The Spring Cleaning Book Tag

I came across this tag last year on Literary Weaponry, and this post has been sitting in my drafts folder since then. I’m not exactly sure why I never got around to completing it, but here we are: The Spring Cleaning Book Tag.

The struggle of getting started: a book or series you struggle to begin because of its size

The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas. I have the Penguin Classics edition, which comes in at 1,243 pages, and it’s very intimidating.

cleaning out the closet: a book or series you want to unhaul

I own Early Warning and Golden Age, which are books two and three of Jane Smiley’s Last Hundred Years: A Family Saga – and I honestly don’t know if I’ll ever read them (I need to track down book one first…). I read Jane Smiley’s A Thousand Acres in college, and wasn’t really into her writing style. My reading preferences have evolved since then, and the small part of me saying “you might end up liking this series!” is what’s making me hold onto the two titles. Sigh…just because I want to unhaul them doesn’t mean I will.

opening windows and letting fresh air in: a book that was refreshing

The Last Equation of Isaac Severy by Nova Jacobs. Mysterious, tragic, family-centered, all the while being lighthearted; this book is quite refreshing.

washing out the sheets: a book with a scene you wish you could rewrite

I don’t hate the ending of Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik, but I would have been more than okay with an “everything’s definitely going to be alright” cliffhanger so I could have presumed what I wanted to about the fate of the characters (Miryem).

throwing out unnecessary knickknacks: a book in a series you didn’t think was necessary

I don’t think there is one. I’ve completed so few series (have started many) and feel like although there are books that aren’t as strong as others, all the books in the series I’ve read are necessary.

polishing doorknobs: a book that had a clean finish

The Night Tiger by Yangsze Choo has a neat and tidy finish.

reaching to dust the fan: a book that tried too hard to relay a certain message

Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand. I finished it for the story, and hurt my eyes by rolling them at the incessant preaching. 

the tiring yet satisfying finish of spring cleaning: a book series that was tiring but satisfying to get through

Okay so I haven’t technically finished the Mistborn trilogy, but The Hero of Ages is sitting next to me now and I will be reading it this month. And I feel incredibly satisfied/elated/relieved to have made it past The Well of Ascension so I’m counting it.

I’m tagging anyone who needs something to take their mind off a looming spring cleaning to-do list 😎, as well as Thoughts on Papyrus, The Paperback Piano, and Pages & Tea.