I usually read Young Adult books but lately I've been reading a lot from the New Adult genre. Back when I was completely unaware of the New Adult genre and had to do a bit of research, I found out the main differences between YA and NA are:
Age bracket
YA: 15-18 years old; highschool
NA: (according to Goodreads) 18-26 years old; college to the awkward years of adulthood limbo
How physical they get
YA: That first kiss and... okay maybe some YA books have sex in it too.
NA: They have sex and boy is it detailed.
Now I'm in a bit of a dilemma here. I know I've originally started this blog not caring about who reads it as long as I review books I read - and trust me, I read a variety of books. From Percy Jackson to Fifty Shades of Grey, I obviously don't stick to just one genre. As I updated my review list, I realized just how random it is. I have a lot of YA in it but at the same time I have lots of NA in it too. It's weird looking at the titles under, say, letter W: Wallbanger and We'll Always Have Summer. Two polar opposites. The title alone gives everything off.
I've always felt like blogging shouldn't have rules but right now I'm kind of wondering: Should I just stick to one genre for the readers' sake (assuming I have regular readers LOL)? I mean, I'd still read whatever but I just won't review everything here. I know readers are capable of choosing which reviews to read but it just bothers me, that's all. I want to consider who reads my blog, but I also want my blog to be a reflection of the kind of reader I am.
*sighs*
All I know is I started this blog not caring about rules or limits, and it's fun that way. Even if the whole genre difference is bothering me....ugh. But hey! What if another reader much like myself actually enjoys my blog? Because, you know, she reads a variety of books so she also checks out a variety of reviews. That counts for something, right? :)
Okay this post is getting floopy - hey! 'floopy' is a word.
ANYWAY.............
Yet another rant post. Note that I'm not looking for any sort of solution here but I'd really like to know what you think, if ever you've had this experience or you've thought of this before.
Share your thoughts below!
Xo,
Xo,
I'm not a fan of YA...never was. At my age, I have to patience for those kinds of reads anymore. But I'm just starting to get into NA & for the most part I like it.
ReplyDeleteI think variety it good. But I also say stick to what you love the read :)
Hi Isabel!
ReplyDeleteOh, my tastes are varied as well! And now they're shifting more towards modern classics instead of the YA my blog had previously revolved around. I'm worried about the same thing! People followed me for YA book reviews, not classic reviews!
What I'm going by, and what I think applies to your situation as well, is to simply read and review what you want. A book review website is an extension of you, and though it's essential to consider your readers: you come first.
Happy reading!
-Kirthi
P.S. Rants are good. Let it allll out, I'm here to listen!
I'm a new blogger, so my blog hasn't gone through its inevitable existential crisis yet. But I've had set in my head that, no matter how serious I get about it or how many followers/commenters I get, I'll always post what I want to post.
ReplyDeleteI feel like most avid readers read a bunch of different genres, even if one is their favorite, so you really shouldn't worry about that. Shoot, knowing that you don't just review a specific kind of book makes me more likely to come back to your blog.
I understand your point, though, because ultimately you do want your blog to have the biggest following of regular readers you can get. But yeah, I'd agree with the above comment and just keep reviewing what you want to review.
I think you should review what you want to review. I started to want to a YA blog, but I like to read adult and NA, too. So I decided to make my blog both. I don't see why you can't review both. Maybe you could have separate pages for reviews. One for YA and one for NA. That could work that way if you have viewers that want to read your NA just mark it as NA.
ReplyDeleteI used to read only adult books, but now I'm into YA. I don't know, somehow something about the world coming to an end has me addicted :-)
ReplyDeleteI have the same dilemma. Actually it's about my Friday Adult Reads. Since my reviews are scheduled, everyone who visits my blog on weekends would see the adult reviews which made me ask what if those who don't read or not into adult books turn away on from my blog because of that?
ReplyDeleteBut with your problem, I really think you should review whatever book you read, whether its YA, NA or Adult. It's your choice and this is your blog. We, readers, are just happy that you share your thoughts with us.
x,
Charlie
I think you should feel free to read a variety of genres! My blog can be pretty eclectic, too, and I think we have two different types of followers--those interested in classics and those interested in YA and MG. As far as I can tell, people just read the reviews they're most interested in, and it's not really bothering anyone. ;)
ReplyDelete