Hello fellow bookworms 💗 I have finally finished my very last exam, which was later than the other ones, so here’s a new blog post! I was actually getting a bit behind with comments and blog hopping this week, as I wasn’t feeling too well. But now I’m back
The lovely Kate from readingthroughinfinity tagged me for the This is my Genre, tell me yours Tag a while ago and as I really loved the questions of the Tag, I decided to do it today. Thank you so much for tagging me!
(I would normally have you guess what my favorite genre is, but it literally says so in the title 😂 Extra Points to everyone who already knew 😄 )
Rules
- Credit the bad bad Drew at The Tattooed Book Geek as the creator of the tag. Either use the created tag name graphic or create your own and link back to his blog.
- Answer the questions.
- Tag as many people as you want.
What’s your favourite genre?
My favorite genre is and always has been Fantasy, I like both Urban and High Fantasy, but the latter has to be what I generally prefer 💕
(was it really necessary to create a Fantasy aesthetic? No, but I really felt like doing it 😂)
Who is your favourite author from the genre?
Here we go with me being pretty predictable as far as favorite authors go 😄 (I decided to go with my Top 3)
I have always loved anything by Rick Riordan even back when I started reading, so you could say that I’m a long-standing fan of his work. Every single book he put out has been 5 stars and that just underlines that I cannot go wrong with picking up a Riordan book. He writes the best, most unique books about mythology that are always fun to read and never fail to amuse me!
Of course I also have to mention Susan Dennard, I’m a 100% a big fan, so I’m keeping on brand 😜 But seriously, I adore her Witchlands Series, it’s so well written and set in a huge fantastic world that I cannot wait to explore even more. The characters and dynamics are so engaging, plus I love how she manages to handle a multiple character cast and all the little hints that build up to something huge, it’s amazing! I cannot stop with the gushing when it comes to her, I highly recommend the books and signing up to her Newsletter for excellent writing advice!
The third author to choose was actually a lot harder as I have a lot of favorite fantasy books, but sometimes I have only read 1 book by the author, so it’s a little hard to say this is an all-time favorite. But I really enjoy Roshani Chokshi‘s book and think that she is a very underrated author! I’m seeing a theme here, as she also writes books inspired by Mythology and I adore her Star-Touched Queen Duology! Her wiring is plain gorgeous and now she has a new Series with Rick Riordan’s imprint out!
What is it about the genre that keeps you pulling back?
That’s a very interesting question! I think what always pulls me back is getting to escape from reality to a completely different world and experiencing the magic of this new setting. I have always been more of a dreamer and getting to read all about magical, whimsical worlds with intrigue, incredibly abilities and adventure has a way to never fail to draw me in. I love the excitement of these stories, because they are so unlike my daily life. This is always what I have loved about Fantasy and continue to love. After all there are so many more amazing worlds to discover, the creativity of writers is endless and there is always something new to read about 💕
What’s the book that started your love for your favourite genre?
I have three books that I read the earliest and therefore are mostly the books that really got me into fantasy and also reading in general. The first would be the Inkworld Books as they have always fascinated me from the very beginning. These are one of the first books I remember reading and totally falling in love with. They are about people who have the ability to read characters out of books and people into the books, which is just amazing and general. So much book appreciation here.
The second book Series is Thirteen Treasures, a Middle Grade Series about a girl who can see fairies and visits her grandmother who lives near a forest full of fairies. I have such fond memories of reading this book, it’s about family, friendship and very naughty fairies. The last book Series to mention is of course Harry Potter. I read it a bit later than everyone else, but there’s no denying that I was really obsessed with it and the books have definitely contributed to me living fantasy as dearly as I do now.
If you had to recommend at least one book from your favourite genre to a non-reader/someone looking to start reading the genre, what would you choose and why?
I could of course mention all my favorite books (especially by the favorite authors mentioned above), but I didn’t want to repeat myself as much. Therefore, I decided to go with books that I think are very easy to get into for people who may be a bit overwhelmed with very heavy fantasy books that are long and take a bit of time to get into.
Personally, I think that Carry On is a great book to start with. It’s 500 pages long, but so quick and easy to read, you practically fly through it. The book convinces with its humor, fun and engaging characters and an interesting, but easy to understand fantasy world. Then I also think that Leigh Bardugo’s books are excellent for starters. Especially Shadow and Bone is a great book to get you into Fantasy: it has an amazing heroine, the best most intriguing villain and a cool concept that it easy to get into. The book is overall great to read and definitely addicting! My last recommendation is An Enchantment of Ravens, and while this one has received mixed reviews, I think it’s perfect for Fantasy beginners. The book isn’t too long, it has great, atmospheric world building and two super fun characters that have a great dynamic.
Why do you read?
To Escape. That’s what first popped into my head when I read the question. I lobe how stories offer us the chance to escape our daily lives if only for a moment. To completely get immersed into a different world or maybe just a different life has its own magical healing property. For me dreaming and getting lost in stories has been a way of self-care. Even if everything is going wrong, by reading books I’ve never felt completely alone 💗
I’m tagging everyone who wants to do this Tag!✨
What is your favorite genre? What book would you recommend to someone new to your genre? 💗
The Grisha Trilogy is a go-to book to recommend to fantasy newbie too! The writing was pretty easy to get into, the world building is amazing, and the villain is intriguing!
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Oh yes, it’s such a great Series and perfect for beginners, as it’s so easy to get hooked 😍 The Darkling is probably one of the most intriguing villains I have read about 🙂
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Ooh I love your fantasy aesthetic so much! I also read the Ink world trilogy when I was younger and it definitely played a part in making fantasy my favourite genre. And I’m so happy that I’m not the only one who loved Enchantment of Ravens!
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Thank you so much! ❤️ It was such a good Series, that I have gone memories of ☺️ The book is soo good!! 😍
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This is such an interesting tag and I loved reading your answers, Caro! 💕 Harry Potter definitley made me a fantasy reader as well and The Grisha Trilogy was what first got me into reading YA fantasy. I think it’s so hard to pick a favorite genre, cause I love all the books. But since most of my favorite books are fairy-tale inspired fantasy, I guess I’d go with that.
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Thank you so much! 💕 Harry Potter is such a fantastic introduction to Fantasy 😍 I only read the Grisha Trilogy recently, but it‘s so good!
I have also grown fond of other genres, but I always come back to Fantasy somehow 🙂
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I love this tag! I did it before on fantasy as well (high five for having impeccable taste!) and I can certainly see a lot of my answers mirrored in yours, which makes sense because if one’s a fantasy fan, we’re bound to have similar things we enjoy about the genre.
Shadow and Bone and An Enchantment of Ravens were lovely reads ❤ I have yet to try Susan Dennard but I am completely in love with the concept. And also with your aesthetic.
Awesome post, Caro 🙂
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Yees a fellow fantasy lover!! 😁 I‘m glad to hear we had a lot of the answers in common! 🙂
I love both of the books so much, in fact I have read Shadow and Bone twice this year 😱😍 The Witchlands books are amazing, I highly recommend them! 🙂 thank you 💕
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This is such a fun tag, I loved reading your answers. And I’m very happy you did this aesthetic as well, because it looks absolutely GORGEOUS, I love it so much, it makes me want to read so badly haha 🙂
I only read the first book in the star-touched queen series, but I am looking forward to reading more and more from the author, I loved her writing so, so much 😀
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Thank you so much!! I‘m glad you liked the aesthetic 💕 📖 (and that it makes you want to read 😁)
Her writing style is so beautiful I‘m in constant awe 😍 A Crown of Wishes is even better than the first book! 🙂
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This is such a fun tag and OF COURSE you had to at least mention Susan Dennard/her books! xD But I really love when people always talk about their favorite book/author and bring it up for as many things as possible – I certainly do that all the time too. xD
I’ve kind of only read one of the books you talked about up there and that’s Shadow And Bone (well, I did listen to Harry Potter too but I didn’t really like it so I kind of don’t count it) and I call myself a fantasy lover too???? WTH. But I remember years ago when I read Fangirl I would always really look forward to the Carry On snippets and enjoy them the most so maybe I should give that book a try?
Hmmmm, I think for someone who has never tried fantasy before, I’d probably give them some urban fantasy to begin with – maybe the Mortal Instruments series or DEFINITELY The Infernal Devices trilogy. I feel like it might be easier to get used to mythical creatures and all that when the world is familiar to you at least? And then work up from there and go into high fantasy!
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I have a reputation to keep up so of course I had to 😂 I love that too, as it’s great to learn about what everyone else is passionate about 💕
I would love to hear what books got you into fantasy then! It’s so interesting to see the differences between us fantasy fans as well 💞 Carry On is fantastic and soo funny & light-hearted, I highly recommend it, especially as you loved the snippets in Fangirl! 😌
That’s a great idea as well!! I didn’t even think about it, but some fantasy in a familiar setting would be a great way to get started 🙂
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I definitely agree with all your sentiments, lovely! Fantasy’s my favorite genre too, because there are ENDLESS possibilities. And yes to Rick Riordan, obviously! He knows how to mix humor with seriousness, and epic fantasy elements! ALSO I AM IN LOVE WITH YOUR AESTHETIC??
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Oh yes, I love how many different worlds you can explore in the genre, anything is possible 😍
Rick Riordan truly has found the perfect recipe to make me love his work! 🙂
AH THANK YOU SO MUCH ❤️
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I’m glad you’re done with the last of your exams! Honestly, finishing exams is one of the best feelings in the world. Sadly, it will be a few months until that’s the case for me, but that feeling of release is always nice to look forward to 😊
Harry Potter propelled me into loving fantasy… and the 13 Treasures series too! I remember adoring those books, and I’m so happy you mentioned the series! I feel like not many people know about it, but it played a huge role (among many other middle grade books) in growing my love for fantasy 🙂 I enjoyed reading all your bookish selections for this tag!
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I feel SO relieved to be done ☺️ Oh no, best of luck to you, you can do it!! 💕
Omg I‘m so glad that you know and love the books too! I‘ve never really meet anyone who knows 13 Treasures so I‘m super happy to hear that they have shaped your reading as well 😍 Thank you!! 😌
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Great answers for this tag Caro, fantasy is my favourite genre as well so a lot of your answers would be my answers to. Rick Riordan is definitely one of my favourite authors, and I love Roshani Chokshi’s writing. Her Star-Touched Queen duology was just beautiful.
Harry Potter is the series that got me started, it has to be the same for most bookworms who grew up in the HP generation, and Carry On would definitely be a book I’d recommend to anyone and everyone. It’s already probably one of my most re-read books and there’s something in it for everyone I think.
Again great answers for this tag. 🙂 ❤️
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Thank you so much ☺️❤️ Rick Riordan has never disappointed me with his books 😍 and Roshani Chokshi has the best writing style, I love her books so much!
Harry Potter is a common answer, it got a lot of us started in the genre 💞 Carry On is definitely similar and I have reread it many times as well 😍
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That’s all right. Yeah same here, I doubt Rick Riordan could ever disappoint me.
Ha, yeah but it’s cliche because it’s true right? 🙂
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What a beautiful post Caro! I love fantasy too. I’ll take anything with some fantasy element – paranormal, magical realism, Asian, urban and straight fantasy. You have picked some awesome books like Smoke and Bone, Truthwitch and Carry On. ❤️❤️
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Thank you, Dani! 💕 Yes me too, I love everything that has even the slightest fantasy element 😍 thank you!!
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