reading

What I’m Into: September 2015 Edition

September has been a month of high highs and low lows. Korea feels like a million years away and I miss it more than I could have possibly anticipated. September has felt both impossibly long and incredibly short and I’ve vacillated wildly between feeling overwhelmed with all there is to do and feeling unable to do anything at all. We’re settling in more and more every day, but it still doesn’t quite feel normal.

As usual, I’m linking up with Leigh Kramer to share what I’ve been into this month.

What I’m Reading:

Guys. The library. That thing is amazing.

Blood and Starlight

Days of Blood and Starlight by Lanie Taylor. This is the second book in the Daughter of Smoke and Bone Trilogy. These books are intense. And fascinating. I’m completely sold on this YA fantasy trilogy about love and war and revenge and what it means to dream the world new.

selfishSelfish Shallow and Self-Absorbed: Sixteen Writers on Their Decision Not to Have Kids by Megan Daum. This was the book that earned me some alarmed looks from the librarian. It’s hard to give an overall impression of this book because there are 16 separate essays written by 16 individuals. Some of the essays I really appreciated and resonated with. Some I didn’t like at all. One thing that was interesting to me was that the vast majority of the writers were not people who had never wanted to have children. Most of them were people whose interest in reproduction waned over time, who became busy with other things, who didn’t have a willing partner, or who were otherwise unable. In some ways it was more a book about being content with not having children than it was about coming to the decision not to have them. Regardless, I found many of the perspectives in this book interesting and I certainly resonated with some of them (though not all).

Ocean_at_the_End_of_the_Lane_US_Cover

The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman. I actually listened to this as an audiobook and I think the audiobook is the way to go on this one. It’s read by the author who not only has a fantastic dramatic voice, but he does all of the voices and accents of the characters which brings this strange, fantastical story to life.

we were liarsWe Were Liars by E. Lockhart. This book tells the story of Cadence Sinclair Eastman, a member of the distinguished Sinclair family whose greatest ambition is to be sure to always appear as if everything is perfect. Every year Cadie and her cousins spend the summer on their grandfather’s island. The call themselves “The Liars” and they are inseparable. Until Summer Fifteen when a mysterious accident leaves Cadie with chronic headaches and a gaping hole in her memory. This is a very quick read that’s become pretty popular, but to me it was only OK.  (I listened to this as an audiobook on my way back and forth to Raleigh).

The Little PrinceThe Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery . I finally read this book which has been on my To Read list for ages! This is entirely thanks to the generosity of my reader, Duncan, who sent me his copy in the mail so I would have no more excuses. This is a tiny little book that is packed with meaning. It’s one of those rare books that children will enjoy for the basic story line and adorable illustrations while adults will pick up on the underlying commentary about life, human nature, and the differences between childhood and adulthood.

Big magicBig Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear by Elizabeth Gilbert (author of Eat, Pray Love). I just finished this today so it only just made it into September books. I’d love to do a full review of this book because I thought some of Gilbert’s ideas were so important. If you are a creator of some sort, I think this book has value for you. If you are the type of person who is bothered by someone speaking about creativity and inspiration is divine and mystical terms, than this book might irritate you. This book explores the paradoxes of the creative life – that creating art is vital to our humanity, and also completely inessential to human existence. That we should commit ourselves seriously to our creative work, and we should always remember that life and death do not hinge on what we do creatively. Most of all, it reminds the reader of why a creative life is a worthwhile life even if you never receive any kind of recognition for your work.

Currently reading: State of Wonder by Ann Patchett, Washing the Dead by Michelle Brafman, Shopaholic to the Stars by Sophie Kinsella. Follow me on Goodreads for more reviews.

What I’m Watching:

The onslaught of fall shows is about to hit, but lately Jonathan and I have been sticking to Frasier re-runs, I’ve made it to season 3 of my Gossip Girl re-watch and picked up The Good Wife again. We watched the movie Stardust together one date night (cause I’m on a bit of a Neil Gaiman kick) but I don’t think we saw any new releases. We did watch the first two episodes of How to Get Away With Murder earlier this week and I’m absolutely hooked. Can’t wait to get caught up!

What I’m Listening To:

Elizabeth Gilbert’s “Magic Lessons” podcast which is a sort of companion to her book Big Magic (though it works perfectly well on its own). For the podcast, Gilbert wanted to put a very practical spin on some of the things she wrote about in her book so she speaks with 5 creators (two writers, a musician, a painter, and a photographer who wants to be a podcast maker) who are feeling stuck in their creative lives for one reason or another. In one episode she will talk to that person about what’s holding them back and give them some advice and in the next episode she will call another (famous) friend of hers to discuss the case with them and get their input. She speaks to Cheryl Strayed, Ann Patchett, and Rob Bell, among others.

If you only listen to one episode of this whole podcast, listen to the last one (Episode 12) which is just a conversation between Gilbert and Brene Brown (author of Daring Greatly which I reviewed here and her new book Rising Strong). 

What I’m Eating:

I know September was a little early for this, but ALL THE PUMPKIN THINGS!!!! Pumpkin spice lattes and pumpkin cake with cinnamon cream cheese icing and pumpkin ravioli and pumpkin butter. I also made this very fall-themed spiced apple pork chop recipe last week and it was delicious. Now if only the weather would get on board with this whole fall thing.

via: Budget Bytes

Spiced Apple Pork Chops via: Budget Bytes

Follow me on Pinterest for more recipes and Instagram for more of what I’m eating (and other things!)

What I’m Writing:

I picked up a freelance job for the website Modernize this month. I’ve got an 8-week assignment with them for now writing various articles about home decor. This isn’t my usual genre but I’m enjoying doing something different (and being paid for it!) If you want to check out some of my articles you can click on the links below. My ongoing assignments are dependent on the number of views my articles bring in so I would greatly appreciate your clicking over, even just for a skim.

Creating a Home That Reflects Who You Are and Where You’ve Been

4 Small Decorating Changes That Can Make a Big Impact

Blogging has been a little sporadic, but I’ve kept up with my 52 Weeks of Adventure with weeks 36, 37, 38, and 39. I wrote about my reverse culture shock and about chronic homesickness. And I wrote about my new appreciation for the Lord’s Prayer and what it means to ask for Daily Bread when provision feels scarce.

What I’ve Been Up To:

Josh and Laura and baby Genevieve, our good friends from Korea, drove through town one afternoon on their way North Carolina to visit some family. They stopped by our place for an hour or so in the middle of their drive which was wonderful and also pretty surreal. It’s always odd to see people you know from one specific context in a completely different one.

Gen loved Ruthie. Ruthie was decidedly indifferent.

Gen loved Ruthie. Ruthie was decidedly indifferent.

We also had the chance to see our friends Sarah and Kyle (also friends from Korea) who were visiting Kyle’s parents who actually live in Columbia (small world!) but I completely forgot to take a picture with them.

I have been loving having our cats back. I used to hate cats before we got ours so I am sympathetic to those of you who are just not cat people, but our cats really are the best cats in the world (not that I’m biased). They are so cuddly and sweet and gentle and soft, even if they are a little obnoxiously needy and oblivious to the fact that I don’t actually want them to shove their little heads under my hands for petting while I’m in the middle of typing.

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We have (fingers crossed!) found a new place to live. Nothing’s signed yet so I don’t want to say too much about it, but things are looking hopeful! If all goes as planned we will move at the beginning of November. The new place is smaller than the current one, but is a duplex so it feels more like being in a regular house which is fun.

My beautiful bestie, Christina, got married this past weekend which meant I spent more than half of last week in Raleigh for all of the wedding festivities. It was the most beautiful wedding of life.

Could you just die? Exquisite photo credit to Grain & Compass

Couldn’t you just die of beauty? Exquisite photo credit to Grain & Compass

I continue to spend a lot of my time looking for work and while I don’t have a full-time job, I’ve managed to stay very busy lately substitute teaching at a local private school, working on a few freelance writing pieces, and tutoring 4 -5 times/week. It’s not consistent and it’s not quite enough income, but I actually really enjoy having a schedule that varies from day to day and if I could scrape together enough hours doing all of these different things I think I could be happy doing that.

What have you been into this month? What am I missing out on?

What I’m Into: August 2015 Edition

I think this month may be a record for cramming the most experiences into just 31 days. I can’t even wrap my mind around the fact that I was still living and working in South Korea at the beginning of the month. If I had to sum it up I’d say what I’ve been into this month is change. Also reverse culture shock. It’s a real thing. Linking up with Leigh Kramer for this slightly belated post.

What I’m Reading:

I haven’t read anything (other than a few pages here and there) since arriving in the US August 14th. I’ve been too busy for leisure reading and too tired at the end of the day for more than a few sentences before I fall asleep. However, I just got my Richland County Library card today so game on!

MIS85-2At the beginning of August I read The Secret Thoughts of an Unlikely Convert by Rosaria Butterfield which was recommended to me by a friend. I had such mixed feelings about this book. Butterfield recounts her radical conversion from an atheist lesbian feminist activist who was a tenured professor in Gay and Lesbian Studies at the University of Syracuse. To me, the most interesting part of this portion of the book was the beginning where she writes about the ways she came to find Christianity compelling over a long period of time and the Christians who were in her life who were loving and gracious towards her rather than pushy and judgmental. In later chapters, however, Butterfield strays from her personal experiences and more or less makes arguments for some of her (incredibly conservative) views such as complementarianism, Psalm-only worship, and homeschooling, none of which are views I share.

51gCHV1OdGL._SY344_BO1,204,203,200_Next I read Emily P. Freeman’s Grace for the Good Girl, which I’d been wanting to read for a long time. As another self-professed “good girl” who lived most of my life in fear of rocking the boat, striving for perfection and placing my identity in my own goodness, this book resonated with me. I expected this book to be more conversational or memoir-esque than it was and I wish I’d heard more personal input from the author, but hey, that means the market is still open for a book like that. ; )

DSB_final_6_1I read Laini Taylor’s Daughter of Smoke and Bone, the first book in a YA fantasy trilogy of the same name. I’m now a little more than halfway through the second book in the trilogy with hopes of finishing soon now that life is settling down a bit. I’d heard great reviews of these books, but I admit that it took me a while to get into. As in, I was at least halfway through the first book before I was like, “Dear goodness, I am so glad I stuck with this because now I can’t put it down!”

I’m planning to finish the second book in the trilogy (Days of Blood & Starlight) and then finally read The Little Prince which I now own a copy of thanks to my incredibly kind and generous reader, Duncan, who sent it to me all the way from Australia. (Seriously humbled by how kind and thoughtful many of you are).

What I’m Watching:

Before leaving Korea we saw Mission Impossible 5 in theaters. Always fun. On the plane I watched The Age of Adaline. It had a very Benjamin Button vibe. I could dig it. Also I’m also really into Michiel Huisman who plays the love interest (my experience with him mostly being based on his role in Nashville). 

I’ve continued my guilty pleasure Gossip Girl re-watch kick lately. It’s a ridiculous show, but Chuck and Blaire, man. Chuck and Blaire. I blame my cat, Bart, who loves watching GG with me, especially on the nights that Jonathan’s in class. We’ve also continued to watch Frasier together (Jonathan and I, not Bart and I).

Bart is all about his Gossip Girl fix

Bart is all about his Gossip Girl fix.

What I’m Listening To:

The radio! Who knew the radio could be so fun?! I’ve probably got about one week left before I’ve reached the saturation point since they do play the same songs over and over, but for now I’m still jamming to Taylor Swift, Meghan Trainor, and Walk the Moon. And I feel that Ed Sheeran and I are in a committed relationship. Also George Ezra. I love “Budapest.” It gives me all the feels.

What I’m Eating:

All the western foods, naturally. I also felt compelled to try out the limited edition Lays chip flavors that are out right now for the Do Us a Flavor competition where America votes on the next permanent flavor (which is funny cause I’m not a big chip eater normally). The four options are West Coast Truffle Fries, Southern Biscuits and Gravy, Greektown Gyros, and New York Reuben. I’ve tried the first three so far and the Truffle Fries are hands-down the winner.

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Otherwise, we are eating turkey everything. There is no turkey in Korea so we’ve been having turkey sandwiches, turkey burgers, and turkey bacon to our hearts’ content. Ooh, and cheese. And Greek yogurt.

I’ve gained like 4 pounds. Worth it.

On the Internets:

Mmmm, I haven’t really done much internet viewing/reading this month. But you can always count on Jamie the Very Worst Missionary for something good. This post is called “Actually, I Can Judge You.”

This post from Addie Zierman on “All the Crooked, Half-Healed Places.”

This funny post from The Toast on “The Comment Section on Every Article Ever Written About Breastfeeding”

And this guest post from Eleanor Rooke on unexpected sacred spaces and everyday monotony.

On the Blog:

Not so much, really. I did have a satirical piece published over at Arise (Christians for Biblical Equality) called “Acting Like a Lady.” Otherwise I kept up with my 52 Weeks of adventure with a few final Korean adventures (here and here and here) and a my first American adventure (here). I did a Book Chat on what’s on my Amazon wish list and made two lists – Top 10 Things I’ll Miss About Korea followed by Top 10 Things I Won’t Miss About Korea.

I’m (hopefully) back to more regular blogging now and hope to use this space to process our ongoing transition, reverse culture shock, impressions of America after two years away, and what it looks like to build a new community.

What I’ve Been Up To:

Moving, obviously. : ) Spending time with family, seeing some friends who live in the Carolinas, traveling to Wisconsin for an epic roommate reunion, painting and decorating our new place only to have the landlord call us one week into our lease and say that they got an offer from someone who wants to buy our condo and they want us to move out. (Yes, I’m serious. More on that later).

Beautiful living room with a long-anticipated gallery wall we now have to move out of.

Beautiful living room with a long-anticipated gallery wall we now have to move out of.

Interviewing. Trying to find a job/jobs. Having one job I was counting on fall through. Meeting the other people in Jonathan’s MFA program. (He’s finishing his second full week of classes today). Exploring our new city and trying a few restaurants. Going back and forth to the DMV four times in one morning to get all the documents necessary to get a South Carolina driver’s license and register our cars. Getting our cats back from their long-term cat sitter. (Bart has gotten fat. Ruthie looks the same. Their personalities are largely unchanged).

Getting another Korea-related fungal ear infection and spending my first week in Columbia finding an ENT and being treated with purple dye in my ear which stained everything it touched a brilliant violet. Joining a women’s Bible study with about 20 women of various ages who are all mothers except for me. Which has launched me back into my semi-annual soul-searching on the question – Kids, for or against? (Ultimately irrelevant right now since we have no income).

I’m exhausted.  And excited. And anxious. And overwhelmed. And happy. And looking forward to a September that is hopefully less eventful.

How was the end of your summer?

Friday Book Chats: Books on my Amazon Wish List

For the past two years that I’ve been living in Korea I’ve been doing the majority of my reading on my kindle. Like most big readers, I have a list of “to-read” books that only gets longer. My strategy for deciding what to read next is simple. I keep an Amazon Wish List with all of the kindle books I want to read. Every day I check my list to see if anything has gone on sale. When a book drops to the $1.99 – $3.99 price range, I’ll buy it. Then, when I finish a book, I choose my next read from my list of recent purchases.

Getting a library card is at the top of my list of things to do once we arrive in Columbia, and once I have access to library books I imagine I’ll be cutting back on my kindle purchases significantly and my Amazon Wish List will probably be converted into a Library Request List. In the meantime, I thought I’d share what’s on my wish list. (OK, I’m not sharing everything on my list because there are 67 books on it, but I am sharing a lot!)

Enchantment by Orson Scott Card (author of Ender’s Game). Fantasy. One of my good friends from college recommended this to me a while ago thinking I would like it because it’s a retelling of Sleeping Beauty. He’s right, that’s right up my alley.

The Way of Shadows by Brent Weeks. Fantasy. I’ve heard this fantasy trilogy is a bit dark but also amazing. The main character is an apprentice assassin.

Still Alice by Lisa Genova. Fiction. I watched the movie version of this story of an accomplished professor who is struck with early-onset Alzheimer’s disease. The movie was really thought-provoking, but also difficult to watch because it was so sad so I think I’d have to be in the right mood to read it.

The Life-changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo. Non-fiction/organization. I’ve heard nothing but rave reviews of this book. I can’t tell you how many bloggers, youtubers, etc I’ve heard talking about it. I can’t quite imagine what could be so life-changing about a book on organization, but I’m intrigued!

Euphoria by Lily King. Biographical Fiction. This has been on my list forever. This is a novel inspired by the life of Margaret Mead, one of the most famous anthropologists in history. It’s essentially a love triangle in a tropical jungle. As a bit of anthropology nerd, I’ve been dying to read this for a long time, but it’s always so darn expensive. Library it is!

My Bright Abyss: Meditation of a Modern Believer by Christian Wiman. Non-fiction. Spiritual memoir/Christianity. This has been highly recommended to me by a respected friend and I anticipate it being a slow, savored read. This is a spiritual reflection on what a viable contemporary faith looks like.

A God in Ruins by Kate Atkinson. Fiction. This came out earlier this year and is a companion book to Life After Life. I’ve read a lot of Atkinson’s books and I love them all. I think she’s a tremendous writer.

A Homemade Life: Stories and Recipes from my Kitchen Table by Molly Wizenberg. Non-fiction/Memoir/Food. I really enjoyed Wizenberg’s second book, Delancey, which was about she and her husband opening a pizza restaurant. This is her first book which is more memoir, telling the story of her life centered around the kitchen. You know how I love food books.

Eating Animals by Jonathan Safran Foer. Non-fiction. Vegetarianism. This book explores the ethics of eating animals. While there are plenty of books on vegetarianism out there, I’m interested to read this one because I already like the author. I’m not sure that I’d ever be vegetarian – my body doesn’t process starches well so trying to be a vegetarian with no starches would literally leave me with fruits and vegetables, but ever since reading The Omnivore’s Dilemma I have become very interested in becoming a more conscientious consumer, something that will be more possible for me in the upcoming months as we move back to a land with options and labels.

Upcoming Releases:

Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear by Elizabeth Gilbert. Non-fiction/Creativity. Gilbert shares her approach to the creative life and gives tips for attitudes, behaviors and habits to make it a success. I’ve heard really good things about the content. Release Date: Sept.22

Accidental Saints: Finding God in All the Wrong People by Nadia Bolz-Weber. Non-fiction. Spiritual memoir. This is probably my most-anticipated book of the year. I am deeply moved by much of Bolz-Weber’s unconventional writing and speaking and I have high expectations for this new book. Release Date: Sept 8

Why Not Me? by Mindy Kaling. Non Fiction/Humor/Memoir. I loved Kaling’s first book Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? Her writing is smart and funny and I love her personality, or at least the personality that she projects in these books. Release Date: Sept 15

The Lake House by Kate Morton. Fiction. I have loved all of Morton’s previous books which are rich and atmospheric. This book is about a woman putting together the pieces of  the unsolved disappearance of her brother decades before. Release Date: October 20

What’s on your To-Read list?

What I’m Into: July 2015 Edition

July is over which means I can now say, “We are moving back to America this month.” Here’s a look at what I’ve been into this month. (Linking up with Leigh Kramer, as usual!)

What I’m Reading

mother-tongue-usI started this month with Bill Bryson’s book, The Mother Tongue: English and How It Got That Way. I generally like Bill Bryson who writes a lot of travel books, but also lots of other informative nonfiction. He has a laid-back style and is often very funny. I was interested in this book as an ESL teacher and there were parts of it that I found fascinating, but overall I have to admit that it was a bit dry.

hero of agesI read Hero of Ages (Brandon Sanderson) this month which was the last book of the first Mistborn trilogy. (There are three
planned trilogies) Highly, highly recommend for fantasy lovers and Brandon Sanderson fans who haven’t read them before. I spent most of the month on this book since it’s a whopping 800 pages, but I was engaged the whole time and felt sad when it ended.

Jesus, my fatherAfter finishing this epic fantasy trilogy I decided to move on to a quicker read. I read Ian Morgan Cron’s sort-of memoir Jesus, My Father, the CIA, and Me. Cron is a great storyteller and his recounting of his experience growing up with a father who was an alcoholic and secretly in the CIA was equal parts fascinating and heart-wrenching. If you like memoirs in general, you’ll probably like this. I wish there had been a little more story between college and where he is now (he’s an episcopal priest), but I think he may have written about that portion of his life more in other places.

Paris letters

Paris Letters by Janice Macleod. I enjoyed reading this book even though I didn’t feel like I could relate to the author that much (different life philosophies and priorities). What I most appreciated about this book is how practical it was in some areas. Janice tells the story of how she realized she’d reached a point of burnout at her job as a successful middle-management copywriter in LA. She crunched the numbers and figured out what she needed  to do to buy herself a year of freedom, and she made it happen. She headed to Europe, but ended up falling in love and staying in Paris, figuring out creative ways to support herself financially along the way. Daughter of smoke and bone

I’m currently reading Daughter of Smoke and Bone which is the first book in a YA fantasy trilogy by Laini Taylor. It was recommended by some bloggers who normally have similar tastes to mine. I’m halfway through at this point, but I’m not sure that I’m sold. I’ll try to reserve judgment til I’m finished.

What I’m Watching:

In theaters this month we saw Inside Out which was really cute and sweet and I thought had some great messages about the human psyche and what it means to be whole and well-balanced and how much we need all of our emotions, even the ones we don’t like feeling.

At home I finally watched the last season of Downton Abbey which I love, though I feel like there are some characters they just refuse to leave alone so they can be happy. Sigh. I have stayed current on the new season of Pretty Little Liars which is of course, more creepy and ridiculous than ever, but I still really want to know where it all ends up. Jonathan and I have been watching Frasier all summer. We’re on season 5 now and still enjoying it. And I somehow got myself sucked into a re-watch of Gossip Girl which is the ultimate guilty pleasure show for me. I mean, I watch for the clothes. And for Chuck and Blair…

What I’m Eating:

Caprese salad. Every day. Tomatoes are huge and juicy right now and I was able to get a big beautiful chunk of soft mozzarella from Costco along with a giant container of fresh basil leaves. Drizzle with a little balsamic. So simple. So delightful.

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Also lots of mandu (Korean dumplings) because I love them and it won’t be the same even if I can get it in America.

I also made a batch of one of my favorite cookies this month – oatmeal butterscotch coconut. I didn’t grow up eating this cookie but discovered it as an adult and was immediately like, “Where have you been all my life?!” It may sound like a strange combination, but believe me, it is awesome.

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For more of what I’m cooking/eating, check out my Pinterest.

On the Internets:

An article at Off the Page from my friend Briana on All That We Don’t Know.

A piece by Meredith Bazzoli over at The Mudroom on not being a traditional church lady.

This piece from Addie Zierman reflecting on Elisabeth Eliot’s death. As someone who also grew up with Passion and Purity and attended the Eliot’s alma mater, Wheaton College, I really related to Addie’s complicated feelings about a woman whose words have been a part of me for so long, for better or worse.

And this piece from Kelsey Munger, “Telling Myself I’m Beautiful,” which is something most of us could probably stand to read.

On the Blog:

I’ve made it up to week 30 in my weekly adventures as we’ve crammed our weeks and weekends full of activities. (#27, 28, 29, and 30).

I finished out my Thankful Thursdays guest series with this post from Sara about losing her hearing, this post celebrating my 200th blog post, and this post from Laura about postpartum depression.

For my weekly book chats I kicked off the month with an interview with poet, Karissa Knox Sorrell, and an opportunity to win a prize when you pre-order her new poetry chapbook. I wrote about books my teacher’s made me read, gave recommendations for books to match your mood, and listed books I’ve never read but everyone else has.

Apart from all of the series I also wrote about being God’s favorite child. My favorite piece this month was my most recent one about why I think it’s OK to be unhappy sometimes.

What I’ve Been Up To:

Packing in as much fun Korea stuff as possible. This month we finished up regular semester classes at school and said good-bye to the students. I will still see some of mine the first week of August at an English camp I’m running, but my regular classes are finished. We both received some adorable (and strange) cards and pictures from our students. While I was really ready to be done with teaching, there’s no denying that these kids are cute.

Check out these awesome pictures Jonathan’s 3rd grade students made of him. For the record, this is Jonathan. I fear many of his students are blind.

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We did some hiking, took a trip to Seoul,  went to the cat cafe, checked out the Daegu Chicken and Beer Festival, and went to one last baseball game. This weekend we are going to visit a friend who lives in a small village a few hours away. We haven’t spent a ton of time in the countryside here so we’re excited for one more new experience.

July has also been a difficult month in some ways. I was deeply saddened to hear about the theater shooting which took place in my hometown of Lafayette a few weeks ago. It’s bizarre to see your small town on international news, especially when it’s for something so horrible. And last week my best friend’s father passed away after a relatively short battle with cancer and I have been grieving with her and for her as she deals with this loss which has come just two months before her wedding. It’s been hard to be so far away during this time.

August holds a lot of excitement and transition for us and we’ve been looking forward to it for so long that it’s hard to believe it’s actually here. In exactly two weeks we will leave Korea, and fly to my parents home in Louisiana. From there we will immediately pack up a moving van and drive up to South Carolina to move into our lovely condo and have Jonathan jump right into classes. We only have 5 days between our arrival in the US and the start of classes, so August may be a quiet month for me on the blog, though I will miss all of your encouragement and support as I go through what I assume will be a time loaded with all the feels.

What have you been up to in July?

Friday Book Chats: Books to Match Your Mood

Books, like songs, each have their own tone. They have the ability to evoke certain emotions or associations. And just like I choose the music I want to listen to based on my mood, I often choose the book I want to read next the same way. Since I read so many different genres, there are lots of directions my reading could take me. Today’s book chat is a collection of book suggestions to match your mood. The majority of these I’ve read. A few I haven’t, but trust the sources that recommended them to me.

Books to Make You Laugh

Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? Mindy Kaling. If you like Mindy Kaling in The Office and The Mindy Project then you will like this book. I personally want to be Mindy’s best friend.

Bossypants. Tina Fey. I actually didn’t like this quite as much as Kaling’s book, but I’m in the minority. It is still really funny.  I’ve heard it’s even better if you get the audiobook because Fey reads it herself. For fans of Mean Girls and 30 Rock and SNL.

Carry On, Warrior: The Power of Embracing Your Messy, Beautiful Life. Glennon Melton. This book from the author of the Momastery blog is not marketed as humor. It’s part memoir and part about parenting and part life reflections. But it made me laugh so hard I think I peed on myself. Several times. I read parts of it out loud to my mom and I thought we were going to die from lack of oxygen we were laughing so hard. I think it’s partly because I share Melton’s sense of humor, but I thoroughly enjoyed laughing my way through this one.

Books to Make You Cry

The Fault in Our Stars. John Green. Teenagers with cancer ponder the mysteries of the universe. Some of my favorite characters, but if you don’t cry buckets there’s probably something wrong with you.

Me Before You. JoJo Moyes. A directionless young girl takes a job as a caretaker for a young, handsome man who was hit by a car and is now a quadriplegic. I think you can see how this is fodder for all the feels.

Books to Creep You Out

I am easily scared and don’t like to read scary books, so bear that in mind.

Gone Girl. Gillian Flynn. Part mystery, part psychological thriller, all sensationalized. I wasn’t the biggest fan of this, but it definitely ranks as a creepy book.

Tana French mysteries. Of all the mysteries I read, these are the scariest and most suspenseful to me (but in a good way). My favorite is The Likeness.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. Stieg Larsen. I don’t recommend this book because I found it too disturbing due to graphic violence towards women, but I had to finish it because I couldn’t stand not to know what happened. Only read it if you aren’t as easily disturbed as I am.

Books to Make You Think

Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World that Can’t Stop Talking. Susan Cain. I wrote a whole post about this book, but it’s fascinating and hugely helpful in understanding my personality and how I’m wired. I recommend this to introverts and extroverts alike and I promise you will learn something about yourself through this book.

Thinking, Fast and Slow. Daniel Kahneman. A tour of the mind that explains the differences and capabilities of our brains’ two systems – the one that is fast, intuitive, and emotional and the other which is slower and more logical. Fascinating insight into how we as human being think.

Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead. Brene Brown. I’ve written a whole post on this book but I think it is powerful and life-changing if you let it be.

Books to Let You Not Think

The most delicious of marshmallow fluffy books. I’ve done a full post on these books here, but just to quickly list a few go-to authors of mine:

Emily Giffin (except for her most recent which was awful). Rom-commy loveliness, though some of them are a little more nuanced and heavier than just boy meets girl.

Sophie Kinsella (especially her Shopaholic series). They might be predictable, but they sure are fun.

Jennifer Weiner. Really enjoyed In Her Shoes and her Cannie Shapiro books. Ooh and Little Earthquakes. Very easy reading, though not nearly as fluffy as Kinsella.

Books to Let You Escape (Books with atmosphere)

Kate Morton’s Books – Old houses full of family secrets are a recipe for some delicious, transporting stories.

The Night Circus. Erin Morgenstern. Seriously gorgeous. While I was reading this book I felt like I couldn’t do regular life because my imagination was so completely full of The Circus there wasn’t room for anything else.

Brandon Sanderson’s Books – Sanderson’s capacity for world-building continually boggles my mind. I haven’t read all of his books, but everything I’ve read has been amazing. Especially The Stormlight Archive and the Mistborn books.

Patrick Rothfuss’ Books – Rothfuss is also a great world-builder and storyteller whose beautiful writing paints such vivid pictures you won’t want to walk away.

Outlander series. Diana Gabaldon. Even though I’m not the biggest fan of this series, I admit that they do take you away to another time and place. Actually, many different times and places.

Books to Motivate and Inspire You

Tolstoy and the Purple Chair: My Year of Magical Reading. Nina Sankovitch. I wrote more about this here. After the death of her sister Sankovitch sets out on a year of reading one book every day for 365 days and finds a way to slow down and heal. This will motivate you to read more.

Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World has Never Seen. Christopher McDougall In Mexico there is a tribe called the Tarahumara who are known for being incredible distance runners who run up to 50 miles through their native deserts barefoot. When McDougall is sidelined from running by recurring foot injuries, he sets out to discover the secret of the Tarahumara. Don’t read if you don’t want to be compelled to run.

The Nesting Place: It Doesn’t Have to be Perfect to be Beautiful. Myquillyn SmithA great read for those who love decorating and feel like they can’t because of their budget, their space, or because they feel guilty for putting time and money into making a beautiful home.

The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing. Marie Kondo. Need help decluttering and getting organized? I’m told this book will change your life.

Books to Challenge You

The Omnivore’s Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals. Michael Pollan. Pollan’s detailed trace of 4 meals through their entire production chain from the ground to your table will make you seriously consider the ethics behind what you eat and challenge you to be a mindful consumer.

Interrupted: When God Wrecks Your Comfortable Christianity. Jen Hatmaker. I feel like the title of this is sort of self-explanatory. This book is a kick in the pants for Christians who are more concerned with feeling and believing the gospel than they are with doing it. (You know, me.)

Books to Make You Hungry

Delancey: A Man, A Woman, A Restaurant, A Marriage.  Molly Wizenberg. The story of Wizenberg and her husband and their quest to open the perfect brick-oven pizzeria.

My Life in France. Julia Child. Child is the master. This book will endear her to you and make you want to cook.

Bread and Wine: A Love Letter to Life Around the Table by Shauna Niequist. One of my faves. Such a great reflection on food’s role in our lives and the importance of hospitality and nourishing our bodies and our souls with people we love around a table.

Books to Give You Wanderlust

I have to be careful about when I read these. Cause my wanderlust is always crazy-high anyway. Sometimes these books inspire me and sometimes they make me feel discontent with my life. Just my own personal struggle.

Home Sweet Anywhere: How We Sold Our House, Created a New Life, and Saw the World. Lynne Martin. I think the title pretty much explains it.

Paris Letters Janice MacLeod. When Janice finds herself completely burned out she figures out how to cut back, save money, and buy herself two years of freedom in Europe.

Packing Light: Thoughts on Living Life with Less Baggage. Allison Vesterfelt. From the author. “Like many twenty-somethings, I tried desperately to discover the life of my dreams after college, but instead of finding it, I just kept accumulating baggage. Just when I had given up all hope of finding the “life I’d always dreamed about,” I decided to take a trip to all fifty states…because when you go on a trip, you can’t take your baggage.”

Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert. If you are one of the 4 people on the planet who hasn’t read this and you want to find yourself compelled to leave your life and globe trot then go ahead and give this a go.

Books to Make You Bored

Just kidding. Life’s too short to read dumb books.

What are your favorite books to match a mood? Did I miss your mood? Leave me a comment with your suggestions or let me know what kind of book you’re looking for and I’ll make some suggestions!

Friday Book Chats: My Teacher Made Me Do It

Today’s book chat is a tip of the hat to some of the literature teachers I’ve had over the years who assigned me some great works that I may have never read on my own. Of course, not every book I read in school was a smash hit. A lot of the books on my Books I’m Supposed to Love But Can’t Help Hating list were also assigned reading. But this post is about celebrating the gems I discovered and  about saying thank you to the teachers who made me do something I didn’t necessarily want to do because they knew it would make my life richer. (Or because they were required to by state law, but either way…)

1. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. I can’t say for sure that I would never have read this book if it hadn’t been assigned, but I certainly wouldn’t have read it when I did and I think this is a book that impacts you more when you read it as an adolescent. As a teenager in the American South this book had an impact on my developing understanding of race and justice in America.

2. The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck. I wouldn’t call this a favorite book, but it is a book that I’m glad to have read. As a sophomore (or maybe junior?) in a small Christian high school I remember my sheltered self being appalled and disgusted by parts of this book (particularly the ending) but after a few years of maturing and, frankly, growing less prudish about literature, I came to really appreciate its message about the Haves and the Have Nots, the scope of moral vision, and the endurance of human dignity.

3. A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole. In retrospect, it’s strange that this book was assigned at my conservative Christian high school, but I think it had more to do with it being a story set in Louisiana and written by a local author. This book is considered a comedic masterpiece and follows the main character, Ignatius J. Reilly, “a Don Quixote of the French Quarter”  on a series of comedic adventures.

4. Light in August by William Faulkner. I read this book in college having previously only read The Sound and the Fury (a book I was not thankful to have read in high school). Light in August is one of my favorite modern classics and its main character, Joe Christmas, is one of the most fascinating characters I’ve ever encountered.

5. The Winter’s Tale by William Shakespeare. I happen to love Shakespeare so who can say whether or not I would have gotten to this play eventually had it not been assigned, but it is one of the less famous of Shakespeare’s plays. I read this during a study abroad in England and later saw a stage production of it in Stratford that was so creative that it brought the play to life for me in a way I’ve never forgotten.

6. Dogwalker by Arthur Bradford. I had to write a paper on this collection of short stories while in college. Initially I thought it was bizarre and disturbing and I kind of hated it. The stories in this book are strange bordering on the absurd with elements of magical realism woven throughout. After studying the text and learning more about the author I came to understand these stories as showing the strange and unconventional beauty of the misfits of society.

7. Cat’s Eye by Margaret Atwood. Elaine Risley is a painter who has returned to Toronto, the town where she grew up, for a retrospective, only to be confronted with the shadows of her childhood. As someone who has spent much of recent years trying to make sense of the complexities of my own childhood, this book resonated with me on a deep level. It was heart-wrenching and tender and funny all at once and I remember it as one of the most moving books I’ve ever read.

Friday Book Chats: What Makes a Book YA and Some YA Books Worth Reading

I recently had a conversation with my husband about what criteria must be satisfied for a book to be classified as Young Adult. While there are obvious answers to this question like, “The protagonist is an adolescent,” this isn’t by itself an accurate answer. There are plenty of books that are not classified as YA literature that feature a child protagonist or even a child narrator. (Off the top of my head Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, and To Kill a Mockingbird all come to mind).

What makes a book like The Book Thief a YA book while All the Light We Cannot See is a Pulitzer Prize winning adult novel? Both books have child protagonists. Both books are about WWII. Both books have a stylized, literary feel. And yet, they are considered different genres.

I brought this question up with a few different friends who made various suggestions. They postulated that YA books have a sense of immediacy not present in adult literature. They are often written in the first person and sometimes use the present tense.  My husband suggested that there’s a certain simplicity to the language and syntax of YA books that allows for comprehension by a younger audience.

Some scholars and critics have suggested that YA as a genre is solely a construction of the publishing industry. How do you get more teenagers to buy books? By marketing certain books directly to them. And this seems to be working.

While these conversations didn’t provide me with a clear answer to my question, it did make me think about some of my favorite YA books. While publishers may have created a niche market that’s great for selling some of these books, I think they’ve also isolated some of those same books from reaching a wider audience who aren’t as likely to pick them up because they are stamped with that YA label.

Here are some books that (in my opinion) are worth your consideration even if you wouldn’t call yourself a YA fan.

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. Since I already mentioned it above I’ll just say that yes, it’s as good as it’s hyped up to be. This is a fantastic book that tells the story of a young German girl (with a penchant for stealing books), her adoptive parents, and the Jewish fighter they hide in their basement during the Holocaust, as narrated by the omniscient character, Death. I can’t possibly sum this book up in a few sentences, but it will pretty much wreck you.

The Grisha Trilogy by Leigh Bardugo. Alina Starkov is nobody – an orphaned refugee whose never been noticed. Until her best friend’s life is threatened and a dormant power is awakened in her unlike an the world has ever seen. Alina is immediately taken into the Grisha court to study and train under the most powerful Grisha of all, The Darkling. Together he says they can destroy the Shadow Fold that threatens their country. Together they can remake the world. But nothing is as it seems and Alina must learn to see things that have long been hidden, even the things inside her own heart. This trilogy is masterfully done.

The Lunar Chronicles (series) by Marissa Meyer (The first book, Cinder, is only $2.99 for Kindle right now!) I’ve actually only read the first book in this series so far, but it blew me away. It’s set in a futuristic world where androids are essential to daily life and the moon has been colonized and become the home of a new species known as Lunars. This unique twist on the Cinderella story involves a cyborg/mechanic Cinderella, a handsome prince, and the search for a cure for the plague pandemic that is wiping out Earth’s population. This is not the sort of book I would normally gravitate towards, but it is so fresh and clever and well-done that I couldn’t put it down. I plan to read the rest of the series soon!

The Golden Compass (His Dark Materials Series) by Philip Pullman. In a world where people’s souls exist as Daemon forms who walk beside them, orphaned Lyra Belacqua leaves her home among the scholars of Oxford’s Jordan College sets out on a quest to find her kidnapped friend, Roger. She carries with her an instrument given to her by her uncle, Lord Asriel, an instrument that tells the truth, an instrument that changes everything when she discovers that someone is kidnapping children and running experiments on them – experiments that will separate them from their Daemons. Honestly, these books are better as an adult than they were as an adolescent. As an adolescent you read these and think, “Yeah, down with the Magisterium. Stick it to the man!” As an adult you are fascinated with the implications of what it means to become an adult and the influences of society and religion in that process.

Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell. This book is precious. A love story for the ages, but with real characters in real and difficult situations. Eleanor is the wrong size with the wrong hair and the wrong clothes and most definitely the wrong family. But to Park, she is the magic that holds the sky up. They know it’s destined for disaster. But they also know the real thing when they see it. I was enchanted.

The Fault in Our Stars and other John Green books. I assume I don’t have to tell you much about The Fault in Our Stars, but I will say that it is my favorite Green book. His books are all so compelling because they don’t flinch away from hard truths and big questions. They are serious and sad and funny and beautiful and his characters have something meaningful to offer the world.

Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants The premise of the magical pants aside, the stories of these four girls wove their way into my heart. There are things I love and identify with about each of them – Wild Bridget, Rebellious Tibby, Quiet Lena, and Dramatic Carmen. These books are portraits of friendship, of family, of growing up, and of what it means to live a meaningful life. There are five books in the series, with the last one, Sisterhood Everlasting, crossing over into adult fiction as it picks up the girls’ lives 10 years later as they are about to turn 30.

What do you think? What makes a book YA? What are your favorite YA books?

Friday Book Chats: “Middle Child” Books (Easily Overlooked)

I’ve been thinking lately about how very hard it must be to be a novelist. Not only is there so much work that goes into writing, and then the pressure of trying to get published and then hoping people buy it and then hoping it gets good reviews, etc. And even if you manage to achieve all of that, the buzz around a particular book only lasts for so long and then you have to do it all over again.

For today’s book chat I wanted to write about some really good books that you may not have heard of, or at least may not have heard about in a while. These aren’t exactly obscure books, but they are what I’d call “Middle Child” books.They are too old to still be hyped up and popular but they aren’t old enough to be classics and most have authors that are  better-known for other works. While none of these books are all-time favorites, they are all books that I rate highly and would recommend.

DeerskinDeerskin by Robin McKinley (1993). McKinley was one of my favorite authors growing up. She was writing young adult fantasy before that genre really existed. While I read and loved every one of her books (highly, highly recommend The Hero and the Crown), I remember being awestruck by this one, perhaps in part because it was one of my first forays out of true children’s books and into something weightier. Princess Lissla Lissar is on the cusp of womanhood, a beauty only equal to her dead mother, but she is forced to flee her kingdom when that likeness sparks her father’s lust and madness. She flees with her loyal dog, Ash, eventually finding a job working in the kennels for another king where the prince becomes captivated by the kennel maid and tells her stories until one day he tells her the story of Lissla Lissar.

Lake of DreamsThe Lake of Dreams by Kim Edwards (2011). Edwards is best known for The Memory Keeper’s Daughter, but The Lake of Dreams is worth a read. This beautifully atmospheric book tells the story of Lucy Jarrett who has returned home to a small town in upstate New York after years of living abroad. When Lucy finds a collection of objects inside a window seat, she realizes she has stumbled onto some family secrets. Lucy begins a quest for answers about the objects she’s found and about the unresolved death of her father a decade earlier.

People of the BookPeople of the Book by Geraldine Brooks (2008). Brooks is a Pulitzer-prize winning author (for March in 2006, also a great book) whose books are heavily rooted in real historical events. Inspired by a true story, this book traces the story of a rare illuminated manuscript and the people who loved it and preserved it through centuries of war and exile. When the Sarajevo Haggadah is rescued from Bosnia, Hanna Heath, a rare-book expert, is given a once-in-a-lifetime  chance to study it. This book takes Hanna and the reader on a journey that is both historically fascinating and emotionally evocative. I’ve read reviews of this book from people who didn’t connect with it at all, but I thought it was fascinating.

American WifeAmerican Wife by Curtis Sittenfeld (2008). Sittenfeld is probably best known for her debut novel, Prep, which I didn’t love. I was intrigued by this novel because it’s a complete work of fiction whose main character, Alice Blackwell, is heavily modeled after Laura Bush. One of the most interesting elements of this book to me was the exploration of a character who doesn’t hold all of the same political or social views as her husband and is put in position where she has to decide what it looks like to support someone she doesn’t always agree with.

History of LoveThe History of Love by Nicole Krauss (2006). Krauss’ more recent book, Great House, is also well worth reading, but this was the first book of hers I read and I’m attached to it. Until recently she was married to writer Jonathan Safran Foer (Everything is Illuminated, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close) and I can see some similarities in their work. Leo Gursky is a tired old Polish immigrant who lives a quiet, lonely life, but once upon a time he was young and in love and he wrote a book. 14-year-old Alma was named after a character in that book and she is determined to find her namesake, even though it’s been 60 years since the book was written.

Yiddish Policeman's UnionThe Yiddish Policeman’s Union by Michael Chabon (2007). Chabon is the author of one of my all-time favorite books, The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay (which won the Pulitzer in 2000). The thing I love about Chabon is that he strongly believes that a book can be both literary and entertaining. He often experiments with classic genre fiction, and this book is a prime example. The Yiddish Policeman’s Union is a police detective story mixed with a dose of 1940’s noir. A small community of Jewish refugees have made their home in Sitka, Alaska where they were offered temporary asylum after WWII, but now their little world is about to change as their district reverts to Alaskan control. For homicide detective Meyer Landsman, this is just one more part of his life that is falling apart. When Landsman begins to investigate the murder of his neighbor, he receives instructions to drop the case from his supervisor – who is also his estranged wife. Landsman pursues the case anyway with startling results.

Do you have any books you wish more people knew about? Or books you love that don’t seem to get enough credit? Please share in the comments. I’m always looking for new suggestions!

Friday Book Chats: Books and Place

Many people have studied the connection between music and memory – the ability of music to instantly take you back to another time and place that you associate with a particular song or melody. I’ve found that books can have the same effect. There are certain books that I can’t think of without remembering the circumstances surrounding my reading them—where I was or who I was with or what that season of my life was like.

Today’s Book Chat is all about the books that evoke specific memories for me and hold a special place in my heart because of the times and places they remind me of.

Pigs in Heaven by Barbara Kingsolver. I read this book on my honeymoon. I don’t remember why I chose it, only that I’d read some of Kingsolver’s other books before and this one was available from the library. Since hubby tore a meniscus in his knee just two weeks before our wedding and couldn’t walk without a stabilizing brace, we spent a lot of our honeymoon cruise lying around on the ship and on the beaches and fully embracing our new role as married adults – you know, ordering pb&j sandwiches from room service at all hours of the day. I’ll never be able to think of Taylor Greer and her accidental daughter, Turtle, without thinking about snorkeling in Cozumel.

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer. It’s possible that one of the reasons I love this book so much is simply because of my history with it. I was first introduced to it while on a study abroad trip in England. My friend Bethany read it aloud to me during our time in the Lake District and I fell in love. A few years later, I took a road trip with my best friend from Boston to Pennsylvania with a stop at a wedding in upstate New York. I wanted to read the book to her while she drove, but I’d forgotten to bring it along. We checked the map and found a book store that appeared to be right beside the interstate so we took the exit and went in search of the book. The “bookstore” was at a tiny college bookstore in rural Massachusetts a good twenty minutes from the interstate. Also, they did not have the book. We were stressed out by our detour since we needed to make it to the wedding on time, but it made for a great memory. I love this book that tells the story of Oskar Schell, a precocious nine-year-old who has recently lost in father in the 9/11 attacks on New York City. Oskar finds a key among his father’s possessions and becomes fixated on finding the lock this key fits into.

The Book Thief by Marcus Zuzak. I actually started this book as an audio book which I borrowed from the library in Raleigh and listened to while I was doing long runs for my marathon training. Although I only made it halfway through on the audiobook before I had to return it and later finished reading this the old-fashioned way, I cannot think of it without hearing the narrator’s deep, rumbling voice and imagining the greenways that wind their way around Raleigh’s lakes and streams and woods. This is a fantastic book that tells the story of a young German girl, her adopted parents, and the Jewish fighter they hide in their basement during the Holocaust, as narrated by the omniscient character, Death.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling. While the final book of the Harry Potter series would probably have been memorable regardless, this one was especially meaningful to me because it was released while I was in Russia. I had gone to Russia with a team of other girls from college to work with a ministry that was running summer camps for orphans. After just a short time there, there was a salmonella outbreak at our camp and the government shut our camp down, took the children away, and asked us to leave the country. Not only was our trip cut short by a month, but I had horrible food poisoning that left me 15 lbs thinner after just 2 weeks. When we left Russia early I was full of mixed feelings, mostly relief at that point to be going home when I’d been so sick. We flew from Moscow to London. When we landed at Heathrow Airport I high-tailed it to a bookstore and paid an exorbitant 30 quid for  the hardback British edition of HP 7. I read it the whole way home and finished it while struggling through jet lag at 3 am the next day. The HP books are dear to me for lots of reasons, but the memory of how I ended up with this specific copy will always be special.

What books hold special memories for you?

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I stopped putting up links to weekly Kindle deals because it takes me a lot of time and I wasn’t sure anyone was really using them, but there are a few really great books on sale right now that I want to let you know about.

A Year of Biblical Womanhood Rachel Held Evans ($2.99)

Cold Tangerines Shauna Niequist ($2.99)

So Brave, Young, and Handsome Leif Enger author of Peace Like a River. ($1.99)

Friday Book Chats: Fictional Character Crushes

The first crush I remember having was on Robin Hood from the Disney animated movie of the same name. Yes, I am aware that he was a fox. I can’t explain why that didn’t seem weird at the time, but facts are facts. Falling hopelessly in love with fictional characters became something of a theme for me as I was growing up. Ok, ok…it’s still kind of a theme for me. Below is a list of my biggest book crushes, past and present.

See what I mean?

See what I mean? He’s, well, foxy. 😉

1. Gilbert Blythe from Anne of Green Gables. Gilbert Blythe who loves Anne Shirley from the moment she breaks her slate over his head. Who waits patiently for her to love him back. And then keeps loving her through babies and wars and all that comes with them. The recent death of actor Jonathan Crombie who played the role of Gilbert in the film version brought back so much nostalgia for this character and this series which I’ve read through at least 3 times.

Gilbert

2. Char (Prince Charmont) from Ella Enchanted. Don’t go off of the ridiculous movie version of this. The book is so, so much better. And Prince Charmont is sweet and charming and genuine enough to make any 12-year-old swoon. I liked him from the beginning, but after the scene where they slide down the banisters together I was a goner.

Prince_charmont

3. Paul from the Sierra Jensen series. Paul’s primary quality is that he is mysterious. As a teenager I was enchanted by that. Unlike Todd in the author’s previous books (the Christy Miller series), Paul was in and out. He was adventurous and moody and unpredictable and there was always real tension in the “will-they/won’t-they” of their relationship. Looking back on it, I can’t really say what was so likeable about Paul, but you get the impression from the first moment that you should be crazy about him.

Sierra

4. Mr. Darcy from Pride and Prejudice. I think I could blame a lot of my teenage fantasies (and strange choices in real-life boy crushes) on Mr. Darcy. I wanted someone sort of brooding and mysterious – someone who seemed so stoic and distant to others, but who came alive for me. Lesson, ladies – when you are looking for this in a teenage boy, you are likely to find impressive amounts of angst and very little romance. Also, it is highly unlikely that anyone is going to look at you and say, “You have bewitched me body and soul,” unless you two are doing a P&P stage production together.

Mr. Darcy

5. Theodore Lawrence from Little Women – I admit, I always thought Jo was an idiot for not marrying Laurie. He’s got it all – he’s cultured and wealthy, but also kind and fun. He’s Jo’s best friend and they’ve grown up together and he adores her. What’s not to love?

Laurie

Christian Bale before he was Batman.

6. Fred and George Weasley from Harry Potter. I know there are a lot more obvious choices here, but I just adore Fred and George. Plus I’ve always had a thing for red hair.

The-Weasley-Twins-Harry-Potter

7. Peeta and Gale from The Hunger Games. Take your pick. There are things to love about both. For the record, I’m Team Peeta. Of course in the movies, Gale is more attractive, but looks aren’t everything and if you are going off of the books (which I am) I think Peeta is the clear winner.

Gale and Peeta

8. Aragorn son of Arathorn from Lord of the Rings. Because he’s a total bad-butt. (Which is how you say badass if you are Christian). And he’s got that whole steadfast love of Arwen over decades even though one would assume he could have his pick of the ladies. He is the kind of king who earns his crown and then looks good wearing it.

Aragorn

9. Kostas from Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants. He’s the Greek fisherman who opens sweet, innocent Lena’s heart to love. And he’s got this fabulous accent.

Quatre filles et un jean The sisterhood of traveling pants 2005 Real : Ken Kwapis Michael Rady COLLECTION CHRISTOPHEL

10. Augustus Waters from The Fault in Our Stars. Allow me to quote Augustus:

“I’m in love with you, and I’m not in the business of denying myself the simple pleasure of saying true things. I’m in love with you, and I know that love is just a shout into the void, and that oblivion is inevitable, and that we’re all doomed and that there will come a day when all our labor has been returned to dust, and I know the sun will swallow the only earth we’ll ever have, and I am in love with you.” 

I think it’s self-explanatory why I (and every other girl in the world) love him. I melt.

Augustus

I could go on, but I think I’ve exposed myself enough for one day. I know I’m not the only one to crush on fictional characters. Which characters have won your heart?