Here we are, Day 2 of BOOK TAG WEEK!!
For today’s tag, I’ll do the Recommendations Book Tag, which I found over on Jessica Favor. It was created by Ally Writes Things.
(The titles below are linked to my review, if I did one.)
A book about friendship
The Tea Dragon Society by Kay O’Neill (illus.)
These middle-grade fantasy graphic novels are about people who have tea dragons as pets. The tea dragons are miniature dragons that grow tea leaves from their horns. There are three books so far in the series, and they are all cozy, sweet reads that also focus on friendship.
A translated book
The Little Red Wolf by Amélie Fléchais (illus.), transl. by Jeremy Melloul
This is a wonderful picture book translated from the French. It’s a retelling of Charles Perrault’s fairytale Little Red Riding Hood, but with a twist: It follows a little wolf travelling through the woods to its grandmother’s house to bring her food since she’s lost all her teeth and can no longer hunt. It’s a great read, and the illustrations are beautiful.
A diverse romance
Black Witch Magic by Mila Nicks
It’s paranormal, contemporary romance about a young Black woman, who’s a witch, who becomes romantically involved with a young White man who helps to run a TV series (I think), where he and his friend investigate paranormal phenomena. It’s a light, fun read, but it didn’t really work for me.
A fast-paced book
Tikka Chance on Me by Suleikha Snyder
Here’s another contemporary romance featuring an interracial couple. It’s a novella, and the pace went at a fast clip from beginning to end. It’s about a young woman who helps run her family’s Indian restaurant falling for a young White man who heads the local biker gang. It’s also a light, fun read. I liked it, but the fast pace rushed everything, so more development was needed in certain areas.
A nonfiction other than a memoir
The Black Jacobins by C.L.R. James
It’s a history book about the Haitian Revolution, and I highly recommend it. It’s under 500 pages, and the writing is not too dense. What it covers and the details about the treatment of slaves and such will make it a difficult read, but it is an important book to try.
An underrated memoir
A Time Code by Ruth Ozeki
This short book (I think it’s less than 200 pages) is part of a series of short memoirs by various writers that focuses on identity. For hers, Ozeki uses an observation method she’d read about and so jots down the thoughts and observations she had while staring at her face in a mirror for three full hours.
A book with fewer than 10,000 ratings on Goodreads
The Only Child by Guojing (illus.)
Taken from my review: The Only Child is a sweet fantasy story that reflects the author’s experience as an only child living under the one-child policy in China during the 1980s. It’s a wordless picture book, but the stunning illustrations do a great job conveying emotions and what’s communicated in the situations portrayed. It has less than 3,000 ratings on Goodreads.
A book with an LGBTQ+ protagonist
Moonstruck, Vol. 2: Some Enchanted Evening by Grace Ellis, illus. by Shae Beagle & Kat Fajardo with colors by Caitlin Quirk
Moonstruck is a YA fantasy series that focuses on fantastical creatures living in a college town. The story is about werewolf barista Julie, who’s quite anxious about being a werewolf and her relationship with her girlfriend. However, I’m not a fan of Julie; I much prefer her best friend, Chet, a centaur, which is why I’m featuring the second volume, because I really enjoyed his character in this one.
A book by a trans or nonbinary author
Black Tides of Heaven by J.Y. Yang
This is the first in a series of silkpunk fantasy novellas. It’s about twins whose mother serve as Protector of their kingdom. The Protector made a bargain with the Grand Monastery and so gave the twins to it, but when it’s discovered that one of the twins has prophetic powers, the Protector takes back that one child, leaving Akeha behind, who’s often disregarded and overlooked. Later when Akeha learns of growing resistance to the Protector’s influence, Akeha runs away to find their own path…
I always have difficulty summarizing these books. The story and society it’s set in are interesting, but the story didn’t really hook me.
A book with more than 500 pages
Black Boy by Richard Wright
I believe this is an autobiography, but it reads like a novel, so it could be an autobiographical novel about the author’s time growing up in the South. I remember enjoying the writing, but I can’t remember finishing it. I had to read a school book during classes since I didn’t have my own copy, so maybe I didn’t make it to the end.
Goodreads says it has 501 pages.
A short story collection
Legend of Sleepy Hollow and Other Macabre Tales by Washington Irving
It’s been a long time since I’ve read this collection of short stories by Irving. I spotted the book a couple days ago and felt a strong pull to give it a reread. The first time I read it was back in 2012, when I think I started this blog (started committing to blogging). I’ve since forgotten much about the stories. The only one that’s stuck with me is the one about the dude who fell asleep and woke up years later.
A book you want everyone to read
Isla to Island by Alexis Castellanos (illus.)
At the moment, it’s this wordless middle-grade historical-fiction graphic novel about a girl who immigrates from Cuba to the U.S. in the 1960s. The story is inspired by the author’s family’s experiences. It’s a heartfelt, and the illustrations are wonderful.
Zezee with Books 
I read and thoroughly enjoyed Ruth Ozeki’s A Tale for the Time Being and would highly recommend giving it a try. The title is so perfect as it has multiple meanings that are all applicable to this somewhat unusual story. And interestingly, one of the main characters is named Ruth, who is a writer, so there’s a bit of potential self-reference. I love her sense of humor. One of these days I want to seek out and try something else by her.
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I wanted to read that book too, but I recently unhauled it, unread. You make it sound so good, though. I’ll work my way back to it eventually.
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