Galavant Book Tag

When I get bored, I seek out book tags.

I mean, I have IDEAS and stuff, but they’re all so SERIOUS and my chest gets tight when I watch the news.

I need to have fun.

Obviously, that means knitting while bingeing “What/If.”

In terms of book tags…

…SUSY MADE A GALAVANT BOOK TAG!!!

Have YOU watched “Galavant”? IT’S UNDER SEVEN HOURS ON NETFLIX.

I recently convinced my girlfriend to watch this show with me.

She loves it, I love it, and Tad Cooper HASN’T EVEN SHOWN UP YET.

Is it weird to crush on every male character in the show? Yes? No?

Fine, here are books.

Galavant

The hero in shining armor who can do no wrong

A book with the most classic tropes

Frankenstein kicked off a trend of men playing God, dutiful love interests, and speculative horror.

I have a lot of feelings about the cult of Frankenstein.

I would like to recognize the novel’s impact on literature, but the writing.

Oh, did I hate it.

 

King Richard

The evil king turned hero’s BFF

A book with a great friendship in it

I LOVE GEMMA SO MUCH.

She’s a loyal pal!

She kiiind of reminds me of my friend Claire, at least with the blonde hair and the optimism.

She’s SO SUPPORTIVE of Hannah’s love life!

Hannah and Gemma look out for each other and I love it.

 

Gareth

The brute of a soft heart…kind of, somewhere, hidden deep and all that

A grim book with some unexpected sweetness or cuteness in it

(CW: graphic discussions of rape, sexual abuse, depression, alcoholism)

Laurie Halse Anderson’s poetic memoir Shout riled me up all over again.

I’m sick of rape culture and our president and communities doing more to defend rapists than help victims.

I’m over it.

HOWEVER…

…writing Speak allowed Anderson to connect with rape survivors around the world.

They told her they felt seen.

I hope they all have an opportunity to be heard.

 

Isabella

The princess who saves herself and helps out the hero on the way

A book with a strong-willed and/or resourceful heroine

Sadie has grit.

The NUMBER of setbacks she overcomes astonishes.

I would have tapped out after breaking my nose.

Sadie kept going.

 

Madalena

The best ego ever with sassiness all around

A book with a character you admire or find inspirational

HEY. Have you read Hungry Hearts yet?

YA SHOULD.

Especially my favorite story, Phoebe North’s “Bloom.”

(CW: grief, death, depression)

Naomi skips school and falls for a poser.

Eventually, she figures things out.

This story had the GREATEST twist.

 

Sid

The ever-present (and ever-forgotten) sidekick

A book that you enjoyed while you were reading, but, once closed, was completely forgettable

I laughed out loud while reading How to Date Men When You Hate Men.

Parts of it spoke to my awkward dating history; I’m happy to see I’m NOT THE ONLY ONE who’s had trouble with this dating thing!

I found, though, that the book didn’t have much to add to the conversation around modern dating.

The jokes, while funny, didn’t go anywhere or accomplish much.

In my mind, I kept comparing this book to How to Be Alone, a book I LOVED with a similar writing style.

The difference between them came down to vulnerability: Moore shared her experiences honestly; Roberson disguised her pain with jokes.

 

Gwynne and Vincenzo

The cutest couple ever; they don’t dream big, they just want to be together

A book with the best couple ever for you

HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO CHOOSE JUST ONE??

I’ll share highlights from the following four books:

Usagi and Mamoru LOOK GREAT TOGETHER and battle evil to be together, so…yep.

Kyo and Tohru create such a beautiful life and HALF OF THEIR ROMANCE SUBSISTS OF HOUSEHOLD CHORES?? MAKING RICE BALLS is romantic now?? LAUNDRY is romantic now?? PAPER FLOWERS are- Okay, those were always romantic.

Ava and Emi overcome SO MUCH to have their cinematic moment. Just…their shared love of movies and Hollywood legends gets me. IT GETS ME.

This last one is a cheat because the final story in Stars Above reunites four different couples that I happen to love. The couples throw a lovely wedding for their friends and it’s beautiful. BUT THEN another couple follows that ceremony with a low-key proposal. IT’S MAGICAL.

 

Tad Cooper

The dragon pal (or maybe not) who steals your heart away

A book that is often overlooked but that you think deserves more hype and love

I haven’t seen these books being discussed nearly enough, so TAKE A LOOK and GO READ THEM.

We have, in order, a magical realism anthology about food, a quick comic exploring queer and trans identities, a memoir about loneliness and mental health, and a novel in verse that takes a ghostly turn.

 

The Wedding Planner

The not-so-villainous villain with some tricks up his sleeve

A book villain who wasn’t so bad

Monsters of Verity protags Kate and August aren’t all that bad, really.

Sure, they murder people…but they’re the protagonists! So it’s…fine?

 

Special Guests

Random guest stars who spiced up the story

Nominate a book just for the sake of it

(CW: gender dysphoria)

I loved Maia Kobabe’s Genderqueer.

A pal of mine wears a pin that says “Queer But Not Into Bright Colors,” which I feel describes Maia SO WELL.

Did you know about Spivak pronouns? I DIDN’T!

E taught me so much about pronouns, gender, and courage.

I hope to see more of eir work published in the future.

 

The pirates

The lords of the sea (sort of)

A book with a great set of characters

I will never get tired of the friendships in Woman World.

THE GRANDMA.

I should’ve read THIS for Pride Month.

 

Jester

The master of recaps

A book that you feel like rereading before continuing the series

Oh, Six of Crows.

I tried reading the sequel about six months after finishing the first one.

It was a NO-GO.

I didn’t remember ANY details of the previous heist.

I put Crooked Kingdom down for (mumble mumble) months and now I feel like I might as well re-read the whole thing.

Will I EVER finish this duology!?

 

The Dark Evil Lord

The villain of villains and also your fashion consultant

A book you are dying to read

Liz Gilbert just released a new book about 1940’s New York and I am ALL OVER THAT.

Also, after listening to a podcast about Ancient Egypt, I’m really feeling Kiersten White’s The Chaos of Stars. Egyptian mythology is just so fascinating!

Uuuugggghhhh, I love this shoooooow.

I can also see why it didn’t get a third season.

Just…the ships.

The ships.

Talk to me about Galavant! Do it!!

Gimme your fanfic! Do it!!

Remember: heroes get the raisins and they always choose the path.