Grow Up And Read Young Adult: A Response to That Slate Article

Source

Recently, an article posted on Slate concerning YA book reading habits incited some significant outrage in the book blogging community, and I would like to add myself to those angry numbers. Many bloggers and even The Washington Post responded negatively to this affront to all YA book bloggers. The Slate article, posted by the “lovely” Ruth Graham, claims that YA readers should be ashamed of their reading selections. She even goes so far as calling such reads as Divergent “transparently trashy stuff” that “no one defends as serious literature.” Besides making such outrageous generalizations, she goes on to say that she did not cry while reading The Fault in Our Stars because she is a grown-up. Well, folks, at the age of 23, nearly 24, I can proudly attest to the fact that I am not a grown-up. I cried like a baby while reading this emotional book about two teenagers suffering from cancer and finding love when they have almost lost all hope. If that makes me immature, naïve, or unsophisticated, then I will gladly admit to any of the above faults.

The Infamous Book Blogging Slump

Every so often, I fall into a deep and dark book blogging slump. It comes without warning. Suddenly, I have no desire to write a single book review and no book can capture my interest, no matter the genre or length. I'm listless, frustrated, and can't even find the motivation to write a meme post. I feel like a lazy bum...

I'm sure we've all been there. What bothers me the most is that I'm never entirely sure why this happens. For me personally, I think the book blogger slump hits whenever this blog starts to feel like work instead of a beloved pastime. I started Courtney Reads A Lot because I love to read and I wanted to share my thoughts and recommend books to others. I actually enjoy writing these reviews and meeting new bloggers and discussing our various opinions. But, sometimes, the pressure to read faster and write reviews quickly is just too much, and unfortunately, that makes me reluctant to either blog or read. If I plan a strict schedule of blog posts and reading, it sucks all the joy out of blogging. I place so much emphasis on reading this book by this date that I lose sight of why I really started this blog.

Whenever I feel a blogging slump come on, that's my cue to take a little breather. I know I need to step back and relax, and maybe even take a tiny break from my blog. Sometimes, I stress myself out so much that the best thing to do is anything but blogging. And then I return to my blog only when I feel a little more levelheaded.

So what about you guys? Do you suffer from the same problem? What helps you out of a book blogger slump? Any suggestions?

Courtney Reads A Lot Bought An AudioBook

Source

At last. I have finally bought an audiobook.  I kept putting it off, thinking that nothing could compare to an actual book. There's just something about being able to hold a book in your hands as you're reading it, feeling the pages and smelling them (yes, you will see me regularly sniffing books). But, with an audiobook, I can actually "read" at work. Well, listen at work.

My first audiobook is Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl. I actually have the physical copy of this book, and have read it before, but I don't have time to reread it at the moment. I wanted to reread it before the movie so I found the audiobook for my Iphone. What I love about audiobooks is that I save space. I'm no longer cramming books onto my shelves, or piling them by my bed or finding random places to store them.

In one work day, I was able to listen to 22 chapters of Beautiful Creatures which was nice. If I have errands to run, I can just hook up my Iphone to my radio and listen to a book. While my hands are busy doing work, I can finish a chapter. It's definitely convenient. Plus, I used the Audible app on my Iphone for several hours and my battery wasn't hurting terribly. In fact, I still had more than half my battery.

So what are the drawbacks of listening to audiobooks? 

• 1. The pace - I love reading at a leisurely pace. Now, I have to listen at the narrator's pace. 
• 2. Can be pricey - The audiobooks can be on the expensive side. But I bought this one on sale. Also, I could find some audiobooks from the library.
• 3. Easily distracted - Sometimes, I focus on something else, only to realize I've missed an entire part of the audio. Then, I have to keep rewinding to the parts I missed. 
• 4. The narration - The narrator's different voices can be a bit overkill, especially with the Southern accent. Also, it kind of ruins it for me when I hear a guy reading a girl's part or vice versa. It becomes less believable. But I'm definitely loving the sound effects and occasional music. The song Sixteen Moons that's featured in this book is just as I would've imagined: haunting and beautiful. 

We'll see how my audiobook venture pans out. I can only hope this works out for me.