# Adults who read young adult books



## Vianka Van Bokkem (Aug 26, 2010)

I read and write young adult books. The last general adult book I read was Under the Dome. I guess I am a teenager at heart.  

Are you an adult who reads young adult stories?

-Vianka Van Bokkem


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## William BK. (Mar 8, 2011)

I actually enjoy browsing the children's section every now and then, picking books along the Harry Potter vein--Percy Jackson, Mysterious Benedick Society, etc. 

For me, it's not so much about being young at heart as wanting a break from the "dark and gritty" worlds of so much adult fiction. I get tired of not being able to tell heroes and villains apart because both are so despicable... I like to read simpler stories every now and then in which the lines between good and evil are very clearly delineated. 

Maybe that is being young at heart after all--looking for a bit of that childlike innocence in the world again...


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## Vianka Van Bokkem (Aug 26, 2010)

Hello William!

Thank you for your input. I moved from California 6 years ago. While I lived there I traveled to Orange County several times. I even got to see "El Toro" military base before it was shut down.



-Vianka Van Bokkem


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## Cynthia Justlin (Feb 23, 2011)

I've started reading more and more young adult books. I never thought I'd like them, but once I started reading, I realized I can still relate to the problems and emotions the characters face. I also read a lot of middle-grade books with my boys. We've read all of the Percy Jackson books, the How to Train Your Dragon books, Chris D'Lacey's books. I really enjoy keeping up with what's out there. And this way it helps keep me informed about books my boys might be interested in reading.


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## MeikMeik (Feb 11, 2011)

I actually started reading some because of a young lady (teenager) I know was texting my while she was in study hall.  My question to her was why are you texting me when your supposed to be studying?  Her reply, "I have nothing to study, nothing to do."

So I started reading some young adult books so i could find a few that are appropriate to give to her but found that I too enjoy them.  It brings me back to the time I used to devour Goosebumps, Sweet Valley High (am I showing my age, lol), and the $1 novellas my mom used to buy in Manhattan.


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## KatieKlein (Dec 19, 2010)

YA books are my favorite.  Seriously. I *try* to do the adult thing, but I find that they just start collecting dust in my TBR pile.


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## Christine Kersey (Feb 13, 2011)

I started reading Young Adult books with The Hunger Games, but have ended up reading many more. I enjoy reading about teenagers who are clever in dealing with the challenges they are faced with.


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## NapCat (retired) (Jan 17, 2011)

Some years ago, I was working in a rural library where we were reorganizing and computerizing our collection.....I was assigned to the YA section. All I could think was why, why why ? did I ever stop reading Young Adult books ?.....aside from wonderfully imaginative stories, the illustrations in most are true works of art. (Unfortunately lost in Kindlizing)


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## Malweth (Oct 18, 2009)

I think most people read some. Harry Potter, for one.

There are some quality YA books out there. I highly recommend the "Gregor the Overlander" series for HP lovers. It's a YA book with very adult themes (death, morality).

Pulp YA fiction, on the other hand, doesn't interest me.


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## Geemont (Nov 18, 2008)

It's a strange phenomena I don't get.   I've read a few YA books  over the years and have been mostly underwhelmed.   I'm a middle aged man without kids and stories about young adults written for young adults just don't tickle my fancy.  For example, the first two or three Harry Potter novels were kind of cute, but utimately tepid, and they just got progressively more sprawling and droll as the characters got closer to maturity until I just couldn't be bothered to finish the final two or three.  But the last YA book I read (for a book club) had been so throughly lauded to the sky beforehand, but proved to be so completely without an iota of worthiness I'll in all likelihood never read another YA book again.   I guess I just don't have the mindset,  inclination, or temperament of a 13 year old.


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## TiffanyTurner (Jun 8, 2009)

For me, it just depends if it's a book I like. I've been reading a lot of YA lately, but have been into Paranormal Romance too. I've read the whole Twilight Series. I've been reading Melissa Mar's Wicked Lovely series. I've discovered a writer called Sharon Shinn over the last year. So, I've been reading a lot of her books. I picked up a book in an Indie Book shop called "Alex & Me". Read and really enjoyed that. 

I often have about 2-3 books I might be reading at a time, paperback pile and Kindle pile. I know on the Kindle, it's more of a list really than pile. I usually pick up a book I'm in the mood for, and it varies from YA to Adult. I think if the YA book deals with something that interests you, most likely you'll read it.


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## Klip (Mar 7, 2011)

I read a lot of children's and Young Adult books - probably more than I read "adult" books. I'm 39 years old, in case that matters!

Like any other genre, there are excellent books and terrible books, so I believe we should be careful of making general statements about the quality of YA or children's books.

For example, I recently read Jan Mark's "Riding Tycho".  You could not ask for a more complex, serious or important book, dealing with what are normally considered adult issues of gender, fascism, racism etc.  The protagonist is a young girl, and it is without a doubt a YA book - and Jan Mark managed to deal with these "heavy" issues in a way suitable for anyone above the age of 11.  Its not a happy book, but very inspiring and compassionate.

Not to say that a book can only be worthy if it's serious 

I think we often fall foul of the way a book is hyped, and then judge an entire genre based on our disappointment.  For example - I found the Harry Potter books to be fine, a little predictable, but nothing to get so excited about.  A little bland, but I still enjoyed them, like I would eating a cheese sandwich. 

If those are your only exposure to YA, and you believed the hype surrounding the books, you may come away feeling a bit cheated.

But there is an entire universe of fantastic YA and children's books out there  - what about Margaret Mahy and Diana Wynne Jones, Arthur Ransome,  Harper Lee, David Almond, Peter Dickinson, Steve Augarde, T H White, Philip Pullman, Rosemary Sutcliff - and so on and so on?


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## Daphne (May 27, 2010)

I read any book that catches my fancy and don't discriminate between children's, YA and adult and love the Harry Potter books, Philip Pullman, William Nicholson and, of course, The Hobbit. Not read the books but I _love_ Buffy the Vampire Slayer and have every episode on both video and DVD (I wore out the videos) and I do have the Season Two Script Book and the Script Book for *Once More, With Feeling* and have been known to read them with friends/family .

Guilty Confession: I read and enjoyed The Princess Diaries.


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## Fireheart223 (Oct 3, 2010)

I have enjoyed many YA books. For one thing, it hasn't been *that* long that I don't remember what it was like being a YA myself    and also, when I want something that shows imagination, magic or talking animals or anything paranormal, where better to look than to the YA genre


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## Ben White (Feb 11, 2011)

I _want_ to read more young adult books, but lately I haven't found any really satisfying series. I just want good characters, an interesting setting, a decent story, and lots of setups for payoffs that make me go, "Oooh". Also no toilet humour, _please_, really, you may be writing for kids but that's no excuse for being juvenile.


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## CoffeeCat (Sep 13, 2010)

I do enjoy reading YA quite a bit. I read the Harry Potter series in college and couldn't believe I'd waited so long to read it. After graduating, I offered to read the Twilight Series and the Maximum Ride series for the local bookstore I was working in since none of the other employees were big on the genre. 

Besides The Hunger Games trilogy and The Book Thief, the most recent YA novel I have read was Wintergirls by Laurie Hasle Anderson which I found to be excellent. As a pp said, it's not that long ago that I was a teenager. I remember that time in my life quite well.


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## meggjensen (Feb 17, 2011)

The majority of books I read are YA. My mom is an elementary school librarian and I get recommendations from her all the time, which is awesome! My hubby also reads YA, mainly because he reads whatever I hand him. 

I write YA and so do most of my writing friends, so it's a good thing I love it so much!

I do agree that Harry Potter created a huge shift in who reads kid lit. I don't think Twilight would have been as popular if Harry Potter hadn't already drawn the adult eye back to kid lit.

Then there are those of us who've never quite graduated to adult lit. I do read it, but not often.


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## kindlegrl81 (Jan 19, 2010)

I love YA books. Some of my favorites are: 

Harry Potter (of course)
Percy Jackson
Fablehaven
City of Ember series 
Anything written by L.J. Smith


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## EchelonPress (Sep 30, 2010)

I thoroughly enjoy reading YA books. A lot of times it is because even though there is angst, it isn't the stupid adult kind.

At any rate,I find a lot of the YA stuff very refreshing. one I really enjoyed was Crossroads by Chris Grabenstein.



Have a happy day!!

_--- edited... no self-promotion outside the Book Bazaar forum. please read our Forum Decorum thread._


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## NogDog (May 1, 2009)

In general I'm more interested in non-YA novels, but there are some I have read and enjoyed. If a YA book is YA because it eschews certain language or graphic sex/violence while centering on a YA character, that is not (necessarily) an issue with me. If, however, it avoids difficult questions and important themes, does not acknowledge the serious issues that a teenager may have to deal with -- or deals with them in an overly sentimental or saccharine manner -- then I probably don't want to spend time with it. I also don't want to deal with a YA novel if the writing and vocabulary are scaled down to too low a level.


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## KatieKlein (Dec 19, 2010)

> If, however, it avoids difficult questions and important themes, does not acknowledge the serious issues that a teenager may have to deal with -- or deals with them in an overly sentimental or saccharine manner -- then I probably don't want to spend time with it. I also don't want to deal with a YA novel if the writing and vocabulary are scaled down to too low a level.


My experience with YA novels has shown that authors aren't scared to address serious issues at all. A lot of YA novels (esp. contemp realistic) are great at showing that actions have consequences. Yes, there are some "light" reads, but there are some authors who aren't afraid to get their hands dirty. Ellen Hopkins comes to mind.

One thing that YA writers have to keep in mind is that we're writing for teens first and foremost, and teens are really good at reading through adult BS.


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## Alessandra Kelley (Feb 22, 2011)

I read 'em, along with lots of other types of books.  Terry Pratchett's Tiffany Aching books ("Wee Free Men", "A Hatful of Sky", "Wintersmith", and "I Shall Wear Midnight") are technically YA, but still piercing good reads.

The thing about books and stories is that they follow certain fashions of what is and isn't unacceptable, depending on how the society views them over time.  Sometimes I feel like reading a piece of fiction and I don't feel like getting clobbered with unexpected gore or meanspiritedness (I don't mind sexuality).  I enjoy a deep, intricate story, which many YA books are, and the current fashion is to avoid hitting young readers with grim despair, existential meaninglessness, or ferociously unjust violence.  I shall never forgive John Steinbeck for "The Pearl".  I shall, however, continue to enjoy many well-written and worthwhile "YA" books.


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## EliRey (Sep 8, 2010)

I grew up on Judy Blume (showing age) I devoured every book she wrote. Then I moved on to her adult contemporaries. I tend to go through phases and get stuck on certain authors or genres. For a while there I read every true crime novel out there. Then I went from every Patterson and Deaver novel I could get my hands on to every Lori Foster. Then I dove into the classics. 

Along came Twilight. I'll admit i jumped on the band wagon way late because I refused to read a vampire novel. The idea just didn't appeal to me. I thought I'd be rolling my eyes the whole time thinking "how ridiculous" I finally picked up my daughters copy and I was sucked in. Read the entire thing in one day. (Yeah, I had to order pizza for dinner that night  ) I ended up reading the entire series and was hooked on YA again. So yeah. *raises hand* I'm an adult reading YA.


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## J.M Pierce (May 13, 2010)

I'm definitely a YA reader, but I don't read it exclusively. I'd say my TBR is a pretty even mixture between adult and YA.


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## Ben White (Feb 11, 2011)

Ah, I remembered what I was going to say.  I like YA that shows a young person's perspective of an adult world, with all of the complications and complexities involved.  Betsy Byars, very good at this.  Young person's perspective of a young person's world?  Not so interesting.


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## CJArcher (Jan 22, 2011)

I've found the YA genre a bit hit and miss for me.  I love Libba Bray's Gemma Doyle series, Cassandra Clare's Clockwork Angel, Phillip Pullman and a few others, but some of the very popular ones haven't done it for me.  I've been meaning to try The Hunger Games but it seems so grim I haven't started it yet.  I love the heightened emotions in YA books and the rawness - teens are passionate and they think quite deeply.  At least I used to as a teen, lol.  I think authors who've tapped into this do very well in the YA genre.


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## Vianka Van Bokkem (Aug 26, 2010)

EliRey said:


> I grew up on Judy Blume (showing age) I devoured every book she wrote. Then I moved on to her adult contemporaries. I tend to go through phases and get stuck on certain authors or genres. For a while there I read every true crime novel out there. Then I went from every Patterson and Deaver novel I could get my hands on to every Lori Foster. Then I dove into the classics.
> 
> Along came Twilight. I'll admit i jumped on the band wagon way late because I refused to read a vampire novel. The idea just didn't appeal to me. I thought I'd be rolling my eyes the whole time thinking "how ridiculous" I finally picked up my daughters copy and I was sucked in. Read the entire thing in one day. (Yeah, I had to order pizza for dinner that night ) I ended up reading the entire series and was hooked on YA again. So yeah. *raises hand* I'm an adult reading YA.


lol ....My sister introduced me to the Twilight series. Once I started reading the first book I was hooked.
I am probably one of the few adults who did not mind a beautiful sparkling vampire


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## KatieKlein (Dec 19, 2010)

> I am probably one of the few adults who did not mind a beautiful sparkling vampire


(lol) Trust me. You're not the only one.


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## Vianka Van Bokkem (Aug 26, 2010)

KatieKlein said:


> (lol) Trust me. You're not the only one.


I am glad I am not alone    










-Vianka


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## luvmykindle3 (Dec 5, 2010)

I teach reading to middle school kids now, so I have to read young adults books, so I can select books for my kids to read. I tried Harry Potter, but did not really like it. Usually I try to read a couple of different books so I will be able to help the kids find books of interest. We are ordering Nooks for the students. The only reason they decided against the Kindle was because it is so thin, they felt the Nook was a little more sturdy.


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## Manley (Nov 14, 2010)

Yes, I read and write middle grade/young adult books, but not exclusively. There are so many good books out there no matter what genre they are in. It would be a huge mistake for me to refuse anything based on genre. I've read great westerns, romance, horror, sci fi, fantasy, children's, young adult, non-fiction...you name it. I just love to read.


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## kaotickitten (Jan 9, 2011)

I read alot of ya.  I hate that we have to classify books into being ya or adult.  A book is a book and should be looked at in that way.  If the book sparks something in your imagination what does it matter if it was written for a five year old or a ninty year old.  Yes I still love to read the Bernstein Bears and Clifford the Big Red Dog.  Yet I love Stephen King and alot of other adult situated books.  Many ya books have more compeling characters than the adult versions.


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## JCReader (Nov 21, 2010)

I like to read all types of books.. but my favorite has to be YA. 

To name a few: HarryPotter (of Course), Twilight, Maximum Ride, Vampire Academy and House of Night. 

As you can see I do love reading Series


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## Randolphlalonde (Sep 12, 2009)

I normally read a young adult book every month or so, mixed in with the fiction and non-fiction I go through regularly. I started reading YA regularly when several readers contacted me to tell me how happy they were about being able to hand my work down to their young teens. I hadn't even realized that my work fit in that age group, to be honest, so I was curious.

Since then I've found that things have changed since I was a young lad. When I was ten or eleven, I started turning to family for recommendations of what I should be reading and over the next couple of years I found everything from Stephen King to Frank Herbert to J.D. Salinger or even Kurt Vonnegut in my hands.

Now, if a young reader asked me what they should be reading I'd have a whole stack of books to place in their hands that would feature characters like Harry Potter instead of Holden Caulfield. Young adult fiction has provided pleasant surprises as well as thorough disappointment. In adventure books like Halo: The Fall Of Reach, I've found a novel that could stand on its own outside of the franchise - not a massively impressive scifi yarn to be sure - but a good, simple adventure book. On the other hand, books like Star Wars: Jedi Apprentice are condescending, flat, obvious and unpolished. There are many non-franchise YA books out there, but in my small-ish city of Sudbury, the franchise books are stacked tallest and widest on the shelves. I also find that most books written for the YA audience take place in high school, which is great for teens who need to find characters who are very easy to relate to, but I can't help but think that it's not very challenging.

Almost ten years ago, my young cousin (who is now six foot four), asked me if I knew of any good books. I think he was fourteen. What did I put into his hands? From my own shelf I gave him my tattered copies of Lord of the Flies, the Hitchhiker's Guide To the Galaxy and Druss The Legend. None of these are considered YA, but he loved them all (especially Hitchhiker's Guide), and everyone agreed with my choices.

What would I put in young hands if someone asked if I had anything good to read now? I have to be honest - I like challenging young minds, so I'd probably still hand them (this list comes from me glancing at my bookshelf right now), the Lord of the Flies, The Chrysalids and a copy of one of my own books, of course. They'll eventually find Harry Potter on their own, and as for high school dramas, well, they'll find plenty of those too.

As for my own reading, well, I don't mind the high school setting, though it becomes very tiresome. I think that's why I personally pick up science fiction and fantasy titles for my own YA reading.

RL


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## DanG (Mar 10, 2011)

Kinda think you gotta seperate YA Sci-Fi and Fantasy from the rest of YA.

Sure there are plenty of adults that read the high-schooler-angst books too, but the meat of adults-reading-YA crowd is reading the fantasy books. Harry Potter, Hunger Games, Fablehaven (under-appreciated but truly enjoyable), Twilight, etc.

As for me I love the high-adventure elements being pursued these days in YA fantasy. I was late to the scene becoming a book-lover and think if these books had been around when I was a teen I would have read so much more.

I did read DragonLance stuff and Terry Brooks as a teen but it was almost an afterthought to pick up a book instead of a ball.


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## Cynthia Justlin (Feb 23, 2011)

DanG said:


> Kinda think you gotta seperate YA Sci-Fi and Fantasy from the rest of YA.
> 
> Sure there are plenty of adults that read the high-schooler-angst books too, but the meat of adults-reading-YA crowd is reading the fantasy books. Harry Potter, Hunger Games, Fablehaven (under-appreciated but truly enjoyable), Twilight, etc.
> 
> ...


I'm kind of the opposite. I'm tired of paranormal YA and YA fantasy...there's just so much out there in those categories these days and they seem like they're trending so dark. I love a good dark and gritty book, don't get me wrong, but I'd really love to see more contemporary young adult books. Books about relationships, and coming of age, and life lessons. I'm a huge Sarah Dessen fan for just that reason. Her books really delve into the meat of relationships.


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## Blanche (Jan 4, 2010)

I visit the "Newberry Awards" section of the bookstore every year and grab the latest winners and many of the Newberry honor books.  I don't read exclusively young adult but like to toss them into the mix.  I discovered Robin McKinley through this route and have never regretted it.  Her Newberry Award/Honors books, "The Blue Sword" and "The Hero and the Crown" are two of my standby favorites.  I also very much enjoyed Philip Pullman's "His Dark Materials" series.  I have never been hooked on the Harry Potter series though.  I thought the first was cute and I loved the imagination and creativity that went into it but that was enough for me.


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## Vivi_Anna (Feb 12, 2011)

It's pretty much all I read nowadays.

I love that there are only surprises in YA, there are no conventions that must be adhered to.  

My faves are Hunger Games trilogy
Gone series by Michael Grant
Incarceron
Matched
The Vours series by Simon Holt
Unwind
Forest of Hands and Teeth and sequel

I love pretty much all the dystopian stories.


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## Ben White (Feb 11, 2011)

Has anyone read Guardian of the Dead?  I saw it at a bookshop the other day, I had my daughter with me so didn't get much of a chance to properly look at it but what little I saw was good.


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## Carol (was Dara) (Feb 19, 2011)

Vianka Van Bokkem said:


> Are you an adult who reads young adult stories?


Yes. I don't pick up YA books all that often but I find them a nice change of pace once in awhile. Most recently I enjoyed the Luxe series, although I confess their covers were the main thing that made me buy them. I'm very easily sucked in by a beautiful cover. Once I saw the Luxe girls' dresses I barely bothered to read the blurb at all - I'd already made up my mind to buy them.


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## Angela Carlie (Mar 10, 2011)

I haven't read an "adult" book in a long while. Although I'm thirt--, eh, twenty-something, my spirit will always remain that quirky teen who never quite fit in and longed for escape to a world where that didn't matter. YA books are my perfect companions. Besides, I write YA. You know that saying you should read what you enjoy writing? Wait. Reverse that. Yeah, that saying's totally true.


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## Maria Hooley (Jul 21, 2009)

I read a lot of different genres, but I love YA the best.  To be honest, I think it has to do with the fact that first books that ever totally changed me were young adult, and for me, that's the highest compliment anyone can give a author--the knowledge that words he or she has written have changed another person. 

A short list of YA books that I love

The Last Unicorn
Thirteen Reasons Why
Speak
Plague Year
About David
Tunes for Bears to Dance To
Hush Hush


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## hs (Feb 15, 2011)

I read both adult and young adult books. I tend to read more young adults series (e.g., Harry Potter, Percy Jackson) but more adult standalone books. I don't know why, but I haven't been able to find as many good adult book series.


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## KatieKlein (Dec 19, 2010)

> I'm a huge Sarah Dessen fan for just that reason. Her books really delve into the meat of relationships.


(gasps) LOVE her!


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## Cynthia Justlin (Feb 23, 2011)

KatieKlein said:


> (gasps) LOVE her!


Isn't she great? I've been devouring her backlist. Reading 'Just Listen' right now as a matter of fact. Hers are the kind of YA books that make me love the YA genre.


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## Amanda Brice (Feb 16, 2011)

I go on spurts. Currently I'm on a cozy mystery spurt, and before that was a Regency romance spurt, but I'll probably be on another YA kick next week.

I love YA because the emotions are just so raw. Everything is dramatic as a teen. It really makes for a fun genre.


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## KatieKlein (Dec 19, 2010)

> Reading 'Just Listen' right now as a matter of fact. Hers are the kind of YA books that make me love the YA genre.


My Favorite! *heart* Owen!

_The Truth About Forever_ is a close second, though. 

I re-read those two every year.


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## TerryB (Jan 5, 2011)

The Twilight Saga is considered Youth Books - and I read all 4 - so I guess I read "youth" books.  I suppose if you read the Harry Potter books it might also be considered Young Adult books. 

I've also reinvested time in the Tales of Narnia as well.


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## Klip (Mar 7, 2011)

I'm interested in how people in this thread have responded.  To some, YA books are firmly in the Fantasy genre.  To others, YA means - um - not so easy to categorise, but roughly "teen trouble".  Non-fantasy books about issues that young adults have to deal with like broken families, body image etc.

Quite different, no?

I like both


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## Jon Olson (Dec 10, 2010)

I agree with those who cite Philip Pullman. Hard to classify as YA or just A.


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## MichelleR (Feb 21, 2009)

Vianka Van Bokkem said:


> I read and write young adult books. The last general adult book I read was Under the Dome. I guess I am a teenager at heart.
> 
> Are you an adult who reads young adult stories?
> 
> -Vianka Van Bokkem


Definitely.  Not exclusively, but I do enjoy them and think many of them deal more adeptly with social issues and universal themes.


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## EchelonPress (Sep 30, 2010)

I am still amazed sometimes about the content that is written into YA books. I realize life is what it is and I do't tink we should shy away from issues, but there are so many "issue" books out there lately that it is getting harder and harder to find FUN books that are exciting.

As a publisher, I see a lot of stuff that has no business being in YA, not because it is over the top, but because it is handled so badly. When you talk about murder and prostitution, it needs to not be glorified. I get that teen suicide is not funny, but it doesn't need to be graphic and in your face. There are so many things that go on around these issues that can be used to soften the blow.

_--- edited... no self-promotion outside the Book Bazaar forum. please read our Forum Decorum thread._


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## Cynthia Justlin (Feb 23, 2011)

KatieKlein said:


> My Favorite! *heart* Owen!
> 
> _The Truth About Forever_ is a close second, though.
> 
> I re-read those two every year.


I think it's my favorite so far too. I just LOVED everything about Owen. I finished it last night, couldn't stop reading, had to find out how it ended. 

I love Sarah Dessen's use of symbolism and how she totally gets inside the head of her main character. Makes me have a bad case of writer envy.


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## Katie Salidas (Mar 21, 2010)

Other than the Harry Potter books and the sparkly vampire books, I haven't read much YA. I'm on the fence on whether or not I want to read more. I don't really have an interest in the teenage years (mine weren't that great) and that's usually the time period that these YA stories are all written on.


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## RiddleMeThis (Sep 15, 2009)

I thoroughly enjoy YA.

I find that the worlds, imagery, and just plain imagination in many YA books just completely surpasses the same in adult books. I also read series books, and they tend to be a bit easier to find in the YA section than in the adult section.  

The majority on my TBR list is YA currently.


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## KatieKlein (Dec 19, 2010)

> I love Sarah Dessen's use of symbolism and how she totally gets inside the head of her main character. Makes me have a bad case of writer envy.


I know! I always feel so inept after I read her. She's amazing.

@Katie: If you like YA/sparkly vampires, you should try _Hush, Hush_ and _Crescendo_. This is probably my favorite new YA/urban fantasy series. There's not much of a middle ground here: people either love it or they don't, but if you enjoy the "bad boy" types, Patch is totally swoon-worthy.


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## belindaf (Jan 27, 2011)

I'm reading James Patterson's Maximum Ride series.

Sometimes adults need to let loose and have fun. I like suspending belief on occasion.


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## Alexandra Sokoloff (Sep 21, 2009)

I write and read adult crime/supernatural but have been tearing through YA lately - discarding most after a few pages but these are the ones I've really loved:

- I agree with Maria about 13 Reasons Why - very creative and involving.
- Speak
- Inexcusable - sort of the mirror image of Speak - written from the POV of a sociopath in training who doesn't realize - or does he? - how bad he is.
- Delirium - didn't think I was crazy about it while reading but it stayed with me.

And I totally love the first Hunger Games and Melissa Marr's series, esp. Radiant Shadows

- Alex


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## Vianka Van Bokkem (Aug 26, 2010)

belindaf said:


> I'm reading James Patterson's Maximum Ride series.
> 
> Sometimes adults need to let loose and have fun. I like suspending belief on occasion.


I agree   

-Vianka


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## Angela Carlie (Mar 10, 2011)

Alexandra Sokoloff said:


> I write and read adult crime/supernatural but have been tearing through YA lately - discarding most after a few pages but these are the ones I've really loved:
> 
> - I agree with Maria about 13 Reasons Why - very creative and involving.
> - Speak
> ...


I LOVE 13 Reasons Why!


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## naomi_jay (Feb 1, 2011)

I read a fair bit of YA, but rarely outside the paranormal/fantasy section (although Thirteen Reasons Why was wonderful). I've lost count of the number of times I've re-read Northern Lights! Just about to start The Iron Witch. The appeal for me is it seems a lot fresher than the adult urban fantasy/paranormal romance I read - a lot more inventive and wide-ranging.


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## SteveMalley (Sep 22, 2010)

Two of the best books I read last year were YA: the steampunk adventure LEVIATHAN and creepy thriller ZOMBIE BLONDES.

@Alexandra, INEXCUSABLE sounds like one I've got to check out as well...


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## sebat (Nov 16, 2008)

I tend to read YA books only when there has been enough hype that I start to wonder what I'm missing.  I guess I'm just nosy!  
Harry Potter, Twilight, Hunger Games... I'm starting to wonder about the Percy Jackson books now.  I might have to borrow one of those!


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## Renee Adams (Mar 14, 2011)

I love YA books (Harry Potter, Goosebumps, Animorphs, Babysitters Club, Chronicles of Narnia, etc.). I think it's because I never really grew up. I still love cartoons, games, sugary stuff that normally makes my fellow adults sick, and so on. I mean, just look at my profile pic...I see myself as a cartoon too! 

That said, I do occasionally read non-YA books, but only if they're in the fantasy/sci-fi genre. I need a hefty dose of make-believe if I'm going to read a more "adult" book. To me, it just isn't fun without it.


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## Vianka Van Bokkem (Aug 26, 2010)

KatieKlein said:


> YA books are my favorite.  Seriously. I *try* to do the adult thing, but I find that they just start collecting dust in my TBR pile.


I also *try* to do the adult thing, but end up reading YA again 

-Vianka Van Bokkem


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## beckyj20 (Jun 12, 2010)

I LOVE YA! I read it as much, if not more, as I read adult.


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## Asphodel (Jul 19, 2009)

I don't read a _lot_ of YA, but I have read and enjoyed the Harry Potter series, The Hunger Games, and a certain series featuring sparkly vampires... 

And just recently, I read and thoroughly enjoyed the Vampire Academy series by Richelle Mead. I've read pretty much all of her non-YA books and was resisting reading the Vampire Academy series because it is YA, but after seeing this review of it on the Anna Reads blog (http://www.annareads.com/2011/01/vampire-academy-review-as-told-by-stick.html) I had to try it. There are 6 books in the series and I read them all in about 5 days...I loved them!


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## D.B. (Apr 4, 2011)

I have just read the first one (Young Adult) after many years of picking them for our kids. It was an excellent read with realistic dialog between teenagers (I have 4) and am well versed ! It had a different story line and best of all for me...NO VAMPIRES !!! I was never "into" them. Anyway, I have not been able to say enough about it. I saw that it is a series but only one is out. Well written and funny. I was the first one to review it on Amazon  , not sure about other places? Paid 99 cents and will do it again when the others come out. The Author is Tamara Rose Blodgett and the book was "Death Whispers". I bought from amazon but her Blog says it is available in other areas as well?


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## 41352 (Apr 4, 2011)

I read and write YA  -- I am am over 30, so surely not a teen.  
I really love Cassandra Clare's books - the Mortal instruments and Infernal devices series. I think the main difference from adult books is the age of the protagonists and the lack of excessive swearing and sex (which is all relative, I am sure).


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## Vianka Van Bokkem (Aug 26, 2010)

Chrystalla said:


> I read and write YA -- I am am over 30, so surely not a teen.
> I really love Cassandra Clare's books - the Mortal instruments and Infernal devices series. I think the main difference from adult books is the age of the protagonists and the lack of excessive swearing and sex (which is all relative, I am sure).


I like Cassandra Clare's books too. I can't wait to see the movie(s) about them.

-Vianka


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## Patrick Skelton (Jan 7, 2011)

I recently read The Giver and really enjoyed it!


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## Adria Townsend (Feb 24, 2011)

Sometimes when I get sick of regular fiction, I'll turn to Young Adult.  There are some fantastic books out there like Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech, or Missing May by Cynthia Rylant.  
And then there's the Anne of Green Gables series by Lucy Maud Montgomery
I stumbled upon her and read them all in one gulp.  She is funny, barbed, ironic and gentle at the same time.


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## kCopeseeley (Mar 15, 2011)

kindlegrl81 said:


> I love YA books. Some of my favorites are:
> 
> Harry Potter (of course)
> Percy Jackson
> ...


Woohoo, Fablehaven! I am reading the fourth one right now. I could SERIOUSLY talk all day about YA fiction. And I do to all of my family because we are all YA junkies. I tend to head toward the fantasy and stay away from the the paranormal branch of that because I'm all vampired out. hahaha

But I will read basically anything from juvenile and YA sections. LOVE LOVE LOVE.


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## Ottilie (Jan 15, 2011)

Oh I still really enjoy YA books, I'm 21 and in college.  They are just fun to regain brain cells after class, the plots and characters are grabbing!


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## A. S. Warwick (Jan 14, 2011)

I'll read near anything.

My old job in IT had me working in schools and often while in the library I would read through children's picture books.  Now I have a young niece and nephews I have an excuse for reading to them as well.


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## Markterry (Apr 5, 2010)

I do from time to time, partly because I've written a few books for middle schoolers. I love Rick Riordan's books, both the Kane Chronicles and the Percy Jackson books. I've enjoyed Erica Kirov's Magickeepers books, Artemis Fowl, Anthony Horowitz's Alex Rider books, Jon Van Zile's "Zig Zeplin and the Forever Diamond" and others.

Cheers,
Mark Terry
Author of The Battle for Atlantis and Monster Seeker
www.markterrybooks.com


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## SM Johnson (Apr 5, 2011)

I started reading YA when my daughter was tiny - I just didn't have the time or attention span for adult books anymore. YA tends to grab you quickly and keep moving, and I can read a YA novel in a day.

some of my favorites... 

Finding Grace by Alyssa Brugman
Hate List by Jennifer Brown
Shiver and Linger by Maggie Stiefvater

The Blue Sword by Robyn Mckinley - also one of my favorite
Pern series by Anne Mccaffrey - life long favorite 

Caroline B. Cooney pens great stuff... If the Witness Lied and the Face on the Milk Carton books are good.

There are many others... 

I liked the first 3 Harry Potter books, the rest were too long and nothing happened for hundreds of pages
I really disliked the Twilight Series  (but as an adult erotic vampire writer, I have a jaded eye)


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## Kimberly Spencer (Apr 10, 2011)

I guess I'm another teenager at heart. I love YA books, but only in the paranormal and urban fantasy genres. For some strange reason, I never read contemporary YA. Actually, I never read contemporary anything. But my fave young adult books include:

The Soul Screamer's Series - Rachel Vincent
Mortal Instruments - Cassandra Clare
Twilight - Everyone knows who this is by
Meridian - Can't recall the author's name right now  
Rampant (Killer Unicorns) - Diane Peterfreund
Firespell - Chloe Neill


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## sharonC (Apr 3, 2011)

harry potter is the best...i think it cuts across all ages and groups.


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## bee78 (Apr 11, 2011)

Yeah I am a YA fan and I'm 32, married but no kids. I'll be saving my collection in case I have kids one day! I think I love YA books because I totally remember what it was like as a teenager, and I like the simplicity and innocence of the YA books with a sweet smattering of first love. But I  really hate when they are poorly written. While I loved Twilight, I found myself rolling my eyes at some cheesy parts and I felt they were dumbed down a bit when there was no need. More recently I've read both Lauren Oliver books, and on both occasions, I couldn't sleep til I'd finished the book - really beautifully written and both stories stay with you long afterwards. Her second book Delirium is to be the first of a series (why does everything have to  be a series these days?).


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## Ottilie (Jan 15, 2011)

Bee!  I know!  The series and trilogies are killing me!  It might be why I like sarah dessen no series!  I like series, but sometimes it's good to just pick up one book, my wallet seems to agree!


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## bee78 (Apr 11, 2011)

Ottilie said:


> Bee! I know! The series and trilogies are killing me! It might be why I like sarah dessen no series! I like series, but sometimes it's good to just pick up one book, my wallet seems to agree!


Yeah the books are shamefully blatent about it now, book one usually finishes in mid air so as to hook you in for the next installment!


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## Ottilie (Jan 15, 2011)

They hook you then take forever for the next installment!  For me I don't like long series and when I am reading a series when it first gets started I wonder how long it is going to be!


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## Courtney Cantrell (Mar 16, 2011)

Hi. I'm Courtney, and I read YA novels. 

For some reason, I have a particular fondness for Loises. As in, Lowry and Duncan. I'll read anything by either of them.

And, of course, there's Harry Potter -- but even dearer to my heart is Susan Cooper's "The Dark Is Rising" series. Amazing stuff, that. I also enjoy Cassandra Clare's "Mortal Instruments" novels and Suzanne Collins's "Hunger Games." (Can't wait for the movie!)

As for the why of my reading habits, I appreciate what William said:



William BK. said:


> For me, it's not so much about being young at heart as wanting a break from the "dark and gritty" worlds of so much adult fiction. I get tired of not being able to tell heroes and villains apart because both are so despicable... I like to read simpler stories every now and then in which the lines between good and evil are very clearly delineated.


I'll admit, I have a penchant for reading the dark and gritty. But when I need break from that, I'll turn to a true-blue YA. It's kind of like re-orienting myself after stepping from a dark alley. (But curiosity won't let me stay out of the alleys in the first place.  )


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## Eve Yohalem (Apr 1, 2011)

I just read Chime by Franny Billingsley and adored it. I really can't say enough good things about it - and it's NOT part of a series!


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## bee78 (Apr 11, 2011)

Must take note of that one, Eve, would be nice to read a single book on it's own with no sequel!


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## Eve Yohalem (Apr 1, 2011)

Don't let the cheesy cover art deter you


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## Chris Strange (Apr 4, 2011)

I've been known to read YA. I'm in the middle of Scott Westerfeld's Leviathan trilogy and enjoying it immensely, even if it is clearly written for a younger audience. 

I'm also partial to D.M. Cornish's Monster Blood Tattoo series. I can't get enough of the world-building.


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