When I think back to how I thought things were when I first started blogging, I must say I was quite naive. I didn't really get how many genres, subgenres and possibilities there were in the world of books. It's safe to say that I read within my comfort zone most of the time, and I didn't often look for new things. Book blogging changed all that though, and some books...well, some books changed my perception of entire genres. We like to call those "gateway books."

Gateway Books to Dystopian:

Gateway Books to Science Fiction:

Gateway Books to Contemporary:

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature from The Broke and the Bookish.

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.

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 great way to get to know your fellow bloggers.

The Top Ten Best & Worst Book Book Endings

1. Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows - I'm usually not a fan of epilogues, but after growing up with this series, watching the endless toils and struggles and really rooting for that happily ever after, I was glad there was a true conclusion to this series. Plus, even before the epilogue, we get to see this story come to completion. Epic. Win.

2. My Sister's Keeper - Some of you might fight me on this one because, no, this is certainly not a happily ever after. It is not a feel-good ending, but it is perfect. This is the type of contemporary ending that I want to read - something plausible, real and heartbreaking. I still want to kick the movie producer/writer/everyone in the face for ruining the film.

3. The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer - Well, you know me and cliffhangers, right? I hate them. I pretty much always stay away from them if I can, and I've previously stated that I will avoid books that openly feature cliffhangers. However, I have to say that this aptly-titled "cliffhanger of doom" is the exception to the rule. Well played, Michelle. Well played. 

4. The Fault in Our Stars - Again with the realistic, powerful and emotional endings. I think that with a book that is as emotionally-charged as this one, we don't need ribbons and bows at the end. We need, perhaps, a touch of hope, but even more so, we want to believe we've been on a true journey. That's what this book end offers us...perspective.

5. Not a Drop to Drink - This is one of those books that's had a lot of mixed reviews, but I ended up really liking it. I didn't like the ending prior to the epilogue - I felt it was hurried - but the epilogue redeemed the story. Watching these characters come full-circle and seeing that it wasn't just a love story disguised a dystopian was refreshing.

6. This World We Live In - Ugh. If you remember, I told you that I loved this series. And, trust me, I really do. I adored the first book, and I was so committed that I even read the fourth installment. This book, however, garnered a two-star review from me in large part because of the utterly hopeless ending. "Love and lies"...pshhhh, b*tch, please. Ugh.

7. Mockingjay - Honestly, I was so wrapped up in this series, that I thought I liked the ending of it for a long time. The more I thought about it, and the more I read it though, the less pleased I was. I felt like it hurried to this boring conclusion where, yes, she ends up with the guy I wanted, but no, I didn't feel like it was a conclusion. It just felt...blah.

8. Various Positions - This book...where to start? First of all, this book is not young adult. We're given a 14-year-old MC that lives in this hyper-sexualized, completely atrocious world of ballet that, frankly, offended the crap out of me. It's one thing to tastefully broach the topic of such indiscretions. It's another thing, entirely to give us a story like this where no lesson is learned in the end. 

9. Carnival of Souls - I was so iffy on this book as a whole, that this might be a bit of a copout for me to even list it up here. However, this book was touted as "the next big thing," and if you remember the media hype for it, you were probably as excited as I was to read it. This confusing book, however, bears a lackluster conclusion that's pretty much, well, forgettable.

10. The Time Traveler's Wife - Perhaps it's the theory of time, or perhaps it's the simple paradox of it all that made this ending just feel extremely bleak, melodramatic and hopeless for me. I get the romance of it all. Trust me, I do. I do not, however, understand why it had to end this way, and perhaps I'm too blonde, but it was too much for me to comprehend anyway.

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!