As a reader I've gone through many phases. There was Magic Tree House and Geronimo Stilton which eventually gave way to The Series of Unfortunate Events and Harry Potter. Those two lead to my entrance into YA via Twilight.
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| I loved volcanos. |
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| Puns! |
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| Read it in a night. |
All these phases related to my age. I was a certain age in each and read the books that were more or less designated for that age. As I grew up, the books I read also increased in maturity and changed or evolved.
However, I recently turned 18 making me a certified adult, so weird. Does this mean that I will follow the path that nature has been leading me through in the past?
The reason I grew out of each of those previous books was because they were written for a certain intelligence level (except Harry Potter, I'll be reading that to my grandchildren). YA books aren't always the most rich pieces of writing but they appeal to all ages. There is no min/max intelligence level required. The topics covered are universal.
This is the reason why so many YA readers aren't young adults. Technically I'm not one either now. I should be reading New Adult, but YA doesn't shut me out. I can still read about a 17 year old girl who is an assassin nun in medieval Brittany (Grave Mercy shout out!). And if I'm feeling like reminiscing, I can read about a 14 year old entering high school for the first time. Whatever floats your boat.
I’m sure one day, I'll move on to reading books in other age groups, most likely adult books. I've already started with the occasional book. But that's not the only option. Heck, I know people who couldn't care less about adult books; they enjoy children’s literature. Great!
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I think what I'm trying to get to is, as we're growing up, we're more focused on age and age advised products. But as we grow up and our minds grow as well and at some point we become capable of accepting of different things. This is why books in the adult genre aren't always about 40 something year olds. They're about kids, grandmas, cats etc.
I'm 18 and I like YA books and I shall continue to like and read them until I feel otherwise. Not because I've reached a certain age but because my taste has changed.
I'm 18 and I like YA books and I shall continue to like and read them until I feel otherwise. Not because I've reached a certain age but because my taste has changed.
I'm 32 and read almost all YA. lol For me it's like an escape from my reality. I like reading about characters that are just discovering who they are. :)
ReplyDeleteI love that you know what kind of characters you like and what genre/age group can offer you that.
Delete-Mari
I'm 26 and I love YA books. Actually YA is mostly what I read :) I like reading adult books too but it's hard to find the ones that are about more than sex, you know? I can see myself reading mostly YA for a long time coming!
ReplyDeleteGreat post, Mari!
I hear you! I think the excessive amount of sex is one of the reason why it will take a lot to rip me away from YA :)
Delete-Mari
I actually went the other way around, haha. When I was younger, I only read adult and I haven't heard of YA before. I guess it's because it's not a huge thing here in my country. Now I'm older, I hardly read adult books and YA are practically my reading life :D And I don't care!
ReplyDeleteHaha, thats awesome! I think YA in general is a very young category, it's a lot like teens. In the past there was adults and then kids, no inbetweens. Now that there is, I'm glad were enjoying them :)
Delete-Mari
I totally get what you mean! I'm 17 (and a half) now and I feel weird thinking that in a few months I will be reading about characters younger than me. I still feel strange reading about 14 and 15 year old YA characters but if I love the books I get past it. I'm sure I'll still love YA no matter my age :) After all, I do know a lot of older people who adore YA, some of them are my favourite bloggers.
ReplyDeleteAwesome post!
I've actually noticed that too, at some point I stopped being interested in 14 year olds and it's probably since we recently went through that stage and know how it works, but maybe in a few years we will find it interesting again.
Delete-Mari
Psh. I don't know that there was ever a time I read strictly "age-catagory". I'm twenty-two and I read anything that strikes my fancy. Adult, new adult, YA, middle grade and, yes, dare I say it PICTURE BOOKS. (Hey, in addition to awesome illustrations, some of them are really good literature. ^^) Keep reading what feeds your soul and fits your heart! That's what I say.
ReplyDeleteHere on the TSC we are picture book lovers! It really doesn't matter what one reads as long as they're reading right? I think it's awesome that you can do that, I'm working on broadening my own reading horizon.
Delete-Mari
Hehehehe, I used to read ahead of my recommended age brackett all the time. And now I continue to read whatever I feel like. I'm 33 and read a LOT of YA, and also read adult fiction, it all depends on the themes and my mood. Read what you want and don't be bothered about the intended age.
ReplyDeleteAgreed. Reading is fun and one should read whatever interests them. I think it's a given with everything in life. Ah reading, I love how it relates to everything :P
Delete-Mari
I've been reading YA books for a while now. I'll admit... I don't like the ones that are too teen. I guess what I mean by that are the ones about relationships. Which is probably why I don't read a lot of romance novels. I do love YA fantasy though... in fact I love it. I really don't care what others think. Anymore since YA books are the movies it can be cool to have read the book. So things certainly have changed there.
ReplyDeleteYA fantasy is definitely more relatable to a broader audience because of how rich the genre is. It's basically adult fantasy without the excess sex.
Delete-Mari