tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5507186203094106045.post4265109278749544251..comments2023-10-09T09:17:20.761-06:00Comments on Angela's Anxious Life: Do teens want to read YA Classics???Angela's Anxious Lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01935144213302758223noreply@blogger.comBlogger30125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5507186203094106045.post-41277378815047761242014-02-21T15:42:46.526-07:002014-02-21T15:42:46.526-07:00You're welcome =)You're welcome =)Marienoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5507186203094106045.post-87606983414219415012014-02-03T19:03:19.271-07:002014-02-03T19:03:19.271-07:00I mean... maybe this book is going to be terrible!...I mean... maybe this book is going to be terrible! Who knows. But that's why it's a book club and we discuss that it was a terrible book. Point out what made it boring and bad. Maybe sometimes people even forget what book clubs are all about. Thank you for your nice comment about this!!Angelas Anxious Lifehttp://angelasanxiouslife.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5507186203094106045.post-38782238211151843572014-02-03T18:49:10.385-07:002014-02-03T18:49:10.385-07:00See these are the teens I don't like. I am an ...See these are the teens I don't like. I am an avid teen reader myself, but I'm not a "We must read only YA only contemporaries are good YA fiction is the bomb all other books suck" reader. I love, love, love classics, but I don't think they should be compared with contemporary YA because there are different reasons to love the two. I am in your group on Goodreads, and I (very much a teen) was excited and ecstatic to see that we were reading YA classics. I hate how some teens are so narrow-minded and can't be mature enough to appreciate other books. You can't really call yourself a book lover if you don't value other books and put down other ones. That's just immature and proves you're not really a reader. I'm sorry there are still some of us teens who do enjoy classics AND YA. I also think part of the problem as far as group read participation is that teens also have a ton of college and school stuff to worry about, so as much as I want to participate, it isn't always feasible.Marienoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5507186203094106045.post-82949664426368766502014-02-02T16:30:36.723-07:002014-02-02T16:30:36.723-07:00Great discussion topic! I'm not a teen anymore...Great discussion topic! I'm not a teen anymore, but I definitely read them as a teenager, both for school (some I loved, some I didn't) and my own pure enjoyment (everyone should read The Princess Bride!).<br /><br />It's really unfortunate that there's some teens who can't seem to get that just because it's a classic doesn't mean it wasn't or isn't for YA readers.Cynnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5507186203094106045.post-76492642341524621182014-02-02T13:49:54.580-07:002014-02-02T13:49:54.580-07:00Honestly I can't wait to read The Princess Bri...Honestly I can't wait to read The Princess Bride. I have been wanting to read it for a long time so even if some of the group members aren't excited I sure am!!Angelas Anxious Lifehttp://angelasanxiouslife.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5507186203094106045.post-201097275317653362014-02-02T13:46:07.174-07:002014-02-02T13:46:07.174-07:00I love The Great Gatsby. I studied it in college....I love The Great Gatsby. I studied it in college. Maybe because like your kids I was always exposed to literature and books in my house. My mom always had (and still does) huge bookcases. It still blows my mind when I meet people who have never read a book for fun.Angelas Anxious Lifehttp://angelasanxiouslife.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5507186203094106045.post-58962645592822102412014-02-02T13:44:24.535-07:002014-02-02T13:44:24.535-07:00I even researched titles for the poll. I looked o...I even researched titles for the poll. I looked on the internet to see what good YA classic books are. I looked for opinions on it and everything. Really the group hasn't read a classic in a long long time. YearsAngelas Anxious Lifehttp://angelasanxiouslife.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5507186203094106045.post-62695831210154960822014-02-02T06:58:49.615-07:002014-02-02T06:58:49.615-07:00Wow, I'm so sorry for the response you've ...Wow, I'm so sorry for the response you've gotten. Yes, high school makes most people hate assigned reading books, but I wouldn't take it so far as to ignore a well love genre. I have friends who are teens and read exclusively classics and I look up to them. The Princess Bride is one of my favorites and I hope you get a chance to enjoy it.<br /><br />-MariP.E. Marinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5507186203094106045.post-27647249497229622152014-02-01T23:59:38.258-07:002014-02-01T23:59:38.258-07:00I understand why they might feel that way, but wow...I understand why they might feel that way, but wow ... if they only gave the books a chance. I had my son and goddaughter reading these books outside of school before they were assigned, so they never saw them as a chore. Just this week my son started The Great Gatsby (I know it's not YA), but the teacher told them "it's not really that good." Sheesh, really? My son is enjoying it. He read The Outsiders in 7th grade and it's still one of his favorites. They'll feel foolish in a few years, just watch. It's quite sad, really. Not the fact that they don't want to read them, but their mindset.Christy (Love of Books)http://christysloveofbooks.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5507186203094106045.post-77682745604734688782014-02-01T21:17:53.799-07:002014-02-01T21:17:53.799-07:00You weren't suggesting War and Peace, although...You weren't suggesting War and Peace, although that's what these comments reminded me of. Plus, the majority of these are young adult novels, The Outsiders and The Diary of a Young Girl were two of my favorites in middle school. It is bothersome that people can be so closed minded.Whitneynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5507186203094106045.post-37588663692463763042014-02-01T13:54:41.285-07:002014-02-01T13:54:41.285-07:00Thank you! I did try to pick good classics. I ev...Thank you! I did try to pick good classics. I even picked Sherlock Holmes only because Holmes is popular right now with the shows. The Princess Bride ended up winning and I am quite excited about. <br /><br />The YA classic books are very different then the books of today. For example, the Catcher in the Rye to me is a YA book... but it is about some serious subjects and I feel that a lot of the YA books today are more fun topics. <br /><br />Really I am still surprised about the reaction. But honestly the people who commented have never participated in any group reads. In fact... it is pretty difficult to get people to read along. So I am not too worried about a couple of people complaining anymore.Angelas Anxious Lifehttp://angelasanxiouslife.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5507186203094106045.post-15976032678790339422014-02-01T07:09:26.511-07:002014-02-01T07:09:26.511-07:00Let me start off by saying that those reactions to...Let me start off by saying that those reactions to your poll are simply rude and only prove that you really are dealing with a bunch of teenagers... <br /><br />I thought your idea was cool to encourage teens to read classics. Most of the classics aren't really meant for young readers because they deal with more mature themes. You did the effort to choose classics that actually sound interesting and would appeal to teenagers (talking about The Princess Bride, The Diary of a Young Girl and The Adventures of Tom Sawyer - those are good picks!) and instead of just judging the book by its content, the only comments you got were about how old the stories/authors were...<br />I think you should just read the classic and the group member that actually want to read along, will read along.<br /><br />I'm 18 and never had to read a classic in school (I'm from Belgium and we have a different approach to reading in school) but I would want to read more of them. I just need a lot of encouragement to pick them up because they are so different compared to YA, which is what I'm used to read. So far I've read about 3 and enjoyed all of them.Kaylie Gnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5507186203094106045.post-78480807704380801632014-01-28T19:49:04.199-07:002014-01-28T19:49:04.199-07:00Oh, and Edgar Allan Poe! Who doesn't know who ...Oh, and Edgar Allan Poe! Who doesn't know who he is?! I took a whole class on him in college. It was great. :)shootingstarsmagnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5507186203094106045.post-34556061684034985292014-01-28T19:46:59.073-07:002014-01-28T19:46:59.073-07:00There were some rude comments there!! Sheesh. Book...There were some rude comments there!! Sheesh. Books can be great reads regardless of when they were published. The Outsiders is one of my all-time favorite books and I don't care that it was written and published before I was born. It's still an amazing story that many can relate too. I think mixing up your reading is important. If you branch out, you might find a classic or two that you really like. I was in an online book club when I was a teen and we read all sorts of books from popular adult to more indie things to classics. I loved it!<br />From your list, I'd love to re-read The Outsiders or A Wrinkle in Time (I actually read it for the first time about a year and a half ago) and I really want to read more Sherlock Holmes stories so A Study in Scarlet would be cool too. I'm 23 and I say classics are cool, regardless of age. :)<br />Lauren from www.shootingstarsmag.blogspot.comshootingstarsmagnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5507186203094106045.post-25349470303554071032014-01-28T10:58:00.707-07:002014-01-28T10:58:00.707-07:00Looks like the Princess Bride won and I have been ...Looks like the Princess Bride won and I have been wanting to read that one for a while. That should be a light and enjoyable book, though it's too bad those group members won't give it a shot to even see what it is like. Perhaps I am just too old to be running a YA group. LOL... I don't know what the teens want these days.Angelas Anxious Lifehttp://angelasanxiouslife.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5507186203094106045.post-42499190605825254232014-01-28T10:20:30.895-07:002014-01-28T10:20:30.895-07:00I think part of the scare is when people think cla...I think part of the scare is when people think classics, they think long books with old English or Victorian style, which can be difficult to read. Not everything is like that though, for one I love Lord of the Flies. My other favorites are Frankenstein, Beowulf, Island of Dr. Moreau, and the Divine Comedy.Angnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5507186203094106045.post-70932820765403395092014-01-28T09:37:00.598-07:002014-01-28T09:37:00.598-07:00How rude and irritating. While you definitely have...How rude and irritating. While you definitely have some heavy literature on the list (Dickens being the heaviest, to me.), you also provided options that are actually quite easy and enjoyable. 'A Wrinkle in Time'? <br /><br /><br />I'm a little baffled by the responses. What's the point of a book club without having it push your comfort zone a little?April @ The Steadfast Readerhttp://thesteadfastreader.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5507186203094106045.post-21811365027673914842014-01-27T21:38:22.384-07:002014-01-27T21:38:22.384-07:00LOL!! I love what you said about Harry Potter! B...LOL!! I love what you said about Harry Potter! But that's true. I mean that will be "so dated" by then. What really shocked me though was thinking just because someone's been dead for a while then their work is obsolete. I remember my mom reading the Secret Garden to me as a child and just loving it sooooo much. Even then that book was a classic. <br /><br />I have to say I was really surprised at the reaction but it also bring to reality what some teens really are thinking.Angelas Anxious Lifehttp://angelasanxiouslife.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5507186203094106045.post-27980837835628539752014-01-27T20:58:52.170-07:002014-01-27T20:58:52.170-07:00Oh my god! I can't believe some of the things...Oh my god! I can't <i>believe</i> some of the things that were said! That's ridiculous! And holy crap, I mean some of them I didn't even know were classics! Some of them I grew up reading - like A Wrinkle in Time. I dunno, I mean I was one of the odd kids out there that loved classics. I'd read a good portion of them before I'd even hit high school, so I acknowledge I'm not in the norm here, but holy cow! <br />I think it's so sad that people are so antagonistic to even the <i>thought</i> of classics. Madeline L'Engle in particular out of these authors had a huge part in shaping my childhood and how I saw the world both in her Time Quartet and her Austin family series. I can't imagine <i>not</i> being excited to read that! I mean in 20 years, is that what they're going to be saying about Harry Potter?Elizabethhttp://oboechica-books.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5507186203094106045.post-28279207567519234522014-01-27T15:10:56.379-07:002014-01-27T15:10:56.379-07:00A lot of the BookTubers that I watch on youtube ar...A lot of the BookTubers that I watch on youtube are teens or early 20-somethings. They refer to classics as books that were published 10-15 years ago. I think what people consider a classic has changed so much.Pamela Dhttp://www.readingisfunagain.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5507186203094106045.post-8798078230195551422014-01-27T09:57:54.549-07:002014-01-27T09:57:54.549-07:00Wow these comments make me sad. I also have to adm...Wow these comments make me sad. I also have to admit that I am in this group and rarely do the read, most of the time it is time related, I do read the discussions though. I cant believe so many people would have an issue with these choices! They are great books (the ones I have read) and as a READER even a YA one I think it is important to know how literature got to this point.Stephanie Turnernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5507186203094106045.post-16161700279283025352014-01-27T06:44:53.083-07:002014-01-27T06:44:53.083-07:00"Though if I was participating in a voluntary..."Though if I was participating in a voluntary book club I just wouldn't read the book."<br /><br /><br />Exactly. It's not really an excuse for the reaction itself, but I understand the feelings behind it.Charleen Lynettehttp://cheapthrillsbookblog.wordpress.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5507186203094106045.post-27546013056437507362014-01-26T21:41:38.266-07:002014-01-26T21:41:38.266-07:00When I put myself back to their age ... I think ho...When I put myself back to their age ... I think how cool it would've been for my teachers to give us a modern reading assignment. We never had summer reading. I remember those movies we had to watch too! I forgot about those. My teachers would bring in the big old tub TVs on those huge carts with a VCR tape ready. LOL... ok maybe I am an old fogie!Angelas Anxious Lifehttp://angelasanxiouslife.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5507186203094106045.post-40181733428699035032014-01-26T21:29:06.705-07:002014-01-26T21:29:06.705-07:00I think our English teachers grapple with this at ...I think our English teachers grapple with this at my high school because the required books were all published so long ago, but once the students read them many, not all, really end up liking them. Yet for the required Summer Reads we select modern, current best sellers and several students still complain. I get their points about books being published 60 years ago not seeming that relevant to them. I remember in high school having a teacher show a film made in the 50s. I thought he was so square. And it was only 15 years out of date. I can offer no suggestions, just sympathy.AnneBennettnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5507186203094106045.post-17626422348918949752014-01-26T20:46:51.798-07:002014-01-26T20:46:51.798-07:00I personally would've died. I can't go a d...I personally would've died. I can't go a day without even checking Instagram. I think it's funny how they dismiss classics, but most books they consider popular will one day become classics. Divergent has become one at my school and it's very recent. I don't understand a lot of these kids mindsets on classics and readings. It's seems like everyone has a different opinion.Sarahnoreply@blogger.com