The In Or Out Book Tag

Hello y’all, and happy Monday! I hope that all of you are having a good start to the week. ☺

Today, I’ll be participating in the In Or Out Book Tag, which I saw over on Anna’s blog. It looked like so much fun, and she left an open nomination, so I thought I’d do this tag on my blog today!

This book tag is very simple: I will basically just respond to each reading-related thing with ‘in’ or ‘out’, depending on if I like it or not. As I said, very simple! Let’s just get right into it!

Reading the last page first.

Out, definitely. There are so many potential spoilers to be read. I used to read the last sentence first, but I won’t even do that now, because I absolutely hate spoiling myself!

Enemies to lovers.

In, but only if it is done well. I don’t love this trope, and I prefer rivals to lovers, but enemies to lovers can work if it is written well.

Dream sequences.

In, I guess.

Love triangles.

In. I like reading love triangles, as long as they’re done well, like I said about the enemies to lovers trope.

Cracked spines.

Out. I hate it when my book spines are cracked! I mean, I’ll still read books with cracked spines, but I won’t purposely crack the spines on my books.

Back to my small town.

I haven’t read any books with this aspect in them, but I would love to. In!

Monsters are regular people.

I’m not sure what this really means. I guess I am out with this one.

No paragraph breaks.

Out. I hate it when there are long sequences of text without paragraph breaks, and I often get lost when this happens. I feel like I also read more when there are breaks between some of the paragraphs.

Multi-generational sagas.

I haven’t read any books like this, but that sounds like it’d be interesting to read, so I’m in!

Re-reading.

In! I love to re-read my favorite books, just as long as it’s been a good length of time since the first read.

Artificial intelligence.

Usually out; I just don’t find myself very interested in those types of stories.

Drop caps.

I’m in for this one. They look especially cool in fantasy!

Happy endings.

I’m in and out on this one. I like when a story ends happily, but there does need to be some sadness and drama beforehand. I feel like I’m more of a fan of bittersweet endings.

Plot points that only converge at the end.

In. I love when everything converges at the end, or when everything lines up and makes sense.

Detailed magic systems.

Overall, I’d say I’m in. I don’t like it when they’re too detailed and complex to keep track of, but I don’t like when they’re just meh, either. As long as I can understand it, then I am in!

Classic fantasy races.

In, I guess.

Unreliable narrators.

Uhhh…probably out. Unreliable narrators usually annoy me.

Evil protagonists.

Out. I don’t think I’d like to read a book with an evil protagonist.

The chosen one.

In, but only if it’s well written, and the character isn’t annoying (which I find many of the chosen one characters tend to be.)

When the protagonist dies.

Out. I just hate this!

Really long chapters.

Out. I prefer shorter chapters and find them easier to read. I also finish the book much quicker when the chapters are shorter.

French flaps.

Out, because these annoy me quite a bit.

Deckled edges.

Out. I don’t very much like deckled edges.

Signed copies by author.

In! I don’t think I have any, but it would be so cool to own a signed book.

Dog-earing pages.

I guess I’d say out, although I’m not one of those readers that is totally against dog-earing pages. I just don’t personally do it anymore.

Chapter titles instead of numbers.

In and out. I like being able to check and see what chapter I’m on and how many more chapters I have, but chapter titles are interesting as well!

That’s all for my post today. Thank you so much for reading! I won’t be tagging anyone, but if you want to, definitely take this tag and do it on your blog! I’d love to see y’all’s opinions and answers to these reading-related topics.

How would you have answered these? Do you disagree with any of my opinions? I’d love to chat in the comments!

I will see you all next week with a monthly wrap-up (I can’t believe that March is almost over!) I hope that everyone’s week goes well, and bye for now!

~ Rebekah

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The Spring Joy Photography Tag

Hello everybody, welcome back to my blog, and happy first day of spring!

I saw this tag today on Lily’s blog, and I thought what better day to post this tag on my blog than on the first day of spring? It definitely feels like spring today, and I knew that I needed to get outside, so I took my phone out and did some fun photography! Thank you, Lily, for leaving an open nomination!

Also, I really feel like I need to start planning and writing more posts in advance! Any tips are very much appreciated.

Now, let us begin this tag with the rules!

The rules:

• First, thank the person who tagged you and link back to their site.
• Second, take the photos using the prompts!
• Third, tag (about) six people and link to their sites.
• And, nominees (or whoever does this), feel free to change up any of the prompts or rules for yourself or for those whom you tag.

My photos:

I love doing macro photography and saw this tiny flower, so I thought that this photo would work well for this prompt!

Something miniature.

Another macro photography-type photo!

Something all green.

My sister’s cat, Buttercup, came and visited me while I was taking photos, so I figured that I’d include a picture of him in this tag!

Something with a living creature.

At least it looks like they are! (Maybe they’re just enjoying the bit of food I sprinkled out for them, so I could get a photo.)

Somebody enjoying nature.

I had a bit of trouble with this prompt because I couldn’t really find any photo opportunities that reminded me of a story. This photo reminds me sort of like a story I want to write someday, so does that count?

Something that reminds you of a story (and say what story it reminds you of.)

Two large rocks in my yard. I don’t think of rocks as being very photogenic, hence this photo going with the prompt.

Something non-photogenic.

I like how the black and white looks with this photo of moss-covered bricks!

Something black and white.

I am not sure that this photo technically goes with the prompt, but nothing is really holding onto winter still here, so I had to just photograph something that reminds me of winter.

Something holding onto winter.

I love the angle of this daffodil photo!

Something sunshiny.

These flowers are so pretty! Flowers are one of my favorite things to take photos of, and to me, they scream spring.

Something just plain beautiful.

I took this photo and thought that I’d add a bonus prompt (at least for myself; not everyone I tag needs to include this prompt in their posts): something colorful! I love the brightness of the flower paired with the blue in the background.

Something colorful.

The prompts:

Something miniature

Something all green

Something with a living creature

Somebody enjoying nature

Something that reminds you of a story (and say what story it reminds you of)

Something non-photogenic

Something black and white

Something holding onto winter

Something sunshiny

Something just plain beautiful

Something colorful (optional/added)

I tag:

Heidi

Lydia

Mayim

Raegan

BetsyJane

Corrie

and YOU!

I decided to tag these bloggers because I figured that they’d enjoy sharing their beautiful springtime photography. However, if I tagged you, and you are not interested in doing the tag, don’t worry about it! And, if I didn’t tag you but you wish to do this tag, totally feel free to do it on your blog!

I hope that you all enjoyed this (last-minute) post! I had a lot of fun getting outside today and doing some interesting photography following the prompts!

Does it feel like spring where you live yet? Have you taken any good springtime photography lately? What photos of mine were your favorite? I’d love to hear from you in the comments!

That’s all for today’s post! I hope that you all enjoyed it very much. Thank you for reading, and have a lovely week! Bye for now!

~ Rebekah

Wolf by Wolf by Ryan Graudin Book Review

Hello everybody! How is your day going so far?

I am here with a spoiler-free book review for a book I recently read, called Wolf by Wolf. My sister read it back in 2021 and has been bugging me to read it since then. After finally getting around to it, I realize what all of her hype was about!

Basics

Title: Wolf by Wolf

Author: Ryan Graudin

Genres: Alternate history, historical fiction, young adult, adventure

My rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5/5

Summary from Goodreads

Her story begins on a train.

The year is 1956, and the Axis powers of the Third Reich and Imperial Japan rule. To commemorate their Great Victory, Hitler and Emperor Hirohito host the Axis Tour: an annual motorcycle race across their conjoined continents. The victor is awarded an audience with the highly reclusive Adolf Hitler at the Victor’s Ball in Tokyo.

Yael, a former death camp prisoner, has witnessed too much suffering, and the five wolves tattooed on her arm are a constant reminder of the loved ones she lost. The resistance has given Yael one goal: Win the race and kill Hitler. A survivor of painful human experimentation, Yael has the power to skinshift and must complete her mission by impersonating last year’s only female racer, Adele Wolfe. This deception becomes more difficult when Felix, Adele twin’s brother, and Luka, her former love interest, enter the race and watch Yael’s every move.

But as Yael grows closer to the other competitors, can she bring herself to be as ruthless as she needs to be to avoid discovery and complete her mission?

My Review

Initial thoughts

I was hesitant to read this book, just because of the fact that my sister rated it so highly. She continued to recommend it to me, yet I just didn’t get to it until now because of that, and the fact that it didn’t sound like anything I’d read before.

After reading the synopsis, I thought that it sounded interesting. But, a fast-paced alternate historical fiction book about a girl who can “skinshift” doesn’t sound like something I’d normally read. So, I sort of put it off, always telling myself that I’d read it later sometime.

Characters

I liked the characters quite a bit. I found them interesting, especially the main character, Yael. She had a very tragic past, and I was always anticipating reading more about her backstory. She was a very unique character! She was strong, yet her vulnerability showed several times, reminding the readers that she was still human.

There were many characters that I didn’t know what to make of, such as Felix and Luka. They had this past with the real Adele Wolfe that the reader knows nothing about, but that just kept me reading, trying to figure it out. The side characters were well-developed and included in the book at a perfect rate, none of them overpowering the story, but still being included enough to be a part of it.

At the start of this novel, I did have a bit of trouble remembering names and which characters they went to. In the first few chapters, quite a few names are introduced, and I found myself flipping back through pages to discover who was who again. It’s not a big deal, and probably just my fault for being bad with names, but it is just something to note.

Plot and story

The plot, as I mentioned, sounded interesting. I haven’t ever read any alternate history before, and I initially thought the story sounded different from anything I’d previously read (and it was.) I read a lot of historical fiction, but not alternate history. I think that it was quite interesting to think of the “what ifs”: what if Hitler had won World War II, or what if terrible experiments in concentration camps had led to the ability to skinshift?

I had had a bit of trouble getting started out with the book. I find that this happens to me quite a bit: I will read the first hundred or so pages of a book more slowly, and then zoom through the remainder of the book. It was definitely no different with this one. I’m sure that it took me the same amount of time to read the first quarter of the book as the remainder.

Writing

The writing in this wasn’t my favorite. I feel as if writing is really a personal preference, though, and just because I didn’t particularly enjoy the writing style, doesn’t mean that everyone won’t. There were quite a few metaphorical terms, and it is a bit poetic, which I don’t often enjoy. This, however, didn’t ruin the book for me. It was just a slight bother to me, and lots of other people, I’m sure, enjoy the writing quite a bit.

Final thoughts

I liked this book immensely! It was a real page-turner, and had me on the edge of my seat for the latter chunk of the book. It was packed with action, but I wasn’t constantly overwhelmed by it. And, though the story was laced with twists and turns, the ending really surprised me! I cannot wait to get to the next book.

I would totally recommend this book to anybody who wants to read a unique, and gripping story, unlike anything that you’ll probably ever read.

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Thank you for reading today’s post! Have you read this book? What were your thoughts? If you haven’t read it, will you be checking it out soon? I’d love to hear from you in the comments!

I hope that you all have a lovely week! I will be back next Monday with a new post. Bye until then!

The Once Upon a Time Book Tag

Hello everybody! Welcome to a brand new post, starting this brand new week! How is your Monday going?

Today, I am participating in the Once Upon a Time Book Tag. Thanks to Diamond for tagging me! This looks like lots of fun, so let us dive right in to the post!

Rules

• Thank the blogger who tagged you
• Use the featured graphic (optional)
• Answer the following 12 questions about books you have read
• Tag as many bloggers as you like!

Cinderella—a book that changed your life

For this one, I’ll go with the Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins, just because it was one of those book series that got me into reading. If I hadn’t read this, I don’t know if I would even be a reader, or at least, I would not read to the extent that I do now. The Hunger Games remains one of my favorite series to this day!

Sleeping Beauty—a book that took you forever to finish

The Lord of the Rings series is amazing, but each of the books did take me quite a while to read, just because of the older way it is written. I got through the three books in about a year, but that counts taking long breaks between each one. Classics always take me a little while to get through, but I do really enjoy reading them!

A Thousand and One Nights—a book you couldn’t stop reading

I consume basically any Kasie West book with speed, especially Love, Life, and the List. Love, Life, and the List is definitely one of my favorite Kasie West books, but, honestly, they are all super sweet, fun, and quick reads.

Little Red Riding Hood—a book you recently read in an unfamiliar genre

In this category, I’ll put The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary E. Pearson. I wouldn’t normally read sci-fi, but this was actually quite good. I thought it was very interesting, though I’m not sure I’ll finish the series.

The Wild Swans—a book with your favorite sibling relationships

I had to go with Little Women by Louisa May Alcott for this one! I love the March sisters so much, and that’s most definitely one of my favorite things about the book.

Snow White—a book filled with beautiful prose

I actually don’t know what prose are. I tried Googling it, but I just can’t find a good answer. If anyone has this knowledge, please let me know in a comment.

Rapunzel – a book you procrastinated on reading after buying

The Midnight Dancers by Regina Doman. Technically, I didn’t buy this book, I was gifted it. But I did procrastinate on reading it after I got it, just because it didn’t follow the original cast of characters as in the previous three books in the series, and I wasn’t sure I’d like that. I did really enjoy it, though!

The Little Mermaid – a book that took you on a magical journey

I wanted to choose LOTR for this one, but I already chose it for a previous prompt soo…I’ll go with The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien! 😄

The Frog Prince – a book you’d like to turn into a frog because you hated it so much

This one wasn’t hard: We’ll Always Have Summer by Jenny Han. The whole series wasn’t great, but this last book was just…😖 Don’t even bother reading it.

Peter Pan – a book that reminds you of your childhood

The Little House on the Prairie books definitely remind me of my childhood. I grew up reading these for school and fun, and I really enjoyed them! They are very nostalgic for me.

The Goose Girl – a book that you had low expectations for, but ended up loving

Surprisingly, Lovely War by Julie Berry was just one of these books! I thought that it sounded a bit strange, and I’d never really heard of it. I didn’t think that it would surmount to anything amazing. I was wrong. It is one of my favorite books, and I would definitely recommend picking it up if you haven’t read it!

Hansel and Gretel – a book that made you hungry

Definitely Love and Gelato by Jenna Evans Welch! Gelato sounds delicious, and I want to try it someday.

I tag:

I will leave this an open nomination, so any readers who want to do this tag, feel free to do it on your blog! I would love to hear about your favorite books and your answers to the prompts!

The prompts:

Cinderella—a book that changed your life

Sleeping Beauty—a book that took you forever to finish

A Thousand and One Nights—a book you couldn’t stop reading

Little Red Riding Hood—a book you recently read in an unfamiliar genre

The Wild Swans—a book with your favorite sibling relationships

Snow White—a book filled with beautiful prose

Rapunzel – a book you procrastinated on reading after buying

The Little Mermaid – a book that took you on a magical journey

The Frog Prince – a book you’d like to turn into a frog because you hated it so much

Peter Pan – a book that reminds you of your childhood

The Goose Girl – a book that you had low expectations for, but ended up loving

Hansel and Gretel – a book that made you hungry

That’s it for today’s post! Have you read any of these books? How would you have answered the prompts? I’d love to hear from you in the comments!

I will be back next Monday with a new post! I hope that you all have a lovely week!