Okay- on to the tag. One thing to note- I used some of the same topics that Shannon did, but I added some of my own as well. Also, feel free to do this as well. Just keep in mind that my picks are different in case you want to follow her lead more closely. And see Smashing magazine here for the free to use Olympic icons!
OPENING CEREMONY
A Book You Loved From The First Page
This book hooked me from the get- go with a school trivia night gone awry. Everything's going to pot and a neighbor of the school hears parents yelling and all chaos breaking loose. It only gets better from there especially when a reporter begins interviewing the different parents. Let's just say the responses are interesting!
CYCLING
Favorite Road Trip Book
This was sort of a road trip book- after a party is busted by the cops four kids go on the run and end up in a stolen car. They take off and it's supposed to have a Breakfast Club vibe as they all get to know each other on the run. Not a bad book.
Triathlon
A Book With A Good Love Triangle
I usually hate love triangles but here it kinda worked due to the nature of the situation- two girls move into a neighborhood and one of them falls for a guy, and that sparks jealousy from one of the girls already living there.
Runner Up: The Slated series by Teri Terry had a pretty good love triangle too.
BEACH VOLLEYBALL
Book Set In The Summer
I don't even know if this book is set in the summer, but it feels like a summer book, you know? And a good book too- I enjoyed it a lot. Set on a family vineyard in Napa it's all about wine and relationships and choices- good stuff.
ARCHERY
Books With, Um, Archery
This seemed like a good fit. One thing I really liked about the HG is the idea that tributes would split into teams, make alliances, to survive- and then eventually have to turn on each other. I liked the team they formed in Catching Fire- the idea of teams based on different skills really appeals to me.
FENCING
Books With Lots of Fighting
This one is kind of a no brainer- the Game of Thrones books are notorious for their body count.
GYMNASTICS
A Book With A Lot Of Plot Twists
I just read this recently and loved it- the tense, claustrophobic vibe on board ship, the slightly messed up narrator and the premise in general. And is that a great cover or what?
SWIMMING
Books That Involve Swimming
I couldn't pick just one for this topic. The Deep End is about swimming insomuch as Ellison finds a dead body in the pool during a swim. And Tides is about selkies. And I even have a runner up- swimming is popular after all.
GOLF
A Slow Paced Book
I almost gave up on this- it really bogged down for me in the middle. I made myself finish it but the whole thing was just kinda meh. I am looking forward to the movie version though.
EQUESTRIAN
A Book Featuring Animal(s)
ROWING
Books Set In A Boat
There's a scene in this book where Georgianna tries to escape through a sea cave and has to try to make it through rough seas- it's pretty atmospheric with the cave and the small boat and the raging storm. I thought of it right away for this one.
SAILING
Books Involving Sailing
Have you ever watched Olympic sailing? I have no idea what's going on but this book came to mind. Although it's yacht and not a sailboat, but close enough.
DIVING
Books Featuring Diving
Another book that came to mind- it starts off with high school kids jumping off a cliff into water as part of a game called Panic.
A Book With A Great Friendship or Relationship
I liked the friendship between Cath and Regan. And Cath and Levi had a great relationship too.
So that's it for me. What's your favorite Olympic sport?
Hi Greg! This is stunning!! Really love the theme and your choices as well. Will see if maybe I can get to it. Not today though - serious case of nose stuck in a book again....
ReplyDeleteHa ha you should do it! It's fun... although the original idea was Shannon's at It starts At Midnight. I tweaked it a bit.
DeleteI've just posted mine!
DeleteThis is a really cool idea! I like your book choices for each one too. I am going to be reading Eight Hundred Grapes this month for book club. Glad you liked it so much and hopefully my book group will find lots to discuss.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite Olympic sports to watch are gymnastics and swimming. I also try to watch some of the track events too. Of course now I can't watch at all since it is only available to people with cable in my area.
Thank you! I hope you enjoy Eight Hundred grapes- I liked it a lot.
DeleteIsn't that a shame about the Olympics? I think something like that should be available to all, it shouldn't be about profit, but I won't get started on my soapbox. I've had trouble too since i don't have cable, I've tried watching online but it's a no go without a cable sub. Sigh.
This is a great Idea! I think I am going to do it!
ReplyDeleteI love this!
Have you read Oh.My.Gods. by Tera Lynn Childs? I thought of it with this post because the girl is a descendat of the Goddess Nike (sp?) and she moves to some island back in Greece and she has always been doing track. It a very good book, perfect for summer reading.
I hope you do it, a fun tag! i haven't read that one! I will look it up though, it sounds neat and a perfect time- with the Olympics on!
DeleteA fabulous post Greg. Favorite sport for the Olympics...swimming. Go USA!
ReplyDeletesherry @ fundinmental
Thank you. And yeah I love swimming. did you see Ledecky demolish her own record? That was awesome...
DeleteWhat a fun tag! I'm not sure which ones I'd pick for a lot of these but Big Little Lies, The Blue, and The School for Unusual Girls are all on my TBR and of course I can't wait to read The Woman in Cabin 10. I like the swimming and gymnastics best probably but anything track related is right up there as well.
ReplyDeleteI wasn't sure either, I kinda went with the first one that came to my mind for a lot of these. I love the swimming, so fun to watch.
DeleteWhat a fun meme! I love your choices for the categories, Greg. Several I want to read and a few I have enjoyed. :-) I think Hunger Games would have made my list for archery too.
ReplyDeleteThank you! Hunger Games seemed such a natural for archery. :)
DeleteI haven't read that many of these. The Hunger Games, of course, as well as Fangirl and The School for Unusual Girls. Georgianna's escape attempt was kind of surreal... I'm not sure why, it just had a strange element to it...
ReplyDeleteI wasn't sure if I would Unusual Girls but I did in the end. I did think that scene was very atmospheric, with the cave and the skeleton and the storm- I remember thinking it was going to be more of a chilling story but then it turned out kinda different. So I think I know what you mean.
DeleteI'm planning on doing this tag too! :)
ReplyDeleteCan't wait to see yours!
DeleteThis is such a fun tag and am doing it later this week too!!! I loved Big Little Lies too and it grabbed me from the very beginning. Fangirl is such a great book and great pick for great relationship/friendship. I can't wait to read The Woman in Cabin 10!!
ReplyDeleteCan't wait to see yours. It was fun to do. BLL was such a grabber from the get- go- can't sing its praises enough.
DeleteWhat a fun and creative tag! ASoIaF definitely deserves the gold for Fencing, LOL. I'll have to check out The Girls in the Garden; it's rare to find a book where the love triangle actually works!
ReplyDeleteI thought ASoIaF fit that one pretty well. :) And Girls in the Garden was quite good.
DeleteI should totally do this tag, I love the Olympics. I get very intensely patriotic during the Games. My favorite sports to watch are swimming and the women's gymnastics. I continue to eye Panic as a title I'd like to pick up in the future.
ReplyDeleteIt was very fun. And I hear you on the Olympics- I love the Games and watch as much as I can. Swimming is so fun. And I liked Panic!
DeleteWhat an awesome tag!!! I've gotten really interested in the Olympics the past few times it's come around. Before I really only liked Gymnastics and Figure Skating (those are still my faves) though. I love your picks for these! :D
ReplyDeleteI;m really into the Olympics. Always liked it as a kid but as an adult I'm probably even more into it now. I've become a huge fan of the water stuff (swimming, diving, rowing) for some reason.
DeleteAwesome list and great idea for the Olympics!! I don't even know if I could do this in a week! So much work *glove clap*
ReplyDeleteMy favorite Olympic sports are swimming, tennis, fencing, and archery. It could change next week, though. There are so many! And I have no clue what's going on in sailing, either.
Thanks, it was shannon's idea over at It Starts AT Midnight though. Being an Olympics geek I knew I had to do it when I saw it. :) I love the swimming, and archery is awesome too. I wish I could catch more of it.
DeleteOlympic sailing- shakes head.
A school trivia night gone awry. I feel like, how awry can a school trivia night go? Lol so that has me curious.
ReplyDeleteThat Slated series has nice covers and looks interesting. Plus I like love triangles, so I'm gonna have to look that up.
"Books With, Um, Archery" Lol. But gah, books set on boats, no thanks. I hate being on boats, and being out in raging storm would be like my worst nightmare!
As for the Olympics, I've been watching the gymnastics and some of the synchronized diving and a tiny bit of swimming :-)
Yeah doesn't sound like much could go wrong, does it? You'd be surprised though. lol with these parents. The Slated series were early reviews for me on the blog, I should update them. They're dystopian and set in England which I liked, but they're YA if that's not your thing.
DeleteI love boating but not during a storm! I was out on a boat as a teen when a storm came in and rain pouring down and lightning starting up- no fun. Couldn't get in fast enough!
Hope you're enjoying the Olympics- I've been watching a ton (mostly swimming but some volleyball too) but it's hard to see rowing, they're not showing it much. :(
I do read YA, just maybe not quite as often as I read adult books.
DeleteI've been on boats during storms too as a teen---scary stuff. Especially since I hate boating period lol.
Fun tag! I'd like to read one of Lauren Oliver's books though I don't know which one (I do own a couple of hers if I'm not mistaken). Tides looks interesting and yay for THG s the archery pick. Is there any better novel!? :)
ReplyDeleteI love this tag! There are so many good recs here and I REALLY am enjoying the covers for Tides and Panic!
ReplyDeleteThis is a seriously cool tag, Greg! And I love the books you picked for the various sports, too :)
ReplyDeleteLexxie @ (un)Conventional Bookviews
This is a GREAT tag^^ what fun! I love what you said about Hunger Games, I especially liked the setup in Catching Fire too - that one was my favorite of the trilogy! I agree about Fangirl too...both for Cat and Regan and for Cath and Levi :D
ReplyDeleteI want to do this tag! Great picks, Greg.
ReplyDeleteYou should, it's a fun one. :)
DeleteAw YAY I am so glad you decided to do this- and I LOVE the categories you added! Especially the boat one- man, I have SO MANY I could have chosen from, that was good thinking! And true story, I considered an archery one, but then I realized that I needed to be stopped with The Hunger Games so I am glad you did it instead ;)
ReplyDeleteI am now VERY intrigued by the Slated series! I found the first book used somewhere so I have it, and now I really want to read it! Glad I never bothered with Girl on a Train, but I DO feel like it could make a decent movie based on the synopsis, so I will stick with that! The Woman in Cabin 10 sounds like a book I need to read (and scare myself with)! I once thought I was locked in a cabin, but I was actually just 10 and stupid 😂
My favorite sport, of course, is swimming! Both to do and watch- but I must say, watching it in the Olympics makes me so sad- it's kind of hard to watch, honestly! Love the way you did this!
Thanks! I'm glad you came up with it- it's a great tag and nice seeing so many people doing it. One of the more fun ones I've seen. And archery- I couldn't resist lol.
DeleteI think you'd like The Woman in Cabin 10. It's not the best book ever but I did like the mystery. Slated is not bad- it's a nice dystopian set in England, but it's more a surveillance state which gives it a creepier feel. And Girl on the Train- I don't know, it kinda bored me, but I will see the movie!
Nice list Greg. I love how you expanded it to add your own questions. Great idea. That might inspire me to do a part two to my Olympics tag haha.
ReplyDeleteAs for me I have been watching a lot of swimming and beach volleyball as well. In past Olympics I've also enjoyed watching fencing, but have yet to watch any yet.
Thank you! I expanded it since I had more books than available categories. :) I like the beach volleyball too.
DeleteIn the Summer Olympics I like to watch gymnastics, diving, equestrian, fencing, and soccer; although I haven't watched any soccer because I usually watch it with my son, and he hasn't been home much. I might end up watching the finals by myself. Every time you talk about The School For Extraordinary Girls I want to read it even more. Great tag and great choices. I might do this tag, too. :)
ReplyDeleteI hope you do ! It's a fun tag. I like the swimming, diving and rowing but equestrian is nice too (haven't seen enough) and I'll be watching track and field too. Mainly the sprints and hurdles. And you should read it- it's fun.
Delete