Day 15 – Favorite male character

Of course, I have more than one (HELLO, don't you know me??)  However, like with the authors, I'll only write a little extra about one.  So, first: I mentioned Michael Moscovitz yesterday, and he's definitely one of them, because he's a real boy written like a real boy.  And he'll show you his Blueside.  My second one is the incomparable Boy With The Bread, Peeta Mellark.  Oh, my #PeetaPocket.

I'm not going to say anything about that except... I love tumblr.  (All credit to that goes to lilliansblog.)

Okay, for real now, here's my pick and why.

Cricket Bell from Lola & The Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins
*as imagined by Simini Blocker

I've never been one of those girls that goes for the bad boys (I did once, not quite realizing that he was one, and let's just say it didn't end well).  I never really wanted to date the boy you needed to change or fix.  Frankly, I'm awesome, and I should be treated awesome.  When I am treated awesome, I respond by treating you awesome in return.  Win-win, as they say.

HOWever, I've found that I'm the complete exception to this rule, and it was especially evident when I was a teenager.  While other girls at my school were going after jerky dudes who didn't even know they existed, I was always the one chasing after the musicians, the theater geeks, the smart guys... essentially, the nerdy guys.  And Cricket Bell is just about as nerdy as they come.  He is the epitome of all the things I love best about nerdy guys.  He's sweet and charming, he cares about people and isn't afraid to show it, he's awkward and tall and has crazy hair and... I just love him.

Cricket is sort of an anomaly in modern YA, where he's presented from the beginning as already in like with the main character, rather than assuming they don't like each other and will have tons of ridiculous conflict together over and over until finally he says, "Oh wait, this girl is kinda amazing, I should stop being mean to her."  And then the girl says, "Well, I know you've been mean to me for a long time, but I know it was really because you lurved me!"  (Yes, this is a GINORMOUS generalization, but whatever.)  Cricket's just like, "Yep.  Like you!  Let's go out!"  And when he finds out Lola has a boyfriend who's kind of a dillhole, he says that while he desperately wants to be with her, he'd rather she BE HAPPY and he will LET HER GO if the dillhole is really what she wants.  But he's also willing to fight for her, to wait for her to realize that he's the much, much, MUCH better choice.  He stands up for her, understands her, sees that she's not perfect in the larger sense of the word but that she just might be perfect for him.  Some argue that being sensitive isn't manly, but I disagree.  I know I always be saying this but to me, there's nothing more bad-ass than being yourself.  You don't have to punch some guy to prove that you're strong.

So when Cricket leaps back into the scene just in the nick of time, I'm basically just a big ball of swoony swoons until the very last page.

That's why I love this boy, because he understands what true love is.  It's wanting the one you love to be happy, regardless of your own happiness.  And that's why the sensitive/nerdy guys of the world- the Cricket Bells, the Peeta Mellarks, the Michael Moscovitzs, the The Hubs Jacks- will always have my heart.  I don't want to chase.  I want to be truly loved.  Thankfully, I am.

<3

Day 14 – Favorite book of your favorite writer

I said I'd talk more about Princess Mia today, so... heeeeeere we go!

Forever Princess by Meg Cabot

As I said in the last entry, I devoured the entire Princess Diaries series as fast as I possibly could back in the summer of 2010.  I hadn't read any of Meg's YA works at that point, and I was very impressed with these.  The gist of the series is this: Mia Thermopolis has always been one to refer to herself as "average."  Sure, she's got her distinct qualities- her height, her combat boots, her vegetarianism, her backpack covered in Greenpeace patches- but she's just Mia, living in a loft with her never-married artist mother and her best cat Fat Louie.  Then her father drops a bomb on her: she's actually the Princess of Genovia, the country where her father was born and still lives.  The Diaries chronicle her high school years as she struggles through princess lessons with her cartoonishly awesome Grandmere, Algebra and the headaches it creates, her mother's dates with her Algebra teacher, and her enormous crush on her best friend's brother.  Each of the 10 books (plus the occasional "half" books) detail a certain big event or important moment in Mia's life.

I adore Mia, in so many ways.  She is so very authentic, and so very hilarious.  She is just a heroine I can support because, despite being a princess, she's also uniquely her!  She sounds like a real teenager.  My favorite is when she and Lilly (her BFF) do one of their infamous lists, from their favorite movies (which always includes something from Lifetime) to the boys they think are the cutest (which are almost all fictional characters) to the most kick-ass ladies (Buffy Summers makes the cut!).  And Mia and Michael?  Oh, that's a love story for the ages.

I chose the last book in the series, Forever Princess, as my favorite for many reasons.  First, it's a fantastic conclusion to an already fantastic story.  Secondly, Michael Moscovitz returns from his long trip to Japan all extra genius-y and gorgeous and somehow even awesomer than before.  Third and finally, the writing is perfection.  Granted, I feel the entire series must be read to full appreciate how perfect the writing is in book 10, but I still think it's great.  The reader has spent years with Mia, experiencing her voice, going through this journey with her, becoming her friend.  This book starts 2 years after book 9, and Mia is more mature and just a little bit different.  She's older, yes, but the way she writes is a bit... off.  You can tell it's almost like a show, like she's trying to hide her nerdy self under her new, matured persona.  Yet, as the story goes on, little pieces of the old Mia start to peak out, and it is like a breath of fresh air.  The style itself is so subtle, but I think it's really a showcase of Meg Cabot's talent.  It was one of the best endings I could have imagined for Princess Mia.

Day 13 – Your favorite writer

I have many!  MANY.  Here they are.


EDIT 2020: I wrote this a very long time ago, and I don’t want to dirty delete. However, I would like to state that I no longer feel this way about Joanne Rowling. She is uninformed, hateful, and harmful. I support trans rights as human rights, because that’s exactly what they are. The art is separated from the artist for me, forever.
JK Rowling, aka The Queen
I love her so much, I often refer to her as Jo, since JK is her pen name. AND I'M A NUTCASE.

John Green
Love you too, buddy.  It's an honor and a privilege to have my heart broken by you.

Stephanie Perkins (image from her website stephanieperkins.com)
Girl is so talented, it physically hurts me but in that good way that inspires you and makes you feel all the emotions and I'm not crazy I swear.

But the winner winner chicken dinner is

Meg Cabot aka The Princess!!

I have been a Meg Cabot mega-fan for years, since The Boy Next Door, which is not YA.  I read all of Meg's adult books as fast as I could and as soon as they were released.  She is definitely one of my pre-order-without-question authors.  A few years ago, armed with a library card and a Paperback Swap account, I decided to read her most famous YA series, The Princess Diaries.  Just when I thought I couldn't love the woman any more than I already did... she went and created one of my favorite male characters in YA literature, Michael Moscovitz.

What I love about Meg Cabot's writing is that it's so down-to-Earth.  She writes in a very universal way, but it's still so good.  It's lyrical and sweet, hysterical and honest.  She does an amazing job establishing a voice for her characters, especially Mia (who I will rave about tomorrow!).  I love simple, attainable, delightful writing, and Meg writes just like that, every time.  I'm never disappointed.

Also, Ms. Cabot?  If I ever get the chance to meet you, I apologize in advance for the extreme amount of fangirling I will do.  Squealing, stuttering, telling an awkward story that has no relevance to the topic at hand- yeah, it's all happening.  Sorry, Meg.