This year's challenge for adult books recommendations for teen readers moved a bit slower than last year's coming-of-age titles, but I think we still came out with some good ones. Many folks emailed to let me know that they started reading adult books when they were in junior high and while we all pretty much agree that the YA lists have a lot more depth now than, say, 20 years ago, it's still a good idea to have a handy list of adult books to recommend to a curious teen. So, split into categories with a few comments from me others, here are the You Should Read This Awards for 2008: Books Published for Adults that Teens will Enjoy!

Horror:

King, Stephen: It, The Stand and The Shining. King got more than one nomination and I'm sure all of us would agree that these are particularly good choices for teens. I'd lean more towards high school for the occasional sexual situation and, well, they do tend to scary so make sure you're up to some fear factor while reading. (I actually remember reading The Shining when I was 13 but I could only do it in broad daylight - I loved it way more than the movies.)

SFF:

Willis, Connie: Bellwether, The Doomsday Book, Impossible Things, To Say Nothing of the Dog and Firewatch. A lot of love for Willis out there (as there should be!) Some caution came in for the short story collections - "All My Darling Daughters" specifically is a very raw story about sexual abuse that becomes incredibly disturbing when you realize what you're reading. I really love her madly though and Bellwether is one of my favorite romantic stories (written in a most unromantic way) I've ever read.

Barry, Max: Jennifer Government. From my cousin Neil: "A laughable, wholly likable , cynical look at our society at sometime in the future if it continues on the path of outlandish consumerism." He says it also has some Douglas Adams thrown in for good measure.

Donaldson, S.R: The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant, the Unbeliever. Another one from my cousin Neil who cautions it does have a harsh rape scene but says: "It is a well written, engrossing story of a man who cannot believe that he is given a second chance, but to save his friends and himself, he must risk his own sense of self and self preservation. The story is about doing thing we know are right, but feel terribly wrong as they are way outside of own comfort zones all the while displaying it all to our friends and enemies. We usually hide, as best as we may, our own displeasures whilst in public. Thomas does not have that luxury."

Gaiman, Neil: Neverwhere. A ton of Gaiman's books will appeal to teens (see his entire run of Sandman comics all out in handy collected volumes), but this look at an alternate London found deep underground is pitch perfect. It's a great adventure, plus a mystery, a lot of creepy atmosphere and horror and some romance. Nothing fails in this one and it is a great introduction to the author.

Kay, Guy Gavriel: Ysabel. I have no idea why this was published for adults. It follows a teen protagonist across the south of France as he tries to save a friend from a pact that dates back to the Romans. Read all about my love for it a couple of months ago; it's one of my favorite reads in ages.

Ruff, Matt: Bad Monkeys. You've got the ultimate in thriller/paranoia novels here with a dangerous but engaging protagonist and a very scary near future (or is it future) world that is all about the government getting you. Or not. I reviewed it in December at Bookslut and said then that I thought it was a great book for teens. Matt Ruff is a great writer and why he isn't wildly popular I'll never know.

Atwood, Margaret: The Handmaid's Tale. Scores of readers have been permanently freaked out - great for a conversation starter.

LIT:

Haddon, Mark: The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night. Dave reminds us that this one has migrated back and forth between adult and YA - worth a look for obvious reasons.

Mendelsohn, Jane: Innocence. This story of a teenage girl with the step mother from hell is amazing. It has sex, some language and some violent imagery so definitely for high school kids. But man - it will blow you out of the water. Check out the round table we did on this book last August.

Galloway, Gregory: As Simple as Snow. Little Willow loves this book - "This isn't a run-of-the-mill mystery, nor a cautionary tale. It's a story about a boy, a girl, a town, a code. It's a story about that time in your life when you realize nothing is as simple as it seems. Once you realize that, you can't go back, no matter how hard you try. You can only go forward."

Rich, Jamie S.: Have You Seen the Horizon Lately?. I swear this is THE 21st century hipster novel. From my review: "The author also does an excellent job of showing how someone can come undone in his portrayal of Percy. This is a man who has thoroughly and totally cracked up even to the point of becoming a bit of a clichéd cat-person, and when he tries to communicate with Julia the only way he knows how -- by the choice of novels he leaves for her -- readers will find themselves understanding him in a deeply personal way. If you want to know me, really know me, then look at my bookshelves. This is something Rich understands and he shows it through Percy."

Malloy, Brian: The Year of Ice: From the recommendation: "There are so many things I love about this book--the deft prose, the heartbreaking accuracy of the protagonist's turmoil--but I can't describe my favorite thing about the book without giving up a small spoiler. I'll simply say that the protagonist's quest for...satisfaction ends differently than one might think."

Thomas, Scarlet: Popco. From my review: "PopCo a history lesson, a modern fable, an adventure story, even a romance. And it involves buried treasure! More than anything though, it is a wonderfully, gorgeously, original piece of work. The world has never seen anyone like Alice Butler, and Scarlett Thomas has gone a long way towards crafting a one-of-a-kind piece of literature."

Diaz, Junot: The Brief Wonderous Life of Oscar Wao. Kelly recommended this one and wrote "The young adult heroes of The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao are intelligent, flawed, and ambitious. Oscar is a smart kid, his mother's golden boy. He follows his amazing older sister--Lola--to Rutgers and studies writing. The book's most frequent narrator--Yunior--is also a writer, Oscar's roommate, and a ladies' man. Oscar, Lola, and Yunior strive to overcome their flaws and make it in this world as adults. If this premise doesn't appeal to Young Adult readers, I don't know what else will."

The Godfather (beware the violence)
The Exoricist
The World According to Garp
Jaws We were all emotionally scarred by this one (or at least Dave and I are). I still prefer the ending in the movie to the book but you can't ignore a classic - must read. (If you're really brave read it on the beach...dare ya.)

Those four are just all classics, all awesome and all perfect.

Payne, CD: Youth in Revolt. Dave cautions some sexual situations in that one but also says it: "...*should* be YA but is often shoveled off into regular fiction." Easily overlooked, I'm sure.

Biography/Memoir:

Durrell, Gerald: My Family and Other Animals. This is a classic for reason, a fun-filled delight from start to finish. Be sure to check out the PBS movie as well (I recommended both last Christmas.)

Mysteries:

The Mary Russell Series from Laure R. King, specifically The Beekeeper's Apprentice. From her recommendation, Sarah says: "...these are the books that made me realize I do, in fact, like mysteries. Teenage girl who can match wits with Sherlock Holmes does just that, becoming his pupil and then partner - putting him in his place when necessary. What's not to love?"

Leila and I also chimed in on the Amelia Peabody series by Elizabeth Peters, one we both fondly remember and pure candy for fans of The Mummy or with the slightest curiosity about intrepid archaeologists who excavated in the Valley of the Kings from the late 19th century forward. (The romantic elements should attract female readers in particular.)

Elmore Leonard's novels - lots of them. Dave says: "'I'd recommend some Elmore Leonard but can't settle on a title. But that man can write, and I don't care if it is seen as genre, if half of what's printed read as clean as his prose..."

Graphic Novles:

The Magcal Life of Long Tack Sam. I adored it, read much more here at the very first post on the YSRT Awards for this year.

And that is it. It's a short list but a good one and I hope it is helpful. Be sure to check out the comments in my original YSRT post earlier this month for more detailed thoughts on the books I've listed here.

I'll be back tomorrow with an update on the upcoming site for teenage boys and books.