Great questions inspire great bookish answers.
Welcome, everyone!
I know, I know, tags aren’t always very popular.. but they are a fun and creative way to share the good, the bad, and the TBR books that make up our reading lives. And us readers do like to share our books (and opinions)!
I came across this tag @ Mybookworld24, (who was kind enough to invite me to join this tag,) and the creator might be Swift Walker @Just Dreamland but the account has been closed and it’s unclear. If you happen to know if they are the creator (or who is) do let me know in the comments below, please! Thank you!
I hope you enjoy the books I’ve chosen today!
(Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. Any purchases made through my links may earn me a small commission at no additional cost to you.)
Aries: A wild and compelling book – from start to finish.
Every page intoxicated your mind and heart with incredible imagery
The Clackity by Lora Senf
The Twisted Ones by T. Kingfisher
Follow Me to Ground by Sue Rainsford
Each of these books is unique and compelling in their own way and I highly recommend checking them out.
Taurus: A heart-wrenching story of a forbidden love which could tear the family apart.
Not sure I’d call this ‘heart-wrenching’.. but it is absorbing, disturbing, misleading, and one hell of a ride.
Lowen Ashleigh is a struggling writer on the brink of financial ruin when she accepts the job offer of a lifetime. Jeremy Crawford, husband of bestselling author Verity Crawford, has hired Lowen to complete the remaining books in a successful series his injured wife is unable to finish.
Lowen arrives at the Crawford home, ready to sort through years of Verity’s notes and outlines, hoping to find enough material to get her started. What Lowen doesn’t expect to uncover in the chaotic office is an unfinished autobiography Verity never intended for anyone to read. Page after page of bone-chilling admissions, including Verity’s recollection of the night her family was forever altered.
Lowen decides to keep the manuscript hidden from Jeremy, knowing its contents could devastate the already grieving father. But as Lowen’s feelings for Jeremy begin to intensify, she recognizes all the ways she could benefit if he were to read his wife’s words. After all, no matter how devoted Jeremy is to his injured wife, a truth this horrifying would make it impossible for him to continue loving her.
Gemini: A book that is cheeky, quippy and witty
First Grave on the Right by Darynda Jones
Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas
Four Psychos by Kristy Cunning
I am such a big fan of snarky, smart-mouthed, witty, and sarcastic female characters..
I may need to make a post just for them but, for now, here are a few that you might find as entertaining as I did.
Cancer: A bittersweet book that spoke to your sensitive heart
A Dog’s Courage by W. Bruce Cameron
Bella’s story broke my heart and glued it back together so many times I wouldn’t be surprised to find it tattooed on the pieces.
This series is a must read for animal lovers.
Bella was once a lost dog, but now she lives happily with her people, Lucas and Olivia, only occasionally recalling the hardships in her past. Then a weekend camping trip turns into a harrowing struggle for survival when the Rocky Mountains are engulfed by the biggest wildfire in American history. The raging inferno separates Bella from her people and she is lost once more.
Alone in the wilderness, Bella unexpectedly finds herself responsible for the safety of two defenseless mountain lion cubs. Now she’s torn between two equally urgent goals. More than anything, she wants to find her way home to Lucas and Olivia, but not if it means abandoning her new family to danger. And danger abounds, from predators hunting them to the flames threatening at every turn.
Can Bella ever get back to where she truly belongs?
A Dog’s Courage is more than a fast-paced adventure, more than a devoted dog’s struggle to survive, it’s a story asking that we believe in our dogs as much as they believe in us.
Leo: A book with drama, love, fancy wear and hope
House of Salt and Sorrows by Erin A. Craig
I probably would have chosen another book for this category but the ‘fancy wear’ kind of threw me off.
In a manor by the sea, twelve sisters are cursed.
Annaleigh lives a sheltered life at Highmoor with her sisters and their father and stepmother. Once there were twelve, but loneliness fills the grand halls now that four of the girls’ lives have been cut short. Each death was more tragic than the last–the plague, a plummeting fall, a drowning, a slippery plunge–and there are whispers throughout the surrounding villages that the family is cursed by the gods.
Disturbed by a series of ghostly visions, Annaleigh becomes increasingly suspicious that her sister’s deaths were no accidents. The girls have been sneaking out every night to attend glittering balls, dancing until dawn in silk gowns and shimmering slippers, and Annaleigh isn’t sure whether to try to stop them or to join their forbidden trysts. Because who–or what–are they really dancing with?
When Annaleigh’s involvement with a mysterious stranger who has secrets of his own intensifies, it’s a race to unravel the darkness that has fallen over her family–before it claims her next. House of Salt and Sorrows is a spellbinding novel filled with magic and the rustle of gossamer skirts down long, dark hallways. Be careful who you dance with…
Virgo: A tender story about self-love, self-discovery, perseverance, friendship, romance and family
Introductions by C. L. Stone
Harry Potter by J. K. Rowling
Trickster’s Choice by Tamora Pierce
I’m not sure if I’m reading the wrong stuff or if there just aren’t a lot of adult aged books that fit this question very well but..
YA it is.
Libra: A book that has a remarkably frank look at life.
One of the realest books you have ever read
I first read this book at around thirteen or fourteen-years-old and while the smaller details elude me now.. this book had quite the impact.
The Pigman is a sad but funny coming-of-age story that focuses heavily on the consequences our actions have.
One of the best-selling young adult books of all time, written by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Paul Zindel.
John Conlan is nicknamed “The Bathroom Bomber” after setting off firecrackers in the boys’ bathroom 23 times without ever getting caught. John and his best friend, Lorraine, can never please their parents, and school is a chore. To pass the time, they play pranks on unsuspecting people and it’s during one of these pranks that they meet the “Pigman.”
In spite of themselves, John and Lorraine soon get caught up in Mr. Pignati’s zest for life. In fact, they become so involved that they begin to destroy the only corner of the world that has ever mattered to them. Can they stop before it’s too late?
Scorpio: A book with a good plot twist.
A book that is psychologically thrilling and emotionally chilling… haunted you from the first page to the last.
All the Missing Girls by Megan Miranda
I’ve read a lot of books with some killer twists and mind games.. but this is still a personal favorite.
It’s been ten years since Nicolette Farrell left her rural hometown after her best friend, Corinne, disappeared from Cooley Ridge without a trace. Back again to tie up loose ends and care for her ailing father, Nic is soon plunged into a shocking drama that reawakens Corinne’s case and breaks open old wounds long since stitched.
The decade-old investigation focused on Nic, her brother Daniel, boyfriend Tyler, and Corinne’s boyfriend Jackson. Since then, only Nic has left Cooley Ridge. Daniel and his wife, Laura, are expecting a baby; Jackson works at the town bar; and Tyler is dating Annaleise Carter, Nic’s younger neighbor and the group’s alibi the night Corinne disappeared. Then, within days of Nic’s return, Annaleise goes missing.
Told backwards—Day 15 to Day 1—from the time Annaleise goes missing, Nic works to unravel the truth about her younger neighbor’s disappearance, revealing shocking truths about her friends, her family, and what really happened to Corinne that night ten years ago.
Like nothing you’ve ever read before, All the Missing Girls delivers in all the right ways. With twists and turns that lead down dark alleys and dead ends, you may think you’re walking a familiar path, but then Megan Miranda turns it all upside down and inside out and leaves us wondering just how far we would be willing to go to protect those we love.
Sagittarius: An adventurous, summer-y read
We Were Liars by E. Lockhart
Howl’s Moving Castle by Dianna Wynne Jones
Wild Magic by Tamora Pierce
Again with the YA books.. but there aren’t a lot of stories I read that scream ‘summer-y’ to me.
Capricorn: A book that has everything to do with friendship
The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater
There are a multitude of stories about friendship.. and then there are the Raven Boys.
Every year, Blue Sargent stands next to her clairvoyant mother as the soon-to-be dead walk past. Blue never sees them–until this year, when a boy emerges from the dark and speaks to her.
His name is Gansey, a rich student at Aglionby, the local private school. Blue has a policy of staying away from Aglionby boys. Known as Raven Boys, they can only mean trouble.
But Blue is drawn to Gansey, in a way she can’t entirely explain. He is on a quest that has encompassed three other Raven Boys: Adam, the scholarship student who resents the privilege around him; Ronan, the fierce soul whose emotions range from anger to despair; and Noah, the taciturn watcher who notices many things but says very little.
For as long as she can remember, Blue has been warned that she will cause her true love to die. She doesn’t believe in true love, and never thought this would be a problem. But as her life becomes caught up in the strange and sinister world of the Raven Boys, she’s not so sure anymore.
Aquarius: A quirky and unique book
Molly is one of the most unique characters I’ve had the pleasure of getting to know and I really can’t wait to see what the author comes up with next.
Molly Gray is not like everyone else. She struggles with social skills and misreads the intentions of others. Her gran used to interpret the world for her, codifying it into simple rules that Molly could live by.
Since Gran died a few months ago, twenty-five-year-old Molly has been navigating life’s complexities all by herself. No matter—she throws herself with gusto into her work as a hotel maid. Her unique character, along with her obsessive love of cleaning and proper etiquette, make her an ideal fit for the job. She delights in donning her crisp uniform each morning, stocking her cart with miniature soaps and bottles, and returning guest rooms at the Regency Grand Hotel to a state of perfection.
But Molly’s orderly life is upended the day she enters the suite of the infamous and wealthy Charles Black, only to find it in a state of disarray and Mr. Black himself dead in his bed. Before she knows what’s happening, Molly’s unusual demeanor has the police targeting her as their lead suspect. She quickly finds herself caught in a web of deception, one she has no idea how to untangle. Fortunately for Molly, friends she never knew she had unite with her in a search for clues to what really happened to Mr. Black—but will they be able to find the real killer before it’s too late?
Pisces: A book that bewitched and enchanted you by its lyrical words, and transmuted your imaginative brain
The Midnight Library by Matt Haig
Small Spaces by Katherine Arden
Every Heart a Doorway by Seanan McGuire
If you’ve followed me for any length of time, you’ll know I am a sucker for writing.. and all of these books captivated me from the very beginning.
Thank you for taking the time to check out my post!
Did you find anything that interests you?
I won’t be tagging anyone in particular but everyone is welcome and I encourage you to join the fun!
Take care, Be well, and Happy reading!
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Wow, these are some seriously great choices!
Thank you! I hope you’ve found one or two that caught your interest!
I always do!
As an Aries, you nailed exactly what I’d want from a book! Especially as I don’t really look into zodiac signs, that was really cool – I LOVE books with great imagery throughout! The Twisted Ones sounds super interesting, what’s it about?