I became excited to write, but then I sat down to write my post and was like “what am I even doing?” I CAN’T WRITE A blog because a) I am boring, b) who cares what I think?! and c) what exactly would I write about anyway? Most people have already written about what needs to be written about, do I really have anything to add? I wanted to do something original, but there’s was nothing I could think of. So I thought, hey, let’s start at the beginning.
I have been an avid reader for as long as I can remember. And it was always contemporary. Always contemporary that stole me from my family, my friends, and took me places I ached to see. A lot of people think there’s “no point of contemporary” (and that is a direct quote from a Stupid Person I know) but personally, I think they are stupid. Sorry, but it’s true.
“Why would we want to read about Real Life when we are in Real Life?” I hear you ask. It’s simple. Contemporary deals with things people face, have faced, and will face every day: going to school; fitting in; dealing with issues such as body image, sex and drugs; growing up. You would not believe how much I’ve learnt about some of these things just from YA novels. We don’t all experience the same things in life, but we should know about them.
In my opinion, YA contemporary fiction is essential. It’s kind of like, the basics. Before vampires and werewolves and magical powers, there was Real Life. I personally feel that people sometimes forget that. I’m not telling you what to read or that the fact that you don’t read contemporary is bad and I’m not saying you shouldn’t be drooling over the next fantasy/dystopian/paranormal romance. I’m just saying that you should appreciate contemporary MORE. I always feel like contemp is the one sub-genre which people don’t think is exciting enough. Everywhere, there’s kids reading The Hunger Games, or Twilight or Harry Potter, and THAT IS NOT BAD. I just wish sometimes I saw people, ordinary people reading John Green, or Sarah Dessen.
So to get you started on what I shall call ‘the road less taken’, here are some of my favourite contemporary books, the ones I think that everyone *has* to read…
* The Fault in Our Stars by John Green (the ‘cancer one’ with so much perfectness I can’t HANDLE IT).
* Along for the Ride by Sarah Dessen (the summer one and the Sarah Dessen because Sarah Dessen is my queen).
* Wanderlove by Kirsten Hubbard (the wanderlust-y one) and Amy & Roger’s Epic Detour by Morgan Matson (the road trip one).
* Graffiti Moon by Cath Crowley (the night that changed everything).
* Threads by Sophia Bennett // Hollow Pike by James Dawson (the UKYA ones)
* If I Stay by Gayle Forman (the sad one)
* Hold Still by Nina LaCour (the special one that just makes me feel ALL THE FEELS).
* Dash & Lily’s Book of Dares by Rachel Cohn & David Levithan (the holiday one!!!! *throws festive cookies and candy canes*)
That’s ten right there. What are you still here for? CHRISTMAS??
Pre-blogging contemporary YA books I fell in love with include Loving Danny by Hilary Freeman, Rain by Kate le Vann, Before I Die by Jenny Downham, Broken Soup by Jenny Valentine, and Everything Beautiful by Simmone Howell.
Please share your thoughts on contemporary as a sub-genre, and let us know what your favourite contemp read are!