Thursday, January 22, 2009

great stories or bandwagon jumping...

I read a lot. I read every day - certainly before I go to sleep, and often while I am knitting. (Hardcovers work well for this - they are easier to prop open with weights to keep your hands free...) Because of this, I am an ardent user of our public library system - hardcovers can get a little pricey when you go through 1 or 2 a week... Every place we've lived, right after doing all the government requested paperwork associated with address changes, the first thing I do is get a local library card. It was great when we lived in rural Caledon - a one room library, but a librarian that knew my tastes so well and would call me when books came in she thought I'd like. My local library is fabulous as well - Internet holds and notification and all that. My son has his own card and is very capable of how to find what he wants.

But sometimes, I have to own books. The Lord of the Rings Trilogy and the Hobbit - you bet. I have my dog eared paperback set from my teenage years, as well as a box set in hardcover. I own all the Harry Potter Books in hardcover as well. Youth fiction be damned, they are well written, interesting stories. Now, my 14 year old niece had dared me to read the Twilight series - she is an ardent fan (ardent may not really convey her depth of love for this series). She said she's not sure an older (older???!!!) person could "appreciate" a teenage love story. Well. I showed her. I borrowed and read the first one, and then went out and bought all 4. I can see myself going back to these at times, as I do with the LOTR, although for different reasons. The Twilight series is good. It's not classic literature, but it is a good story.

What seems to bother me is that I am and educated woman in her mid forties. I had a great childhood, wonderful teen years (for the most part), and a great adulthood. Why the hell am I so fascinated with Youth Fiction?

8 comments:

Melissa said...

I love relaxing and reading, I am so addicted to it. My favorite book right now is Steve O'Brien's "Elijah's Coin." Even before I finished the book, I ordered a copy for each of my nieces and nephews. They need to know this message. It is truly a Lesson for Life.

Anonymous said...

Hey, I read Twilight too! It's good! Don't forget...these books are written by adults, so they still have that adult point of view.

Philosophical Karen said...

One of my favourite writers of all time is Eoian Colfer, author of the Artemis Fowl books. I think it comes down to good writing, regardless of genre.

katrynka said...

I like all the books you have listed,as well as Louisa May Alcott books, the "shoe" books by Noel streetfield etc. If I enjoy the book, I read it!! Who cares what age it was written for! some I have read so many times that they are old friends!

Needles said...

I don't like to divide books by the ages they are aimed at. One of my favourites is a picture book called Miserable Aunt Bertha. It was filed in the kids section, but it a book that adults will understand far better and will find more value in. A nephew visits Aunt Bertha and takes a gift and she is never happy. One time he forgot the gift and took an empty jar. This made her happy because it was silly, but the empty jar also meant it could be filled with possibilities. And that made Aunt Bertha happy.

Books can be many things to each of us, and I'd hate to leave some of what they can be out just because they were aimed at young people.

What does it mean if you are an adult who enjoys them? It means you see the possibilites.

Anonymous said...

Another favourite book I own is,"Oh, The Places You'll Go!" by Dr. Seuss.

CatBookMom said...

I think you, and others like you, including me, are 'fascinated with' good books. I still have my 1968 vintage pb set of LOTR as well as a hardcover set and the audiobooks, and I have all the HPs. I just read Twilight and didn't much care for it. I've been reading Anne McCaffrey's sci-fi/fantasy for 40 years; many of them are now in the YA section of the bookstores, and appropriately so - great characters, little-to-no violence, and far less creepy than many now-popular series. If you haven't read them, give them a try; *Dragonsong* would be a very good start.

It's wonderful that your niece is a reader; IMO kids who love to read do so much better in all of their schooling.

And if you haven't tried audiobooks, they're great for knitting, housekeeping, commuting, etc. If your niece has an iPod, give it a try.

Carol said...

I hate the categorization of books into things like "youth fiction" What exactly is that? The protagonist is a teenager? There is no graphic sex?

AAAAny way,I have read this series too and liked it. The way I figure it, a good story is a good story. I also really like Tamora Pierce and her series of books. Can't remember all the titles, but one of them is The Immortals. Supposedly this is "youth fiction" too. Whocares? It's a good read.