Creating content here at Bookstr is a labor of love. We get to gush about the books we like, do deep dives on the craziest genres, deliver fascinating trivia, and even interview our favorite creatives. With all that we get to do, some of our pieces wind up sticking out more than others. That’s why Bookstr’s editorial team is looking back on their work and singling out the articles they’re most proud of. From fun listicles to passion projects, in case you missed them, here are our favorite articles to revisit.
The 9 Best Romance Manga Couples We’re Obsessed With by Gabriela Collazo
I tend to go back and reread some of my articles, and for the most part it’s because I’m still trying to fix them. For whatever reason, this is one I frequent just ‘cause. It was the second article I ever wrote for Bookstr, and it was an excuse for me to gush about some of my favorite ships. Nothing revolutionary, just pure self-indulgence. I also really loved how the featured image came out for this one — though that is something I now wonder if I could improve…
Gabriela Collazo, Editorial & Outreach
Man to Man: It’s Time For Us To Read Romance by Brandon Smith
This was my favorite article because it wasn’t something I would normally talk about. Some of my closest friends don’t know I am a sucker for a love story, as my love for romance is between me, my stories, and my romantic relationships. Romance is seen as a woman’s thing but I don’t think that’s fair. It requires two people, and who doesn’t love being in love? Men need to be cute and romantic too. When I wrote this article, I was head over heels for someone and I wrote it with her in mind. Of course, a lot can happen in a year, but I still love love!
Brandon Smith, Editorial
7 of the Most Powerful and Devastating Poems That Will Break Your Heart by Vphan
I have to say that this article, though quite heartbreaking, is one of my favorite ones that I have written to date. There is something about being able to express sadness through words and truly convey emotions of melancholy to help others understand or feel seen, and this article about seven poems that are devastating yet powerful does just that. Sometimes, we need the heartrending reads to fully get to know every part of our human selves, because with joy comes sorrow. With each read, I hope I was able to get that idea across. So, this is why this article of mine is one of my favorites to have written.
Quiarah B/Vphan, Managing Editor
10 Popular Tropes in Shoujo and Shounen Manga by Danielle Tomlinson
There were a few options, but ultimately, I think this one wins. I dislike the featured image I made — maybe I’ll go back and change it — but I had so much fun writing it. Any excuse I have to write about anime and/or manga is one that I’ll take, and getting to discuss the most common tropes and how they work was amazing. There’s so much to it, and if it could help others better navigate the anime and manga world, then all the better.
Danielle Tomlinson, Editorial
The 10 Best New Picture Books of 2024 by Cara Broel
I started with Bookstr late in the year, so I was honored that I got to write this Best Of List for the picture books of 2024. Children’s literature is often overlooked in the publishing world for whatever reason, but it’s such a pivotal genre; for almost every one of us, the first books we ever picked up and fell in love with were ones written for children. I was so happy to spotlight what I felt were some truly moving and groundbreaking stories and artwork, and hopefully help them find their way into the hands of more young readers.
Cara Broel, Outreach & Editorial
Why We Love Queer Pirates: The Rise of LGBTQ+ Pirate Media by Lauren Nee
As evidenced by the frankly ridiculous word count on this article, this piece was a bit of a passion project for me. It’s a topic I had been thinking about for a while by the time I finally sat down to write this article, so I had a lot to say! I spent multiple weeks researching and writing it and agonizing over every little word choice. Whenever I reread it now, I always find something new to nitpick (a sentence I could have phrased better; a different rabbit hole I could have gone down — the list is endless), but at the end of the day, I’m proud of all the time and effort that went into this piece. It was undoubtedly a labor of love, so it’ll always have a special place in my heart!
Lauren Nee, Managing Editor
A Match Made in Paradise: A Bibliophile and Her Favorite Non-Reader by Kristi Eskew
It was so much fun to talk about my experience as a book lover married to a non-reader. I included our little enemies-to-lovers true-life romance story, which was even more fun. While I have written some amazing articles on authors, my favorite books, and serious topics regarding marginalized and underrepresented issues within publishing, it was gushing about my favorite person on the planet that made my 2024 writer life.
Kristi Eskew, Executive Editor
On behalf of the team, thanks to all of you fellow bibliophiles for reading our articles. We’ll keep working to provide more quality (and fun!) content to make Bookstr even better than it is now. In the meantime, if you like what you see, give us a shout-out on our socials — IG, FB, TikTok, X — and stay tuned!
Find Brandon Smith’s articles here.
Find Cara Broel’s articles here.
Find Danielle Tomlinson’s articles here.
Find Gabriela Collazo’s articles here.
Find Kristi Eskew’s articles here.
Find Lauren Nee’s articles here.
Find Vphan’s articles here.
Now that you’ve read our work, take one of our quizzes! Can you crack the case of the stolen heirloom?
Then, check out the team’s favorite books in our Bookstr Team Recommendations shelf on Bookshop.org!
