Hello everyone,
Two years ago I created the Strictly Book Tag, where I answer a series of bookish prompts based on the television show Strictly Come Dancing (in the USA it is called Dancing With The Stars). And as the new series has just begun, I have decided to revive it!
There are nine questions, each of them based on the characteristics of a particular dance. They are the same ones as last time, but I shall be giving different answers! Let’s get started…
Waltz – A Book With An Elegant And Graceful Writing Style
There are more engaging writing styles around than that of Madeline Miller, but in terms of elegance there are not many books that come close to what she delivers in Circe. It is eloquent, refined, and provides such a stunning marriage of words that left me in awe.
Cha Cha Cha – An Outstanding Trilogy
It is only the second question and I am already breaking my rule about choosing different answers from the last time I did this tag! The truth is, the only trilogy I have read in full since then is Shadow And Bone, and while it is good I can hardly class it as outstanding. So as I still have to read the final book in A Good Girl’s Guide To Murder, I must simply choose the Winternight trilogy.
I love this series. It contains one of my favourite ever protagonists, and is rich in atmosphere and folklore. It is a while now since I read them, but they have always stayed with me.
Quickstep – A Book That Has A Very Fast Pace From Beginning To End
This book was a wonderful ride, and the pace is absolutely relentless. Something new happens in this story in almost every sentence; there is hardly an opportunity to pause for breath as the imaginative concepts keep on coming.
Paso Doble – A Book With Striking Cover Art
There is an endless amount of books I could choose for this prompt, but I have chosen this one based on the fiery bright colours and the dragon that weaves its way around the bold typography. I feel like it embodies the spirit of paso doble pretty well, too.
Viennese Waltz – A Book With Lots Of Twists and Turns
This was a thriller laden with menace, and the twists are not only plentiful but shocking. I was left stunned on a few occasions as dual timelines and narratives were used to great effect.
Tango – A Book With An Intensely Gripping Plot
It did have its flaws in places, but I cannot deny that premise of this book is totally gripping right from the get-go and it remains that way until the end. If you like the characters or not, you just want to read on and find out what happens!
Rumba – A Book That You Have A Strong Emotional Connection With
You are probably tired of me talking about Crawdads on here so often, but it genuinely evoked such a stream of emotions that I had to choose it for this prompt. The way I invested in the main character and the outcome of the mystery was capped by the revelations at the end, by which time I had shed several tears.
Samba – A Book That Made You Smile And Feel Cheerful
I read this little prequel to A Good Girl’s Guide To Murder recently, and it was so absolutely perfect that I was smiling almost the whole way through. It made me laugh sometimes, and it contained everything which makes the series one of my beloved favourites.
Charleston – A Book Set In The 1920s
A book that by now, needs no introduction. A retelling of Romeo And Juliet set in 1920s Shanghai, and that historical time period is one of the frankly innumerable things which make it such a phenomenal read. The atmosphere is extraordinary and I loved the contextual factors such as the diversity, languages spoken, and political landscape.
I am not going to tag anyone, but if you would like to have a go at answering these questions, please do! As this tag was my creation, I would be ecstatic to see others take part.
Happy reading :)
Stephen Reads Books 