GET TO KNOW ME: LITERARY EDITION

Did any one ask for this? No

We're my readers begging to get to know me better? No, my family is very aware of me and my quirks.

Is anyone besides my mother going to read this? No.

Do I care? Nope.

This was the most fun I've had writing a blog in a long time.

Not because I don't love the spiritual ones. I truly cherish the lessons they teach me.

However, sometimes it's nice just to do something for the joy of it. For the laughter it brings. For the different way it fills your soul.

That is what books have, and always will, do for me. Reading is one of the greatest gifts both my parents and my Heavenly Father gave me. It is a part of me, and one of the best ways to get to know me.

Even if no one is asking to 😉

Side note: No, there will not be a book boyfriends category. Why? The answer is two-fold.

1. Excuse me? You expect me to pick?

2. There are faaaaarrrr too many. My actual love life has been declared dead on impact, but my fictional love life is alive and thriiiivvviiinnnggg.

Auto-buy Authors

No matter what they write, I will read it. Immediately.

Emma St. Clair

Kortney Keisel

Stephenie Meyer

Marissa Meyer

Rick Riordan

Haley Zaragoza

Places I'd Want to See

Of course, every time I enter a book I am inserted into the fictional world. However, there are some specific places I would stop on my Worlds Tour.

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, The Harry Potter Series - JK Rowling (A given, but a given for a reason

The castle, The Tale of Desperaux - Kate DiCamillo

Underland, The Underland Chronicles - Suzanne Collins

Camp Half-blood, Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan (Cabins like that might actually make me like camping.)

The caves, The Host - Stephenie Meyer (Two words: Ian O'Shea.)

The Rampion, The Lunar Chronicles - Marissa Meyer (For a short visit. I don't know that I trust Thorne's flying.)

Places I'd Want to Live

Different from the above-mentioned places, these are environments you would never be able to pry me out of.

Cristole Castle, The Forgotten Queen - Kortney Keisel (And of course, King Marx would be there.)

Pemberly, Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen (10,000 pounds a year!)

The Hundred Acre Wood, Winnie the Pooh - A.A. Milne

Sheetcake, TX, Love Stories in Sheetcake Series - Emma St Clair (Is it pretty much my hometown? Yes. Does it make me want to live there any less? No.)

The Cousins House, The Summer I Turned Pretty Series - Jenny Han

Green Gables, Anne of Green Gables - Lucy Maud Montgomery

Foods I'd Love to Try

There is something about an author's description that can make foods I know I wouldn't like sound irresistible.

Gelato, Love and Gelato - Jenna Evans Welch (clearly, I'd love this one. any of the flavors.)

Lamb Stew, Hunger Games - Suzanne Collins

Boiled Potatoes, Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen (I know this one was more from the movie than the book, but Mr. Collins sure hyped those things up.)

Strawberry Tart, The Selection - Kiera Cass (Even if they didn't cause the necessary tears the bet required.)

Mushroom Ravioli, Twilight - Stephenie Meyer (Can I make this for myself? Yes. Would a vampire be sitting across from me while I ate it? No.)

Ambrosia and Nectar, Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan (What would mine taste like? Probably ice cream.)

Mallowmelt Custard Bursts, Keeper of the Lost Cities Series - Shannon Messenger

Deaths I Will Deny Until My Own

They're not dead. They're not.

I'm going to put several gifs of people crying before the list, because spoilers. And it just feels right.

Finnick Odair, Mocking Jay - Suzanne Collins

Ares, Gregor and the Code of the Claw - Suzanne Collins (She is incredible at breaking people's hearts.)

Newt, The Death Cure - James Dashner (This one did not happen. It just didn't.)

Jason Grace, The Burning Maze - Rick Riordan

Jest, Heartless - Marissa Meyer (Don't even talk to me, Marissa Meyer. I will never forgive you.)

Dobby, Harry Potter Series - JK Rowling

Rudy, The Book Thief - Markus Zusak (I came soooo close to crying in the middle of a laundry mat with this one. Unfortunately, I have a heart of stone.)

My "They're Just Like Me" Characters

It must be noted, some of these characters I picked for myself, and others have been selected for me. Explanations that no one wants, will of course, be provided.

Emi Jones, My Own Best Enemy - Julie Christianson (Emi's need for perfectionism has never described me quite so well.)

Novah Harper, The Desolate World - Kortney Keisel (Oh how I would love to be a Seran, but Novah's cynicism and negative outlook could not be more me. And the guilt. At least that means I get myself a Beck :))

Elizabeth Bennet, Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen (My mother gave me this one, and it is, perhaps, the best compliment I have ever received. Think if I stand out in the field next to my house, at dawn, a local Darcy will make an appearance?)

Bella Swan, The Twilight Series - Stephenie Meyer (Again, gifted to me by my mother. She says I have Bella's goodness, which since that is what Edward finds most attractive about Bella, only adds fuel to my delusional flames.)

Mary Lennox, The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson Burnett (For sure when she was sour, but I'd also like to think that just like Mary, I've grown into the person I was truly meant to be.)

Carter Kane, The Kane Chronicles - Rick Riordan (I think my brother picked Carter because he will always be the Sadie to my Carter. A ruler follower who gets irritated and feels the responsibility to control other people's shenanigans?)

Prudence Daniels, Instant Karma - Marissa Meyer (Another perfectionist, and a pushy on at that. Are we sending a pattern?)

Elinor Dashwood, Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen (My family loves me far too much. Both my mother and my grandmother have claimed I'm an Elinor for my sense and adherence to duty.)

Wanted Best Friends

They are all my best friends, but it would be really nice if at least some of them were real.

Alice Cullen, The Twilight Series - Stephenie Meyer (No explanation needed)

Bella, I Prefer Spinster - Ellie Ash (Is this cheating? No, because this character was based on my real best friend. I couldn't leave her off of the list.)

Keisha Croom, What If? - Ellie Ash (Just trust me. When you read her, you'll understand.)

Abby, Falling For Your Best Friend's Twin - Emma St. Clair (I love Abby! She is loyal, is who she is, and helps to push those she loves out of their comfort zone. Just like my "real" best friends.)

Dickon, The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson Burnett. (As my mother said, every Mary needs her Dickon.)

Songs on Playlists

To the authors that create playlists to back their books, I love you for showing me I could do that.

"Everybody Wants to Rule the World" - Lorde, from The Desolate World - Kortney Keisel (I am a Tears for Fears girl all the way, I thought no one could touch this song. And they can't, but Keisel made me love this version of it. It fits this book perfectly.)

"Tremble For My Beloved" - Collective Soul, from Twilight - Stephenie Meyer (My first introduction to one of my favorite bands)

"Killer Queen" - Queen, from Heartless - Marissa Meyer (A better song could not have been selected.)

"I Think We're Alone Now" - Tommy James and the Shondells, from Instant Karma - Marissa Meyer (When I hear this song, I immediately think of Quint and Pru and their towel skirts.)

"Ordinary Day" - Vanessa Carlton, from Keeper of the Lost Cities - Shannon Messenger (Agian, I am instantly transported to the first scene.)

"I Wanna Take Forever Tonight" -Peter Cetera, Crystal Bernard, from Compared - Kortney Keisel (Just like Meg, I love me some easy listening.)

"Crooked Ways" - Motion City Soundtrack, from Midnight Sun - Stephenie Meyer (I mean, could there be a song that was more Edward?)

This list is and never will be complete. One, because I know I forgot some key components. And two, because more key components will be added in the future. That's the thing about books, they are endless gift-givers.