Borrowing this idea from Cait at Paper Fury, who got it from YouTuber LizzieLovesBooks.

Except I’m doing it backwards, because I don’t want to write out the verse/lyric for every part, and hey it’s my blog so guess who’s in charge. I won’t limit my choices to this year, either, because I don’t read nearly as voraciously as Cait.

On the twelfth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me twelve drummers drumming…

Drum roll please… what is your favorite read of this year?

This is a difficult one, with Tahereh Mafi’s Defy Me and John Green’s Turtles All the Way Down being the two that immediately come to mind. I read both of them this year, but since Turtles came out in 2017 and Defy Me is a 2019 release, I’ll give it to Mafi.

Defy Me is the fifth book in the Shatter Me series, about a girl named Juliette whose skin can kill on contact. The final events of book four have left Juliette and her allies in a state of utter disaster (and confusion). Turns out there’s a lot Juliette doesn’t know about herself or the people in her life, and the dangers previously faced were just the tip of the iceberg. I read the entire library book in one four-hour sitting. Literally could not put it down.

Eleven pipers piping…

What is your favorite book or bookish thing with musical influence? (It can be about music, reference music a lot, etc.)

I’m reaching into my childhood for this one. My first audiobook and arguably the story that really hooked me on both audiobooks and fairy tale retellings was Fairest by Gail Carson Levine. While the quality of the singing and music in the audiobook is apparently a subject of much controversy, I fell in love with the whole experience.

Levine writes fairy tales and magic stories in a truly unique way. I’ve heard readers say that they didn’t realize Ella Enchanted was Cinderella until 2/3 through the book. That was my experience with Fairest, which I didn’t recognize as Snow White’s story until a certain apple came in late in the game.

In the kingdom of Ayortha, adopted innkeeper’s daughter Aza is terribly unsightly. What she lacks in looks, though, she makes up for with kindness and an unparalleled magical voice. Her singing captivates all who listen; in the castle they catch the attention of both a handsome prince and a dangerous queen…

Ten lords leaping…

How about a favorite leading lad?

I love reading romance subplots. So many book boyfriends make me go heart-eyes — Shatter Me‘s Warner, Jane Eyre‘s Mr. Rochester, any of Cidney Swanson’s leading men. For this tag, I’ll pick Peeta from the Hunger Games series. A favorite of mine in high school (and featured in my first tattoo), I re-read the Hunger Games trilogy this year. While I still love Peeta in the movies too, critics aren’t wrong in saying he is so much better in the books. Dream man material right here.

In book one, the baker’s son, our boy with the bread, is sent with main character Katniss Everdeen to a 24-kid-contestant televised fight to the death. Madly in love with her since they were five years old, Peeta throws everything he has into making sure Katniss goes home alive. The “star-crossed lovers” and the rest of the cast go through one traumatic event after another, facing a cunning dictator, murderous entertainment, displays of disgusting selfishness, and the constant threat of the death of everyone they love. My favorite moments include both of Peeta’s interviews with Caesar Flickerman. The scene in which Katniss tries to describe Peeta to himself is some of my favorite writing in the series.

Nine ladies dancing…

Dancing is just one skill of a lady! Who is your favorite kickass female lead?

So easy! I’ve read dozens of fantastic females, but my favorite will always and forever be Jane Eyre.

The book follows the life of nineteenth-century orphan Jane Eyre from her childhood with an abusive aunt and terrible boarding school to a career as a governess, unexpected love story, and journey to establish her life and identity on her own terms.

Yes, I adore Jane and Rochester, but their relationship is hardly the point of the story. Jane’s life revolves around the formation and subsequent testing of her morals and values. No matter her circumstances, she respects herself, views herself and her life through an honest lens, and chooses what she believes is right regardless of the consequences. She refuses to play a role in anyone’s life unless and until she is their independent equal with both her merits and weaknesses recognized and honored.

Eight maids milking…

Milk is so 18th century. Which book or series takes beverages/food to a whole new level?

Cidney Swanson and Suzanne Collins are both very descriptive writers of food. I love the descriptions of Capitol spreads and sentimental district cooking in the Hunger Games series. I also appreciated how Cidney Swanson, years ago, released some recipes from the cooking done by characters in her Ripple series (then a trilogy, since expanded).

A lot of the series takes place in Europe, especially France, so of course elevating food makes perfect sense. The focus on flavor also comes out in the main character’s hometown in California, though, with her best friend’s mother owning a bakery of delectable reputation.

In the Ripple series, Samantha Ruiz’ life as a thankfully-former high school outcast is complicated by the discovery that she can turn invisible. Thanks to this genetic quirk, Sam finds herself making new friends — and terrifying new enemies. The bloodthirsty leaders within a powerful corporate want her DNA and her death. Her search for the truth about herself and safety from those who want her dead leads her to Europe, love, and the discovery of centuries-old secrets.

Seven swans swimming…

Who needs seven swans when all it takes is one good animal sidekick? Who’s your favorite animal sidekick?

The best animal characters I’ve read are probably in Shannon Hale’s Books of Bayern series. I love this world in which every living being has a language which some humans can be fortunate and skilled enough to learn.

While Ani/Isi’s communication and relationships with various animals are each beautiful and powerful in their own rights, the one that made me think of these books for “best animal sidekick” was her horse Falada. Horse language is special; Isi can only speak with Falada in the telepathic way they do because she was present for the colt’s birth and the horse chose to give her his name.

Six geese laying…

Creation is a beautiful thing. What is your favorite world/world-building?

Twilight gets so much attention, positive and negative, deserved and otherwise. No matter what you think of the characters, relationships, writing, or plot, I do believe that the worldbuilding is pretty amazing (sparkly bit aside).

My favorite parts when reading the series were always the chapters that dove into each of the Cullens’ personal stories. They were rich histories that didn’t fit well into the plots of the books and were largely skimmed over or cut from the movies, but I loved them. I actually have the illustrated guide to the world of Twilight, which is a fascinating and entertaining collection of backstories, setting details, character profiles, and author notes and interviews. Shannon Hale is in it!

Five golden rings!

One ring to rule them all! Who is your favorite villain/antagonist?

I never finished this series (got bored during the training in book three), but the big plot twist of Victoria Aveyard’s Red Queen left me sobbing, and not because of people dying.

I might return to finish this series one day. Haven’t decided yet.

In a world where one’s entire life is dictated by the color of blood, teen Red girl Mare Barrow is lifted from poverty to work in the Silver Palace. Everyone is shocked at the discovery of Mare’s powerful gift, a trait once considered unique to Silver nobility. The Silvers disguise the abnormal girl as a long-lost Silver princess, while Mare uses her precarious new existence to aid the resistance of the Red Guard. But her new world is built on cunning betrayal and pits not only Reds against Silvers but Mare’s life and loyalties against her own desires.

Four calling birds…

Since series usually consist of four or more books, what is your favorite series?

I love a lot of series. So many. To share just one… oh dear.

Let’s go with Cidney Swanson’s Saving Mars series. I love her Ripple series, but I haven’t read the new books she added after the original trilogy, and I always felt Saving Mars had stronger writing.

“She was the kind of girl who slept with books on her bed.” – Saving Mars (book one)

Teenager Jessamyn Jaarda, Mars Colonial’s best pilot, finds herself on the trip of a lifetime: a stealth mission to Earth to replenish Mars’ food supplies. Earth-Mars relations have long crumbled, and Jess’ visit to the foreign planet brings an onslaught of unexpected challenges and choices. Her brother is captured; she falls in love with a Terran; the orders of her beloved Mars could lead to its own demise. Adventures in spaceships, politics, love affairs, and family drama ensue, in our own enticing imagined sci-fi future.

Three French hens…

In the spirit of threes, what is the best trilogy you have read?

Technically, I’d say best is a tie between Shatter Me (originally a trilogy) and Hunger Games. But since those are already on this list, I’ll share another I enjoyed.

The Matched trilogy was one of my earliest forays into the world of YA sci-fi. I grew up latched on to love stories and fairy tales, so the discovery of the wider genres available in teen fiction didn’t take place until… late middle school? Early high school? Either way, dystopias and sci-fi quickly became some of my favorites.

In the world of Ally Condie’s Matched, every part of every citizen’s life is determined by Society officials: your job; your home; your lifespan; your spouse. The system is designed for perfection, including the best possible matches of Society individuals arriving at mating age. Cassia has always trusted this world, her home since birth… until her Matching shows not one but flashes of two faces. Suddenly, she is faced with uncertainty and choices: best friend Xander or mysterious Ky? The life she’s handed or the one no one else has lived? Perfection or passion?

Cassia’s path to love brings her to uncover dark truths, question everything she’s ever known, and travel past the boundaries of the Society to both romance and rebellion.

Two turtle doves…

Love is in the air! Who is your one true pairing?

Technically my one true pairing, despite their problems, is Killian Jones and Emma Swan from ABC’s (very cheesy) fairy tale show Once Upon a Time. But we’re here to talk about books.

I love love. I ship allllll the people. But there is only one book in my life that I have read eight times.

A Family Forever isn’t my #1 favorite book or the best book ever written. It’s probably not even the best romance paperback. But (weird preachy messages aside) it is my favorite romance paperback (I read a looot of them in middle school). It always makes me feel better on a bad day (or after a few crappy breakups).

Shelby Franklin’s tenuous happily-ever-after is destroyed when her fiance dies three weeks before the wedding. Her unexpected pregnancy only underscores the loss of any hope at true love she’d once held. Before David’s death, Tucker Sharpe promised his brother he’d take care of his grieving fiancee. A marriage of convenience seems the best way to keep that promise and ensure David’s baby grows up in a loving family — his family. But would this unborn baby be enough to bring them together and build a marriage?

And a partridge in a pear tree!

The partridge stood alone in the pear tree. What is your favorite stand alone?

Jane Eyre is my absolute favorite book of all time, ever. But we already talked about Jane. There was one book I read almost-this-year, back at the end of December 2018, that does stand out as a stellar stand-alone.

In my opinion, Persuasion is the best of Jane Austen’s work. The writing is eloquent and elegant but not overburdened or saccharine. The love story is a delicious slow burn, a build up to torturous moments of subdued passion and beautifully human revelations.

The book is also infinitely quotable.

Quotes about love…

“You pierce my soul. I am half agony, half hope. Tell me not that I am too late, that such precious feelings are gone for ever. I offer myself to you again with a heart even more your own than when you almost broke it, eight years and a half ago. Dare not say that man forgets sooner than woman, that his love has an earlier death. I have loved none but you.”

“There could have been no two hearts so open, no tastes so similar, no feelings so in unison, no countenances so beloved.”

“Your countenance perfectly informs me that you were in company last night with the person, whom you think the most agreeable in the world, the person who interests you at this present time, more than all the rest of the world put together.”

…life…

“…when pain is over, the remembrance of it often becomes a pleasure.”

“How quick come the reasons for approving what we like.”

“One man’s ways may be as good as another’s, but we all like our own best.”

…and (sexist) men.

“Men have had every advantage of us in telling their own story. Education has been theirs in so much higher a degree; the pen has been in their hands.”

“He had, in fact, though his sisters were now doing all they could for him, by calling him ‘poor Richard,’ been nothing better than a thick-headed, unfeeling, unprofitable Dick Musgrove, who had never done anything to entitle himself to more than the abbreviation of his name, living or dead.” – Jane Austen’s sickest burn

Share your book tag picks below, or in your own post!

What did you think of my 12 Days choices? Have you read (loved? hated?) any of them?