What's the Name of That Book??? discussion
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Fed up with YA/disturbing books
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Louise Lawrence and H M Hoover and Monica Hughes are excellent.
Perhaps you're bored with YA dystopias because you're ready to move on to more complex and interesting adult dystopias :) Here are a few suggestions: Brave New World, 1984, Anthem, Animal Farm, The Handmaid's Tale, The Testament of Jessie Lamb, We, The Circle, The World Inside, Genesis, Gibbon's Decline and Fall.
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If you like Gillian Flynn, you would probably like Jennifer McMahon.As far as disturbing fiction goes, there is Ryū Murakami. I recommend In the Miso Soup.
Rachel wrote: "I hate to sound patronising but I would hesitate to recommend Bret Easton Ellis depending on how old Joshua is (the reference to YA made me wonder). American Psycho and Glamorama both have extremel..."Why settle for the copy, he should read the master (and never be too young to read it)? The 120 Days of Sodom . To be sure, I never managed to finish it and also the movie was one I did not see to the end (and gave away the DVD).
As with American Psycho, some scenes where lifted from 120 days ... and both books (and the film of the de Sade book) where banned and maybe are still banned somewhere.
My favorite disturbing book I recommend is A Clockwork Orange which could also be described as YA Dystopia, also one filmed, the film withdrawn by Kubrick himself in the UK for public performance (only lately after his death it was shown again).
And I do not think someone is too young to read these, either they do not like them or they do not understand them when they are too young. These books could be disturbing even to an adult, I would never say to someone "you are not old enough" without adding "to understand the book". Most fairy tales (Grimm's) are rather nightmare-inducing and cruel. YMMV.
One of my favorite dystopian authors is Lois Lowry and her The Giver, Gathering Blue, Messenger, and Son which are a set rather than a series. You don't have to read them in order or read them all to enjoy any of them, but if you do, you do get little bit more out of their interconnectedness with one another.You might also like The Summer Prince, a heart-stopping story of love, death, technology, and art set amid the tropics of a futuristic Brazil.
There are three other fantastic dystopias but for more mature YA readers: Ready Player One, Amped, and When She Woke.
Ingo wrote: "Rachel wrote: "Why settle for the copy, he should read the master (and never be too young to read it)? The 120 Days of Sodom..."So very very very much and in all possible ways not remotely YA lol!!
I don't really understand that if you are fed up with YA books then why do you want to keep reading them?
Tytti wrote: "I don't really understand that if you are fed up with YA books then why do you want to keep reading them?"Because I've had generally good experiences with YA books in the past, but as of late I've read a lot of YA that's disappointed me. That's also why I asked for darker books, because I'm ready to move on to more adult books.
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The Road. Very dark.
You may as well read Gone Girl since you like the author. But she's certainly not in the same category as Attwood, McCarthy, or Ellis in terms of literary quality.
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Lobstergirl wrote: "I second The Handmaid's Tale. The Road. Very dark.
You may as well read Gone Girl since you like the author. But she's certainly not in the same catego..."
I was kind of disappointed with Gone Girl. I've read the The Road and I really liked it.
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I meant to also recommend Robert Cormier whose books are YA but with very dark themes. I liked The Chocolate War, I Am the Cheese and We All Fall DownAnd of course there are all of Stephen King's books if you haven't read them already.
I expect this isn't really the place for a debate on age limits on books; I'm a librarian and I don't like censorship. Also when I was younger I really hated it when people assumed I was too young for a book and it made me want to read it even more! But then, I read Silence of the Lambs when I was a teenager and still kind of wish I could erase it from my mind, so...it's complicated!
Joshua wrote: "That's also why I asked for darker books, because I'm ready to move on to more adult books."Well, I started reading adult books when I was eight, so that's why I asked... There is so much more to choose from.
The Wheel of Time if you like epic fantasy.
Dystopian, dark, and not YA -
Dystopian, dark, and is YA -
Tess wrote: "Dystopian, dark, and not YA - Dystopian, dark, and is YA -
"I second Unwind!
Kat wrote: "The Wheel of Time if you like epic fantasy."Not really dystopian, though.
A few more:House of Stairs
Running Wild
The Hauntings of Playing God
It Can't Happen Here
Unicorns in the Rain
Joshua, Do you know about this award? "The Alex Awards are given to ten books written for adults that have special appeal to young adults, ages 12 through 18." https://www.goodreads.com/award/show/... You may like to look through the lists
The GiverThe Host
The 5th Wave
Incarceron]
The Passage
The Supernaturalist
Ready Player One
The Girl with All the Gifts
Ender's Game
Oryx and Crake
(Don't You) Forget About Me by Kate Karyus Quinn isn't very disturbing, but it has a mindf*ck ending.
You should check out Stephen King's books. They're horror, so they may fit your description of disturbing.
I'm seconding the following suggestions: The Handmaid's Tale, The World Inside, The Giver, The Girl with All the Gifts and The Road.
I'm adding the following:
Bird Box;
Through Darkest America;
I Am Legend;
I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream;
The Death of Grass
The Lottery;
Wool Omnibus;
Ponies
Meat
Here's are some Listopias https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/2...https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/2...
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/3...
I had an obsession with Dystopian novels for a while. Some of these are a bit lower level. The books I liked the best are on the top.Firstlife
Free to Fall
The Darkest Minds
Pulse
Perfect Ruin
The Testing
Dualed
Uninvited
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What's the Name of That Book???
Books mentioned in this topic
Firstlife (other topics)The Darkest Minds (other topics)
Free to Fall (other topics)
Pulse (other topics)
Perfect Ruin (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Michael D. O'Brien (other topics)Lois Lowry (other topics)
Jennifer McMahon (other topics)
Ryū Murakami (other topics)
I really didn't like
Uglies
Delirium
Matched
The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer
Daughter of Smoke & Bone
Also, I recently read Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn. And I absolutely loved it. I really like disturbing and twisted books. Anything similar to Gillian Flynn novels? Thanks.