February 1: Michael and Mia

So, of course, I had to start with my first romance, Michael Moscovitz and Mia Thermopolis from The Princess Diaries.

Summary Without Spoilers: Mia is the Princess of Genovia, but she's also a regular teenage girl. She has a best friend Lilly, who has a brother named Michael. Michael and Mia always have feelings for each other, and they explore these feelings over the 10 book series.

Summary With Spoilers (these summaries are so much more fun!): In the first book, we meet Michael and Mia. She's confused, but he loves her anyway. He always loves her. He writes songs about her. He sings to her. She is his Tall Glass of Water, if you know what I mean. In the second book, Mia realizes she's in love with Michael, but she never thinks he'd like her, so she dates geeky Kenny. But Michael loves her still. Then the third book (pictured above) they finally end up together! He writes her a poem and a computer program! The ending is just so good! And then, over the next seven books they grow closer: they go to prom, they discuss sex, they help each other through crises. Then, in my favourite book of all time, they get back together. Love it, just love it.

Why I Love Them:

-Because of the slow dancing at the dance in PD1. It's so cute.

-Because of the "Mia, you look...", "Mia you look really beautiful" comment in PD2

-Because of Michael's jealousy all through PD2 and PD3 (and PD10 for that matter). I love jealous Michael!

-Because of the awesome ending to PD4, when he says that, of course, he's "in love" with her. I love how paranoid Mia was (I know I would be that paranoid!) and I love how sweet and sure he is.

-Because Michael is so committed to her. He really loves her. He knows what he wants. He sees a future for them.

-Because PD10 is just about the most amazing thing ever. I have never enjoyed reading a book more. Other books may have been written better. Other books may have been better stories. But I have never so happy and excited to read a book in my life. I grew up reading about Michael and Mia, and seeing them get together was so amazing. The interview--"What did you miss most?" "You". Awww, Michael. And, of course, the carriage ride. And after the prom. LOVE LOVE LOVE them.

Why They Are Perfect For Each Other:

Because he is so smart. And she is smart too. Because he always loved her, and she always loved him. Because they can stick by each other by the good times and the bad. Because they love each other, and their love conquers all.

Sweet Little Taste of Their Love:

Note: This post runs as part of my month long Romance Celebration featuring all my favourite couples from books, tv shows, and movies. Check in tomorrow for more!

I Don't Want to Fall in Love

I have a really, really big fear. And no, it's not spiders or heights or anything like that. It's love. I know, that sounds ridiculous. But please, let me explain.

And no, I am not a commitment-phobe (how could I be? I'm only 16!)

You see, I have grown up reading romance novels and watching romantic comedies and sappy TV shows. These experiences have taught me a few things:

• If you have a boy as a best friend, he is in love with you. You may have loved him since the beginning of time or you may just realize it when it is too late (or, at least, when it seems too late, but really, you'll rush to find him at the last second at the airport/university/planetarium)

Examples: Post Grad (Ryden & Adam), Clueless (Cher & Josh), Where the Heart Is (Novalee & Forney), When Harry Met Sally (Harry & Sally), Dawson's Creek (Joey & Dawson), Northern Exposure (Maggie & Joel), Bones (Brennan & Booth), Teen Idol (Jenny & Scott), How to Be Popular (Stephanie & Jason), Airhead Series (Em/Nicki & Christopher)

• When two people break up it is rarely permanent, because they are soulmates

Examples: The Notebook (Allie & Noah), Friends (Ross & Rachel), Dawson's Creek (Joey & Dawson), Gilmore Girls (Lorelai & Luke), Everwood (Ephram & Amy) The Princess Diaries (Michael & Mia), Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants (Lena & Kostos)

• Couples will always reunite in a big climatic scene where they confess their undying love for each other

Examples: All the couples already listed, plus 27 Dresses (Jane & Kevin), While You Were Sleeping (Jack & Lucy), Pants on Fire (Katie & Tommy), Psych Major Syndrome (Leigh & Nathan), and every other couple fictional couple that has ever existed

All these so-called experiences have made me fear love. I mean, how could it possibly live up to my expectations? What if I have a boy who is really just a friend? Or what if "friends with benefits" is not a cover for the fact that he really loves me? And what if, instead of a big climatic break up and reconciliation, we just stay together (or, worse, we just break up)? And what if, worst of all, there are no soulmates, no person we're "supposed to end up with"? I would be so disappointed. My ideas of love come from very unreliable and unrealistic sources and I fear I am bound to be crushed by these big ideas about love.

I'm not scared to love because it might be too much, or too overwhelming. I'm scared it will be too little. I mean, what if all my dreams do come true, but they're just not enough? What do I do then? What do I have to look forward to without love? What is life without love?

The Best YA Contest

So, still getting over the Chuck and Blair drama. It still hurts to think about it, but it's getting better day by day. In the meantime, if you remember, I mentioned a Best YA books contest that I participated in over on this website/blog. The results were posted over the last few days, and I have been following to see if any of my favourites made the list. Well, the results were mixed. All the books I voted for made the list (**I think, but I may have forgotten all I voted for...), but they came in much lower then I expected. However, I am proud to announce that I have read a good number of the winners. Here is my list, in winning order:

(quick legend: bold is for books I especially liked. Non-bold (regular?) is for books I've read, but didn't love)

#2 Harry Potter Series by J. K. Rowling

#3 Twilight Series By Stephenie Meyer

#4 To Kill a Mockingbird By Harper Lee

#13 The Giver By Lois Lowry

#15 Little Women By Louisa May Alcott

#23 The Diary of Anne Frank By Anne Frank

#24 Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson

#26 The Catcher In The Rye By J. D. Salinger

#27 The Outsiders By S. E. Hinton

#28 Holes By Louis Sachar

#32 Romeo And Juliet By William Shakespeare

#36 The Secret Garden By Frances Hodgson Burnett

#43 Winter Girls by Laurie Halse Anderson

#47 The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants Series by Ann Brashares

#52 The Princess Diaries Series by Meg Cabot

#58 Just Listen by Sarah Dessen

#59 Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt

#61 Go Ask Alice by Anonymous

#64 The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time by Mark Haddon

#65 Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli

#66 A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith

#78 Just Along for the Ride by Sarah Dessen

#81 The Truth About Forever by Sarah Dessen

#82 The Mediator Series by Meg Cabot

#89 Angus, Thongs, and Full Frontal Snogging by Louise Rennison

#93 Tithe by Holly Black

#95 Forever by Judy Blume

#97 Among the Hidden by Mary Peterson Haddix

Total: 28/100 books, 9 of which I LOVED

So, quick commentary on the list:

-No big surprise, Harry Potter and Twilight top the list. The real surprise, though, is that they both beat out by The Hunger Games. I didn't think there was a bigger (or more insane) fan base then the Twihards. I think this is one of those times where the poll is skewed (though, I have to say, I'm happy the bloodsuckers lost).

-Romeo and Juliet, really? It's a freaking play. In iambic pentameter. I had to read it for ninth grade english class. Do people actually read this for pleasure? Without falling asleep?

-I'm glad Speak did so well. It was my absolute favourite book when I was younger. A must read for anyone, young or old. Also, Stargirl, a little farther down the list, was another childhood favourite of mine.

-How is Just Listen (#58) the highest Sarah Dessen on this list? Are you kidding me? Just Listen is good, but it's nowhere near as amazing as The Truth About Forever (#81). Crazy people, crazy.

-Tithe? Are you serious? That was a piece of puerile garbage I had to read for my middle school's fantasy unit. Yuck, yuck, yuck.

-The only explanation I can think of for the Jessica Darling Series not making the list is that some people consider it an adult series instead of YA. At my local Indigo (that is a popular Canadian bookstore chain, for all you foreigners/frenchies) it is in the adult section. I'm not completely sure why, considering it stars a teenager...

All very interesting. A cool list/poll at any rate. Even I don't agree with all the results (and yes, Romeo and Juliet, The Catcher In The Rye, The Secret Garden, and Tithe, I'm looking at you!), but I'm glad most of my favourites made the list. How 'bout you? Any essentials you think are missing?

The YA Awards are Back!

New theory: writing a blog post will warm me up to writing an essay. And yes, I am talking about that essay that was due over a month ago. I have to finish it. The guilt is killing me. But somehow, I just can't. God, help me. I just need to sit down and write it. So, I'll just write a blog post to, um, get me writing. So what if I'm writing about my love of chick lit instead of how bias influences knowledge. Writing is writing, is it not? (And yes, I am aware that none of this makes sense, thank you).

I know you have all been waiting for me to get back to the YA Awards. Well, there are not more urgent movie reviews, so I suppose I shall. Now, what should the award be today? How about Best Ending? Sound good to you? Sounds good to me. (yes, the insanity continues. I am now having a conversation with myself. Awesome.). So, drum roll please!

BEST ENDING

Definition: The last part of a novel or series of novels, typically when the hero and heroine get together

ie. the fairytale ending

1) Forever Princess, The Princess Diaries Series

2) Teen Idol

3) Breaking Dawn, The Twilight Series

4) Footfree and Fancyloose, The Bass Ackwards and Belly Up Series

5) Perfect Fifths, The Jessica Darling Series

And the winner is....

Yes, the second Meg Cabot in a row. You'll notice that the rest of the nominees are all series-enders, meaning a giant climatic ending after like ten books, in some cases. And somehow, Teen Idol, a little old stand alone, beat them all. And yes, it is THAT good.

I'm torn. I want to describe the ending so you all know why I love it so much, but I don't want to give it away for anyone who hasn't read the book (please, please read this book! It's so good!). So, I'll say this now: SPOILER ALERT

(there, I made it as obvious as possible, using as many different font types/sizes/colours as I could. Don't say I didn't warn you!). The ending to Teen Idol revolves around Jen Greenly and Scott and it is the cutest ending of all time. You see, Jen had been showing this really famous actor guy, Luke Striker, around her town so he could do research for his next role. Everyone had assumed they would get together, but they didn't because Jen was really in love with her old friend Scott, the school newspaper editor we had recently moved back to town. He liked her and she liked him, but she refused to admit it so he moved onto the gross Geri Lynn (okay, she wasn't that gross. But she wasn't Jen, so you had to hate her). In the end, Scott gets so frustrated by the whole situation that he asks to go for a walk with Jen during this anti-prom party. On this innocent little walk he kisses her, but she pulls away because the corsage pin is hurting her. He interprets this as a rejection, but then goes on to say how he has liked since forever. And she tells him she loves him. And they kiss some more. It's a fantastic ending (I'm not doing it justice, am I?). Just read the book. It is the sweetest, most romantic ending of all time. If you like YA romance at all, you'll love this ending, trust me.

READ THIS BOOK, that's all I can say. It deserves this award, with this awesome ending. READ IT READ IT READ IT. Okay, go on now, go get yourself a copy.

Up Next at The YA Awards

So, welcome back folks to the first annual YA Awards. I know everyone is on the edge of their seats so I won't waste time with my witty repartee. We'll jump right into the awards, with today's category:

BEST FIRST KISS

Definition: The first time two people kiss in a story or narrative

1) Nathan & Leigh, Psych Major Syndrome

2) Brian & Tibby, The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants Series

3) Darby & Kate, Footfree & Fancyloose

4) Tommy & Katie, Pants on Fire

5) Owen & Annabel, Just Listen

And the YA Award Goes To...

I don't love love love this book. But I do love love love this kiss. Most of the other kisses on this list are sweet and awkward and everything I love about a couple. But when awarding the first kiss it's not just about how cute the couple is; it's about how good the kiss is. So yes, this kiss scene is a little steamy (though still, you know, PG), but rightfully so. It's just that kind of character and that kind of couple. It sounds like something straight out of a steamy romance, really--she is so enthralled, she can barely stand. He lifts her onto the hood of the car and practically lies on top of her. Who knows how far these two would have gotten if the best friend hadn't shown up...

So, as this song goes,

Passionate kisses, whoa oh oh

Passionate kisses from you
Passionate kisses
Passionate kisses, whoa oh oh
Passionate kisses from you

Congrats to Meg Cabot for her excellent scene (from a not-so-excellent book). Snaps for Meg! (anyone get that reference? Anyone? I bet Reese Witherspoon would!)

And The YA Award Goes To...

So, always one to be prepared, I did a little research before starting up my little blog. I read articles and articles and lists upon lists, trying to see what made a good blog. I wanted to have a good blog--one people would find interesting, visually appealing but not any eyesore, and one people would want to follow. I don't know if I've achieved any of these things yet, but I keep trying. I try to remember the tips I learned from my research. For example, I always make sure my spelling and grammar is correct (at least, as far as I can tell. I'm not too great at grammar). I try to add lots of pictures (this post being the exception). I try to think of witty titles (yeah, my wit is also not so good, as you may have noticed. I'm sorry, I really am).

When I was doing all this research I came across one tip I liked: Do things in series. Like this series from Pimp My Novel, for example. I couldn't think of a good series to do until I came across this survey. I was trying to think of which books to nominate, and it came to me, the perfect series for Katherine was Thinking: The Best YA Moments. Like my version of the Oscars, I will be giving away awards for the Best Kiss, Best Lead Character, Best Couple, Best Male Lead, Best Supporting Character, Best Ending, and on into infinity (or, until I get bored and need to change topics). These awards are of the highest honour, I assure you. When authors practice their acceptance speeches in the shower, it's for these awards. Yes, that is how important they are. No, I am no full of s***. Not at all.

As with the Oscars, we shall not start with the biggest category (Best Picture, or in this case, best book), but with a medium sized one to catch people's interest. Without further ado (and with no Neil Patrick Harris dance numbers. Sorry to disappoint!), our first category of the night...

BEST MALE LEAD

Definition: The guy who ends up with girl ie. Prince Charming

And the nominees are:

1) Michael Moscovitz, The Princess Diaries Series

2) Nathan, Psych Major Syndrome

3) Wes, The Truth About Forever

4) James, Audrey, Wait!

5) Eric, Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants Series

And the YA Award Goes to....(drum roll please!)

Yes, Nathan from Alicia Thompson's Psych Major Syndrome takes home the statue for this one. For those of you who have never heard of this book the trailer and author website are here and here respectively. Nathan, aka, Mr. Prince Charming, is my absolute favourite male lead of all time. I'm always a sucker for the whole he-loves-her-from-a-far story (much like in the Princess Diaries, Audrey, Wait!, and The Truth About Forever). I just love the idea of a guy watching a girl from a far, being totally in love with her. It's so romantic. Somewhat cheesy, yes. But so romantic.

Nathan is sweet and cute and he loves Leigh so much ("I love you too and the genius that Bono is, I don't mean the band"). He meets her during orientation week and instantly falls in love (that part I don't believe that much--I'm not really a love at first sight person) and he can't stop thinking about her. I love how awkward he is. I love him, plain and simple. I want a Nathan in real life....

Now, I'm sure Alicia Thompson stayed up extra late (9:30 pm) to see if she won. I know she's already cleared a place on her mantel for the award (a snapshot of this post perhaps?). And I know you're all on the edge of your seats to see who will win the next category. Stay tuned to find out!

Don't Judge A Book By It's Cover

So, two options right now: write philosophy essay that's over two weeks late or write a blog entry. Man, that's a hard one...I guess I might just share with you all one of the hot topics of the moment (in my opinion)--the new Penguin Classics covers. I know, it doesn't sound like much of a HOT TOPIC. But I assure you, it is.

You see, Penguin recently released the new cover designs for their collection, to be released in May. They are somewhat different than so-called "traditional covers". Here's one, to show you what I mean:

Instead of the standard background picture and title text, these new covers actually use quotes from the book and small designs. As I read in my Maclean's this last week, Penguin redesigned their covers to, quote on quote (no plagiarism here!) "make the content of the books fresh and accessible, engaging the reader, and tell them what to expect inside the book". Interesting idea, but will it work? I've always had a hard time reading the classics. Maybe the new covers will hook me? Of course, a cover's just a cover--the actual book will still be just as boring as ever... (examples of classics I've tried to read and failed: Pride & Prejudice, Emma, Wuthering Heights, Watership Down, Jane Eyre, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, just to name a few...)

There's a lot of debate over these covers--some people hate them, some people love them. I think they look pretty cool. Generally, though, I am not a fan of reissuing covers. My favourite series, The Princess Diaries (for explanation see here), has had three reprintings in the last five years:

Bought the original "tiara designs" for the first four books, until they switched to the "picture designs" for books 5, 6, 7, and 8, and finally the "diary designs" for the last two books. God, talk about annoying. My series doesn't match at all and I'm too cheap and too sentimental to buy a whole new set. I wish they had just kept the original covers. They were my favourites.

Two other authors I like just recently did a redesign too--Megan McCafferty and Deb Caletti. I'm not too much of a fan of those either. But really, what makes a good cover? Originally, I was going to do a list of Best Covers for this entry, because I'm a listaholic (which is why this site is my addiction). But when I sat down to make my list, I couldn't think of a single cover. I guess I just don't know what constitutes a good one. I mean, I always liked this penguin classic set. But what do I know?

If you want a look into what actually goes into making a cover, watch this video from the awesome Pub Rants blog:

Pretty cool, eh? And what about these covers from Stephenie Meyer?

Uh-oh. Just looked at the clock--time to start working on that essay. Well, I suppose it's ciao for now (oh god, I hate that expression!). See you soon, amiche mie.

The Best YA in the World

Wow, an entire week has gone by without one of my lists. Can you believe it? I'm so overdue! What shall the topic be today? Any requests? Shall it be something chick lit-esque? Or maybe some more pop culture? Or some romance? Let's flip a coin...coin toss in progress...coin falls under chair...find new coin...forget what was heads and what was tails...flip again...and chick lit it is! How about best young adult (YA) series? (aren't all these questions fun? Oh, look--another question!). Well, we better get started:

1) The Princess Diaries by Meg Cabot

This series has ten full length novels and three novellas. Personally, I think the third and tenth books are the best (they have the best romantic moments) and the ninth is the worst (it has no romantic moments). I have been reading these novels since I ordered the first one from my fourth grade Scholastic Book Order (remember those? They're so retro!). This series has my absolute favourite literary couple--a miss Mia Thermopolis and mister Michael Moscovitz. Oh, how I love Michael Moscovitz (and I hate hate hate JP. Even before the tenth book). I love the song in book 1, the dress comment in book 2, the dance in book 3, the car scene in book 4, the birthday dinner in book 5, the pizza place in book 6, and, of course, the entirety of the tenth book (and, really, anyone who just got all those references deserves a giant round of applause, I must say). Anyone not familiar with the books probably knows the two films of the same name. The films are a tirade for another day. But I will say that this scene was FANTASTIC. And that all of the stuff in the second film didn't happen in the books. Like Michael and Mia would ever break up! (well, not in the second book at least). I feel like I'm not doing these books justice. Well, just watch this video and you'll understand why I love this series.

2) The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants by Ann Brashares

You'll see that the picture I've selected only has the first three books. That was not a mistake. I love the first three books in this series, but I absolutely hated the last book, so I prefer to think of this a trio of books instead of a quartet. Yes, the first three books were great--the third one especially (Girls in Pants). I love these books for a few reasons. First of all, I love the four girls. Lena, the one who doesn't want to be beautiful. Carmen, the passionate, loving one. Bridget, the daredevil one. And Tibby, the individual. I love them all for their quirks. They're unique characters and well-developed characters. The second thing I love is their friendship. I wish I had friends like these. And third thing I love is, of course, the romance. I love love love love love love (this could go on for a while) Bridget and Eric (who, by the by, get back together in the books, unlike the movies). But I also adore Tibby and Brian, in their own way. I'm not that much of a Kostos fan, though he is cute in the second book, until the whole pregnancy thing. The first three books are all great. Read them. Now.

3) The Jessica Darling Series by Megan McCafferty

Jessica Darling is the most hilarious character of all time. No lie. And Marcus Flutie is bad-ass. And all the other characters are great as well. I mean, who doesn't love Jessica's university list from book 2? And who doesn't crack up at Jess's dad and the running videos? It's classic stuff, I tell you. And of course, Marcus and Jessica are just about the sweetest couple of all time. The second book and the fifth book are great, just because they are together. I guarantee you're going to love them. You. Yes. You. (There's a little inside joke for all you Jessica fans!).

Wow, are those really the only great YA series? Couldn't be. But, really, I can't think of any others. I already shared my feelings on Harry Potter. And Twilight does not belong on this list. There are some other books, like the Bass Ackwards novels by Elizabeth Craft and Sarah Fain, but they're not really a big series, so they don't feel like they belong on this list. What do you think? Are they're any I'm missing?

Well, then, that's it for today folks. If you are a YA fan, you should vote for your favourite book in this contest. Not to influence your choices or anything, but I personally voted for Forever Princess (Princess Diaries series), Girl in Pants (Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants series), Second Helpings (Jessica Darling series), The Truth About Forever (a great Sarah Dessen, though not in a series), and fifth book I forget. I hope they win! (especially the one I forgot. That one's extra special!)

Best Blogs 2010

So, as I mentioned my love of all things blog, I thought I would do a little tribute to the author blogs which I read on a regular basis. Also, if you're bored of my blog already, this list might give you something more entertaining. So, without further ado...

1) Meg Cabot's blog

Oh, how I love Meg Cabot. I love her books (Princess Diaries, anyone?), and I love her blog. She's such a cool person. I mean, I think this photo explains it all:

Meg's blog is everything an author's blog should be: well-written, entertaining, and smart. Plus, she makes TONS of pop culture references (any Gossip Girl fans should see this post). She also makes great book recommendations for anything and everything chick lit. Meg is absolutely hilarious, making her blog one of the best.

2) Sarah Dessen's blog

Sarah Dessen is an young adult author too (The Truth About Forever, This Lullaby, etc), but her blog is very different from Meg's. Sarah talks about more about her day to day life and her family. She does include a fair number of pop culture references, but they are all generally tied to a few topics--Friday Night Lights and Good Morning America, for example. Now, I don't watch either of these programs (do they show GMA in Canada?), but I still enjoy Sarah's blog. It's very relatable and refreshingly real. Plus, I like that she writes every monday, wednesday, and friday--I have something to look forward to when I log on to my computer! (What? It's not like anyone ever emails me!).

3) Jen Lancaster's blog

This is a relatively new blog for me (the others I have been following since middle school). I started reading it after I finished Jen's first two memoirs--Bitter is the New Black and Bright Lights, Big Ass. Jen's blog is very funny and honest, just like her books. I really enjoyed this recent post.

4) Jennifer Weiner's blog

I think I actually prefer Jennifer Weiner's blog to her books (Goodnight Nobody, Little Earthquakes, etc), except, of course:

(and for those of you who gasped at that title, the book is not nearly as naughty as it sounds). She's entertaining and she raises interesting issues. Her blogging is sporadic, but it's good when you can get it.

I'm trying to think if there are anymore, but I think that's it. I hope you found at least one of them interesting (of course, if you hate chick lit, you probably won't like any of these...).

Good night and good blogging. 'Til later.

Welcome to my little corner of the world

I'm nervous, writing this first blog post. I want it to be positively perfect (forgive my alliteration)--witty, cute, and absolutely hilarious. If only I was any of those things...

SO, who am I? (This would be more fun as a game of 20 questions, but there's no one to play!).

Well, there are a few things to know about me: I am a teenager, I am a Canadian, I am a pop culture junkie and I am a chick lit lover. I love to read things and write things in lists. I love to read blogs--authors blogs, relatives blogs, industry blogs. I'm a little addicted to the internet (but really, who isn't by this point?).

I don't know how long this blog will last. I hope I can keep it up, but knowing me, it will end up being another one of the million dead blogs buried in the sad graveyard of the blogosphere. But, you never know...

Anyways, thanks for listening. See you soon.