I was really excited to turn 18 for the exciting opportunities I can have as an adult like...well, lottery tickets I guess. More importantly I wanted to be seen as a mature adult to the rest of society and really start contributing to the world around me. I only saw turning 18 as a step forward.
Now I realize that I'll be leaving not only my adolescent years but my years as the target audience for young adult novels. I will officially be an adult-reading-YA from now on. And I'm proud of it! I have no intention of picking up adult books any time soon though I understand that they'll sneak their way into my bookshelf at some point. I think it's incredibly important for youth turning adults in the next few years to continue supporting YA literature, especially in regards to media attacks like the #yasaves/WJS incident and the continuous banning of "controversial" novels.
I wanted to take this opportunity to thank every single YA author who has touched me during my adolescent years. I have thoroughly enjoyed reading your novels, and over the past few years reviewing and recommending them to my friends. You have provided me with countless hours of laughter, enlightenment, tears, and characters I'll never forget. Without you I would not be the person I am today, I would not be someone who dedicated myself to the arts, someone who advocates for literacy, someone who is considering literature as a future career.
On a lighter note, I wanted to feature a novel published today! It's a short list since June 15 is the least popular date to ever publish a YA novel. Oh well. Check it out!
Awww, what a sweet post. Happy birthday!! Hope it's a lovely one. (Although there's still a lot more years to go before being seen as -- or feeling like -- a mature adult. Believe us, we're in our 20s and 30s and still don't!)
ReplyDeleteHappy Birthday!
ReplyDeleteOh, I remember turning 18. It was a year when the federal election was in June and my birthday isn't until September, so I was so peeved off that I missed voting by a few months. Funnily enough, I guess you can relate! (Well, if you're like me and are really manic about voting, I guess, haha).
Anyway, again, happy birthday!! =)
Happy birthday, Laura!!
ReplyDeleteI'm 22 (nearly 23 now) and I still read YA. When I was in high school I read mostly adult books, but somewhere along the way, I fell back in love with YA and I haven't been able to give it up. Nor do I ever intend to.
Now go buy some lottery tickets!
Happy (day late) birthday!! I'm well into my 20s and I still love YA :) Good luck with the lotto tickets! :P
ReplyDelete