I came across this awesome tag over on Emer’s page and knew I couldn’t pass it up!!! I ADORE F.R.I.E.N.D.S. and remember tuning in religiously on Thursday nights to catch the latest episode!! Now that we can just stream in indefinitely, I think I’ve watched it a good half-dozen times, lol. This tag was originally created by An Average Life Blog so make sure you go give them a little love!

Let’s get to it!

---

MONICA

A book based on a game or competition.

The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin

I have always loved this book, and it’s actually one of the few “mystery” type books I’ve actually enjoyed! I think I read this for the first time in middle school, and it’s one I have revisited a few times over the years. I actually have this on my TBR to read again someday!

“One fateful day, sixteen people gather for the reading of Samuel W. Westing’s will. To their surprise, the will turns out to be a contest, challenging the heirs to find out who among them is Westing’s murderer. Forging ahead, through blizzards, burglaries, and bombings, the game is on. Only two people hold all the clues. One of them is the Westing heir. The other is you!”

Organization Queen: How do you organize your books?

So it’s a mix of size, author, genre, color, what looks good together, and what the current alignment of the stars are.

But for reals, I have a system that makes sense to me, and is in no way shape or form consistent. BUT I can find any book in a matter of moments, so that’s all that matters.

---

RACHEL

I feel like this is such a complicated question. Like 60% of the books I read are because they were hyped, so it’s hard to pick just one! I guess if I had to, I would say The Folk of the Air series? I read the first book because it came in both FairyLoot and OwlCrate, and I really only continued with it because it’s so hyped up.

Shopping Addict: What makes you buy a book?

Oh, I 100% buy books because of the covers. I am a sucker for a gorgeous cover, and my Amazon wishlist is peppered with pretty books! I am also subject to hyped books (see above), so that happens too! Also, FOMO. Sometimes I buy special editions just because I know that they might be impossible to get my hands on later.

---

ROSS

A Science Fiction Book.

Shouldn’t this be “a book about dinosaurs”? No? Okay….if you say so.

I will have to go with Red Rising by Pierce Brown. This is pure epic science fiction insanity. The cover blurb says “one heart pounding ride” and I feel like that is the biggest understatement to ever grace the cover of a book. 

On a Break. Which books have you put down to pick back up later?

I don’t do this a ton, but every so often I need to pause panda on a book so I don’t end up hating it on principle. Most recently I set aside Serpent & Dove by Shelby Mahurin. I kept trying to get into it, and I just kept getting distracted. Knowing I just came out of a lengthy reading slump, I opted to set it aside for a time when I can give it a fairer chance.

---

CHANDLER

A book that made you laugh out loud.

Oh oh! The Field Guide to Dumb Birds of North Americaby Matt Kracht! Oh. My. Gods. this book!!!! I started reading this in bed after my husband fell asleep and I had to literally muffle my laughter out of fear of waking him up. It’s absolutely ridiculous in all the best ways! If you have a bird lover in your life, I HIGHLY recommend giving them a copy of this for whatever present-giving holiday you celebrate next!!!! The drawings alone are worth it 100%.

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

Not a single one! I have always disliked the term “guilty pleasure” because I feel absolutely zero guilt for the books I read (or shows I watch, or foods I eat). I feel zero embarrassment!!!

---

JOEY

A Scary Book You’d Put in the Freezer.

So, I don’t read scary books ever, but I 100% have read books that I seriously considered putting into the freezer, Joey-style, so they can think about what they’ve done. The biggest one for me has to be Endsinger by Jay Kristoff. I have gone on about this book many many times, so everyone should know by now how it ripped my feels to shreds and spat on them. Feel free to check out my full review of this series if you want to know more about why Jay Kristoff is a horrible person and how much I love him for it. 

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

All the time!!!! I can’t possibly know every word ever, so of course I need to look things up! This is actually one of my favorite functions of reading on a Kindle, since a definition is only a tap away. Not gonna lie, I have found myself going to tap an unfamiliar word in a physical book on many occasion, before realizing it doesn’t work that way on paper. 😉

---

PHOEBE

I will have to go with The Shadowhunter Chronicles by Cassandra Clare. We have Nephilim descended from Angels, alongside Demons, Werewolves, Vampires, Fae, and even a ghost or two. This universe covers the full spectrum of supernatural, and a touch of the spiritual as well!

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

Not that I can think of offhand. I’m sure there are some who I have on a nope list, for various reasons, but mostly just authors I haven’t read but learned to be awful people.

---

JANICE

At the risk of being repetitive, Endsinger by Jay Kristoff! The reason for this is the same exact reason it needed to be put into the freezer for a long timeout.

Since that was a repeat, I will throw in a bonus pick here and say Tower of Dawn by Sarah J Maas. I mean, I OMGed my way through most of her books, but there is one HUGE reveal in ToD that changes fucking EVERYTHING! It still pisses me off that people refuse to read this one, because 1) that’s soooo stupid and 2) it has SUPER IMPORTANT INFORMATION that is CRUCIAL to the plot of Kingdom of Ash. Not to mention the fact that it adds like 5 characters that ALSO play a huge part in KoA and there will be at least 57 moments in KoA where you’d be completely lost if you hadn’t read ToD. ANYWAY, Tower of Dawn had a nuts plot twist and is VERY IMPORTANT to the series! And this comes from someone who strongly dislikes Chaol, so that should tell you something. *deep breath* End Rant.

---

EMILY

A British classic.

I could go with any number of obvious choices here (Pride & Prejudice, Great Expectations, every-book-we-read-in-high-school) but I am going to choose something outside the box and say Carry On, Jeeves by P.G. Wodehouse. Ironically considering my former statement, I actually read this for the first time in 11th grade English, and fell in love with the Jeeves books from there forward.

This book is just pure absurdity and always had me in stitches. I remember that we had to do a report on this book and one of the choices we had was to make a video about it. We were having such a horrible time keeping straight faces because every line is just ridiculous. I wish I knew where that video was, because I would totes watch it again. ANYWAY, I digress. I don’t think it gets much more British than Jeeves, so if you haven’t read any of these books, do so now! Carry On, Jeeves is technically the third in the collection, but they are easy enough to read as standalone works.

---

GUNTHER

A Book Nobody Seems to be Talking About

I feel like Libba Bray doesn’t get nearly enough hype for her books! Her Gemma Doyle trilogy is my most recommended book series of all time, and her Diviners series (which is set in the same universe *happy dance for cameos*) is dark and atmospheric in all the best ways.

---

CAROL AND SUSAN

An LGBTQ+ Book or Author

I will again go outside the obvious answers and choose Carry On by Rainbow Rowell. I adore this book so much!!! Those of you who are Drarry shippers will 100000% need to read this, because it is everything. As a HUGE reader of FanFiction, this book makes my heart so so so happy. It doesn’t hurt that Simon and Baz are adorable.

I also need to point out the epic cover art on this one! I was lucky enough to be part of the campaign Wednesday Books put out during the release of Wayward Son, and got an exclusive dust jacket with this art to slip over my way-less-awesome US hardcover! Now I have both books in matching hardcovers, which is the best feeling ever.

---

EDDIE

A book or character with intense/stalker vibes

I cannot think of any books that I have read that involved stalkers. I really avoid thrillers, so I wouldn’t have cause to stumble upon this type of character.

---

MIKE

A Slow Burn Romance.

Let me start by noting how much I absolutely adore Paul Rudd. Also, he is definitely immortal because he hasn’t aged a fucking day.

ANYWAY! Back to the books. I think for this one I will go with Elizabeth and Darcy from Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen. This was the slowest of burns and I loved it immeasurably! ALSO, if you love P&P as much as I do, I need to highly recommend the book Mr. Darcy Takes a Wife by Linda Berdoll. A “sequel” to P&P, this is basically just really kick ass fanfiction that follows Darcy and Elizabeth after they get married. We see all of our original cast, PLUS it has all the steaminess that the original book lacked, but with all of the romance and awesomeness. There are actually four books total, so they should quench all of your Darcy thirst!!!

---

RICHARD

A book that left you feeling accomplished or better educated.

I will go with The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver. This is my favorite book of all time, and I always feel like I’ve learned something after I finish reading it. It’s the type of book that really makes you think and to see things from a different perspective. It’s the only book in my list of faves that is realistic/historical fiction, so that is pretty telling.

This follows a missionary family in the Congo during the Nelson Mandela era. Told from the point of view of the four daughters (15, twin 14yos, and 5yo) over the period of more than a decade, this book is unputdownable. It’s also totally quotable, which is always a win.

---

BONUS QUESTION:

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

I fall somewhere in the realm of Monica and Rachel! My husband is 100% Chandler, so we are a pretty good pair 😉

---

AND FINALLY I TAG…