Spring Cleaning Book Tag!

I found this fun book tag at Kirsten Kraves Books, who found it at ZeeZee With Books, but it was created by Page to Page. Why not take a few minutes and visit their blogs, too? Leave them a nice comments! We bloggers live on comments.

It’s time to make your bed, but you’re going to have some friends over later and want to pick the perfect book to place on your nightstand for them all to see that you’re “reading”. Which book do you choose?

George VI and Elizabeth by Sally Bedell Smith

Oh no! The house needs dusting, but you just can’t put down that book you’re reading! What book would you buy on audio just so you could continue the story while cleaning?

Pineapple Street: A Novel by Jenny Jackson

Darn it! The ceiling is leaking! Turns out Mass-Market Paper backs are the best things to soak water up! Which popular book do you use to soak up the water?

Especially good for cleaning up an over-flowing toilet. It was written with the contents of one.

WAAAH by #Somedumbprince

I refuse to even link to it.

Bathrooms need a good scrubbing, and your 2007 Cosmos are a little outdated and need replacing. What book do you place in the bathroom for some light reading for when people need to take care of business?

Cluny Brown by Margert Sharp 

Hoping to read this one soon.

Family is coming over, but you have no idea what to make for dinner!

You read somewhere that tearing up the last chapter of a book whose ending you hated and sprinkling it in a casserole dish makes for the perfect meal!

Sorry–I usually just dnf books that turn me off. And, I rarely read the kind of books with weird endings. So, I had to modify this one.

Which book do you choose [to tell them you are looking forward to reading]?

Late Bloomers: A Novel by Deepa Varadarajan

Organization is key, right? When it comes time to organize your bookshelf, you realize you have enough room (and money) to get three new books! Which books do you buy?

Whatever Next? by Anne Glenconner

Gilded Youth by Tom Quinn

Three Times a Countess by Tina Gaudoin

I collect on the aristocracy and great families, the royals, and the Churchill family, and the Roosevelt family.

Finally, some peace and quiet! But before you can relax, you realize you forgot to send your aunt a thank-you gift for the lovely “ADULT LIFE FOR DUMMIES” book she gave you for Christmas (maybe she’s trying to tell you something?). What book do you send to her to show her how much (this is sarcasm) you appreciate her gift?

 

Your turn! Why not do this book tag on your blog. Be sure to link back to the creator and, its a nice gesture to link to the blog where you found it, too. Bloggers are always hunting for new readers. Leave a nice comment when you visit a blog–especially when you visit for the first time.

Contradictions Book Tag

I found this book tag at Kristin Kraves Books.  It was originally created by Daniela at Only If For a Page on BookTube. Won’t you please be nice and give their versions a look?

 

I love this genre but I didn’t like these books

I rarely read these genres but I loved these books

I love these authors but I didn’t like these books

 

 

I love these covers but I didn’t like these books

 

I don’t like these covers but I loved these books

 I love this trope but I didn’t like this book (Older Man, Younger Woman)

I hate this trope but I loved this book

(Cinderella aka Just For One Night)

Do you like Book Tags like this? I think they’re a lot of fun.

Feel free to copy and post your own version of this, being sure to give credit to the Tag’s creator.

It was originally created by Daniela at Only If For a Page on BookTube.  

November: Spell the Month in Books

Photo credit

This fun book tag was created by Jana at ‘Reviews from the Stacks‘

N-O-V-E-M-B-E-R

N

November of the Heart by LaVyrle Spencer

O

Old Baggage: A Novel by Lissa Evans

V

Vanessa and Her Sister: A Novel by Priya Parmar

E

Excellent Women by Barbara Pym

M

Malibu Rising: A Novel by Taylor Jenkins Reid

B

The Bookseller of Kabul by Åsne Seierstad (My review on my old blog was lost).

E

Eternal: A Novel by Lisa Scottoline

R

The Reading List: A Novel by Sara Nisha Adams

Have you participated in Spell the Month in Books? Leave me a comment or a link to your own November post.

Addams Family Book Tag!

Let’s continue the Halloween book tag trend with this Addams Family Book Tag.

ZeeZee With Books did an Addams Family book tag several years ago (check it out here) but she based the gifs and such she included in her post on the 1991 movie, which she loved as a kid–and I loved as an adult. However, today’s Addams Family Book Tag was created by White Rose Stories, who loves the 1964 TV show edition of the Addams Family. This is new to ZeeZee because she didn’t know the Addams Family had been around for so long. She thought the 1991 was the first one. Sadly as a Boomer (though barely-1962) I was in the initial Adams family generation. I still love it. I can still sing the schoolyard, un-p.c. version of the theme song from circa 1967, too. (Proud, not proud). ZeeZee included the gifs she saw in Rose White’s post here, in case you’re unfamiliar with the 1964 show too.

This will be a very hard one to do without resorting to old favorites I’ve used to death. Hmmmm……

 Morticia Addams — A book containing your favourite character

AUNTIE MAME is ONE of my very favorite characters. I don’ thave A favorite character.

Gomez Addams — A book about unconditional love

Unexpected, but unconditional. Akin by Emma Donoghue

AKIN

Wednesday Addams — A character with a… special hobby

Lady Violet works on and rides (astride) on motorcycles!

Not the normal thing for aristocratic ladies today, let alone in the early 20th century.

Pugsley Addams — A character that is both normal and abnormal

PIRANESI

Grandmama — A book that ended up being more fun than you thought it would be

The Switch by Beth O’Leary

Lurch — A character that reminds you of Halloween

Mrs Danvers!

Thing — A book with an amazing sidekick

LULA

Lula is the world’s finest, kick-a## sidekick. Sidekick par excellence! Day glo spandex? You bet! A bucket or chicken or a box of donuts just when you need it? Sure thing. Lula. Sidekick of the Ages. Stephanie Plum would be nothing without her!

Grandma Mazur is almost tied with Lula though. Grandma–the one you want on your side, unless she’s packing a sidearm! She can find the cookie plate at any funeral. That’s a super power.

Uncle Fester — A weird but lovable character

RUTH

Aristotle, the octopus — A book where a character has a unique pet

ROSA

Ruth Zardo’s pet duck, Rosa who only says “F—“

Charles Addams — An author you would like to thank in person for the world and characters they created

So many authors!

Cousin Itt — A memorable, non-human character

IT

IT, not to be confused with Cousin ITT above, the evil disembodied brain with powerful abilities that controls the planet Camazotz [Wikipedia]

Kitty Kat, the lion — A book with a lion on the cover or in the title

Born Free

The Cemetery — A book set somewhere you feel at home

MITFORD

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Well, if you can boogie down like these two, then I tag you!

The Beatles Book Tag! *Original*

What better to end a week that included the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame than a Beatles tribute book tag?  The Orangutan Librarian created this amazing book tag by taking some key songs from their repertoire and doing a mash up with some questions and jammed in some graphics (which anyone is welcome to use). Since I cannot remember life without the Beatles–and we were a Beatles-loving family, this is perfect for me! So thank you, O.L. for creating this tag!

NOTE: I had to delete a few songs–I just didn’t have an answer for some.

And now for some (pretty straightforward) rules…

Rules:

1. Tag back to the original creator Orang-utan Librarian (me)
2. Thank whoever tagged you
3. Tag people and keep it going!

Okay let’s rock ‘n roll!

Other than the men in my works in progress, lol? Well….I’m limiting myself here to books I’ve read this year so I don’t repeat the same old candidates like Rhett Butler! James, Marquess of Walderhurst sounds pretty dreamy in his way. And he has servants, land, money….sounds like a great retirement gig!

There are so many! That’s why I write this blog! Again, I’m limiting myself to this year. It’s one book, I promise! Just in the USA and UK covers and titles. I love this author! Her first book, Meet Me at the Museum, is beyond wonderful and this one is so sweet and fun that I’d actually think of re-reading it next summer.

The Narrowboat Summer by Anne Youngson

Just about any Judy Leigh book will do! She writes about love at a, ahem, later time in life. I like that. It gives hope to all of us of a certain age that there could be someone who doesn’t just want an unpaid cook and housekeeper or, worse, a nurse with a purse. Heading Over the Hill was so fun and the marriage it depicted was believable.

It is not every day that a book assigned in a graduate course makes a real difference in your own life, but Flourish did–and has. Coming from a negative family who complain all the time this was a big help–even at the late age of 59. It is very readable, too.

One that left a dark shadow: East of Eden by John Steinbeck. The dark shadow included real-world nightmares. I did not finish this book. It was too much for me psychologically.

I interpret this as it is so bad you’d send it away!

Opening with on-the-desk-rear-entry-not-truly-consensual-sex is just not a way to win me over. Yuck. Not even bothering to link to it.

Get the audio version–the author is the voice of this story in every way. The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo.

But GOOD-WEIRD

It is hard to describe this book. It should have been all the things I dislike, but I loved it!  Piranesi by Susanna Clarke.

In all seriousness, this book had a far more poignant note to it than I expected and spoke volumes about the nature of loneliness in our society. The Reading List by Sara Nisha Adams.

Don’t make me chose between Precious’s Botswana and Three Pines!

So sweet, so sad (nothing bad happens to the cat). The Travelling Cat Chronicles

Autumn by Ali Smith shook things up by just being odd.

This one was just delightful. The Fortnight in September by RC Sherriff.

This series brightens up my day just thinking of it! A Summer Wedding for the Cornish Midwife by Jo Bartlett

All my old favorites: GWTW, Auntie Mame, The Joyous Season,  …And The Ladies of the Club, All Creatures Great and Small, The King’s General, Rebecca...How to decide between them?

Annnd time for a quick Bonus Question: What’s your favourite Beatles song?

The Long and Winding Road, Penny Lane, Hey Jude are definitely among my favorites. But so is just about every Beatles song.

Book Courtship Tag

Thank you to ZeeZee With Books for introducing me to this fun tag.

The Orangutan Librarian also did a great job with it.

This tag was created by Hi! I Love Books--you can watch the video here:

 

The Tag

The Courtship Tag: Phase 1 – Initial Attraction: A book that you bought/acquired because of the cover. I entered a giveaway for it and won!

 

Phase 2 – First Impressions: A book that you got because of the summary.  Daisy Jones and the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid.

 

 

Phase 3 – Sweet Talk: A book with great writing. Pilgrim at Tinker Creek by Annnie Dillard.

 

Phase 4 – First Date: A first book of a series which made you want to pursue the rest of the series. Dumplin’ by Julie Murphy.

 

Phase 5 – Late night phone calls: A book that kept you up all night long. Piranesi by Susanna Clarke.

 

Phase 6 – Always on my mind: A book that you could not stop thinking about. Milkman by Anna Burns.

 

Phase 7 – Getting Physical: A book in which you love the way it feels. The Great Fire: A Novel by Shirley Hazzard.

 

Phase 8 – Meeting the Parents: A book in which you would recommend to your friends and family. The Travelling Cat Chronicles by Hiro Arikawa (translated by Philip Gabriel).

 

Phase 9 – Thinking about the future: A book or series that you know you’ll re-read many times in the future. (Well, I would re-read it if I  still re-read things. I’m too old–not enough time for all the other books now). The Provincial Lady Series by E.M. Delafield. Diary of a Provincial Lady and The Provincial Lady Goes Further.

Phase 10 – Share the love!!! Who would you like to tag?

You! Consider yourself tagged.

 

The Nextflix Book Tag

Thank to Read, Bake, Create where I discovered this book tag and to the Tag’s creator, A Darker Side of Whitney (see her video at the end of this post). I also enjoyed the version at This Splendid Shambles. Why not be nice, take a few minutes, and click and read their versions, too?

My Tag

1. Recently Watched:The last book you finished reading

The Most Beautiful Girl in Cuba: A Novel by Chanel Cleeton (review Monday)

 

2. Top Picks: A book/books that have been recommended to you based on book you have previously read

I don’t remember the book that generated the recommendation of this one though…

A House in the Country by Ruth Adam (My review is linked)

aeroiraer

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3. Recently Added: The last book you bought

Roads to Santiago by Cees Nooteboom

 

4. Popular on Netflix: Books that everyone knows about. (2 you’ve read and 2 you have not read or have no interest in reading)

Two I’ve read

Two I won’t be reading

 

5. Comedies: A funny book

Southern Lady Code by Helen Ellis (my review is linked)

 

6. Dramas: A character who is a drama queen/king

Waylon! I love Waylon–the wanna-be drag queen. My review is here.

 

7. Animated: A book with cartoons on the cover

Does this count as a “cartoon”? Heading Over the Hill by  Judy Leigh

 

8. Watch it again: A book/book series that you want to re-read

Like catching up with old boyfriends. The Brotherhood of War by W.E.B. Griffin (I read these as the came out years ago so no review)

 

9. Documentaries: A non-fiction book you’d recommend to everyone

Schizophrenia in a very large family. Hidden Valley Road was fascinating. (My review is linked)

10. Action and Adventure: An action packed book

Wow! This one, just WOW! Need to Know by Karen Cleveland (my review is linked)

In and Out Book Tag

Rick MacDonnell is a book guy on youtube I’ve recently found and enjoy. This Book Tag sounded fun so here are my answers.

1. Reading the Last Page First: Never

2. Enemies to Lovers: As long as there is no Outlander-like forced sex, it could be ok.

3. Dream Sequences: Not after Bobby Ewing all those years ago.

4. Love Triangle: Hmmmm possibly.

5. Cracked Spine: On a human–no. On a well-loved personal copy of a book, sure.

6. Back to My Small Town: It depends. Not if it’s as dumb as a Hallmark movie, unless I’m in the mood for as dumb as a Hallmark movie that is.

7. Monsters Are Regular People: No. Only Frankenstein.

8. No Paragraph Breaks: NO

9. Multi-Generational Saga: Yes if they are historically accurate and beyond the 300 page book club limit AND have family trees included. I used to LOVE these–R.F. Delderfield’s God is an Englishman is a great example. Today they are too short and often silly.

10. Re-Reading: I have favorites I re-read for comfort, but at 59 I don’t feel I have time for that. But if I keep getting DNFs, I’ll re-read.

11. Artificial Intelligence: Ugh–no sci fi

12. Drop Cap: Pretentious, so no.

13. Happy Endings: Love ’em

14. Plot Points That Only Converge At the End: It depends

15. Detailed Magic System: NO

16. Classic Fantasy Races: NO

17. Unreliable Narrator: Another “it depends”

18. Evil Protagonist: How evil? Probably not, but “it depends”

19. The Chosen One: WT??? I don’t read stuff like that.

20. When the Protagonist Dies: Maybe

21. Really Long Chapter: If well-written, sure.

22. French Flap: Pretentious, but sometimes ok.

23. Deckled Edge: Pretentious, but sometimes ok.

24. Signed Copies by the Author: Why not?

25. Dog-Earing Pages: Of course not!

26. Chapter Titles Instead of Number: Doesn’t bother me

 

My Additions

27. Dual timelines: NO MORE! None. Linear please. I’m so sick of finding “Grandma’s old Scrapbook” type stories–I can just see the swirling tv screen as we go back or forward in time.

28. Untranslated French or Latin or other phrases. TRANSLATE IT

29. Female WWII Spies. Ugh, ENOUGH. There were more female spies than male soldiers it seems.

30. Intentionally raunchy sex scenes that appear crammed into the story to check some box: NO Keep self-pleasure, odd positions, graphic details etc for e  r  ot i  c a .

Please take time to watch Rick’s video at the top of this post and while you are there, give him a thumbs up!

Women’s History Month Book Tag

Thank you to Nicole at Sorry, I’m Booked on whose blog I found this great tag. Thank you also to Mayu at Bookshelf Life for tagging me! Be sure to check their blogs out, pleases.

Rules

• Thank the person who tagged you and link back to their post.
• Link to the creator’s blog in your post Thank you, Margaret at Weird Zeal!
• Answer the questions below using only books written by women
• Feel free to use the same graphics
• Tag 8 others to take part in the tag

My extra rules for me: No old favorites! No GWTW, no Anna Karenina, etc. None of my real life female role models that I’ve written about too many times! No Eleanor! No Jane Addams.  Newer ones! And all must be newer-to-me books!

Book With An Intelligent Female Character

I’m using this one “anyway.” She IS a character in the book because she is writing about her own experiences. Yours, For Probably Always: Martha Gelhorn’s Letters of Love and War 1930 to 1949 I I have only read excerpts from this, but hope to buy it this year.

An Award-Winning Book That Deserves The Hype

The Yellow House by Sarah M. Broom. An excellent memoir that deserves the awards and the hype.

A Book About a Female Character Who Doesn’t Do As She’s Told

A book about a prison full of women who didn’t do what they were told! Orange is the New Black: My Year in a Women’s Prison: A Memoir by Piper Kerman (scroll down in the linked post to the review which displays a different cover for the book).

A Book About a Female Warrior

The Shadow King: A Novel by Maaza Mengiste which I am still reading. She’s written some of the world’s best battle scenes though. Wow.

A Book Set in Space

A Wrinkle in Time in Time by Madeline L’Engle which I first read as as an adult. I don’t read sci-fi so I’d have to look through the astronaut books if I couldn’t use this one!

A Book About LGBTQ+ Characters

The Miseducation of Cameron Post by Emily M. Danforth. The story of a lesbian teen sent to a faith-based gay conversion therapy center was my choice for Banned Books Week a few years ago.

A Book About a Woman in a Position of Power

I could not decide between these two. Twice in American history, a woman has been both the wife of a U.S. President and the mother of one. Abigail Adams is as much a Founding “Father” of our nation as her husband, John. Barbara Bush, was one of the most likeable First Ladies in my lifetime. No one knows just how much of any successful man is the wife behind him. The power the President’s wife wields is not to be underestimated.  Dearest Friend by Lynne Withey and Barbara Bush A Memoir.

An Underappreciated Book

Ok, ONE Roosevelt book. This is a lovely novel, even if it is about a love affair that destroyed a marriage. Lucy: A Novel by Ellen Feldman is a book I wish I’d written. The tone of this novel inspired the tone of my work in progress.

A Book With Beautiful Writing

4 full pages of quotes in my Commonplace Book! The Professor’s House by Willa Cather.

A Book That Inspires You

While it has it’s precious and preachy moments, this book inspires me. Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life by Barbara Kingsolver, the best but one to come out of DePauw! Scroll down in the linked post to my review from my old blog.

Do you like book tags? Or Women’s History Month? Then consider yourself tagged!

Baby It’s Cold Outside Book Tag

I found this book tag at a new-to-me blog, Jessica C. Writes. She got it from Erin at Reading On a Star who created it.

Snow Day – What’s your “comfort” book? 

Snow Angels – What’s a book that you love so much you would want to be buried with it (a little morid, but…)?

Warm Socks – What’s a book that makes you feel warm inside?

Skipping Christmas: A Novel by John Grisham (the movie version is Christmas With the Kranks)

Hot Cocoa – What winter-themed novels have you previously read?

The Children’s Blizzard by Davis Laskin (nonfiction)

The Long Winter by Laura Ingalls Wilder

The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey

And, I’m Looking Forward to This One Coming in January

The Children’s Blizzard: A Novel by Melanie Benjamin

Sledding – What’s a book with the best plot twists? Who’s an author that always keeps you on your toes?

Ugly Sweaters – What’s a book with the ugliest cover?

Movie Marathon – What’s the last book you marathoned?

Letter to Santa – What’s a book that’s on your wishlist this year?

How About You? Want to Play? Consider Yourself Tagged