Fellowship of the Ring Book Tag

To get things going on here for Wyrd & Wonder (a month-long celebration of all things fantasy), I thought I’d kick it back to the classics and jumpstart this thing with the Fellowship of the Ring Book Tag, which was created by Nandini of Unputdownable Books. (I consider myself tagged by Sara Letourneau.)

My plan was to answer with only fantasy novels (in honor of W&W) but I haven’t yet read that many fantasy novels to be able to do so. 😦

Gandalf – A book that taught you something

Fail, Fail Again, Fail Better by Pema Chödrön

It’s the speech Chödrön gave at her granddaughter’s graduation at the University of Boulder, Colorado in 2014. Chödrön is a Buddhist nun. I read this book when I was at a low moment and sorely needed its advice. It taught me that failure is not the end; it can be a beginning. It also taught me the value of positive self-talk and how that can help a person to continue moving forward. It’s a great read. I highly recommend it.

Frodo – A book that left a mark on you

Seraphina by Rachel Hartman

Seraphina is a YA fantasy novel about a girl who is part dragon who must use her connection to dragons to help save her kingdom. It left a mark on me when I first read it because it fell from my hands and bumped me on my head. It hurted. 😦 I was reading while laying on my back and my hands were in the air holding my Nook Color (yea, waaay back when those clunky Nook devices came out) and it slipped and BUMP! It hit me on the head. And that shit was heavy! I almost thought I was concussed.

(Actually, I don’t know which book I was reading when this happened, but I’m pretty sure it was Seraphina.)

Legolas – A book you finished in one sitting

Through the Woods by Emily Carroll (illus.)

An illustrated YA book that contains several horror stories. Everyone said it’s a good read that’s scary, and I agree. However, I find it more creepy than outright scary, and I like the fairy tale quality of the stories.

It was my herbology requirement for the recent O.W.L.s Magical Readathon.

Gimli – A book that features an unlikely friendship

A Feast for Crows by George R.R. Martin

I don’t remember in which Song of Ice & Fire book this happens, but I liked that a hint of friendship or comradeship, at least respect, develops between Brienne and Jaime. I think it is this and receiving Jaime’s version about killing the mad king that made me like him, or at least make him tolerable.

Merry – A book that pleasantly surprised you

Born to Run by Bruce Springsteen (narr.)

This was a wonderful surprise. It’s one of the first audiobooks I listened to without first having read the physical book. I thought I would have a hard time paying attention and recalling what I heard, but I was so drawn in by Springsteen’s voice and life story that I shouldn’t have worried. This was a great read. Not only is it about Springsteen’s life, it’s an inspirational read that all creative types can benefit from.

Pippin – A book that made you laugh

Fullmetal Alchemist by Hiromu Arakawa (illus.)

It’s a sci-fi manga about two brothers whose bodies were altered when they practiced alchemy to bring their mother back to life. It’s a heartfelt story that’s also humorous. I recently reread a few volumes.

Boromir – A book/series that you think ended too soon

All Systems Red by Martha Wells

A sci-fi novella about an android called Murderbot who’s trying to save a team of researchers who are researching an abandoned planet. This was such fun because of Murderbot’s voice. I enjoyed every second that I read it, but I thought it ended too suddenly.

Sam – A book with memorable side characters who stole the show

Harry Potter series

When I do book tags these days, I try to avoid mentioning the Harry Potter books; otherwise, I’ll mention them in every tag post. But that series is the perfect answer for this prompt. Many of the side characters outshine Harry, like Hermione and Dumbledore and the Weasley twins, and Bellatrix Lestrange! I’m currently rereading Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince on audio and, of course, I’m loving it. Jim Dale does a great job narrating it.

Aragorn – A good book with a bad/average cover

The Diviners by Libba Bray

This was hard. I kept finding bad books with bad covers, but The Diviners was a compelling book I read last year and really enjoyed. It’s a YA historical fiction, supernatural novel set in the 1920s about a girl who moves to New York City to live with her uncle and helps him to solve a series of unusual murders.

I hate the cover of the copy I own, which is the cover on the right. It’s not horrible; I just don’t like it. I much prefer the cover on the left, which I think is more intriguing and fits the mysterious quality of the story.

Gollum – A book that had great potential but disappointed you in the end

The Passage by Justin Cronin

That’s the TV show poster because the book was recently adapted for a show on Fox. The Passage is the first novel in a trilogy about a government experiment that goes terribly wrong and unleashes vampires on the world. The TV show was okay, but I wanted to know if the book was better. It was….okay too. It had potential to be good, and I can see why many people like it, but the pace is so slow (even though I listened to the audiobook and increased the speed a little) and after a while, I lost interest and patience — I already could tell what would happen — so I DNF it.