Burrito Bowl Book Tag

I haven't done a tag in a while, and I saw this one on Bring My Books, and it looked like fun so I thought I'd join in! This is the Burrito Bowl Book Tag (say that 10 ten times fast) created by Christina at Girl in the Pages and Joey at Thoughts and Afterthoughts.

The Ingredients:

Rice: The Foundation — The book that got you into reading (or book blogging)

I got into reading at a really young age, so I have no idea what to put for this one. Are we talking picture books, like Goodnight Moon or The Runaway Bunny? Easy chapter books, like the Junie B. Jones series? Or actual full-length novels, like the Ramona series by Beverly Cleary?

Perhaps I should pick one of my earliest "favourite" books, From Anna by Jean Little. I adored this book — I really connected to the protagonist Anna, her German background (my mom's side is German) and her struggle to make friends and find her voice. And I love the message of a German song in this book: "Die Gedanken sind frei," or "Thoughts are free."

Beans: The Filler — The book with a whole lot of nothing going on

Graffiti Moon by Cath Crowley – I know loads of bloggers love this book, but sorry, it just didn't quite cut it for me. As I said in my review:

"I found the plot to be quite boring, or more to the point, non-existent. Not a lot really happens in this book, and the little that does happen occurs at a painstakingly slow pace." 

So...yeah. Sounds like it fits the 'whole lot of nothing going on' description quite well.
 
Protein: The Building Block — A book quote to live by

From The Lake House by Kate Morton, which I read recently:

"Sometimes feelings aren't as 'airy-fairy' as they seem. Sometimes they're just the product of observations we haven't realized we've been making."

Fajitas: The Crunch of Texture — A book with immaculate world-building

Winter of Fire by Sherryl Jordan – this book did dystopian-fantasy genre-melding before genre-melding was a thing. Even now, given the copious amounts of YA fantasy with a vague dystopian feel to them, this novel stands out and feels fresh. And not many readers seem to know about it now, so I'm happy to highlight it!

Salsa: The Dance of Flavour — A book that kept you on your toes

Jasmyn by Alex Bell – this book was just so bizarre and wild that it kept me flipping the pages never knowing what I'd get next! Black swans falling dead out of the sky? Check. A black horse appearing and disappearing? Check. A mystery involving Jasmyn's dead husband? Check. 

Corn: The Explosion of Sweetness — A memorable scene with friendship/romance

This is a pretty small scene, but I like the moment in Sanditon by Jane Austen (and "Another Lady") where Charlotte first starts to realize that she's developing feelings for Sidney. They share this moment where he's teasing her and she's aware that she's enjoying it, and of course she tries to reason with herself afterwards because she likes to think of herself as a very practical sort of person. But she ends up being pretty distracted by it for the rest of the outing.

Cheese: The Bond of Calcium — Two characters from different books you wish could be friends

I kinda think Suze from the Mediator series by Meg Cabot and Rose from the Vampire Academy series by Richelle Mead might get along quite well. Suze takes down ghosts, Rose battles vampires... they'd be a paranormal-busting undefeatable duo! Although, personality-wise they're similar – outspoken, outgoing, impulsive – so they might be at each other's throats sometimes too, when they disagree about a course of action. I guess it comes with the territory...?

Sour Cream: The Tangy Topper — The quirkiest character you've ever read (protagonist or supporting)

Oh man, I do not know who to choose for this. I like quirky characters in certain types of books, usually when the whole cast is full of over-the-top, wacky characters and so everyone kinda "fits in." Like the Bagthorpe family in Ordinary Jack by Helen Cresswell or the cast of characters in the Prydain series and The Arkadians by Lloyd Alexander. I'm less of a fan of quirky characters when there's just one and it seems like the author is trying to make them as "unique" as possible, as if to say to the reader, "She's just so quirky!! Isn't it great?"

Guacamole: The Cost of Creaminess — A book you paid too much for

Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer. I believe I bought this in hardcover. For full price. Now I regret this.

Lettuce: The Handful of Crispiness — A refreshing concept/theme in a book

A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness approaches the well-worn 'parent with cancer' premise in a fresh, creative way, using a fantastical metaphor to get to powerful emotional truths.

Chips: Le Pièce de Résistance — A must-read rec (if you like..., then try....)

If you like Japanese culture and mythology, then you should read Little Sister by Kara Dalkey. It's a quick little YA fantasy read set in historical Japan, a coming-of-age tale of sorts for a young girl who must learn to be brave.

Tabasco: The Kick to the Face — Your favourite fight/action sequence

Hmmm, well, fight/action scenes don't tend to be my favourite parts of books, even though at the time of course it's a good part of what makes the reading experience. Usually I'm just happy if my favourite characters get through it intact, lol. I think I tend to actually remember and enjoy fight scenes that are more humorous than gory. Like, some of the fight scenes from Harry Potter. I love the part where they're trashing Hogwarts to get rid of Umbridge and Professor McGonagall says to Peeves as he's trying to remove a lightbulb, "It unscrews the other way." Or the scene in Crown Duel where Meliara chucks a candlestick at Vidanric's head. :D

We're supposed to tag 5 more people after answering the questions, but I'm not sure who has or hasn't done this tag yet, so I'm just tagging whoever wants to participate!!