The Sunday Mix #33

It's Sunday, and you know what that means - it's time for The Sunday Mix! In case you weren't already aware of what this feature consists of, I choose some of my favorite posts (bookish or otherwise) to share on this here blog in the hopes of getting you to check out some incredible, thought-provoking, fun content all around the web. Here's to hoping you enjoy this week's links!

• Have you ever come across a tweet from Brooding YA Hero? It has some of the most hilarious (and likely true) statements and observations from that perspective. Jen got creative and created some wallpapers from those tweets that totally made me laugh out loud. 
• I've got a soft spot for an excellent fairytale retelling, as I'm sure many of you do as well. Cait talks about what makes for a perfect fairytale retelling might look like, and I agree with a ton of what she's got to say.
• Josephine talks about multiracial representation in books. I loved seeing her personal take on the matter as a child of mixed race. While I'm technically full Filipino by blood, I also identify as an American (born and now currently living here), so I find that I'm always interested in reading books that have characters with similar backgrounds. 
• When you discover a favorite author, do you binge all their books right away or do you save some for a rainy day? Lauren talks about saving books from her favorites to read. I generally tend to binge all of the books when I fall in love with an author, so it was interesting to see a different take.
• My favorite Cinderella-inspired film of all time is Ever After. I love the way the elements of the classic tale were integrated into the storyline, but I also love how it's unique and funny and all sorts of wonderful. If you have yet to watch it, check out Lindsey's post for more detailed reasons why you should.
• I've gotten better at having some modicum of control over my book purchases. It was interesting to read Bekka's post on how she chooses what books to buy. These days, there are only three reasons that I personally buy books: 1) It's part of a series I'm obsessed with, 2) I've read an ARC and absolutely loved it or 3) it's by an author who is an all-time favorite. What about you?
• Do you have a particular comfort zone when it comes to reading? I know I tend to linger between fantasy and contemporary reads and don't necessarily go out of my way to read other genres. Gillian talks about stepping out of your reading comfort zone. I think it's interesting how it sometimes works out, and how it sometimes does not.
• For all budding bookstagrammers out there, you might want to check out Josephine's ideas for bookstagram backgrounds. I'm definitely a pretty casual bookstagrammer, but always looking for ways to improve - and this post is an excellent one for inspiration.
• While I've always found romantic break-ups to be popular fodder for fiction, friendship breakups are actually an emotionally intense experience that I would find really interesting to read about. It is reading stories like this one from Gayle Forman that make me feel less alone when I think about the friends I've loved and lost already in the course of my lifetime. 
• I'm a pretty big fan of both of Karma Brown's published novels (Come Away with Me and The Choices We Make), so I was really interested when this article offered the chance to get to know her a little bit better. (P.S. If you love women's fiction with strong themes and complex characters, Karma's books are excellent reading choices.)
• Diversity is something that I will always feel the need to see more of in the books I read. It's definitely an ever changing conversation in the publishing world, and I think that's really important! Susan Dennard actually touches upon diversity in books in this interview.
• I'm a really fast reader, and I like reading enough to want to have a book in hand just about every day. I do feel, however, that it's really important to give yourself time away from reading or books on occasion, and I really liked Kelly's post because it was the same observation.

Have you read any interesting posts lately? Feel free to share in the comments!