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Pick Your Next YA Book Based on These Hyper-Specific Reading Moods!
Ellen Oh is an award-winning author of middle grade and young adult novels, including The Dragon Egg Princess, A Thousand Beginnings and Endings, and Finding Junie Kim, as well as the cofounder of We Need Diverse Books, the groundbreaking, grassroots nonprofit organization. Her latest book is Something Wicked, the conclusion to her Spirit Hunters trilogy; in addition, she recently edited the middle-grade anthology of short stories You Are Here: Connecting Flights. Both books are available in the U.S. now. A recovering attorney and Diet Coke addict, Oh believes in the power of K-dramas and Krispy Kreme doughnuts.
We asked Oh to share her latest reading recommendations based on mood.
We asked Oh to share her latest reading recommendations based on mood.
I’m baaaaaaack! And I love that my dearest Goodreads editor has realized the futility of trying to make me stick to a list of 15 recommendations. [Editor's note: It's true! Fly free, Ellen!]
Or maybe I was more complex in my book choices than my shallow self thought? Was there a mood method to my reading madness? To better understand this phenomenon, I did a deep dive into the YA and middle grade books I've read lately and the ones on my TBR pile, and I discovered that I was in fact a moody reader!
And so I've compiled for you the strange and twisted reading moods of Ellen Oh. Please feel free to add your own twist to a reading list and share with me your own bookish moods.
If you love all the angst and drama of youth but would rather eat mothballs than relive your own cringey awkward high school moments, read these fabulous coming-of-age novels:
If you love mythology but are sick and tired of Zeus (you know, the old bearded white guy with the lightning stick) and the same old Olympian shenanigans and instead want something epic and different and really freaking cool:
If you want a really scary book that makes you pee your pants… No, I’m not screaming, you’re screaming…
If you are a big scaredy-cat who hasn’t been able to sleep at night because of how scary the previous list of books were but still want to read scary books that make you whimper a little bit:
If you, like me, are a petty queen who loves revenge stories:
If you want awesome storytelling coupled with amazing art that reminds you of the time you signed next to Gene Luen Yang and he drew Monkey King art while signing and you got really jealous and drew a smiley face and the kid you drew it for asked “What the heck is that?” and it reminded you of how much you hate illustrators even though you love their books:
If you want all the wonderful euphoric good feels of falling in love without having to deal with real people who, let’s be honest, are never as good as our book lovers:
If you want a gloriously sweet, swoony love story that will make you think about slapping your sleeping significant other who forgot to buy you a present for your birthday and you know they went out that morning and bought you a plant and you say it is the thought that counts but internally you think about Gorilla Glue-ing their armpits:
If you want a book that squeezes your heart so hard it hurts but you just can’t stop reading because you’re a masochist:
If the previous books didn’t hurt you enough and you want a beautiful, devastating, unforgettable read that will carve your heart out, set it on fire, put the ashes back into your empty chest cavity, and slowly scar your body with a river of molten lava tears:
If you are still able to see after your marathon crying sessions from the previous book reads and now need awesome heartwarming, funny books that will heal your broken and destroyed soul:
Which of Ellen Oh's reading moods match up with yours? Tell us about any amazing YA books you've read recently in the comments below!
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Law
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Jul 05, 2023 12:57AM
All these books sound amazing and I'll definitely look for This Time It's Real, it looks so good!
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American Street should go in that penultimate category. It was so amazing, but it messed me all the way up.
Law wrote: "All these books sound amazing and I'll definitely look for This Time It's Real, it looks so good!"It is! if you end up enjoying This Time Its's Real you should for sure check out If You Could See The Sun by the same author!! happy reading :)
As Long as the Lemon Trees Grow definitely fits that description 😭
this is great found lots of summer reads .
“The scary books that make you pee your pants” bc I already either own or have in my TBR all four 😂😂
These moods are oddly specific but I'm here for it
This was THE BEST list of book recommendations that I have ever read. This list made me laugh out loud (literally) and I got some weird looks from my kids. 😆
When I said I wanted hyper-specific book recommendations, this is what I meant. THIS.
Teresa wrote: "Law wrote: "All these books sound amazing and I'll definitely look for This Time It's Real, it looks so good!"It is! if you end up enjoying This Time Its's Real you should for sure check out If Y..."
those 2 books are amazingg i want more like those
