the birthday book tag | thirty, flirty, and thriving!

Hello, dear friends, it’s me again! I hope you all are well, and if not then I hope brighter days head your way soon! Guess what, friends?! This Thursday is my 30th birthday 🎂 I honestly don’t know what to do to celebrate, especially as this year my birthday falls on the same day as Thanksgiving. But I figured I’d at least mark the occasion by doing this fun little book tag! I discovered The Birthday Book Tag over at Once Upon an Ordinary and it was created by Antonia’s Always Books. Now let’s go on to the fun!

birthday cake

a book with a plot that seems cliche, but you adore it anyway

I definitely feel like contemporary romances tend to have more cliche plots and fake dating has absolutely been done over time and time again, but I will never not love To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before by Jenny Han! I listened to the audiobook when I was about twenty and just fell in love with the absolutely adorable and authentic characters!

party guests

your most anticipated book release for this year

This is tough, since it’s the end of the year and all of my anticipated releases have already come out. Looking back, though, I think I had three super anticipated releases this year and those were Mirrored Heavens by Rebecca Roanhorse, Sea Serpent by Maiya Ibrahim, and For She Is Wrath by Emily Varga. Both Mirrored Heavens and Sea Serpent are sequels, but For She Is Wrath is actually a debut that’s a YA fantasy retelling of The Count of Monte Cristo set in a Pakistani inspired world. Unfortunately, I still have yet to read any of these releases but they’re high up on my TBR (basically next)!

birthday presents

a book that surprised you with how much you loved it

I was so surprised by the fact that books two and three of the Ember quartet (A Torch Against The Night and A Reaper At The Gates) by Sabaa Tahir ended up becoming two of my all-time favorite books, seeing as I actually wasn’t a big fan of An Ember In The Ashes when I first read it (*cue gasps of horror*). I actually found An Ember In The Ashes to be quite a “meh” fantasy when it first released, especially as it was initially billed as a standalone by the publisher, but the ending was quite open and dissatisfying if that was the case. Fortunately, when the sequel was announced I decided I’d give it a try—and, boy, was that a good decision! The series ended up becoming an all-time favorite of mine and the rest is history!

“happy birthday” song

a book that certainly deserved all the hype it got

Especially as an Arab reader, I think The Daevabad Trilogy by Shannon Chakraborty deserves ALL the hype it gets and so much more! I know Chakraborty is not Arab herself, but it is beyond clear not only how much research she has done on Arab histories and cultures, but also how much she cares for our community and cultures. Her trilogy is an outstanding testament to that, in addition to being such a fun and well-written series and it truly deserves ALL the praise!

happy music

a book with some very beautiful and truly memorable quotes

This is tough because there are so many books full of many memorable quotes! I think, though, that I’ve got to go with one of my favorite hidden gems, Forest Of A Thousand Lanterns by Julie C. Dao! This book is an East Asian retelling of the origin story of The Evil Queen from Snow White, and it is deliciously dark and devious and delightful! There are also a lot of feminist themes in the story, which adds a layer to how good it is. The cherry on top is Dao’s gorgeous and poignant writing! Some of my favorite quotes from the book are…

getting older

a book that you read a long time ago, but you think you would appreciate more if you read it as a more mature reader

I listened to all of Jane Austen’s novels on audio when I was about twelve, and while I really enjoyed her books at that age, I think there are definitely certain elements and themes that I’d understand and relate to more now at age thirty 😆

sweet birthday memories

a book that kept you incredibly happy during a sad or demanding period of your life

I’ve talked about it before but when I was a kid and my mom and I lived in a homeless shelter, we listened to the entirety of Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials on tape together. Each night we’d curl up in our small room and listen to the next tape until we fell asleep. It brought me so much comfort during a really difficult time in my life and I’ll always look upon that series fondly.

So that’s all I got for ya today, dear friends! I hope you enjoyed and maybe found a good recommendation or two! Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got a good book and a slice of birthday cake calling my name! Until next time, dear friends!

spill the beans, friends!

What’s the best bookish birthday present you’ve ever received? Have you ever done anything particularly bookish for your birthday?

Learn more the author of this post:

Lila @ Hardcover Haven

Lila is a 30 year old anthropology student and lover of literature who's been book blogging for an eternity. Her hobbies include reading, singing, writing, arts and crafts, and snuggling her two cats, Snoopy and Clementine.