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I'm an adult who reads YA. Among lots of adults who read YA. Every one of us has got a valid reason for that, and several - often excellent - posts have already been written about the subject. So that's not what I'm going to do here.
But I have been musing lately. Coincidentally to being an adult who reads YA, I'm also an adult who hardly reads the fiction that is meant for her anymore. Unless it's a quirky book about time travel or paranormalcy or futuristic technology and the like. And while I'm a die-hard fan of adult mysteries, I only love the classic ones (Agatha Christie, Ellery Queen, John Dickson Carr, Rex Stout), so it's not like I'm buying new books in the genre.
So, I've been basically asking myself, not why I read YA book, but why I hardly read adult fiction anymore. And this is what I came up with...
- SEX. I'm a very private person, and this may explain (partly at least) why I don't feel like virtually entering other people's bedrooms. But I'm sure there are many other private persons who don't mind reading about sex instead. Anyway, the point is, I'm not comfortable at all with having all those kinds of details displayed. This doesn't mean I'm a prude, but I can do without bedroom tours...
- FAMILY ISSUES. Difficult kids, cheating spouses, nosy in-laws - no thanks. I would only get angry or annoyed. I do like issue books, but I prefer such issues to transport me in a totally different world from my own, or from the world that is supposed to belong to the average adult...
- PROBLEMS AT WORK. Careers, bosses, colleagues, salaries, clients. Um...no. Boring. 'Nuff said.
You might point out that my list includes all the main things that make up the so-called "adult life". Oops. But really, is that all it boils down to? because I feel like I've been cheated on then. I thought there was still some fun to have, something new to discover, some new places to explore. I thought we were eager to grow up in order to finally do what we wanted, not what we were supposed to. I thought there was more to life than fighting with your significant other and paying the bills. And if this is the stuff adult life is made of, I sure as hell don't want to read a book that reminds me of it. I'm still vibrant. I'm still boundless. I'm still crazy. I'm still untameable. I'm still a lone warrior who can't get the world. Sue me.
And now I'm off to read a good, exciting YA novel 😜
For more Reader's Quirks click here.
Like to talk books? You might also be interested in this post. Comments are welcome!
I am with you. I would say the majority of adult books I read are romances (so, obvs, I'm ok with the sex stuff), but I tend to find the marriage and job drama depressing. I think there is this separation between my life and the characters' lives. I may have had similar experiences, but they are in the past, and therefore, easier to watch from a distance. The pacing of adult novels can be sort of slow too. They really make you work for it.
ReplyDeleteThe pacing issue is probably one of the main reasons why so many adults read YA - that, and wanting to escape into worlds where things happen that they have never experienced, or never will...anyway, exciting, sometimes otherworldly things 😉.
DeleteI'm an adult, well, the idea is still pending, but I do read adult fiction, just not adult contemporary but I also read more books for various ages - it really depends on the book
ReplyDelete#1 - I also don't want to read about sex, some of the scenes are just so terrible, it forces me not to continue reading the book, some images even if they happen in your head, just cannot be erased
#2 - if there's just too much touchy-feely, than I would rather watch an after school special
#3 - actually, this one seems to effect books of all ages, it's not like there's no adults in ya books that doesn't have jobs, but I'm agreed with you, I don't really want to read about workplace anything
offbeat adult book to recommend? there's a few but what I can list off the top of my head is 'postcards from a dead girl by kirk farber; things gone astray by janina matthewson' both have some love scenes but you can gloss over them
have a lovely day.
Haha, I love your "the idea is still pending". And I'm glad I'm not alone when it comes to certain dislikes - it makes me feel less weird LOL. Also, thank you for the recommendations! I will look into the books you mentioned!
DeleteHave a lovely day yourself 🙂.
I don't think anyone needs reasons to enjoy what they enjoy---sometimes teen and kid books/shows/movies/etc. are just plain good!---but it is interesting to see people's reasons. I have actually drifted away from YA and read less of it, but since I stick to SFF, I still find plenty of books that aren't about adulting. A lot of them do have sex though. I'm not entirely sure of your taste, so I wouldn't know what to recommend, but I hope you keep finding books you enjoy, whether they're YA or adult!
ReplyDeleteI know you read lots of books with "creatures" in them, which I'm not particularly drawn too - but as long as they provide you with the escapism you need, just like YA (or certain genres in that category) does for me, they're most certainly good. There's no shame in not wanting to hear about the things we already experience in our daily lives - unless the way they're told promises to be cathartic for some reason. Also, the quality of a book is not to be measured by the age group it was originally aimed at...I'm sure we aren't to lose a taste for literary prose just because we read YA (or SFF)...not to mention, YA is not "toned down" to kids nowadays - it just happens to have kids in it!
DeleteFor me, books are mostly supposed to be a form of escapism, or to be able to relate to things that I can't seem to relate to with people on a daily basis. That means that the common problems of people in my age group, such as job woes, bedroom situations, bills, etc. are not things that I need books for - in fact, why would I want to think about them more than I already need to? I commonly shy away from standard adult fiction, and often pick classics, Sci-fi, fantasy, YA, or picture books instead. They appeal more to the things I am interested in, and away from the things I don't want to deal with on a daily basis.
ReplyDeleteWe are two twin souls! (though I'm sure you're much younger than me, but that doesn't count 😉). I don't need a reminder for things I fight with/live with everyday. Especially since my life is...complicated, and there are so many things I had to give up on for reasons I'm not going to detail, so books (and TV shows like Doctor Who) are the only place I have left where I can lift the burden from my soul.
DeleteHello my twin :). And yep, similar boat for me as well. Also, just to fill you in, I got one of the two jobs that I had been trying for (not the one that I ideally wanted, but I'm still happy).
DeleteThat's great! Congratulations! Is that still in the library field?
DeleteIt is, yep! I technically have the same title that I did previously, but this is more hours in a different department with a partial shift in duties. So, a lot of my day-to-day functions are the same, but my additional duties have changed quite a bit. It's only a temporary swap for now though.
DeleteI hope it works for you! - and if it does, I hope you get to stay.
DeleteI HAVE SO MANY THOUGHTS ON THIS TOPIC, OK. Honestly, I've been reading more and more adult fiction, and I don't see the GREAT difference people talk about? Obviously the ages differ, and thus the problems the characters face (in contemporary at least) are mostly different. BUT YA novels can be just as well-written as adult novel - the plot, the character-development etc. doesn't get "worse" because the characters are younger. Of course, not all YA novels are perfect or even good... same as not all adult novels are. I'm actually thinking of writing a post about this topic, because it's something I'm very interested in exploring more. Fantastic post & keep on reading what you love. :D
ReplyDeleteVeronika @ The Regal Critiques
The stigma about YA is hard to go away. The reason why I love it is that, as I said, I want escape into worlds that don't resemble my own, or forget the things that I have to face on a daily basis. But I've found some great writing in YA - or good at least - and let's face it, it isn't like aiming specifically at an adult audience is a guarantee of better writing. Plus, the tropes etc. are universal! Adult books can be as lazy as YA ones in that respect.
DeleteI look forward to that post, oh you Royal Rantings queen 😉.
I still read plenty of adult fiction (I don't think I'm capable of actually blacklisting a genre from my shelves. I might miss something!), but we have some of the same problems with it, especially when it comes to "popular" adult fiction and sometimes, sadly, "literary" fiction. I don't enjoy novels about miserable adults who hate their jobs/spouses/lives. I don't tolerate teenage narrators who hate everything, so why would I put up with it in adult fiction? I'm perfectly capable of being cynical by myself, and I don't need fiction to point out how bleak adult life can be at times. I need fiction to pull me through and show me that things can still be beautiful or hopeful or redeeming even when they're dark. If that's YA, or other areas that get discounted because they're genre fiction (whether that's mystery, urban fantasy, horror, or even romance), then so be it! As far as I can tell, YA and genre fiction are also doing a much better job at diversity and representation than a lot of adult fiction.
ReplyDeleteQuote: "I don't need fiction to point out how bleak adult life can be at times. I need fiction to pull me through and show me that things can still be beautiful or hopeful or redeeming even when they're dark."
DeleteSo beautifully put! Of course, I'm sure there is adult fiction that does just that - but maybe, when I read, I want to forget I'm an adult altogether...maybe I'll try and amend my ways (so to speak LOL) one day - but it will take a special brand of adult to get me to do that.
Quote: "As far as I can tell, YA and genre fiction are also doing a much better job at diversity and representation than a lot of adult fiction."
That's interesting! Maybe it's because YA bloggers, Instagrammers, Youtubers etc. are so active and vocal about the need for representation or the lack of it. If it is so, they're doing a wonderful job!
I read a little bit of everything. I go on binges at times - all contemp YA - then need a break but I'm a mood reader so whatever I need is what I'm drawn too.
ReplyDeleteI do love romance. I am private but I love to see people happy. I'm not drawn to the angsty romances though. I don't mind the sex stuff but i usually skim a lot of it. But I hate it in my tv/movies. Like you, I'm not a prude but I don't need to see people acting out sex lol
But your topic is YA...I think YA is doing amazing things. They are on the forefront of diversity and showing flawed, complicated people. Of course there's the usual trends but people who look down on YA are missing some of the best books out there right now.
But really, people should just leave people alone and let them read what makes them happy.
Quote: "I don't mind the sex stuff but i usually skim a lot of it."
DeleteI didn't know you did! And yeah, it's worse on screen. Luckily, I hardly get to see hints of sex in my TV series because I stick to police procedural or sci-fi (apart from Supernatural, that is).
Quote: "They are on the forefront of diversity and showing flawed, complicated people."
This seems to be the general viewpoint. As I said in my above reply, it's probably thanks to YA reviewers being very vocal about these things. Maybe adult books don't get dissected the way YA ones do LOL - so they hardly change.
I think maybe in YA, teens (& to some extent adults) are clamouring for representation & publishers are finally listening AND it's doing well!
DeleteHopefully it will trickle over to adult. It seems that gets testier if my Twitter feed is any indication. It seems the old guard is going down fighting.
Interesting. Hopefully, they will realise change is unstoppable...
Delete🤣🤣🤣 Honestly though, while I'm USED to implied sex (oh, come on, authors, I know what you meant at 13-years-old!), it still makes me a little uncomfortable when I come across an explicit scene. *coughs* 1984 was a weird one for sure.
ReplyDeleteI might be an official adult now (I mean, I HAVE been for the past 3 years or year, depending on if you count 19 as a teen or not) but I STILL don't feel comfortable venturing into adult fiction. Maybe I'll read a really good mystery or two? Otherwise I'm just reading whatever school makes me read (99% of which are boring and dreadful omg save me).
"Uncomfortable" is the word LOL. I didn't know 1984 was explicit (I can't believe I have never read it, not even in high school).
DeleteI used to read Agatha Christie and other mystery authors when I was, I don't know - 12? and I still do to this day. But old thrillers don't have sex in them, and the romance is never on the forefront. Now that's something you could try 😉.
I don't understand why required school readings have to be (mostly) boring...one would think school's aim is to entice the youngsters to read more...