Stuck at Home Book Tag

Hey y’all! 😀

Being stuck at home and having to work from home since, like, March is starting to get to me again because a few days ago, I started singing my favorite song from the Hobbit soundtrack — “Misty Mountains” by Richard Armitage — to the cat, so… Here’s a book tag! Lol!

I’m really excited to say that I was tagged for this, yes indeedy! I was tagged by the wonderful Rae of Rae’s Reads and Reviews, and the tag was created by Ellyn at Allonsythornraxx.

(Btw, if you’re interested, I did a similar tag a while back — Stay at Home Book Tag. If you’re looking for more book tags to do, check out my list of them here. I’ve done a ton over the years, lol.)

What are you currently reading?

Well, I have a couple stuff going at the moment…

Renegade’s Magic by Robin Hobb

I’m buddy-reading this with Emily at Embuhleeliest. It’s the third and last book in Hobb’s Soldier Son trilogy. It’s a fantasy story about a young man who believes he’s destined to become a soldier but instead gets caught up in a war between his kingdom and the native people of the land his kingdom is trying to colonize. It’s an interesting story but so slow moving and the protagonist is quite frustrating sometimes.

Hollowpox: The Hunt for Morrigan Crow by Jessica Townsend

It’s the third novel in the Nevermoor middle grade fantasy series, which is about a girl who believes herself cursed until she’s taken to a land where she learns she’s very special, powerful, and potentially dangerous. It’s such a fun read! I’m glad to be back in this world.

Truth or Beard by Penny Reid

The first novel in the Winston Brothers series, contemporary romance novels that center on the Winston family from Tennessee. I really enjoyed the second book, which I read first, so I’m now working my way through all the books. I’m so hooked on Penny Reid’s work right now.

Blythewood by Carol Goodman

I’ve paused my progress on this for the moment until the e-book is available again from the library. It’s either YA historical fantasy or YA paranormal romance — I can’t tell yet. It’s about a girl raised by her single mother in poverty. The girl can hear bells toll in her mind whenever something bad is about to happen. After her mother passes, she meets her grandmother and that’s how she learns she’s descended from wealth and becomes enrolled in a boarding school that trains young women to protect the world from fairy creatures… The story is slow moving and I’m bored. But I’ll push on a bit before DNF’ing it.

The Way Back by Gavriel Savit

I received an ARC of this that I’ve been trying to read for a while now, but I’m just not feeling the story. It’s YA historical fantasy novel steeped in Jewish folklore about a boy and girl who unintentionally visit the land of the dead. I loved Savit’s first book, Anna and the Swallow Man, but I can’t make it with this one.

What’s your favourite “can’t-leave-the-house” activity?

reading

At this point, it’s reading. A close second is annoying my family and the cat. I find that VERY entertaining.

A book you’ve been meaning to read for forever

Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Seriously. WHEN will I get to this book?! I’ve done everything: placed it on TBRs, looked at it, picked it up, placed it on more TBRs. And still I’ve yet to read it. WHY??!!

An intimidating book on your tbr

The Iliad by Homer

Because it’s a classic and classics often bore me. Because it’s a poem and I hate poetry. Because I tried it before and kept having to search for a different translation that a) won’t put me to sleep and b) that I’ll understand.

Top 3 priority books on your tbr

This changes constantly, but at the moment they are…

The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman

Really, I should have started on this already but yet another year has passed in which I didn’t read it.

Under the Pendulum Sun by Jeanette Ng

Same here, but that’s okay because I feel like this is a January book (or so I tell myself to feel better that I haven’t yet read it).

The Isle of Blood by Rick Yancey

Yes. It is time to continue with the Monstrumologist books.

Recommend a short book

My Sister, the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite

I read it around this time last year, either Christmas or New Years. It’s a short book (a little over 200 pages) and it’s a thriller and very fast-paced, so it seems even shorter than it actually is. I read it all in a night. It’s about a young woman who cleans up after her sister, who is a serial killer. I highly recommend it even though the characters may frustrate some folks.

Recommend a long book

‘Salem’s Lot by Stephen King

In case you were wondering, yes, I seriously considered recommending a Robin Hobb book here, but I forced myself to branch out, so Stephen King it is!

Except for Carrie, all the King books I’ve read so far are hefty, and I’m trying to read his books in publication order. I was supposed to read one this past Halloween, but that didn’t work out. Anyway, ‘Salem’s Lot is a vampire story and a very intriguing one. I enjoyed it although King meanders a lot telling you about EVERYONE in the town even if they only appear in the story for two seconds.

Something you’d love to do while stuck at home

start a routine for drawing and exercising

I’ll be so pissed at myself when corona work-from-home is over and I haven’t drawn one thing or lifted a leg to work out. Y’all, I’ve been lazy since March. But on the plus side, I got a whole lotta reading done 😄. I’m plenty proud of myself there.

What do you plan on reading next?

The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman

Hopefully this, but it might be another Penny Reid book.

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Consider yourself tagged if you wanna do this too. 🙂