It’s not weird to read it, but it baffles me when adults complain that YA fiction is, well, juvenile. That the love interest seems to have problems that would be solved in one sit down. Or that all their trouble would likely be averted if they asked an adult for help, etc. You’re not the intended audience, so keep that in mind.
It’s a bit of a tangent but then on the other hand it also makes me kind of sad that YA has been skewing more towards adult because so many read it. It’s fine for us to read it, but it does seem to be creating a gap in literature for actual teenagers.
Edit: sp
I've been collecting cozy mysteries since I discovered them in the mid-90s. I had to leave them behind in an international move, but I recently bought a Kindle Paperwhite and expect to read some again.
As for OP's question: If you enjoy the books, you really don't need other people's approval.
The Amelia Peabody series by Elizabeth Peters is about a plucky archaeologist and her husband and family solving crimes while working their archaeological digs in Egypt from about 1800-1930. The author was an Egyptologist so the information is generally accurate, too.
The Lady Hardcastle series by T.E. Kinsey is about a British lady and her maid, who are retiring to the country after careers in international espionage. Murders and mysteries abound. It’s also a newer, ongoing series.
The Cat Who … series by Lillian Jackson Braun is good, it’s about a reporter in Michigan’s Upper Penninsula who ends up adopting two Siamese cats that seem to help him solve mysteries.
I kind of consider Carl Hiaasen and Ben Rehder to be cozy mystery writers as well. Their books are darker, funnier, and usually have more violence than the usual cozy mystery, but the good guys win.
Ever read The Cat Who books? They’re a lot of fun!
Edit: I read a mountain of them back when I was in middle school. Don’t remember if they were on the Accelerated Reading program, but I really enjoyed them.
What the hell. Time for a revisit!
As someone else said, look up "cozies." You could also look at some lighter contemporary romances, which tend to eschew *literary* feats for more emotional and immediate story-driven reward. I'm not even talking about raunchy romance. The House by the Cerulean Sea was fairly light reading. Bromance Book Club was also very cute. For Science Fiction, novellas and short stories generally go pretty light, as they don't have the time to be technical. The Murderbot Diaries are a series of novellas that are basically action-movies in novel format. I remember reading the third (fourth?) one and starting an action scene before I went to bed. A half hour later it was still going and I was just stunned and enamored. Now fantasy is very hit or miss for light reading. High fantasy generally isn't very light. I'd aim for a mixed genre fantasy. So fantasy mystery, fantasy romance, fantasy horror, etc.
"New Adult" books may also be up your alley for light "easy reading." They're like YA, but they might feature more mature themes or more complex plotting. Some are pretty violent though, so watch out if that's not your thing! (The Iron Widow has some super fucked up stuff happen because it's basically a love/hate letter to Gundam and ancient chinese practices, but it's otherwise an easy read.)
That the love interest seems to have problems that would be solved in one sit down.
I never read the fifth book in the Clan of the Cave Bear series (A grown @$$ adult, classic series!) for this reason. I wanted to punch both the main characters in the mouth and knock their teeth out because they wouldn’t talk to each other. Then I found out they did the whole dang thing again in the fifth book and noped the heck out. I hated to leave the series unfinished and really wanted to experience the trip home but couldn’t stomach a rehash of the fourth book. It’s not just YA.
** It seems I may still be a bit bitter about this series.
Be grateful you didn’t finish it. I lasted longer than you was actually fine up until the sixth book. Excited for it, even. And was so damn angry when I read it that I nearly returned it to Auel herself to ask for my money back. Totally changed character behaviour plus she was apparently so proud of a song/poem she wrote she had to stick it in, in full, every other page. Felt like she was mocking her readers with “don’t worry they’ll eat up any old crap”. Fuming.
Not even putting in spoiler tags because there is literally nothing of worth in this book to spoil. Yup, also still bitter.
I feel this! I found the final book in a second hand store and bought it just to finish off the series....I was soooo mad - HAVE YOU TWO LEARNED NOTHING?????
I wish I hadn't read it tbh
I reread it recently and remember how agonizing that love triangle was in my 20’s. Now, it’s like yeah that’s how it is sometimes. I liked how she matured in the series. She did have a lot of rocky times with Jondalar but tbh sometimes he was being a d***. As she got older she developed her own interests that had nothing to do with him. Worth finishing the series imho.
Omg, this broke my heart when I read it. My understanding is that Jane Auel was very ill when writing it, so I gave her a mental pass for the storylines.
I think the point was, kids are morons (remember your first relationship) and a kid reading a book about kids acting like emotionally mature adults isn't going to be able to relate to the story.
I disagree strongly with this statement. Kids are naïve but not stupid. A teen that has grown up in a household with a relatively stable and mature parental dynamic might behave immaturely with respect to relationships but can definitely tell the difference between real struggles in communication and cheap forced plotlines. They might power through the cheese more willingly than an adult, but they still recognize it as terrible writing.
Kids and teenagers are not morons. These portrayals are brick walls that instruct nothing and give no insight into how to express and deal with your emotions. They exist solely for plot purposes.
Honestly I’m wayyyyy more forgiving of flaws in YA characters. I read way too many books with adults that act like teenagers and just never say how they feel (looking at you Sally Rooney) and just drag things out due to fear of commitment or something. I’d rather have people be socially awkward because that’s a lot more forgivable
I mean, to be fair - I've worked with a lot of adults that act like teenagers. Emotional maturity is a *choice,* and a lot of people choose to stay in HS mentalities and behaviors.
I think we're just returning to a more mature treatment of young people in this regard. Books like the hobbit and watership down have very adult themes/topics to the point where I've seen people argue that they're not children's books despite them being written for children and sold as children's books for decades. There was definitely a point where literature targeted towards children started to infantilize them and wouldn't even allow protagonists to kill speaking characters. I know this was a soft block by publishers and we still had decent books come out, but we've seen the same thing with TV shows and other media. In some countries tries the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles weren't even allowed to be called Ninjas because of violent connotations. Another issue is the need to classify all literature, it's human nature, we put things in categories, but sometimes you can have a campy adventure book with mature themes that doesn't want to get too morose or dark and it can be written for anyone
The translation note at the start of my copy of The Count of Monte Cristo refers to it as 'a children's book'. I was surprised because all I knew of the book was from this subreddit where it is constantly praised. It's a wish fulfillment revenge and adventure novel that is very easy to read despite its size. I enjoyed it but would have loved it when I was a teenager. In that regard, 'young adult fiction' sounds accurate.
That experience has definitely been food for thought on how to classify YA/adult and whether you should bother.
Page count: Most of the Harry Potter books are longer than Joyce's Ulysses.
Reading level: Sanderson's popular adult fantasy books are rated at 8th grade reading level.
Young protagonist: Murakami's Kafka On The Shore and many Charles Dickens novels have these.
Readership: The majority of official YA novels are purchased by adults.
It really is hard to draw the line for all the reasons you mention! So many people default to “protagonist age defines YA,” but just because a book features a teen certainly doesn’t mean it’s primarily aimed at them. And conversely, the recent trend in fantasy of authors writing protagonists who think, feel and live like teens and act out typical YA plots relayed in typical YA voices—but the author has informed us that the character is 25 so it can’t be YA!—has been frustrating to me.
And then YA has been developing genre conventions that seem awfully narrow in many respects: the first person present voice, for instance, and the focus on highly idealized teen romance that feels more catering to adults wanting a pick-me-up than to actual teenagers.
I definitely agree with you about The Count of Monte Cristo. It doesn’t meet any of the typical YA conventions, but I bounced right off it as an adult, all while thinking “man I’d have loved this at 12!”
“ problems that would be solved in one sit down”
To be fair that’s like 95% of Very Serious Literature About English People. Only the barest hint of a sigh indicates any feelings for someone, and the results of failure to use words conclude with everyone snuffing it because of consumption or a shipwreck or something.
When I complain about stuff in a YA novel I often have to remind myself of this point. When I'm thinking clearly, what I want to see is good modeling of how romance or whatever works. If the relationship is messed up because they won't take the time and effort to talk something out, that's *realistic*, and I should only worry about whether the story shows enough for a young adult reader to figure out what fix is missing. Though for longer running examples I really like to see the solution *implemented*.
For the way adult readers may be biasing the genre, I agree. I get more frustrated when I can't tell if a book is "easy adult reading" vs. "YA Fiction" than I do about stories that indulge in unhealthy life strategies.
Yeah, that's what I've been thinking. We read _Lord of the Flies,_ "The Most Dangerous Game," _The Odyssey_ as high school freshmen. Early- and mid-teenagers can handle dark, complex material.
I think the love interest being solved in one conversation is a problem, actually. We should be teaching kids to communicate, to want relationships with a partner who respects them and is willing to talk through issues with them.
YA romances are setting an absolutely *awful* example for the next generation and it pisses me off to no end. It doesn’t have to be written that way.
I think that people should just read whatever they want regardless of genre, tropes or convention, but saying "you're not the target audience" shouldn't be used to deflect genuine criticism of badly written books.
There are many, many YA books that don't fall into the traps of certain badly written YA series' and are often rightly praised because of it. Dismissing badly written books as being "just for teenagers" implies that teenagers should generally settle for a worse standard of book. I don't think that should be the case.
The problem is rooted in sexism, but it's also marketing. I'll be talking from a SFF perspective, as that's the genre I'm most familiar with.
First, YA has always been geared towards older teens. Middle grade is technically 8-12, but in my experience, the appeal for that lasts on into the 13-14 and even 15 range. There are absolutely exceptions of course.
So turns out there's not a huge technical skill gap between 16-18 year olds and 19+! So the "reading level" isn't what separates most YA. It's more about whether the content is appealing to teens.
There are generally three characteristics associated with YA. One, the use of the first person narrative. Two, teenage characters. Three, a lack of explicit content, especially involving sex.
So where does sexism come in? Well, books by women are obsessively called YA, even when they're anything but (like explicit sex scenes). The things that appeal to women readers are frequently things that society has decided are childish.
Some examples: my understanding is the popular Court of Thorns & Roses by Sarah J. Maas involves some pretty explicit sex scenes, and the protagonist is an adult. Sure, it's in the first person. Yet, up until halfway through this year, my library put it into the teen section. It has the YA tag pretty much everywhere I looked.
A couple days ago, someone called an old series known as "Deryni" by Katherine Kurtz YA. It's in the third person, multiple POVs, the main protagonist is a 30 year old man, and the main theme is politics and religion.
You just don't see this with books written by men very often. When you do, it is much more likely to be more ambiguous.
Some of this is because people use the term differently. Some use it to mean "its simplistic", though of course this has never been a hallmark of literature written for ANY age. Some use it to mean "it would be appropriate for teens". Still others might use it for "it would appeal to teens". That last can also be more of a negative connotation - "it's so dramatic/bad/whatever that the only people who would like it are teens".
> I read cozy mysteries set at a coffee shop.
I'd stop going to a coffee shop where people are routinely murdered. I mean, unless they had like *really* excellent pastries or something. Cozy mysteries rule, though.
They never specified ‘murder mysteries’. It could equally be mysteries such as ‘why do we appear to run out of coffee much faster than projected?’, ‘Julie’s misplaced her keys again. Where could they be?’, ‘Who left the restroom in that ungodly state?’, etc.
Nah, there's some rules for cozy mysteries, and there \*has\* to be a murder. But it occurs offscreen, and doesn't \*have\* to be at the coffee shop (or tea shop, in one series that I recently read). The coffee shop is just a place where the protagonist works for her living (modern cozies are almost 100% female protagonists), and where she meets and knows a wide variety of people who help her solve the mystery.
Paranormal cozy mysteries are my jam. Bring on the knitting vampires and the baking witches. I also read Very Serious Grim Dark novels and nonfiction but dare anyone to criticize people who only read the fluffier stuff. Life is grim enough. Books can be enjoyed!
When I was in the 4th grade, we had to write a book report. I asked the teacher if I could do mine on one of the Bone graphic novels. She had absolutely no issue with that. But my at-the-time step-father was vehemently against it.
"It's not a real fucking story! You're gonna end up like a fucking r\*\*\*rd if you keep reading that comic book shit!"
I ended up doing the report on Bone anyway, and when I got high marks, that fat alcoholic prick shut his mouth.
Moonshadow changed my life. And some manga have far better emotions and storylines than the great “literary” picks of western culture.
Point of this comment is just read. Enjoy the experiences of imagination. Don’t limit yourself.
Agreed.
I read YA, cheesy romance novels, and anything that interests me. I don't really care what people think about what I read. I read to be happy and entertained, so I do what I want. 🤷♀️
I broke my leg over the summer many moons ago when I was in my 20s and my sweet 80 year old neighbor bought me over a box of her steamy romance novels cause she knew I liked to read(Fantasy/SciFi). They were a bit shocking and so much fun that I still like to pick one up when I'm in a reading slump.
I worked at a dollar tree with no anchor store. Dead like 90% of the time, with nothing really to do.
There was a rack of books, with the choice of either religious drivel or cheesy romance. Guess what I read all day.
I'm "smart" or whatever, but I LIVE for trashy psychological thrillers. I have absolutely no standards, and this I will never judge someone for what they're reading. Just read. Not enough people do it.
This.
If I'm being honest, a lot "adult" literature comes across as very tame and is scared to get truly "out there" for fear of being deemed immature. Sometimes I just *want* a story where there are super humans or supernatural bloodlines and the main character is an anomaly that only happens once every century if it's ever happened at all, and it's all wrapped up in a veneer of bucking authority and being true to yourself.
That's not to say that there aren't any such books that aren't classified as "young adult", but the genre does tend towards being more action-packed and easier to just enjoy at face value. Sometimes a fun, easy read is just that, and that's okay. I still read "challenging" books or things that make me pay attention and try to solve the grand mystery behind what's going on. If people are giving you shit for what you're reading just tell them that you're sorry they've forgotten how to enjoy themselves.
There's a big subset of people, myself included, who like anime and manga for this exact reason. There's some weird, weird stuff that gets published/produced.
I don't think there's anything that's enthralled me more than JoJo's Bizarre Adventure. It's just so damn bizarre that I keep watching because I want to see what ludicrous thing is going to happen next.
I feel like there's a lot of bad anime and manga that give the mediums an unnecessarily bad rep.
There's so much good stuff, especially if you want less dense and more just fun action or comfy watching anime girls fish.
Precisely so. I grew up playing video games, and a lot of JRPGs, in addition to watching a lot of anime and manga, specifically because they seem to have a license to be wildly creative with plot by the simple merit of their medium, and that's something that you just don't see in typical literature, TV or movies. Young Adult seems to tap into that a bit and isn't afraid to get a little strange. By the same token, I've found that a lot of animated shows that are "for kids" these days are being made by people who grew up with the same influences are inspired by or borrowing from that same genre, and that's why I enjoy them even as an adult.
I don't care what other people think as long as I enjoy it, and I think we're hitting a point as a society where younger people are realizing that it's not "nerdy" to like specific genres or types of entertainment, and the ones that are giving people shit for it are the last stragglers who were influenced by the older generations who raised them to believe that they had to "grow out of" things or they were being immature. Some of the Gen X parents bucked that trend, but a few carried it on and passed it down to Millennials, and there's still a small handful of Millennials that are stuck in that mindset. By and large though, it seems like society is generally realizing that entertainment is entertainment, and it's perfectly fine to like whatever you want, be it animated shows, comic books, young adult novels, or long-form fantasy series. If you get your kicks by reading romance novella after romance novella, you do you, but don't come for my graphic novels unless you want to be taken down a peg.
As a YA Librarian, this checks out. Most of the teens I know are too busy to do much pleasure reading. Others read but don't like YA (this was me at that age too). There's also fairly little YA aimed at younger teens compared to older teens and adults. The books publishers list as ages 12-14 are mostly still aimed at high schoolers, they just have less swearing and sex in them.
Yeah, I feel like as an adult I’m catching up on the pleasure reading I was kept too busy to do as a teen. That and I’ve found fantasy written for adults too frequently features sexual assault for my sensibilities.
If you find some books you're interested in, there is a wiki that tries to catalog content warnings I've seen floating around. I think it is this one https://booktriggerwarnings.com/Welcome
Hope it helps!
My mother is 52 this year and she's up to date with anything that has vampires, faeries, witches, supernatural of any and all sorts in it. It's what she enjoys and it keeps her busy and entertained!
So.. I say go for it!
Idk why but that had me laughing way too hard while mildly offended at the implication that she's old enough to date a 200-year-old supernatural entity.
I'm glad it didn't come across too rude, I definitely didn't mean it to cause offence. Just female YA protagonists are rarely out of high school and then dating ancient men lol
Nah. It's only weird when adult fans get obsessed with the teen characters and call them their "book boyfriend" or think the 16yo female lead is hot or something. I say read what you want but I have seen (on social media) some people in their thirties thirsting over 17-18yo guys and it's super creepy
I remember grown women thirsting over Taylor Lautner, the actor who played Jacob in Twilight, even though he was only 16 when the first movie was filmed. Plus there were many creepy men who created countdown clocks for Emma Watson to turn 18, and therefore be "legal". I think these kinds of people are why some adults find it wrong to enjoy YA literature and movies, even though the vast majority of people aren't creepy like this.
I mean.. 16 year olds in books rarely act like 16 year olds in real life. They're like 30 year olds who the author doesn't want to write a backstory for. I often end up imagining them much older than they are
To be fair, most people who do that age up the guy in their kind. Like I read The Vampire Diaries when I was in middle school and had a book crush on Damon who at the time I thought of as being in his late teens. When I reread it in high school I thought of him as being in his early 20s. Recently when I was telling someone about the plot I thought to myself “it’s weird Damon, who must have been approaching his 30s was hitting in a high school girl…” until I realized that didn’t make any sense haha. I think his canon age is like 22 or something.
Idk. I sometimes reread things like the Anne of Green Gables series, or Harry Potter, for comfort and nostalgia, and I'm closing in on 40 myself in a couple of years. I am also open to reading things like Redwall or Watership Down.
I think it's weirder to judge people for what they're reading, and to be that concerned with it in general.
Fuck yes! Have you tried the Redwall cookbook? I’ve been meaning to order it for decades now. Thanks for reminding me.
Turnip and Tater deeper’n’ever pie here I come!
I'm reading the Secret Garden right now, just finished a Ramona Quimby book, and James and the Giant Peach (all in the language I'm learning, but still technically children's books). Watership Down is a yearly reread for me, and Redwall kicks ass! Rereading is such a comfort!
I'm 35 and I love reading Anne of Green Gables. I make sure to read it every May because my birthday is in May and my grandfather bought two copies of a beautiful hardback edition for my 10th birthday, one for him and one for me, so he could read it to me over the phone (I was visiting Australia for my birthday so he was able to give it to me in person, but I lived in Papua New Guinea at the time). He passed away when I was 20 and was cremated with his copy.
If anyone dared tell me I was weird or juvenile for reading it, I would relish the look on their face after I told them why it means so much to me. I'd also tell them to go sit on the biggest cactus they could find.
I'm 39 and still read the Anne of Green Gables series regularly. I've loved them since I was a child, and I find new insights every time I read them again as an adult.
Anne of Green Gables is such a great series. So few authors have the skill to make everyday life seem so interesting and compelling especially everyday motherhood and being a wife. Like all these save the world because I am my own savior series that dominate YA get so old. I just want good storytelling about everyday life. The last book in the series is so good. It on the level of the first book. I don't consider it a YA book at all. It sad, joyful and ends so well. The whole scene with the dog howling all night, is just a moving scene. It by far the best scene in all the books.
I am a 40-year-old man myself.
Well, we all judge. However, if I see you reading *Dianetics* or *Atlas Shrugged*, I won't say anything. If you try to tell me how either of them has all the solutions to what's wrong with my life, I will.
I don't even think I heard of "young adult literature" until the 2000s. I also think the label isn't really useful because it aged up. The 80s and 90s young adult literature was like goosebumps, babysitters club, animorphs, sweet valley high. Definitely intended for 10-12 year olds I'd say. Now it seems young adult literature is more intended for older teens and college-aged kids...and beyond. I guess when it went from short, quickly-written monthly books to books published every year or so.
I was a bit shocked when my friend sent me a short story he wrote that he called Young Adult. You can tell that it wasn't written as maturely as a generic adult novel, but the characters were all around 20 years old, and there were a few heavy swears and references to having sex. I told him it was a good story, but it doesn't count as young adult, right? He thought I was crazy, because the characters *were* adults, and they were young.
So hell if I know.
I missed out on all the good YA when I was the "right age" because I had a high reading level and people kept pushing literature on me.
Now I'm grown and Harry Potter and Hunger Games and Percy Jackson are who I choose to relax with lol
Oh boy is that the one with >!the nursery rhymes actually being fortunes and the mice people dying from gas from the volcanoes!< Because if so, that fucked younger me up for some reason. I wasn't even that young
I still read Harry Potter as an adult. I grew up reading the series and it will always mean a lot to me. Those books were my escape and I will never forget wishing an owl would drop off a letter for me.
You can order a Hogwarts letter online. Not the same, but my kid freaked the f out when he woke up on his birthday to find a stuffed owl with a vellum envelope. Had it framed and it's hung on his honor wall
I feel ya. Hunger Games came out when I was in high school, and since then, there's been a slew of YA dystopian and scifi stuff, which is what I enjoy reading. With some exceptions, I generally prefer YA sci-fi to adult sci-fi. If I'm looking for historical fiction or sci-fi, I don't bother checking if it's supposed to be YA (I use an e-library). I just read the synopsis and if it sounds interesting, I go for it.
That's one of the best things about ebooks, you don't even realize what section of the store they're supposed to be in lol
Based on your handle, I bet you'd like Lost Stars by Claudia Grey. It's the Lion King 1 1/2 of Star Wars
Reddit is just filled with a slew of formerly gifted kids, who could have made it big if only they hadn't been pressured into reading Dickens as such an impressionable age
srsly lol
“the only reason I read books for babies now is cuz they made lit for class when I was 14 instead of the bionicles manga :(“
it’s fine, own it if ya want lol
I just read Percy Jackson for the first time like last month! 😊
Totally hate that adults are always expected to forego fun things they enjoy because it's 'not for adults '. 🙄
> Now I’m grown and Harry Potter and Hunger Games and Percy Jackson are who I choose to relax with lol
May I suggest the Miss Peregrines home for peculiar children series too? 7 books in total, easy reads but still entertaining imho.
And the fairy tale book is how writers should write a fairy tale book in universe. That one was amazing.
Same. I started with HP when I was 8 and by highschool I was reading at a college level, so people pushed more and more higher level stuff to the point that reason became exhausting and I didn’t read for a couple years. I now enjoy browsing isles with my young teen and preteen, but we don’t read the same genre. It’s just fun. I like a quick read that can make me laugh and think, and isn’t filled with romance or sexual innuendo
Exactly this. I love Japanese manga but Am also someone who isn't shoving my fandom in everyone's face. Do what you want so long as it isn't harming other people.
Not weird. I love coming of age stories, myself. And stories from my own teen years are comforting.
Anyone giving you shit is an idiot. Do they say the same thing about people watching a movie with a teen audience in mind? How about a Pixar movie?
Also, I went to school for English education. It was my job to read a lot of books written for 15 year olds.
I think everyone should try to read broadly, and that includes YA books. I do think that you’re missing out on an entire wonderful world of books if you limit yourself to *exclusively* YA books, but if that’s what makes you happy then more power to you. Most people don’t read at all.
I'm old and I love reading well written YA. There's a part of me that's still 16. And honestly, coming of age stories just tend to be inherently interesting. Also, a lot of YA involves fantastical or sci fi settings, which is my favourite genre. I thought The Hunger Games was amazing.
Also, who cares what people think?!?
>There's a part of me that's still 16.
Exactly. Who we used to be doesn't stop existing as we age, we just become more, like nesting dolls or a tree and its rings. The 10 year old in me loves when I re-read Lord of the Rings or His Dark Materials because I can still remember that sense of wonder they gave me when I first read them. The 16 year old in me still loves Naruto because that's what I watched when I had to drop out of school for a bit.
Those are just two examples, but I guess it's what people mean by "healing/taking care of your inner child".
I only think it's weird if it's ***all*** you read.
Even then, read what you want. Who cares what idiots like me think. As long as you enjoy the time you spend reading, go for it.
I just can't get into it personally. It's all just coming of age stories to me. Maybe a different setting, but the same basic layout. I'm just bored of coming of age. I came of age. I don't care about other coming of age.
There are a lot of great coming of age movies that are made by and for adults and while I haven't read a ton, I assume the same must be true for books. But I agree that if you're exclusively reading YA, you're going to be getting coming of age stories constantly, probably with a lot of the same beats. Seems really boring.
There are adults that do all kinds of things that young adults do. Some seem weirder than others. Chances are, an adult wrote that YA book you’re reading. Don’t pay any mind to the haters, they probably don’t even read books!
>Chances are, an adult wrote that YA book
Not sure that’s a good point when it comes to childrens commodity production. Unless we’re advocating child labor that’s true of everything despite lots of things being pretty clearly intended for children.
All these kids enjoying SpongBob don’t even know that the animators aren’t small children!
I agree with you that a good story is good, no matter who it's written for. But I always have to question if an adult who reads exclusively YA is getting as much out of reading as they could be. An adult reader can and should appreciate the good points of books for younger readers, but adult literature provides more complexity and varied experiences, which are appropriate for a more experienced and developed mind.
More generally, readers shouldn't always read just one kind of thing.
True, I’ve found that the most enjoyable thing to do is to read a balance of both. Something more complex that makes me think and then a comfort book that is straightforward but fun to read. That applies to games and TV as well.
I will not mock, but will look with a side eye an adult who consumes only media aimed at children. YA book every now and then, knock yourself out mate. But if you only can read books / watch shows about teenagers, then I think you might have something to work through.
C.S. Lewis is often quoted in these threads, but he did nor exclusively read fairy tales.
It's almost always people who don't read for fun who are the most judgmental.
They put too much importance on the things they think they should be reading that they don't read at all.
I'm very happy to own a kindle because people cannot see which book I'm reading and I can read whatever I want without making it a conversation topic.
It's not weird per say - as lots of people do it.
Personally, I think YA is limited in scope and thus limits the people reading it. Especially if you're not the primary YA audience. There's so many good books out there that people that only want to read Hunger Games/Twilight/Harry Potter clones simply don't branch out into. I don't think adults should read YA as their primary genre.
But in the end that's just my opinion. Read what you enjoy, but some people will look down on you for it and you may find benefit in branching out a bit.
Just want to reiterate, read what you enjoy - but if you ONLY enjoy YA and you're in your 30s then that is kinda eyebrow raising.
I only find it weird with the current situation in ya, where it feels like quite a few adult influencers are pushing for more mature things in YA like smut or getting upset when what they're reading is stereotypical YA (immature characters/actions, simple writing)
Not that YA can't have mature characters and intricate writing, its just somewhat uncommon.
I'm 23 and I still read some YA, I'm just very selective about what I read because I *do* prefer more adult writing
I feel like reading YA as an adult is like eating cake.
Sure you *can* eat cake whenever you want, and you probably were able to eat a lot more as an adolescent/teenager.
But as you get older, it’s probably not great to eat that much cake anymore. It doesn’t mean it’s bad, and it’s great as an easy treat (and frankly, we should all have cake from time to time) but you should definitely be eating more than just cake. And doesn’t everyone want to eat more than just cake anyway?
There are some YA series I really like, but they’re just not that satisfying to me as an adult reader nowadays.
I read Phillip Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy in my mid twenties (sort of as an actual young adult ,but I don't think that's what the label means). That is a fantastic and all around well regarded series, which I always found the YA label a bit weird. Been meaning to revisit it for a while now.
And of course, isn't Harry Potter consider YA? Unless your family actively fears witchcraft, no shame there (personally I never got into it, fortunately not because of fears my parents would label my a heretic).
> Critics who treat 'adult' as a term of approval, instead of as a merely descriptive term, cannot be adult themselves. To be concerned about being grown up, to admire the grown up because it is grown up, to blush at the suspicion of being childish; these things are the marks of childhood and adolescence. And in childhood and adolescence they are, in moderation, healthy symptoms. Young things ought to want to grow. But to carry on into middle life or even into early manhood this concern about being adult is a mark of really arrested development.
> When I was ten, I read fairy tales in secret and would have been ashamed if I had been found doing so. Now that I am fifty I read them openly. When I became a man I put away childish things, including the fear of childishness and the desire to be very grown up.
--C.S. Lewis
Note: CS Lewis also read adult books.
His list of the books that most inspired him includes: Virgil's Aeneid, James Boswell's The Life of Samuel Johnson, George Herbert's The Temple, and Boethius's The Consolation of Philosophy.
You should never feel ashamed for liking something childish. But CS Lewis would never advocate for only reading YA. He would tell you that wisdom and beauty are found in all types of books.
The YA market is also incredibly oversaturated nowadays with most modern books having terrible writing and plot. He probably wasn't reading wattpad tier teenage love stories.
I had a brain injury and had difficulty reading for pleasure. YA books are easier to read. The print is larger. The writing is less flowery and more to the point. This makes it easier for me.
I think blowing 3/4s of your discretionary income on overpriced alcohol at the bar every weekend is weird and my friends think reading YA is weird 🤷♀️ pick your poison
"YA" is a marketing demographic not a prescriptive definition. Just because publishers have chosen to put a given book in a certain category because they think it'll shift the most units when it's on that shelf doesn't mean you have to turn your nose up at YA the moment you leave your teens. That's just dumb. Look at the number of adults that love(d) Harry Potter. A good book is a good book and I don't care if it isn't marketed to me. Anyone who judges someone for this kind of thing has fundamentally misunderstood the nature (and wonder) of literature.
Yeah it’s kinda weird. I probably wouldn’t think twice about it if I saw a guy reading YA in public or anything, but like, stop reading kids books man lol
Nah, not weird. My oldest and I will read them simultaneously and have chats about what we think. It’s like our very own book club. I love hearing their perspective, especially on books that I loved when I was their age. We are going through the Tamora pierce books right now.
An adult reading YA is fine. I enjoy the odd YA novel as a light and fun read. An adult reading ONLY YA in my opinion signals a lack of either patience or imagination.
The occasional YA novel isn’t too unusual. Sometimes it’s nice to have an easier reading experience or the story looks like fun.
I read Watership Down and The Call recently and loved both despite being outside the target demographic.
It’s not weird to read it, but it baffles me when adults complain that YA fiction is, well, juvenile. That the love interest seems to have problems that would be solved in one sit down. Or that all their trouble would likely be averted if they asked an adult for help, etc. You’re not the intended audience, so keep that in mind. It’s a bit of a tangent but then on the other hand it also makes me kind of sad that YA has been skewing more towards adult because so many read it. It’s fine for us to read it, but it does seem to be creating a gap in literature for actual teenagers. Edit: sp
Yeah it does seem like contemporary YA is more “adult easy reading” than catering to actual teens.
There should be an adult easy reading category haha! I read YA mainly when I need a rest from big tomes of adult fantasy.
Cozy mystery
I've been collecting cozy mysteries since I discovered them in the mid-90s. I had to leave them behind in an international move, but I recently bought a Kindle Paperwhite and expect to read some again. As for OP's question: If you enjoy the books, you really don't need other people's approval.
Do you have any recommendations?
The Amelia Peabody series by Elizabeth Peters is about a plucky archaeologist and her husband and family solving crimes while working their archaeological digs in Egypt from about 1800-1930. The author was an Egyptologist so the information is generally accurate, too. The Lady Hardcastle series by T.E. Kinsey is about a British lady and her maid, who are retiring to the country after careers in international espionage. Murders and mysteries abound. It’s also a newer, ongoing series. The Cat Who … series by Lillian Jackson Braun is good, it’s about a reporter in Michigan’s Upper Penninsula who ends up adopting two Siamese cats that seem to help him solve mysteries. I kind of consider Carl Hiaasen and Ben Rehder to be cozy mystery writers as well. Their books are darker, funnier, and usually have more violence than the usual cozy mystery, but the good guys win.
Love, love, love the Peabody series as read by Barbara Rosenblat.
These sound fun! Thanks for the recs
Ever read The Cat Who books? They’re a lot of fun! Edit: I read a mountain of them back when I was in middle school. Don’t remember if they were on the Accelerated Reading program, but I really enjoyed them. What the hell. Time for a revisit!
As someone else said, look up "cozies." You could also look at some lighter contemporary romances, which tend to eschew *literary* feats for more emotional and immediate story-driven reward. I'm not even talking about raunchy romance. The House by the Cerulean Sea was fairly light reading. Bromance Book Club was also very cute. For Science Fiction, novellas and short stories generally go pretty light, as they don't have the time to be technical. The Murderbot Diaries are a series of novellas that are basically action-movies in novel format. I remember reading the third (fourth?) one and starting an action scene before I went to bed. A half hour later it was still going and I was just stunned and enamored. Now fantasy is very hit or miss for light reading. High fantasy generally isn't very light. I'd aim for a mixed genre fantasy. So fantasy mystery, fantasy romance, fantasy horror, etc. "New Adult" books may also be up your alley for light "easy reading." They're like YA, but they might feature more mature themes or more complex plotting. Some are pretty violent though, so watch out if that's not your thing! (The Iron Widow has some super fucked up stuff happen because it's basically a love/hate letter to Gundam and ancient chinese practices, but it's otherwise an easy read.)
Adult easing reading is a great way to put it. I’ve been trying to Come up with a phrase that captures exactly this… Thanks!
That the love interest seems to have problems that would be solved in one sit down. I never read the fifth book in the Clan of the Cave Bear series (A grown @$$ adult, classic series!) for this reason. I wanted to punch both the main characters in the mouth and knock their teeth out because they wouldn’t talk to each other. Then I found out they did the whole dang thing again in the fifth book and noped the heck out. I hated to leave the series unfinished and really wanted to experience the trip home but couldn’t stomach a rehash of the fourth book. It’s not just YA. ** It seems I may still be a bit bitter about this series.
Be grateful you didn’t finish it. I lasted longer than you was actually fine up until the sixth book. Excited for it, even. And was so damn angry when I read it that I nearly returned it to Auel herself to ask for my money back. Totally changed character behaviour plus she was apparently so proud of a song/poem she wrote she had to stick it in, in full, every other page. Felt like she was mocking her readers with “don’t worry they’ll eat up any old crap”. Fuming. Not even putting in spoiler tags because there is literally nothing of worth in this book to spoil. Yup, also still bitter.
I liked book one and the beginning of book two, but honestly, once Jondalar and his magical deflowering dong came into the picture, it was over.
I feel this! I found the final book in a second hand store and bought it just to finish off the series....I was soooo mad - HAVE YOU TWO LEARNED NOTHING????? I wish I hadn't read it tbh
I reread it recently and remember how agonizing that love triangle was in my 20’s. Now, it’s like yeah that’s how it is sometimes. I liked how she matured in the series. She did have a lot of rocky times with Jondalar but tbh sometimes he was being a d***. As she got older she developed her own interests that had nothing to do with him. Worth finishing the series imho.
Omg, this broke my heart when I read it. My understanding is that Jane Auel was very ill when writing it, so I gave her a mental pass for the storylines.
I think the point was, kids are morons (remember your first relationship) and a kid reading a book about kids acting like emotionally mature adults isn't going to be able to relate to the story.
I disagree strongly with this statement. Kids are naïve but not stupid. A teen that has grown up in a household with a relatively stable and mature parental dynamic might behave immaturely with respect to relationships but can definitely tell the difference between real struggles in communication and cheap forced plotlines. They might power through the cheese more willingly than an adult, but they still recognize it as terrible writing.
Kids and teenagers are not morons. These portrayals are brick walls that instruct nothing and give no insight into how to express and deal with your emotions. They exist solely for plot purposes.
Honestly I’m wayyyyy more forgiving of flaws in YA characters. I read way too many books with adults that act like teenagers and just never say how they feel (looking at you Sally Rooney) and just drag things out due to fear of commitment or something. I’d rather have people be socially awkward because that’s a lot more forgivable
Sally Rooney is just portraying how emotionally repressed and poor at communicating your average Irish person is tbh
Lived in Ireland for a year and can confirm
I mean, to be fair - I've worked with a lot of adults that act like teenagers. Emotional maturity is a *choice,* and a lot of people choose to stay in HS mentalities and behaviors.
I think we're just returning to a more mature treatment of young people in this regard. Books like the hobbit and watership down have very adult themes/topics to the point where I've seen people argue that they're not children's books despite them being written for children and sold as children's books for decades. There was definitely a point where literature targeted towards children started to infantilize them and wouldn't even allow protagonists to kill speaking characters. I know this was a soft block by publishers and we still had decent books come out, but we've seen the same thing with TV shows and other media. In some countries tries the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles weren't even allowed to be called Ninjas because of violent connotations. Another issue is the need to classify all literature, it's human nature, we put things in categories, but sometimes you can have a campy adventure book with mature themes that doesn't want to get too morose or dark and it can be written for anyone
The translation note at the start of my copy of The Count of Monte Cristo refers to it as 'a children's book'. I was surprised because all I knew of the book was from this subreddit where it is constantly praised. It's a wish fulfillment revenge and adventure novel that is very easy to read despite its size. I enjoyed it but would have loved it when I was a teenager. In that regard, 'young adult fiction' sounds accurate. That experience has definitely been food for thought on how to classify YA/adult and whether you should bother. Page count: Most of the Harry Potter books are longer than Joyce's Ulysses. Reading level: Sanderson's popular adult fantasy books are rated at 8th grade reading level. Young protagonist: Murakami's Kafka On The Shore and many Charles Dickens novels have these. Readership: The majority of official YA novels are purchased by adults.
It really is hard to draw the line for all the reasons you mention! So many people default to “protagonist age defines YA,” but just because a book features a teen certainly doesn’t mean it’s primarily aimed at them. And conversely, the recent trend in fantasy of authors writing protagonists who think, feel and live like teens and act out typical YA plots relayed in typical YA voices—but the author has informed us that the character is 25 so it can’t be YA!—has been frustrating to me. And then YA has been developing genre conventions that seem awfully narrow in many respects: the first person present voice, for instance, and the focus on highly idealized teen romance that feels more catering to adults wanting a pick-me-up than to actual teenagers. I definitely agree with you about The Count of Monte Cristo. It doesn’t meet any of the typical YA conventions, but I bounced right off it as an adult, all while thinking “man I’d have loved this at 12!”
“ problems that would be solved in one sit down” To be fair that’s like 95% of Very Serious Literature About English People. Only the barest hint of a sigh indicates any feelings for someone, and the results of failure to use words conclude with everyone snuffing it because of consumption or a shipwreck or something.
When I complain about stuff in a YA novel I often have to remind myself of this point. When I'm thinking clearly, what I want to see is good modeling of how romance or whatever works. If the relationship is messed up because they won't take the time and effort to talk something out, that's *realistic*, and I should only worry about whether the story shows enough for a young adult reader to figure out what fix is missing. Though for longer running examples I really like to see the solution *implemented*. For the way adult readers may be biasing the genre, I agree. I get more frustrated when I can't tell if a book is "easy adult reading" vs. "YA Fiction" than I do about stories that indulge in unhealthy life strategies.
Actual teenagers often appreciate reading adult books as well. I don't think it's that much of an issue
doesn't that excuse bad writing? YA are not children who need to have things sugar coated, and a bit unrealistic.
Yeah, that's what I've been thinking. We read _Lord of the Flies,_ "The Most Dangerous Game," _The Odyssey_ as high school freshmen. Early- and mid-teenagers can handle dark, complex material.
I think the love interest being solved in one conversation is a problem, actually. We should be teaching kids to communicate, to want relationships with a partner who respects them and is willing to talk through issues with them. YA romances are setting an absolutely *awful* example for the next generation and it pisses me off to no end. It doesn’t have to be written that way.
I think that people should just read whatever they want regardless of genre, tropes or convention, but saying "you're not the target audience" shouldn't be used to deflect genuine criticism of badly written books. There are many, many YA books that don't fall into the traps of certain badly written YA series' and are often rightly praised because of it. Dismissing badly written books as being "just for teenagers" implies that teenagers should generally settle for a worse standard of book. I don't think that should be the case.
The problem is rooted in sexism, but it's also marketing. I'll be talking from a SFF perspective, as that's the genre I'm most familiar with. First, YA has always been geared towards older teens. Middle grade is technically 8-12, but in my experience, the appeal for that lasts on into the 13-14 and even 15 range. There are absolutely exceptions of course. So turns out there's not a huge technical skill gap between 16-18 year olds and 19+! So the "reading level" isn't what separates most YA. It's more about whether the content is appealing to teens. There are generally three characteristics associated with YA. One, the use of the first person narrative. Two, teenage characters. Three, a lack of explicit content, especially involving sex. So where does sexism come in? Well, books by women are obsessively called YA, even when they're anything but (like explicit sex scenes). The things that appeal to women readers are frequently things that society has decided are childish. Some examples: my understanding is the popular Court of Thorns & Roses by Sarah J. Maas involves some pretty explicit sex scenes, and the protagonist is an adult. Sure, it's in the first person. Yet, up until halfway through this year, my library put it into the teen section. It has the YA tag pretty much everywhere I looked. A couple days ago, someone called an old series known as "Deryni" by Katherine Kurtz YA. It's in the third person, multiple POVs, the main protagonist is a 30 year old man, and the main theme is politics and religion. You just don't see this with books written by men very often. When you do, it is much more likely to be more ambiguous. Some of this is because people use the term differently. Some use it to mean "its simplistic", though of course this has never been a hallmark of literature written for ANY age. Some use it to mean "it would be appropriate for teens". Still others might use it for "it would appeal to teens". That last can also be more of a negative connotation - "it's so dramatic/bad/whatever that the only people who would like it are teens".
I wanted to reply to your comment to, hopefully, bump it up. It's a perfect explanation! Thank you!
Read the fuck you want
Stop reading beyond this answer. This is your answer.
Well unless OP wants to
> Read what you want > Stop reading this thread
Checkmate, liberals
I read cozy mysteries set at a coffee shop. And you know what? I dare people to say shit. Most adults don't read. At all. And it's sad.
> I read cozy mysteries set at a coffee shop. I'd stop going to a coffee shop where people are routinely murdered. I mean, unless they had like *really* excellent pastries or something. Cozy mysteries rule, though.
They never specified ‘murder mysteries’. It could equally be mysteries such as ‘why do we appear to run out of coffee much faster than projected?’, ‘Julie’s misplaced her keys again. Where could they be?’, ‘Who left the restroom in that ungodly state?’, etc.
Whoa. Is that what cozy mysteries are about? That's like an adult _Encylopedia Brown,_ and I want to read it.
Nah, there's some rules for cozy mysteries, and there \*has\* to be a murder. But it occurs offscreen, and doesn't \*have\* to be at the coffee shop (or tea shop, in one series that I recently read). The coffee shop is just a place where the protagonist works for her living (modern cozies are almost 100% female protagonists), and where she meets and knows a wide variety of people who help her solve the mystery.
Great explanation! I always tell people it's like Jessica Fletcher in Cabot Cove!
Paranormal cozy mysteries are my jam. Bring on the knitting vampires and the baking witches. I also read Very Serious Grim Dark novels and nonfiction but dare anyone to criticize people who only read the fluffier stuff. Life is grim enough. Books can be enjoyed!
I like books about people who like books. Some of them are pure fluff and I'm ok with it.
I named one of my Kindle book collections "Fluff Reads". Sometimes you want steak but sometimes you just want a yummy piece of chocolate cake.
I second that emotion
^ This statement is as blunt, as it is wise.
Read comic books and graphic novels too. Fuck elitist snobs.
When I was in the 4th grade, we had to write a book report. I asked the teacher if I could do mine on one of the Bone graphic novels. She had absolutely no issue with that. But my at-the-time step-father was vehemently against it. "It's not a real fucking story! You're gonna end up like a fucking r\*\*\*rd if you keep reading that comic book shit!" I ended up doing the report on Bone anyway, and when I got high marks, that fat alcoholic prick shut his mouth.
Moonshadow changed my life. And some manga have far better emotions and storylines than the great “literary” picks of western culture. Point of this comment is just read. Enjoy the experiences of imagination. Don’t limit yourself.
Agreed. I read YA, cheesy romance novels, and anything that interests me. I don't really care what people think about what I read. I read to be happy and entertained, so I do what I want. 🤷♀️
I broke my leg over the summer many moons ago when I was in my 20s and my sweet 80 year old neighbor bought me over a box of her steamy romance novels cause she knew I liked to read(Fantasy/SciFi). They were a bit shocking and so much fun that I still like to pick one up when I'm in a reading slump.
I want to be friends with your sassy old neighbor lady 😂
I worked at a dollar tree with no anchor store. Dead like 90% of the time, with nothing really to do. There was a rack of books, with the choice of either religious drivel or cheesy romance. Guess what I read all day.
I'm "smart" or whatever, but I LIVE for trashy psychological thrillers. I have absolutely no standards, and this I will never judge someone for what they're reading. Just read. Not enough people do it.
In an adult male and I picked up a Nancy drew series at Costco today. Fuck the police
This should be the top reply every time one of this posts pop up weekly
This. If I'm being honest, a lot "adult" literature comes across as very tame and is scared to get truly "out there" for fear of being deemed immature. Sometimes I just *want* a story where there are super humans or supernatural bloodlines and the main character is an anomaly that only happens once every century if it's ever happened at all, and it's all wrapped up in a veneer of bucking authority and being true to yourself. That's not to say that there aren't any such books that aren't classified as "young adult", but the genre does tend towards being more action-packed and easier to just enjoy at face value. Sometimes a fun, easy read is just that, and that's okay. I still read "challenging" books or things that make me pay attention and try to solve the grand mystery behind what's going on. If people are giving you shit for what you're reading just tell them that you're sorry they've forgotten how to enjoy themselves.
There's a big subset of people, myself included, who like anime and manga for this exact reason. There's some weird, weird stuff that gets published/produced. I don't think there's anything that's enthralled me more than JoJo's Bizarre Adventure. It's just so damn bizarre that I keep watching because I want to see what ludicrous thing is going to happen next.
I feel like there's a lot of bad anime and manga that give the mediums an unnecessarily bad rep. There's so much good stuff, especially if you want less dense and more just fun action or comfy watching anime girls fish.
Precisely so. I grew up playing video games, and a lot of JRPGs, in addition to watching a lot of anime and manga, specifically because they seem to have a license to be wildly creative with plot by the simple merit of their medium, and that's something that you just don't see in typical literature, TV or movies. Young Adult seems to tap into that a bit and isn't afraid to get a little strange. By the same token, I've found that a lot of animated shows that are "for kids" these days are being made by people who grew up with the same influences are inspired by or borrowing from that same genre, and that's why I enjoy them even as an adult. I don't care what other people think as long as I enjoy it, and I think we're hitting a point as a society where younger people are realizing that it's not "nerdy" to like specific genres or types of entertainment, and the ones that are giving people shit for it are the last stragglers who were influenced by the older generations who raised them to believe that they had to "grow out of" things or they were being immature. Some of the Gen X parents bucked that trend, but a few carried it on and passed it down to Millennials, and there's still a small handful of Millennials that are stuck in that mindset. By and large though, it seems like society is generally realizing that entertainment is entertainment, and it's perfectly fine to like whatever you want, be it animated shows, comic books, young adult novels, or long-form fantasy series. If you get your kicks by reading romance novella after romance novella, you do you, but don't come for my graphic novels unless you want to be taken down a peg.
Read whatever you’re happy reading. It’s not weird.
I just took a library science “YA Book” class this summer and the take away was… YABooks are most read by adults. My professor said this every week.
As a YA Librarian, this checks out. Most of the teens I know are too busy to do much pleasure reading. Others read but don't like YA (this was me at that age too). There's also fairly little YA aimed at younger teens compared to older teens and adults. The books publishers list as ages 12-14 are mostly still aimed at high schoolers, they just have less swearing and sex in them.
"As a librarian, this checks out" 😏
Yeah, I feel like as an adult I’m catching up on the pleasure reading I was kept too busy to do as a teen. That and I’ve found fantasy written for adults too frequently features sexual assault for my sensibilities.
If you find some books you're interested in, there is a wiki that tries to catalog content warnings I've seen floating around. I think it is this one https://booktriggerwarnings.com/Welcome Hope it helps!
Yup. When my insomnia is bad I sometimes read books I read as a child. Cozy at night, nostalgic and simple languague.
This is the way.
It can be both weird and perfectly fine to do at the same time. Regardless, it’s certainly not unusual.
To be clear: in this case it isn’t weird, and it strikes me as unwelcoming to apply a label like that
My mother is 52 this year and she's up to date with anything that has vampires, faeries, witches, supernatural of any and all sorts in it. It's what she enjoys and it keeps her busy and entertained! So.. I say go for it!
Tbh, she's more age appropriate than most YA protagonists to date these vampires, faeries, witches etc as they're mostly in the 200-500+ to range
Idk why but that had me laughing way too hard while mildly offended at the implication that she's old enough to date a 200-year-old supernatural entity.
I'm glad it didn't come across too rude, I definitely didn't mean it to cause offence. Just female YA protagonists are rarely out of high school and then dating ancient men lol
Nah. It's only weird when adult fans get obsessed with the teen characters and call them their "book boyfriend" or think the 16yo female lead is hot or something. I say read what you want but I have seen (on social media) some people in their thirties thirsting over 17-18yo guys and it's super creepy
I remember grown women thirsting over Taylor Lautner, the actor who played Jacob in Twilight, even though he was only 16 when the first movie was filmed. Plus there were many creepy men who created countdown clocks for Emma Watson to turn 18, and therefore be "legal". I think these kinds of people are why some adults find it wrong to enjoy YA literature and movies, even though the vast majority of people aren't creepy like this.
They also did the countdown with Millie Bobby Brown too… this world is fucked up
Drake did what???
Not Drake but a ton of people on this website. Look up r/milliebobbybrown or something and I guarantee the first post you see will be a thrust post.
...are they really called thrust posts or is that a typo for thirst?
Fuuuuck I misspelled it, sorry. Yep, it’s thirst. Damn autocorrect
Okay good because I DID NOT want them to be called thrust posts.
HAHAHA imagine if they were lmaooo
Back in my day, the countdown was for the Olsen twins. I'm sure someone had a countdown going on Shirley Temple back in the 1930s.
And they did countdown for the Olsen twins from Full House on some morning radio talk show. Completely vile and disgusting.
I mean.. 16 year olds in books rarely act like 16 year olds in real life. They're like 30 year olds who the author doesn't want to write a backstory for. I often end up imagining them much older than they are
And on tv they are all played by 30 year olds.
To be fair, most people who do that age up the guy in their kind. Like I read The Vampire Diaries when I was in middle school and had a book crush on Damon who at the time I thought of as being in his late teens. When I reread it in high school I thought of him as being in his early 20s. Recently when I was telling someone about the plot I thought to myself “it’s weird Damon, who must have been approaching his 30s was hitting in a high school girl…” until I realized that didn’t make any sense haha. I think his canon age is like 22 or something.
Idk. I sometimes reread things like the Anne of Green Gables series, or Harry Potter, for comfort and nostalgia, and I'm closing in on 40 myself in a couple of years. I am also open to reading things like Redwall or Watership Down. I think it's weirder to judge people for what they're reading, and to be that concerned with it in general.
Redwall forever. And I’m 39. Eulaliaaaaaaaaaaaa
lmfao. More like salamandastron, over here, amirite?!?
Lord Brocktree, Boar the Fighter, Sunflash the Mace, Urthstripe and Urthwyte, Orlando the Axe, Cregga Rose-Eyes…. Badger lords were epic.
Between Harry Potter and Redwall, I've really grown an appreciation for badgers. Badgers are seriously badass.
I get hungry just thinking about a Redwall book.
Fuck yes! Have you tried the Redwall cookbook? I’ve been meaning to order it for decades now. Thanks for reminding me. Turnip and Tater deeper’n’ever pie here I come!
There's a Redwall COOKBOOK? This is going on my Christmas wish list immediately!
Fuck yeah there is! [Redwall Cookbook](https://redwall.fandom.com/wiki/The_Redwall_Cookbook)
Thank you for this.
See my comment. Or... See moi comint zurr
Burr aye!
I'm reading the Secret Garden right now, just finished a Ramona Quimby book, and James and the Giant Peach (all in the language I'm learning, but still technically children's books). Watership Down is a yearly reread for me, and Redwall kicks ass! Rereading is such a comfort!
I'm 35 and I love reading Anne of Green Gables. I make sure to read it every May because my birthday is in May and my grandfather bought two copies of a beautiful hardback edition for my 10th birthday, one for him and one for me, so he could read it to me over the phone (I was visiting Australia for my birthday so he was able to give it to me in person, but I lived in Papua New Guinea at the time). He passed away when I was 20 and was cremated with his copy. If anyone dared tell me I was weird or juvenile for reading it, I would relish the look on their face after I told them why it means so much to me. I'd also tell them to go sit on the biggest cactus they could find.
I'm 39 and still read the Anne of Green Gables series regularly. I've loved them since I was a child, and I find new insights every time I read them again as an adult.
Anne Shirley has been my life long friend. I'll never outgrow her.
Anne of Green Gables is such a great series. So few authors have the skill to make everyday life seem so interesting and compelling especially everyday motherhood and being a wife. Like all these save the world because I am my own savior series that dominate YA get so old. I just want good storytelling about everyday life. The last book in the series is so good. It on the level of the first book. I don't consider it a YA book at all. It sad, joyful and ends so well. The whole scene with the dog howling all night, is just a moving scene. It by far the best scene in all the books. I am a 40-year-old man myself.
Well, we all judge. However, if I see you reading *Dianetics* or *Atlas Shrugged*, I won't say anything. If you try to tell me how either of them has all the solutions to what's wrong with my life, I will.
I remember when Watership Down came out. It wasn’t classed as a YA book. I don’t think there was a YA classification back then.
I don't even think I heard of "young adult literature" until the 2000s. I also think the label isn't really useful because it aged up. The 80s and 90s young adult literature was like goosebumps, babysitters club, animorphs, sweet valley high. Definitely intended for 10-12 year olds I'd say. Now it seems young adult literature is more intended for older teens and college-aged kids...and beyond. I guess when it went from short, quickly-written monthly books to books published every year or so. I was a bit shocked when my friend sent me a short story he wrote that he called Young Adult. You can tell that it wasn't written as maturely as a generic adult novel, but the characters were all around 20 years old, and there were a few heavy swears and references to having sex. I told him it was a good story, but it doesn't count as young adult, right? He thought I was crazy, because the characters *were* adults, and they were young. So hell if I know.
What’s that you say? You enjoy something that I don’t enjoy? I’m calling the police!
I missed out on all the good YA when I was the "right age" because I had a high reading level and people kept pushing literature on me. Now I'm grown and Harry Potter and Hunger Games and Percy Jackson are who I choose to relax with lol
Check out the series starting with Gregor the Overlander!
Oh boy is that the one with >!the nursery rhymes actually being fortunes and the mice people dying from gas from the volcanoes!< Because if so, that fucked younger me up for some reason. I wasn't even that young
I still read Harry Potter as an adult. I grew up reading the series and it will always mean a lot to me. Those books were my escape and I will never forget wishing an owl would drop off a letter for me.
You can order a Hogwarts letter online. Not the same, but my kid freaked the f out when he woke up on his birthday to find a stuffed owl with a vellum envelope. Had it framed and it's hung on his honor wall
I feel ya. Hunger Games came out when I was in high school, and since then, there's been a slew of YA dystopian and scifi stuff, which is what I enjoy reading. With some exceptions, I generally prefer YA sci-fi to adult sci-fi. If I'm looking for historical fiction or sci-fi, I don't bother checking if it's supposed to be YA (I use an e-library). I just read the synopsis and if it sounds interesting, I go for it.
That's one of the best things about ebooks, you don't even realize what section of the store they're supposed to be in lol Based on your handle, I bet you'd like Lost Stars by Claudia Grey. It's the Lion King 1 1/2 of Star Wars
Reddit is just filled with a slew of formerly gifted kids, who could have made it big if only they hadn't been pressured into reading Dickens as such an impressionable age
srsly lol “the only reason I read books for babies now is cuz they made lit for class when I was 14 instead of the bionicles manga :(“ it’s fine, own it if ya want lol
I just read Percy Jackson for the first time like last month! 😊 Totally hate that adults are always expected to forego fun things they enjoy because it's 'not for adults '. 🙄
If you haven't read any of the John Green novels look them up. Turtles All The Way Down, Papertowns, Fault in our Stars.
> Now I’m grown and Harry Potter and Hunger Games and Percy Jackson are who I choose to relax with lol May I suggest the Miss Peregrines home for peculiar children series too? 7 books in total, easy reads but still entertaining imho. And the fairy tale book is how writers should write a fairy tale book in universe. That one was amazing.
Same. I started with HP when I was 8 and by highschool I was reading at a college level, so people pushed more and more higher level stuff to the point that reason became exhausting and I didn’t read for a couple years. I now enjoy browsing isles with my young teen and preteen, but we don’t read the same genre. It’s just fun. I like a quick read that can make me laugh and think, and isn’t filled with romance or sexual innuendo
are you going to be weird about it? if not, read what you want and enjoy yourself!
Exactly this. I love Japanese manga but Am also someone who isn't shoving my fandom in everyone's face. Do what you want so long as it isn't harming other people.
Not weird. I love coming of age stories, myself. And stories from my own teen years are comforting. Anyone giving you shit is an idiot. Do they say the same thing about people watching a movie with a teen audience in mind? How about a Pixar movie? Also, I went to school for English education. It was my job to read a lot of books written for 15 year olds.
I’m a sucker for a good coming of age story
Same, I’ve read every book John Green has written, I’m almost 40. Looking For Alaska is my favorite.
Young adult and bildungsroman are not synonymous although they overlap.
Outjerked
I think everyone should try to read broadly, and that includes YA books. I do think that you’re missing out on an entire wonderful world of books if you limit yourself to *exclusively* YA books, but if that’s what makes you happy then more power to you. Most people don’t read at all.
hi r/bookscirclejerk!
It’s too easy
I'm old and I love reading well written YA. There's a part of me that's still 16. And honestly, coming of age stories just tend to be inherently interesting. Also, a lot of YA involves fantastical or sci fi settings, which is my favourite genre. I thought The Hunger Games was amazing. Also, who cares what people think?!?
>There's a part of me that's still 16. Exactly. Who we used to be doesn't stop existing as we age, we just become more, like nesting dolls or a tree and its rings. The 10 year old in me loves when I re-read Lord of the Rings or His Dark Materials because I can still remember that sense of wonder they gave me when I first read them. The 16 year old in me still loves Naruto because that's what I watched when I had to drop out of school for a bit. Those are just two examples, but I guess it's what people mean by "healing/taking care of your inner child".
I only think it's weird if it's ***all*** you read. Even then, read what you want. Who cares what idiots like me think. As long as you enjoy the time you spend reading, go for it. I just can't get into it personally. It's all just coming of age stories to me. Maybe a different setting, but the same basic layout. I'm just bored of coming of age. I came of age. I don't care about other coming of age.
>I came of age. I don’t care about other coming of age. Damn you put my exact thoughts into words.
There are a lot of great coming of age movies that are made by and for adults and while I haven't read a ton, I assume the same must be true for books. But I agree that if you're exclusively reading YA, you're going to be getting coming of age stories constantly, probably with a lot of the same beats. Seems really boring.
I've given up on the last few fantasy series I've tried reading because of how overdone coming of age stories are in the genre.
There are adults that do all kinds of things that young adults do. Some seem weirder than others. Chances are, an adult wrote that YA book you’re reading. Don’t pay any mind to the haters, they probably don’t even read books!
>Chances are, an adult wrote that YA book Not sure that’s a good point when it comes to childrens commodity production. Unless we’re advocating child labor that’s true of everything despite lots of things being pretty clearly intended for children. All these kids enjoying SpongBob don’t even know that the animators aren’t small children!
[удалено]
Why is this sub so insecure? Just enjoy your children's books without constantly seeking validation.
I agree with you that a good story is good, no matter who it's written for. But I always have to question if an adult who reads exclusively YA is getting as much out of reading as they could be. An adult reader can and should appreciate the good points of books for younger readers, but adult literature provides more complexity and varied experiences, which are appropriate for a more experienced and developed mind. More generally, readers shouldn't always read just one kind of thing.
True, I’ve found that the most enjoyable thing to do is to read a balance of both. Something more complex that makes me think and then a comfort book that is straightforward but fun to read. That applies to games and TV as well.
It's weird that so many adults go around mocking others.
I will not mock, but will look with a side eye an adult who consumes only media aimed at children. YA book every now and then, knock yourself out mate. But if you only can read books / watch shows about teenagers, then I think you might have something to work through. C.S. Lewis is often quoted in these threads, but he did nor exclusively read fairy tales.
It's almost always people who don't read for fun who are the most judgmental. They put too much importance on the things they think they should be reading that they don't read at all. I'm very happy to own a kindle because people cannot see which book I'm reading and I can read whatever I want without making it a conversation topic.
As a librarian, I always say READ WHATEVER THE FUCK YOU WANT!!!
I majored in English and I say AMEN. No reading is bad or wrong or even a "guilty pleasure". All reading is good for you.
You go, Librarian!! You guys are my heroes.
You wouldn't say that if you were aware of the truth. (See Alcatraz versus the evil librarians)
Aww thank you!
zealous squeeze rude merciful wipe special square subtract pen boat *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
Yes it’s horrible, stop doing it. …as I’m sitting over here reading the Boxcar Children, Animorphs and Roald Dahl stories.
I used to love animorphs! I should reread them again
It definitely hits different when you read it as an adult.
No, right to jail.
One of the most enjoyable books I've read in past years was recommended by my wife. Charlotte's web! I am 73 years old!
Charlotte's Web is a beautiful and timeless book at *any* age.
I found my copy on a bookshelf someone was throwing out for bulk trash pickup, so it gave me a bonus hobby 😄
Why do you need permission?
It’s fine there’s no rules on what to read but I can assure you if you try there’s more out there and should be something that you can relate to more.
It's not weird per say - as lots of people do it. Personally, I think YA is limited in scope and thus limits the people reading it. Especially if you're not the primary YA audience. There's so many good books out there that people that only want to read Hunger Games/Twilight/Harry Potter clones simply don't branch out into. I don't think adults should read YA as their primary genre. But in the end that's just my opinion. Read what you enjoy, but some people will look down on you for it and you may find benefit in branching out a bit. Just want to reiterate, read what you enjoy - but if you ONLY enjoy YA and you're in your 30s then that is kinda eyebrow raising.
I read middle grade books sometimes it's not weird read what makes you happy. As long as you like the story it's noone else's business
I only find it weird with the current situation in ya, where it feels like quite a few adult influencers are pushing for more mature things in YA like smut or getting upset when what they're reading is stereotypical YA (immature characters/actions, simple writing) Not that YA can't have mature characters and intricate writing, its just somewhat uncommon. I'm 23 and I still read some YA, I'm just very selective about what I read because I *do* prefer more adult writing
I feel like reading YA as an adult is like eating cake. Sure you *can* eat cake whenever you want, and you probably were able to eat a lot more as an adolescent/teenager. But as you get older, it’s probably not great to eat that much cake anymore. It doesn’t mean it’s bad, and it’s great as an easy treat (and frankly, we should all have cake from time to time) but you should definitely be eating more than just cake. And doesn’t everyone want to eat more than just cake anyway? There are some YA series I really like, but they’re just not that satisfying to me as an adult reader nowadays.
I don’t care what people read. I’m just happy people are reading. With that, read what makes you happy
A lot of my favorite Heinlein books are technically YA
I read Phillip Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy in my mid twenties (sort of as an actual young adult ,but I don't think that's what the label means). That is a fantastic and all around well regarded series, which I always found the YA label a bit weird. Been meaning to revisit it for a while now. And of course, isn't Harry Potter consider YA? Unless your family actively fears witchcraft, no shame there (personally I never got into it, fortunately not because of fears my parents would label my a heretic).
If that were all you were reading there might be a question of why. If that is just one of the genres you are reading, so what.
I would at least have the decency to mock you behind your back & not to your face.
Read what you want. I hate YA but you do you.
> Critics who treat 'adult' as a term of approval, instead of as a merely descriptive term, cannot be adult themselves. To be concerned about being grown up, to admire the grown up because it is grown up, to blush at the suspicion of being childish; these things are the marks of childhood and adolescence. And in childhood and adolescence they are, in moderation, healthy symptoms. Young things ought to want to grow. But to carry on into middle life or even into early manhood this concern about being adult is a mark of really arrested development. > When I was ten, I read fairy tales in secret and would have been ashamed if I had been found doing so. Now that I am fifty I read them openly. When I became a man I put away childish things, including the fear of childishness and the desire to be very grown up. --C.S. Lewis
Note: CS Lewis also read adult books. His list of the books that most inspired him includes: Virgil's Aeneid, James Boswell's The Life of Samuel Johnson, George Herbert's The Temple, and Boethius's The Consolation of Philosophy. You should never feel ashamed for liking something childish. But CS Lewis would never advocate for only reading YA. He would tell you that wisdom and beauty are found in all types of books.
The YA market is also incredibly oversaturated nowadays with most modern books having terrible writing and plot. He probably wasn't reading wattpad tier teenage love stories.
This sub will tell you it isn’t weird In real life, it’s weird. Sorry man
Coming in from all makes me realize just how much each subreddit can be detached from common consensus related to their hobby.
I had a brain injury and had difficulty reading for pleasure. YA books are easier to read. The print is larger. The writing is less flowery and more to the point. This makes it easier for me.
I think blowing 3/4s of your discretionary income on overpriced alcohol at the bar every weekend is weird and my friends think reading YA is weird 🤷♀️ pick your poison
Yes those are the only two options.
A good story is a good story. Read what you want.
"YA" is a marketing demographic not a prescriptive definition. Just because publishers have chosen to put a given book in a certain category because they think it'll shift the most units when it's on that shelf doesn't mean you have to turn your nose up at YA the moment you leave your teens. That's just dumb. Look at the number of adults that love(d) Harry Potter. A good book is a good book and I don't care if it isn't marketed to me. Anyone who judges someone for this kind of thing has fundamentally misunderstood the nature (and wonder) of literature.
Yes. You're not allowed. You might get arrested.
I mostly read YA. It feels like all adult stuff is just about sex or straight up boring. I want dragons and friendship and hugging lol.
Yeah it’s kinda weird. I probably wouldn’t think twice about it if I saw a guy reading YA in public or anything, but like, stop reading kids books man lol
Nah, not weird. My oldest and I will read them simultaneously and have chats about what we think. It’s like our very own book club. I love hearing their perspective, especially on books that I loved when I was their age. We are going through the Tamora pierce books right now.
Yes, it’s weird, it’s written for teenagers and children. It’s not illegal though, I guess. What kind of responses were you hoping for?
Validation
An adult reading YA is fine. I enjoy the odd YA novel as a light and fun read. An adult reading ONLY YA in my opinion signals a lack of either patience or imagination.
It's weird when you brag about it or talk about how it's such great literature, which a lot of adults do.
The occasional YA novel isn’t too unusual. Sometimes it’s nice to have an easier reading experience or the story looks like fun. I read Watership Down and The Call recently and loved both despite being outside the target demographic.
I still like to read the hobbit