Top Ten Tuesday: Words/Topics That Instantly Make Me Want to Pick Up a Book

Hosted by The Broke and the Bookish

Words can evoke lots of emotions or feelings or just plain, old nostalgia. Other times, words can entice you and make your ears perk up or your eyebrows raise. Topics and words go hand in hand because words make topics. I might be spinning you around in circles, but the point is: there are certain words or topics that will immediately interest you. Here are mine (that I could think of) below:

Emotional

When I see a blogger or hear someone say that the book they read was amazing and "so emotional" or a tearjerker, I'm instantly intrigued. Issue books are hit and miss for me, but you can have a book that makes you tear up without it being sunken down by all the issues. The Fault in Our Stars, Second Chance Summer, or Mockingjay, anyone? 

Retelling
I mentioned it in trends and I'll mention it again: I love retellings. Sure, some retellings have been told A LOT (ahem, Pride and Prejudice and Cinderella), but even those have a place in my heart because the repeated retellings are redone for a reason. You really can't get enough of Mr. Darcy. And like I mentioned in my trends post, there are numerous books that could be retold and haven't...yet. 

Orphan

Before you call me a hypocrite, hear me out. I know I have said repeatedly that I wish for more happy families. However, I have always been interested in the orphan aspect. When someone says "orphan," I wonder if she'll go looking for her family. Is her family actually dead? What's the backstory here? 

Amnesia

Considering that Anastasia is one of my favorite animated movies of all time, my ears instantly perk up at any mention of amnesia. This also ties in with the point above. Anastasia wasn't an orphan, but she THOUGHT she was. Out of Sight, Out of Time by Ally Carter, the latest Gallagher Girl book does this the amnesia plot so well. So if I see anything about amnesia, I'm there. 

Secret

Ooh, the mystery. Either you're about to be told insider information like in Secrets of My Hollywood Life or there's a "secret" that can ultimately shake a family like in Belles (both books by Jen Calonita). I don't care either way because secrets are fun. 

Princess

It might seem girly of me, but I love royalty. Young Victoria is one of my favorite movies, I adore The Princess Diaries series, and I will pounce at any mention of anything related to royalty. In YA, that's usually "princess." Even one of my favorite adult Christian books is The Princess by Lori Wick (which includes an arranged marriage of sorts). 

Parallel Universes

Who doesn't love parallel universes? Whether in TV shows, movies, or books, they're so interesting to watch. They might be for standalone books or in the end of the series like There's No Place Like Home by Jen Calonita where you are attached to the characters and know how they really are. You get to see what life would have been like or how great their life really is. 

Disguise

Who doesn't love disguises? Whether it be for criminal activity, sleuthing, or a girl pretending to be a boy...there will be adventure and fun and greatness ahead. Seven Daughters and Seven Sons has a girl disguising herself as a boy to make money and ultimately falls in love with a prince. The first book in the Gallagher Girls has a spy pretending to be normal and starts a romance with an actual normal guy. Heist Society involves a robber and her family taking on many disguises and personas to continue with their adventures. Lots of superheros have a disguise and their other persona is freaking great. I don't think I need to continue anymore because obviously this is an AWESOME plot. 

Boarding school

Source

It's also a great way to get parents out of the way. But besides that, you get more interaction with the main character and their friends. It's a great time to see the chemistry evolve with two characters or provide some kind of hierarchy. Two words: Gallagher Girls.

Camp

It's also another trend that I love, especially for a summer read. Like boarding schools, it's a great way to see more of the beloved friends, more drama, and usually some cute boys as well. The fact that I've always wanted to go to a camp like the ones in these fictional books make me love them even more. 

~*~

What words perk your ears up? 

Book Blogger Confessions #4

Hosted by For What It's Worth &
Midnyte Reader

It's special Monday on Book Blogger Confessions and they gave us three topics to choose from or we could pick all of them. I really wanted to do all of them, but I decided on the second topic:

The death of Google Reader. As Google continues to phase out it’s less popular products, bloggers were scrambling to find a new reader platform to follow their favorite blogs. What have you switched to for a reader? 

The big fear though is the loss of Google Friends Connect. How are you preparing if indeed GFC is discontinued? How many subscriber options are too many to offer your followers? What ones are the most popular on your blog?

I have been meaning to post something about this for a while so I'm glad I finally am now. The loss of Google Reader and GFC makes me extremely anxious, in a bad way. I know that numbers aren't everything and you shouldn't focus on that, blah blah blah. However, it's taken me a long time to get up to my 421 GFC followers. I love them all and want to hug every single one of them. 

It's going to happen though. I can't stop it, unfortunately. I've been a little loss on what to do, but I did create another option: BlogLovin'. 

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

I'm still getting a hang of it and I despise that it uses my old design, but it does update, no worries! I also have email subscribers (on the right hand side) along with Google Plus. I'm considering Linky and Network Blogs, but I don't know if that would be TOO much. 

Hopefully it will all work out and that Bloglovin will be as great as GFC. I'm not getting my hopes up though. 

**If you follow me, it would be great if you do so on BlogLovin' so that you're safe when GFC disconnects. (If you sign up with BlogLovin' and already had GFC, you will automatically follow the same blogs I THINK.)**

What do you think about GFC disconnecting? What are you doing to prepare? 

This also gives me a chance to ask everybody: if you have BlogLovin', how did you upload your "profile picture?" It will only allow me through Facebook and I don't have a Facebook for the blog. 

Review: THE RULES FOR DISAPPEARING by Ashley Elston

Title: The Rules for Disappearing

Author: Ashley Elston

Publication date: May 14, 2013

Publisher: Disney-Hyperion

Source: an ARC provided by the publisher for an honest review

She’s been six different people in six different places: Madeline in Ohio, Isabelle in Missouri, Olivia in Kentucky . . . But now that she’s been transplanted to rural Louisiana, she has decided that this fake identity will be her last.

Witness Protection has taken nearly everything from her. But for now, they’ve given her a new name, Megan Rose Jones, and a horrible hair color. For the past eight months, Meg has begged her father to answer one question: What on earth did he do – or see – that landed them in this god-awful mess? Meg has just about had it with all the Suits’ rules — and her dad’s silence. If he won’t help, it’s time she got some answers for herself.

But Meg isn’t counting on Ethan Landry, an adorable Louisiana farm boy who’s too smart for his own good. He knows Meg is hiding something big. And it just might get both of them killed. As they embark on a perilous journey to free her family once and for all, Meg discovers that there’s only one rule that really matters — survival.

Review:

Another less than stellar book for me, unfortunately. 

"Meg" has moved too many times to count in the last year with her parents and little sister. Why? Witness Protection Program. The fact that this book is about witness protection had me salivating whenever I saw that someone else received it. Different identities, different pasts, different places, and don't forget: a mystery of what happened that made them jump around so much that it rivaled gypsies. 

When I started this book, I made it only ten chapters before I put it down. Because I like Disney-Hyperion so much and I heard so many good things, I was willing to pick it back up and stick through it to the end. I'm proud of myself for sticking through it since I couldn't stop thinking about all the other books I could be reading. The point is, this book tested my patience. 

Problem #1: Admittedly, the smallest and silliest problem in the book is that I hated their nicknames. For their whole lives, Meg and her little sister Mary have been called "Sissy" and "Teeny" respectively. I hated those name. I had to really focus on reading more because those names were just silly to me. It's one thing for Mary to call her sister "Sissy" and the other way around. But the parents? It just sounded weird. 

Problem #2: I read that "Teeny" was a couple bloggers' favorite character in the book. They thought she was full of life and such a great addition. I personally could care less. I totally understand that she has gone through trauma and has had an unstable life for the past year, but she was meh to me. When Meg mentioned how at one point, Teeny seemed like her old self, she was just behaving like a spoiled brat. I know you want to see normal again, but having your little sister act like a spoiled brat is not an improvement. 

Problem #3: Her alcoholic mother. She's there to add more trouble in their situation and lives and all that jazz, I understand. However, I saw no reason for it. It just seemed like the author wanted to add as much "conflict" as possible to the story and I didn't care for it. 

Problem #4: Meg's new friends were so unrealistic, it was laughable. With this new move, Meg resolved to not get close to anyone and not become friends with anyone, no matter what. She pushed them away and refused any offers from these people. But what do they do? KEEP COMING BACK! I'm sorry, but I really don't see that actually happening. If a stranger keeps refusing you and you already have a bunch of friends, you will not be going back to that person. However, these people kept inviting and were always there for her even thought they barely didn't know her!

Problem #5: Meg was not a likable character for me. Her determination and toughness were admirable, I give her that. However, she could not stop complaining about "the suits" (the program) and her father and her situation. It sucks, I know, Meg. But they are PROTECTING you and you should be grateful. It's not like they wake up and go, "Hey, let's go move Meg and her family again because we just like to mix it up. It'll be fun!" She kept saying how she wants to just runaway and take Teeny with her. I wondered why she didn't. Meg runs away then she dies. Let's do it. 

Problem #6: I'm very critical of my main characters and probably as much with their love interests. Ethan landed himself in my Top Ten Tuesday and under the "trends I want to see less of" list. He wanted to be a "hero" and tried to act as a sensitive, loyal guy. He came off as unrealistic, pushy, and just whatever to me. He didn't even KNOW Meg and he was instantly trying to find out who she really was and what her deal is. He went on to trying to squeeze his way in and I really should've counted how many times he told her to trust him and to tell him her story. Obviously, she doesn't want to. SO LET IT GO. No guy would care that much unless he was genuinely annoying and nosey. Then when Meg is in even more danger, he risks his life for her. Everyone please do an eye roll with me. 

Those were my top six problems with the book, but I'm probably limiting myself. The good news is that it was interesting in parts. There were a few mysteries and "twists" although I pointed out two of them right from the beginning. I still didn't know exactly what happened though, so I was invested in that. 

I think people who can be more patient and overlook things would do much better with this book than I did. It was a great synopsis, but I didn't think it was executed well. It involved tropes, unrealistic behaviors, annoying people, and stupidity all around. 

Verdict: A promising contemporary novel that fell very flat for me. 

What do you think? Will you be reading it? 

Cover Love #12

Hosted by Bookshelvers Anonymous

Title: Dead Ends

Author: Erin Jode Lange

Publication date: September 3, 2013

Publisher: Bloomsbury

Dane Washington is one suspension away from expulsion. In a high school full of “haves,” being a “have not” makes Dane feel like life is hurtling toward one big dead end. Billy D. spends his high school days in Special Ed and he’s not exactly a “have” himself. The biggest thing Billy’s missing? His dad. Billy is sure the riddles his father left in an atlas are really clues to finding him again and through a bizarre turn of events, he talks Dane into joining him on the search. 
A bully and a boy with Down syndrome makes for an unlikely friendship, but together, they work through the clues, leading to unmarked towns and secrets of the past. But they’re all dead ends. Until the final clue . . . and a secret Billy shouldn’t have been keeping. 
As a journalist, Erin Jade Lange is inspired by hot button issues like bullying, but it is her honest characters and breakneck plotting that make Dead Ends a must-read.

Why I love: 

I initially saw this cover a few days (weeks? I have no idea, everything is blurred together) ago and was so intrigued. I then saw it again on Cover Snark and officially knew I had to highlight it in Cover Love. First of all, the colors are great. Secondly, I love the quirkiness of it. A bully and a boy with Down Syndrome working on a mystery sounds very quirky to me and I think this cover represents the synopsis very well. The street, the cartoonish wall, the bright Dead End sign, the boys...I could go on about all the things I love about it.

What are you loving this week? 

Top Ten Tuesday: Books I Thought I'd More/Less Than I Did

Hosted by The Broke and the Bookish

Last week, I commented on trends that I would like to see more/less of and now this week: books I thought I woud like more/less than I actually did. I have to admit, including both negative and positive books or trends are much more fun than just having one.

The books I thought I'd like LESS: 

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

I credit this book for making me more interested in genres, dystopian especially, than contemporary. Before the movies, my friend talked about this book constantly. I was interested in reading it, but never got around to it until my sister raved about it. She highlighted the best parts and even though I still wasn't convinced that I would actually like it, I read it anyways. I then devoured the other two books right away. This book = WIN. 

Seraphina by Rachel Hartman

I was SO uninterested by the cover. It felt like it was way out of my element. Added on to that, I'm pretty sure this was my first fantasy book...and first book that I intentionally read to review. I already made up my mind that I wouldn't like it. HA. The beginning was slow, but wow. Very well done, Ms. Hartman.

Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi

Since Shelver really didn't recommend The Hunger Games to me, this is really only the second book on my list that she has officially suggested to me...and my thinking was proven wrong. I couldn't really grasp the synopsis and again, the beginning felt slow, but...I just don't even have words. Perry. Roar. Oh gosh, ROAR. Amazing. 

Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers

Okay, my sister may stop smirking now. Once again, another book I didn't think would be all whoop-dee-do, but was and it was because of the recommendation (and pushing the book in my face every time we talked about books) of my sister. I knew it would be good, I just didn't expect that level of greatness. You gave us a great historical romance, assassins, and Beast, Ms. LaFevers. Therefore, I love you. 

The Opposite of Hallelujah by Anna Jarzab

This wasn't on the same level as the others. It wasn't OH MY GOSH SO GOOD, but it was way better than I thought it would be. It dealt with familial issues and I personally enjoyed it. 

Bonus: The Catastrophic History of You and Me by Jess Rothenberg, Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi, Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo, 52 Reasons Why I Hate My Father by Jessica Brody

Books I thought I'd like MORE: 

Also Known As by Robin Benway

I had such high hopes for this one. I absolutely enjoyed Robin Benway's other books and the thought that she was writing a SPY novel thrilled me to pieces. However, it disappointed me. 

The Nightmare Affair by Mindee Arnett

Nightmares, you say? Color me intrigued, but then erase that and color me bored and disappointed. I kept going back and forth with this one. I would take long reading breaks from it and even if I just read it the day before, I forgot what happened. Meh.

That Time I Joined the Circus by J.J. Howard

This book deserved a rant from me concerning the annoying factor of the main character. Excited when I was accepted for the e-galley, all I thought about was the cover and the circus aspect and that it just sounded GOOD. The book and I didn't mesh well together. 

The Rules for Disappearing by Ashley Elston

Oh, you guys, I wrote my review for this one already and had so much fun listing the problems I saw in it. Sure, I felt a bit depressed afterwards because I felt like I was dumping such negativity on you, but it was also relieving. There were good aspects to it, but my high expectations were crushed after only a few chapters. Review to come!

My Super Sweet Sixteenth Century by Rachel Harris

I couldn't stop seeing raving reviews for this one. Everyone seemed to adore it. When I won this in a giveaway, I was so excited to read it...then felt like I was rolling my eyes all the time. I love cutesy reads and it was in the sixteenth century? Yes, please! Instead, I got a book that was so pokeable and annoying and a bit forgetful...since I'm still trying to write a review for it. 

Bonus: The Look by Sophia Bennett, This Is What Happy Looks Like by Jennifer E. Smith, Hooked by Liz Fichera, Amy and Roger's Epic Detour by Morgan Matson

~*~

What are some books that surprised you? 

Review: THIS IS WHAT HAPPY LOOKS LIKE by Jennifer E. Smith

Title: This Is What Happy Looks Like

Author: Jennifer E. Smith

Publication date: April 2, 2013

Publisher: Poppy

If fate sent you an email, would you answer?

When teenage movie star Graham Larkin accidentally sends small town girl Ellie O'Neill an email about his pet pig, the two seventeen-year-olds strike up a witty and unforgettable correspondence, discussing everything under the sun, except for their names or backgrounds. 

Then Graham finds out that Ellie's Maine hometown is the perfect location for his latest film, and he decides to take their relationship from online to in-person. But can a star as famous as Graham really start a relationship with an ordinary girl like Ellie? And why does Ellie want to avoid the media's spotlight at all costs? 

Review:

I consider myself to be a romantic. I love romance in my stories and my heart fluttered when I read this synopsis. Normal girl has an accidental exchange with famous boy? Who cares if it resembles a cliché of any sort, it sounds great, does it not? I had even heard that it was a cross between my two favorite Meg Ryan movies, You've Got Mail and Sleepless in Seattle. 

Let's just say that it ended up producing more frustration than happiness. 

That is not to say that I did not gobble the book up and finish it in about a day. I did. However, the aftertaste was not pleasant. Movie star Graham Larkin mistypes an email, which results in it being accidentally sent to Ellie O'Neill, a small town girl. Instantly, they strike up a conversation and continue to email back and forth for three months. Graham then pleads to have his next movie set in her hometown in Maine. After a somewhat cliché mixup with Ellie's best friend, Graham rushes to Ellie's house and the two officially meet each other. 

Since this is a spoiler-free environment, there will be no spoilers even though I desperately wish I could rant about everything.

When Graham and Ellie first meet, it's suddenly true love. You must be joking. It's not exactly insta-love, considering they had been emailing about everything, but nothing all at once (yes, I did add my own cliché in there, but I'm pretty sure the author even said it in the book). However, that's not love. Talking with someone over the internet or any electronic device is vastly different than talking in person. I really don't care how close they felt through the emails, they cannot look at each other and then think I AM IN LOVE AND OUR LOVE IS STRONG AND WORTH FIGHTING A MILLION DRAGONS FOR. No. Just no. 

Do you know what makes it even more eye-rolling worthy? Ellie and Graham spend two days together before completely avoiding each other for three weeks. After all that, they only spend TWO DAYS of reveling in their giddy "love" before Ellie freaks out and avoids any contact with Graham for THREE WEEKS. On top of that, she won't email him or her best friend because she can't find any suitable words. We see her drafts, there were at least one in each that was perfectly acceptable. I understand that it can be hard, but it's better than NOT explaining...right?

So basically Ellie freaks out on Graham because of the paparazzi due to the past between her father and mother. This is not a spoiler, don't worry. Her mom was a waitress and her dad is big in politics, they have an affair, her mother moves away to get out of the spotlight, and now has forced this big belief on Ellie that the scandal will ALWAYS be a big deal. I read Yahoo, I get it. Some scandals will be mentioned and cast her father in a bad light. However, that should NOT define your life. Also, I'm not in her position, but really, who cares?

There are a few things that I do wish I could complain about further, but those are definitely spoilers. So if anyone has read this book and wants to have a complain fest with me, I'd be more than happy to rant. 

In total, Graham and Ellie are together for FIVE DAYS and apart for THREE WEEKS while he is in Maine and emailed for THREE MONTHS. Wow, great relationship.

I must mention that they did have an email of sorts beginning the chapters, but they were sorely lacking for me. All in all, there was insta-love, predictability, and an absence of emails which I was wishing for. There was some cuteness splashed in there and there was something that kept pulling me in, but it wasn't unbelievably amazing. I know I basically trashed the book, but there were some redeeming qualities. Enough to make me want to read it again? Probably not.

Verdict: A somewhat cute read that left a bitter aftertaste.

What do you think? Will you read it? Did you like it? 

The Mean Girl Stereotype

In my Top Ten Tuesday this week, I listed trends that I either want to see less or more of. One of those trends that I would happily love to not see again would be the mean girls. Not just any mean girl, mind you, but the stereotypical mean girl. While they can pop up anywhere, you can usually find this stereotype in YA contemporary fiction, specifically in the high school setting.

The Stereotype: 

• Popular.
• Is the source or an added conflict to the story.
• Usually has minions of some sort.
• Tends to be a cheerleader.
• Blonde...although I have known them to be another hair color. 
• For whatever reason, picks the protagonist out of the crowd to be the meanest to. Past together, feels threatened, sees weakness; take your pick. 
• Known to be wealthy.

The first point is the absolute main point. This mean girl stereotype is always popular. She's known in school or the beach or wherever you are and makes sure that everyone knows her. If the protagonist is new to the school, you can bet on it that she will almost instantly meet, or at the very least hear of, the stereotype. If the protagonist is not new to school, you can still bet on it that the stereotype will be mentioned very soon. This is the one that makes me wonder the most, because why popular? If you were so popular and happy with your life (although some mean girls have familial issues so there's that...), then why go out of the way to pick on someone lower on the high school food chain? WHAT ABOUT THE BULLYING NORMAL PEOPLE? Or the depressed people who like to push their depression on others? Or the snotty geeks? 

There's a reason for that mean girl and it's most likely because she adds more draaaama. While authors may add unnecessary details to a story, placing a mean girl in there will probably have the same reason: to add conflict. What I find is that the protagonist is having trouble on her own, but then the stereotype shakes it up even more. That cute guy the main character likes, but is having family issues or other issues in her life? Oh, the stereotype will definitely be whispering something in the cute guy's ear or at the very least, messing with the main character's thinking about the cute guy. She might reveal something in the story or just bully in general, making the protagonist look like a fighting hero amidst all miserable high school odds. 

What I'm also wondering is if the popular girl wants to create drama and make the protagonist's life miserable AND they have a past together...what's the point? It usually seems that the storyline is that they used to be best friends until the mean girl becomes popular and shuns her old best friend. So then they magically become archenemies? Did the protagonist DO something that they are oblivious to or purposefully excluding out? Seriously. What. Is. The. POINT?! 

A mean girl stereotype is not a mean girl at all if she does not have her little friend accessories. She will have minions or airheads or the mean girl assistant right by her side...but a little behind (to not take away any spotlight, of course). These friends are her personal accessories and the protagonist better watch out. The minions will either cheer on their leader, laugh at the protagonist's fallings, or help create some evil plot. So my question is, what's up with the mean friends? I'm guessing they are drone-like because if they were as mean as our stereotype, they would be fighting for leadership. What about being equals? 

Oh, a cheerleader is not only popular, but always set out to be a mindless meanie. In this case, the cheerleader's favorite accessory would be her jock boyfriend. I really can't tell you how this creates the most frustration with me. I'm not, never have or will be, a cheerleader. However, I know cheerleaders and they are some of the nicest people I have ever met. Cheerleaders are not all bad, you know. This actually coincides with what I think about the first point. WHY a cheerleader? Why not a geek or a normal student?

Blonde conveys a message of being an airhead along with being the mean top dog all at once. Or at least, that's what the authors seem to always want us to think. No, they're not an airhead when it comes to planning torture on our beloved protagonist, but the main character seems to mock their intelligence. Probably because the blonde is a fit cheerleader and they're jealous. Of course, this point is laughable since my best friend is blonde and I seriously have to encourage her to SPEAK UP because she can't be Ms. Nice Girl all the time. So many blondes out there are not airheads or mean or anything else except...human. 

The stereotype always seems to pick out the protagonist out to pick on the most out of lots and lots of others. Sure, the mean girl will pick on others. But the protagonist will most likely get the worst of it all. This one I don't get the logic to. The claim is usually that the mean girl feels jealous or threatened either by the protagonist's newness or looks or how well she seems to be fitting in or how she's catching the hot guy's attention. In reality, there are TONS of students in one school. Why is the popular mean girl making this one girl's life miserable? Oh yeah...the book is about that one girl and she has to be made a victim in some way, right? 

You can't be a popular blonde cheerleader with minions without being wealthy because that makes you cool. I mean, one of the reasons she is popular is probably the fact that she (or really, her parents) are loaded. Sometimes her friends are moochers while the rest of the school loves her parties. This really comes in handy when the protagonist is poor and the mean girl can tease or mock her and the protagonist can be all whiny. Poor people are bullies too! 

So if you haven't caught on yet, I am against and so over this trend/stereotype. Let's have some change! If a "mean girl" needs to be presented in the novel, I strongly suggest to maybe change it up and not have your mean girl be the stereotype. Imagination, it's a wonderful thing. If I read a book that's just "eh" for me, but has a non-stereotypical mean girl like a geek or *gasp!* normal girl, I will probably give it a bonus point just for not bringing in the stereotype.  

Now once again, being a lover of discussion posts, I would really love to hear your thoughts on it below!

What do you think about this stereotype? Does it annoy you? What's another typical attribute that's included with this stereotype?

Wishlist Wednesday #15

Hosted by Pen to Paper

Title: Siege and Storm

Author: Leigh Bardugo

Publication date: June 4, 2013

Publisher: Henry Holt and Co. 

Darkness never dies.

Hunted across the True Sea, haunted by the lives she took on the Fold, Alina must try to make a life with Mal in an unfamiliar land, all while keeping her identity as the Sun Summoner a secret. But she can’t outrun her past or her destiny for long.

The Darkling has emerged from the Shadow Fold with a terrifying new power and a dangerous plan that will test the very boundaries of the natural world. With the help of a notorious privateer, Alina returns to the country she abandoned, determined to fight the forces gathering against Ravka. But as her power grows, Alina slips deeper into the Darkling’s game of forbidden magic, and farther away from Mal. Somehow, she will have to choose between her country, her power, and the love she always thought would guide her–or risk losing everything to the oncoming storm.

Why I'm wishing: 

Just finishing the first book, Shadow and Bone, I was left with that dreaded impatience of wanting the sequel. Shadow and Bone was one of those savior books where I read tons of blah novels and then voilà! Shadow and Bone rescued me from my reading slump. So now I want to see what happens with all my beloved characters and get back to the fantastic fantasy. Please and thank you. 

What are you wishing for this week? 

Top Ten Tuesday: Trends I Would Like to See More/Less

Hosted by The Broke and the Bookish

It's rewind week for Top Ten Tuesday, hosted by the Broke and the Bookish, their link posted above. That means we get to pick any past topic that we either missed or wanted to revisit. It was so hard for me to pick, but I finally decided on trends! So I may have extended my list to having a total of six trends I want to see more of (with a bonus) and six trends I would like to see less of.

More:

International travel

Not just travel and road trips, mind you, but overseas! Whether it be travel like in The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight where you don't get too much of the actual foreign country (not my preference) or in Christy Miller: College Years where they explored Europe. I could even go for more living than travelling. Various parts of Europe, China, Russia, Africa, Mexico...give it to me!

Retellings/reboots

I honestly hope every time I see a new retelling that not only is it good, that they don't mess it up entirely, but also that this trend won't suddenly become too overdone and stale for me. If authors keep finding new ways to spin tales and get tales that haven't been done a bazillion times, I think this trend could last a long time. Peter Pan, Tarzan, Emma, Aladdin, Mulan...just to name a few stories that would have awesome retellings. That also includes retellings with different POVs. You know, like the stepsister's story in Cinderella or it could be Harriet's POV in Emma.

Competitions

It might be the reality TV lover inside of me (shameful, I know) or it could be that I think it's fun reading about it, but I love when books are like competitions. The Hunger Games, anyone? Also, while I am not a fan of the book, I think one of the reasons why I want to keep reading The Selection series is because there's a competition! It really captures me in. 

Criminal/sleuth

I don't care if the main character is a criminal or a spy or anything similar, I want sleuthing and/or criminal activity. That sounds slightly bad. I want fictional sleuthing and/or criminal activity. Please. Somebody give me more. Ally Carter will be ending the Gallagher Girls this year and I still have not found a book that comes close to spy activity like this series.

Camp

Since I have never been able to experience the feelings of camp, I love reading about it. Sure, it's probably very fictionalized, but who doesn't love a good camp story? They are also great summer reads, which I'll need very soon. 

Geeks

I love my bad boys. LOVE. If you give me a dreaded love triangle and there is a bad boy in it, I will most likely pick him. Warner from Unravel Me, the Darkling from Shadow and Bone...I can go on. But  it would be a nice change of pace to have the geek be the love interest. Superman may be macho, but Clark Kent is as lovable. 

Bonus: Arranged marriages

This might sound really strange, but I think arrange marriages would be very fun to read about. Or at least a partnership where they don't know each other at first. One of my mom's favorite Christian books is The Princess by Lori Wick. It's not exactly an arranged marriage, but pretty close. 

Less:

Insta-love

Ugh. Insta-love. I think everybody can agree with me that it can be described in one word: stupid. Oh, I see him and I am suddenly in love. OUR LOVE WILL LAST FOREVER. Yeah...no. You are attracted, you are not in love. 

Annoying heroines

May I slap you, please? Their annoying factor can range from them whining to making stupid choices to being unrealistically naive. There are so many examples, I could go on forever. I just want a strong heroine who doesn't make my eyes roll every other page. 

Trilogies

Okay, I love trilogies, I do. However, can't you change it up and make different kinds of series? What about just two books? Or even better, just one? Sometimes you don't have to drag out a series. I know fans want more, but as an author, you (sometimes) know best. 

Stereotypical mean girls

Usually, the stereotypical mean girls are the cheerleaders or the popular girls, more exactly. I honestly don't think that they are the only people in high school who can be mean. If you're going to have a mean girl as a villain, mix it up and pick someone else besides a cheerleader. Be creative and don't pick the "popular" girl. I want variety!

The "Hero"

Now, listen. I like a sensitive, strong guy just like the rest of you. There comes up a point though where he becomes too much. Can't a girl be strong by herself. Does he really need to come swoop in and save? Can't he just be a supporting character if she needs him. One of the problems I had with The Rules for Disappearing by Ashley Elston (review will come soon!) is that Ethan felt too pushy. He was supposed to be mysterious and sensitive and always there. He was just annoying. Enough already.

Parentless or broken families

When I read a book with happy families or at least families who are together and the parents are in tact, I feel like I got a breath of fresh air. The Fault in Our Stars is a great example of this. There's conflict with her illness, but still, her parents are alive and Hazel is actually close to them. That is what I call a win.

~*~

What are some trends you would like to see more or less of?