Top 5 Wednesday: Couples

I can't begin to tell you how much I love this Top 5 Wednesday topic!  I ship so many couples (both canon and non-canon), and I love talking about my OTPs.

If you want to join in discussing fun topics like this, check out the Goodreads group.

Now, without further adieu...

Number Five

Anne Shirley and Gilbert Blythe from the Anne of Green Gables Series

What I love best about Anne and Gilbert's relationship is its slow growth throughout the entire series.  This is not a case of instant love, and it's development is really believable.  They start out as enemies, and it takes Anne until the end of the first book to even acknowledge Gilbert.  

She is so fiery and passionate, and his wise, calm demeanor perfectly balances her out.

Number Four

Ashoke and Ashima Ganguli from The Namesake

This couple is very special to me.  Most Western literature depicts romance in a very loud, obvious way.  But there is something I enjoy and relate to in how their relationship is all about context.  

In the movie adaptation, after their children are grown, Ashima teases Ashoke and asks him if he wants her to tell him, "I love you" like the Americans do.  Ashoke just laughs, and neither of them say it, but there is still no doubt that their love runs deep.  I really appreciate how the book expresses this same sentiment.  

Number Three

Arthur and Molly Weasley from The Harry Potter Series

With these two, it's not so much their relationship that I enjoy as the fact that they are just an amazing pair of people.  They give so much of themselves to others, have a beautiful family, and are so brave.  Plus, they practically adopt Harry without ever questioning that decision even though it puts their own children in danger.  

Number Two

Sakura and Syaoran from Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicles

I gush about these two all the time.  I had to have at least one tragic pairing on this list, and these two are it.

Their love for each other is of epic proportions, which only makes it even more devastating that Sakura can't remember Syaoron.  Despite that, he still travels through space and time to save her, knowing that she will never regain her memories of that.  

This pairing induces ugly sobbing.

Finally, my number one OTP...

Elizabeth Bennet and Fitzwilliam Darcy from Pride and Prejudice

Duh.

I know that this is the most cliche pairing, but I don't even care.  There are OTPs, and then there are Darcy and Lizzie.

This is the very first literary couple that I truly shipped.  Everything about their story enchants me, and I love to read or watch it repeatedly.

So, those are my top 5 OTPs!  Who are your favorite pairings?  Share with me in the comments!

Happy reading!

Bout of Books One True Pairing Giveaway! - CLOSED

It is officially day 2 of Bout of Books!  How is everybody feeling?  Are you making good reading progress so far?

I'm having a great readathon, but I think it's time for a break, so why don't we do a bit of challenge?

Being a reader who gets very (maybe even overly) attached and invested in characters, one thing I love to discuss with other readers is their OTP, or one true pairing.

A person's OTP is the couple that they love the most and ship the hardest.  This is regardless of gender and whether or not the couple is actually canon.  In fact, some of the most popular pairings are those that aren't actually together in their story.  Which is beyond frustrating, am I right?  (Drarry!)

For this challenge, I want to hear all about your favorite literary OTP.  Tell me why you ship them.  Tell me how perfect they are for each other.  Vent about how frustrating it is that the author paired them with other people.  Give me proof about why they are actually canon, but nobody knows.  I want to hear it all.

Share your thoughts in a comment on this blog, a blog post, a tweet, on Facebook, etc, and then put the link into the Rafflecopter below.

Of course, you have to be participating in Bout of Books 11, so don't forget to give me your sign-up name and number from the original sign-up post.  You can also gain an extra entry for following me on Twitter.

Here is an example of what I look forward to seeing:

My OTP is Syaoron and Sakura from Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle, a manga by C.L.A.M.P.  I cannot contain my feels when it comes to them.  Their story is so sad, but that's what makes it beautiful to me.  

If you have never read this manga or watched the anime, it's about two teens, a princess and an archeologist in her kingdom, who were childhood friends and are in love with each other.  However, Sakura, the princess, loses all of her memories one night, and they are scattered to other dimensions.  Syaoron, the boy, decides to search them all out and return them, but in exchange for the power to travel to other dimensions, he must give up all the memories she ever had of him.  (This is a very simple synopsis.  It's actually a very complicated plot.)

I am grateful that they aren't a case of insta-love but, rather, a deep friendship that turned into love.  They encourage, support, and protect each other.  Even though they are on a difficult and dangerous journey together, they are strong for the other person.

And Syaoron...oh Syaoron.  He gives up so much for Sakura, all while concealing the pain of her forgetting him.  I can't handle the tragedy of it all.

Your entry doesn't have to be as verbose as that, especially if you are entering on Twitter.  I just have a lot of feelings concerning this couple.  However, you can also say a lot more than that.  It's up to you.

This giveaway is open internationally, and the winner will receive $25 for The Book Depository!  

I can't wait to read all of your entries.

Happy reading!

a Rafflecopter giveaway