Long time no blog. Too much thesis writing going on at the moment. Plus, I've been trying (somewhat unsuccessfully) to take a break from the Web. It's just all a bit overwhelming at the moment.
Whenever my stress levels get above a certain point, a couple of things happen. First, my right eye starts twitching like I'm a movie villain whose plan to demolish the community center has just been foiled by those damn kids and their Basset Hound.
Second, I start reading novels. Lots of novels. Sometimes historical romance, sometimes crime, sometimes science-fiction or fantasy. I like them all.
This time I've been catching up on the latest Young Adult fiction. Here are a few of my favourites so far, in no particular order:
1) The
Skinned trilogy
by
Robin Wasserman.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpTKyQ049_iEted_DEij7XAEfHE1dEdY7jZdqvWEEBWpbB6umcNbLIc0krlwujOc2rM7jKA4uDhe3ux9ESCtJMO-X4ydifeIgB1Y4buqwngznpHDcX3JALTLehiZRofZTvGeQP51Gi-Cg/s320/Skinned.jpg)
2) The
Uglies series by
Scott Westerfeld.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBIPsZI4k_3cXjxUEsqbTJQQEXjw6iMtCEDKKV81NdlBXOZFJ9Vej8eCTQNcjfmFfN-Out8XGMAeoJXsG3tNxG3cXSPvDCAB_dvxTtjBnuI3JH6N6n4b3Uq2dfSvxzKE024ZPz3i-vUDU/s320/uglies.jpg)
Loved these books so much. I'm not going to describe any plot details, but
this fan-made vid is pretty good.
3)
Inside Out by
Maria V. Snyder.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV6ngKwsgwjKAuH8kGHKZ_6fRWLGdy3oMisSNnIH9PS9Hf1uzrtto7CI-0ShEZbU0C6eNPdwOUZet8coojTmIo9kIB0IMyyksY0ezYtOQhzHfFxbCL7rC5ApCvX5AORVzJzNkER1YJ8Dk/s320/Insideout.jpg)
4)
The Hunger Games trilogy by
Suzanne Collins.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMz1wnHRRWgBc29_p5G6lmAjE7V2wOOgHymZWPP5Nnm8g9KORYWV1UCpKwZw-v8MDLBDQqWUDgz1e8Daijy54WwsTEL3f58E2r0jLLJNoEY4G-siRtzLut2ggMsN-9NtS-DiA0ty4MVyk/s320/Hunger_games.jpg)
5)
The Adoration of Jenna Fox by
Mary E. Pearson.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitSJdaznWpqdMlYcdyFdK_gB02Y_w3sTFNPRNuNAQlr3x9zhtcZehSohPyiB5xPqr8kxPRBjxqvHSAz5nmI2NnLa_mhFdtMIsJHXbfiywb3ra2tghTcQHMN0lyREMCOT7u5r4B-cU562g/s320/jennafox2.jpg)
6)
Life As We Knew It by
Susan Beth Pfeffer (nothing to do with
that Heigl movie).
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWeyFBFxC2Ze0MbH35L5pctLlLBvLKNFRREN3sky7mMIH2UTzIJVumynHmN4WTLaQcrd0EhRiXi8he34wW6XRe4tzILHwVMvSGJtjynRKDi4lj62ENvcHDOivh_8vt_u7nKanBonkaDEI/s320/Pfeffer+-+Life+as+we+Knew+It.jpg)
7)
Graceling by
Kristin Cashore.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDIB6GhJpf-TzT-99A8slwBphncii6aCxmvo65okJDFII_zjX7ZPYd09eNognijGcw4kL3IK12-AgiEzFJitM0sMcNxUBRoRUbawUiOCVms9nTcwhd3CjgKV320t4ETL8mR4C4JZypXpo/s320/Graceling+UK.jpg)
Inevitably, I've come across a few bad books... but I won't mention them...
I'm definitely a fan of futuristic/post-apocalyptic settings (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6). Quite few of these deal with 'post-human' themes as well (1, 2, 4, 5). Number 7 is pure fantasy, but it has such a unique heroine I couldn't resist. Now I think about it, they all have strong and complex female protagonists. I highly recommend them all to anyone looking for a good read/out of body experience.
Okay, I'm going back to my book cave now.