Folklore Book Tag

I found this tag from Becca @ Toastie Books, and since I’ve been listening to this album on repeat, I had to do it!

*image also courtesty of Becca

the 1: a book you grew out of

I had a lot of series that I obsessed over as a child, that don’t really hold up. I re-read Little House on the Prairie (check out my post here), and I can’t see why I loved it so much.

cardigan: a book you keep coming back to

Harry Potter will always be my comfort book. I know, it’s problematic, and I definitely don’t want to do anything to continue giving her money. But Hogwarts feels like home to me!

the last great american dynasty: a book where everything goes wrong (in the best way)

Wild by Cheryl Strayed. The book is about a woman hiking the Pacific Crest Trail, completely by herself, and so many things go wrong. Injuries, running out of food and money, interactions on the way, and she overcame it all. Some of this book was a bit slow, but the way she grew from that challenge was incredible!

exile: ending you didn’t like

Handle With Care by Jodi Picoult. I love her books, she’s truly one of my favourite authors, but why did they have to end it like that?

my tears ricochet: broke your heart

I recently finished the Animators by Kayla Rae Whitaker, and wow wow wow. So many different bits just crushed me, especially just being inside Sharon’s head. And the ending. A review will be coming for this soon, because I just have so much to say!

mirrorball: a book that speaks to your soul

All of the Above by James Dawson. I read this book at a time in my life when I needed it. I remember relating to the main character so much, and she was flawed in exactly the ways I am, which makes it all the more interesting. It’s been a few years, so I’d be interested to re-read it and see if I still felt the same.

Check out my review here.

seven: character you want to take home and protect

Noah from I’ll Give You the Sun was the first one I thought of. It’s not that I didn’t love his twin, Jude, but I always looked forward to Noah’s chapters so much more. He’s so cute, and he’s dealing with so many feelings, and I just want to scoop him up and give him a cuddle.

august: summer love

Okay, maybe a bit of a stretch, but the cover for the sun and her flowers by Rupi Kaur is just so summery! I don’t really read poetry, so I was glad this was pretty easy to read.

Also, I’m in New Zealand, so I’m looking for good summer recommendations please!

this is me trying: mental illness rep

I wanted to put Out of Love by Hazel Hayes as the answer for like, half of these, but I’ve decided to put it here. Mental illness isn’t the main focus of the book, and that’s what makes the representation so good. The way a panic attack is described by someone who doesn’t know she’s having a panic attack is perfect.

See my review here!

illicit affairs: forbidden romance

The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzi Lee is set in a time where being gay is very bad, very illegal. I mean, they also wanted to send an epileptic person to a mental institution to get the devil out of him. So like, it’s bad. And this bisexual narrator has a biiiiig crush on his best friend, which is a tricky thing to deal with when the whole world is telling you that you can’t!

invisible string: soulmates

It honestly took me forever to find something for this song, because as much as I read romance, I find the idea of “soulmates” so tricky. But eventually, I chose the Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger. I mean, the way he travels back to her every time, how they meet at so many ages and their love is determined from so many different spots in time? That has to be soulmates, right?

mad woman: vengeful woman

Amy from Gone Girl is the definition of vengeful. I mean, she’s straight up evil! And wow I love her. I could re-read this book a thousand times and never get sick of it. I remember the plot twist when I first read it, and I don’t think I’d ever felt shock quite like that.

Check out my review here!

epiphany: a loss you’re not over

Me Before You by Jojo Moyes. Let’s not get into it in case I cry. Just go read it if you haven’t, okay?

betty: love triangle, f/f romance

Okay, the only f/f romance I could find that I’ve read is Leah on the Offbeat by Becky Albertalli. Yeah, it was cute, I really enjoyed it. But I am a gay woman! What am I doing! I’ve read so many m/m, which is great, but I’m so annoyed at myself. This is my new goal for the rest of the year, so please recommend ALL the gay stories to me!

peace:found family

I really wanted to put the Raven Boys for another answer, but how could it go anywhere but here? Blue has her own family, but those boys just need each other so much, and that’s so cute to watch. God I love them, they’re all so cute, and I want to be part of that family please!

hoax: character that fooled you

Gone Girl, of course. But since I’ve already used it, I’ll talk about the Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins. I love love love an unreliable narrator. Sure, I kind of worked out a lot of the twists, but that makes it just as interesting. Knowing the narrator is lying to you makes you question every little thing that happens.

And those are my books! Have you read any of these? I tag all of you, I would love to see your answers.