The Birthstone Tag

It's TAG TIME, you guys!

As usual, I haven't been tagged, because I'm a rebel blogger and no-one can tell me what to do. (I will of course credit. I'm a wild one, not a plagarising nincompoop.)

The Birthstone Tag was created by BookTuber Judy G,  who has one of the most interesting video editing styles on offer - I've never seen anything quite like it before. I actually found said tag through Samantha @ Spines and Covers, a blog with what is probably the prettiest design I've ever seen. Go marvel at its beauty after you've read this post, okay?

Anyway, I think I was supposed to be doing a tag. ONWARDS, FIENDS!

January (GARNET): Associated with warding off negative forces and dark energies - Name a book with the darkest/evilest character you can think of.

I think I'm just going to go ahead here and name the character we all hate more than any other. The character that might as well be the main villain of her series, because frankly she's almost as dangerous as the main man and a lot more hateful. The character that is at various points described as 'toadlike', 'judgemental' and even 'sadistic' by her author.

If your entire brain wasn't screaming DOLORES UMBRIDGE by the end of that paragraph (to be honest, a glance at the GIF should have been enough), then you clearly haven't read Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.

February (AMETHYST): Purple is associated with royalty - Name a book with regal qualities... You can base this off of characters or choose the King of all books.

I'm probably the worst Throne of Glass fan ever, because I only got to the third book and now I'm struggling to continue because I've forgotten pretty much everything that happened. But anyway. You say royalty, and I say Dorian Hallivaird.

(If his last name is spelled wrong, I'm sorry, but I refuse to Google it because I've heard the spoilers are pretty intense.)

He's got that arrogance that only royalty can get away with, because they somehow need it to be regal. And yet I must admit that he's pretty darn charming, no matter what team I was on when I read the books.

*cough* Chaol *cough*

March (AQUAMARINE): Washed out - Name a 'wishy washy' character, a character who is not strong or is a follower.

Urgh. You'll have seen from the Heroine Tag I did back when I was a baby blogger (I'm more of a toddler now. Brace yourself for the terrible twos, because my second birthday is next April) how much I just don't get along with Cassia from Ally Condie's Matched. The book was by no means bad, and I don't mean to trash it. (Really, really, I don't want to be mean. I know a lot of people love this book and I just generally hate the idea of upsetting people who've worked hard on a book by ripping it to shreds.)

But.

She was bland and just a little bit whiny. It's been a while since I read the book, sure, but I don't think I remember her making many decisions that weren't based on her love interests. She was painted as revolutionary, but it never really felt as if she was cutting her own path. 

*backs away slowly from possibly controversial opinion*

April (DIAMOND): A diamond in the rough - Name a book that you loved but is not well known.

I've been going on about Maureen Johnson's The Name of the Star for so long now I'm not even sure if it's unknown anymore. But, naturally, I'm going to talk about it all over again. I think it might be my favourite book of all time - and you guys know how hard it is for me to make that decision as a bookworm - so I just take every opportunity I get to scream about it from the rooftops.

Basically. Ghosts. In London. With an American protagonist who generally just has to get used to the weirdness that is Britain. Oh, and JACK THE RIPPER! AND A REALISTIC INTERPRETATION OF ENGLISH SCHOOL LIFE! AND-

*is dragged off by security*

May (EMERALD): Said to balance energy - Name two characters who balance each other well.

UM, Percabeth anyone? Percy Jackson is the wild, heroic soul who's brave almost to the point of stupidity and values those he loves above pretty much everything else including the survival of the human race; Annabeth is the worldly-wise tactician who has a strong sense of moral responsibility and whose biggest flaw is that she loses sight of things when she's proud of her own work. They are pretty much absolute opposites, but that's what makes them two sides of the same coin.

They also tend to make much more sensible decisions when they're together. The whole of Percy's behaviour in The Son of Neptune pretty much demonstrates that.

June (PEARL): Associated with loyalty - Name a character who is loyal to the end.

Hazel from the Murder Most Unladylike series by Robin Stevens puts up with a LOT from Daisy, her best friend. Being dragged into murder scenes seems like a good example, but there's also ... well.

I don't want to spoil anything for you. If you've read the book, you'll know that Daisy can be pretty snappy to her at times. Hazel's not exactly a pushover, but she's loyal almost to a fault, and the skill with which that balance is written is one of my favourite parts of her character.

July (RUBY): Blood red - Name a book that made your blood boil, one that made you angry.

The Normal Series by Holly Bourne always makes my blood boil in the best possible way. Watching Evie, Amber and Lottie fight through the world to try and survive as teenage feminists - managing to both make realistic mistakes and be completely kickass while doing so - is just one of the most inspiring things ever. I get angry at the sexism they face, and I usually come out wanting to destroy it.

Whatever way you look at it, that's kind of an awesome feeling.

August (PERIDOT): Pale green (it pales in comparison to other gems) - Name a supporting character who you like better than the main character.

Oooh, there are so many! I have this kind of affinity with supporting characters - and that doesn't mean I dislike their main character by any means, but ... sometimes awesome people come from unexpected places. I also talked about this on my Heroine Tag, I think, but Ivy from Alison Cherry's Red wore converse to enter a beauty pagaent. She's like my spirit animal.

As for stuff I've read more recently, Alice Jones: The Impossible Clue was just all-round brilliant, and it's another book that far more people need to know about. IT'S ONLY GOT EIGHT REVIEWS ON GOODREADS, PEOPLE. FIX THIS.

Anyway. It's this amazing MG novel that I picked up 100% because of cover love and, while the main character is awesome, she has this twin sister called Della. Della auditions for broadway musicals and is basically everything drama-queeny that I pretend not to be, but deep down know I am.

Only those of you who've sung in choirs will understand what I mean, but ... she's such a soprano. As am I.

September (SAPPHIRE): Blue like the ocean which is calming - Name a book that had a calming effect on you.

A book? Calming?! Excuse me, have you read a YA novel in the last - well, ever?

I'm really having to rack my brains here, but re-reading the Harry Potter books always gives me this lovely, calm squishy feeling of coming home. It's just such a familiar story, and knowing that I get to hang out in such a familiar world with such familiar characters ... there's no feeling quite like it.

October (OPAL): Iridescent - Name an iridescent book, this can be a book with a beautiful cover (Shiny? Lots of colour?) or you can base it off of a character (Quirky? Colourful?)

First of all, why is it that the October people get the best birthstone? I need my iridescent, shiny-amazing Opal over here in December, you guys!

Anyway. On to the actual point of the actual question. The picture doesn't do it justice, but Seed by Lisa Heathfield has this absolutely beautiful shiny cover that makes different words show up at different angles. It also broke my heart. You might need to read my review just to prepare yourself before you start.

Yes, that was self-promo done so shamelessly you are tutting. No, you do not need to comment. *hair flip*

November (TOPAZ): Associated with resilience - Name a book with a character who rises to the top in a time of adversity.

Anne Frank might not be a character, but if anyone tried to tell me she wasn't resilient I think I'd have to talk myself out of physical violence. She had times when she really struggled with her situation, sure, but resilience isn't about being totally okay with hardship every second of every day. It's about picking yourself out of those black holes and daring to keep your dreams alive.

Anne did that almost day in, day out through one of the most terrible times in human existence, and frankly I think we should celebrate that.

December (BLUE ZIRCON): Associated with friendship - Name a book with a friendship you want to be a part of.

Well technically it's a sisterhood, not a friendship, but Jenny Han's To All the Boys I've Loved Before 
involves one of the most lovely platonic relationships I've ever read.

I JUST WANT TO BE AN ADOPTED SONG SISTER AND GO OUT FOR FROZEN CUSTARD WITH THEM, OKAY?

***

In the comments: What's your birthstone? Which book would you put in that category? And do you vehemently (I love that word) disagree with anything I've said? Let's discuss!

SHARE:

Labels: Blog Tags