Teeny-Weeny Life Update + Coffee Book Tag

Dear fellow Babblers,

A moment of silence for books. Yes books.

I love books and I know that all y’all do too. If you don’t, why you’re reading or following my blog remains an enigma if ya ask me. I really have no reason to be writing this right now, given the fact that this is not supposed to be a discussion post but rather a tag. But we’ll get to the tag after a short babble on the magic of books. I’ve been having a number of personal issues lately that have been putting me in a teary eyed and upside down mood lately. Reading has been my escape and solace. It’s only during reading (and my long, excruciating morning runs, but lets not get into that) that I finally find hope and make a return to joy and the hopeful possibility that theres a whole world out there just waiting to be delved into. It’s really hard for me to deal with sadness and pain so I’ve been hiding out at home and reading from early morning into the late evening only leaving the house for doctors appointments, job interviews, and to throw out the trash. If it wasn’t for books I don’t know how I would cope. Lazlo Strange, Eliza Mirk, Lara Jean Song – all my favorite characters remind me that, despite everything, there’s still hope and maybe, just maybe, things will get better. I’m sure we’ve all had some pretty low lows and I know a lot of my readers know exactly what I’m talking about when I say books save lives, in the most literal sense of the word. That’s all for now. Let’s get to the real purpose of my rambles, the Coffee Book Tag. 

I was tagged by the bright and sunny darling, Lola over at bookfandom1001 to do the Coffee Book Tag. I really hope y’all can spare a few moments to read through some (or all *highly recommended*) of her post, they never fail to bring some rays of joy into my life, which is one of the best feelings. With a selection of book reviews, tags, memes, and fun and highly relatable bookish discussions, Lola’s blog is definitely worth a million follows and I promise, pinky-promise-swear that you’ll discover some wonderful new reads to add to your ever-brimming TBR.

               Black: Name a series that’s touch to get into, but has hardcore fans

I think I’m going to have to go ahead and go with the Shades of Magic series. I know just about all my readers are definitely shaking their heads and wagging their fingers at my answer. Truth is folks, the trilogy has been sitting on my fantasy shelf for months now. No matter how many amazing reviews I read, and I mean, every single review I come across says nothing but good things about the book, I just cannot be tempted to read it! I only want to read it so I can take part in the growing hype and it seems like every single one of my blogging buddies has read this book, so it’s safe to say I feel pretty left out *boo hoo.*

               Peppermint Mocha: Book that gets more popular during the winter or a festive    time of year

The Harry Potter series is popular no matter what but I definitely notice an increase in discussion and movie reruns on ABC Family around the holidays. I don’t know if it’s that Hogwarts, despite the dangers that happen at the school, just leaves a warm fuzzy feeling inside all of us, or that Pumpkin Juice and Butter Bear are involved but Harry Potter just seems to be the most appropriate for Christmas morning movie-lounging. Last Christmas my sister and I managed to watch every single one of the Harry Potter movies between Christmas Eve and Christmas and let me tell ya, I’m pretty sure my hyney grew three inches from all that sitting.

               Hot Chocolate: What’s your favorite children’s book:

Mention children’s books to me and I automatically escape into the imagination of Roald Dahl. My childhood was basically built off of his short stories and creative novels. My favorite remains, of course, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. My heart fills with love and nostalgia every time I think of this book. And the fact that I can still walk into a vintage candy store and come across a Wonka Bar or Gobstoppers makes the book all the better. That is, the feeling that books really can enter the world and change it. I know I’m just talking about candy here but there’s so many other examples I’m sure you guys can come up with on your own.

               Double Shot of Espresso: Name a book that kept you on the edge of your seat from start to finish:

There’s many but the first that came to mind for me was Eliza and Her Monsters. I think it’s that when you relate to a character and connect with the premise in one way or another, it becomes impossible not to feel totally sucked into the book – mind, body, and form. Eliza was that character for me. I’m not an introvert in any measure of the word – I’m blunt and up-front as hell but, believe it or not, I’d rather be alone any day than around people. I feel protected and no harm can come my way. Anyway, that’s what made Eliza and Her Monsters a big page-turner for me. The writing made me feel as though I could enter into Eliza’s find and experience all her pain and internal conflicts as they were happening.

               Starbucks: Name a book you see everywhere:

Holy moly guacamole. When Dimple Met Rishi. Okay, I fall in with the rest of y’all given that I fell victim to the hype and read and reviewed the book too. I’ve read so many reviews and still see it around so much that I’m getting kinda irritated just at the site of the book. *ouch, that was harsh, sorry* *not sorry.*

 

 

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

I know. Painting Sage. I received this book by the author in exchange for an honest review. I was expecting an accurate panorama of a girl’s recovery after her attempted suicide and her following struggles with bipolar disorder. What I got instead was a scattered mesh of family conflicts, relationship drama, and character developments – many of which had no relevance to the overall plot to begin with. This book was so inaccurate that I fear it could do some serious damage to peoples understanding of mental illness and could be offensive to those suffering from it. I mean, I’m sure there’s many people who enjoyed the book, but let me just say: you’ve been warned.

               The Perfect Blend: Name a book that was both bitter and sweet, but ultimately satisfying:

I don’t normally choose classics as I’m primarily a YA blogger but for this one I just have to go with Great Expectations by Charles Dickens. This book is satisfying in the sense that there’s so much heartbreak and growth that goes on in this novel that one is almost automatically inclined to anticipate the worst of all possible endings. This is indeed how it seems up until the very final pages of the book where love prevails, as it should in a perfect world, and your heart is sent fluttering up to the skies.

 

               Green Tea: Name a book or series that is quietly beautiful:

My screaming, thumping, fighting mind has no idea what quietly beautiful even means. I’m just going to take it as meaning a book that is written incomparably well and just sends you over the moon in reverie. For me that would have to be Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami. I love Murakami’s writing. A little intense and mind-churning at times but his words have a mesmerizing affect, more than any other author that I have come across to date. The plot of this book and its twists are pretty creepy, believe me, I know, but the world Murakami creates with cats that speak, sons who have sexual relations with their mothers and a library that guards a family secret blew me away that it made up for all the moment I found myself stumped, trying to make sense of the lengthy descriptions and pauses in narration.

               Chai Tea: Name a book or series that makes you dream of far off places:

The Bear and the Nightingale. Any book that manages to fuse Russian folklore with heartfelt allusion never fails to entrance me. This is one of those books that keeps you thinking and living in the fictional world long after you finish reading it. It was difficult for me to stop reading and do something else (EAT) because I still felt as though I was in Vasya’s world where house spirits and winter is a living, breathing being. Just goes to show what books can really do to us, now doesn’t it.

 

I hope y’all were able to keep your tushies at least somewhat interested in my ongoing book tag, not to mention my pre-depressing life update. I’m not going to tag anyone here mainly because I doubt anyone read this tag all the way through as my jokes and giggles have gone into ultimate *non existent* mode. Welcome. Meet the true Delphine. </3.

Yours Truly,

(Book image credits go to Goodreads)