The 80’s Movie Book Tag

I have a tendency to get sucked into the tagging world! I always end up stumbling across another tag that I absolutely love and have to do. So today’s tag is one I discovered on Crystal’s blog, Paper Royalty, courtesy of J.R. Lynn @ Eternity Books. The original creator of the tag is Ashley @ The Infinite Library, so check her post out! I hope you like ’80’s movies, because here we go!

A Nightmare on Elm Street

A book that kept you up all night:

The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle – Stuart Turton

I received the ARC of this book and I was hooked from page one! I fell into the story and was so crazy with trying to figure out what the heck was going on. It was such an interesting story and I would think about it even when I wasn’t reading it and I was telling everyone who would listen about this book and how they needed to read it. It definitely kept me up at night. (Also, you should read it, if you haven’t).

The Princess Bride

A wonderfully quotable book:

Harry Potter Series – J.K. Rowling

Harry Potter is definitely my go-to book series to quote. How often do I say, “When in doubt, go to the library!”? A lot. I’ve read the books so much, I often find myself thinking about certain passages that pertain to my life. It’s such a good series, I can honestly say that it would be hard to top it for me.

Ferris Bueller’s Day Off

A character who loves breaking the rules:

Trouble is a Friend of Mine – Stephanie Tromly

If you’ve read this book series, then you know that Digby is the biggest rule breaker in the universe. If you tell him NOT to do something, he’s definitely going to do it. But his heart’s in the right place and he only ever does stuff for a worthy cause, like fighting crime. So it’s all good, right?

When Harry Met Sally

A book couple that took an eternity to get together:

Cinder – Marissa Meyer

This series has several couples that fits the bill on this one, but I’m focusing on Cinder and Kai – their flirtation is fresh out of the gate, Book 1, and it’s not until Book Freaking 4 that anything comes of it! I was dying to see them get together because I love them both and the wait was honestly worth it.

Back to the Future

A book involving time travel:

Outlander – Diana Gabledon

I mean, the whole premise of this book is that Claire basically falls through time and comes out during the 1700s. She’s from the 1940s, so that’s a pretty big time gap and she has a lot of catching up to do! Good thing she’s smart, resourceful, and a kick-ass heroine!

Pretty in Pink

A character with a unique style:

The Cat Who Came in Off the Roof – Annie M. G. Schmidt

Minou is one of the coolest characters ever (and it’s not just because she’s a cat!). I always pictured her as really lithe and slinky and wearing really quirky stuff (you know, cause she’s new to clothing, having previously been a cat and all). A bit like Zooey Deschanel? Anyway, she’s super styling.

The Karate Kid

Favorite book involving training/mentoring trope:

Red Rising – Pierce Brown

There isn’t a huge portion of this book that involves training, but in the first half, there is definitely a set up that basically follows this trope. Darrow essentially has to learn to be a Gold in order to pull of this eventual coup, so there’s a lot of “training” involved with that. It’s a really interesting sci-fi book, and I want to finish this series. It takes some time getting into the world (there’s a lot of world building that has to be learned, so if you’re not into sci-fi, it can be a bit daunting), but once you’re in, it’s really fun and fascinating.

Die Hard

A book with a trip that doesn’t go to plan:

Walk on Earth a Stranger – Rae Carson

The majority of this book is an Oregon Trail set-up, and hoo-boy do things go to hell in a hand-basket. I love the journey that you’re taken through with this story, and the ups and downs that come with it make the ride really tense, but enjoyable all the same. It’s a great “travel” story, especially if you’re into historical fiction.

Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark

A book with the central characters name in the title:

Catherine, Called Birdy – Karen Cushman

For some reason, I didn’t get around to reading this book until I was an adult, but I found it to be so entertaining and hilarious! Catherine, “Birdy,” is hysterical, but also really emotionally in-tune with things. I love the time period and I love how strong-willed Birdy is, despite growing up in a really restrictive time for women. She also says some of the best things.

Dirty Dancing

A female character who comes out of her shell:

Fangirl – Rainbow Rowell

Cath definitely comes out of her shell in this book. She’s so used to doing everything with her twin, Wren, that when she gets to college and finally has to strike it out on her own, she finds herself really out of her depth, and tending to hole up in her room. But by the end of the book, she’s made friends, she’s learned to stand on her own two feet (without her twin), and come into herself as a person. It’s a really sweet story about growing up and facing your fears.

Top Gun

A death that took you by surprise:

Crooked Kingdom – Leigh Bardugo

In fairness to those who have not read this book yet, I won’t name the character that dies, but if you have read it, you know exactly who I’m talking about! I’m still not over it, I’ll never be over it, and it was one of those moments where I wanted to flip a table, stop reading the book, and quit. It was my favorite character, and I was just so devastated. I made a vow to myself never to read Bardugo again (and I LOVED Six of Crows!!! Dang it!). So far, I’ve held that promise. It will take a lot of convincing to make me change my mind about it.

ET

An ending that left you both happy and sad:

Beartown – Fredrik Backman

This book was an emotional roller-coaster. I didn’t expect the depths that would be delved when I started reading it, but I was blown away and an emotional mess when it was all over. But it was a happy/sad ending, mostly because things, for the most part, turn out alright, but that doesn’t change some of the really horrible stuff that happens/happened throughout the book and at the end. It’s such a well written book, you really must read it.

Thoughts & Tags

So that’s the end! If you want to participate with this tag, I tag you! Otherwise, I hope you enjoyed my selections and let me know what you think in the comments!