So the other day, I started reading a contemporary novel. When I first started this blog, I didn't read contemporary at all. Too angsty for me. But as people started raving over all these contemporary books, I decided that maybe I should give it a try. And I started to fall in love with it. It was relatable. I loved the characters, the friendships, the relationships. So I started to read more. And for a while I was just on this huge contemporary kick.
Then I read the likes of Sarah J. Maas and wanted more fantasy. So I dove into fantasy and I've been enraptured ever since. I still intersperse my fantasy reading w/contemporary & other genres. But lately I've been struggling with contemporary. The characters just seem to annoy me. They just seem so young to me. It's funny how they're the same age in the fantasy novels I read vs. the contemporary, but I feel like on a maturity scale they are so different. They are years apart in mental age.
If you've been following my blog for a while, you may know that I don't read middle grade. I don't have a problem with middle grade, but I have a difficult time connecting to the characters because their voice sounds so young to me. And there have been a couple contemporary novels where I've gotten the same vibe even though they're marketed as YA. If the character's voice sounds too young to me, I'm probably not enjoying the book all that much. And I think that may be the problem. Because the YA characters in fantasy sound so much older to me, I've gotten used to that maturity level. And going back to contemporary where maybe the characters aren't quite so mature is throwing me off.
So now I've started to wonder, am I over the genre completely? Have I grown out of contemporary? Have my reading tastes changed? Or have I just not been jiving with the particular contemporaries I've been picking up lately?
I want to think it's the latter. That maybe I'm just not jiving with the particular contemporaries I've been picking up lately. Maybe I need to reread a favorite contemporary and that will help. Or maybe I just need a break from the genre. Perhaps I just go through genre phases and right now I'm in a fantasy phase. Next week could be historical fiction. The week after that maybe I'll be back to contemporary.
Have you guys ever had this happen to you? Do you think you go through genre phases?
Fantasy has been my favorite genre for awhile now, I just can't seem to get enough of it. I was a huge dystopian fan but I'm kind of burned out on it, to be honest. I do read contemporary, but not as much as other genres. I'm super picky when it comes to contemporaries and I read more NA than YA these days. And I still read paranormal. So yeah, I go through phases. And it makes sense for the characters in fantasy to read as older because most of the time they could almost be any age (they're going through so much, running kingdoms, going on quests, etc.) whereas in contemporary they couldn't be because of course they wouldn't be in high school, dealing with all of the typical teenager things. Great post! ~Pam
ReplyDeleteSame for me w/dystopian. I used to read every single dystopian I could get my hands on, but then I just kind of burned out and they all sound the same to me now. I think that's what I love about fantasy so much. They're all so different because there is just so much you can do with fantasy. Anything really. But I'm kind of starting to burn out on contemporary. Maybe I should try some more NA. The YA stuff is just sounding so angsty to me lately. :(
DeleteI wasn't huge into YA contemporary when I first starting reading YA and then I fell in love! It's still one of my favorite genres but I totally agree that if a character's voice is very young, it's really hard for me to enjoy the book.
ReplyDeleteI've also really been falling out of love with "serious" contemporary/realistic. I just have enough going on as-is and like something on the lighter side when I'm in the mood for realistic!
Maybe that's my problem. Maybe I need to stick to the lighter, fluffier contemps for a while.
DeleteI know what you mean about contemporary... I never read any contemporary before blogging. ANd i've come to realize that some contemporary are just not for me. Serious issues or tough topics.... not for me. I know there are a lot out htere that people LOVE but... I've come to realize that I just don't want to read it. If that makes sense. I do like romance contemps though. At least I know what I like now!
ReplyDeleteAnyway, I don't really go through phases, more like just whatever mood strikes me. Haha. I've always thought of myself as a mood reader. Sometimes I'll get the fantasy mood, sometimes, sci fi, sometimes romance. It all depends!
Yeah, it's funny because I tend to like the heavier contemps and shy away from the fluffier ones. The romance ones are just not that interesting to me for whatever reason. But lately I've been struggling w/all contemps so maybe I just need a break.
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