5 Oddly Specific Categories of Fiction Books You Have Definitely Read | Recent Bookish Trends

If you stick to one genre, reading can get boring. Why? Because the book world is not immune to trend-hopping. Publishers want to sell books, so they publish what sells, leading to a myriad of interesting– but sometimes repetitive– trends.

By Emily in Uncategorized on
41 comments

If you stick to one genre, reading can get boring. Why? Because the book world is not immune to trend-hopping. Publishers want to sell books, so they publish what sells, leading to a myriad of interesting– but sometimes repetitive– trends.

Without further ado, here are five oddly specific types of fiction books you have definitely read.

(Or, at least, I’ve definitely read them.)

Caveat- this not a “serious” post. (Read: I’m not trying to slander these books!)

ALSO: Looks like WordPress Reader decided to mess up the formatting again, so please read this post on my actual site with this link!

1) The WW2 Multi-POV and Possibly Dual-Timeline Historical Fiction Book For Middle-Aged Women Often Set In Paris With the Eiffel Tower On The Cover But Sometimes In Another European City And There’s Usually A Woman Looking Dramatically Off Into The Distance On The Cover And Sometimes Old-Timey Bomber Planes Flying In the Sky To Remind You This Is A Serious War Book

THIS ODDLY SPECIFIC TRIBE OF BOOKS IS EVERYWHERE. I read these all the time, but they start blending together really easily because the setup and covers are so similar. Seriously, they ALL have a 20-30 year old woman finding some sort of clue to a relative’s past life and then there’s a dual timeline of said relative living through the Nazi occupation of whatever country they’re in (usually Paris). That or there are a few different perspectives of people in different places during the war and then their POVs collide at the end.

2) The Guilty-Pleasure YA Contemporary Romance That Everyone Loves To Read On The Beach In The Summer And There’s A Teen Girl On The Pink Cover With Possibly A Boyfriend or Else Looking Lonely And Sad That She Doesn’t Have A Boyfriend Yet, But Don’t Worry Because She’ll Have One By The End Of The Book

I read these sometimes when I was younger, but I only like romance books when they have a certain level of irony/humor so I often found myself not enjoying them. To All the Boys I read last year expecting to think it was so stupid, but I ended up liking it after all. It was funny, sweet but not saccharine, and I actually finished the series. Second Chance Summer I put on this collage because it matches the aesthetic and contains a romance, but it’s definitely a more serious novel than the rest on here.

3) The YA Fantasy Book That Everyone But You Has Read, With A Dark Cover, Usually Red and Black Which May Or May Not Include An Assassin And/Or Weapon Of Some Sort On It And A Mysterious and Edgy Title That Has Certain Fantasy Buzzwords That Make You Think of Violence

I almost never read fantasy, but it seems that’s a very unpopular opinion. This is why I don’t, though: tell me these don’t look all have extremely similar vibes.

4) The Dramatic YA Thriller That Would Probably Never Happen In Real Life But Is Really Fun To Read. Usually Involves A Mysterious Murder, Evil Teenagers, Terrible Decisions, A Concerning Lack of Police Involvement and Bloodstains On The Cover

I went through a phase where I devoured these books! It can be hard to find ones that are actually good and not trashy, but I would definitely recommend A Good Girl’s Guide To Murder. Also, if you’re like me and love mysteries but don’t like gratuitous violence, read Agatha Christie!

5) The Extremely Depressing Kid’s Book That Is An Awards Magnet Because It Makes Everyone Cry Their Eyes Out And It Probably Shattered Your Elementary School Heart

Bridge to Terabithia, I’m looking at you.

Have you noticed any of these bookish trends? Which is your favorite?

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Classical music piece of the day: Dvorak- New World Symphony

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41 comments on “5 Oddly Specific Categories of Fiction Books You Have Definitely Read | Recent Bookish Trends”

  2. BAHAHAAAA THESE ARE GREAT
    THE HISTORICAL FICTION ONE KILLED ME THOUGH THAT WAS WAY TOO SPOT ON
    also why do all of those depressing-for-the-sake-of-being-depressing WWII in Paris books have almost the exact same font?? AND IT’S ALWAYS WHITE LETTERS?
    Also dear lord See You at Harry’s destroyed me I forgot about that book

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  3. This was such an amazing post!!! There are so many similarities between these books when you think about it, it seems a bit too eerie!
    And seriously, what is with the black and red covers for fantasy?! They could be a bit more diverse, I suppose!
    I felt a bit attacked reading about YAs since I have read most of them, and loved them too! Guess I just love that trope too much, haha!
    Great post!!

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  7. HAHAHAHAHAHA, Emily, why is this the most accurate post ever?! šŸ˜‚šŸ˜‚šŸ˜‚ I’ve totally read all of these before, except the WWII-Eiffel-Tower dual perspective novel. I’ve read loads of WWII dual perspective novels, but as of yet, none that have the Eiffel Tower on their cover šŸ˜‰ But The Nightingale has been on my TBR forever, so I’m definitely going to remedy that at some point!

    But noooo, fantasy is not all the same! You need to look for the really good ones that get you questioning our own world, dissecting intricate poltical systems, and bawling your eyes out over the unfair suffering of fictional characters šŸ˜­šŸ˜Š

    Also, DvoÅ™Ć”kā€™s New World is probably my favorite symphony out there! šŸ„° We even played it in orchestra three (?) years ago, which was one of the coolest experiences of my life! Nothing we’ve performed since has been able to compare, so I’m really happy you picked it for this post’s piece!

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    1. I definitely do need to try some more fantasy– I need to get away from the uber popular YA ones because they haven’t been my cup of tea. And yes I love New World Symphony so much! I love the 1st movement the most but I could listen to all of them on repeat!

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  9. Oh my goodness, do I remember that last category – especially Where the Red Fern Grows… bawled my eyes out with that one.

    On a less serious note: This historical fiction one was so freaking true!! But, I’m so guilty of reading the YA romance one (Sarah Dessen was, like, my author for the longest time) – and yes, Second Chance Summer is much deeper of a read than the rest, but it’s still soo good!

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  10. Hahaha, this post is so great, I honestly couldnā€™t stop laughing after reading the first one! I obviously completely agree with you about that one, you’re spot-on for it. I forgot about the fifth one until now, but itā€™s also really true, Out of My Mine and Wonder are the first books that come to my mind for that one.

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  11. I never thought I would like To All the Boys. I got the second book sign at Book con and so went ahead to buy the first and third books so I can read them. Silly teen romance is not my thing but it turns out I like the books.

    I had to read Out of the Dust in seventh grade and that book is depressing. Where the Red Fran Grows I will not read that book. The movie was enough for me.

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    1. Yep! I read TATB almost as a joke, but then I realized… wait, this is actually good. It was so fun to read and I loved the characterization of Lara Jean and her sisters. Out of the Dust I had to read in 6th grade and it was ridiculously depressing. Like the author thought “how can I make a book about the Dust Bowl infinitely more depressing? Let’s have the MC get cause a tragic accident and have to live with all the guilt, have her lose the ability to do her only passion AND her father gets cancer! And from what I remember there was no resolution

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  15. Laughing so hard! Those headings are great! Yes, I have read almost all of these genres. I don’t usually reach for the WWII/dual timeline ones, but I have read one really good one recently: The 6th Lamentation. By the way, if you want to read about WWII with a grittier, more masculine take bordering on the nihilistic, try Alan Furst. He also moves through a lot of different countries, including more in Eastern Europe, and the research is just fantastic.

    You forgot one category: The Book about a Teen with What the Author Hopes Are Much Worse Problems Than Yours, Which Was Meant to Be Shocking 40 Years Ago. Examples: The Pig Man, I Am the Cheese, The Outsiders, The Chocolate War, Nobody’s Fault, It’s Not the End of the World, and probably A Tree Grows in Brooklyn but I haven’t read that one.

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