Hey, guys! So, this is my first official post. I wasn’t quite sure what I wanted my first actual post to be because I wanted you guys to be able to get to know me a bit better before I dove into book reviews and such. Because of that, I decided to make this post a book tag to help you learn what kind of books I like. However, I did change the title of this book tag just so it would be a bit shorter. You can check out the original post I found here: A Few of My Favorite Things…Book Tag? ZezeewithBooks. Go check out her blog, too! It seems pretty cool, and Zezee seems pretty honest and laidback. I’ll probably be using Zezee for book tag ideas in the future, too. She has a whole page dedicated to various book tags. Anyways, let’s get started!
A Book You’ve Read More Than Once:
I will admit, there are dozens of books I’ve read more than once. Just to give you all an idea of my reading taste, though, I’ll tell you about the most recent book I reread.
This book is the third in the Shatter Me series by Tahereh Mafi. You’ll probably hear a lot about this series from me, as it’s one of my favorites. There are seven books and 5 novellas in this series, and I’m in the process of reading the last novella, Believe Me. I can’t tell you much about this book without spoiling the series, but honestly, this is probably my favorite book from this series.
Also, this doesn’t really have to do with the question, but the covers of this book series are all insanely gorgeous. It’s like they tell their own story themselves. Anyway, I’d definitely recommend this series to anyone who likes dystopian, fantasy-type young adult books.
A Book You Would Take on a Desert Island:
This is a difficult question because most of the books I’d take to a desert island with me are part of a series, and I think I’d get tired of reading most books in a series over and over again without having the others to go along with it. However, there are a few books I wouldn’t mind reading for the rest of my life.
My followers will quickly learn that Cassandra Clare is my all-time favorite author. She’s the author of The Mortal Instruments, The Infernal Devices, The Last Hours, The Dark Artifices, and many more book series’ and standalones. She’s also the author that really got me into reading. I know I mentioned in my Welcome Post (check it out here) that Twilight was the first ever young adult series I read, but The Mortal Instruments is the series that made me want to keep reading. She is also the co-author of The Magisterium series. Cassandra Clare is definitely one of the best authors I’ve read, and if you like fantasy young adult books, you should definitely check her out.
City of Heavenly Fire is the sixth and last book in The Mortal Instruments series. It’s also the longest book in the series, which would be good for being stranded on a desert island. This is my favorite book from the series mostly because of all of the romance it has in it. However, I can’t say much more without spoiling the entire series. Definitely read The Mortal Instruments if you’re trying to get into reading and like young adult books.
A Book That made You Cry:
Okay, first of all, this book is not one I would normally choose to read on my own. I go to church, and many people at my church, including my mom, read this book. My mom told me that she wanted my younger sister and I to read it to learn what kind of man we should wait for in life and that we shouldn’t settle for anything less. Now, this is a Christian book, as Francine Rivers usually writes historical Christian books, so some people may not like it. However, if you are religious, I would definitely recommend it. It was recently made into a movie, too, starring Nina Dobrev and Abigail Cowen. I will admit, though, that the movie was not at all as good as the book, so if you’re interested in the storyline, I would definitely read the book.
This book is about a prostitute in the 1800’s who lives in a brothel. She had a very hard childhood, ultimately leading her to prostitution as the only way to live. She meets a man, who wants to marry her. At first she refuses, but eventually she gives in, and the story is about the couple’s struggles with their differences. It’s such a beautiful story, and I cried multiple times reading it. I finished this book in 2 days, which is not necessarily common for me unless it’s a really good book.
A Book That Scared You:
I don’t read many horror books, if any, so this book will be one from my childhood, because the other book that popped up in my mind will be mentioned down below in a different question.
I read this book when I was in fifth grade, along with a few other Mary Downing Hahn books. Although, I don’t remember exactly what it was about, but I do remember it being based in an orphanage (I think) and there being ghosts in the story. I thoroughly enjoyed it when I read it, but it did creep me out a bit because I was only 10. Honestly, I wouldn’t mind rereading this book now, even though it’s a children’s book.
A Book That Made You Laugh Out Loud:
This book is more fantasy than some of the others I’ve classified as such. It’s very Harry Potter-esque. Like, very much like Harry Potter. It’s about a boy who goes to a magic school and stuff. It’s been a while since I read it, so I don’t remember exactly, but I remember it reminding me of Harry Potter, even thought I’ve never read it (I’m expecting to be shouted at for that haha). Anyway, this book was really funny. I think it was the most comedic book I’ve ever read. Rainbow Rowell has since written two sequels to this book, and while I do own one of them, I have yet to read it. It’s definitely a very funny book, though.
A Book That Disgusted You:
I don’t know that I’ve ever read a book that disgusted me. Ever. I really can’t even think of one that would be a contender for this question. So, I guess this will be one of the questions that I don’t have an answer to.
A Book You Loved in Pre-school:
I don’t really remember reading many books by myself in pre-k. I could definitely read fairly well, but I wasn’t too interested in reading yet. If I had to guess though, I would probably pick this one:
I don’t remember when exactly I read this book, but it had to have been either pre-k or kindergarten. This book is essentially about the metamorphosis of a caterpillar into a butterfly, but for kids. Eric Carle did a great job at explaining the lifespan of a caterpillar/butterfly to small children. I remember that I really loved this book when I was little.
A Book You Loved in Elementary School:
Now, at first I thought this was odd that I was so obsessed with this book in elementary school, but the fact that I grew up to like fantasy books makes it less weird. I checked this book out from my school library probably close to, if not more than 100 times throughout my five years there (not including kindergarten).
When I was in elementary and middle school, I was in the gifted program. If any of you don’t know what that is, it’s pretty much a program (in the U.S.) for kids who are smarter than the average school/county population. When I was in the gifted program in elementary school, one of my classes I had was about Greek mythology. Now, I liked Greek mythology before that class, but that class further solidified my love for and interest in it. Anyway, if you have a kid who likes to learn about things similar to mythology, I would definitely get them this book. Funnily enough, I asked my mom for this book for Christmas two years ago because I wanted it as a sort of keepsake.
A Book You Loved in Middle School:
Now, middle school is when I really got into reading, so I’m not sure I can pick just one book, but I’ll try for the sake of this post.
Because I’m trying not to repeat books/series’ in this book tag, I chose this book. This book is the first in the Daughter of Smoke and Bone series by Laini Taylor. I never finished this series, not because I didn’t like it, but because I don’t think I was quite mature enough to comprehend the majority of it yet. I read the first book and half of the second book, and I liked what I did read. It’s been so long, though, that I don’t remember much except for the main character having blue hair and there being chimera in the series.
I put this book here for this question because when I did read it, it inspired me so much. I remember I started a drawing based on one of the characters in this series, but I never finished it. Although, I still have the drawing, I don’t think I’ll ever finish it.
A Book You Loved In High School:
I’m still in high school (my last year), so technically this could be any book I’ve read in the past four years. I’ll try to pick a more recent one, though.
Now, I’m going to give you a little bit of background to help me explain why I loved this book so much. I listen to K-Pop, or Korean music. I have for nearly four years now. One of my old friends got me interested in it, and I sort of became obsessed, just like I do with most things (like reading).
So, pretty much, this book is a fictional book about a teenage girl in South Korea trying to follow her dreams of becoming a K-Pop idol. The author, Jessica Jung, of this book was actually a member of one of the most popular and well-known K-Pop girl groups: Girls’ Generation, a.k.a. SNSD. I got this book as a gift, for Christmas, I think, and even though it took me a while to actually read it, I finished it in a few days when I did. I like learning about the lives of K-Pop idols before they debuted (when they were still trainees), and I also like romance, and there’s a decent amount of it in this book.
Ultimately, my point is, you don’t have to be a K-Pop fan to read this book. It’s sort of like a realistic fiction/contemporary book. Also, it may be a book written by a Korean idol about becoming a Korean idol, but it is in English, so that’s not anything anyone will have to worry about. It’s a very easy-to-read book, so if you’re struggling after a good book series or going through a reading slump, definitely give this book a shot.
A Book You Hated in High School:
I didn’t necessarily hate this book, but it definitely wasn’t my favorite. It’s a classic I had to read it for a final in one of my English classes, and I struggled to get through it. In fact, I’m pretty sure I skipped more than half of the book and looked up the answers for my final. The story itself is interesting, and I think I would’ve enjoyed it, but it was just so slow-moving. I had so much trouble getting through it.
A Book You Loved in College:
I’m not yet in college, so I don’t have a book that I loved in college yet. Maybe I’ll do an updated version of this tag in a couple of years’ time.
A Book That Challenged Your Identity:
I don’t know that there’s necessarily a book that’s challenged my identity, but there have definitely been books that have made me realize things about myself and that I’ve connected with. I’ll list the most recent one.
This series has already been mentioned in this book tag, so I’ll try not to mention it again after this. This series surrounds a girl named Juliette Ferrars who has an unknown lethal power. Ultimately, the series is about her discovering what her power is about and how to be happy with herself and her power. The character development Juliette goes through in this series is incredible. She evolves from this shy, scared, emotional little girl into a strong, fierce, determined leader.
While reading this series, I was really able to connect with the protagonist, despite the fact that the series is fictional. Years ago, I was a lot like Juliette in the beginning of the series: emotional, shy, and having low self-esteem and confidence. Over the past few years, however, thanks to the help of my family and friends, I was able to come out of my shell, just like Juliette did. I’m no longer scared of people or talking to them, and I no longer let myself be pushed around and stepped on by others. While I do still have my struggles and flaws, I am proud to say that I am a much better version of myself than I was 6 years ago. Although this book did not challenge my identity, it certainly reminded me of myself and my own evolution.
A Series That You Love:
Again, I’ve mentioned this series previously in this post, but what can I do. The Mortal Instruments is a series that not many had heard of when I first started reading it. This was one of my first YA series’ I read through completely. I think, because of that, this book series will always have a special place in my heart.
This series is one I will recommend to those that haven’t read it until the end of time. I have read every series and individual book associated with TMI so far, with the exception of two of the most recently published ones, and I plan to read each series and stand-alone related to it in the future. If I were to consider any book series a child of mine, it would be this one. I’ve watched the TMI universe grow over the years with each new book published.
Your Favorite Horror Book:
I don’t consider this book a horror book, but it was definitely very creepy. This book by Michelle Hodkin is the first in The Mara Dyer Trilogy. This is another fantasy/supernatural sort of series, but it is much more mature than any of the others I’ve recommended. Not only does the main character of this book have mental health issues, but it’s also quite graphic. I read this series when I was probably around 12, and I almost wish I hadn’t. Not only did this book end up giving me nightmares because of how eerie it was, but I also didn’t fully understand a lot of what was said or talked about in it.
I recently reread the series a few months ago, and I can safely say now that I would not recommend this series to anyone younger than 15-years-old. If you are older than that, though, definitely check it out if you like psychological/supernatural books.
Your Favorite Science Fiction Book:
This is one of the only books I’ve read that I can think of that might be considered Sci-Fi, and that’s only because it involves time travel. Ruby Red by Kerstin Gier is the first book in a trilogy. It has been ages since I read this book, so I don’t remember much about it, but for a while, it held my record of fastest book finished at three days. I remember really loving it because of the time travel and the way the characters were written.
Also, I didn’t even realize until these past few years that the author is German, so English is not the book’s original language. As far as I know, there are two other books in this series: Sapphire Blue and Emerald Green. I haven’t read them yet because they aren’t available in any of my local book stores (likely because they’re German books), but I definitely intend to finish the series at some point.
Your Favorite Fantasy Book:
Okay, so, most of the books I read are young adult fantasy books, so this may be a hard pick.
Now, I’ve mentioned Cassandra Clare in this post multiple times already, but she’s my favorite author, so there’s not much I can do to avoid that. Like I said, most of the books I have read are fantasy books, so I don’t even really know that I can pick a favorite.
However, I picked this book for two reasons. The first is that Cassie Clare is my favorite author, and the second is that this book inspired me a lot. Lady Midnight was released in 2016. This was about a year and a half after I first got into reading and Cassandra Clare’s books. I finished all of Cassie Clare’s other books a few months before this book was released. While I did continue to read other books in between my finishing Cassie Clare’s books and the release of this Lady Midnight, I didn’t realize how much I connected with Cassandra Clare’s writing and her characters.
I remember I was only a few pages into this book when I felt so inspired that I had to do something to get all of the creative thoughts out of my head. So, I wrote a poem about it that I called Inspire Me. I was only 11, almost 12, when I wrote it, though, so it wasn’t the best. About a week or two ago, I had to write a poem in my English class, so I chose to rewrite one of my old poems. I chose to rewrite the one about this book. I’ll probably post that here in a few days so you guys can see what my writing style is like. Anyway, that’s why I chose this book as my favorite fantasy novel.
Your Favorite Mystery:
I haven’t read very many mystery books, but as soon as I saw this prompt title, I thought of this book. While it’s not often that I read contemporary books, this book was one of a few exceptions. Vanishing Girls by Lauren Oliver is probably one of the only, if not the only, mystery book I’ve read. This book had a slow beginning, but I ended up loving it. I definitely think you all should go check it out if you haven’t read it.
Your Favorite Biography:
This book may not technically be considered a biography, but the word is in the title, and it is essentially a history of cancer. I had to read this book for a college course I took last year about Cancer Biology. I’d decided to take the course because I want to go to college to become an oncologist, or a doctor that specializes in cancer treatments. Because this is a non-fiction book, I didn’t think I would like it at first. I will admit, I didn’t finish it, but I did read about half of it, and from what I read, I really enjoyed it. That’s probably because I love learning about biology and medicine, though. Other than this book, I’ve probably not read any biographies.
Your Favorite Classic:
While this isn’t technically a book, but a play, it is a classic nonetheless. I had to read this play this past year for my English class, and I really enjoyed it. I did read a modernized version of it so I could understand it better, but the most things were the still the same as the original. Most people tend to think plays and such are boring, and I’ll admit, I used to be one of those people. However, after reading this play, along with Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar, I realized I don’t mind them (at least Shakespeare‘s plays).
Overall, the story of Macbeth is very interesting, and I was surprised to see how all of the characters developed. This is a classic that I will likely end up making my future children read if they don’t have to in school because it is simply that good, and I feel like everyone needs to read at least one of Shakespeare’s works.
Your Favorite Romance Book:
I consider most contemporary books to be romances, including this book. Five Feet Apart by Rachael Lippincott is such a wonderful book. There were times where it made me laugh, times where it put me on edge, and definitely times where it made me cry. It’s one of those book that makes you feel every emotion, even if you don’t want or expect to. This book was also made into a movie starring Cole Sprouse and Haley Lu Richardson. I don’t usually like book-to-movie adaptations, but this one followed the book pretty well. The only difference was the ending, but it’s not something that bothers me too much. It is one of my favorite stand-alone books, and I definitely recommend it to anyone who is a romantic like myself.
Your Favorite Book Not on This List:
This book, written by Gayle Forman (author of If I Stay and Just One Day), is another contemporary. I Was Here is about a girl who goes on a hunt to find out why her friend killed herself out of nowhere. It’s a really interesting book, and while some of it is really sad, I really enjoyed the book itself.
What Book You’re Currently Reading:
I know I said I wouldn’t mention the Shatter Me series anymore, but this is the book I’m currently reading. It’s not technically a book but a novella instead. I guess it’s a sort of epilogue the the final book in the Shatter Me series by Tahereh Mafi. It’s been taking me a while to get through it, even though it’s below 200 pages. I think it’s because I’m sort of in a reading slump after finishing the last book in this series. it was so amazing, and it got me back into reading after not reading for more than two years. I really need to finish it, though, because I think I want to start rereading some of Cassandra Clare’s books (i.e. The Infernal Devices series).
What Book Have You Been Meaning to Read:
This isn’t technically a book either, unless you consider it a collection of sorts. It’s a Christian devotional book by Sadie Robertson (from the show Duck Dynasty). Sadie Robertson is one of the people in this world that I admire greatly. Part of this is because she’s a fellow Christian, but part of it is just because she is so inspiring and motivating to teenage girls and young women. She helped me work through a lot of my anxiety with her book Live. I read that book about four years ago, and I really enjoyed it. Sadie Robertson is a great author, and she knows how to organize her books to get her points across. If any of you are Christians and are looking for an inspiring book, I would definitely check out one of Sadie’s books.
Alright, guys, that’s it! There’s my first official, non-introductory post on my blog. I hope you all enjoyed it and were able to learn a bit about me through the kinds of books I read. I’ll likely be posting again before Saturday, as I’ve been eager to start writing again.
I’ve also decided to post one original work from each category (poems, short stories, books, etc.) as a regular post on my blog before I start posting on my Writing page. This is so that people can know why they might want to subscribe to my blog to view private posts. It’ll probably be a while before I start posting frequently on my Writing page, though. If any of you are curious about my original works or other books I recommend, be sure to subscribe to my blog to get updates when I post! I hope you all enjoyed, thanks for reading!
P.S. I started a Pinterest related to my blog! Go check it out if you want to see what kind of book-related pins I post and save!
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Ray, Blog Owner
Upcoming College Student
Book-Lover, Writer, Music-Lover, K-Pop Stan
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