The ‘Life’s a Beach’ Book Tag

Happy Tuesday! I am bringing you this blog post from the rainforest. Ok, maybe not the actual rainforest, but that is how it feels in my study right now! The heat and humidity are crazy. It is however perfect timing for a summery book tag. I loved the ‘Life’s a Beach’ tag on Ace of Bens blog and couldn’t resist completing it myself. You can check out his post here.

The Sand – A book that stuck with you long after you finished reading

 The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy is very special to me and has stuck with me in a way that I never expected. I originally read the book when I was about 17 and it remained important enough to me to be the first book I chose to review on my blog. Rahel is the protagonist of the novel, twin sister to Estha and the novel opens with her returning to her childhood home in Ayemenem, India. The story explores how events in their childhood shaped them. The imagery and motifs are stunning! The novel is intricate and beautifully written throughout. Check out my review to find out more about one of my favourite books.

The Sun – A book that burned you

Allegiant (Divergent #3) by Veronica Roth. After finishing The Hunger Games trilogy, I was still awake at 4am in search of my next read to try to fix my book hangover. Amazon sneakily suggested Divergent. After reading the first chapter I was intrigued and lapped up the rest of the book. I continued with Insurgent, which was okay but nothing special. Allegiant I just did not get on with. Suddenly the book was written from two different perspectives, which did not help. I honestly wanted to DNF this book but as I had enjoyed the start of the series so much I desperately hoped the ending would be its saving grace and forced myself all the way through to the end. It wasn’t. Burned.

The Waves – A book that calms you down after a long day

Slightly cheating but I have to go with Jim Butcher’s urban fantasy series The Dresden Files. Firstly, it is calming to know that it will be a long time before I ever run out of these books! There are 24 books billed, 15 currently published and that doesn’t include the side stories! I know that is a scary prospect for some readers. I however find it immensely comforting. I am totally invested in Chicago’s only wizard detective, Harry Dresden and his fantastic companions. The books, particularly the early books, are not totally self-contained but they have their own individual storylines so there is no need to worry about annoying cliffhangers! You can read one book and then come back to the series whenever you want. It has action, magic, comedy, a lot of sarcasm and a bunch of very cool characters. You need to meet Bob, Toot-Toot and Mouse! I love dipping back into a familiar world and this has been the perfect series for me.

The Bathing Suit – A book with a pretty, summer-y cover

The Truth of Different Skies by Kate Ling has the perfect summer cover, with the vibrant orange and sun beaming through the tree. I was lucky enough to win a copy from @teambkmrk through Twitter! It sounded awesome and is very high on my TBR! Here is the blurb from Goodreads:

‘Bea’s life is as broken as Earth has become – dry, controlled and polarized. Having never left the small town where she was born, Bea feels trapped in an endless routine of school and a dead-end job she must do to support her messed-up mother.

When a signal arrives from outer space, a mission is planned to find its origin that will take hundreds of years. Despite having to leave everyone and everything she cares about, forever, Bea knows she has to be on that ship. Except she didn’t plan on falling in love before she left . . .’

The Birds – A book that is everywhere

Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik, which is a retelling of Rumpelstiltskin. The five star reviews, as well as the gorgeous front cover, have been appearing all over my Twitter feed for ages! I am currently in the middle of reading Spinning Silver and I am loving it so far! I’m struggling to concentrate on reading with this ridiculously hot and humid weather, but I honestly can’t wait to finish it. I now have two copies of Spinning Silver as I couldn’t resist pre-ordering the signed hardcover from Waterstones! I may be doing a giveaway soon so keep your eyes peeled for that…

The Company – A book with wonderful characters

The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers. Yes, I am in love with Becky Chambers and The Wayfarers series, as all my Twitter followers may have gathered. I will review all three books very soon! The characters in the first book are amazing. There is a beautiful diversity and acceptance that permeates the novel. I love that there are characters of so many different races, species, sexualities… All very interesting and wonderfully well-written. It is a tough call as to my favourite characters from book one but the ship’s technicians Kizzy and Jenks are hilarious! I love how the characters feel like normal people and the family dynamics aboard the Wayfarer.

“These people are not heroes. I like heroes. I like stories with heroes a lot. What I’ve always been interested in are the people in the background.”

– Becky Chambers

The quote is taken from an interview with Becky Chambers in which she introduces the characters in her first book. The interview is here and well worth a watch!

The Ice-Cold Drinks – A book you absolutely gulped down

Mammoth by Jill Baguchinsky. Another book I can’t shut up about! I did completely gulp Mammoth down. It is a story about a plus size fashion and palaeontology blogger called Natalie. She is an awesome protagonist. The novel touches on a lot of issues including women in STEM, body positivity and bullying. It blew me away. Check out my full review here. Honestly, keep your eyes out for this one, it is great! Current release date is 6/11/18.

The Fun Memories – A book you can’t wait to return to

This is really hard. Please don’t make me choose!

A book I can’t wait to return to is A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas. I am sure that this will be at the top of a lot of people’s lists for re-reading. I loved the whole series but ACOMAF is definitely my favourite. I don’t want to say too much in case you haven’t had the opportunity to read the series yet (which if you are a YA Fantasy fan you definitely should!) The book centres around the Night Court and Velaris, city of stars. We learn more about the mysterious Rhysand and the politics between the different courts. A new, or should I say old, foe is on the horizon. This book just has everything that I need – great characters, great world building, action, romance, complicated relationships, politics, a sense of foreboding…. I love ACOMAF and will always be happy to return to it.

P.s. I could have put Harry Potter for nearly all these tags as I’m sure most people could (not number 2!) I have tried to be a little more diverse in my selections. I acknowledge that Harry Potter is not the only series in existence *mutters and repeats in an affirming fashion*.

I hope you enjoyed the tag. Would any of your picks be the same as mine? I would love to see your answers! Share below or if you are a blogger, feel free to share your link to the tag in the comments.