Happy Thanksgiving to those of you in the United States (and anywhere else you may be celebrating)! 🦃 I did this tag last year and thought it’d be fun to repeat with choices from books I’ve read this year. Thank you to Anna’s Book Nook for creating this tag!

The Rules

• Thank the person who nominated you
• Give credit to the author (Annasbooknook)
• Answer the prompts
• Tag others if you desire!

The Questions

1) Friends and Family: A Book with Characters that Feel Like Family

Only This Beautiful Moment follows three generations of Iranian American men on the cusp of adulthood. I learned so much about Iran and what it means to be queer there from this book. By the end, I felt like part of their family, and this one is a huge contender for my favorite book of the year.

2) Fallen Leaves: A Book that Fell Flat (didn’t meet your expectations)

The Three-Body Problem was interesting, but the structure of the narrative just didn’t work for me. I was so excited to read it because of all the hype around the series, but I definitely won’t be reading the rest of the series.

3) Thanksgiving Dinner: A Book You Want to Read Every Year During This Season

I don’t re-read certain things by season, and I rarely re-read anything at all because there’s always so much great new stuff being released. I’ve been in the mood to re-read A Marvellous Light (and the other two books in the series), Jade City (and the other two books in the series), and The Darkness Outside Us. I have a special edition of the latter coming in the mail soon and plan to re-read it when I get it.

4) Turkey: A Book With a Bird in It

The Raven Boys and its sequels were the first books that came to mind for this prompt. Chainsaw was such a great animal companion.

5) Ham: A Book that Made Your Eyes Glaze Over (Boring)

I wanted to DNF Immortal Longings so bad, but I somehow made it through it. I was so excited to read it, too, but it just did not capture my interest at all.

6) Dinner Rolls: A Book that Melted Your Heart and Made You Feel Warm

Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute was ADORABLE. I had so much fun reading this book and laughed so much. It definitely warmed my heart.

7) Mashed Potatoes: A Book With a White Cover

Academy Arcanist was a cute start to a fantasy series with such great creature companions. Different for Boys was a really cool mix of illustration and story that explored the queer experience of boys. These are very different books, but they both were really great in their own ways.

8) Gravy: A Book You’re not Totally Sure Why You Love, but You Do

The Navigating Fox was a recent read that I enjoyed quite a bit. Although, I’m not quite sure why. lol. It was weird, with talking animals and humans living side by side. The messaging and symbols felt super important, though, as if I was reading something profound guarded by the absurdity of it all.

9) Pumpkin Pie: A Dessert Book That You Love

Last year I answered this prompt with a sickeningly sweet book that I adore. This year I’ve decided to take a different approach by choosing a series of books that are guilty pleasures. I started reading some more manga this year, and one of my favorites was On or Off. This story was steamy with graphic depictions of sex, and I came away from them feeling a little dirty, which is half the fun. 🙂

Bonus: Black Friday: The Top 5 Books on Your “I want to buy them” List

As I said last year, I don’t really have a list because I typically just buy a book when I want it (or borrow it from the library, if available). So, instead I’m going to list the last five books I bought on a whim…

Down Comes the Night by Allison Saft, Emmett by L.C. Rosen, Fangirl (10th Anniversary Edition) by Rainbow Rowell, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins, The Uncensored Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde

I Tag

Anyone who wants to participate. I recognize that today is Thanksgiving. So, if you’re bored, feel free to have some fun and consider yourself tagged. Otherwise, bookmark it until next year!

I hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving full of good food and great times. I’ve already stuffed myself full of turkey, ham, and too many sides. I think it is time for a nap…