Two Tags for the Price of One
I’ve got a couple of tags I need to catch up on, so thought I may as well be proactive and combine them into a single post. First is the Get to Know Me Tag, which I was kindly invited to do by Satou Johns @ Inkish Kingdoms. Let’s jump right into the questions:
FAVORITE COLOR AND DO YOU HAVE A BOOK IN THAT COLOR?
My favourite colour is probably a deep blue, akin to this beautiful Waterstone’s exclusive edition of The Essex Serpent. I really must read this sometime soon…
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The Essex Serpent by Sarah Perry
DESCRIBE YOURSELF IN 3 BOOK CHARACTERS
When that ‘describe yourself in 3 characters’ tag was going around a while back, these were my choices, so whilst not all of them are technically book characters, I stand by my decision. I think they pretty much speak for themselves.
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Seems about right…
HYPED BOOKS YAY OR NAY? IF YAY, WHAT WAS THE MOST HYPED BOOK YOU EVER READ? IF NAY, WHAT WAS THE MOST HYPED BOOK YOU DECIDED NOT TO READ?
Generally, nay. I read pretty widely, but at the same time I know what genres I like, so I wouldn’t pick something up that didn’t appeal to me purely because it was hyped. Too much self-inflicted hype can also damage a book for me, which is always a horrible feeling.
I rarely read YA, and a lot of the most hyped books on book blogs/booktube channels tend to be within that area, so I guess the most well-known examples I’ve not picked up would be anything by super popular YA authors like Sarah J. Maas or Cassandra Clare.
RECOMMEND ONE BOOK PER SEASON. SPRING. SUMMER. FALL. WINTER.
Spring: Spring makes me think of baby animals, and so what better than a book full of gorgeous illustrations of baby animals by one of my favourite artists? Thus, my pick is Flying the Nest by Hannah Dale.
Summer: Little Deaths by Emma Flint is set during a stiflingly hot summer, and the building, sticky heat of the setting is used to cleverly mirror the mounting pressure and strain the book’s anti-heroine is under.
Fall: I haven’t read it yet myself, but Autumn by Ali Smith is an obvious choice, since that’s what we call Fall in the UK, and it’s precisely when the book is set. Plus, the cover is suitably autumnal. (SIDE NOTE AND POTENTIALLY STUPID QUESTION: Do Americans use the word autumnal, even though they don’t call it autumn? I’ve never thought about that before. Answers on a postcard please. Or, you know, the comments section would do.)
Winter: I’m going to pick Sweetgirl by Travis Mulhauser. I read it this winter and thought the cold, snowy, isolated setting was captured very well, and the dark tone of the story suits the mood of the season. A perfect, pacy read to curl up with by the fire.
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My seasonal recommendations.
NAME ONE BOOK THAT WRECKED YOU EMOTIONALLY
Jo Cox: More in Common is a biography of a British MP and humanitarian campaigner who was murdered in 2016 in an act of terror because of her pro-EU views, written by her husband, Brendan Cox. It’s so tender, insightful and full of the love and respect Brendan obviously had for his wife. She was a remarkable person who achieved so much in her short life, and the more I learnt about her whilst reading this, the sadder I became that politics (and society in general, really – not to mention her two young children) had lost such a positive life force who genuinely wanted to do good in the world.
NAME ONE BOOK YOU WOULD RECOMMEND WITH TEA AND COOKIES?
This makes me think of something immersive that will sweep you up, hence stocking up on snacks and cosying in with a cuppa. My go to recommendation for such a book is Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier; a masterclass of brooding atmosphere that you just want to lose yourself in.
WHAT IS YOUR GUILTY PLEASURE BOOK?
I do enjoy a good middle grade novel every now and then when I’m in the mood for something with a nostalgic feel that is an easy read, but I don’t think I ought to feel too guilty about that 
