Give a Book Tag

Hey, everyone! I hope you’re all doing well. Today I’m doing another book tag, the Give a Book Tag. I found out about this tag from Aster Marie @ Happy Bookish After, who did it a while ago, and immediately liked the concept of it.

The tag was originally created by Katherine Zofrea on YouTube. While the giving season is usually thought of as the holidays, it’s never bad to be in the habit of giving. Let’s get into it!

Give a book to make someone smile

The House in the Cerulean Sea by T.J. Klune will fill your heart with a warm and fuzzy feeling. It’s about Linus, who works in the Department in Charge of Magical Youth. When he gets sent on a highly confidential assignment to the Marsyas Island Orphanage, he’s a bit hesitant to travel to a place with six dangerous children. What he doesn’t expect to happen is to grow close to the children, as well as their caretaker. The children at the orphanage were the sweetest. Each one of them was unique and had dreams of their own. I love how they didn’t let the prejudice and discrimination get to them. The relationships that Linus forms with the children and Arthur were so precious to read about, and I loved how the story ended.

Give a book you don’t talk a lot about

I’ve mentioned The Beast Player by Nahoko Uehasi a few times on the blog, but it’s not a book I normally talk about. It’s such an underrated gem of a fantasy novel and I think more people should know about it. It follows Elin who discovers that she can communicate with the water serpents that form a majority of the kingdom’s army and the flying beasts that guard the queen. This is a both a blessing and a curse, and she has to fight to prevent them from being used as tools of war. I love the worldbuilding and the relationships that Elin creates with the animals. I definitely recommend this if you’re a fan of Studio Ghibli or animals.

Give a book you can’t stop talking about

The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang is a book I mention a lot on the blog, as well as in real life. It was so well written and the storytelling was immersive. The characters are complex and the worldbuilding is detailed. It follows Rin, a poor peasant girl, who somehow aces the Keju, and gets accepted into the kingdom’s most prestigious military academy, Sinegard. But getting in was only the easy part. Rin has to fight her way to the top of the school after being targeted by her classmates for being a dark-skinned peasant girl. War is on the horizon and the country must prepare to fight for their lives. R.F. Kuang published The Poppy War in her early twenties; that is what I call talent.

Give a book people are going to either love or hate

I feel like The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern is going to be a book someone loves or hates, and there’s not many people in between. I’m on the loving side. It follows Zachary, who discovers a mysterious book that contains a story from his own childhood. This book leads him on a vast and magical adventure, to a fantastical world right underneath New York. I understand why some people may not like this book. Everything is connected in the story; you have to be 100% alert when reading this book or else you’ll miss an important detail. But I love the book because of that. I love how everything has a connection to something else in the story. The writing is also beautiful, with lyrical descriptions and prose.

Give a book for someone who needs to get in their feels

I haven’t mentioned The Weight of the Stars by K. Ancrum in a while, but this book will definitely put you in your feels. For me, the last 20% or so was the most impactful part. I absolutely loved that part, even if it completely broke my heart. If you’ve read the book, you’ll know what I’m talking about. Those last few pages were so precious, with the mixed media making them stand out even more. Ryann and James were the best siblings, and of course I loved Ryann and Alexandria.

Give a book with immaculate vibes

I read The Kingdom of Back by Marie Lu sometime last year and I still think about how magical and fairytale like the story was. I loved learning about Mozart’s older sister, Nannerl. Not many people know about her, and this book taught me about what it was like to be a young woman in the eighteenth century. Since Nannerl was a girl, she wasn’t as well known as her brother, even though she was older and just as good as Wolfgang. She was expected to play only until marriageable age, when she would stop traveling and get a husband. This book brought some knowledge to her. The worldbuilding was immersive, and the writing style completed captured the essence of a fantastical secret world.

Give a book for someone who likes to be surprised

Ace of Spades by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé will keep you on your toes! I wasn’t prepared for all the twists and turns the book took. It follows Devon and Chaimaka, who are both selected to be part of the elite’s senior class prefects. But when someone by the name Ace starts sending anonymous text messages that reveal about the two, their lives turn upside down. I loved the suspense the story gave and the mystery that surrounded the school. The dark academia was perfect.

Give a book for someone who needs a little love

Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery is both a sad and comforting read. It’s one of my comfort books that I like listening to when I’m having a hard time falling asleep. Anne is a high-spirited girl who doesn’t think Marilla and Matthew want her–not after they said they wanted a boy and not a girl. There are heartwarming moments in this book, as well as ones that may pull at your heartstrings. But overall, it’s a book about family, growing up, and love.

Give a book that’s an old favorite

One of my all-time favorite books is Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin. The story is inspired by Chinese folklore and set in a rural village in China. After hearing her father’s stories about the Old Man of the Moon, Minli sets off to find him and ask how she can change her family’s fortune. I love Minli’s courage and determination, as well as the cast of characters she meets during her journey. This is one of the most colorful books I have on my bookshelf; the artwork on the cover is gorgeous, which I believe was done by Grace Lin herself.

Give a book you think everyone should read

Other Words for Home by Jasmine Warga opened up my curiosity for books in verse. I listened to this story on audiobook, so while I didn’t get the visual aspect of the poetry, I got to experience it read aloud, which I think is just as important when it comes to poetry. It read as prose, and I loved how Vaneh Assadourian narrated the story. The book follows Jude, who has to leave her older brother and father in Syria, and travel to America. I loved seeing the world as an immigrant through a child’s eyes and how Jude adjusted to life in the United States. Though it was hard, Jude was strong and eventually settled in to living in America, becoming proud of her heritage.

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Have you read any of these books? Are there any books here that caught your eye?