Grown Up Books for Adults Who Love YA Fiction

Are you an adult who once loved young adult fiction and are starting to get burnt out on it? Or maybe you still love young adult fiction but you want to expand your reading. Either way, I created this list of "grown up" books that pair nicely with young adult books, for anyone who wants to make the jump from young adult fiction to adult fiction or non-fiction, for any reason.

Helter Skelter by Vincent Bugliosi

Charles Manson and the events of August 9-10, 1969 will probably always fascinate people. In the past few years, a couple YA books have come out that are loosely based on Charles Manson, or that have characters who are fascinated by the Manson Girls (Family by Micol Ostow and American Girls by Alison Umminger).

 Columbine by Dave Cullen

Why: School shootings are a hot topic in YA fiction. Columbine is an excellent look at what happened and why. It's a great book to pair with This Is Where It Ends, Hate List, and Violent Ends: A Novel in Seventeen Points of View.
Hawkes Harbor by S.E. Hinton

Why: S.E. Hinton wrote The Outsiders, which is considered the first young adult book. Hawkes Harbor is a great book to read if you like vampires but have read everything the young adult genre has to offer. It's not a paranormal romance, though, so if you prefer your vampires with a side of romance, Hawkes Harbor might not be what you're looking for.

Christine by Stephen King

Why: Christine takes place during the main characters' teen years, which make it an easy way to jump from reading young adult fiction to adult fiction. It's also a beautifully haunting, and of course terrifying, story.


Dexter series by Jeff Lindsay

Why: Just like the I Hunt Killers trilogy by Barry Lyga, the Dexter series offers a different perspective on serial killers.

Books in this series (in order): Darkly Dreaming Dexter, Dearly Devoted Dexter, Dexter in the Dark, Dexter by Design, Dexter is Delicious, Double Dexter, Dexter's Final Cut, Dexter is Dead

All the Missing Girls by Megan Miranda


Why: Megan Miranda was a young adult author before she started writing adult fiction. All the Missing Girls is reminiscent of novels like Never Missing, Never Found, a YA mystery with plenty of twists and turns, just like All the Missing Girls. As a bonus, it's the first book in a series.

Books in this series (in order): All the Missing Girls, The Perfect Stranger

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

Why: Stephanie Garber's YA debut, Caraval, has been pitched as The Hunger Games meets The Night Circus. Both feature competitions, romance, and plenty of magic.



The Silver Linings Playbook by Matthew Quick

Why: Mental illness is also a hot topic in young adult fiction. Matthew Quick has also written YA fiction, and The Silver Linings Playbook is a great look at what adulthood is like for someone who has a mental illness.

Teatime

Tea party. Photography. Britannica ImageQuest, Encyclopædia Britannica, 25 May 2016.
quest.eb.com/search/132_1252872/1/132_1252872/cite. Accessed 20 Jan 2017.

Last month was National Hot Tea Month, and that got us thinking - how much do we know about tea? Between types of tea (green, black, white) and types of tea service (afternoon tea, royal tea, cream tea), it's a lot more than just pouring boiling water over your teabag in a cup. There is a whole complicated etiquette if you are taking tea, more so if you are preparing it! And what about the long and winding road that is the history of tea?

The library catalog can help. We have recipes for teatime! We have books about varieties of teas! We have books that discuss tea's (sometimes unsavory, pun intended) place in culture.We even have a book for those tea-loving knitters assured enough to make their own cosies for teapots and books to read to your children about taking tea, so you can inspire a new generation of tea aficionados. And, if you want tea party inspiration, we highly recommend the Vintage Tea Party books by Angel Adoree of London's Vintage Patisserie. The recipes will make you drool, and the crafts are delightful, even if, like us, you never have the time to recreate her magical tea wonderland.

For Adults

The Vintage Tea Party Year by Angel Adoree

Afternoon Tea at Home by Will Torrent 

The Art of Tea and Friendship: Savoring the Fragrance of Time Together With Paintings by Sandy Lynam Clough 

The Afternoon Tea Collection 

Tea: History, Terroirs, Varieties by Kevin Gascoyne ... [et al.].  

Tea: Addiction, Exploitation and Empire by Roy Moxham

The Art and Craft of Tea: An Enthusiast's Guide to Selecting, Brewing, and Serving Exquisite Tea by Joseph Wesley Uhl

Homegrown Tea: An Illustrated Guide to Planting, Harvesting, and Blending Teas and Tisanes by Cassie Liversidge 

How Tea Cosies Changed the World by Loani Prior 

The Story of Tea: A Cultural History and Drinking Guide by Mary Lou Heiss and Robert J. Heiss 

Breakfast, Lunch, Tea: The Many Little Meals of Rose Bakery by Rose Carrarini 

For All the Tea in China: How England Stole the World's Favorite Drink and Changed History by Sarah Rose

The Green Tea User's Manual by Helen Gustafson 

Tea-Cup Reading, and Fortune-Telling By Tea-Leaves by a Highland seer

    

For Children 

Fancy Nancy Tea Parties by Jane O'Connor

Tea Ceremony by Shozo Sato

Tea Rex by Molly Idle  

Mad Hatter's Tea Party by Jane Werner 

Tea for Ruby by Sarah Ferguson, The Duchess of York 

Tea For Me, Tea For You by Laura Rader 

Teatime With Emma Buttersnap by Lindsey Tate

Tea With Grandpa by Barney Saltzberg 

Tea Party Rules by Ame Dyckman 

How To Behave At a Tea Party by Madelyn Rosenberg  

Tea Party Today: Poems To Sip and Savor by Eileen Spinelli 

Pinkalicious: The Royal Tea Party by Victoria Kann 

A Royal Tea by Debbie Dadey

There are many locations in Albuquerque to take tea - the St. James Tearoom was featured the other day in Huffington Post, but you can also enjoy a cuppa at Hadley's Tea, the Ivy Tearoom, the Fragrant Leaf, and Figments Tea Shoppe and Gallery. 

     

Adult Fiction Readalikes Based on Childhood Favorites

Often what we love as children stays with us long into adulthood – this is true of me, at the very least - from dearly loved movies to comfort foods to favorite reads. While the beloved classics of my childhood may not hold up under my more discerning adult scrutiny (ahem, Nancy Drew), that does not mean that I don’t get all warm and fuzzy when I think about Nancy’s adventures. Certain children's books are classic for a reason. Through their characters and themes, they become an ineffable part of our reading identity. So it only makes sense that thematically similar books, whether intended for younger or older audience, would be enjoyed based on said similarities That is my goal with these recommendations, to pair the books I loved as a child with books I've loved as an adult, based on their themes, characters, and storylines. Because who doesn't want to find out how Nancy Drew would fit into the world of adult fiction?!
~Rory O'Connor, "All Grown Up: Discovering Adult Fiction Based on Your Childhood Favorites"


In our peregrinations around the worldwide web, we found the nifty article referenced above (along with a similar list on Buzzfeed) and our interest was piqued. There are lots of children's books we love, but sometimes, to paraphrase Thomas Wolfe, it is hard to go home again. So, enlisting the help of our free eResource NoveList (which is useful for researching readalikes as well as for finding new authors and titles, fiction and non fiction for all ages), we made a list of some of our childhood favorites, and recommended readalikes based on genre, tone, character, subject, and/or writing style. Each listing begins with the children's book title, and the grownup readalike follows after the dash.

Caddie Woodlawn - The Flying Circus by Susan Crandall

Pippi Longstocking –  Fried Green Tomatoes At the Whistle Stop Café by Fannie Flagg

Ramona the Pest – The Wangs vs. the World by Jade Chang

A Wrinkle in Time - The Runes of the Earth by Stephen R. Donaldson

Kristy's Great Idea [Babysitters' Club #1]  - Sweetwater Creek by Anne Rivers Siddons

The Phantom Tollbooth - His Majesty's Dragon by Naomi Novik

The Westing Game - Heads You Lose by Lisa Lutz

Comet in Moominland  - Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal by Christopher Moore

Anne of Green Gables - Y by Marjorie Celona

The Egypt Game - The Goddesses of Kitchen Avenue by Barbara Samuel

Little House in the Big Woods - O Pioneers by Willa Cather

Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones - Monstrous Regiment by Terry Pratchett [eAudio]

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone - The Oversight by Charlie Fletcher

Are You There, God, It's Me, Margaret - A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan

The Secret Garden - Everyone Brave is Forgiven by Chris Cleave

Black Beauty - The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein

The Wizard of Oz - Deathless by Catherynne M. Valente

Goosebumps: Welcome to the Dead House - The Passage by Justin Cronin

Esperanza Rising - Caramelo by Sandra Cisneros

A Series of Unfortunate Events: The Bad Beginning - Redshirts by John Scalzi

Walk Two Moons - Power by Linda Hogan

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Seconds by Bryan Lee O'Malley

Harriet the Spy - The Moneypenny Diaries by Kate Westbrook

Betsy-Tacy - Something I've Been Meaning to Tell You by Alice Munro

From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler - An Object of Beauty by Steve Martin

Magic Tree House: Dinosaurs Before Dark - The Gunslinger by Stephen King

Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle - The Uncommon Reader by Alan Bennett

A Single Shard - The Calligrapher's Daughter by Eugenia Kim [eAudiobook]

The Giver - Red Rising by Pierce Brown

The Little Prince - Luka and the Fire of Life by Salman Rushdie

Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry - The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead

What do you think of our recommendations? Let us know in the comments!

How to Adult

What is adulting? The linguistics journal American Speech has offered up these definitions:

1. to behave in an adult manner; engage in activities associated with adulthood

2. to make someone behave like an adult; turn someone into an adult

The internet is full of adulting memes, from "Who do I speak to about quitting adulthood?" to "That horrifying moment when you're looking for an adult, then realize you're an adult. So you look for an older adult, someone successfully adulting...an adultier adult," not to mention "Being an adult is basically a Choose Your Own Adventure book, but every choice sounds terrible" and "So it turns out adulting is mostly just Googling how to do stuff" and "I have decided I no longer want to be an adult. So if anyone needs me, I'll be in my blanket fort...coloring." You can get stickers for your adulting achievements - "I paid my bills on time!" - and some places are offering adult summer camps with events like digital detoxes and throwback parties for those who want to escape the stresses of everyday life.

Author and adulting pundit Kelly Williams Brown has a blog wherein she takes you through the "steps" of adulting, which include Wear Your Stupid Seatbelt (#237), Your Stress is Not a Real Thing to Anyone But You (#228), Carry At Least $10 in Cash On You (#221), and Grocery Shop and Meal Plan Like a Champ (#173); they might not be the perfect ground rules for adulting, but, she says, "I can tell you that I feel more in control and more happy when I know I’m taking the small steps to assure that I am running my life in at least a semi-orderly way."

There's a strong backlash to the idea of adulting; journalists for Cosmopolitan and Jezebel have both spoken out against the trend. "'Adulting' implies that being an adult is not a necessary part of growing up, but rather a life choice you're hesitant to fully buy into. It's a singularly Millennial — especially female, at that — immaturity that reduces being a grown-up to a hobby," fumes Danielle Tullo.  Madeleine Davies scolds:

Adulting is a term most often used when a person fulfills a basic prerequisite of adulthood and wants to feel special—or, worse than that, be charmingly self-deprecating—about it. We can all recognize that being an adult is hard. We can also recognize that there are legitimate challenges to modern adulthood that didn’t exist 50 years ago...it’s time to put aside your need to feel special and praised and simply do your adult diligence without putting a cute word on it. Pay your bills, clean your rented apartment (because you’re too poor to own, obviously), and show up to work on time. Or don’t, and face the consequences.

There are some wry internet memes that express this viewpoint, too, like "Adulting just means taking care of yourself so an actual adult doesn't have to" and "Another fine day ruined by responsibility."

What's your take on adulting? Journalist Christine Birkner admits "Every generation has, to some extent, felt like it's faking it at grown-up life," which we totally agree with. Do you think adulting is limited to millennials, and mostly female millennials? We could argue that every generation has had its "adulting" dropouts, it's just that it's never been talked about so much - we've met plenty of folks over the years (men included) whose mothers bought their clothes or did their laundry long after they left home, and who could have used some tips on how to "adult" on their own. It seems like millennials do like to feel "special", but sometimes it's a relief to find out that you're not alone, not the only one who can't get your finances together or who needs an incentive to eat right and exercise or who is not Julia Child in the kitchen. There's things about adulting that are too cutesy, or just trying to sell us more stuff, but we like the idea that we're in this together, trying to make sense of this world, even if we don't feel as together about growing up as our parents made it look.

Here's a few books about adulting from the library catalog - some offer more guidance and some more laughs, so we've split them up accordingly.

How-To Guides

Adulting: How to Become a Grown-Up in 468 Easy(ish) Steps by Kelly Williams Brown

Don't Worry, It Gets Worse: One Twentysomething's (Mostly Failed) Attempts at Adulthood by Alida Nugent [eBook]

Grace's Guide: The Art of Pretending to Be a Grown-Up by Grace Helbig

Tiny Beautiful Things: Advice On Love and Life From Dear Sugar by Cheryl Strayed

The Art of Asking by Amanda Palmer

My Boyfriend Barfed In My Handbag - And Other Things You Can't Ask Martha by Jolie Kerr

The Funny Side of Adulting 

Hyperbole and a Half : Unfortunate Situations, Flawed Coping Mechanisms, Mayhem, and Other Things That Happened by Allie Brosh

Let's Pretend This Never Happened: (A Mostly True Memoir) by Jenny Lawson

The Worrier's Guide to Life by Gemma Correll 

Adulthood Is a Myth: A "Sarah's Scribbles" Collection by Sarah Andersen 

Links

11 Books to Help You Adult [Strand Bookstore] 

10 Myths About Adulting [HuffPost] 

How to Grown-Up: Books That Will Teach You To Be an Adult [Book Riot] 

 

Why Your Twenties Matter

Once more I find myself writing about a book that is targeted toward a specific audience, but anyone with an interest in psychology or "the twenties" will find the book enthralling.  Because it is so well written, and the author's conversations with her clients so resonant, it is a quick read.

The Defining Decade: Why Your Twenties Matter and How to Make the Most of Them Now by Meg Jay has enchanted me. When I first saw the title, I opened it and devoured the inside cover.  I had to read the rest of it!  With hardly any time left in my twenties, though, I fretted will this book tell me I've done it all wrong? have I set myself up for a lifetime of failure and struggle?  Journeying through the aspects of life that Jay dissects as they apply to twentysomethings - among them: love, work, the brain, and the body - has turned out to be much like going through actual therapy with a counselor. The message is sobering, yet empowering: time in our twenties is both easy to waste and precious, but each of us can chart the course of our thirties and beyond by making informed choices right away. 

Much of The Defining Decade consists of conversations between Jay and her twentysomething clients, who I found very easy to like and relate to.  The frustration they express echoes my own sentiment: if my twenties are supposed to be the best years of my life, why have they been so hard?!  Well, Jay has demystified that question.  The twenties are supposed to be hard because they are the crucible in which our futures are forged.  Using her own years of experience counseling twentysomethings, and plenty of research, Jay lays out a road map of sorts that makes the twenties much more manageable.  She offers lots of practical advice, including: challenge yourself with your career choices, don't shy away from commitments, and consider the facts about fertility that our culture all but denies. 

Like I said, this book is an enlightening read for anybody, but obviously for those in their twenties (the earlier the better!), and especially for mentors of twentysomethings.  Part of the difficulty of being in our twenties is that not only do we generally not know the best ways to navigate them, but many of our parents and mentors don't have the knowledge to guide us effectively through the unique challenges we face in our twenties in the 2010s either.  I will admit that before picking up The Defining Decade, I didn't even realize that my twenties were an especially formative time.  Oh yes, I knew I was making tons of big, stressful choices, but doesn't that go on throughout life?  (Jay answers that question as well, for anyone also in the dark - I know I'm not the only one!) 

As for me, I wish I had discovered this book when it was written in 2012 - I would have felt so much better about how difficult things in my life seemed!  I would have realized that the solutions to my twentysomething problems were not so complex after all; that what happened in my past is not as important as the choices that I make now; and that those choices can help my future more than digging up any trauma that might lie in my past.

I'll finish with this quote from the introduction, which pretty well sums up The Defining Decade:

 . . . twentysomethings are like airplanes, planes just leaving New York City bound for somewhere west.  Right after takeoff, a slight change in course is the difference between landing in either Seattle or San Diego.  But once a plane is nearly in San Diego, only a big detour will redirect it to the northwest.  

Likewise, in the twentysomething years, even a small shift can radically change where we end up in our thirties and beyond.  The twenties are an up-in-the-air and turbulent time, but if we can figure out how to navigate, even a little bit at a time, we can get further, faster, than at any other stage in life.  It is a pivotal time when the things we do - and the things we don't do - will have an enormous effect across years and even generations to come.  

So let's get going.  The time is now.

Multicultural Fiction: India

Readers will probably be familiar with the Indian writer Arundhati Roy (winner of the Man Booker Prize in 1997), the British Indian writer Salman Rushdie, and Indian-American writers like Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni and Jhumpa Lahiri. Or perhaps you like to watch Monsoon Wedding and Bollywood films, eat Indian food, listen to Indian music, or have even been to India. Even if you aren't too familiar with Indian culture or writers, if you enjoy multicultural reads, we have some suggestions for you!

Most of the suggested reads are by Indian authors or authors of Indian heritage, but we have included some books by non-Indian writers who have lived in India or have ties to the Indian sub-continent.

Kids and Teens

The Monkey King by Shobha Viswanath & Uma Krishnaswamy

Jasmine Skies by Sita Brahmachari

Child of Spring by Farhana Zia

Hope is a Girl Selling Fruit by Amrita Das

Abby Spencer Goes to Bollywood by Varsha Bajaj 

Born Confused by Tanuja Desai Hidier [eBook, eAudio]

Climbing the Stairs by Padma Venkatraman

Boys Without Names by Kashmira Sheth

The Grand Plan to Fix Everything by Uma Krishnaswami 

Indie Girl by Kavita Daswani 

Adults

Where Earth Meets Water by Pia Padukone

Untouchable by Mulk Raj Anand

Jana Bibi's Excellent Fortunes by Betsy Woodman

The Artist of Disappearance: Three Novellas by Anita Desai

The Pleasure Seekers by Tishani Doshi

The Case of the Missing Servant: From the Files of Vish Puri, India's "Most Private Investigator" by Tarquin Hall

The Mango Season by Amulya Malladi

The Accidental Apprentice by Vikas Swarup

The Journey by Indira Ganesan

The City of Devi by Manil Suri

If Today Be Sweet by Thrity Umrigar

The Twentieth Wife by Indu Sundaresan

An Equal Music by Vikram Seth

The Writing On My Forehead by Nafisa Haji

English, August: An Indian Story by Upamanyu Chatterjee 

Madras on Rainy Days by Samina Ali

Blind Faith by Sagarika Ghose [eBook]

Family Matters by Rohinton Mistry 

Narcopolis by Jeet Thayil

My Revolutions by Hari Kunzru

Family Life by Akhil Sharma

Sacred Games by Vikram Chandra

The Sleepwalker's Guide to Dancing by Mira Jacob

Passages: 24 Modern Indian Stories edited by Barbara H. Solomon and Eileen Panetta

The library catalog also features many films set in India, including Bollywood movies! 

Links

The Top 10 Desi Chick-Lit Novels

Desi Diaries: 10 retellings of Indian Mythology

12 Books By Indian Authors You Need to Read Now [India Times]

The 17 Best Indian Novels and Travel Books [The Independent]

Greatest Indian Novels You Can't Afford to Miss [Hindustan Times]

Coloring for Grownups

Coloring not only evokes happy memories of childhood; the act can also foster a sense of well-being and offer a relaxing respite from our digital world. Crafters have known this intuitively for years... Coloring is a great way to explore your creativity — it’s easy, inexpensive and you don’t have to know how to draw. The 10 to 20 minutes you spend coloring  an image that gives you a sense of satisfaction can have a positive ripple effect throughout your day.
~Nancy Monson, "Why the latest coloring-book craze can be good for you"

Adults have taken up coloring, as a form of meditation, relaxation, or therapy, and it has caught on like wildfire this year - perhaps because this activity, traditionally the province of children, reminds adults of a more carefree time in their lives. Psychologists say "The relaxation that it provides lowers the activity of the amygdala, a basic part of our brain involved in controlling emotion that is affected by stress" and "The repetition and predictable outcome — much like when a person knits or embroiders — is soothing, almost like meditation." It's a recommended activity for "...adults [who] have given up on creating art as a means of expression by early adolescence. There is a great deal of fear involved, with people thinking they are 'not good enough' at creating art... It's a great starting point...starting with these coloring pages can build self-esteem and confidence with art materials, and then people can be guided to use more sophisticated art materials and create their own artistic expressions that extend far beyond coloring book pages." It's also great for retirees: "...researchers found that adults 65 or older who engaged in creative activities such as making jewelry, painting or writing had better overall health, made fewer visits to the doctor, used less medication and had fewer health problems than non-crafters."

Some people are getting together to color the way they might for a book club and others are sharing their work on social media. Even Crayola has gotten into the act, selling "adult coloring kits" - they include colored pencils and markers, so you don't have to share your kid's (helpful, too, if you don't have any children).

There are more adult coloring books than you can shake a stick at - mehndi designs, mandalas, mindfulness, Outlander, Game of Thrones, paisley, ocean designs, flowers, birds, stained glass, kaleidoscope - so whatever your pleasure, you can probably find something to color.

We can't stock coloring books in the library catalog, but we do feature several books on Zentangle. The Zentangle Method is "an easy-to-learn, relaxing, and fun way to create beautiful images by drawing structured patterns. Creating Zentangle art provides a fun and lighthearted way to relax and intentionally facilitate a shift in focus and perspective."

Zentangle: The Inspiring and Mindful Drawing Method by Jane Marbaix CZT

Zentangle Basics 1 by Suzanne McNeill 

One Zentangle a Day: A 6-Week Course in Creative Drawing for Relaxation, Inspiration, and Fun by Beckah Krahula, CZT 

The Art of Zentangle: 50 Inspiring Drawings, Designs & Ideas For the Meditative Artist by 

Totally Tangled: Zentangle and Beyond by Sandy Steen Bartholomew 

Creative Tangle: Creating Your Own Patterns For Zen-Inspired Art by Trish Reinhart 


Check out some upcoming library events featuring coloring for grownups, and don't forget National Coloring Book Day is August 2nd!


Family Coloring Club @ Alamosa Library
Calling all coloring book fans, young and not so young! Join us every first Tuesday of the month for some stress-relieving coloring. We'll provide coloring tools and coloring pages appropriate for all age groups.

Adult Coloring@ Cherry Hills Library
Join us the First Saturday at 1 p.m. and Third Tuesday at 6 p.m. for our new adult coloring group. Drop in and express your creativity in a relaxed environment.We provide the materials, you bring the fun. Meets in the Squaretunda.

Coloring for Grown-Ups @ Erna Fergusson Library
A exciting new program  reoccurring on the first Sunday of every month.  Bring your friends, de-stress and relax while coloring beautiful designs and patterns.  All material will be provided.  Adults only.  Take some time for yourself-leave the kids at home.

Zentangle for Adults @ Lomas Tramway Library
Do you Zentangle?  Come and enjoy this relaxing art and practice with other folks who would love to share their projects with you.  If you are new to this art, we will go over the basics and practice a couple of new tangles each month. For adults.  No registration required.

San Pedro Colors! @ San Pedro Library
Come color with us! Relieve stress and make friends. All materials provided and all ages welcome. 

Links

Free Adult Coloring Pages [Art Is Fun]

Coloring Pages for Adults: Free to Download & Print! [Coloring Pages for Adults]

Free Coloring Pages for Adults [Easy Peasy and Fun]

Free Adult Coloring Pages [Crayola]

Paisley, Hearts & Flowers, Anti-Stress Design Coloring Page [Hello Kids]

Adult Coloring on Pinterest