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READERS! Help selecting books from various genres!

ABCJohn

New Member
Hi, I am a young collegiate male who aspires to be a writer. While I have many ideas, I have a weakness in that I have not read many books. This becomes problematic when trying to write situations in a way to produce certain reactions in an audience. There’s just no reference as to what’s been done effectively without having read similar things. For all you writers and well-read individuals, what books should I read to see helpful examples of the following? (Yes, they're a bit dark, but so is the particular project I'm working on.)

1.) Realistic YA romance from the 1st person female perspective

2.) A 1st person female perspective of violence or sexual abuse (preferably child abuse by a parent, but domestic abuse could work as well)

3.) Telling a story via the 1st person perspective of a person either dealing with severe mental illness or otherwise going insane

4.) A story that creates a truly frightening atmosphere with little-to-no blood and gore (use of ghosts or monsters is acceptable, just no violence)

5.) A story that shows what life is like for patients committed to a hospital ward, but aren’t stuck in bed 90+ % of the time (similar to the movie It’s Kind of a Funny Story)

6.) A 1st person perspective of a detective investigating a supernatural phenomenon and/or government conspiracy

7.) A 1st person perspective of what drinking/doing drugs feels like, from an author with ACTUAL EXPERIENCE in the matter

8.) A character dealing with extreme guilt (preferably feeling responsible for another’s death)

9.) A male child’s (8-14) 1st person perspective on romance

10.) Convincing dream sequences used as metaphors for a theme or problem
 
Just off the top of my head:

For number 2 - The Color Purple by Alice Walker (It's considered a classic, and it's a very interesting read with some rather graphic descriptions of abuse about an African-American girl in the 1930s written in the epistolary style. It's really controversial, but I suppose it fits with your criteria.)
For number 3 - One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey (This kind of works, since the narrator is in a mental hospital, but I think it's up for the reader to decide if Chief is actually crazy or not)
 
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