The Strictly Book Tag

My parents love Baz Luhrmann’s Strictly Ballroom.

I refuse to watch it out of spite.

However, I never turn down a tag, even one that reminds of Baz Luhrmann’s continued existence.

I misunderstood this tag’s title. It’s not strictly about books – it’s about DANCE!

I found this tag at A Dreamer’s Library and loved how many prompts it included.

(Emma even created some bonus prompts.)

Let’s. Dance.

RULES:

Display the logo and (in future posts) thank the person who tagged you
Answer the questions
Nominate five other bloggers!

Waltz

A book with an elegant and graceful writing style

I HAD to read And the Mountains Echoed the moment it came out.

I begged my former roommate to lend me her copy and she came through.

And the Mountains Echoed is not a fun book in the least.

I still think about the stories, though.

Some of the passages are hauntingly gorgeous.

Cha Cha Cha

An outstanding trilogy

I had a really hard time picking a trilogy I love!

I pick the same series over and over.

WELL, IT CAN’T BE HELPED.

I’M CHOOSING THE GRACELING BOOKS AGAIN.

THEY’RE SO WELL-WRITTEN.

THE WORLDBUILDING IS EXCELLENT.

I CARE ABOUT ALL OF THE CHARACTERS.

Minor spoiler: by the end of Bitterblue, all three series leads have become friends.

IT WARMS MY HEART.

Quickstep

A book that has a very fast pace from beginning to end

Bad Kitty zips through Jas’ family vacation as a murder mystery, blackmailing plot, and kidnapping scheme develop.

The pacing is JUST so good.

Paso Doble

A book with striking cover art

I couldn’t decide between four upcoming 2020 releases, so I went with The Paper Girl of Paris, My Calamity Jane, The Falling in Love Montage, and Seasons of the Storm.

LOOK HOW PRETTY THEY ALL ARE.

Viennese Waltz

A book with lots of twists and turns

I finally finished A Darker Shade of Magic and WOW.

The denouement was…fine.

The build-up, though? SO MUCH TENSION.

Tango

A book with an immensely gripping plot

My 7th-grade Language Arts teacher read us several Ray Bradbury stories out loud.

They were all terrifying.

At the end of one of them, our teacher REWROTE THE ENDING to say that the unnamed man in the living room WAS JUST A NICE MAN, NOT A KILLER, AND THE STORY ENDED BEFORE WE KNEW FOR SURE, SO IT’S A VALID THEORY, THE END.

This was the same teacher who told us to write a story based on a painting she showed to us, then insisted AFTER I finished a ten-page long epic about an otter smuggler that the story HAD to be REALISTIC.

Fine, Mrs. Moon. I’ll write historical fiction once you admit the man in the living room was a murderer.

Rumba

A book that you have a strong emotional connection with

I haven’t thought about the Young Jedi Knights series in a long time.

I really clicked with the Solo twins and their friends.

I loved their adventures and the romances.

My affinity for Star Wars peaked in junior high. (I needed the escape.)

I know these books aren’t very good. I still feel warm when I remember them.

Samba

A book that made you smile and feel cheerful

Woman World is so, so good.

I love that trans women survive the virus.

I told one of my friends about this plot point and he said, “Duh, ALL WOMEN.”

It’s a really touching detail.

What could have been a really serious graphic novel focused on fun friendships.

HOW HAVE I NOT REREAD THIS BOOK YET??? Should I save it for my birth month?

Charleston

A book set in the 1920s

I avoid books set in this time period.

Picking a random book that I don’t care about.

Uuuhhhhh The Paying Guests.

…this one actually looks pretty good.

I would read this.

What have I done?

Foxtrot

A book with a good plot progression

What about a series instead?

The Baby-Sitters Club books always have lots going on.

Friendships deepen and babies get sat.

The girls solve mysteries and put out fires.

They date and break up and fight and make up.

…this series really needed an out queer character.

Jive

A book not initially published in your country

I keep trying to find I Knew Him at local bookstores, but ALAS! The book was published in CANADA.

As an American, I demand this book be made available in my country.

Don’t make me order it off of Amazon.

American Smooth

A book that encompasses most or all of your favorite tropes/genres/buzzwords/etc.

My ideal series is a magical sci-fi retelling with spaceships and queer representation.

The following books/series contain MOST of these things:

The Lunar Chronicles
Heart of Iron
Tarnished Are the Stars

Added bonus: they are very pretty

Argentine Tango

A book with a passionate, fiery romance

(SPOILERS for The Raven Cycle)

(Like…hella spoilers)

(Turn back now.)

I LOVE THE RONAN/ADAM ROMANCE IN THE RAVEN KING.

THE BUILD-UP IS SO GOOD.

I’m hoping they get more focus in the new trilogy!!

DO YOU UNDERSTAND NOW WHY I’M SO EXCITED FOR CALL DOWN THE HAWK?????????

For variety’s sake, I will also mention Tithe.

The romance between Kaye and Roiben is intense.

Oh hey, let’s keep mentioning romances!

How about Wicked Lovely?

Would have loved this book to be a standalone. IT WAS NOT.

I loved this tag!

Do it yourselves!

You can even use these kicky mirror balls if you wish!

Actually, let me make you a template for copy-and-paste purposes.

RULES:

Display the logo and (in future posts) thank the person who tagged you
Answer the questions
Nominate five other bloggers!