XBR4OF: Time for a Tag

The Beauty and the Beast Book Tag

Grace, Haley, Kaya, Kirsten, Lanie, Lea, Melody, Xyra, 2 or more

Hi! The other day I was skimming posts and came across a great one from On the Other Side of Reality. The topic grabbed my attention and I had to join.
Hey, what about us?
We think it's cool too!
Well, you can chime in but the pictures are going to focus on my reading habits.
Okay. that works.
Thank you, Ellie for this tag. You grabbed the attention of this fangirl!
Ahem!
Okay, these fangirls. Here we go.

Tag Specifics

This tag was created by Ellie in honor of the live action Beauty and The Beast movie. Belle was her favorite Disney princess. The questions pick key elements of the story and asks about books that fit those elements.

Belle

A book you bought for its beautiful cover that's just as beautiful inside, too.

For me that is Unearthly by Cynthia Hand. Everytime I walked by our local Books-a-Million the cover color screamed at me. It's a stunning lavender metallic and this photo doesn't do it justice at all. Nope, not even close! None of the online versions are right.

I fully admit covers attract me. After a few mistakes (great covers, terrible stories), I increased my formula to book cover, blurb, and randomly selected passage. If it passes all three tests I take it home. With Unearthly, the purchase was solely based on the striking cover. It's the first of a trilogy that focuses on a girl who finds out she is part angel. I laughed, cried, fell in love, hoped for the best, thought the worst, and devoured these books. Great purchase! I've shared the series with quite a few people.

Yeah, that's the best cover in our library! Great series too.

Beast

A book you didn't expect much from, but it pleasantly surprised you.
Easy peasy...The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova. 

I picked this up at a yard sale. It's a large tome! I was telling a friend about the find and she mentioned she had read the book. She was not impressed; found it wordy, repetitve, and too long. So you could say my expectations were super low. I even put off reading it for a year. When I tackled it, I couldn't put it down! We traveled continents, visited libraries, found maps...action, adventure, history, mythology, and Dracula. Loved it!

Hmmm, that is a tough question. I think The Railway Children by E Nesbit was mine. It turned out to be an interesting look at family life from the past. 

Gaston

A book everyone loves that you don't.
Some might be surprised by this one, but Confessions of a Jane Austin Addict by Laura Viera Rigler. 

I know people are thrilled with this book, but I just didn't like sitting in the main character's brain for so long.

Mine has to be The Name of this Book is Secret by Pseudonymous Bosch. I know we all liked it, but it was just so weird. I couldn't always grasp what was happening, especially when the narrator would break into the story.

LeFou

A loyal sidekick you can't help loving more than their counterpart.
This one took a lot of thought. I finally came up with the Mrs. Murphy series by Rita Mae Brown and Sneaky Pie.

Rita Mae Brown has several mystery series on the market, but I've only ever been interested in this one. Not so much for Mary Minor "Harry" Haristeen, but because of Mrs. Murphy, Tea Tucker, Pewter, and the other animal sleuths. Don't get me wrong, Harry is great! Strong, independent, caring. I'm just drawn to that tiger kitty and her corgi fur-sibling.

Okay, this was interesting and a really tough question. I had to think over all the books we've read and main characters. Turns out mine is The Rabbit Who Ate My Homework by Rachel Elizabeth Cole. I didn't really like Drew, but his sister, Libby was great and so was the bunny, Tiny!

Mrs. Potts, Lumier, and Cogsworth

A book that helped you through a difficult time or taught you something valuable.
Two books came to mind fitting this description. The Fault in Our Stars by John Green gave me a new perspective on people battling and suffering from cancer. The Odds of Loving Grover Cleveland by Rebekah Crane provided insights on youth dealing with mental health issues.

Anne of Green Gables by LM Montgomery took me away to another era and taught me to value all the great things we have now. It also helped me when I was feeling strange as the new girl. I didn't make nearly the mistakes Anne did. (giggles)

Something There

A book or series you weren't into at first, but picked up toward the end.
At first I had to tweak this category a bit. Instead of a series I wasn't into at first then got completely attached to it, I found a few series where I loved in the beginning, lost some interest in the middle, but I stuck it out to the very end. Three series fit that description: Sookie Stackhouse by Charlaine Harris, House of Night by PC and Kristen Cast, and The Mortal Instruments by Cassandra Clare. 

Each of these had spells where readers left the series and ranted over how terrible the books had become. With each I was very glad I stuck it out to the very end.

Then it hit me. One series where friends kept telling me, "Just keep reading!." By the end this fangirl was ensconced in the fandom. The Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead. 

I did not like the main character in the first two books. She grated on my nerves. Boy, did it turn around by the end!

We don't have anything to add here. (giggles)

Tale as Old as Time

A popular trope, theme, or setting you never get tired of reading.
Mystery is my A-1 go to genre. Doesn't mean I always love what I read, but a well written series will keep me coming back. My favorite authors include: Agatha Christie, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Lilian Jackson Braun, and Rita Mae Brown (with Sneaky Pie). 

Follow that with magical and paranormal fantasy. I want my books to take me away from reality.

Yep, yep, yep! We totally agree here!

Be Our Guest

A fictional character you would love to have over for dinner.
Super tough question. I narrowed the field by eliminating all characters who would probably prefer my blood to anything I could prepare (even though the conversation would be fascinating). Then eliminated all the characters I only know from movies or TV and haven't read the source material (bye, bye hobbits). Then out went any character who can't eat (so long ghosts) or speak directly or walk on four feet (toodles mice, cats, dogs, etc.). Still the field to choose from is huge! So I'm throwing a banquet or buffet and inviting Joe and Frank Hardy, Nancy Drew, Miss Marple, Qwill, Neville Longbottom, Alice, Father Tim, Sookie, and Jem.

No brainer! Percy Jackson.

Any surprises here? Please feel free to answer these questions with your own choices in the comments below. If you are super interested in this tag, feel free to post it on your blog too! Remember to link back to here or directly to Ellie's blog.

Best wishes,