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