This is easy! Done.

Kidding... Kind of :)

Thank you Ariella from Secrets of Words for tagging us! I can't wait to share with you guys some of the best books in history!

I'm one of those people who has a very strong memory of books. Sadly, this talent doesn't extend to textbooks so I'm not sure how useful it is for life but heck is it fun to reminisce of favourite books.

In order of when I read them. These books have effected my life and my tastes in books.

I cheated with only eight books (10 books tag), but each and everyone of these books hold a special place in my heart. 

1. Harry Potter ignited my love for reading.
2. Perfect Chemistry introduced me to YA romance.
3. Fire blew my mind with the creativity and richness of Fantasy. 
4. Last Sacrifice, was the book I pinned for the longest, it was my first fangirl experience. 
5. The DUFF gave me a taste of brutal honesty and the beauty of friendship. 
6. Eona brought back my love for Mulan and strong females. 
7. Where She Went shattered by heart and then walked on it with spiky boots. 
8. The Bronze Horseman reminded me of my love for travel, history and true love.

And now I tag:

... whomever wishes to do this tag. I love you all (really, I take such declarations seriously).

-MARI

This is a new feature that will be looking at blogging, books, and anything of any relevance to the YA Blogosphere in short form. It's meant to start a discussion by offering quick thoughts from Mari and P.E. on a variety of topics. 

Not About Them Ghosts

by P.E. 

I consider myself a huge fan of paranormal stories, except when it comes to ghosts. (And zombies. We already went through that.) Maybe it's because I watched too much Ghost Whisperer as a kid and Supernatural as a teen, but ghost stories don't interest me at all. They all have the same themes and I find that I don't feel like I get anything new out of another ghost story. It's the same recycled storyline of holding on to anger, denying the past, and moving on. The end of every ghost story is the same: the ghost moves on. Where's the intrigue?

The Aversion to Picking Favourites

by P.E. 

Every time I go out to eat and I don't know about the restaurant, I have a trick that always guarantees me a good meal: I ask the employees what's best. Every single time I have ever asked this, the employee will say something along the lines of "it depends on what you like". But I'm not asking them to recommend a food to someone who's tastes they don't know. I want to know what they like. I know people have different opinions, and I know their opinions won't be mine, so why does everyone feel the need to put in a disclaimer? (Probably because they feel like some people would get mad at them if they recommend something bad.) In any case, it's hard for bloggers too because we want to make that perfect recommendation based on the person's tastes, but all we can do is pick our favourites. That should be enough.

Let's Talk About Outlander

by Mari

If you've been following us on Instagram or Twitter you might have come up on me Outlander love fest. So far its taken many forms, I even bought a tartan mini skirt to add to my collection of new total 2 skirts. Back to Outlander, I devoured the tv show and then dived into the book a few weeks ago and ever since life has not been quite the same. I'm still on a serious hangover and after the torture that Outlander was, I'm using torture in an endearing sense, I'm really hesitant to dive into Dragonfly in Amber and to make matters worse!!! Worse!!! The sale on the series is over so now how am I going to get my hands on books 3-8?! I'm facing a serious dilemma... Also, debating just how much I need a pocket Jamie (leaning towards must have, only think keeping me is the lack of a hard enough paper and a colour printer. Anyone else read/watched Outlander? Any recommendations for the hangover?

-P.E. & MARI

There are many genres to choose from. With every supernatural or genre craze that has entered YA there has been an explosion of new books. I've read about vampires, werewolves, angels, zombies, cyborgs, and most recently, assassins.

I've enjoyed all of them in certain books. But some things that has been standing out is my increasing love for assassins who usually show up in high fantasy reads. Is it assassins I love or high fantasy? It really depends on the book. But high fantasy has definitely risen as my absolute favourite genre.

Why do I love high fantasy? Easy. First, let's get to know me a little bit. 

I’m a history nerd. 

• Preferably ancient history, but anything past the Renaissance to the Edwardian era is good too.

Fantasy tends to be set in these alternate history settings. They may not always be on Earth, but they resemble a time in history.

I love diversity.

Fantasy quenches this thirst. There are fantasies that capture the essence of many cultures, either by being set there or featuring diverse characters.

I also love action. 

• I really don't mind the guns though now that I think about it, there aren't many guns in YA (hmmm). Any who, I love swordplay, though I don't think I actually follow the actions properly; I just imagine some epic fighting. 

Strong female characters! 

• There was a time in fantasy when the female role was to be a damsel in distress, but the 21st century has shed a new light on females in fantasy and I love it. They are sassy, sexy and damn strong; corsets and swords all the way.

Lets talk about chivalrous knights! 

• Fantasy has introduced me to some of the most broodingly hot and chivalrous male heroes around. Want me to list ’em? 

1. Po (Graceling)
2. Chaol (Throne of Glass)
3. Robin Hood (Scarlet)
4. Gavriel Duval (Grave Mercy)

The list goes on!

Fantasy is a very rich genre. It’s rich of many things: characters, world, action, plot and writing. Obviously it depends on the book and the authors work, but at this point it’s kind of hard to have a fantasy book disappoint me. I read to escape and enjoy myself. I want to be enveloped in a completely different world, be thrust into situations I would never be faced with in life and live. Fantasy does this for me and so I can't help but adore it!

I Love Fantasy!

AND

THIS IS SPARTA!

-MARI