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Monday, January 23, 2012

Musing Mondays (17)


MUSING MONDAYS…is a weekly event hosted by Should Be Reading where MizB will ask a book/reading-related question, and you answer with your own thoughts on the topic


Why do you think that the Young Adult genre is so popular with even the adult readers? Do you read YA books, yourself?
Most books I read and review are considered YA. Recently I participated in the YA Authors Appreciation Event where I discussed why I love YA and the impact my favorite YA author (Lauren Myracle) has had on me as a reader. Here are a few excerpts from that post that explain why YA still appeals to me, a twenty-something, and I think many adult YA readers feel the same way...

**I refer to Myracle's YA work specifically in this post, but my opinions ring true for YA in general as well**

"Lauren Myracle’s YA novels opened my eyes to the awesomeness, beauty, humor, and enlightenment that YA has to offer...

Myracle’s work was really the catalyst that changed the way I viewed YA. Before I read YA on a regular basis, I believed that YA books either fell into two different categories: strictly serious/intense and lighthearted/humorous/fluff. But Myracle’s books prove that YA can be both serious and funny in the span of a single book, a single chapter, heck, a single page, and, in Myracle’s case, it can be seriously funny! Furthermore, her books prove that YA can be, and most often is, smart, sophisticated, sharp, witty, eloquent, powerful, and meaningful. And one of the most important things Myracle has shown me through her work is that just because it’s called Young Adult doesn’t mean it’s just for young adults...

When I first began reading Myracle’s books and many other YA books, I often found myself thinking 'Wow! 17 year old me could totally relate to that' or 'I felt the same way as a teen!'. But the more YA I read, specifically the more of Myracle’s work I read, the more I began to realize that even at twenty-something I could relate to what these YA characters are going through. Even now in my late twenties, so much of what her and other YA authors’ characters go through, moves me and touches me, not just because 17 year old me could have related or understood, but because 27 year old me still feels it, gets it, experiences it...

Whether a YA novel has vampires, werewolves, magical abilities; whether it takes places 100 years ago, 100 years from now, or today, it’s all about capturing the moments, experiences, and feelings that change its characters, cause them to evolve and mature. In a way, every YA story is a coming of age story; a story about growing-growing up; growing wiser; growing older. And do we ever really stop growing? Do we ever stop needing stories like these, like so many found in YA, to remind us we are not alone?"

So that's why I read YA and why I think so many other adults read and enjoy YA. What about YOU?! Why do you read YA? Or why don't you read YA? Why do you think YA is so popular among adults?

LEAVE LINKS TO YOUR MONDAY MEMES IN THE COMMENTS. IF YOU'RE A NEW FOLLOWER LET ME SO I CAN FOLLOW YOU BACK :)


5 comments:

Anonymous said...

I like to read YA too. :)
Here’s my Monday Memes post.

caite said...

I am not a big YA reader but that whole reliving the coming of age thing has an appeal.

Cathy De Los Santos said...

I totally agree, I think YA is all about coming of age. Here's my Musing

NerdBliss said...

I'm huge on the "coming of age" story, in YA and otherwise.

Anonymous said...

I love reading YA. It's easy for me because I am of the same age or close enough. But even when I get older I will still read YA. Anyone can relate to the stories and characters, see something that reminds them of themselves or something they did. I know I will always read YA, the stories are just too good lol.