My Teen is Reading Again! #Books for Boys #amreading #YA

My son reading one of the ASOIAF
books on the London tube during a 2016 trip

Hands down, reading is my favorite pastime, and I love books so much, I write them as well.  I've always tried to get my two sons into reading, with varying results.  My younger son, who is now 17 (!!!!) was always the bigger reader, but they both could be hooked with a really great story.  The problem is, I can't always find those really compelling novels that will pull them in immediately.  And because I'm an author, they know terms like "the hook", "the conflict", "the author's voice", etc.  It's hard to argue if they tell me they can't connect with the characters or the pacing is slow. 

So, five years ago, I started blogging about some of the books and series they really loved (links to those posts are below).  I have three posts over the years with titles they've enjoyed.  My oldest son is now in college, with a summer internship in full swing as well, so his time is limited.  But my younger son has a lot of downtime this summer, and I really wanted to get him reading again.  I say "again", because we hit a roadblock a few years ago.  In 2016, he read the A Song of Ice and Fire series (Game of Thrones), tearing through all five enormous books currently out (and I'd read them as well, so I do know there are adult scenes but my feeling has always been if my kids are reading, I'm happy, whatever it is).  The problem arose because those books are so incredible, so intricately plotted, so full of danger and battles and dragons and betrayals, so exciting and action-packed, that nothing he started reading afterwards could compare.  I tried several books that are similar in theme or genre, but he just kept saying they weren't as good and losing interest.   

I'm sad to say this went on for almost 3 years.  We tried The Dark Tower series, other Stephen King books, River God, Swan Song...all great books that I loved.  He would put them down after the first chapter.  The only novels he read were for school, and I generally don't find our school makes very compelling picks.

But this summer, I said we're going to get back into reading for pleasure.  I started with an Amazon search of books related in purchase history to the Quarantine series, which both my kids loved and couldn't put down.  I found a title called Monument 14 by Emmy Laybourne.  He loved it!  This is a YA thriller revolving around a busload of kids of different ages trying to survive in a supermarket after an apocalyptic event.  Thankfully, there were two more books in the series, so we had July covered.

A few of my next picks didn't grab his attention, but another thing happened...he rented the first Lord of the Rings movie.  I was surprised he hadn't seen those movies already with his brother or his friends.  But now he's saying he'd like to read the books too (despite already seeing the movies)...yay!  That's how he got into the Game of Thrones books, so I'm hopeful.  And when a series is *his* idea, and not mine, it makes it all the more likely he'll keep reading.  And here on Cape, the kids don't go back to school until after Labor Day, so we have a few more weeks of beach reading relaxation!


Other recommendations over the years:


Books for Boys

Books for Boys 2

Books for Boys 3