Tuesday, March 22, 2016

The Spectacular Book Tag

I got tagged for the Spectacular Book Tag and I think it's very nifty. Thanks for tagging me Jonathan! (Finish reading my post and then you have to check out his blog. It's really cool.)

Without further ado . . .


(Get it? He's tagging something? No? Okay.)


~The Rules~


1. Tag three to five people.
2. Answer the questions.


~The Questions~

1. What are your favorite book covers? 
So I had to think really hard about this question. And I came up with an even dozen I have to share. I'm proud to say that I own all of these books and took some of the pictures myself (so forgive the bad lighting :P)

















2. What are your favorite book titles? 
Oh heavens. Hind's Feet on High Places, Gathering Blue, Treasures of the Snow, Alone Yet Not Alone, Once Upon A Summer, and I Capture the Castle all come to mind.

3. Have you read a book and didn't know why they named it that and what was the title?

I can't think of any that haven't made sense. However, I can think of a few like Sense and Sensibility, Much Ado About Nothing, and Great Expectations, that were so familiar to me as titles that I had never actually thought about what they meant and how they related to the story.

4. Have you read a book with a character that made you mad? 
Haven't we all? Gale in The Hunger Games, Tris and Caleb in The Divergent Trilogy, Boromir in The Lord of the Rings . . . They just kept frustrating me because they all made harmful decisions that I thought were stupid. But that's okay :) Characters can't always do what you want. I've also gotten really, really mad at authors when they unexpectedly kill a character I loved. Especially when I can't see any reason for them killing that character.

5. Is there someone or something from a book you would never want to come across?
All of the mutts from The Hunger Games, the White Witch from The Chronicles of Narnia, Sauron and Wormtongue from The Lord of the Rings, and basically any other cruel and disturbing individual or entity.

6. If you could meet a character in person from a book who would it be?
Oh dear. Atticus Finch from To Kill A Mockingbird is high on my list, but he reminds me a lot of my dad, so that one is sorta fulfilled. Wynn Delaney from Canadian West, Peeta Mellark, Aslan, and Peter Pan would also all make my day :D

7. What book are you currently reading?
I am giving A Spool of Blue Thread a shot, although I think I must have confused it with another book and it's going to be a DNF.  I am also in the middle of Where Courage Calls, Nehemiah, Sentinel, Proofreading Plain and Simple, Adela Cathcart Volume II, and 1776. It's my new bad habit to start too many :P

8. Have you read a book that made you cry?
Well, I get emotional sometimes, but as far as actual crying goes? The list is longer than I would like, haha. The Hiding Place, Mockingjay, Allegiant, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, The Insanity of God, and When Hope Springs New. In short, moving true stories and the end of series I enjoyed.

9. What is the weirdest book you have read?
The Giver wasn't the weirdest, but there was just something really different about it that I found strange and I hear that Gathering Blue is even more that way. Boomtown and Series of Unfortunate Events are both really bizarre, but in a good way :) Animal Farm and Brave New World I really liked, but they both left me feeling disturbed, since they are both supposed to give an image of the future. Have I answered the question yet? No? Oh well.

10. What is the worst book/series you ever read?
Honestly, I did not like The Divergent Trilogy hardly at all. I thought her characters were dry and really hard to relate to (at least for me). Her plot/premise were good, but I felt that they fell flat. Even though they were deeper than other dystopian books, I didn't enjoy them when it came down to it. I also got a little lost in the middle, so I am enjoying watching the movies for clarity's sake.

I'm also having a pretty hard time getting through the A Wrinkle In Time Series, which is unfortunate because I really want to like them . . .

11. If you could only read one more book the entire year what would it be?
Hmm, something long. Probably The Count of Monte Cristo, because that's been on my reading list for a long time and I feel like I would have to put a lot into it, but that's just what I've heard :)


~The Tags~

And now I have to tag people. I have no idea why I dislike this part so much. Tell you what. If you want to do the tag, consider yourself tagged. If not, no sweat :)


~~~~~

What do you think about the tweaks I made to my blog design? :D Are you going to take up the tag? Also, I'll be updating my Recommendations and Reviews page soon, so keep your eye on it ;)







23 comments:

  1. "Hinds feet on High Places" is one of my favorite books. I love it so much!! :)
    And I had no idea there was an illustrated version of "The elements of Style"! I got the black and white version for my birthday last year, and it's been super helpful!
    I like how you changed the background! (Did you do more?) I think the plain background goes better with the header. :)

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    1. It's one of those books I remember reading when I was little, but don't actually remember much about the content. I'll have to give it another shot :) Yes, Elements of Style saved my life last year! The illustrated version uses art to demonstrate grammar rules :)

      Oh, good that's what I was going for. The only other big things I did were changing the main font to gray and making the title/header font less curly :)

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  2. I HATE all of the Divergent series, it was soooo annoying! And yes, meeting Peeta would be sooooo epic!

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    1. I'm so glad we agree on these points, Rachael :D

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  3. Good answers! I love your Elements of Style cover with the basset hound. :P Mine is pretty much just gray.

    Whoa, I thought I read a lot of books at once until I saw your list. :) And Gathering Blue was a lot stranger than The Giver. It was one of those books that leaves you scratching your head even after you finish it. :P

    (And I also like your background change.) :)

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    1. I'm very into pretty books, so the illustrated version was the only way to go ;P Well, I'm pretty sure I am reading WAY too many books at once right now. But their all different genres and I read two aloud to my siblings, so they all have proper place :)

      I'm glad you like the design tweaks :D

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  4. Great post Abi! We have several books in common. =) If I met any character there is no doubt in my mind! ASLAN! I love Him so much...through Narnia, I have been able to see Jesus' sacrifice more clearly!

    I have the book "The Princess Adelina", but I had a hard time reading it a few years ago...the different accents made it hard, I think. =) Did you enjoy it? I should probably re-read it. =)

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    1. Yay! I love books in common :) Yes, I mean we all know we'll meet Jesus some day. But meeting him as a lion? How cool would that be?!

      It's been a couple years since I read "The Princess Adelina." I remember really liking it in the end, but I think I had a bit of a hard time getting started :) I need to re-read it, too!

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  5. Cool post, Abi! We have a lot in common! :) And I totally understand getting into too many books...it's one of my worst habits. :) I think I'm in like 10 right now!

    I love your background change! It looks so good!!!

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    1. I know, it really bugs me that I'm in the middle of so many! And I never had this problem until very recently, so I don't know what happened. I guess I just feel too busy to read one at a time, so I overload myself :P

      Thank you :D

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  6. I loooove the cover of "The Princess Adelina"! It's so pretty. :) Oh, I love your cover of "Passion and Purity"! I have that book, but my cover is different. :-/ (I like yours better!!) It's a great book for young people, guys and girls alike.

    I'm so glad I'm not the only one who reads numerous books at one time. I'm currently reading 7 or 8 I think. ;)

    I haven't 'been here' long enough to know what of the blog look you changed, sooo... I love it!! LOL. ;)
    I enjoyed reading this post! :)

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    1. Yes, both of those covers are high up there on my favorites list. I read "Passion and Purity" for my first time this year and want to read it again soon. It was such a good mix of story and principle!

      Yeah I seriously need to finish some of the books before I forget I'm reading them :P And there are so many I want to start!

      I'm glad you like the blog ;) I'm a perfectionist, so I'll still do some tweaks here and there, but nothing major for a while, I don't think. Removing the strange pink border around all my pictures will be next to go ;)

      Yay! Having people enjoy what I write is the biggest compliment ever!! :D

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  7. As far as number four, I can't stand it when authors kill your favorite character! For me it was Thorin and Kili in Lord of the Rings. Especially Kili. :(

    I really enjoyed this but won't be able to do the tag at this time. Sorry!

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    1. I know, it just isn't okay. Characters should never EVER be killed unless it truly adds to the story. *SPOILER* Finnick in Hunger Games is what did me in. The one death I didn't see coming. And I don't remember it achieving a lot except heartbreak? However, I think Prim's was useful. Katniss needed the motivation and to see President Coin for what she was. *END OF SPOILER*

      No worries. :D

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    2. I haven't seen Hunger Games but I still agree. There was virtually no need to kill Kili. :( lol

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  8. Yes, aren't those Divergent covers gorgeous? Like you, I didn't care much for the books themselves, but the covers are swoon-worthy. :)

    Enjoyed this look into your bookish "quirks"! :P :D

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    1. Um, yes. The element look alone is cool. But crumbling Chicago in the background? Epic. They're so tailored to her story!

      Thanks! I had fun writing it :D

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  9. That book 'Life is a Miracle' sounds good. Is it an enjoyable read? 'Treasures of the Snow' and 'The Hiding Place' are two of my favourites, and I've been hearing good things about 'Alone Yet Not Alone' so I hope I can read that soon as well!

    I enjoyed reading this post, Abigayle! It's always interesting to hear people's thoughts and opinions on reading, and discover new books to add to my to-read list. :)

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    1. I really loved "Life is a Miracle." It's a pretty philosophical read, I suppose. A really strong vocabulary, so you have to have your brain on, but it really just adds to the beauty of the book. And it covers so many different aspects of life and draws out my feelings about everything I love in life, that I really enjoyed it.

      Adding to the TBR list is the best. "Alone Yet Not Alone" is very good. Simple, but captivating, and an astounding true story. I always read it in a day or two!

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  10. this was a very cool tag.

    xx emily

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    1. Thanks, Emily! It's one of my favorites I've seen going around :D

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  11. This is a neat tag, I enjoyed reading you answers! I haven't read The Hunger Games series, but something about their covers always catches my eye. I was happy that you included the Chronicles Of Narnia cover in this post, I love those books :D. And I agree, Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows does have some tear-worthy scenes :(.

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    1. I guess I read this comment and never replied? Sorry about that :)

      Yes, I love the classy look of The Hunger Games and all the covers of the Narnia books always make me happy. They're just so simple and sweet, but deep at the same time! Ah, yes, Harry Potter :') I loved the epilogue. Every book deserves an epilogue, if you ask me :D

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Comments are how I know you've been here! I try hard to reply to all the comments in a timely fashion, but regardless, know that if you leave a comment, I will read it and it will make me smile. :) Please no profanity or soliciting.