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WARNING: Some bad words might be used in the following post. Don't say I didn't warn you!
Hello my fellow book lovers! Last year as you know Clo and Sam hosted Blogoween, an awesome month-long blogging event full of prompts dedicated to...well.. Halloween. One of the topics for Blogoween got me thinking about plot devices or storylines I want to read more of and I thought I should make a post about it. Let me tell you, a few of these are emotional roller-coasters, because this is me and why wouldn't I put myself through heartache and pain?
So as you know, this year is the year of TV show reboots, and one of the TV shows getting rebooted is Roswell. Granted, the new show is a re-imagined version of the books, but it's still strange seeing these characters with new faces. But this got me thinking. There's this episode in season 2 of Roswell, called End Of The World, where Future Max goes back in time, when he and Liz were teenagers, to try to change the course of their relationship. It's a heartbreaking episode, because Future Max has to essentially coach the love of his life into breaking Present Max's heart, and you can see how much pain this causes him.
A similar theme is presented in the first season of Flash, when Eobard Thawne is stuck in the present time, and is forced to work, protect and teach Barry how to become The Flash, even though in Eobard's timeline they are enemies. There's actually a super cool scene near the end of the season where he tells Barry just that, that he got to see Barry for the good person he is, so much so that he ended up "feeling proud" of Barry. I think he actually called him "son" at one point during that scene.
That is such a cool idea though, having someone from the future go back in time and essentially do things that they know will eventually lead to his life be forever changed and not necessarily in a good way. I want to read that, I want to read about the emotional implications of having that knowledge, that going back in time and trying to get their would-be-partner to break up with their younger self will result in them never having a happy ending, and the life they both dreamed about.
I know many will immediately think of Outlander, but I wonder if that truly is the case. I've only gotten about a third into the first book, so I'm not entirely sure, but based only on what I've read so far, Claire ends up in the past by mistake. I want to read something where the main character goes back in time on purpose, with the sole reason of changing their "present" or even potentially destroying their present, if that makes sense.
I've said this in the past, but it is something that I haven't found all that often. I know that there are teenagers and children who don't get along well with their parents, but I refuse to believe that I was a unicorn. I got along just great with my parents growing up, still do actually. Sure, we had fights, sometimes epic fights, but I never felt like I couldn't talk to them, trust them with my physical and emotional well being, I never felt like I should hide from them. Are there things I don't tell them? Yes, but not because I don't trust them, but because I feel like some things are mine and mine alone. It's a me thing, not a they thing, if it makes any sense. I don't want to accept that I'm the only one who has supportive, loving parents, and yet YA is full of bad parents and bad adults.
I understand that it can drive the story, and it explains why some teenagers are chosen to save the world, but I would love to see a team of special teenagers having amazingly positive relationships with their parents.
I've seen urban legends inspire TV shows and movies, but I've never read a book inspired by an urban legend, or even one exploring how one first appeared. I also want the less famous urban legends, the ones known by the people who live in a town or county.
I want to know what made them so memorable, as well as what is real and what is fiction, things that were exaggerated with the passing of time. I don't want a non-fiction book though, because I'm sure those exist and they probably are amazing. I want something along the lines of Dawn Kurtagich's The Dead House or even something like the slasher movie Urban Legend, which strangely enough I loved even if it freaked me out.The things I watched to procrastinate on studying for my finals in university guys!! Also I feel like this would be great reading material for Halloween, so do let me know if you know any books like this!
4. Platonic best friends with amazing chemistry
Listen. I know that sometimes we like to ship characters with great chemistry, and real best friends have insane chemistry, otherwise they wouldn't be best friends. But I would like to see a book that explores that relationship without having to transform it into something sexual. And not just in book, in TV shows as well.
I can't tell you the number of times I was muttering to myself "Don't pair them together, don't pair them together" while watching a TV show or a movie.Darvey anyone??? Right now I'm waiting for the new season of FBI and let me tell you people... If they pair Maggie and O.A. in any other way than a work and friendship relationship I will break something.
I do love me some friends-to-lovers books, but sometimes I need to see best friends be just that.
So here's the thing. I'm all for reimagining popular stories, giving them new lives and new perspectives. I'm even happy whenever I see my childhood favorites referenced in books, like Sailor Moon and Cinder. I'm all for it. But I want to see something like early Supernatural in books.
This happened to me in the last few years when I read the Muse Chronicles by Lisa Kessler. I'm still not over the series ending by the way, because I adored it. I don't think that prior to this series I ever read about the Muses. I want that. I want the little deities, and the little woodland creatures, and the lesser known local gods to have their moment to shine. I want to see characters and historical and mythological figures that have always been depicted as good guys to be seen as villains. Take Darkness Becomes Her which I loved at the time. If my memory isn't gone completely, I think Athena was a bad guy here. I want that.
5 THINGS I WANT TO READ ABOUT
1. Time travel gone wrong
So as you know, this year is the year of TV show reboots, and one of the TV shows getting rebooted is Roswell. Granted, the new show is a re-imagined version of the books, but it's still strange seeing these characters with new faces. But this got me thinking. There's this episode in season 2 of Roswell, called End Of The World, where Future Max goes back in time, when he and Liz were teenagers, to try to change the course of their relationship. It's a heartbreaking episode, because Future Max has to essentially coach the love of his life into breaking Present Max's heart, and you can see how much pain this causes him.
Credit: cordysummers.tumblr.com
That is such a cool idea though, having someone from the future go back in time and essentially do things that they know will eventually lead to his life be forever changed and not necessarily in a good way. I want to read that, I want to read about the emotional implications of having that knowledge, that going back in time and trying to get their would-be-partner to break up with their younger self will result in them never having a happy ending, and the life they both dreamed about.
I know many will immediately think of Outlander, but I wonder if that truly is the case. I've only gotten about a third into the first book, so I'm not entirely sure, but based only on what I've read so far, Claire ends up in the past by mistake. I want to read something where the main character goes back in time on purpose, with the sole reason of changing their "present" or even potentially destroying their present, if that makes sense.
2. Good parent-child relationships in YA
I've said this in the past, but it is something that I haven't found all that often. I know that there are teenagers and children who don't get along well with their parents, but I refuse to believe that I was a unicorn. I got along just great with my parents growing up, still do actually. Sure, we had fights, sometimes epic fights, but I never felt like I couldn't talk to them, trust them with my physical and emotional well being, I never felt like I should hide from them. Are there things I don't tell them? Yes, but not because I don't trust them, but because I feel like some things are mine and mine alone. It's a me thing, not a they thing, if it makes any sense. I don't want to accept that I'm the only one who has supportive, loving parents, and yet YA is full of bad parents and bad adults.
I understand that it can drive the story, and it explains why some teenagers are chosen to save the world, but I would love to see a team of special teenagers having amazingly positive relationships with their parents.
3. Urban legends
I've seen urban legends inspire TV shows and movies, but I've never read a book inspired by an urban legend, or even one exploring how one first appeared. I also want the less famous urban legends, the ones known by the people who live in a town or county.
I want to know what made them so memorable, as well as what is real and what is fiction, things that were exaggerated with the passing of time. I don't want a non-fiction book though, because I'm sure those exist and they probably are amazing. I want something along the lines of Dawn Kurtagich's The Dead House or even something like the slasher movie Urban Legend, which strangely enough I loved even if it freaked me out.
4. Platonic best friends with amazing chemistry
Listen. I know that sometimes we like to ship characters with great chemistry, and real best friends have insane chemistry, otherwise they wouldn't be best friends. But I would like to see a book that explores that relationship without having to transform it into something sexual. And not just in book, in TV shows as well.
I can't tell you the number of times I was muttering to myself "Don't pair them together, don't pair them together" while watching a TV show or a movie.
I do love me some friends-to-lovers books, but sometimes I need to see best friends be just that.
5. Obscure myths and legends people forgot about
So here's the thing. I'm all for reimagining popular stories, giving them new lives and new perspectives. I'm even happy whenever I see my childhood favorites referenced in books, like Sailor Moon and Cinder. I'm all for it. But I want to see something like early Supernatural in books.
This happened to me in the last few years when I read the Muse Chronicles by Lisa Kessler. I'm still not over the series ending by the way, because I adored it. I don't think that prior to this series I ever read about the Muses. I want that. I want the little deities, and the little woodland creatures, and the lesser known local gods to have their moment to shine. I want to see characters and historical and mythological figures that have always been depicted as good guys to be seen as villains. Take Darkness Becomes Her which I loved at the time. If my memory isn't gone completely, I think Athena was a bad guy here. I want that.
***
Can you tell that I'm in a particular reading mood these days? No? Well then... I am. So in case you know any books that fit these categories, please please please mention them in my comments.
What about you? What are some topics you want to read more about?
