Let's Talk: What I Want More of From YA Books

Friday, March 30, 2012




Let's Talk is a new weekly feature here at i swim for oceans. I think it's important that we all have our say, and there's something to be said for raising our voices. Simply put, here on the little old blog, I like to host some of my very own discussion posts because, well, I like to converse with you all.

And so, Let's Talk will feature questions or prompts, which I will answer, too. Love it or hate it, weigh in or don't, it's my hope that Let's Talk will at least get you thinking...and maybe even get you discussing with the rest of us!
Question: What do you want to see more of from the genres you read?

Well, I read everything when I'm on my own time, but when on i swim for oceans time, I read primarily only YA (with a smattering of MG at times). Because of this, I think I've come to find that there are trends I love, trends I loathe and then there are those little hints of greatness which I desperately want more of. When I sat down to write my list of what I wanted more of though, I had nearly 30, so I decided to narrow it down to my top five.

Strong Female Leads – With the emergence of characters like Katniss from The Hunger Games, Juliett from Shatter Me and a handful of others, we’re finally seeing what I consider to be the weak damsels in distress (Bella Swan) outnumbered. I so desperately hope the trend increases, and we get to see more empowering girls for young YA readers.

TRUE True Love – We’ve seen the love triangles …ad nauseum. We’ve seen the insta-love…also ad nauseum. Neither of these two really do it for me. I’d love to see a paranormal, sci-fi or fantasy book tackle true love between two people as it develops slowly over time. I think that, in a nutshell, will be absolutely brilliant and fun to read.

Issue-Based Contemporaries – I like dark books. Extremely dark books. So, sue me. I want more of them all the time. I think there’s something to be said for contemporary books that delve into the true nature of humanity, touching on the brink of what makes us tick, and what tears us apart. Too deep for some, perhaps, this is the type contemp that I thrive on.

Superpowers – Is this a throwaway? Don’t we all want more superpowers? I must confess that this little nerdlett is a huge fan of them, and I’ve always loved flicks like X-Men and Superman. I definitely wouldn’t mind seeing a few more kickass superhero females with powers though!

Male Leads – Yes, I love strong female leads, but when a book launches onto the scene with a great male lead, a great voice and the ability to capture more than just the male audience, I’m sold. Think, The Lightning Thief, Harry Potter or even The Maze Runner. Those, my friends, are male leads I love.

Are there other things I want to see more of? HECK YES! I would love to see more whimsy. I would love to see more books that have leads that are different, or quirky, or just plain off (think Pure by Julianna Baggott.) I'd also really love to see a few more books out there that just push the boundaries of what we know and expect from the genre. It's those books that are going to stand out in the end.




21 comments:

  1. I absolutely agree about strong male leads. I think so much of what's out there is 

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  2. Er, that didn't finish. 
    I think so much of what's out there is female-driven, and it'd be great to see more boy focused books. Sometimes I think it's harder for boys to read books told from the female POV than for a girl to read books told from a male POV, you know?

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  3. Oh I love the idea of more male lead characters. There are only a handful and I think a male lead does bring something new to the story. And I like that in the Escape from Furnace series the first time a female character (not main) appears is in the fourth book in the series, aside from a brief mention of the MC's mother. So it's got a male lead and no love story, which makes it very different.

    And I like the idea of quirky, though I love the quirky female lead idea more so than the male. But I'd love to see someone go for it and do it successfully.

    I'd like to see more super powers too. The kind that makes you say "awesome" as you're reading.

    And I'd love to see more books in a series by different characters in the series POV's. I always thought I'd hate it, but I've really grown to like it.

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  4. I could not agree more! I want more male leads, that is such a rarity! 

    Superpowers is something I'd like to see a new spin on. I still associate them mostly with Superman, so I'd like to see what YA can do with them and make me like them. 

    -Jac @ For Love and Books

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  5. There also needs to be more YA books for guys. The majority of YA seems aimed at female readers, even the books featuring male leads. Granted, there should be books for both male and female readers, and books that appeal to both. This probably has a lot to do with covers. I'm a sucker for an awesome cover, but does a guy really want to read a book featuring a girl on the cover in a pretty dress? Probably not. Sure, a lot of the books with girls on the cover feature female characters, but still. Anyway, agreed on all of what you mentioned!

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  6. I think so, too! I really wish the YA market also catered towards the men - it's a bit disheartening that it doesn't, eh?

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  7. I would just love to see what YA can make of the superpowers! I bet someone could do something brilliant!

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  8. Hell yes! I also put strong female leads, male MCs, and true love in my post too. :) I'm glad we're on the same page. 

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  9. Me too! Wouldn't a real, genuine true love story be amazing in a sea of instalove and triangles?! Great answers on your post!

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  10. I so agree on the keeping up of the strong female lead trend. I adore it and its empowering!

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  11. Yes please, bring on the slow low. Not the, ohh look at that guy, I am so in love and lalala land ;)

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  12. SUPERPOWERS, STRONG FEMALE LEADS, AND MALE CHARACTERS--yes, exactly that! I also want less insta-love, more well-developed love stories. And I'd love to see complete novels, even when they're the first or second book in a series or trilogy. Great Let's Talk!

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  13. LOVE the image!

    LOVE this meme! 
    I am SO with you on male leads. 

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  14. thanks, juju! I definitely hope we get more male leads :)

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  15. oh heck yes to the complete novels! I think that would be brilliant :)

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  16. It really is, and that's what we should be sharing with the youth :)

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  17.   I totally agree on male leads! I love reading from their POV.

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  18. I tend to agree with you on most of these. Especially the love triangles and insta love. If it was possible to get arthritis from eye-rolling, I think these two things would definitely induce it in me at a young age! Lol.

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  19. True, true love all the way. I'm so sick of insta-love and pointless love triangles. People take time to fall in love for real, so characters need this time, as well. 

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  20. "TRUE true love," not Velveeta love product!  That can be my protest sign if Jon Stewart ever does another Rally to Restore Sanity.  I liked that the Hunger Games movie cut back on Peeta's early infatuation, since the nuances of Peeta's instalove-turning-into-real-love can't be shoehorned into 2 hours of screen time.  Forever Young Adult did a fascinating piece on how Peeta was in love with an image of Katniss before love got Real (http://www.foreveryoungadult.com/2011/05/12/four-things-you-dont-know-about-peeta).

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