Are you well past the point of being mistaken for a "young adult," yet frequenting the Young Adult sections of your local bookstores and libraries? You're not alone! Many books written with a teen audience in mind have found great crossover success with older readers. Young adult books these days are not just watered down adult books by any means, so don't feel embarrassed. Just as in the adult market, there is a wide range of offerings in the YA section, from breezy beach reads to thought-provoking literary fiction, and everything in between. So don't sit home alone thinking you're the only one out there who appreciates the gems to be found in the YA section. Come join our club!

Beginning in February, Spellbound Children’s Bookshop at 19 Wall Street, downtown Asheville, will host a monthly gathering for adults to read and discuss YA books. The inaugural meeting will be Sunday, February 7th from 4 to 5pm.

No need to sign up-- just read the monthly selection and show up with an opinion. February's selection is Graceling, by Kristin Cashore. It's available in paperback at Spellbound for 20% off ($7.99 instead of $9.99 cover price). You can find a full description and video book trailer on Spellbound’s website.

At the February meeting we will decide on March's selection, which will then be posted on the website, in a display at Spellbound, and we will also send out emails to those who wish to sign up on an email list for the book club. If you can't make it to the first meeting, don't let that stop you from joining us later; we'll all be starting from scratch with a different book each month.

So that we're all on the same page: by "adults," we mean people 18 and up. So far, most of the people who have expressed interest are in their 30s and 40s, though anyone 18 or over is welcome. And by "YA" or "Young Adult" books, we mean books that were written and marketed for ages 14 (or even 16) and up; we do not consider 10-year-olds young adults.