Monday 6 October 2008

I'm Running Low on Middle Grade

Ian Rogers has taken a pretty picture of his to read pile of books - he beats my pile by about fifteen books. Phew! I guess that means I can go out and buy more.

Here's what is currently languishing in my 'to read' pile:

Middle-Grade Novels
The London Eye Mystery - Siobhan Dowd
Billy Bones - A Tale From the Secrets Closet - Christopher Lincoln
Barnaby Grimes - Curse of the Night Wolf - Stewart & Riddell

Young Adult Novels
Tithe - Holly Black
Wicked Lovely - Melissa Marr
Twilight - Stephenie Meyer
The Halloween Tree - Ray Bradbury
Promise Not to Tell - Jennifer McMahon
The Poison Apples - Lily Archer (ahem!)
The Book Thief - Markus Zusak

Horror
Infected - Scott Sigler
Hawkes Harbor - SE Hinton
Frankenstein - Dean Koontz

Short Story Collections / Anthologies
How to Make Monsters - Gary McMahon
Bloody October Anthology
Pulp Idol Short Story Competition Anthology
The Illustrated Man - Ray Bradbury

Thrillers
Hold Tight - Harlan Coben
Cross - James Patterson
Judge & Jury - James Patterson
Step on a Crack - James Patterson
The Lonely Dead - Michael Marshall
No Time For Goodbye - Lincoln Barclay
The Chemistry of Death - Simon Beckett

Plus add to that a couple of orders due from Amazon - The Graveyard Book (Neil Gaiman) and Datlow's Best of Fantasy & Horror 2008.

Should keep me curled up on the sofa until Christmas.

14 comments:

Michael Stone said...

I always find the titles for MG books irresistible. Billiy Bones and Barnaby Grimes.

For YA books, I highly recommend Graham Joyce's TWOC and Do the Creepy Thing. His latest one, Three Ways to Snog an Alien, is good too, but the first two have more horror appeal. Thanks to an Amazon mix-up I have a spare copy of Three Ways... if you want it. Drop me a line and it'll be on the way.

Unknown said...

Just picked up the graveyard book yesterday - read the first chapter - awesome. You'll love it.

The Book Thief, Tithe, and Twilight are also on my list. Then again, Harry Potter is still on the list... who knows when I will get to them.

Carrie Harris said...

Would you believe that my to-be-read pile is down to two books? I've got to get my little behind to the library before I start going into withdrawal!

Aaron Polson said...

I try to keep my list down to a few at a time. I think of it as a mob outside a doctor's office. "Sorry folks, we only have space for two in the waiting room..."

Jeremy D Brooks said...

Quite a list...I read recently that Stephen King targets 70-80 books a year, minimum. Quite a bar.

I'm going to wait to get the Cemetery Book until Neil's appearance in town next month, hopefully I can get one signed. Good idea, keeping a list...pushes you to keep your reading level up.

Cate Gardner said...

Thanks for the recommendations, Michael. I wish Amazon would send a few mix-up's my way.

Jeremy - I listened to a wee bit of the first chapter of The Graveyard Book on Neil's site - can't wait to get the real thing. I've ordered a signed copy from Amazon.

Carrie & Aaron - Ooh, I wish I only had two to read so that I wouldn't feel guilty ordering anymore.

Jeremy D - Ah, and if only our book was the one he was reading. :)

Jeremy D Brooks said...

I just re-read the title to this post and suddenly got an image of you on the phone ordering Middle Grade Fiction by the pound.

"Is the Dowd fresh today? Last week you sent me a flat of Hinton and the verbs had gone all soft."

Cate Gardner said...

LOL!

K.C. Shaw said...

I've got ten books in my TBR pile, but only four of them are YA. I might pick up a few from your list next time I hit the library.

Cate Gardner said...

Hi KC, let me know if you do and what you think of them.

Jodi Lee (Morrighan) said...

I'm so jealous, Cate! My tbr has been nearly wiped out, and now they're all sitting in the to-be-reviewed pile.

Which Frankenstein is it? The first or second? I'm eagerly waiting for the third... apparently it's not coming until '09. I loved the first two. :)

Mary said...

I’ve just discovered Siobhan Dowd and am currently reading A Swift Pure Cry. She’s an excellent writer.

Cate Gardner said...

Jodi - It's the first Frankenstein (I'm a wee bit behind with my writing).

Ooh, thanks for that Mary. May have to shuffle that one up the pile.

Anonymous said...

You officially have my permission to go out and buy more books. :)