5 Things I Won't Blog About

I just have to say - praise the Lord for other bloggers. I was sitting here this afternoon wondering what I should blog about. This tends to happen a lot on Fridays. Does this seem to be a problem for anyone else? By the time Friday rolls around I'm completely exhausted and don't want to write or think of any sort of creative topic. I just... don't. When I had this dilemma today, I decided to check out other blogs to see what they were writing about today. Then... I found Erin's post for today. (Read it here!) THEN I saw ANOTHER blogger, Rachel, steal that idea and she wrote it too. (Read it here!) Naturally, I'm jumping on the band wagon.

Which... where did that phrase come from anyways? For reals. Anyways.

5 Things I Won't Blog About

While I, along with other bloggers, try to be as authentic and real as possible, there are still some limits to what we'll write about.

1) Personal family and friend business. 
We all have dirty laundry - but I'm not going to share it all with the internet. Even some of the clean laundry. One, it's not anyone else's business. Two, it's not always my story to tell. Even things that aren't bad, but are maybe sacred. I keep it in the family.

2) Politics.
This seems to be one a lot of bloggers won't write about, which I'm glad for. First of all, I don't know much about politics enough to feel like I can talk about them. Second, I just don't enjoy discussing politics. There are so many different points of views and opinions and theories and philosophies, and I think most of them have valid points. But people tend to get really dirty and ugly when talking about it, and I feel like I have no business adding to the noise that is already out there. I try to stay informed, form my opinions, vote, and do my best to be a good citizen.

3) Insulting other people.
Yeah, I might have the occasional rant. However, being outright mean and dramatic about someone on the internet is just rude and inconsiderate.

4) Cooking and DIY.
Do any of you know me? I'm an awful cook (when I do share cooking on the blog, it's my disasters) and when I see DIY stuff on Pinterest my usual reaction is "I can just buy that at Target."

5) Ranting on other faiths and religions.
I'm not ashamed of my faith and how important it is in my life. People who know me know it's part of who I am, and even those who don't agree with me seem to respect it. However, I also never want to be a blogger who is in your face, preachy, putting down other people's beliefs, or anything like that. I will never be ashamed to say what I believe is true, but I also want this to be a place where people know I'll listen to their opinions. I want people to feel free to ask questions, discuss, and share what they think without the fear of being insulted and judged. Also - if I ever do say something which hurts someone else, it's not intentional, and PLEASE email me or send me a private message to tell me so. That way, I can correct my actions and not do it again.

What are some things you'll never put on the internet?

Today's Love Sighting:

This afternoon, preschooler John came up to me while in the gym. He said "Guess what? Did you know my dad is Superman????"

UGH melt my heart. And I'll tell you - this kid loves his dad. They're the most adorable pair I've ever seen in my life.

World Book Day

Did you know that today was World Book Day?

Me either until I logged onto Twitter and saw people talking about it.

Why doesn't anyone tell me these things?

Sigh. Ah well. In honor of World Book Day, here are the three books I am currently reading:

The Waking Engine  by David Edison. Technically I haven't started it yet. However, I plan on starting it today/tomorrow so I can have a review up for Monday. It's an ARC book and I'm really excited about this one. It's not New Adult (which will be a nice break after the one I reviewed on Monday!) and it's more science fiction/fantasy and seems to be about death and reincarnation and such. Should be really  interesting.

The Coldest Girl in Coldtown by Holly Black

This one I went back and forth on if I actually wanted to read it. Awhile ago, a friend of mine read it and on her blog she said she didn't like it that much. I was disappointed to read this because I'm a fan of vampire novels and this one seemed interested. I ended up winning a copy of it through a giveaway so I knew I would read it sometime down the line, but I wasn't in a big hurry. Then, I found out Kristina Horner was leading a book club for this book so I figured it was a good of a time as any to get started. It's so much better than I thought it would be! Definitely a bit different than other vampire novels I've read. Particularly young adult.

Cress by Marissa Meyer

SQUEE this book! It's the third in the Lunar Chronicles series and I'm IN LOVE with this series of futuristic fairy tales. I've been waiting over a year to get my hands on this one and I picked it up on Monday and I can't put it down!

What books are you reading?

***

And now for something completely different.

I would love for you to meet my sponsor of the month - Natasha from One Broke Girl.

  

Isn't she adorbs?

Natasha is completely awesome. Every single week she blogs about her weight loss and tracks her progress. And she puts EVERYTHING out there. I'm so impressed with her progress and how brave and dedicated she is. I wish I was the same way! You can read about it at Weight Loss Wednesdays by clicking here.

It doesn't stop there though. Oh no. She blogs about everything in life from funny and random stories of the ridiculousness of life (click here) and day dates gone horribly wrong (click here). Who can't relate to that, right?

To keep up with Natasha, you can follow her on Bloglovin and Instagram. (Click the words to go to her profiles.) 

I'm also going to be guest posting for her later this month and she'll have an appearance here as well! I'll keep you all up to date on that. 

If you are interested in sponsoring this blog, check out my Work With Me page. 

***

And... changing subjects again.

Today's love sighting:  When I got home from a crazy day at work today, I had a strange package in the mailbox. It was a gift from one of the pastors at the church I worked at in Missouri! He had found an awesome candy store and sent me both a chocolate frog and Bernie Bott's Every Flavor Beans. He's so thoughtful! (You can read this blog here.) Sending Harry Potter candy - if that's not love I don't know what is. If you've had any love sightings recently, share in the comments or via email!

40 Days of Hope and Love Sightings

Today is day 1 of 40. Ash Wednesday.

As I wandered around Bed Bath & Beyond and Target with my sister today, I saw several people with ashes on their foreheads. I didn't go to a service this morning, and I won't be going to one tonight either. (I"m actually having girls night and drinking cosmos... oops.) However, it is the first day of the journal I got from The Naptime Diaries. (You can get one here.)

For the first ten days, I'll be reading and writing about hope. For today, it opened with the story of when the baby Jesus was dedicated at the temple, and Simeon and Anna proclaimed who he was.

I love that it began with a story from Christmas to talk about hope. Because that's where it all started. Hope came into the world when Jesus was born. Also, I feel like Simeon and Anna embody the idea of hope in such a beautiful way. Simeon waited for years and years because God had promised him he would see Jesus before he died. Then, in his old age, he finally sees the baby.

Then there is Anna the prophetess who spent every single day in the temple praying, for years. She was always there. And God pulled through for her.

One of my favorite songs from Todd Agnew's Christmas album is about Simeon. You can listen to it here.

It makes me think of waiting. Waiting is actually what Advent is all about, but it's good to be reminded of waiting at the beginning of Lent. I feel like waiting and hoping go hand in hand. We hope because we don't have what has been promised yet. We wait for what is to come. We've been waiting for Jesus, but now he has arrived and done what he has promised! Yet, we still wait to see him for ourselves. We wait for other promises. We wait for guidance and help. We know it is coming and God is there.

Today also marks for the first day of Love Sightings.

Today's love sighting:  One of the little boys in the class I teach wasn't feeling well today. How the teacher and the other aide were helping him and taking care of him was so wonderful. They did everything they could to try and make him feel better.

Did any of you do anything for Ash Wednesday today? Are you giving up or taking up anything for Lent? Any love sightings?

Linking up with Oak & Oats for her Ash Wednesday Link-Up. You can find it here.

Preschool Romance

For the last two months, I have been working as a pre-school teachers aide. It's a whole different world from youth ministry when I was working with teenagers.

However - I can't help but notice, in spite of the 10+ year age gap between the two groups, there are some similarities between the two. The one which is most noticeable, is the relationship drama.

Relationship drama in preschool?

Oh yes. You have no idea.

Meet Sarah and John. (Names changed to protect the adorably innocent.) The first day on the job I step in and three year old Sarah has already arrives and is playing on the rug. She invites me to play with her. As we play she informs me of this:

"I don't like it when John chases me in the gym."

I can't say I blame her. If someone were chasing me in the gym I wouldn't like it either. I'm terrible at running. Which is why I live on the internet. My friend who gave me the job and came by to show me the ropes the first day told me John was five, and while everyday Sarah claims she hates it when he chases her, once they get to the gym she asks him why he isn't chasing her.

Sure enough, when we get to the gym that day, I can hear Sarah yelling this:

"John! Why aren't you chasing me?"

PSA to all little girls of the world: This is why they think we're crazy. Just make up your mind already!

As the week went on, this continued. She would complain about him not chasing her, and then complain when he did. Sometimes they sat together at lunch or during crafts or during circle time. Then, there was the one week when she played with one of the other boys in the class in the gym.

It was quite dramatic.

That didn't last though, and Sarah returned to John. I even saw them hold hands at the Valentines Day party.

Not long ago, Sarah arrived to school earlier than John. In her possession were two of those homemade rubber band bracelet things kids are wearing now. One was for her, one was for... you guessed it... John. We sat at the table together discussing it, and Sarah was debating what she was going to do. It reminded me a lot of conversations I would have with the teenage girls when they had boy problems. Our conversation went something like this:

S: I don't want John to know I gave it to him. Can you give it to him?

Me: Why don't you want him to know you gave it to him?

S: Because my aunt made it and I don't want him to think she's his aunt. She's my aunt.

Me: Oh, I see. (A few moments later.) You know, I don't think John is going to think she's his aunt. He knows she's your aunt. So I think you should give him the bracelet.

S: Okay... but I don't want him to know I gave it to him.

Me:  Why don't you want him to know?

S: I don't want him to know. I can run and hide and you can give it to him.

Me: Okay... (a few moments later.) You know, if I were John, and someone gave me a gift, I would want to know who gave it to me. So, I think you should give it him because he would want to know it was from you.

S: Okay...

Me: I can go with you.

S: Okay!

Not long after this, John and his dad came in. After they had said their goodbyes, I encouraged Sarah to go up to John. She handed him the bracelet. John promptly took it, raised his eyebrows, and then ran to try and give it to his dad.

Poor Sarah.

However, after some convincing from his Dad, he put the bracelet on his wrist and said thank you. I think all he needed was a bit of manly encouragement because after that - it was all John would talk about. He was showing it off to everyone.

He even asked Sarah to play dinosaurs later.

It was so Bye Bye Birdie.

Seriously, I feel like it's Cory and Topanga!

Although... John is going to kindergarten next year. So, we'll see what happens.

Song of the Fireflies Review

Here we are into my second peek into the world of New Adult books! The second book I decided to try in this genre was Song of the Fireflies by JA Redmerski.

Basic Summary Without Spoilers:

Elias and Bray have been friends their entire lives with a complicated "we're friends but we're more than that" sort of relationship. When they finally decide to be together "officially" in their late 20s, it doesn't take long for drama to start happening. Not just your typical relationship drama though - oh no. The kind of drama that causes them to run away from the law Bonnie and Clyde style. Chaos, romance, booze, and drugs follow.

Why yes, I do find any excuse to use a Broadway show photo. This one gets extra points for having both Laura Osnes and Jeremy Jordan. 

My Thoughts:

Well... this book was definitely more of the stereotype I had heard about for New Adult books. WOW there were a lot of sexy times. (Which... most of the time I personally didn't find sexy. But I'm sure there are some people who enjoyed it a lot. So, to each his own!) There was also a lot of drinking, drugs, and partying. Basically, if you can't handle these things in a book, don't read Song of the Fireflies. I felt like almost the entire book I was sitting there like Beca in Pitch Perfect asking the characters to make good choice and they never listened to my advice. They just kept making poor choices and then freaking out when life didn't happen the way they wanted it to. Then I would go back and forth between "Emily - stop being so judgy about their lives!" and "WHY DID YOU JUST DO THAT??????"

However, one thing I will mention, was that a lot of the behavior stemmed from mental illness (specifically bi-polar). Once this was revealed in the story, things made SO MUCH MORE SENSE. Towards the end, they also addressed a lot of the issues I was having with the characters and how they were choosing to handle their problems and their lives. It gave me a lot to think about and helped me to like the characters much more because I could sympathize with them and try to get into their heads a bit more, even if I didn't like or agree with their choices. However, whenever I read a story which deals with mental illness so much, it makes me want to have someone who actually deals with it to read the book so I can see if it was an accurate portrayal.

As for the writing style, it took me a bit to get used to. The author went back and forth between Elias and Bray's perspectives, which I liked and it was easy to follow. Their narratives read like the characters were telling the police their story. The downfall of this was I felt as though the novel started with too much back story.

Honestly, even though I had issues with all of the excessive partying and such, the plot was intriguing. I wanted to know how they would get out of the crazy situation they were in, would they go to jail, was their ridiculous relationship going to last, etc.

Overall, I'm torn on this book. I was interested in the story the whole time because it was intriguing and sometimes exciting. I also was drawn in so much when we find out about one of the characters having depression and was bipolar because it gave a lot more depth than the novel seemed to have at first. Yet, I can't help but wonder if it was accurate. I did enjoy this story, but I probably won't read something like this again in the near future.

I gave it 3 out of 5 stars on Goodreads.

I received my copy of this novel as an eArc free from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. 

40 Days

It might sound odd, but I'm kind of looking forward to Lent this year. You may or may not believe it, but next week is Ash Wednesday. It feels as though we shouldn't be getting ready for Lent yet. On the other hand - it's later in the year than usual so I guess it's about time.

In the past, I've written about Ash Wednesday and Lent and kind of have poked fun at how we recognize this time of the year in the Christian church. You can read it here.

Traditionally, I feel like we think of Lent as a time when we have to feel guilty about everything and be sad all of the time. We're supposed to reflect on sacrifice, how we're awful sinners, and we don't deserve anything. Which... I guess is true to an extent. But it all goes back to guilt I think. Or we at least get in the mindset of guilt.

Which makes it seem odd that I would be excited for Lent.

For the record- no where in the Bible does it say we HAVE to practice Lent. In fact, Lent isn't even in the Bible. It's a time of year the early church set aside to prepare for Good Friday, Easter, etc. So, if you don't practice Lent or do anything for it - that's okay! You're not a bad Christian or anything like that.

To me, when I think of Lent, I don't think about guilt. I think about having 40 days to have extra reasons to focus on Jesus. In a way, it's like a reset button so I can have a time of cleansing and refocusing, because so many times I loose track of where I should be looking and thinking.

This year marks the first year in a long time where I do not have any responsibilities for Lent. Working as youth minister, Lent was a really busy time for me. The youth served meals every Wednesday, prepared an Easter Breakfast, and held a garage sale. All of these are great things and it was good we did them. However, I would be so exhausted every week there were times I barely thought about what the whole point of it was.

This year I don't have any of those obligations.

I can pick how I practice Lent this year. Where I go to worship on Sundays (if I choose to). What I participate in. What will work the best for me to get my focus back where it should be. How I can really let Jesus shine through.

There are several ways people practice Lent. The most common way is to give up something. Another one is to fast (which... is still giving up something. Technically.). I talked about that a bit in my post a couple of years ago. This is perfectly fine and I know of some people who have gotten a lot out of practicing this. However, if you want to read my concerns about it, read my post from a couple of years ago here.

As I was brainstorming today's topic, I decided to go on Facebook and ask my friends what their favorite Lenten practices have been. They had some amazing (and some hilarious) ideas.

- "I've tried giving things up in the past, but never felt I truly did it for the right reason. It was more like a "glorified diet", like no chocolate, or no junk food. One time I gave up caffeine...I didn't make it. Haha. BUT, I have tried adding something each day that helps to strengthen my faith, and I've found that to be the most meaningful of all my attempts. One time I did adding a daily devotion. Another time I read a section from a book about reasons Jesus died for us (I forget the title) each day. To each their own, of course, but I found that taking something on rather than giving something up worked better for me.

-"A friend of mine two years ago chose to do a daily 'cleansing' but did so by going through her closets, kitchen cabinets, garage, etc. One day it would be scarfs; she would keep 4 or 5, and then donate the rest. Same with coffee mugs; keep some but donate the rest. Each day it was something. I thought it was a cool idea!"

- "I try to change things that have become part of my daily routine that aren't the best. Like, instead of spending a spare ten minutes on Facebook, I spend it in prayer or reading the Bible. I still give something up because I feel it has good intent behind it, and when done in prayer, can be quite powerful."

- "I have given up stuff a few times in the past, but I always felt like I was glorifying myself in that. Look at what I can do, I have so much willpower type deal. A few years ago I started picking something specific and praying for it every day during lent. One year for example it was all pro-life things and then next year it had to do with human trafficking and healing for victims and also working to stop it. I haven't decided what I'll pick for this year yet but I have found that the idea of picking something very intentional and focused on a broad topic works well for me. Am I making sense? I think I explained it well." "Every year I do the lenten breakfast and make king's cake to share."

- "I make a point to thank God for something new in my prayers every night. So often we are wrapped up in ourselves when we pray so I make sure I say thanks instead of asking for "special favors."

- "I gave up make up my freshman year of college. It was good, I was way too concerned with appearance. After that I felt much freer to decide how to present myself. God sets us free as he sends Jesus to the cross. Do I care how I look? Of course, it's now part of my job, but it does not rule who I am. All because God gave me the courage to go barefaced for six weeks."

- "Eating a crapton of pancakes on Shrove Tuesday, pretending Lent doesn't exist, and then eating a crapton of chocolate on Easter Sunday. That probably wasn't the answer you were looking for.......;" (OK... no... but YEAH FOOD I LOVE FOOD.)

- "I've toyed with the idea of giving up church for Lent but it seems almost too ironic...."

- "I do my best to give up guilt each Lent."

A few other ideas:

- Try getting a book of prayers. I used The Divine Hours Eastertide where I had four times of devotions and prayers a day.

- Volunteer your time and/or money to a favorite charity

- Read a book

- Take up journaling

- Pick a book of the Bible to read through

- Fully observe a traditional Sabbath each week during Lent

This year, I'm doing two things. One, I just ordered a devotional and reflective journal where each week I'll be focusing on one of four themes: hope, follow, live, and bless.

The second thing I will be doing is something I've been thinking about starting on here for awhile. The title of this blog is about love, and in theory, this whole blog is about love. Yet, I feel like I've gotten away from that. So I want to start 40 Days of Love Sightings.

Everyday from Ash Wednesday until Easter, I'll share ways I see love in everyday life. Whether it's a way I see love from my friends and family and people around me, or even just someone I happen to see that I see as I go about life. (Example: last week while at Starbucks before church I saw old friends reunite and it was so sweet!) Then at the end of whatever blog post I'm writing that day, I'll share what I saw.

I'll even take submissions from you!

This way, instead of focusing on guilt and how awful we feel as people, we can see how God (love) is being expressed every day.

If you recognize Lent, what will you be doing this year? Do you have any suggestions that I missed? Any favorites you saw in what my friends said or what I listed?

Don't Judge Me By My Facebook Page

Does anyone take a look at their Facebook wall and wonder "Wow... why are people still friends with me?"

Because this has been a daily thing for me lately. Or even any social media really. Not as much my Twitter, but there are moments I take a step back and look at it and I'm all "Who is this girl? That's not me, is it?"

I live-tweet Twilight movies (although some people loved it and though it was hilarious!), there's an abundance of Buzz-Feed quizzes, endless links to my blog, or I'm fangirling over something. Now, there are times when I'll post something and people will love it. That's awesome! But there are so many times when I look over all of my social media sites, and I can't help but wonder why the hell people still follow me. Sometimes I pity my friends who know me almost solely (if not entirely) through the internet.

(Or maybe they've all just blocked my posts and I don't realize it. Who knows?)

Does anyone else have this problem? Or am I just insecure?

One of my favorite bloggers, Nadine from Back East Blonde, wrote a fantastic post back in January about online personas. (You can read it by clicking here.) She talked about how her blog and online persona really is her - but it's not an accurate depiction of her completely. It shows certain sides of her, but not 100% everything. It's not because she's being fake or dishonest, but there are still aspects of her life and parts of her personality which don't always shine through on her blog and in social media.

I think that's true for me as well. I try my best to  be honest and transparent on my blog. When I'm struggling with something, I find a way to talk about it. When I like something, I tell you all about it. If there is something major happening in my life I try to be sure I mention it on here. Yet, I can still tell there is only a certain persona of myself people see.

Generally, I do think it's accurate. I am a fangirl. I'm a geek. I love books. I think the writing on my blog reflects my own "voice" as much as it can. However... there is more to me than that.

From reading my blog you can't always see the day-to-day of my life. My relationship with my parents and my friends and co-workers. You don't see all of the things which make me laugh or cry. The snacks I always have on hand. The way my voice sounds or how I laugh at certain jokes. The way I look at people and how they look at me when we're having a conversation.

I feel like those who know me best would agree. Yes, I really am me on this blog and on social media, but it's not a 100% perfect depiction of who I am.

There's so much more to me (and to you!) than my Facebook page.

My hope is that people stick around enough to learn this and to see me. The REAL me.

Does anyone else feel this way?

***

On another note, I wanted to share with you my new blog t-shirt!

Whitney from I Wore Yoga Pants to Work has started a t-shirt line. Every month she comes out with a new design and you have two weeks to order it. Then the next month she comes out with a new t-shirt! It's pretty awesome and it makes me wish I had thought of such a great idea. Anyways, the shirt I ordered came in the mail today! It was exactly what I needed because today was a rough day at work. This put a smile on my face.

You get a free cozy with your order!

I LOVE this shirt! It's just as soft and comfortable as Whitney tells you on her blog. If you want to check out her blog and her t-shirt line, click here.

On yet another note- I'm still accepting sponsors for March! If you are interested I just added a "Work With Me" page on the blog and you can email me for details!

My Top Ten Favorite Book Characters

When you read as much as I do... there are a lot of characters to put into consideration. This is a really difficult choice! There are so many characters I have fallen completely in love with, it is difficult to pick only ten. However... here we go. In no particular order.

Wellington Books from The Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences

Books, or "Welly" as his partner in crime calls him, is one of my newest book loves. He's completely adorable! He's very proper, loves books and history and artifacts, and always wants to stick to the rules. However, it's not because he's stuck up. It's because it's how he shows love and respect. (Think Simon from Firefly but not as suave.) I love how proper he is and he gets so frazzled when things don't go quite his way, and I also love the struggle with his past and how he was raised, and the way he lives now and what he believes is right.

Magnus Bane from The Mortal Instruments

I'm not going to lie - Magnus is part of why I've stuck around with The Mortal Instruments series. He's an old soul, but so modern and ecclectic. I love his attitude and his relationship with Alec. He's completely facinating and I love seeing how shocking he can be.

The Vampire Lestat from The Vampire Chronicles

I am completely facinated with Lestat. In Interview with the Vampire, he's so evil and you love to hate him. Then in The Vampire Lestat and the continuing books in The Vampire Chronicles, you see all of these different sides and layers to him. (Like an onion.) I love his struggle with good and evil, but then embracing the "devil" inside of him. How he defys the norm all of the time and pushes the limits of heaven and hell just to see if he could. He's by far one of the most facinating characters I've ever read.

Celia from The Night Circus

Let's get some girls on this list! Celia is beautiful, strong, sensitive, creative, and romantic. Granted - the entire book is this way. She brings the magic of the story to life and embodies the heart of it.

Samwise Gamgee from The Lord of the Rings Triology

How can you not love Sam? He is seriously one of my heroes. He is loyal, kind, brave, and the best friend anyone can have. Ever. So much of LOTR is really his story.

Jo March from Little Women

Growing up, I always felt like I could relate to Jo. Maybe it was the fact we were both writers. Or maybe because we had sisters. Or maybe because she loved the theatre. Or maybe because she loved crazy adventures. I'm not sure, but I've always felt a kinship to her character. She's wild and fiesty but so loveable. Even now, I do understand why she turned down Laurie. (Don't interpret my understanding of this with my liking it. Those are two different things.) She's completely wonderful.

William Marshal from The Greatest Knight

Technically, William Marshal was a real person and The Greatest Knight and the other books Elizabeth Chadwick wrote about his life and family were based on her impeccible research about him. However, since this is actually a novel, I feel like this still counts. William Marshal is brave and strong, but was also known for his honor. What was so fantastic about him is that it showed you can have honor and treat people well, but that doesn't mean you are weak or a pushover.

Scarlet O'Hara from Gone With the Wind

Let's be honest - Scarlet is a bitch. She's mean, spiteful, a brat, and will do anything to get her way. Even if it means hurting her own family. But I love her. The beginning of the book she's basically just a brat, but as the story goes on it develops into this inner strength because she does what she needs to do in order to survive. And guess what? Her family does survive and so does she. (For the most part.) She does things in probably the worst way possible and hangs on for a pathetically long time to a man who will never love her the way she wants him to and loses the actual love of her life in the process, but at the end of the story she still gets up. She keeps going no matter what.

Peeta Mellark from The Hunger Games Trilogy



Peeta is one of the best characters to embody love, grace, kindness, and strength. He's not your typical macho alpha male type and I love it. He inspires me to want to be a better person and brings out the best in the people around him. So many times you come across a character like him, and you're kinda intimidated and all "I could never be that good." But he's more inspiring, and I think the other characters in the trilogy are inspired too.

Harry Potter from Harry Potter

This one shouldn't be a surprise and it probably sounds cliche. But hear me out. How many people actually say Harry Potter is their favorite character in the series? Hardly anyone. Usually it's Ron, Hermione, Luna, Neville, etc. At least in my experience, I haven't met many people who have said Harry is their favorite. But he's mine. He's ridiculous, brave, has the martyr syndrome, and most of the time really stupid. But he's loyal and an orphan and lost and just wants a family. I absolutely love Harry Potter and he is my hero. Or at least one of them.

There are a ton of other characters which aren't listed here whom I love. My opinion will probably also change tomorrow because it's so hard to pick!

Who are your favorite literary characters?

Linking up with Broke and Bookish for 10 on Tuesday, and Karly Kim & The Glossy Blonde for Totally Posted Tuesday.