Is there anyone else on here who didn't love The Book Thief?

[TunipTheVegedude]

I was told to persevere with it and I'm now 63% through and it's annoying me more than ever.
I'm finding it pretentious and dull and while some of the characters are fine, the girl is totally unconvincing - she reads like someone has sat down and decided on some interesting characteristics to give her ('I know! I'll make her good at fighting and football!') rather than the character growing naturally.
Is it going to get better in the last 37%?

Alex Scarrow. Alex. Alex.

Haven't read the Higsons. Is he the same guy who did the Young Bonds? They were okay but got v samey.

Yes, he did the Young Bonds. I read the first one. Enjoyed it but didn't feel the need to read more.

Remus - I could read a YA book if you want to recommend one although you probably won't, seeing how I ranted about Dark Tower #2 .

I didn't dislike Book Thief because it is YA. I disliked it because it is badly written and a bit silly. And its Death is just an idiot.

My point about it being YA was that it is a subject that we (adults) have read quite extensively about, and that this is a relatively light and superficial account of the holocaust in comparison.

I really liked World War Z but haven't read any other zombie stuff.

I agree. The young Bond's didn't work for me really. Being Bond seemed totally irrelevant. Especially the weirdy schi fi bit about it.

Try the Higson books, he really has matured as a writer with his own material.

who write the wwz?

Yes, I really liked WWZ too. Most zombie books are so badly written that they are not worth bothering with, but I did enjoy The Passage. It's not YA but other than its length, it could be.

If I had to choose one YA to get you to try, I'd say either Across The Nightingale Floor (ancient Japanese warrior-esque) or The Knife Of Never Letting Go (dystopian, futuristic, totalitarian-esque).

Uh oh! Am I going to be ostracised from MN!

Not The Knife of Never Letting Go.
The voice is very strong and it opens well but it lets you down.

we have the knife of never letting go..great start I agree...

I think there maybe a problem with trying to make a mini franchise...they all run out of steam before the end of the series

There should be a question mark there, sorry!

I thought Knife of and the next one were really good, and the third was crap.

It really reminded me of the Chrysalids in tone...

Yes, I loved the first two Uglies books but never finished the last.
The less said about the last Hunger Games book the better.

The second Hunger Games was preposterous and the third was unreadable.

I'm putting both in my Kindle wish list, thanks

roundtable, if disagreeing with another poster got one kicked off MN...well, where would we be?

Uglies do tell!

Uglies is by Scott Westerfeld, who is also a grown-up scifi author.
It's set in a world where everyone gets plastic surgery on their 18th birthday so they're all pretty.

great. I will order the first one!

Enjoy it!

I live in a place where many people have had it, and have to say that nobody really becomes pretty after plastic surgery.

Uncanny Valley is a terrible place to live in.

madame!

Any other book recommendations? Hoping I get more sleep so I can read without falling asleep after the first page.

I read a good ya fantasy book at a school I worked at which needed a follow up but they didn't have it. No idea what was called though.

I quite enjoyed the book where they're underground and the power starts to go out. I probably have a simple mind, but I found it an easy read. Again, I can't remember the name but I remember the storyline.

B.R.Collins. She's interesting. Often flawed in one way or other but make up for that by being weirdly haunting. I want to read her first one, The Traitor Game.