Nobody But Us Blog Tour

Welcome to my stop on the Nobody But Us blog tour. Today I will be hosting a guest post by the author, Kristin Halbrook.

Bonnie and Clyde meets IF I STAY in this addictively heart-wrenching story of two desperate teenagers on the run from their pasts.

They’re young. They’re in love. They’re on the run.

Zoe wants to save Will as much as Will wants to save Zoe. When Will turns eighteen, they decide to run away together. But they never expected their escape to be so fraught with danger....

When the whole world is after you, sometimes it seems like you can’t run fast enough.

Nobody But Us, told in alternating perspectives from Will and Zoe, is an unflinching novel, in turns heartbreaking and hopeful, about survival, choices, and love...and how having love doesn’t always mean that you get a happy ending. Described as “beautiful, heartbreaking, and exhilarating” by Kody Keplinger, author of The DUFF, Nobody But Us will prove irresistible to fans of Nina Lacour, Jenny Han, and Sara Zarr.

I want to first say a huge thank you to Erin for featuring me on her awesome blog! Today I want to talk about some of my favorite reads across the YA genre spectrum.

I love reading widely across the YA spectrum, as well as books aimed for younger and older audiences. I do have favorite genres, but even outside of those I’ve been pleasantly surprised again and again with amazing books. It’s important to not lock ourselves into reading one genre, especially as writers, because we can all benefit from the variety of worldviews, imaginations, styles and contributions from each genre. Here are some of my favorite recent reads across the YA genre spectrum.

Fantasy: I totally love the Graceling books. I read Bitterblue last autumn and, while I liked it and definitely appreciated the complexity that went into it, Graceling is still my favorite. I also like Rae Carson’s Girl of Fire and Thorns books and the February 5^th debut by Miriam Forster City of a Thousand Dolls. Rachel Hartman’s Seraphina is a gorgeously written book.

Contemporary: This is my favorite genre to read. I love how contemporaries tend to be heavily character-focused, really exploring the complexity of human experiences and emotions. My favorite reads tend to be meatier with the romance as more of a side plot, rather than the main plot. Great reads include Kirsten Hubbard’s Wanderlove, Melina Marchetta’s The Piper’s Son, Janne Teller’s Nothing (more MG than YA), and David Leviathan and John Green’s Will Grayson, Will Grayson. Keep an eye out for Steph Kuehn’s powerful Charm and Strange, coming summer 2013.

Historical: Ruta Sepetys’ Between Shades of Gray totally ripped my heart out. What a powerful story. I was also moved by Code Name Verity. I love a good, meaty historical (that isn’t dry!). Especially if it makes me ugly cry. (Yay ugly crying!!)

Sci-Fi: I must admit, this is a genre I need to read more widely. But keep a look out for Phoebe North’s Starglass in the summer of 2013, a “spaceship” sci-fi with complex worldbuilding and characters. I have not personally connected with a lot of the dystopians that are out there, but I’m excited for the next Divergent book.

Paranormal/Horror: I hope we see lots more horror YA in the works! I liked Anna Dressed in Blood for the atmospheric quality of the story. Kiersten White’s Paranormalcy, which not exactly new, is a series I enjoyed, mostly for the breezy, refreshing voice. Really different from other voices in the genre. Plus, anything by Margo Lanagan is a win for me. Are her books paranormal or literary or magical realism . . . it can be hard to define. They’re just great.