Reader Rayna

Month: February 2016

  • Top Ten Tuesday: Fictional Crushes

    Welcome to another Top Ten Tuesday as hosted by the lovely people of The Broke and the Bookish. Today’s topic was a freebie! Since Valentine’s Day is around the corner, I really wanted to talk about something that will just spawn all of my feels: fictional crushes. DON’T LIE. YOU HAVE THEM TOO.

    So here is my list of crushes, and I don’t care if they’re taken in book. They’re mine, too.

    1. Kaden from The Remnant Chronicles by Mary E. Pearson. My bae. Seriously, I love him so much. He’s my top book boyfriend. I’m swooning just thinking about him.
    2. Aeduan from Truthwitch by Susan Dennard. Love him. New character crushes are fantastic, don’t you agree?
    3. Chaol from the Throne of Glass series by Sarah J. Maas. I don’t care how much of a butt you were, you’re still in a special place in my heart.
    4. Kenji from the Shatter Me trilogy by Tahereh Mafi. Always go for the ones with a sense of humor. I wish there was a novella just about him before the events of the first book. I’d definitely read that.
    5. Gideon from Their Fractured Light by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner. His awkward confidence is charming. Plus if I have a computer problem I’ll have a handy dandy dude to help me (not that I don’t already because my husband works with computers, but still…)
    6. Karou from Daughter of Smoke & Bone by Laini Taylor. There’s more to her than meets the eye. I have more of like a friend crush on her, but she’s still amazing and strong and brave.
    7. Flynn from This Shattered World by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner. Such a rebel, but also has a golden heart. I love his fire and gumption and I want to have sweet nothings in another language spoken to me.
    8. Curran from the Kate Daniels series by Ilona Andrews. Alpha male, compulsive, controlling, but so, so good. Them abs, tho.
    9. Ronan from The Raven Boys cycle by Maggie Steifvater. Bad boy with a good heart? Love it.
    10. Daenerys Targaryen from A Song of Ice and Fire series by George R.R. Martin. The Khalessi has a special place in my heart. (Though I might want to choose the show version because book version is fourteen years old where I’m at right now…)

    So there you have it, ten of my fictional crushes! I’m seriously swooning just thinking about some of these characters while others just make me want to cuddle them.

    Who are some of your fictional crushes? Let me know!

  • Do You Write Fanfiction?

    Hey guys, today I thought I’d talk about something that I’ve thought of doing before but have never actually really tried: fanfiction.

    We’ve all heard of fanfiction, if not read it before: works of fiction written by individuals who are fans of a certain piece of literature or show. Some big examples are Harry Potter, Supernatural, and even My Little Pony. People love writing different endings, new couples, or even inserting themselves into the world somehow, but fanfiction usually encompasses some aspect of the original story into their own.

    Now I’ve never personally read fanfiction (at least that I wasn’t forced to as a teen from my friends, by my friends), but I’ve really wanted to write fanfiction and I just don’t know where to start!

    I have lots of couples that I wish actually happened or scenes that I wish had been played out more or differently, and I want to write them in my own style and everything, but I just never have.

    I think my biggest reasoning is that since they’re not my characters and it’s not my piece of work, I feel I don’t have the right to do so.

    I mean, I know that fanfiction is a big thing and a lot of people like writing it – and that’s great! But how do I get over that barrier and actually write some fanfiction?

    Anyone have any tips for writing fanfiction? Where to start, what kind to write, publishing it on Wattpad or another fanfic site? Please let me know!

  • The Book Love Tag

    Hey peeps! I’m here with another tag and since we’re getting closer to Valentine’s Day, I decided to do this tag that Anette of Anette Reads made! It’s pretty straight forward, so here we go:

    1. Your favorite book couple. Too. Many. Umm… If I have to pick one couple for the purposes of this tag then I choose Cath and Levi from Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell.
    2. Your top 3 book boy/girlfriends. 1. Kaden from The Remnant Chronicles by Mary E. Pearson. Forever. Love him. // 2. Aeduan from Truthwitch by Susan Dennard. He’s an angry ball of yesness. // 3. Curran from the Kate Daniels series by Ilona Andrews. Meeeeowwww.
    3. Imagine your favorite book couple. Who would propose, and how? (If there’s already been a proposal: who would be more into organizing the wedding?) It would totally be Levi because Cath would be either too shy or just be like, “Um, so…”

    So Levi would probably buy Cath some flowers, chocolates, the whole nine yards, and probably take her out to dinner. Of course he’d have gotten her father’s and sister’s permissions before this, and then when they’re out on the date (maybe a picnic at his parents’ farm?), he’d get down on one knee and ask. Cath would be so flustered that she wouldn’t know what to say. So cute.
    4. Unpopular opinions time! Name a popular pairing you can’t stand. Lia and Rafe from The Remnant Chronicles. I’M SORRY. I just can’t imagine them together. Maybe it’s because my love for Kaden makes me blind. I don’t know.
    5. What’s your favorite and least favorite romance trope? Favorite: Strong, masculine thief/dark type. Oh my, bring on those bad boys. (Yes, I’m one of THOSE.) // Least Favorite: The I’m-super-angry-at-the-world type that doesn’t really show much redemption or anything like that. I don’t know how to explain.
    6. Do you ship non-canon couples often? Name some if you do. Lia/Kaden. Iseult/Aeduan, omgyessss.
    7. Your opinion on love triangles. Go! If they’re done right, then I’m fine with them. Example: The Remnant Chronicles by Mary E. Pearson. Otherwise, I’m over it.
    8. Favorite and least favorite love triangle? Favorite: Lia/Kaden/Rafe // Least Favorite: Maxon/America/Aspen. Ugh.
    9. Sometimes romance just isn’t the way to go. Favorite friendship? Kenji/Juliette. I love them together! They’re great friends to one another, I think.
    10. What’s your favorite scene with your bookish OTP? Probably when Cath is reading some of her fanfiction to Levi and they end up falling asleep next to each other and sharing a sweet little kiss that Cath wasn’t sure if it was real or not.
    11. Imagine your favorite book couple again. Who’s most excited about Valentine’s Day (either ironically or genuinely)? Genuinely: Levi. Ironically: Cath. Hands down. Oh man, Cath would be like, “Can’t we just stay in?” And Levi would be like, “No! Cather, we have reservations. We’re going.” With the biggest grin on his face.

    There you have it! I think that that pretty much covers my thoughts and feels on some book love related things.

    If you want to do this tag, please feel free to do so!

    Who are your OTPs and who do you think would ask who out on a date? Let me know!

  • Shoutouts (Part 2)

    Hey guys! I’m here with another round of shoutouts where I give some people that I follow on various platforms some recognition because, well, they’re awesome! Definitely check them out when you have a chance. Also check out my first round of shoutouts to see other awesome book people.

    Blogger

    AlexaLovesBooks – I recently started following her a few weeks ago and I love her content! She’s very thorough and concise when it comes to reviews and she talks about a lot of interesting topics. To top it off, she also cohosts various events, such as Love-a-thon and Flights of Fantasy. Definitely give her a look if you haven’t already!

    Booklr

    books-cupcakes – I’ve been following her for a while now and I love the content she puts out. She reblogs a lot of beautiful pictures, but she also has a lot of great original content, too, such as the Book Photo Challenge. It’s a fun event and she always keeps pretty positive whenever she talks about things. She also has a shop on Red Bubble, which I’ve purchased from before and I love her designs!

    Booktube

    ThoughtsonTomes – I’ve been following Sam for a while, probably a year now, and I love love love her content! She’s always so talkative and thorough in many of the subjects she talks about. She makes me laugh and smile and I think that’s really important when it comes to Booktube: connecting with the audience. Definitely check her out because she’s just a great person.

    Bookstagram

    Tris_has_a_nook – I recently (as in the last week) followed her and her content is so cute! I love seeing books on bookstagram and how people are so creative when it comes to pictures and she is no exception! She also has lot of pictures of her cat and her and her boyfriend, which are just as equally adorable. Check her out!

    And there you go! Some awesome people who talk about books. Definitely check each of them out because each of their content is great.

    As I’ve said before, I’ll try to do these shoutouts every now and then to recognize some awesome book people across the book community on multiple platforms.

    If you have any suggestions for shoutouts, please let me know!

  • Top 5 Wednesday: Biggest Badasses

    Welcome to another Top 5 Wednesday as hosted by Lainey of gingerreadslainey. Today’s topic is all about the characters that we think are the biggest badasses. You know the ones I’m talking about.

    5. Kelsier from The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson

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    I love his egotistical nature because he thinks himself to be a badass, I swear. His use of Allomancy and the skill he has to wield it is incredible. He’s certainly a force to reckon with, that’s for sure. And I think he’s slightly mad, but you know, sometimes you have to be.

    4. Lia from The Remnant Chronicles by Mary E. Pearson

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    I mean, of course Lia’s a badass. Not only did she flee her country to get away from an arranged marriage and to gain freedom, but even when she goes through really tough trials she still keeps her chin high and still shows that she’s not afraid, that she can handle whatever’s thrown at her. And I think that not only shows courage, but true badassery.

    3. Kate Daniels from the Kate Daniels series by Ilona Andrews

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    She’s, like, the definition of badass. Kate is one of those heroines that doesn’t give a crap, ain’t got time for that, and will take you down first and ask questions later. I love her character and think that she’s a really good show of strength and determination in a world gone to hell.

    2. Celaena/Aelin from the Throne of Glass series by Sarah J. Maas

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    Did you not expect to see Aelin on this list? I mean, really, she’s an assassin, for one, and she’s just a badass for another! She knows how to kick butt, kill a person, wields magic, and also loves to dress in all of the latest girly fashion. Yes, she’s pretty badass if you ask me.

    1 . Aeduan from Truthwitch by Susan Dennard

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    A new favorite of mine, Aeduan is definitely a badass. He might have a slight anger problem, but he’s able to control his emotions. I think the biggest reason he’s a badass: he can control other peoples’ blood once he has their scent. And if that isn’t scary enough (or cool enough), but even if he’s mortally wounded his body kicks into high gear to repair him. Freakin’. Epic. And badass as hell.

    There you have it! My list of badass characters. Who are some of your favorite badass characters? Let me know!