The Book Tag

Hello Everyone!

So yesterday my friend Georgia tagged me in a post she wrote all about BOOKS and given that my degree has something to do with reading a lot (though most of the time it's me pretending to read the books that nobody else in the world would ever read) I was happy to be tagged for a post I have a passion for.

At first I thought it would just be some cool tag which would involve me writing about my favourite books, but it's actually radder than that. Georgia has created some pretty interesting topics which  forced me to narrow down the realm of wider reading I've done in my life. There's also an options for me to give a shout-out to some books I'd much rather burn than ever read again!

You can read Georgia's book tag here ...

So here goes

Your favourite childhood book

This was one of the trickiest topics for me to think about because I feel like I read so widely as a child it's hard to narrow down a number one favourite. Having said that, I have decided that The Witches by Roald Dahl is being awarded this accolade. Firstly because any book by Roald Dahl is worthy of being my favourite book from childhood and also because it was the first book that introduced me to the world of witchcraft, however simple it may seem. I have vivid memories of repeatedly reading this book during primary school and even now I look to Dahl for inspiration when writing.

A book with a background story to it

This is more of an emo background story than a super interesting event but when I was younger I hated a lot of things about my life which were mostly related to how I thought about myself, there wasn't anything particularly wrong happening, just more negative thoughts. I came across alot of books on Tumblr, some which will feature later in this post and one of them was It's Kind of a Funny Story by Ned Vizzini. There was something about the way he wrote that book that spoke to me on a profound level, an experience consisting of me mentally saying YES SOMEONE GETS IT. I was always so proud of the fact Ned had created a succesful career from his own struggles and how his work inspires people like me on a daily basis. I was really pretentious when the book got made into a film and kind of put it away in my drawer for a few years. Just over a year ago, Ned Vizzini died as a result of suicide and it broke my tiny heart. I was devastated that a person that had helped me believe it gets better couldn't make themselves better, no matter how hard they tried. I would urge anyone to read this book, mentally stable or not. In the summer I want to power read all of Ned's work and give his talent the credit it deserves.

A book you remember reading and hating

Of all the topics in this tag this is the one I just KNEW the answer to IMMEDIATELY. If you don't know, classics and I just do not marry well. I hate Dickens and pretty much anything written between the 17th to 19th Centuries. In year 12, I was forced against my will to read Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte. I cannot tolerate the rave reviews this novel gets. It is not romantic, it is not fulfilling to read and to be perfectly honest Jane needs a good slap in the face. The only character I remotely have any emotion for is Edward Rochester, mostly because writing about him helped me get full marks in my assignment. I vowed never to return to the hell that is Thornfield, but university thought it wasn't mocking me enough and put this on the reading list for this year. Traumatic my life has been since this book entered it, to say the least.

An underrated childrens/YA book

The Little Prince by Antoine De Saint-Exupery. Okay, so technically it's one of the biggest selling books ever published but I had never heard of it until I became really obsessed with French language in secondary school. The book is tiny, as tiny as The Little Prince who watches sunsets when he's sad and sees the world in a way children aren't meant to. The illustrations are some of the most beautiful I've seen and though it is seen by adults as a book generally targeted for children, its morals and narrative can teach us all a thing or two about life.

The book that has made the biggest impact on you

It seems like a pretty cliche answer for someone of my age, but by far it's The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky. Ever since I read it I've carried it with me, not physically, but it's as though the words left the page and ran into my bloodstream. The narrative is beautiful, hauntingly so. The references to music and books and films speak for an entire generation and Charlie is one of my favourite protagonists of all time. I was so protective of this book when it got adapted for the big screen, but it's just as devastatingly beautiful as it is written and I cannot thank Stephen Chbosky enough for bringing that book into my life.

A book you can pick up and read even now

I wanted to choose Looking for Alaska by John Green but a) I'm saving it for later and b) I am too extrEMO to read that book again anytime soon. Therefore I am giving this award to The Virgin Suicides by Jeffrey Eugenides. There's something so cinematic in the way Jeffrey writes. Everything is visual and so dramatic that it plays like a movie in my mind whenever I read it (ironic given that Sofia Coppola adapted it and scarred me with such a terrible version). 

A book/series you read when younger that has been adapted for film

Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak. I love this story more than any other story on this planet and I don't even know why. I think it makes me incredibly nostalgic and is so relatable even now. The concept of running away to a foreign land and finding out where you belong and who you are is so appealing to me. I have such a love for Max that I can't put into words. He's a brat but he also has a huge heart. When the film was released I was 15 or 16 (basically way too old to be seeing this movie) and I cried so much during so many scenes to this day I cannot rewatch it, The DVD just sits on my shelf begging to be played but it's too STUNNING for me to watch.

A book you realise is now actually just shit

I struggled with this one because if a book is shit I throw it to the side so fast chapter two doesn't even see the light of day. I would have, like Georgia, opted for Twilight but that's so shit that it's so good! Therefore I'm turning away from books to a play (hope that's A OKAY) and opting for Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare. We all know it as a tragic romance, and I foolishly fell for that false trap when I first read it when I was around 10. When I was in secondary school we read it repeatedly and were spoon fed the lie of romance. I guess I'm pretty in love with Leonard Whiting who plays Romeo in the 196(3?) version of the film and that distracted me for a few years, but having had to write a 2000 assignment for this at university I've seen the real side of Romeo and Juliet and it's S H I T. Romeo is pining for Rosaline, and in the space of THREE DAYS he sneaks into a ball, falls in love with a CHILD, marries her in secret, gets banished AND THEY KILL THEMSELVES BECAUSE THEY'RE STUPID. It's ironic though because 'these violent delights have violent ends' is one of my favourite lines in literature EVER. But no, just NO this romance is bullshit YO!

A book you'll never forget

Peter Pan by J.M Barrie. One of my closest friends gave me their copy of the book for Christmas and I have read it several times since then. Don't get me wrong I read this book religiously during childhood. I have such a weird love for Peter I need some kind of Disney crush therapy. One of my old teachers was distant relative of Barrie and I still cry. The concept of not growing up is something I've always thought about, but it hasn't been until recently, when I am facing the end of my teenage years, that I truly understand Peter's yearning for the innocence of youth.

A book that is important to you

If John Green taught me anything, it's that you should never emotionally invest yourself in a character's life. When I read Looking for Alaska I was so naive, it still hurts. I wanted to rip the book apart and then use the contents for tissues to stop the tears running down my tiny face. This book is important because it ignited my desire to be a writer. John Green has such an incredible ability to create characters that are relatable and somewhat flawed. Whilst his novels are often tragic, they still have sprinkles of comedy and romance and that's something I would love to achieve in the future.

Thank you Georgia, for tagging me in your post and giving me a break from ASSignments and work to be nostalgic and write about things that mean something to me.

I'm going to tag Vanessa and Georgina for this but feel free to post yourself and let me know if you do!

Thanks for reading,

Aimee :) x