2017 Love-a-Thon: If You Like This, You Should Try That

The Love-a-Thon is an annual event that has been running since 2012, and it's continued to grow in the five years since then. It's meant to encourage positivity, form and strengthen relationships and to just be a whole lot of fun. This year, I'm co-hosting with Cee of The Novel Hermit, Kristin of Super Space Chick & Mel of The Daily Prophecy! (P.S. If you're only discovering this event today, please know that you're still welcome to sign up to be a part of it!)

For the second challenge she's hosting this year, Mel wanted to encourage everyone to combine their love for books + television/movies in some way. It'll be a great venue to discover new books or shows or films to enjoy, particularly if you see someone else who shares your tastes!

P.S. If you want to be entered in the giveaway for this challenge, please link us to your post for the challenge over at The Daily Prophecy. Don't fret if you're not awake yet, as the linky will be open through February 20!

I was trying to come up with themes for the list I wanted to create for this challenge, and somehow ended up coming up with three different categories to talk about versus just the single category I was planning on tackling. Since I couldn't pick which one to focus on, you're going to see anime series, Marvel films and Disney/Pixar films!

If you liked Fate of Flames by Sarah Raughley, you should try Sailor Moon. The parallels are uncanny, as both stories center around a group of girls with special abilities that allow them to protect the world from the mysterious, terrifying unknown. But buried beneath their public personas, there is a lot more going on and many secrets to uncover and puzzle out.

If you liked Passenger & Wayfarer by Alexandra Bracken, you should try Fushigi Yuugi. In both stories, the female lead is taken out of their familiar reality and tossed into a completely new world. They are both given missions to complete, which marks the beginning of their incredible adventures that will allow them to discover their own power and make a lot of new friends along the way.

If you liked The Secret of a Heart Note by Stacey Lee, you should try Ouran High School Host Club. Both require a suspension of your disbelief at certain parts of the main story, true. But both stories feature really likable characters, plenty of funny scenarios and just the right amount of swoon to make it sweet.

If you liked the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling, you should try Naruto/Naruto: Shippuden. Large, complex, interesting casts of characters - check. A well-constructed world - check. A plot that's so simple at its heart, but has multiple layers woven into it to make it complex - check. I definitely love both series with all my heart!

If you liked The Queen of the Tearling series by Erika Johansen, you should try Captain America. The main characters in both are strongly motivated by their love for their countries, and for the people they serve. They are both faced with lots of complicated decisions that, because of who they are, have very heavy bearings on the politics of their countries. It's a heavy weight to bear, but both do it beautifully, if not without mistakes.

If you liked Percy Jackson and the Olympians series by Rick Riordan, you should try Thor. (Actually, if you liked any of Rick Riordan's mythology-inspired series, you would likely enjoy this film.) Each tale is inspired by mythology, but also integrates that inspiration into a modern setting. It's a hero's journey for the main characters of both stories, and it's one hell of a ride from start to finish, if you ask me.

If you liked The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer, you should try Guardians of the Galaxy. What really makes me draw this comparison is how both stories feature a ragtag group of people (who eventually become a crew) that are drawn together in an effort to stop evil from taking over the world. Both make for fun adventures to witness, with a guarantee that you'll fall for at least one character!

If you liked Mulan, you should try The Song of the Lioness Quartet by Tamora Pierce. I know I wax poetic about Tamora Pierce and her novels a lot, but there's a reason I do - they're brilliant. Both of these stories feature kickass warrior females who disguise themselves as men in order to do what they want to do. There are training antics and epic adventures to be had too!

If you liked The Lion King, you should try Empress of a Thousand Skies by Rhoda Belleza. It's the aspect of accepting yourself and your given role, as well as the burning desire to figure out and take vengeance on the betrayer of your family that really had me drawing a comparison between these two stories.

If you liked Up, you should try A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman. Both these stories are about grumpy old men who are embittered by loss. Both of these stories are about the people that crash into their world unexpectedly, and whose presence causes a shift in their perspective. And last, but not least, both stories made me cry.

Have you seen any of these films/shows? Read any of these books? Do you have any recommendations for films/shows that I should watch? Don't forget to link us to your post over at The Daily Prophecy to be entered in the giveaway!