The A to Z Challenge asks bloggers to post 26 articles on a themed topic. It’s supposed to be every day except Sundays during the month of April but I find that too busy and decided to post mine ‘about’ twice a month. Yes, it’ll take me a year. Sigh.
My topic, like the last three times, will be writing genres.
This genre:
Academic Novels
Definition
set on a campus; sometimes called a ‘campus novel’
Tips
- Place the main action in and around the campus of a university or a boarding school.
- Tell the story from the viewpoint of faculty rather than students (the latter are called varsity novels).
- Make the characters idiosyncratic, and thus engaging and interesting.
- Students should face unambiguous hierarchies as they progress through the plot.
- A popular approach is to compare older academic views with younger student ones.
- Sprinkle in cliques and class details and charismatic professors.
Popular Books
- The Groves of Academe by Mary McCarty
- The Professor’s House by Willa Cather
- Lucky Jim by Kingsley Amis
- The Masters by CP Snow
- Normal People by Sally Rooney
- Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo
- Real Life by Brandon Taylor
- Girl Unknown by Karen Perry
Click for complete list of these 26 genres
Click for a complete list of all genres I’ve written about
More A Genres:
Help me crowdsource the books for my genres
This year, instead of searching for popular books in each genre, I’ll crowdsource them–include books as often as possible written by Indie authors. That means yours. Here’s how you get involved:
- Go through the list of genres (and subgenres) below. They are less common than the usual so you’ll have to read the definitions and decide where your books fit. If you’re close, that’s good enough. For example: If you write suspenseful historical fiction, add your name to “historical suspense”.
- In the comments, tell me your name, your book, a link to where it’s sold, and the genre it fits.
- If no genre fits your books, give me your favorites in a genre. I’ll still credit you with a linkback.
- When I get to that genre (between April 1, 2021 and about two years later), I’ll put your book in the list of examples with a link to where it can be purchased. If you suggested a book, I’ll link to your blog.
That’s it! I sure hope you play along with me on this!
Here’s the genre list (links aren’t live until publication).
Jacqui Murray is the author of the popular Building a Midshipman, the story of her daughter’s journey from high school to United States Naval Academy, the Man vs. Nature saga, and the Rowe-Delamagente thrillers. She is also the author/editor of over a hundred books on integrating tech into education, adjunct professor of technology in education, blog webmaster, an Amazon Vine Voice, a columnist for NEA Today, and a freelance journalist on tech ed topics. Look for her next prehistoric fiction, Laws of Nature, Summer 2021.
I never thought of academic novels as a genre. I’ve read two of Diane L. Wolfe’s (IWSG: Spunk on a Stick) “Circle of Friends” series, and they are definitely in this genre. I plan to read to read the other three because the books are great.
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Some on this list are sub-genres but no less enticing. I like how they let you find exactly what you want to read. Like ‘prehistoric fiction’. My sub-genre is so different from the main genre, historical fiction.
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Never knew there was a genre for Academic Novels! Learn something new everytime I read your blog 😀
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Surprised me, too! But I can see it would make it easy to find exactly what you wanted to read.
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There are so many niches!
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Thank you for sharing!!… I am afraid my book will not fit in because it is the “Book of Life” and I am still living it, haven’t put it in so many words… perhaps I will someday… 🙂
Have a wonderful Easter and until we meet again..
May flowers always line your path
and sunshine light your way,
May songbirds serenade your
every step along the way,
May a rainbow run beside you
in a sky that’s always blue,
And may happiness fill your heart
each day your whole life through.
May the sun shine all day long
Everything go right, nothing go wrong
May those you love bring love back to you
And may all the wishes you wish come true
(Irish Saying)
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Ha! Clever that. Happy Easter!
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This can be a wide open space. Would you place Catcher in the Rye here? Or the Harry Potter series?
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Oddly, neither of those came up in my search but Harry Potter does sound appropriate. Maybe the sites I visited narrowly defined ‘academic’ as colleges/universities. Good additions, Ankur.
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Sounds like an interesting genre, Jacqui. It made me think of all those TV soaps of the nineties that were set in colleges and high schools. I have to think that each book belongs in different categories, though. It would be hard for some novels to catalogue it in one main genre.
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That would be true. Just because it’s an Academic genre doesn’t mean it isn’t also something else. How’s Tucson? Love that app on your blog!
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A tad too hot at 93 degrees! Sigh. We never find the perfect weather anywhere… But, if that’s our only issue in the world, it’s not too bad. Heading to MA tomorrow.
I actually type our location in the side bar of my blog and if it’s specific, Google Maps tags an image of this location on the map to it. I like it as well. In WordPress it’s called a widget or something like that, I believe. Happy weekend, Jacqui!
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Aren’t you clever! I’d try it but mine would always say “Laguna Hills”. I should have done it for my Southeast Asia trip!
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One of my favorite genres. There have been a few that you introduced recently that I’d never heard of. You gave us an easier one this time.
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I was surprised by how many older books are in this genres, likely before the genre even existed. It’s a popular theme.
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Academic novels vs varsity novels. That could get confusing. I’d like to see someone do both: the same story from opposite perspectives. That could be interesting.
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ooh I like that, Betsy. Maybe Karen Perry…
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An interesting post to launch the A-Z challenge, Jacqui. Thank you for sharing!
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Thanks, Jan. This one was new to me, though by this point, most of my genres are!
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I once had a class that assigned the novel, “In the Long Run We’re All Dead,” It was for an economics class and the novel was a murder mystery that along the way taught about monetary policy. That was when I decided not to go into economics as a major – didn’t want to get murdered for my views on monetary policies …
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Hehee. Not quite the intention, now was it? But I see your point. I guess in technology, in the long run you AREN’T dead?
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The book was good as I recall.
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I always thought of academic romances as those between the students (and occasionally student and teacher). I hadn’t realized they should be from the teacher’s POV. Good info, Jacqui, thank you.
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There’s another genre–campus–that’s about the students. I would have put them all together!
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Ahh, that’s what I was thinking of 😊
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Academic novels–that’s a new genre designation to me.
I’m doing A to Z this year, my first ever.
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I suspect most of my 26 will be genres you’ve never heard of but make sense. ‘They’ are coming up with lots more ways to categorize books.
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Can I add “Academic Curveball” by fellow blogger James J. Cudney? It is the first in his Braxton Campus Mystery series and is quite good. Lovely start, Jacqui!
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Great one! I wish I’d thought of that. Thank you.
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Academic novels are rare these days, probably this generation has grown out of them!
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I did read a post by one college student who binged on them to get herself back in the school mood. Interesting, hunh?
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I believe I’ve read this genre
Thanks for the reminder to add my books to this.
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I had the same reaction. I don’t read it anymore so couldn’t come up with what I’d read, and definitely not the ones on the list, but yeah. It’s a genre that interests me.
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I’ve been super interested in Ninth House by Bardugo and had no idea it was an “academic” novel. Great start to the challenge, Jacqui. Happy April.
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With all the Indie books out, ‘they’ are categorizing them more distinctly so we can find them. That’s why there suddenly seem to be so many more genres.
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That’s interesting. 🙂 We need to keep that in mind so we can find our niches.
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I love reading your posts especially for this challenge as you come up with really interesting ideas and topics. 26 genres! This will definitely help any author in the making who is stuck for ideas .
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It does! There are a few I’ve fallen in love with. ‘Quiet Memoir’–that fits so many writers I know.
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I like the academia setting in books. Great post, Jacqui.
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I read one woman’s post about this genre. She binges on these books to prepare to go back to school. That was interesting!
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I seem to be able to think of a lot more films in this setting than novels – you’ve done well here! At first, I took academic literally and wondered how it could be fiction as well!
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I wonder how many of the films came from books. Hmm… That’s funny about ‘academic’. I did too and then I got schooled.
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Well, I did realise that afterwards… haha! Smiling at the teacher you getting schooled! It’s fun to always keep learning!
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Well written; keep the culture flowing.
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Thanks, Isaiah. Being a writer isn’t as easy as it sounds!
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You are absolutely correct.
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I’ve read several books in a mystery series that involve a campus setting. I’ve really enjoyed the academia setting (not to mention the characters and the mysteries, LOL).
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The characters are a certain type not generally found in other novels. They are hopeful, open to new experiences, coming of age–so many options.
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My husband is a retired academic. If anyone could write an academic book about college campuses he could. I hear his stories all the time. He has written thirteen academic books on business management. Snore.
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Add a few interesting characters, a mysterious plot–he could be a fiction writer!
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I’ve written a professor, but I’ve never written an academic novel. It might be fun. Actually, having been a professor and experiencing the interesting things that happen in that world, I know it could be.
Great post, Jacqui.
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The life of a professor on a college/university campus–even a trade school–would be an interesting story. So many hopes and dreams.
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The academic novels I now avoid (read too darn many of ’em) are the middle-aged male professor cheats on his wife with his students, blows off his classes, and expects the reader to feel sorry for him because he’s having a mid-life crisis.
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Yuck–and another yuck! Not interested. Don’t feel sorry for him–in fact, disdain him no matter his reasons. Yuck again!
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They were a “thing” when I was in college and grad school in the ’80s. When you feel the need to take a shower after reading a book, it’s time to stop reading that particuar brand of dreck, no matter how “literary” it is.
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Well said. I had one professor suggest something inappropriate but I was unusually naïve and completely missed it. I got it a few years later!
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That realization a few years later must have been a cringe-able moment!
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It was. Thanks to my stupid youth, I dodged a bullet!
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I never thought of academia as a genre, but i like the idea to use the faculty’s POV instead of the students’.
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I think it’s a new genre even though the stories aren’t. Being in college is a unique time for lots of young adults. It definitely presents different challenges than any other part of their life. Makes sense, doesn’t it?
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That it does.
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The academic setting is a natural for books, movies, TV. My wife and I watched a very enjoyable series on Netflix last year that has a lot to do with high school life: Never Have I Ever.
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I’ll have to check on it. I tend toward more pragmatic stories but life is much more forgiving.
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What a fun challenge. I look forward to the rest of your genre crowd-sourced recs!
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Feel free to add any of your favorites. I have a few that no ones offered stories for yet.
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I never thought of this as a genre, but you’re right. It is one.
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The challenges of this time period in a YA’s life are different than any other. I was surprised how many novels fit this genre.
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Crowdsourcing is a great idea, Jacqui. Your Indie friends should fully support it.
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I’ve gotten lots of contributions. I think I’ll also go through books I’ve reviewed and add those.
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Great idea. 🙂
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I look forward to following the challenge, Jacqui. A book set on a college campus would be fun to write.
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I didn’t do college like most others so I’m afraid I wouldn’t really know the experience most YAs would want to read about.
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I didn’t live on campus, but I have a good imagination. 🙂
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Hi Jacqui – what a great idea … – I’ll definitely be along with you on these and appreciate all the ideas you recommend or suggest. Thanks … cheers Hilary
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Thanks, Hilary. I finally got some Indies for C–Cozy Plus. And they’re perfect.
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This is such a wonderful way to start the A-Z challenge and you’ve given us lots of new books to add to our to-read list. Looking forward to reading the rest of the genres you use! 🙂 Our first one was A for Archives!
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Thanks! I’m coming over to check your post right now!
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