gilmore girls book tag

Hey everyone!! Okay, so since the Gilmore Girls reunion *just* came out on netflix (I haven't watched it yet, so NO spoilers y'all) I figured I would do a Gilmore Girls booktag to celebrate! I saw this one over at Pretty Deadly Reviews, so this text is from there, as are some of the gifs :) Hope you guys enjoy!

I JUST GOT HIT BY A DEER – character having the worst day ever

for this one, I would have to say Kady and Ezra from Illuminae by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff. They're just going about their lives and all of a sudden, their planet is being bombed and their lives are thrown into a complete and utter shit show. 

 

STARS HOLLOW – wildly eccentric cast

I'm going to point to This Adventure Ends by Emma Mills. You've got a social media star, a party connoisseur, a dad who writes romance novels, a 22 year old stepmom, and a friend group that would kill and be killed for each other. I loved the quirky little things about all of these characters! 

 

COFFEE – a book you’re addicted to/a character w/ an addiction

I am definitely addicted to the Captive Prince trilogy by C.S. Pacat!! I am constantly thinking about how much I love that series. I am planning on rereading it as my first read of 2017! It just has everything that I love about high fantasy, but with some truly original twists that just made me love it even more. Captivating characters, good plot twists, amazing worldbuilding.

SOMEONE DEVIL EGGED BY CAR?! – great act of revenge 

The whole of Six of Crows/Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo centers, at its core, around Kaz Brekker getting revenge on the man who ruined his life. I absolutely loved that plotline! I don't feel like I read a lot about revenge, but that was a really great one. 

MR. MEDINA – an illicit affair

I just went through so many books, and I could not think of an illicit affair that I really liked except Frankie and Marco from The Lovely Reckless by Kami Garcia, which I liked, but was not my absolute favorite. 

KIM’S ANTIQUES – a world you’d be afraid to enter

I feel that this is kind of a cop-out, because it is so very obvious, but I have serious fear of it, so The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. I am terrified of that world! 

HARVARD VS. YALE – character who needs to make a life-changing decision

Shazi from The Wrath and the Dawn by Renee Ahdieh! Will she kill the man who is responsible for the death of her best friend? Will she follow where her heart is leading? Either way, her life is forever changed. 

LUKE’S DINER – a comfort read

The Goose Girl or Princess Academy by Shannon Hale. Both of these books have super strong connections with my childhood, because I think they are the books that truly got me into reading by myself, when I was around nine or ten. Before that, I would read for school and with my parents, but they really turned me into a voracious reader. 

AM I CRYING OR LAUGHING? – a book that messed with your emotions

KINGS RISING BY C.S. PACAT! OKAY??? SO MANY EMOTIONS SO LITTLE TIME. 

EMILY – the HBIC (Head Bitch in Charge)

Obviously Aelin Ashryver Galathynius from the Throne of Glass series by Sarah J Maas. She is the character that I aspire to be. I aspire to possess her sense of style, her flair for the dramatic, her toughness, and her fight. 

 

LORELAI AND RORY – favorite family dynamic

 The Edwards family from Second Chance Summer by Morgan Matson, aka the best and most beautifully heartbreaking family you will ever read! 

I PUSHED HIM IN THE LAKE! – a book you’d throw in a lake

probably Tiger's Curse by Colleen Houck... I just cannot take the cringey-ness in it. I honestly think the premise is super interesting, but the execution is definitely not my favorite. 

1000 YELLOW DAISIES – favorite romance

Where to even begin?? Damen and Laurent from Captive Prince, Jamie and Wes from Him, Aelin and Rowan from the Throne of Glass series, Jesper and Wylan from Six of Crows, Will and Tessa from Clockwork Princess, Max and Paige from The Start of Me and You, Andie and Clark from The Unexpected Everything 

 

JESS – an unpopular opinion

I don't know how unpopular this one is, but I actually enjoyed The Heir and The Crown more than the original three Selection novels! 

FIRST SNOW – snowy or holiday read

I am partial to Dash and Lily's Book of Dares by David Levithan and Rachel Cohn myself! I first read it probably more than five years ago, and it is just one of my favorite books to get me in the mood for Christmas and everything that comes with it. 

HEP ALIEN – book centered around music

Open Road Summer by Emery Lord focuses on a Taylor Swift-esque country star who goes on tour with her best friend for the summer! One of my absolute favorite contemporary reads from one of my absolute favorite authors.

HE’D BETTER HAVE A MOTORCYCLE! – your book crush

I have a great many book crushes, but my number one right now would have to be Daniel from The Sun is Also A Star by Nicola Yoon. 

IT’S REPETITIVE AND REDUNDANT – a book that could have been shorter

City of Heavenly Fire by Cassandra Clare. I felt like she could've gotten the point across in WAY less pages! 

KIRK – the weirdest book you’ve ever read

Devil and the Bluebird by Jennifer Mason Black! I definitely didn't think that this book was bad in any way, it was just a lot weirder than I was expecting going into it! 

IT’S A LIFESTYLE. IT’S A RELIGION – that one book that means more to you than any other 

         

Oh god... the ultimate question! It probably comes down to a few. All of Emery Lord's books, the Throne of Glass series, the Six of Crows duology, The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale, and Harry Potter.        

throne of glass booktag!

Yes, you guessed it. I am here and I am doing ANOTHER BOOKTAG!!! As many of you will know, I am completely in love with Sarah J. Maas' Throne of Glass series, and when I saw this tag on Polished Page Turners, I knew I had to participate. This was originally created by Alexa and Hannah, and I am so excited to complete it. If you love this series too, I tag you to do this tag, and leave links to your posts so I can see what your answers are!

Lysandra | A book with a cover change you loved | 

I absolutely love the UK cover of Second Chance Summer by Morgan Matson. I like the US cover fine, but I think this one captures the whimsical quality that the book has. I just love the way that it looks like scenes from an animated movie :) 

Abraxos | A book that's better on the inside than it looks on the outside |

 

Open Road Summer by Emery Lord. I was skeptical of this book at first, because the cover just makes it look really cheesy and romance novel-y, which I'm not a huge fan of. But I had heard such amazing things about this book, so I went ahead and read it anyways, and I'm so happy that I did. The cover does not do the story justice at all! It is about so much more than just romance, and I can think of a million other options for a cover. 

 

Erilea | A series with great world-building |

I'm going to go with The Winner's Trilogy by Marie Rutkoski. Not only does she do a great job of building our setting in the first novel, she goes ahead and makes the next two installments take place in different locations, which allows her to fully characterize more of the world and make it feel super real. I like how the political machinations serve to show the reader what this world is like. Super highly rated setting in these, for me. 

 

Rifthold | A book that combines genres | 

Vicious by V.E. Schwab has a little bit of everything in it. It's a superhero book with a more villains than heroes, a bit of a thriller, a bit paranormal. It also is action-packed but also introspective. I can't quite pin down what I actually think this is. Mystery, action, urban fantasy: it is all of these things and more, and its complexity is what makes it so fascinating. 

 

Damaris | A book based on/inspired by a myth/legend |'

The Wrath and the Dawn by Renée Ahdieh is inspired by the story of 1001 Nights, and I absolutely love what this novel does with that well known tale. It takes the bare bones of 1001 Nights and makes it richer, with more backstories, twists, and magic. 

 

Kaltain Rompier | A book with an unexpected twist | 

Wink Poppy Midnight by April Genevieve Tucholke was one of the twistiest books that I've read all year. It makes you think one thing through the entire novel, then completely turns that on its head in the end. (or does it?) This book definitely made me think, and the twist was something that I would have never saw coming! 

Assassin’s Keep | A book with an unreliable narrator | 

The narrator of the Mara Dyer series by Michelle Hodkin is Mara Dyer herself, a girl who is, debatedly, insane. There will be whole scenes in these books where you aren't sure if what is happening is real or not, and that is part of the psychological thrill of reading these books. I definitely am not a fan of unreliable narrators all the time, but when they're done right, I think they're useful, and Mara is excellent as an unreliable source of information. 

 

Asterin Blackbeak | A book that’s got SQUAD GOALS |

What can the answer to this question be but Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo? I think the reason that these characters are so popular is because they get their own POVs, which could be confusing, but instead just makes them all so real. I absolutely adored this book, and every single one of our six main characters. I cannot wait for Crooked Kingdom to come out, so I can see what will become of my children in Ketterdam.

 

Terrasen | A book that feels like home |

The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale is one of my favorite books that I have ever read in my life, and I have been rereading it every year since I was about ten. Whenever I read this book, a sense of total calm washes over me, like nothing too bad can happen as long as something like this book exists. It is like an instant pick-me-up, and it always makes me happy.

 

Aelin Ashryver Galathynius | A book with the power to destroy you |

The Loose Ends List by Carrie Firestone. This might be a little unfair, since this book isn't out yet, but this is the most recent book that absolutely destroyed me, emotionally. I was bawling my eyes out, trying not to cry too loud so I wouldn't wake up my roommates, for the last 70ish pages of this one. This book is about loving and losing the people that are important to you, about finding yourself, about first love, and about grief, and it is PERFECT and will make you cry a lot. 

Manon Blackbeak | A book that intimidated you |

Illuminae by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff is enormous, something like six hundred pages, and I knew going in that it was a heavy sci-fi book, which I am usually not a huge fan of. However, I had heard so many amazing things about this book, so I decided to read it despite become completely afraid of it, and I am so glad that I did, because the pages absolutely flew by and I finished this in about two days. 

 

Rowan Whitethorn | A book that makes you swoon |

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Saenz is a book that is so melancholy and sweet, and the ending of it just makes me positively giddy. The first time I read it, I shed tears of happiness, because I didn't think that the ending was going to be as amazing as it is. Definitely some swooning going on at the end of this one. 

 

Chaol Westfall | A book that challenged you to see things differently |   

Crash and Burn by Michael Hassan definitely made me think about the difference between a good person and a person who does bad things. If two people are brought up in similar situations, what is it that separates a would-be mass shooter from the person who saves people? I liked the ambiguity of those roles in this book. 

 
Fleetfoot | A book that you received as a gift |

I got the Sleeper and the Spindle by Neil Gaiman as a Christmas present from my family last year, and I was so happy because this book is absolutely gorgeous, both the writing and the illustrations. 

 

Eye of Elena | A book you found right when you needed it |

I read City of Bones when it first came out, and I was in middle school. I was bored of most of the middle grade books that I'd been reading for years, but didn't know what to do next. Without this book, I might never have gotten into YA like I have, and who knows if I'd even still love reading the same way. This series and this book in particular put me on the path that I'm on today, and I will love it forever for this reason.

Hope you liked this tag! I would love to see what some of you would choose for these questions. 

Until next time!

xx

Caroline 

spotlight on: totally should've booktag

Welcome to another month of "Spotlight On" posts here at Stardust and Words! This is a monthly feature that I head up here, where each post has a different bookish theme. You can find the rest of the spotlight posts here! This month, I am doing a booktag for my spotlight post. I saw this tag first on Katytastic's channel on youtube, but it was created by Emma at emmmabooks! If this tag appeals to you, I tag you in it :) Hopefully y'all will enjoy this, I just love doing tags!

The Totally Should've Booktag

1. Totally should’ve gotten a sequel 

 I'm cheating and putting two books here, and NO ONE can stop me! I love a good contemporary that makes me have all of the feelings, but they are never long enough for my taste! Both The Start of Me and You by Emery Lord and Simon Vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda were AMAZING!!! Two of my favorite contemporaries ever. And I loved their endings a lot, so I don't necessarily want them to be longer. However, I would LOVE to see a sequel to either one of these, perhaps with the characters in college or something! I would love to read about Paige and Max or Simon and Blue again, they are some of my absolute favorite characters! (Emery Lord or Becky Albertalli or both... PLEASE?) That is the dream.
 

2. Totally should’ve had a spin off series

Maybe I'm just selfish when it comes to my favorite characters, but I definitely did not want to let this series go. I understand that the main arc of the trilogy is over, but that definitely doesn't mean that there couldn't be another series to go along with this one. There are tons of possibilities with this world. I would love to see Damen and Laurent rebuilding after the events of Kings Rising, or a spin off about Jord, or about one of the other empires that we didn't focus on in this series, or about a future where Damen and Laurent's successors are ruling. There is a lot of potential here, and  I would love to read another series in this world.

3. An author who totally should write more books

Jandy Nelson! She is so incredibly talented, her ability to put words together into magic is unparalleled. She only has two books out right now, and it has been SO LONG since I'll Give You The Sun came out. I need some more of her magic words in my life. I know that she has another book coming out in early 2017 (*I think*) but I need it to be sooner. I would just love to read absolutely anything she writes. 



 

4. A character who totally should’ve ended up with someone else  

I won't say anything too spoilery here, in case you haven't finished this trilogy, but I wasn't 100% happy with who Alina ended up with in Ruin and Rising, at the end of the Grisha Trilogy by Leigh Bardugo. It made sense, following from the events of that book, but I might've  had her end up with someone else. That being said, I wasn't unhappy with the end, per se, but it wasn't as satisfying as I wanted it to be. Honestly, I really wanted Alina to end up being by herself and being fine with it, but I understand why the book took the route it did! 

  

5. Totally should’ve ended differently

I think that we can ALL agree on this one. When I first read this book, I couldn't believe what was actually happening, I just kept on reading to the end, hoping that it was a sick joke. Then, when there were no more pages, I closed it, threw it across my bedroom, and just started crying. I mean, this was total BS, right?? It was unnecessary to cause us that much pain, especially after the series had spent three books building and characterizing?? I will literally never get over the fact that this one ended the way that it did. Insanity. 

  

6. Totally should’ve had a movie franchise  

How awesome would it be to see the world of the Lunar Chronicles on the big screen? The high tech, futuristic world, mixed with the multiple settings that come with the installments of these books? Plus, the characters are so diverse, I just think that this could be a blockbuster. I also think it could work well as a TV show, but the settings lend it perfectly to a movie. Plus, there's the added feature of them being fairy tale retellings, which would attract another audience altogether. PLEASE hollywood, make these books into movies, and if you actually do, please do a good job.

 

7. Totally should’ve had a TV show

I think that we can all agree that the Percy Jackson movies sucked. I mean, they literally did not even attempt to make them good. They could've had another Harry Potter franchise on their hands, but they chose to make stupid decisions which made it pretty much impossible for them to keep making the movies. However!!! There are 10 books in the PJO and HOO series, which would make for a really really awesome TV series! If they started out with younger kids and let them age up naturally, I think it could be so awesome and different. I mean, look at Shadowhunters! The TV show is already doing better than the movie did. PJO could benefit from that as well. 
 
8. Totally should’ve had only one point of view

I honestly don't have an answer for this one. I generally like books with multiple POVs. The only one that I could maybe think of is Allegiant, but even that I didn't really mind! 
 

9. Totally should have a cover change

I usually would say that nothing should ever have a cover change, because I hate it when my books don't match, but I seriously cannot believe that they made six books with these covers for Vampire Academy. They're cheesy and actually kind of creepy, and I just think that there are so many more, better options for this series. The books are really good, but the covers actually suck. 



 

10. Totally should’ve kept the original covers

I WILL NEVER BE OVER THIS. LOOK HOW PRETTY THE COVER FOR UNSPOKEN IS! Then look how utterly underwhelming the cover for Untold is. I literally stopped reading this series partially because they changed the covers and I was so mad about it. Also because the ending of the first one made me so sad, I surpassed sad and when into furious, but also because of the covers. 

11. Totally should’ve stopped at book one     

I'm sorry, Maggie Stiefvater, but The Wolves of Mercy Falls was not my cup of tea. I think she is a great writer, but I just could not get into the characters or the plot of this book, and then she wrote THREE MORE! This was just a no, from me. 







 I hope y'all enjoyed this! 

xx
Caroline