The Book Courtship Tag

I first saw this tag on Ashley’s blog, Socially Awkward Bookworm, and decided to do it because it gives me an excuse to caress my books to see which one I love to feel the most (see #7). With that said, let’s get to the fun!

Phase One: Initial Attraction:

A book you bought because of the cover

Oh dear. There are many. It’s usually the cover that grabs me first. But I guess I’ll go with…

Snow Like Ashes by Sara Raasch because the only reason why I was so determined to read it is because I loved the cover. This was a good story and the world that it’s based in is unique — it’s ordered by seasons and rhythms. It’s slow in some spots but overall, it’s enjoyable.

Phase Two: First Impressions:

A book you got because of the summary

Hmm…another tough one. After much deliberation, I’m going with…

Seraphina by Rachel Hartman because it’s the mention of dragons taking on human shape that got me. The night before I discovered this book I had a dream about dragons adopting human shape. When I woke and saw a review of this book, I immediately looked it up, and decided to get it. I didn’t love the story the first time I read it but on my second read, I did.

Phase Three: Sweet Talk:

A book with great writing

For this I must go with one of my favorites…

Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston. Ah! It’s such a wonderful story and so well written. The people and setting come alive as you read and the language is so poetic and lyrical that you flow along with it to the story’s end.

Phase Four: First Date:

A first book of a series that made you want to pursue the rest of the series

Many books popped in my mind for this one but I’m going with…

The Lightning Thief from Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson and the Olympians series. I read this book out of curiosity a few years ago because I often heard people compare it to the Harry Potter books. I had no intention of continuing with the series but Riordan does such a great job infusing Greek mythology in his stories that I had to continue to see what he would write next.

Phase Five: Late night phone calls:

A book that kept you up all night long

There are a few books that did this but the one that I immediately think of is…

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. This is another book I read with no intention of continuing with the series. Actually, I had no intention to read it at all but a book seller convinced me otherwise and once I started reading, I couldn’t stop. I enjoyed the story in this book and Catching Fire but I don’t care much to see how it’s resolved so I haven’t bothered to read Mockingjay.

Phase Six: Always on my mind:

A book that you could not stop thinking about

That is…

One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez because though I read it a year ago, I still sometimes find myself replaying scenes in my head or just thinking about one of the characters. This book blew my mind when I read it. I like its structure, its prose, and even how confusing it can be at times. I read it out of curiosity because I was told that it’s a story without dialogue and I wanted to experience such a story.

Phase Seven: Getting Physical:

A book in which you love the way it feels

My favorite question and I have several answers so I’ll go with the top three…

That’s Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling with cover design by Kazu Kibuishi, which has a cover that’s so soft and buttery that I couldn’t stop running my fingers all over it while reading. Also Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas, which also has a soft cover. I loved looking at and touching the cover. The story was okay. And Talon by Julie Kagawa, which has a cover that resembles the scales of a dragon. I enjoyed the cover more than story so I stopped reading and kept on feeling.

Phase Eight: Meeting the Parents:

A book that you would recommend to your friends and family

Well I often recommend this to them…

The Book of Night Women by Marlon James. I love this story. It’s one of my favorites and I HIGHLY recommend it. It’s a powerful story that’s set in Jamaica during slavery. Go read it!

Phase Nine: Thinking about the future:

A book or series that you know you’ll re-read many times in the future

Ahh…

My default answer is the Harry Potter series but in second place is the Song of the Lioness series by Tamora Pierce. It’s a simple story but I love the protagonist, Alanna, so much that I keep returning to it.

Phase Ten: Share the love!

Who do you tag?

I tag everyone! 😀 Have fun doing this tag and let me know if you do so I can read your responses.

Happy reading.