Discussion Post: Who are You?  Finding Your Voice as a Blogger

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Who are You?  Finding Your Voice as a Blogger

I’m celebrating my 2nd Blogoversary this week (I’ll be hosting a giveaway soon to celebrate that, by the way, so stay tuned!) and as I start my third year, it really has me thinking about how far I’ve come and what some of my biggest challenges were starting out as a newbie.

I think where I struggled most, aside from the actual mechanics of setting up a blog and getting started, was figuring out who I am as a blogger – finding my voice, so to speak.  When I first joined the community, I was easily intimidated because there are just so many bloggers out there with these confident, energetic personalities who have amassed tons of followers.  All I could think was “Who is going to pay attention to shy, awkward little me when there are all of these amazing and vibrant personalities out there?”

 

Now, that said, while I know it may be tempting to try to model your blogging voice after bloggers like that, if I could offer one piece of advice to new bloggers, it would be this…don’t do it.

Why?  Here are my thoughts on the subject as they have evolved over the past two years, every time I have doubted myself and felt like maybe I should do something differently:

  • Even the biggest blogger started out small and had to find his or her way as well. Maybe they now have thousands of followers but chances are, it has taken them years to build that kind of following. It doesn’t necessarily have anything to do with personality. It’s all about putting in the work to make your blog and online following grow.
  • If you model yourself too closely after a “big” blogger, eventually someone is going to notice and probably say something and, ugh, who needs that kind of stress and awkwardness in their life? Not to mention if what you’re trying to do doesn’t really reflect who you are as a blogger, are you really going to be able to keep it up long-term?  Or want to, for that matter?
  • Why would you want your blog to reflect someone else’s personality and style when you have a personality and style of your own?
  • Wouldn’t the blogging community be boring if we all sounded exactly alike?

When I think about the bloggers I enjoy interacting with the most, it’s not necessarily the bloggers with the most effervescent personalities that I’m most drawn to.  Yes, of course I enjoy those vibrant and energetic bloggers too, but the ones that reel me in and keep me coming back are those blogs, big or small, where I feel like I’m getting to know the blogger a bit each time I visit and read their posts.  Whatever their personality happens to be, it comes shining through and I feel like I’m making a real connection with someone.  And I honestly don’t think I’m alone in this.  Aren’t many of us in the blogging community trying to make connections with people we think we’ll like and share interests with?

So, that said, the point of my post is that even when we’re having doubts about whether we’re good enough, we should still strive to be ourselves, no matter what.  If you’re a bubbly, energetic person, then by all means, make your posts reflect that, but if you’re quieter and more subtle, that’s cool too.  And if you’re a ranter, rant away! In short, you be you and your confidence as a blogger will grow, and, best of all, your tribe will find you. ♥

 

 

Discussion Post: Books Guaranteed to Pull Me Out of a Reading Slump

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It has happened to us all at some point.  One minute you’re on a roll, reading one incredible book after another, and then boom, it hits…the dreaded reading slump.  As soon as the slump hits, you try book after book from your TBR pile, but nothing seems to satisfy and instead of being the wonderful hobby that you love so much, reading suddenly becomes a chore.

I’ve been fairly lucky on this front and (knock on wood!) have only fallen into a reading slump a few times in my life so far and most of those were in college when I was required to read a lot of books for my English major that didn’t necessarily appeal to me.  But man, when those slumps do hit, they just make me so depressed.  Seriously, is there anything worse for a book lover than to suddenly not enjoy reading anymore?

Usually switching to a different genre for a while is enough to help me bust through my slumps, which is how I’ve developed such eclectic tastes in books over the years, but every once in a while, changing genres is not enough.  Sometimes I just have to set aside my entire TBR pile and go back and revisit some cherished old favorites that always remind me why I fell in love with reading in the first place and give me the kick in the pants I need to get back on track with my reading.  

 

So what are my go-to slump busting reads?

 

CHILDHOOD FAVORITES

 

There’s nothing like taking a moment to go back and rediscover those favorite characters and settings from my childhood.  I’m a huge fan of doing this, especially now that my son is old enough to read my childhood favorites.  I’ve been trying to instill a love of reading in him so it has been wonderful for us to read and enjoy my childhood favorites together. He gets to discover these wonderful characters for the first time and I get to take a stroll down memory lane.

 

BOOKS THAT RESONATE

 

 

These are books that no matter how many years have passed since I first read them, I still think about them.  They taught me lessons that have stuck with me to this day and they are books that are guaranteed to make me think.  These are books that I remain passionate about no matter how many times I re-read them.

 

BOOKS THAT MAKE ME CRY

 

I don’t know about other readers, but sometimes I think my reading slumps are caused by other things that are going on in my life at the time.  It’s not necessarily the books I’m reading, it’s just me.  Whether it’s work stress, family drama, or whatever, just something gets all bottled up inside and when that happens, I feel like I need an emotional release and so I will reach for a book that I know will give me that good cry.

 

BOOKS THAT MAKE ME LAUGH

 

 

On a similar note, maybe a good cry isn’t what I need. Maybe it’s a good laugh.  I don’t read a lot of funny books so this can sometimes be a challenge, but there are a few silly books out there that I love to pull out when I need some laughs.  I know Pride and Prejudice is technically more of a romance than anything else, but the banter between Elizabeth Bennett and Mr. Darcy, not to mention the silly antics of Mrs. Bennett, is always good for a laugh.  And I’ve all but abandoned the Stephanie Plum series for now, as I mentioned in this week’s Top Ten Tuesday post, but let me tell you, if I hit another major reading slump, I wouldn’t hesitate to grab a book or two from that series.  If the misadventures of Grandma Mazur and Lula don’t bust a reading slump, nothing will, lol.

 

HARRY POTTER

 

   

Yes, this series is in a category all by itself.  I didn’t read it until I was an adult so I can’t consider it a childhood favorite. But in a lot of ways, it covers all of the other topics above and then some.  There’s just something about picking up one of these books that feels like coming home. Whenever I read them, I not only fall in love with the characters and the story all over again, but I also think about how many other readers this series has captivated over the years.  This is the series that made so many people fall in love with reading, and I get caught up in that spell and all is right with the world again (at least as far as my love of reading anyway, lol).

 

 

So, what about you?  What kind of books do you turn to when you’re trying to pull yourself out of a reading slump?

Lessons Learned: Blogging While Traveling (Discussion Post)

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For me, and I imagine for most of my fellow bloggers, the key to enjoying your blogging experience is to figure out what works and what doesn’t work for you.  I’ll be celebrating my second blogoversary in a couple of months and I know so much of these first two years has been about finding my way – trying new things and discarding them if they aren’t working for me, sometimes tweaking them slightly along the way just to make sure I can’t figure out a way to make things work.

One of the areas where I think I’ve learned the most about myself as a blogger is when it comes to blogging while traveling.  When I first started blogging, there was no way I was going to go off and leave my blog sitting silently for days or weeks while I was traveling, so I would pack up my laptop, my planners, and anything I thought I might possibly need in order to blog while away from home.  I hadn’t mastered the art of scheduling posts ahead of time at that point (and I still haven’t, but let’s not go there right now, lol), so in my overly ambitious mind, I was going to vacation all day and then fit in a little blogging at night.

Source: Pinterest

I’m not even sure why I thought this would work because those who know me know that when I plan trips for myself, I pack them full of activities (tours, shows, shopping, museums, whatever) and rarely have much down time. I like to go, go, go and then crash and burn once I get back to the hotel at night, lol.  So there’s little chance I’m going to get any reading done while I’m traveling, much less write any blog posts.  So yeah, I lugged around my laptop and books that whole trip for no reason.

The second trip I took, I was determined to learn from my mistakes so I didn’t even pack my laptop.  I still had that fear of leaving my blog sitting quietly while I was gone though, so this time I did get my act together and scheduled some content to post while I was away.  So instead of packing a laptop, I just packed an iPad and decided I would confine my blogging time to the train ride and would just use that time to basically blog hop and keep up with comments on my posts as they went up.  Unfortunately that was a fail for me as well.  I fell asleep for most of the train ride in both directions and just never got around to even opening the iPad once I reached my destination.

While this was, in theory, much more practical for me than lugging my laptop all over the place, it ultimately still wasn’t the best course of action, especially since once I got home, I had days and days’ worth of comments to catch up on from the posts that had gone up.  Plus, because I’m still working on my procrastination and scheduling skills, and even though I had content ready for while I was gone, I had no content ready to go once I returned so I still managed to create stress for myself, lol.  My trip was in late October and I felt like it took me until nearly December to really get myself back on track.

Source: Pinterest

I’m not sure when I’ll be taking my next trip, but after these two experiences, I’ve finally come around to the idea that, for me anyway, it’s perfectly okay to let my blog sit for a few days.  It has taken me two years to get to this point, but I’m thinking the best course of action for me is going to be to just make a short blog post letting people know I’ll be traveling for a few days and that I’ll resume blogging once I return.  At the same time, I will be doing my best to schedule content ahead – not to post while I’m gone — but instead, to actually begin posting once I return home.  That way I have a few days to get re-settled and recover from my travels and have the flexibility to blog hop and return comments without feeling like I’m falling behind.

We’ll see how that plan plays out, but I feel like it’s the least stressful and most practical option for me based on my travel and blogging habits.

Source: kadampalife.org

 

And you’ll notice that all of this is self-inflicted.  I know the blogging community is totally cool with me taking a hiatus whenever I need to.  It has just been me putting unnecessary pressure on myself, which is apparently what I do, lol.

So what about you?  Is blogging while traveling a “do” or a “don’t” for you?  Have you learned any tips along the way that have made it possible for you to blog while traveling?  Or are you okay with taking a mini hiatus while vacationing?

Top 10 Books I Hope Santa Brings Me This Year

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Top Ten Tuesday is a fun weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.  This week’s topic is Top Ten Books I Hope Santa Brings (If you celebrate a different Winter holiday, adapt this topic to fit it!).  This wee’s topics was pretty easy to complete since I seem to always have an endless list of books that I would love to own but haven’t gotten around to buying for myself yet.  Here are some that I would love to wake up Christmas morning and find under my tree.

 

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Top 10 Books I Hope Santa Brings Me This Year

 

HUNTING PRINCE DRACULA by Kerri Maniscalco

THE LANGUAGE OF THORNS: MIDNIGHT TALES & DANGEROUS MAGIC by Leigh Bardugo

SIEGE AND STORM  by Leigh Bardugo

THE FIREMAN  by Joe Hill

THE CHILD FINDER  by Rene Denfeld

GEMINA  by Amie Kaugman, Jay Kristoff, and Marie Lu

GODSGRAVE by Jay Kristoff

BEFORE WE WERE YOURS by Lisa Wingate

WONDER by R.J. Palacio

HALF A YELLOW SUN  by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

 

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Question:  What books would you like for Santa to bring you this year?  Happy Holidays, everyone!

The Bookish Libra’s Top 10 Favorite Books of 2017

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Top Ten Tuesday is a fun weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. This week’s topic is Top Ten Favorite Books of 2017, which gives us all a chance to share the reads that really blew us away this year.

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Overall I’ve had a fantastic reading year so it was hard to pick just ten favorites.  Here are ten books that really resonated with me, books that I haven’t been able to stop thinking about in the weeks and months since I read them.

 

TOP 10 FAVORITE BOOKS OF 2017

 

1. THE HATE U GIVE by Angie Thomas

Read my review…

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2. A CONJURING OF LIGHT by V.E. Schwab

Read my review…

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3.  THE GIRL IN THE TOWER by Katherine Arden

Read my review…

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4. THE RULES OF MAGIC by Alice Hoffman

Read my review…

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5. DEAR MARTIN by Nic Stone

Read my review…

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6. STARFISH by Akemi Dawn Bowman

Read my review…

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7. THE ALICE NETWORK by Kate Quinn

Read my review…

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8. STRANGE THE DREAMER by Laini Taylor

Read my review…

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9. MR. DICKENS AND HIS CAROL by Samantha Silva

Read my review…

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10. WHAT HAPPENED by Hillary Rodham Clinton

(Find out what it’s about…)

Hillary’s book was the only one of my favorite reads that I didn’t review on my blog.  As most of my blog readers know, I’m a huge Hillary fan so I knew any review I wrote would be very biased. I’ll just say that as a Hillary fan, this book was everything I needed it to be.

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Question:  What were some of your favorite 2017 reads?  Did any of my favorites make your list?

Gift Ideas for the Book Lover on Your Holiday Shopping List

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So you’ve got a book lover on your holiday shopping list and have no idea what to get them?  First of all, let me just say that we book lovers are actually pretty easy to shop for, well, unless you’re trying to actually buy us books, that is.  Since we buy so many books ourselves and, at least in my case, are way too impatient to wait for someone else to buy them for me, it can be challenging to find me a book that I don’t already own and haven’t already read.  So, yeah, unless your book lover has given you a wish list of books, you might not want to go the actual book route.

Never fear though because there are literally endless other fantastic bookish-themed gift ideas out there for you to choose from that are sure to please even the pickiest book lovers.  I’ve rounded up a few items that I know I wouldn’t mind receiving as gifts this year.  (And a little hint for you shoppers out there –  Society6.com and etsy.com are gold mines for book-themed gifts, so even if you don’t like my suggested gift items, be sure to check them out!)

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Gift Ideas for the Book Lover on Your Holiday Shopping List

 

1. JEWELRY

There are endless options out there when it comes to jewelry for book lovers. Earrings, necklaces, bracelets, and even keychains make great gifts.

 

Sold on etsy.com. Click to purchase.

 

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2. MUGS

Mugs are one of my favorite bookish gifts to receive and I can never have too many of them either, especially since I’m nearly always drinking a hot beverage when I’m reading.

 

Sold at malaprops.com. Click to purchase.

 

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3. TOTE BAGS

Who wouldn’t love a super cute tote bag to haul around all their books?

 

Sold on etsy.com. Click to purchase.

 

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4. T SHIRTS

Help the book lover in your life make a fashion statement with a cute bookish-themed t shirt.

 

Sold on etsy.com. Click to purchase.

 

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5. BOOKMARKS

Not only do I use numerous bookmarks as placeholders in my books, but there are so many cute ones out there that I’ve found myself just collecting them as keepsakes too.  These John Green bookmarks caught my eye while I was browsing for gift ideas this week.

 

Sold on etsy.com. Click to purchase.

 

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6. MINI BOOK LIGHT

I actually have one of these and I love it.  It has saved many arguments between my husband and me when he wants to go to sleep and I want to stay up late reading.  It’s lightweight, will clip right on to your book, and gives off the perfect amount of light for reading so you can read until your heart’s content without disturbing anyone else.

 

Sold on amazon. Click to purchase.

 

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7. CANDLES

Wonderful smelling candles inspired by our favorite books and characters?  Yes, please!  There are lots of them available on etsy.com.  If you’re lucky, you might even find one inspired by your book lover’s favorite book.

 

Sold on etsy.com Click to purchase.

 

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8. PILLOWS

It’s pretty much a guarantee that your book lover enjoys curling up with a good book and reading for hours, so anything that enhances their comfort so that they can read longer is always a winner.  You can find pillows and even blankets that are book-themed.  I loved the simplicity of this one.

 

Sold on amazon. Click to purchase.

 

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9. BOOK-THEMED COVERS FOR PHONES & E-READERS

As a book lover, I like to proudly display my love of books in pretty much any way I can, and yes, that can include placing book-themed covers on all of my electronics.  I saw this cute one while browsing on etsy and almost bought it for myself.

Sold on etsy.com. Click to purchase.

 

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10.  BOOKENDS

Most book lovers can always use more bookends to help organize and display their ever-growing piles of books.  There are plenty of fun and decorative ones to choose from.

 

Sold on etsy.com. Click to purchase.

 

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11. GIFT CARDS TO BOOKSTORES

Okay, so maybe it’s not as creative as some of the other gift ideas on my list, but seriously, you cannot go wrong with a gift card to a bookstore.  Why?  Because it’s a reason for a book lover to visit the bookstore!  Not that we need another reason, but hell, we’ll take it!  Amazon is great since you can get more bang for your buck there when it comes to books, but a lot of us love to support our Indie Bookstores too so keep those in mind as well.

Click to see Amazon Gift Card Options.

Click to see Amazon Gift Card Options.

 

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Question:  Do any of my gift ideas for book lovers appeal to you?  What would you add to my list?  I know my list is filled with items that women would probably enjoy more than men, so do you have any more “manly” suggestions?

Top Ten Tuesday: Top 10 Books On My Winter Reading List

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top ten tuesday

 

Top Ten Tuesday is a fun weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. This week’s topic is Top Ten Books On My Winter TBR List, which gives us all a chance to share what we’re planning to read for the next few months.   

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It’s always hard for me to put together a definitive list because I’m such a mood reader and what I’m keen on reading seems to change from minute to minute.  That said, here’s my tentative reading list for the upcoming winter months.  I may also try to squeeze in a few titles off my backlist that I kept neglecting like Dark Matter, Nevernight, and The Raven Boys, but the ARCs and recent releases below are high on my priority list.

 

TOP 10 BOOKS ON MY WINTER READING LIST

 

1. THE HAZEL WOOD by Melissa Albert

(Find out what it’s about…)

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2. NICE TRY, JANE SINNER by Lianne Oelke

(Find out what it’s about…)

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3.  THE WIFE BETWEEN US by Greer Hendricks & Sarah Pekkanen

(Find out what it’s about…)

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4. THE IMMORTALISTS by Chloe Benjamin

(Find out what it’s about…)

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5. SPEAK EASY, SPEAK LOVE by McKelle George

(Find out what it’s about…)

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6. NEED TO KNOW by Karen Cleveland

(Find out what it’s about…)

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7. HONOR AMONG THIEVES by Rachel Caine & Ann Aguirre

(Find out what it’s about…)

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8. TURTLES ALL THE WAY DOWN by John Green

(Find out what it’s about…)

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9. THE HUSH by John Hart

(Find out what it’s about…)

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10. A QUIET KIND OF THUNDER by Sara Barnard


(Find out what it’s about…)

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Question:  What books are you planning to read this winter?  Are any of my titles on your list?

Top 10 Books I’m Thankful to Have Finally Read This Year

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Top Ten Tuesday is a fun weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.  This week’s topic is Top Ten Books I’m Thankful For (Happy Thanksgiving week in the USA!).  I tweaked this topic a bit since I couldn’t begin to name just ten books that I’m most thankful for.  Instead, I decided to go with the top ten books I’m thankful to have finally gotten off of my TBR.  I’ve always accumulated books faster than I can read them, but this seems to have gotten out of control since I started blogging.  Older books have been pushed aside in favor of newer releases, and I’ve also gotten so caught up in immediately buying books that were super-hyped but then setting them aside for months (*cough* more like years) in favor of other new releases.  This year I decided to actively start getting my backlist under control by participating in several challenges designed to do just that.  It’s nowhere near under control yet, but I am happy that I was able to knock off this list of books, each of which had been on my TBR for at least a year, and quite often, several years.

 

Happy Thanksgiving to all who are celebrating this week!

 

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Top 10 Books I’m Thankful to Have Finally Read This Year

 

CARAVAL by Stephanie Garber

HEARTLESS by Marissa Meyer

A COURT OF MIST AND FURY  by Sarah J. Maas

A STORM OF SWORDS  by George R. R. Martin

EVERYTHING, EVERYTHING  by Nicola Yoon

A MONSTER CALLS  by Patrick Ness

SIX OF CROWS by Leigh Bardugo

ILLUMINAE by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff

WHEN WE COLLIDED by Emery Lord

PRACTICAL MAGIC  by Alice Hoffman

 

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Question:  What are some books that you are thankful to have finally gotten off of your TBR this year?

Top Ten Tuesday – My Top 10 Favorite Book Boyfriends

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top ten tuesday

 

Top Ten Tuesday is a fun weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.  This week’s topic is Top Ten Book Boyfriends/Girlfriends (Which characters do you have crushes on?)

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Going in, I thought this was going to be a tough topic to come up with a full set of 10 for.  With the exception of my longtime book boyfriend, Mr. Darcy from Pride and Prejudice, I just drew a blank when I started thinking about characters I had crushes on.  Once I got going though, I actually ended up with 11 names and so had to make a cut (Sorry, Rhysand!).  Apparently I crush more easily than I thought I did 😉

 

TOP 10 BOOK BOYFRIENDS

 

1 and 2.  KAZ  and MATTHIAS from the SIX OF CROWS series

 

Apparently I have a thing for bad boys because Kaz Brekker scored the number 1 spot on my list, with his fellow teammate, Matthias, coming in a close second.  I love that they’re both tough yet a little vulnerable if you dig deep enough, and I’m especially enjoying Matthias right now as I’m reading Crooked Kingdom and watching Nina flirt relentlessly with him.  Every time he blushes, I crush on him a little more, haha.

 

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3.  AZRIEL from the A COURT OF THORNS AND ROSES series

 

I almost put Rhys on my list because I have crushed on him a bit throughout this series, but I bumped him for Azriel at the last moment because there’s just something about Azriel that appeals to me on a more subtle level.  I like his quiet, protective demeanor and that there’s an air of mystery surrounding him at times.

 

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4.  ALUCARD EMERY from the SHADES OF MAGIC series

 

Honestly, I have crushes on most of the characters in this series to some degree, but Alucard Emery is just so fabulous, I had to put him on this list.  I’m a big fan of both his witty banter and most especially of his absolute devotion to Rhys.

 

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5. CARSWELL THORNE from THE LUNAR CHRONICLES

 

This guy is just such a larger than life personality that you can’t help but fall in love with him.  I love a funny guy and Carswell Thorne is just hilarious, even if the hilarity is often unintentional.

 

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6.  RON WEASLEY from the HARRY POTTER series

 

Seriously, how can you not love Ron Weasley?  I love Ron because he’s funny, sarcastic, loyal as hell to his friends, and because he’s often an underdog compared to all of the other witches and wizards at Hogwart’s.  There’s just something about an underdog that appeals to me…

 

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7.   MR. DARCY from PRIDE AND PREJUDICE

 

Mr. Darcy was my first ever book boyfriend and he still makes the list all these years later.  Darcy initially comes across as arrogant and condescending, but I loved that, if you took the time to get to know him, as Lizzie did, there was much more to him than meets the eye and that he was actually quite kind-hearted and unassuming.

 

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8. JON SNOW from A SONG OF FIRE AND ICE series

 

It’s totally the underdog thing here again with Jon Snow.  The fact that he’s played by the sexy Kit Harrington in the HBO series doesn’t hurt either! 😉

 

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9.   LEVI STEWART from FANGIRL

 

How adorable is this guy?  I think I started crushing on Levi the moment he was compared to a golden retriever in the book, lol.

 

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10.   AUGUSTUS from THE FAULT IN OUR STARS

 

This guy has got to be the sweetest boyfriend ever.  The way he felt about Hazel, everything he did for her…. just such a sweet, thoughtful guy. Loved him.

 

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Question:  Who are some of your favorite YA badass female characters?

Top 10 YA Reads That Feature Badass Female Characters

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top ten tuesday

 

Top Ten Tuesday is a fun weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. This week’s topic is Ten Books That Feature Characters ____________: Examples: Ten books that feature black main characters, characters who hold interesting jobs, characters who have a mental illness, characters that are adopted, characters that play sports, etc, etc. Can’t wait to see what you all come up with!

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Okay, so I kind of cheated on this week’s topic.  Every other topic I could think of, I could only come up with 3 or 4 characters that fit the description.  I’m pretty sure I’ve done a post on strong female characters before so this time I decided to focus specifically on YA books.  The one cool thing is that since I’m constantly reading, I’m always coming across new badass female characters so my list of favorites is always changing.  My list this time contains a couple of long-time favorites but then also a lot of new favorites in the 2017 releases I’ve read.

 

Top 10 YA Reads That Feature Badass Female Characters

 

1. HERMIONE GRANGER from the HARRY POTTER series

 

Hermione is one of my long-time favorite badass female characters.  She’s smart, feisty, fierce, loyal, kicks butt when it comes to using her magic, and she loves books so of course I adore her.

 

 

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2. DELILAH BARD from the SHADES OF MAGIC series

 

She’s a knife-wielding thief who dreams of commanding her own pirate ship.  What could be more badass than that?  I’m really hoping Lila makes an appearance in Schwab’s new series.  I just finished Shades of Magic a few months ago and I’m already desperate for more Bard.

 

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3 and 4.  FEYRE & MOR from the A COURT OF THORNS AND ROSES series

 

Some of the fighting scenes that features these ladies were my favorite moments from this series.  Both Feyre and Mor are forces to be reckoned with, each in their own way.  Feyre, in particular, achieved badass status not just because of the powers that she learned to wield throughout the series, but also because of the difficult sacrifices that she was willing to make for the greater good.

 

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5 and 6. INEJ and NINA from the SIX OF CROWS series

 

So far I’ve only read the first book of this series, so I’m hoping the second book holds true in that Inej and Nina are two of the most fabulously badass ladies I’ve come across in my reading this year.  Loved them both!

 

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7. EMIKA from WARCROSS

 

I fell in love with Emika from the very first scenes of Warcross. Not only is she a badass bounty hunter, but she is also a gifted hacker.  Her character is like an action hero in a video game setting. So exciting to watch her in action!

 

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8. XIFENG from FOREST OF A THOUSAND LANTERNS

 

Xifeng is a recent favorite of mine and she’s a bit different from the other female characters on my list because she’s technically a villain.  What elevates Xifeng to badass status for me is her willingness to do whatever it takes to remove all obstacles from her path to the throne.  She knows what she wants and goes for it, no matter what.  She can be a little scary at times, but I couldn’t help but cheer her on because of her fierce determination.

 

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9. VASYA from THE BEAR AND THE NIGHTINGALE

 

This book is one of my favorite 2017 releases so far and it’s primarily because I adored Vasya, the main character of the book, so much. Brave, fiercely protective of her family, and often quite wild and even defiant at times, Vasya has all of the qualities I look for in a heroine and I think everyone who reads the book will fall in love with her.

 

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10. KADY from ILLUMINAE


I loved Kady in this book because she’s what I would call a reluctant badass.  She is forced to become a badass in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds when the ship she is on is overrun by plague-infested zombies.  It’s truly thrilling to watch Kady in action in this book.

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Question:  Who are some of your favorite YA badass female characters?