Why I Read: Fantasy & YA

There are thousands of blogs and vlogs out there of people who are passionate about reading. Each person has their own preferences and stories that they are drawn to. For me, I am drawn to two major areas: the genre of fantasy and the demographic category of young adult. Why those two? Better question, why not?

As of late, I've been reading more and more fantasy, both adult and YA. Though not the first genre I fell in love with, it certainly has remained as my top favourite genre since I was twelve. (Thank you Tamora Pierce) A quick glance over to my blog tags will reveal that the majority of my reviews are fantasy. I do love most genres, but fantasy just pulls me back in.

With reading more adult books, it means that my reviews become few and far between, as I have cited this as a YA Review Blog. The thing to blame for my exploration of adult fantasy is GoodReads. Their recommendations, suggested from books I've read, have proven to be reliable and accurate. A couple extremely good picks I've read as of late: The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss and Green Rider by Kristen Britain.

But why do I read these genres? Would I not be content with reading about “real people” with “real life problems”?

My answer is no. I read to escape and escape fully from the real world. I need a break from my work and regular person problems. I want problems that involve a kingdom, a lost prince, magic, or a dragon. Yes please A DRAGON! There are still human problems, but they involve elements of fairy tale imagination.

In YA novels, the protagonist is usually quite young (almost always 16), and hilariously, the parents are NEVER around. There's also a case of “you are the chosen one” (ie Harry Potter) and “only you will defeat this corrupted government” (ie Hunger Games, Divergent). The stories in these books flow easily and often I can read one in a weekend … or a day if I'm really ambitious.

I am a huge advocate of reading for pleasure. I enjoy a fast paced, easy read with YA. I enjoy the complete and imaginative escapism of fantasy. Even better when they're combined (again, Tamora Pierce).

It's good to move outside of what you love, give yourself a challenge. But if I read books that didn't provide me with enjoyment, I think I wouldn't read as much as I do now.

I cannot wait to continue on this adult fantasy kick. Never fear, YA is here to stay. Love what you read and read what you love. Life is too short to spend time slogging through the dull stuff.

Side Story Time:

Recently, I had a conversation with an acquaintance of a friend. I was introduced to him as “Oh you read, so does he.”. So I'm making conversation and asking him what kind of books he reads. He says, “Classics mostly.” I'm nodding. Cool cool. “Like what?” I ask. “Well, recently I finished War and Peace,” he answers.

I joke with him that he's now got bragging rights on reading that tome and compared it to having read the Song of Ice and Fire series by George R.R. Martin. His response was, “Yeah, but that's fun reading.” My face seriously was this:

Inside my head I'm screaming WHAT DO YOU THINK READING SHOULD BE?!?! Fun reading? Psh. This guy was serious. I'm sorry, but if you're not enjoying what you're reading, you're doing it wrong. A challenge is one thing, but he can't really only read non-fun books. Needless to say I didn't talk anymore about books with him.