Happy Friday, everyone!
After the absolutely horrendous week I’ve had, I have decided bicycles are by far the most superior mode of transportation.
Why? Imagine the following scenario:
- Even though you hate driving, you are forced to get your own car because you’ve been sent to teach in a very mountainous area and couldn’t find an apartment anywhere in the city.
- To save money, you buy an extremely cheap and extremely pink vehicle from friends, knowing they never had any trouble with it and that it was thoroughly checked out by a mechanic before you bought it.
- One Saturday afternoon right before school starts, you realize that there’s no food in the house and that shops are closed on Sundays. So you decide you should probably go shopping.
- Two kilometers away from your apartment, your car suddenly flashes every single warning light there is and stops driving. Very conveniently, this happens on a narrow alpine road so that your unmoving car is now in the way of any possible incoming traffic.
- You panic, but somehow have enough sense to know that you should probably move the car off the road. So you get out in the streaming cold rain, put out your warning triangle, and start pushing.
- After you’ve moved the car, you think about whom to call for help, but quickly come to the realization that you don’t know anyone in the area since you’ve only just moved here. And, thanks to on-going glass fiber cable installations, the phone line home apparently isn’t working, either. And, of course, your parents always have their smartphones on silent.
- You call the tow truck. Since it’s the last weekend before school starts and everyone is coming home from vacation, you stay in the line for nearly an hour before you reach someone. Then you wait for another hour for the truck to arrive. All the while, you’re completely drenched from pushing the car through the rain.
- The tow truck guy examines your car while you pathetically shiver next to him. At first, he thinks it’s just a simple battery problem, but upon closer inspection, it turns out that maybe the mechanic didn’t check your car as thoroughly as you’d thought. The tow truck guy tells you your timing belt should have been replaced months ago and that the only reason it didn’t snap sooner was because the previous owners only drove it a few kilometers each day to get to work. Whereas you put it through a fully packed Autobahn-roadtrip across half the country and drove it up literal mountains.
- The tow truck guy explains that timing belts snapping while driving almost always leads to motor damage so extensive it costs thousands of euros to repair it. But he tows your car to the nearest auto mechanic and tells you to have them check it out on Monday. Maybe you’ll be lucky.
- Tow truck guy leaves, and you, in an utter state of shock, decide to walk back home. Because calling a taxi costs money, and you’ve just realized you’re probably going to need every spare cent soon. It takes you an hour. It’s still raining.
- You get home. Thankfully, your ADAC membership means you get a free rental car delivered to you so that you have a week to figure out what to do. But the rental car arrives after all shops are closed. You realize you’re going to spend the weekend with next to no food in the house. And that you haven’t prepared any of your lessons for next week. And that you somehow have to find a way to get to school in the coming months. And that you’re probably going to have a ton of insurance repercussions.
- You barely sleep and, for the first time in your life, experience what it’s like to have a panic attack.
- When you get up on Sunday, you realize that it’s not a good idea to spend several hours in cold, soaking clothes. You’re really sick, but don’t have a doctor in the area yet. So you spend your day in bed trying to prepare lessons, making car-related phone calls, eating the only food you have left in the house (bananas), and constantly running to the bathroom.
- On Monday, you feel a lot better physically, but are still a mental mess to say the least. Thankfully, the mechanic is already at the repair shop at 7 a.m., even though his website says he opens at 8 a.m. (This and the fact that you were supposed to show up at your new school for the most important teachers’ conference of the year at 8 a.m. kept you up for the second night in a row.) You sit through ten hours of conference and try really hard not to think about your car. You fail.
- You get home and call the repair shop. You’re not lucky. The mechanic says fixing your car makes no sense whatsoever. He says he’ll try to find an alternative for you. You’re too exhausted to even cry.
- The next day, you meet your new students. If they notice you’re teaching them on barely any sleep, they don’t say anything. They’re so nice and welcoming that you feel even worse about the lack of effort you put into preparing their lessons.
- After three days, the mechanic still hasn’t found a solution, and you’ve spent the entire week in a constant state of dread. But you’re also starting to feel slightly better because you’ve realized your new school is amazing. The kids are nice. Your colleagues have all but adopted you. You have five offers from teachers willing to pick you up and drive you to school each morning until you get things settled. And you’ve realized that, even though it’s extremely steep and exhausting, you can ride your bike to school/the nearest grocery store within an hour, at least until it snows.
So yeah, things are great, I guess? 😅 I mean, I do love living here! It’s beyond gorgeous, and before all the horribleness happened, I had the greatest time exploring!
Anyway… I think bicycle superiority has been sufficiently proven, and in order to celebrate it, I’m doing the Tour de France Book Tag! Never mind that the Tour de France ended two months ago, and that I have absolutely no interest in cycling as a sport. The questions are amazing – Line @ First Line Reader created them, so no surprise there – and I’m so excited to get to them!
Since Line didn’t officially give us rules to work with and my organized brain can’t handle it, here’s my interpretation of what I think the rules are:
- Answer the prompts. This is probably a good rule to start with, right? 🤔
- Pingback to Line so she can find and sneakily read your take on her tag. And you should probably also credit her for the pretty yellow graphics if you, like me, end up using them… 🚴
- Tag some people or don’t – whichever you feel like doing! 😁
With that out of the way, let’s get straight into the tag!
Tour de France often begins outside of France, so pick a book set in/inspired by a European country that isn’t France (preferably also not England but it’s allowed).
Currently Swedish-obsessed me is obviously gonna go with a book set in Sweden here! 😍 My language skills are, unfortunately, still much too non-existent to judge the quality of the original, and I’m afraid I can’t vouch for the English translation, either… But what I can tell you is that the German translation is excellent! So I figure My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She’s Sorry, which is about a seven-year-old girl delivering apology letters from her deceased grandmother to various people, is probably equally heartwarming in other languages, too.
A bunch sprint will usually happen on stages with very flat terrain when a large peloton reaches the finish line. The stage is generally very boring until the very end, so pick a book with an ending you think made the book better.
Let’s reveal one of my more controversial opinions, shall we? 😎 Because I hereby proudly proclaim that I think Allegiant‘s ending was one of the best things about the entire book! Yeah, yeah, I know this series finale is universally hated because of its ending, but hear me out, guys – at least the ending was completely in line with what we’d learnt about Tris as a person! It was beautifully tragic, and it made sense! What didn’t make sense, though, was the absolutely ridiculous world-building in the first 90% of the book and the totally unsatisfying explanations we got for divergence. That and the fact that Allegiant suddenly had multiple POVs is a valid reason to dislike it, but not its ending!
Crosswind can appear suddenly and obliterate a peloton into minor groups, and riders who aren’t attentive can lose a lot of time to their competitors. Pick a book that “came in from the side”, a.k.a. a book you didn’t expect to love as much as you did.
Guilty confession time: Seeing books on required reading lists always makes me a little wary of them 😅 I have traumatic experiences from school, okay! A ton of our required reading was old, stuffy, and not all that interesting! And then there was also the fact that so many people I knew had labelled Frankenstein as horror. I dunno, I guess I thought this was some gory tale about a deranged monster ripping people apart while a scientist cackled evilly in the background… So imagine my surprise when I actually read Frankenstein and fell whole-heartedly in love with it! This book has everything I ever could have wanted. Complex characters with emotional trauma. Science. Philosophy. And the monster. Seriously, you have no idea how much I love the monster! 😭😍😭
A stage will sometimes go through roads with badly lain cobbles, and those aren’t the most comfortable to ride a bike on. Pick a book that was a “bumpy ride”, a.k.a. a book you had mixed feelings on.
I have a full review of The Silmarillion up on this blog, so if you want to know the full extent of my mixed feelings, you can head over there. However, since I strongly suspect that many of you, like me, are lazy, let me summarize 😜 First, reading The Silmarillion is beyond tedious. The writing style reminded me a lot of the Bible – C’mon, even you devout Christians out there have got to admit that the Bible isn’t exactly told in a gripping manner! – and the number of men insta-lovely falling for fair elven maidens singing in the woods was beyond eye-roll-inducing. That being said, though, there is so much lore in this! You suddenly understand A TON of mystifying details in The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, and it’s sooo satisfying. So yeah, even though I hated this book, I guess I also kind of loved it?
At a time trial, each cyclist rides the same distance but completely alone. The one who does it the fastest is the winner. Pick a book that deals with the theme of loneliness.
There’s no competition here. Although To Paradise did not reduce me to the sobbing, emotional wreck that Hanya Yanagihara’s A Little Life did, it hit hard in a much quieter way. This book, set in three different alternate versions of the United States of America, nails what it’s like to feel alone, even when you’re surrounded by people. What it’s like to hope for a better, more meaningful life. What it’s like to want a future filled with human connection. It’s excellent, so go read it!
Some stages are considered ideal breakaway stages, meaning that the breakaway is unlikely to get caught and the winner is found within that small group. Pick a book that features a team working together (bonus points if they turn on each in the end but beware of spoilers).
Gregor the Overlander! The start to one of my all-time favorite fantasy series set in a world hidden far beneath the Earth’s surface, it features an unlikely team of giant cockroaches, spiders, bats, a rat, and humans going on a quest that has been foretold for centuries. Which is not as weird as it sounds! Just trust Suzanne Collins! This is the author who gave us The Hunger Games, remember? I swear The Underland Chronicles are just as good; in fact, they’re the sole reason I pre-ordered The Hunger Games back in the day without even knowing what it was about… Oh, and there’s loads of betrayal, too, so I fully expect to get those bonus points, Line!
The mountain stages are the most highly anticipated stages by spectators as we finally see who has what it takes to win. For the riders, though, these stages can be quite painful. Pick a book that was “an uphill battle”, a.k.a. a book you struggled to get through.
Absalom, Absalom! Seriously, the writing style in that book is enough to put anyone off reading forever! 🥵 I’m fairly certain that the only reason William Faulkner is hailed as such a famous writer is because people who have read his books feel like they at least deserve something out of it. You know, like the ability to flaunt their perceived literary intellect and prestige over others. It’s not everyone who can read hundreds of nearly incomprehensible page-long sentences without sinking into a mindless stupor or falling asleep!
(Although, in all fairness, Mein Kampf is currently giving Absalom, Absalom! a run for its money and might actually surpass my Faulkner-struggle-levels if I ever manage to finish it… While Hitler’s writing style is slightly more bearable, everything else about the stupid book makes “uphill battle” sound like an extreme euphemism.)
The Queen stage is the toughest and most prestigious stage of the Tour. Pick a book with a royal main character.
My answer to this question was so obviously predetermined to be Kristin Cashore’s Bitterblue that I’d be very disappointed if none of you guessed this was coming! Very possibly my eighth, ninth, or tenth most reread book of all-time, it follows a young queen trying to rule a kingdom left in shambles by her murdered father’s legacy. It’s dark, lyrical, complicated, and full of meandering subplots. There’s intrigue, lies, and betrayal. It’s as close to perfection as any fantasy novel has a right to be! 🥰
(If you’re curious about those other spots on my Top Ten Most Reread list: #1-#7 should be blatantly obvious, and I’m pretty sure The Penderwicks on Gardam Street and Catching Fire each have a spot as well. I just don’t know how many times I’ve reread them at this point, so it’s difficult to give precise rankings…)
Traditionally, the Tour de France ends on the famous Champs-Élysées in Paris. Here, the overall winner is awarded the yellow jersey, so pick a book with a yellow cover.
Obviously, I pick Chomp! Apart from Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, this story about an animal wrangler and his son being hired to accompany a reality TV show in the Everglades is probably my favorite yellow-covered book out there. First off, it makes me nostalgically homesick for my Floridian childhood every time I read it. And second off, it’s hilarious! 🤣
- Anoushka @ Dipped in Ink: I expect to see lots of dragons featured in your answers! And okay, fine, maybe part of me is just hoping to see more hilarious The Summer I Turned Pretty ranting for the Mountain Stage question…
- Riddhi @ Whispering Stories: I’ve got to thank my partner-in-crime somehow! After all, without us ganging up on Line to tell her that it’s okay for book bloggers to write sports content, who knows whether this tag would even exist?
- Jan @ Inkspun Tales: I know I can always count on you for excellent fantasy recommendations, so, sorry, I couldn’t resist!
- Suhani @ Random Reader’s Rambles: AHHH, I AM SO READY FOR YOUR EXCITED SCREAMING!!! In exchange for that, I might even forgive you for the Peeta thing. Maybe…
- Saima @ Stories with Saima: What can I say? Gorgeous graphics and possible dark academia recs tempted me!
As you’ve probably gathered, I’d love to see all of your answers! Please don’t feel pressured in any way, though – as someone whose number of pending tags currently extends into the fifties, I highly doubt I have any authority in this department anyway… 😅
So yeah – that was it for today! Let me know whether you’ve read any of the books mentioned here and what you thought of my answers! Are you a cycling fan? Did you watch the Tour de France? I would love to know! And if you want to tell me something happy that happened to you recently, it definitely wouldn’t hurt, either… I could really use some cheerfulness right now!
A Book Owl's Corner 
Oh no! What a dreadful start to your new school year. I hope that you manage to get something sorted out as cycling an hour to school doesn’t sound very practical once the bad weather begins. I love this tag. I definitely agree about the Silmarilion. I remember reading it and then having to go back and read it again more slowly. I loved To Paradise as well. I definitely enjoyed the final section the most but then I love dystopian fiction. Gregor is one of my all-time favourite MG books. I used to read it aloud to my pupils.
Glad that your new job is going well and that you love your new school
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Yeah, I really could have done without all the drama as well… But, when you look on the bright side, maybe all the cycling means I will at least be extremely in shape at the end of this school year! 🤣
Also, I’m very impressed by your determination to give The Silmarillion another chance. Even though I thought the lore was cool, I don’t think I’m ever voluntarily putting myself through that book again 😅
Oh, the final section of To Paradise is definitely the best one! I’m so glad someone finally agrees with me!! Then again, I’m a huge dystopian fan, too, so that probably shouldn’t come as a huge surprise 😁
And your students are so lucky! I don’t think we ever read anything in class even remotely as great as Gregor 🤔
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your experience with the car getting stuck sounds like an absolute nightmare!! I’ve never used a bicycle in my life (I knoww) and I think I’m just scared of being thrown off balance. Where you’re staying looks so gorgeous!!
Thanks for tagging me,I’m looking forward to answering all these questions!
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Trust me, it is not among my favorite experiences, either 😬 I never, ever, ever need anything like this in my life again, thank you very much!!
I do love my bicycle, though. It has always been my most loyal mode of transportation, and at least if something needs fixing, it’s affordable! I think the highest repair costs I ever had were about 20€ when my bicycle lights got stolen about a year ago… And once you get the hang of balancing, it’s really second nature!
You’re very welcome for the tag! I’m looking forward to reading your answers! 💙
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OMG that sounds like a nightmare but glad the new job is going well! You know my feelings about Frankenstein 🙂 I want to read The Silmarillion but it terrifies me.
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Yeah, it ranks very highly on my personal list of worst experiences ever as well 🙈 But when I think about it, I guess I’d still rather have a great work environment than unfriendly colleagues and horrible students and a working car, so…
And lol, yeah, your Frankenstein opinions have been noted 🤣 But there’s still hope! You might reread it one day and become aware of its true greatness 😁
However, as for The Silmarillion, I think you’re allowed to be terrified. Reading that thing is EXHAUSTING! 😅 But you also learn so much from it!
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You have no idea what it means to me that you did this despite not having an interest in cycling at all ❤️ Thank you!!! 🥰 And I approve of the rules you provided! Didn’t know you found them that important because I tend to forget to look at them 🙈
Your week though 🤯 A big part of the reason I don’t own a car is that I’m afraid that it’s going to break down at a very inconvenient spot and I have to deal with the situation like you had to (I mean, I say the reasons are the environment and living in a city where I don’t need one, but this is probably the main reason I don’t have a car 😅) so reading your experiences almost gave me anxiety on your behalf. I’m so sorry you had a panic attack because of it 😥 But good that it’s gotten better and hopefully you get more sleep this weekend!
As for your answers, I might agree with you Allegiant. I don’t think I ever had strong opinions about the ending specifically because I just thought the entire book was terrible. I don’t remember details about it but I’m thinking you’re right about it being a little better than the rest of the book.
And not even the new Lord of the Rings show has made me even a little bit inclined to pick up The Silmarillion so you comparing it to the Bible isn’t convincing me 😂 But interesting that you have so conflicting feelings on it.
I also considered To Paradise for the loneliness question so I wholeheartedly approve of your choice! 😁
And while I haven’t read Gregor the Overlander, Collins writing about people working together and then betraying each other is very believable. There’s something familiar about that, you know 😄 So you totally get the bonus points!
Finally, thanks again for doing this!
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Your questions were so interesting that I simply couldn’t resist! 💙 I do need my rules, though. Maybe some of my nationality has rubbed off on me after all 🤔🤣
But yeah, my week… Let’s just say that I never need anything like this in my life ever again and will happily join you on the environmental living in a city front whenever that is possible again. I never even wanted the car in the first place, so maybe this is punishment for not valuing it enough? 😭 And as for sleep – well, I’m responding before 11 p.m. this time! That has to count for something, right? 🙃
Hard agree on everything you said about Allegiant, though. Honestly, I didn’t think the ending was amazing, either, but in contrast to the rest of the book, it at least made a bit of sense… Seriously, that book was one of the most unsatisfying series finales ever!
Oooh, does that mean you’ve tried the new Lord of the Rings show, by any chance? I’ve heard so many mixed things that I’m a bit wary, but I really wanna test it at some point! I’d actually intended to do that last weekend (Sorry, Umbrella Academy 😅), but, well, plans changed and my entertainment shifted solely to Harry Potter rereading…
When I read that question, it screamed To Paradise so intensely that I was really surprised you went with a book you didn’t like much instead – so I’m happy to hear you approve of my choice! 😂 Although I also didn’t mind seeing Addie LaRue mentioned 🥰
Also, thanks for confirming I get the bonus points 😇 Just so you know, though, I would have been very indignant if you had withheld them!
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Oh the car was definitely punishing you for not valueing it! I’m convinced objects such as cars, washing machines, printers can tell when you don’t love them enough so they will break at the worst times to annoy you 😄
And yes, I’ve been watching Rings of Power and I don’t like it. It’s slightly better than Wheel of Time but I still don’t think the writing is that good, especially the dialogue. And there are pacing issues! It’s probably also not helping that I’m also watching House of the Dragon which is just doing everything right! Rings of Power just pales in comparison 😬
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Oh yes, printers are definitely among the culprits, too! Although after this, I am never complaining about them again because at least repairing or replacing them doesn’t cost a fortune…
Also, you saying Rings of Power is better than Wheel of Time is not exactly convincing 😅 I never even got past Episode 4 of Wheel of Time, I think – I was just so frustrated by the weird and unnecessary changes, and it’s not like I loved the book that much in the first place. But Tolkien is a different matter! I don’t want to see his material butchered any more than it already was in The Hobbit! 😬 I think I’m gonna take your word for House of the Dragon, though – I mean, you already know how I feel about Game of Thrones, so… 😅
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I also hate to drive, but yet I have almost an hour commute one way. My husband loves to drive, and he has a twenty-minute commute. It’s not fair lol.
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Gosh, an hour commute sounds like a nightmare! Twenty minutes would already be more than plenty for me! I wouldn’t mind at all if public transportation improved to the point that I would never need a car again, so it’s always baffling to me that there are actually people out there who love driving 😅
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Same! I just don’t understand lol.
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I’m so sorry about your week! It sounds like a terrible experience. I hope you’re feeling better now 💛💛
thank you for tagging me! Reading your answers was so fun. While I’m not the biggest fan of Allegiant, I agree with you that the ending is good! It was a tragic end but it did feel like it wrapped up the story
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Yeah, it really wasn’t the greatest 😅 Unfortunately, I’m still nowhere near a solution, but it does help that there are so many people supporting me! Knowing I at least have some way to get to school is definitely reassuring, as is the fact that the initial panic has worn off…
Oh, and trust me, I’m no fan of Allegiant, either 😅 It’s just that I’m baffled its ending seems to be what most people find fault with, when, in my opinion, the true mess came way before that!
And you’re welcome for the tag! 💙 I hope you have fun with it and can’t wait to read your answers!
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I’m sorry you had such a bad start! But I agree, bikes and walking are the best ways to go (I don’t know how to drive).
The books in this tag were amazing and the ones I haven’t read sound amazing, love this post! 😀 And I’m glad the school, and area, had been good to you even if your car wasn’t!
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Thanks, Meena! Trust me, you’re not missing out on anything by not driving – if public transportation were better here, I would happily join you! 😅
And I’m glad you liked the tag! Feel free to give it a go if you want! 😉🤗
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Now in Spain, this is my first time living in a city, otherwise I’m usually in a small town in the country side/middle of nowhere so I know how bad public transportation can be in those kinds of places sometimes…Well, all the time 😂
I just might have to 😁
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BICYCLES ARE THE BEST MODE OF TRANSPORTATION YES YES YES!!!! You get exercise PLUS you get to your location almost always on time???
And aghh that situation seems to have been absolutely AWFUL, hopefully the bike turns out to be a better option!!! 💗💗
Ooohh I’ve never actually read allegiant ( mainly because of my hatred for the first book ) but I’ve heard so many things about the ending hahaha, maybe I need to finally continue on the series to see what it’s all about 😎
FRANKENSTEIN!!! I loved it so much, everything worked out so brilliantly!! Gregor the overlander seems so amazing too, I can’t wait to read it!!!!
THANK YOU FOR THE TAG!!!! And c’mon we ALL know my Peeta opinions are absolutely RIGHT ( what’s he going to do??? Bake a cake?? )
LOVE THIS SO MUCH!!!!
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Exactly! Bicycles are by far superior! 😇 I just need someone to find a way to make them snow-proof and drive themselves up mountains without any effort on my part, and then we should be fine 🤔 Get on it, engineers!
And lol, I actually didn’t like Allegiant either (despite really enjoying Divergent 😁) – but its ending is definitely a huge controversy in the book community, so being in the know is never a bad idea! 🤣
AND YESSS, FRANKENSTEIN!! 🥰 I love that book so much! And Gregor is great! Even if its technically middle-grade, I can only highly recommend giving it a try!
And you’re welcome for the tag!! (Even if your Peeta opinions are still wrong 😜) I can’t wait to read your answers! 💙
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Wow, that’s really horrible. But at least the kids are good, and you got amazing colleagues. It reminded me when my oldest went to pre-school and I went to ask – at the end of week – how he was doing, and the teacher gushed about all those nice, quiet kids, and told me my son was so shy and quiet, and I wondered if she mistook my son for someone else. By the following month, she told me it was all a fluke, that the kids wouldn’t sit quiet for more than a few minutes at a time. They just kept on playing, and ignoring anything she said.
And as for the rest – would it make me unpopular to say I’ve never read any of the books you mentioned? I did read Divergent – didn’t like it – and Graceling, but that was that.
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Yes, I definitely had lots of luck with this school! Although I very much hope the kids are going to continue to be well-behaved for the rest of the school year, too 😂 Your son’s poor teacher!
And I don’t think your popularity is at all influenced by not having read these, don’t worry! In Allegiant’s case in particular, that probably wasn’t the worst choice you could’ve made!
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Aaah wait you like the cover of harry Potter and the order of the phoneix? The original one with Harry’s face on the cover?
Alsooooo i thought mein kampf would be a nice book, what with the fact that it’s written by someone like Hitler.
Also absalom absalom 😂. Never reading that since that day i read your review on it.
Also hey bicycle superiority for sure except i haven’t ridden one in ages 🙂.
Also yesss finally someone who agrees that the only thing good about the book Allegiant was the ending 😍. I mean the book wasn’t bad but it could’ve been better but the ending was fab
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No, the original UK cover with Fawkes on it! We’re talking about yellow covers, remember? 😜
And yeah, I’m flabbergasted Mein Kampf isn’t turning out to be a new favorite… With such a famous author, I was almost positive it would be! But I guess it just exceeded all of my expectations 😅
Also, I’m thrilled my Absalom, Absalom! review turned out to be so helpful 🤣 And yes to bicycle superiority and Allegiant’s ending being the best thing about it!
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