This time of year wouldn't be the same without some holiday-themed bookish fun to take part in! Today I'm taking part in the great Christmas Song Tag which I found on 'Spines and Covers'. If you're up for it, be sure to take part in the fun and leave the link to your answers in the comments section below! :)
1. “You’re a Mean One Mr. Grinch”
Name a villainous character you couldn’t help but love.
I don't really end up liking villainous characters, ever, now I'm thinking about it. Perhaps I still have to meet my perfect villain...? But I have to admit I did develop kind of a soft spot for Draco Malfoy in the Harry Potter books, and for the Grinch himself as well.
2. “All I Want for Christmas is You”
Which book do you most hope to see under your Christmas tree?
I'd love to get the new version of 'Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.'
3. “Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer”
Name a character that overcomes major obstacles and learns to believe in themselves.
'Major' obstacles is of course something everyone has a different opinion on, but this question immediately made me think of Angela in Lindsey Kelk's 'I Heart...' series. At the start of the series she finds herself all alone, moving to the other side of the world without knowing what's going to happen, and at the end of the series she's really made something of herself and her life and overcame quite a number of obstacles... Love that series.
4. “Santa Claus is Coming to Town”
a) Which character do you think would be on the top of the naughty list?
I've been thinking and thinking about this, but I honestly can't come up with a character besides Voldemort. Yes. Sorry.
b) Which character do you think would be at the top of the nice list?
I'm going to go with Seraphine from 'Christmas at the Little Wedding Shop', one of the Christmas-themed books I just finished. She does everything in her power to help her older sister get the wedding she wants, which definitely earns her a spot at the top of the nice list.
5. “Frosty the Snowman”
Which book just melts your heart.
Cecelia Ahern's 'P.S. I Love You' still makes me shed a few tears every time I read it.
6. “Feliz Navidad”
Choose a book that takes place in a country other than your own.
I can honestly pick almost every single book I read for this question, because hardly any English books are set in the Netherlands. Let's go with the one I'm reading right now, 'One Christmas in Paris' by Mandy Baggot, which is, as the title already suggests, set in France.
7. “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year”
Which holiday themed book do you use to spread the Christmas joy?
This year it's definitely Holly Martin's 'Christmas Under a Cranberry Sky' which is filled with Christmas joy until the brim.
8. “Sleigh Ride”
Which fictional character would you choose to spend the holidays with (doesn’t have to be a love interest!)
I'd love to spend the holidays with Elizabeth Bennet and Fitzwilliam Darcy at Pemberley <3
9. “Baby it’s Cold Outside”
Which book that you didn’t like would you sacrifice to a fire to warm yourself up in the cold?
I have to admit I would quite easily throw a lot of the more modern-day literature I had to read at university in the fire to warm up, such as my books by J.M. Coetzee.
10. “Do you hear what I hear”
Which book do you think everyone should read?
Jane Austen's 'Pride and Prejudice'; a true classic and a story that shows what romance/love is all about.
I had a look around the Internet for some fun Christmas-themed book tags and found the Christmas Cracker Book Tag on Stacey's blog 'Pretty Books'! I think book tags are always a lot of fun and a great way to learn a bit more about other bloggers, so if you feel like joining in with the fun, don't hesitate to copy this tag and please leave the link to your blog post in the comments section below! :)
Pick a book with a wintry cover
I always love the covers for Karen Swan's wintry releases. They immediately make me long for beautiful winter settings with lots of snow!
Pick a book you’d likely buy as a present
I love giving book series as presents, or books which I just know someone else will love. It's difficult, though, buying books for someone else and knowing 100% sure they will enjoy it. I can only do this for my sister and my best friend and that's about it, I think!
Pick a festive themed book
One of my favourite Christmas novels is Lisa Dickenson's 'The Twelve Dates of Christmas.' It's incredibly funny and just an amazing read. If you're looking for your next festive read, then definitely pick this one up!
Pick a book you can curl up with by the fireplace
I love Jenny Hale's Christmas reads; they're the perfect heart-warming books to snuggle up with on the couch with a blanket and a cup of tea or hot chocolate.
Pick a book you want to read over the festive period
I always want to read books that will definitely make me feel good around the holidays; books that won't make me cry (perhaps just a tiny tear out of pure joy, but that's it!) and will just make me smile and feel all warm and fuzzy inside. This year I can't wait to pick up Amanda Prowse's 'The Christmas Cafe'; Amanda's novels are always fantastic reads and while they do occassionally make me cry, I just know I won't be disappointed by it.
Pick a book that’s so good it gives you chills
I hardly ever get chills when I read a book, to be honest. Think I would have to go with the Harry Potter series for this one, it's the only book I can think of right now that actually managed to give me chills!
Pick a book going on your Christmas wishlist
A book on my Christmas list is Cecelia Ahern's 'The Marble Collector'. I'm a big Cecelia Ahern fan and I can't wait to read her newest release. However, I also wouldn't say no to this amazingly pretty collection of Jane Austen's novels! <3
Time for some more Christmas fun! I wasn't actually tagged in the Christmas Carol Book Tag (found on Always Me), but I found it while browsing other book blogs and it looked like a fun set of questions to get into the festive spirit!
1. You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch - Name a villainous character you can't help but love to hate.
Miss Havisham from Charles Dickens' 'Great Expectations' (you can't not hate her after how she breaks poor Pip's heart), Mr. Collins from Jane Austen's 'Pride and Prejudice' (who is really funny but incredibly infuriating at the same time), and Dolores Umbridge from the Harry Potter series (oh god, don't even get me started on her!).
2. All I Want For Christmas Is You - What book do you most want to find under your Christmas tree this year?
Definitely 'Jane Austen: Cover to Cover', a book filled with covers of Jane Austen's books over the years. It looks so stunning and I can't wait to have a copy in my hands!
3. Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer - Name a favorite character that had to overcome a major obstacle. Why are they your favorite?
I think I have to go with quite a cliched answer here and say Harry Potter. Everything he had to go through in the entire book series is just amazing and such an emotional rollercoaster; I don't think any other book can come even close to that.
4. Santa Claus Is Coming To Town - Which characters do you think are at the top of Santa's "nice" and "naughty" list?
Jane Bennet from Jane Austen's 'Pride and Prejudice' is definitely at the top of the nice list, while her sister Lydia will most likely top the naughty list. Another character on the naughty list is Miranda Priestly, the boss from hell from 'The Devil Wears Prada'. I still have the second book to read, though, but I don't doubt she will still belong on the naughty list at the end of that one!
5. Frosty the Snowman - What book just melts your heart?
Any Nicholas Sparks love story; they never let me down and always melt my heart.
6. Feliz Navidad - Your favorite book that takes place in a country other than you own.
Almost every single book takes place in a country other than my own (the Netherlands), haha! I'd have to go for Jane Austen's 'Pride and Prejudice' which is set in a lovely small town in England.
7. It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year - What book do you read to get in the Christmas spirit?
Lisa Dickenson's 'The Twelve Dates of Christmas' was my favourite Christmas read of 2013 and the first Christmas novel I read this year to get into the festive spirit and it definitely did the trick. The holiday cheer is heavily present in this book and it never fails to make me laugh; one of my all-time Christmas favourites!
8. Sleigh Ride - What character would you most want to spend the holiday with?
I'd love to spend the holidays with Mr. Darcy at Pemberley, simply because I'd love to see Pemberley at Christmas time with big Christmas trees and lights everywhere... I think it'd be amazing. However, I also would love to celebrate Christmas at Hogwarts for one year.
9. Baby It's Cold Outside - First things first, I cannot stand this song! - What book do you hate so much you'd sacrifice it to the fire to stay warm?
Hate is a really strong word, but I really really really disliked 'The Great Gatsby', I never understood why so many people think it's a wonderful literary classic. I also really didn't like 'Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close' and would definitely throw a copy into the fire to stay warm, haha.
10. Do You Hear What I Hear? - What book would you recommend to everyone?
I think it's really difficult to find a book to recommend to absolutely everyone, because people have such different tastes and I don't think there's anything EVERYONE enjoys. However, the book series that comes closest would have to be 'Harry Potter', because I do think this has something for everyone in it, because it deals with so many topics and issues and is just incredibly well-written and captivating.
