Whining Wednesday: Why I Find Grown-Up Books Distressing

This is actually a point of contention between my mother and I. I can't tell you how many times we've had conversations about why I don't "grow up" and read "adult" books. She finds my interest in young adult literature and fantasy jeuvenile which I feel is probably a widespread opinion. It's getting better, with books like Harry Potter, Hunger Games, and The Fault in Our Stars getting more main stream attention but still there is a stereotype, one which I like to call The Twilight Effect.

From this stack I heavily recommend Uglies, Hunger Games, Graceling, and The Book Thief. I greatly discourage Incarceron and Twilight.

The Twilight series symbolizes all the negative stereotypes associated with Young Adult Fiction. The characters are shallow teenagers (sort of), the fantasy aspects are cliche the only creativity is in extraneous aspects, and the plot revolves around little more than a teen love story which the average person doesn't really care about. However, good YA is so much more than this. Take Uglies by Scott Westerfeld, for example. It forces the reader to contemplate their ideas of beauty and whether it's more important to be safe or to be an individual. Looking for Alaska by John Green explores the meaning of life and how we handle grief. Graceling by Kristin Cashore teaches us to define what a monster truly is and how you should never let another's opinions define you. How could you begin to call these stories shallow?

Setting aside the fact that I love YA so much, here's why I don't like "adult" books a majority of the time. I'm not interested in sex. Yes, I realize that when you are an adult, it's something that you do and that's fine, that's normal. However there's some weird, unvoiced definition that adult fiction is all stories with sex in them, if they're no sex it's YA. More than once I have been reading through a book, enjoying it just fine, and then a sex scene is inserted out of nowhere just for titillation factor. Maybe sex sells but I'm not buying it. When it's plot relevant for your characters to jump each other's bones, go for it. But when you just throw it in there hoping that more housewives will read your story, that's just sad and frankly distracting.

So I just prefer my YA, all the same meaning and all the same impact but with none of the unnecessary, uncomfortable genitalia related euphemisms. So here's my questions for the week. What do you think about sex in novels? Do you appreciate it or are you distracted like me? Also, what are your thoughts on YA as a genre? Are you one of those that thinks it's only a medium for children or are you a die hard fan? Bonus question: what is your favorite ridiculous sex scene euphamism. Mine is where a man part was referenced as a "quivering mutton." If that just doesn't set the mood, I don't know what does! :)