Over the last year and a half I have been collecting books written for “young adults.”

This is the year I am spending a lot of effort working through as many of them as possible.  In some cases I was able to pick up several early books in a series, in other cases just the first, but I hope to read as many first books (*) as possible, because I’m trying to decide how I feel about series.

(And because I’d love to find new favorites for myself…)

On my shelf:

1. The Book of Three* (Alexander)
2. The Black Caldron (Alexander)
3. The Castle of Llyr (Alexander)
4. The Coming of Dragons* (Lake)
5. The Wreckers* (Lawrence)
6. Beyond the Deep Woods* (Stewart/Riddell)– along with the next three The Edge Chronicles
7. The Revenge of the Shadow King* (Benz/Lewis)
8. 3 more Charlie Bones books.
9. The Jaguar Princess (Bell)
10. Fire Arrow (Pattou)
11. The Unhandsome Prince (Moore)
12. The Privilege of the Sword (Kushner)
13. Briar Rose (Yolen)
14. Sang Spell (Naylor)
15. The Healer’s Keep (Hanley)
16. Suitor’s Duel (Niles)
17. Fairest (Levine)
18. Fly by Night (Harding)
19. Ogre, Ogre (Anthony)
20. The Sight (Clement-Davis)
21. Fire-Bringer (Clement-Davis)
22. The Fairy Tale Detectives* (The Sisters Grimm)
23. Children of the Lamp The Akhenaten Adventure*
24. Children of the Lamp The Blue Djinn of Babylon
25. Dragon’s Blood (Yolen)
26. Peter and the Starcatchers* (Barry/Pearson)
27. The Keepers A Wizard Named Nell*

My “high goal” and aspiration is to shift into a sort of reading zone while working through this.  Not only for the sake of speed, but with that confirmed speed I’ll be more willing to pick up books (like #26) that appear to be a cliche of poor, brave/feisty little girl shows all those stupid, mentally confined adults/males that she’s just as good (or better!!!) doggone it! And give it an actual chance to be better than its cover-copy.

Soapbox:

I’ve never understood why so many women who want to prove women can do *anything* do it by trying to be like men.

Lets go for a little more originality here, ladies!

And, for the record, just being “better” is not that original; any more than blue becoming dark green is much different than becoming medium green.  Can we have more purple in our world?  Or what’s wrong with blue, anyway?  I *like* blue…

This is the kind of “girl power” I most enjoy reading (and find the most believable, even).