Top Ten Settings I'd like to see more of in YA Lit

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature / weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. Each week we make a top ten list from a given topic.

This week's topic is: 

Top Ten Settings I would you like to see more of in YA Lit

10. Colleges/Universities: I guess this may fit in the poorly named "new adult" genre, but I'd like to see what happens to some of these teens when they leave the familiar warmth of home and venture off to college. I'd like to see what it's like for the characters to juggle fun with responsibility and how they deal with the consequences when they drop the ball. 

9. Alternate Realities: Where everything is familiar, but nothing is the same. Take anything by Jasper Fforde, for example. The Eyre Affair takes place in 1985 England where there's time travel, dodos, characters being yanked out of books and threatened with permanent story changes. Or The Last Dragonslayer which takes place in the Un-united Kingdoms, where wizards will use their magic to rewire a house and a dragon lives outside of town. 

8. On a bus, plane, or train: The whole story, told in the space of a single voyage. One where characters are forced to spend time in a small space with a number of people for a set amount of time. A lot of people don't interact in these settings in real life, but it could make for a very interesting story if they did.

7. Egypt in the late 1800s, early 1900s: I have always found archaeology fascinating. Rediscovering stories that had long since been forgotten, finding the personal elements that get lost in history books, being the first to touch something that belonged to someone centuries ago: it's all completely fascinating. History is full of stories waiting to be told, and archaeologists drag those stories out of history and allow the world to hear them again. 

6. Libraries: Yes, I'm a bibliophile, and yes, I'm a librarian, so yes, I'm a little biased on this setting. But seriously, there are some truly spectacular libraries in the world that would make for a wonderful setting! Gorgeous historical libraries, modern high-tech libraries, quaint small town libraries - the opportunities are endless! Plus, any character needing to do research who doesn't do it at a library is unlikely to get the best results. Just sayin'.

5. Belgium: I've wanted to visit Belgium ever since a friend told me that they have waffle cart vendors (rather than our more familiar hot dog cart vendors). I find that completely brilliant. Plus, Belgium is home to some pretty spectacular architecture and the European Union. I'm thinking either a travel-romance or an international spy novel would work perfectly with this setting.

4. New Zealand: Anyone who has watched the Lord of the Rings or Hobbit movies know that New Zealand is one of the most beautiful places on earth. A story set in that setting would be pretty magnificent.

3. Wales: I fell in love with Wales after spending a couple of hours in Cardiff way back in 2005. They have the most beautiful language and the most wackadoodle words. For example, "hello" in Welsh is "shwmae" and it's pronounced "SHOO mai." Isn't that fantastic?! Plus, Doctor Who is filmed there, which makes it even MORE awesome.

2. Indiana: I live in the Hoosier state, and besides the lovely John Green, a fellow Hoosier, there aren't many authors that choose to write about Indiana. A story that takes place somewhere you know well connects you to it like little else. Oh, the hero is walking the canal and is going to pass the Indiana Historical Society on his way to Military Park? I can see it!

1. Ireland: Really, anywhere in Ireland. It's the land I long to see, and if I can't afford a ticket, at least I can read about it. However, I haven't found many books in the YA-verse that take place on the Emerald Isle. That needs to change - right now.