Predicting Personality from Genre: Take the Quiz!

I've had over 100 responses to my Is Personality Related to Genre? survey (thanks everyone!) I'll share the results sometime soon (complete with some snazzy charts, although nothing too scientific) but first I thought it'd be fun to create a quiz based on the data. So, here goes...my attempt to predict some of your personality traits from your 1st and 2nd favourite genres in YA!

I found this quiz way more difficult to create than I'd anticipated, so I ended up breaking it down a little. Here's how it works:

Choose your FAVOURITE genre (within the category of YA) from the 7 listed directly below. Click on the associated link to be taken to the right quiz, which will ask for your second favourite genre and will then tell you a bit about yourself :)

1) Traditional/High Fantasy
2) Urban Fantasy
3) Historical
4) Realistic/Contemporary
5) Mystery
6) Paranormal
7) Sci-fi/Dystopian

I'm interested to know if the results are at all reflective of your personalities, so feel free to tell me either way! (If it's not remotely representative of you, that's totally okay and you can let me know - I won't be offended.) Also, the names for each personality "type" are all in good fun and not meant to be insulting!

Quizzes by Quibblo.com

Quizzes by Quibblo.com

Quizzes by Quibblo.com

Quizzes by Quibblo.com

Quizzes by Quibblo.com

Quizzes by Quibblo.com

Quizzes by Quibblo.com

Book Blogger Hop (27)

 

Yes, that's right...time again for the Book Blogger Hop! This awesome meme is hosted by Jennifer at Crazy-For-Books and this week's question is, "What book(s) would you like to see turned into a movie?"

Great question! I've always thought some of Tamora Pierce's books (especially the Alanna series) would be fun to watch as movies, but they'd have to be very careful of how they handled the fantasy aspect. I wouldn't want to watch anything that looked too fake or cheesy in that respect. Another that comes to mind is Crown Duel by Sherwood Smith — it has a wonderful blend of adventure, court intrigue, magic and romance that I think could transfer to the screen quite well.

Recent posts on the blog:


Waiting on Wednesday: The Girl Behind the Glass and Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children 
Find the Gap: Breaking Stereotypes
In My Mailbox (17)

Also, a huge THANK YOU to everyone who has filled out my Is Personality Related to Genre? survey. I have surpassed 100 responses (yay!!) and have now been going through the results. So keep your eyes peeled for a couple of posts related to that in the near future!

Waiting on Wednesday: The Girl Behind the Glass and Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children

Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine and features books that we just can't wait to get our hands on!

This week's picks both seem the kind to send chills down your spine...

The Girl Behind the Glass by Jane Kelley

Description from Amazon:

"The house on Hemlock Road used to be someone's home. Until something happened. Something that even after 80 years, can never be forgotten or forgiven . . . .

Eleven-year-old twins Hannah and Anna agree about everything—especially that they don't want to move to the creepy old house on Hemlock Road. But as soon as they move into the house, the twins start disagreeing for the first time in their lives. In fact, it's almost as though something or someone is trying to drive them apart. While Anna settles in, Hannah can't ignore the strange things that keep happening on Hemlock Road. Why does she sense things that no one else in the family does?  Like when the hemlock branch outside waves shush, shush. Or at night, if she listens hard enough, it's almost as though someone is trying to talk to her. Someone no one else can hear. Someone angry enough to want revenge. Hannah, are you listening? Is the house haunted? Is Hannah crazy? Or does something in the house want her as a best friend—forever?"

Sounds like a great modern spooky read with a Gothic atmosphere. Just the description here is creeping me out!

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs

Goodreads' description:

"A mysterious island. An abandoned orphanage. And a strange collection of very curious photographs. It all waits to be discovered in Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, an unforgettable novel that mixes fiction and photography in a thrilling reading experience. As our story opens, a horrific family tragedy sets sixteen-year-old Jacob journeying to a remote island off the coast of Wales, where he discovers the crumbling ruins of Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children. As Jacob explores its abandoned bedrooms and hallways, it becomes clear that the children who once lived here—one of whom was his own grandfather—were more than just peculiar. They may have been dangerous. They may have been quarantined on a desolate island for good reason. And somehow—impossible though it seems—they may still be alive.

A spine-tingling fantasy illustrated with haunting vintage photography, Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children will delight adults, teens, and anyone who relishes an adventure in the shadows."


Somehow this one is even more disturbing, especially with that cover. What's with the photograph collection? Are the children ghosts? Is there a connection to the family tragedy? Lots of questions for this one!

What books are you waiting on?

Find the Gap: Breaking Stereotypes

What's missing in YA? Last week the discussion was on characters, the week before on settings. This week I thought I'd do the broader topic of breaking stereotypes. What stereotypes would you like to see thoroughly crushed in YA novels?

Here are a few I've thought up:

- The girl-must-be-shorter-than-the-guy stereotype. Seriously. I know I mentioned last week that I'd like to see more books where the female protagonist is tall, but this is a related point that is equally annoying. (Trust me, when you're taller than most of the population, guys that are even taller than you are few and far between.) I particularly liked the fact that in Anna and the French Kiss, Étienne is shorter than Anna, and yet it doesn't undermine his self-confidence and really isn't a focal point of the novel at all.

- The religion-and-race-go-hand-in-hand stereotype. I'd like to see some books about characters who, for instance, are Caucasian and Muslim. Or are Asian and Christian. African and Buddhist. We have certain immediate associations of race and religion, and while of course these have a foundation, they are still stereotypes. It would be fantastic to see some YA novels that push the envelope on this one.

- The "ordinary"-protagonist-discovers-unsurpassed-hidden-magic-powers stereotype. This one gets me all the time in YA fantasy. The boy or girl thinks they are totally average, or maybe even a bit of a weakling. Then they get some help from a kind, elderly mentor type, go on a quest, and on the way discover they have magical talent that absolutely no one else in their world has, and they are the only one who can defeat the evil that is stirring in the east. (Okay, I stole that last bit from Lord of the Rings.) How about an ordinary protagonist who really is totally ordinary? Or, okay, let's say they have magical powers, but they've known about them all along, and they aren't any more special than their brothers and sisters? This one is even more frustrating if they discover their hidden talents RIGHT when they are absolutely convinced they are going to die. Convenient much?

Harry Potter is excluded from this, because he is awesome. But there are some pretty poor HP wanna-bes out there...

-The love-interest-appears-first-in-a-dream stereotype. This one is particularly popular among paranormal YA books these days, and I really just can't get into it. For one thing, it's just happening too much in a copycat kind of way that makes me groan when I see it coming. Secondly, usually the response when the love interest actually pops up in real life is, "Oh, I dreamed about you! It must be true love...we're fated to be together!" Maybe it's just me, but if I met a guy that I'd dreamed about before I'd ever laid eyes on him, I think I would be mightily creeped out.

Make up your mind, Bella.

- The girl-is-caught-between-two-equally-amazing-guys stereotype. I know love triangles have been discussed on many other blogs, but the trend has been getting on my nerves too. If it's done well, I don't mind it, but what really gets me is when the girl who is trying to choose keeps flitting back and forth between the two guys and leading them on. I've seen this "whichever one I'm with" mindset now in several protagonists and frankly, I start getting really frustrated with the girl and feeling sorry for the poor guys who just keep getting used and coming back for more. It doesn't reflect well on the heroine and gets me thinking that she doesn't deserve either of them!

So, what do you think is missing in terms of breaking stereotypes? Which do you think need to be chipped away at some more?

Oh, and Happy Valentine's Day to all of my readers! Eat lots of chocolate today :)

Head's-Up: Inkpop Writing Contest for Delirium

This week at inkpop.com there is a writing contest to win (along with other HarperTeen books) Delirium by Lauren Oliver!

The challenge? "Write a story, poem or essay that depicts a scene of love. Whether it's a disease, a challenge or something that must be overcome or come to terms with, write a creative project that puts love at the center of your challenge!"

You can find all of the details about how to enter HERE. The deadline is Feb. 17th.

This book has been one of the most hotly anticipated YA books of 2011 (it's certainly been on my wishlist), so if you'd like a chance at winning it get your entries in! Plus, what could be more appropriate than a little creative writing about love on Valentine's Day? :)