The Christmas Carol Book Tag

Merry Christmas Eve, everyone! Today and tomorrow I will be spending my time with my family and friends that I don’t get to see very often anymore, so this post has been written before hand and scheduled. I hope you’re having a wonderful holiday right now filled with cheer and good memories.

Anywho, while I was brainstorming what to post for the holidays, Norees over at No Reads too Great saved the day by tagging me in another tag! I can’t seem to find who created this tag, so if anyone knows, please holler in the comments so I can tag them!

Enough with that. Let’s get to the fun stuff!

YOU’RE A MEAN ONE, MR. GRINCH – name a villainous character you can’t help but love to hate.

I really didn’t like Lilith from A Curse so Dark and Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer. The enchantress was, and still is, pure evil. Every time she appeared in the story nothing good happened. Her presence is like a bad omen, and I could understand why none of the characters liked her.

She reminds me a little bit of Dolores Umbridge from Harry Potter. She’s a powerful being that everyone avoids and hates. No one seems to be able to do anything about the power she’s gained so they have to just deal with her evilness and hope that some unfortunate event befalls her and gets rid of her.

ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS IS YOU – what book do you most want to find under your Christmas tree this year?

I have a long, long list of books that I want but can’t ask for because I still own so many unread books. It’s kind of a problem. If I was asking for books this Christmas, I would either ask for Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston or Sarah J. Maas’s upcoming adult novel House of Earth and Blood. Both are books that I want to read really badly. I’ve heard nothing but amazing things about RW&RB and I’m super stoked that Sarah J. Maas is coming out with a new series! After she ended the Throne of Glass series I needed something to fill the void.

RUDOLPH THE RED-NOSED REINDEER – name a favorite character that had to overcome a major obstacle.

I admired Auri from Aurora Rising by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff and her strength since the start of the story. If waking up and trying to survive centuries after you were put to sleep isn’t a major obstacle, I don’t know what is.

She handled the fact that she is not in her own time anymore like a pro and kept fighting and believing despite the hiccups she had in between. She’s not my favorite character in the series (that title belongs to sassy techie Fin!), but I still love her.

SANTA CLAUS IS COMING TO TOWN – which characters do you think are at the top of Santa’s “naughty” and “nice” list?

I wanted to pull characters from the same book for this one, so I chose Locke to be at the top of the naughty list and Oak to be at the top of the nice list. Both characters are from The Folk of the Air series by Holly Black.

Locke is genuinely a butt hole of epic proportions. I hated him the moment Holly Black introduced him in the series. He’s one of those characters that I love to hate. Oak, on the other hand, seems to be a little kid just caught up in all the political scheming that is constantly churning throughout the series. He hasn’t done anything wrong. He’s just there, doing his best. Compared to the rest of the characters in the series, Oak is probably the nicest and most genuine person there. Well… he isn’t a person, but you get my drift.

FROSTY THE SNOWMAN – what book just melts your heart?

Check, Please! Book 1: # Hockey by Ngozi Ukazu is probably one of the most wholesome graphic novels I’ve ever read. The protagonist is amazing. All the characters are amazing. I hate hugs, but just thinking about the series makes me want to gather all the characters and the author in a big group hug. That’s how wholesome it is.

This series was originally a web comic so it’s somewhere online if you don’t want to wait to get your hands on the physical bind up.

FELIZ NAVIDAD – your favorite book that takes place in a country other than your own.

One of my recent favorites of this year was Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi. It takes place is a fantastical version of West Africa. Yes, I know Africa is a continent and not a country but I can’t remember if the author specified which country she based Orisha off of. My best guess would be Nigeria since Tomi Adeyemi’s family is from there.

I haven’t read many YA books that are set outside of North America/Western Europe, so reading CBB was refreshing. Come to think of it, I don’t think I’ve ever read a YA story that is set in a country in Africa.

IT’S THE MOST WONDERFUL TIME OF THE YEAR – what book do you read to get in the Christmas spirit?

This is such a cop out answer, but the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling gets me in the holiday spirit. The nostalgia factor in the Harry Potter series is strong, and I associate nostalgia with the winter holidays.

I don’t reread the Harry Potter series every winter (because I have so many other books I need/want to read), but for some reason I relate it to the winter time. The movies also get me in the festive mood. I guess it’s because they portray such a great holiday spirit in the series/movies that I know consider Harry Potter a winter staple.

SLEIGH RIDE – what character would you most want to spend the holidays with?

I couldn’t choose one specific character, but I really want to spend a weekend with the Throne of Glass crew. They seem like a close-knit group with plenty of personalities. There would be tons of laughter and banter. There would never be a dull moment around them.

Now that I say that, I not sure if that’s a good or bad thing. Things could get rowdy, and most of them are powerful beings in one way or another. Come to think of it, I would like to watch the chaos unfold without being caught in the crossfires. I think it’ll make for an interesting holiday.

BABY IT’S COLD OUTSIDE – what book do you hate so much you would sacrifice it to the fire to stay warm?

Not that I condone book burning, but the only book I had to put in the did-not-finish shelf was Debating American Immigration, 1882-Present by Roger Daniels. I had to read it for an immigration class I was taking last semester and could not get through it for the life of me.

It consisted of two essays, and I barely survived the first one before I quit. The essays were so dry that I wanted to pound my eyes out. I liked all the other readings my professor assigned, but this one I had to take the L on.

DO YOU HEAR WHAT I HEAR? – what book would you recommend to everyone?

I think Storm and Fury by Jennifer L. Armentrout is an underrated book that not many people are talking about! It’s one of the more recent series Armentrout is writing, and it’s amazing. You want fantasy? Check. A really awesome book boyfriend to fawn over? Check. A badass protagonist who doesn’t let anything stop her from continuing to be a badass? Check. You want paranormal creatures that are not faeries, werewolves, or vampires? Check. You want some amazing butt kicking of bad guys? Armentrout has you covered. It’s all the stuff I love in YA stories rolled into one beautiful package that is this book. I’m so excited for the sequel. You can bet your bottom dollar that I will have a copy in my hands the moment it’s released.

Spread the cheer! If you want to do this, consider yourself tagged!

Clean Template

YOU’RE A MEAN ONE, MR. GRINCH – name a villanous character you can’t help but love to hate.

ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS IS YOU – what book do you most want to find under your Christmas tree this year?

RUDOLPH THE RED-NOSED REINDEER – name a favorite character that had to overcome a major obstacle.

SANTA CLAUS IS COMING TO TOWN – which characters do you think are at the top of Santa’s “naughty” and “nice” list?

FROSTY THE SNOWMAN – what book just melts your heart?

FELIZ NAVIDAD – your favorite book that takes place in a country other than your own.

IT’S THE MOST WONDERFUL TIME OF THE YEAR – what book do you read to get in the Christmas spirit?

SLEIGH RIDE – what character would you most want to spend the holidays with?

BABY IT’S COLD OUTSIDE – what book do you hate so much you would sacrifice it to the fire to stay warm?

DO YOU HEAR WHAT I HEAR? – what book would you recommend to everyone?

Until next time….