YA topics I'm sick of

There are always cycles of topics that are popular in YA books.  Back when I was a teen it was all vampires, and Fear Street, and what not.  As a Teen Librarian it is my job to stay on top of what is popular in YA lit.  Well, you know what?  Sometimes I get sick of what's "popular".  So, I've decided to blog about some of the YA topics that I wish would just die already...or in some cases re-die.

1.  Paranormal Romance.  AKA "ZOMG!  My boyfriend is a vampire/werewolf/angel/gnome...."  Oh dear lord where do I even start with this one?  Yeah, Twilight was cool.  And I like Shiver, a lot.  But seriously, I'm about supernatural boyfriended out.  The only Supernatural boyfriend I'd like to see for a little while is Dean, you know the character from the show Supernatural.  Just find a boy who doesn't sparkle and date him for awhile.  Damn.

2.  Rich Bitch crap.  There, I said it.  I am tired of the rich girl crap that's been around.  I am sick of Girls who Gossip, of the daughters of affluence, of all the people with too much money, too much attitude, and too many problems.  Luckily this genre has seen a decline lately, but honestly, I am still sick to fricking death of it.

3.  Novels in verse.  Now don't get me wrong, I love a good novel in verse.  But, lately it seems like it is just another way to make a "quirky" book.  Also, my teens really have no desire to read an novel in verse not by an author named Hopkins.  Now Ms. Hopkins, you keep writing your novels in verse!  Also, Sonya Sones, please, more novels in verse...I love them!  Everyone else, it's called a paragraph, get to know one another, be friends, learn to work together.

4.  Crappy series that are just trying to cash in on more titles from one another or idea.  Have you ever read a book and thought "wow, I wish there were more to this story!"  Well guess what?  The book industry knows you want more, and they are willing to give it to you, even if there is no more story to tell.  Or, they are so excited to give you more of that story that they are going to horse whip it out of the author at such a breakneck speed that the writing isn't even as good as an article in TV Guide.

5.  Stories set during WWII.  I love this time period in history, I really do.  It's sad, and was horrible, but it is one of my favorite periods in history to read about.  That said, can't we pick any other time period to write about?  We've had how many thousands of years of history, and we keep going back to the same 10 year span of time?







What trends are you sick of?

Also, coming soon, topics that I wish we'd see more of in YA lit.