Merry Christmas to all who celebrate, and happy holidays! I hope everyone is having a fantastic and restful holiday season! And I mean that… I hope everyone is finding the time to relax and do something they love. For me, that’s reading. I get so much reading done during these couple of weeks during the holidays. And with that spirit, I am going to be completing the 12 Days of Christmas Book Tag today, to celebrate the holidays.
I have always been interested in the song/poem of the 12 Days of Christmas. It just goes on and on, with no real purpose. It is the type of song that gets stuck in my head on a loop, with no end. Also, why does The 12 Days of Christmas have so many birds in it? Hens, pigeons, swans, turtle doves, and more. Where are they all coming from, and how do they relate to Christmas?
Anyway, rant about the song over, I am excited/sad that Christmas is over! This is my second favorite holiday, behind Halloween! There is always a little bit of a letdown in the week between Christmas and New Year. But as much as I love this time of year, I am also ready for 2022 to start. I have never felt that way before, but I am oddly excited to get into the new year.
I have a lot of goals and aspirations for the coming year that I am excited to start working for. Although I have never been much for making resolutions, this year feels different. So I am going to run with it.
Anyway, let’s get into The 12 Days of Christmas Book Tag! I found this tag on Read to Ramble, so go check them out to see their answers! The original creator of this tag is Lizzie Loves Books on Youtube, so check them out as well!
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1. On the first day of Christmas, my true love sent to me: A Partridge in a pear tree
The partridge stood alone in the pear tree. What is your favorite stand-alone?
I’ve got a couple stand-alone books on my favorites list, but if I had to choose one, I would pick The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern.
This book is full of so much magic and intrigue, I can never get enough of the setting, plot, and characters. I have already read it twice now, and I still want more.
This story is set around a circus that travels to different cities and is only open during the dark hours of the night. Following multiple characters over multiple years, this story has a quality that I can’t get enough of.
Purchase this book on Amazon here!
Add this book to your TBR on Goodreads here!
2. On the second day of Christmas, my true love sent to me: Two Turtle Doves
Love is in the air! Who is your one true pairing?
I haven’t really had an OTP in a while, but there are certain relationships in books that I think would actually last, as opposed to all the instalove I read that I know would never last in real life. So, for this prompt, I am going to say Eliza and Wallace from Eliza and Her Monsters by Francisca Zappia.
I don’t know if it is the way Eliza and Wallace’s relationship is written or what, but I know that they would last. Their support for each other and common interests is the recipe for a good relationship. I loved reading the slow-growing connection between the two of them throughout the story.
Purchase Eliza and her Monsters by Francesca Zappia here!
Add this book to your Goodreads TBR here!
3. On the third day of Christmas, my true love sent to me: Three french hens
In the spirit of threes, what is the best trilogy you have read?
Come on, you know there is no other trilogy I can talk about for this prompt other than The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. It is my favorite book series, of course, I am going to bring it up in The 12 Days of Christmas Book Tag!
This will always be my favorite series. Every time I reread, I am hooked on every page. The plot is thrilling and the characterization is top-notch. These characters hold such a special place in my heart.
Purchase The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins on Amazon here!
Add this book to your Goodreads TBR here!
4. On the fourth day of Christmas, my true love sent to me: Four calling birds
Since series usually consist of four or more books, what is your favorite series?
Apparently, I have never read a book series in my entire life… I guess I stop at three books! But for the sake of answering this question, I will put the Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer.
And I use this very loosely as an answer considering I have only read the first book in the series, Cinder. But I enjoyed it a lot, and I plan to read the rest of the series… eventually.
Purchase this series on Amazon here!
Add this book to your Goodreads TBR here!
5. On the fifth day of Christmas, my true love sent to me: Five golden rings
One ring to rule them all! Who is your Favorite Villain/Antagonist?
I am sitting here, really trying to come up with an answer that has nothing to do with The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins and I am failing… Sorry, I just love President Snow!
There is something about the play between Katniss and Snow that makes for a really good protagonist/antagonist relationship. Very well done on Collins’ part.
Purchase Mockingjay on Amazon here!
Add this book to your Goodreads TBR here!
6. On the sixth day of Christmas, my true love sent to me: Six geese a laying
Creation is a beautiful thing. What is your favorite world/world-building?
There is nothing better than reading some good world-building! By far, one of the best world-building I have ever read is in Mirage by Somaiya Daud.
The world that Somaiya Daud creates through their writing is so colorful and palpable, I feel like I can reach out and touch it. But along with that, the characters were so real, which added to the whole experience of reading. I would definitely recommend this book!
Purchase Mirage by Somiya Daud on Amazon here!
Add this book to your Goodreads TBR here!
7. On the seventh day of Christmas, my true love sent to me: Seven swans a swimming
Who needs seven swans when all it takes is one good animal sidekick? Who’s your favorite animal sidekick?
I was struggling trying to think of a book with an animal sidekick that I actually liked, and I was coming up short. So my answer for this prompt is The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern.
Let me explain myself. In this book, we go down to the Starless Sea. In the Starless Sea, there are a lot of cats that will hang out with you while you travel around the random halls and rooms full of books. I want those cats as my sidekicks.
Purchase The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern on Amazon here!
Add this book to your Goodreads TBR here!
8. On the eighth day of Christmas, my true love sent to me: Eight maids a milking
Milk is so 18th century. Which book or series takes beverages/food to a whole new level?
One of my favorite things is reading books with really good food descriptions. I love when a book can make me hungry, and that is exactly how I felt while reading Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas.
I don’t know if you understand how bad I wanted to pull one of the pan de muertos out of the story and eat it. The way Thomas describes the food throughout the book was amazing and had my mouth watering!
Purchase Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas on Amazon here!
Add this book to your Goodreads TBR here!
9. On the ninth day of Christmas my true love sent to me: Nine ladies dancing
Dancing is just one skill of a Lady! Who is your favorite kickass female lead?
As a fan of good characterization, I absolutely love Rin from The Poppy War by R. F. Kuang!
Rin never backed away from a fight, never stopped herself from learning, and was in general, pretty awesome! And I loved that R. F. Kang didn’t make her perfect as well, as so many heroines are. She was messy and chaotic at the same time as she was brave and intelligent.
Purchase The Poppy War in Amazon here!
Add this book to your Goodreads TBR here!
10. On the tenth day of Christmas my true love sent to me: Ten lords a leaping
How about your favorite leading lad?
It was incredible to read about Amal in Punching the Air by Ibi Zaboi and Yusef Salaam. This story was heartbreaking and hopeful at the same time, Amal stood out to me so much as a character.
This book is about Amal, who was wrongfully imprisoned for something that he did not do. Throughout the story, you learn about what he goes through, and how he is treated in a system that wronged him.
This was a phenomenal book that I couldn’t get out of my head once I finished. Definitely, one that will stick with me throughout my life.
Purchase Punching the Air on Amazon here!
Add this book to your Goodreads TBR here!
11. On the eleventh day of Christmas my true love sent to me: Elevyn pipers piping
What is your favorite book or bookish thing with musical influence? (It can be about music, reference music a lot etc.)
For this prompt, I am going with Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor. This book definitely isn’t about music solely, but I still feel like it works for this clue.
This book is set in Weep, which used to be a bustling city full of culture, food, and most importantly… music! I would have loved to see the city in its prime and hear the music that they used to play. I am sure Lazlo would probably wish the same thing.
Purchase Strange the Dreamer on Amazon here!
Add this book to your Goodreads TBR here!
12. On the twelfth day of Christmas my true love sent to me: Twelve drummers drumming
Drum roll please…what is your favorite read of this year?
I didn’t want to repeat any answers with this tag, but I have limited options because I didn’t read that much this year. Anyway, my favorite read of the year was definitely The Poppy War by R. F. Kuang!
This book sucked me in from page one. I am making it a goal of mine to finish the rest of the book in the series in 2022. But we all know how well I do on my reading goals…
Purchase The Poppy War in Amazon here!
Add this book to your Goodreads TBR here!
That wraps up my holiday content for the year! I am going to be looking into the future now, preparing for next year! Stay tuned to the blog if you want to check out what books I plan to read next year, along with some of my anticipated book releases of 2022! I can’t wait to see where this coming year takes me!
Also, I want to say thanks for sticking with me for another year! I appreciate the online book community so much and all the support I recieve!
