the functions book tag | mixing and matching math and books!
Hello again, dear friends! ‘Tis I, your friendly neighborhood Lila, back again with another post and this week I’m SCREECHING with excitement because I was tagged by my fellow book loving girly in STEM friend, Naemi, over at A Book Owl’s Corner to do her original tag, the functions book tag! In case you’re new around here, you may not have heard yet that I’m a physics major in college! *cue horrified looks from my fellow book lovers who are/were mostly literature, creative writing, and/or publishing-adjacent majors* Now, despite being a physics major and physics being a massively math-based science, me and math actually have a bit of a…*gasps* complicated relationship. Why is that? Because from first through sixth grade I failed math, then in seventh and eighth grade I was average at math, then all through high school I was placed in honors and IB HL math classes, then when I first went to college and took the calculus sequence I got C’s, then I retook the entire calculus sequence and got A’s, then I took Calculus II last semester and I flat out failed it, so I’ll be retaking the course this upcoming fall semester…DO YOU SEE WHAT I MEAN?!?!?? So math was basically my first ever “situationship” 😂😂😂 But, hey, I keep coming back for more cause, at the end of the day, I do genuinely enjoy math, haha! But I digress. You’re not here for the story of my situationship with mathematics, you’re here for the books! So let’s dive right into this math-magical book tag!
rules
- Thank the person who nominated you!
- Ping-back to the original creator, Naemi @ A Book Owl’s Corner, so that she can sneakily read your answers and be thrilled at how much attention math is getting within the bookish community!
- Answer all the prompts while appreciating the mathematical beauty contained in them! (You’re more than welcome to use the original graphics so that all the canva and GeoGebra work the creator put into them will be worth it…)
- Tag some people! Five would be best, since five is obviously the coolest natural number out there, but any other quantity works, too.
*A Quick Note For Those Confused By The Coordinate System Notation: Because Naemi and I are from different countries, the notation in the coordinate system we use is different. She’s used an x-based Cartesian coordinate system notation, so I’ve “translated” it into what we use here in the US, which is an (x,y) Cartesian coordinate system notation. This probably doesn’t matter to anyone other than people trained to pay attention to coordinate systems, but just in case anyone was confused as to why my questions use “y =” instead of “x ↦”, I figured I’d make this note
y = 0
Constantly Zero: For this prompt, pick a book so monotonously boring you almost fell asleep reading it!
Hi, hello, my name is Lila and I think The Old Man and the Sea by Earnest Hemingway is an absolute SNOOZE FEST!! I had to read it in eigth grade and it was so boring that—I shit you not!!—I had to lock myself in a practically empty room of my home for literal hours on end just to force myself to get through it. Seriously, I want to know the agent and editor who thought this book was interesting enough to publish. I WANT NAMES BECAUSE THIS IS A CRIME AND SOMEONE’S HEAD HAS TO BE ON THE CHOPPING BLOCK FOR IT!!! The entire book—“he sailed, he fished, he ate, he slept, he woke up, he sailed, he fished, he ate, he slept, he woke up…” again and again and again. Ugh! *shudders* Hated it. That is all.
y = x
Linearly Simplistic: A book with a generic plot that you can’t help but love
I really loved This Vicious Grace by Emily Thiede, even though it was moderately generic. In part, I really loved the representation of the main character as a girl with ADHD in a fantasy setting, because I really saw myself in her. That said, I can also recognize that the plot was slightly generic, but I think that’s kinda why I enjoyed it so much? Like, sometimes you just need something soothingly familiar, where you have an inkling of what’s gonna happen because that way you don’t get anxious? Anyhoo, regardless of being a little predicatble, I still think This Vicious Grace was really fun too, so I’m looking forward to the sequel!
y = x2
Parabolic: A book or series with an epic beginning and ending but a lackluster middle
This question is a little tough to answer because usually if I dislike the middle of a book or series, I end up choosing to DNF it. What can I say, I struggle with things that fail to really grip my attention, haha! I finally settled on The Raven Cycle by Maggie Stiefvater, though, which I think fits this prompt really well, as the beginning of the series and the end of the series are really interesting but the rest of the series is a tad meandering and slow. I won’t lie: I did, indeed, struggle to finish this series, but in the end I managed to and I thought it was definitely worth it! That all being said, I’m still on the fence as to whether I want to continue on to read the sequel series starring Adam and Ronan, especially as I haven’t heard much about it.
y = √x
Back to Your Roots: A book that got you into reading
I’ve discussed this before, but it wasn’t actually a particular book that got me into reading but the fact that from the time I was a baby, my mom and older brothers always told me stories and read me books every night! Maybe that’s why I love audiobooks so much—because my first memories of stories come from an oral tradition rather than a written tradition? Stories I loved as a kid that my mom and brothers would tell me were that of Anansi, Brer Rabbit, stories of ancient Egyptian deities, and (my all-time favorite!) a story that my mom made up (and that my brothers embellished with gargoyle- and dragon-filled adventures!) about a tiny fairy who lived in an almond shell who was named “Little Nutkin.”
✨ Also Check Out: Celerating My Birthday By Sharing The Library Of My Life
y = 1/x
Hyperbolic: A book with a scenario so unrealistic you can’t help thinking it’s a bit over-the-top
Now, as a fantasy fan first and foremost, this question was a tough question seeing as most books I read involve scenarios that are “unrealistically over-the-top,” hahaha! So I had to think about this one for a while, but I finally settled on a contemporary novel that I love but that wasn’t very realistic and that is To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before by Jenny Han!
I think any contemporary that involves fake dating can be very fun but just isn’t that realistic, so that’s why I chose this book. The story follows Lara Jean Song-Covey, who writes letters that she never sends to her crushes to get over them—but one day those letters get sent to her crushes! Long story short, as a result, she ends up fake dating one of her crushes, Peter Kavinsky, and the story takes off from there. To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before is definitely hands down one of the most adorable books I’ve ever read, and it’s probably my favorite contemporary YA novel! If you’re looking for a cute story of young love that follows teenagers who actually act like teenagers, then give this book and its sequels a chance!
✨ Also Check Out: My Review of To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before
y = sin(x)
Trigonometric: A book that was an emotional rollercoaster of ups and downs
I’m going with a book that I read years ago and really enjoyed but rarely talk about and that is The Diabolic by S.J. Kincaid. When I tell you this book is so freaking intense and kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time…!!!
The Diabolic is about a world where there are these kind of genetically engineered humans called “diabolics” that the wealthy nobles can “adopt” as servants. The main character, Nemesis, is a diabolic who grows up with one of these wealthy families, and who is sent to pretend she is the daughter of that family when said daughter is engaged to a ruthless prince.
✨ Also Check Out: My Review of The Diabolic
y = cos(x)
Defining Pi: A book featuring pie
Using this power series, one can show that π is precisely the ratio of a circle’s circumference to its diameter. If that isn’t cool, I don’t know what is!
When I tell you I screeched seeing a power series in this question because power series are practically my mathematical archnemesis…Naemi really out here trying to give me a heart attack 😂😂😂
I’m not sure I can think of a book featuring pie specifically, so instead I’m going to recommend a book that’s as cozy as having pie on a gentle autumn day: Mooncakes by Wendy Xu and Suzanne Walker! Mooncakes is a graphic novel that was originally a webcomic and it tells the story of a witch and a nonbinary werewolf who have an adventure whilst reconnecting and falling in love. It’s such a gentle, cozy story—perfect to read whilst eating a delicious piece of pie!
✨ Also Check Out: Five Graphic Novels/Comic Books To Pick Up During A Readathon
y = tan(x)
Tangent: A book with footnotes
Beauty Queens by Libba Bray! (bet you were thinking I was gonna say Nevernight, weren’t you, lol!) And—fun fact for you!—the audiobook (which is actually read by Libba Bray herself) actually includes the footnotes in a really funny way! Now, I actually have yet to finish this book, but what I’ve read of it was so unique, fun, and absolutely hilarious!
Beauty Queens is a snarky satire all about a group of beauty queens who must survive after their plane crashes on an island, leaving them stranded together with little to no supplies. It’s a riot of a read and I highly recommend the audiobook, which is produced so well!
y = ex
Exponential Perfection: Your favorite book of all time
Ooooh this is so difficult for me to decide—I have so many, lol! But, for today at least, I’m going with The Daevabad Trilogy by S.A. Chakraborty. The Daevabad Trilogy is a Middle Eastern based adult fantasy series all about an Egyptian conwoman who discovers she’s from an ancient and notable djinn family and is whisked off to the mysterious djinn city of Daevabad, where she quickly becomes entangled in the intricacies of djinn politics.
I loved seeing part of my cultural heritage taken into a fantasy world in this series! Although White, Chakraborty (who has a Ph.D in medieval Islamic history) writes very knowledgeably and respectfully about the Middle Eastern cultures which she infuses The Daevabad Trilogy with. The entire series is full of so much intrigue and adventure and it’s just total perfection for me!!
✨ Also Check Out: My Review of The City of Brass
y = ln(x)
Logarithmic: A book featuring logs or journal entries
This was hard but I think that Illuminae by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff has a few logs from different characters? It’s really creative and unique in its mixed media format, so I’m inclined to say it does.
Illuminae is pretty well known, but just in case: Illuminae is a ridiculously unique mixed media book about two teens escaping from their home planet after it was attacked by a giant corporation. At least, that’s the basic, underlying premise, but so many more crazy things happen in the book! This book is packed full of amazing adventures and is just an outstanding start to a series—plus, the audiobook manages to be equally as good as the physical book!! Definitely check this one out if you haven’t yet!
✨ Also Check Out: My Review of Illuminae
y = Wα(x)
Monstrous: A book you find truly intimidating
I’m pretty intimidated by the whole A Song of Ice and Fire series by George R.R. Martin! First off, it’s a chonky series of books written more in the style of “traditional” Western fantasies. Second off, it’s a grimdark fantasy series, so it’s known to be very gory and thematically dark. These two factors make me hesitant to pick up this well-loved series, even though it does sound at least mildly intriguing to me.
s = ζ(s)
Mysteriously Intriguing: A book you’re eyeing as your possible next read
However, to say that the Riemann zeta function is interesting is almost an understatement. The Riemann Hypothesis, which claims that ζ has zeros only at the negative even integers and complex numbers with real part 1/2, is one of the biggest open conjectures in pure mathematics. Proving it would earn you both eternal glory and a million dollars’ worth of prize money and be just about the most satisfying thing ever!
I’m currently in the middle of not one, not two, but three books right now, so it’ll be a while before I pick up a new book, but I think when I do there’s a good chance it’ll be The Foxglove King by Hannah Whitten. The book involves poisons and necromancy and deified royalty and it just seems so dark and mysterious and I’m so curious to see how it all comes together. It’s one of my most anticipated books of 2023 and I snagged a copy of the audiobook the minute it released, so I’m looking forward to diving into it!
✨ Also Check Out: My Most Anticipated 2023 Releases
Well, friends, that’s it for today! Thank you to Naemi for creating such a fun tag (that also taught me some interesting math fun facts too) and for tagging me! My nerdy STEM/bookish heart has been satisfied for the day.
tagging…
Riddhi | Marie & Nyx | Cosette & Caitlyn | Clo | Tasya | Anoushka | Elli | Cam | Sophia | YOU!
spill the beans, friends!
- What’s a fiction book that involves your favorite subject from school?
- Do you have a favorite topic in math? If so, tell us all about it!
AAAAHHHHHH, YOU DID MY TAG!!! 🤗💙🤗 **jumps around in excited book loving girly in STEM manner** I loved reading your answers (Seriously, I was cackling! 😂), I loved reading about your situationship with mathematics (Don’t you dare apologize for including that! 🤗), and I loved your quick note on coordinate system notations (Although I’m just going to have to put in a word for x-based Cartesian coordinate systems here because they translate so much better when things get complex and multidimensional! 😇 Like, you’re gonna have to take a look at your Zeta-Function again and replace that first s with a different variable, too 😜 The arrow notation is so much easier for lazy people like me!)!
But, your answers! 🤗
I love Hemingway’s short stories and have always wanted to try a full novel by him but now I’m.. a little apprehensive? You really aren’t making The Old Man and the Sea sound enticing! 😂
I also agree that The Raven Cycle had a much stronger beginning than middle, although I think the ending wasn’t all that spectacular, either… And those Little Nutkin stories are the most adorable thing ever! My parents also continously made up stories for us when we were little – our favorite was about a paper-maché creature called The Paper-Maché (creative, I know) who wanted to collect water with a sieve – so this made me super nostalgic!
Lololol, To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before probably isn’t all that realistic 🤔 But I agree that it’s super cute and wonderful! As are the Daevabad Trilogy and Illuminae Files!
And you’ve actually made me kind of intrigued to try The Diabolic and Beauty Queens… I never actually knew the details of what they were about, and must admit that the covers kind of scared me off from looking into them further 😅
Also, nice save on the pie prompt 🤣 Although cake is kind of like pie, right? And it’s in the title! So I’d say you did well in both a metaphorical and literal sense 😉
Of course I did your tag, girly, it was an absolutely FABULOUS tag, haha!
I will put in a good word for Hemingway (despite him being an abusive misogynist—yuck!), I also had to read his novel A Farewell to Arms and I enjoyed that work much more! But I also feel like A Farewell to Arms is a uniquely emotional work coming from Hemingway, who’s usually thought of as “a man’s man” writing for “manly men” (no, not the manly men in tights, sadly, lmao), so it was nice to see that kind of work from him. I’d say you can probably skip The Old Man and the Sea and maybe try A Farewell to Arms or his other works?
The Paper-Maché creature sounds so cute and creative, now I’m gonna have to start daydreaming up stories co-starring it and Little Nutkin!
Definitely try out Beauty Queens and/or The Diabolic—both are such amazing reads despite their admittedly lackluster covers!
I’ll take the save and agree that cake is kind of like pie…both can be round and thus have a circumference of 2πr, so that makes them both a form of pi, if not both pie 😉😂😂
Okay, that cake=pie reasoning has me totally sold! 🤣
And I’ll keep your advice in mind and prioritize A Farewell to Arms over The Old Man and the Sea! 😁
Thank you for the tag, Lila! This was a really fun (but intimidating tag), I felt like I was back in school and kinda happy that I still recognized some functions and their graphs lol. The last two were… scary though 😂
Sure thing, Tasya! I, too, was glad I recognized the functions then got to the terrifying last two and shrieked in horror, lol! I hope you have fun if/when you get to this one, though 😀
Okay, I loved this one! Even if it was horrible to look at from a math aspect because *le gasp* I can’t math to save my life. I’m not joking here. My brain is not wired for it, it starts making ancient computer noises on the verge of breaking when it comes to it.
Regarding the books, I really want to read the Diabolic – eventually – and I totally get you when it comes to generic plots but the book just works. Sometimes there’s something nice in such kind of novel. But regarding This Vicious Grace, I simply couldn’t get near it because the blurb absolutely killed me with callin the mc a Finestra – as it literally means window in Italian
Lol, girly I can JUST BARELY math either, lol! But it’s all good, you are our resident fashion expert and that is equally as fabulous!
Definitely give The Diabolic a read—it’s surprisingly good!
That’s so hilarious about The Last Finestra I just can’t, hahahaha!!
I’ll never get over the Finestra thing
Oh my god, I can’t believe I missed this! As a math major and book blogger, the fact that this exists makes me very happy! I totally agree, power series (and really all of calc II) is my archnemesis. I am a pure math girlie all the way, I especially love abstract algebra.
Oooooh another book loving girly in STEM, yay!! You should totally do the tag (you can say I tagged you)! I’m glad to hear that I’m not alone in my Calc II struggles—this fall will be my THIRD time taking the course *sobs*. But hey, that’s math, you do it again and again until you figure it out, right?
I can’t believe I haven’t seen this till now! Stoppp that cosine power series gave me so many series flashbacks from calc 😭 I’ve been meaning to read The City of Brass, The Raven Boys, and Mooncakes, and I have a physical copy of The Diabolic. I guess this is my sign to start getting through some of them? 😂 Wonderful post!