Picture provided by Microsoft Word online gallery

I’d like to thank Kathy from Bags, Books, and Bon Jovi for being the catalyst for this Crazy Talk post!

Her initial question was:

I’m very curious as to why so many book bloggers focus on YA novels.  I read a few (as I have YA kids…lol) but not exclusively.  I’m wondering if there is something I’m missing… what is the draw?

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about genre-specific book blogs.  Here at Crazy-for-Books, I review mainly literary fiction (women’s fiction, contemporary fiction; whatever you want to call it!), with some mysteries, memoirs, historical fiction, and young adult thrown in occasionally to spice things up (and keep things a little crazy!).  I enjoy some young adult books, especially those that deal with more serious subject matter.  I tend not to review a lot of them on this blog because there are so many other YA blogs out there reviewing the same book – I’m not sure that my voice would add anything new and exciting to the discussion!

Why do I read YA books?  I think, for me anyway, it’s looking back at my time as a young adult and thinking, “Okay, I’m not the only one who had to deal with this crap issue.”  I think when we are at that age, we can feel so alone, isolated, and frustrated when we are being picked on and bullied; dealing with boy problems and friendship issues; and, of course, battling with the dreaded parental units who just happen to know “everything”!.  The young adult books I read now give me a new perspective as to what I was going through back then and kind of help me see things from multiple viewpoints. 

With that said, though, even with the wisdom of age, you couldn’t pay me enough to go back to my teenage years again!  Been there, done that.  Not riding that bus again!

I also think that with the age of the Internet and with blogging in general, there is an influx of teen bloggers themselves, which is wonderful.  I wish blogging were around back when I was a teen!  It is such a great outlet and to know that so many young adults are reading and reviewing books – I find that absolutely awesome!  The more YA blogs, the better!  Especially when there are so many other things fighting for their attention this day and age (i.e. texting, homework, sports, jobs, friends, social network sites, …).  It really seems like reading for pleasure is falling by the wayside.  I get really excited when I find a teen blogger – they are after my own heart!  I was (and still am, of course) a big reader in my teen years, but I didn’t have a way to share it like teens do now, so I think it’s fantastic and I love following their blogs!

Do you have an idea for a future Crazy Talk feature?  Click here to fill out the form!

If you are reading this anywhere other than a feed reader, then this is not original content and was taken without permission from Crazy-for-Books.