Harry Potter Book Tag

I stumbled upon this on Panic at the Bookstore’s fantastic blog, and loved it!  I don’t know where this originated (if you do go ahead and send me a link so I can credit) and many thanks to Trang and Lashaan @bookidote for the great graphics.

A book you found interesting but would like to rewrite

I recently read and reviewed Heartless by Marissa Meyer this book and I just didn’t like it.  It had so much potential: thwarted young love, a villain origin story, the weirdness of Wonderland, and a whole lot of baked goods.  But for me, there was just so much that didn’t work.  I’d love to rewrite this book and give Catherine a spine and some actual hints of her future self as the Queen of Hearts, give Jest some actual charisma and character, and rework the entire beginning of their love story.  Yeeesh.

The first book in a series that got you hooked

There’s a whole lot to choose from, but I think I’ll go with Eye of the World by Robert Jordan.  I went on a big fantasy kick in high school thanks to the Lord of the Rings movies, but I couldn’t find anything that scratched that epic fantasy itch.  My mum suggested Eye of the World because she had heard good things, but I was at the end of my fantasy craze at that point.  Years later, I rescued it from a pile going to the library and cracked it open.  I was completely blown away and it started a four year long fantasy binge.  I haven’t finished the series yet (I’m on book 10, Wheel of Time fans will sympathise), but the amazing start to the series is keeping me going through the book 8-10 slump.

A book you wish you could have right now

A killer book

I’m going to take this literally and choose Tooth and Nail by Ian Rankin.  This is the third in the John Rebus series, which is 21 books long and ongoing, and the poor, grumpy Scottish detective has to go to London to advise the police on the Wolfman murders.  Full of twists and turns with a surprising conclusion, this book is the best of the three I’ve read so far (and they just keep getting better apparently).

A book you found confusing

Anyone who has read it knows that House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski is a weird, weird book.  It’s staggering to think of how much work the author put into it.  It has a story, a story within a story, news articles, scholarly works, complete footnotes, and more.  The book is printed upside down or sideways in some parts (hint: reading this in public is a way to get some seriously weird looks).  Because of the meandering content and printing, it’s an incredibly bizarre, unnerving, and confusing read.  It’s actually the only book that I haven’t finished, yet felt completely satisfied by.  If you’re looking for a challenge, go ahead and pick it up.

Your spirit animal book

Go ahead and brace yourself for the most predictable and boring answer: Harry Potter.  I was 10 years old when Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone was released in the US.  Ever since that magical day that my mum bought me the book, I’ve felt the strongest connection to Hermione.  I don’t think I had ever seen another little girl in fiction quite like me: a fuzzy-haired, sometimes awkward bookworm with a bossy streak (although she was far more studious than me).  Hermione made it okay to love books and school.  She definitely helped shape me into the adult I am today.

A dark, twisted book

Oh boy.  The Black House by Peter May is an easy choice for this one.  I don’t read much crime fiction, although this is something I’m trying to change, but The Black House is a standout book for me.  It’s shocking, grim, dark, and deeply unsettling.  A policeman is called back to his childhood town on the Isle of Lewis in Scotland to hunt for a murderer.  As he hunts for a killer, he must face his demons, past and present.  The descriptions of Lewis are absolutely spectacular and it makes an absolutely perfect setting for this book.  The author manages to thread this unsettling line of underlying tension throughout the novel, which doesn’t allow you to relax until you’re finished.

A book that surprised you in a great way, reveals to be more than it is.

I know I just said that I don’t read a lot of crime fiction and am putting a lot of crime fiction on this list.  Oh well.  The Daughter of Time by Josephine Tey was a spectacular detective novel in a completely surprising way.  Inspector Alan Grant is laid up in a hospital with a broken leg and decides to investigate the historical claims that Richard III murdered his nephews, the infamous Princes in the Tower.  Part detective novel, part historial fiction, this is a truly spectacular read from an author who is so prolific and shockingly unknown.  Although this is the fifth in a series, it reads really well on its own.

I don’t know if you all are into this sort of thing, but I nominate Sophie at Parchment and Petrichor and Bionic Book Worm for this tag!  You guys always have great posts and I’d love to see your answers 🙂

If you do this tag too, or have done it in the past, send me a link!  I’d love to check it out.