You Were Here by Cori McCarthy | ARC Book Review

Okay, so.. basically my immediate thought is that this cover deserves 5 STARS?! Just look at it. I wouldn’t mind having this on my shelf, you know. Just sayin’.

But lucky for me—and you, if you’re as swayed by the cover as I am—this book doesn’t just look pretty! Despite the difficulties I had at first to get into it, this book absolutely blew me away with its realistic, and complex characters, through various mediums of writing included, and its simple but truly entertaining storyline. Here’s what this book is all about:

You Were Here by Cori McCarthy

Publication Date: March 1st 2016
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Genre(s): Contemporary, Young-Adult
Series Status: N/A—Stand-Alone
Page Count: 267
Source & Format: Publisher via Netgalley, ebook
Critical Rating: 4 stars (Really Good)

Synopsis from Goodreads:

Cori McCarthy delivers an emotionally taut page-turner from multiple points of view – combined with stunning illustrations.

Jaycee is about to accomplish what her older brother Jake couldn’t: live past graduation.

Jaycee is dealing with her brother’s death the only way she can – by re-creating Jake’s daredevil stunts. The ones that got him killed. She’s not crazy, okay? She just doesn’t have a whole lot of respect for staying alive.

Jaycee doesn’t expect to have help on her insane quest to remember Jake. But she’s joined by a group of unlikely friends – all with their own reasons for completing the dares and their own brand of dysfunction: the uptight, ex-best friend, the heartbroken poet, the slacker with Peter Pan syndrome, and… Mik. He doesn’t talk, but somehow still challenges Jayce to do the unthinkable-reveal the parts of herself that she buried with her brother.

Cori McCarthy’s gripping narrative defies expectation, moving seamlessly from prose to graphic novel panels and word art poetry, perfect for fans of E. Lockhart, Jennier Niven, and Jandy Nelson. From the petrifying ruins of an insane asylum to the skeletal remains of the world’s largest amusement park, You Were Here takes you on an unforgettable journey of friendship, heartbreak and inevitable change.

“You Were Here is wrenchingly beautiful in its honest and achingly accurate portrayal of grief and how it breaks us-and the way unconditional friendship puts us back together.”-Jo Knowles, award-winning author of See You At Harry’s and Read Between the Lines

“The urban explorers of You Were Here dive deep into the forgotten man-made spaces all around them—and their own feelings of loss, love, and fear. McCarthy deftly intertwines the characters’ stories, filling them with authentic pain and heartache as well as soaring moments of grace and humor. I dare you to read it!” —Maggie Lehrman, author of The Cost of All Things

Ahhh, so much to say here! I’ll be writing out this review in list form, between the things I loved and the things that I didn’t love so much. No spoilers, as usual, but if you’d rather just have the more vague and simple version of how I felt on this book, the ‘overall’ part would be good for you. Thanks to Sourcebooks Fire and Netgalley for the review copy!

Things I Loved

• Omg so many amazing 3-dimensional characters. I LOVED THEM. Gah. At first it took me a while to warm up to them?? (You know me, I can be an incredibly paranoid-of-disappointment and unemotional chocolate bar at times. I know, I know, I’m working on it.) But anyway, I loved them all by the end of it—some more than others. We get all their POVs in this book (though two out of five of them aren’t exactly in the most conventional way). Because I’m a very helpful minion, here’s a little rundown of what I loved of each of the main(ish) characters.
  • Jaycee: The protagonist of the novel, Jaycee was a blunt, reckless, flawed and oh-so-imperfectly perfect character! There were so many times where I went shaking my head and crying out in exasperation at her thoughts and actions, yet I found myself really emotionally drawn to her throughout the story.
  • Natalie: Jaycee’s former best friend, Natalie wasn’t that much of a big deal to me at first. She just seemed like a super bossy and uptight teen that I didn’t care that much about. But as I read more of the story, she developed so much more and she proved to be a strong and well-written character.
  • Jake: Like Natalie, I didn’t think much of him at first. He seemed kind of like the comic relief, and nothing else? But he too, went through so much development! As I continued to read the story, I saw more of who he truly was, layers that I was able to keep peeling away, which was AWESOME.
  • Bishop: The thing with Bishop, is that while we get his POV, it’s different because it’s not exactly his thoughts we see, as text. Bishop is a fan of graffiti, and throughout the book we get several of the things he graffiti-ed. The idea as a whole was great, but I didn’t get as much of a grasp on his character.
  • Mik(ivikious): Okay, so first of all: I LOVE THE NAME. (It’s a nickname, off his last name.) And I really did enjoy his character, so yay! His perspective was drawn out as comic strips (which was fabulous), though his character was revealed more through the plot and the other characters.
• The multiple POVs in this book were so absolutely delightful to read. As I mentioned, we get the perspectives of all the above characters, though Bishop and Mik’s POVs were not like the others. Jaycee’s perspective was the only one in first person; Natalie’s and Jake’s were in third person. I absolutely loved how it all played out! Everything transitioned so perfectly and the multiple POVs weren’t confusing and instead helped give insight on the many characters of this book.
• This book had so many amazing themes. Like, seriously. From grief to friendships to change and familial relationships, You Were Here handled it all seamlessly and it was so great to read about such lovely themes. I especially liked:
  • Jaycee and Natalie’s friendship. At the start of the book, they’ve drifted apart to the point where they hardly speak, but through the events of the novel, their bond and the way they interact as they become a part of eachother’s lives was so great to read about.
  • And so many other great themes! Sorry I’m lazy.
• The descriptions. Many (if not all) of the places the characters visited in this book are actually real places, I’ve found, and it was so cool to have such a clear picture of said place as I read the book. And yes, afterwards I did search up some of the places. Ahhh my wanderlust kicked in there! Though seriously, it was super cool.
• Ummmm I feel like I’m missing something, ugh. I dunno. But these were definitely the high points!

Things That Disappointed Me

• At times I felt as if the whole theme of the book kind of distracted by the romance? Yet the romance wasn’t the focus either. And it was still a good experience? But maybe it could’ve better if the romance part wasn’t the total focus. Maybe? Possibly? Soooo. Confusion ensues here.
• Despite all the awesome-sauce feelings I had while reading this book, I find myself unable to get a clear, memorable picture of it in my head, despite having read it only a few months ago? I dunno. Maybe it’s a ME problem, and not the book, but.. I feel like I should be able to remember it more fondly and more clearly than I do right now?? Interpret that as you wish, lol, I know that made no sense.

Overall…

Entertainment-wise, this book is absolutely fabulous! Although it took me a while to warm up to it and finish it, as I went further into the novel I was hooked and it was only due to lack of time that I didn’t finish it sooner. And from a critical aspect, not so shabby either! Great characters, engaging writing, and a good plot that kept me interested throughout the story. I’m glad I continued on with this book despite my first impressions! This book is way more than just a pretty cover, I assure you. You Were Here releases tomorrow, March 1st! Be sure to keep your eye out for it if you haven’t already. 🙂

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Aaaaand, I think that’s a wrap! Tell me your thoughts; what do you think of this book? What are some of your favourite books you’ve encountered with great characters? YA books with illustrations? Are you a fan of multiple POV books? Do you plan on reading this book?  Let me know your thoughts in the comments below! ❤ Happy reading! I hope your Monday isn’t too terrible. LOL.

The Book Blogger’s Guide: How to Not Go Overboard On ARCs and Review Copies!

Ahhhhh why does time fly by so fastttttt omg I can’t keep up. (!!) February is basically over, yet it certainly doesn’t feel like it. *SIGH* I’m growing old, people. With every day. *Moment of silence as I ponder the mysteries of time* *Awkward pause as you realize how weird and random I truly am* *And then some more awkward silence because this made no sense whatsoever*

HELLO everyone!! I hope you excuse my little weird… um whatever that was. Clearly I’m out of sorts today or maybe I’m always like this I dunno. 

Today I’m here with the start of a kind-of-but-not-really new feature as part of my Book Snacks Babbles discussion series; a book blogger’s guide on… [insert guide name here]. To start it off, I have for you a book blogger’s guide on how to not go overboard with ARCs! Come on, admit it, you’ve had to fight against going on major ARC-requesting sprees at least one time during your blogging journey. It must’ve been quite hard when you found yourself drowning in all the ARCs (or review copies), no? I speak from experience, aha, ’tis quite difficult to stay floating, I tell you.

However, lately I noticed I’ve been quite good at keeping my ARC and review copy count mostly low, which has been quite beneficial in terms of my busy schedule and, you the whole not drowning thing. But never fear, if your ARC and review copy count is rising too fast! I have come to your rescue with this post: you’re welcome. (And even if I haven’t, entertain me alright? Otherwise my reputation will be hurt. And my ego. Ehem.)

Note: I’m mostly talking about e-ARCs, to be honest? ‘Cause I haven’t yet requested books from publishers directly, hehe, sooo. Still trying to get up the nerve to do so! I think the ARC craziness happens more online anyway. But whatever. On to the (very helpful, if I do say so myself—which I do) tips! I accept your thanks in advance. Though you must give me chocolate, yes yes, thank you.

Image credit goes to Freepik, but all edits were done by me.

1. Stay away from the wickedly dangerous thing(s) called Netgalley  (or Edelweiss* and any other reviewing site).

VERY IMPORTANT!!! I cannot stress enough how important this is, for your quest on not to go ARC-and-review-copy-crazy. It can be incredibly hard to refrain from going ARC-overboard, when there are so many delicious-looking opportunities for tasty books. Believe me, I know. Hence, you stay away! Unless you have to submit a review of an ARC, don’t go surfing the site, with the excuse of “I’m just looking”, because you will most definitely cave and request at least a few ten or more ARCs/review copies. Which brings me onto the next thing…

*I’ve never actually requested on Edelweiss, but I’m presuming it works similarly to Netgalley? Correct me if I’m wrong.

2. Never request tons of review copies by making the excuse that you’ll only receive a few.

I did this so many times! Too many times to count, while on Netgalley, I told myself that oh, I probably won’t get any of these anyway, so what’s wrong with requesting them? Yeah. Can you guess what happened? I got bombarded with a bunch of books (…and one time they were all releasing in the same month?? Not my best move, oops.) Another time, something similar happened—I think this was back when I first started blogging—except with Xpresso Book Tours. So you see the pattern here!! DO NOT make excuses and think you won’t get approved—because you never know, right? Better not take any chances.

3. Only request books that are on your TBR, or books you really want to read.

I don’t know if this is the case for everyone out there, but a lot of the times, when I’m on Netgalley or something, as I’m browsing through my favourite publishers, I notice books that aren’t on my TBR, books that I find interesting, yes, but only mildly. And oftentimes? I end up requesting them. Nowadays I’ve gotten much better at being careful of which books I request. As in, I focus more towards books I’ve been eagerly anticipating, and books on my TBR, rather than any and all books that seem mildly interesting. Instead, I just end up adding said mildly interesting book on my TBR to think about another time, you know? (Unless you REALLY want to read ALL the books you find just a little interesting, in which case… uh, good luck with keeping that ARC count low!)

4. If you’re struggling against ARCs or review copies, consider the negative sides.

They do exist! Negative sides of requesting ARCs, that is. And I know it sounds weird, to think about the negative sides to try and stop you from going on a review copy requesting spree, but you never know! Maybe it’ll help your inner self to try and convince the ARC-hungry side of you to not become so hungry. Okay, lol that just sounded weird. Let’s move on, shall we?

The cons…

-How you might not have the time to read all your ARCs. Naturally, the more you request, the more you’ll have to read and so it might be difficult to read all of them—and then review them, too! It might be the better idea to keep the count low and not have as much pressure

-The pressure of meeting release date/deadline. Life happens! Things happen! And pressure happens, as you try to meet the release date for each review copy. If you have a lot of them, it might get difficult, particularly if your review copies are all slated for release around the same time. So you might want to keep that in mind!

-You might not get the chance to read as many books that you own/bought/borrowed/want to read—you know what I mean. As you spend more time on ARCs and review copies, the less time you have for books you already own! And it’s great that you’re spending time with those review copies (you kind of have to), but your other books need some love too. 😉

Okay, so there’s actually a lot more cons to requesting ARCs than you’d expect?? So really I could go on and on about this all day, but I might save that for another post. Right now my point is: keep in mind of the negative sides to ARC requesting as well as the positive sides! Sometimes it may help to dissuade you from going ARC-crazy.

5. If you receive review copy requests, remember you don’t have to accept ALL of them!

I don’t know if this is common among every blogger, but sometimes bloggers may feel that it’s an obligation to accept all or any of the requests they receive? So if you’re trying to stay on top of your ARC/review copy pile, accepting all your review copy requests (if you get any) is not exactly helpful if you’re already trying to juggle other things like Netgalley and your own books, you know? So don’t feel bad about saying no to requests! If it makes it easier, feel free to not allow any review requests, temporarily, if you wish. You do what’s good for you! Just remember that you don’t have to accept all the requests you receive.

6. Eat chocolate.

(Anyone have any for me? Chocolate, that is.)

Don’t you dare scoff at this! This is a perfectly valid reason. Hear me out here though. Maybe ‘eat chocolate’ is a bit too specific (hey, it’s what I do so don’t judge) but basically I’m trying to say occupy yourself with something else. Like eating chocolate. And some more chocolate (and hoping those extra calories disappear). And more—Okay, okay, fine; I mean, occupy yourself with other things like blogging, reading, dancing, or doing whatever else your favourite pass times happen to be. Instead of focusing on ARCs and review copies, and other temptations like Netgalley, etc. just concentrate on something else! It’ll probably help with the first tip I mentioned too.

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So, I think that sums this post up! Unfortunately this post has come to an end—but do let me know your thoughts and please don’t feel shy of joining in on the conversation! To help you out, here are some prompts:

• What are your thoughts on requesting ARCs and review copies?
• Do you struggle with keeping your ARC count low?
• Which of these have you tried before? (And if you have; how did it go?)
• What other negative sides have you encountered in ARC-requesting?
• Do you have chocolate?? (Er, of course this is valid. Why are you questioning this?? Also, which types of chocolate do you like?)
• And, um, anything else that came to your mind?

*Inserts British accent* Now, I must bid you farewell. Good luck on keeping your ARC count low! 😀 Happy reading!

Types of Book Bloggers | Because a little categorization never hurts, right? (Or so I hope.)

Hello! After my ‘types of male love interests‘ post (last week? I’ve lost sense of all and any sense of time oops), I decided to reach out further from the Valentine’s Day and love theme, and go for a more broad topic.. after which the idea of ‘types of book bloggers‘ sprung to my head. I thought it would be a fun post to do, something light and fun, you know?

So without further ado, let me present you with (a few) types of book bloggers! And by types, I’m not talking about like, what different book bloggers blog about, it’s more personality-wise? And their style? Kind of? I dunno. Just read it and interpret it your way! 😛 Remember also that no one is restricted to being only one of the following types! We are all divergent in our book blogging personalities, and we can most definitely be several of these. 😉

*I must request though that even if you dislike this post, please don’t come after me with a fiery stake! Eh, yeah, that wouldn’t be too pleasant for me—err, I kind of want to live past 17, so… no thanks. Lol. Please and thank you. If you have any differing opinions, I’d love to chat in the comments!

Okay so let’s do this!

The Fangirling Book Blogger

If this is you… welcome to the club! (And if you aren’t, well, don’t worry, there are plenty more to suit your fancy) The fangirling book blogger is someone who often goes all out for fangirling in their posts— which, of course, many bloggers do. What sets this apart, however, is that their overall personality comes off as being an extreme fangirl through their posts. All book bloggers have become fangirls/fanboys at some point, but some show it more than others, I guess? I don’t know if that makes any sense, though, soo. Yeah.

The Snarky/Witty/Humourous Book Blogger

I put the whole snarky, witty and humourous types of book bloggers all in one for a few reasons; one, they’re all similar qualities enough that they don’t exactly require different categories, two, often times bloggers have one or another one of these qualities together, and three, well, they all serve a common purpose; to entertain. Right? At least most of the time. I’m quite envious of these types of bloggers, actually (the snarky/witty/humourous ones) seeing as how I love their voice and often wish to have their abilities! 😛

The Consistent Book Blogger

So, I think I’ve encountered, like, a few of these across the blogging community, but basically these types of book bloggers are the ones whose blog is always very organized, both in terms of its visuals as well as in other parts, like posting schedule, or the types of post. I feel like this type of book blogger should have its own category, because AHEM, if you can manage to stay organized, and find a consistent blogging schedule while still going through the hectic thing call life, kudos to you! In fact, TEACH ME YOUR WAYS. If any of you are this type, this is a message to you all. XD

The Inconsistent Book Blogger

Okay, so after the above type, naturally I have to put in the opposite! I think you all know what the characteristics for this blogger entails… But don’t worry! Even if you are this type of blogger, it doesn’t mean it’s a bad thing! And I’m not just saying that because oftentimes I* must become the inconsistent blogger. 😉 In fact, it’s truly inevitable; at some point in your blogging journey, you’ll get busy and it will be incredibly hard to keep up a consistent schedule. No shame, guys! Life happens.

*This is the part where if you have any tips, throw ’em at me! Cause I need any help I can get. Lol.

The Random Book Blogger

Interpret this one however you want, but I’m seeing this kind of as the type of book blogger who, I don’t know, often posts all sorts of things? Like, there’s not a specific range to what this blogger posts. Sometimes it’s this, sometimes it’s that. Most days don’t have anything specific planned. Maybe one Tuesday they’ll post Top Ten Tuesday, but then maybe next Tuesday they post… a book or even movie review or something. You know? #me

The GIF Book Blogger

This type could basically go for any type of bloggers, but the GIF book blogger refers to the type of book bloggers who, staying true to their title, almost always, or often, utilize GIFs in their posts. I can’t say I see this type often, but when I do, well, it’s always fun seeing GIFs included, am I right? Especially when they reflect the text of the post perfectly. It’s quite easy to become the GIF book blogger, actually.

LOLLL I just had to put this GIF. XD For no reason whatsoever.

The Eloquent Book Blogger

Okay, so ‘the eloquent book bloggers’ are what I would say are the types of book bloggers whose writing is always crisp and fancy, or very well put together. Their words, their writing always make you want to read their posts, and their posts—particularly reviews—are usually quite insightful and informative to read. I AM ENVIOUS for I usually end up being a stuttering walrus* in comparison. But I love reading their posts!

*It was the first thing that popped into my mind! Don’t ask where it came from. I have no idea.

The Photography Book Blogger

Ahh I’m not exactly sure if this counts, but I put it on the list sooo IT COUNTS. Because it’s totally a valid one. Yes. Like, you know the bloggers who always have such beautiful photos on their blog?? (Usually of books, because, er, I’m concentrating on types of book bloggers, sooo.) Yeah, them. Their posts often include such amazing bookish photos, ahhhh. I heart this SO MUCH. (Mostly because I’m extremely jealous that I have no photography skills whatsoever, but hushhhhh. ‘Tis my secret.) If the photos are taken well (which they almost always are), IT’S SO BEAUTIFUL.

This is one of Cait (@Paper Fury)’s photos AND I LOVE IT SO MUCH. Bookish photography is something I will forever be envious of!

The Procrastinating Book Blogger

This sometimes can be tied in with the inconsistent book blogger, but I’d say the procrastinating book blogger is one who, well… PROCRASTINATES. Whether it be with book reviews (haha meeeee. I have so many of them that I want to do, but never end up actually doing), book tags, or anything else, this blogger is basically in a blogging slump half the time, but yet not. They post, but they procrastinate on doing so, and in the things they post. Does that make sense?

The Personal Book Blogger

The personal book bloggers are what I’m choosing to call the bloggers who posts a lot of personal stuff, like about their life, or something they love outside of books, alongside their bookish posts. I don’t follow many of these types, but that’s only because there aren’t so many I’ve come across, hehe. These blogs are always quite interesting, because everyone has such different stories to share! It’s also great to find out more behind the person of the blog.

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So I lost count of how many I listed? 8? 9? I dunno, but there are tons more! Though you get chocolate if you understood half the things I said, LOL. MY RAMBLINGS ARE HARD TO COMPREHEND, I admit. Although I stand by the fact that it is you little minions who must amp up your understanding level. XD

Anyway, if you have any other types you know of, let me know in the comments!! I’d love to know. Also, which of these types do you fall into? Do you fall into several or only a couple?? Oh, and feel free to send some blogging tips my way, if you know of any on how to be an organized blogger! Also, which one of these categories do you like most, in terms of reading other people’s blogs? Let me know all and any thoughts in the comments! ❤

Too many books, too little time! | WWW Wednesday #42 (February 24th)

Hello! How are you all today? Okay, so I think I should just name ALL my WWW Wednesday posts ‘too many books, too little time’?? That’s already what I say for my life, soooo…  Oh well. I can never find enough time to read.. and there’s just so many books I want to read. (That is, allll of them. Which is proving to be more and more impossible.)

However, I did manage to get some reading done this past week! And I’m currently reading two books, that I hope to finish this week… that counts for something, right? Of course it does. So let’s just go onto the books!

WWW Wednesday is a meme hosted by Sam @ Taking On a World of Words), where we answer the following questions:

What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?

Currently Reading

• A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab
• Wolf by Wolf by Ryan Graudin

Yes, I finally started both A Darker Shade of Magic AND Wolf by Wolf! I wasn’t going to pick up Wolf by Wolf after I started A Darker Shade of Magic, but then I decided I might as well seeing as I can read A Darker Shade of Magic as an ebook (but I also have a physical copy for some reason??) and Wolf by Wolf only as a hardcover. So yay!

I started ADSOM on Monday, but unfortunately I haven’t been able to read it much! It really sucks but I hope to make more progress on it this week. It’s okay so far, I guess, though unfortunately I haven’t gotten much time to read it.

As for Wolf by Wolf—I just started it yesterday night! I think I’m on the 4th or 5th chapter?? I’m actually really liking it so far. Let’s just say it definitely didn’t waste any time in getting the action started!

I might also decide to put either WbW or ADSOM on pause while I finish the other, but I don’t know yet… should I? I mean, they’re both in different formats, so it’s easy to pick up one if I don’t have the other, or something… I dunno. I’m terrible at making decisions sometimes. I guess it might just happen naturally though if I start to favor one over the other lol.

Recently Finished

• Glass Sword by Victoria Aveyard
• Gathering Darkness by Morgan Rhodes
• More Happy Than Not by Adam Silvera

I finished Glass Sword! If you saw my Spotlight Saturday post, you know how I felt about it. I’d repeat it, but basically the gist of is; although it became a roller-coaster of emotions near the end, I was left indifferent for a majority of the book, sooo. Yeah. Not the reaction I was going for, but it was still good. (The book, not the reaction.)

Omg Gathering Darkness has me wanting to read the fourth book asap! So much drama in this one, as well as betrayal, romance, and just, it was totally entertaining!! I’m tempted to just continue with the fourth book even though I’m supposed to wait for March 4th?? I’m also trying to decide if I should do separate reviews for each of the books or just do a series review… thoughts?

Agh More Happy Than Not was amazing… it completely broke my heart?! But I honestly loved it. There were so many amazing themes and relationships between characters…and oh my god, the ending?! I hit the end and ahhhhhh my heart!! I couldn’t stop reading but my heart just got stomped on… but I loved it? I can totally see what the hype was about now!

Read Next

• Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins
• Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz
• Illuminae by Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff
• The Accident Season by Moïra Fowley-Doyle

Lola and the Boy Next Door is on my list again this week—I have a feeling reading it might be a good relief after the two more heavier reads I’m reading currently…

So many people have been urging me to read Aristotle and Dante! And so I’ve decided to add it to my read next this month, in hopes of being able to find the motivation to read it! Not sure what’s stopping me, but oh well.

Ahh, Illuminae. This book completely blew up in the book community, and I’m itching to see why! Though right now the sheer size of it intimidates me.. But I want to read this, I do!

I added The Accident Season to my monthly TBR plan for February, and I thought I might as well add it to the read next this week, though I have no idea when or if I’ll be picking it up this week. Doubt I’ll have the time, but who knows?

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So that’s it for this week’s reading progress! How has your reading been going? Feel free to link your WWW down below if you have one. What books should I focus on next? Have any of you read any of the above books? Let me know in the comments! ❤

Happy Wednesday!

Reasons Why You Should Venture Outside Your Favourite Genres | Book Snacks Babbles

It’s Tues-day, Tues-day! (Nope, doesn’t have the same ring to it.)

Helloo everyone and I hope you guys are enjoying this fine and lovely day, or have enjoyed your day, for those in North America. (I apologize for my terrible little bout of randomness above. lol.) I haven’t participated in Top Ten Tuesday for a while (I think) but I was inspired by the topic this week from The Broke and the Bookish—which is talking about top ten books we read recently that weren’t our typical genre.

Reading books outside our favourite genres, outside our comfort zone, is oftentimes a bothersome and uncertain experience. Most of the times we find ourselves unwilling to reach outside our comfort zone for fear of not enjoying a book from a genre we’re not as used to. Well, at least it’s the case for me, (sometimes). But when (or if) we do, it usually goes two ways: you love it and decide you must read more from the genre and become more open-minded to other-than-your-favourite genres OR you hate a book, and vow to never pick up a book from any outsider genre again (okay, slight exaggeration, but you get the point).

In the case of the former, yay! You’ve decided to branch out from your typical genre, good for you. But if in the case of the latter, well.. that’s what this post is here for. If you’ve encountered an unpleasant experience with a book outside your genre, or maybe several books, and hold an extreme prejudice against books outside your favourite genre, well, in this post, I shall try and convince you why you should get rid of that prejudice! Also known as I shall give you reasons as to why you should read books outside your comfort zone. And if you’re not against reading outside your comfort zone, or don’t care, well, all the more possibility for discussion, am I right? Woot, woot! Let’s do this.

1. You have the opportunity to discover hidden (or not-so-hidden) gems.

Just cause it ain’t something you usually read, doesn’t mean it can’t be good! This is the most obvious reason, to me, seeing how finding well-written books that you might love is always a tempting reason when choosing a book outside your comfort zone. Especially if it’s a hyped book. Like, if you don’t usually read fantasy yet everyone is hyping up An Ember in the Ashes, or Throne of Glass, if you do pick it up, you might find that it’s a book you really love! If you skipped out on them because you don’t read usually fantasy, well, you missed out. 😛

2. You have more reading material.

As you continue branching out of your comfort zone, the amount of reading material grows! If you were limited to favouring only one genre, soon you’ll probably run out of books in that genre to read—and even if you haven’t, you’ll probably get tired of it because there’s only so many unique ideas in books. So if you slowly, branch out of your comfort zone, whether it be one specific genre, two, three or four, soon you’ll be comfortable with a variety of types of books, and hence more new books to read!

3. You’ll (probably) become more flexible about your reading choices.

When you reach outside your comfort zone, the more flexible you become about your reading choices. After you’ve read books that are not of the typical genre you read, and enjoyed them especially, you become more releaxed about your reading material as you start to get to used to other genres. It’s especially great because it means (well, in general, at least) that you’ll also be getting more reading material options—as you can see, I mentioned this point right above. Becoming more flexible about the genres we read can definitely be useful and is definitely a good thing!

4. You’ll be able to come across a variety of styles and stories.

Obviously, different genres require different styles (whether it be in the writing in general, the narration, and whatnot) and obviously, different types of stories. Restricting yourselves to one or two specific genres not only takes away the many other reading options you could have, but also prevents you from being introduced to what may be a collection of engaging stories that you write off without giving a chance to see what it’s about. It can definitely be hard, reading a new genre, but it’s very important to give other genres a shot, for it will most definitely aid in showcasing the many different styles of writing and stories there are.

5. You can learn new things.

You never know how much you might like something until you’ve tried it, am I right? Of course I’m right. In our situation, for example, you can’t say you don’t like fantasy, if, well, you’ve never tried any books in the genre. And even if you’ve read a few and didn’t enjoy them, you still learned something new! Probably. It might even be little things like; you’ve realised you’re not a fan of so-and-so kind of writing, or not a fan of so-and-so plot trope, you know, or other things. Point is, if you don’t reach out of your comfort zone at all, you lose the chance to discover more about your reading preferences—not to mention it’s always good to try out new things. Just ’cause you didn’t like one, doesn’t mean the rest are all bad too!

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Okaaay. So. I’ve offered my two cents on venturing outside our comfortable little homes of familiar books and genres… I’d love to hear from you! I know this week’s theme was on books outside your typical genre that you ended up enjoying—feel free to tell me those below, or even, books that are in your typical genre that you hated! Whatever comes to mind. What’s your favourite genre(s)? Least favourite genres? Do you like to reach outside your comfort zone, or would you rather not? Are there any reasons I missed? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below! ❤

The Book Courtship Tag | Where no one is surprised when I fangirl over books. (Again.)

Hello bookworms! How’s your Monday morning so far? I was almost not going to post today but then I discovered this tag sitting in my drafts, and it seemed interesting so I thought I might as well do it. Plus I found that I already had more than half of it done, sooo #convenient. Not to mention it seems like a lot of fun! Okay, okay, let me just get onto the details of the tag before I continue making excuses nobody is believing.

This was something I was tagged in 2015, I think? By Erika @ Erika in Bookventureland and Josie @ Josie’s Book Corner, and more recently, Summer @ Xingsings. Thank you so much! I’ve known these bloggers for a long time now, and I mean it with all my heart when I say I love them and their blogs! Which basically you must go and check them out if you haven’t already!! ❤

Phase 1 – Initial Attraction: A book that you bought because of the cover?

Erm, every book on my shelf right now?? Lol, just kidding, but probably most.. #noshame But if I were to choose just one, well, obviously my go-to answer for this would be A Thousand Pieces of You (omgggg that cover is SO GORGEOUS. Love at first sight, people!) but in an effort to be creative (ha. Me, creative? Eh, I guess I could try.) I’ve went with a different book:

I couldn’t resist, okay? I mean, just look at that cover. IT’S SO PRETTY. I had to! ❤ Though after reading a few reviews on it, I dunno when I’m going to read it… not sure if it’s going to be something I’ll love, you know? But it looks damn good on my shelves! Lol.

Phase 2 – First Impressions: A book that you bought because of the summary?

I like to think most books I buy are based at least on the summary, so there are several I could choose for this, I think. But I’m going to go with:

When I read the summary of this book, I knew I had to read it! And thankfully, it paid off because I loved this book. 😉 I have a review on it if you want to check it out!

Phase 3 – Sweet Talk: A book with great writing?

Ooh, there’s actually a lot I could choose for this one?? Either I’m really easy to please in the writing department or I’ve been reading really well-written books, I don’t know. But it was quite easy when this book popped into my head:

This book seriously has such BEAUTIFUL writing. omg. I only wish I was able to write like this?? Because it was just so lovely. Go read it if you want proof! Or check out some of its quotes, I swear they’re amazing.

Phase 4 – First Date: A first book of a series which made you want to pick up the rest of the series?

Ooh, there’s been quite a few good first books I’ve read! It’s hard to choose just one (duh, as it always is) but I’m going to go with Shatter Me:

Once I finished this book I just had to read the next one!! (And for the record, I’m totally glad I did, because the series just got better. YAY!)

Phase 5 – Late Night Phone Calls: A book that kept you up all night?

Ehh, sooo all the books I’ve loved?? Only half-joking. A lot of the books I’ve loved usually ended up being books I couldn’t put down, you know? And who needs sleep, anyway? But I’m going to go with one of them that popped into my head:

This book was so addicting! I just flew through it, and it definitely kept me up way past my bedtime, oops. Then again, my bedtime is hardly set these days, soo. Point is, I stayed up really late for this one! #noregrets

Phase 6 – Always on my mind: A book you could not stop thinking about?

Omg this book!! I love it so much. You guys saw this coming, didn’t you?? 😀

After reading this I couldn’t stop thinking about it! I am positively dying for the next book, oh my god. ❤ ❤

Phase 7 – Getting Physical: A book which you love the way it feels?

Okay, so although I wasn’t a huge fan of the actual story, I loved the feel of this book:

I have the hardcover of it, and it feels amazing! Only wish the story was just as good…

Phase 8 – Meeting the parents: A book which you would recommend to your family and friends?

Oh! (Aside form Harry Potter, of course), definitely this book:

This book is SO AMAZING—Go read it asap if you haven’t already!! Such a powerful and heart-wrenching read. (On a completely unrelated note; I’m so excited for the movie!)

Phase 9 – Thinking about the future: A book or series you know you will re-read many times in the future?

HARRY POTTER. My childhood. My love. My bookish comfort. That is all.

BUT if I was to give another shot at being creative (even though it’s not even creative, really), I’d go with The Infernal Devices because THE FEELS. Will never get old!

Phase 10 – Share the love: Who do you tag?

Not sure who did this and who didn’t, so I’m going to tag a few people—feel free to ignore it if you don’t want to do it or if you already have. And if you haven’t done this, but want to, just let me know! I’d love to tag you and add you to the list. It would be great to see everyone’s answers. 😉

• Ali @ Arctic Books
• Alicia @ #LoveBooks
• Anna @ My Bookish Dream
• Amy @ Book Enthral
• Ashley @ Socially Awkward Bookworm
• Astra @ A Stranger’s Guide to Novels
• Beth @ Reading Every Night*
• Bhramori @ The Crazy Perfectionist
• Brigitte @ The Book and the Bone
• Catia @ The Girl Who Read Too Much
• Cristina @ My Tiny Obsessions
• Emma @ Emma the Book Lover
• Kat @ Life and Other Disasters
• Prima @ Panda Hearts Books
• Raven @ Dreamy Addictions
• Trang & Lashaan @ Bookidote
• The Orang-Utan Librarian
• Victoria @ Addlepates and Book Nerds

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So that’s it for the Book Courtship tag! This was lots of fun; again, I urge you to do this if you’re interested! Just link back to this post so I can come check it out (and fangirl along with you, of course). XD And if you don’t want to do it, that’s perfectly fine, just ignore it or just let me know. This was such a refreshing and fun tag! But unfortunately this is the end of this post. ❤ Hope you all are enjoying your Monday! Happy reading!

I kind of reached my 1-year blogiversary?!! | Spotlight Saturday #4 (February 20th)

Helloooooo! It’s the weekend once again (THANK GOD) and it’s also a Saturday, so I’ve decided to participate once again in Spotlight Saturday! I hadn’t been anticipating the fact that I would leave such a long time in between my last Spotlight Saturday (back in January, I think) but I guess it happened anyway. Better late than never, am I right?!

Spotlight Saturday is a meme hosted by Josie @ Josie’s Book Corner. Here’s the official blurb from it on her blog:

Spotlight Saturday is a weekly feature, created by Josie at Josie’s Book Corner [aka, moi], dedicated to spotlighting and pinpointing some of the things over the week that have caught my attention more than usual, things I’ve particularly loved, etc.

Okay, so as you can probably understand from the title of this post, I REACHED MY 1-YEAR BLOGIVERSARY!! Well, kind of. I mean, yes I did indeed reach it, according to WordPress—I honestly can’t believe it’s already been a year!!—but I’ve decided it’s more of a kind-of blogiversary because it’s the date I created this blog—I didn’t actually start posting anything until near the end of March. Hence it’s my kind-of blogiversary. BUT STILL. 1 YEAR. I’m kind of in a state of shock?!! That I actually managed to keep this blog up for so long?? Especially since it did NOT feel like a year has passed, honestly.

I will actually be doing a giveaway sometime in March though, in celebration of my blogiversary as well as my own birthday! Two in one, I guess, haha. So keep an eye out for that! Technically my blog did start in March, so it’s totally justified—and my birthday, well, it happens to be around the same time (March 24th). My first post was, like, in March 11th? And then I think I took a 9-day hiatus or something and posted again on March 20th. XD So. Kind of confusing, but point is; look forward to a birthday and blogiversary giveaway coming sometime this March! ❤ My gift to you. 😉

But thank you so much for supporting me this past year! Even if you’re new here. I’m going to keep repeating the same thing, to be honest. I can’t believe a year has passed already! My blog and I have grown so much within that time… It seems like so much less, and I wouldn’t be here today if it wasn’t for all of you, so THANK YOU. *Brings out confetti and chocolate and cake and party hats*

As in last week’s Spotlight Saturday, I’m going to be spotlighting a few bloggers I’ve known for a while, as well as a few that I recently started talking to or would like to know better—because #BLOGGERLOVE!! 😀 Let’s do this.

Oldies, but lovelies (LOLLL sounds weird but you know what I mean)

• Michelle @ The Writing Hufflepuff

Michelle’s blog is one I’ve been following for a LONG time—and her posts never get old. This girl’s blog is just amazing! (Read: Go check out her blog NOW.) I love reading her posts! 🙂

• Poulami @ Daydreaming Books

Another wonderful blog, Poulami posts insightful reviews of a variety of books, and they’re great to read! She also has many other entertaining posts. Go show her some love! ❤

• Raven @ Dreamy Addictions

I’ve been following Raven’s blog for a while now! I’m always envious at how much she keeps up with her reviews, haha. XD That’s something I’m still working on, oops! Her blog is filled with all sorts of great posts. 😀

• Kat @ Life and Other Disasters

Kat’s blog is filled with a variety of posts, and I love it! ❤ From TV, to books to tags to everything else, her blog is always lots of fun to surf around.

Blogs I’ve Discovered Recently or Want to Get to Know More…

• Isabella @ Gryffindor Books

Isabella is a more recent blogger friend I’ve discovered on the blogosphere and she is absolutely lovely! (She loves Harry Potter. And Percy Jackson. Enough said. :P)

• Anna @ My Bookish Dream

I’m not sure when I found Anna and her blog—but I’m so glad I did! Anna is such a friendly person and her blog is wonderful. Plus, we seem to have a similar taste in books so yay!

• Trang & Lashaan @ Bookidote

I’ve been following this blog for a long time??? But I’ve only recently gotten the chance to actually comment, because TOO MANY BLOGS AND TOO LITTLE TIME. Gah. But I’d love to get to know both Trang and Lashaan more!

• Becca @ Shih Tzu Boo Reviews

I’ve actually been following Becca for a while (I think???) but only recently have I really talked to her. Her blog is absolutely lovely and I love it! She is also a very nice person, and I’d really love to talk to her more often. 😉

• Trisha Ann @ The Bookgasm just reached her one-year blogiversary and is celebrating with a giveaway! Congrats Trisha Ann!! ❤
• Josie @ Josie’s Book Corner talks about reactions us readers have when we miss the hype train. *SO TRUE*
• Becca @ Becca and Books makes a post about bookish characters for president (and makes fun of Donald Trump). So unique and lots of fun to read!
• Ashley @ Socially Awkward Bookworm shares her thoughts of Maybe Someday by Colleen Hoover (she loved it). I have been meaning to read more of CoHo’s books, so I’m glad she liked it!
• Joey @ Thoughts and Afterthoughts posts 2016 Book Blogger Love-A-Thon Mix and Match. A very cool post! 
• Amy @ Book Enthral talks about how rebel-crews are amazing and are the equivalent of #squadgoals. I totally agreeeeeee, btw. 
• Cait @ Paper Fury talks about procrastinating reading books we’re almost sure we’re going to love. Ahah I can so totally relate to this!
• Astra @ A Stranger’s Guide to Novels discusses the lack of families in YA. It’s totally amazing! And I’m not just saying that because my post was one of her inspirations. 😛

Soooo, I finished Glass Sword?? And it was quite the roller-coaster of emotions by the end of it—but I’m kind of disappointed to say that I was left indifferent for a large part of the story.. Not exactly sure what caused it? But, up till the 40-50% mark, I was just kind of reading about it all, not as emotionally connected or absorbed as I would’ve liked to be. Indifferent at the beginning, intense at the end… overall a good read I suppose.

Ehhhh sorry, nothing for this one this week! Heheh I’m dreadfully uncreative when it comes to spotlighting apps…

I’ve been listening a lot of Lindsey Stirling lately (seriously, her music is amazing), so basically her whole Shatter Me album?! Her skill with the violin is astounding! You should definitely check out her channel here.

More Happy Than Not is one of my reads this week (though it’s on pause as I started Gathering Darkness, heheheh..) so I thought it would be a good fit to have a quote from it this week! And I haven’t reached this quote yet, but this is such a lovely one. ❤

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So that’s it for this week’s Spotlight Saturday! Once again, thank you so much for being with me on my blogging journey as it hits one year (I honestly still can’t believe it), make sure to look forward to a giveaway sometime this March! 😀 Unfortunately it won’t be of chocolate, but books are better, soooo you’re welcome. In advance. If you win. Ah, whatever. Point is, thank you!! Also, chocolate is delicious. That all made no sense whatsoever. Moving on, I hope you all check out the blogs and posts I mentioned above! ‘Cause they really are amazing. ❤ Have any of you read Glass Sword?? What did you think of it?

I hope you guys are all having an amazing Saturday!

Prepare yourselves for lots of fangirling… | (A few of) My Favourite Bookish OTPs

YES I AM MAKING A POST WITH MY BOOKISH OTPs. (!!!!!) Which basically means this post will be filled with an overload of squealing and happiness—you all know me by now, right?! XD I wasn’t going to do this post seeing how so many people already did it already, but afterwards, I’m like, screw it, I’m doing it! Pff, as if I’d pass up a chance to squeal over my favourite couples in books. (And thanks Becca for urging me to do this! ❤ I had so much fun hehe.)

So, obviously, this post will contain, like, only 0.000001% of all my favourite OTPs because I have too many to count—and as much as I’d love to list them all, I kind of don’t want to be sitting here until I’m 50??? And I doubt any of you do either, so… LOL I’m exaggerating, but you know what I mean.

If you’re new here, WELCOME. And if you aren’t new here, WELCOME. You have now entered fangirl territory. Ahem. *Clears throat*

-Ron and Hermione (HP)

Okay, so time to pitch in on the Ron-Hermione-Harry debate, I think! For the record, the way the books played out, I totally ship Ron and Hermione. Like YESS because they just complement eachother’s personalities so well! But, I must admit, if the books had played out differently and Hermione ended up with Harry, I wouldn’t mind that so much. I think it would work either way? Kind of? But Ron and Hermione are canon, so. I SHIP IT. ❤

I would put Ginny and Harry, but… I don’t really ship it. I dunno. It happened too quickly for me to actually root for it. Individually, I like the characters fine, but together, meh.

Okay, so I hope I didn’t shoot down anybody’s opinions! That so wasn’t my opinion. Ahem. So, moving on…

-Will and Tessa (The Infernal Devices)

Omg WESSA. *Inserts about a thousand heart eyed emojis* I ship these two SO DAMN MUCH. You don’t even know! Like, seriously, I think their love is just so beautiful. I literally have nothing else to say because seriously, I can’t even. ❤ ❤ They both just have so much in common, and also Will is totally swoon-worthy… LOL. But at the same time, there’s another pairing I (almost) equally love:

-Jem and Tessa

JESSSAAAA. Woo! Yes, I just put both Wessa and Jessa on here. Your point is…?? I’m sorry, but I must. Wessa is absolutely wonderful, but I can’t just neglect the loveliness that is Jessa! Also, as much as Will’s badboy-like character draws me in, Jem’s sweet personality is equally attracting. Him and Tessa are just as great as Tessa and Will! What to do? I LOVE THEM BOTH.

-Clary and Jace (The Mortal Instruments)

Okay so I seem to be on a Cassandra Clare roll here? Let’s just go with it, because why not. Clary and Jace are so amazing!!

-Magnus and Alec

Omggggg MALEC. I heart this sooooo much. That is all. Now let me go and squeal incomprehensibly.

-Isabelle and Simon

Okay, so I wasn’t totally a fan of this at first?? But by the end of The Mortal Instruments series, I was totally on board with Sizzy. Like, at the start I found their personalities just a bit too different for them to actually work, you know? But I found as the story went on they actually make a good pair. YAY.

-Cress and Thorne (Lunar Chronicles)

OMG CRESS AND THORNEEEE. IT’S MEANT TO BE. Seriously. I love this pair so much!! They are adorable and perfect and simply wonderful.

-Kai and Cinder

YESS FOR CINDER AND KAI! One of the two main characters I’ve known the longest, their romance is totally one of my faves. CUTENESS YAYYYY.

-Wolf and Scarlet

Wolf wasn’t my absolute favourite love interest admist all of them, but I will admit him and Scarlet are so perfect together! I love how their characters work so great with eachother. Also, it’s hilarious and so cute to see Wolf become all soft inside when he’s with Scarlet! XD

-Winter and Jacin

Even though we met these two characters last out of all the other main cast of characters, the romance between these two quickly became a favourite of mine. I loved SO MUCH to see the amount of love Jacin had for Winter, to protect her, to be around, to help. He sees more than just a crazy person, and their connection is so heartwarming.

-Safi and Merik (Truthwitch)

A ship from my more recent reads (well, in comparison to the other books listed), Safi and Merik are a tentative ship that I already love despite have only read about them in one book! I’d be totally heartbroken if they don’t turn out to get together.

-Iseult and Aeduan

From the same book as above, this one isn’t actually a canon pairing, but I feel like it could be?? I don’t know, maybe I’m wrong but they seem to have had a few interesting encounters and a romance between them would be totally cool. I ship it, haha.

-Percy and Annabeth (Percy Jackson, Heroes of Olympus)

Omg I love these two SO MUCH. You don’t even know. Maybe it’s because I spent so many books reading about them (10 books, to be exact), but I just feel such a strong connection to them—which makes me love Percabeth even more. ❤ So much so that if you dare hurt this ship I WILL eat you alive… Just kidding! Mostly. You get the point though, right? PERCABETH IS LIFE.

-Piper and Jason, Leo and Calypso, Frank and Hazel (HoO)

Okay, I feel kind of bad putting Percy and Annabeth seperately when I put the rest of the pairings together, but I kind of love Percabeth more? All the other pairings are absolutely fabulous, don’t get me wrong, but I don’t love them to an extent that they must all be seperate. Kind of sad but true? BUT. I do still love all of these pairings!! Bookworm’s honor, I promise I do.

-Rowan and Aelin (Throne of Glass)

I love this ship!! BUT I must admit I would’ve been okay with a platonic relationship between these two?? Does this mean this ship isn’t as strong as the other ones? I don’t think so. I still love this ship.. but I feel like there’s a ‘but’ added on to that statement. Oh well. I’m still (mostly) cool with this ship, so I’m putting it on here.

-Celaena and Chaol + Dorian

Okay, so despite the fact that I KNOW these two ships will probably never sail again, I can’t help but remember the love I had for both these ships; Celaena and Chaol and Celaena and Dorian. Ahh. I loved these so much, it only makes sense to add them to this list! #nostalgic

-Kaz and Inej (Six of Crows)

Let’s be honest here; how many of you are surprised this is on the list? Psshhh none of you, am I right?! Most of you probably know how much I love this pairing… and if you don’t, well now you know! But seriously. KAZ AND INEJ ARE MY BABIES. I love them so much!! ❤

-Nina and Matthias

OMG MATTHIAS= ❤ I love him just as much as Kaz—which means A HECK OF A LOT. And Ninaaa omg was absolutely fabulous. SO YESSSS totally one of my top ships.

-Jesper and Wylan

Now, I don’t think I talk about these two as often?? These two aren’t actually a thing, and Wylan felt more of a filler character than anything else, but him and Jesper would totally make a great couple.

-Feyre and Tamlin (ACOTAR)

A ship from another of Sarah J. Maas’s books, A Court of Thorns and Roses, Feyre and Tamlin made it onto my list of favourite bookish OTPs since I loved them so much when I read the book. Their romance was quite.. hot, let’s just say.

(Though can I just fangirl about Rhysand for a moment here?! Despite the fact that I ship Feyre and Tamlin, I find Rhysand to be such an interesting character! I’m intrigued to see if he and Feyre begin something…)

-Shahrzad and Khalid (The Wrath and the Dawn)

I’m repeating the same things over and over again, but literally no joke. This is literally an OTP, because IT IS JUST SO PERFECT. They both are simply amazing and I love them so much. I will fight you on this!! Also, I NEED THE SECOND BOOK!!

-Simon and Baz (Carry On)

If you haven’t read this book yet, I urge you to read it ASAP—if not for all amazing parts (that I unfortunately can’t all name), then for Simon and Baz because, I tell you, IT IS WORTH IT. I love them both so much!!

-Arin and Kestrel (The Winner’s Trilogy)

I haven’t squealed about this book (or this pairing) enough!! And omg I really should because it is absolutely amazing!!! PERFECTION, right here, guys. And a whole lot of squealing. From me, of course.

-Raffe and Penryn (Penryn & the End of Days)

I LOVED THIS PAIR SO MUCH!! Omg yessssss. ❤ ❤ I have nothing more to say. Ahem, let me go fangirl in a corner now, thanks!

-Juliette and Warner (Shatter Me)

I’ll admit, I wasn’t the biggest fan of Warner at first (I had totally valid reasons why though) but as I got to know him more, I totally fell in love. And in turn, I started to root for Juliette and Warner! They are totally one of my OTPs. ❤

A few pairings from contemporary novels…

-Peter and Lara Jean (To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before)

Ahhhhh apart from the fact that this is one of the CUTEST BOOKS EVER, Peter and Lara Jean will forever hold a place in my fangirling heart! *Heart eyed emoji*

-Eleanor and Park (Eleanor & Park)

Okay, so this book was so heartbreaking??!!!! BUT I LOVE IT SO MUCH. And I loved Eleanor and Park so much the more!! ❤

-Wes and Macy (The Truth About Forever)

Okaaaaay just let me go die in a corner… of all the feels, of course. ❤ ❤

-Anna and Etienne (Anna and the French Kiss)

If you’ve seen my latest WWW Wednesday or my review of this book, you know I’ve (finally) read Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins!! And I absolutely fell in love with Anna and Etienne. (!!!!)

-Cath and Levi (Fangirl)

EEEP LET ME SQUEAL HERE!! Ahem. *Iamtotallycalmwhatareyoutalkingabout* But seriously, Cath and Levi (Cevi? Lath?) are so perfect. HEARTS EVERYWHERE!!

-Simon and Blue (Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda)

Let’s just take a moment to appreciate the wonderfulness that is Simon and Blue, yes?? BECAUSE IT IS PERFECTION.

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Okayyy so this was not even half of all my ships (and seeing how there’s, like, 20 of them here, welll… I have a lot of ships, okay??! YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO JUDGE (you know you have thousands of them toooo don’t deny itttt) ahem. But this is a good 0.0001% of them, so it’ll do for now. 😉

Alright, so as much as I’d love to continuing talking (well, typing, technically), I don’t want to hog the conversation! So go!! Spread your wings and fangirl with me—I’m sure there’s at least ONE ship on here you can agree on, right? (Or so I hope…) Feel free to tell me what other bookish OTPs are your favourites down below as well, because OTPs are amazing and fabulous.

I hope this post was as amusing it was to read as it was for me to write! I shall now go off in the search of chocolate. And food. All that fangirling made me hungry. LOL.

Happy reading! (And I hope you all enjoy the upcoming weekend!!) Hugs!

Signs You’re Falling Out of Love With a Book (Or Already Have) | Book Snacks Babbles

Yay! Another discussion post! XD I hadn’t thought I’d be able to find the time to write this one for today, but I’m glad I did, because it was lots of fun to write this one. Let’s get into it…

If you’re a bookworm, chances are you’ve fallen in love with a book before. You know; the book you can’t help but squeal about TO EVERYONE (and I mean everyone), the book you relentless and consistently defend against haters, the book where you refuse and ignore to see the flaws, your go-to book for everthing—basically the book you forever love. (Don’t even deny it! You all probably have at least one book that fits this description.) One would think that once you fell in love with a book, persay, you’d forever stay in love with that book, right? Well… not exactly the case.

The ideal situation would be that you suddenly wake up one day and realize that you no longer adore a certain book that you had loved, and after a few minutes, you’ve accepted it. But alas, that’s not the situation most of us find ourselves in. Most of the time we don’t even realize when we’re falling out of love with a book—or if we already have. Am I right? Even right now, most of you are probably thinking in your subconcious, What?! This is ridiculous, I have never fallen out of love with a book. Well, either you’re in denial.. or you just haven’t realized (or maybe you’ve just been really lucky). Not matter what your case may be, here are some signs that you might be falling out of love with a book—or if you already have. You’re welcome. You may give me chocolate as payment.

Note; The Book refers to the book you fell in love with (but may be falling out of love with). Not sure if that makes enough sense, but just roll with it. Yes.

Signs you’re in the process of falling or have already fallen out of love with a book.

1. Thinking about The Book doesn’t make you feel as happy anymore.

You know those times where you’re absolutely adoring something, whether it be a song, an outfit, a specific desert, and every time you think about it, you feel, I don’t know, happy? Cheerful? Excited? It makes you feel a positive emotion, let’s say. This positive emotion is what you associate with the thing you’re loving. In our situation, a specific book. One of the key signs that you’re NOT in love with a book anymore, is that, obviously, you no longer associate a positive emotion with The Book. Whether it be because you replaced the positive emotion with a negative one, or because… well, I don’t know, either way, the book is no longer your go-to for happiness, you know? Or whatever emotion that it made you feel before. (Sorry, I hardly make any sense in these discussion posts sometimes.)

..THIS, well, you know you have a problem.

2. After re-reading The Book, you either feel…

a) Indifferent OR b) relief at finishing the book and being done with it. Both emotions signify that you’re no longer in love with this book. Ahem. If you tell yourself otherwise, well… TIME TO FACE REALITY, MATE.

Just kidding. It’s perfectly fine it this is the case, but really, common sense dictates that once you no longer feel deliriously happy (exaggerating a bit, but you get my point) or excited finishing your re-read of The Book, and instead you feel indifferent or simply glad because it’s over, then… you’re not exactly in love with the book anymore, now are you. (Well, I might be wrong, but most of the time when you’re in love with something, you don’t usually… well, feel.. INDIFFERENT to it. But you know, I might be wrong.*

*Pff, as if. I AM ALWAYS RIGHT. Well, almost always. And this is one of those times where I am. Yes.

If you end up like this after you read The Book, something’s definitely going downhill.

Or…

3. You no longer feel the urge to re-read The Book, period.

Okay, I know some people might play the whole ‘well, I’m not a re-reader’ card, but I doubt that if anyone seriously loves a book, they wouldn’t ever re-read it. Like, no. When you love a book, most of the time you end up re-reading it, for whatever reason. But maybe that’s just me.

POINT IS. You know you’ve fallen out of love with a book when you no longer want to read it. I mean, come on. I don’t have to explain the reasons behind this, right?? Good, because I have no idea what else to say. I think it’s pretty self-explanatory.

4. You start noticing more flaws… or start judging them when you didn’t before.

One possibility is that you’ve suddenly become a hella of a lot more perceptive and judgmental.. but if not the case, the alternate possibility is that, of course, you’re falling out of love with The Book, or you already have. Oftentimes, I’ve found, through my own experiences and what I’ve read and heard of others’, even if you’re generally critical about a book and hard to please, when you fall in love with a book, all the potential flaws that you would’ve noticed otherwise suddenly go unnoticed, or at the very least, not cared about. So when you start to pick up on the flaws, the things that aren’t so perfect about The Book (when you hadn’t before), you can probably take that as a sign that maybe you’re not loving The Book as much as you may have been before. Or maybe you just taught yourself how to be more critical when reading. I dunno. Depending on the situation, it’s most likely the former.

If this is you all of a sudden when reading The Book… you know what it means, right?

5. You become less defensive of The Book against haters.

So if someone was, say, talking about how much he/she disliked The Book, for example, maybe instead of secretly being defensive or miffed that someone didn’t like the book you loved (come on, admit it, this has happened to you before), suddenly you don’t care as much. Perhaps this isn’t the strongest sign out there (maybe someone just happens to not care much about what other think), but if you’re a person who generally takes others’ opinions to heart, and you’re suddenly not as defensive of The Book as you were, you can credit that to the fact you’re falling out of love with The Book.

“Haters gonna hate.” is your new motto!

6. You don’t NEED The Book anymore.

With so many books, it’s hard to pinpoint which of them you actually NEED. As in, the books that you love so much that you can’t live without. And if The Book is no longer one that you consider to be a part of the list, well… let’s use our brains here; you’re not in love with The Book anymore. It can be hard to accept—and the question why definitely comes to mind. Why does this happen? Why do we fall out of love with books? Well, that’s the next thing to talk about.

When you don’t absolutely need The Book… Well, you know by now what it means. LOL.

Why do you fall out of love with books?

Ah, the million dollar question. Why and what causes readers to fall out of love with books? It’s hard to pinpoint all the reasons, but I suppose there are a few I could come up with:

• The reading tastes might’ve changed. This is definitely one of the biggest causes. The types of books we read and the style we like is always subject to change, especially if we’re in the age where we’re transitioning from young teen to adult. For example, as a teen someone might’ve adored Twilight, but when they got older, their taste in books might’ve become more sophisticated or refined. I don’t know. But our changing reading tastes are definitely one of the biggest reasons for why we fall out of love with books, don’t you think?
• The reader has been separated from the book for too long. Maybe this will sound silly, but like, if, say, we forget about The Book for a long time, maybe afterwards when we go to pick it up again, a while later, since it’s been such a long time since we read it, we might no longer be interested in it, which will lead to falling out of love with the book. Unfortunate, but I think it’s one of the possibilities/causes.
• Too old. I suppose this kind of ties into the first point. With age, the types of things we read (sometimes/possibly) changes and this can definitely affect the falling in/out of love thing. When you get older, you find that there are a few things that you don’t like anymore, things that you perhaps liked as a child or something, but aren’t interested in anymore. So being too old for a specific book is definitely a reason I think.

Last minute babbling…

The important thing is, when (or if) you fall out of love with a book, don’t deny it! It’s okay when it happens. And now you have a few ways to identify how far out on the scale you are. XD Basically, if all of the signs I mentioned above apply to you, well.. hate to break it to ya, you’ve fallen in love with a book. But that doesn’t mean it’s a bad thing! I mean, sure, you don’t love a book as much as you did before, but it happens. Especially if the ‘why’ of the situation is related to reading tastes, well, there you go, that’s even more measurement that it’s okay because our reading tastes CAN CHANGE. And that’s fine. I promise.

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So what are you waiting for??! What did you think? Do let me know any other signs you can think of, if I haven’t mentioned it already. I’d love to know! Also, do any of these signs apply for you—AKA, have you ever fallen out of love with a book? (What book?) What do you think are some other reasons why people fall out of love with a book? Do you think it’s okay? I’m afraid I’m going to have to end this off here because this post is growing to be very long, but I hope you enjoy your Thursday everyone—oh, and happy babbling! ❤

I’m reading Glass Sword! So far it’s okay. | WWW Wednesday #41 (February 17th)

It’s Wednesday again! And so here I am with, of course, a WWW Wednesday post! It was another, busy, tiring week, but thankfully I had some extra time to catch up on some reading—yay!

WWW Wednesday is a meme hosted by Sam @ Taking On a World of Words), where we answer the following questions:

What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?

Currently Reading

• Glass Sword by Victoria Aveyard
• More Happy Than Not by Adam Silvera

I started Glass Sword a few days ago, I think? I haven’t gotten the chance to read it that often though, so I haven’t made as much progress as I would’ve liked, haha. So far it’s okay?? I mean, nothing note-worthy to say other than the fact that I think I’m suddenly a lot more indifferent to the characters.. that’s probably not a good thing. But still, off to a good start!

I also started More Happy Than Not, though I haven’t made much progress with it. I’m literally, only like, 10% through?? But I can’t wait to read more of it! I’m thinking though I might have to put it either this or Glass Sword on pause while I finish one or the other..

Recently Finished

• Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins
• Not If I See You First by Eric Lindstorm

Yes, I finally hopped aboard the Stephanie Perkins train! Well, I’m making my way, at least. I managed to finish Anna and the French Kiss quite quickly, and I really enjoyed it! I recently wrote my review on it too, which you can check out for a more detailed version of my thoughts here.

Not If I See You First actually went waaay past my expectations! I’m not exactly sure what I was expecting, other than the fact that I hoped it would turn out to be good since it sounded interesting. XD But it was such an entertaining read! I hadn’t read many (if at all) books from the perspective of a blind person, and Not if I See You First was written so wonderfully in that aspect. Hopefully I’ll get the chance to write up my review soon!

Read Next

• Wolf by Wolf by Ryan Graudin
• Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins
• Gathering Darkness by Morgan Rhodes
• A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab

Omg I swear I’m actually going to at least START Wolf by Wolf this week. I WILL. I swear, everyone is telling me to read this book and I see so many references to it—I can’t resist! I don’t know why I haven’t read it yet, to be honest. Maybe because fear of disappointment? Probably. But I shall be brave and I will pick this up as soon as I finish the books I’m currently reading! Lol.

So many people are squealing about the last book in the Anna and the French Kiss series, Isla and the Happily Ever After, that I can’t help but want to get to it quickly, which means reading the next book! Plus I have heard great things about Lola and the Boy Next Door, and am eager to continue with another Stephanie Perkins book.

The Falling Kingdoms read-along is still going on, and I believe we are due to start the third book, Gathering Darkness.. today! We have to have it finished by March 3rd, I think, so that’s plenty of time. I do want to read it soon though! I’ve heard that things get better in this one in comparison to the first two, so… #hopeful (Though the first two weren’t that bad, mind you.)

The sequel to A Darker Shade of Magic is being released this month, and I’ve been waiting FOREVER to actually pick this up (I’ve been telling myself that I would for so long!) so maybe putting it on the read next this week might push me to pick it up. I don’t know what has been stopping me, really. Maybe fear of disappointment? Oh well. Fingers crossed I’ll pick it up this time!

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So that’s it for this week’s WWW Wednesday! I managed to finish 2 books, and I really enjoyed them both.. so YAY! Seriously though, they were really good. I don’t know which book I should focus more on: Glass Sword or More Happy Than Not?? And for my next reads, I really want to read… um, all of them??! They all seem soo good! But I think I’ll be prioritizing Wolf by Wolf or Gathering Darkness first.

So, any thoughts, fangirling, opinions? Which book should I read after I finish the ones I’m currently reading? Have you read Glass Sword? Feel free to leave your thoughts down below, I always love a good chat. Seriously, I do. I probably talk more than I should all the time sometimes. Like now.

Happy Wednesday! ❤

Not all books hate families, I assure you..! | A list of books with pro-family themes

Happy post-Family Day! Who else in Canada is mourning the fact that work and school resumes now that the weekend and Family Day has passed? XD I know I am. Yesterday was Family Day for me—a fairly boring one, but whatever. No school means no school, right?—and so in honor of that, since I kind of skipped out on making a themed post for yesterday, I decided to make a list of books with pro-family themes.. today! It’s kind of sad how having positive familial relationships in books is so rare sometimes. I shouldn’t have to be digging through the bottom of the floor just to find books that have actual families, at the very least. But I digress. Onwards to the list!

Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling

No brainer, much??! The Weasley family is, without argument one of the best families out there. Not only are they totally awesome, they just ARE a family. You can’t even question it, because they’re so perfect. The bicker with each other, they support each other, they love eachother, and always have eachother’s backs. Really, I don’t know what else to say other than YES FAMILY. lol.

I’ll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson

This is one of my more recent reads (though I suppose not so recent when I think about it) and I was delighted to see the positive family themes in this one! There were a lot of issues for the characters to sort out regarding their family that involved… well, there were a lot of complications in the quest to having a happy family, but in the end, this book was so great in representing what true family is! (Also the sibling relationship in this one was great too.)

Falling Kingdoms by Morgan Rhodes

Now, some of you may be thinking about the familial relationships in this one and be like, really? all skeptical-like, but yes. I don’t know if anyone else noticed, or if this is just me grasping at straws but in the first book, I found Cleo’s family to be a good example. I mean, Cleo loved her sister and her father whole-heartedly, and would do anything for them.  It was nice to see at least a bit of a family theme in this book, you know, amidst all the death and stuff.

Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

I do realize that Cath’s mother was MIA for most of the book and definitely was not the best mom, but Cath, Wren and their father made up their own little family, and I totally supported them! I loved the pro-family themes in this one; especially with Cath and her father. She loved and cared for him so much, and that was really nice to see. The fact that the father cared so much about Cath and Wren in return was sweet too!

Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli

Simon’s family is absolutely hilarious! Omg I loved them. They were so supportive (I know I’ve been repeating that a lot, but it’s true!! Plus it’s a very important trait in families. *nods*) and they simply had a great dynamic. Also can I mention how wonderful it was for Simon to have such a close relationship with his siblings, and parents? Like YES.

A Thousand Pieces of You by Claudia Gray

To anyone who’s read this book, this one is a great example as well! Marguerite has two loving and understanding parents, as well as one sister. Yep, this is a sci-fi novel, and yep, I kid you not, she has.. wait for it… *gasp* a family. And it was so great! Also, while we’re at it, it was so interesting to see the different versions of her family too, in the various dimensions! This is definitely one book you might want to check out if family is important to you in books. 😉

If I Stay by Gayle Forman

I wasn’t, like, the biggest fan of this book, but it’s definitely a book that doesn’t neglect the power of family! A lot of the story is spent in flashbacks, and from there we can see how important Mia’s family is to her, as well as how they interacted with eachother. And it was clear that her family had a very positive relationship, so yay!

The Selection series by Kiera Cass

The Selection series is not without flaws, but I found it worth mentioning in this post seeing how it offers a relatively good example of pro-family themes. America’s family seemed pretty realistic, to a certain extent, and was generally very supportive of one another. I liked May and America’s relationship, though it wasn’t focused on much I suppose, as well as the relationship between America and her father. As for The Heir, Eadlyn had a pretty good family… mostly. America and Maxon were good, though some of their decisions involved some raised eyebrows on my part. But still. Point being; pro-family! *Claps*

Legend by Marie Lu

June and Day’s respective families are the reason for Legend being on the list. June’s parents were dead even before the book started (so no worries, it’s not a spoiler, you’ll learn that quickly anyway), but her relationship with her brother recieves a thumbs-up from me! I appreciated their strong bond. Day didn’t have the best family, in that they weren’t in the best condition, but their relationship was strong and filled with love. ❤ Agh. Why they don’t have more strong familial relationships in books, I don’t understand.

Twilight by Stephanie Meyer

I know, I know. Most of you are probably looking at the screen like, girl, really?! or something like that. But yes. This isn’t a mistake! Twilight actually does have a pro-family theme, as much as Twilight-haters might want to deny it. The Cullen family, though perhaps not popular, still does support the whole pro-family theme! The Cullens are very protective of one another, and love eachother.. in their own way. This may not be a favourite, but it still has a good family theme! Don’t kill me please.

Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard

Aaaand, last but not least, to conclude this list, I’ve put Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard! This book also has a pro-family theme going on (duh, that’s why it’s on the list), thanks to Mare. She obviously cared for her family quite a bit, and her family, despite their disapproval at times, returned that sentiment. It was refreshing to see that in a fantasy novel!

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So that’s it for this little list! I know (well, hope) that there are many other books out there with pro-family themes; if I’ve missed any that you’ve read, feel free to mention it below! I’m always on the lookout for books with families actually present, you know? Having no family in YA books has honestly become too common. But tell me what you think? Has families become sparse in YA? Is that a good or bad thing? What bookish families do you love the most? Let me know whatever thoughts you may have down in the comments! ❤ Happy Tuesday!

Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins | Book Review

Guess what book I FINALLY read?? Yep, Anna and the French Kiss! I kind of put down the book I was reading the other day, and was just like, okay, yep, Valentine’s Day is coming and so I’m just going to read it. I wasn’t planning on reading much of it, just start it, but… I kind of ended up finishing it within a day?? Whoops! And I know I’m behind on several other reviews of previous books I’ve read but since Valentine’s Day was yesterday I thought it’s only fitting to do a review on a book whose cover and synopsis literally screams romance. 😉

Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

Publication Date: July 16th 2013
Publisher: Speak
Genre(s): Contemporary Romance, Young-Adult
Series Status: Anna and the French Kiss #1
Page Count: 372
Source & Format: Owned, Paperback
Critical Rating: 4 stars

Synopsis from Goodreads:

Can Anna find love in the City of Light?

Anna is happy in Atlanta. She has a loyal best friend and a crush on her coworker at the movie theater, who is just starting to return her affection. So she’s less than thrilled when her father decides to send her to a boarding school in Paris for her senior year.

But despite not speaking a word of French, Anna meets some cool new people, including the handsome Étienne St. Clair, who quickly becomes her best friend. Unfortunately, he’s taken —and Anna might be, too. Will a year of romantic near misses end with the French kiss she’s waiting for?

So basically, the gist of my thoughts for the majority of this book comprised of me going ‘Ohmygodthisbookissoadorable!!!’ after which I kind of die of cuteness overload. It wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows though; there were some parts where I was incredibly put off by the characters, but entertainment-wise, this was really good! Let me go into more detail, though, because I think that might be helpful. Right…On to it!

Things I loved

• Omg Étienne…I finally see what everyone has been squealing about. He’s so adorable!! Where can I find a guy like this?? Cute accent, check. Sweet and thoughtful, check. Funny, check. Seriously, it’s these bookish characters which makes a girl like me mourn for the fact that in real life I have no chance of finding a guy like this… XD
• Also did I mention Étienne??
• Oh, and pro-friendship, anybody? I loved the friendship thing between Meredith, Rashmi, Josh, Étienne and, Anna. Loved it! It was so positive and showed the ups and downs and obstacles that a friend group has to deal with, you know?
• Ehhh, what else… oh! Anna was delightfully perfect for this book. I mean, yes, to be honest, I was SO DONE with her near 80% through the book, because kshfklsdhnfo, ugh no spoilers, but seriously. I just was turned off by the fact that she refused to LISTEN before making judgements (among other things). Gah, I already had to deal with that in another book I read previously, and.. just no. Also there was the fact that so much heart-ache could’ve been prevented if she had only been more perceptive! Ughh that was annoying, but I don’t begrudge her too much, because I do realize that without it all, the story would’ve been concluded much faster. XD And in the end, I appreciated how Perkins kept Anna’s character consistent; she was a high school girl, with flaws and occasional lack of judgement—what else to say? She was a very well-written character, in my opinion.
• Aaaaaand, no insta-love! I’ll admit, I was on the fence for quite some time, unable to decide if it was a case of insta-love or not, but, I have deduced that it’s more of a case of attracted-at-first-sight instead of love at first sight, if you know what I mean. Anna and Étienne started off as friends, and it simply progressed from there, I guess. There was development to their romance and friendship, you know? So YAY.
• I got to visit PARIS!!! Okay, not literally (duh) but oh how I wish it was! It would’ve been so amazing… but as it is, reading Anna and the French Kiss was  lovely in the sense that I got to visit and tour Paris along with Anna as  she visited many landmarks and touristic spots. The writing was fabulous for this aspect. Plus, it was with Étienne too, so…. Another positive, haha.
• Also, the cover looks so pretty on my shelves! Eep! I wish I had it in hardcover though. Oh well. And yes, this is a pro. Because #bookwormreasoning

Things I DIDN’T love

• Despite what I mentioned of Anna being well-written, she still managed to get on my nerves. I mentioned why a little up in the pros; her decisions and attitude could really be a turn-off. It didn’t get so bad, that I had to, say, throw the book and stomp around angrily, but it was bothersome all the same.
• Useless characters?? Okay, ‘useless’ might be too strong of a word, but… I wasn’t the biggest fan of Dave—or Toph, for that matter. At times it just felt like they were there to add more drama and ansgt… and perhaps maybe that’s why they were there, but.. meh. I didn’t care about them that much, especially Dave.
• The storyline kind of dragged on a bit more than was needed. I suppose this isn’t such a big deal, really, but to some it might definitely be a bigger issue. It’s just that with all the drama surrounding Anna and Étienne as they go back and forth between figuring out the lines between friendship and love interests and whatnot, the plot was (deliberately?) extended. You choose if that’s a good thing or not!

Overall…

I’m so glad I decided to pick this up! It was the perfect read for Valentine’s Day, and what’s more, it was totally adorable! If you’ve been procrastinating reading this book for whatever reason, I definitely recommend you give this a shot, unless you’re completely against contemporary romance. Though I will warn you all; although I personally enjoyed Anna, she’s not going to be everyone’s favourite! But chances are you’ll fall for Étienne, so I guess it’s even. But that’s besides the point. 😉 Anna and the French Kiss was an incredibly entertaining read and I can’t wait to read the next books! Although from what I understand the other two are companion novels… not quite sure how that’ll turn out, but fingers crossed!

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Sooo I think that’s enough talking for now. Let us discuss! Have you read this book? What were your thoughts? Have any of you actually ever visited Paris? (If you have, I would be insanely jealous omg.) Did anyone else fall in love with Etienne as I did?! Can you tolerate and enjoy a book even if you dislike the characters? Whatever thoughts you have, feel free to leave ’em below!

Hope you’re enjoying your Monday! Also, happy Family Day for those of you who live in a Canadian province! 😉

Types of Male Love Interests | Happy Valentine’s Day!!

HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY! Woot woot! I hope, if you’re with your special (wink wink) friend you’re enjoying yourself, or, if you’re all alone this V-Day, you’re surrounded by books (or family, but, you know, booooooks) because what else is better to be surrounded with? But anyway. I was going to do a bookish OTPs post today, but seeing how tons of other bloggers have covered that area already in the past few days, I’ve decided to do a different kind of post and talk about my types of book boyfriends I have met in books! I was debating over this and types of bookish couples/girl friends, but in the end I went with the book boyfriends. (But if you’d like a ‘types of bookish couples or girl friends’, let me know!) Let’s do this!

1. The player/bad-boy.

Kind of touched on this, I think, the other day when I talked about romance tropes we love or hate, but it’s definitely worth mentioning again! You know the type; he’s trouble, and the girl knows it. Oftentimes it concludes with said bad-boy changing his ways because he fell in love with the more ‘goodie two-shoes’ type girl. The player is a very common and popular type of book boyfriend; and if you’re read at least a few YA books, you know what I’m talking about. I’d offer examples, but… this one’s everywhere.

2. The possessive one.

*Cough* Edward Cullen *Cough* Just kidding… but not. If you’ve read or heard of Twilight, it’s definitely one of the biggest example of the possessive boyfriend! Whether you like this type of boyfriend or not is completely a personal preference, but it’s undeniable that this type is quite popular in YA! As far as I’ve noticed, anyway. The possessive boyfriend is the one who’s also usually VERY protective and rages upon anyone who threatens to touch or hurt his love.

3. The anti-hero.

This kind of ties into the first one, but at the same time, doesn’t. I’m talking more about the villainous sort of love interest, the one with a darker agenda, if you know what I mean. This type is most common in YA fantasy, dystopia, and the like, and can be very popular among readers! #Darkling Basically the opposite of a hero (duh, hence being called the ANTI-hero).

4. The best friend boyfriend.

This particular boyfriend is not only a love interest for the character, but is also a very close friend. I don’t know, this seems kind of uncommon sometimes? Like, sure, the usual book boyfriends are a good friend too, but.. there’s a few that are, like… I don’t know how to explain this without sounding completely bonkers, but basically, isn’t just a boyfriend, you know? He’s there to be a friend, too. (Which, to be honest, is what all boyfriends should be, but I guess I can’t say.)

5. The Prince Charming.

This type of boyfriend can be put two ways: one, he’s the type who always saves the day—the hero. Two, he generally always needs someone to save, protect. There’s a reason why the Prince Charming is associated with damsels! True to its name, the prince Charming-type boyfriend is often, well, charming, and, as I mentioned, saves the day or needs someone to save. To be honest, I’m kind of on the fence over how much I like this type. I don’t know. Also, is it weird that I kind of picture the Prince Charming in Shrek?? LOL that’s so random.

6. The hero.

I suppose this can be taken for Prince Charming, but… I don’t think so. The hero, to me, is the type who’s, you know, very loyal and brave, and strong. He’s willing to do what’s right for the one he loves (or whoever he’s loyal to). It’s more different than the Prince Charming, since.. Gah this is turning out to be the most confusing thing ever. But where the Prince Charming is sometimes, well, not as honorable as he seems, perhaps, the hero, is… the hero. I don’t think there’s anymore to add other than that.

7. The sweet and romantic.

Ahhh let’s bring out the awkward and adorable love interests! To be honest I kind of love this type alongside the bad-boy one—opposites, much? I know, lol. The sweet and romantic boyfriend, well, is exactly what he sounds like! These are the types that are sweet, thoughtful and (usually) very understanding. Oftentimes I also see this type with the best friend boyfriend—and it totally makes sense why! Étienne from Anna and the French Kiss and Simon from Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda both come to mind for this one!

8. The funny one.

By the way, by ‘the funny one’ I mean, you know, the type who’s almost always cracking jokes and smiling, not, like, the ‘weird one’ or something, though I suppose it could be that too. XD This type of boyfriend is often very charming, albeit a bit silly at times, due to his very charming and happy demeanor. I kind of love this type, because, who doesn’t like a good laugh?? Characters like Percy or Leo, can both apply for this one, don’t you think?

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So that’s it for this little post about types of male love interests! I know there are probably a lot more I haven’t touched on, so feel free to add any type of love interests YOU’VE encountered! Also don’t forget to mention; which types of these do you love? Which do you dislike? Also, let me know if you’d still like a bookish OTP post, or types of bookish couples. HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY!! *Virtual hug*

What Makes a Good Romance? | Book Snacks Babbles

Valentine’s Day is tomorrow! Hence another themed post for today—this time a discussion… about romance. Hey, what can I say? I like to get in the spirit of things! (…When I’m not being a sour lemon, that is. Which I like to think is not often, but I guess I’m kind of biased.)

So, it’s been incredibly clear, throughout the Young-Adult genre, romance is definitely one of the most common components. Am I right? Come on, you kind of have to admit it. For every one book without romance, there’s like, 20+ that have it. And I’m not saying that’s a bad thing. But I’ll be leaving the pros and cons of having romance in books for a discussion on another day. Today, I was thinking more along the lines of what makes a good romance. There’s so much romance in our books these days, why not talk about the ones that we love? Get comfy, and let’s babble!

*Clears throat* Ahem. There are a few things a good romance should and should not be, in my opinion. And, because it would be the most efficient way for me to share them with you, let me list them!

The things that make a good romance (in my humble opinion):

• They (usually) take us on some kind of adventure. And I don’t mean, an action-filled war and battle kind of adventure (although I suppose it could be). It could be as simple as conflict that prevents a couple from getting together, or an obstacle that the characters need to overcome, you know? (Although when you think about the conflict or obstacles aren’t exactly ‘simple’ but you know what I mean.) A romance—unless we’re talking about insta-love, I guess—should have the emotions, and obstacles that comes with falling in love, and that in turn becomes our little ‘adventure’, don’t you think?
• A good romance makes us feel things. No duh! There’s little point to a romance, to be honest, if the readers aren’t able to connect or feel things for the romance. Whether it makes us laugh, squeal or fan ourselves, there should be at least a semblance of feels involved! And admit it, the emotions we go through when reading romance are one of the best parts of the whole experience. It shouldn’t be limited to only one kind of romance either! Be it a sweet romance, a steamy romance, or a slow-burn, let’s bring on the emotions! Yes, please.
• They focus on character personalities, not only hotness level. Ever read those books where, say, the girl falls for the attractive, mysterious and moody, oh, and did I mention attractive, love interest? Uh yeah, you must have. And I’m not saying that’s a bad thing, nor that these kind of books aren’t good books. BUT for me, a romance is worth more and holds a bit more value and emotional investment, when I can see a character’s, well, character, not only attractiveness. Like, okay, I get he/she’s hot. Anything else? ‘Cause if not, well.. no offense, but you ain’t anything special. But having said that, that’s not always the case!
• Doesn’t overwhelm the plot. This doesn’t exactly apply to romance novels, seeing how the focus of romance novels is, the romance. But in genres such as fantasy, dystopia, sci-fi, etc, I’d prefer it if romance doesn’t, like, take up the whole plot—when it’s not what I’m there for, you know? That isn’t to say that books that do have romance-focused plots are bad, but it’s just that sometimes the romance can become slightly too distracting and does more harm than good, if you know what I mean (especially if it detracts from the purpose of the story).
• A good romance usually has enjoyable characters. Whether characters determine the level of enjoyability (yes, that is a word now) for every romance is hard to say, but just as it’s hard to like a story without liking the characters, it’s hard to like a romance without liking the characters involved in the romance, no? Of course this means that some readers might enjoy a romance based on the characters whereas another reader might not, so I suppose it’s kind of difficult to judge whether ALL ‘good’ romances have to have enjoyable characters. Because it’s also possible that a reader ends up liking a romance despite not being a fan of the characters. It’s not common, but it’s possible!
• They usually have satisfying resolutions. Ahhhh isn’t it just the worst when you feel as if the romance is ruined because of how it ended? Whether it be that the characters didn’t end up getting together, or a character died, or something..? Or perhaps the character got together with the person you didn’t want he/she to be with? I don’t know, I’m kind of just listing possibilities. But still. When the ending is ruined, it often feels as if the romance was ruined too, hence why happy endings are most common with romance novels. That isn’t to say you can’t have a good romance without a happy endings, but… happy endings are happy endings! They’re happy and that’s what most people look for.

Basically, at the end of the day, I just want to enjoy romance, and be able to connect with a story and its characters. Romance is often used as a device to rend the story more interesting—and I guess that’s what I look for in a good romance; entertainment. (And of course, another opportunity to ship bookish characters…As if I didn’t have enough ships already, oops.)

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As much as I’d love to go on, I think I’m going to stop there! However there are plenty more things, I’m sure, which makes up a good romance, so please feel free to comment on them down below! Again, happy pre-Valentine’s Day, I hope, even if you’re without a bae like I am, you still enjoy V-Day tomorrow. 😉 I suppose there are always books to keep us company, right?! I would love to continue this discussion though, so don’t hesitate to let me know your thoughts down below!

Hugs, and lots of love!!

The Valentine’s Day Posts Continue…! | R.I.P It or Ship It Book Tag

A book tag where I get the opportunity to ship characters with characters from other books?!! YES PLEASE.

Hello, and welcome to another Valentine’s Day-ish post—the R.I.P. It or Ship It tag!! This technically can be done at any time of the year, but I thought around Valentine’s Day was a fitting time, don’t you think?

So basically what we have to do is write down an even number of characters from books you’ve read on little slips of paper, fold them, mix them together, then pick up two names (without looking, of course!) and choose whether you ship it or rip it. I don’t think there’s any specific limit or a specific number as to how much you’re supposed to do, so yay! Freedom, lol.

This is going to be pretty hard, seeing how I LOVE MY SHIPS TO DEATH, but I shall give it my best. Yes. Because I’m brave like that. THIS IS HARD, people. And I’m saying this even though I didn’t start the tag yet. OKAY. Let’s do this. *Deep breath*

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So, I wrote down names from a variety of books—better get comfy because I kind of went overboard with the number of them?? But who cares, it was too hard to resist once I got started, haha. (I believe the books/series I used are: Harry Potter, The Infernal Devices, The Mortal Instruments, Twilight, Penryn & the End of Days, The Lunar Chronicles, Throne of Glass, The Selection, Red Queen, Shatter Me, Six of Crows, and Percy Jackson. Yes, I realize that’s an insufferable amount of books, but they’re awesome, so it doesn’t matter.) On to the rounds!

Round 1 – Jem (The Infernal Devices) + Bella (Twilight) 💔

OH MY GOD RIP RIP RIP!!! NO. I refuse to even think about the possibility of this, because this is just NO. Gah. I’m sorry, but sweet, precious and loving Jem deserves more than someone like Bella. No offence, or anything, but I love Jem and I cannot accept this ship. I refuse. RIP!

Round 2 – Raffe (Penryn & the End of Days) + Inej (Six of Crows) ❤

AGH this one is hard!! The fangirl inside of me is insistent on keeping Raffe with his ship (yess Penryn) and Inej with hers (omg Kaz yes)… but I have to admit this wouldn’t be so much of a terrible of a pairing! Inej is kind of like Penryn; they’re both really strong characters, you know? And both Raffe and Kaz have that bad boy quality to them… so I guess I’m going to say a tentative ship for this one?

Round 3 – Dorian (Throne of Glass) + Katniss (The Hunger Games) ❤

Omg Dorian!! My heart breaks for him, really. He was one of the first love interests I fell in love with while reading ToG, and I can’t really forget him! And Katniss, well, she’s Katniss. Although, again, I get the urge to rip this (I’m really biased, okay?) I’m going to put that aside and say ship, because I actually can kind of see this happening? Dorian has a fire in him, but he’s also such a sweet person, and I think that would go well with Katniss. SHIP.

Round 4 – Isabelle (The Mortal Instruments) + Jace (The Mortal Instruments) 💔

Omg nooooooo. What a coincidence it’s this pairing that came up though, LOL. But nope nope nope, this is an absolute RIP!! Aside from the actual ship (which is fabulous) Isabelle and Jace are like, no, pretty much siblings in every way that matters, so RIP.

Round 5 – Aspen (The Selection) + Will (The Infernal Devices) 💔

THESE PAIRINGS THOUGH. XD But seriously, nope!! I don’t see this.. maybe I’m just biased because Aspen was more of a ‘meh’ character to me than anything else and I LOVE WILL (not to mention Wessa!!) but this just doesn’t work. RIP.

Round 6 – Valentine (The Mortal Instruments) + Cress (The Lunar Chronicles) 💔

Okay, okay, I promise I won’t rip ALL of the pairings, but.. nooooope. Ripping this one for sure! Valentine, is like, twice the age (or even more) of Cress. SO EW. Also he’s evil, and.. Cress isn’t. She’s the opposite, really. More of a damsel than anything else, and definitely doesn’t deserve someone like Valentine! RIP.

Round 7 – Mare (Red Queen) + Juliette (Shatter Me) ❤

YES, FINALLY! A pairing that I actually.. kind of ship?! I mean, Mare and Juliette can both most definitely kickbutt, and I think their personalities would compliment eachother very nicely. 😀 So, SHIP! (But of course, Juliette and Warner is absolute perfection.)

Round 8 – Kai (The Lunar Chronicles) + Levana (The Lunar Chronicles) 💔

Another same-book pairing? And… THIS one, out of all things?! *Dies on floor laughing* If you guys have read the books, you know why I say RIP RIP RIP for this one! lol.

Round 9 – Hermione (Harry Potter) + Magnus Bane (TID/TMI) 💔

HA. I was kind of tempted to ship this one for a second—just because this would be such a hilarious and ridiculous pairing!! Okay, maybe in some alternate world this would work, but… I just don’t see this one? XD Maybe on Magnus’s side there might be some spark of interest, but nothing more than that, in my opinion. But it’s undeniable that this would be hilarious! But, RIP.

Round 10 – Celaena (Throne of Glass) + Cal (Red Queen) ❤

LOL I doubt Celaena needs ANOTHER excuse for an extra love interest (trust me, she has or has had plenty of those) but I think I’m going to ship this pairing! Celaena is kind of similar to Mare (who Cal’s attracted to), and Cal in turn seems like someone who Celaena would be interested in. Is it just me that thinks Cal is kind of like Chaol? Kind of, at least, you know? But, yes. Celaena and Cal wouldn’t be too bad! SHIP.

Round 11 – Thorne (The Lunar Chronicles) + Kaz (Six of Crows) ❤

Yay, another ship! This pairing actually works, in my opinion. Both of these characters have a sort of roguish charm to them and I feel as if they’d go perfectly together. (But the original pairings are totally OTP.) SHIP!

Round 12 – America (The Selection) + Tessa (The Infernal Devices) 💔

Wait a minute… wasn’t there an earlier pairing of Aspen and Will..? Aspen… America… Will… Tessa. Whoaaaa coincidence, much? But, like the earlier one, I’m going to have to rip this one too. I didn’t absolutely detest America, but NOPE I would definitely not put her with anyone deliberately, especially not Tessa! Nope, RIP. 

Round 13 – Kenji (Shatter Me) + Wolf (The Lunar Chronicles) 💔

As much I’d love to support this pairing… I just can’t. Nope. Their characters are just too different and I just don’t think it work, you know? I know there’s the whole opposites attract thing, but seriously, I don’t think this is one of those cases. RIP. 

Round 14 – Simon (The Mortal Instruments) + Edward (Twilight) ❤

LOLOLOLOL This would be the best comedy show everrrrrr. Omg this isn’t even a real ship, and I don’t actually ship this, but this is just too funny to rip. XD Sooo.. fake ship, I guess? (Even though technically these are basically all fake, lol.)

Round 15 – President Snow (The Hunger Games) + Harry Potter (Harry Potter) 💔

HA NOPE. Aside from the fact that President Snow is, like, the age of a grandfather (or a great-grandfather) and Harry is… well, waaaaaay younger (omg I kind of just died of disgust there…) this just won’t work! LOL. RIP.

Round 16 – Penryn (Penryn & the End of Days) + Cinder (The Lunar Chronicles) ❤

I can actually see this one happening!! Penryn and Cinder are both very determined, and strong characters and I think this would totally be an awesome pair. Just think about all the awesome things they could accomplish and all the people they’d be able to take down! 😉 YES. I ship this!

Round 17 – Nina (Six of Crows) + Maven (Red Queen) 💔

I swear, most of my reactions to these involve be dying on the floor laughing because… #LOL. Can you see this happening?? ‘Cause I certainly can’t… for a few obvious reasons—which I of course can’t name because of spoilers! But lol this is definitely RIP! (Also I love Nina and Matthias…!!)

Round 18 – Winter (The Lunar Chronicles) + Warner (Shatter Me) 💔

Agh, I seriously feel like I’m ripping basically all of these.. but I’m not trying to! These pairings are just not compatible.. not my fault! But NOPE I can’t see this. I just feel as though Warner would tire to quickly of Winter’s personality, you know? He’s not patient enough to endure her.. mental issues, persay. RIP. ALSO Juliette + Warner= OTP.

Round 19 – Percy (Percy Jackson) + Annabeth (Percy Jackson) ❤

OMG YES YES YES. (!!!) This is absolutely amazing—and I didn’t do this on purpose either!! Percy and Annabeth are one of my absolute OTPs, why are we even questioning this?! SHIP.

Round 20 – Jacin (The Lunar Chronicles) + Ron (Harry Potter) ❤

Ahahaha this would be the best bromance ever! Ron is a lot more relaxed than Jacin, and I think he’d be able to invoke a lot more humor and fun to Jacin’s character, you know? And Jacin in turn might appreciate it, who knows? SHIP.

Round 21 – Clary (The Mortal Instruments) + Adam (Shatter Me) 💔

Nooooooooo! First of all, ADAM IS A JERK. Second, ADAM IS A JERK. Now multiply that statement by 10. (Yes, he’s that much of a jerk.) Even if Clary isn’t perfect either, she doesn’t deserve someone like Adam! RIP.

Round 22 – Scarlet (The Lunar Chronicles) + Voldemort (Harry Potter) 💔

Ahhh yes, totally ending on a good note here, aren’t we? lol. But nope! (I feel like those two words have been the most used in this tag whoops.) This is VOLDEMORT we’re talking about. I’d rather see him dead, thanks, rather than EVER see him with Scarlet! Yeah, nope. RIP.

EDIT, February 14th:

I tag…

• Alex @ Alextheshadowgirl’s blog
• Alicia @ #LoveBooks
• Cristina @ My Tiny Obsessions
• Kat @ Life and Other Disasters
• Makayla @ Random Reads
• Marie @ Drizzle and Hurricane Books
• Michelle @ The Writing Hufflepuff
• Poulami @ Daydreaming Books
• Raven @ Dreamy Addictions
• The Orang-utan Librarian

I apologize in advance if you’ve already done the tag! If you have, no worries, just let me know or leave the link to it so I can come check it out. XD As usual, no pressure if you want or don’t want to do the tag!

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I had so much fun with this tag! (I laughed myself to death for half of these, soo YES FUN.) Unfortunately I’m unable to get myself to actually tag a whole bunch of people, so I mean this 145% when I say that I would love to tag you if you’re interested! I TAG YOU ALL. I’ll even go through the hassle of adding your name to the list. 😛 I just can’t go through the hassle right now, you see. This is such a fun tag that I would not want it to go to waste! So please let me know if you want to do it (YOU TOTALLY SHOULD by the way) because I’d love to see what you end up with!

Alright so.. now’s the time you let me know your thoughts!! Which of these pairings do you RIP and which do you ship? Do you agree or disagree with my choices? Let us discuss!!

Also, happy early Valentine’s Day! (I think I’m just going to repeat that all the way until Valentine’s Day actually comes haha). Happy reading, I hope you all enjoy your Thursday!