I saw Birdie Bookworm do this tag on her wonderful blog, and I thought it looked fun so decided to go for it myself! There aren’t any rules, some fun questions.
Phase 1: Initial attraction: a book that you bought because of the cover
I distinctly remember being in a bookstore (Borders, RIP) years and years ago, seeing this book and immediately loving the cover. I found the summary interesting but I bought it because I needed to own such a pretty book. Luckily, it turned out to tell an amazing story! I love this book all around.
Phase 2: First impressions: a book that you got because of the summary
Kirsten Raymonde will never forget the night Arthur Leander, the famous Hollywood actor, had a heart attack on stage during a production of King Lear. That was the night when a devastating flu pandemic arrived in the city, and within weeks, civilization as we know it came to an end.
My eyes tend to skim hard when it comes to summaries- it’s the reason I keep my summaries in my book reviews to one sentence. But this summary gripped the heck out of me when I first read it- and it was an amazing book!
Phase 3: Sweet talk: a book with great writing
So many books could fit this category, but when I think of a book that has great writing, my mind always immediately goes to The Secret History. I absolutely love this book and the writing style was a huge part of the experience of it for me. This book is so beautiful and terrible.
Phase 4: First date: a first book of a series which made you want to pursue the rest of the series
I know I’ve said it before, but I had such a terrible first impression of this book – I hated the cover, thought the premise would never work – but then I gave it a try and absolutely LOVED it. I went out and got the rest of the books and read them nonstop, and now I love The Lunar Chronicles to pieces.
Phase 5: Late night phone call: a book that kept you up all night long
There’s something about staying up all night reading a book, and there’s something else about staying up all night reading the a last book in a series. Ruin and Rising is the last book in the Grisha Trilogy by Leigh Bardugo, and I remember reading it all night and finishing it at 4:30 am, and then being unable to fall asleep from the amazing book high it had given me. It may destroy my sleep schedule but I love when a book gives me that kind of experience.
Phase 6: Always on my mind: a book that you could not stop thinking about
I positively adore the Raven Cycle, and I read it over the span of about 4 months in a buddy read with a friend, and not being able to read them as quickly as possible was a slow and wonderful kind of agony- on the one hand I got to savor it, on the other I NEEDED TO KNOW WHAT WAS GOING TO HAPPEN. But The Dream Thieves in particular was one I was literally on the edge of my seat looking forward to every day. And even though I finished the last book like 6 months ago, I still think about the Raven Cycle probably at least once a day….it’s an addiction that still hasn’t fully worn off.
Phase 7: Getting physical: a book in which you love the way it feels
Six of Crows and Crooked Kingdom are two books I love the feel of in my hands. They’re big and sturdy but not too heavy, they have beautiful cover art, I love the feel of the paper the pages are made from, I love the font they’re printed in, I love the way the edges of the pages are black and red, I love the way they smell. If I walk past them in a bookstore I can’t help but pick them up.
Phase 8: Meeting the parents: a book you would recommend to your friends and family
This was a tough one, but I think I’d have to go with The Book Thief. It’s not the most cheerful book, but I love it and it’s such a classic.
Phase 9: Think about the future: a book series that you know you’ll re-read many times in the future
I’ve already lost track of how many times I’ve read Harry Potter, but I know without a doubt I’ll read it many more times over the course of my life. My fave forever ❤
Phase 10: Share the love: who would you like to tag?
I’m tagging you, if you think you’d enjoy doing this tag like I did! Just make sure to link me so I can see all your awesome picks.
Jellicoe Road is my second most favorite book in the whole world, and I love the cover too!
Also, aren’t you so excited for the upcoming Ronan Lynch books!??
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I am SO excited, and also a little scared, but that usually comes with anything that I love so much. But I felt like the Raven Cycle was left so open on Ronan’s part that it makes sense that if we were to get anything new about the characters, it makes sense that it’s Ronan’s story! Also, I just love Ronan, so I’m so happy to get books focused more on him.
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I can’t wait to read more about Ronan and Adam! I do agree though, there is always a bit of nerves when there’s a continuation of something you love that much.
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I loved the description you gave of staying up all night to read a book. I still remember doing that with The Goblet of Fire and The Order of the Phoenix ❤
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It’s really the best! And those are such special books to have those memories with!
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The Cinder cover makes some sense once you have read the title, but looking back now it certainly does it no justice 😛
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It really doesn’t! I don’t know why I disliked the red shoe so much when I first saw it, though now that I know the story it doesn’t really bother me, even if she doesn’t actually end up wearing a red shoe 😉
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Yeah, maybe it was red because they thought the contrast of the colour would work well for marketing? Haha no clue.
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I’m guessing that’s it, and I do have to admit they look very nice, haha!
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Fabulous choices! There are so many books I love on this list! I have to admit I’ve never read Cinder because I made assumptions about it based on the premise/cover but maybe I’ll pick it up and give it a try.
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Thank you! It really doesn’t hurt to give Cinder a try! I’m not actually that much into fairy tales, princesses, or sci-fi, and I was SO against Cinder for the longest time because of my own assumptions and biases, but it was so much fun once I gave it a try! They’re really great spins on classic tales with such intricate plots.
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