Hi guys! So I was going to do this post on Christmas Eve, but it was Christmas Eve. I ended up hanging out with my siblings and being shock...

Not Tag Week: The ABBA Book Tag

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Hi guys! So I was going to do this post on Christmas Eve, but it was Christmas Eve. I ended up hanging out with my siblings and being shockingly boss at Operation but totally getting my butt kicked in Monopoly. So yeah. Merry Day-After-Christmas. Hope your big day was awesome. :D

Anyways, to the point of the post. I was tagged for this by the fantastic Heather from Sometimes I’m a Story. Thanks so much, Heather!

Ze Rules:
Post the above picture
If you haven’t listened to ABBA before, do that before you begin.
Link to the person who tagged you.
Find books that match the categories.
Tag some other people
Have fun.
If you want to add other ABBA songs/lyrics and make more categories, you can do that too, and it will be awesome.

from tumblr
*shrugs* How could I resist?

Take A Chance On Me (a book you unexpectedly liked)

So I kinda talk about this book a lot, and even more lately, but it’s because my relationship with Twilight is so complicated that it fits so many tag answers.

Also, I couldn’t think of anything else. If I don’t think I’m going to enjoy a book, I generally don’t read it in the first place.

The Winner Takes It All (an overhyped book)

DON’T HATE ME OKAY??? I LIKE HARRY POTTER. I REALLY DO (In fact, here's proof!). I just... I feel like it’s not nearly as great as everyone seems to think it is, and there are a lot of books that are way better. My deepest apologies if this answer offends you (I have a feeling it will do that to many), but that’s just my opinion.

Waterloo (an amazing historical fiction book)

This... book. Just. *sighs with deep pleasure and hugs book to chest* It’s fantastic in every way.

You’re Only A Child (a recently published book)

I’ve actually read quite a few new ones recently, but I’ll go with this one because it’s pretty neat.

I Have A Dream (a favorite, ‘ideal’ book)
So here’s the thing: unfortunately, no book is perfect. Even my absolute favorites have problems and even the ones that don’t have problems exactly don’t have every epic element to make it what I would call perfect (as I can be a very difficult person to please, I have a feeling that this will never happen. :p). But maybe some kind of wild mashup of Tiger’s Curse, Lunar Chronicles, Percy Jackson, Bluefish by Pat Schmatz, Navigating Early, STAR WARS, and the Safe Lands series by Jill Williamson would come pretty close. IDK. Those are some of my all-time favorite books and the only way to mash them up would be to include time travel (another of my favorite things). So you never know. Maybe it’d be ridiculous. Maybe it’d be awesome. Maybe it’d be ridiculously awesome. Someone make it, and we'll find out.

Dancing Queen (a book with royalty)

I haven’t actually read this one yet (IT’S ON MY SHELF IF I ONLY I HAD THE TIME), but I’m pretty sure Levana and Winter will both be featured. So there. Royalty.

Money, Money, Money (a book you’re willing to pay lots for because it’s awesome)
So here’s the truth: I adore books. I truly, truly do. But... I also adore money. And if I can get a book without paying for it, you can best believe I will (which is why the library is my best friend, not a professional book thief, though that would be kind of cool).

That said, I really can’t think of any books I would pay a lot of money to read if I didn’t absolutely have to. Maybe if someone stole my copy of Outcasts by Jill Williamson and was holding it for ransom? But then I could just hire a professional assassin and, even if that would be more expensive, it’d be way more satisfying...

So yeah. I don’t know. I honestly can’t think of any. Even if there was absolutely no way for me to find out what happens in the book (couldn’t go online or ask for spoilers or anything), I really don’t think there are any books that I would pay a ton of money for.

Lay All Your Love On Me (a book that needs more attention)
ALL OF THEM BECAUSE NONE OF THEM HAVE ANYWHERE NEAR ENOUGH.

But to more specifically answer the question,  I feel like mangas and graphic novels in general could use a lot more attention. They seem to kind of have their own little circle of fans, but in the general community of book bloggers, they’re not talked about very much. Maybe because people think they’re for kids (and if you’ve ever read one, you know they are absolutely not), but it is still a crime. 

So yeah, I would say the Fullmetal Alchemist, the Avatar comics (watch the show first), even The Library Wars, while the last two are a little cheesy, they’re honestly great stories and should get way more attention than they do.

Here We Go Again (a book that seems to copy another book)
I...don’t really know. I mean, I’ve read a lot of books that are very similar to others and aren’t particularly original, but I don’t think I’ve read any where I’d say they seemed to be specifically copying someone else.

SOS (a book that should get in trouble and NOT be rescued)

I know what you’re thinking. This book has awards and five star reviews and look at that little sticker on the front, is that a Printz? But I didn’t like it. Almost everything about this book rubbed me the wrong way, and I didn’t feel like the ending was powerful enough to overpower the beginning.

Knowing Me, Knowing You (a book you know a lot about for whatever reason)

Because you know I will never not take the chance to mention that.

One Last Summer (a book you took on vacation)

I took this one with me when we went to visit my grandparents this Thanksgiving. It was a three-hour drive (though two of those hours were in complete darkness), so I got some good reading done.

Super Trooper (a book that cheers you up)
ALL OF THEM. Well actually, no, that is no true, because some of them are sad. So I’ll go with this one:


Not only is it a brilliant story with some of my favorite characters ever, but there are some really encouraging messages in there that anyone could apply to their daily lives.

giphy
I really do.

Thank You For The Music (a book that inspired you)

I don’t really read these anymore, and I don’t even write mysteries, but these (along with the American Girls and Dear America books) were some of the first books that really gave me a love for reading. Which, of course, nurtures my love for writing.

So yeah, Nancy Drew, thanks for the mysteries. :)

***
And that’s the tag! Thanks so much for tagging me, Heather!

It’s late on the day after Christmas, so I’m not going to tag anyone. However, I will leave this tag open for anybody who wants to do it. Consider this your late Christmas gift from me. :)

So have you read any of these? What’s a book that inspires you or makes you really happy? Kind of random, but have you ever read a book recommended by another blogger? I read Howl’s Moving Castle because Heather mentioned it in her version of this tag, and it was fantastic. I am so glad I read it. <3

Anyways, see you in the comments, my lovelies!



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10 comments:

  1. Emily GDecember 28, 2015 at 12:17 PM

    I haven't read ANY of the books you mentioned! Yes, my read-everything-I-possibly-can-in-2016-even-if-it-kills-me-goal is definitely necessary.
    Yess, I have read a book recommended by a blogger, at least a couple actually. I read Steelheart because Aimee at To The Barricade was always talking about it and it did seem pretty cool and I was lucky enough to find it at my library. And it WAS pretty cool. :D I also read Cinder because I had seen several bloggers talking about it, and as was the case with Steelheart, I was looking for new stuff to read. I still haven't read the rest of the series... I need to check my library again, lol.
    And as for books that make me happy, I'd have to say the fairy retellings by Melanie Dickerson. I'm reading the newest book in the series right now and they're all so lovely and cute and I love them. <3 Basically, they're based on fairytales, plus they're medieval, plus there's romance (I do like a good romance sometimes) but not a ton of cheesy mushiness, plus there's some action and all that put together makes me immensely happy. :D

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    1. Alexa MintahDecember 28, 2015 at 10:57 PM

      LOL, that sounds like a great goal! ;)

      I need to read that one too! But it's not at my library, so I don't know when I'll get the chance.
      And YES. The Lunar Chronicles are AMAZING; you should totally try to find the rest of them.
      Ooh, those do sound good! I've heard of them, but again, not at my library, so I'll have to wait until I have a book money. :/ They're definitely on the list though!

      Delete
  2. TheScribblingSpriteDecember 30, 2015 at 4:55 PM

    This reminded me that I need to do this tag! I agree with some of your answers--Safe Lands, Lunar Chronicles? Yes! And I loooved Howl's Moving Castle. I also can't fault you for HP and, although they are some of my favorite books in the universe, I DO recognize their faults and how they might not be QUITE as appealing to others. :) Fun tag!

    Ally @ The Scribbling Sprite

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    1. Alexa MintahJanuary 1, 2016 at 6:14 PM

      Yeah, haha, guess everyone just has different tastes. :) Thanks for commenting, and ooh, yay, can't wait to see your answers! :D

      Delete
  3. HeatherDecember 31, 2015 at 3:39 PM

    But you NEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEED TO READ WINTER. YOU NEEEEEEEEED TO. It is long but it is worth it. I feel like I have over-talked Twilight and Harry Potter for the year, but let's see... I have not read most of these. I have read Outcasts, but I do not think of them so favorably because I am still bitter about the sexism in that series. BUT I am glad you liked Howl's Moving Castle! It was really cute, I think, and the movie is not bad (but not nearly as good, believe me). And I do get book recommendations from bloggers, all the time! That was actually case in my most recent read, More Happy Than Not by Adam Silvera, and I was not disappointed. Turns out we're good resources for each other. Who'da thunk?

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    1. Alexa MintahJanuary 1, 2016 at 6:17 PM

      I KNOW. I'VE FINALLY GOTTEN TO IT ON MY TO-READ LIST AND I GET TO START TOMORROW!! EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP

      Sexism, huh? Care to elaborate? I think I noticed that a little bit too, even though I still enjoyed the series.

      Do they change a lot of stuff in the movie? If not, I might check it out sometime. :)

      Haha, we definitely are. :)

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    2. HeatherJanuary 2, 2016 at 1:16 PM

      AWESOME. I LOOK FORWARD TO HEARING WHAT YOU THINK ABOUT IT.

      Meh, it's been a long time so I don't even have all the details anymore. But I know that I was kind of annoyed that Levi was being subjected to "reverse sexism" in that he wasn't allowed to do what he wanted as a doctor when he was expected to be a hunter. Because I guarantee women would likewise be in a position where they could not be anything other than wives and mothers and doctors or whatever, but all of the women in the story seemed to be pleased with their place under men. Between the antiquated ways of the village and even the women's place as Levi saw it in society, I felt like the general point of women was their ability to bear children. In fact, the only woman I ended up liking by the time I finished the series... I don't even remember her name. But she was the reporter lady who was on TV all the time. In the end, I only really liked her because she had a professional career where she made something of herself independently of bearing children and still managed to be awesome anyway; she never had to be rescued for her life to work out. And, what really killed it for me, of the five babies born in the series, four were boys, and all four boys were firstborn. And I KNOW it can happen that all four firstborn boys are born in a row, but for me, it was kind of going back to Biblical values. "Blessed are those who have first born sons because who the heck even cares about girls." Because no matter what it's like in the real world or the possibilities or the statistics, as a reader I know that the author made a very specific choice when she chose how the children would be born. I have to believe that if she saw some value in another girl being born, or a first born girl, she would have done it. But she didn't. It sort of was just about reinforcing a lot of gender roles and I didn't like it.

      Also, it was like everyone was a white person. The Native American people were like, blonde, if I remember correctly. I was just like... Smh, a whole lot. It was disappointing, because I think it is a very good story and that Jill Williamson is a very good writer, but also, I have a hard time getting excited about books I can't support morally.

      And yeah, they do change a lot of stuff in the movie, but I still think it was an interesting thing to watch. Studio Ghibli, and all that. Plus, Christian Bale voices Howl. XD And, the general plot is the same, but the fates of a few of the characters get switched, as do a few of the other things... I don't know. It was interesting.

      Delete
    3. Alexa MintahJanuary 3, 2016 at 8:52 PM

      I'M ABOUT TWO HUNDRED PAGES IN AND I LOVE EVERYTHING!!! OH MY GOSH THIS BOOK IS TOO FANTASTIC!!!!

      Wow. Okay, I have to say that I did not notice the baby thing.
      To a certain extent, I do agree with you about the way women were portrayed in those societies (there were also times when it seemed like they were just there to sit at home and pray, which you know is good and all, but they can do so much more than that :p), but I feel like even within that setup, Shaylinn and Naomi were still shown as strong female characters, despite the way their society worked.

      Oh yeah, I do remember that. But I didn't think that those people were actually supposed to be Native American. Just like their culture was modeled after the Native Americans?
      Regardless, though, you definitely have a point. The book had some great opportunities to add some racial diversity and they weren't really taken.

      Delete
    4. HeatherJanuary 4, 2016 at 7:41 PM

      YES. I KNOW. MY HEART DIED TWICE.

      I think it is because I was really hoping that there would be girl babies and then only one was and I was like... "..."

      I do think that Shaylinn and Naomi were still strong characters, but you don't have to be a kick-butt lady to be strong, you know? My real problem is the societies they were in because I felt like the one we were supposed to like did give women a place specifically in the home, staying and praying, and more often than not the way writers describe societies as a whole says a lot more about how they feel about female representation... and so while I don't really have problems with the individual characters and can enjoy them, it's more like the general vibe, you know?

      Well... like, sure, you can model it after the Native Americans but is there a particular reason that non-white people didn't survive the apocalypse? But yeah. I just found that disappointing since Native Americans don't get enough good press anyway.

      Delete
    5. Alexa MintahJanuary 5, 2016 at 10:34 PM

      TWICE? WHY TWICE? OH WAIT NOPE, I DON'T WANT SPOILERS.

      Oh, I TOTALLY agree on that, not having to be a kickbutt lady to be strong, I mean
      And yeah, I can get that. I guess the difference is as long as I liked the characters and saw them being strong in spite of the limitations their society put on them, I could ignore the general society. But for you, the society and the general vibe has to represent females better. Or am I wrong about that?

      Yeah, fair point. And ike I said, there were definitely opportunities for racial diversity that were not really taken.

      Delete

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Alexandria, better known as Alex or Alexa, is a strange Christian-fangirl-YA-writer medley tucked away in an undisclosed location in Virginia. She loves creating worlds out of keystrokes, discovering adorable ships (platonic or romantic), and becoming besties with clever characters who wow her with love and brilliance. When only half spellbound by her many worlds of words, she can be found working amongst the stacks in her local library.

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