Chris at Biblio Nerd Reflections tagged me to do this way back in April. Like him, I also found this A-Z Book Tag a bit daunting, so it sat in my drafts for a while. But I have the day off and I’m resting my brain after finishing HOUSE OF EARTH AND BLOOD, so I figured today is the day to do it.

This tag was originally created by Jamie @ The Perpetual Page Turner and it was actually called the A-Z Survey.

A: AUTHOR YOU’VE READ THE MOST BOOKS FROM

The author whose books I’ve read the most is Carolyn Keene. When I was a pre-teen I read as many of those Nancy Drew books that I could get my hands on. I know now Carolyn Keene technically isn’t a person. But this ghostwriter is still who I’ve read the most.

B: BEST SEQUEL EVER

Honestly, the sequel that immediately comes to mind is A COURT OF MIST AND FURY. I bet you didn’t know that book would be my answer. 😉

C: CURRENTLY READING

My current reads are NOT FUNNY by Jena Friedman (audiobook) and IRON FLAME by Rebecca Yarros. While I’m technically reading IRON FLAME at 9 pages in, I might put it on the backburner for a few days. My brain is a little tired after reading 800+ pages of HOUSE OF EARTH AND BLOOD. And IRON FLAME isn’t a short book, either.

D: DRINK OF CHOICE

Right now I don’t really have a drink of choice. I don’t drink much alcohol or caffeine right now. But if I did I’d pick gin and tonic or any kind of black tea. If pressed, I pick herbal tea.

E: E-READER OR PHYSICAL BOOK

Like Chris, my thoughts have changed since I started this book blogger journey. I used to prefer physical books most of the time. But the truth is a lot of my reads are e-books. This changed when I started book blogging and reading ARCs. E-readers are also nice when it comes to traveling or going on errands. I almost never take a physical book with me when doing those things. However, I do still have a lot of physical books, so clearly I still appreciate and read them.

F: FICTIONAL CHARACTER YOU WOULD’VE DATED IN HIGH SCHOOL

I’m not quite sure how to answer this. Do I choose a YA fictional character who would be a high school age? I suppose that would be the most appropriate way to answer this question! This is tough because I don’t read YA much these days nor do I remember much of what I read when I was in middle or high school. I was on the more academic side of my class; kind of shy but stubborn; got along with most cliques; and of course had crushes on the “hot,” confident (some would say “cocky”) guys. So…maybe Nikolai from The Shadow and Bone trilogy?

G: GLAD YOU GAVE THIS BOOK A CHANCE

I’m glad I gave a chance to FALL OF RUIN AND WRATH. I was on the fence about buying it because I thought her writing style was awful in the first few pages I read in FROM BLOOD AND ASH. I also had never read any of her other books because of my short-lived reading experience of FBAA. But I read a few reviews beforehand and decided to buy and read it. And I’m glad I did because it’s one of my favorite books of the year. The spice tension in this book is fabulous. And even though the premise is a clear set up for including spice, I also really enjoyed the rest of the story, too. If you’re curious about it, you can read my review here.

H: HIDDEN GEM

Why don’t I see more readers mention HALF SICK OF SHADOWS by Laura Sebastian? This was one of my favorite reads in 2021. It’s perfect for readers who love Arthurian retellings with a feminist perspective. Every now and then I see bloggers mention Sebastian’s YA series. But I never see this book pop up on any of my social media outlets and I don’t know why. It’s kind of funny because my Arthurian Retellings Reading List is consistently one of my most-visited posts, but I don’t actually see much chatter about Arthurian reads on social media. Here’s my review if you’re interested.

I: IMPORTANT MOMENT IN YOUR READING LIFE

Several “important” moments stick out to me in my reading life, whatever sort of weight one wants to ascribe to “important.” My first answer won’t be a popular one these days, but reading Harry Potter was important to me. As a millennial, I literally grew up with these books and made them my identity for a time in high school.

Another important reading moment was when I finished JUST MERCY by Bryan Stephenson. I remember being so disgusted reading about the unfair convictions resulting from racism. Afterward I gifted several people that book to read.

Lastly, these two tied into each other. Reading ACOTAR was a turning point for me. I loved it so much that I started this book blog to have a space to talk about it and other books. And here I am today, still going!

J: JUST FINISHED

I finished HOUSE OF EARTH AND BLOOD by Sarah J. Maas a couple of nights ago. My goal is to read both Crescent City books before the third one comes out at the end of January. I went into CC1 with some tempered expectations. A book club friend had previously mentioned that it was very slow and tough to finish for that reason. For those who don’t know, CC1 is an 800+ page book. However, I enjoyed it more than I expected to. I wouldn’t call it a binge read, but it’s classic SJM with plot points woven together like a fine tapestry. I haven’t decided if I’ll review it yet. If I do I might write something that’s more like a reaction post overview.

K: KIND OF BOOK YOU WON’T READ

I feel like an outcast saying this, but I don’t really enjoy classic literature. Most of the time it is such a slog for me. Even on audio. I tried to listen to DRACULA last month. And while it was a better experience, ultimately I DNF it for the time being. I was enjoying it, but not enough to push other books to the side.

L: LONGEST BOOK YOU’VE READ

The longest book I’ve read is probably HOUSE OF EARTH AND BLOOD by SJM.

M: MAJOR BOOK HANGOVER BECAUSE OF…

Hello, repetition! My answer, hands down, is A COURT OF MIST AND FURY by SJM. Honorable mentions go to HALF SICK OF SHADOWS by Laura Sebastian, FALL OF RUIN AND WRATH by JLA, and FUNNY FEELINGS by Tarah DeWitt.

N: NUMBER OF BOOKSHELVES YOU OWN

Technically we own three. But I use two of the three bookshelves for my books. And yes, my books don’t all fit on two shelves. It’s a work in progress, ok? I’m not counting the one bookshelf in my kitchen that I use mostly for plants and the bottom shelf for cookbooks.

O: ONE BOOK YOU’VE READ MULTIPLE TIMES

In an effort to avoid repetition I choose THE GOLDEN COMPASS by Philip Pullman.

P: PREFERRED PLACE TO READ

I usually spend most of my reading time on the couch. But I’m trying to move my week night reading more to my bed to train my body to go to sleep earlier. If I get ready for sleep before I read, then I can just close the book and turn out the light when I’m ready rather than wake myself up by moving around the house to shut things down.

Q: QUOTE THAT INSPIRES YOU

Time for a little truth here…while I love the idea of inspirational quotes, I can never remember them. If I’m reading an e-book I’ll highlight them. But my brain doesn’t easily recall specific quotes.

R: READING REGRETS

I’ll interpret this as what books do I regret reading, also known as “books I wish I had DNF.” THE GOLDFINCH is in my list of books I wish I had DNF. It was such a waste of time and I can’t believe I put myself on the library waitlist 2 or 3 times just to finish it. There was so much hype and I ended up hating it.

S: SERIES YOU’VE STARTED AND NEED TO FINISH

I have quite a few series that I started and need to finish. I actually plan to make this one of my reading goals in 2024. My focus will be on series I know I want to finish rather than including other series I started but have less of an interest in. Most of these are fully published, but some are ongoing and have impending publication dates. Those series are: His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman, The Old Kingdom by Garth Nix, The Atlas by Olivie Blake, Crescent City by Sarah J. Maas (at least, what’s out already), Crowns by Nicola Tyche, Crystal Bloom by Sarah A. Parker, The Plated Prisoner by Raven Kennedy, and Daughter of Erabel by Kristin Ward.

T: THREE OF YOUR ALL-TIME FAVOURITE BOOKS

• A COURT OF MIST AND FURY by Sarah J. Maas
• HARRY POTTER AND THE GOBLET OF FIRE
• THE DARK QUEENS by Shelley Puhak

U: UNAPOLOGETIC FANGIRL FOR

Do I even need to list it here? Have you seen my answers to the rest of the alphabet already? If you don’t follow me on Instagram (where I post all the fun reels about this series) and need me to spell it out, here you go: the A Court of Thorns and Roses series.

V: VERY EXCITED ABOUT THIS RELEASE

I don’t know when this will happen, but I’m super excited about the next ACOTAR book. A few weeks ago SJM mentioned in an interview that she started drafting ACOTAR5. And I cannot wait. I really hope it’s Azriel’s story.

W: WORST BOOKISH HABIT

My worst bookish habit is definitely buying more books than I can possibly read. It happens.

X: X-MARKS THE SPOT. PICK THE 27TH BOOK FROM YOUR TOP SHELF

It’s THE HALF-DROWNED KING by Linnea Hartsuyker on my left bookshelf. On my right bookshelf it’s THE WARDEN by Daniel F. Ward.

Y: YOUR LAST PURCHASE

I think my last book purchase was a preorder of RUTHLESS VOWS by Rebecca Ross.

Z: Z SNATCHER. A BOOK THAT KEPT YOU UP WAY TOO LATE

Yikes, it’s been a while since this happened to me. But I also try not to let this happen. So, feedback loop? I honestly can’t remember the last book that kept me up way too late. Sorry!

I won’t tag anyone for this A-Z Book Tag because it’s a long one. But if you want to do the A-Z Book Tag, then by all means feel free to do so!