The Next Best Book Club discussion
Revive a Dead Thread
>
APRILS GROUP READS ARE>>>>>
message 151:
by
Allison
(new)
Mar 24, 2009 01:23PM
As my grandmother would say, "I love reading children's stories"
reply
|
flag
Wow.. I didn't know suggesting a YA book would cause an uproar, but I'm new so I haven't read through all the threads yet. So I just wanted to say that I work in a school library and end up reading a lot of YA books, but do enjoy them as pleasure reads too. So I'm really excited that there are other adults out there that read YA and enjoy them as much as I do. I hope that those who haven't tried one in a few years will pick up whichever one we pick even if you put it back down after a few pages.I just want to say I'm really enjoying this group so far and it's really getting me to read more "adult" books because I do tend to stay in the YA world due to my job.
Mod
Then within each genre, you have sub-genres.
In either case, a book is a book is a book.
Thank you Fiona, that makes me feel better.
Kristen, I noticed you've read Cassandra Clare's seres...I'm looking forward to doing so! You definitely need to read Graceling when you get a chance, I loved it.I'll prolly nominate it next month :P
Kristen wrote: "Wow.. I didn't know suggesting a YA book would cause an uproar..."I think it was a great suggestion. I love YA books and enjoy any opportunity to spread my love of young adult books to people who wouldn't normally pick one up. Isn't that sort of the point of book groups--to read books recommended by others that you wouldn't necessarily gravitate to yourself? To read new things, and enjoy them together?
No, it's not TECHNICALLY a genre. But I've never seen a library break down the YA books into genres--they generally all get lumped together. YA "category" then.
Please forgive me if any implications I may have drawn drawn about who should or should not read YA books. It was not intended.I tend to resist classifications into genre anyway because it relegates too much good writing into one "ghetto" or another. As a fan of SciFi, I am particularly sensitive to genre bashing. I feel we we should bless ourselves with all good writing no matter what genre some would choose to place it. In that light, I certainly hope that we select "Young Adult literature" for group reads. Some classify I Capture the Castle as YA fiction--I don't know. But I gave it five stars.
Perhaps, sometimes, I become too fearful of possible censureship in advance. And, of course, I am delighted that Lori once again has repeated her support for freedom of expression in all threads.
I became overly cautious earlier in the thread when the young reader expressed his concern about whether a selected book was appropriate for his reading. Lori, you handled that very well by steering him away from Fool A Novel. And you reminding him of our frequently uncautious behavior here.
I welcome young and (like myself) geriatric readers. Reading is a gift we should all share.
I certainly did not intend any criticism of anybody's behavior other than my own. My intentions were to protect our (and my) rights to uncautious behavior. Perhaps I overstepped.
Once again, please forgive any unintended implications I may have made.
Allison, I have the third one at home! I'm so excited! Spring break is next week so I hope to have a chance to read it! I've heard about Graceling and it is on my huge to-read list, so I'll try to pick that up when I work through my two shelves of library books to read. Thanks for the suggestion!
lol :) Fiona...that book and I are going to haunt you until you do read it!
You are correct, adult fiction is not a genre.genre: a class or category of artistic endeavor having a particular form, content, technique or the like. (Webster)
I'm not a librarian, I can't name all the genres, but they would include, sci-fi, fantasy, historical fiction, humor, westerns, literature, etc. YA isn't a genre any more than adult fiction is a genre because it includes all of those genres and more. No, surely it become YA (or adult) because of the target audience, not because of genre.
Fiona, I think you've hit on something in that some books are marketed to a wider audience. Does that make them YA? No. They are simply books that have a wider audience appeal. Do books that are specifically YA have a wider audience appeal? No.
Mosca wrote: "As a fan of SciFi, I am particularly sensitive to genre bashing. I feel we we should bless ourselves with all good writing no matter what genre some would choose to place it. In that light, I certainly hope that we select "Young Adult literature" for group reads." (emphasis added)Sorry if I was defensive. It was for exactly the same reason as your stated in your comment. As a YA fan, I'm "particularly sensitive to genre bashing". Or in this case "category" bashing.
I haven't read a lot of SciFi, because I was always wary that I wouldn't be able to picture what was going on in my head--reading a SciFi book isn't the same as seeing a SciFi movie, after all. But since I am a big Star Trek and Star Wars fan (plus BSG and Firefly), I've read a few recently, and really enjoyed all but one of them. I'm really excited that Hitchhiker's was picked for the group read. It's a terrific book.
Fantasy, on the other hand.... I have a harder time getting into those, although it really depends on the author/writing style/development of the book's "universe"/etc., obviously. As with any genre, you can have a great story, but if the writing's bad, the book won't be very good.
As a SciFi fan, do you feel like SciFi and Fantasy should be grouped together like they usually are? I've always wondered if other people thought it was strange to mix those two genres. SciFi and Fantasy are NOT the same thing. Just curious.
Elizabeth wrote: "Do books that are specifically YA have a wider audience appeal? No."And yet people outside the target YA audience read YA books... Apparently "no" doesn't mean what I thought it meant. What's the definition of that word?
Mosca--See what I mean?
Wow, lot's of activity here today! I am doing the Spring challenge so I am aware that the YA debate is a hot topic. I just want to say that I am really glad that there are so many authors out there who write so many different books. We all have certain stories, genres etc. that we are drawn to more than others. Books speak to us all a bit differently and I thnk it's wonderful that we live in a world with so many talented people write for us reader people to enjoy!
Sara, Thank you for you comment.
I really don't know whether SciFi and Fantasy should be classified together. Writing can be is so inventive that much of it defies categorization. For example:
Is The Time Traveler's Wife general fiction or science fiction?
Is Kurt Vonnegut Jr. general fiction or science fiction?
Is The Tempest by William Shakespeare fantasy, science fiction, magical realism, or classical literature?
Genres, I feel, should be used only as a general tool for description. Sometimes they get in the way to much.
For the longest time, I resisted reading fantasy; but lately I've been enjoying it. I think we all build our own fences.
Is it possible you're confusing books marketed to a larger audience as YA? I think of Judy Blume, whose early works were definitely children's books. As she grew as an author (or more likely as her children got older), her intended audience also got older.
I will acknowledge there are a rare few books that were initially intended as YA that have a wider appeal, such as the Harry Potter series. To me that's inexplicable, but you might have guessed that. ;) Books mentioned earlier in this thread, such as Jane Eyre, were written and published before there was such a thing as YA. YA is, by definition, fiction intended for people ages 12-18. I don't even *wish* I were 18 again, although 35 is a pretty dandy age and I might wish to time travel back to it.
I don't want to be 18 either, but I'm not so self righteous that I believe I can't enjoy the same books as an intelligent 18 year old.
Lori wrote: "Kristen, We could do that, sure. Do a regular fiction and a YA fiction.. perhaps that could be our categories for next month? What does everyone else think?"Lori wrote: "Kristen, We could do that, sure. Do a regular fiction and a YA fiction.. perhaps that could be our categories for next month? What does everyone else think?"
Allison, you're not so far from 18. My grandchildren are older than you are. I'm not going back there.
Perhaps lovers of YA should start a YA group, I joined this group just a few weeks ago thinking I was joining a group of mature fiction lovers
guess I'll go suck my thumb and read my picture books...
Maree wrote: "Perhaps lovers of YA should start a YA group, I joined this group just a few weeks ago thinking I was joining a group of mature fiction lovers"That's funny. So did I.
Anyway, I'm done for the day. I can't handle being condescended to anymore. I thought that as we grew older, we were supposed to become more OPEN-minded, not CLOSED-minded. Apparently some of us have yet to reach that state of enlightenment.
"Enlightened" - freed from ignorance and misinformation
Were I 18 again, Reagan would still be in his first term, and I'd be reading Pride and Prejudice for the first time.
I'd be...uhh...a little younger, and probably a bit smarter :) And waiting for HP with Fiona.
If I were 18 again Kennedy would be president.
Susanna wrote: "Were I 18 again, Reagan would still be in his first term, and I'd be reading Pride and Prejudice for the first time."If I was to be 18 tomorrow instead of **, this very night I would be going to the premiere of The Exorcist and watching folk spew up over Waterloo Bridge afterwards.
Mod
If I were 18, I'd be in my 2nd semester of college, taking some of the hardest Engineering courses I ever had to suffer through. Little did I know, I'd be getting A's... :) I met my husband after that semester, and got married just over a year later. And I was skinny back then...
I really want to apologize for making this suggestion. When I joined the grop, I didn't see anywhere that said it was a strictly adult group. If you'd like me to, I can leave the group.
Gabby wrote: "I really want to apologize for making this suggestion. When I joined the grop, I didn't see anywhere that said it was a strictly adult group. If you'd like me to, I can leave the group."Don't leave the group--it was a great (and perfectly legitimate) suggestion.
Gabby wrote: "I really want to apologize for making this suggestion. When I joined the grop, I didn't see anywhere that said it was a strictly adult group. If you'd like me to, I can leave the group."heck no, most of us love YA! I think the point of this group is to try and have a wide variety of books to discuss...no book is out of bounds! This conversation is quite out of the ordinary for TNBBC, so don't be worried off :)
Gabby, there are obviously many of you who are interested in having a YA selection for the May group read. You shouldn't think that any of us would *want* you or anyone else to leave - even those of us who are not jumping up and down about YA.
Mod
If you join this group, you must be prepared to behave in a mature, adult fashion. Age is not an issue, unless - of course- you are my sons age group (11-14)..... then we need to be discussing your participation here ;)
I'm not directing this at any of you. I'm just saying I didn't mean to cause this stir.
Fiona wrote: "I mean, you know I don't read chick-lit maybe chick-lit lovers should go make their own chick-lit group so I don't have to risk coming across a chick-lit group read... "Did you want me to haul out my chick-lit soap box?
;)
Please, no. I might start killing my coworkers, and I'm sure their families wouldn't appreciate that.
I hope that we are looking for and reading the widest variety, and higest quality, reading material that we can find. I hope that we share the books with others and reccommend them to one another. That way our own choices are enhanced. This is why I joined and participate in this group.Why would we exclude any type of reading if it promises an excellent and enjoyable experience?
TNBBC has proven to be a wide open group with a very eclectic collection of tastes and recommendations. I hope it stays that way.
;)was added to my message about chick-lit. What do you think that meant?
It meant that I was making fun of myself. While it may not appear so today, I actually do have a pretty good sense of humor, including, when necessary, a self-deprecating one.Fiona, if you would like to discuss the qualities of chick-lit with me, I suspect the others would want us to take it to PM.
I'm with Fiona on chick-lit... but I think I'm open-minded enough that I'd try it out if someone suggested one that they liked and thought I would like it too.
I read that S.E. Hinton lists her name as that so that boys will be willing to read her books. (The Outsiders, Rumble Fish, etc.)
Please Gabby don't leave.There was a discussion that started on the spring challenge about YA and I think that it sort of carried over here when it was suggested having that as a group read for May. This really has nothing to do with you.
I think it's a great idea and I'm almost 40. I hadn't read much YA till lately when my girls, almost 21 and 15 yrs.old, suggested me reading certain books. I have to say so far the books I have read I loved. Would I have probably looked to reading them if my girls hadn't suggested it probably not, and then I'd be missing out on some fantastic books. I think it's sad when people don't try different type books whether it be humor, YA, Sci-FI etc...
And if I were 18 again I'd be newly married and expecting my first baby. :~)
I don't have purple clothes either, except a big purple shirt I wear to sleep in.
Haha, I went to check who the winner was and ended up needing to go back three pages XDHitchhickers Guide to the Galaxy sounds fun. My brother bought it to me when I was 13 (I'm 19 now...) and I still haven't actually read it so maybe it's about time I take it out from the bookshelf...On the other hand, I need to read another book first (and I'm a slow reader, usually only finishing 1-2 books a month when I have classes). I hope I get to finish it! It would be a good thing, especially since my brother has been very nice lately to me and well, he did buy it for me. :)
Maree wrote: "Lori wrote: "Kristen, We could do that, sure. Do a regular fiction and a YA fiction.. perhaps that could be our categories for next month? What does everyone else think?"Lori wrote: "Kristen, We ..."
I think that is a good idea.
I've had a tendency in the past to gravitate toward pink and purple books... I wish there were more orange books. Wouldn't that be fun? And yellow... Which reminds me of
... which I've seen on bookshelves at the library, but haven't read.
I prefer books that look like this when I'm reading adult fiction:
That tends to be my "girlie" adult books.. hehe.
The Next Best Book Club
Books mentioned in this topic
The Shadow of the Wind (other topics)Persuasion (other topics)
The Book Thief (other topics)
Parlor Games (other topics)
The Serious Kiss (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
William Shakespeare (other topics)Kurt Vonnegut Jr. (other topics)
Terry Pratchett (other topics)
Neil Gaiman (other topics)
Louise Erdrich (other topics)
More...
