Geeky Friday: Avengers Book Tag

No 5 Fandom Friday post for me today, since the topic is "Five things you own that you bought at cons" and I've never been to one! Instead, I'm going to keep it geeky with a Marvel-related book tag! Kristin Hackett created the Avengers book tag and I discovered it through My Life as a Teacup. I've included links to my original reviews for each book as well as some of my favorite passages (from the ones I read on my Kindle).

1) Iron Man / Tony Stark - A book that made you laugh out loud

Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? by Mindy Kaling: Probably the funniest book I've read as an adult - Mindy is oddly relatable to me and I wanted her to be my BFF while reading her first book. I loved the conversational tone.

"I have virtually no hobbies except dieting. I can't speak any non-English languages, knit, ski, scrapbook, or cook. I have no pets. I don't know how to do drugs. I lost my passport three years ago when I moved into my house and never got it renewed. Video games scare me because they all seem to simulate situations I'd hate to be in, like war or stealing cars. So if I ever lost eright I would also lose my only hobby. I have no discipline; I'm like if Private Benjamin had never toughened up but, in fact, got worse..." (p. 22)

2) Captain America / Steve Rogers - A book that sends a positive message

A Year of Biblical Womanhood by Rachel Held Evans: Rachel is one of my favorite Christian bloggers and I loved reading about her "experiment" in which she decided to follow the Bible's weird dictates for women by focusing on one Biblical virtue each month for a year. Along the way, the book's true theme develops: there is no one "correct" way to be a woman who follows Jesus.

"And so we codify. We legislate. We pull little girls to the front of the class and slap rulers against their bare legs and try to measure modesty in inches... We cling to the letter because the spirit is so much harder to master... It's not what we wear but how we wear it. And like clothing, modesty fits each woman a little differently." (p.148)

3) Black Widow / Natasha Romanov - A book with a kick butt female protagonist

Graceling by Kristin Cashore: I just finished this one and Katsa is one of my all-time favorite main characters! She's tough and fiercely independent, but also has a vulnerable, gentle side which I think makes her even more interesting. I also love that this YA book features a romantic relationship that operates on terms set by the female partner.

4) Hawkeye / Clint Barton - An underrated book you wish more people would pay attention to

Half Bad by Sally Green: I downloaded this book almost immediately after reading Charlie Jane Anders' review on io9, and it did not disappoint. Sally Green creates a wizarding world that is darker than Harry Potter - the main character, Nathan, starts the story not in a cupboard but in a cage, and his father is the world's darkest wizard. The "good" wizards are too caught up in bureaucracy and rules to actually be benevolent to a child who could potentially grow up to be very dangerous. This one should be right up there with The Hunger Games and The Maze Runner when people talk about young adult books.

5) Hulk / Bruce Banner - A book that made you incredibly angry

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn: First of all, I felt like a big sucker because I did not see any of the twists coming. Second, I found that as the ending of the book approached, I could not sympathize with any of the characters, and for me, that meant I didn't care how it ended by that point. I definitely think the book was well written, it just wasn't for me.

"Maybe it was the clue I couldn't figure out, but I suddenly felt like I'd overlooked something. I'd made some huge mistake, and my error would be disastrous. Maybe it was my conscience, scratching back to the surface from its secret oubliette." (p. 144)

6) Thor - A book with a character whose strength you admired

Wild by Cheryl Strayed: My favorite memoir. Cheryl's ability to pick herself up from rock bottom by pushing herself to her physical and mental limit on the Pacific Coast Trail is absolutely inspiring.

"In my perception, the world wasn't a graph or formula or an equation. It was a story."

7) BONUS: Loki - A book with a twist or surprise that tricked you 

Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier: Going into this one all I knew was that it's one of my mom's favorites and she had described it as similar to Jane Eyre, my personal favorite. Manderley estate definitely felt like a real place to me and the crumbling Victorian atmosphere added to the novel's suspense for me. The main character, young Mrs. de Winter, spends so much time trying to distinguish herself from the perfect, poised Rebecca, her husband's first wife, that the idea that Rebecca wasn't an absolute saint never crossed my mind.

Which books would you choose for each Avenger? If you choose to write a post (or make a vlog!) for this tag, please share your link in the comments. I'm tagging Shoshanah and Micah (Micah, I'm not sure if you've seen Avengers but I know you've read enough books to answer these questions!)