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 Authors I Wish Would Write Another Book:

1. Brian Jacques – his imagination made mine run wild. I miss him.

2. Kirsty Eagar – (Thankfully she is!)…and the premise is absolutely fantastic!

3. J.K. Rowling – another Harry Potter would be great, but anything with magic is fine by me, as well.

4. Louisa May Alcott – Her books spoke to me. Little Women was my childhood.

5. Max Turner – I hate vampires, but his vampire book (Night Runner) was one of the first I ever reviewed…and loved.

6. Nancy Werlin – I’d love to see more of her contemporary work. The Rules of Survival was breathtaking.

7. Jenny Han – Though contemps are usually hit or miss with me, her SUMMER series was beautiful. And intense. And perfection.

8. Michelle Hodkin – I know, I know. She’s working on book two, but good GOD, people! I need it right now! RIGHT NOW.

9. Karsten Knight – There were those that didn’t like Wildefire, but I really did. I thought it was original and fun. I want more.

10. Laurie Halse Anderson – Regardless where I stand on contemps, she never fails to impress me. Wintergirls was haunting. Triggering, perhaps, but haunting.

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 Trends You'd Like To See More of/Less of :

I'd Like to See Less of:

1. Love Triangles - Unless they're executed perfectly, the become your everyday, run-of-the-mill love story. I'm always inclined to favour books that break the mold of the love triangle scenario these days. That said, it can be done right...think: The Hunger Games.

2. Insta-Love - Let's be honest, kids. It's a rare occurrence, indeed, if two teenagers actually fall truly and madly in love within a matter of days. It doesn't really happen like that for most people, and it irks me when relationships are made petty by adding insta-love. For your information, if I was terrified some guy wanted me for dinner, no amount of sparkling would sway me, Bella Swan.

3. Weak Female Protagonists - Colour me crazy, but I love it when female MCs are strong, independent and self-assured. I'm more often going to feel a connection with such characters than to feel pity for the weak and simple female MCs that have it all going for them and just think they don't. Let's all just be like Rose Hathaway from Vampire Academy.

4. Vampire Love Stories - I get it. The Twilight saga blew people's minds. So did a whole plethora of vampire books like The Vampire Diaries and the Sookie Stackhouse series. Honestly though? I want something to step outside the box, which is why I've leaned towards contemps, as of late.

5. Series - Don't get me wrong. I love me a good series to read. Trust me...you know how I feel about Senor Harry Potter. However, there's something to be said for those authors who can write a fantastic tale that leaves you satisfied in one book though.

I'd Like to See More of:

1. Male Protagonists - I find that much of the YA market is dominated by female MCs. There's nothing wrong with that. I'm a girl. I like girly books. However, when done right, books with male MCs can be extremely powerful and intense - think Witchlanders or in the sci-fi realm, I Am Number Four.

2. Issue Books - I think it's great when an author can tackle a tough issue and spin it into a relatable and poignant tales. As hard-hitting as these books might be, they're often the ones that stay with. Wintergirls and Dark Song are prime examples.

3. Mythology-Based - Honestly, I mean any sort of mythology, but I ask that it please be done well. If you're going to create a myth book, actually make the myths a big part of it, rather than an afterthought. I'm in withdrawal since Percy Jackson.

4. Edgy and Dark - Give me a book with fantastic narration and a dark tone that's different than other book, and I'm certain to like it more than your everyday read. I like it when the twists and turns leave me uncomfortable and on edge. Maybe I'm a masochist, but that's a huge part of why I loved The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer - it had me so uneasy.

5. Slow-Burning Romance - You know, books like Leaving Paradise are ones that haunt me and ring true because first loves aren't perfect. They take work and understanding and patience. If you give me the time to become invested in something to root for, I'm almost guaranteed to love it.

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 Tackling "Tough" Issues (social, cultural, etc.):

1. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury - This book will always, always be on my list. Censorship is at the core of the story, but it's about someone who is willing to dare to think for himself and step outside the invisible box of censorship.

2. Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson - As some of you know, eating disorders hit close to home for me (very much so). Written in a powerful voice that's all too familiar and real, this book is a true and accurate portrayal of how an ED consumes both the mind and body. (beware - it can be triggering)

3. A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini - More than anything, this book is about the true nature of family and survival in the midst of a war raging around them in volatile Afghanistan.

4. Amen, Amen, Amen by Abby Sher - Obsessive Compulsive Disorder drives this story as a young girl tries to cope with her grief by praying hour after hour every day. Without the prayers, she's certain her world will fall apart.

5. Raw Blue by Kirsty Eagar - Contemporary fiction at it's finest, this is the story of a girl trying to come to terms with an act of violence that's shaped her into a brand new person and somehow trying to come to terms with the past while dealing with the present.

6. Rabbit Proof Fence by Doris Pilkington - This is the story of three young girls ripped from their homes because of the colour of their skin, forced to become culturally white and taught that their aboriginal heritage was wrong. The girls escape and fight all odds to return to their home.

7. A Child Called "It" by Dave Pelzer - Beaten, bruised, broken down to the core, this story of a boy degraded by his own mother to the point where he was an "it" rather than her son rocks you to the core. It's a story of survival and courage.

8. Some Girls Are by Courtney Summers - Bullying has never seemed so real, or tangible or destructive as this portrayal of what girls can and might just do to one another if they feel threatened.

9. The Rules of Survival by Nancy Werlin - This story of abuse and addiction is hard-hitting and powerful, written in letter form from an older brother to a younger sister as he tries to show her how their past shaped their present.

10. A Stolen Life by Jaycee Lee Dugard - If you don't know the story of Jaycee, you've probably been living under a rock. Kidnapped at 11 years old and kept confined for 18 years by a convicted sex offender, she persevered, raised two daughters and lived to make it home to her family once again. Powerful and emotional, it's for sure a tear-jerker, too.

Talk to Me Tuesday is a brand new weekly meme where we will discuss anything (and everything) literary-related in an open forum of honesty. Questions for the next week will be posted one week prior to the post on the Features page. If you'd like to participate in this weekly feature, simply create your post, link back to me, and add your post to the wonderful Mr. Linky below. Have fun, and have at it!

This week's question: What makes a great novel, in your opinion?

It’s kind of like the age-old question for book reviewers and book nerds, alike. What makes the perfect book for you? What makes you want to read a book again, and again, and again? I sat down the other day and decided to analyze it, and I decided it’s a bit like a trifecta for me. Three things (mainly) make a book great for me, and when just a single element is lacking, a book lags in my opinion and slips in my reviews.

First, I need great characters. I need them to be well-rounded and motivated in the sense that there is a reason they exist in the book. For example, in a book like Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson, we were given Lea, an emotionally troubled girl desperate to vanish from the face of the earth through her disease, anorexia. She is haunted by a pact she made with her best friend, determined to continue her own destruction for fear of failure, and hell-bent on being the best at something, even if it means her ultimate demise. There are, however, characters that are too surface-level for me, and leave me wishing a book was stronger in that element. A perfect example for me in this case is Bridget from Here Lies Bridget by Paige Harbison. She’s promising, yes, but I never felt like her character ever really broke through her mean-girl stereotype except for self-survival.

Then, we have the plot. This is arguably the most important element of the story because without a sturdy and steady plot, there is no pace, and without the pace, let’s be honest…the whole book falls to pieces. Every plot is different (obviously), but every plot needs its share of background, a good flow, and a climax. For me, a great example of an awesome plot is that of Dark Song by Gail Giles. It starts with a spoiled little rich girl, rips her from her roots, throws in a bad influence, and leads to something that could very well destroy a family and a life. It moves steadily and consistently without lulls and major plot holes. A lot of books, unfortunately miss the mark with the climax. A prime example of an unfortunate fail for me was Witch & Wizard by James Patterson. It’s bland, boring, and spends too much time on minute and obscure details to ever get going. It promises a powerful premise but falls hopelessly short.

Last, there’s the writing style and voice. In YA literature, which I primarily read and review, there’s a delicate balance that must be upheld at all times. There’s a misconception that YA lit needs to be dumbed down and writing in blah/boring terms because the people who read YA are sans education or far too young. Contrary to what one might think, we can handle seriousness and great prose. We can analyze the themes properly. Some books, like Some Girls Are by Courtney Summers, respect this and challenge our minds. Other books, like Trapped by Michael Northrop, miss the mark because they simple err on the side of youth, forgetting that we’re every bit as capable of reading and understanding powerful books and messages.

Here's what some of your fellow bloggers said makes a great novel for them:

The Book Vixen says, "It pulls me in from the get-go, never let's me go, and keeps me thinking about it long after the last page has been turned."

Linds from Bibliophile Brouhaha says, "A GREAT novel? One that takes you on the character's journey. When the story is so compelling, the voice so authentic, and the writing so solid, that you've become the character and the journey is your own."

Ginger from GReads says, "When the writer makes you forget that you're reading words on a page & the story takes a life of it's own inside your mind."

Obviously, these are my personal opinions, but without any of these elements, I have to deduct points in my reviews, which (I believe) my readers can attest to. I take no pleasure in tearing books down, but I do take great pleasure in reading challenging and unique books. Luckily for us, there are a great many fabulous books on the market today and, therefore, there is no shortage of fantastic reading.

Want to weigh in and do your own Talk to Me Tuesday post for this week? Go ahead and link up!