#T5W | 2019 Reading Resolutions

This week is a freebie so we’ll be talking about my 2019 reading resolutions.

January is basically one big wrap up and look ahead. This is my “look ahead” part. I actually wrote it down in my bujo… reading resolutions rather than ordinary resolutions. That’s more doable, in my opinion.

I won’t keep you long. I’ve been sitting on this list ever since I missed the topic at the very beginning of the month. Good thing there’s a freebie week.

1. Read more New Adult.
   I keep acquiring NA titles but I still hesitate on reading most of them. I feel uneasy when I notice that I’m reading one author’s entire backlist over something else in my TBR. Or I’d read a recent acquisition vs a longtime TBR resident. I also have feelings of not wanting to burn myself out of a certain trope that I like. But at the end of the day, it’s okay to go through an author’s work back-to-back-to-back even if it’s not in a series. Yes, it can get repetitive and trope-y but I really do enjoy them a lot. It’s also okay to double up – reading and listening – to books from the same genre. I just have to pace myself and go genre breaks from time to time.
2. Read more manga.
   … apart from the list of things I’m catching up on currently. There are so many manga series out there… on-going, finished, BL. Try something new. Binge-read a finished series. Get over my preference of tankobon volumes vs chapter releases.
3. Participate in more readathons.
   Tome Topple and Smutathon introduced me to books that I wouldn’t otherwise try to read. It also somehow forces me to read more, to read under time pressure, and make it a point to make time to read because I have a goal. And no, it does not take the fun out of reading. I’m also getting better at not being pressured by challenge prompts and JUST READ.
4. Read physical books.
   I may be favoring e-readers and audio books lately but I still like and own a lot of physical books. Especially signed ones. I went through a year of buying books left and right, collecting, and completing series. Then eventually, I did good and bought less than 10 books in six months. A lot of my Japanese fiction books are in physical format so maybe I’ll start with them.
5. Read true crime novels.
   Venture into the non-fiction world through by favorite subgenre. I’ve always wanted to read true crime but my podcasts scratch my itch. I’m reading one right now but no pressure… I’m treating it as a long-term project.

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Wasn’t that easy? 🙂

What are your reading resolutions?

T5W | The Most Disappointing Reads of 2018

This week, we are talking about the most disappointing reads of 2018.

Thanks to these weekly prompts, I have the motivation to do year-end posts like this one.

You see, I’m quite easy to please. I am pretty generous with my 4 and 5 stars. I give it almost immediately after I finished reading. So for me to rate something a 3 below, that meant I didn’t really like it or I had time to brew and think about it. My 5 stars are mostly knee-jerk reactions while my low ratings went through a process. I can’t explain it but there you are.

And since I give out high ratings left and right, it was quite hard to find books that disappointed me. I’m usually pretty good at picking things that I might like more than everything else. And for some genres, I don’t go in with the highest of expectations. I tend to have strong reactions – positive or negative – towards a work but I admit I have a hard time rating some books low. But hey, what’s bad to me might be good to you. It’s all relative.

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Bad Romeo and Broken Juliet by Leisa Rayven.
I’m treating this as one entry. I also own the 3rd one in the series but I’m not sure if I even want to pick that up. (I might because it features the only character in this whole thing that I liked.) I listened to this on audio and while I did enjoy the dual POV narration, the characters were not good. I admit, I went into this series with high expectations. I remember this being one of the first romance/NA-ish books that caught my interest. It resonated with the theatre lover in me and I was all for it. The premise had potential. The writing was nothing special. But the thing that killed it was the main group of characters. I could not wait for the book to be over and once it was, I almost hate-reviewed it. Just… no.

The Young Elites by Marie Lu.
This hurts a bit. I loved all the other Marie Lu books I read so I had high hopes for this one. Like with the previous entry, I did not like the characters, especially Adelina. This book didn’t leave much of an impression on me that I can’t even remember what happened. But I do remember disliking Adelina. A lot. Now, I’m not even sure if I want to continue. I own all three books in the series… signed. And I know they are readily available on audio. But yeah, do I want to continue? Not sure.

The Library of Souls by Richard Denney.
This one was hard, guys. I like Richard’s booktube content and I know how hard he worked on this book and how excited he was for it. But it needed some major editing. So much that the errors were super distracting. Again, the premise had something good going on for it but it read like a draft. I wanted to love it, I really did. But I just couldn’t get over the technical mistakes because there were so many.

A Court of Frost and Starlight by Sarah J. Maas.
I was expecting some nice little novella about the rest of the Circle but noooo, we got another Feyre/Rhys sexfest. Nope. Gimme Azriel.

Sinner by Sierra Simone.
Honestly, I went in for the smut. What I got was profound and philosophical views about life, love, and death. Whut? Priest was HOT. This had its moments but because of the first book, I was expecting something along the same lines as that. I expected taboo smut from Sierra Simone and yes, this had that but I expected… hotter taboo smut, I guess? Eh.

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There you have it. I think these five were the only disappointing reads of 2018 for me. I had high expectations for all of these but all of them fell short. Don’t ask me which 5 are my best picks because that is a harder list to do. XD

#T5W | For the Anime Lovers in Your Life

This week, we are talking about Books to Give ANIME FANS as Gifts.

I have reader friends and anime friends. I have no idea how much they overlap. I hope I find that out with this topic. I know they’re out there somewhere. 😉

I admit I had a slightly difficult time composing this list. I am reading mostly contemporary NA romance lately but in general, I prefer my reading to be more fantasy and sci-fi. However, I lean towards the slice-of-life genre in my anime. Don’t get me wrong, I’m a sucker for mecha and isekai but whenever I just want to relax and have an anime playing to pass the time, I like my guys ikemen (playing a sport or an instrument or cooking) and girls kawaii (also playing a sport or an instrument or crushing over someone). Not to say that that doesn’t happen in fantasy anime though.

Here are my picks for this topic. I will also include anime recommendations and explain as best as I can why I associated these books to fans of the anime I will mention.

(I’ve used this photo so many times but hey, I like it.)

The Illuminae Files trilogy by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff.
One word: MECHA. This trilogy is sort of a space opera complete with airships, machines, robots, artificial intelligence and all that jazz. It fits well with the Gundam and Macross franchises because it’s a battle in space between different airships and planets. I can even mention it to fans of Space Battleship Tiramisu for shits and giggles.

Warcross duology by Marie Lu.
It’s already set in Japan with Japanese characters. It’s an intense tournament, sort of like the Hunger Games minus the actual killing of players. And can you imagine all the colors when this is animated? Some parts gave me Psycho Pass vibes and I really saw it in my head. It’s non-stop action. It’s like watching an anime without filler episodes.

The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang.
Wotakoi vibes, anyone? This totally has a slice-of-life feel with a lot of romance – and adult – aspects in it. There are anime that toe the line between risque and full on hentai and I love those. I’m currently listening to this book for Smutathon as I type this and oh goodness me, it’s so adorable.

Daughter of Smoke and Bone trilogy by Laini Taylor.
This is for my fantasy anime lovers. Think Phantom of the Twilight — magic and fantasy in an urban setting. It’s a bit on the darker side and that can totally work in anime. Anything goes.

Train Man by Hitori Nakano.
This is cheating a little bit because this already has a live action adaptation. This is a Japanese book written in a sort of Reddit format. It takes a bit of getting used to but it’s so super cute.

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You know, I can cast voice actors for these roles right now if I had the time. It’ll probably the same handful of people though… just like sports anime. XD

 

#T5W | A few months to go

This week, we are talking about Books You Want to Read Before 2019.

I’m not much for TBRs. I tend to read what is available and convenient at that time. Especially when it comes to audio books. I will read it if it’s available. More often than not, the books that I want to read at that moment are so very popular that the waiting list is a mile long. Nope, if all else fails, I listen to a James Rollins book.

But I do have a list of things that I really do want to read before the year ends. This is a quick list. I wanted to have this up when I got to work but now I’m about to leave, I’m still typing this out!

The Stone Sky by NK Jemisin.
I started reading The Broken Earth trilogy this year and I would like to finish it this year as well. I tend to do this every year where I have a series to start and finish for those twelve months. Previous titles were Legend and Mistborn trilogies.

Our Dark Duet by Victoria Schwab.
Tome Topple pick for sure. This is on Hoopla so I know it will be available no matter what. I don’t know, I think because I got spoiled for the ending that I pushed reading this farther and farther back. But I’m still game. I love Victoria’s writing.

Vengeful by VE Schwab.
VE if it’s adult, Victoria if it’s YA. Remember that. 😉 Well, I’m not spoiled for this ending but this was released during a hectic time in my life and I just had no time to read it right away. I will make time before the year ends. Maybe bring it to Japan with me on my trip next month.

Balance by Lucia Franco.
So I went through this age gap NA romance shopping spree some months ago and this came up in every single recommendation, list, review. It’s not only age gap, it’s also forbidden. I’d skimmed through and oh boy, it’s not for everyone. People either love it or abhor it hahaha… I can take it from what little I’ve read of it. I don’t know. We’ll see.

And several manga that I own.
I’m putting them all under one item because they’re manga. They’re easy and fun to read. I still have the 2nd Wotakoi collection, Kemono Friends! Welcome to Japari Park, and the 2nd volume of My Brother’s Husband. I’m 100% sure to get these out of the way before 2019.

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Aaaand this post all but took me ten minutes. XD

I’m interested to see what’s on your list. Maybe I’ll find more titles to add on mine. Have you read any of these?

#T5W | Friends Forever!

This week, we are talking about Favorite Friend Groups.

My only bookish answer to this is Harry, Ron, and Hermione so there you go. 🙂

Like with yesterday’s post, you just have to do with my anime list. Hey, most of these are manga or light novel originals so I guess it still counts, right? Besides, it’s a chance to try new things. Trust me, these shows are solid.

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Rokuhōdō Yotsuiro Biyori.
I came across this show by complete accident. I saw it was an interesting name, looked up the cast list and saw all my favorites. Sold. I watched this in a day and a half. It has a manga too but I couldn’t find it in English so I haven’t read that yet. Anyway, it’s about four friends who run a Japanese-style cafe. Sui (Junichi Suwabe) is in charge of the tea and technically owns the place, Tokitaka (Yuichi Nakamura) cooks the savory dishes and also provides the handmade tableware, Gure (Daisuke Ono) makes latte art, and Tsubaki (Daiki Yamashita) is their patissiere. They have their greeter cat Kinako. It’s such a feel-good show and I love all of the characters. It makes me hungry for sweets… even Japanese curry! I think these four guys live upstairs from the cafe and they help each other out with everything.

 

My Hero Academia Hero Class 1-A.
I love my little heroes but I love it more when they act like the kids that they still are. My favorite scenes from the anime and manga are when they’re just fooling around and teasing each other as any classmate would. I mean, look at that adorable class picture! Everyone gets along well, everyone has a friend. My little Tokoyami belongs. Hell, even Mineta has a place in their class.

 

Karasuno Third Years.
Look at them. JUST. LOOK. AT. THEM. Click on that photo above for a more eloquent explanation. I love them. That’s all. But no, I have so much more to say. Sugamama and Dadchi… and their first-born Asahi. They wanted so bad to leave a legacy and build up their underclassmen. They pretty much put their college chances on to the back burner just so they can continue playing with the second and first years. They still wanted to win. And just look at them… OMG.

 

Iwatobi Middle School Swim Club Members.
Haru, Makoto, Asahi, Ikuya, Natsuya-senpai, and my lovely Nao-senpai. I love Rin, Nagisa and Rei too but with Take Your Marks currently airing (at the time of this post), I can’t help but have serious Iwachuu feelz. As far as I know, the original material for Free! is the light novel about them in middle school. Of course, the others make an appearance but it’s mostly about this particular medley relay group. My little children!

315 Production.
Include all the game-only subunits to this entry. I love them all. They all have a special place in my heart – characters and voice actors. They all have one goal, to be a top idol. They all come from different backgrounds: lawyer, pilot, teachers, professional soccer players, ramen masters, public servants… and they quit that to become idols, to reach more hearts and inspire more people. Hell, I’m definitely inspired. XD

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I swear, this is not going to turn into an anime blog. Although, my shelf holds more than books. It definitely holds its share of anime stuff from DVD/BDs to figures. But do know that I am still reading… just not talking about it.

Anyway, I hope you check these out whether the manga source material or the anime/game itself.

#T5W Rewind | Booktube Made Me Read It

This week, we are talking about the book recommended by Booktube.

But before that, I would like to share an update regarding my previous T5W post. I posted my Merch Monster topic a few weeks ago and there, I said I would love a Treebeard Funko Pop (as much as I don’t prefer Funkos). Well… during my weekly Little Tokyo visit, I picked one up. 

Yep. Call me “multi-fandom”. This is why I don’t do Tumblr anymore. I mean, I was there when it first started but now, it’s become to big and I have so many active fandoms, I can’t do it.

A former professor noticed that I have a Groot bobble head at the bottom there. Next time I rearrange, I will put him next to Treebeard. Below this shelf is a sneak peek of my LOTR collection. Right above is my Gunpla display pictured in this post. That part of the fandom obviously overflowed to this shelf. It’s supposedly my Harry Potter and Jane Eyre shelf. There’s Hagrid in the back with Dumbledore. Those The Hunger Games books there are in Filipino. Behind those 3D glasses (that I got when I watched The Hobbit: The Battle of Five Armies red carpet premiere) and below the spare GP base is a VHS (yes) copy of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone signed by Daniel Radcliffe and Chris Columbus. I may retire those Gundam: IBO keychains so I’ll have more space for figures. It’s an ever evolving process.

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Anyway, I already have a list of 10 things that I bought/read because of booktube. But if I’m being honest, about 80% of my TBR is because of booktube. I’ve since weeded out some and added in titles that were under the “Recommended” tab but the fact still remains that booktube is a damn good promoter of books.

• The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzi Lee.
  When this became the OwlCrate book of the month, there was no way to miss this book or hear what it’s about. I have no interest in subscription boxes (I have enough merch to last me several lifetimes) therefore, I wasn’t interested in reading or purchasing this. Until I saw it available on Hoopla Digital as an audio book. I took the chance and I’m so glad I did.
• A Madness so Discreet by Mindy McGinnis.
  Just how out of touch am I with the bookish community? Well, I’ve heard of her other book, The Female of the Species. I heard about this book from other smaller booktubers who I trust. Until I looked up the author’s other works, I had no idea that one person wrote both books. Hehehe, yeah. I haven’t read Female but I damn love this one.
• Deathless by Catherynne M. Valente.
  I heard about this from the current moderator of this weekly tag, Sam from Thoughts on Tomes. We may have different opinions about this book but I’m thankful that I got this recommendation from her.
• The Remnant Chronicles by Mary E. Pearson.
  Another recommendation from Sam. I heard this first from her channel and as the books were released, she had nothing but high praises. With this trilogy, I agree with her opinions. I then bought all three books in hardcover.
• New Adult genre.
  All the NA books that I’ve read – and loved – so far are direct recommendations from booktube. My most recent one, Birthday Girl by Penelope Douglas, is from Jess from PeaceLoveBooks. The New Camelot trilogy by Sierra Simone and Him/Us by Sarina Bowen and Elle Kennedy were from Julie from Pages & Pens. Although I’ve read Sierra Simone’s other book, Priest, I would have never checked her other series out without hearing someone I trust talk about it. Then the first NA book that I actually liked, Amour Amour by Krista and Becca Ritchie, I heard from Carol from The Reading Wallflower. Now, I’m starting to branch out on my own. I’m beginning to realize what I like and what pushes my buttons, so to speak. 😉

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I had “Seanan McGuire books” on my draft list but I read her works as Mira Grant before The Wayward Children series was released. And while I did hear about ACOTAR on booktube, I would’ve read it eventually because I saw it everywhere I went. And as I listen to the final hour of Stalking Jack the Ripper by Kerri Maniscalco, I placed it on my TBR before I heard anyone on booktube talk about it.

Social media is a great platform to have one message reach so many. Our responsibility as consumer is to decide if these things are worth our time and pay it forward if it is.

 

#T5W Rewind | Merch Monster!

This week, we are talking about Favorite Fandom Items.

It was actually last week. And yesterday. But look, I barely posted last month after saying time and time again that I will be better about it. Well, that’s life for you. My last post was my March wrap up and here we are at the very beginning of May, waiting for my April wrap up.

I would have you know, however, that I’ve been reading quite a bit. My reading hasn’t suffered. Just my blogging, both in time and inspiration. No T5W topics interested me last month except this last one. It was a perfect topic for someone like me… a merch monster. I had a list down, of five “wants” and five favorites in my current collection. I even planned some photos to go with it. But they weren’t exactly bookish. Honestly, I do not collect bookish merch outside of signed books. I’ve even said that I will only buy books if they are signed. So far, I’ve been very good with my purchasing. I have mostly anime merch. But understand that a lot of these anime are adapted from manga… which is a form of book. So I guess it counts?

Unfortunately, I already threw away my old list. I was hoping to retro post it but I gave up. I shouldn’t have because May is a freebie month. Looks like I may still have a chance! Like my original list, I will split this into two: my wish list and my favorites. Note that wish listing is very hard for me because I tend to have trigger fingers when I see something I want. 😉

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Let’s start with my WISH LIST.

• Deku and Bakugo Nendoroids from My Hero Academia.
  I admit, I’m a bit late on this Nendoroid train. I only started collecting around September of last year (and now have all of Karasuno and some more; it’s an addiction). Had I known about this sooner, I would’ve pre-ordered them. But now, they cost an actual arm and an actual leg. I’ve resorted to “collecting” the Funko Pops and the Banpresto DXF figures but I wouldn’t say no to these Nendoroids for a good price.
• Yuri Plisetsky , GEM Series figure from Yuri!!! On Ice.
  I don’t care much for the Yuuri and Viktor figures but this one is so beautiful. My mom actually promised this for my birthday but I don’t know… either I want something else for my birthday or I eventually get it myself.
• Large Kaeru plushie from The IdolMaster Side M.
  I can’t even begin to explain how much I want this. BADLY. Ever since I saw it in one of their Nico Nico livestreams, I so want it. I love Pierre and I want this huge Kaeru plush in my life.
• Treebeard Funko Pop from The Lord of the Rings.
  I’m not the biggest fan of Funko Pops but I want this. I might look out for this at conventions if I can’t get it at Hot Topic asap or something.

And here are my FAVORITES:

• Pictured above is a small part of my Haikyuu!! collection. That one is the complete “Karasuno vs Nekoma: Battle of the Garbage Dump” set from Banpresto. It took me a while to complete but it is so worth it. I have all but two figures from the Banpresto DXF line, every released Karasuno Nendoroid and Kenma, and a couple of smaller official figures and charms (both legit and knock offs). I also have two seasons on limited edition BD/DVD and I’m in the process of collecting all the stage plays on video. Yes, this is my life.
• And you’ve seen photos of my Gunpla collection in past posts. It’s something I share with my brother. I’ve assembled my share of Bear’gguys and Petit’gguys and I’m slowly venturing out to Gundam and mobile suits. I recently finished my first “humanoid” kit, the Mrs. Loheng-rinko model. It was so much fun. With the new season, I’m pretty sure I’m just going to add to this never-ending collection. I still have so many other to assemble!

China’gguy and Mrs. Loheng-rinko.

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Someday, I will take a photo of my collection. There is just so many and no, I don’t think I will ever sell them. I’m not like that. It’s only going to get bigger from here. I mean, Haikyuu is still releasing figures. I may have stopped buying books and makeup but my monies are definitely going somewhere else. 😉

#T5W | SFF Anime and Games

This week, we are talking about Favorite Science Fiction & Fantasy in Other Media.

It’s the second day of Spring and it’s pouring rain here in Southern California. All I want to do is stay at home and veg. I have a pile of Gunpla that needs to be assembled, a stack of books waiting to be read, a backlog of anime to watch, and Aidios knows what else to do. But hey, gotta make the money, right? 😉

I’ve been reading a good chunk of NA Contemporary lately but Sci-fi/Fantasy still remains one of my favorite genres. Yes, they’re harder and more intimidating to read than fluffy contemporaries but they’re so much fun. It’s the same with my consumption of other media. I love me some fantasy games. While I love the slice of life genre, anime is where fantasy and science fiction are made possible. For someone who grew up on Yuyu Hakusho and Mobile Suit Gundam Wing, can you blame me for being conditioned to love SFF? I’d do the same to my future children, to be honest. Western animated shows be damned lol.

The list that I drafted definitely was over 5… hell, it was over 10! Majority of the anime that I watch may be slice of life but has fantasy elements in it. Take Orange for example. It’s about the day to day lives of six friends then they receive letters from their future selves. Girls und Panzer looks like a cutesy moe show about a tankery school but come on, I just wish a tankery school would exist! Even something as confusing as Glasslip has fantasy elements.

Maybe I’ll do 5 games and 5 anime? Or at least separate them in this list? Let’s see.

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VIDEO GAMES (with all of these, I suggest playing them in publication order)

Legend of Heroes franchise.
Specifically Trails of Cold Steel. Before I found about about this wonderful game, Final Fantasy VIII ruled my gaming heart. This took over so fast. I love EVERYTHING about it – the story, the attack system, music… the VOICE ACTORS. It’s both character and story driven. Every single character – playable or not – has a rich backstory. All the other games – Sky, Azure, Cold Steel, etc. – are all connected. It has elements of magic as well as science fiction in Gundam-like machinery and other technologies. The world-building is like no other. It’s such an engaging game series.

The Tales of… series.
Graces f, Symphonia, Xillia, Zesteria, Berseria… don’t ask what they mean because I’m pretty sure it doesn’t really mean anything. But the games, goodness me. Tales of Zesteria even has an anime adaptation that I actually prefer over the game. I love all the characters across all games. Again, as with a lot of RPGs, there is a big element of magic and lore. It’s whimsical, magical, and all around amazing.

Persona 4.
Specifically this game. I like P5 as well but I enjoyed every version of P4 from the fighting game to the rhythm game so damn much. I loved the voice acting as well as the sometimes freaky art style. But really, the music… come on. It also deals with rather complicated matters of the self and other people. You go into the “Midnight TV” and there, you encounter your alternate self, your “shadow”. Then you fight your shadow to discover the real you. It’s awesome.

Final Fantasy VIII.
I can’t help it. I still love it. I hope they remaster it so you can skip long ass cut scenes and have much better graphics. And maybe voice acting too? Squall is still one of my fictional boyfriends. This game has my favorite magic systems (and card games) of all time. And the music… I’m still in love with all the songs on every soundtrack CD.

(I could also put Kingdom Hearts but my main pull to that game franchise is the crossover with Final Fantasy VII and VIII. I do like it too but it’s in no way a favorite.)

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ANIME

Mobile Suit Gundam franchise.
I think the above photo is explanation enough. I grew up watching Gundam Wing. I assembled Gunpla in high school. I picked it up again not too long ago when I discovered Iron-blooded Orphans and Build Fighters. I’m obsessed with Bear’gguys. Now, I’m working my way through Gundam 00. It’s your classic mecha anime. I think under this item also comes classic favorites such as Voltes V and Daimos. My parents watched those shows around me therefore, I grew up loving them too.

Steins;Gate.
Technically, it’s also a game. A visual novel. But my introduction to Steins;Gate was through the anime adaptation. It’s more science fiction than fantasy because it deals heavily with time travel. I love it so much that I cosplay Mayuri every Anime Expo. It starts off as a comedy then it gets darker and darker as the series goes on. The 2nd game will also have an anime adaptation and I can’t wait!

Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood.
This won’t be a list of fantasy anime without FMA. Despite the “metal” in the name, this is definitely more fantasy than sci-fi. And while I do mention Brotherhood specifically, do watch the first series before this one. I know it’s long and you’d think it’s repetitive but you’ll definitely thank me later.

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Well, I couldn’t do five each but I tried. Of course, there are still more titles but if I mention everything here, we’ll be here forever. Let me know if you want more recommendations – or if you have some for me – and we can talk in the comments!

#T5W | That Lovin’ Feelin’

This week, we are talking about our favorite romance novels.

Yeah, yeah. I disappeared from the blogosphere for two weeks. I don’t have a good reason so I won’t even pretend I have one. I’m sort of back. That should be okay, right? Right.

So, romance novels. To be honest, I haven’t read that many strictly romance novels. It’s always a side plot in a fantasy or a chapter in a mystery/thriller. I’ve read my share of smutty erotica romance. But it’s only recently when I started appreciating New Adult Contemporary Romance. I still won’t touch YA Contemporary but oh boy, I’m loving all these NA goodness lately.

I’m currently marathoning the New Camelot trilogy by Sierra Simone. And I guess the Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer, too, on audio. But dang, American Queen and American Prince are so… actually, written very well. The plots were crazy at parts and everyone seemed to take it all in stride but I liked these books and I’m sure I’m going to like American King just as much. I need Embry Moore in my life, please. (Sierra Simone has another sinfully hot series called Priest. It’s not really the “romantic” type but this was the book that started this sort of NA binge read for me.)

I won’t fill up my list with NA, no. I still haven’t read enough. But I so want to. So if you have any recommendations, let me know!

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Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte.
I may not read a lot of romance but my favorite book of all time is a romance classic. I don’t think the inclusion of this book on this list needs any further discussion. #TeamRochester!

When It’s Real by Erin Watt.
I borrowed the audiobook from Audible expecting a steamy sexytimes romance. The other Erin Watt book that I’m aware of is the Paper Princess ones. I wanted those but I figured this would be along the same lines. But it’s more of a YA-ish, mildly sexy , actually pretty sweet story about a pop star and a simple girl. It’s a fake-to-real relationship romance and I had my earphones glued to my ears the whole time. I loved every bit of it. The narrators were excellent. It’s just an all around great read.

A Crown of Wishes by Roshani Chokshi.
The banter between Gauri and Vikram was so cute. They weren’t the lovey-dovey couple like in the first book. They were like a cat and a dog, bickering every chance they got. Sort of like Jane Eyre and Mr. Rochester. Their way of showing endearment is through a verbal sparring. Tsundere, if you can call it that.

Him by Sarina Bowen and Elle Kennedy.
Jamie and Wes were also in my previous T5W list. I went with Him instead of Us because in this book, there are still establishing and exploring each other and the potential in their relationship. Imagine, two burly athletic guys with the feelz of a teenager. It’s so sweet. They’re so sweet.

American Prince by Sierra Simone.
I just have to include this one. Embry!!! My poor tortured Embry. This book is told in his perspective and it’s definitely the most “romantic” of the three. He’s such an idealist, a romantic, and a martyr. His love for… the people around him… hurts him so much. I question yet love the dynamics of his relation… ships. Yes, I can’t give anything away. It’s part of the “charm”.

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Again, my comments section is open for any NA romance recommendations. I want it. I crave it!

(I might retro-post yesterday’s Top Ten Tuesday topic later today or tomorrow… depending on how I’m feeling.)

T5W | yaoi

This week, we are talking about our favorite M/M couples.

I actually only have ONE couple that came from a book and the only one that is technically canon. No matter how much we pray to Arda to make Legolas/Aragorn canon, it only really exists in fanfiction. Oh and what amazing fanfiction it has!

What I’ll do is I will fill up my list of anime pairing. Yes, some of them are originally manga, therefore, from books. But I fell in love with them through the anime so they will count as such. I did have other bookish pairs but it didn’t feel right to me to just give examples just so I’ll have five when they’re not really my favorites anyway. While I do love Alabaster/Innon from The Fifth Season, I like the threesome even more. 😉

Really, if you’re looking for really good and juicy m/m couples, look to fanfiction. A good chunk of fanfiction writers get it so right. Or watch sports anime. You’ll love it.

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Dadchi and Sugamama

Let’s start with the only bookish pairing on the list:

Wesley and Jamie, “Wesmie”, from Him duology by Sarina Bowen and Elle Kennedy.
I don’t know ANYTHING about hockey. But holy crap, this duology made me want to read every hockey romance out there, especially if it’s M/M romance. Wesley and Jamie are childhood friends. They grew up in the opposite parts of the country but they spent summers at hockey camp. Wesley is out while Jamie had no idea… no idea that Wesley is in love with him since forever. These two books talk about their journey from friendship to finding oneself to denial to acceptance. Oh LOVE!

Shino and Yamagi from Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-blooded Orphans.
This is the sweetest and most heartbreaking part of this already gut-wrenching show. Shino is one of the Gundam operators of the Tekkadan while Yamagi is one of the engineers. Both of them are war orphans or “human debris”. Yamagi is sort of close to Shino but romantically admired the Gundam pilot from afar. Later, someone tells Yamagi that Shino knows of this affection but was hesitant to act on it because Shino saw Yamagi as family.

Daichi Sawamura and Koushi Sugawara… and absolutely EVERYONE from Haikyuu!!
Even their live action stage actors give me epic Daisuga feelz. With a Z. Daichi and Suga are the captain and vice-captain of the Karasuno Boys Volleyball team. Conveniently, they are Dad and Mom. But they are best at praising and taking care of each other. In the story, there’s a potential canon love interest for Daichi but he’s totally oblivious to it. But he listens to Suga. Suga is the only one who can scold Daichi like a little kid. I love them both so very much and they have the sweetest and hottest fanfiction ever.

Other equally amazing pairings are as follows: Oikawa/Iwaizumi, Kuroo/Kenma, Bokuto/Akaashi, Asahi/Nishinoya, Tsukishima/Yamaguchi… everyone.

Haruka Nanase and Makoto Tachibana from Free!
They’ve been best of friends since they were little babies. They literally grew up together, went to the same schools, swam the same teams. Needless to say, they are like an old married couple. In the live reading at the seiyuu event, Haru was able to take Makoto’s food order without any words exchanged. Makoto knows what Haru is feeling, what Haru is thinking just by looking at him. Makoto takes care of Haru. Haru saves Makoto and in the whole series, Haru shows the most emotion when he thought Makoto drowned. It’s so beautiful.

Viktor Nikiforov and Yuuri Katsuki from Yuri!!! On Ice.
I’m going to cheat and put Yurio and Otabek here too. This is the purest, most innocent and beautiful pairing. Viktor inspired a younger Yuuri to skate. Later in the darkest part of his professional skating career, Yuuri suddenly finds Viktor at his doorstep, offering to be his coach. Viktor helps Yuuri improve. Yuuri helps Viktor find life and love.

As for Yurio and Otabek, Yurio is like a different person when Otabek is around. Otabek was brazen enough to approach Yurio and demand his friendship. I am looking forward to more Otayuri in the movie and season 2!

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If anything, I encourage you to check out everything on this list. Read Him and Us. Watch these shows. You’ll thank me later.