wrapped up in books

Hello! These are the slides from my presentation with Meg Hunt Wilson on New Adult literature and services. There is also a booklist of suggested titles for NA fiction, adult and YA fiction that might appeal to readers of NA or those in that 18-25 year old range, and nonfiction titles. While not comprehensive, they do offer a starting poitn for readers’ advisor and collection development. 

New Adulthood: Literature & Services for NA Patrons

New Adult Fiction

These titles have all been marketed as New Adult explicitly and fall into the wider contemporary romance category. Many were initially self-published, though some are from established traditionally published authors who have written young adult fiction or adult romance. This is a sampling, and obviously not a comprehensive list.

• Beautiful Disaster by Jamie McGuire (2012)
• Charade by Nyrae Dawn (2012)
• Vain by Fisher Amelie (2012)
• Losing It by Cora McCormack (2012)
• Taking Chances by Molly McAdams (2012)
• Easy by Tamara Webber (2012)
• Unravel Me by Ryan Kendall (2012)
• Slammed (2012), Maybe Someday (2014), Ugly Love (2014),  Confess (2015) by Colleen Hoover
• The Coincidence of Callie and Kayden (2012), Seth & Greyson (2015) by Jessica Sorensen
• Rule by Jay Crownover (2012)
• True (2013), Shatter (2014)  by Erin McCarthy
• Brooklyn Girls by Gemma Burgess (2013)
• A Little Too Far by Lisa Desrochers (2013)
• Wait For You by Jennifer Armetrout/J. Lynn (2013)
• Torn by K.A. Robinson (2013)
• The Edge of Never by J.A. Redmerski (2013)
• Twisted by Lola Smirnova (2014)
• Bully by Penelope Douglas (2014)
• Deeper by Robin York (2014)
• Boomerang by Noelle August (2014)
• Upside Down by Lia Riley (2014)
• Come to Me Quietly by A.L. Jackson (2014)
• If Only by A.J. Pine (2014)
• Push by Claire Wallis (2014)
• Foreplay by Sophie Jordan (2014)
• The Year We Fell Down by Sarina Bowen (2014)
• I Want it That Way by Ann Aguirre (2014)
• For Sure & Certain by Anya Monroe (2015)
• Cam Girl by Leah Raeder (2015)
• Deep Blue Eternity by Natasha Boyd (2015)
• Beautiful Collision by Toni Vallan (2015)
• Trade Me by Courtney Milan (2015)

New Adult Genre Fiction

A small number of books have been marketed in some capacity as New Adult. These are all by authors who have name recognition rather than authors who have broken into publishing with New Adult Genre fiction. It’s worth noting that genre fiction has historically done a good job of integrating the themes of New Adult fiction. 

• A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas
• The Beautiful Ashes by Jeaniene Frost
• Red Hill by Jaimie McGuire
• Amber Smoke by Kristin Cast

Literary or General Fiction with New Adult Appeal

These books aren’t marketed as New Adult, but feature some of the characteristics and appeal factors associated with New Adult but aren’t category contemporary romances. 

• The Last Summer (of You and Me) by Ann Brashares
• April and Oliver by Tess Callahan
• While I’m Falling by Laura Moriarty
• The Secret History by Donna Tartt
• The Marriage Plot by Jeffrey Eugenides
• Gonzo Girl by Cheryl Della Pietra
• The Fallback Plan by Cheryl Stein
• The Circle by Dave Eggers
• The Thousand Dollar Tan Line by Rob Thomas and Jennifer Graham
• Things I Can’t Explain: A Clarissa Novel by Mitchell Kriegman
• Chulito by Charles Rice-Gonzalez
• Don’t Let Me Go by J.H. Trumble

Adult Genre Fiction with New Adult Appeal

Select genre fiction that features characters in the New Adult age range and some themes of the genre. 

• The Queen of the Tearling by Erika Johansen
• The Sookie Stackhouse Series by Charlaine Harris
• The Magicians by Lev Grossman
• Amped by Daniel H. Wilson
• Red Rising by Pierce Brown

Young Adult Fiction with New Adult Appeal

These YA novels feature older, just out of high school characters and some of the themes of New Adult literature, while still being published by young adult imprints. 

• I Am the Messenger by Marcus Zusak
• The Morganville Vampires series by Rachel Caine
• Hold Me Closer, Necromancer by Lish McBride
• Gorgeous by Paul Rudnick
• Dirty Little Secret by Jennifer Echols
• The Boy on the Bridge by Natalie Staniford
• Love, Dark, and Deep by Amy Mcnamara
• Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell
• Just One Day (series) by Gayle Forman
• The Infinite Moment of Us by Lauren Myracle
• I’ll Meet You There by Heather Demetrios
• What We Left Behind by Robin Talley
• A Little Something Different by Sandy Hall
• Girls Like Us by Gail Giles

Nonfiction for New Adults

These books may be of interest to emerging adults and deal with topics on “how to adult”: managing finances, relationships, goals, etc. 

• Conquering Your Quarterlife Crisis: Advice from Twentysomethings Who Have Been There and Survived by Alexandra Robbins (2004)
• The Nest Newlywed Handbook by Carley Roney (2006)
• Getting from College to Career: 90 Things to Do Before You Join the Real World by Lindsey Pollack (2007)
• 101 Manly Achievements for Boys by Allen Gillam & Adam Levowitz (2007)
• It’s a Wonderful Lie: 26 Truths About Life in Your Twenties by Emily Franklin et al (2007)
• No Regrets 101: 101 Fabulous Things to do Before You’re Too Old, Married, or Pregnant by Sarah Ivens (2009)
• A Boy Should Know How to Tie a Tie: And Other Lessons for Succeeding in Life by Antwone Quenton Fisher (2010)
• Life After College: The Complete Guide to Getting What You Want by Jenny Blake (2011)
• Don’t Worry, It Gets Worse: One Twentysomething’s (Mostly Failed) Attempts at Adulthood by Alida Nugent (2013)
• The Bust DIY Guide to Life: Making Your Way Through Every Day by Laurie Henzel and Debbie Stoller (2011)
• All Work, No Pay: Finding an Internship, Building Your Resume, Making Connections, and Gaining Job Experience by Lauren Berger (2012)
• The Girl’s Guide by Melissa Kirsch (2006, 2015)
• Slouching Toward Adulthood: Observations from the Not-So-Empty Nest by Sally Koslow (2012)
• 30 Things Every Woman Should Have and Know By the Time She’s 30 by Pamela Redmond Satran (2012)
• 101 Secrets for Your Twenties by Paul Angone (2013)
• Don’t Worry, It Gets Worse: One Twentysomething’s (Mostly Failed) Attempts at Adulthood by Alida Nugent (2013)
• You Majored in What?: Mapping Your Path from Chaos to Career by Katharine Brooks (2009)
• 20-Something, 20-Everything: A Quarter-Life Woman’s Guide to Balance and Direction by Christine Hessler (2005)
• Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me?: And Other Concerns by Mindy Kaling (2012)
• The Defining Decade: Why Your Twenties Matter– And How to Make the Most of Them Now by Meg Jay (2012)
• F*ck I’m In My Twenties (2012) and F*ck I’m in My Twenties: A Guided Journal (2014) by Emma Koenig
• Hyperbole and a Half: Unfortunate Situations, Flawed Coping Mechanisms, Mayhem, and Other Things that Happened by Allie Brosh (2013)
• I’m Only Here for the Wi-Fi: A Complete Guide to Reluctant Adulthood by Chelsea Fagan (2013)
• My Boyfriend Barfed in my Handbag… and Other Questions You Can’t Ask Martha by Jolie Kerr (2014)
• Grace’s Guide: The Art of Pretending to Be a Grownup by Grace Helbig (2014)
• Never Have I Ever: My Life (so far) Without a Date by Katie Heaney (2014)
• Modern Romance by Aziz Ansari & Eric Klinenberg (2015)
• The RealSimple Guide to Real Life: Adulthood Made Easy by the Editors of RealSimple Magazine (2015)
• The Opposite of Loneliness: Essays and Stories by Marina Keegan (2015)

Articles on New Adult Literature and Library Programming for New Adults

This list is not comprehensive, but meant to represent a variety of viewpoints and demonstrate how the discussion has evolved. 

“‘New Adult’ Fiction is Now an Official Literary Genre Because Marketers Want us to Buy Things” by Katie J.M. Baker. Jezebel, November 15, 2012.

“The New Adult Genre is Still Condescending and Pointless” by Emily Temple. Flavorwire, August 26, 2014.

“The Problem With New Adult Books” by Lauren Sarner. Huffington Post Books, August 14, 2013.

“Emerging ‘New Adult’ Genre Puts Smut on Bestseller Lists” by Juju Chang and Caren Zucker. ABC News, February 21, 2013.

“What’s New About New Adult?” by Sophie Brookover, Liz Burns, and Kelly Jensen. Hornbook, December 17, 2013.

“New Adult Fiction is the Hot New Category in Books” by Dierdre Donahue. USA Today, April 15, 2013.

“‘New Adult’: The Next Big Thing?” by Brian Klems. Writer’s Digest, November 15, 2013.

“New Adults Need Libraries Too” by Abby Hargreaves. INALJ, October 6, 2015. 

“Level Up at the Library: Interactive Library Programs for New Adults” by Joan Frye Williams. The Knight News Challenge, October 20, 2014.