The Mother’s Day Book Tag

I saw this fun book tag on ReadBetwixtWords and thought it would be wonderful to do to honor the moms today, or a special mom figure in your life. My mom is not a reader – I got my love of reading from an older cousin who was always reading teenage romance and then historical romances when I was a kid. But I married into a family of readers, so I’m honoring my mother-in-law in this tag!

The Rules:
Thank the person who tagged you.
Link back to the creator’s blog ReadBetwixtWords in your post.
Answer the questions below.
Tag anyone you want.
Have some fun!

A book that reminds you of your Mother:

Marie-Laure lives in Paris near the Museum of Natural History, where her father works. When she is twelve, the Nazis occupy Paris and father and daughter flee to the walled citadel of Saint-Malo, where Marie-Laure’s reclusive great uncle lives in a tall house by the sea. With them they carry what might be the museum’s most valuable and dangerous jewel.

In a mining town in Germany, Werner Pfennig, an orphan, grows up with his younger sister, enchanted by a crude radio they find that brings them news and stories from places they have never seen or imagined. Werner becomes an expert at building and fixing these crucial new instruments and is enlisted to use his talent to track down the resistance. Deftly interweaving the lives of Marie-Laure and Werner, Doerr illuminates the ways, against all odds, people try to be good to one another.

From the highly acclaimed, multiple award-winning Anthony Doerr, the stunningly beautiful instant New York Times bestseller about a blind French girl and a German boy whose paths collide in occupied France as both try to survive the devastation of World War II.


A book your Mom loves to read:

Present day: Emma Lovett, who has dedicated her career to breathing new life into long-neglected gardens, has just been given the opportunity of a lifetime: to restore the gardens of the famed Highbury House estate, designed in 1907 by her hero Venetia Smith. But as Emma dives deeper into the gardens’ past, she begins to uncover secrets that have long lain hidden.

1907: A talented artist with a growing reputation for her ambitious work, Venetia Smith has carved out a niche for herself as a garden designer to industrialists, solicitors, and bankers looking to show off their wealth with sumptuous country houses. When she is hired to design the gardens of Highbury House, she is determined to make them a triumph, but the gardens—and the people she meets—promise to change her life forever.

1944: When land girl Beth Pedley arrives at a farm on the outskirts of the village of Highbury, all she wants is to find a place she can call home. Cook Stella Adderton, on the other hand, is desperate to leave Highbury House to pursue her own dreams. And widow Diana Symonds, the mistress of the grand house, is anxiously trying to cling to her pre-war life now that her home has been requisitioned and transformed into a convalescent hospital for wounded soldiers. But when war threatens Highbury House’s treasured gardens, these three very different women are drawn together by a secret that will last for decades.


A book you enjoyed but don’t think your Mother would:

Enter the brutal and elite world of a war college for dragon riders from USA Today bestselling author Rebecca Yarros

Twenty-year-old Violet Sorrengail was supposed to enter the Scribe Quadrant, living a quiet life among books and history. Now, the commanding general—also known as her tough-as-talons mother—has ordered Violet to join the hundreds of candidates striving to become the elite of Navarre: dragon riders.

But when you’re smaller than everyone else and your body is brittle, death is only a heartbeat away…because dragons don’t bond to “fragile” humans. They incinerate them.

With fewer dragons willing to bond than cadets, most would kill Violet to better their own chances of success. The rest would kill her just for being her mother’s daughter—like Xaden Riorson, the most powerful and ruthless wingleader in the Riders Quadrant.

She’ll need every edge her wits can give her just to see the next sunrise.

Yet, with every day that passes, the war outside grows more deadly, the kingdom’s protective wards are failing, and the death toll continues to rise. Even worse, Violet begins to suspect leadership is hiding a terrible secret.

Friends, enemies, lovers. Everyone at Basgiath War College has an agenda—because once you enter, there are only two ways out: graduate or die.

A book your Mom has read to/with you:

She didn’t read this to me but it’s a book my husband still has from his childhood and I know she read this to him multiple times. And I’ve read it to my kids…

*****

When a tiger suspects he is the beast the jungle animals are fleeing from, he returns to them and points out his similarities with other creatures of the jungle.


A book with the word Mother or Mom in the title:

A twisty, compelling novel about one woman’s complicated relationship with her mother-in-law that ends in murder…

From the moment Lucy met her husband’s mother, Diana, she was kept at arm’s length. Diana was exquisitely polite, and properly friendly, but Lucy knew that she was not what Diana envisioned. But who could fault Diana? She was a pillar of the community, an advocate for social justice who helped female refugees assimilate to their new country. Diana was happily married to Tom, and lived in wedded bliss for decades. Lucy wanted so much to please her new mother-in-law.

That was five years ago.

Now, Diana has been found dead, a suicide note near her body. Diana claims that she no longer wanted to live because of a battle with cancer.

But the autopsy finds no cancer.
The autopsy does find traces of poison and suffocation.
Who could possibly want Diana dead?
Why was her will changed at the eleventh hour to disinherit both of her adult children and their spouses?

With Lucy’s secrets getting deeper and her relationship with her mother-in-law growing more complex as the pages turn, this new novel from Sally Hepworth is sure to add to her growing legion of fans.


A book where the main character is a Mother:

Single mom Jess Davis is a data and statistics wizard, but no amount of number crunching can convince her to step back into the dating world. After all, her father was never around, her hard-partying mother disappeared when she was six, and her ex decided he wasn’t “father material” before her daughter was even born. Jess holds her loved ones close but working constantly to stay afloat is hard…and lonely.

But then Jess hears about GeneticAlly, a buzzy new DNA-based matchmaking company that’s predicted to change dating forever. Finding a soulmate through DNA? The reliability of numbers:This Jess understands.

At least she thought she did, until her test shows an unheard-of 98 percent compatibility with another subject in the database: GeneticAlly’s founder, Dr. River Peña. This is one number she can’t wrap her head around, because she already knows Dr. Peña. The stuck-up, stubborn man is without a doubt not her soulmate. But GeneticAlly has a proposition: Get to know him and we’ll pay you. Jess—who is barely making ends meet—is in no position to turn it down, despite her skepticism about the project and her dislike for River. As the pair are dragged from one event to the next as the “Diamond” pairing that could launch GeneticAlly’s valuation sky-high, Jess begins to realize that there might be more to the scientist—and the science behind a soulmate—than she thought.

The Soulmate Equation proves that the delicate balance between fate and choice can never be calculated.


A book about something your Mom loves:

She doesn’t love gothic romances or horror but this story revolves flowers and plants which my MIL loves.

*****

A modern masterpiece, this is a classic Gothic thriller-fantasy from New York Times bestselling author Erin A. Craig, about doomed love, menacing ambition, and the ghosts that haunt us forever.

In a manor by the sea, one sister is still cursed.

Despite dreams of adventures far beyond the Salann shores, seventeen-year-old Verity Thaumas has remained at her family’s estate, Highmoor, with her older sister Camille, while their sisters have scattered across Arcannia.

When their sister Mercy sends word that the Duchess of Bloem—wife of a celebrated botanist—is interested in having Verity paint a portrait of her son, Alexander, Verity jumps at the chance, but Camille won’t allow it. Forced to reveal the secret she’s kept for years, Camille tells Verity the truth one day: Verity is still seeing ghosts, she just doesn’t know it.

Stunned, Verity flees Highmoor that night and—with nowhere else to turn—makes her way to Bloem. At first, she is captivated by the lush, luxurious landscape and is quickly drawn to charming, witty, and impossibly handsome Alexander Laurent. And soon, to her surprise, a romance . . . blossoms.

But it’s not long before Verity is plagued with nightmares, and the darker side of Bloem begins to show through its sickly-sweet façade. . . .


And a book that you would give to your Mother as a gift:

Two sisters discover the fairy tales written by their great-grandmother during WWII in this riveting tale of one woman’s secrets lost in the chaos of war—perfect for fans of Julia Kelly and Natasha Lester.
 
1940 – Stasia always found comfort in the idyllic French countryside where she spent her childhood summers, roaming the gardens of an old chateau and finding inspiration for fairy tales full of bravery and adventure. But these days are much darker, and with Nazis storming across Europe, she soon finds herself one of the most hunted agents of the Resistance. The only safe haven she can think of is Chateau de Montissaire. But she’s about to discover that it just may be the center of her biggest mission yet.
 
Present day – When Isabelle purchases a crumbling chateau in Rouen, it’s not just a renovation project—it’s a chance to reconnect with her sister, Emilie, the only family she has left. What she uncovers instead is an intriguing mystery… As the siblings piece together the incredible truth behind the books written by their great-grandmother Stasia, they discover an exciting story of courage in the face of treachery and an explosive secret that will change everything they believed about their family.


I’m not tagging anyone to do this tag but it’s an easy one to do, so feel free to do it if you want!

Happy Mother’s Day to all!

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The “I’ll Get Around to It Later” Book Tag

There are so many books I need to get to and always put it on the side for later, so I can definitely relate to this tag. I got tagged by Dini at Dinipandareads – thank you Dini! Check our her wonderful book blog.

Rules

The Rules:

  1. Link back to the original post at Quote, Unquote so the creator can read your answers.
  2. Link back to the post of the person who tagged you and thank them.
  3. You may use the included graphic anywhere in your post, but you don’t have to. (I didn’t end up doing this)
  4. Fill in all seven categories.
  5. You can either leave this tag open so anyone can do it or tag up to seven people.

A Classic book that you have been meaning to read forever but haven’t yet

I’m surprised we never read this one in high school. But since I read the Handmaid’s Tale, might as well keep going and read 1984…eventually lol. I’ve borrowed it a few times on Kindle Unlimited I think and just never read it. Maybe this year will be the year I do it!

A book on your shelf that you haven’t read yet

Yes, I still have The Ruin of Kings by. Jenn Lyons waiting on my bookshelf. It’s been there for a few years now, I’m sure even before the pandemic

A book that you got recently that you haven’t read

I just got Tokyo Dreaming in my last order from Book Outlet a month or two ago. And I will definitely get to it this year I think…I hope lol…

A book that you’ve had forever but haven’t read

I don’t even have an excuse as to why I haven’t read The City of Brass. It’s even on Kindle Unlimited! lol…I will eventually get to it.

A book a friend recommended that you haven’t read

Truly, Devious has been recommended to me by a lot of book blogger friends and it’s on my TBR. I just don’t know when I’ll get to it. Maybe if I find and audiobook because lately, audiobooks have been helping me cross things off my TBR list!

A book you’re procrastinating on

I don’t know why I’m procrastinating on The Great Alone. I’ve read every book of hers I think except for this one!

The next book on your TBR

Hello Stranger is a book on my NetGalley list, so I’m going to choose that for this prompt since I don’t know what is next on my TBR list – it’s a list a I don’t follow in order. 🤷🏻‍♀️


I’m not tagging anyone to do this tag but it’s an easy one to do, so feel free to do it if you want!

Birthstone Book Covers: May – Emerald


The original creator of this book tag is Leslie @ Books Are The New Black so go check out her blog!

THE RULES

  • Mention the creator (Leslie @ Books Are The New Black ) and link back to me so I can see your post!
  • Pick 5+ book covers that match the current month’s Birthstone.
  • HAVE FUN!
  • Nominate people if you want!

May’s birthstone is Emerald

Let’s find some book covers in this color:

I nominate everyone! It’s a fun and easy tag to do so try it out. ☺️

The Bookshelf Q & A Tag

It’s been awhile since I did a book tag and I saw this book tag on I’m All Booked Up and thought it was a fun, easy book tag to do. The original creator of the tag is mentioned below in the rules, so let’s get to it!

Rules

Mention the creator, Hannah’s Bookshelf.

Answer the questions below and tag a few people to do it too.


What’s the oldest book on your shelves?

My husband got a whole set of these classics from the military base he was working at. The base had a library and they were cleaning out their shelves. Looks like they were published in 1996 (the year I graduated high school!). So these books are the oldest on my shelves.

What’s a book that you would never get rid of?

Probably all my boxed sets! This is one of them but if I buy a boxed set, which is rare – it means it’s going to stay with me forever.

Which book has been on your TBR for the longest?

I actually tried to read this once and I just couldn’t get into it. So I’ve kept it in my TBR in case I try it again but according to my Goodreads, it’s been on my TBR list since 2015.

What’s the newest addition to your shelves?

This is one of the books I got in my recent order from Book Outlet. I still have to pick it up and read it but there are a few arcs and borrowed books I’m getting through first. I kind of feel sad for my books on my bookshelf because those are the books I reach for last lol. I’m always reading my ebooks first!

What’s one book/edition that you desperately want for your shelves?

If I had money to burn, I’d spend it on books with those beautiful sprayed edges. I’d get this book with those edges plus several more! It’s all I would keep on my bookshelves probably lol.

Is there a book you own several copies of?

I thought I had one more copy but I can’t find it. But of course it’s Pride and Prejudice!

What’s the longest series on your shelves?

How do you organize your bookshelves?

I have no organization at all. If I had multiple shelves, maybe I would but right now I only have one and a half bookshelves and my books are just on it. Doubled up on it also.

Do you have any space for new books on your shelves?

NOPE. I’m out of space. ☹️

Do you decorate your bookshelves with anything?

Not really. When I had more room, I decorated it with some of the cute knick knacks I got from book box subscriptions. but for now, now it’s not decorated.

Show us a picture of your shelves!

It’s a mess 🤷🏻‍♀️but that’s all I got lol. There are because behind these books because I don’t have room for all of them to be in one row. It makes me sad! One day I’ll have a library room.


I’m not tagging anyone to do this tag but it’s an easy one to do, so feel free to do it if you want!

The Quarter Year Crisis Book Tag

I’ve seen this book tag going around and I think it would be a good one to do just to take a look back at what I’ve read so far. This was originally created by Roisin @Roisin’s Reading on YouTube. I can’t even believe we are almost to May and summer…say it isn’t so. I’m not read for the holidays again lol.😅 But the faster the year goes means the faster my husband will be home soon!

Anyway let’s get to the questions:

How Many Books Have You Read So Far?

According to Goodreads, I’ve read 49 books so far! But some of that are books my daughter reads lol…so it’s actually 40 books. I think I’m pacing myself pretty good this year. I’m not reading as much but it’s because I don’t have as much time this year.

Have you already found a book you think might be a 2023 favorite? If not, what was your favorite book you read that wasn’t quite five stars?

These are two of my favorites of 2023! I hope there will be more 5 star reads for me but so far these two top my list.

Any 1-star books / least favorite book of the year?

I don’t usually rate any books a 1 star but I actually did DNF a few books this year already. This one is the most surprising that I DNF’ed. It’s not awful but it’s definitely a book I need to be in a mood to read. Maybe one day I’ll pick it up when I’m in the mood to read it – I’m thinking in the fall would be perfect.

Most Read Genres So Far

Fantasy of course! To be specific, fantasy with romance in it.

A Book That Surprised You

I thought this one surprised me. I was thinking it was going to be a light-hearted read and it was not!

A book that’s come out in 2023 already that you want to read but haven’t yet?

I’m trying to get a copy of this for my bookshelf or as an ebook but I’m holding out until it goes on sale.

One Goal You’re Succeeding At

I am actually succeeding in getting through audiobooks! I mean I still get impatient by the last few chapters but I’m getting better at pushing through lol. I’m really proud of myself since I thought audiobooks were a lost cause for me.

One Goal You Need to Focus On

Just to focus on not over-requesting or borrowing too many books. I think I’m doing pretty good on NetGalley but I’m going a bit over board on my online library and I end up not even getting to read the book before it’s expired! 😅

New to you Bloggers/Booktubers/ Bookstagrammers/Booktokers for 2023 you recommend?

Budget Tales Book Blog

Books are the New Black

I’m Tagging…

Everyone! Feel free to do this tag, or not…😁

Birthstone Book Covers: April – Diamond


The original creator of this book tag is Leslie @ Books Are The New Black so go check out her blog!

THE RULES

  • Mention the creator (Leslie @ Books Are The New Black ) and link back to me so I can see your post!
  • Pick 5+ book covers that match the current month’s Birthstone.
  • HAVE FUN!
  • Nominate people if you want!

April’s birthstone is Diamond

Let’s find some book covers in this color:

I nominate everyone! It’s a fun and easy tag to do so try it out. ☺️

The In or Out Book Tag

Hi everyone! It’s time for another book tag – I know I haven’t done one lately except for the birthstone book covers which is so fun to do. I was tagged by dini @dinipandareads so go check out her amazing blog!

The rules are simple enough according to the original creator Rick MacDonnell over on his YouTube channel:
With the In or Out book tag I quickly go through classic tropes and book features and talk about whether I’m “In” (I like them) or I’m “Out” (I don’t like them). Feel free to tag yourself! Change up the prompts in your videos [or blogs] if you’d like, or just use mine. Up to you.

So let’s get to it!

Reading the Last Page First

Outta here! Nope. I mean why spoil the whole thing? 😅 I can’t do it and won’t do it.

Enemies to Lovers

It’s my favorite trope, so I’m always in!

Dream Sequences

My first response is to say get outta here! But if I think about it, I think sometimes it works for me? It just depends if it’s written well.

Love Triangles

What can I say? I like controversy! lol…I’m in. Give me the drama and the MC better end up with whoever I want them to end up with or else I will be so sad.

Cracked Spines

I mostly read ebooks these days, but I can’t say that I’ve been one for cracking spines. But I’m going to say I’m in since it seems like it would make for an easier time reading a hardcover lol. I’ll have to try it next time I’m reading a physical book. I guess I’ve never thought to do it?

Back to My Small Town

IN! I love stories where the MC moves back to their small town.

Monsters are Regular People

I’m in! I actually enjoy stories where monsters are regular people. I think it makes for a more interesting world, don’t you think?

No Paragraph Breaks

OUT. How can there be no paragraph breaks? Please, break it up!

Multi-Generational Sagas

Yes, I’m totally in. I love multi-generational sagas maybe because they remind me of my own family and our multi-generational dramas.

Re-reading

Definitely IN. But I haven’t done much re-reading these days. I miss it a lot and I need to do it again.

Artificial Intelligence

I’m not a big sci-fi fan but I’d say I’m mostly In for this one. The books I’ve read so far with AI have been really entertaining!

Drop Caps

In! I think drop caps look good on a page.

Happy Endings

Very much IN. Hi, that’s what I’m here for in all the books I read – a happy ending! I know some stories don’t have happy endings but as long as there is closure, I can be happy with that.

Plot Points That Only Converge in the End

Half in, half out! Keep me engaged, make it make sense, get me to the end without frustrating me and I’d say it’s all good.

Detailed Magic Systems

I’m IN if you explain it to me simply. I’m a simple girl, throw too many complicated words at me and you’ll lose me. 😅 I’m here to escape, not to overthink things. But I do love a creative, unique magic system.

Classic Fantasy Races

I love a classic fantasy with the usual races, so I’m in. It’s why I enjoy fantasy in the first place because I was so fascinated with the different races.

Unreliable Narrators

I’m into it! I know it can get frustrating and even irritating, like the recent book I read but when everything is explained, I like a good twist.

Evil Protagonists

Mostly in. I like a good evil protagonist POV once in awhile! I mean they have their side of the story too right?

The Chosen One

In. It’s hard not to gravitate towards the Chosen One trope because it’s such a journey for one character. Yes, some people are over it and I get why, it’s overdone, but the journey of the chosen one is always a great story. So I’m always going to be a fan of this trope.

When the Protagonist Dies

If I’m in the mood to be miserable and cry? Sure. But mostly I’m OUT. I’m not going to invest all my time into this amazing character just to have them die at the end. I’m here for happy endings.

Really Long Chapters

OUT. Long chapters just feel like a slog to get through. Keep the chapters decent, short, get to the point but keep the story moving please.

French Flaps

Okay I had to google this one! Aren’t most books french flap covers? 🤔 I guess I’m in.

Deckled Edges

I had to google this one also! 😅 This is what happens when I read ebooks. Um, deckled edges? Sure I’m in. They don’t bother me!

Signed Copies by the Author

Definitely IN, but like I said, I mostly read ebooks. If I got a signed copy that would be great!

Dog-Earring Pages

OUT for me, but maybe in for you? I used to do it for like my college text books but for my fiction books I don’t dog-ear them.

Chapter Titles Instead of Numbers

I think chapter titles are cute but I like numbers so I’ll say I’m out. But not a hard out – I don’t mind chapter titles.

I nominate (and no pressure at all):

Callie’s Tales

Genie in a Novel

Chonky Books

Wicked Witch’s Blog

☺️

Birthstone Book Covers: March – Aquamarine


The original creator of this book tag is Leslie @ Books Are The New Black so go check out her blog!

THE RULES

  • Mention the creator (Leslie @ Books Are The New Black ) and link back to me so I can see your post!
  • Pick 5+ book covers that match the current month’s Birthstone.
  • HAVE FUN!
  • Nominate people if you want!

March’s birthstone is Aquamarine

Let’s find some book covers in this color:

I nominate everyone! It’s a fun and easy tag to do so try it out. ☺️

Birthstone Book Covers: February – Amythest


The original creator of this book tag is Leslie @ Books Are The New Black so go check out her blog!

THE RULES

  • Mention the creator (Leslie @ Books Are The New Black ) and link back to me so I can see your post!
  • Pick 5+ book covers that match the current month’s Birthstone.
  • HAVE FUN!
  • Nominate people if you want!

February’s birthstone is Amythest

Let’s find some book covers in this color:

I nominate everyone! It’s a fun and easy tag to do so try it out. ☺️

Birthstone Book Covers: January – Garnet


The original creator of this book tag is Leslie @ Books Are The New Black so go check out her blog!

THE RULES

  • Mention the creator (Leslie @ Books Are The New Black ) and link back to me so I can see your post!
  • Pick 5+ book covers that match the current month’s Birthstone.
  • HAVE FUN!
  • Nominate people if you want!

January’s birthstone is Garnet!

Let’s find some book covers in this color:

I nominate everyone! It’s a fun and easy tag to do so try it out. ☺️