The “Baby It’s Cold Outside” Book Tag

Happy Friday, everyone!

This week has actually been quite an eventful one. University has started again, which means that I suddenly have a ton of work to do, and everyone is already worrying about finals, which has me worried that I might not be worried enough yet, if that makes sense… Although the intense end-of-semester workload is definitely getting to me, too, so I apologize for getting to fewer of your posts this week than usual! Trust me, it’s not exactly voluntary 😅

However, on a more positive note: IT IS FINALLY SNOWING!!! I mean, we already had a bit of snow before, but now we finally have enough that you can do all the fun wintery things: sledding, building snowmen, or just admiring the beautiful white landscape ❄️ So here are a few impressions of what I did while procrastinating taking healthy breaks from my master’s thesis:

By the way, the snowman is actually a snowwoman. I named her Eloise after Eloise Midgen. Let me know if you understand this reference and my weird reasoning behind it 😂

So yeah – now that we have all this snow, what better time to do the “Baby It’s Cold Outside Book Tag”? [Isn’t that a great excuse for taking so long to get to this? 😁]. This tag was created by Erin @ Reading On A Star, and I was tagged by Riddhi @ Whispering Stories, Chelsey @ The Travelling Reader and Nehal @ Books and Words (or is it Fictionally Crazy?). So thank you, guys! I’m seriously impressed and honored that you still keep tagging me even though I always end up doing your tags months later 🥰 So make sure to check out these seriously loyal blogger friends of mine!

But first, without further ado, let’s get into the tag!

The Rules

  • Thank the person who tagged you and link to their post.
  • Display the banner (copy and paste).
  • Link to the original creator: Erin @ Reading On A Star!
  • Answer the questions!
  • Tag however many people you want!

So, anyway, let’s get into the questions!

The Questions

1) Snow Day – What’s your “comfort” book?

Any one of the Harry Potter books 😊 Even though I’ve re-read them so often by now that I almost know them by heart, Harry Potter is still what I reach for whenever I’m feeling down. Or when I’m feeling happy, for that matter 😁 You can never have too much Harry Potter in your life!

2) Snow Angels – What’s a book that you love so much you would want to be buried with it?

To be honest, I don’t really want to be buried with any book. Just imagine my body rotting all over those beloved pages of mine… Okay, maybe don’t imagine that 🤢 Seriously, uggggh!!! I would much rather posthumously force my favorites on another person, so that love for these books will live on even after I’m dead! 😁

And as to the book I’d choose, I guess you could just have a look at the first question. But to mix things up a bit, another great candidate would be the Penderwicks series by Jeanne Birdsall. Those books are simply wonderful! 😍

3) Warm Socks – What’s a book that makes you feel warm inside (The fluffiest, cutest romance you’ve ever read)?

Cute and fluffy, you say?? Well, in that case, how can I NOT go with Alice Oseman’s Heartstopper series? These graphic novels are just about the most adorable thing ever!! 😍

Although they do have quite some depth in addition to all the fluff – there are a lot of darker themes such as bullying and mental health issues that these books draw attention to. But, in my opinion, that’s just an added bonus! I never really end up liking books that are just fluff anyway 😉

4) Hot Cocoa – What winter-themed novels have you previously read?

Oooh, I love hot cocoa!!! 😍 Which is kind of a problem because I’m lactose intolerant and can’t drink it unless I first swallow some extra enzymes to break all that milk sugar down 😢 But I’m going off topic…

I must have read hundreds of winter-themed books over the course of my life, so I’m just gonna go with one of the first ones that came to my mind: The Last Holiday Concert by Andrew Clements! This is a middle-grade novel following a music teacher who is about to lose his job due to budget cuts and a group of sixth graders who want to make their last holiday concert something truly special. I’d definitely recommend it! Or anything Andrew Clements writes, for that matter 😊

5) Sledding – What’s a book with the best plot twists? Who’s an author that always keeps you on your toes?

Picture from: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/25/books/best-agatha-christie-books-murder-mystery.html

An author who keeps me on my toes? How can I go with anyone but Agatha Christie here? Our queen of crime sure writes some of the most amazing plot twists out there! Some of my absolute favorites can be found in And Then There Were None, Death on the Nile, Crooked House, and Sleeping Murder, though I think almost all of her books are amazing 😇 There are a few exceptions – *cough* The Big Four *cough* – but you pretty much can’t go wrong with an Agatha Christie novel! I highly recommend you give her a try if you haven’t yet!

6) Ugly Sweaters – What’s a book with the ugliest cover?

I already showed you some of my top awful covers quite recently, so here is a different one that I think is absolutely hideous… 🙈 Honestly, cover designers – people on the cover just never look good! Especially if the cover is just some weird close-up of their faces! And what are those flowery things???

Nope, I’m not a fan of this cover at all… But then again, I wasn’t blown away by Delirium, either.

7) Movie Marathon – What’s the last book you binge read?

Honestly: I binge-read at least half of the books I read. Maybe even more like 75% of them 😁 Once I get invested, I just can’t stop reading! Which is also why I like to save the big 800-page fantasy tomes for university breaks. It can cause quite a few problems if you decide to read a really long book in one sitting during a semester 😅

All this to say – the last book I binge-read was The Bitter Kingdom by Rae Carson, which is the third and final installment in her Girl of Fire and Thorns trilogy. It also happens to be the last book I finished, so stay tuned for my January wrap-up to hear more of my thoughts on it! (Spoiler-alert: I liked it 😉 )

8) Letter to Santa – What’s a book that’s on your wishlist this year?

I guess this is the point in the tag that hints at the fact that I was supposed to have done this before Christmas. Oops… 😁

However, the book I most desperately want right now is Kristin Cashore’s Winterkeep, which comes out in just a few days! Although I definitely don’t intend to wait until next Christmas to get it! In fact, I might just go and preorder it right this minute…

And as to what I want for Christmas this year, I have absolutely no clue. You can’t ask me that this far in advance! Maybe try again in October or November, and I might have a more definitive answer 😅

And that’s it for this tag! Since I’m already pretty late to the party, I won’t be tagging anyone specifically, but if you’re still in winter spirits and would like to give this a go, consider yourself tagged! And feel free to leave a link to your post so I can check out your answers, since I am an insanely nosy curious person 🤗

Also, do let me know what you thought of my answers to these questions down below! Do we agree on any of them? Have you read any of these books? What would your answers be for some of these? Is there currently any snow where you live? I would love to know!

46 thoughts on “The “Baby It’s Cold Outside” Book Tag”

  3. ahaana @ Windows to Worlds says:
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    ahh naemi!! i loved reading all your answers!! you’re so LUCKY you got snow!! the coldest it gets here is 18 degrees celsius, and it def feels like summer all year long lmao!! also how is your snow-woman so pretty!!?!! all of the times i have tried to make a snow-woman, all i’ve managed is a lump of snow, that doesn’t look remotely like a snow-woman!! harry potter is definitely a comfort read for me, and i love reading it always!! i can definitely relate to having the story memorised, but still going ahead and reading it!! although i’ve only read one book in the penderwicks series, it has SUCH amazing sibling relationships that make me emotional everytime 🥺 i loved reading your answers for this tag so much ahah 💖

    Liked by 1 person

    • abookowlscorner says:
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      Thanks, Ahaana! 💕 And wow – we’re lucky if it even reaches 18°C for more than a few weeks in summer 😅 Sometimes, I wouldn’t mind trading for a bit more warmth, either! Though the snow is nice, of course 😁❄ And I’m glad you think Eloise is pretty! Trust me, she looks way lumpier and crooked up close, so don’t be too impressed 😂 And besides, you need the right type of snow for it to stick together properly! Just blame any mishaps on that 😉

      Oooh, and I’m so glad that you agree on Harry Potter! There’s nothing better than reading it over and over again! 🤗 And you’ve read the Penderwicks!!! 😍 The sibling relationships are a huge reason why I love those books so much! Though the middle books are way better than the first one, even, so I’d say definitely read the rest of the series if you ever get the chance!

      Thanks for stopping by and leaving such a thoughtful comment, Ahaana! I always love getting a chance to gush more about my favorites 😁

      Liked by 1 person

    • abookowlscorner says:
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      Yay, a fellow Agatha Christie fan!! 🤗 She’s definitely amazing – no matter how many books of hers I’ve read, I can almost never guess how the crimes were committed, even though everything sounds so obvious when it’s revealed! And yes, I was very satisfied with this ending to the series! So much Elisa and Hector! 😍 And I absolutely adore Red!

      Liked by 1 person

  6. Line says:
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    Your reaction to snow is the exact opposite of mine 😂 We have snow now too, although it’s so cold it’s more ice than snow at the moment. And I just want it gone!

    I’m actually quite impressed you got through a winter-themed book tag and didn’t mention Winternight triology once 😂 Like, it would totally have been my answer to question 4 for a book about winter.

    Liked by 1 person

    • abookowlscorner says:
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      Noooo! The snow is the best thing ever! It needs to stay!! Especially now that we’re under hard lockdown and I don’t have to drive anywhere 😂 Because driving is probably the only thing that has ever made me reflect on whether my intense love for snow is justified 😅 But I have come to the conclusion that it is!

      AND I CAN’T BELIEVE I DIDN’T USE THE WINTERNIGHT TRILOGY FOR THAT QUESTION!!! I didn’t even think of it at all; I was so focused on holiday-themed books 🙈 But that’s just because the Winternight trilogy is obviously so much more than just about winter. It is perfection to the fullest degree, so saying it is winter-themed would be neglecting all of its other potential! Maybe 😅 But I’m sure I will be sneaking it into more of my future posts! After all, it’s been mentioned in almost every second one since I read it 😁

      Liked by 1 person

      • Line says:
        Reply

        We’re under lockdown too but I’m among those who still have to go out and work All. Day. In the snow. You’d love it 😂

        You forgot?!?! I just assumed you didn’t want to mention it too often 😂 But nice save 😉 Those books has just influenced me so much that every time I think of winter, I think of Morozko.

        Liked by 1 person

        • abookowlscorner says:
          Reply

          I guess I do kind of understand why you want the snow gone – I don’t know how excited I’d be after having to work in it all day either… But yes – being me, I’d probably still love it! 😂😂

          And I know – I don’t know how I could have forgotten!! I am such a disloyal fan 😅 Especially since Morozko is also tied very much to winter in my brain. But I guess the connection winter -> Christmas was stronger at the time when I was writing this, and I don’t really see the Winternight trilogy as a Christmassy book. Which is good, because then I won’t have any qualms about rereading it year round, even in the middle of summer! 😂🤗

          Liked by 1 person

  7. Noelle says:
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    I love your answers! And how awesome is that snowwoman? Is she a student from Hogwarts? All I know is she’s saying, “YES! Watch out world! My time has finally come!”

    I feel like I know the whole Harry Potter series by heart as well! Except for maybe the last book – it’s the only one I haven’t reread! That might have something to do with reading it during my last semester in college. I was pretty burnt out by reading in general, haha.

    I’m so glad you liked The Bitter Kingdom! I was pleasantly surprised by the series as a whole. I’m really looking forward to your thoughts on it! 😊

    Liked by 1 person

    • abookowlscorner says:
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      Thanks, Noelle! 😊 And yes! Eloise Midgen IS a Hogwarts student! I’m so happy a fellow Harry Potter fan recognized the reference! I named her that because of a comment Ron made about Eloise Midgen’s nose being “off-center”, which fit perfectly in this case 😁 I just couldn’t get the carrot to stick in the middle of snowwoman-Eloise’s face, so she had to go with a beautiful off-center nose instead 😊 I’m glad you approve of her!

      Haha, I certainly relate to having a lot do to in college/university 😅 Though I guess that means you’re due for a Deathly Hallows reread at some point? 😉🤗 I actually don’t even know how many times I’ve read the books by now. I read them all at least once a year – but usually a lot more often than that 😍 – and listen to the audiobooks a ton when I’m commuting, so I must have read all seven of them well over thirty times. Or maybe even more 😅 My copies are in pretty terrible shape! 😂

      And yeah, The Girl of Fire and Thorns series really surprised me, too! I didn’t think the first book was all that special, but the second book really had me hooked! Which was probably largely due to all that wonderful yearning between Elisa and Hector, if I’m being honest 😂 And I was pretty satisfied with the finale, too! 😊

      Liked by 1 person

      • Noelle says:
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        Aha! That reference for your snowwoman makes total sense now! I just love it. 😁

        I actually have been wanting to reread the HP series! Especially Deathly Hallows, because Rowling revealed so much information in the finale. I didn’t get the chance to digest it all properly. On the other hand, there are so many books on my backlist…it’s quite the conundrum. 😅

        I feel the same way you did about The Girl of Fire and Thorns! 😊

        Liked by 1 person

        • abookowlscorner says:
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          I’m glad you approve 😁 And picking whether to re-read something or whittle down my backlist is something I constantly struggle with, too – you’re definitely not alone! I just love returning to my favorite worlds, but then again, there are so many new things to discover out there! 🤗😅

          Like

  8. Klaus Viedenz says:
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    Eloise Midgen because you had to add the nose? Didn’t she try to curse away her pimples and cut off her nose in the process? 😀 Should be in Goblet of Fire, I think Ron uses her as a reference when Harry and he try to find partners for the Yule Ball (NO, KLAUS! You don’t have time for a Harry Potter-reread! DON’T DO IT!). “I’d rather go alone than with… Eloise Midgen (?)” And then Hermione says something like “Her pimples have gotten better, and she’s really nice.”
    And then Ron says “Her nose is off center/ not in the middle?”
    Omg, I should write an Eloise Midgen fanfic.

    Liked by 1 person

    • abookowlscorner says:
      Reply

      Yes, that’s it exactly!! 🤗 Or at least, I called snow-Eloise that in reference to the nose being off center thing… You can’t tell too well in the picture, but the carrot just would NOT stick in the middle of the snowball, so I ended up putting it kind of low in her face 😂 But I’m thrilled someone else is obsessed enough with Harry Potter to understand my naming choices!!

      Also, you always have time for Harry Potter rereads! And I would totally read your Eloise Midgen fanfic; that sounds like an absolutely brilliant idea! 😂😂😂

      Liked by 1 person

  9. emme @ a literary latte says:
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    Delirium oh my gosh?! I’ve totally banished that book from memory haha. I know I loved it when I first read it though, although I don’t remember any of it now. Maybe not one I’d reread though haha. & I totally agree that people on the cover rarely looks good?! Especially when they’re such close-up ones like that.

    Liked by 1 person

    • abookowlscorner says:
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      Same! I must have liked Delirium enough to pick up the rest of the series, but apart from the “love is a disease” plotline and the fact that it had a super annoying love triangle and a really weird ending, I couldn’t tell you anything about it now 😅 And close-up people on the cover really are the worst! I haven’t ever heard a single person say they’re a fan of this, so I really wonder why publishers keep making them!

      Like

  11. Abby @ Beyond the Read says:
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    I love your answers Naemi!! I’m so jealous of all the snow you got, we haven’t seen snow since before Christmas 😢 Your snow-woman is lovely, by the way!!

    Ah, The Last Holiday Concert is bringing back so many memories!! I was obsessed with Andrew Clements’s books back in the day 😂 And yesss the Penderwicks series is wonderful!! I hope I can reread all the books soon, they’re too good to only experience once!

    And thanks for reminding that I should probably should do this tag before spring arrives 😅 I love seasonal book tags, but the timing is always tricky — or is it just that I’m really good at procrastinating 😂

    Great post!! ❤️

    Liked by 1 person

    • abookowlscorner says:
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      Thanks, Abby!! I really hope you eventually get your share of snow, too! I was so bummed when all of ours melted away before Christmas, but I guess it was worth it in exchange for this! 😊❄😍

      And yes! I was obsessed with Andrew Clements all throughout elementary school! And still am, to be honest 😂 The School Story remains one of my favorite books to this very day 😊 Also, I highly approve of a Penderwicks reread 😁

      Yes, seasonal tags are so hard! They really make procrastinating difficult, and apparently I’m a master at that where tags are concerned, too 😅😂 And not to add to the pressure or anything, but I would love to see your take on this tag! 😉❤

      Liked by 1 person

  12. Strawberrys Corner says:
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    Sweden has only had a little bit of snow for like three days and that’s mostly all melted now, hopefully, it comes back again. I love the snow and that snowwoman was amazing!!!

    Only books mentioned in this tag I’ve read are Harry Potter but a few did look very interesting!

    Liked by 1 person

  13. Nefeli says:
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    I am so jealous of your snowy adventures!! Here it has snowed almost in the entire country except for the place I live in and due to the lockdown, we can go anywhere. I love seeing that you’re having fun with the snow, though!

    The Last Holiday Concert sounds great, and also like something that would make me cry. I totally agree with you on Agatha Christie, she’s the queen of both crime and plot twists. I can’t wait to read more of her novels this year! Honestly, I’ll never understand why publishers seem to think that putting people’s faces on book covers is a good idea. Unless it’s a biography or something, to me it is plain, boring, and shows a lack of creativity and care.

    I hope you get to read Winterkeep soon!

    Liked by 1 person

    • abookowlscorner says:
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      I hope you also get your share of snow soon!! ❄⛄ Not having any when the rest of the country does somehow sounds even more frustrating than it not snowing at all… Luckily, I live in a pretty elevated place close to what is apparently Bavaria’s second-coldest city, so thankfully I’ve never had that problem 😁

      And yes, The Last Holiday Concert has just the right mix of sentimentality and musicality in it – you can tell it was written for younger kids, but I still really like it! Though I do think it could have built up to that tearjerker potential more. I always love a good cry! 😂

      And yes, biographies are pretty much the only books where I will accept people on the cover! Though I do also feel kind of sorry for the people they are about… I mean, would you want your face plastered around countless bookstores and libraries worldwide? Because speaking from experience, I’d say that most pictures of me are certainly better off in private collections! 😅

      And I hope you do get to more Agatha Christie! I’ve been reading her books obsessively since I was eleven or twelve, so by now I’ve read almost all of them and am definitely interested in hearing opinions 🤗

      Liked by 1 person

  14. universewithinpages says:
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    I loved reading all of your responses to this!! I’ve heard so many good things about the Heartstopper series, and I’ve been meaning to get to them! I hate the cover of Delirium too hahaha, I think that real people on covers are just not for me.

    Liked by 1 person

    • abookowlscorner says:
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      Thanks, Allison! And omg, yes, read Heartstopper!!! I’m normally not much of a graphic novel person, but these books had me completely hooked 😍 They’re adorable and also have quite a bit of depth to them!

      And yes – who on Earth thought real people on book covers were a good idea?? I really don’t know ANYONE who thinks they look good 🙈

      Like

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  17. Pilar says:
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    I’ve never seen snow!!! I bet it’s so beautiful and fun 🤩 Though I’ve also heard it can be a little annoying after a while 😬

    I completely agree on the long books! I can’t stop reading when I’m liking a book, so I save the long ones for school breaks cause if I didn’t I would definitely fail all my classes 😅 And I haven’t read anything by Agatha Christie yet, but I really want to. Which one do you recommend I start off with??

    Liked by 1 person

    • abookowlscorner says:
      Reply

      You’re definitely missing out – snow is one of my favorite things ever! 😍It’s actually very rare that I get tired of it before it all melts again 😊 Although I do hate driving in it… But since we’re currently under lockdown and I can’t go anywhere, that hasn’t been a problem this year! 😁

      Also, I’m so glad I’m not the only one with those long book dilemmas! 😅

      And I’d love to see what you think of Agatha Christie! My favorite book of hers is “And Then There Were None”, although it does have a pretty slow start and might not necessarily be the best one to start with. For that, I’d recommend something like “Sleeping Murder”, ” A Caribbean Mystery”, “Death on the Nile”, “Murder at the Vicarage”, ” The Murder of Roger Ackroyd”, or “Crooked House”. But you can’t really go wrong with any of her books! 😊

      Anyway, thanks for stopping by, Pilar! You really weren’t kidding when you said you’d catch up on all of the posts you missed at once – all those lovely comments were such a nice surprise to return to! ❤

      Liked by 1 person

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