As a host of the Hocus Pocus Readathon, it seems necessary that I also complete the Hocus Pocus Book Tag every year, and so far so good. This is going to be the third time I will be answering these same questions.
Seeing how my answers have changed over the years is probably the best part. I have read so many better books and expanded my reading list trifold. To see my post from 2019 click here, and to see my post from 2020 click here. But remember, I was pretty cringe back then,
But of course, I am sure that I will repeat the same five books I always talk about in book tags, because I know what books I like, and I can’t stop talking about them.
Hocus Pocus is subjectively one of the best Halloween movies, prove me wrong. It has been around as long as I have, and I can remember watching it every single year during Halloween. I have so many fond memories of the movie.
The original creator of the tag is Never Not Reading, and they have created some fantastic bookish Halloween questions here. Let’s get into the tag!
The Sanderson Sisters: A Great Trilogy
Come on, you knew I wouldn’t have any other answer to this prompt! I honestly can’t name another trilogy that I have read in the past couple of years if I’m being honest. But still, The Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins would still be my favorite. It holds a special place in my heart, we all have those books! Don’t judge me!
Winifred Sanderson: A book with a truly evil female villain
I can’t exactly say the name of the evil character, to avoid spoilers, but the ending of Horrid by Katrina Leno revealed a truly vial character that left a bad taste in my mouth. The ending of this book is not satisfying in the least. This is great for the genre, but not good for my soul.
Check out my full review of this book here.
Sarah Sanderson: A book that uncannily attracts children
In both 2019 and 2020, I talked about The Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo for this prompt. A book that is adult, yet marked as a young adult book often because of the author. Well, I am sticking with the same vein for this one with The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang. Although this book has mature situations, characters, and tropes, this book is often labeled in the young adult genre. There is a lot of material in this book that is not appropriate for young readers.
Check out my full review of this book here.
Mary Sanderson: A book that is just plain silly
I have never smiled harder than when I was reading Lumberjanes by Noelle Stevenson, Grace Ellis, Brooklyn Allen, Maarta Laiho, Aubrey Aiese, and Shannon Watters. This book is funny, cute, and more than anything, heartwarming. The situations they get into are hilarious. I would die for this set of characters. They are everything, I want to read every volume of this graphic novel.
Max: A book that is trying really hard to be cool, but doesn’t always succeed
Havenfall by Sara Holland has a strong premise. A magical inn where magical creatures and beings come together to relax over the summer. Sounds amazing, and I was so excited to pick up this book. Unfortunately, it fell short for me. Something in the characterization stopped me from really enjoying all the cool features that this book promised.
Dani: A book that isn’t afraid to tell it like it is
The author of A Song Below Water, Bethany C. Morrow, was not afraid to tell it like it is when it comes to racism and xenophobia. This book mixes magical elements with very real-world situations in such an interesting way. This is such a fantastic mix for young readers. It allows them to face these issues in the safety of a book.
Binx: A book series that just won’t die
The entire Percy Jackson universe by Rick Riordan has been expanding for so long, I’m not sure if it will ever stop. I’m not saying this is a bad thing. I can’t make that judgment considering I have only read the first book in the original series. But I find it hilarious how many spin-off series this universe has. It’s worse than Marvel.
Ice: A book with a character that’s completely unaware
The girls in this apocalyptic school are definitely not unaware because of any fault of their own, but they are certainly in the dark when it comes to what is happening on their island. I can’t imagine anyone would be okay watching a bunch of food and resources getting destroyed, and not thinking something suspicious was happening. But that’s just me.
Check out my full review of this book here.
The Black Flame Candle: A book or series you wish you could resurrect
More than anything, I wish I could resurrect Erin Morgenstern. Because I have loved both of the works that they have published and I want more. But specifically, I would love to read more in the world of The Starless Sea. The characters, world, and plot are everything in this book. Also, I just want to escape back into this story so I can visit the endless libraries full of books and cats. That sounds amazing.
Headless Billy Butcherson: A book that’s not as bad as people make it out to be
People love to hate. Especially when it comes to hyped or popular books. I apologize for including another Erin Morgenstern book, but The Night Circus is one of my favorite reads of all time, and people love to hate on it because it has no plot. So what? I’m here for the vibes, not the story. I love me some good, extra writing and deep characterization and that is exactly what you get from this book.
Winifred Sanderson’s Spell Book: A book with a mind of its own
BoooooOOOOOOOOOOOK
After all these years, I still have no idea what this prompt means. A book with a mind of its own. In previous years, I have interpreted this as a book that completely took me over with every one of the senses. This year, I am going to do something different.
This year I am going with a book with no plot, so it goes wherever it wants to go, and that would be Her Body and Other Parties by Carmen Maria Machado, purely because this is a short story collection. So it has a mind of its own every time the story changes to something new… does that make sense?
Gary Marshall: A book with a cameo
I was hard-pressed to find a book with a cameo. Do authors do that very often? Anyway, this series by Talia Hibbert includes three books about three different sisters. Each book follows the sister’s independent life, but you see the cameos of the other two throughout the story, which I think is super fun.
With October coming to an end, I am trying to stuff as much Halloween as I can into the last week, and that includes watching Hocus Pocus one million times. This movie makes me feel so warm and cozy inside, and because tomorrow is supposed to be a rainy day, I can’t think of any better way to spend my time.
I think my plan for tomorrow’s rain is to stay in, watch all the family-friendly Halloween movies I can find and drink copious amounts of hot cocoa or hot apple cider. Sounds perfect!
