Meet the Blogger Tag

Happy Tuesday, everyone! I’m coming to you today with a blog milestone: my very first tag! Hopefully, you’ll learn a bit more about me, as there WILL be a quiz at the end. (I kid. The semester is over. There is no quiz.)

The rules are as follows:

• You can nominate 10 other bloggers.
• Use the same questions from the tag.
• Tag the original creator, and the person who tagged you. I wasn’t officially tagged, but Shanayah at the Scarlet Bookkeeper did it recently, and I took that as my cue.

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1. Who is your all-time favorite book character?

Miryem Mandelstam has full custody of my heart from now ’til forever. I spent hundreds of words singing her praises in my review, so I’ll make this quick: I love her pragmatism. I love the way it isn’t used against her. I love her love for her family, and her devotion to tradition, and how neither is ever framed as holding her back. I loved watching her fall in love. I loved watching her nurture her ties to a new community beyond just falling in love. She’s all but responsible for Spinning Silver becoming one of my new favorite books. I could honestly read about her daily chores for another six hundred pages.

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2. If you were stranded on a desert island, which book would you take with you?

My (is this cheating?) 1000-page Complete Works of Shakespeare. It would keep me busy for a while, the language is challenging enough to reward, and even require, reread, and, uninterrupted by worldly distractions, I might actually stand a chance of getting through them all. I can do my favorite monologues for an audience of rocks, it’ll be fun!

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3. What’s your most unpopular book opinion?

Love triangles are good, actually! I’ve been on this team since all three of the main romantic subplots in the Shadow and Bone trilogy swept me off my feet, and I almost always find a good love polygon more memorable than your standard, two-sided will-they-won’t-they. There’s just something incredibly compelling about placing a character at odds between two (or more!) opposing love interests, and using each to expose the shortcomings of the other. Jane Austen did this to graceful effect in Mansfield Park, Kiersten White sliced my heart in thirds with whatever the hell is going on in The Guinevere Deception, and Tracy Deonn’s angsty love triangle in Legendborn had me rattling the bars of my cage!! As a dedicated multishipper, I’m always game for a multitude of potential ships, and, just F.Y.I, if Deonn wants to go the poly route and let Bree Matthews have two boyfriends…that would be amazing; she should absolutely do that.

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4. What’s your weirdest bookish habit?

What isn’t my weirdest bookish habit? I only reread books during the time of year in which I first read them. (There are some series I do this with, too!) I read in unbroken 50-page intervals almost exclusively, but still never let the book I’m currently reading out of my sight. Also, I never put a book in a backpack or purse, ever. I am fanatically careful about never bending or fraying the cover.

(And the dust jacket stays on. No exceptions.)

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5. What character would you bring to a family event as your fake partner?

As a known aromantic asexual, I’d want someone as resistant to the idea of this turning into a fake-dating trope romance situation as me, so we’re taking Daniel from The Stars We Steal by Alexa Donne! He, no joke, spends the entire book looking for someone to platonically marry so he can get his parents off his back. I feel like he’d be pretty chill about it.

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6. What made you decide to start a book blog?

I’ve been reviewing books since middle school. There’s something about this form of writing that really appeals to me, and I like responding to what I read, instead of just putting the book down and never really thinking about it again. The blog is a more recent development, owing to my nostalgia for my school newspaper and my desire to connect with other readers in a place that’s not quite as dense as Goodreads. You’ve all been lovely, by the way––thank you!

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7. What is your field of study/desired profession/current profession?

Having taken the pandemic off to stay with my parents (and get an unplanned Associate of Science degree, oops!), I’m up in the air right now, but I like my possibilities. I’m auditioning for drama school in the spring to see if acting is in the cards for me, but if not, I’ve developed a recent interest in geology, so we’ll see where that leads! (And, oh, I’d love to be an author, but I don’t see myself doing it full-time. Or very soon, frankly––my skills need time to grow!)

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8. What are some book recommendations that became your favorites/obsessions?

A friend of mine who never misses made me read The Secret History, Six of Crows, The Cruel Prince, If We Were Villains, and The Inheritance Games, and those books own me now. She keeps pestering me about Maggie Stiefvater’s The Raven Boys, so, if I know what’s good for me, I’ll read it.

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9. What is the book you shove down everyone’s throat?

Jane Eyre. Always.

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10. Who do you tag?

If you’re reading this, consider yourself tagged 😌

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Thank you so much for reading! I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below, and feel free to do the tag if you’re so inclined 💕 (Also: if we share any answers, let me know!)