Book Meme: Parts 20, 21, and 22

Yesssss it is the meme that will never die. Well, it WILL die. It will just take about four more entries to do so. Like the most long, drawn-out, theatrical, melodramatic stage death ever. Like a shitty Polonious.

Part 20--Favorite kiss: Hm. I must not read very many romantic books. I can think of a few goodies from some recent YA reads--the dream sequence in the Caves of Sighs between Kartik and Gemma in The Sweet Far Thing is pretty damn sexy. I always liked the wake-up kiss Satsu gives Buffy in Wolves at the Gate (as well as their love scene. HATERS TO THE LEFT, as Cleo says). Kel and Cleon's first kiss in Squire is fairly excellent; Kel thinks, Oh my, which is exactly what my first kiss inspired.

Part 21--Favorite romantic/sexual relationship: This is sort of a similar question as the previous BUT OH WELL. Queen of Shadows by Dianne Sylvan has a wonderfully developed romantic relationship between the two main characters, Miranda and David and the pay-off is...excellent. As noted, I liked that Satsu and Buffy got it on, if only that one time. Maurice and Clive's initial relationship in E.M. Forster's Maurice is very sweet and moving, but the decline and fall-out are heartbreaking. Jessica and Marcus in the Jessica Darling books by Megan McCafferty are sexy and smart and fun. Oh and let it be known, please, that this here blogger ships Harry/Ginny all the way and was very happy that they worked out. And had oodles of oddly-named children. It's not really about Harry; I just really like Ginny and am glad she's happy. Haters, please see Cleo's aforementioned evacuation strategy.

(Yeah, Dracula is back. Buffy's banging him, too! Or is she...?)

Part 22--Favorite non-romantic/sexual relationship: Oh friends are so much easier than lovers! Scout, Jem, and Dill from To Kill a Mockingbird, Jimmy/Thickney/Snowman and Crake from Oryx and Crake, Aziraphale and Crowley from Good Omens, the four mages from Circle of Magic, Arthur Dent and Ford Prefect from The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy...there are so many. Writing great friendships is something I admire in authors. It's so easy to get lazy and make one half of the friendship a token, especially if the other half is the narrator or main character.