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The tropes I’m going to talk about today come from a variety of genres. It was easier to jump around among them than to stick to only one!

1. Friends-to-Lovers.

I don’t read a lot of romance, but this is one trope that always grabs my attention from that genre. My spouse and I originally started out as friends, so I deeply enjoy seeing fictionalized versions of what it looks like when platonic love becomes romantic. 

2. Séances.

Most of the books I read on this topic are written about characters who are knowingly or unknowingly participating in fake séances, but real ones are interesting, too. 

3. Urban Legends.

I’ve been fascinated by urban legends since childhood. They can make a wonderful addition to stories in certain genres, especially mysteries. 

4. Based on a True Story.

Some books that include this phrase take liberties with what actually happened in order to tell a better story or protect the identities of innocent people. Others do an amazing job of sticking to the facts as much as is possible for the author. While I do tend to prefer the more truthful accounts of real events, anything inspired by something that really happened is going to grab my attention. 

5. Books That (Literally) Bite
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For example, there were references to a book in the Harry Potter series that had teeth and would try to bite anyone who attempted to open it. There’s something so funny to me about that mental image! 

6. Detectives Who Lick Poison.

This isn’t something I’ve seen in a lot of modern mysteries, but I do remember running across this scene occasionally in older works. What sort of detective licks evidence? Wouldn’t they worry about being poisoned themselves? I sure do like thinking about those questions whenever I run across a main character willing to do this in an old-fashioned mystery. 

7. Bad Weather Interrupting Plans. 

Whether it’s due to a blizzard, fog, thunderstorm, or some other weather problem, I always find it interesting to see how characters react to having to change their plans because of Mother Nature’s whims. 

8. Genre Mashups Being Open About Being Mashups. 

I deeply enjoy genre mashups if I know that about them ahead of time. That is, I want the blurb to be totally upfront about the fact that the plot is a mixture of two or more genres. When this happens, I enjoy seeing how the author combines everything together. 

9. Ghosts Explaining How They Died

One of the reasons why I enjoy the paranormal genre so much is that generally the ghosts in them explain how they died. This is even more satisfying when the ghost themselves didn’t know the answer to that question in the beginning. 

10. Crop Circles.

Crop circles are cool in any sort of story if you ask me.  

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I’m writing this from the perspective of someone who reads a lot of science fiction, fantasy, horror, and young adult novels. These settings may be more common in genres I don’t read as often!

1. Nursing Homes, Psychiatric Hospitals, Prisons, Group Homes, and Other Institutional Settings. 

Not everyone lives in a nuclear family home. I’d sure like to read more about the lives of people who live with strangers or in places they might not have chosen to move.

2. Antarctica. 

I’d never want to live in Antarctica myself, but it would be interesting to read about other people or other living beings doing it.

3. Deep Underwater. 

Preferably, this wouldn’t involve mermaids. I’d be open to reading about any other intelligent life form that could survive down there, though! 

4. School from the Teacher’s Perspective. 

Teaching is not an easy job, especially when working with students whose home lives can make it difficult for them to pay attention in class for any number of reasons. There are plenty of books set in schools, but I can’t think of too many of them that have the teacher as the protagonist.

5. Renaissance Fairs. 

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6. Corn Fields. 

Other than the classic Stephen King horror novel “Children of the Corn,” I can’t think of any other stories about corn fields. That’s too bad. They’re very interesting places to walk around in even if nothing out of the ordinary is happening in them at all.

7. Anywhere That Has Blizzards. 

I spent part of my childhood in a small town that had this sort of weather every winter and plenty of snowfall even when it wasn’t technically a blizzard. It’s always interesting to compare my experience with them to how they’re described in novels.

8. Anywhere That Has Dangerous Heat Waves.

I now live in a place that becomes dangerously hot in the summer. As in, people die every year here due to heat stroke, dehydration, or other health problems related to the hot weather. Most stories that include scenes set in summer don’t mention this as one possible outcome for their characters. I’d like to see that change both so that more people are aware of the dangers and so that the summers they talk about more closely match the ones I know.

9. Farmer’s Markets.

The people working at the farmer’s markets in my area are so friendly! I’d love to read books about characters who do this sort of work. Is cheerfulness part of the job description? What is it really like to sell your own produce, cheese, cured meat, and baked goods?

10. Abandoned Homes. 

A family friend once gave us a tour of his grandmother’s abandoned home. It was dusty and had some expired canned food sitting in a cupboard, but it hadn’t been left alone long enough to be dangerous to visit. I was about seven or eight when this happened and found the whole thing fascinating.

Ever since then, I’ve been a little obsessed with what happens to houses when people no longer live in them. It would be nice to have more examples of this sort of setting, especially in non-paranormal novels.

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There are so many interesting books coming out this summer. How many of you are also hoping to read these titles? This week I decided to only count books that will be published this summer. If no release date is noted, that book has already been released.

1. In West Mills by De’Shawn Charles Winslow

The blurb said this was a good read for people who liked The Twelve Tribes of Hattie. Since I’m one of those folks, I’m hoping this tale about a possibly overly-ambitious do-gooder will be right up my alley.

2. Naturally Tan by Tan France

Queer Eye is one of my guilty pleasure shows, so I definitely want to read this memoir from one of the guys who works on it.

3. This Time Will Be Different by Misa Sugiura

I’m especially interested in the generational tensions in this story. The main character’s grandparents were sent to a Japanese internment camp during World War II, and that experience changed multiple generations of their family in different and sometimes contradictory ways.

4. The Grief Keeper by Alexandra Villasante

The references to the struggles that immigrants face was what first grabbed my attention from this blurb. My immigration story was quite different from this one, but I have empathy for everyone who moves from one country to the next.

5. The Best Lies by Sarah Lyu

Release date: July 2

This murder mystery sounds amazing. I especially like this genre when the killer might have been acting in self defence. The question of whether they’re telling the truth about this sort of thing makes me eager to figure out the truth.

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Arranged marriages aren’t part of the culture I grew up in, so I’m looking forward to seeing what Leila, the main character, thinks of them and if any of the dates she plans work out.

Release date: July 23

7. Gods of Jade and Shadow by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Release date: July 23

Imagine going on an adventure with the gods! I’d love to try that sort of experience. It sounds like the perfect jumping off point for a fantasy novel.

8. My Fate According to the Butterfly by Gail D. Villanueva

Release date: July 30

The preteen years are when a lot of kids begin to pick up on interpersonal tensions happening in their families that they might have overlooked at a younger age, so this could be a very good read.

9. The Downstairs Girl by Stacey Lee

Release date: August 13

I’m fascinated by the idea of someone who works as a maid by day and moonlights as an advice columnist. What makes this even more interesting is that the main character pretends to be someone she’s not in order to get that gig!

10. The Revolution of Birdie Randolph by Brandy Colbert

Release date: August 20

Everything about this book appeals to me, from the forbidden romance to seeing how the main character’s family will adjust when a relative who has a substance abuse problem moves back home.

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Who else is surprised to realize that 2019 is almost half finished now? It feels like it began just a few weeks ago.

Here are ten books that will be released between now and the end of the year that I’m looking forward to reading.

1. Rose, Interrupted by Patrice Lawrence

Release date: July 25

Imagine needing to adjust to regular life after growing up in a cult! My childhood was unusual in certain ways, but it definitely wasn’t anything like this. I’m curious to see how the characters will deprogram themselves and learn how to enjoy their youth now that they’re safe.

2. They Could Have Named Her Anything by Stephanie Jimenez

Release date: August 1

Social class doesn’t get as much attention in fiction as I think it should, so I’m happy to see it being talked about here.  The intersectionality is wonderful, too. Social class and race both affect how someone is treated by society. I’m curious to see how these two things will affect this main character in particular.

3.  The World Doesn’t Require You: Stories by Rion Amilcar Scott

Release date: August 20

Imagine what the world would be like if one of the slave revolts in the United States had been successful. This anthology contains stories about the fictional community created by the people who won that revolt. I think it sounds like a great read.

4. I’m Telling the Truth, but I’m Lying: Essays by Bassey Ikpi

Release date: August 20

Speaking of intersectionality, here’s another book that’s written about someone who is part of multiple minority groups. The fact that it’s nonfiction and about mental illness only piques my interest more.

5. Caster by Elsie Chapman

Release date: September 3

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6.  Stargazing by Jen Wang

Release date:  September 10

The friendship in this book was what appealed to me the second I read the blurb. We need more YA titles about platonic relationships. Honestly, we need more adult titles on that topic, too!

7. Slay by Brittney Morris

Release date: September 24

I love roleplaying games. As soon as I saw that the main character was into them, too, I knew I had to read this.

8. The Dragon Warrior by Katie Zhao

Release date: October 15

There’s an entire army of dragons in this story! I love dragons, so this is something I’ll have to keep an eye out for in October.

9. Color outside the Lines by Sangu Mandanna (Editor)

Release date: November 12

This is an anthology of stories about characters who are in interracial LGBTQ+ relationships. I don’t know much else about it yet, but I am curious to see what it will be like.

10. When the Stars Lead to You by Ronni Davis

Release date: November 12

This sounds like such a sweet love story. The holiday season can be hard for me, so it’s exactly the sort of light, fluffy distraction I’ll need in five or six months.

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Compiling this list was so much fun. There were years when I wanted to list thirty books and other years where it took a bit of research to find something that really stood out to me. I enjoyed the challenge of making sure every year had representation, though!

This list starts in 2019 and ends in 2010

 Internment by Samira Ahmed

Internment camps are not a new idea. Many different countries have used them to imprison groups their cultures vilified. This take on this idea felt fresh and realistic to me. I hope it never happens again, but I loved the way the author explored how prejudice against Muslims might be used in some truly awful ways against them.

Educated by Tara Westover

This is the true story of how homeschooling was used to cover up child abuse and neglect in one family. More importantly, it’s the story of how the author was able to overcome her past, get a great education, and make a happy life for herself as an adult. I always enjoy reading about people who persevere like this, and it was the best thing I read last year.

Allegedly by Tiffany D. Jackson

The thought of a child being accused of a terrible crime against an infant was what first lead me to read this tale.

As soon as I got to know the main character, I couldn’t wait to find out what really happened that night. She was a likeable person who had lived a rough life in her first decade.

Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

Seriously, how is this book three years old already? It feels like it was just published. I love Ketterdam now even more than I did when I first met it.

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This is one of those young adult novels that honestly speak just as much to adults as it does to the age group it was written for. I’ve been recommending it to people who don’t generally read the YA genre for several years now and having luck in convincing them to try other books in this genre, too.

The Girl with All the Gifts by M.R. Carey 

There are a lot of amazing zombie novels out there, but I think this one has done the best job so far of showing what would really happen if such an epidemic actually took place. It would be pure chaos, but humans would adapt.

Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

I loved seeing America through the eyes of an immigrant. It was so interesting to see how someone who did not grow up there viewed things that I never would have given a second thought. The love story was well worth reading, too.

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

I’ve never been able to read this book without crying. Talk about a memorable tearjerker!

Bossypants by Tina Fey

Tina Fey will never stop making me laugh. Her sense of humor shone through beautifully in this memoir.

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot

The thought of hospitals profiting from tissues and body parts they removed from poor people makes me angry. While I’m grateful that the cancer cells that were taken from Henrietta Lacks’ cervix ended up being so useful for researchers, I still wish her family could have profited from all of the money made from her body. The fact that this is something I still  think about almost a decade after reading about it makes this a must-read in my opinion.

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Each of these characters shares something in common with me that I think of as an important part of my personality, life, or interests. I’d like to think that all of us would get along well if we were to somehow all end up in the same room together.

It’s kind of funny to me that I kept returning to certain books and a particular author over and over again for this prompt!

1. Beth March from Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women

We’re shy, quiet people, especially when first meeting someone. As much as I liked her older sister Jo, I think Beth and I would have enjoyed each other’s company the most out of all four of the March sisters.

2. Anne Shirley from L.M. Montgomery’s Anne of Green Gable series.

Anne and I were highly imaginative, and we both had times growing up when our vivid imaginations annoyed or confused some of the people around us. While I wasn’t talkative or extroverted like her, I totally understood how she felt when people around her reacted poorly to the beautiful thoughts in her head.

3. Valancy from L.M. Montgomery’s The Blue Castle.

Like Valancy, I also started dating later than most of my peers. It was lonely to see other people falling in love over and over again when I’d never experienced it once. I identified so strongly with her yearnings in the beginning of this novel.

4. Matthew Cuthbert from L.M. Montgomery’s Anne of Green Gables.

As much as I loved Anne, I strongly identified with Matthew’s kind soul, bashful personality and social anxiety. (Or at least I think he probably had social anxiety based on the descriptions of him in this series).  I find big groups of people overwhelming at times, too, especially if I don’t know them well.

5. Starr Carter from Angie Thomas’s The Hate U Give

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6. Neville Longbottom from J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series.

Honestly, I think Neville had the best character arc of anyone in this series. He was awkward and unassuming in the beginning, but he turned out to be a true hero by the end. I adored seeing this transformation take place. It reminded me so much of how I’ve changed in similar ways over the years as well.

7. Scout Finch from Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird.

I was inquisitive and full of questions just like her when I was a kid.

8. Unhei from Yangsook Choi’s The Name Jar.

Most people can pronounce my first name okay, but my last name confuses everyone. This picture book captured what it’s like to have a name that folks struggle to pronounce and understand. I identified so strongly with this character’s love of her name as well as her frustration with people mispronouncing it all the time.

9. Veda from Padma Venkatraman’s A Time to Dance.

I used to be a dancer a long time ago. This character’s love of dancing reminded me so much of how I behaved as a teenager.

10.Corduroy from Don Freeman’s Corduroy.

When I was a small child, I used to dream about what I’d do in a store if all of the grownups went away for a while. Occasssoinally, I’d even hide in racks of clothing while my mom was shopping and imagine that I could walk down any aisle in the store I wished. I don’t know why I wanted to explore on my own so much, but I totally identify with this little stuffed bear’s urge to do the same thing.