Soundtrack to My Life Book Tag

Thanks to The Book and The Bone for nominating me!

OPENING CREDITS: Favourite Childhood Book

I learn really ineffectively.

By this I mean I cheat a lot. I don’t always do it on purpose, but it happens.

I never learned to read music but I got through several grades of piano by watching someone else play and memorising what my fingers had to do. For a more dedicated person this might have worked long term, but I was not that person.

I bring this up because one of the first ways that I cheated was by refusing to learn to read. Why would I bother to read the words, my four-year-old self argued, when I can just look at the pictures and make up my own story?

In the end they started covering up the pictures, forcing me to engage with the words. I was not amused by this.

It worked out for the best in the end.

One of the first books I became obsessed with was this very tattered Fairy Tales and Legends from Around the World. I think it may have belonged to my mum when she was a kid. Before that it belonged to Sally Ann O’Carroll, whoever she may be. I spent lots of nights reading it instead of sleeping. I think I was preparing myself for the long nights of Netflix I would sit through during my first year of university.

WAKING UP: A book that got you out of a reading slump

I went through a long period of being really fed up when I was at university. Even though I was a literature student supposedly surrounded by people who loved the things that I did, I felt like I didn’t have anything in common with the people in my classes. Worst of all, the books that I loved were often laughed at and dismissed by my tutors and peers. I was wading through a lot of texts that were so complex I could never quite access the point of them. I was made to feel that the way I wrote stories was wrong.

It was a shitty time and I was very lonely.

(This was like 2 years ago. I’m much better now. Life is like that, it turns out.)

Anyway, after a very long conversation in which I shared all this with a friend, they suggested that I read Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell.

I related to that book so strongly. It was the beginning of me digging myself out of a very big hole (one that, in hindsight, I pretty much dug for myself).

SCHOOL: A Book you had to read for school that you ended up loving

I wrote a whole post about this.

FALLING IN LOVE: An author you love so much you want to read all their books

Chimamanda Ngozi Adiche. I want to read all her books and have her be my best friend please.

FIGHT: Book with the best action sequences

I’m not interested in action sequences specifically so much as books that run at a pace I find un-put-downable.

So, Six of Crows.

BREAK UP: A book or series you didn’t finish and do not intend to finish

As anyone who has read more than two posts of this blog knows, this statement is true for most of the series that I start reading. A recent example would be the Firebird trilogy by Claudia Gray. I found A Thousand Pieces of You seriously uninspiring.

HANGING WITH FRIENDS: A book you think everyone else should read

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian – Sherman Alexie

Bad Feminist – Roxanne Gay

Just Listen – Sarah Dessen

BREAKDOWN: A book that seriously affected you/had you crying your eyes out

One – Sarah Crossan

I read it on Friday and it destroyed me.

You should totally read it.

ROADTRIP: Your favourite series

The Jessica Darling series by Megan McCafferty.

I heart Marcus Flutie FOR LIFE.

FLASHBACK: Your favourite book from five years ago

The Ruby Oliver books by E. Lockhart. I just glanced at it and discovered that The Boyfriend List is ten years old. Thanks for making me feel my age, tag. I think I should start a YA Throwback feature. Thoughts?

GETTING BACK TOGETHER: What book can you not stop reading?

I frequently reread Victoria and the Rogue by Meg Cabot. I’m pretty sure I first read this one when I was 12?

It’s still good.

WEDDING: A book that is really special to you

Looking For Alaska – John Green

I will defend John Green to the end.

MOMENT OF TRIUMPH: Longest book you’ve ever read

I honestly don’t know.

One book I remember feeling like I’d climbed a mountain to finish was New Grub Street by George Gissing. It’s about 500 pages of tiny text. I had to read it for my degree. It was in my first year and having read the whole thing put me in a decided minority.

It is a very good example of 19^th century realism. If you’re into that sort of thing, I recommend it.

DEATH SCENE: A book of series you wish had ended differently

The Sweet Far Thing by Libba Bray. I was walking around in a daze after finishing that one.

FUNERAL: A book with the best or worst epilogue

The person who wrote this had Harry Potter in mind, right?

I get why JK did it, but…

END CREDITS: Who do you tag?

I have been sitting on this one for a while and I’ve noticed that a lot of people have done it in the meantime. If you haven’t been tagged yet, have at it.