Every genre has its tropes, or a commonly used theme or device. Fantasy has the “chosen one” or “lost royalty” and horror/thrillers has the “haunted house” and the “final girl” trope. Part of why tropes are used so routinely is that there is comfort in know how the story will probably play out, especially in romance. But then, we also enjoy it when a predictable formula gets turned on its head.
Angst – Whether they are star-crossed or hit by some other tragedy, happily ever after may not be possible.
Why We Love It: Sometimes, you just want to be in your feelings.
Give It a Try: They Both Die at the End by Adam Silvera
Enemies to Lovers – Two characters meet and start off hating each other’s guts, usually because of a misunderstanding or opposing views, but they realize their feelings for each other.
Why We Love It: The tension, the verbal spats, and the opportunity for great chemistry.
Give It a Try: This Mortal Coil by Emily Suvada
Fake Dating – Maybe it was a one time thing or an on going ruse, but eventually the charade becomes real.
Why We Love It: The fun of watching two characters realize they’ve caught feelings and the plan is falling apart.
Give It a Try: Hani and Ishu’s Guide to Fake Dating by Adiba Jaigirdar
Friends to Lovers – They’ve known each other for a while and even though they used to see each other as just friends, now things are heating up.
Why We Love It: We get to see two characters love each other as friends first, without a physical relationship getting in the way.
Give It a Try: Leah on the Offbeat by Becky Albertalli
Love Triangle – Three characters are competing for each other’s love, and only two will pair off.
Why We Love It: We enjoy picking a side and rooting for our favorite ‘ship.
Give It a Try: Odd One Out by Nic Stone
Meet Cute – The characters meet in a particularly memorable way.
Why We Love It: Instant chemistry from a scenario that introduces us to our characters quickly.
Give It a Try: Check, Please! by Ngozi Ukazu
Stuck Together – Two people get snowed in together, assigned as project partners, or stranded on a desert island. Spending time together creates the perfect opportunity for feelings to develop.
Why We Love It: Who doesn’t love it when fate seems to force an unlikely but loveable couple together?
Give It a Try: Crimson Bound by Rosamond Hodge
In the mood for a little more love? Browse more titles here or check out the Teen Display at the Columbia Public Library!
January has almost come to a close, but that doesn’t mean it’s too late to start the new year off by taking your life in a new direction. The start of the year is the traditional time for making life changes, thought most of us aren’t always able to keep to these resolutions for the whole year, but you don’t have to commit to making massive life changes to shake up the coming year. Meet new people, try new music or foods, or even take up a hobby that you haven’t tried before (or even one you might have tried and fell off of for some reason!) We here at DBRL have come up with a list of some books covering a couple potential hobbies that you could look into for the new year, from hiking the great outdoors to taking up sewing, from gaining some skills in the kitchen to exploring boxing for fitness. You can find the list, both the fiction and non-fiction titles, at the link 
Monday of this week was Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday, and a day set aside to reflect on the sacrifices made by generations past in the fight for freedom and equality in this country. The past few years have shown us, if nothing else, that the journey toward a society where a man can be judged by the content of his character and not the color of his skin is far from over. We still live in a society whose motivating force, Capitalism, as Dr. King said, was “built upon the exploitation of black slaves, and continues to thrive on the exploitation of the poor, black and white, both here and abroad.” The road to true change, as Dr. King seemed to envision it, is a long road that we walk to this day. We at DBRL have collected a few books related to Dr. King and some of his contemporaries, and we encourage you to spend some time looking into this critical, and relevant, period of our nation’s history. You can find the book list 
I don’t know about you folks, but I am getting a bit tired of the mild, warm days that we’ve had this December. For all the problems it can cause, I miss when December brought us more than a day or two of snow. It could be the nostalgia of a childhood snow day, the crisp feel of cold air, the muffled silence that accompanies a good snow shower, or the way sun shines off newly fallen snow, but whatever it is I cannot deny that there’s something magical about a December snow. In the absence of real snow (for now, fingers crossed!), we’ve put together a list of books that are set among the ice and snow, hopefully enough to put you into a winter mood. Some are holiday novels, some are simply stories set in scenes swaddled in snow, but all of these titles are sure to make it just a little bit easier to pretend that it isn’t 70 degrees outside. You can find the full list of titles 
Today marks the last night of the Hanukkah celebration, and here at DBRL we thought it appropriate to celebrate the season by highlighting some novels in our collection that feature protagonists of Jewish heritage. These novels span a variety of genres, from romance to humor, fantasy to sci-fi, and all feature characters who might very well be celebrating the holiday tonight. You can find the full book list 
variety of cultures, traditions, and histories of Native people. Having origins in 1976 with a proposal for “Native American Awareness Week”, and subsequent efforts to spread awareness of the history of the indigenous experience in this country, and finally being codified into the month-long celebration that we have today in 1990. Though Missouri still bears the names of some of its Native tribes, this state has a long history of mistreating the first people who lived here, so take a chance this November to learn about more about the Native American experience!