Today I'm joined by one of my favorite BookTubers out there. I've stumbled across her videos and channel quite a while back and have been a steady viewer ever since. Her videos are amazing and her love for Cassandra Clare books is impressive and entertaining. Of course I'm talking about the amazing Emmmabooks!
When planning this entire thing I knew I had to ask her if she'd want to participate and, luckily, she said yes so let's check out her As to my Qs below:
1) What does YA mean to you?
YA is a place where I can escape; A place where I can be a demon hunter one day and on a romantic date on top of the Eiffel Tower the next. It's a safe space where I don't need to be anyone but myself. It's a way for me to connect with different characters in different cities, countries, eras across history, even different WORLDS and still be able to relate to the situations they're put in and the emotions they feel. It's the thing that's saved my life, that has shaped me into the person I've always wanted to be, and the thing that is continually pushing my boundaries and making me a better person. And I am forever grateful to it.
2) What would you like to see done more of in YA?
I want more diversity in all senses of the word! We need more diverse characters; protagonists from different backgrounds rather than just side characters, different settings full of unique culture. We need more diverse representation of serious topics like abuse, sexuality, & mental illness. Authors tend to follow the same common plot arc they learn about from shallow Google searches; the same stories that are being written over and over again are not EVERYONE'S story and all readers should feel identified! It even goes to something as simple as hobbies, because not every character is just a reader, a musician or an artist - there are an infinite amount of things to be passionate about in the world and not enough of those interests get mentioned in YA! Essentially, we need more individuality amoung characters and plots. I just want a lot of the tropes to end and for every story I read to be entirely it's own. Out with recurring and in with refreshing!
3) Could you tell us something about yourself and your channel?
My name is Emma, I'm a 20 year old book lover from New York who's been managing my YouTube channel, emmmabooks, for two and a half years now! I mainly talk about YA and produce creative content surrounding literature like book hauls, monthly reading wrap ups, reviews, discussion on topics in the book world, and more! When I'm not reading or filming my life away, you can find me hoop dancing (it's dancing with a hula hoop and it's the coolest thing you'll ever see; check it out), compulsively buying makeup, frequently venturing into NYC (and finding myself at LOTS of book signings) and generally, loving the life I live. :)
Thank you so, so much to Emma for coming and answering my questions. What do you guys think of them? Also, have you ever seen any of her videos or checked out her channel? If not you totally should give her a chance! If you want you could even check out the review of Petty Little Lives she did a while back.
The next post will be up July 9th and feature the next amazing author.
Thank you so much for reading!
