instant to-read; the tropes edition
When I set up this blog, I made a note to myself that I was going to write a post about tropes in books. What exactly that post would be eludes me – my notes are scattered in various notebooks as this was the pre-bujo era – but finally, finally, I am sitting down to write a post on tropes.
Because tropes, love them or hate them, exist.
Tropes are fun.
I tend to lean more towards loving them in some cases.
There are certain tropes that I will pick up almost immediately when they are advertised in the blurb of the book. These are the tropes I search for when I am reading fanfiction. These are the tropes that I lean towards writing when I write fluff.
A fun read is almost always the best friend’s brother trope. Or alternatively, the brother’s best friend. Sometimes, this can go side-ways, that is for sure, but almost always lots of mutual pining, misunderstandings and mishaps before the happy resolution. I particularly enjoyed Nora Roberts’ Bride Quartet, which had both these tropes in the books!- What is better than reading about two friends slowly realising they love each other more than platonically? Well, I’m sure there are some things, but this trope almost always makes for a good read. Especially if the friendship between the main characters is established well. Nameless by Lili St. Crow is a good example of this in the fantasy genre, while there are countless others in the contemporary part of the YA world, I am sure.
- And then there is the angst and growth in reading about characters going from enemies to friends, to lovers. Even books that have them just going from enemies to friends are great. Because sometimes opposites do not attract, but they do get along. I actually read more fanfiction along these lines, so I cannot give a book suggestion… Anybody have any good books to recommend?
- The types of fanfiction – and books, if I could find any more! – I will ALWAYS click on include fake-relationships. Fake-relationships with an added side of mutual pining. Yes, please, thank you. I read The Fill In Boyfriend by Kasie West some time back and it was fun! It was pretty predictable, but it was a joy to go through.
- Marriage of convenience stories are also a lot of fun. While I do enjoy a fun fluffy read, the angst that comes with pining and unrequited feelings does something for me. It probably explains why, when it comes to romance novels, I veer towards things that have lots of heartbreak and missed opportunities and miscommunication. It also explains why I enjoy Indian dramas as much as I do. One of my favourite stories is Ravishing The Heiress by Sherry Thomas, which sucked me in a lot more than I thought it would.
I realise most of these tropes are romance inclined, which is kind of funny when I consider the fact that while I do enjoy a good romance book, my preferred genre is fantasy? But tropes in fanfiction! These tropes in fanfiction for fandoms I’m not even in! Does anyone else do that? Find themselves reading fanfiction for fandoms they are not in because the synopsis talked about a trope they adore?
Just me?
Okay, then.
Are there any good books with these tropes that I have missed out on? Let me know, my TBR is clearly not threatening to fall over and drown my entire family.
Ara
Iām Ara, a Southeast Asian writer who someday hopes to have published a novel, and who is currently losing herself in the worlds created by others. I love books and food and television and blogging and I get distracted and sidetracked easily.
7 Comments
TeaPartyPrincess
Yes! Tropes are tropes for a reason and as long as they’re well done they are excellent.
And yes, I also read fanfiction for fandoms I’m not even part of.
Cora | http://www.teapartyprincess.co.uk
Ara
Nice to know it’s not just me. Lol.
Yes! Well-done tropes – even tired ones – can be extremely fun to read.
Customeressay
Nice idea for an article. I”ll have a think about putting it together. Tropes aren”t necessarily a bad thing as I hope comes out in the article (although I think UV is an example where implementations often are) just that they”re not going to blow you away. As an enthusiast, I crave originality and while you can still have that in the way tropes are implemented, it”s hard to be very surprising. In terms of other tropes: * Counting puzzles this is the other trope that I generally dislike. * Numbers attached to specific objects and then some way of ordering (image, obvious size/weight or, if it”s a coloured ring padlock, the colour of the object). * simple ciphers generally I quite like these. * Magnet mazes (and mazes generally) I”m probably guilty of not referring to these as tropes although they are * Retrieving things using magnets or by pouring water in * Numbers hidden individually in sentences (either by converting letters to numbers or including words that sound like numbers) (Those are off the top of my head not an attempt to make an ordered list. I”m sure there are plenty of examples I”ve not missed that would be more important than the above.) http://customessaytw.com/
Ara
Thanks for commenting. Let me know if you do put together a list!
Olivia-Savannah
I’m usually not too much of a fan of the falling for the brother trope… maybe because it isn’t something I would be too supportive in real life? It just seems like so much heart-ache on the guy the girl fell for first (or sister the guy fell for first.) I do love the friends to lovers and enemies to lovers tropes so much! Like unbelievably much. I would probably buy the book right away if I saw that on there š
Ara
oohh, no! I think there’s a miscommunication about what trope I mean. In this case I mean a girl falling for either her brother’s best friend, or her (female) best friend’s brother? I’m not fond of characters dating multiple siblings in a family either.
Part of me loves the thought of eventually, books coming with AO3 like tags that tell us straight off the bat whether there are friends to lovers or enemies to friends to lovers tropes in the book. LMAO.
Olivia-Savannah
Oh I understand what you mean! In that case then, I can approve of it, hehe. I was thinking of double dating siblings!