The Book Calendar Tag

Today, I’m doing the Book Calendar Tag, created by Momo from The Booktube Girl. I wasn’t tagged in this, but it looked fun. This tag has a question for a holiday in each month. Here we go!

January: New Years – Name a new release coming out this year that you are greatly anticipating.

I finished the second book in Soman Chainani’s The School for Good and Evil trilogy (a review will be posted later this week). The first two books engrossed my attention, so I’m eager to read The Last Ever After. I need to know what happened to Sophie, Agatha and Tedros. This series has great characters, plot twists and themes. The Last Ever After will be released in July (USA).

February: Leap Year – Name a book or series that you would like to skip and refuse to read.

My friends told me to read The Maze Runner. I know it has been made into a movie, and I saw an advertisement for extras for The Scorch Trials in Albuquerque. I have had no desire to read this book; I don’t want to see the movie; I don’t want to read the book now. It has too much hype and the synopsis hasn’t hooked me at all.

March: St. Patrick’s Day – Favorite book set in the countryside or a rural area.

Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs is mostly set on a tiny UK island. This island only has one phone, shoddy electricity and very few people. The intertwined history and islanders help give it the rural feel.

April: April Fool’s – Name a book that had a story that tricked you into thinking it was going in one direction but ended up going in a completely different one.

E. Lockhart’s We Were Liars fooled me. I didn’t expect the end and what had happened with Cady. I can’t say any more as I can’t break the first rule of Liars Club: do not talk about Liars Club.

May: Mother’s Day – Name a book that is always there for you, that you love and that lightens the mood when you’re feeling down.

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone lightens my mood. It’s the start of the series where everyone is innocent and the majority of the time happy. Yes, Voldemort is looming over Harry’s head, but Harry has a pretty good school year.

June: Summer Solstice – Name a book that felt like it took forever to read.

I have to go with Maggie Stiefvater’s The Raven Boys for this one. It took forever to get going with the book. I had to put it down and give it another try a couple months later. Luckily, the perseverance was worth it. This turned out to be a great book, full of magic and mystery.

July: Independence Day – Name a strong and independent character that inspired you.

Clary Fray, from The Mortal Instruments, doesn’t allow others to walk all over her. She tries to solve the problems that arise. When people decide to leave her behind, she doesn’t sulk. Clary will use a rune or something else to ensure that she will be there. Even when she’s held prisoner, she finds some way to ruin her captor’s plans. I especially love her quips to her father and brother. She was always a strong, brave and clever character. She is a role model.

August: No Holidays – If you could create a holiday that in some way concerned books, what would it be?

Fan Art Day. I would like to see more fan art from books that people love. It could be a character, a scene from the book, a new cover, a bookmark, or whatever. It would spread the word about the books you love.

September: 9/11 Remembrance Day – What is a book that had a huge impact on you, one that you will always remember?

They Cage the Animals at Night, by Jennings Michael Burch, is an autobiography about a boy who was in and out of orphanages and the foster care system. He suffered abuse at the hands of his caretakers in the orphanage and at the hands of children. The title comes from one orphanage’s rule that all of the stuffed animals had to be locked away at night. Michael kept a stuffed dog who became his best friend. I don’t believe there will be a day that I don’t think about his story.

October: Halloween – What is your favorite mystery or horror book?

I selected The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin. It was required reading twice for school, and I still had trouble puzzling out the mystery both times. The second time was a little easier to follow the mystery since I knew the story, but I still have trouble puzzling the answer. I always remember one chess move because of this book.

November: Thanksgiving – What series are you most thankful exists?

The Harry Potter series got me to read more books entrenched in magic, witches and the supernatural. It was the first series that I wanted to closely follow. It was the gateway to other fantasy series and the seed of my love of fan fiction.

December: Christmas – If you could recommend your viewers a book as a gift, what would you recommend?

It’s hard to make a blanket statement for the perfect gift book. It depends on the person. Some people favor mysteries or fantasy or graphic novels or books about fish. To a degree, it’s also dependent upon age.

If I had to pick one, I would say Ellen Hopkin’s Rumble. I know a lot of people have an aversion to poetry, but all of the poems tell the story of Matthew Turner. He questions his faith and doesn’t forgive himself for the part he played in his brother’s suicide. It’s a thought-provoking piece that everyone should read.

That’s it for this book tag. I tag everyone who wants to do this tag. Leave a link in the comments to your tag, and I’ll check it out. Later!