"The Netflix Book Tag"

 Nobody tagged me to do this, of course, but I’ve found so many different and fun, book-related tags from a few different blogs that I want to answer the questions for myself. I found this Netflix-inspired tag here: https://victoriouspages.wordpress.com/2018/09/15/the-netflix-book-tag/.

1.      RECENTLY WATCHED: THE LAST BOOK YOU FINISHED READING.

a.       Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami. I learned of this book after watching Jack Edwards’ YouTube video where he reads books that Harry Styles loves or ones Harry has recommended. This novel was not one of my favorite books, but I enjoyed Murakami’s writing and definitely felt an emotional reaction to the story and characters.

 

2.     TOP PICKS: A BOOK THAT HAS BEEN RECOMMENDED TO YOU BASED ON BOOKS YOU HAVE PREVIOUSLY READ.

a.       This book was not personally recommended to me, but I think one of the reviews I read mentioned that fans of A Game of Thrones would enjoy it. And that book is The Rage of Dragons by Evan Winter. I would recommend this one to any fan of high fantasy, especially someone who is interested in soldiers, war, training, and a revenge-driven plot. I will absolutely be continuing this series with the second book, The Fires of Vengeance.

 

3.      RECENTLY ADDED: THE LAST BOOK YOU BOUGHT.

a.       I Elizabeth by Rosalind Miles. The first time I saw this book was when I worked at my university’s writing center when I was in college. There was a spare room at the writing center for the staff to relax, sleep, or study. A copy of this book always sat on one of the tables in that room and it appealed to me, but I never read it. I decided to buy it since Elizabeth I is a historical figure who has always intrigued me and I want to read more historical fiction novels set in the Elizabethan era.

 

4.      POPULAR ON NETFLIX: BOOKS THAT EVERYONE KNOWS ABOUT (2 YOU HAVE READ & 2 YOU HAVEN’T/HAVE NO INTEREST IN READING)

a.       Read:

                                                              i.      The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas (A very powerful and eye-opening story that is definitely worthy of all the praise it receives)

                                                            ii.      The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. I’ve loved this book since I first read it my junior year of high school. I read Gatsby at a time when I really related to two of the novel’s major themes: a desire to repeat the past & the pain of loving someone who cannot/will not return your love. I also became enchanted by Fitzgerald’s prose and the way he manages to describe very complex emotions that are difficult to verbally convey.

b.      Have Not/Will Not Read

                                                              i.      A Court of Thorns and Roses series by Sarah J. Maas. I’ve seen too many criticisms of Maas and based on what I’ve seen I have no interest in picking up any of her books.

                                                            ii.      The Witcher books by Andrej Sapkowski. A few months ago I tried getting into this series because I was curious about the Netflix show. After reading The Last Wish and Sword of Destiny, I don’t plan on finishing the books or watching the show. I had very mixed feelings about the books and was not very interested in any of the main characters, besides Dandelion. I also struggled to understand the world, the magic system, and the creatures Geralt encountered. I think the main issue for me is that these books are poorly translated from Polish to English, which is a factor I unfortunately cannot change.

 

5.      COMEDIES: A FUNNY BOOK

a.       I’ve only read two out of the four books in this series, and they aren’t technically in the “comedic” genre, but I absolutely love the banter/teasing between Audrey Rose Wadsworth and Thomas Cresswell in the Stalking Jack the Ripper series by Kerri Maniscalco. I often find myself smirking and/or laughing during their conversations. These two are a great match for each other and I really enjoy their witty remarks and innuendos to one another.

 

6.      DRAMAS: A CHARACTER WHO IS A DRAMA QUEEN/KING

a.       Joffrey Baratheon from A Song of Ice and Fire. Honestly, he’s a complete brat and is so over-dramatic sometimes, it’s hilarious. I think every fan of this series and the Game of Thrones show love when other characters like Tyrion and Tywin put Joffrey in his place.

 

7.      ANIMATED: A BOOK WITH CARTOONS ON THE COVER

a.       Since it would probably be cheating to select my Calvin and Hobbes or Garfield comic books, I’ll go with my Barnes & Noble collector’s edition of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland & Other Stories. This edition’s covers feature drawings of the most beloved characters from the Alice tales.

 

8.      WATCH IT AGAIN: A BOOK OR SERIES YOU WANT TO RE-READ

a.       Lately I’ve been wanting to re-read Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury and Siddhartha by Herman Hesse. I haven’t read either since I was in high school.

 

9.      DOCUMENTARIES: A NON-FICTION BOOK YOU’D RECOMMEND TO EVERYONE

a.       Educated by Tara Westover. I think my dad read this one last year and recommended it to me. The author provides readers with a detailed glimpse into her Mormon upbringing, which is strikingly different than many individuals’ experiences growing up outside of that environment. The writing felt very real and raw. Westover transports readers to the various places she’s lived, as well as her life experiences. The memoir highlights the power and influence one’s education may have on themselves.

 

10.  ACTION AND ADVENTURE: AN ACTION-PACKED BOOK

a.       These Violent Delights by Chloe Gong is a novel I read recently that had me feeling as if I was holding my breath the entire time, just waiting for someone or something to appear out of nowhere and frighten me. There wasn’t a lot of continual, high-intensity action. However, the events that did occur throughout the plot were often unpredictable, or kept you in suspense because you felt that something chaotic could occur at any moment.

 

11.  NEW RELEASES: A BOOK THAT JUST CAME OUT OR WILL BE COMING OUT SOON (THAT YOU JUST CAN’T WAIT TO READ)

a.       I’m very excited to read The Nobleman’s Guide to Scandal and Shipwrecks by Mackenzi Lee! This is the third and final book in the A Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue series and it comes out in November of this year.