Author's Note

At the age of 21, I have been told by many that I should focus on reading adult novels, adult literature. As a college student, I spend a majority of my time buried up to my eyebrows in textbooks, ancient source materials, and the so-called "literature" that some board deemed worthy ten or more years ago. When a long weekend approaches or a vacation (however brief) beckons, the last thing I want to pick up is a book so over-plotted that I have to keep a list of characters and events to keep them all straight in my mind. I want something fresh, something deceptively simple and yet altogether complex, though emotionally rather than technically. I could care less that a plot is transparent or that I've figured out the identity of the villain inside fifty pages.

And so, I find myself consistently, unabashedly returning to young adult fiction. YA fiction has only fairly recently been recognized, by and large, by the literary community as a separate genre. Within this group one can find novels from every classification--horror, science fiction, historical fiction, fantasy, romance, western--that run the gamut from 80-page novella to 500-page epic. The characters are generally vivid and fleshed out and the plots tend to rely more on emotional and character development than the string of MacGuffins so many adult novels are based around.

It seems to me, though, that while YA Fiction represents a vibrant market, it's often ignored by the world at large. So many parents and grandparents are worried about getting their children to read, and yet, they don't know what to choose for their children or teens, especially as things like the Internet, television, and video games draw their attention away from reading. So many of them believe that reading is a boring activity. If I had been more or less confined to the lifeless books assigned in public school, I probably would agree with them. The people employed in bookstores can offer recommendations, but unless you patronize a place like Powell's or another independent, the likelihood of getting a genuinely helpful review is slim.

This blog serves two purposes: First, to offer a review of YA Fiction to all and sundry who may want more than a simple, "oh, yeah, that was supposed to be pretty good". Second, to act as a jumping off point for readers who may enjoy a novel and not have any idea where to go next. I hope that the reviews and recommendations will prove useful.

"In this room, you are free.
Free to explore strange lands.
Free to dream any dream
That you care to dream.
There is a whole world in this room,
And it is yours."
~ Amanda Quick, "Deception"