Happy Friday, everyone!
After the absolute fiasco that was last week, this week has turned out a whole lot better! I had my first post-lockdown Döner Kebab, which was absolutely delicious, went to a music store with my housemates, where we spent hours testing different pianos, visited my sister (and took some of her books back home with me 😇), and made quite a bit of progress on my thesis!
Granted, playing with gloves took a bit of getting used to, but I think I successfully found a relatively affordable e-piano that won’t be too difficult to transport during all the moving around I will probably have to do these next few years 😊 Oh, and also, I got a haircut! I’m still not sure whether it’s an improvement, but at least my hair is a lot more manageable now that I’ve cut off about thirty centimeters…
Overall, I’d say it was quite the successful week, so I thought I would make use of all my cheerfulness to bring you one of the many tags I’m behind on doing 😄 Since Riddhi @ Whispering Stories and Emily @ Frappes and Fiction were both kind enough to tag me in The Feelings Book Tag, let’s not keep them waiting any longer and get into it!
Thank you so much for tagging me, Riddhi and Emily, and a huge shoutout to Jheel @ Krisha’s Cozy Corner for creating the tag in the first place!
The Rules
- Thank the blogger who nominated you and link to their blog.
- Answer the 5 feelings given to you with a book that fits the prompt.
- Explain in 5 to 6 lines why that particular book comes under that feeling. (Let’s not take those 5 to 6 lines too literally, though 😁)
- Nominate between 5-12 other bloggers.
- Give your nominees 5 feelings too.
- Notify your nominees once you’ve uploaded your post.
Riddhi’s Questions
A book character you feel a strong connection to
Doesn’t every introverted booknerd secretly see themselves in Cath Avery? How could I not relate to a girl who loves to write as much as Cath does, who is about as obsessed with Simon Snow as I am with Harry Potter, and who thinks that eating protein bars in her room might be preferable to seeking out the crowded cafeteria where she doesn’t know anybody? I absolutely loved Cath from page one, and to this day, she has remained one of my absolute favorite characters!
A book you loathe
Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad. I detest it from the bottom of my heart 😤 It’s racist and boring and has this convoluted writing style that almost put me to sleep in spite of the burning hatred that was blossoming in my chest while I was reading it. I seriously don’t understand why so many schools still put it on their required reading lists, because if there’s anything that it going to entice students to never pick up a book again, it’s Heart of Darkness. If you need a classic that addresses British colonialization of Africa, just read Aphra Behn’s Oroonoko instead! Or anything else, really!
A book that is super unrealistic, and unreasonable, but you love it all the same
Is Project Hail Mary unrealistic? Maybe a little bit. Maybe it is a bit unreasonable that a middle-school teacher would be the person chosen to save our planet. Maybe it’s not completely realistic that he would have the brain power needed to remember every scientific fact ever discovered or learn a new language in just a few weeks. Maybe humans would be too stupid to cooperate if Earth were really in danger and go to war with one another instead. Maybe the characters are just a bit too lucky in the midst of all their bad luck…
BUT I DON’T CARE!! This book is soooo good, you guys 🤩🤩🤩 Seriously, you have to go read it!!
A book that made you pull out your hair in frustration
Most people would probably agree that The Selection isn’t the greatest literary masterpiece that was ever written. It has its fair share of plotholes and parts of it are kind of ridiculous… But it’s just so fun! The Selection‘s fluff and ridiculousness make for one of the greatest guilty-pleasure reads out there – or maybe not, because I honestly don’t feel very guilty about saying that I really like the first three books 😁
The Heir, though? It is one of the stupidest series continuations I have ever read. Eadlyn is the spoiledest brat I have ever come across, and if I could have reached through the pages to slap her, I’m not sure whether I would have been able to resist the temptation. Also, if the original Selection series had plotholes, I’m not even sure what The Heir has 🙄 A plot vacuum? This book did not need to exist!
A book that made you feel whole
I’ve gushed about the Penderwicks on multiple occasions, but that’s just because they’re the most wholesome family I’ve ever read about! You can’t go into these books and not fall in love with Mr. Penderwick’s scatter-brainedness, Rosalind’s desperation to learn Latin so she can understand her father’s comments better, Skye’s obsession with math and black holes, Jane’s incessant Sabrina Starr chatter, and Batty’s tendency to hide or cry whenever she meets a stranger…
The Penderwicks remind me so much of my own somewhat chaotic family, and life with them certainly never gets boring! 🥰 And since The Penderwicks on Gardam Street is my favorite book in the series, I obviously had to pick it for this question!
Emily’s Questions
A book that made you laugh
I think the book that has made me laugh the most is Herr Bello und das blaue Wunder, a German children’s book in which a dog accidentally gets turned into a person when he slobbers up this strange blue liquid that was left in his owner’s apothecary. However, even as a human, Bello still behaves very much like a dog, which makes for one of the most hilarious reads I have ever come across!
Unfortunately, though, while this was translated into countless other languages, English does not seem to be one of them… However, there is a Spanish translation in case any of you are curious about trying it!
A book that made you cry
How could I not mention A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara, after it absolutely destroyed me last month? 😭😭😭😭😭 I’m still not over this book. The cover is a very accurate representation of how I felt after reading it: No story has ever made me cry as much as A Little Life has, any I highly doubt that is going to change any time soon. This book is just so painfully phenomenal! 😭😭😭
A book that made you sleep with the lights on
None. If the lights are on, I can’t sleep. Natural light through my windows is fine, but if there is so much as a prick of artificial light within my room, I will be awake until someone a) turns it off or b) covers it with some other material.
If we’re talking about creepiness, though, I don’t think anything has ever freaked me out as much as Stephen King’s Apt Pupil. I’m not even sure if you could say this novella has a protagonist because the main character is so messed up. But even though its contents haunted me for weeks afterwards, I just couldn’t stop reading!
A book that changed the way you think/feel about something
I don’t think any book has ever radically changed the way I felt about something, although put together, everything I’ve read probably played a huge part in shaping my personality. Still, after finishing Quiet last week, it just seemed like the perfect book to use for this prompt!
Quiet analyzes how many things – schools, workplaces, codes of conduct – in Western societies are geared towards extroverts, without ever considering that this might be detrimental a large part of the population. Not all of us love being continuously surrounded by people or being forced to talk when we don’t have anything to say. And yet, many of us introverts are constantly pushed into the social spotlight anyway.
Honestly, I think everyone should probably read this book! It just made me feel so seen. Instead of giving me the impression that something must be wrong with me, it made me feel less alone. I really think it could help many introverts appreciate their personalities more, and help extroverts understand their introverted friends, colleagues, partners and family members better.
A book with a character you wanted to be friends with
Anne Shirley, of course! Who wouldn’t want to be kindred spirits with Anne? Just think of all the wonderfully imaginative games we could have played as children and all the scrapes we would have gotten into! We would have written so many stories, and as we got older, had all these deep and meaningful conversations 🥰
My Nominees
Aisling @ Aisling Hamill Books: Since I usually avoid book reviews for books I haven’t read yet, I’m glad Aisling’s reading tastes significantly overlap with mine. Her reviews never fail to make me relive my reading experiences, so I’d hate to miss out!
Alice @ Love for Words: Alice always comes up with the coolest ideas – like creating her own book box for one of her friends! (**Real-life friends of mine who read my blog, I hope you are taking note of this. You have my address and, as you know, my birthday is only a few months away 😇 **)
Lay @ bookshelfsoliloquies: I only recently discovered Lay’s blog thanks to our shared love for Andy Weir’s novels, but I’m already obsessed! Someone who gets inspired to make study playlists by dark academia novels is sure to catch my interest, after all 😉
Susana @ Susana Loves Books: Susana’s posts are always brimming with personality, so I’m thrilled she’s back from her hiatus with lots of new ideas up her sleeve!
Saima @ Stories with Saima: Saima’s blog is also one I’ve only recently discovered, but that hasn’t stopped her from contributing to my TBR list. I need A Lesson in Vengeance now!
As always, there’s no pressure for any of you to do the tag – if you have a lot on your plate right now or just aren’t that into tags, I get it! But I thought I’d use the opportunity to shout out some of your amazing blogs 😉
My Prompts
1. Loathing: The first book you would burn if you were stuck in a blizzard and books were the only flammable material you had on hand
2. Despair: A book that had you sobbing your eyes out
3. Schadenfreude: A book in which a character who had it coming finally got what they deserved
(Seriously, English needs a word for this emotion!)
4. Envy: A character you would like to trade places with
5. Love: A book you will keep shoving in everyone’s faces, no matter how hard they might try to resist
Anyway, that was it for today!
Let me know what you thought of my answers and how you would have responded to some of these! Which book do you absolutely detest? Which character would you want to be friends with? I would love to hear your thoughts down in the comments!
Other than that, I’ll see you next week! Or possibly in two weeks, depending on whether I’ll have enough energy to pre-write a post this weekend… I’ll be visiting a friend in the Netherlands for a couple of days, and it’s perfectly possible that I might neglect blogging in the meantime 🙃 So don’t worry if I disappear for a while; in all likelihood, it just means I’m enjoying my vacation!
A Book Owl's Corner 
Your haircut is goals, Naemi!!🤩
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Thanks, Nehal! 💙 I’m glad you approve 😂
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😀
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Yes to stealing books from your sister! You’re lucky to be able to 😂 My sister and I have polar opposite taste.
Thank you for the tag! I’m looking forward to doing this one.
Can I borrow “plot vacuum” from you? It’s such a good phrase 😂
Have a great vacation!
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Haha, my sister and I have very similar tastes, so we’re constantly stealing each other’s books 😂 I spent ages looking for Six of Crows about a month ago, until she confessed she’d taken it because she wanted to read it after watching Shadow and Bone… So it’s only fair that I should get something in return!
And sure, feel free to borrow “plot vacuum” 🤣 We need to establish it as an actual word!
You’re very welcome for the tag; I’m looking forward to seeing your answers! 😊
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Loved your tag, also your hair look great😄
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Thank you! I’m glad people seem to be much surer of this haircut than I am myself 🤣
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😄
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congrats on making progress on your thesis!!
I liked reading your answers for this, and I realllly need to finish reading Quiet (I’ve had the book for maybe 5 years now and stopped halfway, oops). Thank you for tagging me!
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Thanks, Saima! Yes, you really should finish Quiet – it’s so relatable! 🥰
Speaking of relatable, though, why does you stopping halfway through the book and never picking it back up make me feel kind of guilty? (**Remembers that half-finished copy of David Copperfield she returned to the library over a year ago with the full intention of checking it back out to read the rest** 😅)
And you’re very welcome for the tag! I’m looking forward to reading your answers!
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Great answers! I’ve read Fangirl a couple of times and every time I’m shocked by how many tiny details about Cath I relate to. And I have to read Quiet! Thank you for the tag!
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Thanks, Aisling! Cath really is one of the most relatable characters ever – and if you love her, I’m pretty sure you’re going to like Quiet, too! It makes you feel so understood 😊
And you’re very welcome for the tag!
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Ah, yes, Fangirl’s the besht book ever!! And yes, Anne and Diana’s friendship was #goals!!
Thanks for doing the tag!
P.S.- The haircut looks super cute!
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I’m glad we agree on Fangirl! Since I know how much you love Levi, I was pretty sure you’d appreciate me mentioning it 😉😂
And yes, Diana and Anne are so lucky to have found each other! I want in on that friendship!
Also, it’s nice to hear people apparently approve of this haircut 😊 I still miss being able to tie my hair back in a ponytail, but it is very nice just stepping out of the shower and having my hair dry in half an hour without me having to do anything 😁
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I do mention you mentioning it, haha!
Yeah, me toooo!
Ah, don’t worry, you’ll be able to tie it in a couple weeks or so! Albeit, it will be a small one, lol
And yeah, that part of short hair is the best!
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Whaaaa😥😥😥😥
Why is it that The Penderwicks On Gardom Street is the only one I have not read yet???
I am like the oldest girl except i am not interested in boys.
my younger sister is like Skye and Jane put together and my youngest sister is like Batty.
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You HAVE to read The Penderwicks on Gardam Street, Corrie! Seriously, it’s the best one 😍😍 There’s so much excitement and drama, and I just love seeing the Penderwick home. It’s so cool you also see your family in some of the siblings – I relate most to Skye, but Rosalind’s way of looking out for her family, Jane’s obsession with reading and writing, Batty’s love for music, Ben’s sci-fi exploits, and Lydia’s excitement are also qualities I see in myself. So I’m in love with the entire family, basically 🥰
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Yeah I love them all. I have not found the book anywhere and my library does not have it But I shall keep trying!😁
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I’ll keep my fingers crossed that you’ll be able to dig up a copy somewhere!
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Me too!
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And my dog is exactly like theirs.
Don’t let him out of the pen.
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Hahaha, even though I’m more of a cat person, I’ve definitely met dogs like that 😁 But when they look at you with those adorable puppy eyes you just can’t help but forgive them for whatever chaos they caused…
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Ik! I just look at his giantness and forgive him.
Except I don’t forgive him for chewing up my favorite pair of flop flops!😂
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I would love to be friends with Anne. She like playing and makebelieve and still talking and having deep chats.
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Exactly! Anne would be the perfect friend! 😊
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Yessss!!!
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It’s very nice to see Cath in this post. She definitely would have been my answer too 😇
I kinda had to laugh at the many unrealistic things you could list about Project Hail Mary. It sounds like the perfect answer to that question 😄
And I loved that you made a question about schadenfreude! I feel that whenever I finish all of Robin Hobb’s books, I’m going to have multiple answers to that question. Those characters seem to be her favorites ones to write 😅
I hope you have a nice trip to the Netherlands (not waiting for Atlantis I see 😉)!
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Cath is just too relatable to not use her for that question 😊 And Project Hail Mary is unrealistic in the best and most epic way possible, so I definitely don’t mind! 😁😂
I’m glad you appreciate the Schadenfreude question – I felt it multiple times when reading Robin Hobb’s books, too. Like when Molly left Fitz? It was pure satisfaction! And Regal getting his come-uppance was extremely enjoyable, too 😉 I’m certainly looking forward to what is awaiting us in the other books, although I doubt anything is ever going to top the Schadenfreude-levels of watching Umbridge being carried off by centaurs…
And thank you! (Since I wasn’t sure when exactly the Atlantis Alliance would come to fruition, I thought I would seize my chance and go now, although I’m certainly not opposed to visiting again at a later date 😉)
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I’ve just finished Ship of Magic by Robin Hobb and I tell you I’m desperate for several schadenfreude moments to happen 😅 But yes, I thought about Umbridge as well when I read the question!
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I’m really looking forward to Ship of Magic! We’ll have to see how much fantasy I’m still in the mood for after those ginormous Stormlight Archive books, but I do plan on reading more Robin Hobb this year, too 😊 I’m already eagerly anticipating your thoughts!
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I loved reading your answers! Anne of Green Gables is one of my favorite books too and I also love the word Schadenfreude!
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Thanks, Emily! I’m happy to hear you’re also a fan of Anne’s, and I definitely agree that Schadenfreude is an essential part of a language’s vocabulary! 😁
Thanks again for tagging me; I had a lot of fun!
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Hey Naemi! Congrats on 400 followers!!!!!!!!!! 🎉🎉😃😍😍
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Thanks, Nehal!! 💙 I don’t know how you and Riddhi always notice these things, but it’s great to see everyone’s support! 😊
(Also, a special 400 follower post might be coming your way once I’m back from vacation and have the time to write it, so stay tuned! 😂)
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Oh, well you just hadn’t posted since a long while now so I searched up your site and saw the followers 😁. And cool, can’t wait to read it!!
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Well, I only post on Fridays, so I guess it does seem like a long wait sometimes 😂 Especially when I’m on vacation and don’t comment on other people’s blogs either… 🙃
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Ah, I see 😂
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I love your haircut!
I can’t sleep with the lights on either xD
Thank you for tagging me! It’ll probably take me a couple of weeks to get to it, but I will 🙂 (And thank you for the compliment 🥺)
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Thanks, Susana! It’s nice to see someone relates to not being able to sleep with the lights on – I had a childhood friend who always needed at least a night light on to be able to fall asleep, and that lead to some pretty heated discussions during sleep-overs 😂
And you’re welcome for the tag; Take as much time as you want! (I still have tags from months ago that I haven’t done yet, so a couple of weeks is nothing 😅😁)
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