A to Z Bookish Tag 2026 🔖

I have done this tag many different times on my blog over the years. The last time was in January 2024. It's interesting to see how my answers have changed over the years.

The tag was originally created by: Perpetual Page Turner 

A- Author you've read the most from:

    ~ Terry Pratchett- I have read over 60 of Terry's books. Most of these books are a part of the Discword or companions to the series.

B- Best Sequel Ever: 

   ~  Hogfather by Terry Pratchett- This is the 20th book in the Discworld series and is a favorite of mine. There are so many great books in the series. I reread Hogfather every year at Christmastime. It is the perfect book to get me in the mood for the season and I just adore it. 

C- Currently Reading:

   ~ Agnes Aubert's Mystical Cat Shelter by Heather Fawcett- I started this book earlier this month and put it down for a while. Started it again last night and I'm hoping I finish it soon. 

D- Drink of Choice While Reading:

    ~ Hot Green Tea

E- Ereader or Physical book:

    ~ Physical book, though I do like reading on my Kindle.

F- Fictional character you like the best:

    ~ Granny Weatherwax from the Discword series by Terry Pratchett and Hoid from the Cosmere by Brandon Sanderson

G- Glad you gave this book a chance: 

    ~ Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte- I was spoiled for many of the major plot points of Jane Eyre back in college. One of my friends had read it in one of her classes. She hated the book and told me a lot of the plot, though she did not remember the name of the book. 

    ~ So a few years later, I got the book My Plain Jane by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, and Jodi Meadows. I decided to try to read Jane Eyre before reading it, since it is a retelling of the book. I got to about a 100 pages and could not get into the writing style, so I put the book down. Instead, I just read My Plain Jane and was surprised by how much of the plot I already knew and realized Jane Eyre was the book my friend had been talking about. 

    ~ Last year, I decided to finally pick up the book again and absolutely adored it. It is a favorite classic for me and I cannot wait to reread it in the near future.

H- Hidden Gem book:

    ~ Insanity series by Cameron Jace- One of my favorite series for the last ten years has been the Insanity series. It is a dark and twisted take on the world of Wonderland. These books are very entertaining.

I- Important Moment in your reading life:

    ~ Finding the many reader and writing communities that I was a part of or still am a part of. They bring a lot of joy to my life. 

J- Just finished:

    ~ The Poet X  by Elizabeth Acevedo- Such a wonderful book! 

K- Kinds of Books you don't read:

    ~ Science heavy science fiction

    ~ Most horror- This depends on the book

    ~ Westerns

    ~ Most thrillers

L- Longest book you've read:
  

    ~  Les Miserables by Victor Hugo (1463 pages)

M- Major book hangover because of: 

    ~ I have not had a "book hangover" in quite a long time. Sure there have been plenty of books which have made me think of them long after I finished them, but none in a long time that made me not want to pick up more. . 

N- Number of bookcases you own: 

    ~ Six full

    ~ Three smaller ones and some shelves

O- One book you have read multiple times:
 

    ~ I am a lover of rereading so there are a lot of books I have reread over the years. Here are some of my favorites.     

 

        ~ The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

 

        ~ Many of the books in the Discworld series by Terry Pratchett

 

             ~ (Hogfather, Eric, Wyrd Sisters, etc.)

        ~ Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones     

 

        ~ A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

        ~ Caught Running by Madeline Urban and Abigail Roux   

  

        ~ Thirty Things by Cate Ashwood

        ~ The Land of Stories series by Chris Colfer

        ~ Inkworld trilogy by Cornelia Funke

 

        ~ And so many others 

P- Preferred Place to Read:

    ~ My bed, our couch, or the chair in my office. 

Q- Quote that inspires you/ gives you all the feels from a book you read:

    ~ “If you take a book with you on a journey," Mo had said when he put the first one in her box, "an odd thing happens: The book begins collecting your memories. And forever after you have only to open that book to be back where you first read it. It will all come into your mind with the very first words: the sights you saw in that place, what it smelled like, the ice cream you ate while you were reading it... yes, books are like flypaper—memories cling to the printed page better than anything else.”-Inkheart by Cornlia Funke

R- Reading regret: 

    ~ Not reading Little Women by Louisa May Alcott before I did

S- Series you started and need to finish:

    ~ There are many differently series I have started over the years and would like to finish soon. Here are some of those series.

        ~ Thursday Next series by Jasper Fforde- 3/7 At the moment there are only seven books in this series, but I do believe there is going to be eight by the end of year. The eighth is going to be the last book.

        ~ The Winternight Trilogy by Katherine Arden- 1/3

        ~ The first arc of The Stormlight Archive by Brandon Sanderson- 3/5

        ~ The Saint of Steel series by T. Kingfisher- 1/4 I started this series in January, but would like to finish it soon.  

T- Ten of your all time favorite books:

    ~ This list changes quite often, but here it is as of today: 

        ~ Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones- My all-time favorite

        ~ The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams

        ~ Hogfather by Terry Pratchett

        ~ Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll

        ~ The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller

        ~ The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton

        ~ The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

        ~ Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

        ~ A Sorceress Comes to Call by T. Kingfisher        

         ~ Slaughterhouse- Five by Kurt Vonnegut

U- Unapologetic fangirl for: 

 

    ~ Greek Mythology, Fairy Tale, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, and other classic retellings

    ~Time Travel stories/Books that Play with Time

    ~ The Discworld Series by Terry Pratchett

    ~ The Oz series by L. Frank Baum

    ~ Diana Wynne Jones's books- specifically the Chrestomanci series and the Howl's Moving Castle trilogy

    ~ The Land of Stories series by Chris Colfer

    ~ Poetry- especially books told in verse

    ~ Books with unique formatting- such as epistolary novels

    ~ Insanity Series by Cameron Jace- This goes along with the Alice's Adventures in Wonderland retellings, but this one is definitely the top for me in that category.

    ~ My favorite classics- The Great Gatsby, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, Little Women,  Slaughterhouse-Five, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, The Odyssey, Jane Eyre, Peter Pan, etc. 

V- Very excited for these releases more than any others:

    ~  The Adventure Zone Vol 7: Story and Song by Clint McElroy, Griffin McElroy, Justin McElroy, Travis McElroy, and illustrated by Carey Pietsch- This is my most anticipated release of the entire year. I have been eagerly awaiting this final volume in the series since I read the sixth in 2024.

 

    ~ Lore Olympus Volumes 10 & 11 by Rachel Smythe- I'm looking forward to the conclusion of the Lore Olympus graphic novel series. The final book comes out in October.

    ~ Daggerbound (Swordheart #2) by T. Kingfisher- I'm excited to read any new book that T. Kingfisher is writing, especially in the World of the White Rat.

 

    ~ The Missing Magic of Sparrow Xia by Leia Haim- I cannot wait for this book. It looks like it is going to be wonderful. Especially Leia's illustrations.

    ~ Styx: The River (Goddesses of the Underworld #2) by Nikita Gill- Nikita Gill is my favorite poet. I'm looking forward to reading about Styx's story.

    ~ The Secret World of Briar Rose by Cindy Pham- I have been looking forward to this ever since Cindy first talked about it in one of her Booktube videos.  

   

    ~ This Immortal Heart by Jennifer Saint- Loved Hera and I've been wanting a retelling about Aphrodite for a long time.

    ~ The Witch Queen (The Crimson Crown #2) by Heather Walter- The Crimson Crown was one of my favorite books of 2024 and I have been very excited to read this final book in the duology. 

W- Worst bookish habit:

    ~ Not dnfing books I know I'll never get into- I have gotten a lot better at doing this and I'm glad that I do. It greatly helps with not getting into slumps.

X-  X Marks the spot (start at the top of your self and pick the 27 book):

    ~ Rose by Russel T. Davies.- This is the 27th book on the book shelves in my office. It is a novelization of the first episode of the Ninth Doctor's Arc in Doctor Who. Such a wonderful book!

Y- Your latest book purchase:

    ~ This Winter by Alice Oseman- The last time I bought books was at a library book sale last month. My favorite from that trip was was this book, which I have been wanting to get for my Alice Oseman/Heartstopper book collection. I recently read it and loved it so much. Cannot believe the Heartstopper webcomic is going to be ending in April. I have been reading it for about nine years now. 

Z-  ZZZ Snatcher book (the last book that kept you up way late): 
  

    ~ This Wretched Beauty by Elle Grenier- I just finished reading this book on the 10th. I didn't love it as much as I wanted to. 

In Loving Memory of James Van Der Beek

 

James Van Der Beek  (March 8, 1977-February 11, 2026)

 

This news has me in tears. James Van Der Beek passed away today at the age of 48 from colorectal cancer. Dawson's Creek was one of my favorite shows growing up. James seemed to be such a sweet guy in all the interviews I had ever seen of him. So incredibly sad. My heart goes out to his poor family. 

 

 

My favorite Dawson scene. 

 

Rest in Peace James 

Books with Unique Formats

 

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. 

Love/Valentine’s Freebie: 

Books with Unique Formats

For the Valentine Freebie, I decided to talk about how I love books with unique formatting, whether this be books written in verse, epistolary novels, choose-your-own adventure, etc. This list could have probably had over 100 different books, since I'm always picking up new books like these. Here are ten books that I enjoyed and another ten I would like to read. 

Some Favorites:

1. To Be or Not To Be by Ryan North

    - To Be or Not To Be is one of the books I'm so happy I found all those years ago. I have read through the book many times over the years and I am sure I have not found all of the storylines. Growing up, I was a big fan of Choose-Your-Own-Adventure books and was excited when I saw there was a Shakespeare's Hamlet version. One of the paths through the book is the one that “Shakespeare chose” as Ryan says in the book. This is hilarious and such a journey. I would love a Macbeth version of this. 

 

2. The Mythmakers: The Remarkable Fellowship of C.S. Lewis & J.R.R. Tolkien by John Hendrix

    -  I am going to recommend this book as much as possible forever. It was one that I read because I thought it had sounded interesting on NetGalley and I'm so glad I happened upon it there.  The book is about the authors C. S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien. It focuses on their lives, friendship, and creative works. The story is told through illustrations, comics, and prose. I love the formatting of this book and would love to have more books like this about my other favorite writers. 

 

3. Amber and Clay by Laura Amy Schlitz

    - One of my favorite types of formatting for books is books written in verse. Amber and Clay is one of my favorite examples of these. It an intricately woven story told through artifacts, verse, and prose. I love how Rhaskos and Melisto’s story was narrated by the gods, their mothers, Sokrates, many others in their lives, and also themselves. My favorite of the narrators was definitely Hermes. His sections were a delight to read and listen to. 

    - Each artifact is illustrated and precedes a section of the story. They are meant to be exhibits in a museum which we then get context for in the poetry or prose that follows. It was brilliant how Laura chose to play with format throughout the entire book. This is a story I highly recommend reading physically so you can see the illustrations/formatting and also listening to with the audiobook. Rachel Botchan and Tom Picasso do an incredible job creating voices for each of the characters. 

4. Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer 

    - Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close is told through stream of consciousness narration and is told from a young boy named Oskar and his grandparents' perspectives. Oskar's narration especially was interesting. He would be thinking about one topic and then go into another topic right away. Sometimes you might even wonder why something he has said was important. It all is. Jonathan Safran Foer's writing style is unique. This is one of the most heartbreaking books I have ever read and is still one of my absolute favorites after about 8 years. 

5. The Marvels by Brian Selznick 

    - Every single book of Brian Selznick's could have been on this list. I decided to pick my favorite of his. His books are told through his stunning illustrations and also his prose. The story in this book is beautiful and gets me tearing up every single time I read it. I adore the story about The Marvel family and then also the plot with Joseph and his uncle Albert.

6. Rumo & His Miraculous Adventures (Zamonien #3) by Walter Moers

    - Any of the books in the Zamonien series by Walter Moers would fit here. Walter Moers not only has clever wordplay throughout his books but he also plays with formatting. His illustrations fit his world and characters very well. They are clever, zany, hilarious, and just plain weird at times. I love his style! 

 

7. Chopsticks by Jessica Anthony and Rodrigo Corral 

   - A young adult book told through mementos such as: photographs, notes, newspaper clippings, etc. It is one of the most beautiful books I have ever read in such an interesting format. 

Description from publisher: "After her mother died, Glory retreated into herself and her music. Her single father raised her as a piano prodigy, with a rigid schedule and the goal of playing sold-out shows across the globe. Now, as a teenager, Glory has disappeared. As we flash back to the events leading up to her disappearance, we see a girl on the precipice of disaster. Brilliant and lonely, Glory is drawn to an artistic new boy, Frank, who moves in next door. The farther she falls, the deeper she spirals into madness. Before long, Glory is unable to play anything but the song 'Chopsticks.' "

8. Several People Are Typing by Calvin Kasulke

   - One of the weirdest books I have ever read, but it was worth every minute. It is told completely in Slack messages and is about a man whose consciousness gets uploaded into his company's Slack channels. This is such an absurd and crazy book. I have been wanting to reread this ever since I read it. So entertaining. Though, I will say it definitely will not be for everyone.  

9. 84, Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff

   - An absolutely charming little book that is perfect for book lovers. It had me laughing out loud so many times throughout and touched my heart by the end. The story takes place over twenty years through the correspondences of Helen Hanff  and a used-book dealer from London whose shop is at 84, Charing Cross Road. Helene is so funny in her letters to Frank and her other friends. This is a great gem of a book which I highly recommend. 

10. Days Like These: An alternative guide to the year in 366 poems by Brian Bilston

   - Brian has become one of my favorite poets in the last year. I read this book throughout the entire year and had such a wonderful time with it. This has a poem for every day of the year along with information at the beginning of each. Many of the poems play with formatting in interesting ways. Brian's humor is what stands out the most for me in this collection and every other one I've read of his. I have never laughed so much while reading poetry, which is really refreshing. Days Like These will be a collection I return to in the future. If you are a poetry fan, I highly recommend checking out his poetry. 

 

Some I Would Like to Read:  

1. The Correspondent by Virginia Evans

2. House of Leaves by Mark Danielewski

 

3. Bats of the Republic by Zachary Thomas

4. Follow This Thread: A Maze Book to Get Lost In by Henry Eliot

5. Dear Committee Members by Julie Schumacher

6. This Is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar & Max Gladstone

7. The Backyard Bird Chronicles by Amy Tan

8. Field Notes From an Extinction by Eoghan Walls (Release Date: March 3rd, 2026) 

9. Multiple Choice by Alejandro Zambra and translated by Megan McDowell

10. Meet Me at the Museum by Anne Youngson

Book Covers Featuring Unique Typography

 

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. 

 Book Covers Featuring Unique Typography

I decided to pick some of my favorite unique typography covers from my TBR list on Goodreads. Some of the ones I particularly love are when other aspects of the cover interact with the title, such as the people in Switchback by Danika Stone. These are just great covers in general.