Tuesday, January 21, 2014

Top Ten Tuesday - Things On My Reading Wishlist

Hosted by The Broke and the Bookish

The first thing I thought of when I saw this topic was the amazing RBWL that my sister, along with others, started, which is Reader/Blogger Wishlist. It was a time where readers and bloggers shouted out on Twitter what they wanted authors to write about. So if you haven't checked it out, here's their Tumblr page.

Retellings
This is probably what I wish for most. I'm listing this first because I might reference back up to it multiple times throughout this list. Below are retellings I would die with happiness from if someone wrote them: 
  • Anastasia. Or any of the Romanovs, I won't be picky. The animated Anastasia has always been my favorite and it includes lost identities and such. 
  • Aladdin. STREET RAT! Maybe even with Aladdin being a girl?
  • Mulan. I was tempted to put this as my only item on this entire TTT list because I want this so bad. A war and a gender-bending plot. She could even be in a historical setting in one of the wars where boys enlisted underaged, but SHE enlisted. 
  • Retellings from different perspectives. I love me some Darcy and Elizabeth, but maybe instead of doing another retelling from Elizabeth's POV, it could be from Mary. Or Jane. Or Darcy himself. I love to look at someone else's perspective in a commonly known story or fairytale. 

Gender-bending and gender-flipping
I touched on this in the retellings, but I want more girls disguised as boys especially. Then there's gender-flipping where someone can retell a story (say, Beauty and the Beast, something I've been thinking about) and the genders are flipped. Beast is a girl or Cinderella is a boy or Anne Elliot is a boy! 

Villains
Back to the different perspective plot, I want more villains. Maybe an anti-hero of sorts? I've always been fascinated with villains in stories and I want to know their perspective. I'd be fine with an original villain, just make me feel.

Identity
Right now, I can think of two ways that I really want this to go: a girl being in a set of multiples (quints, quadruples, triplets, etc.) and trying to go through life with that OR a girl who's rescued after a long kidnapping and has to deal with that, but not TOO depressing. It's a depressing issue, I get that, but I don't want to be bogged down too much. I just want there to be a real identity problem going on (I'm also hinting back to Anastasia).

Big, crazy family
Italians, anyone? Doesn't even have to be Italians, but I want to read about a big family. It could be a book with familial storylines from the siblings or how the family has an event together.
  Bonus: Siblings. I want more sibling relationships explored. Anna and Elsa from Frozen, anyone?

Superheros
I immediately pictured a YA Sky High.
Bonus: And please, for the love of cupcakes, can we have more fantasy that doesn't involve the protagonist being The Chosen One? Can she NOT have the ultimate saving power?

Military
I love WWII, but maybe more military stories involving other wars, like the Civil War. Or stories involving letters between a soldier and a girl back home. Sweethearts being split up by a war. Anything along those lines will be good with me.

Diversity
I think this will be a popular topic today. I'd love more interracial couples or non-stereotypical Asian Americans. While I'm talking about diversity, what about a more diverse historical setting? 1950s, anyone? A Grease-like situation?

Adoption and fostering
I know quite a few people that are foster parents and I'd love to see more good examples of the fostering world incorporated into YA fiction. Additionally, what about someone being adopted? Yes?

Snow's granddaughter
Not specifically this girl from The Hunger Games, but something like this. Instead of the rebel in a dystopian society being the main character, let it be someone from the other side. It was great to see a glimpse of President Snow's granddaughter in Catching Fire.

College not involving sex
I'll be leaving home, at a university, in the fall and I'd love to read about someone like me. Does all college experiences have to be stereotypically about partying and sex? I don't read those kind and they aren't like me. 

Slow-burning love
TENSION and FEELS. I instantly thought of Anne and Gil from Anne of Green Gables. Or maybe a hate relationship turning into friends and THEN love. If I find a book that has people not liking each other, they immediately transition into being in love. Why can't they slowly become friends first? 

Spies
More Ally Carter-esque books, yes? 

What do you want to read more of?

42 comments:

  1. Yes to superheroes! I had that on my list too. Powers are cool.

    Big crazy families totally should've made my list. I love especially when the siblings are really close and super protective of each other.

    TTT @ Krista's Dust Jacket

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    1. They are. Why don't we have more of them? Protective siblings for the win! There are some books that include siblings, but it's all "whatever, I don't like you" which is disappointing.

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  2. I love all of these! Great list, Summer. :)

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  3. Oh, Aladdin and Mulan retelling...yes! Villains, big families (have you read My Life Next Door?) and spies- totally agree. And yes to more diverse characters and college stories. Love your list!

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    1. I haven't, but after looking at similar "big family" wishes, I've seen that's the recommended book.

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  4. I'd love to see more gender-flipping in books, and I think that a book featuring Snow's granddaughter (or someone in her situation) would be really cool too!

    Thanks for stopping by my blog! :)

    Alice @ Alice in Readerland

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    1. I just want someone from the evil government side to have a story for once instead of the usual rebel.

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  5. A YA Sky High would be so cool! I like reading superhero books because I am not a huge comic book fan so I can enjoy the action without the drawings. I recommend that you read "Steelheart", an excellent superhero book.
    Check out my TTT list: http://booksavvyblog.blogspot.com/

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    1. I've heard of that one! I need to read it asap.

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  6. This is a really thoughtful list, Sunny! I love retellings, and I like your point about choosing different books to retell as well as looking at different perspectives. I'm really excited about Of Metal and Wishes, which is a retelling of The Phantom of the Opera. More families, especially siblings, villains and slow burn romance - YES. I've started to prefer when series start off with minimal romance in the first book so that it has time to build and doesn't peak too soon. Oh and my college experience looked nothing like any of these NA characters, so I completely know what you mean. Fangirl does one of the better jobs, though it does include a bit of those things. I'm trying to think of any others that would qualify...

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    1. *scrambles to find Of Metal and Wishes on GR* HOW HAVE I NOT HEARD OF THIS?! I agree. Fangirl isn't totally flawless, but it still does a better representation.

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  7. I'm going to warn you in advance that this comment is going to be a little long! :)

    Retellings: ANASTASIA!!!!! That movie is one of my favorites!! A YA retelling would be amazing! I tried reading a book that was a kind of retelling of it awhile ago, but it wasn't my favorite, a really well done one would be awesome! And an Aladdin and Mulan retelling would be amazing too! The P&P idea is neat!

    Gender-Bending and Gender-Flipping: YES. I want more girls disguised as boys! And I like the idea of a gender-flipped B&tB!

    Identity: A girl who's in a set of multiples would be a neat book!

    Big, Crazy Family: Uh-huh, I want this!

    Superheroes: I love Sky High and that would be an amazing idea for a book! But any superheroes would be awesome! But No Capes! ;)

    Diversity: I agree with this! And a book set in the 1950's would be really fun! That time period is really not written about and I honestly wonder why not?

    Spies: I want more of this!!!!!!!!! :)

    LOVE your list, Summer!

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    1. Same! I saw one retelling, but it was pretty pathetic and not at all what it could have been. I love all your additional comments. SEE, AUTHORS?! We want more!

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  8. Yes to all your ideas when it comes to fairytales & retellings & gender bending! Sounds amazing :D And villain stories can be so complex and unique, I'd love that.

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    1. I think we can get a whole lot out of a novel if it's told by a villain. How twisty.

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  9. Yes! Everything you mentioned! I love the idea of an Anastasia retelling. And Mulan. And more sibling relationships! I don't actually have siblings, so I really like reading about those kinds of relationships in books, and there aren't a lot of good ones out there.

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    1. I have three siblings and so my family is kinda big, but I'd love to read about big families even larger than mine even. Get the chaos of it all, you know? YA is definitely lacking there.

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  10. Absolute yes to retellings. I'm an absolute sucker for fairytale retellings especially, not just in books but also on television, in films etc.

    Sarah

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    1. Yes! One of the reasons why I love Once Upon a Time :)

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  11. Retellings: Hell Yeah! Big, crazy family: Pretty Please! Snow's granddaughter: Omg! Great minds think alike! and Slow-Burning love: definite yes!

    There's just something about reading from the perspective of a villains daughter or granddaughter, I mean, that would impact their lives so immensely and it would be so interesting to read!
    And Slow-Burning love... Insta-love is so overdone and gets really tiring. Give me the love and all the feels! <3

    You have the awesomest list (totally no word, but hey it sounds cool and fitting)!

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  12. I love Anastasia, the movie! *cries* It's fantastic, and I would definitely love to read a book about her. Same goes for Aladdin (yes please), and Mulan because MULAN IS THE BESTEST.

    I'm totally cool with reading from a villain's perspective. I have a couple of books in mind for this theme/topic, but I'd love to discover more.

    Sibling relationships definitely need to be explored more.

    YES TO SUPERHEROES. Especially X-Men type stories.

    I definitely think there should be a more diverse range of protagonists. I can't remember the last time I read a book about a female lead who was a POC. Stereotypes are the worst too, so I hate it when there are token characters.

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    1. I love seeing your thoughts on all of these! I agree with all of your agreements. And I know. Why can't the geek be the bad guy? Or an African-American girl be the snotty one instead of the white cheerleader? Or an Asian MC who isn't all SCHOOL ALL THE TIME. Ick. Stereotypes.

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  13. I love your whole list, but I particularly like the idea of retellings from other perspectives. A P&P retelling from perspective of Lydia (if she was more like LBD Lydia) would be particularly interesting.

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    1. LBD Lydia in YA fiction. Man, that would be interesting.

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  14. Love your list!! I totally agree about the college without the crazy sex stuff. I mean there are so many more experiences out there and they are just not being told. That's why I loved Fangirl so hard. It was a new college experience! I would also love to read about a set of multiples! And not where they "switch places" or have to pretend there's only one of them. BLAH!! I just want a real book about what it's like to be a quad or quint!

    Thanks for stopping by My TTT

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  15. I LOVE this list, Sunny! Yes to more diversity! Yes to big families-Italian or otherwise:) Yes to fairy tale retellings from a diff point of view--like Jody Anderson's Tiger Lily which is a Peter Pan retelling from TL's pov- and you want a Beauty and the Beast retelling with the gender roles reversed? Cat Hellisen's got your back: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17402724-beastkeeper?from_search=true. (The girl is the beast:)

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  16. Superheroes!! :D I'm such a nerd. I'd love to see some superhero books - I mean, other than the awesome Jamie Baker series. (If you haven't read them, you totally should!!) Also, ANASTASIA. I love love love her story! I'd definitely like to see more books about it. There's a few, but not many. Great list, girly!

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  17. Superheroes? Spies? Girls disguised as boys? Yes, please. :)
    I'd also enjoy slow love, because I'm a bit tired of insta-love.

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  18. I love re-tellings and gender flipping. I think a great big family would be so fun! The best one is Snow's granddaughter - that would be AMAZING!
    Missie @ A Flurry of Ponderings

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  19. I agree with so many of these! I love what you said under the "identity" section, I love the idea of a Darcy POV P&P retelling, and definitely YES to college not involving sex (because some of us actually made it through college as virgins!) and slow-burning romance!

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  20. I agree with the big families, retellings, and diversity with interracial couples. I would also love to see more of the opposite side of tracks stories. But instead of rich girl, poor guy; rich guy poor girl.

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  21. I love your list, and I love this:

    Aladdin. STREET RAT! Maybe even with Aladdin being a girl?

    especially!

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  22. Fun list! I would have to agree with the re-telling of some stories. (=

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  23. I haven't! I haven't even heard of ONE & TWO. I'll definitely check it out!

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  24. DEFY is sort of like a Mulan retelling, sort of. The main character is a girl pretending to be a boy and joins the army. ohhh an Aladdin retelling! Now that would be awesome. I LOVE your idea about having a book from someone on the Capital's side in THG. That would be such a neat idea. I wonder if Collins ever thought about writing a novella from their prospective? You should email her!

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  25. I LOVE your list. Yes to more Mulan retellings! I don't feel like there are enough, or many that are actually good. I also love the thought of a big, crazy, messy family. Like the Garretts from My Life Next Door. They're always so much fun to read about. Slow-burn romances are the best kind of romances, so I'll always be happy to see more of them around. Brilliant choices, Summer! :)

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  26. Yes to all of this! Well, I probably wouldn't be too interested in a superhero book, but yes to everything else! It would be really interesting to read a dystopian book that was not written from the point of view of a rebellion's leader - it would be harder to write, but if done well, it would be fascinating. I always love reading retellings from a different perspective because it makes me think about what was going on behind the scenes of the original novel. Also: Anne and Gilbert are pretty much the best fictional couple of all time. Modern authors should look to their relationship for inspiration.

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  27. I adore retellings so I am definitely for more of them!

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  28. Oh, wow, Summer...I want all of these! An Aladdin retelling? Yes, please! More/better villains? Yep! More siblings? Sure! And college settings without all the promiscuity and partying? Yesyesyes! Me and April actually have a post going up on Wednesday about New Adult and the prevalence of sex in those books. *sigh* It might be too much for some because April's read more of them and can give graphic details, but she's got a valid point. :P And on this note, read Fangirl if you haven't already...it is ABSOLUTELY what you're looking for. :D

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  29. Basically, you created a list that I can SO agree with! I especially am a fan of the fact that you mentioned Anastasia retellings. I loved the story of the Romanovs and would kill to read (or write) a story inspired by them (and not just Anastasia)!

    Also, with the gender bender and Mulan retellings thing, have you read Eon by Alison Goodman? It's not a retelling per se, but it's got an Asian feel AND a gender bender twist. I think you might like that one! (I really loved it, in case you were wondering.)

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  30. Dangerous by Shannon Hale is a superhero novel. With a Latina protagonist, which is a plus if you're out for diversity. I'm with you on Mulan because the original ballad is so short. It needs more! Can Anastasia's story really be 'retold' when she was a real person? The Lost Crown by Sarah Miller is historical fiction about Anastasia and her sisters: Olga, Tatiana, and Maria.
    I've seen (but not read yet) a novel called Pawn by Aimee Carter that's kind of like the Snow's granddaughter idea.

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