Research killed the rabbit.

It's been . . . a while. Because I'm a terrible, awful, inconsistent blogger. My apologies.

Seriously though, it's because I've been busy like whoa. Working, working, working, and just generally single-handedly saving the written word for all of humankind. Nothing too extraordinary really.

I joke.

In my never-ending quest to be knowledgeable about everything I want to be knowledgeable about (as opposed to being knowledgeable about things I should be knowledgeable about like the economy or public health care), I've been doing some research into the young adult book market. If you know me, you know that this quest was triggered by my ardent distaste for anything related to a certain pop culture phenomenon that begins with TWI and ends in LIGHT. I haven't read young adult books (I'm not including Harry Potter in this, because duh) since I was a young adult myself, and I was honestly curious to see if the genre had depreciated as much as this certain pop culture phenomenon would have lead me to believe.

(Please don't send me hate mail if you like Twilight. I have actually read all four books, so I'm not an uninformed party. I would never disparage something without all the facts. Therefore, I feel completely content in my dislike. Don't try to sway me. Though ignorant bashing is more than welcome.)

So, here are five things I have learned in my (half) summer of YA reading.

1. It's not Young Adult anymore; it's Teen. I don't actually know if this is a global shift, but I've noticed it in my personal bubble. My local bookstore rearranged everything last month, moving all the YA books and relabeling them Teen. Penguin rebranded their product line as Teen. I wonder if anyone else is bothered by this. To me, Young Adult seems so much more respectable than Teen. Am I alone on that? (I don't really run in YA circles, so I'm just wondering aloud.)
   
   
2. Moreso than in any other genre, the heroine is likely to end up with the misfit. It's like the 80s rom-com all over again. James Spader doesn't get the girl; John Cusack gets the girl. As a girl who has had a crush on John Cusack for as long as she can remember, I'm so on board.
   
   
3. I can read it really, really fast. Seriously, I read five Sarah Dessen books in one week. In one normal week of going to work, and cooking dinner, and cleaning the house, and caring for my furry dependents. Not too shabby.
   
   
4. Most are written in first person. In my typical reading life, I tend to steer clear of first person. I can't stand it. It always makes me feel like the protagonist is vapid, self-absorbed, exclusive. (Actually, first person narrative is what I first blamed my dislike of Twilight on. You know, before I wanted all of the characters to die painful deaths.) But I think this is what makes YA work. The narrators are teenagers, and teenagers (oh please forgive me, but I once was one and I speak from LOADS of experience) tend to be vapid, self-absorbed, exclusive. Even those of us who wandered around with our Dostoyevsky--seriously, we were the worst. There are certainly thoughtful teenagers, but I think being primarily interested in yourself and your experiences are part of the teenage process.
   
   
5. Musicians are hot. All the hot YA heroes are musicians. I believe it's the law. An artist may be substituted for a musician, but only if the artist utilizes quirky material. For example, an oil painter is a no-go, but a metal lawn ornament artist gets the green light (and the girl).

I will grace you with my favorite YA reads tomorrow. In the meantime, check out The Book Smugglers, who are celebrating Young Adult Appreciation Month.