Top Ten Tuesday: Unforgettable Bookish Memories Book Tag

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together. How it works is that each Tuesday the host assigns a topic and then posts their top ten list that fits the topic. Every blogger can create their own top ten (or 2, 5, 20, etc.) list as well and link to the host’s. The topic for July 24th, 2018 is: Books That Are Linked to Specific Memories/Moments In Your Life. I’d been tagged by Etinosa to do the ‘Unforgettable Bookish Memories’ tag way back in May, but I have only found the time to get to it now. Tags are really fun to do for me personally, so I’m always looking for a chance to include them without making it seem like too much. I was so stoked that this week’s TTT topic matched perfectly with the book tag that I couldn’t resist pairing them up. The tag has 9 questions which is why I’m adding an extra one to make it a proper 10.

1. The first book you ever read

I honestly don’t remember exactly which is the first book I read. I received a book in kindergarten which was a collection of fairy tales for being among the top three in class. That’s probably the first book I read as well.

2. The first book you ever bought with you own money

I ordered a bunch of books back in September after starting my job in July last year. I’m not considering the books I bought before this because I honestly can’t remember. I got 5 titles –

3. A book you stayed up all night reading

I distinctly remember staying up until 6 am to finish the last book in the His Dark Materials series, The Amber Spyglass. I was thirteen at the time and the book was so immersive that I just couldn’t stop reading it. It made me very emotional so I woke up with puffy eyes the following morning for more reasons than one.

4. A book/series you will never forget

I have to go with The Chronicles of Narnia for this mostly because this has impacted me the most as a reader. I’ve shared the story before about how I was introduced to the series and I feel like it’s become an integral part of me as it was the first book (The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe) that I liked enough to re-read. It also got me into fantasy, which is still my favourite genre.

5. A book you frequently think about

I catch myself relating many little things that happen daily to the wizarding world in Harry Potter. Although I have a complicated relationship with the series now as I’ve grown to recognise some of the problems with the books as well as recognise a steady decline in my respect for J. K. Rowling due to recent events, it still remains constantly in my thoughts. As it is such a popular book that there are so many references to it in the mainstream media, I see it discussed a lot and consequently keep dwelling on the different aspects of the world within the stories. My most recent post had something to do with Harry Potter as well, which you can check out here if you missed it.

6. A scene that has haunted you for years after reading it

This isn’t “haunted” as much as “fondly remember” but it’s from the Five Find-Outers and Dog series by Enid Blyton. There’s a scene in one of the books in which Fatty dresses as a statue to investigate the mystery. This little titbit has stuck with me and was even used in a popular Bollywood heist franchise, so it’s a memorable detail.

7. An unforgettable character

I was so awed by the character Dustfinger in the Inkheart trilogy by Cornelia Funke. He was a fire-breather and a fictional character brought to life. He has a pet marten named Gwin  and I thought he was the coolest character at the time I was reading this series. I was rooting for him throughout even though he made some questionable choices at some points.

8. A book that changed your opinion about something

I recently read The Nowhere Girls by Amy Reed which redefined what it means to be a girl/woman in this world right now. It has strong feminist themes and addresses rape culture that is so prevalent in our society at the moment. It was very well done with multiple perspectives and really embraced intersectional feminism. It also had amazing diverse rep and it is one of my all-time favourites.

9. A random bookish memory

I had borrowed a Nancy Drew book from my school library in the fifth grade that I finished the very same day in about 2 hours. I was devastated that I had to wait another 7 days to borrow another one. I distinctly recall reading the book outside, walking around my house and sitting on the scooter we owned back then. It’s really vivid as I can picture myself turning those pages even now but also completely random.

10. A book that got better after a re-read

I would of course not forget to include The Lord of the Rings in this list somewhere. Even though it’s my favourite series of all time, I still make new connections every single time I read it. It’s such a vast world and an epic story that the little details are hard to remember. I love diving back into Middle Earth time and again as it’s so very close to my heart.

I tag –

• Charvi from Not Just Fiction
• Sahitya from My World of Books
• Neha from BiblioNyan

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Do you enjoy bookish tags? What is one distinct memory you have from your own reading life? Share it with me in the comments section below.