Monday, April 15, 2013

Top Ten Tuesday #6 - Rewind Week!

A meme hosted by The Broke And The Bookish.  If you haven't already, check them out!
 
Rewind Week - Top Ten Trends To See More/Less Of
 
If there is a list more suitable to this blog, I don't know what it is.  (For those of you who don't know, I have a weekly feature on this blog called YA Epidemics, which is pretty much me ranting every Saturday about a different one of these trends I want to see less of in YA.)

I'm going to separate this one into two categories; the five I want to see less of (which will be the same five I already have featured as Epidemics.  My pushy self is even going to link them to their featured YA Epidemic post, so check them out if you haven't already), and the five I want to see more of.

Ready?  Here we go!


Top 5 Trends I Want To See Less Of (Linked)
Abusive Boyfriends - Because stalking and controlling is not okay, and neither is glorifying these behaviors in books.
Love Triangles - Okay, maybe you don't hate this as much as I do, but is there anyone out there who doesn't think these have gotten out of hand?
Cliffhanger Endings - My pulse starts racing, my heart is in my throat, and then the book runs out of pages.   I just wish not every book had to play with my emotions so much.
Immortal Guy/Teenage Girl Relationships - Tis not smoothness of face nor chiseledness of abs that determines one's age.  It's, you know.  Their age.
Plot-Device Boyfriends - When every other way to keep our lovebirds apart fails, enter the Plot-Device Boyfriend. 
 
Top 5 Trends I Want To See More Of
Independent Heroins - Let's start showing our teenage girls that a boyfriend is not, in fact, the single most important thing in their lives.
Gritty, Raw Realism - We don't always want to read about the darkest themes and vices, but understanding them is the first step to avoiding them.  Keeping growing kids in the dark does no one any favors.
Slow-Building Romance - Because I have never met anyone who found their soul mate in a week.
Multiculturalism - This is something I saw on a different blog the other day, and it stuck with me.  There is a serious lack of minority, non-caucasion races and ethnicities in popular YA.  In the age of equality, the only question I have is, Why?
Flawed Characters - Everyone wants to be perfect and find someone perfect to be with, but that's never going to happen.  Flaws are what make us real.  Piling on the virtues but leaving out the bad habits and occasional asswad moments only gives us one-dimensional characters that would never exist in real life.
 
That's my rewind list!  I love the topic and am so glad I got this chance to go back and use it.  Do you agree with the trends I listed?  What's your TTT Rewind?  As always, link to them in the comments so I can show your blog some love!

45 comments:

  1. I do think the love triangle is overdone. In the first place, as a teenager, I barely had any friends who were dating, much less friends trying to decide between two or more guys and having to fend off hordes of lovers. Also, in many books, it's fairly obvious how it will end. I only like love triangles with real suspense.

    If you like fantasy, Tess in Dragonswood is a great flawed/strong character.

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    1. I love fantasy! It's right behind YA as a favorite genre.

      I feel the exact same way about the love triangle. It just needs to hurry up and die already.

      Delete
    2. Thinking about it, the only "love triangles" I've witnessed in real life involved people cheating, which is not really the romantic experience books are trying to portray.

      A realistic love triangle, at the least, should involve a significant amount of pain and confusion, but a lot of books paint it as a somewhat fun experience.

      Delete
    3. The tragic thing is the poor girl who has to choose between the rough-around-the-edges newcomer, or her childhood best friend who always loved her but for some reason she's only now realizing she has feelings for, also.

      Psh. She's just as bad as a guy who dangles two girls by a string. I agree, they need to stop glossing over the real pain that would result from these love triangles and put some realism into their cliches.

      Delete
  2. Multiculturalism. Yes!!! I want to see more LGBT. I want more interracial couples. More heroes of other culture and races usually not seen often. Native American. Etc. I'd love so much of that. :D (Pssst... including covers, too.)

    Great list!

    <3
    Pixie

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    1. It doesn't make sense to me that they haven't already started introducing more multiculturalism into books. When there is a minority lead character, it's this big deal. I want to not know without even reading a word of it that a popular book is going to feature primarily good-looking, heterosexual white characters.

      Delete
  3. I absolutely hate abusive boyfriends and cliffhangers, and I would LOVE to see stronger, independent heroines! :) I chose Top Ten Favorite Quotes from Books: http://aliceinreaderland.com/2013/04/15/quotes/

    Alice @ Alice in Readerland

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    1. Ooh, favorite quotes! That's a good one! Gah, I wish there were more of these rewind weeks lol. Sooo many good ones I missed!

      Thanks, Alice! I'll check your list out, too! :D

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  4. I laughed out loud at the "never found a soulmate in a week" comment. So true! I hate insta love in books. And I love strong female leads. I'm glad there are more and more of them out there now. Also, why aren't books more diverse. It's strange in this day and age. Great list! My TTT

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    1. Yeah, it does seem like some of the more detrimental annoying trends are starting to (slowly) fade out. And haha, glad you enjoyed it. :)

      Thanks, Harley! I'll check yours out soon, as well. :)

      Delete
  5. I agree with you 100% so done with cliffhanger endings, it just feels manipulative to me. I want a complete story. I LOVE series but really can't each book be complete!

    My TTT

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    1. I followed that link, but I'm not finding your TTT on your blog. Maybe it's my laptop, it's been giving me issues lately. I'll try again tomorrow. :)

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  6. I know, it's like they think by stopping mid-scene, sometimes literally, we'll be more likely to come back in a year and buy the sequel. I love returning to favorite characters, but I don't like having a book that feels like it's missing chapters.

    Thanks, Marissa!

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  7. Cliffhanger endings are the secular Satan. (Secular Satan could totally be a thing... Not sure what though.) They're the equivalent of stopping a movie halfway through... Anyone ever need to stop a movie halfway through? 'Cuz it's not pretty. When a book is good, and then employs it, I don't feel as bad. If the book is bad, it comes across as a desperate.

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    1. Lol dork. :p

      I don't mind mild cliffhangers. You know, the one that is added in addition to the complete story arc and its resolution. But the new crop of mid-scene drop screw-you cliffhangers are starting to annoy the crap out of me.

      Delete
  8. I definitely agree with you about the love triangles - they're pretty much guaranteed to be in maybe 3/5 books that I pick up and quite honestly, I'm sick of seeing it. Especially the particularly annoying ones. I actually like cliffhangers most of the time, though I can see why some people would find them infuriating. I love me some flawed characters! I can't tell you how many times I've made the complain about a book where the people are simply too perfect. Perfect to the point of basically lacking a personality.

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    1. Haha, I know a few people who like cliffhangers. I don't mind them if I have the sequel ready, but when I have to wait a year, I'm pretty much locked in a WTFface for a whole week after finishing. Not a pretty sight.

      I think the perfect character thing is especially out of hand in some of these romantic interests. The author is too busy making her leading guy gorgeous, smart, strong, romantic, and suave that she forgets to make him real.

      Thanks, Becca! :D

      Delete
  9. Love the rewind theme, it's like a mystery dip, don't know what to expect! The 5 things you want to see more of - yes, yes, yes, yes and YES. You know what you should do, take some of the things you want to see and write it! Go for it Kelly, no better woman.

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    1. Lol exactly. I've seen so many TTTs so far that make me go, "Aww, I shoulda done that one!" I hope we have another of these soon.

      Trish, your comments always make me smile. :) I love writing. I was the only ten year old on the block who spent her afternoons filling a notebook with some crazy story or another. More and more, I've been thinking of getting back into it.

      Delete
  10. This post could spark a lot of discussion. So much to cover. I think if it works for the story then use it. (except the plot-point boyfriend thing, erroneous characters are never OK).
    The thing i can say I 100% agree with is Independent females. I have read of a lot of femme fatales who can save the world but can't wake up happy without some certain guy. I think this puts a bad image in the heads of young women. Here is this person taking care of business but still needs to lean on a guy. This isn't prevalent with male MCs. We need female role models who are complete in themselves. There is nothing wrong with love in a story but I prefer partners to saviours.

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    1. Thanks Renee! I'm always hoping to spark some discussion ha. There are definitely exceptions to this, but a lot of the not-so-good books I read are usually chock full of these trends in a way that doesn't work. It just makes it seem like a carbon copy of every other cheesy book on the shelves.

      Partners to saviors, I couldn't have said it better! If there's a genre that should work extra hard to paint healthy, non-obsessive relationships, it's YA. But instead, far too often we see these co-dependent relationships that basically laugh at the idea of a woman who doesn't need a man.

      Delete
  11. YES! I've been looking for slow building romance books everywhere! And I agree on the flawed characters, but I think there are already many out there..:)
    Top Ten Tuesday @ Divergent Gryffindor

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    1. There are haha. I just wish there were more.

      Have you read Anna And The French Kiss yet? That book is like the perfect novel for someone looking or straight-up, in-your-face romance that is actually done well.

      Delete
  12. Wow I so agree with you it's ridiculous, I think you've pinpointed all the reasons to why I avoid YA!
    Especially Abusive Boyriends, Love Triangles and Immortal Guy/Teenage girl Relationships are just NOO. As soon as I'm catching one of these I just go "no. why?!?!?!"

    It's funny that in a time when feminism is so big and everyone talks about how they can't dress their baby girls in dresses and pink because they want to give them a choice and whatever, it's still so difficult to find a book about a girl that is not entirely focused on a guy (or more often, several guys). Somehow I think priorities have gotten out of hand (just like this comment, so I'll shut up now! :P)

    I chose "Top Ten Books I'd recommend to someone who say they don't like to read" for my TTT :D

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    1. I love YA books, because when you slog through the unoriginal, the cheesy and the cliche, you can actually find a really good one. Though I don't blame people who avoid the genre altogether. The days of Harry Potter quality YA are long gone, sadly.

      Your middle paragraph sums it up perfectly! It's all about helping women find their independence, live a life that isn't centered around a man. But then we have these books that are just so ass-backwards that it'd be funny if it weren't so depressing.

      Delete
  13. Of course I love your list of what you want to see less of, because I've been following your YA Epidemic posts every week and always share my own thoughts. (And I agree, this is definitely the best TTT for you!)

    What you want to see more of? Yes to #1. Really, I say independent MC characters in general. Boys usually are, but there are some that are just as dependent on love as girls (I'm looking at you, Ethan from BC). #2, Yes! I feel like hiding things never helps anything, and if parents are worried about their kids reading about certain kinds of books they should sit down and talk to them about the topic afterwards. Life is rough, it's better to know and be prepared than have it happen and be destroyed. #3, Duh. #4, Yes! I feel like almost everything I read is from a white female perspective, and it'd be refreshing to get some diversity in the YA world. #5, Yes! I want flawed characters - both inside and out. No one is perfect, and I don't know where all these beautiful people come from in the YA world but they're not here where I live. :P

    Great list :)

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    1. See, that's exactly why I haven't touched Beautiful Creatures, and have no desire to. I have the feeling the book would end up hurled against my wall at some point if I read it based of of some of the reviews I've seen.

      The thing about the tough-issue books is that they almost always show us very realistic, very scary consequences. As soon as a kid takes his/her first step into a public school, they're going to be influenced to things parents would rather they weren't. I don't understand why some are still so against analyzing and discussing it through books.

      I'm kind of ashamed to admit that #4 probably wouldn't have made the list if it hadn't been brought to my attention by a different blog the other day, but it's such an obvious one. If we want real equality, we've got to start showing it in our books and other media.

      A book full of perfect pretty people is a almost always a book I won't like.

      As always, thanks so much for the thought-out comment, Asti!

      Delete
  14. Oh my gosh, I am so with you on love triangles. I hate them! Hate!

    And we definitely need more diversity in YA books. It's crazy that there isn't more of it. And more than just the gay BFF.

    Great list.

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    1. And even the gay bff is pretty rare. Every now and then you'll have the one token non-caucasion or non-heterosexual side character, and it's usually so obvious they're just there to claim diversity that it's almost insulting.

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  15. Perfect choice of topic for you, eh? :) And I agree with both of your lists. I'd really like to see less abusive/immortal boyfriends for sure. And I'd love to see more slow-building romances. I still say the romance in Seraphina is perhaps my favorite, but it was so slow and so realistic. <3

    It would also be nice to see more independent heroines. I'm getting really tired of a book synopsis that sounds great until the inevitable "But then the perfect/gorgeous/attractive/handsome Johnny enters the picture..." statement comes in and I find I lose interest. Can we please have a story that DOESN'T involve a hot guy changing everything?

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    1. Oh I've heard of Seraphina! I remember really wanting to read it, then completely forgetting about it haha. Until now.

      Ugh, isn't that just the biggest cue to put the book back on the shelf and move on? I love romance in books, but not the kind that turns the protagonist into a sniveling idiot, following her guy around like a 50s housewife.

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  16. Oh my goodness, you took the words out of my mouth! I've actually been thinking about doing a post on the lack of diversity in YA! So when I saw that mentioned I pretty much started clapping and shouting AMEEEN!! It really is pretty ridiculous. I used to work with at-risk teens in a community center--- I can only imagine what they'd say if I were to do some type of read-along with them. I can hear it now "What's up with all these white girls?!?" Seriously though, what is up with this???

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    1. Haha I can only imagine. It makes me wonder if we're isolating readers by only showing a small racial group in them.

      Thanks for the comment, Betty!

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  17. Haha, I could have known you would choose this topic. xD But yes, definitely agree on your "Less of" choices, as you well know. BUT also a definite yes to independent heroines and slow-building romance. There's actually this one book that wasn't the greatest, but I liked it a whole lot more because the romance was so slow building it almost wasn't noticeable and really surprised me in the end when it actually happened. So much better than the cliché stories where just by the first mention of a guy you know, "Oh, here we go, there's the love interest."

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    1. I know! A book that doesn't immediately throw two people together and tell us they're in love automatically scores points for me, even if it's not a great book. Insta-love just makes me roll my eyes and want to move on to the next book.

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  18. Agree, agree, agree! So tired of love-triangles, abusive boyfriends, and immortal fellas. Would love to see some independent heroines and slow-building romance. Great post!

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  19. I agree with almost everything on this list! I don't even get WHY abuse boyfriends is a trend, nor do I understand why there isn't more multiculturism in books. I HATE stalker-esque type guys, but I dislike the lack of multiculturism even more. How about a little more realism?

    The only thing I love are cliffhangers, especially when done right. (My favorite is The Evolution of Mara Dyer, which, yes, made me want to throw my book out the window. But THE FEELINGS. And the unexpected plot twists! I know a book is good when a cliffhanger ruins me ;). Loved this list!

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    1. Realism, and consequences for stalking behavior that doesn't end up in Happily Ever After.

      Haha, I know a lot of people who like cliffhangers. I can handle a few, but when it seems like every single book I open ends mid-scene, I get a tad aggravated. :p

      Thanks, Judith!

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  20. I agree with you on everything! Great post!! :)

    Love triangles and cliffhangers need to die!

    I LOVE slow-burn romances, and flawed characters are my favorites - they are real, easy to connect to/relate to.

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  21. I love this list! It's incredibly insightful, and I found myself nodding with every point. My favorite was "slow-building romance" because I find myself overly geeking out about books when I the relationships feel real and developed.
    As a side note, I really like the esthetic of your blog! I look forward to reading more from you in the future! :)

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    1. Awww, thanks Nikki! And I totally relate, I fangirl over the realistic, developed book romances more than I'd like to admit. Ha.

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  22. I agree 100% about less cliffhanger endings, sometimes I just want some resolution. That waiting a WHOLE YEAR until the next one is not bad sometimes but it is refreshing to have a break from it. So I laughed out loud a bit at the Immportal Guy/Teenage girl relationships... I did not even think about it until now... THERE ARE SOOOO MANY.

    Ashley @ The Quiet Concert

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    1. Haha nice! I have John Green's vlogs to thank for that one, I doubt I'd have thought of it on my own. :p

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