My Good Reading Habits Tag

In contrast to the Bad Reading Habits Tag that has been floating around a lot recently, Ally decided to start up the Good Reading Habits Tag. We bookworms can be pretty hard on ourselves, constantly striving to read more, read faster, and read better, so I think it’s lovely that Ally is encouraging us all to take stock of what we think we do well when it comes to reading. She was also kind enough to tag me, so without further ado, let’s just get started.

Writing reviews quickly

One of my biggest bookish pet peeves is when you see a Goodreads review posted months or even years ago that simply says, ‘review to come’. To avoid being a hypocrite and ending up doing this myself, I don’t even mark a book as ‘finished’ until I have a review written and ready to go up. By proxy, this means I almost always write a review the same day I finish a book, if not the next day. In terms of staying on top of my reading, and not forgetting what I want to say about a particular read, I’m pretty happy with this habit.

Reading diversely

This is obviously entirely subjective, and something we can all constantly strive to improve, but I do think I read pretty diversely. By this, I mean both in terms of content (genre, representation, translated work, and suchlike), and form (fiction, non-fiction, poetry, short stories, graphic novels, etc.). As a reader, I think it’s good to push beyond your comfort zone, and to take on new perspectives, so I’m glad that reading broadly has become natural to me, rather than something I have to force myself to do.

Mood Reading

I love the idea of a physical TBR, and sometimes I do have a rough idea of books I’d like to get to sooner rather than later, but I’ve learned that I’m very much a mood reader by nature, and forcing myself to pick something up is never a good idea. I used to get stressed thinking that some books sit on my shelves for ages, whilst others are read as soon as I buy them, but as long as they’re all books I know I’ll get to eventually, I’ve since determined to simply read what I want, when I want.

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There we have it; a few of my good reading habits. Since this is an original tag just started up by Ally, it would be great to see lots of people getting involved, so if you’d like to talk us through some of your own good reading habits, consider yourself tagged!

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Book Blogger Memory Challenge

I saw this challenge over on Rachel’s blog, and couldn’t resist giving it a go. The rules are simple: You must answer the questions without looking anything up on the internet, and without looking at your bookshelves! Let’s get started.

1. Name a book written by an author called Michael.

War Horse by Michael Morpurgo. I haven’t actually read this one yet, but I do own a very nice edition. I’m seeing the stage adaptation next year, and so I’ll hopefully pick it up before I go, so it’s fresh in my mind.

2. Name a book with a dragon on the cover.

Proof of dragon.

I was worried about this one for a second, because I don’t pick up a lot of fantasy, and Harry Potter felt like an easy way out, but then I remembered Franklin’s Flying Bookshop by Jen Campbell, with illustrations by Katie Harnett. This is a children’s picture book about a friendship between a young girl and a dragon, both of whom love to read.

3. Name a book about a character called George.

George by Alex Gino – it’s right there in the title! This is about a young trans girl, who is determined to both embrace and prove her true gender identity by landing the title role in her school’s production of Charlotte’s Web.

4. Name a book written by an author with the surname Smith.

Autumn by Ali Smith. This is the first instalment in Smith’s ongoing Seasonal Quartet. It’s the only book by her that I’ve read so far, but I’m hoping to pick up Winter next month, given that it’s set at Christmastime.

5. Name a book set in Australia.

The Bus on Thursday by Shirley Barrett. This one came to mind because I only very recently added it to my TBR, and I’m very excited about it. It seems to be something of a strange horror/comedy hybrid? Well, the tagline describes it as ‘Bridget Jones meets the Exorcist’ – and perhaps that will prove to be the mashup the world didn’t know it needed until now.

6. Name a book with the name of a month in the title.

The Mars Room? That really is pathetic, but I’m having such a mind blank, and Mars is French for March, so…

7. Name a book with a knife on the cover.

Proof of knife.

The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness, which is book one in the Chaos Walking Trilogy. It’s set in a world populated only by men, where everyone can hear everyone else’s thoughts in a constant, hectic mass known as Noise. When our hero stumbles upon an area of complete silence for the first time, he learns truths that upend his whole life.

8. Name a book with the word ‘one’ in the title.

I’m going to be very literal with this one and say… well, One by Sarah Crossan. This is a YA book, written in verse, about conjoined twins. It follows them as they come to terms with the reality that they may have to face life-threatening separation surgery.

9. Name a book with an eponymous title.

Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier. I know I mention this in tags/challenges all the time, but I adore it, and it’s genuinely the first book that came to mind for this prompt – aside from Harry Potter, obviously. I also think Rebecca is pretty interesting in comparison to other eponymous characters, when you consider how greatly her power and influence hang over the narrative, without her ever actually appearing in the book.

10. Name a book turned into a movie.

Proof of movie; which you should check out if you like very weird, very dark, visually gorgeous stuff; especially when it’s led by excellent women.

Annihilation by Jeff VanderMeer. Firstly, I think both the book and the film are hugely interesting and thought-provoking, and it’s a shame they don’t seem to be spoken about more often. Secondly, it’s one of the rare examples where I actually enjoyed the film more than the book, but both have really stayed with me.

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There we have it! I was going to pretend to gloat about coming up with an answer for every prompt, but then I remembered that I said The Mars Room, so never mind.

I wasn’t specifically tagged for this, so I’ll leave it open to anyone who’d like to give it a go. Let me know if you do so I can check out your answers!

The Coffee Book Tag

I was kindly tagged by Hadeer @ Cairene Librarian to do The Coffee Book Tag. Let’s just jump right in, shall we?

Black coffee: a series that’s tough to get into but has hardcore fans

I’m going to go with A Song of Ice and Fire by George R.R. Martin (aka Game of Thrones). It certainly has a lot of hardcore fans, but many of them discovered the series through the TV adaptation, and are daunted by the hefty books that came before it.

Peppermint Mocha: a book that gets more popular during the winter or a festive time of year

I’m going to go with Harry Potter. Firstly, because it gets my generic HP answer out the way early, and secondly, because the inherent magic and nostalgia attached to the series have a lovely draw at that time of year.

Hot chocolate: a favorite children’s book

Huntress of the Sea

The first novel for children that I remember reading over and over again is Huntress of the Sea by Alan Temperley. I eventually met the author and got my battered old copy signed, and I still own it now.

Double shot of espresso: a book that kept you on the edge of your seat from start to finish

The Corset

A recent one that comes to mind is The Corset by Laura Purcell. It’s not a thriller, per se, but I felt so enthralled by the brutality of the world, and so invested in the life of the protagonist, that I was compelled to keep reading.

Starbucks: a book you see everywhere

The Heart’s Invisible Furies

I’m going to go a little unconventional here and say The Heart’s Invisible Furies by John Boyne. This book isn’t technically everywhere, but a lot of my online bookish friends have read (and adored) it, and I’ve been meaning to get to it for so long that by this point I feel like it pops up all the time; taunting me for still not having picked it up…

That hipster coffee shop: a book by an indie author (a shoutout)

The Naming of Cancer

The Naming of Cancer by Tracey S. Rosenberg is a slim collection of poems, published by the small indie press, Neon Books. Each piece focusses on a different perspective of cancer, to highlight the various ways it can affect a person’s life: be it the sufferers themselves; the spouses watching as doctors poke and prod their lovers; the colleague not sure what to say to the man who’s just lost his wife; or the cancerous cells themselves as they lament the destruction of their host. It’s powerful yet accessible, and beautiful yet urgent, with barely a superfluous word.

Oops, I accidentally got decaf: a book you were expecting more from

The Bear and the Nightingale

The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden. I’m still a little sad about this one; I even included it on my list of 5 star read predictions. The blurb makes it sound right up my street, and so many people rave about it, but I just didn’t click with it at all. I sometimes wonder if it was a case of right book, wrong time.

The perfect blend: a book or series that was both bitter and sweet, but ultimately satisfying

All We Shall Know

I feel like I mention this in tags almost as often as Harry Potter these days, but bitter, sweet, and satisfying is exactly how I’d describe All We Shall Know by Donal Ryan. It’s a gut punch in novel form, but the way Ryan brings everything together is masterful. At the turn of each page, he can break or mend your heart all over again.

Green tea: a book or series that is quietly beautiful

The Travelling Cat Chronicles

The Travelling Cat Chronicles by Hiro Arikawa. Upon first glance, it would be really easy to write this off as a somewhat twee little read about a man and his cat, but it is remarkably human, subtly exploring what it means to find family, process grief, and make peace with the past.

Chai Latte: a book or series that makes you dream of far off places

Burial Rites

I associate Burial Rites by Hannah Kent so strongly with Iceland. Not only is it set there, with the landscape captured perfectly in all its raw and majestic beauty, but I read the book whilst visiting the country for the first time. The two will always go hand-in-hand for me.

Earl Grey: favorite classic

Rebecca

Ooh, I like a fair few classics. Tess of the D’Urbervilles is the first one I had to read for school that I loved, so even though it’s been years, I still think of it fondly. More recent favourites are Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, and Dracula by Bram Stoker. But my very favourite classic, and perhaps my favourite book in general (but don’t make me commit to it), is Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier.

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There we have it! Thanks again to Hadeer for tagging me. I’ve done a few tags in recent times, so I’ll leave this one open to anyone who wants to get involved.

My Bad Reading Habits Tag

Let’s share our bad bookish habits…

I was kindly tagged by the lovely Marina @ Books of Magic to share some of my bookish bad habits. Let’s just jump right in, shall we?

Putting off longer reads

For some reason, it takes real willpower for me to pick up anything long, especially it it’s 500+ pages. Even if it’s a book I think sounds amazing; even if I’ve seen nothing but rave reviews for it; even if it’s written by an author I already adore; if it’s a hefty tome, chances are it will sit unread for considerably longer than its slimmer shelf-mates. I suspect this bad habit stems from my ever-growing TBR. The logical side of my brains says: ‘I could read 2-3 short/regular sized books in the time it would take me to read that big one’. And so, my desire to get to as many exciting reads as possible wins out more often than not, and I put off the longer books. It’s silly, given that there are some long reads I’ve been excited to try for ages (I’m looking at you, The Heart’s Invisible Furies and Jane Eyre), and I get through an objectively large number of books either way, yet I can’t seem to shake the habit.

Counting pages

When I put a book down of an evening, I always check how many pages I’ve read that day, with an inner monologue along the lines of: ‘Okay, I read 90 pages today. The book is about 360 pages long. If I read the same amount each day, I should finish the book in another 3 days.’ Why does it matter? I can’t know how much reading I will or won’t get done in the days that follow anyway, so it’s arbitrary. I know I should just read the damn thing, and I’ll finish it when I finish it. Alas, I can’t stop counting…

Not using the library

I’m a big believer in the wonder and importance of libraries, but I’m a hypocrite, because I never use them myself. Living in the countryside, the library closest to me is tiny. Especially given my eclectic reading tastes, and the sheer volume of books I get through (compared to the average person, that is), it just can’t cater to my personal reading needs. Not to mention the fact that I treasure books as physical objects, and so I love owning a vast collection of my own. Still, long live libraries!

Chasing pretty editions

When I’m particularly excited about a book, I can fall down an internet rabbit hole, spending a wholly disproportionate amount of time trying to hunt out different editions, all in search of the prettiest cover. And yes, I’ve been known to pay more, and wait longer for delivery, just to get the copy I think is nicest.

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There we have it; a few of my bad reading habits. Thanks again to Marina for tagging me: You should definitely check out her excellent blog if you haven’t already. I’d be interested to know the bad reading habits of Rachel, Alex, and Ally (no pressure to take part though, of course), but if anyone else would also like to get involved, please feel free!

OMG That Song | Book Tag

I love books, and I love music, so when I saw this tag over on Jenna @ Bookmark Your Thoughts’ blog, I had to get involved!

MY JAM: A song you have to listen to no matter how many times you’ve heard it and a book that you’ll never get sick of

Song: Oh, lots! But given that I’m currently very hyped for the release of her second album, I’ll say Tilted by Christine and the Queens.

Book: I read it like two years ago, but I still seem to be thinking and raving about Bird Box by Josh Malerman all the time. It’s so unnerving, and plays with the senses and fear of the unknown brilliantly.

THROWBACK: A song that reminds you of the cringiest time in your life and a book you read that you wouldn’t like now

Song: If you’re under the age of 30 and didn’t have an angsty Avril Lavigne phase, you’re lying.

Book: At the time I read it, I thought the Legend series by Marie Lu was okay at best, but I know I’d find it incredibly frustrating now. It’s a perfectly readable YA dystopian series, but the prose is bland, and it has a few too many clichés for my liking.

REPLAY: A recent song that you have on repeat and a recent favourite book

Song: Eivør recently shared a stunning cover of a Leonard Cohen song from her new live album, and I’m obsessed.

Book: My favourite read of the year so far is The Lightkeepers by Abby Geni. It’s a gorgeously written meditation on the savage power of the natural world, and storytelling as a means of survival.

GETS ME: A song that is literally me and a book that is me in book form

Song: Bachelorette. A song by Björk, with a video that incorporates elements of nature, fairy tale, and literature, is basically all my favourite things colliding.

Book: Other than of course relating to Hermione Granger’s book-swat ways, I’ve never really been one of those readers to ‘find’ themselves in fiction (*sigh*). So, the only way I could think to answer this was to pick something that epitomises my favourite qualities in a book: gothic, atmospheric, immersive, mysterious, and beautifully written. For me, that’s Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier.

WUT: A weird song that you liked anyways and a unique book that stuck out to you for some reason

Song: Vessel by Zola Jesus. The vocal delivery in some of Zola’s early work is so deliberately skewed that you can’t even make out a lot of what she’s saying, and yet she creates so much atmosphere and feeling that I still love it.

Book: The Travelling Cat Chronicles by Hiro Arikawa is a recent unique read that really stood out, not least because it’s narrated in part by a cat. It was a charming, bittersweet, and surprisingly human tale about finding family, and making peace with the past.

LET’S GO: Pick your best pump up song and a book that inspires you

Song: Alive by Sia. This song makes me feel POWERFUL.

Book: Frankenstein by Mary Shelley inspires me, in that any writer longs to pen something as intelligent, layered, and timeless as it has proven to be.

CHILL: Your best chill or relaxing song and a book you’d curl up with on a rainy day

Song: Aventine by Agnes Obel. (Or anything by London Grammar.)

Book: A rainy day read, for me, should be something gripping and pacy that can sweep you up, but with a timeless, cosy quality. That said, I’d opt for something like And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie.

ADDICTING: A guilty pleasure song and a light, trashy read you can’t help but love

Song: Still Alive by Lisa Miskovsky. I don’t feel guilty per se, because I think it’s a genuinely good song, but I suppose the theme from a video game is a fairly random pick – and this video for it is pretty cringe in fairness.

Book: I wouldn’t describe it as ‘trashy’, but a light read I found very charming is Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day by Winifred Watson. It’s about a somewhat stilted, middle-aged governess who ends up inadvertently drawn into the glamourous life of a socialite/club singer, who teaches her to let loose.

NOSTALGIA: A throwback song you look back on fondly and a book you read and loved when you were young

Song: I’m a big fan of Annie Lennox, and despite winning an Oscar, the song she did for the Lord of the Rings soundtrack is supremely underrated. Thank you for coming to my TED Talk. (Also, it’s a song linked to a book; I am quietly smug about that train of thought.)

Book: It wouldn’t have been a tag if I hadn’t mentioned Harry Potter somewhere, so here it is!

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There we have it! Since I wasn’t tagged myself, I’ll leave it open to anyone who’d like to take part.

The Greatest Showman Tag

It’s time for another tag, this time courtesy of Andrea @ Andrea’s Nirvana. She has created her own original tag, no less, with prompts inspired by the tracks from The Greatest Showman. This is where I admit that I haven’t actually seen it, but anyone who knows me knows I’m late to everything. Nonetheless, the tag looked fun, so let’s just jump right in!

The Greatest Show | In Which The Intro Is Amazing

All We Shall Know

As soon as I read the stark yet shocking opening paragraph of All We Shall Know by Donal Ryan, I knew I’d found a new favourite author: ‘Martin Toppy is the son of a famous Traveller and the father of my unborn child. He’s seventeen, I’m thirty-three. I was his teacher. I’d have killed myself by now if I was brave enough.’

A Million Dreams | In Which Things Get A Little Too Dragged

Snap

Snap by Belinda Bauer is a recent example that springs to mind. It’s essentially a mystery novel, but by the halfway point, the reader already knows whodunnit, and we simply have to watch as a band of supremely unlikable police officers attempt to scrape together enough evidence to actually prove it. With all sense of intrigue gone, we’re left anticipating a follow-up twist that never comes…

Come Alive | In Which There’s A Nice Plot Twist

A Kiss Before Dying

A Kiss Before Dying by Ira Levin has several incredibly clever and well-placed twists. He manages to catch you off-guard just when you think you’ve got it all sussed.

The Other Side | In Which A Villain Turns Into A Good Guy or Vice Versa

Little Deaths

The heroine of Little Deaths by Emma Flint feels like an appropriate pick, as she’s undoubtedly complex and flawed, and yet the more we see of the circumstances surrounding her, the more we realise she may not be as evil as everyone likes to think. Depending on whose perspective you look at her from, she could be deemed either the villain or the good guy.

Never Enough | In Which You Hate The Love Triangle

The Hunger Games

The love triangle in The Hunger Games always irritated me. Katniss is painted as a brave, proactive leader, and yet much of her story revolves around which boy she’ll end up with. *eyeroll* She’s trying to lead a rebellion for crying out loud; why can’t young women be allowed to have platonic male friendships?!

This Is Me | In Which Representation Is Amazing

Ah, an answer for this came to mind right away, as I just so happened to watch A Quiet Place a few nights ago (See, I wasn’t kidding when I said I’m late to everything). It’s set in a post-apocalyptic world, where humanity has been decimated by strange creatures that hunt using sound. We follow a family attempting to live in complete silence. They are able to communicate via sign language, as one of them is deaf (played by real-life deaf actress, Millicent Simmonds). For a major blockbuster to be almost entirely in sign language, and for the deaf character to be played by an actual deaf person, was so refreshing, and a great example of how to normalise good, diverse representation, without the character being defined solely by their differences.

Millicent Simmonds and Emily Blunt in A Quiet Place

Rewrite The Stars | In Which It’s ‘Us Against The World’ [Not Necessarily Romantic]

We Have Always Lived in the Castle

We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson focusses on two sisters following the deaths of almost their entire family. They have shut themselves away in the family manor, maligned by their community, and plagued by vicious rumours and an air of mystery. It’s gothic, and unsettling, and brilliant, and very much captures an ‘us against the world’ vibe.

Tightrope | In Which The Love Triangle Took A Wrong Turn

Truthfully, I don’t read/watch a huge amount of stuff with love triangles in them, so I was struggling to think of something… I’m not sure this strictly counts as a love triangle, because that definitely would be wrong, but once you know that Luke and Leia are in fact twins, it’s a little weird that they initially tried to imply a sense of rivalry between Han and Luke for Leia’s affections in the original Star Wars.

Luke, Leia, and Han

From Now On | In Which The Main Character Only Gets Their Stuff Together In The End

The first thing that came to mind was LOST, as the whole final season is pretty much about all the characters trying to get their stuff together!

The huge ensemble cast of LOST.

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There we have it! Thanks again to Andrea for tagging me; since it’s an original tag, it would be fun to see lots of people getting involved, so if you want to take part, consider yourself tagged.

Three Bookish Things Tag

I saw this tag over on Kristin Kraves Books’ blog and thought it looked fun, so let’s just jump right in.

THREE READ ONCE AND LOVED AUTHORS:

I had been wanting to read John Wyndham for ages, and finally picked up The Day of the Triffids last month. I loved it, and am excited to explore his extensive back catalogue. Church of Marvels by Leslie Parry was one of my favourite reads a couple of years ago, and I’m still eagerly awaiting more from her. I’m also eager for more from Jung Yun after loving her debut, Shelter.

Wyndham, Parry, and Yun.

THREE TITLES I’VE WATCHED BUT HAVEN’T READ:

I’m usually a read-before-you-watch kind of person, but there must be a few exceptions… The first one that comes to mind is Jurassic Park. I absolutely loved the film as a kid (and still do), but I’ve never read the book. I do own a copy though, so hopefully one day! The Lord of the Rings is another. Part of me would love to read the original trilogy, and perhaps one day I will, but I’ve often heard how dry they are, which puts me off. Thirdly is Still Alice. This one wasn’t on purpose. It was on TV just a few nights ago coincidentally, and I happened to switch on as it was starting. I ended up watching the whole thing, largely because Julianne Moore’s performance as a 50-year-old with an aggressive form of early-onset Alzheimer’s was so good.

Jurassic Park, The Lord of the Rings, and Still Alice.

THREE CHARACTERS YOU LOVE:

I could obviously pick loads here, but I’ll stick to my guns and name the first few that come to mind. I love how flawed and complex Melody Shee is in All We Shall Know by Donal Ryan; Tuppence Beresford of the Tommy and Tuppence series by Agatha Christie is incredibly charismatic, driven, and endearing; and Hermione Granger is great for obvious kick-ass book nerd reasons.

THREE SERIES YOU BINGED:

The temptation was to say Harry Potter, as I binged each book as soon as it came out, but I suppose that wouldn’t really count as binging a series, since I had to wait a year each time for the next release. I don’t even read a huge amount of series, truth be told, but ones I can remember reading in pretty quick succession are Chaos Walking by Patrick Ness, The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, and His Dark Materials by Phillip Pullman.

Chaos Walking, The Hunger Games, and His Dark Materials.

THREE UNPOPULAR BOOKISH OPINIONS:

1. As sweet as the idea of them together might be, Hermione and Ron would never actually work as a couple.
2. Despite wanting to, I cannot get on with Virginia Woolf’s work at all.
3. I generally prefer hardbacks to paperbacks.

THREE CURRENT FAVOURITE BOOK COVERS:

Again, I could get carried away naming lots here, so I’ll just go with the first three I thought of. Starfish by Akemi Dawn Bowman, Vixen by Rosie Garland, and I am, I am, I am by Maggie O’Farrell.

Pretty, huh?

THREE BOOKISH GOALS FOR THE YEAR:

I wanted to read 90 books (I’m currently on 82, so I should hit that pretty comfortably!). I wanted to read by whim, rather than tell myself I had to prioritize certain reads at certain times. I’d say that’s been going pretty well so far. As for a more recent goal, I’d like to read some more Shakespeare by the end of the year. I picked up A Midsummer Night’s Dream a little while ago (the first time I’d read anything by him out of education), and it definitely sparked an interest in trying more of his work.

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There we have it. I wasn’t tagged, so I won’t tag anyone else specifically either, but free to take part if you’d like to. Pingback to me if you do so I can check out your answers! Thanks for stopping by.