HisBane

Might not be quite "hard" enough, but perhaps try the Interdepency trilogy by John Scalzi.

Reliquary by Douglas Preston and Lincoln child. Suspense. Enjoying it so far. It's the sequel to The Relic, and I'm liking this book a bit more than the first.

I enjoyed that trilogy, too.

The Goonies and Pump Up the Volume followed closely by Indiana Jones (1&3) and Scott Pilgrim vs. The World.

Such a great movie. To add to the list...

It's Mega Maid, sir. She's gone from suck to blow.

Light speed is too slow. We'll have to go right to Ludacris speed.
Ludacris speed?!?
What's the matter Colonel Sanders? Chicken?

Looks like I have to add these to my list!

I struggled a bit with that read myself. It uses a lot of classic gothic tropes and was a bit slow moving for me, (think Castle of Otranto) but my friend absolutely loved it.

Just finished the City of Ghosts, Tunnel of Bones, and Bridge of souls trilogy from VE Schwab. They're YA fantasy set in modern times, the protagonist being a 12-year-old girl who's best friend is a ghost. Light and easy reading, and a nice fit for younger audiences.

I've been working through Schwab's works after reading The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, which is also fantasy, but definitely for older audiences. The chapters alternate in both time and characters, and there are enough twists in the story to avoid predictability.

Gadabouts

Nothing wrong with being in school with a more mature outlook. My first run at college, I pissed away a sweet academic scholarship and ended up dropping out after sophomore year. When I went back at 26, I was more prepared to put in the work and focus on what mattered (getting that degree). I basically had to start my college career all over, and while many of the general education classes I had to take were predominantly filled with younger students, the further into my program I got, the more post-bac and non-traditional students I encountered.
I let it bother me at first (felt like a failure, yadda, yadda). When I got over myself, I had a great time learning. I wasn't there to impress anyone - I was there for me. So you do you.

I'll have to check it out. Thanks!

Have you checked out "Fuzzy Nation", "Red Shirts", or the "Lock In" series? All fun stories by Scalzi in similar veins (Lock In is a bit more serious, but not like The Interdependency).