Hi, and thanks for stopping by.
Today's post is going to blend two of my favourite hobbies in the world - reading & baking!! I was looking around blogs/YouTube channels for some more fun tags to do here (I think they break up the reviews/hauls/wrap-ups quite nicely) and I discovered this awesome one. It consists of seven questions, the answers to which represent each ingredient that goes into a cake - fun! Let's get started.
(P.S., TAG, you're it! I'd love to hear your answers to these questions, too. Please do send me a link if you answer them. My twitter is @ECbookblog).
1. flour: a book
that was slow to start with, but picked up as it went
For this I'm going to say Kendare Blake's Three Dark Crowns, which I read a few months back. It's a fantasy, following three sisters who must battle it out to be queen of their kingdom, to cut a long novel short. A lot of the book felt pretty repetitive or just quite slow (although not bad at all) and then, all of a sudden, WOW - the last 50 pages or so were pretty awesome!
2. Margarine: a
book with a rich plot
For this I'm going to go with Marissa Meyer's Heartless, because the story was so much fun and the plot itself was hugely vivid and rich in detail and entertainment. The settings and characters just leapt off of the page and the storylines specifically were incredibly imaginative. It's definitely one of my favourite fantasy/fairytale books I've read - the ending was chilling!!
3. eggs: a book
you thought was going to be bad, but ended up being enjoyable
I have to admit I was incredibly sceptical when embarking upon Emery Lord's The Names They Gave Us, because, as I've mentioned here several times before, I really wasn't a fan of When We Collided. However, it ended up being one of the best YA books I've ever read. I reviewed it in full here.
4. sugar: a very
sweet book
This is kind of difficult for me, because I tend to gravitate towards slightly darker projects it seems, but I'm actually going to go for Holly Smale's Geek Girl books (those that I've read so far, anyway). Harriet, whilst not super sweet necessarily, is just joyful and funny and so entertaining. The humour and friendship and relationships in these books make me smile until my cheeks hurt - that's sweet enough for me!
5. icing: a book
that covered everything you love
Here I'm going to go for possibly my favourite YA book of all time (?! Such a commitment to even type those words! I'm still not 100% sure!) which is Jandy Nelson's I'll Give You The Sun. This book covers friendship, family, mental health, first love, sexuality, betrayal, grief, art...so many beautiful, complex topics - and they are ALL written flawlessly.
6. sprinkles: a
book series you turn to for a pick-me-up when you’re feeling down
This is the world's biggest no-brainer: Harry Potter. It is the book series to end all book series. It speaks to me no matter what mood I am in. It never fails to make me laugh, or smile, or cry. It's basically as close to perfection as you can get - I have no doubts at all in saying that these seven books are the best I have EVER read.
7. cherry on top:
your favourite book this year
I'm sorry, but I can only narrow this down to three favourites! I need the rest of 2017 to decide (and possibly find some more competition!) so for now, this is as close to one favourite as I can possibly get, no matter what promises I made earlier!! Holly Bourne's Am I Normal Yet?, Jenn Bennett's Night Owls & of course the aforementioned The Names They Gave Us by Emery Lord.
So that's it! This tag was short but sweet (excuse the pun...)
Till next time
Katie