The Dim Sum Book Tag

The Dim Sum Book Tag is the brainchild of Joey at Thoughts and Afterthoughts and Jenna at Reading With Jenna. Dim sum is a style of Chinese cuisine whereby food is served in small (tapas-like) portions and is common during yum cha (which literally means: drinking tea). This tag is inspired by good company and good eats.

I was tagged by Reg at She Latitude. Thank you so much for the tag, it took me a little while to get around to completing this one but I was very excited to take part and I had a great time coming up with my answers.

Here are some rules to devour this tag:

• Thank the blogger who nominated you, linking back to their site.
• Devour dim sum and answer the tag questions.
• Tag five others to join your round table for some dim sum fun.
• Food coma.

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Tea:
A book that started off hot but quickly turned cold.

Penryn and the End of Days series by Susan Ee

I feel like I’m kind of cheating by picking a series instead of just one book for this. While I really enjoyed the whole trilogy, the first two books were brilliant, I felt that the third one let the series down a bit. The plot felt rushed in End of Days, the relationship between Raffe and Penryn progressed really quickly and there were parts of the story that felt too unbelievable.

It was like Susan Ee was trying to fit three books worth of character development, romance and plot into just one book and I found myself disappointed in the end to what had been a fantastic trilogy.

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Chiu Chow Dumpling:
A book that features elements of land and sea.

The Perilous Sea by Sherry Thomas

The second book in another of my favourite series The Perilous Sea is partly set in the Sahara desert; we follow Iolanthe and Titus as they travel through the desert together without their memories. The story also goes back to before and show us their lives in the run up to them waking up in the desert; where Titus watches as his cousin calls up a tidal wave to wipe out a ship pursuing him across the ocean.

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Rice Noodle Roll:
A favourite multilayered character you’ve read (i.e. Traits? Skills? Morally ambiguous?).

Ronan Lynch
The Dream Thieves by Maggie Stiefvater

Ronan is a sharp and dangerous character. We learnt very little about him in the first book, only the barest facts. He struggled after his father’s death and it turned from the cheery boy Gansey remembers to someone much more darker.

“Gansey had once told Adam that he was afraid most people didn’t know how to handle Ronan. What he meant by this was that he was worried that one day someone would fall on Ronan and cut themselves.”

In the second book we see a lot more from Ronan’s perspective. He has always had the ability to pluck things from his dreams; his raven, his car, even his nightmares, and it’s something he’s kept a secret from everyone close to him, even himself. Ronan is a troubled boy who enjoys destructive hobbies but he is also a devote Catholic; a firm believer in God and the devil. In spite of everything Ronan truly cares for his friends more than anyone else, seeing Gansey as more of a brother than his actual brother’s.

“He danced on the knife’s edge between awareness and sleep. When he dreamt like this, he was a king. The world was his to bend. His to burn.”

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Shrimp Dumpling:
A book with a transparent blurb that gives the story away.

These Broken Stars by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner

Don’t get me wrong I love this book, the whole of the series actually, but for These Broken Stars the blurb pretty much literally describes the whole story. For me what I loved about this book was the character development and the building of the relationship between Lilac and Tarver more than the journey they took.

Luxury spaceliner Icarus suddenly plummets from hyperspace into the nearest planet. Lilac LaRoux and Tarver Merendsen survive—alone. Lilac is the daughter of the richest man in the universe. Tarver comes from nothing, a cynical war hero. Both journey across the eerie deserted terrain for help. Everything changes when they uncover the truth.

The Starbound Trilogy: Three worlds. Three love stories. One enemy.

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Steamed BBQ Pork Buns:
A book that is fluffy on the outside but packs a punch of flavour (e.g. Message? Depth? Controversy?).

The Boy Most Likely To by Huntley Fitzpatrick

On one hand this book is a cute love story between Tim and Alice, secondary characters from My Life Next Door, but on the other it’s a story that deals with the aftermath of substance and alcohol addiction, money and debt issues, parenthood, and family.

Tim and Alice are both really strong characters, and the issues they face throughout The Boy Most Likely To are not trivialised or swept under the rug but faced head on.

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Chicken Feet:
A book with divided opinions.

Ruin and Rising by Leigh Bardugo

*Will contain spoilers for the Grisha trilogy*

I feel like the whole series is one people will either love or hate, but a lot of people were the most disappointed with the last book in the trilogy; Ruin and Rising. Personally I liked the way it ended, I felt it fit in with Alina’s character and her story arc over the trilogy. However I understand that there are a lot of people who wanted her to end up with the Darkling, and were really upset that he died, or with Nikolai, not Mal.

I didn’t like Mal in the second book, but I can’t deny he improved in the third and I feel he was the only one who loved Alina for who she was rather than what her power could do for him.

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Lotus-Wrapped Sticky Rice:
A book you’ve received/given that was nicely packaged.

I signed up for Owl Crate back in November and every month I get a young adult book based around a particular theme, January was Magic, and a few other bookish gifts. I always get really excited for my Owl Crate to arrive each month, it’s like opening a present each month and I’ve always loved what’s been inside each one.

For January I got a hardcover edition of Worlds of Ink and Shadow by Lena Coakley, which I read a few months back and really enjoyed, along with a Dumbledore Funko POP figure, a Patronus lip balm, and prints from Throne of Glass and The Raven Boys. Next month’s theme is Sci-Fi Love which I am very excited for.

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Egg Custard Tart:
A book that uses simple ingredients and clichés but executes it perfectly.

Cinder by Marissa Meyer

Cinder is a retelling of Cinderella and it features a lot of the same aspects of the original tale; a wicked step-mother and sisters, a girl who has been made into a servant in her own home, a prince and a grand ball. However Marissa Meyer takes the original fairytale and mixes in a terrifying Lunar queen and a lost Lunar princess, cyborgs and androids, and a deadly plague that is terrorizing the citizens of New Beijing.

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Mango Pudding with Evaporated Milk:
Any book recommendation and beverage/snack that’s a winning combination.

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern and Bakers Royale Carnival Cupcakes

I absolutely adore this book, and as it’s set primarily in a circus there are so many different foods that would fit perfectly; popcorn, candy floss, roasted chestnuts. There were so many yummy sounding foods that were mentioned in the book itself as well.

In the end I chose Carnival Cupcakes which I saw on a baking blog a while back; chocolate cupcakes with chocolate buttercream and ganache, topped with mini marshmallows and caramel popcorn. They look amazing and it is definitely something I can see being sold within Le Cirque des Rêves.

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Fried Sesame Balls:
A book cover with embossed text/design you just love to run your fingers over.

Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone Deluxe Illustrated Edition by J.K. Rowling

This is, without a doubt, the most expensive book I have ever brought and there were a few times when I asked myself what I was doing spending that much money on one book. But, when it arrived, I knew it was worth it. The Deluxe Illustrated Edition of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone is the most beautiful book I own and every so often I will pick it up and flick through some of the illustrations, look at the fold out map of Diagon Alley, or even just stare at the cover for a while.

An utterly enchanting feast of a book, this stunning collector’s edition of the full-colour illustrated Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone is a volume to treasure for a lifetime. Brimming with rich detail and humour, Jim Kay’s dazzling depiction of the wizarding world and much loved characters will captivate fans and new readers alike. In oil, pastel, pencil, watercolour, pixels and a myriad of other techniques, Jim Kay has created over 115 astonishing illustrations; there really is magic on every page. 

This beautiful, deluxe slipcase collector’s edition of J.K. Rowling’s timeless classic features an opulent page size and an exclusive pull-out double gatefold of Diagon Alley; intricate foiled line art by Jim Kay on the real cloth cover and slipcase; gilt edges on premium grade paper; head and tail bands and two ribbon markers—the ultimate must-have edition for any fan, collector or bibliophile.

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Dim Sum Steam Cart:
The type of carrying bag you use to bring books around.

I tend to not actually carry my books around in my bag. Things tend to get pretty beat up in there and I worry about ripping pages or covers, so all my books stay on my bookshelf and I carry my Kindle or iPad around to read. They both have covers so I don’t have to worry about the screens getting scratched, though the covers do get pretty beat up themselves.

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My Tags:

1. Addilyn at AddilynOfHufflepuff
2. Cat at The Book Finch
3. Gracie at GracieFM
4. Parneet at The Enchanted Book
5. Stephanie at Adventures of a Bibliophile

And anyone else who wants to take part! Send me a link in the comments if you do take part, I’d love to see what others put as their answers for this tag.