The Spring Book Tag

/ saraletourneau

Spring TBR Tag banner

Time for another bookish tag! Sarah J. Higbee recently did this one at her blog, and it’s a quick questionnaire about books and reading with a “seasonal” angle. Since spring is my favorite season of the year, I couldn’t resist picking this up. 🙂 Let’s go!

The Spring Book Tag Questions

Rose and Dagger cover

1. What’s on your Spring TBR list?

Lots of books. 😉 Right now I’m reading Renee Ahdieh’s The Rose and The Dagger, which is the sequel to last year’s The Wrath and the Dawn, which I had enjoyed a lot. Here are a few more books I’m planning to read this spring:

Immortals cover
2. If someone asked you for a spring release recommendation, what would it be?

Since The Rose and The Dagger is the only Spring 2016 release I’ve read so far, I’ll go with a February release that’s currently my favorite book of the year: The Immortals by Jordanna Max Brodsky. It’s an addicting urban fantasy that combines Greek mythology with a crime thriller. Think Rick Riordan meets HBO’s True Detective Season 1 with a dash of Deborah Harkness’s All Souls Trilogy. It might sound weird, but it really works. Check out my review of The Immortals here.

Vanishing Throne_final front cover.pdf

3. Which two books coming out before summer are you eagerly awaiting?

Definitely Elizabeth May’s The Vanishing Throne, which comes out in early June. I’ve already pre-ordered it, and I’m really excited to see how things continue after The Falconer‘s cliffhanger-to-end-all-cliffhanger endings. If you like Scottish fae lore and steampunk fantasies, make sure you check out this series. (Click here to read my review of the first book.)

I don’t have anything else pre-ordered until summer, but Masks and Shadows by Stephanie Burgis and The Star-Touched Queen by Roshani Chokshi are two more Spring 2016 releases that have caught my eye recently.

GoldenCompass_cover

4. Which character would make a great Easter bunny?

For some reason, I thought of Pantalaimon, Lyra Belacqua’s daemon from the Dark Materials Trilogy. Maybe it’s because he can change into any kind of animal, like a mouse, a mouse, or a wildcast. Why not an Easter bunny? 🙂

secret-garden

5. What book makes you think of spring?

The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett. Any story about nature, gardens, and rejuvenation will remind me of spring. This was an adorable story, too. It’s wonderful to see how Mary and her new friends grow as their garden gains a new life as well.

Element Encyclopedia Fairies cover

6. Name a cover with flowers on it.

Lucy Cooper’s The Element Encyclopedia of Fairies – and it features not only flowers, but greenery and a fairy! 🙂 This is also a neat resource for anyone interested in learning more about fairies, nature spirits, and other similar creatures from all over the world.

Harry Ron candy

7. Which two characters would you go on an Easter egg hunt with?

I feel unimaginative by copying Sarah’s answer, but Harry Potter and Ron Weasley when they were little would be AWESOME pals to have on an Easter egg hunt. Remember the candy trolley scene from Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone? (*lol*) These boys would be all over a hunt for more candy – but they better know that we have to divide the candy evenly between all three of us! 😉

8. What is your favorite spring bookish activity?

Reading by the beach. It’s more of a summer bookish activity, to be honest. But I brought Garth Nix’s Sabriel with me on my first Cape Cod trip of the year last month, and I read a good chunk of it by Town Neck Beach in Sandwich. Ahhhhh. 🙂

(Confession: I didn’t actually sit on the beach and read. It was a chilly, windy day, so I stayed in my car and read in the parking lot. But the ocean view was gorgeous!)

Big Magic cover

9. Which book did you enjoy that has a spring-like cover?

Elizabeth Gilbert’s Big Magic! The bright colors and splatter-paint effect reminds me of Easter eggs. 😀 The book’s main topics of creativity and inspiration also fit the essence of spring beautifully.

10. Who is your favorite contemporary author?

That’s tough. I don’t think I can pick only one… In fact, the first four who come to mind are Patrick Rothfuss, Laini Taylor, N.K. Jemisin, and Leigh Bardugo. They’re all incredible world-builders and have smooth, engaging writing styles. Laini Taylor and N.K. Jemisin also have stunning imaginations that blow me away with every story.

My Nominees for the Spring Book Tag

You know how things work when I tackle a blog tag: It’s open to anyone who wants to participate! 😉 If you want to give this a try, just link back to my post so I can read your answers.

How about you? How would you answer any of these questions? What stories or book covers remind you of spring? 

34 thoughts on “The Spring Book Tag”

  1. Enjoyed reading of your choice of books. I didn’t know a good part of it (good to discover, eh? 😉 )

    Well, sorry, I don’t think I’ll pick this up. My TBR list is packed full with novels of friends I’ve promised to read, at different stages of editing. I’m enjoying it, but I don’t read that a good matter for this kindo f tag 😉

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  5. I love this tag! And I love your answers! Wrath and the Dawn is one of those books I’ve heard great things about and need to make an effort to pick up one day soon!
    N.K. Jemisin is an author also on my TBR. Can’t wait to get to her novels 🙂
    Enjoy your reading ❤

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    • Thanks, Faith! Feel free to give it a try, if you’d like. 😉

      The Wrath and the Dawn is very good, and a great example of how sensory details can heighten the reading experience. Lots of food, colors, and smells!

      N.K. Jemisin’s work is AMAZING. Absolutely read her stories when you have a chance. 😀

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  6. Lovely to read your Spring Tag and thank you so much for the mention! I loved reading your book choices and thought they were perfect – particularly the idea of the Easter bunny being Lyra’s daemon and your Flower Fairies book:). Hm… I’m really going to have to track down The Immortals, aren’t I? And I’m chuffed you’ve got The Star-Touched Queen in your sights, because I think you’ll love it.

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    • You’re welcome! 🙂 Yes, The Star-Touched Queen really has piqued my interest. Several people I know (you included) have reviewed it recently and had wonderful things to say about it. I’m not sure how soon I’ll get a copy, since I already have SO many other books to read… So I might hold off until September, because Roshani is scheduled to be at this year’s installment of the YA author event I went to last September.

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  7. I can’t wait to get into the Rose and the Dagger, how are you liking it so far? I’ve also heard nothing but good things about The Falconer and Bec gifted me a copy so I really have no excuse not to get into it haha. I just picked up a copy of The Star Touched Queen a few hours ago, actually! Hope we like it 🙂

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    • I finished The Rose and the Dagger a couple nights ago, and… I think I’m in the minority, because most everyone I know who’s read it has loved it and I… well… I liked it, but I was disappointed with it, too.

      The Falconer is wickedly cool. The ending feels like a rollercoaster track that ends right at its peak – but otherwise, it’s a fun story, and a fantastic steampunk version of 19th century Scotland.

      Ooooh, nice! I look forward to reading your thoughts on The Star-Touched Queen. 🙂

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  9. I love your choice of The Secret Garden for a book that reminds you of spring. I might have chosen it as well. I read it as a child, and don’t remember that much of it, but I was left with the impression of something coming to life, almost like breathing new air. 🙂

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    • ^^ That’s exactly why I picked it. I was trying to think of stories that had gardens or gardeners as characters, since flowers and growth and such always remind me of spring. The Secret Garden was the first book that came to mind.

      Thanks for stopping by, Phoenix!

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  11. I still haven’t read The Wrath and the Dawn, but I think I would like it.
    Secret Garden – yesss – wouldn’t you just love to find a secret garden? That’s something I (still) daydream about, lol.
    I always bring a book to the beach (and everywhere else). If I can’t swim (for whatever reason), I can always read.
    Do you plan on reviewing The Girl from Everywhere?

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    • The Wrath and the Dawn was very good, and IMO it’s better than The Rose and the Dagger. (My review of Rose is already up on Goodreads.)

      Oooh, yes, I’d love to find a secret garden! Though I’m not known for my green thumb, so I might be better off visiting the garden than taking care of it. :S

      I do plan on reviewing The Girl From Everywhere, yes. You had asked me to let you know what I thought of it, right?

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