This is the only time of year when I try to be normal and spend a lot of time at the mall. I think of it as my mall pilgrimage and this year my pilgrimage didn’t totally suck.
There were even some moments when people were actually nice to me, like when the salesman at Nordstroms saw me clutching a bunch of their ‘butter-soft’ socks and said, “Wow, looks like you found what you wanted!” I had found what I wanted—something from Nordstroms that costs less than $100 and would still be wrapped up in one of their expensive-looking silver boxes with a satin bow.
If you still haven’t found what you want and are trying to figure out what to buy the YA lover in your life, there are lots of book lists out there. But personally I get tired of seeing the same books on lists over and over again. I want to make friends with some YA novels that are a little off the beaten path, books that are not part of the popular crowd but that are just as good or even better.
- There are plenty of mean girls in YA, but thanks to the thrilling rise of the YA antiheroine you can now find some YA novels with “dislikable, amoral, even monstrous girls.”
- Looking for the perfect book for the cult-loving, future Koolaid-drinker in your life? Here are some 5 YAs to Satisfy Your Kimmy Schmidt Cravings.
- Tired of the same old gorgeous guys and lean beauties in YA? Check out these YA novels with Not-So-Skinny POVs.
- Fans of Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale (I am!) will be pleased with this list of three (ish) YA books that are clear homages to Atwood’s classic.
- Want to make your favorite book a permanent part of you as a special holiday treat? Maybe ink is the answer. I’m a coward so I won’t be getting a tattoo (this year), but I sure like feasting my eyes on these 30 Gorgeous Tattoos Inspired By Great Books.