the search for wondla – The Bookish Mutant

Winter is Coming Book Tag ❄️

Posted on December 17, 2022 by madeline @ The Bookish Mutant

Happy Saturday, bibliophiles!

Sorry for the unexplained absence, by the way. Finals just kinda crept up on me there, and I was in a reading slump for quite a while, so I’m not sure if I would’ve had much to post in the first place. But I’m done now! I’m out! FINISHED MY FIRST SEMESTER OF COLLEGE!!

Anyways, I’ve been meaning to do this tag for a while, but I wanted to wait until it was actually winter to do it, so here I am, about a year later. (Oops…) I was tagged by Ritz @ Living, Loving and Reading, and the tag was originally created by Katherine Barka on YouTube.

Let’s begin, shall we?

☃️WINTER IS COMING BOOK TAG☃️

SNOWFLAKE: something beautiful and always different. Choose a book that stands out and that is different from all the other books you’ve read.

The Reckless Kind was an unexpected 5-star read for me; The inclusion of so much queer rep AND disability rep in a historical fiction novel set in a time period/place that I haven’t read much about made for a truly unique read. Highly recommended!

SNOWMAN: it is always fun to make one with your family. Choose a book a whole family could read.

Part of why I’m putting this on here is to draw attention to these gorgeous new editions coming out next September, but now that I’m looking back at The Search for WondLa (my favorite series back in late elementary/middle school), it’s one of those special kid’s books that you can appreciate just as much as an adult.

CHRISTMAS: Choose a book full of happiness that made you warm inside after reading it.

I need to stop putting Heartstopper for every book tag with a “warm/fuzzy/cozy/etc.” prompt, but it…always fits?? It’s just so full of love and joy and all things warm and fuzzy…🥹

SANTA CLAUS: He brings wonderful presents. Choose a book you’d like to get for Christmas.

I put Gleanings: Stories from the Arc of a Scythe on my Christmas list this year, so…😳

SNOWBALLING: It can be painful to be hit by a snowball. Choose a book that hurt, that made you feel some strong emotion, like sadness, or anger.

She Gets the Girl just made me angry for most of the time reading it—I hated Alex, and the romance had zero chemistry. Not worth it at all.

SLEDDING: We all loved it when we were younger. Choose a book you loved when you were a child.

I could’ve put WondLa on here too, but a prompt like this calls for Warriors! I was OBSESSED with these books for years, and I have so many good memories of working my way through the series and picking up the paperbacks from my local bookstore as I made my way through the seemingly endless books. There’s a good…40 of them that I still have in boxes under my bed.

FROSTBITE: Choose a book you were really disappointed in.

I wanted to give The All-Consuming World a chance despite the low ratings, but I could barely get through the muck of painful writing…

REINDEER: Something dear to us. Choose a book of great sentimental value to you.

I had to restrain myself from putting Aurora Rising for this prompt, I know you’re all tired of me and my Aurora Cycle soapbox, so…even though the rest of the series started going downhill after this one, I have incredibly fond memories of reading Carry On for the first time. Gotta love Rainbow Rowell.

I TAG:

Laura @ The Corner of Laura
Elli @ AceReader
Becca @ Book It With Becca
Hundreds & Thousands of Books
+ anyone else who wants to participate! if you see this tag and want to do it, I’d love to see your answers! if I tagged you and you’ve already done it/don’t want to do it, my bad.

Today’s song:

how about some childhood nostalgia for this saturday morning

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

Uncategorized

Weekly Update: November 14 – 20, 2022

Posted on November 20, 2022November 20, 2022 by madeline @ The Bookish Mutant

Happy Sunday, bibliophiles! I hope this week has treated you well.

It’s getting colder still down here—we had not one, but two big snows this week, which resulted in having no classes the Friday before break! Needless to say, I only left my dorm to get breakfast and lunch that day before I went back home. Hot chocolate season.

Despite the cold, it’s been an exciting week! Namely, I had the incredible honor of meeting Alison Bechdel!! She came to speak to my comics class, and I even had the opportunity to workshop some of my own artwork with her! It was such an unforgettable experience, and one I’ll treasure for the rest of my life. (And I didn’t ugly cry this time!!! Got a little choked up, though. She liked my Frankenstein phone case haha) And speaking of big feels, I’ve been reconnecting with my middle school self now that it’s confirmed that the Search for WondLa TV show is officially coming to Apple TV+ sometime next year. It’s times like this that make me wish I could deliver messages to my past self, just to tell her that her middle school dreams are coming true. This show better be good.

I’ve had more time to read this week, and it’s been a mixed bag, but I definitely found a gem or two amongst them. I stopped by the comics shop on the way home, and between all of those (me & all my silly little X-Men spin-offs) and Scattered Showers, I think I’ll have plenty to read this week.

Other than that, I’ve just been making an excess of hot chocolate (big thank you to my mom for supplying me with all those hot cocoa packets), drawing, learning some more Radiohead on guitar, and finishing the new season of the Great British Bakeoff. (Now I need to start watching the Holiday Bakeoff to fill the void…)

WHAT I READ THIS WEEK:

Vicious (Villains, #1) – V.E. Schwab (⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️)

Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic – Alison Bechdel (for school) (⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️)

Killing November (Killing November, #1) – Adriana Mather (⭐️⭐️)

The Trouble with White Women: A Counterhistory of Feminism – Kyla Schuller (⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5)

The Depths – Nicole Lesperance (⭐️⭐️⭐️.5)

THE ONE, LONELY POST I MADE THIS WEEK:

Book Review Tuesday (11/15/22) – She Gets the Girl

THE ONE, LONELY SONG THAT WENT ALONG WITH IT:

“No Self Control” – Peter Gabriel

CURRENTLY READING/TO READ NEXT WEEK:

Scattered Showers – Rainbow Rowell (anthology)

Today’s song:

seeing the smile in a few weeks (!!!!!!) and apparently they’re playing this in the encore??? GOOD STUFF

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

Book Tags

A to Z Book Tag

Posted on July 20, 2022 by madeline @ The Bookish Mutant

Happy Wednesday, bibliophiles!

I was in the mood for a book tag today, so I thought I’d try this one out. I found it over at Birdie’s Book Nook (who you should absolutely follow if you don’t already!). I haven’t been able to find who originally created the tag, so if you know, let me know and I’ll link to their blog.

This one looks like a lot of fun…let’s begin, shall we?

🔠A TO Z BOOK TAG🔠

A – Author you have read the most books from

I haven’t picked up a Warriors book since middle school, but given the sheer volume of books in this series (aren’t there…there’s probably 40 or 50 books now, right? I stopped at the 5th series 💀), I’d say that Erin Hunter is the author that I’ve read the most books from. These books were my childhood…

B – Best sequel ever

the emotional damage that Aurora Burning inflicted on me remains unparalleled…

C – Currently reading

I’m a little over halfway through Follow Your Arrow right now! I’m not super invested in the romance, but the bisexual rep is great.

D – Drink of choice

Definitely tea—hot cinnamon spice is my favorite!

E – E-reader or physical book?

As much as I love my Kindle, physical books always win. Can’t beat the feeling of having a physical book in your hand—plus, a Kindle can’t give you that book smell…

F – Fictional character you would’ve dated in high school

Auri and Kal from Aurora Rising are my ultimate bisexual panic, so I probably would’ve gone for either of them…

G – Glad you gave this book a chance

I don’t usually read historical fiction as often, but The Reckless Kind was an unexpected 5-star read!

H – Hidden gem

The Wide Starlight ended up being my first 5-star read of the year! It doesn’t get nearly as much praise as it should, it’s a stunning book!

I – Important moment in your reading life

Reading and subsequently falling in love with The Search for WondLa in 5th grade. I’d liked sci-fi books before, but I give that trilogy credit for being my gateway into sci-fi literature. Haven’t turned my back since.

J – Just finished

I finished The Final Strife yesterday! Definitely a long haul, but the worldbuilding was great.

K – Kind of book you won’t read

I don’t usually do horror, and I’m also not a huge fan of the kind of romance books with airbrushed, shirtless/scantily clad people on the covers. Again, no shade to the people that enjoy the aforementioned books, but they’re just not my thing.

L – Longest book you’ve ever read

Technically, Invincible: Compendium One is an anthology, but 1,092 pages is still pretty thick.

M – Major book hangover because of…

Aurora’s End WRECKED me…I think I re-read it two or three times before I could pick anything else up…

N – Number of bookshelves you own

Three—two for most of my books, and a smaller one for all my graphic novels and trade paperbacks.

O – One book you’ve read multiple times

I re-read The Kingdom of Back a few weeks back, and I loved it just as much as I did the first time!

P – Preferred place to read

Either the couch, my bed (at night), and when it’s warm enough, outside in the hammock.

Q – Quote that inspires you

For the sake of brevity, I’ll just link it here, but Neil Gaiman’s “Make Good Art” speech never fails to be an inspiration to me. Go read it. You won’t regret it.

R – Reading regrets

Spending any money—even just $4.99—on Off Balance. What an awful excuse for a sequel.

S – Series you’ve started and need to finish

I really enjoyed Surviving the City, I don’t know why I haven’t picked up From the Roots Up!

T – Three of your all-time favorite books

Aurora Rising, Heart of Iron, and Frankenstein have been my steady favorites for the past few years.

U – …I just looked through several iterations of this tag, and it looks like U got skipped somewhere down the line?

moving on…

V – Very excited about this release

I need to pick up Godslayers soon—I think it just came out last month!

W – Worst bookish habit

I read relatively fast, and sometimes it comes back to bite me…I’ve learned to read my school books a little slower, at least.

X – X marks the spot. Pick the 27th book from your top left shelf.

Turns out it’s Nyxia! It’s been years since I’ve read this one, but I remember enjoying it.

Y – Your latest purchase

I bought Adaptation and a few other books on my Kindle for my trip to California in June. This one was my least favorite of the books I bought, but it was still decent. I finished it on the plane ride back.

Z – Z snatcher: book that kept you up way too late

nothin’ like staying up way too late reading The Darkness Outside Us and having a minor existential crisis, am I right

I TAG:

Hundreds & Thousands of Books
becca @ Book It With Becca
Elli @ AceReader
thea @ thea reads
+ anyone else who wants to participate! If you see this tag and want to do it, I’d love to see your answers! If I tagged you and you’ve already done it, then my bad.

Today’s song:

this album was pretty hit or miss for me, but I like this one—feels like their old stuff!

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

Book Tags

Intergalactic Book Tag 🪐

Posted on March 9, 2022 by madeline @ The Bookish Mutant

Happy Wednesday, bibliophiles!

It feels like a while since I’ve done a book tag, and regardless of whether or not that’s completely true, I decided to do one. I found this one over at Classy x Book Reviews (Amanda and Antonia have a fantastic blog, check it out if you haven’t already!), and the tag was originally created by Rachel @ Life of a Female Bibliophile. Sci-fi is my favorite genre, so of course I had to do this tag!

Let’s begin, shall we?

🪐INTERGALACTIC BOOK TAG🪐

SPACE: name a book that is out of this world – that takes place in a world different from our own.

Crownchasers takes place in an entirely new galaxy—a lot of interesting planets are explored throughout the duology!

BLACK HOLE: Name a book that completely sucked you in.

I know I use this book for every tag, but Aurora Rising sucked me in like no other book has—when I first started reading it, I blew through hundreds of pages without moving, and after I finished it, I ended up re-reading it three times before setting it down for something else. (Why yes, this is my favorite trilogy, why do you ask?)

LIGHTSPEED: Name a book you are anticipating so much that you wish you could travel at lightspeed to get to it.

I adored Gearbreakers, and I can’t wait for Godslayers to come out! June can’t come soon enough…

NEBULA: Name a book with a beautiful cover.

As disappointing as Persephone Station was, I will say that it has one of those beautiful covers that you can’t help but stare at.

MULTIVERSE: Name a companion or spin-off series you love.

The Sound of Stars and The Kindred are companion books set in the same universe, and I loved them both! Very different thematically, but they were both fantastic in their own ways.

GRAVITY: Name your favorite romantic pairing that seems to have a gravitational pull to each other.

Alright, I know I shouldn’t double up, but Kal and Auri from the Aurora Cycle are my all-time favorite book couple. And Kal’s attraction is even called The Pull, so how could I not use it for this prompt?

THE BIG BANG: Name a book that got you started on reading.

As far as sci-fi goes, The Search for WondLa was what got me hooked on sci-fi literature. It’s been a while since I’ve re-read it, but I love to look back through the illustrations; Tony DiTerlizzi is just as talented as an artist as he is a writer.

ASTEROID: Name a short story or novella that you love.

To Be Taught, If Fortunate is a wonderful novella, and the concept is so inventive—what if, instead of transforming planets to our needs, we transformed ourselves?

GALAXY: Name a book with multiple POVs.

Sky Without Stars is told from three POVs (Alouette’s POV is my favorite), and it’s a fascinating sci-fi retelling! I’d highly recommend the whole trilogy.

SPACESHIP: Name a book title that would be a great name for a spaceship.

Iron Widow would be SUCH a cool name for a spaceship. I’m picturing some sort of sharp-edged battleship for it. Skyhunter would work too.

I TAG:

Rachel @ A Bookworm’s Paradise
Bertie @ Luminosity Library
Hundreds & Thousands of Books
Phoenix @ Books with Wings
+ anyone else who wants to participate! If you see this tag and want to do it, I’d love to see your answers! And if I tagged you and you don’t want to do this tag/have already done it, my bad!

Today’s song:

shoutout to whoever put this on the art class playlist, I love this so much

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

Books

Found Family Sci-Fi recommendations

Posted on October 16, 2021October 17, 2021 by madeline @ The Bookish Mutant

Happy Saturday, bibliophiles!

I haven’t done a recommendations post/something other than a book tag or a review in a while, so I figured it would be fun to mix things up a little bit.

Yeah, yeah. I get it. This is a very specific post. But these are the kind of books I love, and I know other people love them too, so I thought I would put this out into the world.

The found family trope is easily one of my favorites in media as a whole; usually, it involves a character, often an outsider, who meets a series of strangers, often outsiders as well, on whatever journey they are on, and these strangers become a family to them. Often, these characters have very different personalities, but their differences are what make them stronger. They come to accept each other no matter what, growing closer than they ever could have imagined. As someone who has been more than a little bit of an outsider over the course of my life, the trope has resonated with me a quite lot; I’m glad now to have found friends that love me for being as weird as I am, and I love them for being weird too. And for those of you who are in the place where I used to be, I promise: someday, you’ll find people who love you and celebrate you for who you are.

In my opinion, sci-fi is the most entertaining genre to see the found family trope in action. Sci-fi has a tendency to throw all of the characters into a life-changing adventure, and if the execution is right, their relationships deepen along the way, making for a tight-knit group of what I love to call “chaotic space misfits.”

Now, the books I’m putting on this list aren’t exclusively space-centric sci-fi. I’ve included a few books from other sci-fi branches, but all have similar found family themes. It’s mostly YA, but I have a few Adult and MG books on the list as well.

So let’s dive in, shall we?

Welcome To The Kingdom Of Geeks And Dorks - Tumblr Blog Gallery

THE BOOKISH MUTANT’S FOUND FAMILY SCI-FI RECOMMENDATIONS

Victories Greater Than Death – Charlie Jane Anders

Amazon.com: Victories Greater Than Death (Unstoppable, 1): 9781250317315: Anders, Charlie Jane: Books

young adult

Fast-paced and full of heart, Victories Greater Than Death is a perfect fit for longtime sci-fi fans and readers that are new to the genre! The relationships in this novel are so sweet, and I’m excited to see how they develop in the sequel!

Aurora Rising – Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff

Amazon.com: Aurora Rising (The Aurora Cycle): 9781524720964: Kaufman, Amie, Kristoff, Jay: Books

young adult

Two YA sci-fi books with purple covers with beautiful and VERY powerful space girls on them? In one post? It’s more likely than you think.

Aurora Rising is, in my opinion, the textbook-perfect example of the found family trope, and both the platonic and romantic relationships within it never fail to make me feel soft and happy inside.

The Disasters – M.K. England

Amazon.com: The Disasters: 9780062657671: England, M. K.: Books

young adult

The Disasters is the perfect book for you if you’re a fan of Guardians of the Galaxy-esque characters and banter. This one has action, drama, and misadventures in space aplenty!

Gearbreakers – Zoe Hana Mikuta

Gearbreakers eBook : Mikuta, Zoe Hana: Kindle Store - Amazon.com

young adult

Nothing like taking down giant, overpowered robots to bond a couple of people together…

The bonds between all of the characters in Gearbreakers truly shone, and the balance of soft levity, dystopian grit, and brutality were so well-handled!

Skyhunter – Marie Lu

Book Review: Skyhunter by Marie Lu – RARELY IN REALITY

young adult

Continuing on the dystopian train, here’s an action-packed book from one of of my favorite authors! Amidst all of the horror and desolation in Skyhunter’s ravaged world, the relationships between Talin, Red, and the rest of their ragtag gang of Strikers brings hope to a bleak novel. I read it almost a year ago, and it was just the thing that I needed to get through a rough patch in my life.

The Search for WondLa – Tony DiTerlizzi

The Search for WondLa | Book by Tony DiTerlizzi | Official Publisher Page | Simon & Schuster

middle grade

Looking back, The Search for WondLa wasn’t just my gateway into sci-fi literature—it was probably my gateway to the found family trope as well. This was my favorite series from late elementary school through middle school, and even when I look back through it, I love it just as much as I did when I was younger. Middle school Madeline would be elated to hear that I still highly recommend it; an intricately crafted piece of sci-fi, filled with an immersive world, unique characters, and beautiful illustrations.

Honor Among Thieves – Ann Aguirre & Rachel Caine

Honor Among Thieves (The Honors, #1) by Rachel Caine

young adult

Spaceships are often the perfect vehicle for interstellar bonding (and anything interstellar, really), but have you considered…sentient, intelligent spaceships? What’s more fun than having your own spaceship join the found family?

Honor Among Thieves, with its diverse and chaotic cast of characters and intergalactic intrigue, is sure to both capture your heart and keep you on the edge of your seat!

The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet – Becky Chambers

Amazon.com: The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet: Wayfarers 1 eBook : Chambers, Becky: Kindle Store

adult

I said earlier that the found family trope often involves the characters bonding over some life-changing adventure, but it isn’t always—and never has to be—the case. It seems to me that Becky Chambers has pioneered the “soft sci-fi” novel, one that’s set in a future universe filled with aliens and strange politics, but there are no cosmic, fate-of-the-world wars or over-the-top conflict. It’s more slice-of-life, but in space. (Oh, look at me and all my hyphens…) Which I love.

The relationships of the crew of the Wayfarer made my heart so happy, and I bet they’ll make you just as happy too!

Heart of Iron – Ashley Poston

Amazon.com: Heart of Iron: 9780062652850: Poston, Ashley: Books

young adult

The main cast, along with the rest of the crew of the Dossier are the sweetest, messiest found family, whether they’re human, robot, or alien. If you love retellings, lost chosen ones, and plenty of banter, Heart of Iron is the book for you!

Larklight – Philip Reeve

Larklight: A Rousing Tale of Dauntless Pluck in the Farthest Reaches of Space: Reeve, Philip, Wyatt, David: 9781599901459: Amazon.com: Books

middle grade

Here’s another one for middle school Madeline…

Larklight, from my memory, is imaginative, kooky, and perfect if you’re a fan of steampunk. Never a dull moment if there are pirate ships and floating houses in space, right? Plus, all sorts of odd creatures…

LIFEL1K3 – Jay Kristoff

Amazon.com: LIFEL1K3 (Lifelike): 9781524713928: Kristoff, Jay: Books

young adult

Turning back into dystopian sci-fi, LIFEL1K3 is another fantastic example of a novel that finds the smallest bits of hope in the bleakest (and I mean BLEAKEST) of times. This series HURT me, truth be told, but Jay Kristoff is the master of writing friendships that you want to root for with all your heart.

TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK! What are your favorite books with the found family trope? Have any sci-fi recommendations for me? Tell me in the comments!

Today’s song:

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

Book Tags, Books

The Reread Book Tag

Posted on July 7, 2020 by madeline @ The Bookish Mutant

Happy Tuesday, bibliophiles!

This tag was created by Brianna, who also tagged me in the post. It looked super cute, so I had to give it a go! (Also, she has an incredible blog, so if you haven’t checked it out already, go check it out!)

Let’s begin, shall we?

Rules:

Link back to the creator, (Brianna @ Brianna’s Books and Randomness)
Tag as many or as little readers as you like
Feel free to use my graphics!

The Search for WondLa (Search for WondLa Series #1) by Tony ...

GUESS WHO’S BACK…

I can’t stress enough how much The Search for WondLa series has changed my life. Even now, it’s just as enchanting as it was when I first checked it out at the library. I’ll definitely be giving the series a re-read soon; book 1 turns 10 this September! 😭

Amazon.com: A Curse So Dark and Lonely (The Cursebreaker Series ...

I forget exactly why I DNF’d A Curse So Dark and Lonely (though I shelved it as “cliche” on Goodreads, soooo…), but everybody else seems to love this series, so I might give it another try. Maybe. Possibly.

Episode 2 Jedi GIF by Star Wars - Find & Share on GIPHY

Amazon.com: The Kingdom of Back (9781524739010): Lu, Marie: Books

The Kingdom of Back was such a lushly written and enchanting novel, and I’m always up for another round of Marie Lu’s stellar writing, so I’ll absolutely be re-reading this at some point.

Amazon.com: Red Queen eBook: Aveyard, Victoria: Kindle Store

Ugh…Red Queen was such a steaming mess of bad tropes…

The Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger, Paperback | Barnes & Noble®

I. NEED. TO. READ. THIS. BOOK. AGAIN. The Catcher in the Rye was just PHENOMENAL.

Without a doubt, Jay Kristoff. Even though I haven’t read everything of his, I haven’t read anything of his that I haven’t rated between four and five stars. What a mastermind…

Now that I own the entire duology, I seriously need to get back on the space-thrill-ride train that is the Heart of Iron series…

Not a series, but it’s just been announced that the Eleanor & Park movie has a director (!!!), so I’m simultaneously excited and scared for that.

Amazon.com: Aurora Rising (The Aurora Cycle Book 1) eBook: Kaufman ...

I’m not much of an audiobook person (I’ve only listened to…maybe one or two? Either way, it was ages ago, and…possibly on my old Hello Kitty CD player? Anyway…), but I’d be interested to see how Aurora Rising translates into an audiobook. It’s got a full cast of characters for all of Squad 312, so I’d be down for listening to that. I did listen to some of the snippets that the publisher had in the article, and they all sounded good, though Cat seemed uncharacteristically perky. (Hey, that’s just me, though.)

I TAG ANYONE WHO WANTS TO PARTICIPATE! GIVE BRIANNA SOME LOVE!

Star Wars Thumbs Up GIF - StarWars ThumbsUp HarrisonFord ...

Since I’ve already posted once today, you can head over to today’s Book Review Tuesday to see today’s song.

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

Book Tags, Books

Bookshelf Scavenger Hunt Book Tag

Posted on April 22, 2020July 8, 2020 by madeline @ The Bookish Mutant

Happy Wednesday, bibliophiles!

I found this tag over at The Comfy Reader, and I thought it would be super fun to give it a go! I’m not sure who created it, so please let me know, if you can. 👍

FIND AN AUTHOR NAME OR TITLE WITH A ‘Z’ IN IT

Kat and Meg Conquer the World–Anna Priemaza

Hey, Anna Priemaza!

FIND A CLASSIC

The Illustrated Man–Ray Bradbury

FIND A BOOK WITH A KEY ON IT

Spirit’s Key–Edith Cohn

BOOM. Key necklace!

FIND SOMETHING ON YOUR BOOKSHELF THAT’S NOT A BOOK

Lots of things…I have host of random trinkets, action figures, mementos, and Pop! Figures, as well as my Universal Studios Harry Potter Wand, on my bookshelves. 🙂

FIND THE OLDEST BOOK ON YOUR SHELF

Cannery Row–John Steinbeck

I think this one takes the prize…published in 1945!

FIND A BOOK WITH A WOMAN ON IT

Aurora Rising–Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff

AURI! SPACE ROGUE!

FIND A BOOK THAT HAS AN ANIMAL ON IT

Serafina and the Twisted Staff–Robert Beatty

There’s quite a few books that might fit the bill here–I was big into animal stories for a while–but this was the first book that came to mind.

FIND A BOOK WITH A MALE PROTAGONIST

Ender’s Game–Orson Scott Card

My school library was giving out free copies of books that were in low circulation last year, so I snagged a copy of this one.

FIND A BOOK WITH ONLY WORDS ON THE COVER

LIFEL1K3–Jay Kristoff

FIND A BOOK WITH ILLUSTRATIONS IN IT

The Search for WondLa–Tony DiTerlizzi

Not only is Tony DiTerlizzi a writing god, he’s an art god, too…

Millenia's review of The Search for WondLa — Case in point…

FIND A BOOK WITH GOLD LETTERING

The Smoke Thieves–Sally Green

FIND A DIARY, TRUE OR FICTIONAL

Ooo…I don’t think I have any diaries…gonna have to skip this one…

FIND A BOOK WRITTEN BY AN AUTHOR WITH A COMMON SURNAME

I Capture the Castle–Dodie Smith

This one will always hold a special place in my heart. My mom got it for me when I had a sick day a few years back 💗

FIND A FAVORITE CHILDHOOD BOOK

Yellowfang’s Secret–Erin Hunter

I’ve since made room for more books on my shelf and taken this one off (the sheer amount of Warriors books…), but this was one of my favorite of the Warriors books.

FIND A BOOK BASED IN THE EARLIEST TIME PERIOD

Their Eyes Were Watching God–Zora Neale Hurston

…whoops, I think this one was published earlier than Cannery Row…just ignore that…you saw nothing…

FIND A HARDCOVER WITHOUT A JACKET

Gonna have to skip this one, too…I don’t take the jackets off of hardcovers!

FIND A TEAL/TURQUOISE COLORED BOOK

Nyxia–Scott Reintgen

FIND A BOOK WITH STARS ON IT

The Final Six–Alexandra Monir

So many stars…

FIND A NON-YA BOOK

Alistair Grim’s Odditorium–Gregory Funaro

I feel like I have a fair balance of MG and YA books on my shelf at this point. There’s a lot leftover from middle school, and some books from even before that time.

FIND A BOOK WITH A BEAUTIFUL COVER

Soul of Stars–Ashley Poston

Am I wrong?

I tag anyone who’d like to participate!

Today’s song:

CLASSIC. CLAAAAAAASSIC. And their new album comes out in…almost a week? AAH!

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

Book Tags, Books

The Lunar Chronicles Book Tag

Posted on March 17, 2020 by madeline @ The Bookish Mutant

Happy Tuesday, bibliophiles!

I found this tag over at Brianna’s Books and Randomness, who is also the creator of the tag. Though I haven’t re-read the series in ages, The Lunar Chronicles was, from what I can remember, my gateway into YA books, so it will always hold a special place in my heart for that reason. It sounded like a super fun tag to do, so here I go!

The rules are simple: Answer each question, tag or pingback to the creator, and who you found the post from, and tag as many or as few people as you’d like.

CINDER: A SARCASTIC CHARACTER WITH ALL THE SASS

I’ll say it once, and I’ll say it again: Finian from Aurora Rising is the YA king of sass. I’m in stitches from his one-liners every time I go back and re-read this.

PRINCE KAI: AN AUTHOR THAT DESERVES A CROWN

Though there’s a plethora of authors out there that deserve this title, today, I’ll dedicate the crown to Sarah Maria Griffin. Nowhere else have I seen such a deft portrayal of emotion and human nature–and not to mention, easily the only author that I’ve ever seen write the 2nd person and make it believable and readable.

QUEEN LEVANA: A COVER WITH STYLE

Ah, Crier’s War…so iridescent…so intricate…so wonderfully sapphic…[wipes single tear from cheek]

CRESS: A FICTIONAL PLACE YOU WOULDN’T MIND BEING STUCK IN

I would have absolutely no qualms about staying anywhere in Leigh Bardugo’s richly imagined Grishaverse. Except for the Unsea, maybe…

CAPTAIN THORNE: THE LAST FUNNY BOOK YOU READ

By no stretch of the imagination is Rogue One a comedy, but there’s something to be said for K2-SO’s one-liners.

SCARLET: A BOOK WITH A RED SPINE

[internally catalogues all of the library holds I’ve read in the past few months to search for a red spine]

I’ve had this one for quite a while, and since I’ve already given lots of love to The Demon World, I’ll shine the light on Inkmistress this time.

WOLF: A WHOLESOME CHARACTER THAT COULD KILL YOU

I mean…what gets more “wholesome-but-could-kill-you” than a massive tardigrade that acts like a puppy? All my love to Otto the giant water bear…💗

WINTER: A BOOK THAT PORTRAYS MENTAL ILLNESS

How it Feels to Float is a beautiful and deeply moving portrayal of depression and anxiety, and an incredibly underrated one, at that. I highly recommend this one!

IKO: A BOOK WITH ANDROIDS OR ROBOTS

LIFEL1K3. So many robots. SO MANY!

I tag anyone who’d like to participate! Give Brianna some love, everybody!

Since I’ve already posted today, just head over to this week’s Book Review Tuesday if you’d like to see today’s song.

That just about wraps up this tag! Have a wonderful rest of your day, and take care of yourselves!

Book Tags, Books

What Cats Do Book Tag

Posted on February 21, 2020February 21, 2020 by madeline @ The Bookish Mutant

Hey there, bibliophiles!

As you can all probably guess from my icon, I love cats, and this tag instantly caught my eye! I found this on Time for Tales and Tea, and the tag was originally created by Kate@ meltingpotsandothercalamities.

First off, I’ve seen most other people who’ve participated put in some pictures of their cats, so I thought it would be fitting to put mine in here as well.

This is Padmé; she’s incredibly chatty, and has an affinity for clinging to people’s left shoulders. Doesn’t matter who’s shoulder it is, so long as it’s the left shoulder. Don’t question her.

Here’s Anakin, Padmé’s younger cousin. He and Padmé are inseparable. He’s also an itty bitty little cat, even at about 11 years old.

Finally, here’s Hobbes, the newest of the bunch. Most of the time, she acts too dignified to be petted, but when she’s affectionate, she’s the sweetest little cat around. (In fact, she’s sleeping right above me as I write this out.)

Now, onto the tag…

RULES:

If you do this tag, please credit me at Kate@ meltingpotsandothercalamities
Answer the questions
And tag as many people as you like!

PURR – As cats do this when they’re happy or relaxed, what is the book that makes you happiest or relaxed?

Pumpkinheads never fails to give me all the warm and fuzzy feels, no matter how I’m feeling.

SLEEP – What is a book that put you to sleep or was just boring?

Though the cover was deceptively gorgeous, The Light Between Worlds very nearly put me to sleep.

TWITCH WHILE DREAMING – Have you ever dreamt of a book you read?

An after-product of having read this innumerable times (“I lost count at 50,” as I used to say), I’ve definitely dreamt about The Search for WondLa series more than one time.

SEEMS TO PLAY NICE UNTIL THE CLAWS ARE OUT – Which book had the biggest plot twist(s)?

As far as Dare Mighty Things goes…two words: Brace yourself.

CUDDLES – Which book character would you give a hug to?

Without question, March from the Smoke Thieves duology. After all that he’s been through, he’s fully deserving of it. 💖

CAT BREEDS – What are your favorite books?

Frankenstein, the Arc of a Scythe trilogy, the Heart of Iron duology, anything by Ray Bradbury, and Like a Love Story, to name a few.

GETTING THE CAT – How did you find your favorite book(s)?

Most of my favorite books have been recommendations from Goodreads, but just as often, I’ll find them hidden between the shelves in libraries or advertised in the back of other books.

THE VET’S OFFICE – Your least favorite book:

I know I’ve ~~talked~~ ranted about Smokeless Fire, Red Queen, and The Witch of Blackbird Pond innumerable times, and I don’t wish to be redundant, so I’ll try out one of my much-loathed DNFs…

OH. OH. I forgot this book existed for a minute there…

YIKES. The corny names. The cringy, fake slang. The timeline. God, Earth Girl really was something of a train wreck…

BEING IN PLACES THEY SHOULDN’T – Least favorite cliché:

If I had to pick…most definitely love triangles. Much of the time, they only serve to muddy the existing plot with unnecessary angst and bickering. I won’t be sad to see them phase out of YA literature. I sure hope they do.

THE GOOD OLD CARDBOARD BOX – Most underrated book series?

AAH! Without question, the Faloiv series! (consisting of A Conspiracy of Stars and An Anatomy of Beasts) I doubt I’ll ever find another series with this amount of attention to detail in the worldbuilding.

I tag anyone who wants to participate!

Today’s song:

That just about wraps up this tag! Have a wonderful rest of your day, and take care of yourselves!

Book Tags, Books

The Bedtime Book Tag

Posted on February 8, 2020February 8, 2020 by madeline @ The Bookish Mutant

Happy Saturday, bibliophiles!

I found this tag at A Little Haze Book Blog, and it looked absolutely adorable, so I figured that I’d give it a go! 🙂

– QUESTIONS –

What book kept you up all night reading?

I don’t read at night often, but the most recent example I can think of was Bowie: Stardust, Rayguns & Moonage Daydreams. Not necessarily action-packed or anything, but I just COULD. NOT. STOP. LOOKING. AT. MIKE. ALLRED’S. GODLIKE. ART.

What book made you scared to go to sleep?

Uh…not sure if I can answer this one. I honestly can’t remember any book, not even something from my childhood, that made me scared to go back to bed. Guess that’s because of my tendency to stay away from horror, so…

What book almost put you to sleep?

Urgh, this book…we had to read The Witch of Blackbird Pond in sixth grade, and it was easily the most boring book I’ve read to date.

Which book had you tossing and turning in anticipation of its release?

Without question, Soul of Stars. Since the moment I first finished Heart of Iron, I absolutely hungered for the sequel, for lack of better word. I’m so glad it delivered.

What book has your dream boyfriend?

uh…

Weeeeeeeell…

I suppose this is only a half-answer, because I really don’t have any book boyfriends. But I will give props to Leigh Bardugo in Shadow and Bone for making the Darkling sound drop-dead gorgeous, no matter how much of a manipulative creep he turned out to be. Villain crushes, guys, villain crushes. I dunno.

What book would be a nightmare to live in?

Don’t get me wrong, fighting monsters sounds pretty fun (maybe?), but once the B.P.R.D. comics hit the Hell on Earth arc, I kept thinking to myself, sheesh, I am so glad that we’re not living in a post-apocalyptic near-anarchy with giant monsters bursting forth from the ground.

What book has a nightmarish cliffhanger?

It’s been a few years since I’ve read Dare Mighty Things, but I particularly remember the cliffhanger hitting me like a sledgehammer.

What book have you actually dreamt about?

I mean, dreaming about The Search for WondLa trilogy was practically inevitable, seeing as it made up a huge chunk of my childhood.

I think I dreamed about it a few months ago, actually. There was a movie adaptation of it, and they used an animation style that looked kind of wood-cut. They also omitted a few key characters. Not sure why, but my brain really can’t be reasoned with.

What fictional monster would you not like to find hiding under your bed?

Going back to Shadow and Bone, I’d say the volcra. [shivers] guhhh…