blog tag: folklore book tag

We were tagged by the lovely Celina, venusinbooks for the folklore tag, and we couldn’t be more excited! folklore is one of our favorite albums of all time, and so without further ado, let’s get started!  

RULES

• Link to the original creator: Ilsa @ A Whisper of Ink
• Tag at least 3 people
• Declare the rules and list of prompts in your post
• Thank whoever tagged you and link to their post

the 1: A book with an ending that left you speechless

• Caitlyn: I’m going to have to go with Roshani Chokshi’s The Silvered Serpents. It was SUCH A GOOD ENDING. I still haven’t fully processed it. It made me even more excited for the third book in the series.
• Cossette: A book with an ending that left me speechless was These Violent Delights by Chloe Gong. I love – and hate – cliffhangers, and the ending of These Violent Delights definitely left me speechless and anxious for the second book. 
• Mary: Mine is definitely The Gilded Wolves by Roshani Chokshi! It was such a good ending to the first book, and I’m so excited to go on with book two! 

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cardigan: A book that makes you feel happy and sad all at once

• Caitlyn: I Love You So Mochi by Sarah Kuhn! It was one of my favorite books of 2020 and I thought the familial relationships were portrayed so truthfully and emotionally. 
• Cossette: I think You Should See Me in a Crown by Leah Johnson is one of the first ones to come to mind! This book was one of my favorite books of 2020. 
• Mary: I think for me the answer is Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas! Happy because the book was so wonderful, and sad that the book wasn’t a series! I would love to read more set in this wonderful world. 

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the last great american dynasty: A book with a fascinating and extremely well-told story

• Caitlyn: The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller. That book was so beautiful and rich. It told the story so eloquently. I found it absolutely mesmerizing.
• Cossette: The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid is one of the most heartbreaking books I’ve ever read, and I simply couldn’t put it down when I started it. I always love how Reid writes, and how deeply flawed her characters are. 
• Mary: Where Dreams Descend by Janella Angeles. What a wonderful and magical story this book is! I am so incredibly hyped for book 2! 

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exile: A book you wish you hadn’t read

• Caitlyn: Unpopular bookish opinion here, I really was not a fan of Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins. I see what she was trying to do, but unfortunately it did not work for me.
• Cossette: I have made some questionable reading choices this year, most namely: Kissing the Coronavirus by MJ Edwards. Curiosity really killed the cat. 
• Mary: The Ten Thousand Doors of January – it’s extremely problematic and extremely racist. 

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my tears ricochet: A book that made you cry uncontrollably 

• Caitlyn: You Have a Match by Emma Lord. It’s one of my favorite reads of 2020 (the official release is January 12th!) and I just felt SO CONNECTED to so many of the characters, as well as what Abby was going through. It was really touching. 
• Cossette: The Last Story of Mina Lee by Nancy Jooyoun Kim is a book that I had to continuously put down simply because I was crying too hard. You can read my review for it here.   
• Mary: The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. It was such a lovely story, and it made me cry in the best ways. 

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mirrorball: A book that feels like it was written just for you

• Caitlyn: If We Were Villains by M.L. Rio (no one is shocked). I myself was part of a theatre conservatory in college (but less cut throat and there wasn’t any murder…) and I absolutely love Shakespeare. Everything about the book is so atmospheric and made me feel like I was at Dellecher with them. It’s my absolute favorite book and I feel very personally connected to it. 
• Cossette: One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston! Read my review HERE to find out more about why I feel so connected to it.
• Mary: Unsurprisingly, The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern. I don’t think I’d be who I am today without having read that book.

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seven: A childhood book that makes you feel nostalgic

• Caitlyn: The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis! I have such fond memories of just sitting with my mom late at night while she did other things and reading these stories and falling in love with the world of Narnia. I definitely checked for a hidden door in the back of my closet and was really upset when I found one and it did not take me to Narnia.
• Cossette: The Princess Diaries series by Meg Cabot! I recently reread this series with my friend Sherran, and it just reminded me so much of my childhood. 
• Mary: My Secret Unicorn by Linda Chapman! I loved these books growing up, they were so silly and so fun! 

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august: A book that reminds you of summer

• Caitlyn: The Unexpected Everything by Morgan Matson. I could’ve also listed her book Second Chance Summer but The Unexpected Everything really gives me summer vibes and I feel like summer is the best time for teenage coming of age stories, and this one is one of my favorites.
• Cossette: Emily Henry’s Beach Read! I actually picked this book up for a book club theme called “Beach Reads”, and thought I was so clever for suggesting Beach Read. I absolutely adored this book, and will definitely be rereading it next summer. 
• Mary: Tweet Cute by Emma Lord! Goodness I love this book so much, and I can’t wait to read Emma’s second book! 

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this is me trying: A book that deals with loneliness and sadness

• Caitlyn: The Poppy and the Rose by Ashlee Cowels. I really enjoyed this one and thought that the dual perspectives worked really well and it was interesting to me how the two young women’s emotional journeys mirrored each other’s.
• Cossette: Amelia Unabridged by Ashley Schumacher! I’m incredibly excited for Amelia Unabridged to come out next year – Keep an eye out for my review next year!
• Mary: Watch Over Me by Nina LaCour. While I didn’t love it, it was very good at describing loneliness and sadness. The writing was lovely, it just wasn’t the book for me. 

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illicit affairs: A book that gives you a book hangover

• Caitlyn: These Violent Delights by Chloe Gong. I finished it and didn’t even know how to process the book or my emotions. I’m still REELING from that ending. I’ll basically just be here rereading it over and over again until book 2 is released.
• Cossette: The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern — Once I finished this book, I simply didn’t know what to do with myself. I felt like I had left part of me in the starless sea with Zachary. 
• Mary: The Illuminae Files! There’s just so many amazing things about these books, and I love them a lot. 

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invisible string: A book that came into your life at the exact right time

• Caitlyn: Les Miserables by Victor Hugo. I first read the book when I was 16, and happened to be in a production of it with my youth theatre company. I was also assistant directing the show at the time, and it made me realize that I wanted to make directing for the theatre my profession. Reading the book while working on the show solidified my love for the story and it’s message. 
• Cossette: Hands down, Red, White and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston.  This book gave me the strength to get out of a really bad situation, and I’ll forever be grateful to it.   
• Mary: The Raven Boys. I don’t like supporting Maggie, but these books came to me when I really needed to get back into actively engaging in book fandoms again. I binge read those books in three days, and I do think without them I wouldn’t have continued reading a lot this year. 

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mad woman: A book with a female character you adore

• Caitlyn: Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. I have been obsessed with Jane Austen since childhood, and I always felt so connected to Elizabeth Bennet. I love how headstrong she is and how she does not let the opinions of others define her. I also LOVE Jane. We stan the Bennet sisters in this house. 
• Cossette: These Violent Delights by Chloe Gong — Growing up, I rarely saw strong female Asian characters, and so to see a character like Juliette standing up for herself, her beliefs, and know her worth just meant a lot to me.  
• Mary: Little Women! I love Amy March, and I think she’s a very relatable character for where I’m currently at in my life. 

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epiphany: A book that is haunting

• Caitlyn: I think I’m going to go with Break the Fall by Jennifer Iacopelli. I’ve always loved gymnastics, it’s my favorite Olympic sport and I’ve followed a lot of the gymnasts throughout their careers. While Break the Fall is a fictional story, it definitely mirrors the situation that so many USA Gymnasts went through with the Larry Nassar case, and it was incredibly moving and haunting in a very powerful way.
• Cossette: Down Comes the Night by Allison Saft! It’s hauntingly beautiful, and I can’t wait to publish my review for it closer to its release date. 
• Mary: My WIP – it’s haunting me for not working on it.

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betty: A book couple that fills you with yearning

• Caitlyn: Roma and Juliette from These Violent Delights by Chloe Gong. I am so OBSESSED with them. It truly is all about the yearning with those two and I cannot wait to see what happens with them in book 2.
• Cossette: Abby and Leo from Emma Lord’s You Have a Match! It’s friends to lovers excellence, and you can read Caitlyn’s review of You Have a Match here. 
• Mary: Alex and Henry from Red, White and Royal Blue! Those two…I love them so much

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peace: A book character you’d die for because you love them so much

• Caitlyn: Enjolras from Les Miserables, why yes I will join his crusade. I love a tragic hero. 
• Cossette: I would lay down my entire life for Bree Matthews from Tracy Deonn’s Legendborn! 
• Mary: Zachary Ezra Rawlins from The Starless Sea. He’s an idiot and I love him. 

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hoax: A book you thought you were going to love but didn’t

• Caitlyn: Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier, I didn’t hate it but I found it a little boring and slow at times. It also wasn’t as ghost story like that I thought it would be, so it didn’t meet my expectations. 
• Cossette: I thought I would really love What If It’s Us, because of Adam Silvera and Becky Albertalli, but the Hamilton, Harry Potter, Dear Evan Hansen, etc. references was just too much for me. 
• Mary: This is How You Lose the Time War. So many of my friends adore this book, but it just wasn’t for me. It’s super disappointing because I really did want to love it! 

We’re tagging: Quinn @pagesofquinn, Becca @toastiebooks, and Marta @ofwavesandpages!

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