"Young Adult" books for Catholics (and other book recs)

[LuciaPacifici]

In the past I have enjoyed Young Adult books, including the dystopian ones.

I am having trouble finding something that seems appropriate for my faith. I don’t need a book about catholics, but just something that isn’t objectionable.

Unfortunately in this bookstore section I seem to keep coming across:

Dystopian books that are mostly about violence
Books with magic, witches, supernatural creatures of the non-holy sort, etc (I know Lord of the Rings for example is different yes)
Shallow books mostly about social status and rich people
Books where a love relationship is the entire meaning of life, may or may not have explicit scenes
Books with really heavy topics that I don’t enjoy
Just books that seem to be poorly written

Does anyone have any good ones that might not be inappropriate for the faith, or objectionable, or at best just a distraction when I could be reading spiritual reading or something?

I know some people can read anything and take the overarching metaphor and such, but I am personally not interested in books including occult themes or others mentioned above.

I am interested in adult novel recommendations too, something that is just plain good, not too dark, violent, or sentimental or focused on a romantic love fixing all problems.

Thanks!

 

[pianistclare]

The “flight of the Armada” series by Jay Michael Jones are good.
I keep thinking they’ll make a movie series out of them. They’re for the 13-19 crowd, I believe.

 

[Virga]

I haven’t had much luck myself finding modern YA books that don’t focus on romance, gore, magic *, or tragedy. Science fiction is usually good, but a number of novels I’ve come across have subtle anti-religion themes. I sometimes end up reading material written for younger teens [maybe 11-13] which, while not as complex and intriguing, leaves me feeling less cynical and annoyed.

If you’re okay with language from the last century or so, I suggest reading stories that were written around that time.

The Wise Woman by George MacDonald. [It’s online in the archives for free] It sort of falls under the fantasy genre, but it doesn’t have much to do with the occult.

The Anchorhold: A Divine Comedy by Enid Dinnis. It’s fiction, so it might count as a “distraction” from spiritual reading.*

 

[LuciaPacifici]

Thanks guys…Clare it looks like there are 26 books in that series! Wow! Might be cool to check out.

Virga thanks for reminding me about George MacDonald, he’s great. I’ll let you know if I find a gem in the YA section.

Oh by the way when I said “adult novels” I mean books in the regular fiction/lit section, as opposed to the Teen section. Not the other kind of “adult novels!”

 

[Kay_Cee]

If you like mysteries, there is the Black Horse Series by Amy Bennett, who happens to be a regular contributor to this forum.

There are also some Christian novels written by yours truly which are absolutely free (see my signature below).

 

[pianistclare]

Thanks guys…Clare it looks like there are 26 books in that series! Wow! Might be cool to check out.

Virga thanks for reminding me about George MacDonald, he’s great. I’ll let you know if I find a gem in the YA section.

Oh by the way when I said “adult novels” I mean books in the regular fiction/lit section, as opposed to the Teen section. Not the other kind of “adult novels!”

there’s sort of science fiction-y, but she wrote them to fill a niche for young people.
A great writer.

 

[Virga]

Thanks guys…Clare it looks like there are 26 books in that series! Wow! Might be cool to check out.

Virga thanks for reminding me about George MacDonald, he’s great. I’ll let you know if I find a gem in the YA section.

Oh by the way when I said “adult novels” I mean books in the regular fiction/lit section, as opposed to the Teen section. Not the other kind of “adult novels!”

Thanks~

I’ve had better luck when going to sections with used books or places like BookOff. The newer and more popular books that are out on display tend to follow mainstream interests.

Reviews given online used to be somewhat trustworthy + a grain of salt] up until a few years ago… But the shift in what’s become acceptable in YA novels [and movies] has made that unreliable. I was shocked 5 years ago when I bought a recommended YA novel that had explicit sexual scenes. A lot of people don’t seem to bat an eyelash at that stuff anymore, so surprise surprise. :doh2: No one bothered to mention it in the reviews.

Nowadays, I have no idea what others consider violent when they say it’s not really violent… Just blood, guts and people getting eaten alive in graphic detail blah… Y’know…

 

[bluerose]

Kay Cee beat me to the punch! Her novels are excellent and I highly recommend them!

As she noted, I write a mystery series, The Black Horse Campground series, set in present-day New Mexico. There is light romance, humor, engaging characters, and virtually no violence or language (damn and hell… nothing else!) The second book, “No Lifeguard on Duty” was awarded the Catholic Writers Guild Seal of Approval. Some of my biggest fans range from junior high students to grandmothers!

If you like mysteries, I can also recommend most of Mary Higgins Clark’s romantic suspense novels and the Sister Agatha series by Aimee and David Thurlo.

Here are some more inspirational novels:

“Healer” and “The Year Without Christmas” by John M. Wills
“Finding Grace” and “Erin’s Ring” by Laura Pearl
“A World Such as Heaven Intended” by Amanda Lauer

and many others that can be found at catholicfiction.net and the listings on the Catholic Writers Guild Seal of Approval listings catholicwritersguild.org/index.php/awards-contents/soa-recipients

 

[LuciaPacifici]

Thank you Kay Cee and bluerose, for writing books and giving recs. That’s awesome!

 

[LuciaPacifici]

Thanks~

I’ve had better luck when going to sections with used books or places like BookOff. The newer and more popular books that are out on display tend to follow mainstream interests.

Reviews given online used to be somewhat trustworthy + a grain of salt] up until a few years ago… But the shift in what’s become acceptable in YA novels [and movies] has made that unreliable. I was shocked 5 years ago when I bought a recommended YA novel that had explicit sexual scenes. A lot of people don’t seem to bat an eyelash at that stuff anymore, so surprise surprise. :doh2: No one bothered to mention it in the reviews.

Nowadays, I have no idea what others consider violent when they say it’s not really violent… Just blood, guts and people getting eaten alive in graphic detail blah… Y’know…

My experience is similar. There was a time I had a decent chance of finding a cool YA novel that wasn’t explicit or violent but just had a good concept. Now not so sure…

 

[louisak]

If you don’t mind something a bit “old fashioned” then I highly recommend When Marnie Was There by British author Joan G. Robinson. Written in the late 60’s, it is not very well known any more, but it’s one of my very favorite books. It deals with a troubled young girl named Anna who is befriended by a mysterious girl named Marnie, who lives in a house that is supposedly vacant and abandoned - except that at times, when Anna goes there, it appears occupied.

Anna’s friendship with Marnie proves to be the beginning of her development from unhappy and withdrawn into a confident, outgoing person. The reader is kept guessing as to whether Marnie is a ghost, or just an imaginary friend, or something else. The real answer is different from both of these, but you wouldn’t guess it in advance.

This description might make the book seem silly or emotionally manipulative or both, but in fact the whole thing is very well handled. It is enjoyable either for teens or adults.

I should caution that the story takes place in rural England and some of the dialect is a bit strange to us Americans. In particular, one of the main characters is fond of using the phrase “any road” which seems to mean something like “regardless of that” or “in any case”. But an alert reader with an active mind won’t be troubled by a few unfamiliar phrases.

For those who have seen the recent Studio Ghibli film adaptation, it is visually beautiful but takes many liberties with the story. I like the book much better.