The Actor Book Tag

I was tagged by RiverMoose @ RiverMoose-Reads! She is a lovely blogger and you guys should check her blog out!

Rules:

• Thank the person who tagged you
• Chose your own 8 actors (or you can use the ones I gave you) and create descriptions and compare them to book characters like I did
• Put in photos of them from the movie roll
• Answer what book character fits the same description as the movie character
• List 8 people to tag

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1. David Tennant/The 10th Doctor (Doctor Who) — a character who makes you fangirl

Gen in The Thief is one of my favorite characters ever. Just thinking about his ridiculous plans and poorly timed insults makes me smile.

2. James Roday/Shawn Spencer (Psych) — a character who can’t help being brilliant (even if they act stupid)

Sarene from Elantris spends a lot of time playing up the dumb blonde stereotype, but in reality, she is one of the smartest characters I’ve ever read about.

3. Allison Janney/CJ Creg (The West Wing) — a character who can take care of herself

Celaena! Does this need an explanation?

4. Sarah Michelle Gellar/Buffy (Buffy the Vampire Slayer) — a badass female character

Vin from Mistborn is incredibly badass and magical. I love her so much 🙂

5. Colin Morgan/Merlin (Merlin) — a character forced to hide who they really are

As you can tell from the title, Verity isn’t actually the main character’s name. There is a lot more to Verity than meets the eye.

6. Summer Glau/River Tam (Firefly) — a character with a tragic and mysterious backstory

Grace from A Madness So Discreet has a really messed up past that has left her in an insane asylum.

7. James Marsters/Spike (Buffy the Vampire Slayer) — a bad boy you can’t help but love

RHYSAND. Need I say more????

8. Catherine Tate/Donna Noble (Doctor Who) — a character literally made of sass

Shahrzad! My favorite part of The Wrath and the Dawn is undoubtably all of Shazi’s sass.

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I tag:

• Monique @ That Wild Soul
• GracieFM
• Amber @ YA Indulgences

And YOU if you think this looks fun!

The Cinderella Book Tag

I haven’t done a tag in a while, so when Kirstie @ Upside-Down Books tagged me in the Cinderella Tag, I thought, I think it’s time for another book tag! 

This tag was created by Tiffany @ About to Read. Now, full disclosure, I’m really not a Disney buff. Cinderella is one of the only Disney movies that I’m sure I’ve seen all the way through (please don’t throw things at me). Still, I like this tag 🙂 I get to talk about books—what else matters?!

Evil Stepsisters: a book with characters you just hate

Dangerous Girls by Abigail Haas. Like, everyone. Especially that DA. Seriously, reading this book made me so angry…but in a good, very well written way.

Prince Charming: a book with a gentleman

Simon Middleton in Rebel Angels by Libba Bray. Yes, he’s part of a love triangle. Yes, he kind of gets in the way of twoo wuv. But I honestly loved Simon. He’s definitely a gentleman, and I am so glad that he was a part of the Gemma Doyle series.

Cinderella: a character that is graceful, kind, and defiant

Maddie from Code Name Verity. She’s not as spunky as Verity, but she definitely stands up for herself and the people she loves. She’s kind and a graceful pilot, too.

Fairy Godmother: a character that always has someone looking out for them

Mei Yee in The Walled City. She doesn’t know it, but her sister, Jin, is always looking for her, doing her best to try to rescue her from her awful life.

Helpful Creatures: something that makes you happy when you’re sad

Rereading any part of The King of Attolia (Queen’s Thief #3). This book is my actual (no competition, seriously) favorite book, and just thinking about some of the amazing scenes—from fight scenes to declarations of love—in this book makes my heart flutter (wow that ended up being lame).

Ashes: a book you didn’t care for

Ash and Bramble. Technically, this is my sister talking (from next to me as I write this post). She got a few chapters into this book and had to put it down—it just didn’t grab her at all. I trust her judgement 😉

Pumpkin: a character with a transformation

book 3

Macey McHenry from The Gallagher Girls series. She starts off as a total bitch, but she turns into one of my favorite characters. The third book in this series, which is really focused on her, is one of my favorites, simply because we get to see how much she’s grown (and how much she’s stayed the same).

Impossible: a book with an ending you didn’t see coming

Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson. Also the other two books in the trilogy. Every single Mistborn book left me gaping at the last page, in complete denial as to what had just happened. If you like being shocked, definitely pick up these books.

Just Breathe: something that inspires you to be courageous

Verity from Code Name Verity. I know I’ve already talked about this book in this post, but it’s too perfect. Verity’s story brings me to tears, and just thinking about everything that she went through makes me determined to be courageous in my life.

Happily Ever After: a book with a perfect ending

Well, it’s a series, but I felt like the Gallagher Girls series by Ally Carter ended on a perfect note: hopeful and looking to the future. I cried at the ending, but they were happy tears, and though I never wanted that series to end, at least it ended perfectly. Again, I’ve already talked about these books, but they deserve it.

The Christmas Song Book Tag!

Merry Christmas everyone! I hope that everyone’s holiday seasons are going well! Things will start to get crazy later tonight, but for now I thought I’d bring some holiday cheer to 52 Letters!

I saw this tag over at My Tiny Obsessions and decided that it would be the perfect tag to do on Christmas Eve. I freaking love Christmas music.

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“You’re A Mean One, Mr Grinch” 

Name a villainous character you couldn’t help but love.

The Mayor from the Chaos Walking trilogy by Patrick Ness. This guy is seriously evil, but he is also one of the most complex and human villains I’ve ever read about. I wanted to hate him (and part of me really does), but Ness wrote him in such a way that I also have to love him.

“All I Want For Christmas Is You” 

Which book do you most hope to find under your Christmas tree?

Shadows of Self by Brandon Sanderson. MORE MISTBORN!! This spin-off series from Sanderson’s amazing Mistborn trilogy is equally amazing. The second book just came out and I need it!

“Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer” 

Name a character that overcomes major obstacles and learns to believe in themselves.

Del in Going Underground by Susan Vaught. This might be the most powerful “journey of self-acceptance” books I’ve ever read. Del’s story will always being me to tears, and if you haven’t read this book yet…go do so right now. You won’t be the same afterward.

“Santa Claus is Coming To Town” 

A character at the top of the naughty list/ a character at the top of the nice list.

Naughty: Verity from Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein. In so many different ways, Verity is definitely naughty in CNV. I love her to death regardless.

Nice: Emilia and Teo from Black Dove, White Raven by Elizabeth Wein. While I had Wein on my mind, I had to give a shout out to the adorable duo of Em and Teo!!! They are the freaking cutest.

“Frosty The Snowman” 

A book which just melts your heart.

Since You’ve Been Gone gives me all the feels! I can relate to Sloane so much, and her relationship with Frank definitely melted my heart.

“Feliz Navidad” 

A book that takes place somewhere other than your home country.

Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins! This book is a-freaking-dorable, and I loved how Stephanie Perkins wove the geography of Paris into Anna and Etienne’s love story.

“It’s The Most Wonderful Time of Year” 

Which holiday themed book do you use to spread Christmas joy?

I honestly haven’t really read any holiday-themed books! I do usually read Ally Carter’s The Gallagher Girls series during finals week, though. I need hilarious spy adventures to get me through that hell, not gonna lie.

“Sleigh Ride” 

Which fictional character would you choose to spend the holidays with? (Doesn’t have to be a love interest.)

I think it would be amazing to spend the holidays with Blue from The Raven Cycle by Maggie Stiefvater! Just imagining Christmas at 300 Fox Way makes me smile!

“Baby It’s Cold Outside” 

Which book that you didn’t like would you sacrifice to a fire to keep yourself warm?

Okay, well burning books is never okay. But I will say that We Were Liars by E. Lockhart was a giant letdown for me (my review here).

“Do You Hear What I Hear?”

Which book do you think everyone should read?

BEAUTY QUEENS by Libba Bray. This book will make you laugh, tear up, and think. It’s full of feel-good girl power and powerful social commentary. Also, it is hilarious.

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And that’s it! Merry Christmas and happy holidays to everyone!

Book Tag: Rip It or Ship It

Hey guys! I saw this tag at Josie’s Book Corner and knew I had to do it sometime soon. I couldn’t find an original source for this tag; it seems to just be floating around. The premise is simple: put an even number of character names into a hat and draw out pairs. Then, you simply decide if you ship the couple, or would rip them apart. Fun, right?

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Sean Kendrick (from The Scorpio Races) and Shazi (from The Wrath and the Dawn)

Initially, I hated the idea of this couple. Sean is reticent and somewhat broody, takes his simple life very seriously. Shazi is headstrong and bold, willing to take world leaders head-on. However, Shazi is similar to Puck (Sean’s love interest in Scorpio Races), and I think that she’d give him a run for his money. I’ll ship this.

Verity (from Code Name Verity) and Hale (from the Heist Society series)

Nope. Nope. Nope. This is awful. Their personalities are just too different. The sassy, tortured POW and the rich boy who hangs out with a bunch of light-hearted thieves would not mix well. I can’t even imagine them in the same room. I rip this.

David (from The Reckoners series) and Gemma Doyle (from the Gemma Doyle trilogy)

Geeky and spazzy, David is a twenty-first century dork. An endearing and lovable one, but Gemma wouldn’t know what to do with him. She’s good at being mysterious and is more fiesty than your average Victorian girl, but David and her would be a disaster. I rip this.

Dmitri (from the Vampire Academy series) and Elend (from the Mistborn trilogy)

book 5

When I drew this pairing, I cracked up. It’s great in such a weird way. They both have serious characters, and they both have badass sides, but Dmitri is dark and troubled, while Elend is a socially awkward reader who steps up to the plate when people need a leader. I think they’d be good influences on each other. I ship this.

Ronan (from The Raven Cycle) and Eugenides (from The Queen’s Thief series)

I ship this so hard. Ronan is a darkly sarcastic, somewhat magical, haunted prep school student with a drinking problem. Gen is a notorious thief who taunts kings and slinks around the shadows. They would definitely start off hating each other, but I think they’d end up  running into each other in their wanderings. The resulting romance would be slow-burn amazingness.

Titus (from the Elemental trilogy) and Blue (from The Raven Cycle)

These two would be a cute couple. Blue is eccentric and willful, and Titus is a duty-driven prince with a love of books. They are both similar to each other’s love interests (in the real stories), and they both have love/hate relationships with psychics and prophecies. I ship this.

Miriam Black (from the Miriam Black series) and Gansey (from The Raven Cycle)

This is awful. Damaged and deathly prophetic, Miriam Black would destroy Gansey. Studious and unconsciously preppy, Gansey’s determined and driven character would crumble if exposed to the darkness of Miriam. RIP.

Katsa (from Graceling) and Vin (from the Mistborn trilogy)

SHIP.  This would be so great. They’re both badass fighters with magically enhanced abilities and strong personalities to go along with them. I can just imagine them training together, each of them trying to best the other’s supernatural advantage. Just thinking about the trouble the two of them would get into makes me so happy.

Celaena (from the Throne of Glass series) and Adina (from Beauty Queens)

Yes. Omg yes. I don’t know which one of them is more sarcastic and determined, but they would be great for each other. They’ve both had their hearts broken, and they’ve both got rebellious streaks. I ship this.

Fire (from Fire) and Todd (from the Chaos Walking trilogy)

Oh, God, no. This just…doesn’t make sense. They’d probably be good friends, but I cannot imagine the two of them ever falling for each other. Just…no. I rip this.

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What do you think of my pairings? Do you agree with me–or did I judge a pairing wrongly? If you could pair up any of these characters, who would they be?

I tag…

• Ashley @ Words We Heart
• Skylee @ The Night Girl
• Holly @ Belle of the Library

…and anyone else who wants to do it. Enjoy!

The Fandom Book Tag!!!

I found this tag over at the Fangirl Fastionista and I knew I had to take part. She just created this tag to combine two of her favorite things: fandoms and books. In her original post, she has a slew of fandoms matched with book themes, but I’m only including fandoms that I’m a part of, or that I have a book that perfectly matches the tagline she created.

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Fandoms I’m In

Doctor Who: a book with a mostly blue cover — Across a Star-Swept Sea by Diana Peterfreund

I’m always talking about this book, but I can’t get over the adorable love story, the whimsical dystopian setting, and its commentary on the role of civilization in modern life.

Sherlock: A book featuring a a psychopath/sociopath — Bitterblue (Graceling #2, or #3, depending on Fire) by Kristen Cashore

Though Leck plays a part in all three of the Graceling books, Bitterblue gives the reader an in-depth look at the monster that is King Leck. My skin was crawling the entire time I was reading it, and I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to reread it, despite the amazing story it contains.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer: a book featuring a bad ass heroine

HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO CHOOSE?

Vin from the Mistborn trilogy by Brandon Sanderson

Vin is once described as a combination of a noble woman and a cat, and it is so true. She is the ultimate bad ass character who stays in the shadows but can fight with the best of them. In the spirit of Buffy, Vin’s Mistborn abilities give her a supernatural edge and make her fight scenes all the more dramatic.

Once Upon a Time: a book inspired by fairytales — Uprooted by Naomi Novik

Though it isn’t exactly a fairy tale retelling, Uprooted is inspired by the Grimm fairy tales, and there is a definite mood of bedtime stories that have been turned on their heads. Dark and thrilling, this book takes a fairy tale setting and throws out happily ever after.

Harry Potter: a book featuring magic — Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

I haven’t talked about this book in a while, but the breathtakingly beautiful magic in Night Circus reminds me of an adult Harry Potter. I loved the romance that wove its way through this book, and the writing was simply gorgeous. If you haven’t read this book–go get it and read it!

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Other Fandoms

Supernatural: a book where the main character comes back to life — The Revenants series by Amy Plum

These are some of my favorite paranormal books. I haven’t reread them in a while because they are on my never-used Kindle, but I remember falling head-over-heels for the romantic and dark story of people whose job it is to die themselves to save other people’s lives.

Game of Thrones: a book featuring dragons — Dragon’s Keep by Janet Lee Carey

This was one of my favorite books when I was a preteen. The classic boy raised by wolves story twisted so that a girl ends up living with dragons on a secluded island. A beautiful story that made me cry my eyes out.

Star Trek: a book featuring aliens or takes place in space — Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card

I read this book in sixth grade because my English teacher recommended it–and loved it. I haven’t reread it sense, but I keep meaning to go back and see if I love the sci-fi world as much as I did the first time. I bet I will.

Pretty Little Liars: a book in which people get blackmailed — Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein

You want to talk about having your heart ripped out and stomped on? This book does that. But it does it so well that you’ll just want to reread it the second you stop crying (which will probably be a few hours after you finish reading it). The confession of an English (sorry, Scottish) prisoner in Nazi-occupied France, this historical fiction is one of the most powerful stories I’ve ever read.

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Fandoms I’m Adding

Because we can’t talk about fandoms without Firefly!

Merlin: a book or series that you wish had gone on longer — The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater

I loved that this story was told so simply and well in stand-alone form, but I would die to get to spend more time on that crazy island with Puck and Sean–and the sky and the sand and the sea and Corr.

Firefly: a book that not many people know about, but that you LOVE — The Queen’s Thief series by Megan Whalen Turner

I can’t fangirl about these books hard enough. These books are my life. They’ve got thieves and court intrigue and just enough magical elements–and the sweetest, most heartbreaking romance ever. Gen is my hero.

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I want to thank Fangirlfashionista for coming up with this tag! For the rest of the fandom’s, you can check out the original post.

I tag:

Jess @ Princessia of Books

Cristina @ My Tiny Obsessions

Nicole @ Nymphadora Winterfell

And anyone else who wants to take part. Have fun!

The Would You Rather Book Tag

Thank you so much to Skylee at The Night Girl for tagging me in the Would You Rather book tag!

Would you rather only read trilogies or standalones?

I think I would rather read trilogies because you get to spend more time with the characters, explore more of the world (if it’s fantasy), and get a more complex plot. However, I hate reading trilogies (or series of any kind) if all three books have not yet been released. I’m crazy and any time I read a new book in a series, I have to reread the previous books, so by the end of a trilogy I’ll probably have read the first book three times, the second book twice, and the last book once, which even I admit is weird. So I’d say trilogies, as long as I can read all three books back-to-back.

Would you rather only read male or female authors?

I’ve never really cared who writes the books I read. Debut, indie, male, female, old, young, black, white–I care about the story. But most of the authors I end up reading are females, so I guess that’s my answer. (As a side note, of my all-time favorite authors, they are split half and half between males and females, so it’s not like male authors don’t work for me.)

Would you rather shop at Barnes and Noble or Amazon?

Wow. I dedicated an entire blog post to this question. But the tl;dr version is this: if I know what books I want to buy, Amazon is convenient. If I’m looking to discover new books, it has to be an actual bookstore (if that is Barnes and Noble or a local store, I honestly don’t care).

Would you rather books were made into TV shows or movies?

Neither? Book-to-screen adaptions have never really worked for me. No matter the format, part of the book will always be lost. (I discussed this in a TTT recently.) I love watching TV, but the books I read are special to me because of how they were written and I don’t hunger for them to crossover.

Would you rather read only 5 pages per day or 5 books per week?

Five books a week. I spent a blog post talking about this at the beginning of summer, but after power-reading eight books in two weeks, I’ve come down on the side of reading quickly rather than slowly. The story is so much more powerful when read all at once, instead of spread out across a lot of days.

Would you rather be a professional author or reviewer?

AUTHOR. I like reviewing books, but being a published author is my dream (and not the kind of dream that never comes true–I really think I could do it).

Would you rather be a librarian or a bookseller?

Bookseller, for the simple reason that I haven’t been to a library since elementary school. I have nothing against libraries or librarians, but I like collecting books myself (“I have to give them back?” five-year-old me asked my grandmother). If I worked in a bookstore, I could still recommend books to people and fangirl about my favorites with fellow readers, but I would be more in my element than if I were a librarian.

Would you rather read only your favorite genre, or every other genre but your favorite?

I don’t know my favorite genre. It’s a tie between fantasy and contemporary. I wouldn’t mind only reading fantasy books, however, because of the diversity of characters, worlds, and plots that the genre encompasses. Only reading chicklit would get old very fast, though I would miss the genre if I cut it out entirely.

Would you rather only read ebooks or physical books?

PHYSICAL BOOKS.

…not sure why I feel so strongly about that

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Since this is a very popular tag and I’m not sure who has been tagged and who hasn’t, I’m not tagging anyone in particular.

Basically, I’m tagging all of you amazing people! 

 

March Wrap Up

March was a good month in regards to my life and my blog–not so much for reading.

I literally read one book. I gave up on Winterspell (so melodramatic) and read The Bad Beginning by Lemony Snicket (and haven’t even reviewed it yet). I literally had no book reviews (ahhh!). I’m feeling sort of pathetic in that regards. But I am making progress in the Tutankhamen book I talked about in my Reading Update.

I had 21 posts in March! In fact, that bumped me up to my 200th post since starting this blog, so I had another rant. I got three blog awards–The Liebster Award, The Creative Blogger Award, and the Inspiring Blog Award–which was so great! (Thank you!)

In the writing world, I wrote six poems and got back into writing for Chuck Wendig’s Flash Fiction Challenges. My poems were Rain, Like Tears, Innocent Ladders, She Wanders, Others Talk of Love Affairs, Mr. President, and Clear as Day. For short stories I wrote Desert Gods and The Spoiled Child. The second story got a ton of positive feedback, which was wonderful. (Thank you to everyone who commented! It was amazing.)

I also talked about my crisis of confidence and why I might not listen to all the writing advice out there. In my WIP novel, I hit 50,000 words (and nearly jumped with joy)! I wrote about 17,000 words this month, of which I am very proud, though I have to admit that spring break really helped. Free time is so freaking amazing.

While I didn’t have any book reviews, I did have a lot of book-related posts. I took part in two book tags: The Coffee Book Tag and the Taylor Swift Book Tag. This was my first time doing book tags, and I really enjoyed it–and am on the lookout for more. On Tuesdays, I talked about my top ten Standalone Books of All Time, Books for People Who Like Magical Worlds, Books on My Spring TBR List, and Books from my Childhood That I’d Like to Revisit.

I guess I should talk about my personal life, but I honestly can’t really remember anything specific. Good, not great, not bad. I had spring break, which was nice. Wonderful, actually. There were lots of tests before the break because the quarter ended, and getting back into the rigor of school isn’t exactly fun. There, obligatory personal life statement done.

My goal for April is essentially to Read. Capital “r.” Actually READ–all caps. Seriously. Unfortunately, I’m not out of my reading slump, and nothing on my TBR list is grabbing my attention.

We’ll see how April goes 🙂

The Coffee Book Tag

I found this on Todd Medici’s blog a while back and loved the idea. I wanted to do a fun bookish post this week and decided that this would be a fun tag to try.

I don’t know who originally began the tag–sorry. Since I wasn’t tagged (I just decided it would be fun) I’m not tagging anyone specific.

Hope you enjoy!

1. Black: Name a series that’s tough to get into but has hardcore fans.

I’d say Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson. It is an amazing series, but it is sooooo long. Everyone I’ve seen who has read it is obsessed, which is a given because the books are crazy amazing.

2. Peppermint mocha: Name a book that gets more popular during the winter or a festive time of year.

I don’t really read holiday themed books, but I will say that I have a finals week tradition (finals week is the week before my winter break) of rereading the Gallagher Girl series by Ally Carter. It’s light-hearted and ridiculous enough to distract me after I finish stressful finals.

3. Hot chocolate: What is your favorite children’s book?

It’s so hard to choose! I loved the Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket, the Sister’s Grimm series by Michael Buckley, and Time Cat by Lloyd Alexander.

4. Double shot of espresso: Name a book that kept you on the edge of your seat from start to finish.

Blackbirds by Chuck Wendig and The Sweet Far Thing by Libba Bray (Gemma Doyle #3). Blackbirds is creepy, dark, and intense, with just enough humor to keep you from needing to put it down. The Sweet Far Thing is the ultimate conclusion of a trilogy, and even though it is really freaking long, it had so much conflict, romance, and tension that I can’t remember it ever dragging.

5. Starbucks: Name a book you see everywhere.

Anything by Rick Riordan. Honestly, I read his first Percy Jackson series in fourth grade, liked it enough, and then got annoyed when he just kept writing the same premise over and over again. I haven’t read them but apparently everyone else has (mini rant over, sorry). Also The Fault in Our Stars (another book I haven’t read–yet).

6. That hipster coffee shop: Give a book by an indie author a shoutout.

I don’t read books by indie authors, so I can’t really answer this question…

7. Oops! I accidentally got decaf: Name a book you were expecting more from.

Burn for Burn by Jenny Han and Siobhan Vivian. I loved the premise but there were too many characters and plot lines and it got confusing. It took a paranormal turn at the end, which annoyed me, because I thought it was going to be straight-up contemporary. I can’t decide if it is worth picking back up to finish the series.

8. The perfect blend: Name a book or series that was both bitter and sweet but ultimately satisfying.

Going Underground by Susan Vaught. This book had the potential to be bitter and sad–and it is–but in the end, it is perfectly sweet and uplifting (without being cheesy).