Tuesday, May 2, 2023

The Spring Cleaning Book Tag


I've snagged this tag from Sally Silverscreen at 18 Cinema Lane because it looks like lots of fun!

1. The Struggle of Getting Started – A book or book series you struggle to begin because of its size

I would like to read the Barchester Chronicles by Anthony Trollope, in theory, but there are six books, and I don't know if I'm going to like them, and they sound very cool except what if they disappoint me... and yeah, I have embarked upon twenty-book series with much less trepidation than this one causes for no real reason whatever.  I will try them eventually.


2. Cleaning Out the Closet – A book or book series you want to unhaul 

I've unhauled all the books I want to unhaul for right now, thank you.  I have been culling my TBW shelves every month or so for several years now.  I think the last books I put in our sell-to-the-used-bookstore box in the basement were the Jane Austen retellings by Debra White Smith, which I tried out and realized were just not the sort of book I really enjoy.


3. Opening Windows and Letting Fresh Air In – A book that was refreshing 

I reread The Enchanted April last month for the first time since 2021, and it absolutely refreshed and rejuvenated me.


4. Washing Out the Sheets’ Stains – A book you wish you could re-write a certain scene in 

Well, most recently, I would like to have rewritten part of Moonfleet by J. Meade Falkner so that the best character in the whole book wouldn't have to sacrifice his life to save the main character.


5. Throwing Out Unnecessary Knick-Knacks – A book in a series you didn’t feel was necessary 

Hmm.  Bones by Jan Burke.  I disliked it so much, even though I overall very much enjoy the Irene Kelly series, that I didn't review it here because I want to forget about it.


6. Polishing the Door Knobs – A book that had a clean finish 

Beauty by Robin McKinley had a fantastically wonderful ending.


7. Reaching to Dust the Fan – A book that tried too hard to relay a certain message 

The Lady and the Lionheart by Joanne Bischof worked much too hard to convince us that tattoos are not Really Terrible, and we Should Not Hate People Who Have Tattoos.  It is assumed that it would be difficult to decide if it would be worse to get your body covered in tattoos or to become a prostitute.  How is that even a choice, people?


8. The Tiring, Yet Satisfying Finish of Spring Cleaning – A book series that was tiring, yet satisfying, to get through

Hmm.  This is the one question I don't have a good answer to because... if a series is tiring, I will just not finish it.  Most of the time, though, I love to stretch a series out over months or years so I can savor it properly, and that definitely keeps them from feeling tiring!

I was not tagged for this, so I am not tagging anyone specific either.  If you like the questions and want to do the tag, go for it!

7 comments:

  1. The Lady and the Lionheart PLEASE. xD xD Why was it trying so hard? Why was it doing so much? It was . . . yeah. xD

    Hmm, p'raps I shall nick this myself . . .

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    1. Olivia, I know. Because the book didn't NEED all the didacticism. The characters were great on their own. It really is just Too Much. Sigh.

      Enjoy nicking this if you find the time!

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  2. I have not seen this tag. Nicely done!

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  3. Barchester's a delight, but the books can really be read as standalones, too. I really should read Beauty though... I dared to steal: https://moorsidecottage.blogspot.com/2023/05/spring-cleaning-books.html

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    1. Chiara, oh, that's good to know about Barchester! Maybe I will try thinking of them as individual books and see if I can get into them that way.

      Beauty was awesome! I read it all in one sitting.

      Thanks for the link to your own take on this tag! I will read that soon.

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  4. Really good answers for the tag! I haven't heard of any of these books, but the cover of 'The Enchanted April' looks really cute!

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    1. Thanks, Sally! Yes, I am absolutely loving this edition of The Enchanted April because it captures the bright and vivid joy of the book so well.

      Delete

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