book tag – The Bookish Mutant

The Cookie Book Tag 🍪

Posted on March 30, 2020March 30, 2020 by madeline @ The Bookish Mutant

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Hello again, bibliophiles!

I was looking for tags to do the other day, and I came across this one, and immediately wanted to do it! I mean, who doesn’t love some form of cookie or another? Also, I figured it would be fitting for today, since my mom and I baked chocolate chip cookies in a skillet. (I don’t have any pictures, but they were delicious.) 🍪

Radiohead's The Bends album cover is hungry | AwesomeGIFs — leave it to me to slip in yet another Radiohead reference

I found this tag over at Misty’s Book Space. Let’s begin, shall we?

CHOCOLATE CHIP: A Classic Book That You Love or Really Enjoyed

Frankenstein is easily one of my favorite books, if not my favorite of all time.

THIN MINTS: A Fandom That You Really Want to ‘Join’ and/or a Hyped-Up Book You Want To Read

Incarnate (Newsoul, #1) by Jodi Meadows

I’m not sure if I’m necessarily plagued by the desire to join another fandom, but The Newsoul trilogy appears to be a classic YA dystopia, and one that actually looks decent, at that.

SHORTBREAD: An Author You Can’t Get Enough Of

Though I’ve only read two of her novels (at the moment, I hope to read the others very soon), I am such a sucker for Anna-Marie McLemore’s luscious writing. There’s no prose quite like hers.

SAMOAS: An Emotional Rollercoaster

Amazon.com: Thunderhead (2) (Arc of a Scythe) (9781442472457 ...

Even though I finally know the resolution, the entirety of Thunderhead, ESPECIALLY the ending, had my mind reeling in shock.

OREOS: A Book Whose Cover Was Better than Its Story

(Wait, what do you have against Oreos? Oreos are CLEARLY the superior cookie…)

(Okay, fine, I’ll answer the question…)

An Absolutely Remarkable Thing: A Novel: Green, Hank ...

Unpopular opinion time…

Though it had a few moments of being funny, I ultimately DNF’d An Absolutely Remarkable Thing. Between the weird pacing, the unrealistic dialogue (Does ANYBODY actually say “LOL” in real life? That’s right, NOPE), almost everything about April May’s character (at least she admits that she treats her girlfriend like an object), and the gross misrepresentation of bisexuality, this one was kind of a recipe for disaster for me. No pun intended.

[heavy sigh] Whew, had to get that out…

TAGALONGS/PEANUT BUTTER PATTIES: A Book That Wasn’t What You Expected

Amazon.com: Crown of Coral and Pearl eBook: Rutherford, Mara ...

In this case, not in a good way.

Putting aside the fact that I thought that Crown of Coral and Pearl would feature mermaids [repeatedly slaps self in the face], I also thought this would be a fantasy novel. In reality, the only thing that might get it labeled as fantasy would be the fact that there’s a magical creature or two hidden in there towards the end of the novel.

SNICKERDOODLES: A Book You May Never Stop Rereading / Loving

Amazon.com: Aurora Rising (The Aurora Cycle) (9781524720964 ...

Aurora Rising. ‘Nuff said. Just re-read it a few days ago, actually. I’ve been thinking about this one a lot, lately (partly because I preordered Aurora Burning…EEEEE)

If you want to listen to today’s song, just head over to today’s Goodreads Monday, as I already posted today. 😉

I tag anyone who wants to participate!

That’s it for this tag! Have a wonderful rest of your day, and take care of yourselves!

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Book Tags

Women’s History Book Tag

Posted on March 11, 2020March 11, 2020 by madeline @ The Bookish Mutant

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Afternoon, bibliophiles!

I found this tag on The Comfy Reader, and as soon as I saw that it had to do with Women’s History…COUNT. ME. IN. The tag was created by Weird Zeal.

Rules:

Thank the person who tagged you and link back to their post.
Link to the creator’s blog in your post
Answer the questions below using only books written by women
Feel free to use the same graphics
Tag 8 others to take part in the tag

Image result for girls of paper and fire

Lei from Girls of Paper and Fire is the ultimate disobedient, fierce, and patriarchy-smashing protagonist. I just got started with the sequel (Girls of Storm and Shadow), and though it’s not quite as potent as book 1, I’d forgotten how much I loved her and Wren.

Ada Lovelace

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Alouette from Sky Without Stars is a character that I always love to see in a female protagonist–daring and determined, but also incredibly intelligent, and VERY bookish!

Queen Elizabeth 1

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One of the perspectives that I enjoyed the most of Catherine in The Smoke Thieves, and her later struggle (and GREAT successes) of ascending to the throne as Queen of Brigant.

Virginia Woolf

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The prose in Wild Beauty was one of the elements that most stood out to me in the book, as flowery as the gardens of La Pradera.

Joan of arc

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Although this was only a three-star read for me, Sky in the Deep was what immediately came to mind. Eelyn was most definitely a Wonder Woman-ish character, in an almost Viking setting.

Mae Jemison

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Ooh, boy, I’ve got a lot to choose from…

A Conspiracy of Stars stands out so much in the YA sci-fi genre, with its spectacular world-building and memorable writing. WHERE. IS. BOOK. THREE.

Rosalind Franklin

(Heeeeey, we learned about her in my bio class not long ago!)

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Chilling and masterfully written, it honestly saddens me how little recognition Other Words for Smoke (and anything by Sarah Maria Griffin, really) has gotten.

Marsha P Johnson

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Another vastly underrated novel, Everything Grows is a beautiful and deeply relatable book about exploring one’s sexuality.

Amelia Earheart

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I’ll say it once and I’ll say it again: The Poet X deserves every ounce of hype that it has received.

Your Choice

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Sally Ride has been one of my personal heroes ever since I did a project on her in 8th grade. The first American woman in space and an LGBTQ+ icon, she is continually one of my biggest inspirations. 💗

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With its tackling of many issues that plague our modern society today, This Time Will be Different inspires me to not just look at the big picture, but to look within local communities to remedy these ills.

I tag anyone who’d like to participate during this lovely Women’s History Month!

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Today’s song:

That’s it for this post! Have a wonderful day, and take care of yourselves!

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Book Tags, Books

The Quick Fire Fantasy Tag

Posted on February 3, 2020 by madeline @ The Bookish Mutant

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Hello again, bibliophiles!

I found this tag over at Kayla’s Wordsmithy (thank you!), and I thought that I’d give it a try! I haven’t given as much love to fantasy lately, so I figured this would be a nice change. The tag was originally created by The Book Worm Dreamer.

RULES:

Thank the person who tagged you and link back to their post
Link to the creator’s blog (thebookwormdreamer.wordpress.com) in your post
Answer the prompts below – all fantasy books!
Tag 5 others to take part
Enjoy!

5 STAR BOOK

Image result for the demon world sally green

The last fantasy that I rated five stars was The Demon World, the sequel to The Smoke Thieves. I know I blab about this one a lot, but hey…

Several butt-kicking women
Romance
Demons

What’s not to like?

ALWAYS GOING TO RECOMMEND

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Leigh Bardugo’s Shadow and Bone trilogy is the ideal gateway to YA fantasy, and a richly-imagined, heart-pounding ride from start to finish.

OWN IT BUT HAVEN’T READ IT YET

Um….shoot, I think I’ll have to skip this one. Everything that I’ve bought recently I’ve already read, and not much of said book haul is fantasy.

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WOULD READ AGAIN

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I’m devastated that I borrowed Other Words for Smoke at the library, because this was an absolute MASTERPIECE.

IN ANOTHER WORLD

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Fennbirn, the island setting of Three Dark Crowns is lush and rife with detailed mythology. A true feat of literature, in that respect, and an unforgettable series. The whole system with the Queens and their gifts is incredibly fascinating.

BACK ON EARTH

Image result for neverwhere book

Neil Gaiman’s Neverwhere (another five-star fantasy for me) is set in both the human city of London and London Below, a magical and unpredictable underbelly of the city, where all manner of strange creatures lurk. What a gem of a book ♥️

(Since I’ve already posted once today, just head over to this week’s Goodreads Monday if you’d like to see today’s song. 😉)

I tag anyone that would like to participate! I never know if the people I tag will end up participating in the tag, so I’ll just open it up to anyone who wants to. 🙂

Thanks so much for reading! Have a great rest of your day, and take care of yourselves!

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Book Tags, Books, Geeky Stuff

High School Stereotypes Book Tag

Posted on January 29, 2020January 29, 2020 by madeline @ The Bookish Mutant

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Happy Wednesday, everyone!

This tag was created by Another Book in the Wall, (oh my God, what an incredible blog name…🤣), and I got this tag from The Corner of Laura. It looked super cute, so I figured that I’d give it a go!

The Mean Girl | A Book You Can’t Help But Rant About

I’ve got a fair amount of books that I’d put in this category, but I’ll go with Samantha Young’s Smokeless Fire. Lord…this book is practically screaming in agony for an editor’s pen…

Image result for smokeless fire samantha young

The Bro | Your Favorite Sidekick

Without question, Doop from Peter Milligan and Mike Allred’s X-Statix. He’s just…floating about wherever the team goes, filming everything, knowing everything, and just being straight-up relatable, sometimes, with that tired face of his. I mean, he plays a hilariously big role later on, but I guess you could call him a sidekick.

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For those of you who aren’t familiar with X-Statix, here’s Doop himself…

LEGEND.

The Dumb Jock | A Book Whose Cover Is Better Than Its Story

I’ll have to go with Laura Weymouth’s The Light Between Worlds. The cover is stunning and so well designed, but the story was just so…unbearably…boring…

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The Loner | A Standalone You Love

Jessica Khoury’s sci-fi retelling of the tale of Anastasia, Last of Her Name, blew me out of the water with its lush writing and worldbuilding. Maybe I should read it again sometime.

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The Overachiever | A Series That Should’ve Ended After Book 1

As much as I love Rainbow Rowell’s Carry On, I don’t know if Wayward Son was really necessary, as much as I hate to admit it. It just lacked that emotional punch that defined book 1, and now a third book is confirmed…dunno how to feel about that…

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The Class Clown | A Book That Makes You Laugh

Without a doubt, Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett’s Good Omens. That book made me laugh like no other book I’d read before.

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The Outcast | A Unique Fictional World You’d Want To Visit

As mediocre as much of the book was, I must say, I’d definitely like to visit the Martian Exovet Cloister in Christian Schoon’s Zenn Scarlett. Certainly wouldn’t have any dull days while caring for weird alien critters.

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The Nerd | An Author With the Best Writing

Neal Shusterman, without question. Not only is he incredibly clever in every little detail he creates, the writing is all at once heartrending and witty, beautiful and terrifying.

The Prom Queen | An Over-Hyped Book

I’ll say it once, and I’ll say it again…Red Queen. [whips out megaphone] IT’S JUST A SLOPPY LITTLE BALL OF OVERUSED TROPES, PEOPLE, NOTHING TO SEE HERE…

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I promise that I didn’t choose this one because both it and the prompt have the word “queen” in them…no pun intended, I swear…[breaks into a nervous sweat]

The Drama Kids | A Protagonist Who Is Melodramatic

It’s been a while since I’ve read Sarah Rees Brennan’s In Other Lands, but one of my distinct memories of why I DNF’d it was because of how whiny and entitled I found Elliot to be.

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The Teacher’s Pet | Favorite Animal Sidekick

Again, I’m turning to the world of Marvel–specifically the world of mutants–because Lockheed is an absolute show-stealer who I must shower with love and appreciation.

Image result for lockheed x men

Here’s Our Boy™, shown with Kitty Pryde.

The Hipsters | A Book You Love That Isn’t In Your Comfort Zone

I’m not an avid fan of neither novels in verse, nor historical fiction. Kip Wilson’s White Rose happens to be both, and I adored its poignant and tragic story.

Image result for white rose kip wilson

Aaaand that just about wraps it up! I had so much fun doing this tag!

Today’s song:

I forgot about this song for years, and I just remembered its existence a few days ago. And what can I say except…[loud sobbing]

Have a lovely rest of your day, and take care of yourselves!

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Book Tags, Books

20 Questions Book Tag

Posted on January 11, 2020January 11, 2020 by madeline @ The Bookish Mutant

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Happy Saturday, bibliophiles!

I came across this tag on the wonderful Megabunny Reads, and I thought it would be fun to participate. Here goes nothin’…

HOW MANY BOOKS IS TOO MANY IN A SERIES?

I’m notorious for starting series and never finishing them, but I feel like the limit for me would be once it passes the double-digit mark. Unless they’re spin-offs, I’m not sure how any series could possible perpetuate a story for so long without making it needless.

Image result for too long gif

HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT CLIFFHANGERS?

If done well, they’re an excellent way to keep the reader hooked. If poorly executed, I sometimes find that they can be a pathetic excuse for a rushed ending. But most of the time, I find them good, but painfully so.

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HARDBACK OR PAPERBACK?

Eh…I don’t really discriminate. Hardback is more expensive, but I feel like there’s an equally likely chance for them to get damaged, so either one works for me.

Image result for both is fine gif

FAVORITE BOOK?

Hands down, Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein.

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LEAST FAVORITE BOOK?

Probably The Witch of Blackbird Pond. We had to read in in 6th grade, and I despised it with every cell of my being. So dry and boring.

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LOVE TRIANGLE…YES OR NO?

I mean…no. I can recall many times where they’ve worked out, but most of the time, they definitely bug me.

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THE MOST RECENT BOOK THAT YOU COULDN’T FINISH?

I hate to say it, but Half Bad by Sally Green. After adoring her Smoke Thieves series, I was so disappointed at how little plot there was. But hey, debut novel. Everybody makes mistakes.

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A BOOK YOU’RE CURRENTLY READING?

On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King. I haven’t even hit the 100-page mark, but I already love it.

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THE LAST BOOK YOU RECOMMENDED TO SOMEONE?

My school’s book club meeting for this month was yesterday, so I certainly threw out a boatload of recommendations. I think the most prominent one that hadn’t previously surfaced was Alexander Freed’s novelization of Rogue One.

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OLDEST BOOK THAT YOU’VE READ?

I think that Frankenstein would take that title as well.

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NEWEST BOOK THAT YOU’VE READ?

Hmm…I think it might be Marissa Meyer’s Supernova. That one was just published last November.

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FAVORITE AUTHOR?

I don’t think I can pick just one, but Mary Shelley, Jay Kristoff, Amie Kaufman, Tony DiTerlizzi, Neal Shusterman, Ray Bradbury, Sarah Maria Griffin…the list goes on.

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BUYING BOOKS OR BORROWING THEM?

I practically live at my local library, and I borrow books nearly every week; that being said, I don’t prefer it to buying. So, again, I’m indecisive.

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A BOOK YOU DISLIKE BUT EVERYONE ELSE LIKES?

Red Queen. I’m still so baffled as to why it’s got such a huge fandom. It’s pretty much just ripping off every YA trope and rolling them into a sloppy, disgusting ball…

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BOOKMARKS OR DOG-EARS?

Bookmarks, no question. Dog-earing is blasphemy, and you cannot change my mind.

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A BOOK YOU CAN RE-READ OVER AND OVER?

Heart of Iron, Aurora Rising, and B.P.R.D., Vol. 2: The Soul of Venice and Other Stories, to name a few.

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CAN YOU READ WHILE LISTENING TO MUSIC?

I almost always read while listening to music! I sometimes change the song if it doesn’t fit the mood of the book, but you can almost always see me with my headphones on while I’m reading.

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MULTIPLE POVs OR ONE POV?

I can go either way. One POV eliminates confusion, and with multiple, you can get several perspectives, as well as the possibility of dramatic irony. Either works for me.

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DO YOU READ A BOOK IN ONE SITTING OR OVER MULTIPLE DAYS ON AVERAGE?

Multiple days, depending on how long the book is. It’s rare that I finish a book in one sitting.

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I tag anyone who’d like to join in!

Today’s song:

(I’ve been on a big Phoebe Bridgers kick lately…)

That just about wraps up this post! Have a great rest of your day, and keep on reading!

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Book Tags, Books

Get To Know Ya Book Tag

Posted on January 2, 2020January 2, 2020 by madeline @ The Bookish Mutant

Happy New Year, bibliophiles!

I found this tag on A Little Haze Book Blog, and I’m so excited to take part! Let’s begin, shall we?

FAVORITE BOOK OF ALL TIME

Oooh…hard decision, but if I had to pick, I’d go with Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. I read it a little under two years ago for the first time, and it’s never left my thoughts since.

FAVORITE BOOK FIVE YEARS AGO

The entire Search for WondLa trilogy captured my heart around middle school, but my favorite of the three was the beautifully written (and illustrated) and shocking finale, The Battle for WondLa.

FAVORITE DUOLOGY/TRILOGY/SERIES

Hands down, Ashley Poston’s masterful Heart of Iron duology. Both books are so lovable in every sense of the word.

LAST BOOK YOU READ

I’ll be reviewing this one later, but I just finished up Supernova, the last installment in Marissa Meyer’s Renegades trilogy. Such a stunning end to the series!

LAST POETRY BOOK YOU READ

I bought a collection of Tennyson’s poetry in April, I think. Such remarkable and heartstring-tugging words…In Memoriam was probably my favorite.

WHAT BOOK MOST INFLUENCED YOUR LIFE?

Alright, sorry, I know I keep coming back to this, but The Search for WondLa was not only my gateway to my favorite genre, science fiction, but what inspired me to be an author. Tony DiTerlizzi will never stop being my hero, just for that series alone.

BOOK THAT MADE YOU UGLY CRY

Yeeeeeeeesh, A Monster Calls SLAYED me when I first read it. I had to re-read it over twice, and both times, I ended up bawling my eyes out at the end. GOD. 😭

BOOK THAT MADE YOU LAUGH

Good Omens, without a doubt. I don’t think a book has made me laugh as much as that in a very long time.

CHARACTER YOU’D LIKE TO BE FOR A DAY

Hmm…the first character that came to mind was Alosa from Daughter of the Pirate King duology.Oh, to be a fearsome pirate queen on the high seas (with fabulous hair)…

BOOK SO GOOD YOU DREAMT ABOUT IT

I can’t quite think of any books that come to mind other than WondLa, and I’ve already mentioned that one in two of the questions, so…sorry about that.

BOOK YOU DNF’D

Oh, there’s a long, long list…

But the most recent book I DNF’d was Lifestyles of Gods and Monsters. Such an interesting concept for a plot, but the dialogue made it crash and burn. Curse you, deceptively gorgeous cover…

WHAT BOOK ARE YOU EXCITED TO READ?

I loved The Hazel Wood, and I just found out that the sequel, The Night Country, will be released on January 7th! REJOICE!

That just about wraps it up! If you’d like to do the tag, feel free to do so. Please be sure to link back to this post if you do so 🙂

Today’s song: “One and a Half Stars”–Wilco (listening to this as I wrap up this post!)

Have a lovely rest of your day, and take care of yourselves!

Book Tags, Books

Bookish Naughty or Nice Tag

Posted on December 30, 2019 by madeline @ The Bookish Mutant

Alright, Christmas season is *technically* over, but I figured that I’d do this tag before the end of the year, because it looked SUPER cute. The tag was created by Jenniely, and I found this on SMELLFOY CAN READ? (who, if you haven’t checked out their blog, you should!), so thank you!

RULES :

Tag & link the person who tagged you
Tag and link the original post
Tick/cross off the ones you’ve done
Tag another 10 people!

Received an ARC and not reviewed it.

NICE–I received a few ARCs two years ago or so (though I wrote very short reviews for them), but I don’t think I forgot to review any of them. I think.

Have less than 60% feedback rating on Netgalley

NICE–I…uh…don’t use Netgalley at all, soooooo…

Rated a book on goodreads and promised a full review was to come on your blog (and never did)

NAUGHTY–Yeah, I’m definitely guilty of that one…you guys probably remember several instances this year that I promised reviews, but never delivered…

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Folded down the page of a book

NICE–Dog-earing is blasphemy, in my book. No pun intended.

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Accidentally spilled on a book

NAUGHTY–I haven’t done it in years, but I do remember spilling a smoothie on a book of Greek Myths. Or maybe that was my brother. I dunno.

DNF’d a book this year

NAUGHTY–Oh, definitely guilty. If I loathe a book, I have no shame in DNFing it. I’ve done at least…oh, three or four books this year? Maybe more…

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Bought a book purely because it was pretty with no intention of reading it

NICE–

What…what kind of question is this? WHO DOES THAT?

Read whilst you were meant to be doing something else (like homework)

NAUGHTY–Shhh, nobody else has to know…

Skim read a book

NAUGHTY–If I’m bored 50-75% of the way through the book, it’s skimming time…

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Completely missed your Goodreads goal

NICE–Quite the opposite, actually…I usually end up setting smaller goals, then surpassing them by a lot. Though, I almost didn’t finish mine last year…I still think that I only got to 300 books because of all the re-readings and single issues of comics…

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Borrowed a book and not returned it

NICE–I rarely borrow other people’s books anymore, so…

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Broke a book buying ban

NICE–I just…go crazy whenever I go the bookstore, so I just don’t really do bans.

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Started a review, left it for ages then forgot what the book was about

NAUGHTY–Very, very guilty…

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Wrote in a book you were reading

Umm…both? I’m firmly against writing in books; To me, it just feels like vandalization. But I have to do it for school, so…

Image result for kylo ren gif i know what I have to do, but I don't know if I have the strength to do it

Finished a book and not added it to your Goodreads

NICE–I feel like I organize my books fairly well on my Goodreads account, and unless the book isn’t on Goodreads, everything that I’ve read will be on there.

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Dodged someone asking if they can borrow a book

NICE–I don’t think so…I haven’t borrowed anyone else’s books in years, save for my immediate family, so that’s that.

Broke the spine of someone else’s book

NICE–Again, haven’t borrowed much in ages…

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Took the jacket off a book to protect it and ended up making it more damaged

NICE–I rarely take dust jackets off of books, unless I just want to take a peek at the inside cover. Plus, most of what I read is from the library, and you…can’t take the dust jackets off of those, so…

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Sat on a book accidentally

NAUGHTY–Not gonna lie, I probably do this once a week. Oops.

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That just about wraps it up! I’m supposed to tag 10 people, but I’m not which of you have done the tag, and which of you would want to do it in the first place, so I’ll open this one up to anyone who’d like to participate.

Have a lovely day, and take care of yourselves!

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Book Tags, Books

The Book Cake Tag

Posted on December 26, 2019 by madeline @ The Bookish Mutant

Hey everyone! I hope that you had a lovely Christmas, if you celebrate, and some very happy holidays!

I found this tag on Megabunny Reads, and it sounded super fun, so I figured that I’d give it a go! The tag was originally created by A Little But A Lot.

Here goes nothing…

FLOUR: A BOOK THAT WAS SLOW TO START OFF BUT PICKED UP AS IT WENT ALONG

Shirley Jackson is the master of the slow-burn story, and The Haunting of Hill House is no exception. The slow building of this creepy, atmospheric masterpiece will stay with me for a long time after I’ve read it.

BUTTER: A BOOK THAT HAS A REALLY “RICH” AND GREAT PLOT

The plot of Sally Green’s The Smoke Thieves was incredibly intricate in every sense of the word–in the beginning, it was so complex that I found myself wondering how Green would manage to tie everything together in a way that made sense, but surprise, surprise, everything came back together towards the end. What a gem of a series.

EGGS: A BOOK THAT YOU THOUGHT WAS GOING TO BE BAD, BUT TURNED OUT QUITE ENJOYABLE

My expectations of Crier’s War were that it was going to be a steaming pile of cliches, but I was pleasantly surprised by the multi-layered world building, culture, and poetic writing…and not to mention, the swoon-worthy, enemies-to-lovers sapphic romance.

SUGAR: A SUGARY/SWEET BOOK

Oh, Rainbow Rowell, master of the heart-meltingly adorable romance…

Most of Rowell’s novels have this level of romance, on some level, but the sweetness of Fangirl stood out most to me for the purposes of this tag, from bonding over books and music to specialty lattes.

ICING: A BOOK THAT COVERED EVERY SINGLE ELEMENT THAT YOU ENJOY OF A BOOK

You guessed it…

I’ll say it once, and I’ll say it again…

Aurora Rising is, for all intents and purposes, everything that I’ve ever wanted in a book–daring adventures in space, with a ragtag cast of unique characters.

SPRINKLES: A BOOK SERIES THAT YOU TURN TO WHEN YOU’RE FEELING DOWN

aaAAAaAAAaaaAAAAaAa chILDHOOD–

The Search for WondLa trilogy was definitely a major part of what not only got me through middle school, but what inspired me to be a writer, and my gateway to the genre of science fiction. I haven’t re-read it in a year or so, but I always love flipping back through the gorgeous illustrations: at this point, each one’s a different way to get to Memory Lane.

CHERRY ON TOP: YOUR FAVORITE BOOK THIS YEAR SO FAR

…First of all, as Megabunny Reads said in their post…what? Aren’t cherries on top reserved for sundaes? I’ve only seen…maybe two pictures of cakes with a cherry on top, and it doesn’t sound all that appealing…

[ahem] Anyway, now that I’ve already mentioned Aurora Rising, I think there’s only one other choice for the top spot this year…

The heart-pounding conclusion to the Arc of a Scythe trilogy, Shusterman truly pulled out all the stops and then some in The Toll. This is Shusterman’s storytelling at its very best, and an exemplary trilogy in the vast fount of literature that defines today’s sci-fi/dystopian novels.

And, that just about wraps it up! I tag:

And if you’ve stumbled across this post and want to participate, feel free!

Have a wonderful rest of your day, and take care of yourselves! It’s almost 2020, you can make it…

Book Tags, Books

End of the Year Book Tag

Posted on December 9, 2019 by madeline @ The Bookish Mutant

Hey, fellow bibliophiles! Sorry that I haven’t been active since Tuesday. I’ve had a kind of rough, busy, and rather emotional week (and an awful lot of homework), but hey, at least I finally finished watching Good Omens.

I saw this post on Prose and Pancakes, and I figured that I’d give it a go. (And if you can, please check out Nikita’s lovely blog!) The tag itself was created by Ariel Bisett. So, without further ado, let’s begin!

Are there any books you started this year that you need to finish?

Well…not quite, in the sense of the question. I’d like to think that I’m pretty good about finishing books in one sitting. BUT, I did just start reading Bill Konigsberg’s The Music of What Happens, which I’m enjoying so far! 🙂

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Do you have an autumnal book to transition into the end of the year?

I read pretty much all of the autumnal books that I wanted to read either in October or over the summer (oops), but I think Rainbow Rowell and Faith Erin Hicks’ Pumpkinheads would fit the bill perfectly.

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Is there a new release that you’re still waiting for?

I think this one technically came out in November, but I haven’t yet read Marissa Meyer’s Supernova, and I am OVER THE MOON excited for that one!

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What are the three books you need to read before the end of the year?

Hmmm…

I don’t really have anything that I have planned for the end of the year, so I’ll just hash out a few books off of my TBR that I’m particularly excited about…

Hopefully I can get this one on my next comic-shop run…

I’m fascinated by the direction that Magneto was taken in during the Brian Michael Bendis run, and I’m excited to see it all from his perspective. I also loved Bunn’s work on Harrow County, so I’m sure it’ll translate well to the iconic villain.

And speaking of X-Men (references, anyway)…

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I’ve been meaning to read Lyn Miller-Lachmann’s Rogue for ages, and I haven’t been able to find it anywhere. I haven’t read much MG in a while, and it seems like this will be a very poignant coming-of-age story.

Aaaaaaand completely unrelated from the other two, here’s Marcus Sedgwick’s The Monsters We Deserve. As Frankenstein is one of my favorite (if not my favorite) book of all time, I’m intrigued to see his take on the fateful night that Mary Shelley spun the iconic story.

Is there a book that could still shock you and become your favorite book of the year?

I doubt it, honestly. My expectations have practically shot through the stratosphere after the combined glory of Honor Bound, Aurora Rising, Like A Love Story, The Pioneer, and The Toll. (I’ll be reviewing the latter of those next week. MY GOD…)

Have you already started making reading plans for 2020?

Reading plans? What are these ‘reading plans’ you speak of?

Not really, no. But, I’d like to up my Goodreads reading goal to…let’s say…250. I’ve already passed my goal of 200 this year, and my goal was 300 the year before, and that was veeeery stressful. Barely passed that one. So I’m hoping that 250 will be a happy medium.

And, that just about wraps it up! I tag:

Beck @ SMELLFOY CAN READ?
Kayla @ Kayla’s Wordsmithy
Megabunny Reads
And YOU, if you wish to participate! 😀

I hope you had a wonderful week! Stay tuned for more content tomorrow!

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Book Tags, Books

Fall Festival Book Photo Tag

Posted on November 1, 2019 by madeline @ The Bookish Mutant

Happy November, fellow bibliophiles!

I was tagged by A Little Haze Book Blog to take part in this tag. The tag itself is part of Clo and Fictionally Sam’s Bookending Autumn 2019, and this tag was originally hosted by PoetryBooksYA.

I’m pretty excited to take part, so let’s begin! 🙂

CHILLY–BOOK WITH A WHITE COVER (Sad story/plotline)

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Michael Belanger’s The History of Jane Doe is well-written, but be warned: it’s definitely a rough ride, and it deals with teen suicide.

SWEET–BOOK WITH AN ORANGE COVER (A favorite contemporary novel)

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I couldn’t find many contemporary books that I really loved (much less ones with completely orange covers), but this is my most recent read in that category: Michelle Andreani and Mindi Scott’s exploration of romance and grief, The Way Back to You

SPICY–BOOK WITH A RED COVER (Action/Fast-paced setting)

Ohhhhhhhh yeah.

I could go on for days about the The Demon World. The whole series (that’s come out), for that matter.

DARK–BOOK WITH A BLACK COVER (Dark, twisted theme)

The entire Three Dark Crowns series is pretty rife with violence, disturbing sibling rivalries, and all manner of spooky stuff. All four books had me on the edge of my seat…

GREEN–BOOK WITH A GREEN COVER (Makes you feel jealous)

This was a hard one…I mean, green cover? Easy. Makes me feel jealous? Now that’s another story…

I suppose that Robert Beatty’s Willa of the Wood doesn’t inherently make me jealous, but I’m definitely jealous of Beatty’s world-building and descriptive writing. (He’s also the author of the Serafina trilogy, which, excluding book 2, I adored in middle school.)

Well, that just about wraps it up!

I tag:

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