Here’s something fun: a book tag! I found this on ZeZeeWithBooks’s site, where there is a long curated list of book tags. If you’re ever looking for something to stimulate the creative juices or reflect on your reading, I’d recommend checking out that list. This tag is from Mad for Books, Luv
As I’m writing, there’s an April shower pouring outside of my window. I’m listening to the rain and shivering in my bathrobe, because it might be ‘mild’ weather but my body remains stubbornly Australian. So as I yearn for my sunburnt country, here’s a post about books to warm the soul.
SHARE A BOOK WITH WATER ON THE COVER
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I’ve recommended this book before. It’s a post-pandemic book that analyses the productivity, hustle-culture mindset in the context of the indisputable fact that your life is finite and you can’t project manage your way into achieving every single one of your goals. I really, really enjoyed this book because it clarifies a lot of the concerns I’ve always had about productivity, and also offers some really grounded advice on how to approach your limited time on this planet.
Honourable mention: Percy Jackson and The Olympians by Rick Riordan
WHAT’S A CLASSIC NOVEL YOU’D LIKE TO CURL UP ON THE COUCH WITH?
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This is a cosy read for me. I know it backwards and forwards and it’s like putting on a jumper after a long day. I’ve written blog posts adjacent to P&P before** because it’s often on my mind. If I’m not working on anything or ploughing through a reading list, then I’ll usually default to Austen or Tolkien, but Austen is the cosier and more ‘classic’ of the two, so that’s the one I’ll go with here.
Honourable mention: Emma by Jane Austen
SHARE A SCARY BOOK YOU WOULD READ DURING A RAIN STORM
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A recent read – here’s the blurb. I’m not usually into horror because I already have an anxiety disorder and I don’t need to add fuel to that fire. What Stalks Among Us is a YA horror, sort-of-bottle-episode with a corn maze and body horror. I really liked this because the two main characters Sadie and Logan are friends who don’t get together in the end. Even though they’re literally ready to die for each other, even though their reactions to each other’s potential deaths is heartbreaking, even though they understand each other and know each other’s traumas, there’s no romantic subplot. Bless you, Sarah Hollowell, for writing a loving platonic friendship.
Honourable mention: The Shining by Stephen King
WHAT’S A GOOD BOOK REC FOR RAINY DAYS?
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I feel like this question is similar to the one about classics – if I’m sitting down to settle into something cosy, then it’s going to be Austen or Tolkien. Specifically, I would reach for Fellowship, because that’s got more of the Shire in it and if I’m looking for a warm blanket of a book then it’s got to be set in the Shire. I also tend to gravitate towards re-watching the start of the Fellowship movie, as well as the first part of The Hobbit.
Honourable mention: Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones
WHAT TWO CHARACTERS WOULD YOU LIKE TO SPEND A RAINY DAY WITH?
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If I’m going to be trapped inside with anyone they’d better be nice and willing to sit quietly and read together. Bilbo Baggins and Anne Shirley are both readers and writers, and they seem like they would be pleasant company. Bilbo might be willing to help cook lunch and Anne would be able to wax poetical about the weather and keep our spirits up.
Honourable mention: Neville Longbottom and Jean Tannen
SHARE A BOOK THAT HAS BLUE ON THE COVER
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This one is hard because apparently blue is a very popular colour for book covers. But I had to go with the Lies of Locke Lamora, which a friend of mine put me on when she heard that I loved the Six of Crows series by Leigh Bardugo. Lies is a hefty read with a lot of deep worldbuilding so that you can get happily lost, though there’s a significant heel-turn halfway through that will break your heart into tiny pieces.
Honourable mention: The Kaiju Preservation Society by John Scalzi
WHAT BOOK HAS A RAINY SETTING AT SOME POINT?
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During Armageddon, there is a hurricane. I’m going to count it. I just re-read this for a paper and realised just how much the TV series had influenced my understanding of the characters. I think the TV series made them more human and developed the relationships, but also watered-down some things***. Regardless, it’s a fantastically stupendous book and absolutely worth reading.
Honourable mention: The Shepherd’s Life by James Rebank
WHAT BOOK WOULD YOU NOT MIND USING AS AN UMBRELLA?
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Coffee-table books. They’re not supposed to be read anyway, and maybe the water stains will give them some character.
WHICH CHARACTER WOULD YOU LIKE TO SHARE AN UMBRELLA WITH?
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Holly Short from the Artemis Fowl series by Eoin Colfer. Listen. I’m a practical woman. Yes, it would be very nice to go for a nice walk with characters like Boromir or Annabeth Chase or Lisbeth Salander, but if I’m sharing an umbrella then the person I’m sharing with needs to be small.
Honourable mention: Meriadoc Brandybuck
SHARE A NOVEL WITH A DRY BEGINNING BUT AMAZING ENDING
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When I first bought The Raven Boys, I read the prologue and put it down for a year. Because it started with a spiel about Blue and true love’s kiss, I thought that it was just a teen romance and I’d reached my limit on those at that time. When I eventually picked it up again, I pushed past the prologue and realised that it’s a lot deeper and stronger, and the characters are delightful well beyond the confines of their various romances. I devoured the whole series in a weekend.
Honourable mention: Legends and Lattes by Travis Baldree
PS – I love writing and I love eating! If you want to help with the latter (and ONLY if you want) you can maybe buy me a coffee?
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** I still haven’t gotten around to my magnum opus about why Mr Bennet is a villain, or why I think Jane settled. I’ve got them on my list, though.
*** In the TV series, for example, Anathema seems into Newt – in the book, she’s disappointed and seems like she’s only sleeping with him because she thinks she has to. Unfortunately, as with many of my tangential rants, I will not be able to get into the issues of consent and prophecy in this blog post. Maybe some other time.