Say Anything {3}

Why It's Important to Step Outside of your Reading Comfort Zone

Truth be told, had I never picked up Stephenie Meyer's Twilight, I might not even be here today. I mean, how does someone make the transition from chick-lit to YA Paranormal? Well, it all started with a black cover featuring two hands holding an apple. From there, the rest is history.

It was a Saturday and I was at Target. I needed a new book, and a friend had been raving about Twilight and it's sequel, New Moon was coming out soon. So, with boyfriend breathing down my neck to hurry up and make a decision...I finally picked it up and carried it to the checkout.

I believe I devoured Twilight in somewhere around 48 hours. After that, I devoured New Moon. And then...I was hooked. Knowing Twilight was my "break-in" (to the YA genre) novel makes me feel cliche or even like a statistic, because really, who hasn't read it and declared it a work of genius! But since my first reading Twilight days, I've expanded my 'Books I'm Willing to Read' genres. From vampires to faeries, contemporary YA to time travel and reincarnation I was on the go, taking a road trip through the shelves of the YA section of my local (R.I.P.) Borders.

I never would've stumbled upon the wonderful world of YA Book Blogging either had I not come across Goodreads, and then the lovely website The Book Smugglers. When I say I spent hours on both of these websites, I am probably still not even close to the honest truth. Some days I wish I could count the time spent online looking up reviews, new books to read, and now blogging myself.

So I got pretty comfortable reading about vampires, and then werewolves, and faeries but then something else happened. Two something's really; the first being Matched by Ally Condie and then Wither by Lauren DeStefano. These two books were my entrance into the dystopian genre. Once I finished these books, I'd moved on to what is now the genre I'd call my favorite. When it came to Wither, I was just in love with the cover. I'd seen the positive reviews piling up on Goodreads, but the synopsis was like nothing I'd ever read before. I found the premise pretty interesting and it had grabbed my attention, but I wasn't ready to purchase the book yet. So, I got on the website for my local library and requested it! When the book came in and I was at the library picking it up, I stumbled upon Matched. My only time in the dystopian genre was limited to what I'd read in high school, such as Fahrenheit 451; and movies I'd watched with boyfriend, like Logan's Run. Had I never glimpsed and then fallen in love with Wither's cover (Thank you, Miss DeStefano for not disappointing me. Beautiful cover, beautiful story!) then I can't think of where I'd be right now reading-wise, that is. And where I once started reading mainly chick-lit, I really don't devour contemporary YA as I thought I would. I do read it, mind you, but not often. Stephanie Perkins has won my contemporary-YA Romance heart though with Anna and the French Kiss and Lola and the Boy Next Door. 

So since we've established that I'm happy and comfy in my own little YA-Paranormal part of the world, there are a few genres that I'm still uncomfy in. Those would be: Zombies and Steampunk. And really, you would think loving dystopian as I do, that I would love Steampunk too! The idea fascinates me, so maybe I just haven't read the right book yet (Let the recommendations commence....NOW!) because really, you never know when you'll find your next favorite book!

What are your thoughts?

Happy Reading!

Laura