Things my bookish OTPs would do on VALENTINE’S DAY!

February 17, 2017February 17, 2017 Analee @ Book Snacks38 Comments

Hi, everyone! Happy belated Valentine’s Day!! ❤ I hope your day was great. 🙂 This post was actually planned to go up on Valentine’s Day itself, but obviously, that didn’t happen, as I didn’t get it finished in time–but I still wanted to share this, and didn’t want to wait ’till next year haha.

So most of you know, I have my bookish OTPs and I love my ships. I have many, many of them, and I won’t be including them all, but here are some of the things I thought a few of my bookish OTPs might do on Valentine’s Day!

Annabeth & Percy

“You promised, Seaweed brain. We would not get separated! Ever again!”

-House of Hades

In case you didn’t know, Annabeth & Percy are from the Percy Jackson series and also one of my most favourite bookish couples of ever??? Just fyi. They’ve been through so much, and the amount of Percabeth moments that have captured my heart ahhhh. But wait, we’re talking about Valentine’s Day plans, right. 😉

They will totally visit a) Camp Half-Blood and/or tour b) New Rome
Reason: Both of those places hold so much history for them, and I can totally see them having the sweetest and most amazing time in either of the two places.
Or, they visit Manhatten and have a romantic dinner at a fancy restaurant
LOL, nah, probably at a park or something because Percy forgot about Valentine’s Day
And stumbles a lot and improvises greatly when Annabeth asks about it
But then steals everyone’s hearts with his beautiful, thoughtful, heartwarming declaration of love (lol) to Annabeth
Though I vote for a recreation of the underwater lake kiss (!!!) (PLEASE THIS SHOULD HAPPEN) (!!!).
I’m totally calm about this.
That moment when you have no romantic life of your own so you obsess over a hypothetical situation for a fictional character
What is my life.

Kaz and Inej

“I’m a business man,” he’d told her. “No more, no less.”
“You’re a thief, Kaz.”
“Isn’t that what I just said?”

-Six of Crows

Can we please just admire the perfection–actually the perfection of the imperfection that is Kaz and Inej. (Kinej? Inaz?? Kanej???) They stole pretty much everyone’s hearts, and I’m telling you, if you haven’t read the amazingness that is the Six of Crows duology, you are missing out on so so so much. Namely this, but also so much more. But I digress.

Kaz and Inej’s plan for Valentine’s Day (as decided by me):

Another awesome business venture featuring Kaz: Scheming face™
Aka a heist and thieving of some sort
This is Kaz, after all
Very romantic.
Also waffles.
And heartbreaking but sweet moment between Inej and Kaz. ❤ ❤
More scheming face, because it’s KAZ
And wraithing. Possibly. And wraithing is totally a word. Psh.
Let me just say: such extreme contrast between this couple and the one above it! Yet I ship both?? THEY ARE MY CHILDREN. Except not. But whatever, don’t need to get into the technicalities.

Cress and Thorne

“Captain?”
“Yeah?”
“Do you think it was destiny that brought us together?”
He squinted and, after a thoughtful moment, shook his head. “No. I’m pretty sure it was Cinder.”

-Cress

Now, don’t get me wrong, I adore all the ships from the Lunar Chronicles series (if you haven’t started that series by the way, what are you waiting for?!) but I wanted to just focus on one of the couples because I didn’t want to overwhelm you with my nonsensical shrieking. Ahem. And Cress & Thorne are too cute to not mention!

Cress and Thorne’s Epic Valentine’s Day Journey™ features:

Cress and Thorne. Obviously.
Epic voyages through time and space
Nope, just space, they’re not time travelers oops.
But still epic voyages!
To tour earth, which actually, can be not-so-terrible in a fictional world where there is no longer any war or awful leaders of countries.
Because Cress always wanted to visit places on earth and Thorne is a sweetie pie
(Even if he tries to hide it)
But he makes Valentine’s Day perfect for Cress
+ Thorne witty remarks YES.
Sidenote: Cress likes traveling. Analee likes travelling, therefore, Analee = Cress
So it will also feature me, pretty much.
Or it has featured me because this is a belated post and Valentine’s Day has already happened.
My logic is outstanding.

Lila and Kell

I just had to include this omg. THIS IS <3 — I just had to include this omg. THIS IS ❤

GUYS A CONJURING OF LIGHT IS ALMOST OUT *cue squeals of excitement* I am so excited for this book, you guys have no idea (actually now you may have an inkling). I adored A Gathering of Shadows, but that ending was tortureeeeee I need this book so so much. Okay, so not the point of this post, but 4 days!! YES. The Shades of Magic series is so amazing, and ahhhhh okay. Done.

Their Valentine’s Day will most probably go horribly wrong, given their luck BUT it would be awesome anyway:

Ideally, Kell and Lila are safe in Red London, magic is flourishing, all my favorite characters are safe, and they get to stay together, for longer than 2 minutes without some threat overhead.
So basically what I’m praying A Conjuring of Light will end up to be. (Don’t dieeeeee please)
But also Kell and Lila have their own adventure, and Lila gets to properly explore Red London for enjoyment
They will dance at a ball and will have all the witty banter and sassy comebacks between the two
Probably lots of pirating and magiking.
#ValentinesDayGoals
Lila and Kell finding peace, finally and sharing a heartwarming moment but still super sassy because that’s how these two roll. 😉
I just need A Conjuring of Light right now *sob*
4 more days. We got this.

Happy belated Valentine’s Day, once again! ❤ What do you guys think of these hypothetical Valentine’s Day dates? What do you think your OTPs would do on that day? Let’s discuss. 🙂

Lots of love!

Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins | Book Review

February 15, 2016February 21, 2016 Analee @ Book Snacks21 Comments

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!

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!!

February 14, 2016February 14, 2016 Analee @ Book Snacks25 Comments

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?

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

February 13, 2016February 29, 2016 Analee @ Book Snacks21 Comments

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.)

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

February 11, 2016February 14, 2016 Analee @ Book Snacks39 Comments

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*

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…

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!

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!

Books You’ll Want to Cozy Up With This Valentine’s Day! (Or any time you crave a romance, really.)

February 9, 2016February 9, 2016 Analee @ Book Snacks32 Comments

Another Valentine’s Day-themed post?? You’re asking. Why yes, I’m glad you’re so observant. (Hehe.) I apologize if you’re getting overwhelmed by the ooey-gooey and cheesy romance-related posts going on this week, I promise I won’t go too overboard with this one. With Valentine’s Day just a matter of days away, I’ve decided to give you all a list of books you’ll want to read for this Valentine’s Day! Or basically any time you crave an entertaining romance. *I am also linking this up with Top Ten Tuesday, hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. This week’s topic is a Valentine’s Day themed freebie… and it’s obvious what I chose. ;)* Let’s do this!

Sarah Dessen

Omgomgomg Sarah Dessen is so amazing. I’m not even exaggerating here! (Okay, maybe I am a little, but you get my point, right??) She has written so many wonderful contemporary books I can’t help but be in love. Here are some you should definitely try out:

The Truth About Forever: Omg I love this book so much.. I can’t even. This was definitely more on the sappier side, but it was so adorable and so full of things I loved. I know, could I be any more vague? (Probably.) Sorry, looks like you’ll just have to go read it, hehe.
Just Listen: I know I’m not alone when I say I love this book! (At least, I hope not.) Some people didn’t like this book, but I definitely still recommend you give this a try if you’re up for a contemporary. Most likely it’ll be worth it!
This Lullaby: Ahhhh such a lovely story! I loved this book and just… agh. I’m running out of words but seriously. This book was so much fun to read! I loved it. (Duh)

It was so hard to choose just 3! I mean, I could’ve chosen more, but then it would be even more difficult.. if that makes any sense. Bottom line is, just go read these pronto if you’re looking for sweet romances!

Kasie West

The Fill-In Boyfriend: SO ADORABLE omg. I know not everyone loved this book, but seriously, this book is so cute. I can’t really offer more other than aiolksfdhadfgnkldnfglaeg, but if you’re interested you can check out my review on it! Just go read this book. Now. Ahem.
The Distance Between Us: Ahah so much fun to read! ALSO MORE ADORABLENESS. The cover just screams it! Also it’s quite entertaining and soooo sweet. This is definitely a book I wouldn’t mind re-reading! Unfortunately I don’t have a review on it, you’ll just have to take my word for it.
On the Fence: You guys are probably getting tired of my vague, and common comments for these, but… THIS IS SO CUTE. Can you see how much I kind of love Kasie West?? They may not be for everybody, and they may not be the best works out there, but they’re entertaining, I’ll give you that much. Or maybe that’s just me?

Hehheh now that I look at this it’s clear that I basically have the same comment for each one, whoops probably should’ve left it with just one general comment…

Emery Lord

The Start of Me and You: This is Emery Lord’s… sophmore novel? I think? I haven’t read her debut yet, but I definitely plan to seeing how this one was so adorable! Definitely also looking forward to her other upcoming novel, When We Collided.

Jenny Han

To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before duology: This duology is so adorable! I remember loving it when I first read it. Even if it’s not absolutely perfect, it’s still a super entertaining read!
Summer trilogy: This one, I’ll admit, I enjoyed a bit less than the above duology, but I find that it was still tolerable. And who knows, for some this may become a new contemporary favourite!

Rainbow Rowell

Fangirl: Omg if you haven’t read this book I highly suggest you go pick it up right away! It’s such an amazing book.
Eleanor & Park: Same goes for this one! However, I don’t recommend you read either this or the above if you’re not a fan of slower plots. But if you think you can endure it, definitely try it out!
Attachments: It’s a really sweet novel if any of you are interested! It’s not YA though, I believe it’s Adult??
Carry On: SIMON AND BAZ..! Of course there are other good parts to this but the romance in this is amazing! If you have time and commitment to spare, this is definitely a good choice.

Some other books you might want to check out…

The Heartbreakers by Ali Novak
Extraordinary Means by Robyn Schneider
All I’ve Never Wanted by Ana Huang
Playing the Player by Lisa Brown Roberts
Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli
The Summer of Chasing Mermaids by Sarah Ockler

All very wonderful books, I assure you!

Books on my TBR that are said to be perfect romance material

Anna and the French Kiss series by Stephanie Perkins

I’ve been hearing so many praises of this series! Apparently it’s an amazing contemporary series… I promise I’ll read it one day!

Books by Morgan Matson

Amy & Roger’s Epic Detour, Since You’ve Been Gone and Second Chance Summer have all been so hyped up! I can’t wait to read them (though I’m kind of scared, hehe). I do hope they don’t disappoint!

Books by Cammie McGovern

Say What You Will and A Step Toward Falling seem like such cute reads! I definitely hope to read them both sometime.

Books by Jessi Kirby

Golden and Things We Know by Heart are both I have on my TBR, for they seem like they could be really interesting! I’ve seen both positive and negative reviews for each—I’m hoping once I read the books myself, it will be towards the positive for me!

Books by Huntley Fitzpatrick

On Goodreads: My Life Next Door, What I Thought Was True, and The Boy Most Likely To

Huntley Fitzpatrick’s books seem so adorable! The perfect romance read, I think. Definitely want to read them one day!

And that’s all for this post! I hope you all enjoyed my Top Ten Tuesday-inspired post about books to read this Valentine’s Day. ;D (Of course you guys did, right?) Now it’s your turn; what books on here have you not read? Which did you like? What books on my TBR should I read first? What other romance books do you think is perfect for Valentine’s Day? (I like and want recommendations. Please and thank you.) Tell me whatever thoughts you may have down below! And feel free to let me know what topic you chose for this week’s Top Ten Tuesday!

7 Romance Tropes You Know You Secretly (Or Not-So-Secretly) Love and Hate

February 8, 2016February 14, 2016 Analee @ Book Snacks41 Comments

Tropes are everywhere these days! Even though not everyone loves them, some are just really fun to read. And so, in honor of Valentine’s Day, I’ve decided to make a post listing 7 romance tropes you either love or hate! I thought it would be a fun post to do, so… Let’s do this!

1. Love Triangle

Now, this one is definitely one of the reasons I felt compelled to add ‘hate’ to the title here. I know a lot of people hate this one—though to be honest (for some this may not be anything new) love triangles don’t bother me as much as some other people. ‘Cause well-written love triangles are actually really good! *cough* The Infernal Devices *cough* They can bring out so many emotions, and also contribute to character development so.. #I’mhappy But I’ll be the first to admit that love triangles that are poorly written are definitely not something to like! But when they are…

2. Forbidden Love

Now, I’m not sure where exactly this falls into; it has both its lovers and haters, as most everything in this world! I find this often in fantasy, paranormal or dystopian/sci-fi novels, but it has a presence in contemporary novels too. I don’t mind this trope that much, although it definitely depends on the actual execution and the story. You know the type; even if the two characters are in love with eachother, there’s something that’s preventing them from actually being together. Often times I see this alongside a love triangle; one of the love interests are ‘forbidden’ if you know what I mean.

3. Insta-Love

Sound familiar? You bet it does. The trope of insta-love is well known.. although not that well-received by readers. And I can totally understand that! Insta-love is just so hard to relate to sometimes, and us readers being the cynical and sour lemon (not that there’s anything wrong with that) it’s not that believable either. Often times this is a trope that cause people to disregard romance in a book, which is unfortunate, but it does have its fans—after all, if it didn’t, why would authors continue to use it so much?

4. Best Friend Romance

I think this is definitely one of the most-loved tropes..? Maybe? It could be just me, but this trope is really popular—and I totally see why! It’s one of my favourite tropes too, no matter how many times I read it. Reading a story where a pair of close friends fall in love is just so sweet and heart-warming! It’s kind of hard to resist that charm. Not that most people want to, right?

Basically me when I read a fluffy best-friend romance… IT’S JUST SO CUTE.

5. The Player/Bad boy

The player/bad boy trope is one I’ve seen often (or so it seems), whether it be a romance novel, a fantasy novel, or a paranormal. The main male character is labelled as a ‘player’, and has a reputation for playing the field, seeking relationships usually without much emotional attachment other than lust, until he meets his one true love. You can’t deny hearing this one before, it’s must’ve been in at least ONE of the books you’ve read!

6. The fake boyfriend

I actually haven’t seen much of these, but it’s a trope that I admittedly love, or at least usually enjoy. The idea of it is just so much fun (though in essence maybe it’s not the best written trope) and I found myself enjoying the previous books I’ve read with this trope quite a bit (To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before, All I’ve Never Wanted). Basically one of the characters (usually the female character) take another character to pose as their boyfriend, for some given reason. It sounds kind of ridiculous? But I assure you, it’s fun to read, and totally swoony! (Even though swoony is not a word, shhhhh. It is now.)

7. Best friend’s brother/sister

Generally this goes for older siblings? The protagonist has a crush on his/her friend’s older brother/sister, usually some family/friend thing that prevents them from getting together, etc etc. You know how it goes. I’ve seen this pretty often, I have to say, and most times I believe I enjoy it! Sometimes though it comes off as extra cliché and becomes annoying to read about, but there are definitely times where it’s very well done (and not, you know, creepy or weird or something).

Aaaaaaaaand that’s a wrap! 7 romance tropes that you either love or hate, in honor of the upcoming Valentine’s Day! Be sure to let me know down below: which one is YOUR favourite trope? Which ones do you hate? What other tropes do you love? Let me know in the comments!

Awesome Gifts To Get Your Resident Bookworm for Valentine’s Day | Bookish Gift Guide (AKA Things You Should Immediately Buy For Me)

February 7, 2016February 14, 2016 Analee @ Book Snacks28 Comments

Guess what celebration is right around the corner? That’s right, Valentine’s Day. And so, because I’m so very nice (or so I like to think) in honor of that measly little celebration where people expect you to get them things, I’ve decided to make things easier for any of you struggling to find the perfect Valentine’s Day gift for that special someone, a family member, or yourself (because it’s important to gift yourself these things *nods*) or if you want someone to get you something good for Valentine’s Day, well, you’re welcome! And even if this post isn’t much help and ends up making you jealous for the things you don’t have (AKA ME RIGHT NOW) … well, I’m glad you stopped by! XD Just kidding. It’s always fun to look at bookish gifts either way, am I right?!

So.. before I ramble any further and bore you all to tears, let’s get on with a few bookish gifts that you might want to get for me your resident bookworm!

Although, please note: None of these pictures belong to me! Credit goes to respective owners.

To be honest, Etsy or Red Bubble (and Society6) are your best friends for bookish gifts! There’s soooo many options, so many ideas for bookish gifts that basically any bookworm would enjoy! To start off, here are some bookish necklaces (from a variety of Etsy stores) to drool over…

Find them here: A Thousand Pieces of You | A Court of Thorns and Roses | Anna and the French Kiss

Or there’s this Will Herondale one… 😉

Find it here.

Also, HOGWARTS. AND HARRY POTTER. Yessss.

Or simply this one because, well, do I need to explain??

(Find it here.)

There are also other ones you can check out here. Someone get me all of these, quick! XD (Oh, and be sure to get some for other people too, if you want.)

To continue the theme of bookish necklaces…

It’s kind of perfect for Valentine’s Day, am I right?! Find it here.

There’s also things like:

Find them here: Bloggers Gonna Blog | Reader | Writer

Perfect, I tell you, PERFECT.

For more in this style, check out the store.

This is actually so perfect!! Not to mention 100% true. Find it here.

Soooo I should probably move on to other bookish gifts before I fill up this whole post with bookish necklaces… BOOKISH MUGS, here I come!!

What more could be better than a mug? A bookish mug, of course, and this one is absolutely perfect. Find it here!

Okay, I must confess (although most of you probably know all of this already): I haven’t read the popular Stephanie Perkins books from which this mug is based on. BUT I do plan on it! This mug looks sooo pretty and it’s definitely urging me to read the books, haha. Find it here.

A mug with a quote from The Infernal Devices? YES PLEASE. Find it here!

Everyone loves pillows, right??

I mean, who doesn’t? What better than to have a comfy pillow next to you in case you fall asleep reading? And a bookish pillow, at that? Pff, I don’t get why you guys all don’t have this already. (I don’t have this either but hussshhhh. ~~That’s why you guys have to look at the following pillows and get them for me.~~)