Sunday, April 5, 2015

Let Them Eat Books, Er, Cake

Thanks for tagging me, Miel! :) A meme about books AND food?! I'm in.

Flour
A book that was a little slow to start off but really picked up as it went along.

 
I'll go with one I'm reading right now, which is a debut book, An Ember In the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir. It was a little flat and confusing at first, but intriguing enough to make me keep going. I'm so glad I did! I'm about 100 pages from the end and it's really good. It's a familiar enough premise--imperfect fantasy society told through dual male and female perspectives--but has unique aspects that set it apart from the others like it. Laia and Elias are the protagonists, and I love them both. Laia agrees to be a spy for the Resistance, which is a group of people fighting the system, and becomes a slave for the cruel ruler, the Commandant. She needs to give the Resistance information in order to free her brother, who was captured by the government. Elias is a soldier participating in a competition to see who will become the emperor, but he feels conflicted about the way things are and forms a kind of friendship with Laia. I'll post a review about it on my blog once I finish, but I definitely recommend it.

Butter
A book that had a rich, great plot.



Ooh, the Song of the Lioness series by Tamora Pierce is so. good. Honestly, I've been a little disappointed with her other series (although I also enjoyed Protector of the Small), but Alanna's stories have kept me up at night. The first one is probably my favorite, but they're all solid 5-star reads. If you're looking for good epic medieval fantasy, look no further.

Eggs
A book you thought was going to be bad but actually turned out quite enjoyable.



(First of all, eggs are delicious. Why would you put eggs and something you thought was going to be bad together?)

It's a tie between the Darkness Rising trilogy by Kelley Armstrong and The Host by Stephenie Meyer. I entered a giveaway a couple years back to win a random box of books, and the Darkness Rising series was what I won. I was a little skeptical, because paranormal wasn't really my thing, and the premise didn't intrigue me. But I was about to go on a road trip, and road trips mean lots of books, so I brought it along. I don't think I slept until I finished the series. I was pleasantly surprised.

I had no interest whatsoever in reading The Host, because sci-fi? Aliens? (Ironic, since sci-fi and aliens pretty much occupy my days now.) Stephenie Meyer? Meh. But I saw a preview for the movie and my best friend recommended it to me, so I checked it out. Over 600 pages in two days. Yeah, it was pretty freaking awesome.

Sugar
A sugary, sweet book.



Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell takes the cake. Anything this woman writes is gold, and Fangirl is no different. Her characters, her dialogue, her simple plots, etc. Her books are just genius. Fangirl is funny, fluffy in the best ways, and a quick read.

Icing
A book that covered every single element that you enjoy about a book (funny moments, action moments, sad moments, etc.).



Pfft, Harry Potter for sure. (If you didn't see that coming, you need glasses.)

Sprinkles
A book series that you can kind of turn back to for a little pick me up when you’re feeling down.



The Calvin and Hobbes series by Bill Watterson. :) This is definitely my comfort series (other than Harry Potter). I can grab a book from my treasury, flip to a random page, and get a guaranteed smile on my face. Even if I just read a single comic strip (though they're usually too addictive to just read one), I feel happier. It's a great way to start the day.

The cherry on top
Your favorite book this year so far.



Ooh, tricky one. But probably Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas. I've said for a while now that I would read it, so I finally did. And it is awesome. Seriously, Celaena is a fantastic heroine. She's hysterical, rough around the edges, totally kicks butt. Aside from not knowing how to spell or pronounce anyone's names, it's a great read.

(Also, the cover is so pretty. I want a poster of it hanging on my wall.)

Tag, you're it! Feel free to take this for your own blog. And here's a bonus question for the comments: "Raisins" What book surprised you, in good ways or bad? (Because we've all been surprised by raisins disguising themselves as chocolate chips at some point. Sneaky little devils.)

8 comments:

CG @ Paper Fury said...

YAYYY BECAUSE THRONE OF GLASS. It makes me endlessly happy that you like that series.x D have you tried Crown of Midnight yet?! IT IS EVEN BETTER, I PROMISE. And by better I mean "it-will-hurt-you-so-much-more" which is the reason we read, right? RIGHT? XD I love this tag. It is so glorious because, well, cake.

Carly said...

The Song of the Lioness is so amazing! Although I have only read the first book, I am eager to read the rest!

I also love eggs, by far one of my favorite foods.

Fangirl is all kinds of amazing! I can never get enough of Rainbow Rowell's writing!

Ah, Harry Potter, it really hurts me to say that I am still stuck on Order of the Phoenix! XD Ironic since it is my favorite movie.

And alas another book I am in the middle of reading: Throne of Glass. Due Dates at the library are going to be the end of me...

Boquinha said...

I am loving these posts and I am LOVING these comments! It's like if Russell Brand were a blog commenter. HiLARious! Love what you have to say about raisins. Oooh. We should bake cookies!

Lara Liz said...

Hi! I really love your blog, so I gave this meme a go on the blog I just started - you can find it here, if you want, but I just stopped by to tell you how much your blog means to me. :-D

Anonymous said...

First, you are totally awesome!

Second, you made me laugh out loud: "If you didn't see that coming, you need glasses!"

Third, love the comment about raisins. You are awesomely creative (ok, maybe awesomely isn't a word, but you are, so there).

Anonymous said...

I sometimes wonder if you really are a self-punishing masochist or you just really are...

Anonymous said...

YES TO FANGIRL A MILLION TIMES!! And why am I not surprised that there's the boy who lived in this list? Also, I think I really need to educate myself on the Sarah J. Maas territory? And I've been getting so many wonderful things about An Ember!

The Magic Violinist said...

@Cait I haven't read Crown of Midnight yet, but it looks, so, so good! :) (And I kind of figured I'd be in for some hurt with this series. *sigh* I can't avoid it.)

Yes, anything food related is fantastic!

@Carly The entire series is fantastic! :) I want to reread it again soon because I love it so much. It'd also make a great movie, but it doesn't look like there's any chance of that happening. *pouts*

*gasps* Oh, push through! I know the beginning of that one is a little slow (although I love every single word, he he, but I know it's not for everyone), but it gets so. much. better.

*knows your pain* Especially when it's a popular book and a dozen other people have requested it.

@Boquinha Ha ha, I love the comments I get on my blog! xD They're the best.

You have no idea how many times I've bitten into a cookie expecting chocolate chips and getting raisins instead.

We should!

@Lara Liz Aww, thank you so much! :) I'll definitely have to check out the meme and your blog. I hope to see you around more!

@seventytwofishes Ha ha, thank you. :)

I would seriously be surprised if anyone who's been following me for longer than a few days didn't know that was going to happen.

I think "awesomely" should totally be a word.

@bookishandawesome Sadly, books are pain, but books are also life. It's an unfortunate combination that can't be avoided.

Well if our tastes continue to match up like this, you would love ToG and An Ember In the Ashes! :) I just finished it this past week, and it's a solid 4-star read. I would definitely read sequels, if there are any. I'll be reviewing it soon.