Taylor Swift's new album, Folklore, is another change in style for the singer, moving towards indie/folk vibes rather than the pop hits that helped her cross over from being known as a country star. Whilst classic Swift will always be my favourite (I'm talking the days of 'Mean' and 'Long Live'), I've found myself listening to Folkore more than I thought I would. It's a rather slow, sad kind of music, and is great to listen to whilst working or reading. When I came across this bookish tag from @illuminaekaz on Twitter, I figured it could be a fun one to fill in.
the 1 a book you really wanted to love but ended up hating
To The Lighthouse, Virgina Woolf. I want to like Woolf. I so, so want to. I love A Room of One's Own, it's so insightful and well-argued, but I can't deal with Woolf's fiction, it's too heavy and difficult.
cardigan a book that has a special place in your heart
The Picture of Dorian Gray, Oscar Wilde. I just love it. It's so beautifully written and an incredible look at society. I would like to buy all of the editions ever please.
the last great american dynasty a book with an unexpected ending
The Power, Naomi Alderman. The unexpected ending partially comes from the fact that I forgot how the book opened, but the twist at the end of The Power blew me away. It was just so much fun; it was one of those twists that make you want to go back and re-read the whole book, knowing you'll read it differently now you know how it ends.
exile a book you fell out of love with
The Fault in Our Stars, John Green. I haven't read this since it first came out, but I'm not sure I'd like it anymore. The story is okay, but I began to find Green's writing overly wrought. As a teenager, I see the attraction to the emotive language, the feeling like love is the do or die, but nowadays they simply seem exaggerated.
my tears ricochet a book to bawl your eyes out
The Book Thief, Markus Zusak. Sometimes I think about rereading it. And then I remember how much it made me cry and decide I could spend my time doing something else.
mirrorball a book you wish more people knew about
Middlesex, Jeffrey Eugenides. Sometimes I recommend it to people, but it's quite a hard sell - in terms of length and content. And yet, I found it a fascinating read and it opened my eyes to so many queer topics that I had never considered before. It's educational, interesting, and spans numerous lifetimes. A fascinating book.
seven a book that got you into reading
The Meg Mackintosh Mysteries. They were incredible solve-it-yourself mysteries that I loved as a kid. Sharing the same name, it was so much fun to read a detective story about a girl who went around just...doing things. Accomplishing things. She was brilliant. I've also just found out there's four in the series that I never read....could be worth looking into!
august a summer read
Cloud Atlas, David Mitchell. I mostly class this as a summer read because I began it whilst I was away on holiday, but both it's length, it's sense of hope, and it's witty tone make it a perfect summer read.
this is me trying a book you struggled to finish
Pamela by Samuel Richardson. It's long, it's boring, it's hella /didactic, with heavy buts of misogyny, unhealthy power dynamics, and religious zealousness. I think I was one of about 10 people on my uni course who actually finished and I couldn't tell you why I persevered other than hope it would get better.
illicit affairs a guilty pleasure
I wasn't really sure how to answer this one as I don't really feel "guilty" for anything I read (I have enough of a guilt complex without feeling bad for enjoying something), but I'm going to answer with The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald. I love Gatsby but I always feel like I have to explain why I like it and that there is so much more to it than rich people having affairs.
invisible string a book you frequently reread
The problem is, I don't reread books. The only book I tend to reread is Harry Potter and that's only because the audiobook helps me to fall asleep. So it's the only answer I can provide.
mad woman a book with strong female characters
A Thousand Ships, Natalie Haynes. There are a couple of books I will never stop recommending and A Thousand Ships is one of them. It's the story of the women of Troy. It gives a voice to all the women lost and forgotten in this portion of Greek history and has some of the most badass women around - and also some of the most sympathetic, intelligent, and resilient women too.
epiphany your comfort book Harry Potter. I mean, it had to happen, right? The whole world of Harry Potter is like being wrapped in a warm blanket. When you grow up with a series like that, it has to be your comfort book. And if you're asking me to pick just one: Prisoner of Azkaban every time.
betty favourite sapphic read
Disobedience, Naomi Alderman. Gotta admit I was disappointed in myself when I came to finding a book to fulfill this prompt: I haven't read anywhere near enough sapphic books. I do like Disobedience, I think it's an interesting look at Jewish culture and Ronit is a great character. However, I can safely say I'll be putting more sapphic reads on my TBR!
peace a book you didn't expect you love as much as you did
The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers. I can't even remember where I picked this up - it might have been free from university? Wherever it was, I was drawn in by the blurb but worried by the cover (I know, don't judge a book by a cover, but sometimes it's hard not to!) and never thought it would be as fun as it was.
hoax a book that left you emotionally scarred
The Song of Achilles, Madeline Miller. Apparently I'm just going to mention this is in every single tag ever??? Look, it's the best book I know and it's the only one that I can think of (other than Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows) which seriously left me crying. I was distraught when I finished this book so sorry for mentioning it again but it was the only one fitting this prompt.
And that covers the whole album! If you haven't listened to Folklore, you should give it a listen; it might be slower and sadder than a lot of Taylor Swift's past stuff, but I've been enjoying it - especially as background reading music!
If you want to fill this tag in, consider yourself tagged by me and let me know!