The Wanderlust Book tag

Hello bookworms!! Welcome to today’s post: the The Wanderlust Book tag. Yes, I am still attempting to chase down and tick off my 50+* outstanding tags. Advice: don’t ever let it get this bad!!

Almost exactly two years ago (I am 14 days short), our favourite Discworld Librarian, The Orangutan Librarian, tagged me to do The Wanderlust Book tag. And I wandered a little too far off the beaten path, but I’m back now. And you know, it’s never too late for these sorts of things… right?!

*Official count is actually 49. Just a slight exaggeration.

the wanderlust book tag

Rules:

• Mention the creator of the tag and link back to original post (Alexandra @ Reading by Starlight 👋)
• Thank the blogger who tagged you
• Answer the 10 questions below using any genre
• Tag 5+ friends

Secrets and lies: a book set in a sleepy small town

A sleepy small town… I feel like sleepy small towns are where murder/thrillers take place. Also maybe character-driven contemporary novels. Or literary fiction mysteries.

So, we’re going with Sweet and Deadly by Charlaine Harris, which is set (from memory) in a town so sleepy there are tumbleweeds. And a local sheriff. Or something. Look, it has been A WHILE since I’ve read this one.

Also, now that I’ve reread the blurb, I can confirm it’s definitely about secrets and lies in some sleepy Mississippi town. And murder. Can’t forget the murder.

Salt and sand: a book with a beach-side community

Well, if Beach Read by Emily Henry doesn’t fit this prompt, then I’m not sure what will. There is a beach. And there are locals living at the beach. And they have formed a community. Tick and tick.

There is even a background story about them having ties to the beach community. Everything is linked together!

Am I feeling smug right now? You bet I am.

Here there be dragons: a book with a voyage on the high seas

*screams dramatically* Oh look, an opportunity to talk about an amazing book that I read last year. How coincidental!

I would like to introduce to you, Ilahara: The Last Myrassar by C. M. Karys. The majority of this book not only takes place ON the high seas. The storyline is also about a voyage (that will then extend on land). PLUS, it has DRAGONS.

What else do you need in a fantasy book??

Tread lightly: a book set down a murky river or a jungle

A murky river or jungle. Ok, I may have gotten a bit too smug earlier on. Just putting it out there. I could list some swamp books, that’s probably not the same…

I’m picking a book mid-way through a series. In Magic Study (The Chronicles of Ixia #2) by Maria V. Snyder, Yelena travels to a village that is located in the middle of a jungle.

Look, it’s not a perfect fit. The whole book isn’t set in the jungle, but there is a decent chunk.

Frozen wastes: a book with a frost bitten atmosphere

The first book that comes to mind is a book set in Alaska. But like, not in a city or town. It’s like out in the middle of an Alaskan frozen tundra or something. Does Alaska have tundras? What even is a tundra?

It’s a bit of an unusual one. I certainly didn’t see it coming when I started the series. But here we are. Crave by Tracy Wolff is set at some giant castle with super high walls. In the middle of Alaska. There are bears and … whatever else is in Alaska. But that’s not the scariest thing there by a long shot.

The boonies: a book with rough or isolated terrain

Is there anything more isolated than a House at the End of the World? Probably not. Especially considering once you enter, the talking cat living there makes all the entrances disappear. The only upside seems to be that you can spend a couple hundred years there (time doesn’t affect you) reading through the giant library. Plus, talking cat for company.

If you are looking for this house, try The Redemption of Althalus by David and Leigh Eddings. And if you’re looking for cat, I hear she answers to Emmy.

Hinterlands and cowboys: a book with a western-esque setting

Here’s the deal, I do not read Westerns. I’m not even sure I would know a western-style book if it hit me in the face. But Hinterlands is something different, as far as I am aware. It’s just like… a remote area in the country. Right??

Because if the answer is yes, then gosh darn do I have the book for you. I mean, it’s fantasy. But… it’s all in the name, right? Right!

Tales from the Hinterland by Melissa Albert kind of says it all.

Look lively: a book set across sweeping desert sands

Nothing more desert-based than living underground in a desert. With the sun baking the sand at ground level so hot at midday that it literally melts people.

Ok, so it might be a bit dramatic, but that’s what happens when you end up in a dystopian world that has very little water. We all end up living underground in a desert.

It’s the world according to The Eyes of Tamburah by Maria V. Snyder.

Wild and untamed: a book set the heart of the woods

The worst part of this prompt is pinking from the HUNDREDS of fairytale-type books that I could use for a woods setting. Because, I could pick 20 off the tip of my tongue. But, we’re going for a favourite.

The Darkest Part of the Forest by Holly Black is all about a glass coffin in the middle of the woods where a fae prince has slept for as long as people can remember. Until one day when the local teens arrive, and he the coffin is empty.

Wildest dreams: a whimsical book shrouded in magic

Ahhhh, one of my most favourite magical worlds ever. The Free Republic of Nevermoor is the most WHIMSICAL city. And luckily for us, it is completely shrouded in magic. Most people think it doesn’t exist, and you have to pass through a magical barrier to arrive.

Nevermoor, is of course found in Nevermoor: The Trials of Morrigan Crow by Jessica Townsend. And if you only read one book on this magical journey list, then start with this. You will not be disappointed.

Tagging

You. Yes, you. Reading this blog post. I’m quite serious.

Also, I can’t think of anyone who I haven’t tagged on things lately. I used to keep a spreadsheet on this sort of thing… I wonder what happened to it… 🤔

But, if you haven’t done this tag before, it’s actually quite fun.
In a “I-don’t-know-locations-of-stories-that-I’ve-read”-pull-your-hair-out kind of way.

Questions