right order though.

Ursula Le Guin hardly needs mentioning. Her newest books (Gifts, Voices and Powers) are particularly good if you haven't tried them yet.

Another good YA author that is under-read is Sid Fleischman - he wrote Whipping Boy, and The 13th Floor - all of his books are good, but those two are my favorites.

They sound good - yet another book to add to my pile!

oh I LOVE her!! her books were great
and I love the cecila and the magic chocolate pot and all of that series

Well, her most popular books are The Enchanted Forest Chronicles, and the titles are Dealing With Dragons, Searching for Dragons, Calling on Dragons and Talking to Dragons.

What books has she written?

I'm a fan of Patricia C. Wrede, personally. ^^

So, other then Diana Wynne Jones - what other books do you read within this genre?