YA! Why are we so excited? Because everyone loves YA (young adult) books, and we have resident YA book expert Natasha Hayden with us this episode to discuss YA trends, explain why she enjoys YA books more than regular adult fiction, and give us her reading recommendations.
We're also excited because after MUCH DELAY, we're back! Take a break from your work-a-day world and listen in on discussions of movies foreign and domestic, listener responses on book/movie differences, and much more!
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Tim, if you’re referring to the Baroness from “G.I. Joe,” that doesn’t make sense. She has black hair, and Natasha’s a redhead! Silly boy.
ReplyDeleteI love Orson Scott Card! If you liked “Pathfinder,” Natasha, you should read “Ender’s Game.” It’s amazing, and the first in a long series.
It’s interesting hearing Natasha talk about YA books since all but one library that I know stocks my novel, “Pandora’s Box,” has it listed under “young adult science fiction,” which confuses me. The protagonist is between the ages of 18 and early 20s for most of the book. You’ve read it and reviewed it, Natasha, so why do you think they labeled it that?
So now you're telling people to debate Nate? This'll be fun.
ReplyDeleteBy the way, Tim, you just described "Pickpocket" was an intellectual movie. So, does that mean you proved my case? Or were you referring more to Hollywood films?
I don't know anything about the Baroness from G.I. Joe, but my game name in Warcraft was always the Red Baroness. Not entirely sure why, but it sounded fun and it stuck.
ReplyDeleteI may have to try Ender's Game, after I get through a lovely long list of books awaiting me after Summer's trip to the book expo in New York City. I'm in new-book heaven. Too bad this podcast wasn't taped after this expo.
As for Pandora's Box, I never thought it was young adult. Young adult is always about young adults, and Pandora is a little bit older. My guess is they stereotyped you. Young, new author writes science fiction; must be young adult. The protagonist of Pandora's Box does not go through the things typical of a young adult novel. I categorize your book as military science fiction. Librarians are categorizing probably based solely on your cover (which is not particularly young adult, though could be), the back cover copy, and their perceptions of what a person like you would write. Most of them will probably not have read the book itself.
Yeah Nate, I was referring to Natasha's screen name, though I had forgotten where I had seen it.
ReplyDeleteI figured you would enjoy some more company on the comment boards. ;-)
Hmmm, I need to clarify my "intellectual" comments. I didn't mean to imply that there's no such thing as an intellectual movie, Hollywood-made or not. Rather, I was suggesting that film's greatest natural strength is to appeal to the emotions while the written word has a greater potential to be cerebral. There have certainly been many intellectual films and emotional novels, but there's a reason movies are stereotypically perceived as entertainment and books as academic.
Incidentally, also take my comments on The Matrix with a grain of salt. It is a very smart, thought-provoking film, but it looks like popcorn entertainment after you've seen heady stuff like that three-hour Russian film Andrei Rublev or pretty much anything by Ingmar Bergman. Of course, I typically prefer the popcorn entertainment to the heady stuff anyway. :-)