Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. This week's Top Ten list is "REWIND: Pick a topic that you missed or that you want to revisit"so we picked "Trends To See More/Less Of".
More Male POV
Boys are just FUN. But seriously, the YA world is saturated with female POV so when an interesting book with male POV comes around we usually rejoice. It's a nice change of pace, a new perspective, and usually witty.
Less Love triangles
I think we can all agree on this one. Love triangles are way too common, rarely done well, and unrealistic. Let's just go back to having a normal, singular love interest please!
More Historical Settings
Rich settings really make a book stand out and we find historical settings to be the cream of the crop. There is just something utterly fascinating about stepping into the past.
Less Series
Why does everything have to be a 3 book series these days? This is why too many books suffer from middle-book-syndrome and have incomplete endings. Series are fine and even welcome if the scope is large enough to span multiple books but more often plots are stretched thin for the sake of filling pages.
More Audiobooks
We probably "read" about half of our books via audio and would love to see this trend grow (more audiobooks at the library please!). And when a book is well-narrarated, it makes the "reading" experience all the more enjoyable. Some really well narrated books are The Diviners by Libba Bray and The Fault In Our Stars by John Green.
Less Insta-love
Another one we can all agree on I'm sure. When is insta-love ever ok? (The answer to that is never). Come on authors, if you have a romance make it believable! Spend a little time having the characters actually get to know each other before they declare themselves soul mates.
More Witty Banter
Who doesn't love amusing dialogue and laugh out loud moments? It's nice to have a break from all the seriousness every once and a while with a light, fun read.
Less Weak Protagonists
There is nothing more frustrating more than idiotic, whiny, helpless females. And even though we are beginning to see more strong females grace the pages of YA, there are still plenty of books with weak leads. Where is your independence?! Enough of the pity parties. Enough of the dwelling. It won't get you anywhere!
More Multi POV
Multi POV can really benefit a story with depth and understanding. It's also a great way to build secondary characters.
Less Broken families
Where did all the happy normal families go? It's like every book lately consists of a broken or dysfunctional family. Their parents are divorced, neglectful, dead, workaholics, etc. Or everyone hates and ignores each other. There is no reason for this. There are other ways to add depth to your character.
What do you think? Share with us your thoughts and leave a link to your TTT post!
I agree with less weak protagonists and less insta-love stories! Like they just met...and after what, one or two days, they're already in love? Huh.
ReplyDeleteYep, makes you want to go.. REALLY, ALREADY?!
DeleteHa! I chose this topic for my TTT, as well. Great minds think alike!
ReplyDeleteI agree with seriously all of these, and a lot of them made my list, too. Love triangles, weak protagonists, and insta-love are three of my biggest pet peeves in books. Love this list!!!
My TTT
-Kelly
It's a good topic ;) & You have a great list too! Thanks for stopping by!
DeleteYes to all your lesses! I also concur with the historical settings. LOVE those!
ReplyDeleteMy TTT post :)
I agree 100% with everything you said in your list! Everything!
ReplyDeleteMy TTT
Yay! Now if only authors will listen to us :)
DeleteGreat list, I agree on almost all of them. I definitely want less love triangles, becuase I just about hate them by now - and the choice is always obvious, anyway. Less insta-love and series would be great too. And you're right, there doesn't seem to be any happy families anymore (and if there are, they die or something).
ReplyDeleteYay, love witty banter! That's one of the reasons I love Jennifer L. Armentrout's books so much.
My TTT
I have not read any of Jennifer L Armentrout's books yet, I keep meaning to start one though!
DeleteI agree with some of your ideas... Particularly the first one. I feel like most books are about female characters when it comes to a point of view.
ReplyDeleteInteresting topic you chose.
My TTT: Bookish Pet Peeves
Yeah Reader of Fictions had a good post about why the YA genre is predominately female POV. Even though I can understand it, I'd still like to see a bigger shift toward male POV.
DeleteGreat list this week! I mean get out of my mind! I agree with all of the points that you've made, especially that not all YA books need to be part of a trilogy. Some stories benefit from having those extra two books, but it would actually be refreshing to read a stand alone story, even if it meant that the book was a little longer than the normal 300-400 pages.
ReplyDeleteAgreed, a nice standalone every now and then is refreshing.
DeleteTotally agree with less series, triangles, insta-lurve and broken families (especially this, it's my biggest pet peeve). Also agree with more audio, witty banter, and multi pov. Great post!
ReplyDeleteThanks :)
DeleteGreat list! I totally agree with everything except I do like a good love triangle. New follower via GFC.
ReplyDelete- CeCe @ steamingmugofbooks.blogspot.com
As long as it's a good one :)!
DeleteI like this list... A LOT!
ReplyDeleteMale POV - AMEN! Some of the best books I've read have been in the male pov. It is a fresh take on overdone plots and can change a story completely!
Less Love Triangles - I don't mind a good love triangle, but I can see that it gets old for a lot of people.
Less Series- I'm torn on this!! I don't like series bc I feel like they keep me from reading other books I really want to read, but at the same time-- before blogging I didn't have the outlet to discover sooo many books, so I was super grateful when I found a good series to invest in!
More Multi POV - Totally agree on this. I think some of the best stories are told this way. I develop a deeper connection when I have access to everyone's thoughts and feelings. It gives so much more dimension to the story as a whole!
Love triangle can be great if they are done well! Multi POV's have to be one of my favorite kind of reads, I am reading Eleanor and Park and it is multi POV which just makes the story even better!
DeleteAgree with everything you said 100%. Especially the more male POV.
ReplyDeleteOld follower
my TTT
http://kimberlysnovelnotes.blogspot.com/2013/04/top-ten-tuesday-17.html
YES GIVE US MORE MEN :)
DeleteThis is a totally brilliant list! Less love triangles, less insta-love, less weak protagonists... and YES MORE WITTY BANTER. Can never have enough of that!
ReplyDeleteI've definitely been seeing more witty banter and I just love it! Pivot Point has some good lines too!
DeleteI completely agree with every point you made. Especially More Male & Multi POV, Less Weak Protagonists, and Less Broken Families. Awesome list!
ReplyDeleteThanks!
DeleteI actually like insta-love, but I understand why a lot of people don't. I agree with less weak protagonists. Most people are a lot stronger than we think, and I think those kinds of qualities should shine in YA characters.
ReplyDeleteYES! I'm not saying all these women have to be physically strong, there are so many different ways to have internal strength that we don't see enough!
DeleteAgreed! I want more male POVs. Less Series and Less Insta-Love.
ReplyDeleteAgreed!! :) Great list. Now you have me thinking...
:) I definitely see some trends fading. Author's must be listening!
Delete