But, Azia, it’s not Wednesday. I know, know. My explanation: All the topics for February are pretty awesome, but I haven’t had the time to do ANY of them. SO, I’ll be doing two posts, each containing two topics to catch up. Needless to say, they have the potential to be pretty long posts, but I’ll try to keep ’em short. Let’s start with this post, shall we? The next post will actually be on Wednesday 😉
February 1st: Current Favorites that Aren’t Books
“Sometimes it’s nice to take a break from books and talk about some other things you’ve been obsessed with. These all don’t have to be in the same category. Mix it up! What TV shows have you been enjoying, makeup you’ve been wearing, food you’ve been eating, etc.??“
BLUE EXORCIST

I joined the anime club at my school recently so I could discover more shows. They showed the first episode of Blue Exorcist and although I’d already seen it, I decided that I wanted to watch it in its entirety. And so I did. I binged 24 episodes in about a day and a half and now I’m Blue Exorcist trash. Go figure.
SWING DANCING

I take ballroom classes at school and right now we’re learning East Coast swing. Now, it don’t look nothing like that GIF, but man, is it one of the most fun dances I’ve ever learned. I can’t stop smiling whenever the music comes on!
JASMINE

Usually I’m a coffee drinker (I still am by the way; I’m hella addicted), but lately all I’ve wanted is jasmine. Jasmine tea, jasmine tea latte, jasmine boba, jasmine flavored ice cream. Heck, I even want jasmine scented lotions and perfumes. Double heck, I even want jasmine rice and that doesn’t even taste like jasmine! I don’t know what’s going on. Send help.
DISHONORED

When I go back home, I look forward to playing Sims, which I have deemed my safe yet addicting game. I have three families to take care of, man. But for the past three months, the couple times I’ve visited home, I’ve played Dishonored, an M- rated stealth fantasy game that is just waaaay too much fun for my own good.
CASTLE ON THE HILL by Ed Sheeran

While everyone’s going crazy over Sheeran’s new song “Shape of You,” I’m over here listening to Castle on the Hill, his other new song, on repeat. It’s just so warm and nostalgic and gives me so many fuzzy feelings of goodness. Watch the official video here!
February 8th: Book Trends You’re Tired Of
“What are some things you are tired of seeing that are trends in publishing? Maybe something that pops up on a lot of covers these days, or the popularity of certain tropes in a particular genre? Let it out!“
1) Insta-Love
Good lord, please stop with the insta-love. I can’t stand it anymore. Slow-burn romance. That’s what I want. A romance that is built up, yet not perfect from beginning to end. A burgeoning love story that is slowly developed throughout the book and maybe throughout a series of books. Please. Stop taking the easy way out and build up those relationships!
2) Love Triangles
I’ll admit it. I love drama. Love triangles are the PERFECT way to incite instant drama among the characters. But sometime they feel like a cop-out. I love it when characters find their somebody and then stick with their somebody no matter the situation. It feels more meaningful and authentic that way. I’ve had enough of this “I can’t choose” nonsense.
3) Clueless Heros/Heroines
For some reason, heroes and heroines have to be extremely naive (or just plain stupid) in the beginning for them to be able to learn from their mistakes and to grow as individuals. No. I think it’s entirely possible to have a very capable protagonist, both in mind and body, who still has the mental capacity to properly react to their surroundings and to recognize a learning experience when they see one.
4) Faces on Book Jackets/Covers
I really don’t like it when faces/models are put on book covers. It messes up my chance to see the characters as I imagine them to be.
5) Critical acclaim spreads in paperbacks
I don’t really know how to explain this one, but if you get YA books in paperbacks nowadays, most likely the front cover will be slightly shorter than the other pages to indicate that there is a list or an array of quotations from positive reviewers on the inside of the cover (i.e bonus content). And it bugs me. I love it when my pages are all aligned and the same color.
Here’s a visual so you can see what I’m talking about. See the difference?
I know that was pretty long but thanks for sticking around anyways! What’d you think of my choices? Agree with some of my complaints? Disagree? Let me know what you think! 😀
I’m addicted to The Sims, too! XD
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Yay! It’s such a fun game 😀 I still have to get Sims 4, though
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I like Sims 4. I loved Sims 2, but I thought that the Sims in Sims 3 looked a bit weird so I skipped that one. XD
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I didn’t start playing Sims until Sims 2 Pets came out on PS2 haha. I haven’t played Sims on the PC yet. But Sims 3 is actually a lot of fun on PS3 😀 The sims do look weird but there’s a lot of things to do!
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GIRL TEACH ME HOW TO SWING DANCE. I’ve always wanted to know, it seems like so much fun! And I so feel ya about insta-love… When will it ever stop? And faces on jackets, gosh those never turn out good 😂
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Girl, I’d LOVE to teach you how to swing! It is SO much fun! I might take more classes in it after school so I can learn how to be like the people in the GIF lol.
Hopefully we’ll see a lot less insta-love and faces on book jackets in the future haha
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I should find a class that I can take to learn and swing dance! That GIF is goals 🙌
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It really is haha! XD
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I smile reading your excitement of swing dancing. It does looks fun than tango haha people’s faces looks so serious when they do the tango. This post looks so random! Jasmine tea, I need to try that. I always stick to green tea. The person on the cover is okay with me. I need help with imagination sometimes 😂 super interesting post Azia!!
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We just finished up the swing routine and I am ecstatic. SO MUCH FUN!! And you’re right LOL. Tango does look hella serious. But that one’s actually really fun to do, too! It is really random huh? Hahaha, I just really like random things recently 😀 Thanks, Jasmine!
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We all need a random break sometimes 🙂 I’m glad you have a lot of fun learning to dance. Not sure when you will need it but knowing how put you a step ahead of the game! haha..
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Agreed 😀 Not sure when I’ll need it either LOL. Maybe I should go to a jazz club and see if I can find a dance partner to put my skills to use 😉
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Great picks for these two features Azia, and even though it’s not Wednesday I’m sure it doesn’t matter you posted these a little early! 😀
I only heard Ed Sheeran’s Castle on the Hill a couple of days ago but I’m already in love with it, and yeah I definitely agree with you on the whole insta-love and love triangles part. They’re two of my least favourite tropes and although I don’t ignore books if they have either of them in nine times out of ten I won’t enjoy them as much as ones where they aren’t it, you know?
Great post! 😀
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I actually posted them hella late LOL. Two weeks behind. I had some major catching up to do. *shame face* 😀
Isn’t it a wonderful song?! Just so freeing. And I definitely feel you. I won’t stop reading the books if they have the tropes, but my opinion of the story drops quite a bit if they DO have them.
Thanks Beth! ❤
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Oh that is behind, but still better late than never right? It definitely counts in my opinion.
Yeah, it takes more for me to enjoy a book with a love triangle than it does one without you know?
That’s all right! 😀 ❤
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I definitely agree LOL XD ❤
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T5W has such cool themes, but this month I didn’t check any of them because I had to answer to my tags and awards. I still have to organize what I’m doing for March haha
I’m part of the group of people obsessed with Shape of You (especially the acoustic version) 😛 But Castle on the Hill is perfect ❤
AND YES, SOMEONE PLEASE END WITH INSTA LOVE!! Love triangles don't bother me as much, it depends on the book haha
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They really do and I usually try to keep up with them, but I’ve got so many tags and award posts to do as well! I had to take a break from them LOL.
I LOVE Shape of You, too, but not as much Castle on the Hill. I’ll definitely have to listen to the acoustic version of Shape of You, though!
Insta-love fills me with fury LOL. I can deal with triangles, so long as they’re done like ACOMAF haha
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ACOMAF and TID seem to be the only books with love triangles that people enjoy – need to get to them asap 😀
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Yeah, they were the most bearable. TID was awesome because both the male interests were great characters/people. As for ACOMAF, I don’t even think you can call it a love triangle, now that I think about it. It was more a fall in love with someone, fall out of love with that someone, and then fall in love with someone else situation!
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Glad to know haha I don’t think I’d handle more triangles 😛
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Me neither, girl. Me neither LOL
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Great post Azia! I can’t relate to any of your current obsessions, because I don’t really have a life outside of books. 😂 But I can agree with the tropes part! Insta-love and love triangles are getting old. Although I think if there were more variations on love triangles, I wouldn’t mind as much. 😉 Also, if you want a good slow-burn romance I highly recommend Bloodlines! I just finished the last book and I absolutely love Sydney and Adrian together. 😍 (Sorry if you’ve already read it! I don’t remember if we’ve talked about it lol.)
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Thanks a bunch, Olivia! And that’s OKAY. Books are life haha. And I agree, variations on love triangles might help to make it feel new again.
The age gaps were freaking me out LOL (mostly between Rose and Dmitri and Eddie and Jill) But I really wanna see Sydney and Adrian together! 😀
I was definitely planning to begin Bloodlines sometime! I’ve read part of the first book but never finished it
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Yes, books are life! 😂 I don’t remember if you’ve said you read VA but after the first two books Rose and Dimitri started to grow on me. And they don’t have a big role in BL until the sixth book. But Sydney and Adrian are so, so worth everything else! ☺️
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Oh I read VA! It’s taken me a while to accept Dmitri and Rose’s relationship lol. Still bothers me on a deeper level though haha. But I love cameo appearances in spinoffs so I’d be happy to see them in BL. Also, if Sydney and Adrian are as cute together as I imagine them to be, then I think it’d totally be worth it to read the books ;D
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Hahah, it took me time to accept too. Now I absolutely love it! And there are occasional cameos from them, especially in the final BL book! And omg, yes, Sydney and Adrian are sooo cute together! ☺️
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Ooh yay! Definitely some motivation to pick up the books again 😀 I’ll be looking forward to getting around to them. Thanks, Olivia!
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I completely agree with you on insta-love and love triangles. Those are two tropes that I wish didn’t exist. I’ve found that when a love triangle is done right it can work but insta-love pretty much never works for me. Also, I love Blue Exorcist so much! I’ve been wanting to rewatch it lately. That one along with SAO are two that I could rewatch forever and never get tired of. 😂 Although, I really wish there were more episodes or another season for Blue Exorcist. Great picks for this, Azia!! 😊💕
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The only love triangle I thought worked was Jem/Will/Tessa from TID because all the characters were so likable! Even though the tropes can make the stories seem a lot more interesting, I wish authors would forego them or at least put a spin on them!
*High five* Blue Exorcist is amazing! Love Rin so much 😀 There’s a second season for BE right now actually!! And I’d love to rewatch SAO. That was such a good series. Thanks, Melissa! ❤
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The Jem/Will/Tessa love triangle is probably one of the few that I’ve loved. I definitely think it worked because of the characters. And also because it didn’t take too much focus from the plot of the books. 😊
There is!? I didn’t know there was another season! Now I’m going to have to look it up and watch it lol.
You’re welcome!! 💕
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Definitely agree with that! The characters were just too lovable to dislike them for their choices. But the triangle was done tastefully I think, which makes it all the better 🙂
Yup! I think it’s on the 9th or 10th episode by now! Haven’t read many reviews on it, but I’m hoping it’s good 😀
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I soooo agree with all those trends! They need to die, period. I don’t know how authors/publishers have managed to propagate them for so long and how there are still so many people eating these up but I guess if one side doesn’t do anything about it, the other one needs to.
I always thought I was super fussy about covers but I guess I’m not the only one XD It’s also interesting to see how you went from The Sims to Dishonored… Those are definitely not alike at all hahaha! But if there’s one person who knows about eclectic tastes, it’s me so… Yeah, not complaining here.
As usual, great post with some great choices! 🙂
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LOL, they really do. So many people still like those tropes or at least like the drama they incite so authors/publishers are still giving strength to those trends. If anything, I feel like they’re growing haha.
Oh no. You ain’t the only one LOL. Covers are my everything 😀 They need to be nice and uniform, thank you very much!
Honestly, I don’t know how I made that switch. I guess I bought Dishonored based on hype and started to play it one day, only to realize that it’s one of the most fun games I’ve ever played. I love fun games, no matter the genre, so it all worked out haha. Sims is still my fallback/chill-out game though.
Thank so much for reading, Sophie! ❤
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Sure! Always a pleasure 🙂
And I know what you mean, I’ve realized I can play anything as long as it’s entertaining enough, no matter the genre. Which is great!
Yeah they’d rather make more of the same knowing they’ll make money off of it than try something different and be unsure of the outcome. Ugh.
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