#sorry I know this has nothing to do with watership down but it contains rabbits and gives off the same vibe

[theserpentsadvocate]

Sooo... I found this on my computer... and I apparently finished it and forgot to post it and now it’s been so long that like three of the people I was going to tag are no longer on tumblr so ooooops.

Rules: In a text post, list ten books that have stayed with you in some way. Don’t take but a few minutes, and don’t think too hard — they don’t have to be the “right” or “great” works, just the ones that have touched you. Tag some friends, including me, so I’ll see your list. Make sure you let your friends know you’ve tagged them.

Tagged by @the-disposessed ages ago, I’m sorry. Tagging… @allonsymiddleearth, @whimzhbeeaffairs, @natalie-is-my-name, @heckofabecca and … and anyone else who’s up for it.

In no particular order:

1.       Lord of the Rings (etc., etc.): I cannot remember not knowing this story, and I cannot remember not caring about it in some way. I think… that says enough.

2.       The Tortall books by Tamora Pierce: My first serious introduction to fantasy, and it was all women. I was too young to realize that was unusual; I kind of figured it was normal. Her other books are also excellent.

3.       Harry Potter: I have held on to the founders for years, and I will definitely continue to do so.

4.       Twilight: I liked Twilight at first... nothing special but I nodded along. (I didn’t get the general level of obsession, with it or with Edward.) And then I was tooling around on the internet one day and saw some mockery. I read it, it was funny, it was true… Fortunately I was never a huge fan or it might have hurt, but I slid into hatedom and critique pretty seamlessly, although I like to think I would have picked it up by myself as I got older anyway. I’ll be hating Twilight longer than I’ve liked some things.

5.       Hawksong (and sequels) by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes: Hawksong was the first romance I was fully on board with. It probably helps that it’s a romance but it’s also a fantasy novel and about a war and has lots of politics and culture world-building, so 13-year-old Riley who was a shipper but scorned typical romance didn’t run away rolling her eyes the whole time. It was excellent writing, the ideas were good, looking back I can see that it took an idea which could have been hackneyed and stupid in its execution (heirs to the rulers have to get married to end a war) and pulled it off originally and smoothly… and then there’s a later book where (as few spoilers as possible) a major character needs for plot reasons to choose a mate and there’s a lot of political tension attached to the choice, and then in the end, their romance turns out to be with someone completely different than expected and also of the same gender – and it’s just what happens, despite the fact that they’re an only child and one of the parents has no other family (at that point) to continue the line. It wasn’t something I expected (especially seven ten years ago) and I was really, really thrilled.

6.       Vampire Academy (and Bloodlines) by Richelle Mead: I’m still so very, very sold on Christian Ozera – but honestly, finding this series just before I started getting steadily disillusioned with the House of Night series and was forced to read the horrendous, disturbing, rape-apologist Hush Hush is probably the reason why I didn’t swear completely of YA paranormals, which would have meant missing a lot of excellent books.

7.       Artemis Fowl (and sequels) by Eoin Colfer: Probably my first actual fandom. I remember that I was thrilled to discover Holly was a girl – yes, it said ‘Captain Holly Short’ on the back, but my only reference for the name was Watership Down, where there was a soldier rabbit named Holly and all the characters who were anyone were men. (I should probably reread that book now that I’m not eight anymore.) It also contained the first major character death that actually seriously affected me FOR SOME TIME. Like, I’d cried at character deaths before, but I would lie awake at night for more than a year after, trying to figure out ways he could still be alive. (Book Four, oh my God!) Also, Trouble Kelp, enough said.

8.       The Spirit Gate by Maya Kaathryn Bohnhoff: A really excellent book I found in my high school library and haven’t been able to find anywhere else since. Eastern-European-based fantasy with influences by non-European cultures and probably the best and most original magical/cultural system I’ve ever read. Also the protagonist is a widow with a ten-year-old son instead of one of the sprightly under-twenty-fives who are so common.

9.       Hunger Games books: They’re not perfect, of course, but it was nice to have a YA series I could obsess over that didn’t result in me turning around two or three years later and saying “Wow, I’m an idiot.” (See Twilight.) Also, I still haven’t read one of the ‘catch-the-craze’ dystopia novels that could compete with it. (I think the only one I would actively recommend is maybe Kiera Cass’s ‘The Selection’.)

10.   Princess Florecita and the Iron Shoes by John Warren Stewig: One of my favourite books as a kid, and I am so freaking angry I couldn’t find my copy ANYWHERE before I moved God damn it. You have a princess rescuing a prince, and do you want to know how badass Florecita is? Do you? Well, forget all the powerful wind spirits she has to deal with and the monsters she has to get past – she’s wearing those iron shoes, right? SHE WALKS SO FAR THEY FALL APART.

Honourable Mention: The King’s Equal by Katherine Patterson: Magic talking wolf, badass female protagonist, cute goats, and THOSE ILLUSTRATIONS.

#fandom misc #tolkien #lord of the rings #artemis fowl #the demise of literature #tag meme #tamora pierce #tortall