As we get older and discover new things it’s natural that our reading tastes change. As I didn’t start reading a great deal until I was in my late teens, I haven’t overly noticed my tastes changing from novel to novel. Of course as I’ve gotten to 19 and 20 years old I’ve liked a more mature novel than I did when I was sixteen, and I started to learn the kinds of things I really did enjoy. But I’ve only just started to go through my first major fiction taste change. And it kind of scared me.
I’ve always loved YA novels. They’re fun, easy to read, usually have pretty good storylines and they were something that I could pick up so easily and get away from the world with. However, I’ve started to be a little annoyed while reading YA. The protagonists seem young and naïve (most of the time they are) and some of the recent novels I’ve read have been so far from realistic it left me shouting at the book.
Over the last few months I’ve delved in to the scary world I never thought I would do: adult fiction. Adult fiction to me seemed boring, and long, and more importantly long winded! I actually couldn’t fathom picking up a book from the general fiction section from a book store because why would I waste my money on something I wouldn’t enjoy?
A few books recently have changed my mind about adult fiction. Room by Emma Donoghue and Girl On The Train by Paula Hawkins are two of my favourite books at the moment (Room has quickly become one of my favourite books of all time) and they’ve made me a lot less scared about diving in to a book that I usually wouldn’t.
I’ve been thinking about it and I’m not sure you can really say you have a ‘taste’ in books. If you don’t try, you don’t know – it’s that simple! If I’d never tried reading an adult fiction novel I probably would have happily plodded along with YA and that would be that. But I opened my eyes to this new world of writing that I absolutely adore – similar to when i started to read graphic novels again. I still must admit that adult romance puts me off quite a lot. If a protagonist is anything over 30 and still looking for love I’m going to struggle reading it.
What I’m trying to say is when your tastes in reading change, don’t be that scared of it. I’m must admit I was nervous for a time about never finding anything to read ever again and that would be the end of this blog. But I’ve found some incredible books that I now cannot wait to get to, a change in style of novel can really excite you and motivate you to read again!
So for now i’m talk a little break from what i ‘usually’ read i think and trying as many new genres as i can!
Happy reading!
The Little Contemporary Corner 