Under The Book Cover: book tag

Book Tag Thursday: Taylor Swift Album Challenge

1989 8:00:00 AM

Hi hello and welcome to Book Tag Thursday! Today, I'll be doing the Taylor Swift Album Challenge, created by Rhonda With a Book. I am very much so a Taylor Swift fan and I am so sad that we were unable to go to her Eras Tour when it was here in Georgia. Ticketmaster is my villain origin story. But I love the idea of combining my love for Taylor and books into one fun tag! As a bonus, I'll be including both mine favorite song from each album. I'll also be adding in an additional prompt for Midnights, and I'll be doing Taylor's Version for any albums that she's re-released because let's be honest, those are amazing. Let's get started!
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I think Our Song is a classic at this point. It's just so early Taylor Swift and it's always one that puts a smile on my face when I hear it. Watching the music video is insane because she has grown so much since it was released that I almost don't recognize her! Baby Taylor is absolutely precious. I also cannot wait for Taylor Swift (Taylor's Version) because that's going to be a full circle moment that none of us are prepared for.

You Belong With Me is another classic Taylor Swift song that you just can't not pick, you know? I did sing Hey Stephen to my husband once (his name is, in fact, not Stephen) and that’s a cute memory, but something about You Belong With Me is special and it’s definitely a song that will never get old.

My favorite song on Speak Now (Taylor's Version) is definitely Castles Crumbling. I think Haunted was probably one of my all-time favorites from this album initially and while I do love this re-record of Haunted, I think Castles Crumbling just hits different. Does it make me want to throw myself into traffic? Sure. Is it one of the best songs I've ever heard? Absolutely.

State of Grace. This has been one of my all-time favorite Taylor Swift songs since the original Red album and it remains so to this day. I don't know what it is about the song but it's just amazing. I definitely struggle with those tier lists when it gets down to State of Grace and another song because I love both of them so much, but it definitely always makes the top two for me.

See, I want to say How You Get The Girl, because I had that played as we walked down the aisle after we got married, but that's kind of cheesy. I've always loved Out of the Woods, because the music video is so freaking cool, so I think that's the one I'd pick.

Getaway Car. This song wasn't my favorite until I heard it live at the Reputation tour. I remember loving the visuals and just everything about when she sang this song and it not only became my favorite on the album but my favorite Taylor Swift song ever. Even listening to it now, as I write this, I'm emotional because I remember crying and just loving this part of the show. When she releases Reputation (Taylor's Version) and I hear this song, I will not be okay. This album actually released while I was in the hospital in 2017 (just days before I got diagnosed with cancer, woo) and we got the digital version and listened to it all night. This album holds a lot of memories for me.

Oh this is an easy one, Cruel Summer! It may or may not be because I watch almost nothing but Eras Tour videos and this song goes so hard but it's also just a really good song. I love the bridge and every time I play it in the car, I get very into it. Jamie may or may not judge me for it.

This one is a toss up between cardigan and august. I really like this album because it's super cozy feeling and both of those songs are just nice to listen to. I really want to crochet the famous cardigan and have it in all of the different albums because it's just so pretty!

This is another toss up between two songs! willow and tolerate it are fantastic and that makes it so difficult to pick between them. I like to listen to cardigan and willow back to back when I want something that will only semi wreck my heart, and then tolerate it when I’m ready for something soul destroying.

Okay so I absolutely loved Lavender Haze and Karma from this album. And then I saw her perform Vigilante Shit on the Eras Tour. If you've seen it, you know why this might be my new favorite off of this album. All I'm saying is we need a music video for that song.

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And that’s it for the Taylor Swift Album Challenge! I had a lot of fun going back and listening to all of the songs I put on this list because of course I had to, right? I considered adding prompts for Karma and Woodvale, but that felt like some extra unhinged niche Swiftie thing to do. I do wholeheartedly believe Karma is real, she might be a rock album, and she’s going to get her day in the sun. But I’d love to know what your favorite Taylor Swift album is and what your favorite song is. Do you like any of my picks? Are you a Karma believer as well? Let me know in the comments below and let’s talk about all things Taylor Swift! Thanks for stopping by and I’ll see you in the next chapter!

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Book Tag Thursday: Insidious Book Tag (Original)

book tag 8:00:00 AM

Hi hello and welcome to Book Tag Thursday! Today, I’ll be doing the Insidious Book Tag, which was created by me! I’m so excited for the release of Insidious: The Red Door that I wanted to do a book tag related to the series. But when I couldn’t seem to find one, I decided to make my own! The Insidious series is one of my all-time favorites, and the fact that we’re getting a new installment that follows the Lambert family ten years later is blowing my mind. You don’t have to know anything about the series to do this tag but if you are a fan, hopefully you’ll enjoy these prompts! Now you're outside. Let my voice be your guide. Keep a steady stride. Into the Further you go. Let’s get started!

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Tiptoe through the tulips: Your favorite “absolutely not” moment in a book

There is a moment in Dead Space by S.A. Barnes that scared me so bad I actually yanked my feet up and had to immediately sit up and check that nothing was about to grab my feet from under the bed. Yes, I protected myself with a blanket because even demons know you can’t grab the feets if they’re under a blanket. But if you haven’t gathered what that moment was, it involves things under the bed and it genuinely made me panic and will probably remain my top “absolutely not” moment,

It's not the house that's haunted: Your go-to haunted house book

Home Before Dark by Riley Sager! I’m a Riley Sager fan girl for sure and this one is a great haunted house story. It’s got Haunting of Hill House vibes and has the signature Riley Sager flair that just makes all of his books on a different level. This was definitely my favorite of his until The Only One Left crashed into my heart, but I’ll always recommend it if you want a great haunted house book!

Into the Further you go: A book that you stepped out of your comfort zone to read

I’ll just say an entire genre, and that’s romance. Like many people, I judged the romance genre really hard and used to make fun of it. Because all I used to see were the classic (and honestly they need to bring these back because they’re fantastic) bodice-ripper romance novels, so of course I was not about to pick that up. But I’ve been reading more in the genre and in sub-genres and I’ve found that I actually enjoy romance books! That was a big step for me out of my comfort zone of reading but I’m so glad that I took a chance because some of my favorite books I’ve read are romance books!

Specs and Tucker: Your favorite bookish duo

I love Maddie and Tempest from the Maddie Castle series by L.T. Ryan and C.R. Gray! Maddie is a former K9 handler who lost her dog and had her leg shredded, and both things happened with the same bullet. Maddie has to learn how to fight through the awful things that happened to her to help people like she used to, and she gives Tempest, a K9 that lost her human and is struggling to work through her own traumas, a second chance with her. It’s such a good series and I love the two of them together!

Elise Reiner: Your favorite recurring character in a series

Jeremy from the Eluding Destiny series by Charlie Nottingham! I love him so much and it’s kind of hard to explain why without spoiling some pretty big things. But he goes through so much throughout the series and he really struggles, but he is not only my favorite character in this series, he’s one of my all-time favorite characters in any book I’ve ever read. I feel like I see so much of myself in Jeremy and I’m still trying to figure out if that’s a good or bad thing, but Charlie absolutely crushed writing his character and I’ll always love him no matter what.

The Red Face demon: A book that genuinely scared you while reading

If you’ve read this book, you probably know exactly what I’m referring to. Gerald’s Game by Stephen King has a recurring thing that happens to Jessie throughout the book and it scared the holy heck out of me. I haven’t read it in years and it will still pop into my head every so often just before I fall asleep so I’d say that ranks pretty high on the book that genuinely scared me list.

The Bride in Black: A book that has haunted you ever since you read it

Damned by Chuck Palahniuk. I read this in 2011, well over a decade ago, and it has stuck with me ever since. I read it once and will probably never read it again because it traumatized me so much. I’m someone that cannot think about death or I will start to spiral and panic and think about my own mortality, and this book destroyed me when I read it. And now that I’ve had cancer and dealt with spine surgery, I’ve stared death in the face and it’s not fun. Chuck Palahniuk is one of my favorite authors, but he better have enough money to pay my therapy bills because this book wrecked me.

The Man Who Can't Breathe: A book that had you gasping for air because it was so good

Yellowface by R.F. Kuang had me screaming, crying, throwing up, kicking the wall, absolutely deceased. I’m so glad I finally read one of her books because the writing was just otherworldly. I was addicted and found it so easy to just sit there and read this book for long periods of time. I can’t wait to read The Poppy War trilogy and Babel because I definitely need more R.F. Kuang in my life.

The Key Bearer: Bookish tropes that are the key to your heart

Enemies to lovers, only one bed, grumpy/sunshine, fake dating, forbidden romance, I hate everyone but you, who did this to you, touch them and you die, dystopian anything, villain is secretly soft, found family, horror anything, lifting their chin with a blade, intense dancing, reverse harem, aggressive pining.

There are so many and I’m probably missing a ton, but these are the ones that immediately came to mind!

The Red Door: A book or series you want a sequel to/continuation of

You can’t prove that I wrote this prompt just so I could talk about The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab again. At least I used a different cover this time, right? But hear me out! I’m not even asking for a continuation of Addie’s story. I’d love to follow Luc more and see what he did while he was away from Addie. I feel like there was so much more to him that we didn’t get to see and I’d love to know what something like him does in his spare time and maybe get to see some more deals he made over the years. I’m content with this being a standalone but there are are definitely times that I find myself wondering what if V.E. Schwab decides to revisit these characters at some point in the future.

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And that does it for the Insidious book tag! I had so much fun creating this and I really hope that it finds someone else who loves the Insidious series. I’m officially tagging anyone that would like to do this but please be sure to link back to my post so others can see where it came from. Have you seen any of the Insidious films? Which one is your favorite? Are you excited for The Red Door? I’d love to chat about all things Insidious so please feel free to leave me a comment below! Thanks for stopping by and I’ll see you in the next chapter! Oh, and don’t forget to close the door on your way out.

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Mid-Year Book Freakout Tag!

book tag 8:00:00 AM

Hi hello and welcome to the Mid-Year Book Freakout Tag! This tag was originally created by Earl Grey Books and Chami and is an incredibly popular tag that lets you talk about your reading year so far and some things that you're wanting to get to in the second half of the year. I've done this tag for several years and I always get excited when the time comes around for me to do another one. This is a great way for me to see how I’ve done so far with my reading and maybe allows me to see any changes I want to make with my TBR for the second half of the year, which is so helpful. Let’s get started!

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1. Best book you’ve read so far in 2023

The Haunting of Alejandra by V. Castro! This is my favorite book of 2023 so far and one that is easily on my favorite books of all-time list. It was such a fantastic journey with Alejandra and her ancestors and the trauma that they've endured and the entity that haunts them. If you're a fan of books that have generational trauma, empowering females, and creepy entities, then you need to read this!

2. Best sequel you've read so far in 2023

That Time I Got Drunk and Yeeted a Love Potion at a Werewolf by Kimberly Lemming. I absolutely loved book one in the Mead Mishaps series and book two was just as fun and adorable. I'm really excited for the third book in the series, That Time I Got Drunk and Saved a Human because I know it's going to be another great installment in one of my new favorite series!

3. New release you haven't read yet, but want to

Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros. I know everyone is talking about this book and the pretty first edition with sprayed edges but I haven't exactly heard if the book is good or not. I'm assuming it is because it really is everywhere, but I'd like to find out for myself!

4. Most anticipated release for the second half of the year
The Fragile Threads of Power by V.E. Schwab. To no one's surprise I'm excited about a V.E. Schwab release! That's sarcasm because of course I'm excited about a V.E. Schwab release and if you've read just one of my blog posts, you would know that. I do need to re-read the series (I read book one and half of book two, don't come at me for not finishing them) but I'll absolutely be ready once September comes around!

5. Biggest disappointment

Okay hear me out, because this wasn't exactly a disappointment. The Trees Grew Because I Bled There by Eric LaRocca is a book that I initially wasn't a fan of and I gave it 3 stars. I felt like I had missed something while reading that everyone else seemed to get and it made me feel sad because I was just like meh about it after reading. But this book has stuck with me and I keep thinking about it long after reading, and I think that's the sign of a book that left an impact. So, this may have initially been a "disappointment" but I've absolutely changed my mind on this one.

6. Biggest surprise
The Last Word by Taylor Adams. I have a hard time finding thrillers that I actually enjoy because it feels like a lot of them are so similar and follow the same kind of formula, if that makes sense. This one may come across as a generic isolated house thriller, but it was done so well! It actually creeped me out a few times while I was reading in the dark before bed so I think that's a sign of a good book.

7. Favorite new author (Debut or new to you)

Definitely R.F. Kuang. I just finished reading Yellowface and it was my first book by her. For some reason, I've never picked up any of her other books despite them all being on my TBR, but something about Yellowface made me want to read it. I'm so glad I finally read a book by her because I absolutely loved everything about it. I cannot wait to read The Poppy War trilogy and Babel!

8. Newest fictional crush

I don't necessarily have book crushes but I do love characters in books that have crushes! Everett and Sienna from Kisses From Cupid by Kenna Bellrae (they're also in All Hallows' Haunt and that book shows the beginning of their relationship!) are one of my all-time favorite couples. I mean, I honestly love all of the characters that KB has created, but something about Everett and Sienna just hits different. Highly recommend if you enjoy spicy books!

9. Newest favorite character
Alright don’t hate me but I don’t think I have one, and let me explain! I’m the kind of reader that forms an attachment to pretty much every character I read about in some way. I felt the pain of not being enough that Alejandra felt, I understood being an outcast like James, I understood Emma’s depression and desire to no longer live, and the main characters of The Trees Grew Because I Bled There were absolutely cancer and grief and of course, I have been there and experienced those things. I love the characters that I have the privilege to read about for so many different reasons, and I can’t wait to fall in love with more in the books that I’m able to read in the second half of the year!

But also I love James and Becks from A Song of Sin and Salvation.

10. Book that made you cry

A Song of Sin and Salvation by L.H. Blake. I had the wonderful opportunity to read an ARC of this book and it absolutely destroyed me in the best way possible. True story, I went with my husband to get his hair cut at a Great Clips and I was reading this on my phone. I was towards the end at a very cute and intense part of the book (for those that have read it, it's the prom scene) and I was quite literally crying, kicking my feet, and gasping in public surrounded by people. I have never done that before but this book was so good that I couldn't help myself.

11. Book that made you happy

The Fae Queen's Captive by Sierra Simone. I loved this novella, oh my gosh. I read it based off of the recommendation of AModelWho'sRead and I am so glad I did! It was filled with beautiful imagery, a super interesting world, frickin fae politics that made me want so much more because it was that cool, and it was a good amount of spicy and sweet with the main character and fae queen. I just remember reading it and smiling and being so happy that I picked it up.

12. Most beautiful book you've bought so far this year (or received)
Prince of Thorns & Nightmares by Linsey Miller is so pretty in person, oh my gosh. Linsey sent me an ARC (shoutout to Linsey, I still love you and your grocery lists) and not only did she sign it for me, she stamped the edges with a really pretty flower stamp and I just love it so much.

13. What books do you need to read by the end of the year?

Godkiller by Hannah Kaner
Iris Kelly Doesn't Date by Ashley Herring Blake

She Is a Haunting by Trang Thanh Tran
That Time I Got Drunk and Saved a Human by Kimberly Lemming
The Last House on Needless Street by Catriona Ward
The Only One Left by Riley Sager
Any book in my Most Anticipated Releases in the Second Half of 2023 post

14. Favorite Book Community Member
I have a few bookish community members that I absolutely love and find myself going back to constantly to read their reviews or consume the content they release.

a lil bit mads
AModelWho'sRead
Booked and Busy
BooksandLala
chloe bunny
Destiny @ Howling Libraries
gabbyreads
Jess Owens
Jordaline Reads
Katie Colson
oliviareadsalatte
Reading With Meg
Reads with Rachel
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And that does it for the Mid-Year Book Freakout Tag, 2023 edition! I always love getting to do this tag and looking back on my answers to see how my reading tastes have changed. This is also one of my favorite tags to see the bookish community answer because there are so many different answers to these prompts, and it’s great to see why people choose the answers that they do. Have you done the Mid-Year Book Freakout Tag yet this year? What is one book you need to read before the end of 2023? Let me know in the comments below and feel free to link me to your post so I can check out your answers. Thanks for stopping by and I’ll see you in the next chapter!

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Book Tag Thursday: The Last Book I Tag

anthology 8:00:00 AM

Hi hello and welcome to Book Tag Thursday! This week has been a busy one for me but I really wanted to post at least once this week and book tags are some of my favorite posts to make. Today, I’ll be doing the Last Book I tag created from a Instagram post by Becky’s Book Blog! This tag is where, for example, you choose the last book you gave five stars to. It seemed both fun and simple and I’m always down for fun and simple posts. Let’s get started!

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1. The last book I bought

It shouldn’t be shocking that I bought another edition of The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab, right? I got the paperback edition from the Addie tour and it was signed and personalized by V.E. Schwab so it's probably my most prized copy of Addie. Which sounds silly when I look at all of the beautiful editions that I own, but this one has my name written by V.E. Schwab so it's special to me. I did do a huge post I about most of the special editions of Addie LaRue, so if you'd like to check it out and see some of those covers, feel free to click here!

2. The last book I borrowed

I saw Priscilla Rose talking about this new anthology on TikTok and I immediately ran to Kindle Unlimited to borrow it. I'm trying to get more into short stories/anthologies and this fantasy romance collection sounded like a great one to read! Bound in Magic has eight short stories and it sounds right up my alley so I'm really excited to start reading!

3. The last book I was gifted

Yeah, I know, another copy of Addie? But, okay, this one I won in a giveaway. I honestly never thought I would win because I never win giveaways, but surprise I did win! But because I already do have a ton of copies of Addie and just got this exact edition from the tour, I'll be gifting this one to a friend of mine who hasn't read this before but was interested in reading it. I'm tempted to read it again and annotate it for her because I love the idea of sharing my favorite book with a friend and showing them all of the things that I love so much about it.

4. The last book I gave to someone else

I was almost done with reading The Haunting of Alejandra by V. Castro and I wanted my mom to read it, so I surprised her with an eBook copy! I love surprising her with books because she’s the person that got me into reading as a kid and I just want her to be able to read whatever books she wants, whenever she wants. I never had the ability to do things like that for her when I was younger but now that I do, I never miss the opportunity.

5. The last book I started

Little Fox by M. Violet. I was lucky to receive an ARC of this from the author so I've been reading through it! I read the first book, Good Girl, in November 2022 and it was a fun spicy novella that hit the spot when I was looking for more Halloween novellas/short stories to read even though it was well after Halloween at that point. Little Fox is a full length book and dives more into Bailey's past and her present with Grim, Saint, and Poe. It's...a lot more spicy than the first book and I don't mean that lightly. I've never had to take a break from a spicy book before but it's a bit overwhelming for me at times so I'm reading this on and off. If you're interested in this, please check the trigger warnings.

6. The last book I finished

The Trees Grew Because I Bled There by Eric LaRocca. This is a collection of short stories and it was an okay read for me. I had a few that I really enjoyed but overall, I don't think it was a win for me. But that doesn't mean it was bad! I like to normalize three star or middle-of-the-road reads because not every book is going to be a masterpiece five star new favorite book. Sometimes they're just okay, and that's fine!

7. The last book I rated 5 stars

The Haunting of Alejandra by V. Castro! This is my favorite book of 2023 and I know that's a bold statement seeing as how it's April and there are so many more books I could read this year, but I don't know how any of them can top this. It was spooky, heartbreaking, beautiful, and empowering and if any book is going to top this, it's going to have big shoes to fill.

8. The last book I rated 2 stars

Motherthing by Ainslie Hogarth. Ah yes, this book again. I feel like this may have been a case of it being marketed wrong, at least for me, because I went into this expecting horror and didn't get horror. I think I mentioned in my review that it's possible that I just didn't get it or that it was some form of elevated horror, and maybe that's just not for me. Which is fine, not ever book is going to be for me. I've seen a lot of good reviews for this and I'm really glad that this book found its audience!

9. The last book I DNF’d

The Sleepover Massacre by Brian G. Berry. I apparently started this in October and put it down at 42%, which I don't even remember doing to be completely honest. I had to scroll back far in my Goodreads for this one! I'll probably pick this back up at some point because for this life of me, I don't know why I DNF'd this one. The synopsis reminds me of 70's/80's slasher movies which I love, so this sounds up my alley!

10. The last book I listened to

I actually don't listen to audiobooks! It's not something I could ever really get into, unfortunately. I feel like it would be a really cool way to experience reading, but my brain just can't focus and retain the information that I'm hearing unless I'm reading it with my eyeballs. I love that audiobooks are so popular and that so many people are able to read with this format, but it's not really for me.
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And that does it for the tag! I thought this was a really fun book tag to do so big thanks to Becky's Book Blog for posting this. Be sure to go and check out her post for her answers to all of these questions! I'd love to know if you've done this tag or what some of your answers to these questions would be. Let me know in the comments below what your last five star read was! Thanks for stopping by and I'll see you in the next chapter!