The Bohemian Rhapsody Book Tag

I saw this tag somewhere and became a bit obsessed with it, so here is my version. Also, I can sing the whole of Bo-Rhap in all the voices, as well as doing a damn fine version of the guitar solo, just so you know.

1. Mama, just killed a man – A fictional character’s death that really upset you
   I’m slightly embarrassed about this, but the first time I read The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffeneger, my mum had to sit next to me and hold me hand because I was basically dying of emotions (and my husband was sitting on the other side of the room laughing at me). Everything about that book makes me too sad to go on.
2. Carry on, carry on – A book that was hard to keep reading but worth it in the end 
   I read City on Fire by Garth Risk Hallberg last year, and that was hard work; not because it wasn’t good but because it was so bloody long (911 pages, since you ask). The last 200 pages were a bit more action-packed, and I really enjoyed all the punk references throughout, so it was worth it. Just.
3. Sends shivers down my spine – A book with a beautiful spine/cover
   Obviously I have to mention the beautiful Penguin English Library classics which I collect. Aside from them, I have serious love for the Six of Crows cover; it appeals to the emo girl within.
4. Goodbye, everybody; I’ve got to go – A book you couldn’t finish 
   I’m still hoping to get back to The Bone Clocks by David Mitchell; it wasn’t grabbing me when I started it last year, but, hopefully, I will be able to miraculously remember the first 200 pages and pick it up again soon.
5. Thunderbolt and lightning; very, very frightening – A book you found very, very frightening
   Daughters Unto Devils by Amy Lukavics is a book I haven’t seen talked about very much, which can only be because a) people haven’t heard of it or b) they have read it but were too terrified to discuss it. It was extremely good but absolutely bloody horrifying.
6. Bismillah, no!/We will not let you go – A book/series you wish there was more of
   In recent times, it’s hard to choose something because so many books are part of a series anyway (sometimes without making this clear when you start reading the first one, which is VERY SNEAKY INDEED). I read Every Heart a Doorway by Seanan McGuire recently and, although I believe it is the first in a series, it was so short – only about 160 pages or something ridiculous – and I enjoyed it so much I’d have loved it to be longer.
7. Mamma mia, mamma mia – A book/series which should be made into a musical
   If Les Miserables can be a musical, then why can’t all great 19th century novels? I think, if I had loads of money and little sense, I would be inventing a Thomas Hardy musical; probably Jude the Obscure, because it contains a level of misery that far exceeds The Grumps, and would be horrific and unwatchable and epic.
8. The head banging bit – A book that made you face-palm
   Paper Towns was, for me, enjoyable in the middle bit because stupid Margo wasn’t there; I really hoped Q would never find her because she was so incredibly annoying. Every annoying thing she did (who actually hides stupid treasure hunt clues in door hinges?) made me hit the book against a wall.
9. Oh baby, can’t do this to me, baby – A moment from a book when it felt like the author was being mean to you
   I have spent my whole life feeling personally victimised by authors, so I could give about a billion examples here. The one I will choose is David Arnold’s Mosquitoland, a book I love more than is healthy; there’s a bit at the end when Arnold makes you think something crucial and heartbreaking has been revealed, and you want  to cry and throw things, but it turns out to have been a false alarm. It is an extremely cruel trick, but an effective one, because here I am talking about Mosquitoland again. Authors are really mean.
10. Nothing really matters – which character(s) did you not care about?
    I read Heir of Fire recently and there is no trick Sarah J. Maas could pull that would make me care about those witches. Even if they do have iron teeth and dragons. I assume they’ll become really relevant in Queen of Shadows and avenge Yellowhead or whatever her name was, but it was seriously annoying that they actually had no purpose in Heir of Fire.

Who actually invented this tag? It is genius. If you haven’t done it yet, consider yourself tagged.

The Desert Island Book Tag

I’m doing the Deserted Island Book Tag; thanks to Joey at thoughts and afterthoughts for tagging me.

Water — A book you simply cannot live without
Obviously I am going to say The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood because it is probably the book which has had the most formative effect on me, shaping my thoughts about so much ever since I first read it about fifteen years ago. I am old. And yes, I know I talk about this book so much that it seems very much like it is literally the only book I’ve ever read.

Food— A book that is a close second on your favourites list
I can’t choose a favourite book so trying to choose a second favourite is basically impossible. So I’ll say Wuthering Heights, I think.

Shelter — A book that makes you feel at home and safe
Fever Pitch by Nick Hornby is a book I essentially see as a part of my family or a limb or something. After I went to my first ever football match with my dad at the age of 12, he told me “if you’re going to be a football fan, you need to read this book,” and I have kept it close to me ever since. He also told me that if I wanted to choose my own team I would have to find somewhere else to live. #parentinggoals

Flare Gun — A book you would recommend to someone who doesn’t read
Ready Player One by Ernest Cline has been my go-to for a while now, and it has a proven record of being loved by habitual non-readers.

Matchsticks — A book that warms your heart
All the Birds in the Sky by Charlie Jane Anders warmed my heart with pure excitement that such a book exists. It is ludicrously inventive and I already want to read it again.

Compass — A book that directed you towards your love of reading
My mum LOVES telling people (usually me) that, when I was seven years old, I read the complete stories of A Bear Called Paddington by Michael Bond. I remember carting this massive book around with me; I was an obsessive reader from  young age but this is the first book I actually remember reading myself.

Get Tagged:
I’m way too socially awkward to tag anyone and I always assume everyone’s already done all the tags. If you haven’t done this one and you want to, consider yourself tagged.