It’s hard to find a decent book tag out there that doesn’t make me want to cringe. Which is why I am so happy to have found this one! This is a book tag I picked up from Stephanie at Adventures of a Bibliophile and was originally created by Jenn at Thrice Read. Thanks for the creative ideas, ladies!

Find a book on your shelves with a blue cover. What made you pick up that book in the first place?

How to Stop Time by Matt Haig. I first found out about this book several months ago when Matt Haig announced on Twitter that it was being adapted into a movie starring Benedict Cumberbatch. I adored The Humans and Reasons to Stay Alive and was waiting for him to write something new. I hadn’t heard anything of the book before, but saw that it (the book) was being released in July. I really wanted it, but recently decided to behave myself and read more books already on my TBR shelves before allowing myself to buy this one when it was released. Imagine my surprise when it showed up on my front porch two days ago. Apparently I had pre-ordered it in April and forgot about it. So much for self-discipline…

Think of a book you didn’t expect to enjoy but did. Why did you read it in the first place?

A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson. This was my first foray into what would become a minor obsession with Bryson’s books. Kind of overlapping on another question below, this one wound up in my Amazon picks list because it was being hyped to be released as a movie. I decided to read the book to see if I wanted to see the movie. (I really enjoyed the book, but never went to see the movie.) Also, speared on by my forever young mother-in-law, my family members have this minor obsession with hiking, so I thought reading a book about the Appalachian Trail, which I’ve walked a short distance of in Harper’s Ferry, would be interesting. And indeed it was!

Stand in front of your bookshelf with your eyes closed and pick a book at random. How did you discover this book?

Purpose for the Pain by Renee Yohe. This book I discovered last year through my donation work for To Write Love on Her Arms, an organization I strongly support, as it helped me a great deal when my depression was at its worst. Renee is the young lady upon which TWLOHA was founded, friends selling t-shirts to raise money for her to get the help she needed. This book is very unique in that it is literally photocopies of her journals. Some of them are difficult to read, literally and emotionally. I’m about 20% done with it, but it’s hard to tell because there are no page numbers (which kind of makes me twitch…)

Pick a book that someone personally recommended to you. What did you think of it?

My dad bought The Hiding Place by Corrie ten Boom for me for Christmas. I had of course heard of it, but honestly didn’t really know too much of what it was about. But once I discovered it was about the Holocaust, which I have an interest in for reasons I’ve been unable to pinpoint, I devoured it. Five stars, and it’s one of those books that I think everyone should read in their lifetime. Such a brave family doing dangerous work because the God they believed in demands we show such love to all people, regardless of their religion or race or country of origin (among other things.) The family patriarch, Casper ten Boom, expresses it this way when he is offered freedom (because he is an old man) if he agrees to stop sheltering Jews. He responds, “If I go home today, tomorrow I will open my door again to any man in need who knocks.” But it’s the words of his daughter Betsie ten Boom, while in Ravensbrück concentration camp, that ring truest to me: “Tell people what we have learned here, that there is no pit so deep that He [God] is not deeper still.”

Pick a book you discovered through book blogs. Did it live up to the hype?

All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr. This seemed to be on every major list out there when it first came out. Plus, I love historical fiction, especially when it involves WWII. Personally, I very much enjoyed the book. It was a very unique perspective, unlike any other historical fiction novel I’ve read written about the same time period. I like the two separate stories and how they eventually intertwined. The best word I can think of to describe this book is unique. I think it lived up to the hype.

Find a book on your shelves with a one word title. What drew you to this book?

Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman. It seems like everyone talks about this as being one of their favorite Neil Gaiman books. I’m not too much into the kinds of stuff he writes, but this one sounded intriguing. Plus, I haven’t read a regular, plain old fiction book in ages. I figured this might be a good place to start. I made sure to get the author’s preferred text to make sure I got the full story. Plus, the cover is gorgeous. The picture doesn’t do it justice. Such a beautiful blue…

What book did you discover through a film/TV adaptation?

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. But I also have to add Urban Grimshaw and the Shed Crew by Bernard Hare. I’ve seen the movie of The Book Thief but have no idea where to get a hold of the other movie, called “Urban and the Shed Crew,” since it was a festival film. Both of these books got five star ratings from me.

Think of your all-time favourite books. When did you read these and why did you pick them up in the first place?

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith is my all-time favorite book. I first read it back in 2002 when we had to pick a book to read over the summer for our Advanced Placement English Language class, which was during 11th grade (16-17 years old.)  I’m really not sure why I picked it other than it was on the “Summer Reading” table at Barnes and Noble. I’ve probably read it three times since, but I’m long overdue for another read of it.

I have other books that I suppose you could call “favorites.” But I don’t have any other books I love like A Tree Grows in Brooklyn.

What about you? Do any of these questions make you think of a particular book?

💛ribbonrx