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 "Awww" Moments In Books (those cute lines, charming actions, or any other sentimental moment that made you say "AWWW!"):

1. When Katniss held Rue in the arena and sang to her (The Hunger Games) - I am entirely unashamed to say that I bawled like a baby, and while this was definitely an "awww" moment, it was more beautifully heartbreaking than anything else.

2. When Harry sees Dumbledore in limbo after Voldemort casts the Killing Curse (Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows) - There are far too many moments in this series to list them all, and they could probably be the entire top ten, but this moment...this chapter just made the series for me. I cried like a baby. A colicky baby.

3. When Adnarel offers to save Yalith from the flood and take her to Heaven (Many Waters) - Never have I seen such a beautiful twist on the tale of Noah's Ark. The brothers desperately wanted to save her life, but she was ready to accept her fate. Adnarel gave Noah the best other option.

4. When Percy & Annabeth finally realize their feelings (The Last Olympian) - Seriously...lower YA/MG romance never got cuter. Their awkwardness kept the story going, and when they finally realized they liked each other. Cutest. Ever.

5. When Isobel turns her back on her friends's actions and helps Varen (Nevermore) - Talk about a sweet character dynamic change. Isobel found something in herself that made Varen different in her eyes, and that revelation made her actions that much more genuine and sweet.

6. When Mr. Darcy admits his love for Elizabeth...both times (Pride & Prejudice) - The back and forth of this story gets me every time, and his devotion to Elizabeth despite his outward demeanor is perfection. LOVE.

7. Jo's enduring love for her little sister, Beth (Little Women) - Talk about undying devotion. Jo loved her little sister more than anything else, and despite her loneliness and, perhaps, self-pity, all she wanted was the very best for Beth, even at her end.

8. When Carly decided to actually respond to Ryan's calls (Raw Blue) - They had a relationship despite both of their flaws, but it had a dark underbelly and when things came to a head, she retreated. When she finally gave herself the time to heal, she realized he was worth it.

9. When Caleb's secret truth about Maggie's accident is revealed (Leaving Paradise) - Holy plot twist that I never saw coming and totally made Caleb an even better character! He was finally worthy of Maggie, which made the book that much better!

10. When Tansy throws the pearls into the ocean to prevent future greed or pain (Pearls of Lutra) - The pearls are what drove the whole story. A vicious corsair killed Grath's whole family for them, and when the Redwallers found them, they realized they weren't worth all the death and bloodshed, so they got rid of them.

Talk to Me Tuesday is a brand new weekly meme where we will discuss anything (and everything) literary-related in an open forum of honesty. Questions for the next week will be posted one week prior to the post on the Features page. If you'd like to participate in this weekly feature, simply create your post, link back to me, and add your post to the wonderful Mr. Linky below. Have fun, and have at it!

This week's question: Who are your all-time favourite male and female characters?

Ahhh yes, the age-old question. A good friend asked me who my favourite all-time characters were, and it got me to thinking. See, the problem is that there are SO many characters in the genres I read that have characters that resonate on different levels, you know? I think it’s impossible and completely untrue for me to say that I have one true favourite for both male and female characters, but that said, I definitely have those that continue to stay with me long after I’ve finished a book or series, so I decided that I’d tell you my two (read: current) all-time favourites.

Sirius Black played such an important role in the Harry Potter series, though his role was far too fleeting for my liking. No, he’s not the youngest, or the hottest, or even the smartest, most likely, but there is something about his character that stays with me, no matter what book I pick up next. He’s an unlikely hero with a clouded past, but he resonates familial love, true courage and a depth of personality that doesn’t often appear for characters that don’t in a long series for a long period of time. No, he may not have played a role continuously through the series in terms of face-time, but his personality, spirit and heart remained long past his exit.

Annabeth from the Percy Jackson series wasn’t your typical female MC from the first second she entered the series. She’s strong and resourceful, she has no desire to be coddled in any way, shape or form, and she most certainly doesn’t want a boy to take care of her. She’s got this hardened exterior because of how she was raised, but inside, she’s just a teenage girl with the same angst as every teen. There are little hints of angst that appear now and again, but they’re peppered and punctuated by her sassy attitude and no-holds-barred demeanor. Most of all though, Annabeth doesn’t want to fit in. She’s special, and she will try her damndest to stand out.

Obviously, there are a ton of fantastic characters out there. To name just a few of my other favourites – Mr. Darcy from Pride & Prejudice, Hagrid from Harry Potter, Anna from My Sister's Keeper, Lloyd & Sam from The Long Weekend, Jo from Little Women and far too many others to name. So what about you? Do you have all-time favourite male & female characters?

Want to weigh in and do your own Talk to Me Tuesday post for this week? Go ahead and link up!