Book Talk: Olympics Book Tag

Tonight is the Closing Ceremony and I'm not sure if I'm ready to let it go. It's been a great Games and Pyeongchang can't come a moment too soon. I don't know if I'll ever be able to watch an Olympics as thoroughly as I have Rio ever again. Winter Games are during the school year and by the time Tokyo 2020 comes around, I'll be out of school entirely. Do I really want to take two weeks off work to watch the Olympics? I guess I just have to make the most of Prime Time... But I digress. We'll cross that bridge when we get there. For now, I have complied a bunch of books for a tag inspired by the most inspirational event of all: the Olympics.

Opening Ceremony

a book you loved from the very first page

I was very tempted to put The Lightning Thief down for this prompt but that is such a go-to answer, it's essentially cheating. I took some time to really think about which books I loved from the actual first page. Sometimes exposition can be tedious but I was so excited to read Passenger by Alexandra Bracken that it was impossible not for me to relish in every second of it. It helped that there were hints and foreshadowing right from the get-go to hook you in. Then the rest of the book delivered as well so you really can't go wrong. 

Cycling

your favorite road trip book

Turns out I don't read very many road trip books, and the ones I have read, haven't been enjoyable enough to be considered my favorite anything. Although I read it years ago, 13 Little Blue Envelopes by Maureen Johnson is the book that came to mind to fill this prompt. It isn't technically a road trip since there are planes and other forms of transportation involved, but I think it counts overall. I remember this being one of my favorite books in seventh grade, making it the perfect choice for this tag.

Triathalon

a book with a good love triangle

There was once a time when I loved the thrill of a love triangle, but you can only read so many before you can't help but roll your eyes at the unnecessary angst. Luckily, I went through a long stretch where there were love triangles were scarce. Then we had Snow Like Ashes by Sara Raasch and I was surprised to find I wasn't mad about it. Maybe it was because the dynamics of the relationships were different from other love triangles. I found the romance(s) to be very enjoyable and even added to the likability of the story.

Handball

a book you didn't really "get"

In ninth grade we had to choose a book off a list to do a report/project on. Honors students had a different list than non-honors students (or at least an asterisked set of "recommended for honors" books) and they were divided by theme. We had to choose our book based on the title and the theme it was categorized under so I blindly chose The Pact by Jodi Picoult. I was not ready to read that book. I was too young and too innocent to understand what I was reading, especially since it's set in the real world rather than a fantastical realm. I actually never finished the book, but needless to say, it wouldn't have "gotten" it anyway.

Beach Volleyball

a book set in summer

Looking at this prompt, you would think this would be the easiest one to fulfill. Not sure whether it was because I thought all my options were too obvious or that I had too many options that made this such a difficult choice for me. In the end, I went with My Life Next Door by Huntley Fitzpatrick. It's a sweet, unlikely, and sometimes dramatic romance set in summer. Very swoon-worthy. Most of it is light and fluffy so it's the perfect beach read but be wary of the parts that aren't included in the "most."

Fencing

a book with a lot of fighting/bloodshed

In a 180 degree turn, I knew immediately which but I wanted to use for this prompt. If you've read Red Rising by Pierce Brown, you know what I'm talking about. In fact, I think I'd consider "a lot" an understatement. I don't want to give anything away since Red Rising turned out to be very different from what I thought it would be but know it's gruesome. Like, really gruesome.

Gymnastics

a book with a lot of plot twists

I'm not a fan of this prompt because telling people that there are plot twists in a book is a spoiler because, even if you don't specify what the twist is, people are going to know it's there. I originally had a book that I really liked for this prompt, but the more I thought about it, the less I wanted to spoil it for everyone. Instead, I'll go with The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins. It's a thriller anyway so I think you'd be disappointed if there weren't any twists in there.

Swimming

a book that made you sob

I know this prompt makes sense because swimming happens in water and crying involves the waterworks but it's extra fitting because I've cried the most watching swimming than any other sport a the Olympics. That being said, it takes a lot for a book to get me to cry. One of the most notable cries I've had while reading was during The Blood of Olympus by Rick Riordan. It wasn't the content as much as knowing it was my last time with Percy and Annabeth. Magnus Chase and The Trials of Apollo were not yet announced at this point so I was grieving without even knowing. I had this sickening weight in my chest for the longest time until I was able to recognize acknowledge what I was feeling and after that it was tears on tears on tears. I actually had to put the book down for a while to give myself some time to come to terms with this goodbye.

Golf

a slow paced book

The first book I remember recognizing to be slow was The Host by Stephanie Meyer. I read it in high school on my Kindle and I thought it would never end. It was worse than if I had read a physical copy because at least then I could be reassured that I was actually making progress. Things picked up after their time in the desert but it dragged on for far too long. Thankfully what came after the desert wasn't bad. Shame that the desert is guaranteed to put you in a reading slump.

Trampoline

a childhood favorite

Believe it or not, I wasn't much of a reader when I was younger. The older I got, the more I read, but one standout from second grade is Horrible Harry and the Christmas Surprise by Suzy Kline. It was given to me as a gift from my teacher the day before winter break and I felt so special that my teacher would buy us each a book (no other students got anything from their teachers) so I read it multiple times over break and even more in the years to come.

Equestrian

a book featuring animals

I can't say I'm a huge animal lover and I don't remember reading many books with animals as a major part of the story, but I thought about it and came up with The Nature of Jade by Deb Caletti. I read this one maybe in middle school and it's about a girl who has a panic disorder who finds comfort in the elephants at her local zoo. She watches a live stream of them whenever she needs to calm down and (bonus!) this book is set in Seattle so you could probably go visit the elephants at the Woodland Park Zoo if you need a serene, relaxing environment.

Hurdles

a book you struggled to finish

I had high hopes for Conversion by Katerine Howe. Seeing the Salem Witches come back in today's world was a promising premise but the execution was so lacking. In fact, most of the book wasn't even about this mystery ailment that's been plaguing the girls. Too much time was spent on the protagonist's relationship with The Crucible. I can easily say this book is not worth reading. I kept pushing through because there was a chance the ending would redeem the rest of the book but that didn't end up happening.

Synchronized Swimming

a book with a great friendship

Friendships in books are nothing special, but there are few that go as deep as the one between Safiya and Iseult. It's hard to explain how solid their friendship is, but you can feel it radiating from the pages right from the very beginning of Truthwitch by Susan Dennard. The friendship between the two was so strong that it's the thing that left the most lasting impression. There also seems to be some type of magical bond as well but I guess we have to wait until book two to find out more on that...

Bonus

books that actually feature olympic sports

I'm sure I've read plenty of books that feature Olympic sports, but one that I remember actually mentioning the Olympics is Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins. It's not the main focus but Cricket's sister, Calliope, is a professional figure skater trying to make it into the Olympics. It was a relatively small part of the story, but it made me love the book all the more.


Halfway through the Rio Olympics, I realized I hadn't really done anything Olympic-related on my blog. That is entirely unacceptable, especially if you know how much I love the Olympics. By this time in the Games, a lot of the sports that were most important to me were done or finishing up so I allowed myself to write while I watched whatever was showing on Day Time or Prime Time. I'll be grieving the loss of Rio 2016 in my life for a while but in the meantime, let me know if you agree with the books I chose or what you would've chosen instead! I'd love to hear your thoughts!


Talk to you soon!

xo, Yvette