You know who’s feeling festive this year?!
Not me 🤗
HA! I’m kidding. Although my soul curls inwards at the mention of christmas, as a general rule, I’m feeling slightly festive this year because I’ve already made fruit mince pies and that is peak christmas mood for me. I am also over here, poking pitifully at my poor blog and thinking up fresh plans for for it for 2020. Which I will share with you soon! But for now I’m going to be both CHRISTMASSY and BLOGGERY and do the…
book blog tag!
It was created by Lizzie Loves Books on Booktube! (Back in 2014😱ancient artwork. This is what happens when I go googling about for blog tags and Google yells at me to GET 🗣 FESTIVE 🗣Fine! I am! Sheesh. I even have a festive Christmassy border below someone award me.)
ON THE FIRST DAY OF CHRISTMAS, MY TRUE LOVE SENT TO ME: A PARTRIDGE IN A PEAR TREE.
The partridge stood alone in the pear tree. What is your favourite stand alone?
I’ll choose standalones I’ve discovered this year! Sooo firstly: SICK KIDS IN LOVE was beyond incredible and left me slightly teary for the loving and heartfelt disabilty rep (#ownvoices narratives MATTER SO MUCH). Also Sasha and Isabel? Are the softest. Then CAN YOU SEE ME is an MG contemporary about an autistic girl and it was so so good, accurate, aching, and important. It was the kind of book I want everyone to read and raise way more understanding of what autism really is. 😭 💛
ON THE SECOND DAY OF CHRISTMAS, MY TRUE LOVE SENT TO ME: TWO TURTLE DOVES.
Love is in the air! Who is your one true pairing?
I feel such PRESSURE when it’s like “one true pairing”…can I not have at least 10 ships, please and thank you.🥺So I’m just going to quietly cheat here and pick two of my favourite 2019 couples. And try not to fall out of your chair with shock but — yes I’ll say Jude and Cardan. These two are hot frikkin messes, and they’re both poisonous for each other and manipulative…until they’re not. 😭 💛They have such a good character arc, and I really think the series explored what it is to be vulnerable after you’ve grown up abused. Then I’ll say Alex and Henry — because omg these two. This is an adult RomCom, aka not my usual genre, but here we have the president’s son and the prince of England who hate each other…except maybe they don’t. Honestly this book is fantastically witty, it’s really heartfelt and wrenching at times, and it’s incredibly written.
ON THE THIRD DAY OF CHRISTMAS, MY TRUE LOVE SENT TO ME: THREE FRENCH HENS.
In the spirit of threes, what is the best trilogy you have read?
This year I finished up The Cruel Prince trilogy (AM OBSESSED; perfect ending was perfect) and also the Caraval trilogy!! Usually I procrastinate finales so hard — what if they don’t live up to expectations? what if my faves die? what dO I DO WITH MYSELF AFTER??? Etc. Etc. The panic never ends. But these two were ones I devoured straight away.😍Expectations = met. Stressful AND satisfying. That’s what I ask.
ON THE FOURTH DAY OF CHRISTMAS, MY TRUE LOVE SENT TO ME: FOUR CALLING BIRDS.
Since series usually consist of four or more books, what is your favourite series?
[slams The Raven Cycle on the table and yells] THIS IS A SURPRISE. And this, I cheat for, because I obviously didn’t discover them in 2019, but I did REread them this year! I basically reread The Raven Cycle every year in order to keep my heart beating, my lungs working, the stars in my eyes shining. 👌🏻And of course this year we were also blessed with Call Down the Hawk, aka an incredible, whimsical, peculiar and clever start of the spin-off Ronan trilogy.
ON THE FIFTH DAY OF CHRISTMAS, MY TRUE LOVE SENT TO ME: FIVE GOLDEN RINGS.
One ring to rule them all! Who is your Favourite Villain/Antagonist?
This year, hmm…look I actually struggle to really loathe villains. I prefer the ones you secretly love, because a lot of the “ultimate badie bad guys” just feel bland and uninteresting to me. I like villains with motives so vicious but cruelly crystal clear that you’re horrified at them, but also understand them a little. Anyway. Never mind me. I’m nice. 🤗So for villains I actually LIKE…guess I’ll be cliche and pick King of Scars. 😌And also Ninth House. So basically, Bardugo wins this category.
ON THE SIXTH DAY OF CHRISTMAS, MY TRUE LOVE SENT TO ME: SIX GEESE A LAYING.
Creation is a beautiful thing. What is your favourite world/world-building?
I’m trying not to nominate the same books over and over😂or I’ll say The Cruel Prince again, soooo: SPIN THE DAWN!! It’s a gorgeous Chinese-inspired fantasy world with a girl disguised as a tailor who must make dresses out of the sun, moon, and stars. So you can imagine the whole world is whimsical and incredible.
And The Hazel Wood was SO GOOD. It actually came out last year, so of course I procrastinated reading it for no good reason. But it’s the perfect blend of bizarre and darkly whimsical fairytales + our world. Bring meeeee more portal fantasy. I LOVE.
ON THE SEVENTH DAY OF CHRISTMAS, MY TRUE LOVE SENT TO ME: SEVEN SWANS A SWIMMING.
Who needs seven swans when all it takes is one good animal sidekick? Who’s your favourite animal sidekick?
Oh if you haven’t tried The Tea Dragon Society then — YOU JUST NEED TO. They’re the most gorgeous graphic novels ever. The artwork is pure and wholesome and divine. 😍I will genuinely gush all day. Do not test me. Plus they’re so diverse! And the sequel, which came out in October (The Tea Dragon Festival) has a nonbinary main character!! They have little dragons. TEA DRAGONS. You make tea with their leaves from their antlers!!
ON THE EIGHTH DAY OF CHRISTMAS, MY TRUE LOVE SENT TO ME: EIGHT MAIDS A MILKING.
Milk is so 18th century. Which book or series takes beverages/food to a whole new level?
Well The Beautiful is here to bring back vampires and they aren’t drinking milk. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ More like a little bloody sip fROM YOUR THROAT. But in less gothic news…I so so adored With Fire on High!! It’s a contemporary focused on FOOD! Emoni wants to be a chef, and ends up working so hard to go on a cooking trip to Spain with her class. She’s also raising her 2yo daughter 😭💛She’s such a good mum and a good cook and just…!! An incredible character you can’t help but love. (I still don’t understand the significance of the title, unless it’s referring to a pot being left on the stove????)
ON THE NINTH DAY OF CHRISTMAS MY TRUE LOVE SENT TO ME: NINE LADIES DANCING.
Dancing is just one skill of a Lady! Who is your favourite kickass female lead?
This is half cheating because I’m still reading Gideon The Ninth but gah, I freaking LOVE Gideon. She’s badass with a sword, she’s snarky, but also has the biggest bleeding heart. And the world is full of skeletons and necromancers and conspiracies, and Gideon is just there. With a snipey comeback, and a sword, and aviator glasses because she’s cool. Aaaand I want to say Kiera from Slay, because she kicks ass virtually with her video game AND also metaphorically with standing up for what she believes in, fighting back racism, protecting black kids, and being indomitable even when it’s really really hard. 😭
ON THE TENTH DAY OF CHRISTMAS MY TRUE LOVE SENT TO ME: TEN LORDS A LEAPING.
How about your favourite leading lad?
Okay but I’ve only mentioned Ronan once so I can mention him twice. This is the rule. 👀Twice is okay and then my obsessions need to sit down and let some other books have a look in. BUT RONAN FREAKING LYNCH — gah, he’s incredibly powerful, also a petty little brother, also if you threaten something in his scope of vision…he will buckle down into attack dog mode. Also for a kid who shaves his head and acts like he’s made of oil and sharp edges — he is so SOFT sometimes. Aaaand I’ll say Simon and Baz from Wayward Son. Not sure how either of these idiot disasters are still alive but I love them. Just wish they’d TALK to each other omg. Communicate your feelings, boys!! I think the whole book was a good look at the trauma of child soldiers.
ON THE ELEVENTH DAY OF CHRISTMAS MY TRUE LOVE SENT TO ME: ELEVEN PIPES PIPING.
What is your favourite book or bookish thing with musical influence? (It can be about music, reference music a lot etc.)
I was nearly blanking on musical-books I’ve read this year…But then DUH!! On the Come Up!! This one is about music and rapping and Bri, who’s tired of stereotypes and wants to be bold and loud and achieve her dreams. Angie Thomas always delivers incredible books. This one was A+ in every way. Also You Asked For Perfect has a violinist overachieving boy who works himself sick with school stress!!! Relatable!!!
ON THE TWELFTH DAY OF CHRISTMAS MY TRUE LOVE SENT TO ME: 12 DRUMMERS DRUMMING.
Drum roll please…what is your favourite read of this year?
Impossible ಠ_ಠ This question lives to TORMENT. I’ll give you a round up of TWELVE of my top reads because I can’t possibly choose one!! And this makes the question make sense.
helloooo! tell me if you’re in a festive spirit this year? and what’s the best standalone AND series you read (or finished) this year?