Book meme: Day 13!

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Oh, Psych. I am done watching that show -- there is enough homophobia and anti-GLBTQ sentiment in the real world. I don't need it in my entertainment, too. Last night's episode is not necessarily horrifying as a standalone episode, but in the context of the show's run... I am pretty appalled. Blah.

Day 13 - Favorite childhood book OR current favorite YA book (or both!)

You know what didn't occur to me when I was writing this meme? Just how many of my answers would be Anne of Green Gables.

An incomplete list of YA books I've read and loved, in no order:

• Bloom by Elizabeth Scott -- the setup is similar to other YA books about sad teenage girls, but the book itself is so different, and written so well... Loved it.



• Stealing Heaven by Elizabeth Scott -- This is the best book Elizabeth Scott has written so far, in my opinion. It's about a teenage girl whose mom is a conwoman, and the girl works with her to run cons in small towns -- until one summer, the girl is ready for a change. Funny and painful in turns, and, of course, extremely well-written.



• Stay With Me by Garret Freymann-Weyr -- As some of you might remember, I read every single book by Garret and wrote long posts analyzing the books and describing what I loved about them, and also what I didn't like. They were pretty critical posts, and... that's how I became friends with Garret, who I adore beyond measure! So that worked out well for me. Stay With Me is undoubtedly my favorite of her books (although My Heartbeat is also amazing, and I really enjoyed her most recent book, After the Moment as well)... Garret's books are so powerful and great -- she should really be way more popular and famous.



• The Girl in the Box by Ouida Sebestyen -- This book is creepy, and I guess I understand why it wasn't on the shelves at any of the public libraries I frequented as a kid and teen. By today's standards, it's pretty tame, but in the 80s and early 90s, I bet it freaked some adults out.



• Annie on My Mind by Nancy Garden -- I only just read this book last year, but I really wish I'd gotten to read it as a kid. It's super dated now (and sort of ridiculous on a lot of levels), but it's also from 1982, and about two lesbians who do not die or have unhappy endings as punishment for being gay. I wish I'd gotten to read it when I was seven or nine.



• Gravity by Leanne Lieberman -- The coming of age story of an Orthodox Jewish teen girl who is also a lesbian. The writing is clunky, the plotting is not always as tight as it could be, some of the story and character choices the author made struck me as being extremely weird, but nevertheless I really enjoyed this book.

I really wanted to add Saving June by Hannah Harrington to this list, but apparently it's not coming out until 2011! What the heck is that about? I read it and loved it back in 2008, when it was a draft, and thought it was great and enjoyable. I'm pretty eager for it to come out so that my YA-reading friends can finally read it.

One thing this book meme is making clear to me is that I need to keep better records of books I've read, because even the books I really enjoy, I can't always remember off the top of my head. Oops!

How about you guys? Which YA books are your favorites? Which books -- YA or not! -- did you really love as a youth?



Other days of the book meme:

Day 01 - A book series you wish had gone on longer OR a book series you wish would just freaking end already (or both!)
Day 02 - A book or series you wish more people were reading and talking about
Day 03 - The best book you've read in the last 12 months
Day 04 - Your favorite book or series ever
Day 05 - A book or series you hate
Day 06 - Favorite book of your favorite series OR your favorite book of all time
Day 07 - Least favorite plot device employed by way too many books you actually enjoyed otherwise
Day 08 - A book everyone should read at least once
Day 09 - Best scene ever
Day 10 - A book you thought you wouldn’t like but ended up loving
Day 11 - A book that disappointed you
Day 12 - A book or series of books you’ve read more than five times
Day 13 - Favorite childhood book OR current favorite YA book (or both!)
Day 14 - Favorite character in a book (of any sex or gender)
Day 15 - Your "comfort" book
Day 16 - Favorite poem or collection of poetry
Day 17 - Favorite story or collection of stories (short stories, novellas, novelettes, etc.)
Day 18 - Favorite beginning scene in a book
Day 19 - Favorite book cover (bonus points for posting an image!)
Day 20 - Favorite kiss
Day 21 - Favorite romantic/sexual relationship (including asexual romantic relationships)
Day 22 - Favorite non-sexual relationship (including asexual romantic relationships)
Day 23 - Most annoying character ever
Day 24 - Best quote from a novel
Day 25 - Any five books from your "to be read" stack
Day 26 - OMG WTF? OR most irritating/awful/annoying book ending
Day 27 - If a book contains ______, you will always read it (and a book or books that contain it)!
Day 28 - First favorite book or series obsession
Day 29 - Saddest character death OR best/most satisfying character death (or both!)
Day 30 - What book are you reading right now?