YA Bloggers Want...A Wish List from Lauren's Crammed Bookshelf + Winner!

Awesome blogger Lauren from Lauren's Crammed Bookshelf is here today with a wishlist of what she'd like to see (and a little of what she does not want to see) on her YA shelf.

Lauren was part of the original TELL ME A SECRET blog tour, so I'm very pleased to be able to feature her.

Welcome, Lauren!

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The Top Four Things I Want to See More of (and Less of) in YA

Everyone has areas of YA, or any genre for the matter, which make them shake their head or want more of, and here are some of the many things I want to see more and less of in the YA genre.

1) More Epic (Romance) Fantasies
Kristin Cashore books are some of my favorite and they fit in this category. They are romantic, have strong, tough-as-nail protagonists, rich writing, and are set in one of the most interesting and creative worlds in Y.A. In other words, they are amazing with a capital A, and quite simply, I want to see more books like them.

2) Less Clichés
I'm personally sick of always seeing main characters in love with the *bad* boy or the *popular* boy that doesn't notice how amazing they are, but then does. I want characters that are in love with average boys and have realistic relationships with them. I want characters who want to be part of the popular crowd and when they land in it, find out it's more than they could ever image, not something dreadful and negative, like in most books. I want uniqueness.

3) More mean girl main characters
Courtney Summers does a great job of this, because not only does she make some of the best mean girl protagonists out there, but she also makes them realistic and even relatable in some cases.
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4) Less Vampire Books
I've seen enough vampire and mortal girl love stories to last a life time, so quite simply I want to see less of them. I mean, how many times can you truly have a girl falling in love with a vampire before it gets boring and overused to the extreme?

*Disclaimer: Some writers (like Richelle Mead) do still write amazing vampire book that I love. So I do want to see more vampire books in some small areas.*

So, now take a moment to think about some of the things you want to see less of in YA or more of? Is there anything mentioned above that you agree with?


Top 5 Current YA Favorites:

I Now Pronounce You Some Else by Erin McCahan
(one marriage propsal + one funny, unique protagonist + one swoon worthy guy = win!)

Firelight by Sophie Jordan
(It involves draki. What's not to love about that?)

Life, After by Sarah Dareer Littman
(A beautifully written book!)

Grace by Elizabeth Scott
(Perhaps Scott's best book so far!)

Where the Truth Lies by Jessica Warman (A very, very good book!)

Thanks for having me! I'm looking forward to seeing what others have to say.

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Thank you for stopping by, Lauren!

Readers, what's on your top four wish list (or don't wish-for list)? Comment for a chance to win this week's book prizes! (US)

The What YA Bloggers Want series celebrates YA lit for YALSA's Teen Read Week and National Book Month!

Ok, so now we have a prize to award to...

Mrs. DeRaps!

Mrs. DeRaps, contact me here with your first, second, and third choice for a book prize and include your info. I'll hold prizes for two weeks. Here's my prize video, and keep commenting for more, everyone!