A new book? How frightening

I love reading, I always have, but the problem I have with it is that I find it really difficult to leave the comfort and safety of teenage and young adult fiction. I find the romance of YA fiction to be idealistic and thrilling – the way characters are swept off their feet, the improbable meet-cutes, the aspirational promises they make to each other…I’m a huge softie, it’s true. I also love fantasy, but the adult fantasy is just so weird sometimes. Thankfully, I can always rely on good ol’ teenage fiction to bring me the joy of magic.

However, it’s come to my attention that I’m severely lacking the knowledge of different genres. I’ve clung to YA fiction because it’s safe and I always know what I’m looking for – there are so few surprises, but I’m an adult now and I will read some adult fiction, gosh darn it.

Over the last few months, I’ve slowly been adding a book from a different genre into my repertoire, so if you, like me, are well and truly enamoured by YA fiction, hopefully I can guide you to some other books that are equally as enjoyable.

13 Stories by Jonathan Simms

If the author’s name sounds a bit familiar, that might be because he’s the creator and voice of The Archivist/Jonathan Simms on The Magnus Archives – a supernatural horror podcast that recently ended its incredible five-year run. Now, I had very little knowledge of this book when it was given to me by a friend, so I was entirely unprepared for what awaited me.

I’m not a horror person, I don’t even vaguely enjoy scary things. In fact, I drag my co-workers into the supposedly haunted room at night when we close because someone once told me a ghost story about it. You might be asking ‘why read a horror book then, Stephanie?’ Well, dear readers, I thought it was a murder mystery.

I’m not entirely sure why I thought the book was a murder mystery but alas, I made my bed and thus I had to lay in it. Turns out it was sort of a murder mystery, but it also contained aspects of political criticism (which I won’t share about because it’ll spoil it), and of course it was incredibly scary.

The premise is essentially that there is an apartment building that was built by a man named Tobias Fell, and some of the residents begin experiencing unexplainable things. We follow the story of each resident or worker in the apartment building from the moment things start going awry to the receipt of an invite to Tobias Fell’s quarters for a dinner – one they must accept.

The love I had for the plot of this book seemed to overpower the memory of how frightening it actually was, convincing me time and time again that yes I can read this book before bed and then being surprised when I had to read a not insignificant portion of a queer romance novel to calm myself before sleep (I did finally learn to read it during the day after about 200 pages though!). The plot, the characters, the ending…it’s all immaculate and I cannot recommend it highly enough to anyone who loves horror – and perhaps even to those who dislike it like me!

Get a Life, Chloe Brown by Talia Hibbert

Get a Life, Chloe Brown will always hold a special place in my heart because it was the first book I read with a character that has fibromyalgia. Without going into too much detail, fibromyalgia is a chronic pain disorder that’s essentially defined by constant pain all the time – and I have it.

This book follows Chloe as she searches for more jumpers that resemble cardigans, a fulfilling hobby, love, and most of all, some genuine understanding from those around her. I love this book because it’s so genuine about the experience of being diagnosed with an illness no one understands and the struggles that come along with it, while also managing to not make the moral of the story ‘if disabled people are doing it, why aren’t you?’ – a common trope in books with disabled characters.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Was it because it vaguely resembled a YA plot line? Perhaps, but I also really admire Talia Hibbert for creating a plot that was funny, emotional and relatable, while also managing to squeeze in a hint of ableist criticism.

Red, White and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston

Did I only read this book because I was so sure it was young adult queer fiction? Oh absolutely. Did I then get the shock of my life when I was directed to the upstairs adult fiction section of Dymocks? Yes! So, before you say anything, I’m entirely aware that this book is technically cheating, but it says ‘adult fiction’ on the tag so we’re counting it!

The book follows two twenty-something men – one is the son of the first female President of the USA, Alex, and the other is a Welsh prince, Henry. I love this book because not only does it read exactly like YA queer fiction, but it also combines two of my favourite fanfiction tropes: enemies to lovers, and fake dating.

I do love this book because of the plot, of course, but also because of the themes it tackles, ranging from the harm paparazzi can do, to racism and sexism towards the President. It’s a book that brings strong feelings of comfort and support, with representation for queer kids and adults as well as POC (and not to forget women in politics!).

Final Thoughts

I want to be clear that I’m not saying “don’t read YA fiction if you’re over x age”, because I would never. YA fiction will probably forever remain my favourite genre and no amount of bribery from my partner to read her favourite series will ever get me to change my mind.

No matter what your favourite genre of reading is, if it makes you happy there isn’t a single reason you need to stop reading it. Don’t let people tell you that reading YA fiction isn’t sophisticated – classical books aren’t the be-all-end-all for the ultimate reading experience. Recreational reading is, and always should be, a joyous experience, so go forth and read your favourite book and let yourself be comforted by the familiarity of an old love.