The Perfect Book Tag

Wow, I found some old book tag posts in my drafts folder that I’d only half completed and then lost it among pages of half written blog posts! 😮 So, here is a very late book tag post, this being The Perfect Book Tag which I originally found on Witty and Sarcastic Bookclub.  We all have our own opinions on what makes the perfect book, but do we share any of these opinions and what exactly does make the perfect book?

I hope you enjoy the following tag and as usual if you want to do this tag yourself then please do go ahead and tag me if you do.  Remember to put a link to this blog post in yours (if you’re on WordPress) so I can see your post and comment or let me know about your blog post by commenting below if you want me to see your answers. 🙂  So, what makes the perfect book?…

 

1. The Perfect Genre – pick a book that perfectly represents its genre

Is there such a thing as the historical humour genre?  If not then I just made it up and I’m going to pick my favourite children’s book series Julius Zebra!  I just love these books and each one just gets better than the previous one.  Julius Zebra is a zebra minding his own business in Africa until one day a whole bunch of animals are rounded up and carted off by the Romans to fight in the Colleseum.  Julius and a bunch of other animals train as gladiators but then manage to escape from the place in a ridiculous and silly way that just reminds me of a Carry On film!  Each subsequent book is an adventure in another country while Julius and his friends try to avoid going back to Rome.  The books take place in ancient Rome, Britain (back in Roman times), Egypt, Greece, and there’s hint of another potential book maybe set in China(?)!

The books are just so funny, the story is just hilarious and there’s illustrations throughout making it even better.  But the best thing about the books, I think, apart from the over the top slapstick humour, is they also have some cool facts about the historical civilizations at the end.  Plus I can’t get enough of all the characters saying they’re going on their “Holibobs!” (what’s wrong with me, lol🤪)

2. The Perfect Setting – pick a book that takes place in a perfect place

I have to say I just love the setting of Caraval.  I have yet to read the second and third books in the trilogy (I know, I know…why haven’t I read them yet!?) but I just love the whole setting of the Caraval, the magic and mystery of the place.

3. The Perfect Main Character

I’m going to go with Agatha from The Good Hawk.  If you’ve not read this book then do give it a try as it’s a sort of historical fantasy set in an alternate version of Scotland.  Agatha is a hawk, someone who patrols the sea wall to look out for danger, but when she spots what she thinks are the enemy and then makes a crucial mistake, she proves to so many what they feared, that she is useless and doesn’t deserve the position of hawk.  The book has a great adventure with Agatha and some other characters having to rescue and save their clan after they get invaded, but what I love about Agatha is that she’s flawed in a way because she’s so different to all the others in her clan because she has down’s syndrome.  The way the book is written from her point of view is unique and I can’t help but like her character.  Even though she has Down’s syndrome it doesn’t diminish her confidence and she puts her heart into what she’s dong.  She’s determined and there’s just something that I do like about her in general. 🙂

4. The Perfect Best Friend

Someone wonderful and loyal and for me I’m going to go into a book I just adored and say that Trinket from The Wonderling is a great best friend. I just loved this book so much.  It’s the story of Number Thirteen (that’s the main character’s name) and is a bit of a Dickensian style children’s story about this half-fox half-boy (called a foundling) who is shy and stuck at a horrible orphanage until another foundling there becomes his friend, helps give Number Thirteen a real name and then the two escape the orphanage which is just the start of their adventure together.  Trinket, the very cute kiwi bird foundling is just a brilliant friend and, apart from the fact she really does lok so cute, I think the younger me who spent some days feeling very lonely at school would have loved to have Trinket as my best friend – heck I’d love to have a kiwi bird friend with me right now! 🙂

5. The Perfect Love Interest – pick a character who you think would be the best romantic partner

I’ve only read the first book, but someone like Lazlo Dreamer from Strange the Dreamer would probably be ideal for me.  A bit introverted and into books, need I say more? 😉

6. The Perfect Villain – pick the character with the most devious mind

There’s quite a few characters with devious minds but I think I’ll pick one I thought was extremely creepy, which made me love the character even more, and that’s the main baddie in Lord of Secrets.  I don’t want to give away the name as it spoils the story but you really feel the creepy vibes from this character.  The whole magic system in the book is fascinating with characters having to scribble stuff down on themselves and magic ends up being painful to cast, however this creepy character has such an evil mind, and the creepiness of how this character uses magic is just…*shudders*

 7. The Perfect Family – pick the perfect bookish family

How about The Bolds, a pack of hyenas masquarading as humans and living in the leafy suburbs Teddington in London! 😀

8. The perfect animal or pet -pick a pet or fantastical animal that you need to see in a book

There’s a few animals I’ve loved in books and it’s so hard to choose.  While I’d love to pick a cat as my perfect animal or pet, like the cat in The Ghouls of Howlfair, I’m going to actually pick Oaroboarus from The City of Secret Rivers / The City of Guardian Stones (known as City of Secret Rivers series).  The books are about the secret rivers below London, but something about Oaroboarus the giant swimsuit wearing pig is special.  I just love the politeness of the way he ‘speaks’ and that way he talks using just a bunch of cards with various words and symbols on them rather than an actual voice.  I’d just love to see Oraboarus make more appearances in stories! 🙂 :p

9. The perfect plot twist:

There have been lots of great twists in lots of books and my mind can’t come up with just one perfect one so I’ll just go with a recent book I’ve loved where the twist was amazing and that’s Small Spaces by Sarah Epstein.  There’s something so creepy about the book and bing a thriller it just kept me guessing and guessing right to the end.  Amazing!

10. The Perfect Trope – pick a trope you’d add to your book without thinking:

I just love it when there are characters who constantly argue and hate each other, constantly having a go at each other, but end up going on some journey together, and despite their bickering they end up the closest of allies or something more…does that count as a trope?  Because I just love that aspect of a story 🙂

11. The Perfect Cover – pick a cover that you would easily put on your own book:

I can’t get enough of this cover, especially because the green leafy parts, which you can’t see properly in this picture, actually shimmer and are mettalic in colour!😍😍😍  I love intricate and beautiful covers, ones that feature animals and foiled shimmering parts are just an amazing extra!

12. The Perfect Ending:

Again there’s so many books where I just loved the ending, but I’m going to say The Christmas Guest because it’s got Christmas (which is my favourite holiday), it’s got cute baby animal, namely a puppy in this case (and baby animals are just sooo cute!), and it’s just a heart-warming and perfect ending.  What more could you want? 🙂

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What do you think of my answers to this tag?  What make the perfect book for you?  Let me know what you think in the comments below 🙂