A to Z Book Tag

I know I just did an alphabet tag, but I wanted to do another.

I saw this tag on Degenerate Reads, a blog I just love.

I find great feminist and LGBTQIA+ book recs whenever I visit.

Click that link super fast, then come back and compare our answers.

A | Author you’ve read the most books from

It would have to be Meg Cabot.

I haven’t read much of her new stuff (I think I stopped following her after Jinx and Airhead) but I’ve read many of her earlier books over a dozen times.

I can’t stop.

The Princess Diaries is just so good.

 

B | Best sequel ever

Glad this tag STARTED WITH THE EASY QUESTIONS.

The best sequel ever is The Dream Thieves.

I remember when and where I read The Raven Boys (May 30th 2015, front row of a friend’s fashion show.) That book was a little slow, but I loved the characters and concept enough to keep going.

I read The Dream Thieves straight through in four hours.

It’s the only book in The Raven Cycle that I can reread as a standalone.

I love everything about Ronan Lynch. Whatever our souls are made of, his and mine are the same.

Whenever I’m sad, I think of Ronan and Opal fighting the dream creatures.

“They’re just you. Why do you hate you?”

“I don’t.”

 

C | Currently reading

I’M DOING IT. I’m whittling down the stack of books by my bed before I start anything new.

I almost picked up Would You Rather for the millionth time last night, but I RESISTED.

I am currently reading:

• Revealed by Kate Noble: very tongue-in-cheek historical romance. I’m LOVING it.
• Inside Out & Back Again by Thanhha Lai: I could easily finish this one (it’s a middle-grade novel in verse) but things are already bad and the family hasn’t even left Vietnam yet.
• The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas: I like this book while I’m reading it, but I struggle to return to it, knowing it’s going to hurt.
• No Straight Lines: Four decades of queer comics edited by Justin Hall: Way more penises than I was expecting.
• Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo: I’m about a quarter of the way through. It’s moving fast and my heart is already breaking.
• Hope Never Dies by Andrew Shaffer: Such good noir presidential fanfic. Loving it so far.

 

D | Drink of choice while reading

I usually drink some kind of tea (non-caffeinated) while reading.

Peppermint has been my favorite since I ran out of chamomile.

Sometimes I make Sleepytime.

Ooh, I have a good Apple Cinnamon that I just bought. Very fall.

 

E | E-reader or physical book

I know e-books are more practical (and cheaper), but I prefer physical books.

Sure, I’ve curled up with a mug of hot tea and a phone before, but it’s not the same.

 

F | Fictional character you would have dated in high school

I didn’t date in high school, but I’ll play along.

Let me recall all the book boys I worshiped in the mid-2000s.

I ABSOLUTELY would have dated Kyo Sohma.

I fully believed back then that my love could fix his trauma.

HAHAHAHA FALSE.

I still love Kyo, though, and we’ve both grown up since then.

HEY, KYO. ARE YOU SINGLE?

 

G | Glad you gave this book a chance

Surprisingly, The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe.

I came across a copy when I was six-years-old that had no title and no cover image. I didn’t know what the book was until I got home and started reading it.

I thought it fitting that this mysterious book transported me to and from a magical land.

C. S. Lewis and I have a difficult relationship, but I still consider this a positive reading experience.

 

H | Hidden Gem Book

Not enough people know and love My Life With Bob: Flawed Heroine Keeps Book of Books, Plot Ensues by Pamela Paul.

It’s phenomenal.

If you haven’t read it, do so immediately.

It’s part reading list, part memoir.

And…part dating advice handbook?

 

I | Important moment in your reading life

I’ve been an anxious person for most of my life, but I didn’t believe I suffered from anxiety.

Likewise, I’ve struggled with depression for a long time, but I never considered it “real” depression.

The following books didn’t send me straight to the doctor, but they gave me something to refer to when things got worse.

• I hit some real lows after I graduated from college. I was so worried that my future was doomed and I would fail.
  During a therapy session in The Rest of Us Just Live Here, main character Mikey admitted to the very same fears and failures that I had.
  I wrote on the pages, assuring Mikey that he was loved and fine and good when I didn’t believe those things about myself.
• I was four months away from a major depression when I read Turtles All the Way Down. I’d admitted to some friends that I might be anxious but I probably didn’t need medication.
  Aza’s anxiety spirals were way, WAY too similar to what I experienced almost daily.
  I thought panicking daily was NORMAL.
  It’s hard for Aza to get help, but she does and things for her improve.
  Though it took me a while, I did the same thing.

 

J | Just finished

I tried reading All the Crooked Saints during a massive slump.

I picked it back up again and WOW.

It’s beautiful and I’m mad about it.

 

K | Kind of books you won’t read

I’m mighty skeptical of historical fiction.

I’ve read some historical books that were fine, but most of the time I lose interest.

I’m also avoiding best-sellers for the time being.

I’ll buy a bunch to seem sophisticated and relevant; the books end up sitting in my collection untouched for years.

No more best-sellers unless I’m REALLY stoked about them.

 

L | Longest book you’ve ever read

Per Google, A Storm of Swords is 973 pages long.

I read that.

Me, the high fantasy-hating fluff connoisseur.

I’m not about to read it again.

 

M | Major book hangover because of

AAAAAAGH! THE SUMMER OF SALT!

Every SINGLE mention of this book on my blog comes with a content warning.

It’s…a lot.

 

N | Number of bookcases you own

I have two in my apartment…and one of them has empty compartments!

 

O | One book you’ve read multiple times

I’m contemplating reading Katie Heaney’s Would You Rather? for a seventh time.

It’s that good.

 

P | Preferred place to read

The bathtub! With or without water!

I’m not supposed to read in bed and porcelain is more comfortable than the floor.

 

Q | Quote that inspires you/gave you all the feels from a book

Justina Ireland’s Dread Nation has SO MANY good quotes.

This was my favorite.

His lips twist, filled with malice. “I ain’t yet seen the man who can do that.”

“Maybe that’s your problem. You been waiting for a man.”

 

R | Reading regret

I can’t believe I read four (FOUR) of Jenni James’ The Jane Austen Diaries.

YES, I WILLINGLY READ FOUR YOUNG ADULT MODERN-DAY LDS REIMAGININGS OF JANE AUSTEN NOVELS.

Northanger Alibi was by far the worst one.

Twilight-obsessed Claire believes her hot neighbor…IS A VAMPIRE.

Her neighbor’s family is SO scandalized by this, they forbid their son from speaking to Claire ever again.

The parents are GENUINELY concerned that their son’s association with vampirism will ruin his reputation.

I…what?

IS THIS A MORMON THING?

 

S | Series you started and need to finish (all the books are out)

I have feelings.

I loved the first two books in the Daughter of Smoke and Bone trilogy.

Then the second book set up a final battle in which I’m unwilling to participate.

I was at the Battle of Hogwarts. Why do all my favorite fantasy characters keep going to war?

From what I’ve seen, the conclusion upset some readers.

I want to know what happens!

But I also…don’t.

 

T | Three of your all-time favorite books

The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater
You Know Me Well by David Levithan and Nina La Cour
The Princess Diaries by Meg Cabot

 

U | Unapologetic fangirl for

Sailor Moon.

It’s a CLASSIC.

 

V | Very excited for this release

YOU’VE HEARD ME SCREAM ABOUT THESE WITCHES DON’T BURN, YES?

SHOULD I PRE-ORDER IT? BUY IT THE DAY OF? WAIT UNTIL MY SECOND POWELL’S TRIP IN EARLY AUGUST?

I really want this book.

I REALLY WANT THIS BOOK.

 

W | Worst bookish habits

I read way too many books at a time. It’s embarrassing.

I pick up new books as a form of avoidance. If one book starts to stress me out, I start another. And another. And another.

Pretty soon, the stressful book I swore I’d finish gets buried under books I’m actually enjoying.

I’m doing this with two books right now and I feel bad, but I’m scared of what those books might bring.

Oh, I’m trying not to do this so much anymore, but I buy books all the time and NEVER, EVER READ THEM.

I just got rid of 50+ books that I haven’t read.

My ambitions don’t match my interest or abilities.

Liking the idea of a book doesn’t guarantee that I’ll finish it.

I’m limiting my purchases to books that I will for sure read.

300-page sci-fi novel about witches and hipsters? Doable.

600-page historical epic with multiple POVs? NOT DOABLE.

 

X |  X marks the spot! Start at the top left of your bookshelf and pick the 27th book.

Why 27th? I have QUESTIONS.

My 27th book is The Dept. of Speculation. I loved this book! I should add it to my reread list.

Recommended for fans of Maggie Nelson’s The Argonauts.

 

Y | Your latest book purchase

I recently bought a couple of witch novels (The Bone Witch and The Graces), as well as Hope Never Dies by Andrew Shaffer.

I’ve since read one-and-a-half of them.

 

Z | Zzz-snatcher book – last book that kept you up way too late

Damn you, The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo. I sacrificed so much sleep for you.

 

This book tag is a BEAST. If you would like to take it on, please do so! I had fun with it.

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to read an Obama/Biden mystery.