Saturday, July 21, 2012

Curmudgeon's Corner: Why I love YA

I have had one of the hardest weeks of my life this week. I just started my fellowship in Pediatric GI on Monday and I haven't slept more than 3 hours a night since. I've had 14 hour days, and been on call all night and had to come in once to remove a penny from an esophagus. But every day, when I get home, I take a hot shower and pick up my kindle. I know I'm going to escape for 10 minutes into a different world before I go to sleep. Right now, I'm reading Anna Dressed in Blood, which is a fantastic book. I'm not sorry that I haven't finished it because it is so good I look forward to reading one more chapter every day. YA is an escape from the real world for me-- a way to release stress and to not be myself for a few minutes. I love how great the stories are, how clear the writing, and how engaging the characters. It's not too dense, but meaningful and wonderful still all the same.

I love when I can get lost in books... here are some of my favorites:
Ender's Game (Ender's Saga, #1) Before I FallUnwind (Unwind, #1)The Giver (The Giver, #1)

Why do YOU love YA?

Update: I just found this amazing giveaway by Beth Revis and lo and behold, she wants us to post on why we love YA! Why, I have a post already for JUST THAT! Here is a link to win the fantabulous prize she has for one lucky winner. I'm so jealous I'm already salivating!

30 comments:

  1. The reason I love ya is for almost the same reason. I don't work as hard as you and could never say "I understand" but I love it because it's an escape for people. Where they can forget about their worries for a few pages and enjoy themselves =)

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    1. Thanks for your really nice comment. Yes, these days escape is all that more important to me!

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  2. I love YA because they are easy reads,it is easy for you get lost in the book as if you are actually there,and it is pretty clean content.

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    1. Exactly! I love that aspect of it as well. Thanks for your comment!

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  3. I love YA for the same reasons you do. I love to get lost in the characters and the stories, it is very fun and relaxing.

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  4. There are a lot of things to love about YA. I love YA because I could get to my own world and not worry about other things. It makes me feel content even just for awhile.

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  5. I love the Giver (the whole series)! And poor you, I thought it was bad enough having to get up and lie down with my kids when they couldn't sleep. At least I didn't have to remove any pennies! :) Hope you get sleep soon!

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  6. I love YA because they're (usually) easy to get into & not too hard to think about, but at the same time are enjoyable & relatable.

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  7. The Giver is one of my absolute favorite books so was glad to see it in your list too! I used to read adult books but now read more YA for some of the same reasons you mentioned. It's a perfect escape from a sometimes stressful life and the books have the perfect blend of being meaningful without being too violent or heavy. Love this rant!

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  8. For me it's an escape. I can dream of when I was young. I can relate to how the characters feel. And it's not hard reading, always easy and flowing. I love that.

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  9. I feel the same I only take care of my girls am at home all day but I usually have no time to read sometimes a take advantage of an hour I have to read but usually what I do the most is read in the nights. It's funny I read till like 3 in the morning sometimes just so I can have a little more time with a wonderful book. I was reading Blood Debt and finished it a few days ago What Kills Me is another great book. Sometimes we don't have time to read but I totally agree with you there are times I don't want to finish a book fast because I don't want it to ever end lol.

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  10. I completely understand why you enjoy this genre so much, as it is so fantastic. Like yourself i love to 'loose myself' in a good book & escape from reality; especially after i have had a long day at work. x

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  11. I totally understand looking forward to reading a book. But for me, it's any genre I'm reading for pleasure. Required reading for school is another story. Then I just read the number of pages as per the course syllabus. Why do some teachers choose books that could be cures for insomnia?!

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  12. I'm mostly reading YA books even if I'm not a teen anymore. I like to escape into it, like reading about the intense feelings, first love, first kiss and I love happy endings!

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  13. I love this genre, for it is a sort of an escapade from the dull and sometimes miserable reality. I love to curl up myself in a good YA book and enjoy the story. :)

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  14. Very, very good post! When you wrote that you love YA because you can escape in another world, I was like OMG! Thats what I say to!! Right now I'm going through the hardest time in my life. My dad has Pancreatic cancer and it spread to his liver. The doctor told us that he has 6 months or less. Its so stressful just thinking about it. Right now I'm reading "Forbidden" by Syrie James & Ryan M. James. I'm more than half way done. I want to be taken to another world where I don't have to deal with my problems. And reading YA for me does that.

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  15. I love this! It is the perfect definition for why books are so vital to our mental health. I love YA especially because I can make so many connections with the characters and like reading about real life issues because we live in REAL LIFE. :)

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  16. I love YA books! They really do feel like your are escaping from all your problems and into a different world which is why I love YA. Alot of adult books are that too adult and can be very serious. I read 99% adult and I will do forever it doesnt matter how old I get!

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  17. I escape into the world of YA for the same reason. Also The Giver and Unwind are two of my favorite YA books that I could read over and over again

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  18. I love YA because it's often about teenagers like me who discover love and what they want to be. I also see strong characters/teens who overcome whatever life throws at them, which encourages me to do the best I can in life. :)

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  19. YA still appeals to me even into my thirties because they're books I can relate to, and the stories are more interesting to me. Sometimes it seems like with non-YA books, the books are either crime, thriller, chick lit, romance...not that those are bad things, but they aren't my favorite genres to read. I don't know, YA just rocks. :)

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  20. I love YA it's because it's so easy to get through their world, and you easily got attached 'cause somehow we are also living on how they lived and that's a reality.

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  21. I love YA because it's just really easy to get into a YA book without too much effort on your part.

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  22. I love YA because it's like you said an escape from the world and most of my favorite reads are YA. :)

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  23. I also very much love YA! And just like what you said, reading gives me an escape from reality [even if it's only temporary and depends on how long it takes for one to finish reading the book of course].. I get to live in a whole different world and live the lives of the characters like I've never thought possible, :)

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  24. I love YA mainly because I can relate to it. "I love when I can get lost in books" That's exactly how I feel when I read a really good book. I zone out until I finish. :D

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  25. I love YA because I can escape life in them. I can relate, and knit a yarn in my mind of connection that makes sense to me, and makes me feel less alone. Someone out there is feeling how I've felt; because everything in fiction derives of reality. I need the escape. I am very ill. I have been for many years. Books are my ONLY escape. My friends, my loves, my vacations... YA gives me perspective and an immediate portal to anywhere but here.

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  26. I agree with you! I love YA because it's an escape from my everyday craziness! I look forward to reading a little bit everyday when I get home because I know i'll forget all my problems for just a little bit and sink into a whole new world!

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  27. I love getting lost in the stories and being able to relate to the characters. I love the stories and how they make me fall head first into them. It is a relief to have something interesting to read when you are stuck in places you don't want to be.

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  28. Crikey! If I had to deal with the kind of stuff you do, I'd be a quivering mess by the time I got home. But if I was, like you, I do know my Kindle would soon soothe away the awfulness of the daily routine. A great YA tale, especially one with a hint of fantasy, completely takes me away, relaxes me and leaves me desperate for more. I can't get enough of YA, which is why I'm about to release my sixth novel!! Yikes!! :)
    Suzy Turner, YA Author

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