The Oddly Specific Things I Love in Books Tag

It’s finally November, and for some reason, the vibe I get with November, along with the falling leaves, Thanksgiving meal, and hot chocolate (which I don’t even drink!) is curling up in a blanket and reading a book. Thus, what’s a better way to start the month on my blog than with the Oddly Specific Things I Love in Books tag? A huge shoutout to Journey Bloomfield for tagging me on this wayyy back in September, and I do apologize for the lateness of this post!

The Outline:

• Link back to who tagged you. (Thanks, Journey!)
• Share the Graphic below on your blog (Included below.)
• Share the Outline on your post. (Done.)
• Share a detail you love about the season of summer turning into fall.
• List at least 7 random/specific things YOU love to read about in books, big or small.
• Tag 7 people who would enjoy taking part/whose answers you are curious to read!

Something I Love About Autumn

The cool weather, 100%! Winter is my favorite season, and Summer is my least favorite (mostly because of the heat, bugs, and yard work, haha!) Autumn is just a comforting cool season, and the leaves changing colors are gorgeous! The bugs start disappearing and yard work slows down, but it’s still nice enough to go out in and enjoy.

And now, onto the list of seven things I enjoy in books (of which I probably overthought so much, haha!)

Specific Thing #1: No Romance/Love Interest

Yeah, this is a huge one for me, and unfortunately, most stories I’ve read do not meet this standard, unless they’re little children’s books. I’m very picky with romance, and I’m an odd person in that I’m not crazy about getting married myself, and so I want to see more people who aren’t interested in romance (or even just a story where romance isn’t included). So the rare times I see a character portrayed heroically who isn’t interested in romance or has no love interest (or a story that doesn’t have a smidgen of even hinted-at romance!) I’m usually ten times more likely to enjoy the book/like the character.

Sir Galahad of Arthurian fame is my go-to example for an excellent non-romantically inclined character. He focused on his God-given calling, never once had a romantic thought or inclination, nor a possible love interest, and was still great, heroic, and arguably the best and most skilled knight at Arthur’s court. The Grail Quest itself is an excellent story within the legends which also has no romance and is still excellent.

Specific Thing #2: Medieval Non-Magical Settings in Fantasy

I know I write fantasy, but I’m a strange fantasy writer. I don’t really like a ton of magic and complex magic systems. And I really dislike strange fantastical creatures. They’re just not my thing. I prefer human characters (even if they have special abilities) over strange-sounding entities. That being said, I therefore tend to find myself enjoying fantasy stories set in a fantastical world, but with no magic and populated with human (or humanoid) characters. Almost like historical fiction, but with the historical elements completely made up.

The Prisoner of Zenda by Anthony Hope, The False Prince by Jennifer Nielsen, and To Birmingham Castle by Alicia Willis, are some great examples of this.

Specific Thing #3: Hidden Identities

I love the hidden identities trope in fiction, especially when the reader and POV character knows, but the other characters do not, and the POV character cannot tell the other characters (or does, and they don’t believe him).

Some great examples of these are Sir Malcolm and the Missing Prince by Sidney Baldwin, Rising to the Challenge by Alicia Willis, and once again, The False Prince by Jennifer Nielsen (although here, the reader was also supposed to be surprised by the twist).

Specific Thing #4: Fantasy Inspired by Reality

I absolutely adore seeing scenes and settings inspired by historical events or places or even entire cultures! To me, it makes the world seem even more rich and full, while still grounded and easy to grasp as compared to some strange fantastical world with the sky beneath you, or something.

As much as I absolutely abhorred the romance in C. E. Laureano’s Oath of the Brotherhood, I really loved the Celtic inspiration and feel to it! The manga Spy x Family by Tatsuya Endo gives off strong Cold War vibes, which is such a perfect and yet unique setting for the story.

Specific Thing #5: Brotherly Duos

My absolute favorite character combo in any story or setting is brotherly duos. Maybe this is because I never had any sisters, and maybe because this is because I’m more tomboyish than girly-girl (I mean, I like medieval history and NASCAR for crying out loud). But I love stories when there are two brothers–and especially when they’re close, despite any misunderstandings.

Some great books with brotherly duos are Defy the Night by Brigid Kemmerer (the review of which I will hopefully be getting to in December!) and the manga series Snow White With the Red Hair (reviews to books One and Nine here!) These brotherly duos actually inspired my own brotherly duo in my romantasy Nothing as it Seems mentioned in my writing updates.

Specific Thing #6: Forced Marriage or Marriage of Convenience

If I have to pick a romantic trope I enjoy, it would have to be romance between married couples, especially when it’s a forced marriage or marriage of convenience that blossoms into a true romance.

The book Marcia Schuyler by Grace Livingston Hill is one of the best examples of this specific trope, and is a book I’d love to reread again someday! The Ramparts of Heaven by Gilbert Morris is another great example, although its (perfectly clean) romance content is slightly heavier than the average YA novel (seeing as it’s adult fiction). It was also one of my favorite Gilbert Morris novels.

Specific Thing #7: Well Developed Villains

Finally, and this one is a pretty broad bookish thing, but well-developed villains. I don’t mean villains that are rounded, but villains that you can see where they’re coming from or who you want to be redeemed. And double points if they are redeemed.

Ivanhoe by Sir Walter Scott was a nightmare for me to read through, but the saving grace of that novel was Rebecca (who was arguably the heroine) and Brian de Bois-Guilbert, who was (again, arguably) the villain. And Brian de Bois-Guilbert is one of the best, most complex villains ever. Like, this man kidnaps Rebecca–bad–but also is willing to shake off the racist views of his time, treat her as an equal, and actually marry her. Like in some aspects, this guy was more heroic than Ivanhoe, who didn’t kidnap any ladies, but treated Rebecca as “less than” just because she was a Jew.

Other books with well-developed villains include Marylu Tyndall’s The Reliance and The Restitution and once again, Anthony Hope’s The Prisoner of Zenda.

---

Now, onto the tags! I apologize if you’ve already been tagged for this, and feel free to not do this tag if you don’t want to!

Lucia @ Lucia, Fantasy Author

E.G. Bella @ E. G. Bella

Kayti, Rissy, and Jaidie @ Sisters Three

Cate @ Southern Scribblings

Jordyn @ Jordyn Hadden

And of course if you aren’t tagged and want to be, consider yourself tagged!

---

What are some tropes or specific things you enjoy in books? What about things you don‘t like in books? And have you read or do you want to read any of the books I mentioned? Let me know in the comments! ~ Kay Adelin