Top Ten Tuesday: Books and Adjectives

For That Artsy Reader Girl’s Top Ten Tuesday:

Today’s topic is

March 22: Books With an Adjective In the Title (Submitted by Nicole @ How to Train a Book Dragon)

I also decided to evaluate the adjective: does it accurately describe the book? Let’s see!

These Violent Delights by Chloe Gong – Yep, “violent” describes this one pretty well I’d say. The other adjective I might use is “gory.”

A Wild Winter Swan by Gregory Maguire – I don’t think I would call this book, or the swan in it particularly “wild.” Actually considering the fact that the swan is significantly human, I might call it fairly tame. He can talk and reason!

The Mysterious Affair at Styles by Agatha Christie– Yes, in this case I would call the affair at Styles (a murder, naturally) fairly “mysterious.” Nothing that Poirot can’t handle though!

The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides – This adjective is fairly literal. The patient in this book is silent. She does not speak. We do, however, learn a lot about her regardless.

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by VE Schwab – In this case it’s not really literal. Addie is perfectly visible, but her life is “invisible” because she’s always forgotten as soon as she’s out of sight.

The Invisible Library by Genevieve Cogman – Again, not literally “invisible,” but definitely a shadowy organization.

Betsy and Tacy Go Over the Big Hill by Maud Hart Lovelace – It’s hard to say here, because I don’t know how big the hill actually is. The book doesn’t give an elevation! But I suppose it’s a big step for the characters.

The Invisible Girl by Lisa Jewell– Definitely metaphorical once again (wow, there are a lot of books with “invisible” in the title!) But she does disappear, as in, people can’t find her.

Royal Blood by Rhys Bowen – Yes, several of the characters here have “royal blood.” And there are some concerns about blood being spilled, but the actual murder in this case is a poisoning.

The True and Outstanding Adventures of the Hunt Sisters by Elizabeth Robinson – Well, the book is fiction, so I suspect it’s not “true.” At the very least it’s fictionalized. As for “outstanding,” it’s probably not the word I’d use, though it’s not bad by any means.

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Tag Tuesday: Fantasy Tropes Tag

Today’s Top Ten Tuesday topic was:

November 9: Memorable Things Characters Have Said (quotes from book characters that have stuck with you)

But this didn’t grab my interest. I feel like I’ve done a lot of book quotes lists. So I decided to do a Tag Tuesday instead:

I discovered this on Foxes and Fairy Tales.

Rules

• Mention the creator ( one’s peculiar )
• Answer the questions
• Tag as many people as you like
• HAVE FUN!

1 – The Lost Princess – A book/series you lost interest in halfway through.

The Mortal Instruments/Infernal Devices/Dark Artifices series is probably the first one that comes to mind. I read the original trilogy and enjoyed it. But then the author kept coming out with more and more trilogies set in the same world. That’s fine if the setting warrants 12 books, but I was just alright with it just being a trilogy. It felt like something was being drawn out that didn’t need to be.

2 – The Knight in Shining Armour – A hyped book/series you were swept up by.

I wanted to avoid the usual answers for this one, so I decided to go with the Obernewtyn series. While it’s relatively unknown in the US, it’s very hyped elsewhere. My Aussie bookish BFF recommended it to me years ago and I was surprised to learn it has such a devoted fanbase elsewhere in the world, since I hadn’t heard of it. But there is a lot of hype surrounding it in other countries, so I’m counting it!

3 – The Wise Old Wizard – An author who amazes you with his/her writing.

Juliet Marillier. I think I could read and enjoy her grocery list! She tells a great story, beautifully, every time.

4 – The Maiden in Distress – An undervalued character you wished had a bigger storyline.

I’m going to say Ashton in The Tiger Catcher by Paullina Simons. But this is the first book in a trilogy, so Ashton may get more of a storyline as things progress, but in the first book he’s sort of on the sidelines. In the book, the main character, Julian does several not-very-smart things. But in spite of that Ashton is 100% loyal, even willing to turn his own life upside down. He goes above and beyond the call of duty as far as friendship goes. There are some hints as to the reasons, and hopefully in later books we’ll learn a bit more.

5 – The Magical Sword –  A magical item/ability you wish authors used less.

This might not be exactly what is meant here but in general, I could do with fewer vague prophecies in fantasy. How about some actual helpful information in the dream/vision/trance/whatever? I’m not saying I haven’t liked books that have used this. It can be done well. But sometimes it feels like an author throws a prophecy in to muddy things up for the characters rather than to serve an actual narrative purpose,

6 – The Mindless Villain – A phrase you cannot help but roll your eyes at

Often different phrases in different books. The one that jumps to mind is the “constellation of freckles” in The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue. I think her freckles were compared to a constellation at least once a chapter.

7 – The Untamed Dragon –  A magical creature you wish you had as a pet.

I actually don’t think I’d want a magic creature as a pet. I can’t think of one that wouldn’t be very challenging to care for! I mean, a phoenix might start fires. How does a dragon do his business? Do you take him for walks? Get dragon litter?

8 – The Chosen One – A book/series you will always root for.

I loved Kristin Cashore’s Graceling Realm series. It was a trilogy for a while but she recently added a fourth book that I haven’t read yet (hopefully it won’t fall into my “unnecessary extension of a series” category)

I’m not tagging anyone but if you want to do this one, go for it!

Top Ten Tuesday: Bookish Pet Peeves

For That Artsy Reader Girl’s Top Ten Tuesday:

October 5: Bookish Pet Peeves
I feel like I did a list like this a long time ago, but I can’t find it. So this might have some duplicates. Get ready for some complaining:

image credit: bookstr

–Movie Tie-In covers – Even if I like the movie poster. Even if I like the movie. Just don’t.

–When books by the same author/in the same series are different sizes – I want them on my shelves together and they should look like they go together!

–When the synopsis (or any relevant information for that matter) is covered by a sticker – You can put the sticker anywhere else on the cover. Why put it where I’m trying to read?

–When an author uses the same phrase/description many times -The book that comes to mind as an example of this is The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue. I liked the book, but the author compared the freckles on the main character’s face to a constellation, at least once a chapter.

–When multiple characters have the same/similar names – Yes it can serve a purpose (interesting article about that here) but it can also get very confusing unless it’s done skillfully. Authors can be eager to do it, but forget to give readers other indicators that they’re reading about one character and not another.

–Book covers that give the reader the wrong idea– One example that jumps to mind is author Marian Keyes’ work. Yes, there’s some humor in all her books, but Rachel’s Holiday is about addiction and recovery. The cover makes it look like it’s about a girl who has fun on vacation. The cover of This Charming Man (a book about abusive relationships) makes it look like a contemporary romance. I don’t know who designs her covers, but if I were her, I’d have some words with them about it.

–The fact that “Women’s Fiction” is a genre – Men can read books about female characters and experiences. Some may choose not to, but why alienate them by marketing a book specifically to women? How about marketing books to anyone who may want to read them? Reading about people who aren’t exactly like us in every single way is how we develop empathy. The world needs more of that IMO.

–When books in a series end with cliffhangers – I’m fine with chapters ending with cliffhangers. But when it’s the end of a book, even if there’s another installment in the series, give me some sense of closure. Yes you can introduce new storylines and give an idea what the next book will be about, but don’t make me think that I’m missing pages in my copy! An example would be Diana Gabaldon’s 7th Outlander book, An Echo in the Bone. The 6th book in the series tied up a lot of ongoing storylines toward the end, and pointed the characters in a new direction. That made a lot of readers think that it was the conclusion of the series. To avoid similar mistakes with the next book, the author ended it with about 5 unresolved storylines. It literally ends mid-conversation between two main characters, when one character has just told the other something shocking and important. In another storyline a kid has been kidnapped and left in a tunnel. Sure, in the next book we learn what happens to these characters, but the next book came out 5 years later! If I hear a book in a series I’m reading does something like this, I wait until the next one comes out (with hopefully some kind of closure at the end) before I read it.

image credit: seattle.bibliocommons.com

–The fact that genre fiction is considered less “literature” than literary fiction is. There are incredibly talented. innovative authors, who take risks, push the boundaries of form and language across the genres. Someone who does those things in a romance or a mystery shouldn’t be regarded any differently than revered authors of literary fiction.

image credit: elle.com

-The fact that children’s literature is dismissed by most people who aren’t children. Children’s literature is more rich and complex than people tend to give it credit for. Yes, there are some silly books, and some books that are very much geared to an audience under the age of ten, say. But there are also some amazing stories that I’ve gotten more out of as an adult. In some cases, things flew right over my head as a kid, and when I reread it, I sort of nodded in understanding.

#WyrdandWonder Book Bingo

I participated in Wyrd & Wonder‘s book bingo this month as part of their month long challenge. Take a look:

Here are the rules:

• Grab the bingo card (yell if you want a blank one) and comment to let me know you’re taking part
• Read fantasy books! Hopefully some of them match some of the prompts
• Each read may only be used for a single prompt
• Novellas count (for any prompt)
• The read-along prompt can only be completed by The Bone Shard Daughter by Andrea Stewart
• Post your completed* bingo card on your blog or any social media channel at the end of the month and tag me so I can see how you got on and include you in the draw
• Completed bingo cards must be posted by end of day on June 1st
• Winner will be picked on June 2nd

* completed in the sense of showing what prompts you managed to read / what books you read

IMAGE CREDIT: pegasus images by Svetlana Alyuk on 123RF.com

I got a diagonal bingo from the top left corner down to the bottom right:

Unreliable Allies– In Genevieve Cogman’s The Invisible Library, Irene is a sort of interdimensional Librarian (yes, with a capital “L”) who must collect important works of fiction from different realities. On her newest mission she must work with Kai, a trainee Librarian who may be hiding something from her. Some other allies both from the Library and the world where she’s looking for the book, turn up, and they may all have their own agenda.

Reluctant Hero(ine)– In VE Schwab’s The Invisible life of Addie LaRue, Addie makes a bargain early on with a mysterious spirit. She gets eternal life, but she’s be immediately forgotten by everyone she meets once she’s out of sight. Addie spends a lot of time regretting that choice, but her only way out is to lose her soul.

Freebie Another book I read this month that doesn’t fit any prompts for this bingo is A Thousand Beginnings and Endings edited by Ellen Oh and Elsie Chapman. It’s a collection of retellings of Asian myths, legends, fairy tales, and folklore.

Finish A Series- I finished CL Wilson’s Tarien Soul series, reading the final book, Crown of Crystal Flame this month. Overall I enjoyed the series, but I felt that it was a bit too long at 5 books. I think the story could have been told as a trilogy.

Chosen One- Diana in Shadow of Night counts as a chosen one, I think. In the first book in the All Souls series she knows she a witch but has no connection to her power. In this one she starts to learn about the nature of her magic and her family history. She turns out to be a “weaver,” a kind of ultra-rare witch who can make new spells. She’s also a timewalker, who can travel through time. Her marriage to a vampire is practically unprecedented in the supernatural community (different kinds of creatures aren’t supposed to be closely involved) and there are some prophesies about her offspring, and potentially her ability to save supernatural creatures from extinction.

#WyrdandWonder Challenge Catch Up

I’m trying to do this year’s Wyrd and Wonder Challenge celebrating the fantasy genre. Since I can’t do a prompt a day (I keep forgetting) I’ll try to do them once a week or so.

So here we go:

Day	Prompt
May 1	We’re going on an adventure what will you be reading this Wyrd and Wonder? (in theory. Until we tempt you with other recommendations) For the first week in May I read Shadow of Night (second in the All Souls Trilogy) by Deborah Harkness Now I’m reading The Invisible Library by Genevieve Cogman On my immediate TBR (as in, these are sitting on my shelf) Crown of Crystal Flame by CL Wilson (last in the Tarien Soul series) White As Snow by Tanith Lee To Say Nothing of the Dog by Connie Willis (I think this counts as fantasy, since time travel isn’t real) The Blue Girl by Charles DeLint The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by VE Schwab The Book of Life by Deborah Harkness we’ll see how many I actually get through!
May 2	Pop this in your book bag of holding What one fantasy book have you read since last Wyrd and Wonder that you want to put on the rest of the party’s radar? Well since I’ve never participated in Wyrd and Wonder before, this should be pretty easy. It’s not though: so. many. choices! I did recently really enjoy Neverworld Wake by Marisha Pessl. It’s set in a sort of limbo between life and death, where the main character, Beatrice, and her friends have to relive the day of their death over and over until they can vote on who will be the only survivor of the group.
May 3	#MapMonday I’m sharing the map of Florin and Guilder in The Princess Bride by William Goldman. Why? Because, even through I prefer the film, I think the book is sometimes unfairly overshadowed by it.
May 4	I never knew my father #TropeTuesday This year, Tuesdays are all about fantasy tropes we love (to hate) #TropeTuesday In honour of Star Wars Day (May the Fourth Be With You) we’ll kick off with orphans, foundlings and other secret heirs to the throne / a grand inheritance / the magic in their blood I’m going with the Tarien Soul series for this one, since the final book is on my TBR for the month. The heroine, Elysetta, has a loving adoptive father, but she’s never met her biological father, so I’m counting it. The reader knows who her biological family is, and what happened to them, but so far in the series, Elysetta hasn’t met them. I expect that will (or, at least, it may) change in the conclusion.
May 5	I can do this all day Underdogs or victory (in battle) against the odds (in honour of Cinco de Mayo) In Ashling, the third book in Isobelle Carmody’s Obernewtyn series, there is going to be a rebellion against the totalitarian Council. The Misfits of Obernewtyn can help the rebels with their unique powers and abilities. But in order to do so, they must first convince the rebels to overcome their prejudice against Misfits, and accept their help. To do so, they participate in a sort of test of their abilities, called BattleGames.
May 6	Fly my pretties A book featuring any flying animal character or on the cover is fair game today, but bonus points if it’s a pegasus (our 2021 Wyrd and Wonder mythical mascot) Does this have to book a book I’ve read? If not, I’ll go with Pegasus by Robin McKinley (which is on my TBR)
May 7	Fantasy from around the world Fridays are all about celebrating fantasy from around the world – this week focuses on fantasy settings inspired by non-European cultures Most recently, I really enjoyed Gods of Jade and Shadow, which was set in Mexico and played with some Mayan mythology. I read Akata Witch and Akata Warrior fairly recently too, and those are an interesting look at some west African magic.
May 8	Currently reading The Invisible Library by Genevieve Cogman
May 9	Spine poetry OR Mother’s Day spine poetry (combine book titles into a poem) or celebrate fantasy mums (mother figures, female mentors etc) for international Mother’s Day For this one, I’ll give a shout out to October Daye (of the October Daye series by Seanan McGuire) who is mother to a daughter she hasn’t seen in years. The absence wasn’t her fault. She’d been turned into a fish. But her daughter doesn’t know that.
May 10	Mixed feelings Maybe it didn’t meet your expectations, maybe you loved some bits but not others, maybe it made you both incredibly happy and very sad… but tell us why! I found Mary Robinette Kowel’s Glamourist Histories good enough that I wished they were better. They’re regency romance a la Jane Austen, but with fantasy thrown in. The main characters are Glamourists who work with a sort of art form known as glamour. This takes a physical toll on the worker, but it was very hard to understand how glamour actually worked. So the parts that dealt with that weren’t clear, and it felt like it was a big part of the series that I wasn’t completely getting. But I enjoyed it in spite of that issue.
May 11	Reluctant hero(ine) #TropeTuesday Since I’m currently in the middle of the All Souls series (read the first two books, and am currently watching season 2 of the show) I’ll go with this one. In the first book, A Discovery of Witches, the heroine, Diana, is pulled into a struggle between creatures (witches, vampires and daemons). She knows she’s a witch, but she’s not happy about it, and keeps distance from her magical heritage. Except in this book she realizes she can’t do that anymore.