There wasn’t really such a thing as YA when I was a YA. I don’t think you can imagine my delight when I found this genre…or my horror.
A lot of YA books are scary. I have read YA books about death, ghosts, hauntings, paranormal romance, vampires, children dying, children being scared, hunting (of children), zombies, wolves becoming human, horses coming from the water, evil wizards, children being replaced by evil fairies…..I mean, it’s pretty scary stuff.
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These books can be so scary that at times I have been known to leave them in the boot of my car. (Y’a know…so that they can’t hide under my bed while waiting to get me!)
My YA terror once amused my husband but now he wants to know why I bother. My answer is a simple one; I am writing a YA book.
But, this one question lead me on a trail of thought and the conclusion was this:
1. I am not a teenager (thank god!), so I don’t need to read books about them all the time.
2. The material that I’m writing about is not in any other YA book, it lies in my interest in psychology; in other words – grown-up nonfiction books.
3. I love the beauty of language. So, why not read more poetry books, maybe read a bit of Latin?
4. I like humour and fun (but not the YA humour and fun – they can be too silly (even for me!)) Sounds like I need a dose of Ross O’Carroll-Kelly, i.e. a book for grown-ups.
5. Here is a list of my favourite books – Little Women, ‘Tis, The Country Girls, Wuthering Heights, The House of life (by Rossetti). Only one of those books could be classed as YA.
6. I wrote a list of my past preferences; books that I like the styles / fun / sadness / escapism of here: Frank McCourt, Edna O’Brien, Maeve Binchy, Colette Caddle, Cecelia Ahern and Marian Keyes.
So yeah, I am going to read less YA.
I am going to end this cold day with a hot coco and a Cecelia Ahern book.
What do you think about YA books?
What kinds of books do you read?
Michelle Moloney King 