Adele over at Persnickety Snark has a superb post up entitled Bad Boys Make the YA-world Go 'Round. You should all go over and read it right now. Unless, of course, you're Team Peeta. Then you might just as well go back to snuggling up with your copy of Catching Fire and rereading all your favorite Peeta passages. Lol. Just kidding, Thea! And Amy. And Lenore. And all the rest of you crazies. *shakes head* Seriously, though, Adele defines the "bad boy." She talks about her favorite bad boys of YA and TV. She even conducts a twitter poll to garner favorite bad boy suggestions. The whole post is loads of fun. And when she stated that her bad boy obsession dates back to George Cooper from Tamora Pierce's Alanna books, I called out, "Comrade!" But never fear. Should you be good guy inclined and prefer Bingley to Darcy, Pizz to Logan, or Morelli to Ranger, she follows it up with a post dedicated to the Boys Next Door and the wonderful Gilbert Blythe is at the top of the list. As he absolutely should be.It will come as no surprise to you that by and large I go for the bad boy over the good. The ones who are troubled but true. What can I say? I'm a sucker for that mischievous glint they so often have in their eyes. Give me a relationship with some bite to it and I'm a happy camper. And not just in YA either! A few favorites:
George, the Song of the Lioness series
Raoul de Valmy, Nine Coaches Waiting
Niall, the Wicked Lovely series
Poe, the Secret Society Girl series
Nicholas Brisbane, the Lady Julia Grey series
Eugenides, the Queen's Thief series
Tam, the Raine Benares series
And though I wouldn't say I make a habit of it, I am perfectly capable of falling for the straight arrow/best friend as well. Witness these gems:
Tayse, the Twelve Houses series
Jeff Greene, the Tillerman Cycle
Miach, the Nine Kingdoms series
Hm. I seem to be all across the board here. So what about those ones who sort of defy categorization? They walk the line between "good" and "bad" like pros, are neither one nor the other, and that is why we love them. Off the top of my head:
Adam, the Mercy Thompson series
Can you think of any others? Do you gravitate toward the edgy, angsty ones? Do you prefer the sweet ones you can count on? Or are you on a strictly case by case basis? Inquiring minds want to know.
angie -
ReplyDeletei'm pretty much sitting here nodding my head in total agreement. Also, I LOVE the bad boys on TV. Logan was always my favorite. mmmm....yummy
Man, I don't think I could ever come up with a complete list of my favorite bad boys like you did, lol. Mel, but not Con in Sunshine? Hmmm. Although omigosh, Poe. *swoons* I'm going to read the Alanna series and the Thief series soon, so I may or may not end up agreeing with you.
ReplyDeleteIf you're not Team Peeta, then are you Team Gale? (Even though I don't think either of them qualify as "bad boys.")
hehe this is fun to read! I agree with your selections (especially Logan, too) I do like my bad boys too! But, in reality, I probably would like a good boy next door type =)
ReplyDelete--Sharry
Alicia, Logan....Mmmm.
ReplyDeleteSteph, well, I didn't say it was complete! :) Just a few favorites. And Mel was listed in the a little of both category, as Con would be, too. And I really love Con. Better add him in there as well. lol.
And Poe. Poe....*swoon*
I can't wait to hear what you think of the Alanna and Thief books!! Seriously, I'm all giddy at the thought.
And, yes, I am firmly Team Gale. And no, he probably fits best in the last category, but Peeta is so freaking sweet I couldn't resist teasing the Team Peeta-ers. *grin*
Sharry, join in the LoganLove. There's no stopping it.
Is it weird to be totally obsessed with Logan Echolls? Just curious... though I'm not admitting to anything... :)
ReplyDeleteBAD Boys are GOOD!!
Here here!! I always fall for the bad boy to. I would def choose Spike over Angel (Buffy the Vampire Slayer) or Eric over Bill (True Blood). :)
ReplyDeleteGreat post! I tend to go for the bad boy except in the case of Peeta. I love Peeta!
ReplyDeleteI only recognize Poe from your list *pause for silent contemplation on the wonderfulness of Poe* Sarah Dessen does reformed bad boys well - Wes and Owen and I love Marcus from The Jessica Darling books :)
Sara, I see nothing remotely weird about it. And you have come up with my new mantra. "Bad boys are good!" :)
ReplyDeleteDanni, there is NO contest whatsoever. Spike always over Angel. Period. Same goes for Eric v. Bill. I just hope Ms. Harris agrees...lol.
Alexa, thank you! Well, after reading CATCHING FIRE I admit to understanding Peeta's appeal. I mean, my gosh, he's so good.
And as for Poe, I am always willing to join you in a moment of silence to contemplate the boy's wonderfulness. *sigh*
I think I'm ready to try reading THE TRUTH ABOUT FOREVER. I need to give Dessen another shot. Are either of those reformed bad boys from that one?
And the Jessica Darling books have been on my TBR for way too long now. Although I confess to being VERY nervous about the ending of the series. It won't stop me from starting. But I'm nervous...;)
Mmmm...Mel is indeed delicious.
ReplyDeleteHa! We have the same exact taste in fictional guys, it appears. Also, I love ANY post that starts with a picture of Logan.
ReplyDeleteBran from Son of the Shadows!!!!!! SO with you there!!!
ReplyDeleteDannie, mmmm is right. I love biker-tattooed-diner-cook Mel.
ReplyDeleteKitten, excellent! I'm starting to think all posts should start with a picture of Logan...
Emily, three cheers for Bran! He's sort of my ultimate bad boy, really. I wouldn't change a thing.
The truth about forever is one of my favourite books. And Wes is from that book -sa-woon! Ownen's from Just Listen and I haven't read any of her other books but I'm guessing they feature more great boys.
ReplyDeleteOf the Jessica D books 1, 2 and 5 are my faves - enjoy!
And I just thought Elizabeth Scott is the queen of writing nice guys who aren't dull :)
I have to say, I'm totally torn between Peeta and Gale! Peeta's more of the "nice guy," but Gale's not quite the bad boy...just strong and silent...and a wee bit rebellious. It's the first time in the history of books/movies/TV where I just don't know who I want!
ReplyDeleteThere was definitely a phase where I drooled over the bad boys, but now I'm kind of a sucker for the boy next door.
Alexa, okay, sounds good. I'll definitely pick both of them up. I've only read BLOOM by Scott, but I enjoyed it--particularly that kitchen scene. ;)
ReplyDeleteDonna, I hear ya. Your take on Gale is spot on and she's made it pretty hard to dislike Peeta. I'm hoping for bigger reveals on both of them in the last book, though I have no idea which way it will go.
I'm in total agreement with all the yummies.. :) Sometimes I have a special spot for sweet little puppy dog of a boy like, Piz or Peeta. They make it hard not to like them! But it's sad to say I think they pale into comparison with my bad boys!
ReplyDeleteNow I have to watch Veronica, Buffy, and Firefly!
Thank you, thank you for bringing a smile to my face with this wonderful list. I must say I married the sweet type you can count on but much prefer to read about the 'bad boys' in my books...just don't tell the hubby ;)
ReplyDeleteOoh, love George from The Song of the Lioness...
ReplyDeleteI tend to prefer the mischievous boys next door? I like the mischief - but need to know I can count on him at the same time. Those bad boys that scream 'danger'? Yeah, somebody else can have those. The scoundrel with the crooked smile and the not-so-secret heart of gold(I'm looking at you Han Solo)? MINE!
Liza, that's it exactly. If they're going to be nice they have to be sort of lethally nice like Tayse or Red or Miach. Otherwise, they don't stand a chance...:)
ReplyDeleteMichelle, yay! That was my intention. Also, my lips are sealed.
Lana, good old George...
And Han! The mischievous boys next door are lovely as well. I agree. As Anne Shirley said, "I think I'd like it if he could be wicked, and wouldn't."
Poe aside (thanks, guys) I was never into bad boys much, until I met Logan Echolls. He was the only bad boy I ever fell for, in literature or in real life. However, I did fall for Logan, and I fell HARD. Generally though, I like 'em nice. Like Peeta.
ReplyDeleteGale is actually nice too, though. And Po from Graceling.
I loved Spike, but not as a romantic foil. I liked Riley with Buffy. I loved Gilbert.
This is a very interesting discussion, as I've spent a while recently marveling over the reactions to Giovanni. (esp. given what I'm used to with Poe!)
Angie, thanks so much for linking to my posts. I am unbelievably flattered that you liked the posts and that we are both Team Gale members - can we carry laminated cards and be official maybe?
ReplyDeleteLike you said I am a big George fan, also Logan Echols and Spike. The key for me is all three are quite confident in themselves and their "love" for the heroine. They don't want the heroine to be anything but themselves and call them on their rubbish. They also share the power, and inevitable get hurt at one point or another. The snark is the killer for me - I like a man that's quick with the witty insults :)
Diana, lol, I guess you can always count on Poe gushing around these parts. And excellent choice, btw, for your first (and only!?) Bad Boy crush. And I may have to do a post on the two nice boys of The Hunger Games because I completely agree they're both nice. Though if you're going to pick the nicer it's Peeta no contest. Which is probably why I like Gale best. It's some sort of perversity, no doubt.
ReplyDeleteI was, of course, a hopeless Spike/Buffy fan. But I have always adored Gilbert.
I've been wondering about the reactions you've been getting to Giovanna. He's both really. Reformed bad boy though we don't get to see much of the bad. And honestly that one phone call in RAMPANT scared me stiff. So I guess I don't always want them to be bad. It's more the capacity for ruthlessness I seem to like. Hm.
Adele, thank YOU for the post! I really did love it. What an excellent idea about the cards. I've got just the spot in my wallet. *grin*
You are absolutely right about the confidence being so attractive and they are drawn to the girl because of who she is and not who they want/wish her to be. The calling each other (insults can be awesome) is something I love in a relationship as well as the equality. If I feel one or the other pales in comparison then I'm lost.
What a fun post!
ReplyDeleteI like a mixture.. and angsty angry guy who is deep down sweet.
Is Mal from Firefly really a bad guy? Maybe he's a mixture! He is very sweet deep down I'm thinking.
Suey, that is the perfect mixture I agree! I think Mal qualifies--particularly for that mixture. He's got the Han Solo thing going for him and that's never a bad thing.
ReplyDelete