Are You a Peter Pan?
Last week, we talked about whether or not we are Bibliomaniacs in preparation for the month long book buying ban that Bella from A Girl Reads A Book is hosting in September. I think we can safely say that none of us are bibliomaniacs because the Hoarders team from A&E isn’t knocking on our doors to help us clear a path through our homes. This week, I’m hopping full on into a controversial subject so pull out your pitchforks and get ready to chase me out of town. Jennifer at Girls Gone Reading is VERY appropriately doing a Friday Coffee Chat post on What Sparks a Love of Reading. Make sure you check out her blog after you read, comment on my post, and then angrily run me out of the blogosphere!
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This week I’m throwing the dreaded Young Adult subject out there for all you readers. There are heaps of YA blogs out there, and I have quite a few good bloggy friends out there that love YA (Hi Bella and Chachic and Carly…I know there are others, but you guys come to mind first). With the release of Mockingjay which thanks to Twitter I am VERY tired of hearing about, I started thinking about why people are obsessed with YA fiction.
I’m not gonna lie. I’m 32. No kids. I don’t read a lot of YA. Sure I read Harry Potter and I even read Twilight, but YA isn’t on my radar for the most part. This doesn’t mean that I am not open to reading it. Some of my bloggy friends have given me some really good suggestions that I’ve added to my wishlist. Honestly, and dare I say this, I am too old for the YA phenomenon. I don’t really remember reading much of it when I was a young adult because it simply wasn’t as popular back then.
So why do so many adults choose to read YA? I’m not talking about a book here or a book there. I’m talking about having a steady diet of YA when you are in your 20s or 30s and up. What is so wonderful about teen angst that isn’t wonderful about other decades’ angst? Are there no kick ass heroes and heroines in adult fiction (and I don’t mean THAT adult fiction..hehe)? Are there no compelling characters or stories in the entire world of adult fiction? I’m thinking that this isn’t the case so these are the reasons I’ve come up with for the popularity of YA Fiction:
- The books are shorter with bigger print so it enables bloggers to read and review more books.
- It’s more escapist than fiction geared toward adults. I mean, we’re all living our lives so maybe we don’t want to read about problems or situations we’re currently facing.
- People are overstressed, overworked, overeverything so when they read they want something quick, fun, and easy.
- The language in the books is easier and requires less thought to get through.
Now before you skewer me for writing those reasons, I’m not judging all the YA bloggers and readers out there. I think people should read what they enjoy of course! I just wonder why more people aren’t eagerly anticipating books like The Distant Hours by Kate 
Morton or The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson (there is anticipation, but nothing like The Hunger Games or Harry Potter phenomenons). No one was threatening to unfollow people on Twitter for spoilers from The Passage, but Mockingjay pretty much took over Twitter for the last three weeks or so complete with threats of unfollowing Twitter users and blogs that posted spoilers. So what would it take for adults to be interested in fiction that is written for adults again?
Does it matter?
Do you think that adult fiction is less relevant today than it used to be?
Should I be embracing my inner Peter Pan and abandon adult fiction? So many questions! Let me know what you think!
*Note: I do plan on reading The Hunger Games trilogy at some point as well as some other fantastic YA fiction that people have recommended to me. I’m all about trying to be open. I don’t always succeed, but I do try!
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Rachel 89p · 760 weeks ago
I read YA but along with many other types of books. I don't understand why anyone over the age of 20 would want to read YA exclusively. I don't even remember reading YA when I was a teen. I am not sure there were many YA books out there when I was.. or maybe I just preferred adult books. Either way, I think it's great to read as part of a healthy reading diet.
What weirds me out is the mothers who are salivating over Edward from Twilight, alongside their daughters. Slightly gross and creepy.
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chachic 47p · 760 weeks ago
As for why The Hunger Games, Harry Potter or Twilight became so popular, I don't know either. That's one of the reasons why I like having a blog, I can say to other people that there are a lot of other books out there that they should read because they're just as good (sometimes even better) than popular books.
I think people should read what they enjoy of course! -> I agree! I just go with whatever seems like something that I'll enjoy.
My recent post We Love YA- Emily
@gemzina · 760 weeks ago
scrabblequeen 40p · 760 weeks ago
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leeswammes 78p · 760 weeks ago
I did a dystopian challenge, and after a while, I actually got bored with the YA dystopia books. So with help of my blog readers I made a list of dystopia for adults.
Why? I don't relate too much to young protagonists. I can handle them in a book or two, but it's too far from my own world (although I have teenage kids). Sometimes the language is quite simple, as you say, and I find this boring, I go through the book so fast, it's hardly worth picking it up.
So, I mainly read YA for the dystopian ideas the author puts in. I love it when the author has created a really good story which is totally believable as something that might happen to us in future.
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Old English Rose · 760 weeks ago
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@bellareads · 760 weeks ago
Wowser what a topic Carin!
I do love YA fiction, but I love it for different reasons than other people. I grew up in Australia and as a teen I was reading adult fiction - mysteries, stephen king and science fiction mainly. My parents didn't mind I'd rather embrace adult fiction. So as a teen I missed out on a lot of YA fiction.
Now in Australia our high schools were devoid of cheerleaders and sororities, so yep I love reading about those in YA now. That's part of the reason I choose MG & YA review books that have this, and part of the reason I love the Private series.
There is another part of YA that I love and that wouldn't be fair to lump in with Twilight and House of Night. That is YA fantasy without vamps, like Diana Wynne Jones, Tamora Pierce and Ursula Le Guin. I only discovered these in my late 20s and adore them to pieces. They write the best wizards and dragons ever.
That's my take on it. There are simply some awesome YA writers out there. Two YA books I've read in the last six months were so well written with emotion coming straight off the page that left me in tears. Whether it is YA or adult fiction, I wil read it all :)
Great topic Carin, glad someone brought this out in the open!
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amymckie 73p · 760 weeks ago
On YA... I'm 24, and read about 30% YA. I find that I relate much more to the looking for a bf and trying to fit in type story found in YA than I do the marriage and kids and cheating that comes up in women's fiction and chick lit. I compare YA to a lot of those books like the women's fiction and romance which I usually find to be lighter and quicker reads than YA for me - but don't do anything for me. So for me it's not that it's easier or quicker, but more that of the easier and quicker books out there it is what resonates with me more.
And that is another thing - people (not saying you, but I've seen many with this view) think that YA is just easy reading... but they don't always consider that a lot of other books are just as easy. Romance? Erotica? Chick lit? A lot of women's lit? All those books, for me, are what I consider to be simplistic easy reads where YA contains fiction and non-fiction and often explores some heavy subjects.
I've found that I really like examining the gender stereotypes that exist in them and it's become a bit of a search for characters that as a girl who things being single is NOT a huge issue, and who things that girls can be kick ass on their own as heroines and not need men to do all the work for them, to find characters that reflect this. I'm sure I could do this with adult urban fantasy and paranormal as well, but I just haven't found any that 'clicks' for me in the way that YA urban fantasy and paranormal does. And you know what I think it is? The adult stuff that I've read has often been heavy on the romance side. So obviously I need to pick better, yes, but at the same time, if it's just all romance and sex then it's not what I'm looking for.
I've also started reading some non urban fantasy because I love how it is exploring things like rape, partying, gay, lesbian, bi and transgender characters and relationships, and more. I don't find that as much in the adult fiction I read so it is refreshing to read it in the YA books.
Of course I still read a lot of general fiction (especially a lot of international fiction) and non-fiction, and I've been reading more YA than usual because of review books, but those are the reasons that I love it!
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@ratsinabag · 760 weeks ago
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Ronnica · 760 weeks ago
I want to point other readers to good books regardless of who the target audience is. That's why I read a bit of everything...I'm in search of the best, period, no matter the genre.
maestardown 26p · 760 weeks ago
Maybe this is 'cause when I was at the right age for YA, there wasn't a lot of spec fic targeted for that age group, and I was already reading at a college level, and therefore powering my way through Heinlein and Jordan and re-reading Tolkien. Maybe I was a reading snob even then, and pooh-poohed books written for younger readers. I dunno. But the idea that YA doesn't offer as much has stuck with me.
...having said that, I have Cindy Pon's Silver Phoenix sitting on my nightstand, just waiting for me to finish The Way of Kings, Sookie Stackhouse, and Tongues of Serpents to get to it. So, I do read YA. It just plays second fiddle in my head.
Though I've read and enjoyed Harry Potter, and Twilight (*hides*), and am currently enjoying Percy Jackson--which is geared even younger--I'm mostly craving writing that I find in other parts of the bookstore.
Maybe it's 'cause the YA I've read is starting to feel formulaic? Of course, SFF can feel formulaic after a while, too, so maybe I just need to search out authors who aren't following the pack, but are instead exploring the YA field off on their own?
Meg · 760 weeks ago
I also went to a very small school in high school (56 in my graduating class) and was a teacher's kid. Everyone knew me, and I got along well with most of my schoolmates. As a girl who has only had one boyfriend (my current boyfriend) I know what it was like to pine after a boy I liked, I can remember those feelings and. the characters in most YA books are similar to me in personality.
I agree that I relate more to that storyline than the story line of "recently divorced and ready to conquer the world" or "having a baby and figuring out how the change to the marriage is going to be approached" etc.
As for the 'Hunger Games', 'Harry Potter', 'Twilight' series, I think the reason they are so popular is BECAUSE they are series. People can get more of the story. They can catch up on a character they like. I haven't read Hunger Games, but I have read (AND LOVE) Harry Potter. I think J.K. Rowling did a phenomenal job with her writing and staying true to the characters from page one in Sorcer's Stone to the last page in Deathly Hallows.
Twilight? I have read the first book and watched the first two movies. I don't get the desperation for that story line. I don't think that that is even great writing. I have read NUMEROUS YA stories that are 10 times better and more intriguing than those books. But I think the series aspect pulls people in and won't let them go. I will probably end up reading the remaining three books of the Twilight series just because they are there to be read. UGH!
In any case, I am happy people are reading no matter what they choose to pick up... reading is a great hobby! Enjoy what you read, read what you enjoy. That is all! :)
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Rikki 49p · 760 weeks ago
What bothers me about YA (and you mention this, too) is that the YA blogosphere seems to
a. be able to create a MUCH bigger hype for certain books than the rest of us. Never before have I seen such an amount of blog posts and tweets about a book as about Mockinjay. For a few weeks you could have thought that there is no other book out there. Not that I had an inclination to read the trilogy, but had I had any that hype would have killed it for certain.
b. have taken over a lot of the book blogosphere. Whenever you go to blogs from the Blog Hop (which I don't participate in, but still look at occasionally) or from In my mailbox, a large part is YA blogs or YA book lists and that bores me to death. I hardly ever comment on blogs for that very reason. I have nothing to say to those posts.
Now I could go on a tangent and talk about meaningless post comments, but that is another topic altogether.
Rikki 49p · 760 weeks ago
Actually often I find YA covers quite tasteful and love them, I still wouldn't read the books, though. See, I don't judge a book by its cover, either way, :) .
I read posts on YA blogs if they cover something else, general books topics etc, of course, just the YA aspect doesn't interest me in the least.
Tanya · 760 weeks ago
@ratsinabag · 760 weeks ago
I think reading one kind of any book is very limiting no matter what it is. If you only read classics, or so called ‘literary’ fiction, or just crime, chick-lit etc – then that’s just as bad as reading only YA books. I get frustrated with some blogs that only seem to read review books they get because I’m simply not interested in half that stuff – especially a lot of new YA out there I’m sad to say.
Young Adult is a rather broad spectrum and ranges from young teenage to the older teenagers where what YA and what isn’t becomes a grey murky area and sometimes down to opinion. I will read from all over – even some juvenile fiction. It just depends on the story and the author. I think though it is sad that there is an assumption that if it is YA then it cannot be very well written, contain challenging vocabulary or have any depth and meaning. I lately heard that someone did not think Eva Ibbotson was a YA author – she writes a range for much younger children, to young teenagers to older teenagers. She incorporates culture and her language is quite complex for a YA romance.
What is a YA book? Many cross between adult and YA sections of the bookshop or library. The Tales of the Otori, Harry Potter, Twilight, The Boy in Striped Pyjamas and many many others can be found re-jacketed in both sides. It is only that they have to re-design the front cover to fool people into thinking they’re not reading a Young Adult book.
I think part of the problem is down to publishers now who market books so viciously that it does become tiresome hearing about the next new best thing. Many books I look at in the YA section do look and feel shallow. I’m not interested in reading books set in high schools and all that – that doesn’t interest me. Not all of it is crap, much of it is actually quite well written. It can be read as ‘light’ fiction – but then I would probably sooner turn to a crime novel when I want something light to read.
If people don’t wanna read YA then that’s fair enough. But I get annoyed at people who say “I don’t see why adults should read YA, it is dumbing down etc” as some people seem to believe. To say that YA fiction is all shallow, overly simplistic, not as well written is quite demeaning - not to adults who read YA but to youngsters being constantly told that what they read isn’t good enough or ‘they’ll grow up into better stuff’. Some people just get really uptight about people who read YA.
Now, if you want any good YA (in my humble opinion) then here is a reading list:
The Seeing Stone by Kevin Crossley Holland in fact anything by this author. He writes so well.
Mortal Engines by Philip Reeve which is #1 of a series.
The Morning Gift and The Secret Countess/Countess Below the Stairs by Eva Ibbotson
Anything by DWJ who writes for ages between 10-100.
Across the Nightingale Floor by Lian Hearn (Otori series)
Goodnight Mister Tom by Michelle Mogorian
The Shadow of the Wall/Beyond the Wall by Christa Laird (out of print but really good)
I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith
Micheal Morpugo writes for younger children, but he’s a very good author and I think worth a read anyway.
Anything by Joan Aiken especially Go Saddle the Sea and The Wolves of Willoughby Chase.
Northern Lights/The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman. Some people say it is too ‘dark’ for a YA. Why is it too dark? Can’t YA fiction be dark? Obviously it isn’t meant for younger readers but it doesn’t mean mid to older teenagers won’t read it.
Bog Child by Siobhan Dowd – that was really good.
The Animals of Farthing Wood by Colin Dann which is kinda like Watership Down but for younger readers.
I haven’t read this one – but Elizabeth Laird seems to write a lot of very good, interesting looking historical and multi-cultural fiction.
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chewdigest 47p · 760 weeks ago
Like you, I am well past that teenage angst stage and they seldom resonate with me unless they have a really interesting hook. One thing that I haven't read in the comments is that 90% of the kids in YA have basically absentee parents. I know that I shouldn't have a say because I don't have kids, but is this really how kids are raised these days? I get so pissed at the parental figures that have no clue what is really going on with their teenagers. No wonder the world is going to heck in a handbasket, parents consider their job done at 13!
Sorry, I got off on a personal pet peeve there.
They are quick to read, marketed like candy, and a total escape, I guess that is why people/book bloggers go for them. Personally, they don't really add to my reading experience so I read them only when they fall into my lap.
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kemendraugh 17p · 760 weeks ago
About 90% or more of the books I read are YA and MG. When people ask why, I tell them I never grew up. But the real reason?
*whispers* I'm TERRIFIED of reading adult books!
I KNOW YA. I KNOW kids' book! Most of the time I know just from a quick glance whether I'll like the book or not. It's familiar ground, and I'm good at it.
It's comfortable.
Really, the only adult books I've ever read have been classics. I can count on my fingers how many contemporary adult books I've read.
That's one reason I've started reading blogs like yours, Carin :) I just don't know what's GOOD out there in the adult fiction world! I have no scale to measure it against, and no knowledge. And most of my friends only read YA, so they're absolutely no help!
One thing I will say. I don't believe that reading just YA or MG books is wholly based on escapism. Sometimes it is, but I also believe that reading in my own age group of books is escapism much of the time too. All reading can be escapism, if we let it :) Not that that's a bad thing! Just as long as we're aware!
So! To answer your questions, for me to get interested in adult books would take someone else interested in them, who could tell me what to read! At least to get started.
I do NOT think that adult fiction is less relevant now than it was in the past. I think every age needs fiction, written for them in mind.
And yes, of course, embrace your inner Peter Pan. But that doesn't mean you can't still read books written for adults! You seem to do a great job of keeping an open mind about books until you try them, keep up the good work!
hey, off the top of your head, can you think of any adult fiction that a newcomer to it should read? ;)
@Vasilly · 760 weeks ago
Amanda · 760 weeks ago
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Jennifer · 760 weeks ago
I actually agree with your points, not for blogging, but just for my life. YA is faster to read, easier to digest, and just simpler. Sometimes I need simpler. But the thing that really stumped me was why do I not get as excited about adult lit coming out. Why don't I wait in line for those books (although I don't wait in line for YA books either)?
I think the true answer is I do, but I just handle it differently. Elizabeth Gilbert just had a great article/editorial in Entertainment Weekly in defense of Eat, Pray, Love and other women's literature. She argued that when women, as a whole, like something it is discredited, deemed foolish. Gilbert continued by saying that when men enjoy something in mass it is not vilified in the same way. Twilight, she contended, is enjoyed by women because it makes them feel young again. It reminds them of their first loves. For me, at least I know this is true.
So, maybe the answer is that I get so excited about YA lit releases and its content because the "young" side of me comes out in it. I devour the books just like the teenagers do, and I want to talk about them endlessly. All of this is might not be that mature, or adult, but sometimes I need to feel younger, to escape into teenage Jen. It's just a nice place to visit.
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Ellie M · 760 weeks ago
Ellie M · 760 weeks ago
Joanna · 760 weeks ago
Well theres my two cents..maybe a little more!!!
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lrpresley 92p · 758 weeks ago
While I was there picking up my copy of Mockingjay on its release date, I also was there for Sanderson's Way of Kings. I did not go to the Book Festival here in Georgia to see YA adults - I went to DragonCon to see Sanderson, Cherie Priest and other adult authors. Why? Because I'm a 34 year old woman and I enjoy adult literature.
I buy classics (used and beautiful copies). For every teenage book I read I probably read 3-4 adult ones. And I wish more people out there did - there is such fantastic literature to be read! If you are wanting an easy read, check out Southern Literature - Saving CeeCee Honeycutt will have you unwilling to put the book down.
Thanks for talking about this here and letting me know about it!
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