This is Feature Shelf, a series that provides book recommendations based on theme or title suggestions. This week’s Feature Shelf was requested by Christian. This is Feature Shelf #47: The Death Reliability Edition.
Can I just say, Christian, that I love the title of this Feature Shelf. Today we have five books that deal with the reliability of death. Either people can’t stay dead, or they’re not really dead or they’re alive but only sort of or dead but only sort of. Off we go.
More Than This by Patrick Ness
A boy dies, drowning, and wakes up in a place that is vaguely familiar, though he can’t figure out why. It’s deserted – no people, no cars, no animals, no insects. He wonders if there might be more to life than he previously thought. One Goodreads reviewer said that it’s better to go into this book not knowing anything, so I’ll tell you that it deals with death and the afterlife, and there’s a little science fiction thrown in. If you’ve read other books by Patrick Ness, like A Monster Calls or the Chaos Walking Trilogy, you might enjoy this one, too.
Elsewhere by Gabrielle Zevin
Liz has found herself in Elsewhere, the place people go when they die. Elsewhere is very similar to the world that we know, though it has some startling differences. For example, in Elsewhere, people age backwards until they become babies again and return to the real world. This is all well and good, but Liz doesn’t want to age backwards, she wants to age forward. So she spends her time longing for a life and a world that has moved on without her. One question I saw on Zevin’s website was is a life lived in reverse so different from a life lived forward?
The Infects by Sean Beaudoin
Fan of zombies? Fan of satire? The Infects might be the book for you. Seventeen year old Nero is on an “Inward Trek” into nature with a bunch of other delinquents. When the counselors start having a hankering for human flesh, the campers have to figure out how to save themselves. This book is full of pop culture references, which add to the humor. Not only that, the ending is satisfying because the antagonist is one you won’t see coming.
We Were Liars by e. Lockhart
I’ve heard that it’s best not to know too much going into this book, so here’s what I’ll tell you. Well to do family has a set of houses on an island. There’s a girl, her two cousins, and the boy she falls in love with. There’s mystery, family drama, romance, and an accident. There’s also no way to see the ending coming.
The World Without You by Beth Rivas
Bo’s girlfriend Sofia dies before the novel starts. They were classmates at a boarding school for adolescents who have special needs. Part of Bo’s challenge is that he believes he can travel through time. So in his mind, Sofia didn’t die, he accidentally left her in the past and he’s trying to go back in time and save her. I just did a sticky note review video on this one, so click the book for more info if you’re interested.
And as kind of a humorous addition for our adult viewers, or maybe just because it amuses me: Game of Thrones. I only add this because in this series of novels, death is incredibly reliable. If you’re familiar with the show, you’ll know that George R. R. Martin kills off EVERYONE.
No death? No problem. Those were four YA books you might enjoy if you’re not too confident about the staying power of death in books:
More than This by Patrick Ness
Elsewhere by Gabrielle Zevin
The Infects by Sean Beaudoin
We Were Liars by e. Lockhart
The World Without You by Beth Rivas
I’m going to get out of here, but a few things before I do: First, for the archives and show notes for the video and the podcast, which has a little more commentary, head over to http://thebooksupplier.com and click on Feature Shelf.
Second, if you’d like to request your own Feature Shelf, hit me up on any of the places you see on the end screen.
And finally, if you’ve read any of the books I talked about today or you have thoughts about them, leave me comments in any of those places and we’ll continue the conversation. I look forward to it.
I’ll leave you there now, dear readers. Thanks for watching Feature Shelf #48: The Death Reliability Edition. I am the (book) supplier wishing you happy reading. Don’t forget to be awesome.
the (book) supplier 