Do you know what time it is?!?!
That’s right, it’s LADY TIME – February 13th is otherwise known as Galentine’s Day according to the great Leslie Knope (a la Parks and Rec).
We want to take a minute to celebrate all of the special, incredible, brilliant ladies that we love, both near and far. As you may know, Ink Monster is currently made up of an all female staff, not so much by design, but maybe more so by fate. Regardless of how it happened, I know that I am grateful every day to be working along side such inspirational women. We get to learn together, laugh together, and build a pretty awesome company together every single day.
And as for our female fans – you all have been some of the most loyal and responsive enthusiasts that we could’ve ever hoped for. We are grateful for not only your readership, but more so for your friendship. We are here for you and your book addiction. And will hold you through an epic book breakup – tissues in hand. We will rock you through the torturous wait for the next in series and cry with you when it all comes to an end. Because that’s what friends are for.
Okay, with that said, I asked our Ink Monster authors about some of their favorite best gal-pal book relationships.
Question: Pick three book friendships and female relationships that have really inspired you throughout your history as a reader.
Here’s what they said:
Aileen Erin:
1. Nora Roberts’ Bride Quartet – I really love all four of these books. Nora Roberts always does amazingly strong female relationships. But that’s what she’s known for–writing strong women. So it’s no surprise that she does a fantastic job writing strong female frienships. Friends that balance each other and are there for each other thick and thin. The Bride Quartet is a great example of this. Each book is about one of the four best friends–since childhood–that opened a wedding planning business together. One is the coordinator. One is the baker. One is the photographer. One is the florest. Each lady is unque and different, but supportive of their differences. If you haven’t checked this series out, I highly recommend it! 🙂
2. One Tiny Lie by KA Tucker – I love this book. So much. I think I’ve read it a million times. But I love the relationship between Livie and her sister, Kacey. They’ve been through a lot and come out of it stronger. I love how much of a pain in her ass Kacey is. And how there for each other they are. They might be sisters, but they’re also BFFs.
3. Give Me Series by Kate McCarthy – This series is so awesome, but I love the friendship between Mac and Evie. As the series goes on, two more girls are added in–and they form a great, supportive group of girlfriends. Their lives have ups and downs, but the girls are there for each other–even through the rocky romances. Love the whole series! Here’s to hoping Kate McCarthy is going to be adding more books to it soon.
Lola:
1. The ladies of Ann Brashares’ Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants. I love when ladies stick together over the years! This group always reminds me of my freshman year college roommates – even though we’re far apart we still hang out and support each other when we can.
2. Anne and Diana from Anne of Green Gables. This series was super important to me growing up, especially right after I moved cities at Anne’s age and wanted to find a “bosom friend’ of my own.
3. Elayne, Aviendha & Min from Robert Jordan’s Wheel of Time series. I was never sure how they tolerated Rand so long, but the ladies’ chapters were always my favorite and I was glad they stuck together through book after book of epic fantasy shenanigans.
1. Anne Shirley and Diana Barry (Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery)— I don’t think I fully understood the term “bosom friend” until I finished Anne of Green Gables, but when I did, I knew the friendship between Anne and Diana was something totally special and reminded me of the relationship I had (and still have) with my best “bosom friend,” Aly.
2. Jo and Beth March (Little Women by Louisa May Alcott) – Sometimes your best friend is the one you are born with, which is why I love all the relationships in Little Women, especially the one between Beth and Jo. Like them, I’m lucky, my sister, Leslie, is one of my very best friends.
3. Victoria and Caitlin (Summer Sisters by Judy Blume)— I can totally relate and appreciate a book that explores a friendship that develops over several summers spent at the same place (for me that was camp) for the women in Summer Sisters it was Martha’s Vineyard.
Tricia Leedom: Tricia says that she was hard pressed to think of any examples! She mentioned that in romance novels, there aren’t really many examples of great gal-pal besties that come to mind. Girl-friendship is a bit of a side plot or an afterthought. Can you think of any good examples!? List some in the comments!
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