Finally Fall Book Tag!

Hey hi hello friends, and welcome back to my blog! 

It's been a rough couple of days, so I decided to do something easy, hence another book tag. This time I'll be doing the Finally Fall Book Tag, created by Alina at Tall Tales. This is one of the more popular tags that makes its rounds every year on Booktube and various blogs, but I've never actually done it before. But the Autumnal Equinox is only a few days away, so I figured it's the perfect time for this tag!

Okay, without any further ado, let's get into the questions.

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1. In Fall, the air is crisp and clear: name a book with a vivid setting

Setting is one of the factors I always look at when it comes to reading, as I love good worldbuilding and well-established settings. If you're talking about a rainy day, I want to feel the wet air on my skin and I want to smell the rain. The more description, the better. A book series that does this phenomenally is Katherine Arden's Small Spaces series. It's the perfect middle-grade series for Fall, as it's spoopy but not too scary, and it really captures all of those Autumn feels.  

2. Nature is beautiful, but also dying: name a book that is beautifully written, but deals with heavy topics like death and grief

At first thought I couldn't think of any, but then a whole bunch popped out at me when I looked at my shelves. Apparently I really like literary novels about grief. A few that come to mind are Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami, Fifty Words for Rain by Asha Lemmie, and We Are Okay by Nina LaCour. The writing styles are very different for each one, but they're all very purple prose.

3. Fall is back to school season: name a non-fiction book that taught you something new

Most of the non-fiction that I pick up is about topics that I already know about and have an interest in, so I'm not sure if I've learned anything brand new lately. Though, I definitely learned more about Egypt's female Pharaohs in When Women Ruled the World by Kara Cooney, so I'll go with that. 

4. In order to keep warm, it's good to spend some times with the people we love: name a fictional family/household/friend group that you'd like to be a part of 

This to me is a no-brainer: I would love to be a part of the family/friend group from The Raven Cycle by Maggie Stiefvater. Specifically, I would really like to be Blue's sister or cousin or something, but still be friends with the Raven Boys. That is probably my ultimate goal in life. 

5. The colorful leaves are piling up on the ground: show a pile of fall-colored spines

Well I don't have a stack of spines for you, but I can show you some of my favorite Fall-feeling book covers!

6. Fall is the perfect time for sharing stories by the fireside: name a book where someone is telling a story

There are a few I could use for this prompt, but I'll go with A Natural History of Dragons by Marie Brennan. It's told like it's a memoir of this old woman, Lady Trent, recounting her adventures as one of the first dragon naturalists. It's often pitched as a Jane Austen type novel, but with dragons. And while Jane Austen isn't my favorite author around, I do think that description is accurate. 

7. The nights are getting darker: name a dark, creepy read

I've definitely been getting into horror more in the past few years, so I actually have an answer for this! I highly recommend A House of Salt and Sorrows by Erin A. Craig, a YA horror retelling of the fairy tale "The Twelve Dancing Princesses." It is definitely dark and atmospheric, and one of my favorites from a couple years ago! I would also say Small Favors by the same author, but I haven't actually read it yet, so I can't truly recommend it. 

8. The days are getting colder: name a short, heartwarming read that would warm up someone's cold, rainy day

I'm all for short and heartwarming reads. My mind automatically goes to middle-grade, so I say The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo. It's a childhood favorite of mine, and it still holds up as I reread it not too long ago. The book follows Despereaux, a small mouse who falls in love with a princess and vows to be her knight in shining armor. There is also a rat, a serving girl, a length of rope, and a bowl of soup. To me, this is the perfect rainy-day read. 

9. Fall returns every year: name an old favorite that you'd like to return to soon

I tend to reread books a lot whenever I'm feeling nostalgic, but I've been putting off a reread of the entire Percy Jackson universe by Rick Riordan until I'm truly ready to read twenty books in a row. I told myself that it was going to happen this year, but there are still so many books I want to get to before the year is over, that it might have to wait until 2022. 

10. Fall is the perfect time for cozy reading nights: share some of your favorite reading accessories

I'm not really the kind of person that sets up this whole production to read, typically I just sit wherever I can get comfortable and then pick up a book. However, I do like to have some sort of drink and snack handy. I get it from my mom, who has been known to eat a whole bag of potato chips if the book she's reading is particularly interesting. It doesn't matter to me what I'm eating or drinking, but I like to have both nearby just in case I get hungry or thirsty, as I can read for hours on end. 

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Alright, that's it! I had a lot of fun with this tag, some of the questions were challenging to come up with proper answers! I hope this was fun to read. Tell me, what is your go-to read for Autumn? Let me know in the comments or tweet at me @AllyEmReads. 

Until next time!