I haven’t posted a tag for a while because I felt like my answers were really repetitive. But I’ve read a lot of books since my last tag, so I have some brand new answers for some of these questions.
I was tagged by Summer @ Xingsings to do The Coffee Book Tag. I’m not a coffee-drinker (I hate the taste) but this seemed like a fun tag, so here we go:
Black: A series that’s tough to get into but has hardcore fans
I LOVE The Raven Cycle and I’m one of those hardcore fans. But I have to admit that it’s hard to get into because the books are so slow-paced! It’s worth pushing through though because the series is amazing!
Peppermint mocha: A book that gets more popular during the winter or a festive time of year
Dash and Lily’s Book of Dares by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan is one that I don’t hear anything about unless it’s during the holiday season. Nobody ever mentions this book until it’s December and once Christmas is over, this book is pretty much forgotten until next December. It’s definitely a super popular book during the winter though, and I myself read it around Christmas in 2014.
Hot chocolate: A favourite children’s book
I was obsessed with Enid Blyton’s books when I was a child. I loved her Faraway Tree and Wishing Chair series. But I also remember reading a lot of her Five Find-Outers, St Clare’s and Malory Towers series. I think I still have all of those books lying around at home somewhere!
Double shot of espresso: A book that kept you on the edge of your seat from start to finish
I read the Winner’s Trilogy by Marie Rutkoski in January and it’s become one of my new favourite series! They’ve got such a great tone and atmosphere and literally had me flailing and bouncing around from the tension and anticipation. The Winner’s Kiss cannot come soon enough!! I NEED IT!
Starbucks: A book you see everywhere
I see Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas EVERYWHERE. And I can understand why because it’s such a wonderful series!
I went to the bookstore yesterday and there was a whole shelf dedicated to all of the Throne of Glass books. And there were also stacks and stacks of them in the popular titles area. It was actually kind of ridiculous.
That hipster coffee shop: A book by an indie author (a shoutout)
I don’t read as many indie titles as I would like… but The Bureau of Time by Brett Michael Orr, fellow Aussie blogger, is one that I’m super excited about. I did a cover reveal post a few month ago.
Sadly, I still haven’t been able to get my hands on it because it’s not available on iBooks yet. But you can get it from most other online retailers right now!
Oops! I accidentally got decaf: A book you were expecting more from
I had super high hopes for The Year We Fell Apart by Emily Martin. It was one of my most anticipated contemporary releases of 2016 but it was a little bit underwhelming. I wasn’t a fan of the plot or the MC. She was extremely frustrating to read about because she kept making the same mistakes over and over again. There just wasn’t enough character development and I didn’t really enjoy it. The only aspect of the book that didn’t disappoint was the cover. It’s beautiful.
The perfect blend: A book or series that was both bitter and sweet, but ultimately satisfying
I don’t think this needs any explanation. I love The Infernal Devices by Cassandra Clare. It really has everything you could possibly want from a series! You should read this if you want to feel all the feels!
Green tea: A book or series that is quietly beautiful
I recently read The Stars at Oktober Bend by Glenda Millard, and it’s become one of my favourite Australian YA titles. It has the most beautiful writing and the most beautiful characters and relationships. The relationship between the main character, Alice, and her brother, Joey, was just the most heartwarming thing I’ve read about in a really long time. The romance was also brilliant. It’s a simple book with a simple plot that’s just executed brilliantly.
Chai tea: A book or series that makes you dream of far off places
Passenger by Alexandra Bracken really takes you on a journey. It’s a scavenger hunt through time and space, and you’re transported to all of these amazing locations and time periods, including 1940s London, 19th century Paris, etc.
The book really made me want to travel more and see different places and learn about the history of these different places.
Earl grey: A favourite classic
The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde is my favourite classic of all time. It’s dark and mysterious and has a plot that just pulls you in. Best of all, The Picture of Dorian Gray is a pretty easy classic to read, and I highly recommend it!
Other classics that I enjoyed are The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka and To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee.
I tag:
I’m tagging 7 of my usual tag buddies and 7 of my newest followers.
- Aimal @ Bookshelves & Paperbacks
- CW @ Read Think Ponder
- Jess @ Princessica of Books
- Jesse @ Books at Dawn
- Joey @ Thoughts and Afterthoughts
- Lois @ My Midnight Musing
- Trisha Ann @ The Bookgasm Blog
- Chelsie @ Chelsie’s Book Addiction
- Emma @ Em Does Book Reviews
- GracieFM
- Louise @ Louise Loves Books
- Percy @ Percy Reads
- Raihana @ Hana Reads
- VV @ Noodle Creature
Reading with Jenna || book blog 
Yay! I thought I’m the only one disgusted by the taste of coffee! I have friends who drink it like water and I’m like, why?? I can’t even stand the smell. Haha!
I really have to get to The Winner’s Trilogy! You and many others say it’s a different kind of dystopia that’s very gripping! I agree about Throne of Glass being like Starbucks. Even in the Philippines! The first thing that slams on your face when entering a bookstore is Celaena’s figure! Haha 😛
Thank you for tagging me, Jenna! 😀
LikeLiked by 1 person
I don’t really mind the smell of coffee that much. Sometimes, I feel more awake just with the scent of it. But I can’t stand the taste! It tastes like dirt! I do like the taste of coffee flavoured things though, like coffee ice cream and coffee cake.
The Winner’s Trilogy is brilliant! You should totally check it out after the third book is released! It has really epic cliffhangers that will leave you just emotionally drained so I recommend marathoning them when they’re all out!
LikeLike
LOL dirt?! I am laughing my head off on how you describe coffee but there’s some truth in it.
Ahh I sense this will be a bit like The Infernal Devices in terms of excitement and emotions!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Pretty much 😀 It’s a not sad like TID. It’s more just unbearable tension and frustration.
LikeLike
Thanks for the tag! 🙂
I agree on the raven cycle. It’s hard to get into at first but so, so damn worth it 😀
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yeah those books were so hard to get into! I had to really push through the beginning of each of the three books. It was so worth it in the end though. Can’t wait for Book 4!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Ooooo!!! The Stars at Oktoberbend sounds amazing!! You had me at amazing relationship between the the brother and sister and then I melted when you said there was romance. I’m such a sucker for a good romance subplot or even if it is the main plot. I love it! Lol.
LikeLiked by 1 person
The romance was amazing! It was very innocent and simple… but it was such a supportive relationship that you can’t help but smile. Every single relationship in this book was just amazing and the characters cared for and cared about each other so much. I loved it.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m already swooning. Gosh darn it, Jenna!!! Lol >.<
I love supportive relationships though and books about friendship. I think maybe that's why I like The Raven Cycle so much, because all the boys are so loyal to each other (even when they're like go f* yourself to the other), lol.
LikeLike
Ohh, since I plan on starting The Raven Cycle series soonn, well, it’s good to know it’s slow, at first. I wouldn’t want to give up on that series, I want to see what all the hype is about 😀
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yeah, those books are definitely hard to get into. They’re just all very slow-paced throughout so you just need to be patient with it, I guess. Blue Lily Lily Blue is a little bit more fast-paced and has a bit more action. It’ll have you super excited for the last book!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I definitely need to read the Picture of Dorian Grey. OMG JENNA YOU ALWAYS SEEM TO FIT IN THE INFERNAL DEVICES IN YOUR TAGS hahaa.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hahaha at least I don’t have All the Light We Cannot See in this tag. I don’t think I’ve done a single tag where I haven’t featured that book 😀 The Picture of Dorian Gray is great! It’s so easy to read and the plot is super interesting!
LikeLiked by 1 person
How can you hate coffee, Jenna? Lol. I plan to finally read The Raven Cycle this year and I’m impatiently waiting for the release of the last book in Winner’s Trilogy. I haven’t heard about The Stars at October Bend before, I’ll check out your review. I’ve read The Picture of Dorian Gray in Russian long time ago. I want to try it in English though.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Coffee just tastes like liquid dirt to me. No matter how much milk or sugar I put in it, it still tastes disgusting! I tried drinking mocha because it’s half chocolate…but I just couldn’t handle it.
I hope you enjoy The Raven Cycle! I really enjoyed those books and can’t wait for The Raven King to come out! And omg The Winner’s Kiss cannot come soon enough! I need it!! The Stars at Oktober Bend is a new Australian YA novel. I’m not sure if it’ll be published internationally… I really loved it though. It was really simple but had fantastic characters and relationships.
LikeLike
I can definitely see how people might struggle with The Raven Cycle. It’s one of those series you have to be patient with as things slowly unravel.
I feel like we need more Winter books. I’ve read so many summer contemporaries but it’s like people chose to forget how cosy and romantic the winter holidays can be.
I can definitely see Passenger making my wanderlust go wild. I need that book haha.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Your point about winter books is so true! There are so many summer contemporaries that come out each year but not enough wintery books! I can really only think of 3 winter contemporaries: Dash and Lily, Let It Snow and My True Love Gave To Me.
Passenger was really good! It takes you on a journey and the places and time periods that it explored were so interesting and historically accurate and authentic. Also, the romance in that book is amazing!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes. Those are the only three Winter contemporary titles I can think of as well. We definitely need more of them.
I am officially ending my book buying ban this week so I will definitely by getting my hands on a copy of Passenger. I love a good adventure and the fact that it’s historically accurate as well is a bonus! 😀
LikeLike
Lots of great books on the list. Completely agree with you that the Sarah J Maas books are everywhere! I haven’t read The Raven Cycle yet, but I hear the series can be a little slow in the beginning. It’s one I’m working toward reading.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Haha The Raven Cycle is pretty much slow throughout all of the books. There isn’t a lot that happens and the pace is almost agonisingly slow at times. But it’s definitely worth pushing through because the plot and characters are fantastic! Book 3 is a bit faster in pace and has more action. Definitely my favourite of the series so far and had me really excited for the finale!
LikeLiked by 1 person
What an awesome tag Jenna! I haven’t seen too much of this one around actually. I hate coffee too, have never been able to drink it. I absolutely love The Winner’s Crime series too, I can’t WAIT for The Winner’s Kiss and there had better be lots of pashing on or I’ll be complaining about false advertising.. The Raven Boys is one series that I’ve tried and tried and could never get into it. Actually, it’s that series and Red Rising that I just really disliked both. I’m determined to try again one day, so many fangirls including yourself surely can’t be wrong 😀
LikeLiked by 1 person
Coffee just tastes like liquid dirt to me. I don’t really understand people who just guzzle it down like water… And I completely agree that The Winner’s Kiss must either have lots and lots of kissing or the most epic kiss in the history of kisses. Like it has to be so epic that I just melt into a puddle! I completely understand why so many people give up on The Raven Cycle. The books are agonisingly slow and there isn’t a lot of action, but I recommend pushing through anyway because the characters are so endearing and complex. It’s impossible not to fall in love with them. Blue Lily, Lily Blue is much faster in pace (though still kinda slow) and has more action. And I can definitely see The Raven King being quite fast-paced as well… if that helps 😀 I haven’t read Red Rising yet. It’s been sitting on my shelf for a while. I can’t seem to bring myself to pick it up…
LikeLike
I think this must be the book tag I’ve seen you do without All the Light on it Jenna! I’m so glad you’re a converted fan of the Winner’s Trilogy and I can’t wait to fangirl with you on The Winner’s Kiss! I really need to continue with the Raven cycle, especially before Raven King comes out!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m pretty proud of myself for not chucking in All the Light We Cannot See. I think everyone is sick of it by now. But it’s not my fault that a lot of tags have the “favourite book of all time” question! XD Everytime the Winner’s Kiss is mentioned, I just flail around because the anticipation is killing me! I need it right now T_T. And ooooh yes! Please continue The Raven Cycle, so we can all discuss our Blansey feels.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Feels like forever since the last time I was tagged by you!
I hate coffee too. (TEA FTW!!)
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yeah I haven’t done a book tag since December! My first one of the year! Tea is the best.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Well I hope to see some more soon 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’ve been dying to get my hands on The Raven Boys. I’ve checked out the audio book a couple times, but then never got around to listening. I think it’s one of those books that I want to read myself though, so that may be why I never decided to listen to it when I got it from the library. Also, the covers are amazing and I want to own them! haha.
I read Dash & Lily when it wasn’t winter 😛 I really enjoyed it. But I agree, I didn’t see too much about the book until winter came along.
A few other books that you mentioned that I really can’t wait to read! 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Depending on how good the narrator is, I feel like the audiobook for The Raven Boys could be great. It has such beautiful writing that I’d love to hear it read aloud. But the pace of the book is so slow, that you might get bored if you listened to it? (I dunno, I don’t really have any experience with audiobooks haha). The covers are definitely beautiful and they look amazing on my shelf! Can’t wait to see what The Raven King looks like!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yeah, if you have a bad narrator then it could be so hard to listen to audiobooks. I’ve had to stop quite a few of them, because I just couldn’t get into the story with the way the narrator’s voice sounded. The covers are definitely beautiful and I NEED THEM!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I was sort of relieved last year when I realized that you were part of the small group that hadn’t read The Raven Cycle and The Winner’s Curse series, but now I’m all lonely being the only one that hasn’t read them! But I’m still so happy you marathoned so many wonderful series. I will get to TWC no matter what this month! I’ll pick it up after I finish Me Before You, it’s a priority read, for sure! And I bought the cute Raven Boys bookmarks. (Early March you’ll see how crazy I went with purchasing them in January and February; I bought so many characters from my TBR books just because I knew I’d love them!)
LikeLiked by 1 person
I can’t wait to see all your bookmarks!! I completely understand the obsession haha. Now you’ll be able to use the Raven Boys bookmarks when you finally read the series!! And YAY! OMG I love The Winner’s trilogy SO MUCH. I can’t wait for you to read them because I have a feeling you’re going to love them as much as I did!
LikeLike