This tag was created by Kimberly Faye Reads and BookNerd Betsy.
A couple months ago, Lindsey @ Bring My Books tagged me to do this awesome, totally-up-my-Diagon-Alley tag. Big thanks to Kimberly for the graphics, as well. Check out her post if you’d like to download the zip file all at once!
an upcoming release you wish
you could get your hands on right now
While there are many releases I’m dying to get my hands on, I’d have to say Kate Eberlen’s Miss You would be at the top. Targeted for fans of One Day by David Nicholls, it looks like it’s bound to be a favorite of mine. But there’s a dilemma! We have a UK release date, but not a US one! Harper will publish it in the US, but I’ve no clue if the August 2016 date is worldwide or not. Eeeek!
favorite series starter
Hey there, hard question! I have plenty of favorite series as a whole, but as for a starter…let’s go with A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness. Now that’s a strange book and series I can get behind. I enjoyed each of the books (Shadow of Night and The Book of Life) as much as the first, too.
a book that gave you all the warm fuzzies
Hands down, this will be Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins! I even adored it during my re-read, when I knew exactly what was going to happen when, and still giggled. There’s something about it that’s so dang cute and universal and reminds you about those warm fuzzies and bits of confusion at the beginning of a new relationship. It’s sweet.
a book that made you ugly!cry
The utter despair, inspiration, and speechless, all jumbled together, every time I think of this book continues to this day. Ruta Sepetys killed me with Between Shades of Gray.
bookish hero/heroine you want to protect you in real life
Even though Jamie seems to attract danger, I would absolutely want him to protect me in real life no matter what. All my favorite heroines seem to be strong in mind, so they’d be great protectors for debates! But not so much physically. Jamie Fraser it is, then!
a book you intentionally spoiled for yourself
I don’t know if it was a spoiler, per say, because I didn’t necessarily read anything, nor did I ask someone to spill the beans. I was warned I’d cry at the end of it, but that’s not a spoiler either. What I did was flip through the book and paid attention to the graphics. When a publisher puts in graphics or markers of some kind in the story — alternating view points, images, details, that sort of thing — I like to see if it ever changes as the book goes on. And the graphics here did. AND IT WAS A SPOILER. (That I just…needed to know and prepare myself for anyway.)
a book you wish you could make everyone read
because you loved it
One Day‘s unique plot structure, accessible writing, and authentic characters drew me in from page one. I read Emma and think “YES! She is my spirit animal!” And I look at Dexter and think “YES! You are so wonderfully flawed!” I want to shove this book into people’s hands in hopes that they like it, too. (And if they don’t, they at least get a better understanding of who I am and how I view life. Isn’t that what we all want, in the end?)
a book/series you wish never ended
Please do not argue with me and say the series hasn’t ended because Cursed Child is coming out, and Fantastic Beasts will be in theaters in the fall. I want books. The play will be phenomenal and I’m thrilled the script will be published, and the movie will be fantastic too (Ha! ba-dum-tss). But I want pre-Harry! Pre-Sirius! Pre-Dumbledore! Hogwarts’ first years as a school. All those backstories! For all these characters! I’d love love love to know more. I want to endlessly explore this world.
a book with an uplifting ending or message
Not that I don’t read books with uplifting endings or messages, but I do take “uplifting” seriously. It doesn’t mean “has a good ending” or “makes me feel all the warm fuzzies.” However, this picture book is probably the most profound I’ve read (for kids and adults) and I would certainly call it an uplifting book.
a book you wish you could forget you ever read
Only so that I could experience it again for the first time.
an author whose books always get you out of a slump
Let me preface this with: I wouldn’t say always and I wouldn’t say it’s always Kinsella. But my reading slump from the first few months of the year were saved by Kinsella, thanks to my exposure to her YA debut. There are other authors I can think of, but it’s mostly specific books that would get me out of a slump, like Anna and the French Kiss or Fangirl or The Truth About Forever. Quick and fun YA reads always get me out of a slump and propel me into other genres and categories. Kinsella, when I think more on it, has that fun, flirty, wild style that I could easily go back to time and again if I need something to kickstart me into reading.
a swoon-worthy hero or heroine
HAHAHAHAHAHAHA YOU KNEW I WOULD SAY RED, DIDN’T YOU?!
a book that caused you to stop doing all other things until you finished it
Anne Blankman knows how to make lesser-known history fast, exciting, and heart-pounding. If you haven’t read this duology yet, about Hitler’s “niece” and a young Jewish journalist pre-WWII, you must pick this up immediately.
a book that was painful to read or broke you
I get emotional over a lot of books, but the most recent one that broke me was Me Before You. I can’t even. I just can’t. The choices Will and Louisa make, and their reasons behind them, are so unfathomably difficult. While I was reading, I was reminded of Ron’s lines from the third Potter movie: “You’re going to suffer, but you’re going to be happy about it.” I enjoyed the book, but WOW.
a book that had you laughing out loud
Laughing out loud while reading, unlike crying, isn’t as common for me, but I couldn’t help but snort and giggle and chortle and a whole host of words for “chuckle” whenever I read a Kinsella book.
a book that made you want to send it flying
Many books that frustrate me I tend to roll my eyes and DNF for various reasons. But this is reserved for a book I actually sent flying — straight into my bedroom wall with a dent left behind as evidence. Damn you, Umbridge.
bookish world that you wish you could visit
Apart from the obvious (Potter), Narnia would be my next choice. Children’s fantasy novels are some of the most magical places. They have their elements of danger, but even in times of turmoil, children’s fantasy settings still have at least one place of refuge to feel completely safe, at home, and warm.
a book with a shocking twist or ending
Even though I know the ending to this book inside and out, I’m still amazed with how Setterfield so discretely revealed the twist. It’s carefully crafted, and I’ve yet to pinpoint the moment when she begins her subtle change. UGH! Brilliant book!
a character death that destroyed you
Gosh, since I can’t use Order of the Phoenix again (RIP), I would say that one awful scene on the ice in Salt to the Sea and leave it at that…
best series conclusion
I’m sad to report that a lot of the series I’ve been reading lately either haven’t concluded yet OR the last book came out within the last year and I still haven’t read them yet. But I predict of all the series conclusions, Winner’s Kiss will take the cake.
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I’m tagging Gillian @ Writer of Wrongs, Jamie @ Perpetual Page-Turner, and Alexa @ Alexa Loves Books. Anyone else who loves Harry Potter can do this, too!
Ghostly Echoes by William Ritter 
The Girl Who Fell from the Sky by Heidi Durrow
The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery
My Lady Jane by Cynthia Hand, Brody Ashton, & Jodi Meadows
Me Before You by Jojo Moyes
The Lie Tree by Francis Hardinge
13 Little Blue Envelopes
Sing
Scribbles & Wanderlust 