No Judging

You'd think with YA fiction being pumped out of every publishing house faster than ketchup from a squeeze bottle, I would write my first YAYAH review on a book that just hit the shelves. But I've decided instead to journey back a few years - actually, about 200 years - for my first recommendation.

Yes, this year marks the 200th anniversary of a timeless classic that is not necessarily YA, but should absolutely be read by any lover of the genre. 

Pride and Prejudice.

Now, I know I've already lost a few of you, but hear me out before you write this one off. After all, you're listening to someone who's been there -- in the Jane Austen scepticism group, I mean. I somehow managed to make it through six years of post-secondary education, knee-deep in literature, without ever picking up one of her books. I took one look at the date of publication and was convinced her novels weren't for me. I like fast cars, witty television, action movies and stay-at-home dads. Two hundred years ago, not one of those things existed, so what in the world did the literature have to offer me? I thought.

Now I'll be the first to admit how wrong I was. 

I'm not saying Pride and Prejudice has car chases and explosions. What I am saying is that it goes even deeper. It captures the essence of my favorite things. Boiled down, what I really like isn't fast cars, but taking risks, the feeling of adrenaline coursing through my veins; my love for witty television comes from the thrill of hearing well-written dialogue, being surprised by comedic or shocking plot twists, the exploitation of realistic relationships; and stay-at-home dads? Yes, amazingly enough, even my feminist sensibilities were appeased. And for an author who never married, there was no doubt Austen still knew a thing or two about writing an epic love story.

The purpose of this post isn't to give a synopsis or to tell you about all my favorite parts. It is simply to convince you to read the book, give it a shot, if you haven't already. Jane Austen's books became the "Twilight" and "Hunger Games" books of that period and yet also managed to stand the test of time. If that's not a testament to their quality, I don't know what is. Don't wait twenty-three years, like I did. Although, even if you do, at least you'll know her books will not have gone anywhere. They're here to stay. 

Pride and Prejudice is not just my favorite Austen masterpiece, but it's my all-time-favorite book too. So do us both a favor and pick it up, will ya? I think you'll be pleasantly surprised. 

Breaking the Ice

I guess I shouldn't just jump in with a book review. It might be better if I introduced myself first, so you know exactly whose opinion you'll be hearing throughout the course of this blogging adventure.

My name is Larissa Benfey. Today (May 25, 2013), I'm exactly forty-one days away from turning 25. Fourteen days ago I became an official university graduate. I have a nice, laminated piece of paper that proclaims I have a Bachelor of Arts, majoring in English.

As far as pieces of papers go, as of today I also have 128 pages in a Word document that, when read in sequence, make up the first half of my first manuscript for my own YA novel. Which brings us, conveniently enough, to the main reason I started this blog.

I've titled my blog, "YA YAH" which stands for Young Adult, Young At Heart. Because, let's just face the facts: a twenty-five year old English major is usually expected to have more dignified books on her bedside table. But I've never been one to conform to society's standards, so I've decided to no longer be ashamed of my reading choices. Instead, I've chosen to embrace them -- and then go one step further and write about them too!

So that's what you'll find on these pages: reviews of YA literature. The good, the bad, and the ugly. Maybe one day I'll finish my manuscript and then my book will be out there, facing the harsh judgements silly book-oholics like me have to give. Until then, I'll just have to be contented with finding some gems within the preexisting literature out there. The "About Me" page will tell you more about... well, me - as the name would suggest. But I'll just say a few last things here.

Probably the most important thing to mention is the qualifications that I believe need to be met in order to make a great YA book. I read YA because it's fun and doesn't take itself too seriously - attributes I try to possess myself. I want to read something that has adventure, romance, usually some fantasy aspects, great characters and a satisfying ending. If the back cover doesn't pique my interest, I won't bother looking at the first page. If I look at the first page and the writing seems atrocious, I don't have it in me to give the book a chance.

...But other than that, I'm easy to please ;)

I love discussing books that I've read, so I encourage comments and discussions on my posts. Recommendations are also welcome.

Alright, enough about me - it's time to throw some books into the spotlight! Thanks for reading! I hope you will enjoy this blogging adventure as much as I plan to!

xoxo