The Spring Cleaning Book Tag: Quarantine Edition

I really should clean my apartment.

I have been doing some sorting off and on. I cleaned out my closet (could go for a round two) and unhauled quite a few books.

Surely there’s more to be done. I could probably…I don’t know, clean my bathroom or something.

Anyway, ’tis the season to redo the Spring Cleaning Book Tag as found on Kristin Kraves Books.

The Struggle of Getting Started

Book or series you have struggled to begin because of its size

The REASON I had my library account suspended is I checked out Plain Bad Heroines and then let it sit on my floor for two months.

I WANTED to start it. I REALLY did. I THOUGHT I was interested in reading it.

It’s just so thick? And seems so serious?

Anyway, too late now, I turned it in so I could start checking out eBooks again.

Cleaning Out the Closet

A book and/or book series you want to unhaul

I bought Unfinished Business: Notes of a Chronic Re-Reader thinking it would be good.

Instead, it came off as pretentious.

This book was less about favorite rereads and more about…I’m not even sure what.

Also, the author doesn’t even reread THAT OFTEN. MISNOMER.

Opening Windows and Letting Fresh Air In

A book that was refreshing

Romances have been making me happy recently.

I really enjoyed Alyssa Cole’s novella Once Ghosted, Twice Shy.

I really, really loved it.

It made me hopeful for the future.

Happily Ever Afters are satisfying, I guess.

Washing Out Sheet Stains

A book you wish you could rewrite a certain scene in

(Spoilers for The Dark Tide)

I liked most of The Dark Tide.

I REALLY didn’t like Finlay, Lina’s brother.

I thought he got off WAY too easily.

If it were up to me, I would have rewritten their final confrontation to be a little less Happy Family.

I think there should have been ACTUAL consequences for Finlay PUSHING HIS SISTER DOWN THE STAIRS and BREAKING HER LEG.

Throwing Out Unnecessary Knick-Knacks

A book in a series that you didn’t feel was necessary

(Throwing out knick-knacks is anathema to me. I have so much trouble doing this.)

I felt like The Silvered Serpents erased all of the characters’ earlier development and kept them in the same old conflicts for 500+ pages.

The ending was yet another reset.

In short, The Silvered Serpents killed my interest in this series.

Polishing the Doorknobs

A book that had a clean finish

Burning Roses had a lovely, satisfying ending.

This book wasn’t very long and I still cried my eyes out.

Reaching to Dust the Fan

A book that tried too hard to relay a certain message

Ugh, Clown in a Cornfield.

The book’s thesis seems to be that progress is inevitable and we just have to avoid being killed by clowns and/or wait for the racists to die off.

This ignores the decades-long efforts of marginalized people to make incremental change.

Progress is not something that MAGICALLY happens.

What gives Adam the right to write a book about how everything is fine actually and bigotry belongs to the clowns?

I’ll say it again, I hate this stupid book.

The Tiring Yet Satisfying Finish of Spring Cleaning

A book series that was tiring yet satisfying to get through

OKAY I STILL HAVEN’T FINISHED THE TWILIGHT SAGA.

HOWEVER.

I’m glad I started the series. I feel like I participated in a cultural moment.

My Opinions and Feelings have textual basis now.

Also, I feel Tired. Some of this series’ plot points are utter madness.

Happy spring, I guess!

Best of luck with the cleaning and no shame if you haven’t gotten around to it.