Reading has no age limit

Posted on by Casey smurph

Hi Guys * big waves* so I have a rant… I know it’s a Friday and the weekends here but I’ll go back to happy Casey as soon as I’ve word vomited all over this post.

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After reading Cait @ PaperFurys post on Who is the intended audience for YA books (Read it guys, the post is amazing) I was so disappointed about how the article she refers to talks about readers. So I’m sharing my own thoughts on the subject and what types of books I’ve read that I “shouldn’t” have.

You know what I read? What genre I read? Good books. If a book has fantastic characters, real life topics, amazing plot twists, hot romance, scare me stupid horror creatures, plain evil characters, stabbing, kissing, god forbid I’ll even read a love triangle if it’s well written. Why? Because that’s what I, ME, MYSELF enjoys to read.

Do you know why I read mainly YA? Because I like it.

Until I was 18 I didn’t really read YA because I read the same books as my Mum. I didn’t have money for my own books and loved to read Jodi Picoult, Jackie Colins, Karen Rose, Virginia Andrews, Stephen King, True stories, Murder books, Smut AND THE LIST GOES ON.

I read these because they we’re available and fantastic. Now I have a job and pretend to be an “adult” daily I can purchase my own books and I love YA. I don’t love YA because it’s about teenagers and I don’t feel the slightest bit embarrassed to admit that I read YA as an “Adult”, why don’t I feel embarrassed? Because books do NOT have an age limit.

Teenagers can read Adult books, Adults can read middle grade, People can read take away menus for all I care… the main point of this whole “reading” thing is to do something you enjoy.

Sometimes I enjoy a fantastic middle grade read about wizards going to a school to learn magic and defeat villains, sometimes I enjoy some sexy romance that ends in heartbreak and disaster, sometimes I enjoy some bat shit crazy serial killer action.

All genres have their bad and good, there over used tropes and clichés

But you know what else? Sometimes I don’t enjoy any of these because the story was lacking either in character development, badly done tropes, or it just wasn’t my cup of tea. The point is I read what I want, when I want and all books MG,YA,NA, Adult have their good and bad ones.

If I’m 50 years old and want to jump into the world of magic I will. If I’m 50 and want to read a 900 page book featuring a naked fireman on the cover, guess what? I’m going to read it and enjoy it and no article can tell me what I “should” be reading.

Reading has no age limit, no expectations. You do not need permission to read what you enjoy, you do not need to stick to YA just because your 16 and you don’t need to stick to Adult reads just because you’re 30.

If you want to read Twilight READ IT and don’t let anyone bring you down, if you want to read Fifty Shades of Grey? READ IT. Read what you like and enjoy and own it. Remember no matter what your reading there’s someone out there that hated it and someone out there that loved it to bits, the only way to find out if your going to like it is by reading it.

To all the readers out there

Whether your buying a smutty adult romance, a heart breaking true story, A fantasy YA, a horror story, a Middle grade adventure, I thank you.

I thank you for reading, for supporting the publishing industry, for learning more about a sensitive subject, and for being apart of this amazing book community.

It’s YOUR imagination, it’s YOUR fun, and its YOUR past time and no one should be made to feel “somethings seriously wrong with them” for reading out of there “assigned age category” Now please excuse me while I go back to my young adult book and revel in the awesomeness that it contains.

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Thank you guys for reading my rants and being the bookish friends that I crave. Thank you for not discriminating against what others read and Thank you for reading your favorite genres and reviewing them so I can add them to my TBR and slowly and happily drown in a sea of to be read books.

 

38 thoughts on “Reading has no age limit”

    1. I wish I could like your comment more than once! ! Thank you Kai 😊 After reading the article and all the stupid things that were said about adults reading YA I just couldn’t keep it in, anyone can read, do, be, whatever they want and no one should be put down because of it.

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      1. I screamed at my computer and showed my husband & ranted his ear off for like…..a very long time. Shaming people for what they read like, excuse me? This hurts no one. Get off your elitist high horse & leave us alone!! Jeez. Rude.

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        1. 😂 I was reading it to my partner as well and my dog came up and sat on me thinking I was yelling at him 😅 I mean who do they think is going to read that article and go you know what I should stop reading YA the genre I love most because I just turned 18 or 25 like I wonder what age the classify an ‘adult’ is it “well I can legally drink now I must start reading only ‘adult’ books” Gah!

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    2. Irresponsible comes to mind when a shop assistant sells a book to a child that is clearly material for an adult!! This should be monitored like films! As you rightly claim- literature opens the mind and imagination- it can be educational and fullfilling. It can also negatively corript the mind of the reader who hasn’t fully been edicated!!! No win there!!

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  2. I’m going to join along in blackcatkai’s standing ovation. Really I could have written this myself and was just nodding and agreeing with everything you said. To me the MG, YA, NA etc classifications simply are like movie ratings and I still watch plenty of animated films at my age too but nobody seems to questions adults watching Disney or Pixar. I get bored reading any one thing and switch around to whatever appeals to me and find myself loving the YAs just as much as something erotic or books on killers.

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    1. Thank you Carrie 😌 that’s exactly how the classifications should be looked at, I go and watch Disney and Pixar all the time only to turn on Deadpool next! Readings fun no matter what your reading as long as your enjoying it it’s all that matters and no one should judge anyone on what they enjoy doing, watching etc… It just made me so mad to see that article 😒

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      1. I have to question what authors would think too considering the more people reading no matter what their age the more books they sell. I don’t think they would care if the reader is 15 or 55 if their book is popular and being read.

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        1. I don’t think any Author would care at all either. I mean maybe saying that an Erotica isn’t for underages, but even then I was 14 when I started reading smut and I don’t think it did any lasting damage 😅 Books are books I think if you can make a book that everyone loves all the better, I mean look at Harry Potter 😊

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          1. All true… I grew up with the sharing books with my mother too anywhere from VC Andrews to Stephen King but she wasn’t a fan of the Jackie Collin’s etc type of reads but had no problem when I picked them up. Limiting who reads any one type kills off a big portion of the market and then we’d end up with no books at all as the authors and publishing companies would start closing up with the lack of sales.

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            1. Exactly, the publishing industry is already going through enough struggles with out adding in only one target market for each book genre. I ruined my Mums VC Andrews set from re-reading them to many times in high school. I bought her a new set when I moved out XD I loved those books to bits.

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              1. I still pick up the occasional VC Andrews but they just aren’t the same since she passed and the ghostwriter took over, missing her touch I guess.

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  3. *cues thunderous applause* What a fantastic post! I couldn’t agree more with everything you say here. People should be able to read whatever they like without having to fear receiving backlash from anyone. After all, reading is supposed to be fun! 🙂

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    1. Exactly readings supposed to be fun! We don’t read to look clever or impress others it’s for our selves and no one should tell people what they should or shouldn’t be reading ☺️ Thank you so much Holly 💕

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    1. Thank you so much Claire! I was just so full of thoughts after reading the article that I pulled out my computer right away and nearly broke my keyboard from typing with anger XD I’m glad you agree, anyone can read anything!

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    1. EXACTLY! this is how it should be, not putting people down for there reading choices. It’s like putting someone down for eating Chicken nuggets because there for “children” it’s just ridiculous!

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  6. That Guardian article is a hot mess. There’s an interesting point in there somewhere about YA that isn’t really being written with teen appeal in mind, but why with the shaming readers? And where’s the evidence that these YA for adult books are crowding out YA for teens? These articles are so angry-making.

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    1. EXACTLY! As well as the bull crap line that Adults buy more YA well you can’t buy from online stores until your 18 and have a Card that can purchase stuff online so obviously the stats are going to show parents buying books for there children, as well as teens using the library and school for books. In the end it doesn’t matter what people read it’s their decision so it’s no one else business to shame someone for reading a book that’s not in the “right aged bracket”

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      1. AND! Can we talk about the fact that YA wouldn’t be flourishing as it is WITHOUT the adult market for it?! I was a teen pre-YA as we know it today, and the pickings were slim!

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  8. “If I’m 50 years old and want to jump into the world of magic I will. If I’m 50 and want to read a 900 page book featuring a naked fireman on the cover, guess what? I’m going to read it and enjoy it and no article can tell me what I “should” be reading.”

    THIS. THIS A HUNDRED TIMES. I love this post!

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  11. Preach it!!! 🙌🏼👏🏼 I love this post so much! I’m so tired of people (and usually these people are non-readers…) asking me when I’m going to start reading more “quality” books. Like, excuse you, I’ll read what I want! 👋🏼

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