Saturday 16 December 2017

Books of the year - Non Pratt

Non is the author of one of my favourite books of the year, Truth or Dare, so I'm excited to share the books she's chosen. 


                                                     

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

Pacey, immediate and deeply empathetic, THUG is the best American contemporary YA I’ve read in years. Starr’s voice is clear and clever – effortlessly weaving wry and hilarious observations of humans and their foibles with deeper, sharper, more provocative insight into the ways in which society contorts itself to fit its own narrative rather than face up to the truth. Somehow leaning into my expectations at the same time as defying them, I have all my fingers crossed for this to sweep the literary prize board here in the UK as well as the US.

The Loneliest Girl in the Universe by Lauren James

Pretty sure this won’t come as a surprise to anyone, since I’ve not stopped raving about it since I read it back in June, The Loneliest Girl in the Universe is like nothing I’d encountered before in teen fiction. Cleverly manipulating the single-character set up, James allows the dark, hungry undertones of the narrative the seep through and gather pace until your heart’s racing as fast as the story. Romy Silvers perfectly embodies both the vulnerability and capacity for brilliance that so many teenagers possess – a deft, humane and thrilling read.

The Empty Grave by Jonathan Stroud

The time has come to redress the (inexplicable) fact that despite being my favourite series of all time, Lockwood & Co. has yet to feature in any of my end of year ‘best books’ list. The Empty Grave is the last book in a five-long series – and it is completely and utterly satisfying. Witty, scary, thrilling and intricately plotted, packed with set pieces, dead-pan dialogue it was everything I could possibly have wanted in a finale. If you like flawed and interesting characters, out-and-out adventure, imaginative world-building and sarcastic skulls I could not possibly recommend this series highly enough. It is at least as good as Harry Potter. (Better, but let’s not start any fights.)

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Thanks so much for sharing your choices Non! I loved The Hate U Give and The Loneliest Girl, so I'll certainly be reading the Lockwood & Co. books next year. 

Check out my blog tomorrow to find out which books Faye from A Daydreamer's Thoughts has chosen.

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