Tabitha at Behind the Pages tagged me in this book tag well over a month ago. Only now am I getting around to it, sheepishly. The Life’s a Beach book tag was created by Lefty on on Left Hand Book Lover, but I saw it on Tabitha’s blog. Check out Tabitha’s answers here. Make sure to mention that Lefty is the creator, and tag who tagged you, if you choose to participate!
I tag Mint at Mint Loves Books, Emma at Bookmarked Dreamscapes, and whoever else finds this fun!
The Sand
A book that stuck with you long after you finished reading
I mean, if you saw any of my posts during the Christmas 2021 season, then you can probably predict my answer. A Court of Mist and Fury stuck with me for a long time after I read it. Ultimately, this book pushed me to start a book review blog so I’d have others to chat to about books. I really want to reread it, but that will probably have to wait until the mid-year.
The Sun
A book that burned you
I think this means one I had hopes for, but then in the end didn’t pan out for me? If so, then that would be Immortal Souls. The cover drew me in on NetGalley, but ultimately the pacing was way too fast and nearly all of the characters were flat. Plus I felt like I was inadvertently “tricked” into reading a Christian fantasy novel (not my personal cup of tea), which wasn’t indicated in the official synopsis.
The Waves
A book that calms you down after a long day
I know this author no longer has a great reputation, but I can’t erase the fact that Harry Potter brought me a lot of joy in my high school years. It still brings me joy, I can’t lie about that. When I’m in a lull sometimes I go back and read where I left off in my very, very slow reread of the series. I think right now I’m somewhere in the middle of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.
The Bathing Suit
A book with a pretty, summer-y cover
I haven’t read this yet, but I did a spotlight for a BBNYA 2021 blog tour, hosted by The Write Reads. Beneath Cruel Fathoms has waves on its book cover, which is quintessential beach/summer in my mind. This is probably my perception, but I feel like most books with summer-y covers are contemporary fiction, which I don’t read much of. So at this point in time I don’t have many options from which to choose.
The Birds
A book that is everywhere
I choose A Court of Thorns and Roses. This is probably due to the algorithm’s knowledge of my love of fantasy books. Or, rather, fantasy romance books. But I see it pop up everywhere, particularly on Instagram since those are the hashtags and/or accounts I interact with.
The Company
A book with wonderful characters
I had a hard time choosing between The Bone Shard Daughter or The Bone Ships, but ultimately chose the former. Mephi in The Bone Shard Daughter won me over and is my favorite character in the book. He’s not the main character, but he’s pretty darn cute.
The Ice-Cold Drinks
A book you absolutely gulped down
An Enchantment of Ravens is a book I gulped down. Though it has one of my least favorite tropes (instalove), I otherwise enjoyed it. It was a nice escape from the demands of post house move.
The Fun Memories
A book you can’t wait to return to
Definitely the whole A Court of Thorns and Roses series, but also Half Sick of Shadows. I borrowed this from the library and ended up loving it so much I bought myself a used copy. There’s so much beautiful imagery and writing in this book. I can’t wait to read and savor it again.
Currently Reading: I’m currently reading The Gilded Ones by Namina Forna. I’m about 75 pages in and intrigued, but also turned off by the cult-ish community the main character grew up in. Maybe I didn’t read the synopsis carefully enough, but I wasn’t expecting such religious intensity. This was a hot book last year, though, so I’m looking forward to seeing if it lives up to the hype.
Recently Finished: A couple days ago I finished The League of Gentlewomen Witches by India Holton. Yesterday was its publish date and I recently participated in a blog blitz for it. It’s a historical fiction fantasy romance set in 19th century England. I absolutely loved it. It was witty, charming, spunky. It’s not something I would normally gravitate to, but I’m glad I took a chance. Now I want to read the first book in the series (but it reads as a standalone).
Reading Next: Next I’m going to read The Dragon Ring by Fil Reid. It was given to me for free as part of an upcoming blog tour that starts later this month. This is the first physical copy I’ve received from a publicist, so that in itself is special to me. Stay tuned for my review at the end of March! I need to swap this in for the Blast from the Past Tropeical Readathon General Challenge.
