TAG : the (non-official) best book awards

16 December 2015

I was tagged by Abbie and Danielle. Thank you!

I fail at tags. Whenever I'm tagged for something I always get super excited. I even write out drafts for some of them. But, inevitably, I always abandon them, and they get lost in the depths of cyber space never to be posted. When I saw this tag, however, I was determined to do it!

At the end of the year, Goodreads always puts out their "Best Books of the Year" awards, voted on by all of the readers that are on Goodreads. I'm always extremely disappointed with the winners, since they are always the overhyped books that I personally did not care much for. But when I was tagged for this, I felt like it would be a great opportunity for me to share some of the books that I think deserve some more love. 
BEST MALE CHARACTER
Robin Hood from Scarlet by A.C. Gaughen

This was one of the harder questions on this list to answer, but in the end I just had to pick Robin Hood. He is my biggest literary/fictional crush of all time. But I won't gush about him too much right now. Maybe in another post. ;) One of my favorite variations of Robin (besides the fox character in the Disney movie) is the one from A.C. Gaughen's Scarlet series which is one of the best Robin Hood retellings I have ever read. The books are so well done, and the way Rob is portrayed makes him seem so real and makes me love him even more. These books seriously needs to get more attention than they do.

BEST FEMALE CHARACTER
Anne Shirley from Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery

A lot of female characters I've been reading lately all seem exactly the same, and while they are (for the most part) very strong women and have amazing stories, there was no doubt in my mind I had to go with Anne. I know I'm being boring picking classical characters that everyone knows about, but Anne is my personal literary role model and I love her so much.

BEST PROTAGONIST (good guy/main character)
The Fellowship of the Ring from The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien

Nothing beats The Lord of the Rings. Nothing! And, of course, I was going to pick one of the characters for this one, but I couldn't just choose only one! They are all very different characters, from Aragorn, a ranger and future king, to Sam, a little Hobbit gardener, to Gimli, a gruff Dwarf. Yet, they are able to work together (except for that one scene with Boromir) to defeat Sauron.

BEST ANTAGONIST (bad guy/opposing party to main character)
Naughty John from The Diviners by Libba Bray
General Woundwort from Watership Down by Richard Adams

I'm cheating a bit on this one (and I'm sure I'm going to cheat on a few more...) but a good antagonist is a special thing, and when a book has a legitimately scary bad guy I have to share.

Naughty John gave me nightmares. He's your typical demon/ghost sort of figure, but, oh, he was terrifying. With his little jingle he would sing before killing someone, and his creepy labyrinthian house of torture and death... *shivers*

Then there's General Woundwort who is a rabbit, but not the fluffy happy kind. He's a very large, very scary bunny and one of the first bad guys I would actually fear while reading.

BEST PLOT DEVELOPMENT
Les Miserables by Victor Hugo

I read through this monster cover-to-cover last year and it was one of the best reading experiences. Victor Hugo is my fave. (I also highly recommend The Hunchback of Notre Dame) It is an extremely long book. My copy has about 1200 pages in it, but there is such a rich, full plot packed within those pages that I can't imagine it being any shorter.

BEST PLOT TWIST
The False Prince by Jennifer A. Nielson 

This is a hard one. I'm very good at predicting plot twists, almost nothing can get by me. But this book surprised me quite a lot. When I started it I was convinced that it was nothing more than an innocent children's fantasy book. It was enjoyable, but nothing special... until the end. I read this book about two years ago, but it is still hands down the best plot twist I have ever read! I won't go into details, but seriously, Jennifer A. Nielson is a master of twisty plots.

BEST ROMANCE
Cress and Thorne from The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer
Cathy Linton and Hareton from Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë

(I don't know for sure whether this question is asking for my favorite romance novel, or favorite couple from a book... but since I don't read romance novels, I guess I'll just go with favorite couple) 

I wanted Cress and Thorne from The Lunar Chronicles to be together before they even met. They complement each other so well, and have a very Flynn Rider/Rapunzel feel to their relationship. Which I'm totally cool with, since Rapunzel and Flynn Rider are one of my all time favorite Disney couples, and Cress is a retelling of Rapunzel... so it works. I love them to pieces.

I just had to add Cathy and Hareton to this list. Wuthering Heights, while one of my favorite books of all time, is a very dark and gloomy story. But, despite it all, Cathy and Hareton are the ray of sunshine that give this book a little bit of hope. Plus they're so darn cute! (I just ignore the fact that they are cousins...)

BEST ACTION
Ready Player One by Ernest Cline

I don't get into action in books very much. In movies I'm okay, but I can't picture the crazy action scenes when I'm reading. But Ready Player One, which is a book based in a future/dystopian sort of setting and is about video games, really pulled me into the action. Even though it's not my favorite book of all time, it was still super fun to read and I enjoyed every minute of it.

BEST SAD BOOK
The Romanov Sisters by Helen Rappaport


I have cried waterfalls of tears over many books, but the thing that made The Romanov Sisters especially sad to me was the fact that this is a true story. I have a slight obsession with learning about the Romanov family and their assassination, and reading this book gave me a lot more insight to the real, mundane lives of the sisters and made the story I had heard so many times before feel so much more real. you can read more of my thoughts on it in my review.

BEST FUNNY BOOK
So Not Happening by Jenny B. Jones
Nicholas Nickleby by Charles Dickens

It takes a lot to get me to laugh while I read a book. I'm so focused on reading, that even if I find something funny I will only mentally chuckle and move on. So Not Happening was the first book that literally made me laugh out loud as I was reading. Jenny B. Jones' writing is phenomenal and watching Bella's character develop when she's placed in very non-glamourous situations is simply hilarious. Which reminds me, I totally need to pick up the sequel to this soon...

I chose Nicholas Nickleby for this list because it is the funniest Dickens book I have read so far, but really anything by Dickens could fit here. Even though he deals with some very dark subjects in his novels, it's amazing how Dickens is able to weave in humor to make it more lighthearted.

BEST INSPIRING BOOK
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

This is going to be another obvious classic, but honestly, this was the only thing I could think of to put here. But, I don't care. This is an awesome book. Plus Harper Lee was able to make a court room scene intriguing and exciting. That takes talent. So yeah.

BEST OTHER BOOK
Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë

I'm not quite sure what exactly they mean by "Other" book, so I'm just going to assume it means favorite book overall. Whenever someone asks me what my favorite book of all time is, I always have three answers ready: The Lord of the Rings trilogy, The Book Thief, and Wuthering Heights. But I'm going with Wuthering Heights for this one.

It's the type of book that people either adore or hate with a passion, and obviously I'm in the first category. While it is a very hopeless story, the way Emily Brontë puts it together is beautiful. And I love the story within a story that gives the book layers and helps you see all sides of it. It's true that most of the characters aren't very likable, but in my opinion, they seem far more realistic than a lot of characters I have read.

BOOK YOU THREW ACROSS THE ROOM THE HARDEST (in a good way or a bad way)
Code Name Verity and Rose Under Fire by Elizabeth Wein

I was going to use The Book Thief for this one, but I feel like I've talked about how much that book abused my heart quite enough. So, instead, I decided I would pick a couple other WWII books... (why were the World Wars so heartbreaking?) Anything Elizabeth Wein writes is absolutely gorgeous, and definitely throw-across-the-room worthy, because they will have you in mental agony over everything. In a good way of course. If any of you haven't had a chance to pick up Code Name Verity, go do it now, and make sure to read Rose Under Fire directly after.

BOOK THAT MADE YOU LEARN SOMETHING NEW

I'm going to be a bad girl and not put anything for this one. Yes, because I can't think of anything, and also because I feel like I gain something from every book I read whether it's good or bad. (you could say I'm lazy, but hey I think it works)

BOOK THAT MADE YOU CHANGE THE WAY YOU THINK
The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath

I talked about this book in detail not too long ago, so if you want to read all my thoughts on it, you can check that out. It's very rare that a book is able to latch onto someone's heart and mind as this one has to me.
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I tag Maria at The Idea Catcher, Elizabeth at Incidents of a Literary Nature, and anyone else who might be interested. Consider yourself tagged!

13 comments

  1. I have lots of thoughts about this post!!

    1. I FORGOT ANNE OF GREEN GABLES. HOW DID THIS HAPPEN. I AM SO ASHAMED OF MYSELF
    2. So happy that you picked General Woundwort too! :D
    3. LES MIS. Much love and happiness. That book is soooo good.
    4. I read Wuthering Heights a long time ago and understood nothing. Clearly, I need to try again.

    Great job with the tag!! You rock :)

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    1. no, YOU rock, Olivia. ;)
      And I do recommend you give Wuthering Heights another try. But, I understand it's not everyone's cup of tea.

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  2. Oh my goodness, yes.
    Thorne and Cress are literally the best couple ever. <3

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  3. Cress and Thorne are the cutest couple ever. :) I just love them. And yes, Jenny B. Jones' books are hilarious! I've been meaning to reread her Charmed Life series ever since I read it the first time (years ago). I liked reading your answers to this tag!

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  4. I totally second that To Kill A Mockingbird was hands-down inspiration and amazing. Plus, I gotta go check our that sequel too! Have you read it? (:

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    1. I am very conflicted about the sequel... :/ I'm not quite sure if I should read it or not. Maybe I will someday. I'd love to hear your thoughts on it when you read it, though :)

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  5. I just saw this! Thank you so much for tagging me! I haven't read Watership Down in forever... Have you read Elizabeth Wein's Aurthurian Trilogy? It's not as amazing as CNV or RUF, in my opinion, but it's really cool. I'll also have to give Wuthering Hights another try...

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    1. No prob girl! Can't wait to see your answers. ;)
      I have not, but I will go check it out RIGHT NOW! All you have to say is that Elizabeth Wein wrote it and it's on my TBR. She's awesome!

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  6. GAHHH, the plot in Les Mis. <3 that book is insane. I almost forgot that Hugo also wrote the hunchback of notre dame..! I agree with you, Les Mis is long but I'm always like "...how could this even be abridged without losing like the whole story?" haha! It's so intricate and detailed. And To Kill a Mockingbird has been on my TBR shelf for a year now. Whenever I notice it I'm like, dang, I gotta read that, because the movie is life. So good.

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    1. Oh yesssss! Victor Hugo is like my most favorite. He gets a bit passionate and goes on rants about the history of everything, but I don't mind. I could decorate all of my bedroom walls with his quotes. The Hunchback of Notre Dame is most definitely one of my favorite books of all time.

      And girl, you must read To Kill a Mockingbird! I could watch the movie, since I have yet to see it, and we can obsess over them both together!

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  7. HANNAAAAAHHHHH, YOU DID THE TAG. ♥ eep! I'm super excited right now. ^.^ Ugh, and I can totally relate to the thing about tags...I usually always lose my motivation to do them, for some reason! Like...whyyy?? I don't even know. xD "...since they are always the overhyped books that I personally did not care much for." < AGREED. Like, why is that? I don't like it much either. Just because some books got freakishly popular over a short span of time, doesn't mean their the best books of the year.

    Oooh, I've never heard of the Scarlet series. I should check that out. Oh my word, falling in love with male characters is like the best. BECAUSE THEY ARE PERFECT. (Well, most of the time.) And when they're your own characters, well then things get interesting...*malicious laughter* Because then they don't say stupid things and I can make them do whatever I want. (Well, most of the time.) Haaha. xD

    Okay so yes Anne Shirley. She is amazing. Like...THE CHARACTER okay I'm donnne... UGH and this reminds me of how much I want to finish reading Watership Down. Like that was a book my dad was reading to me and my sister forever ago and he NEVER FINISHED IT. I MUST HOLD HIM ACCOUNTABLE. Okay I'll stop yelling I really will. aHEM.

    AAAAAAAAAAAAAH (oops sorry did i say i would stop yelling? nope) LITERALLY EVery time...people talk about Cress and Thorne I'm like WHY CAN'T I READ MORE SO I CAN READ ABOUT THEM. It's a very real (and strange) struggle in this girl's head. But I want to read that book so bad because "[they] have a very Flynn Rider/Rapunzel feel to their relationship." LIKE OUCH YUM THANK YOU I NEED IT. ♥

    "(I just ignore the fact that they are cousins...)" < Oh yes this small detail must be forgiven in old literature. I'm just like, "HOWWWW--okay, you know what? I'm just going to pretend it's all normal and and and....enjoy the book. yEP." xD

    UM OKAY SO THANK YOU FOR CHOOSING A DICKENS BOOK FOR THE FUNNY CATEGORY. Because like...he is so hilarious! I find myself laughing out loud all the time at his writing, and it never ceases to amaze me how cleanly he interjects humor into a serious scene/turn of events. IT'S BRILLIANT, BASICALLY. And you totally just said the exact same thing gah TWINNING.

    "Plus Harper Lee was able to make a court room scene intriguing and exciting. That takes talent." < Literally though! I was thinking about that while watching the movie recently... Most of it takes place in a courtroom. And yet it is incredibly interesting. Like...how is that possible? It's awesome.

    OKAY SORRY FOR THIS MONSTER COMMENT. You are the boommmmbbbbb dot com and I loved this post!! Catch ya later. ;)

    love,
    abbiee

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