Thank you so much to @hardcoverhaven for tagging me! It’s been so long since I’ve done one and I forgot how fun they were. This is a great opportunity to showcase some books I’ve been reading in this strange year 2020.
Chastity
Which books do you wish you had never read?
The Kiss Thief by LJ Shen
Look, when I started this book, I didn’t think it was going to the best thing ever to hit the romance genre. I was just looking for a good time and I was sort of willing to forgive the alpha jealousy personality of the male hero but then THAT scene came on and I kept asking myself, what is happening?? There were so problematic things happening, and then all of a sudden all the little prior things in the story I ignored for the sake of an entertaining story became glaringly problematic and I DNFed the book right then and there.
TEMPERANCE
Which book/series did you find so good that you didn’t want to read it all at once and you read it in doses just to make the pleasure last longer?
Third Shift Society by Meredith Moriarty
This is actually a webcomic that’s been nominated by the Eisner award for best webtoon. It’s about a woman who teams up with a pumpkin man to fight supernatural mysteries in their town together. I tried to pace myself but ended up reading the whole thing in a few hours. I kind of fell in love with its cheesiness and just reveled in the sheer fun. It just reminded me of the days when I would ship couples endlessly on Tumblr and reblog every single interaction gif. Yeah, I’m shipping the two main characters so hard. The art style is easy to follow with its reminiscence to manga. It’s kind of like the Avatar the Last Airbender in art style, with a blend of Western and Japanese manga art style. I also like the supernatural mysteries and side characters. Can’t wait for more! You can read it free here.
CHARITY
Which book/series/author do you tirelessly push on others, telling them about it or even giving away spare copies bought for that reason?
The To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before series and The Happiness Trap
A lot of my friends don’t read as much as I do so I always recommend To All the Boys because it’s easy to read quickly (plus it’s cute). I also usually recommend self help books because some of them have actually helped me. My favorite one by far would have to be The Happiness Trap. It helped me through some dark times and helped me form the values I have in my life while offering tips and tricks for how to be mindful.
DILIGENCE
Which series/author would you follow no matter what happens and how long you have to wait?
Scott Lynch – The Lies of Locke Lamora series
I feel like I’ve been waiting for the next book in the series for years now (at least 4 years now). And no sign of when he will publish it…The last book ended on such a cliffhanger too.
PATIENCE
Is there an author/book/series you’ve read that improved with time, starting out unpromising, but ultimately proving rewarding?
The Queen’s Thief series by Megan Whalen Turner
When I first read the first book in the series, I almost coudn’t finish it because to be frank it was kind of boring. The second book, however, was a masterpiece. Reading the second book was like seeing the real Mona Lisa for the first time after seeing a toddler’s depiction of it. This analogy sucks but you get the point. The rest of the series continued to be like that too, only getting richer and more complex with every book. I cannot wait for the last book and will be rereading the series before then.
KINDNESS
Which fictional character would you consider your role-model in the hassle of everyday life?
Kestrel from The Winner’s Trilogy by Marie Rutkoski
Honestly, Kestrel is a queen. I just admire her cunning and intellect and the ways that she sticks to her principles. If you’ve read the story, (without spoilers for nonreaders), you’ll know that she was born to believe in war and conquering other lands. It was a way of life but she grew to develop her own sense of self and the journey was beautiful to read about. This trilogy in general is one of the most underrated YA fantasy series.
HUMILITY
Which author/book/series do you find most underrated?
The Winner’s Trilogy by Marie Rutkoski March series by John Lewis
I wanted to say The Winner’s Trilogy but I mention that series a lot so I’ll say the March graphic novel series. It follows the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960’s. I think why I like this series so much is that it shows the nuances of the Civil Rights Movement rather than showing it was a (literally) black and white issue but more of a gray progression to success. You get an appreciation for how difficult it is to have a movement like the Civil Rights movement, feminist movement etc. despite social stigma and uncertainty of whether it was going to be even successful.
I tag:
Alicia @AKernelofNonsense (when she is back from hiatus)
Rachel @LifeofaFemaleBibliophile
And anyone else who wants to do it!
A Hundred thousand Stories 