 I'm back with another blog tag! I saw this one on Jehosheba's blog (the link is in the graphic above!). If you'd like to participate, go ahead and have a blast! The Rules: Thank and link to the blogger who nominated you Include the tag graphic in your post Answer the ten questions the blogger asked Nominate between five and ten bloggers Ask your nominees ten book-related questions! Don’t feel bound to these rules (Most importantly) Have fun! What’s the most recent book you’ve read? The Paris Dressmaker by Kristy Cambron. It’s actually a re-read, because this book was just that good. Before that, I just finished Wayfarer by K. M. Weiland, Dreams of Savannah by Roseanna M. White, and The Illusionist’s Apprentice by Kristy Cambron. What’s a common theme you’ve seen in all of your favorite books? Characters who are hurting in one way or another. Finding hope in the darkness. What’s the funniest book you’ve read? *shrugs* So many of the books I read aren’t really humorous. I do find Johanna Berglund's sense of humor in Amy Lynn Green's Things We Didn't Say pretty relatable and smile-worthy. How often do you read new books? Anytime I find one that seems interesting and can afford to buy it. (Luckily, our church has a library.) Do you prefer reading fiction or nonfiction? *cringes* Definitely fiction. There’s something about a story that draws me in and illustrates a point deeper to me. But nonfiction reading is something I definitely wish I did more of. I just have to take it in short doses so I can still focus. Who is the last fictional character you related to? Uh . . . good question. I tend to relate more to aspects of a character than finding a character that is a carbon copy of me. I’m going to go with Evelyn Brand from When Twilight Breaks by Sarah Sundin. However, some other notable mentions before that would be Margot de Wilde (The Number of Love by Roseanna M. White), Thomas Fawkes (Fawkes by Nadine Brandes) and Johanna Berglund (Things We Didn’t Say by Amy Lynn Green). What’s the saddest book you’ve ever read? Healer’s Bane by Hope Ann. THAT ENDING! Otherwise, I have many books that I have sad scenes in . . . Shadow by Kara Swanson would come pretty close. Where’s your favorite place to read? Anywhere, really. What’s the last book that inspired you? Oh, goodness. Many books inspire me in their own ways. The Illusionist’s Apprentice inspired me to not think worse of myself because of my differences from others. The Paris Dressmaker and Shadow both inspired me that there was still light in the darkness. (Especially Shadow, may be the most inspiring book I read this year.) Have you ever gotten to meet an author? Yes, at conferences and such, and I will probably not remember all of them. I got books signed by DiAnn Mills and remember attending some of Michelle Medlock Adams’ sessions. I also have traded emails with Amy Lynn Green. My Questions (Yes, I know it only looks like 7, but if you add in all the why questions, it's really 10.) What is your favorite book and why? Who is your favorite male character and why? Who is your favorite female character and why? What was your favorite book as a child? Who is your favorite author (s)? What is the oldest book you’ve ever read? What is your favorite genre?
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 Where did the first half of the year go? If you know, please tell me. In the meantime, let's chat about what I've been reading through these past six months. This tag originated at https://mayajt.wordpress.com, but I saw it on https://www.precariousbookstacks.com/. Make sure you check both those sites out! Without further ado, on to the freakout! Numbers and Math Yeah, I've got no idea how many books I’ve read. A whole bunch more this summer than during the school year. Best Book Yet Keep reading below to find out why some of these made my list or check out my book reviews for them! July: Shadow by Kara Swanson June: The Paris Dressmaker by Kristy Cambron May: The Nature of a Lady by Roseanna M. White April: Anchor in the Storm by Sarah Sundin March: Veiled in Smoke by Jocelyn Green January: The Lost Girl of Astor Street by Stephanie Morrill Best Sequel Shadow by Kara Swanson—OH. MY. GOODNESS. This book was brilliant. The themes were so skillfully woven in. The worldbuilding was so rich and lush, each character was unique—and the messages were exactly what I needed to hear. Couldn’t have asked for more from this sequel. New Releases I Haven’t Read Yet, But Want To Castle of Refuge by Melanie Dickerson—It looks to be sweet and entertaining read. And it’s an Ugly Duckling retelling, which you don’t see too often. Most Anticipated Release For Second Half Of Year The Lines Between Us by Amy Lynn Green—I loved her debut novel Things We Didn’t Say (it’s one of my favorite novels, actually) and I’m interested to see what’s in store for this novel. Biggest Disappointment I had a handful of novels I’ve read this year that did not live up to the expectations on the back cover (A Lasting Impression by Tamera Alexander, Breathe by Lisa Tawn Bergren, and The Captain’s Daughter by Jennifer Delamere), but the biggest disappointment was probably The House on Foster Hill by Jaime Jo Wright. I’d read her later novels first, and was looking for the vibes of those novels. It did not live up. Biggest Surprise The Paris Dressmaker by Kristy Cambron—I tried this novel with little to no prior knowledge of the book. It was brilliant! The way the four different plotlines were juggled so expertly—and the fact that all four of them were so brilliant. All the characters were so vibrant and the plot had so many twists and turns. It became one of my favorite books and one of the best reads of this year. Favorite New Author Excited to explore more of Kristy Cambron. Favorite New Crush Didn’t I already explain this in the last tag??? I have no fictional crushes! If forced to choose one to hang out with as friends, I’d choose Sheridan from The Nature of a Lady. Or maybe Rene from The Paris Dressmaker. I loved Nigel in The Paris Dressmaker, but he just didn’t make the best decisions sometimes . . . New Favorite Character Sheridan from The Nature of a Lady. He’s so awkward you just have to laugh. And yet so stubborn at the same time. I was very excited to see he’s set up to be the main character of the sequel To Treasure an Heiress coming January 2022. Book That Makes You Happy (Why are all the books I read fraught with espionage and despair???) Best Book To Movie Adaption I haven’t seen any book to movie adaptions this year. Favorite Post Take It From the Dragons: https://racheljleitch.weebly.com/adventure-journal/take-it-from-the-dragons How to Train Your Dragon 2, Hidden Identities, and Much Sadness: https://racheljleitch.weebly.com/adventure-journal/how-to-train-your-dragon-2-hidden-identities-and-much-sadness I'm also pretty excited about next week's post, so stay tuned. Most Beautiful Book (aka, the two best book covers I've seen this year) The Paris Dressmaker by Kristy Cambron Shadow by Kara Swanson Books I Want To Read Castle of Refuge by Melanie Dickerson Dreams of Savannah by Roseanna M. White The Illusionist's Apprentice by Kristy Cambron The Lines Between Us by Amy Lynn Green The Spice King and The Prince of Spies by Elizabeth Camden Storming by K. M. Weiland Unblemished Trilogy by Sara Ella Wayfarer by K. M. Weiland There you have it! If you have a blog, go ahead and take the tag, too! Do the freakout as well and share your answers in the comments!  As you can see above, this tag started at https://bibliomavens.com! However, I was tagged by https://ryanelizabethwrites.com when she tagged anyone who read the post and was interested! If you're interested, please go ahead and consider yourself tagged! Who is your all-time favorite book character? Oh, goodness. Just one? Impossible. On any given day, it could be any of these:
If you were stranded on a deserted island, which book would you take with you? (Survival books do not count.) My Bible. But outside of that . . . I don’t know. If I had some way to charge it, I’d bring a Kindle, even though I don’t really like reading on Kindle, but then I could have all the books . . . What’s your weirdest bookish habit? Not taking the dust covers off hard cover books when I’m reading them. Which book character would you take as your fake partner to a family event? Uh . . . none really. XD That sounded terrible. I am not into romance hugely. If it’s a side plot in a book, that’s fabulous, but it also doesn’t break my heart if the girl and boy are just friends. So when I'm reading a book, I don't automatically think of them as dashingly romantic. *shrugs* So I guess if we’re looking for a just friend that happens to be of the opposite gender, I’d have to say . . . Thomas from Fawkes, Zash from Romanov, or Sheridan from The Nature of a Lady. What made you decide to start a book blog? It happened by accident! I started out trying to do an encouragement and motivation blog. And . . . yeah. I just didn’t get excited about it. I had to drag myself to write a post each month, and even then, I often felt like I was coming up with ideas last minute. Then one month, I wrote an article drawing lessons from Prince Caspian and had a blast (https://racheljleitch.weebly.com/adventure-journal/what-prince-caspian-taught-me-about-publishing). Eight months later, I did one on How to Train Your Dragon and loved it, too (https://racheljleitch.weebly.com/adventure-journal/its-all-you). Finally, it clicked—I love talking about books and movies. That’s what I talk about with my friends. I love sorting out the lessons from what I see and read. I also love giving my opinion about what I read, hence my book review section. What about reading and books do you love the most? I love how I find hope in reading and books. In books, I find characters that are like me (some more than others, but I usually relate to them somehow), and I watch them overcome whatever is holding them back. It gives me hope that I can do the same in my own life. What is your field of study/desired profession/current profession? Professional writing! My dream career is writing YA fiction full-time, especially YA historical adventure fiction. I want to pass on the hope that I have found in YA fiction to other YA readers fighting their own battles. However, for right now, I also work as a general paraprofessional at an elementary school, helping lead reading groups in the classroom. What are some book recommendations that became your favorites/obsessions? Aah, Fawkes and Romanov by Nadine Brandes! I heard about Fawkes on a friend’s blog and checked it out. It looked good, so I requested it for my birthday. It blew me away! It was so creative, so deep with its themes, and I related to the character SO MUCH. I quickly bought Romanov and found more of the same. It is such a heartbreaking and beautiful book! Recommend these books to EVERYONE. Another one that I adore is Dust by Kara Swanson. The Neverland vibes, the glimpses into hurt and finding hope again, and the personality that is Peter Pan drew me in. I cannot wait for Shadow this summer! An author I’m constantly recommending is Roseanna M. White. She writes historical fiction, but there is usually an adventure/intrigue plotline taking center stage. Love her unique character voice and the creativity she brings to the genre! What is the book you shove down everyone’s throat? *raises eyebrows to above* And there you have it! Now you know a little bit more about me and my bookish world! I'd love to hear about yours in the comments below! |
