Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created by The Broke and the Bookish. The feature was created because they are particularly fond of lists over at The Broke and the Bookish. They'd love to share their lists with other bookish folks and would LOVE to see your top ten lists!

Each week they will post a new top ten list that one of our bloggers at The Broke and the Bookish will answer. Everyone is welcome to join. All they ask is that you link back to The Broke and the Bookish on your own Top Ten Tuesday post AND add your name to the Linky widget so that everyone can check out other bloggers lists! If you don't have a blog, just post your answers as a comment. Have fun with it! It's a fun way to get to know your fellow bloggers.

Top Ten Posts On Your Blog That Would Give The BEST Picture of YOU:

1. The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer Review - This review is the epitome of me fangirling. Guys, I try to sound all literate and smart, but I'm sorry...Noah took my breath away. Sue me.

2. The Vampire Diaries Controversy - I'm not one to shy away from issues. In fact, as much as I don't like fighting, I'll be damned if someone is going to shut me up when I think something's wrong.

3. Busting the Newbie Blues - Colour me a sap, but I'm always in favour of the underdog. Unless we're talking about sharks vs. humans, of course, in which case I'm cheering for sharks. I digress. I was once a little newbie, myself, and I like to lend a hand whenever possible.

4. Megan McCafferty Bumped Interview - I'm nothing if not honest. I didn't like Bumped, and I was stuck because I was on tour and didn't want to seem rude. Megan gave me an incredible opportunity to interview her specifically about what I did and didn't like, and it was the best interview I've ever done.

5. Dear Diary - This was a brief lil' featurette from Anna Reads, and good God does it illustrate who I am. I will forever be shamed on the interwebs. Sigh.

6. Dark Song Review - This will forever remain one of my favourite reviews that I've ever written, mostly because this haphazard review shows me utter frantic craze after reading it. That was one hell of a dark book, and I've grappled with trying to read it again, but I'm still reeling years later.

7. Happy (Anti) Valentine's Day - I loathe and despise the holiday, so in honour of my supreme dislike, I felt the need to spin the holiday on a sour note. Needless to say...c'est moi...in a nutshell.

8. Raw Blue Review - I think a little bit of me is alive in this review, mainly because of the ocean and water backdrop. I read it, and I know exactly what I felt while reading the book.

9. Let's Talk Book Covers - I'm a self-professed cover slut. It really doesn't need more of an explanation than that, really, so this post just further illustrates it. You're welcome.

10. Top Ten Favourite Book Quotes - This post really shows my inner soul because every single one of those quotes means a little something special to me. It's just up to you to decipher what. Good luck!

Let's Talk is a new weekly feature here at i swim for oceans. I think it's important that we all have our say, and there's something to be said for raising our voices. Simply put, here on the little old blog, I like to host some of my very own discussion posts because, well, I like to converse with you all.

And so, Let's Talk will feature questions or prompts, which I will answer, too. Love it or hate it, weigh in or don't, it's my hope that Let's Talk will at least get you thinking...and maybe even get you discussing with the rest of us!

Question: Do you prefer book to film or book to TV adaptations?

I was actually asked this question by a friend the other day, and it really got me thinking. To be honest, guys, I don't know of a ton of book to TV adaptations, but the ones I do know of, I quite appreciate and enjoy. That said, there are also some really great book to film adaptations out there, as well. It's hard to say that I enjoy any visual version more than the book, but you catch my drift. They all have their merits, right?

On one hand, you have book to film adaptations like Harry Potter that just soar. You guys know the depth of my love for all things Harry Potter, but the series honestly just got better and better - visually and emotionally. As the actors grew, so did the characters, and I felt such a strong connection with them. Though there were elements missing throughout (not TOO too many though), I felt like the films stayed pretty dang close to the books, themselves, which made the series that much better for me. And, as such, Harry Potter is probably my favourite book to film adapation series, overall. There are singular book to film adaptations that were beautifully done, as well, such as A Walk to Remember. However, I find myself struggling to find more stand-alone film adaptations that really pop for me.

Then you've got my favourite book to TV adaptation, The Vampire Diaries. I know there are a lot of book bloggers out there that didn't really love this book series. However, those same bloggers are often HUGE fans of this TV show, and can you really blame them? LJ Smith has a very distinct writing style that appeals to some and alienates others. However, the show creators bring the worlds within her books, as well as the characters, alive in a way that really breathes new life into the pages of her books. By giving us season upon season of the show, as well, we're given an opportunity to become fully invested in the characters, the storyline and the plot, as a whole. 

So, while part of me thinks this should be a toss-up, I'm actually going to have to say I like book to TV adaptations better. I think we have more time to actually flesh out the story and grow attached to the characters over time. Wouldn't it be amazing if we could tune into Harry and Hogwarts every night? I'm jussayin'.

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created by The Broke and the Bookish. The feature was created because they are particularly fond of lists over at The Broke and the Bookish. They'd love to share their lists with other bookish folks and would LOVE to see your top ten lists!

Each week they will post a new top ten list that one of our bloggers at The Broke and the Bookish will answer. Everyone is welcome to join. All they ask is that you link back to The Broke and the Bookish on your own Top Ten Tuesday post AND add your name to the Linky widget so that everyone can check out other bloggers lists! If you don't have a blog, just post your answers as a comment. Have fun with it! It's a fun way to get to know your fellow bloggers.

Top Ten Young Adult Fictional Characters:

1. Hermione Granger (Harry Potter) - Regardless of what you think of the series, her so-called bushy hair (I'm sorry, but it's perfect in the movies, at least), or her epic nerdiness, this is one kickass heroine! She is smart, brave and she doesn't take flak from anyone. She is empowering, in a nutshell.

2. Katniss Everdeen (The Hunger Games) - Not too many girls would sacrifice themselves in the blink of an eye to save their baby sister. She's brave and valiant, proud and strong, and she was a wonderful character to follow through three incredible books.

3. Carly (Raw Blue) - I've never been a fan of contemps, but this one blew my mind, in part because of just how real the MC was. Though she was haunted by the trauma she faced and the pain she lived with, she was honest and true throughout.

4. Harry Potter (Harry Potter) - Seriously? What's a list without an overdose of Harry Potter. We all know that I'm a Potter fiend (my cat's middle name is Harry Potter - don't judge me), but he is incredible. We grew up with him, and like it or not - he's a part of our generation.

5. Mara (The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer) - I'm a sucker for twisted. So, sue me. There's something so epicly wrong with Mara that it's just about right. This girl has everything going wrong, and yet she is utterly captivating!

6. Damon (The Vampire Diaries) - Colour me crazy, but I love me a bad boy. He's dark and brooding, and he can be so bloody selfish, but you can't get better than him. Underneath all that cynicism, he's a marshmallow. 

7. Percy (Percy Jackson & the Olympians) - This kid is just that - a kid, but he's so entertaining, and I swear that everything goes wrong for him, no matter what. He's always kicking ass and taking names though, and his adventures are far too cool.

8. Albus Dumbledore (Harry Potter) - I confess, I love him. I still held out hope to the very end that somehow, some way, he would come back. That said, I felt the same way for Sirius, so that's a testament to the connection I felt with the characters!

9. Grandfather Lamech (Many Waters) - He was wise, sweet and old, but he loved his children to the very end. Most of all, in a time of non-belief, he believed there was a path, and he held fast to that belief through everything. I loved him. 

10. Martin the Warrior (Redwall) - One little mouse fueled an entire epic fantasy series that dominated my childhood shelves. I think I own every book in the series, and I just loved hearing all the tales of everyone trying to live up to his name.