I can’t take the angst!

Lately, every time I pick up a YA book I get about 20-30 pages and then I bail.

I just feel like nothing’s grabbing me.  It’s frustrating to be honest.  I love YA, it’s my favorite age group to read for, and yet lately reading it kind of feels like banging my head against a dresser.

I can’t take another love triangle.  I can’t take more insta-love.  I can’t take more angst.  And I really absolutely cannot take more descriptions of eyes AS GREEN AS THE FOREST or BLUE AND DEEP AS THE SEA, let alone hear about THE WAY HE SMELLS.  In fact, at this very moment, I feel like I can’t take teenagers anymore period!  They’re whiney.  They’re rash.  They always make stupid decisions, take way too long to figure stuff out, and find all sorts of ways to annoy me.  Am I saying I’m done with YA?  Certainly not!  But I am going to take a bit of a break for a bit.  Lately, it seems like every book I’m actually attracted to is either adult or middle grade.  I think this is a sign.  A sign to ease up, enjoy what I feel like, and don’t force the books that aren’t working for me at the moment.  The next time I pick up a YA book I don’t want to feel like this:

I want to feel like this!

This is kind of a new thing for me, since I’ve been reading significantly more in the past six months or so than I ever have before.  I’ve had series burn out, author burn out, and genre burn out, but I’ve never been so completely sick of a whole field of books.  I know everyone gets in reading slumps, but I don’t feel like I’m in a reading slump, I’m just in a YA slump. 

For you, this means that reviews on my blog may be skewing to adult and middle grade a bit more than usual.  I still have some YA reviews scheduled ahead, so it won’t be abandoned entirely, and you might not notice a difference at all! 

Do any of you ever have these feelings about YA or another group of books?  Any tips or tricks for getting over it?  My plan is to just steer clear for few books, or until something grabs me. 

What’s the most amazeballs YA read that might pick me up?  I’d love to hear suggestions. Here’s a list of ARCs I have sitting around, and here are books I own but haven’t read.

Thoughts on Young Adult: The Movie

Last night I decided to take an evening off reading and watch my current Netflix movies.  One of them was Young Adult staring Charlize Theron (the other was the American version of Girl With the Dragon Tattoo which I thought was very well done.  I’m super impressed with Roony Mara, and while it doesn’t top the original Swedish version in my mind, it’s well worth watching—if anything just check out the credit sequence).

When I was in high school and college, I used to watch a lot of independent movies.  Every once in a while, one of them is an absolute gem, but most of them?  Most of them have a pretty bleak outlook on life and humanity.  Young Adult could have made me feel worse about my life, but what did bother me the most, quite frankly, was that it was an embarrassment to young adult literature.  Charlize Theron is a rather despicable character, who shook off the dust of her home town in Minnesota and headed off to Minneapolis, which, for all the airs she puts on, may as well be Paris or Milan.  There, she’s made her career ghost writing a “wildly popular” YA series.  In reality, the series is being ended, and she’s currently penning the last book.  Shortly after being divorced, she receives a birth announcement via e-mail with a picture of her ex-boyfriend’s new baby.  She prints it out, stares at it obsessively, until she decides to pack her bags, head home, and win back the love of her life (aka wreck a perfectly happy home).

At one point during our watch, my boyfriend says “I imagine this is exactly how most young adult authors are in real life…only you know, less attractive.”  We quickly agreed that 99.9% of the world’s population is less attractive than Charlize Theron, but then I made him look at pics of authors like Maureen Johnson and admit she was cute while I also told him about how funny and wonderful she seemed as opposed to the heinous, tempestuous Peter Pan character that was Charlize Theron in Young Adult.  I bristled under this comment, and from this movie in general, because the thought that this is how ‘young adult’ can be portrayed to the world just degrades it and feeds into so many of those naïvely negative opinions out there.

The thing about her writing that I liked:  She drew inspiration from teens around her, and tried to write how these teens actually talked.

The thing about her writing that I didn’t like:  It was pretty much a vessel for her to relive her youth that she’s never left.  Her main character is very shallow, vapid, and pretty much a cardboard cut-out of her teen self.  I get the whole she never really grows up or gets over high school thing, and I think it’s great that they did this with a character who did get out of a small town and have a successful career—it proves that it’s not always townies who get stuck in high school, sometimes you can stay in your home town and move on with your life.  But still.  It paints a picture of young adult literature as equally shallow and vapid, and those adults of us who read it as unable to get over our own youth.  There have been all manner of discussions as of late as to what YA lit has to offer readers of all ages, and they’ve been good ones, so I won’t go on and on reiterating those facts here.  I will say that I don’t in any way believe that reading it means I need to grow up, or that it lacks depth (okay some of it does, but not what I usually read).

Have any of you sat down and watched Young Adult?  If so, what did you think?  I’m trying not to get too annoyed at the negative portrayal of the literature I love (and yes, I will continue to refer to it as literature despite those damn critics), I realize that this was an independent movie, and not really main stream.  It did, however, have some big names from the independent world involved (writer of Juno, director of Up In the Air) that are sure to draw a wider audience.  It’s not really worth getting all up in arms over this, but I am curious to see how other YA fans felt.  If you haven’t seen Young Adult, I’m not trying to discourage anyone from watching it.  It’s not a bad movie, but it is a pretty bleak one…

Dehumanization: Why people dying can be funny, and animals dying never is.

Not too long ago, the amazing Amy of Tripping Over Books had a post about her “pet” peeve, in which she bemoaned authors killing off animals in books.  I agree wholeheartedly, and when I had my own brush with this feeling while reading Barry Lyga’s fantastic I Hunt Killers (reviewed here), I figured I had enough to say that I’d write my own post!

So here’s my first question—does the fact that we see death in books, video games, T.V. and movies so much help to dehumanize it?  Now, I am so NOT one of those people who thinks that violence in entertainment leads to psychos and violence in real life, in fact, I’m a big proponent of it on the level of personal enjoyment, but I can’t help but feel like experiencing the death of people so much makes me really not care. 

I make this same joke a lot.

Flannery, of The Readventurer included a pretty amazing graph in her review of I Hunt Killers in which she plotted various books and life events on a chart with an x-axis of funny to scary and a y-axis of gory to clean (and yes, Flannery, child birth is both very gory and a little scary).  This helped solidify some thoughts for me.  I like gore, and I like funny; I heart Quentin Tarantino movies and Chuck Palahniuk books.  Some sick, sad part of my soul revels in the gratuitous violence of a scene so bloody they have to make it black and white just to forego an NC17 rating (if you don’t know what I’m referring to, go watch Kill Bill.  Stat.  Unless gratuitous violence bothers you, then really don’t).  The Showtime show Dexter fits in there somewhere, as does the aforementioned I Hunt Killers.  I feel virtually nothing for these people whose lives are lost.  In fact, I savor them.  But then there’s a line, and that line my friend, is cute fluffy animals (okay, any animals, but being cute and fluffy helps with the pity factor).

That’s it, the one and only time I really felt anything like horror for any of the victims in I Hunt Killers was for the dog (I don’t think this is a spoiler as it’s mentioned early and often).  Why is that?  What’s wrong with me?  Part of me thinks that we get so upset about animal deaths because they always seem unnecessary.  Animals, generally, don’t have motives or perform actions that make them responsible.  They’re always the innocent bystanders.  Animals can’t be dehumanized for us, because they aren’t human…and quite frankly for me I tend to like them better than most humans.

So, is it sad that in order to pull at our heart strings, authors have to resort to killing off animals?  Is it even necessary?  I think it can be a cheap ploy, but on the other hand, it can be a genius way to put a ‘human’ face on a situation we’ve already stepped back from emotionally.  When I go into a book or movie knowing there will be violence, I’m cool with it.  I expect it, I like it, and as such, I don’t care when people die.  I’ve dehumanized them, and already written them off as not real.  But I can’t do that with animals.  Animals are always real, and thus, will always have my pity.

Birth Control: Dystopias on Reproductive Rights

Today I’d like to talk about a trend within a trend that I keep bumping into (no pun intended...okay, maybe pun a little intended).  Dystopian novels usually make an important allegory for the present, and that allegory most often has something to do with our right to choose.  Our jobs, who we spend our lives with, where we live, our privacy etc.  There is one choice in particular that I’ve found to frequent the plot lines of these stories, and that is the right to choose when, if, and how to have children.  I want to open this one up for the floor, largely because this is a topic I’m not set on and when I don’t know how I feel about something, I like to see other takes.  Here are some of the books that include this theme--they range from classics and adult novels such as The Handmaid’s Tale (one of my all time favs) to recent young adult, such as Partials, released this last week:

Anthem - Ayn Rand

Birthmarked - Caragh M. O’Brien

Bumped - Megan McCafferty
The Handmaid’s Tale - Margaret Atwood
Partials - Dan Wells
Unwind - Neal Shusterman
When She Woke - Hilary Jordan
Wither - Lauren DeStefano

Now, I admittedly have only read half of these books (Anthem, The Handmaid’s Tale, Partials, When She Woke), and that is in large part due to this common theme (I don’t like being too repetitive with my reads).  Reproductive rights, while not always the main theme, are an important driving force in each of these stories.  

To me, reproductive rights are an interesting and important topic of choice for dystopias because it tends to be a hot-button issue that is difficult to address in contemporary fiction.  That said, I am beginning to wonder how much it is really being used to create discourse on the topic.  I’ve found that the bulk of books that broach this subject are written from the same stance, that is, the stance that women should reserve the right to choose when, how, and if to have children no matter the situation.  Being a feminist myself, I agree with this stance, but I also think that only presenting one side of an argument can keep us from really thinking about the implications of a situation.  This is bad.  I like to read and see things that I disagree with, because by understanding others’ arguments we are able to more intelligently determine our own stance, as well as broaden our world view.  

This past week I finished reading Partials, which addresses this issue in the form of The Hope Act (I don’t really feel like I have spoilers here, just wanna talk about this aspect more in-depth--you don’t have to have read it!).  The Hope Act has been enacted because 99% of the human population has been eradicated from the earth, largely by a virus called RM.  The small portion of the human population who have found themselves immune have created The Hope Act in order to ensure the future of humanity.  This act requires all women 18 and over to give birth once a year, with the hope that with more babies to study they are more likely to find a cure for the virus.  However, after a decade, they are no closer to this cure, and all babies die within three days of being born.  One of the things I appreciated most about Partials was that Dan Wells argued both sides of The Hope Act very well.  Even our heroine, Kira, who disagreed with The Hope Act on a personal level could see the reason for it and at times found herself arguing in its defense.

I appreciated this fact a lot, especially because Partials is a novel written for young adults.  I’ll admit it--I’m kind of uncomfortable with the amount of YA books out there that address teenage marriage and/or pregnancy.  I like that we’re giving teens enough credit these days to address big issues that are real, but at the same time, I hope that we’re teaching them to think for themselves like Kira in Partials.  I’m not saying that because a teen reads a dystopian novel where young women are forced to give birth they will want to get knocked up, most likely the opposite, I’m saying that I want to make teens (and anyone for that matter) think about these things.  I don't want them to only get one half of the argument and choose their position accordingly. This is what makes dystopian novels great book club picks!  You can really delve into how the society got to where it is--why these decisions were deemed necessary, and what situation could be extreme enough to warrant stripping away reproductive rights.

I’m not really sure what I’m trying to say here, honestly, it’s just a topic I’ve been thinking about for some time now and wanted to see what others thought.  While I loved both The Handmaid’s Tale and When She Woke, I feel like both sides were represented very unevenly.  The anti-reproductive rights side was obviously extreme, repressive, and ‘wrong’.  I’d like to see more dystopias argue both sides enough that you can really understand them without judging outright.  Do any of the other four books I mentioned do this, or do you have other reading suggestions for me?  Do you think we're helping our teens to think, or driving them toward one given point of view? Please share your own thoughts on reproductive rights in dystopias.

Team Dynamics: How much does popular opinion affect a writer's choices?

Last night while watching Monday’s episode of How I Met Your Mother, the boyfriend and I got into a discussion about the dynamics of fictional relationships, how the audience affects the outcome, and why people pick teams.  I would love to continue that discussion here.

Let's get married, even though neither of us likes commitment!
How I Met Your Mother - CBS

Here’s the thing that annoys me: when choosing teams, people root for the characters they like.  Well of course they do, what’s wrong with that?  The reality is the most fun, nice, likable, etc. character isn’t always the best option for the character in question.  Let’s take the aforementioned How I Met Your Mother.  SPOILERS IF YOU CARE SKIP TILL MORE CAPSLOCK:  So this week Robin gets proposed to, and she actually wants to say yes.  Now, this guy is great, he’s probably the best thing that could happen to Robin, and I was all for it.  But still I had zero excitement when this happened because I knew the writers would never carry through.  Why?  Because he doesn’t even have a team!  He’s not one of the core characters of the show, and for some reason core characters have to end up together whether or not it’s a good and healthy relationship dynamic.  I think everyone wants Barney and Robin to end up together, but I certainly don’t.  They were a terrible couple.  Do people really think this is going to change?  I don’t.  END SPOILERS FOR THAT SHOW BEGIN THEM FOR SCRUBS:  Take J.D. and Elliot in Scrubs.  Again, horrible couple.  Just because they’re great friends, and the darling core single characters of the show should not dictate their fates!  I hated that they ended up together (Okay, I hated the last couple seasons of this show period.  Seriously, stop making shows before they start sucking.  It’s killing me, I can barely even watch How I Met Your Mother anymore).  END SPOILERS.  

Oh J.D., I'm pretty sure we hate seeing each other naked.
Scrubs - NBC/ABC

I’m so frustrated with this issue that I’m straying away from television all together.  I don’t know who I’ve lost faith in.  Have I lost faith in viewers because they won’t be happy unless their two favorite core characters end up together, even if they’re not right for one another?  Have I lost faith in the writers who make this happen?  Have I lost faith in the producers who dictate these endings to please their fanbase?  Maybe all of the above.  So I turn to my refuge, books, and while I feel like here authors take more liberties to make things right, the dynamic of picking teams and shipping for match-ups is even more rampant.

Sorry Jacob, if you kiss me I'll probably cry.
Twilight - Summit Entertainment

The original: Team Edward vrs. Team Jacob.  Say what you will about the books, Twilight ignited the team picking dynamic and turned it into a wildfire.  The entire time reading the books I was utterly confused about why this happened.  Jacob never had a chance.  You hear me Team Jacob?  JACOB NEVER HAD A CHANCE!  Why would readers stand so ardently behind a character who obviously was not Bella’s interest?  Oh but it’s okay fans!  Stephenie Meyer didn’t leave you hanging, she conveniently made the who Renesme creepiness to make fans happy and tie Jacob up all nice and neat so that nobody had to go home a loser.  Was this a case of a writer pandering to her audience to make them happy?  The cynic in me wants to scream “Of course!”, but the reality is, I can’t make those judgements, I can only speculate.  

Jo, forget everything you want and be with me!
Little Women - Columbia Pictures

Now, it seems, love triangles and team picking exists in every YA series.  I’m continually surprised to see fans picking the side of the character they like best, and not the character who is the best match.  Look at Cynthia Hand’s Unearthly series.  SPOILERS IF YOU HAVEN’T READ HALLOWED SKIP THIS PART: You have Christian, and you have Tucker.  Now, let me assure you that I love Tucker as much as everyone else, but after reading Hallowed, I am not cheering for him to end up with Clara.  Why?  Because at the end of the day, Christian is a better option for her to be happy, and to not hurt the one she’s with.  END SPOILERS.  The same thing happened in the classic, Little Women.  People still rant about Jo not ending up with Laurie, but guess what?  They would have been a terrible couple!  Just because Laurie is wonderful and an awesome friend doesn’t mean he was the right choice to make Jo happy for the rest of her life.  He wasn’t.  Mr. Behr challenges Jo and compliments her personality in ways that Laurie never could.  

I love you, shame I'll have to kill you.
The Hunger Games - Lionsgate

Then there’s those series where it’s a coin toss, like The Hunger Games.  Suzanne Collins presents us with two potential mates for Katniss, Peeta or Gale.  They’re both essentially good guys, both of them compliment Katniss in different ways and could be good matches.  So how did Collins reconcile this?  SPOILERS FOR MOCKINGJAY LOOK AWAY:  She makes one go essentially war crazy so that we can feel all warm and snug in our beds at night knowing Katniss made the right choice. END SPOILERS.  Again, this to me is the author’s way of worming out of having the characters make a tough decision, and a way to make readers happy.

I’d love to hear what other readers think about this dynamic.  Do you think authors consider readers too much when making the tough relationship decisions?  Do you think they do it to make us happy, or to make themselves feel better?  Do you wish that one person would end up with their heart crushed all over the floor and everyone would just deal with it?  I’d love to hear your thoughts.

The Kai Factor

Every so often a trend pops up that really starts to irk me, and here’s one: Kai.  

Now I’ll admit, I’m a bit name obsessed, and can be more than a little judgemental about the issue.  So here’s the thing...I like the name Kai, or at least I did.  Apparently, every YA author out there liked the name Kai too.  

According to BabyNameFacts.com, Kai is the 205th most popular boys name in the U.S. but I’ll bet it’s more popular in literature.  Why?  My guess is that authors seek a cool name that can apply with ease to a surprisingly wide demographic (for example meanings in Hawaiian and Welsh), but also a name that isn’t too common.  You want your male lead to stand out. So maybe more common names like Ben, or Jake show up more often, but they don’t stick out like Kai.

Here's half a dozen of the Kai examples out there:

Prince Kai

Ky...different spelling still counts!

Kai short for Kaidan...still counts!

Kai Zōu

Childhood sweetheart...Kai

Best friend...Kai

Do you see what I mean?!  And Kai's not the only name gaining rapid popularity in YA lit, I'm looking at you Finn.  Don't think I haven't noticed.

So what about you guys?  Any other naming trends jump out at you?