When Your Reading Tastes Change

I've noticed recently that I don't want to read young adult fiction as much anymore. At first, I thought it was part of the reading slump I've been going through, but I also noticed that I've wanted to read more adult fiction. And, I've been much more selective in the young adult fiction I've been reading.

All those things got me thinking about changes in reading tastes. I can't help but wonder if I'm starting to outgrow YA, just a little bit, so I decided to ask some of my colleagues if they're experiencing the same thing. Here's what we all had to say.

Me: I've noticed that within the last year, especially the last few months, I've been reading YA more selectively, especially when it comes to contemporary YA. I've also been reading more non-contemporary YA titles than I normally would (science fiction, fantasy, etc.). And, I've noticed that within the last two months, I've really been wanting to read adult fiction and non-fiction instead of YA. all this makes me wonder if I'm starting to outgrow YA. Do you guys feel similarly?

Crystal: I am definitely reading YA more selectively. Since there's a lot of YA out there now, you have to sift through it more to find the "good stuff." The market has grown and I've ended up reading a lot of YA books that aren't that great. So, I've become more hesitant about choosing books to read.

Veronica: YA is still my book of choice, unless we are talking non-fiction. Then I will read adult. I have read a few fiction adult books lately, but they have not been my cup of tea.

Nichole: When looking back at the YA books I've read this year, a lot of them are older publications. I am not as excited about a lot of the newer publications. Like Crystal said, I feel like I have to do a lot more searching before I find one that catches my attention.

Sheila: YA is still my jam. With that said, I guess I am being more selective with YA contemporary, but it's always been my least favorite genre anyway, so I don't know that it's a recent development. On the other hand, I've really been enjoying the sci-fi, fantasy, and horror that's been coming out recently. I've always felt like those areas were seriously under-served. But now, there are tons of authors contributing to those genres, so I have way more books to choose from.

Since I've always been a big reader of adult genre fiction anyway, I think I get a good mix of YA and adult to keep myself from feeling burnt out in any one place. I have been reading way more non-fic and literary fiction since I started my book club, and so far, I've really enjoyed the books I've chosen.

Based on our conversation, it seems like I'm the only one who feels like I'm outgrowing YA books, though I'm not the only one who is reading it selectively. Another one of my colleagues and I talked about this in person, and she felt similarly to me in outgrowing YA.

Overall, I still love YA books, but I'm finding that as I get older, I want to read more books about adults and not teens. And when it comes down to it, I (and my colleagues) have to be selective about everything we read, because there just isn't enough time to read everything.