The Grad Student Book Tag

What do you guys think my big celebration should be for finishing up my graduate school classwork? Big party? No, social distancing. Fancy dinner? No, restaurants are closed. A book tag? PERFECT!

Jillian the Bookish Butterfly created this super fun book tag for all you nerds in graduate school or thinking about graduate school. And she knew I was working on a degree too, so she tagged me! Thanks Jillian!

As a side-note, I am NOT graduating yet. I still have to do my practicum (also called internship) in the fall, but I’m thinking (hoping) it’s going to be a LOT less work than my classes were. Guaranteed I won’t have to read 60 pages of a cataloging textbook every week. Ugh.

So, yay! Let’s get started!

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Picking an Area of Study

What’s your favorite books and/or series from each of your favorite genres?

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Oh gosh! I have so many favorite genres! lol

Fantasy: Lord of the Rings. I know, such a cliche. But I’ve been in love with it since forever, literally since middle school. Y’all, that was 20 freaking years ago. And true love never fades.

Historical Fiction: Wolf Hall and the Thomas Cromwell trilogy. It’s just SOOOOO stinking good! I love Cromwell as a narrator and his odd sense of humor, as well as seeing Henry and his wives from an outsider’s persepctive.

Classics: Pride and Prejudice. It’s just so romantic and funny and all-around well written. I never get tired of it.

Young Adult: Probably Eleanor & Park. You all know how obsessed I am with Rainbow Rowell.

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Calendar Girls May: Favorite Slow Burn

IT’S FINALLY MAY. Thank goodness, right?

Our Calendar Girls theme this month is World Turtle Day: Favorite Slow Burn. Now, in my experience, slow burn usually refers to romance novels, which you all know are not something I’m into. But I guess there are some YA romances that I really enjoy, and most of those are pretty slow burn-y. I guess slow burn is my preferred trope?

So without my normal rambling, let’s get on with it. My pick for May is…

My Decade in Books

As I think back on the last 10 years my life looks SO different. Things have *not* gone according to plan (when do they ever?), and I don’t think the person I was in 2010 would recognize me. But the one thing that has remained a constant? Books. Books books books. Though my reading tastes and styles have changed, my love of books stays the same.

Before I jump into the books though, can I give you some personals? Since January 1, 2010 I have:

• Gotten engaged, then married
• Graduated college
• Worked in retail, as a barista, bookseller, substitute teacher, band director, 4th/5th grade teacher, and am now starting as a librarian
• Had two kids
• Bought two houses
• Started graduate school
• Buried a kitten
• Adopted a cat and a dog
• Joined, fell in love with, then mourned Pottermore
• Started a book blog

Man, to think that in 2010 I was only a junior in college. How life has changed!

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Okay, I haven’t changed *that* much…

Soul Ripping Romance Tag

Way back around Valentines Day The Orangutan Librarian tagged me in this very simple yet obviously-I-have-to-do-it tag. If you aren’t following The Orangutan Librarian yet, you are seriously missing out and you need to go fix it NOW. That being said, you are probably going to see a lot of the same things in this tag, because we are too much alike considering we are, in fact, not even from the same species.

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The Rules

• Thank the person who tagged you and create a pingback to the original author – Nel at Reactionary Tales.
• Share at least 5 (but more are welcome) romances that tugged your heart strings. They can be from books, movies, TV shows, manga; anything you can think of! They can be examples of sad tears, angry tears, happy tears or a combination of all three.
• Nominate 5 (or more) people to share their emotional traumas
• (Note: Try not to spoil the story for your readers in case they would like to check out these romances on their own)

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My Favorite Romances

Ron and Hermione

My OTP. Forever. I will fight you to the death on this one, especially if you’re going to try tell me that Hermione aught to have ended up with Harry. Or if you are going to tell me that Harry Potter is horrible.

Frozen Book Tag

I saw this tag on Book Princess Reviews, and it’s right up my ally. Frozen might be my favorite Disney movie. I love the music, I love Anna, I love the sisterhood theme, I love how it kind of makes fun of the old Disney movies. Did I mention I love the music? When we went to see it in theaters and we heard the intro-song my husband and I looked at each other and said “We may as well leave, it’s not going to get any better than that.” Then it DID.

Anyway, I love Frozen.

This tag was created by Book’s Buzz way back in 2014. So here we go!

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Let it Go

A book you wouldn’t mind parting with

That’s easy! Last year around Christmas-time I got gifted The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt. I read it last summer and it was not my cup of tea. Next time I clean out my bookshelf it’ll probably go the Half-Price.

The Mid-Autumn Festival Tag

So after apparently tagging The Orangutan Librarian in half a million tags while they were away for a few months, I have been tagged back with the Mid-Autum tag! I figured I’d better get to this one ASAP, because we’ve apparently used up our two days of fall for 2018 already. We’ve dropped into 40 degree weather, and I don’t have a winter coat yet because my dog ate mine last winter, and APPARENTLY the department stores don’t have their coats in yet. Not that I’m upset about that or anything…

Okay, deep breaths.

So, anyway, thanks to The Orangutan Librarian for tagging me! And away I go!

Reunion of Family

A Book with Family Goals

This might be a little awkward, but I’m going with Eleanor & Park because I love how Park’s parents are still so mushy gushy in love after all those years! I hope that when we’re in our forties my husband and I are still flirting with each other and kissing in front of the kids and generally being embarrassing. ❤

Halloween Creatures Book Tag 2.0

YOU GUYS!!!!! IT’S ALMOST HALLOWEEEEEEEEN!!!!!!!

Thanks to Mel at Mel to the Any for tagging me in this one! I absolutely love monsters at Halloween time (and honestly, at any time) so this is the perfect tag for me. I hope some of you are getting as excited for Halloween as I am. Yay!

Rules

• Answer all prompts.
• Answer honestly.
• Tag 1-13 people.
• Link back to this post.
• Remember to credit the creator. (Anthony @ Keep Reading Forward)
• Have fun!

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Witch

A magical character or book

Ah, finally, an opportunity this month to bring up Harry Potter! lol

Seriously though, this book is so magical! At least for my generation there are so many people who hated reading, and then they read Harry Potter and fell in love with books. If that isn’t magic, then I don’t know what is! They’re so wonderful that I can re-read them as an adult and not feel annoyed by the childishness because they aren’t childish. And there’s always something new to discover. I can only assume J.K. Rowling is actually some kind of witch.

#notall Book Tag

This tag from the Orangutan Librarian really left me chuckling. You’ll have to check hers out, it’s very entertaining. Also, she made it, so if I tag you be nice and link back to her. 🙂

But it also really made me think in some good ways. I love talking about rules and generalizations, but I love talking about the exceptions EVEN MORE. So this is going to be good fun.

#notall Cover Changes – A cover change you liked

Ooooooo, I HATE cover changes!!!! They drive me crazy! Except when the original cover was awful and they fix it. Which is 100% what happened with Throne of Glass. 

I mean, look at that original and tell me it doesn’t look stupid, lame, and everything bad. And I just love the art style on the new one! Very badass.

My Life in Books Tag

Happy (almost) 2018 everyone! New Years has never been one of my favorite holidays. Personally I can’t understand why we would wait til January for new beginnings, just start NOW. But I AM really looking forward to 2018 and what it is going to bring, especially for my blog.

Thanks to Naty at Naty’s Bookshelf for tagging me in this one! I think it’s a great one to roll out the new year with, and let you all get to know me just a little better.

As usual, any prompt that requires me to use my bookshelf will use the Goodreads random feature.

Find a book for each of your initials.

I liked how Naty spelled out her name instead. That’s more fun. So I’m doing that. (Get over it.)

Kite Runner (oooo, depressing choice!)

And Then There Were None (one of my top choices of 2017!)

Two Towers (LOTR is my all-time favorite!)

Inheritance (easily the WORST book on this list…)

Eleanor & Park (<3)

The Candy Book Tag

Because it wouldn’t be October without copious amounts of CANDY!!!!

Actually, I usually don’t each much Halloween candy. But my primary pregnancy craving this year has been for sweets, and I’ve probably eaten more candy in the last 5 months than the last five years. Right now it’s Nerds. I. LOVE. NERDS.

Thanks to The Orangutan Librarian for tagging me! I might have to steal her idea and eat some candy while I do this one, because I’m literally drooling a little…

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Apples

Ah, healthy food. It’s deep, meaningful, and probably won a lot of awards, but, um, isn’t really your thing.

Honestly, don’t hate me, I dnf-ed Anna Karenina. I just didn’t get it, and I had zero interest in 19th century Russian farming techniques. I didn’t even GET to the great love affair as I quit about 25 pages in. Snooze-city for me.