Okay, for my blog I wanted to try something new. Something that would let me interact better with people. Something where I could try to express my feelings and find out different people's opinions. So, what is better than to start a discussion right on this blog!
My first discussion is going to be on:
Genres
Not too big of a discussion, but I didn't want to start a war on the internet about love triangles in books, so I'm starting off small. Though, I probably will find myself in that situation one day, just not today.
Moving on, I wanted to discuss genres mainly because I feel like I don't know many others preferences. Personally, I like most any genre, as long as it is young adult and fiction. I love anything from dystopian to historical fiction. I'll discuss what genres I USUALLY find myself reading, and what I enjoy reading the most.
Paranormal Romance
This genre is, in fact, probably one of the most known genres in the teen world. Simply put, paranormal romance has, well, romance, which most ANY teen LOVES to read, including myself. Also it has an unreal characteristic quality to it, which fills your head with werewolves, vampires, and faeries. It transports you to a totally fictional, yet wonderful, different world. I, myself, have enjoyed this genre quite alot, though my own tastes have changed over the years. Paranormal romance is the genre for most younger teenagers, mostly because it seems like a good genre to start off. However, I have noticed( this is just myself, again) that I do get bored with the same vampire or werewolf books( this is the reason why I say this genre isn't minded by younger teenagers!). Still, I enjoy picking up a good one every now and then.
Recommended:
Immortal Rules The Raven Boys Bloodlines Splintered Nightshade
Fantasy
Fantasy is probably one of the, most incredible genres out of all the ones I can think of. Fantasy usually takes place in a whole 'nother world and time, which I love alot. However, my true love for this genre comes from the creations I have read in fantasy. When I think of some of these things, I just can't fathom how the writers came up with these ideas. I can only imagine it took ages to perfect! Which is why I have the deepest respect for this genre. I have to say that fantasy is a very wide one, so it varies ALOT!
Recommended:
Falling Kingdoms The Girl of Fire and Thorns Seraphina Shadow and Bone Throne of Glass
Historical
I have to admit that at one point in my life, I absolutely HATED this genre. I thought it was boring, and there was usually little romance in it. Yet, over the years, I have come to appreciate the vivid desciptions of historical fiction, and I have also gained some knowledge of the past at the same time. The plot is usually very well planned out in these books, and although I have found historical books are slow moving, I still very much enjoy them! Now this is my most FAVORITE genre of all...funny isn't it?
Recommended:
The Diviners Grave Mercy The Book Thief Venom
Contemporary
I do dread talking about this genre for I feel like I might offend people..."chews nails"... I first want to say that I don't intend to offend anyone! Okay, continuing on. Let me tell you first, that I dislike contemporary, very, VERY much. For me, whenever I start reading a contemporary book, I have extreme high hopes and maybe that is the reason why I get disappointd so much. However, I usually do like the beginnings of contemporary books, but I usually cannot stand going any further into them. I almost ALWAYS predict what will happen, so I guess that is what annoys me the most: it doesn't have any suspense in it. Another reason is that it becomes...well, cheesy to put it in moderate terms. It gets kissy kissy, they break up, and then they get back together...again, do not be offended by my opinions! I can think of about ONE series that fit in this genre that I really enjoyed.
Recommended:
Perfect Chemistry Rules of Attraction Chain Reaction
Dystopian
This genre seems to be getting an awful amount of attention lately, and don't get me wrong, I actually enjoy this genre alot! I just feel like lately it has been become more and more popular! But, I don't blame them, since people like apocalypes. Equation: people like=popular book. I don't feel like recommending anymore books, so just ignore for now!
Okay, that's it. It's extremely late right now, so I'm sorry if I may have said something stupid at one point or mispelled something...forgive me! I'm getting tired..."rubs eyes"...Tell me what you think in the comments! Discuss!
Not all contemporaries are like that- just the contemporary romances (and usually set in high school). Which, admittedly, is most of what you're going to get if you confine yourself to YA.
ReplyDeleteNot just high school. I read one recently about a business woman who had to choose between two men. She couldn't decide. The "right" guy left her. She made it up to him. Wedding.
DeleteI dare you to try and figure out which book it it, lol. I can think of three off the top of my head that could fit that description.
But you are totally right about it being the romances that circle around each other. I'm actually quite fond of contemporary stories that focus on some sort of action or devastation, etc, etc. If the MC happens to fall in love along the way, all's the better, haha.
I do agree with you that high school ya books are probably the worst contemporary. ALthough, I do also agree with Dorothy that adult books can be just as bad( most of them probably aren't). But, then again, I know ALOT of people who adore contemporary, and I sometimes even enjoy it, but most times I just find it too predictable. And other times, I don't mind that it is predictable...I just might be in the mood! P.S. I usually don't read adult contemporary simply because I'm only 15 and if my mother ever caught me reading that I would be in alot of trouble ;) So I probably shouldn't judge adult-ish contemporary based off of other's opinions.
DeleteGreat post! I feel exactly the same way about contemporary. It's not that the books are badly written, but that there are only so many ways the author can go. Get together. Don't get together. Get together, break up, and get back together. And then there are the love triangles -_-
ReplyDeleteI love romance, but a book that revolves around it will have no other direction to take save the same road every other romance centralist has gone. Wizardry, apocalyptic, or murder-mayhem with a side of romance, however, are my bread and butter.
I'm not a huge fan of the sub-genre paranormal, only because vamps and werewolves seem to be the central theme there, and I can go without, thanks very much. I'm iffy on ghosts and angels, but give me any other creature and I'm totally game. Epic fantasies are of course a favorite of mine. Ugh. LOVE. I just can't get over it, lol.
And Sci-Fi! Gotta love me some aliens, teleportation, and super-heal-anything-drugs, haha. I like dystopian, for sure, but I don't like the general formula all dystopians seem forced into. Sometimes it seems like an author says, "I'm going to write dystopian!" instead of just writing their story and categorizing it later. I'm more a fan of sci-fi books like Cinder (which I wouldn't classify as dystopian) or The Host.
History. LOVE history. You're so right that some historical writers have a problem with over-informing the reader, but if it's done right... so good! One of my favorite stories that does history right (though series-wise it isn't great) is the Bloody Jack series. The lingo, the setting. It's a wonderful passport into a time long past without boring the reader with "Look, I did my research!" details.