Taylor Swift is a queen and I can only hope to get a little ray of her sunshine on my face by partaking in this book tag that was created by the lovely Enchanted Reader. Be sure to check out her video and consider yourself tagged if you're reading this post.
TAG QUESTIONS:
willow - a book that is a masterpiece
Know My Name by Chanel Miller. I will never not push this book on people. It's a truly painful read but incredible. Chanel Miller was the girl who got sexually assaulted behind a dumpster at a frat party in San Francisco and faced discrimination because of her race, gender, and age. But this book is much more. I'd argue that it's main focus is growth. Chanel Miller is an incredibly strong woman who had to rebuild her life after something so tragic and she managed to do it with grace. I cried at multiple parts throughout this book and felt empowered as a woman. I think about this book constantly.
champagne problems - a book that caught you off guard
The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah. This was the first true historical fiction that I read and it introduced me to what is now one of my favourite genres. This is the story of Vianne and Isabelle, two sisters who are trying to survive Nazi occupied France during WW11. Vianne is the more practical of the sisters, protecting her daughter being her main priority. Isabelle is reckless, driven by her youth, and wants to help the resistance defeat the Germans. I think the thing that The Nightingale has over similar books is how well written both the sisters are. They each had distinct voices and I was entertained by both their stories, which can be a rarity in a duel perspective novel. Don't let the size of this book put you off, I guarantee you'll fly through it.
gold rush - book with a gold cover
The first one that comes to mind is one I don't yet own, Circe by Madeline Miller. I've heard an astounding amount of rave reviews about this book but I'm incredibly intimated by it. Circe is about, well... Circe, the the daughter of Helios, the sun god, and of the ocean nymph Perse. It's a fictional spin on her story and heavy on the Greek mythology. I'm terrified of being too dumb for this, which is such a silly reason to not read it but here we are. I don't know the first thing about Greek mythology so I feel like a lot of this would go over my head.
’tis the damn season - a winter/Christmas book
In A Holidaze by Christina Lauren was a huge surprise for me last year. I adored this festive read that plays on the trope of someone reliving their day over and over Groundhog Day style. Maelyn and her family spend every Christmas with another family at a festive cabin, in that family are two brothers who Maelyn has always been drawn to - one charming and one who is the definition of a playboy. (see where this is going?) An accident changes everything when it sends Maelyn back to the beginning of the vacation, forced to repeat it over and over. Will she manage to make one perfect? This is basically a Christmas romcom in a book. It was super fun.
tolerate it - a problematic book
Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert. This is my current read and while I am enjoying reading about her travelling journey, some of the phrases she uses are extremely questionable and have not aged well in the slightest. Using words such as schizo, rape, OCD, and other terms when describing things that have nothing to do with what she's saying. I also find the entire thing a bit anti-feminist with the constant obsession with men and her making a big show and tell of gaining weight and not caring, despite her still being of average size. It feels very much like 'white rich woman' problems, which I don't know how I feel.
no body, no crime - a mystery/murder investigation book
I can't think of one I've actually read and enjoyed, but I did DNF The 7½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton a few years ago and never mentioned it on here, so let's delve into that! I really wanted to love that book as the premise sounded so intriguing what with a murder mystery that has a supernatural twist with the protagonist reliving the same day over and over but in different bodies. I just found the writing way too try-hard and the moment I got to the very fatphobic chapter I decided to call it quits.
happiness - a book about hope
Queenie by Candice Carty-Williams. This book may not be for everyone, but I truly think the author nailed a story that has the perfect balance between misery and hope. Queenie as a protagonist is incredibly complex, and you hope for her to find happiness within herself. I enjoyed being a woman by the time I finished this book, which is honestly an incredible thing.
dorothea - a book to movie adaptation
For this I'm looking to the future! The Hating Game by Sally Thorne has been adapted into a rom-com starring Lucy Hale (which I'm questioning the casting of) and Austin Stowell. The release date is still unconfirmed due to Covid but I'm very excited to finally watch it. I adored this book, it sparked a new love of modern romance novels for me. Lucy and Josh are the ultimate OTP.
coney island - a book that brings back memories
Matilda by Roald Dahl. I had this book physically and on tape growing up (the OG audiobook) and read it constantly. It truly sparked my love for reading as I saw myself in Matilda to an uncomfortable level. Whenever I reread this children's classic I revert back to being a young girl obsessed with literature.
ivy - a book you can’t help but love (guilty pleasure read)
Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead. I've said it before and I'll say it again, these books aren't exactly high tier reading but they're honestly so addictive. This was the first YA series after Twilight that had an actually strong-willed female cast of characters. Rose, Lissa, Mia, Sydney, and even Jill (or or hate her) are fleshed out complex characters who I fell hard for. I recently reread the entire series and had a wail of a time.
cowboy like me - a book you didn’t expect to love but did
Valley of the Dolls by Jacqueline Susann. I'd never even watched the movie before picking up this 500+ page TOME. Call it a moment of madness, or perhaps a wonderful case of fate. I adored this book and you can read all about that here: Valley of the Dolls by Jacqueline Susann | Book Review [spoiler free]
long story short - a short book (under 300 pages)
The last short book I picked up was Often I Am Happy by Jens Christian Grondahl which I ended up DNFing at the 50% mark. This book just wasn't doing it for me. It was a mix of the over writing, the story itself seeming a little lost, and most notably, I didn't think the author was doing a good job at writing from a woman's POV. Life is too short to continue reading a book that you aren't enjoying.
marjorie - a biography
Can you answer with anything other than Becoming by Michelle Obama? I read this via audiobook in 2020 and fell in love with a woman who has achieved greatness in so many ways. I already admired Michelle Obama but this really humanized her to me. If you've been putting it off because of the dreaded fear of a dry biography, lemme tell you, this is anything but that. I laughed, got choked up, and instantly made my husband read it.
closure - favorite last book in a series
It hasn't been announced yet as to whether there are going to be more books in the series, but as of right now, I have to go with The Tea Dragon Tapestry by Katie O'Neill. This is the third installment from their Tea Dragon series and I adored it. These graphic novels are incredibly wholesome while still openly discussing more serious issues. It will be an achievement if I ever get through a Katie O'Neill book without shedding a tear.
evermore - a book that was painful to get through
A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara. I'm going for the more emotional side of painful, and oh boy, I still get a heavy heart when I think about this beautifully done novel. You will either love or hate this book, purely because of the intensity of the pain that it radiates. Jude, the protagonist, is a deeply wounded human being who has had a horrendous life and the constant relapses that he has throughout A Little Life is very hard to read. Whenever something vaguely happy happened, I wanted to put it down and pretend that it was the ending.
Answer one of these questions in the comments! And remember, you're officially tagged if you're reading this.
Post a Comment