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.

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created by The Broke and the Bookish. The feature was created because they are particularly fond of lists over at The Broke and the Bookish. They'd love to share their lists with other bookish folks and would LOVE to see your top ten lists!

Each week they will post a new top ten list that one of our bloggers at The Broke and the Bookish will answer. Everyone is welcome to join. All they ask is that you link back to The Broke and the Bookish on your own Top Ten Tuesday post AND add your name to the Linky widget so that everyone can check out other bloggers lists! If you don't have a blog, just post your answers as a comment. Have fun with it! It's a fun way to get to know your fellow bloggers.

Top Ten Books for People Who Don't Like Reading:

1. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling - Well, frankly, I'd put the whole dang series up here, but let's start small. This series has sucked in children and adults, alike, giving the entire world a fictional character with whom to grow, empathize and love. It's amazing and powerful.

2. Virals by Kathy Reichs - Everyone loves a good mystery, right? Think Nancy Drew, only more modern, more precocious and far more endearing. This series is a ton of fun, plus it's fast-paced, action-packed and it definitely packs a delicious punch, sucking you into a great series.

3. A Ring of Endless Light by Madeleine L'Engle - The beauty of this novel resonates long after the last page. I think it's a pretty underrated novel, and the made-for-tv movie destroyed it. Read this slim book, and you will see between the lines to the heart and soul of the story.

4. Amen, Amen, Amen: Memoirs of a Girl Who Couldn't Stop Praying by Abby Sher - I'm a sucker for a good memoir, and this one is holy epic powerful. Yes, I mean that. The writing is flawless, the pace is perfection, and it's true, undiluted humanity from start to finish.

5. The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls - I told you I love memoirs! I bought this one on a whim a couple years ago when I was in a reading funk, and it booted me right back in gear. It's powerful, and the author's story is poignant and real, making you want to turn each page.

6. My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult - I'm not a big women's fiction reader. I don't love chick-lit. This story leaps from the pages though, giving the reader a powerful, painful, emotional story in which to become completely absorbed. It's intense, and the ending is beautiful - far more beautiful than that horrid "movie."

7. The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan - I got my entire family hooked on this, including my brother-in-law. It's a really quick book, as are the rest of the books in the series, but they hook you with humour, compassion and a great story line that carries throughout. Again...far better than the movie.

8. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins - I swore up and down that I didn't want to read this series because I did NOT want to read about children killing children, but this is one of my favourite series of all times now. I got my family hooked on this series, as well, and I truly believe the story is rich and powerful.

9. The Lying Game by Sara Shepard - I didn't mind the Pretty Little Liars series, but this one far surpasses it, in my humble opinion. Both Emma and Sutton are fantastic characters, as are all the secondary characters, and it's an engrossing maze through each book.

10. The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern - I put off reading this one for a while, and I'm not really sure why. It's so much fun - definitely leaping from the pages much like other epic fantasy series. There are lots of dark twists and turns, so it will keep you guessing the whole time.

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created by The Broke and the Bookish. The feature was created because they are particularly fond of lists over at The Broke and the Bookish. They'd love to share their lists with other bookish folks and would LOVE to see your top ten lists!

Each week they will post a new top ten list that one of our bloggers at The Broke and the Bookish will answer. Everyone is welcome to join. All they ask is that you link back to The Broke and the Bookish on your own Top Ten Tuesday post AND add your name to the Linky widget so that everyone can check out other bloggers lists! If you don't have a blog, just post your answers as a comment. Have fun with it! It's a fun way to get to know your fellow bloggers.

Top Ten Books I Read Because Of Another Blogger:

1. Raw Blue by Kirsty Eagar - If I could name all those who gave rave reviews of it right now, I would, but there are too dang many. This one was one of my first forays into the realm of contemporary fiction, and it was one hell of a success.

2. Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead - I hate vampires. It's not a secret. That said, I kept seeing glowing reviews, and I finally caved. Then I made others read it. Thank you for being the one series YA vamps that keeps me riveted!

3. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins - I resisted this for a good bit because of the hype, but finally gave in, and I'm so glad I did. This is up there with my favourite series of all times, even if Mockingjay wasn't loved by all.

4. Life As We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer - This was an epic start to a dystopian series. While I didn't love all three books, this one is for sure one of those books that was raved about until I read it and loved it for myself.

5. The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan - I remember thinking this was too young for me (I know - says the girl who reads YA in her mid-twenties), and swearing it would never be on my radar...then I read it, and I read the entire series in a matter of days. Totally worth it!

6. Twenty Boy Summer by Sarah Ockler - Contemps are a hit or miss for me, and the title put me off this one for a while, but I kept seeing great reviews that finally convinced me to give it a try. Was it a difficult read for content? Sure, but it was powerful and true.

7. City of Bones by Cassandra Clare - I never liked the covers. Sorry kids, but they deterred me for a long time. When I finally caved into the hype from a certain blogger, I thanked her endlessly because this is a series that I've had to buy multiple copies of because they're worn out now.

8. Blood Red Road by Moira Young - I had an ARC of this one, but I was scared of the dialect in which it was said to be written. Two five-star reviews from trusted bloggy friends convinced me to give it a go though, and it got a five-star review from me, as well.

9. Amy & Roger's Epic Detour by Morgan Matson - This is another one of those surprising contemporary reads that is raved about by pretty much every blogger I follow. I put it off as long as possible, but finally read it and loved it as much, if not more than them.

10. The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary E. Pearson - Something about this cover always deterred me because I thought it would be too sci-fi for my taste. I didn't think there would be enough humanity in the book. I was wrong. This book is perfection.

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created by The Broke and the Bookish. The feature was created because they are particularly fond of lists over at The Broke and the Bookish. They'd love to share their lists with other bookish folks and would LOVE to see your top ten lists!

Each week they will post a new top ten list that one of our bloggers at The Broke and the Bookish will answer. Everyone is welcome to join. All they ask is that you link back to The Broke and the Bookish on your own Top Ten Tuesday post AND add your name to the Linky widget so that everyone can check out other bloggers lists! If you don't have a blog, just post your answers as a comment. Have fun with it! It's a fun way to get to know your fellow bloggers.

Top Ten Books I'm SO Happy Were Recommended to Me (all those books you probably wouldn't have picked up without a recommendation):

1. Raw Blue - I've never been a fan of contemporary fiction. I don't dance around the issue. So, when a book manages to set me off on a contemporary kick and compare my future reads to it, well, I'd say it's a winner.

2. Vampire Academy - I hate vampires. Truly. I've been told by a gazillion bloggers that I'm missing out though, so I decided to give it a go. I'm highly addicted now, and while I'm only on book five, I legit had to just drive out and buy it because I'm dying to know what happens next!

3. The Adoration of Jenna Fox - Something about the cover always turned me off, but so many good reviews and fabulous recommendations convinced me to give it a go. I'm SO glad I did.

4. The Hunger Games - I don't know why I waited to start the series. I think it was the hype, but I decided that maybe I should see what the hype was really about, and I died with glee. I read each book in less than 15 hours...straight. I'm a geek.

5. Pretty Little Liars - I hate the show, so giving the first book a try was a stretch for me. I was told it was entertaining though, so I decided to see for myself, and I was pleasantly surprised. It's not the best writing, but it's certainly entertaining!

6. The Lightning Thief - My good friend Amelia recommended this one to me, and I kept putting it off because it sounded so MG, which is kind of a hit or miss thing with me. Needless to say, it was a hit, ultimately, and I read the entire series in a matter of days. Love me some Percy Jackson.

7. Many Waters - I read this on a recommendation way before I started blogging because I desperately wanted to like Madeleine L'Engle but hated her other titles. A friend told me that the biblical context and love story might be my thing, and it was. I've read this book so many times that I've had to buy multiple covers because the cover keeps falling off.

8. Time Windows - This is one of the first books my grammar school english teacher recommended to me when she realized that I was reading a ton of books. It was above my reading level (technically), but I love it to this day.

9. Harry Potter - I'm obsessed, and I've made that common knowledge. That said, I didn't start book one until book two was already out because I actually made fun of my sister for reading the book. I thought it sounded stupid. She challenged me to try it, and I didn't want to back down, so I read it...BEST. DECISION. EVER.

10. The Art of Racing in the Rain - It's not the type of book I'd review on my blog, but this is one of those books that just stays with me all the time. It's beautiful and so so so sad.