#Christmas Fun: The Christmas Stocking Tag - #AmReading

I know Christmas is technically over. But people will still be posting about how they spent their holidays - I'll be doing so soon myself - and I couldn't resist. You see, when I was doing the 12 days of Christmas book tag I posted last week, I noticed some other tags I could do. When I went back to get the questions for them, I spotted this one had just been posted. I didn't have anything scheduled for today at that point, so I thought I'd go ahead and play along. If you'd like to play along too, please feel free to do so, either in the comments section of this post, or on your own blog. I'd love to see your answers!

Just to mix things up a bit, I'm answering only based on reads from 2018.

OK, here goes...

1. An orange! Which book is refreshing and vibrant, both inside and out?

"Pippi Longstocking" by Astrid Lindgren. I know it is inside, and I'm sure it would have been on the outside too, though I couldn't tell you that for sure, since I don't remember if I saw the cover in the past, and haven't a clue what's on it

2. The next thing you see is a bag of chocolate coins. (Yum) Which book have you recently bought that was expensive, but totally worth the high price?

"Nyxia Unleashed" by Scott Reintgen. Both of the Nyxia books haven't come cheap, but they've been totally worth it!

3. You also pull out a bath bomb. Tell us about a book that had explosive action scenes.

I've read two that could fit this, and can't pick between them, so I'll list both: "Quest of the Brokenhearted" by Charles E. Yallowitz, and "Star-Born Mage" by David Estes.

4. Next is a pack of playing cards. Which series won you over?

"Artemis Fowl" by Eoin Colfer. I only just started reading the series this year, but was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed the first book, and am looking forward to reading the others (which I'm hoping will happen soon).

5. You also get a candle. Which character is a symbol of hope in their story?

Smoky the Yorkshire Terrier from "Smoky the Brave" by Damien Lewis.

6. There are socks inside too. Is there a book that you think really encompasses all the distinctive tropes of its genre?

Is it cheating to pick a non-fiction book? Because "Ask an Astronaut" by Tim Peake would fit if it isn't. It's a perfect example of a book about space.

However, if picking a non-fiction book is cheating, I'm going to have to go with "The Girl Who Saved Christmas" by Matt Haig.

7. There’s also a notebook. Which author’s writing process do you find most interesting/inspiring?

I'm always interested in hearing about the writing process of all the authors I love.

8. To go with the notebook, there’s a fancy pen. Is there a book or a series that you’d change if you’d written it yourself?

"Leela The Chinchilla" by David Emil. It's a cute story, but some of the stuff just doesn't fit for a chinchilla, or for the type of character the chinchilla in question is meant to be. If I wrote it, I'd use my own experiences with our chinchillas, Mollie and Maizie, to improve upon the character and story.

9. There’s also a small bedside clock. Which book took you a long time to pick up but was worth it in the end?

"Lord Valentine's Castle" by Robert Silverberg. I seriously can't wait to read the rest of the series! It was recommended to me by a friend a couple of years ago, and I don't know why I took so long to read it. I'm glad I finally did so though, because it was an excellent read.

10. Your pile is getting really big. You reach in to pull out the last gift and it’s… a lump of coal? You’re a little disappointed. But you look closer and realise there’s a seam running through the coal. You crack it open and sitting inside is a tiny golden snitch. Tell us about a book that surprised you in some way.

"True Confessions of Adrian Albert Mole" by Sue Townsend. I was surprised by how little I enjoyed this one, considering I'd loved the first two books in the series. I hope the other books in the series will be more like the first two.