Yes, Christmas Day is today, and it’s almost over. Why am I doing a Christmas book tag then? In some areas of the world, gift-giving does not happen on the 24th or 25th of December. Gift-giving can happen on St. Nicholas’ Day (December 6th) or on Epiphany (January 6th) or another day. Traditionally, “The Twelve Days of Christmas” means the countdown to Epiphany. As part of that countdown, I thought it would be perfect to the 12 Days of Christmas Book Tag, which I found on Howes Books. The tag was created by Falling Down the Book Hole.
The version of “The Twelve Days of Christmas” that I have stuck in my head is from Mistle-Tones. You can listen to it here, but the actual portion of the movie is better. In fact, I think the video I linked to is a little shorter than the original. Watch the movie.
Since it’s the “first day of Christmas,” let’s start the book tag!
On the first day of Christmas,
my true love gave to me
a partridge in a pear tree.
The partridge stood alone in the pear tree. What is your favorite standalone?
One of my favorite standalones is Norton Juster’s The Phantom Tollbooth. I loved the story, the play on words, and the understanding of perspectives.
On the second day of Christmas,
my true love gave to me
two turtle doves
Love is in the air! Who is your one true pairing?
We’ve covered this one before. Harry and Draco!
On the third day of Christmas,
my true love gave to me
three French hens
In the spirit of threes, what is the best trilogy you have read?
Keeping with the Christmas theme, one of my favorite trilogies is the Santa Chronicles by Jeff Guinn. The first two books create the histories of Santa Claus and Mrs. Claus up to at least the seventeenth century. The third book takes place in the 20th century. It covers how Santa became popular, changed, and tries to deliver presents around the world on the appropriate holiday.
On the fourth day of Christmas,
my true love gave to me
four calling birds
Since series usually consist of four or more books, what is your favorite series?
One of my favorite series is The Royal Diaries series. I’ve always loved reading these.
On the fifth day of Christmas,
my true love gave to me
five golden rings
One ring to rule them all! Who is your favorite villain/antagonist?
Valentine Morgenstern of the books.
On the sixth day of Christmas,
my true love gave to me
six geese a-laying
Creation is a beautiful thing! What is your favorite world/world-building?
Alagaësia is a well-developed place, and it’s so well-thought out and fantastic. And since Inheritance came out, there must be something beyond Alagaësia.
On the seventh day of Christmas,
my true love gave to me
seven swans a-swimming
Who needs seven swans when all it takes is one good animal sidekick to make a hero rock! Who is your favorite animal sidekick?
I don’t remember many animal sidekicks in young adult or adult fiction, and I read very few children’s books this year that had animal sidekicks. I could consider Saphira, but she’s not a sidekick.
After some thought, I will go with Jiji from the anime Kiki’s Delivery Service. (Look! Cats on the bookshelf!) Jiji follows Kiki on her adventures, advises her, and helps her.
Fun fact: Kiki’s Delivery Service is an out-of-print novel by Eiko Kadono.
On the eighth day of Christmas,
my true love gave to me
eight maids a-milking
Milk is so 18th Century! Which book or series takes beverages/food to a whole new level?
I could say the Harry Potter series for this, but I’m going with Coraline by Neil Gaiman. Unlike the movie, there is a surprising appearance of food, even if it’s not unique twists. While working on a children’s literature project, I read Kara K. Keeling and Scott Pollard’s article “The Key Is in the Mouth: Food and Orality in Coraline” in Children’s Literature (doi:10.1353/chl.2012.0015). Besides a few issues of children not being food, they argue that the food marks major turning points in the book, shows Coraline growing up, and represents nationalism. That interpretation of Coraline takes food to a new level.
On the ninth day of Christmas,
my true love gave to me
nine ladies dancing
Dancing is just one skill of a lady! Who is your favorite kickass female lead?
Daenerys Targaryen from both the books and the show. I love that she developed into her own, strong-willed woman, and she’s bad-ass.
On the tenth day of Christmas,
my true love gave to me
ten lords a-leaping
Leaping lords? Who is your favorite leading lad?
Jace Wayland/Lightwood from the books and the movie.
On the eleventh day of Christmas,
my true love gave to me
eleven pipers piping
Where would we be without music? What is your favorite book or bookish thing that deals with music?
I suppose the piano is my favorite bookish thing that deals with music, but I’m not sure that this is a bookish item. Whenever I read a book that features music in some way, if anyone is going to play an instrument, the instrument featured is a piano. It worked perfectly in Your Lie in April and The Lucy Variations.
On the twelfth day of Christmas,
my true love gave to me
twelve drummers drumming
Drum roll please . . . What is your favorite book this year?
I don’t like picking an absolute favorite for the year, but one of my favorite books from this year is Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell.
What is your favorite Christmas carol or other-winter-holiday song? If you have watched Mistle-Tones, what do you think of it?
If you would like to do this tag, consider yourself tagged. Have a happy new year and a great Epiphany, if you celebrate it!
Cat on the Bookshelf 