I am stuck on YA (young adult) fiction. I love it. I really enjoy Newberry Award books. Yes, I know the irony of that considering I have a college degree in English. Although I don't have extra time to "read" books anymore, I have discovered the joy of free downloadable audio books from the Internet through my library (Georgia's new system is great!). I still pick YA books. Right now, I am in the middle of listening to "The City of Ember" series. But, I digress. My mom and sister really wanted me to read a book they had both read. They were confused by the ending and they know my talent/expertise to figure out the end. The book was just made into a major motion picture, so it should be good story and well written. It is a interesting story and the author did a good job on the first fourth I read of the book. Frankly, I personally found it was crude and vulgar. I am not quite sure how my mom put up with it so long as to finish the book. (Now, for those who know me well, it takes a lot for me not to finish a book. I have an obsession with needed to finish a story).
So, back to my original idea: Why do I read YA fiction? Because it is clean. Most YA fiction authors limit the use of language and don't include explicit sexual passages. The books are fun and simple. Just as I choose not to watch certain types of movies (rated R and some PG-13) for the violence, foul language, and/or sex, I choose not to read or listen to books containing the same type of material. I know that YA will be safe. Besides, cheesy can be really fun. As a good friend put it once, I look for "brain candy" when I want to read books. I am not looking for deep philosophy when I read, I just want something fun and simple.
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3 comments:
we love YA books for largely the same reason (they're cleaner), but many of them (especially Newberries) are actually quite engaging and illuminating. I think some of them can stand on their own as quality fiction. From one English major to another! ;-)
I love YA fiction. You should read The Hunger Games! So much fun. We also like to "read" YA fiction as books on CD while we are in the car. We read the whole Artemis Fowl series when we did a road trip - and we never had to worry about bad words or smut.
Give me some recommendations! We've already read City of Ember.
Here is a list of my favorite authors: Susan Cooper, Shannon Hale, Lloyd Alexander (older), C.S. Lewis, and Madeleine L'Engle.
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