The Terror of Knowing

I saw this tag recently over on Kristin’s blog, but it was originally created by Roxanne from An Average Life. I love Friends, and it’s definitely a show that I keep coming back to for nostalgia and comfort reasons – I don’t think that will ever change, although my opinions on each of the characters and their decisions always seems to as I get older! But before I end up just ranting how terrible Ross is, let’s just get on with the tag instead.

MONICA

A book based on a game or competition:

I’m hoping this question means a book based around a game or competition happening, otherwise I’m stuck, and on the first question of the tag! One of my favourite books based around a competition is (no, not Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, though that did come a close second!) the magic tournament, The Essen Tasch/Element Games in V.E. Schwab’s A Gathering of Shadows. I cannot ever go a tag without mentioning one of V’s books so let’s just get it straight out of the way in this first question!

Organization Queen- How do you organize your books?

Really roughly by genre – if it’s YA or children’s or adult fiction, then historical or contemporary or fantasy etc., then in alphabetical order – and I have series all put together. My non-fiction books and my classics are also separated out nicely. To be honest, I doubt most people would find my organisational system to be all that sensical, but it’s mine so I’ll do it how I want!

RACHEL

A book you read for the hype:

The most recent example I have for this is The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid, and it was worth ALL the hype!

Shopping Addict- What makes you buy a book?

Honestly? A pretty cover – I’m especially a sucker for foiling, embossing, and intricate designs, and if it has a bit of an art deco feel then I am there. I tend to have quite a lot of recognition of a book if I’ve seen it on someone’s Booktube.

ROSS

A science fiction book:

I don’t read that much sci-fi, to be honest, I tend to err more on the fantasy side of things but I have two go-to sci-fi recommendations: The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet by Becky Chambers and the graphic novel series Saga by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples.

On a break- Which books have you put down to pick back up later?

Far too many of them, I’m sure – I even have a shelf for them on Goodreads. I most recently put aside Cranford but I am planning to correct that soon as I’ve picked it to read during Victober. War and Peace is yet another classic that I’ve put aside “for now” but I’m not sure when I’m going to get to it.

CHANDLER

A book that made you laugh out loud:

I laughed out loud so much at Maggie Harcourt’s Theatrical, it was great and everyone should definitely read it, especially if you like theatre.

That time at Space Mountain- Are there any books you’re embarrassed to admit you’ve read?

I’m not someone who necessarily gets ashamed about what books they’ve read… so I guess the closest I can get is that I’ve read the novelisation of both Kong: Skull Island and Crimson Peak. They’re not exactly works of literature, let’s just say that.

JOEY

A scary book you’d keep in the freezer:

I don’t really go in for scary books, but I have to say Caroline Kepnes’ You is probably the creepiest thing I’ve ever read. It’s from the perspective of a stalker called Joe who becomes obsessed with a girl he meets in the bookstore where he works but it’s told in second-person so it’s as though he’s stalking “you”. It was such a creepy reading experience that it makes my skin crawl just thinking about it.

V is for Encyclopedia- As an adult, have you read any books with words you had to look up to understand?

Yes, it happens all the time. Also because I read classics that always tend to have outdated or obsolete expressions.

PHOEBE

A book with a spiritual or supernatural theme:

For a supernatural theme I’m going to pick Soulless by Gail Carriger which is the first book in her Parasol Protectorate series. It tells of her protagonist Alexia Tarabotti, a young lady in an alternate universe Victorian London where werewolves and vampires exist and she herself is “soulless” meaning when those supernatural creatures touch her they lose their powers. What I like most about this book is that all these creatures are accepted(ish) in society and high-ranking vampires and werewolves are in with the government and stuff and it’s a really fun ride of a book. Also there’s a hot Scottish werewolf called Lord Maccon so… you know… it’s a good time.

The boycott- Are there any authors, booksellers or publishers you refuse to support?

Nowadays I refuse to buy Sarah J. Maas books because I think they’re mostly terrible, the writing sucks, her characters are same-y, and I’m not a huge fan of Maas herself. To some extent Cassandra Clare too. Sorry/not sorry.

JANICE

A book with an OH MY GOD twist:

Can we talk about the twist at the end of The Mime Order please? That is all I will say because oh my god. Also, most recently, the end of Saga Volume 9 – what the actual fuck, you can’t just do that and then take a year-long hiatus. How dare you.

EMILY

A British classic:

To me there’s something quite indisputably British about Jane Austen’s novels so let’s go ahead and just pick the most famous, Pride and Prejudice, for this question. I’ve read this book more times than I care to mention and I’m pretty sure I’ll never stop loving it. It’s a book that I think a lot of non-British people would associate with being oh so “British” because of the period it’s set in and all the trappings of that that go along with it.

GUNTHER

A book nobody seems to be talking about:

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: not enough people have read the children’s fantasy series Stravaganza by Mary Hoffman which is a series where teenagers from this world can travel to an alternate version of Renaissance Italy when they sleep. It sounds weird but it’s super great and not that many people have heard about it and that makes me sad because it’s a fantasy setup that I think a lot of readers would enjoy.

CAROL AND SUSAN

An LGBTQ+ book or author:

Maybe it’s just because I’m really excited for the new book in the series but I immediately thought of Mackenzi Lee’s A Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue. Percy and Monty are everything and I love those idiot babies so much. Ditto Rhy and Alucard from A Gathering of Shadows/A Conjuring of Light by V.E. Schwab.

EDDIE

A book or character with intense/stalker vibes:

I know I already mentioned it once but, seriously, You by Caroline Kepnes.

MIKE

A slow burning book OR romance novel:

I don’t read that many straight-up romance novels so I’m choosing from a limited selection here but I’m going to go with The Hating Game by Sally Thorne. Here’s the thing: it’s not at all slow-burning because it’s pretty obvious from the set-up that the hate is going to be a ‘thin line between love and hate’ situation, but it was a book which I thoroughly enjoyed because it mostly played with that snarky and playful dynamic between them before it even thought about having them sleep together. I quite liked that, it strangely felt like a breath of fresh air to not have them immediately jump into bed together.

(But let’s be real, why is Mike “slow burn”, I fell for him as a character immediately once he was introduced in the show and he fake-played an invisible piano for Phoebe.)

RICHARD

A book that left you feeling accomplished or better educated:

For a book that left me feeling accomplished I’d definitely say either A Clash of Kings and/or The Count of Monte Cristo. I think when a book totals in at over 1000 pages then it’s pretty damn acceptable to say you feel accomplished when you finally finish it.

BONUS QUESTION:

Which F.R.I.E.N.D.S character do you most identify with?

In terms of having a truly tragic love life, probably Chandler. I similarly treat anything serious with sarcasm and I have issues sometimes actually opening up about serious things. I’m alarmed lately how much I also identify with some of the things that have came out of Rachel’s mouth over the years – I never would have thought I’d identify with Rachel Green of all characters but here we are.

That’s it for the Friends Book Tag! Now I am filled with nostalgia for Friends and I’m gonna go cure that by sticking on an episode or two. If you’re reading this and you would like to take part, please do consider yourself tagged by me, and be sure to link me to your tag in the comments because I would love to take a peek.

Goodreads | Twitter | Instagram