Måndagsmöte: Sarah från Forever Young Adult

Senaste året har jag fått väldigt många och bra crossover/ungdomsboktips från en amerikansk bokblogg som heter Forever Young Adult (YA = ungdomsböcker). Det som är speciellt med den är att den skrivs av vuxna som hemskt gärna läser YA:s, dvs ungefär som jag själv. Varför? Se fråga 2.
FYA har superbra koll på det som kommer ut och de skriver roligt och snärtigt. Jag håller inte alltid med om deras åsikter så det är inte en sån blogg att jag direkt köper det de hyllar, men ibland smäller det till och blir true love. Läs tex inlägget och kommentarerna om denna lokalt numera välkända bok. Eller det här, en utvikning från böcker i och för sig, som handlar om vilken kille som var bäst i teveserien ”Felicity”. (De kommer fram till helt rätt svar.)

Forever Young Adult skrivs av fem tjejer, alla har andra heltidsjobb så bloggen är ett hobbyprojekt, och de har cirka 3000 besökare per dag. (I mycket väldigt likt bokhora alltså!)
Den här måndagen har jag intervjuat Sarah som startade FYA.

Hey Sarah, what are you reading right now?

I just finished ”What Happened to Goodbye”, the newest novel from Sarah Dessen, who is one of my all time favorite YA writers. When it comes to her books, I’m what we like to call a total swimfan.

How come you’re reading so much young adult even though you should be over it? What’s wrong with ”regular” novels?

There’s nothing wrong with ”regular” novels, and I do still read literature written for adults. But I find YA much more appealing and exciting, for several reasons. First, there’s what we like to call the ”purity of firsts”: the first kiss, the first heartbreak, the first time you see your parents as regular people. YA captures those moments that really resonate with us, no matter how old we are, and allows us to revisit them (and maybe even experience them in a better way). Second, there’s a lot more freedom in the YA genre for writers to take risks and embrace their creativity. I find the diversity and quirkiness of teen literature extremely refreshing in a world of airport bestsellers.

Do you agree with the feeling that YAs are reaching a bigger audience now, thanks to crossovers like ”Twilight” and ”The Hunger Games”?

Definitely! Although I think much of the credit goes to J.K. Rowling, who showed adults that so-called children’s literature can be extremely powerful, moving stuff.
We as YAngelists still have a lot of work to do though! And in case you think I just made up a word, I did, but only because it needed to be created! We use the term YAngelism to refer to spreading the gospel of young adult literature, and even though Harry Potter has paved the way for us, Twilight has done some serious damage to the credibility of YA in this country. People still feel a sense of shame when they walk into the Teen Lit section of a bookstore, and it’s our job to turn that embarrassment into pride.

What do you write about on the blog, is it only reviews of books you’ve read? What are some of your most popular posts?

Our website is for adults who read YA, which means we can cover a lot more than book reviews. While we love touting our favorite books, we also love any opportunity to create a drinking game, and those posts are among our most popular. We’ve created drinking games for everything from the Twilight movies to ”Anne of Green Gables”. Erin, one of our writers, specializes in mocking ”classic” YA books with a drinking game analysis, and her posts on ”Sweet Valley High” and ”Flowers in the Attic” pretty much rule the school.

Who’s your typical reader?

The internet makes this question a little tricky, but I’m pretty sure that most of our readers are females in their 20s and 30s. We only have a few male readers, one of whom is Brian Katcher, a fantastic author, which is why a lot of our greetings go something like, ”Hello, ladies and Brian!”

2. ”The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau Banks” by E. Lockhart
This is an incredibly charming portrait of burgeoning feminism, and it’s got all of our favorite bonus factors, including boarding school and pranks.

3. ”The Truth About Forever” by Sarah Dessen
If you want swoon, look no further than this book. It’s the perfect blend of romance and reality, and you will most definitely suffer from TEABS (The End of an Awesome Book Syndrome) afterwards. (Jag älskar.)

4. ”Jellicoe Road” by Melina Marchetta
This book will grab your heart and never let go. From the hotness of Jonah Griggs to the excitement of the territory wars to the mystery of Taylor’s family, this novel is unforgettable. (Jag dyrkar.)

5. ”Before I Fall” by Lauren Oliver
This book accomplishes two incredible feats: 1) it repeats the same day without ever lessening in intensity and suspense 2) it makes you actually like a popular mean girl. (Jag tyckte okej.)

Are there genres you dislike or just don’t read?

I’m pretty open-minded, but the one genre that makes me pull a Fred Savage (see the definition in our Lexicon) is fairy books. I CANNOT HANDLE any books about the fae folk or humans who become fairies or any of that shizz. Maybe it’s because fairy men are too girlie, or maybe it’s because the language always strikes me as artificial and ridiculous, but that genre is simply not for me.

Do you finish every book you start?

Since I review almost every book I read, I usually try to finish it, even if it means skimming the last few (or 100) pages. The last book that got the skim treatment was ”Invincible Summer”, and my review pretty much sums up the reason why.

Summer is coming, what should we read?

Oh girl, there is so much great reading material on the summer horizon! I recommend Sarah Dessen’s latest, ”What Happened to Goodbye”, because her books are always incredibly satisfying and swoony and just really great reads. If you’re looking for a fun romp for the beach, check out ”Spoiled” by Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan. They write the website Go Fug Yourself, and their debut novel is a celebration of over the top LA riches, designer labels and the true bonds of sisterhood. Also, I haven’t read it yet, but ”Overbite”, the sequel to Meg Cabot’s ”Insatiable”, comes out in July, and I have no doubt that it will be as sexy and delicious as its predecessor.