January 21, 2014

My Top Ten Reading Wishlist


This week's Top Ten Tuesday topic (hosted by The Broke and Brookish) is a very interesting one! I'm sure that we, as readers, have so many ideas that we thought would make a great book. Or maybe, there are things that we wish to see more from a story (Could be a specific type of character, an issue takcled, a time period, a certain plot, etc). Here's mine:

1880
I'm thinking of YA book written in Laura Ingalls Wilder era! I love reading about the prairie, when lots of things are still done manually (No TV! No washing machine! No stove!), people mainly hunts to get their food, school is a luxury, how the families are trying to survive as a newcomer in a new land. I know there are five generations of books from Laura's family alone (starting from Laura's great grandmother until her daughter), but I wish to read another characters which are totally new, but still in her young age, living in the same era, too. More of it, please!

Normal Family
I wish the families in contemporary YA aren't all dysfunctional. It's slowly becoming a cliche, you know. While I understand that no family are free of problems, I believe that there are lots of us who still have a healthy, normal, functioning family with all the dynamics (Hey, I live with one!). Think about the Garretts from My Life Next Door. They're so refreshing to read.

POC POV
Means books with people of culture's point of view. One of my favorite thing about Eleanor & Park is that they're not your typical couple, with blonde/brunette hair, fair skin and colored eyes. I wish to read more books where the characters are hispanic, asian, african, european, living in an American society. I wish to see more culture diversity, too, but that would have more to do with the setting/places, which I would explain more later.


Bookish People
The main character is a bookshop keeper/librarian/author/book blogger, maybe? Would be fun to read about that *grins* Rainbow Rowell has presented a lovely Cather (a fanfiction writer and a devoted fangirl!) with all her awesome nerd-ness, and I'd like to read more books with similar main characters like her! To read a book where the MC works in a publishing industry (where the industry is a big, main part of the story and not merely an added element in passing) would be perfect.

Slow burn Romance
Authors must already be aware by now that readers are getting oh-so-tired with the insta-love. Life doesn't work that way, they said. Slow burn romance is a new perfect alternative for that. Think of all the angst, push-and-pull, I-don't-like-you-but-I'm-attracted-to-you moments with lots of clever, snarky, full-of-UST banters that can ensue! Fun, fun fun.

Places
These are five places that I want to see more featured in YA books. Maybe a road trip, or gap year stories, or travel stories, but still told from an American perspective, with a vivid imagery that makes the reader feels like they're IN the story alongside the main character.

Source
Source
Thank you, Laini Taylor, for introducing us to the darkly exotic Prague. Now I need a contemporary YA where the characters are in this city!

Source
I love South Korea! Their culture, their crativeness, their music, their street fashion, their variety shows...
For fun: Read one of my favorite expat lifestyle blog Lost in Travels. Chelsea is currently living in S. Korea with her husband :)

Source
Source
Most of the world citizen only know Indonesia because they've heard about Bali. (Part of them isn't even aware that Bali is located in Indonesia! Gasps) I may be a little bit biased here, but really, there are so much more beautiful places to explore in my country aside from that famous island and the capital city, Jakarta. So far, I've only (managed to found and) read one YA (titled Sea, by Heidi R Kling) that took place in my country. More of it, please! :D


My favorite reading wishlist on this week's topic is from Snuggly Oranges | Read the rest of the entries here

What's on your reading wishlist? Do you have any places or things that you wish to see more in books?



12 comments:

  1. I agree with just about everything on your list here! I too am getting sick of the usual main character being white, with blonde/brunette hair (and, in fact, am white with blonde hair) but I want to read about different cultures too. Slow burn romance is a big one for me too, I actually can't stand insta-love.

    My TTT for the week.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. A gorgeous white with blonde hair, I'm sure ;) Yep, more culture diversities would be refreshing :)

      Delete
  2. Aaaw jadi tertarik baca yang Sea - Heidi R Kling :D

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Lucu deh niv dia settingnya di Yogya & Aceh gitu, tapi kayaknya bakal susah cari bukunya tuh

      Delete
  3. A lot of the things on your list I see a lot when I read MG fiction, yet seems deplorable lacking in the YA category. Great list!

    My Top Ten

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I should really try diving in into MG, for sure!

      Delete
  4. I also wish for more normal families. I loved 'My Life Next Door' and would love to read about loving' family like that or about characters that are boy/girl next door type with typical ya problems.

    Yes to slow burn romance, my favorite type. Enough with insta love!

    Sadly most of ya books seem to be set in USA with white typical characters who suffer from drug/alcohol problem, rape in the past, promiscuity etc. The same as you I would love to see more diversity in books and for them to be set in unusual places.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Your first two are definitely things I would enjoy reading, too. Anyone in publishing listening? The normal family made my list, too. I've seen bookish people wishes from others, too. Hmmm..what genre would that be called?

    Hope you'll visit me today at http://thebookconnectionccm.blogspot.com/2014/01/top-ten-tuesday-top-ten-things-on-my.html

    ReplyDelete
  6. Great list! I would definitely love more slow burning romance. I really hope that authors are starting to realise just how sick we all are with INSTALOVE - it's soooo infuriating. Great picks :)

    My TTT :)

    ReplyDelete
  7. Great list. I could totally read a book with the MC being bookish, I need that to happen stat.
    Here's our TTT
    Doris @ OABR

    ReplyDelete
  8. POC are definitely lacking in YA outside of background characters - can't believe I forgot to include that on my own list! And I feel like you're the second person I've seen who mentioned wanting a protagonist who's also a book blogger and now I really want to see that!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Speaking of POC, do you read "The Absolutely True Diary of Part-Time Indian"? It is an interesting novel, and you can borrow it if you want to ;). Seconded all of this (...although strangely I am not too bored with dysfunctional family....as long as it is not overblown and so obvious, idk. I kind of have dysfunctional big-family)

    And dammit, I want disabled characters so bad. So. Bad. (sigh)

    ReplyDelete

Thank you for reading this post! I always love to share and discuss thoughts about books or simply reading your comments; they are very much appreciated! I will try to reply every one of them so make sure to check back. ❤