ttt – Paws & Paperbacks

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. This week, I decided to forgo the actually theme and do my own idea. Last year, I missed the week for Top Ten Tuesday Turns Ten but I absolutely loved Jana’s post and wanted too do something similar. This year marks my 5th year of participating in TTT so I decided to comment/update some of my Top Ten Tuesdays from the last five years!

✨ Top Ten Tuesday: Favorite Historical Fiction (9/13/16)
For the most part, there’s not much I would change about this list. Most of these are still my favorite Historical Fiction books, however, there are a few that I would swap out to add From Ash and Sand, The Alice Network, and Salt to the Sea.

✨ Top Ten Tuesday: Prettiest Books on My Bookshelf (1/24/17)
I’ve added so many books to my shelf in the four years since I wrote this #bibliophilelife. The UK edition of Uprooted is still one of the prettiest books I own.

✨ Top Ten Tuesday: Most Anticipated 2017 Releases (5/30/17)
There are so many good books on this list! I ended up enjoying every book here, but Day of the Duchess was probably my favorite.

✨ Top Ten Tuesday: 2018 Debuts (12/26/17)
Look back at this list is really interesting. On the one hand, a couple of these debuts that I was really looking forward to I ended up hating (Everless and The Hazel Wood). But it also features Sky in the Deep which not only became my favorite book of the year, but one of my favorite books ever. It’s also funny that A Court of Miracles was listed here because it didn’t actually end up releasing until 2020!

✨ Top Ten Tuesday: Frequently Used Words in YA Fantasy Titles (4/24/18)
These words are still pretty popular, but looking back I don’t think they’ve been used as frequently in the past year or two.

✨ Top Ten Tuesday: Authors I’d Love to Meet (10/02/18)
What a fantastic list of authors! Since writing this post, I’ve gotten to meet Laini Taylor, Adrienne Young, and Leigh Bardugo. One of the most disappointing things about the cancellation of BookCon 2020/2021 and YALLFest 2020 was that I wasn’t able to go to any author events or signings. I’m really hoping YALLFest will be back this year and I can cross another author or two off my list 🤞🏼

✨ Top Ten Tuesday: Backlist Books (11/06/18)
I wrote this as a push to read more backlisted books on my TBR in 2019. The only books I’ve ended up reading since writing this was The Alchemists of Loom, The Hating Game, and Roomies. Honestly, the only book on the list that I’m actually still interested in reading would be the Red Rising series.

✨ Top Ten Tuesday: Favorite Fanart (11/20/18)
These are still some of my favorite pieces of art. That Sansa remains of the most beautiful things I’ve seen created.

✨ Top Ten Tuesday: Favorite Couples in Books (02/12/19)
Again, most of these couples I wouldn’t change at all and remain my ultimate #ships. However, there are a few that I would swap out. For instance, as much as it pains me I would probably switch out the Emma/Julian and Will/Tessa tie for Cordelia and James. And since I’m huge Rin/Nezha trash, I would somehow work them into the list as well.

✨ Top Ten Tuesday: Books I’d Love to See on Netflix (08/18/20)
Books being adapted into TV series/movies seems to be a big theme over the past year or so. Since writing this, I’ve learned that The Mediator series was optioned for Netflix 🙌🏼 I also heard a rumor that Dark Matter was possibly also going to be made into a movie but I can’t find much more information about that. Liane Moriarty’s Nine Perfect Strangers will be out on Hulu soon I’m maintaining hope that The Husband’s Secret will join her other books and be adapted as well in the near future!

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme created by The Broke and the Bookish and now hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. How did I manage to narrow this down to just ten, you ask? I basically just wrote down the first ten I could think of off the top of my head and then refused to second guess myself or go back and change anything (okay I did change one because I wrote this entire post and then I realized I forgot Jude and Cardan and had to fix the whole thing) 😂 As you can see from my list, I enjoy pairings that are synonymous with angst and having my heart treaded upon. It’s basically my brand.

1. MALYEN + ALINA from The Grisha trilogy
The entire reason I even got into this series was because I happened upon Shadow and Bone under new releases on the Barnes and Nobles website years ago and read the excerpt of the prologue. Beautiful writing + childhood friends-to-lovers? Sign me up.

2. ERIL-FANE + AZAREEN from Strange the Dreamer
Eril-Fane and Azareen have one of the most beautiful, tragic, heartbreaking stories I’ve ever read. I felt so deeply every time a part of their relationship was revealed. And Laini Taylor damn near destroyed me with Muse of Nightmares. Every scene with them was so emotional that sometimes I had to take breaks afterwards. These two are arguably only side characters and yet still one of my favorite pairings ever.

3. CARDAN + JUDE from The Cruel Prince
This entire relationship is so on brand for me it’s not even funny. Hated words, veiled threats, sexual tension? I barely survived The Wicked King. And there are so many amazing pieces of fanart floating around at there that I could fill an entire wall of my room with a Jude/Cardan shrine.

3. MAGNUS + CLEO from Falling Kingdoms
This ship marks my proudest bookish accomplishment to date. Magnus and Cleo were my trash ship from book one, back when most people were arguing for the sides of Cleo’s two other love interests. When Falling Kingdoms first came out, never in a million years would I ever have guess that it would become endgame.

4. MATTHIAS + NINA from Six of Crows
*thinks about the ending of Crooked Kingdom*
*cries*

5. CHAOL + CELAENA from Throne of Glass
Chaolaena was originally written as endgame/mates. I have all the receipts. Don’t @ me.

6. VIKRAM + GAURI from A Crown of Wishes
This is another example of an excellent hate-to-love romance. The dynamic between these two was so realistic and convincing, and the witty banter between them was a on a whole other level. And their novella story in Star-Touched Stories was so amazing and emotional.

7. VIX + SABINA from The Empress of Rome series
If there is any couple that can rival Eril-Fane/Azareen as the angiest of all ships, it’s THESE TWO M*THERF*CKERS. I think I developed hypertension while reading these books. So many miscommunications. So many missed opportunities. So much angst.

8. DARA + NAHRI from The Daevabad trilogy
*ignores anything S.A. Chakraborty says on Twitter*
They are going to live happily ever after together in Empire of Gold, sorry I don’t make the rules.

9. JULIAN + EMMA / WILL + TESS from The Dark Artifices / The Infernal Devices.
I don’t know why Cassandra Clare writes relationships with the ultimate goal of hurting me, but she does. I couldn’t even choose between the two of these because they both cause me equal heartache, which therefore means I love them.

10. ARIN + KESTREL from The Winner’s Curse
Enemies-to-lovers. Secrets. Betrayals. Angst. Kissing. What more could a girl ask for in a bookish OTP?

Honorable Mention: ELIAS + LAIA from An Ember in the Ashes because I have no self control.