TAG: Bookshelf Scavenger Hunt

I found this on Youtube and I envied the booktubers! I said to myself, "I WANT TO DO THIS TOO!" For a brief second, I allowed myself to wimp like a kid. 

And here is the result!

Before anything else, I want to credit the creator of this tag! Click here to watch the original video from The Library of Sarah on Youtube!

And if you ever stumble across my humble blog, and get the urge to do one yourself, then please do so! Don't forget to inform me, so I'd be the first one to check it out! 

Anyway, here are the categories:

• Find an author's name or title with the letter Z in it

• Find a classic

• Find a book with a key on it

• Find something on your bookshelf that's not a book

• Find the oldest book on your shelf

• Find a book with a girl on the cover

• Find a book that has an animal in it

• Find a book with a male protagonist

• Find a book with only words on it

• Find a book with illustrations in it

• Find a book with gold lettering 

• Find a diary (true or fictional)

• Find a book written by someone with a common name (like Smith)

• Find a book that has a closeup of something on it

• Find a book on your shelf that takes place in the earliest time period

• Find a hardcover book without a jacket

• Find a teal/turquoise colored book

• Find a book with stars on it

• Find a non-YA book

Let me first give you an overview, because it seems appropriate that way...

Now that we have the overview, let's discuss it one by one!

Find an author's name or title with the letter Z in it

Description: The narrator of The Zahir is a bestselling novelist who lives in Paris and enjoys all the privileges money and celebrity bring. His wife of ten years, Esther, is a war correspondent who has disappeared along with a friend, Mikhail, who may or may not be her lover.

Was Esther kidnapped, murdered, or did she simply escape a marriage that left her unfulfilled? The narrator doesn't have any answers, but he has plenty of questions of his own. Then one day Mikhail finds the narrator and promises to reunite him with his wife. In his attempt to recapture a lost love, the narrator discovers something unexpected about himself.

Rating: N/A

Status: UNREAD

Comment: Yes, it's in its perfect condition because I haven't read this one out yet. Christmases ago, I received a Paulo Coelho book set for a gift, and it was heaven! Admittedly, I haven't read all of them yet. That's one problem I really need to work out - stacking books on my to-be-read pile.

Find a classic

Description: After eighteen years as a political prisoner in the Bastille, the ageing Doctor Manette is finally released and reunited with his daughter in England. There the lives of two very different men, Charles Darnay, an exiled French aristocrat, and Sydney Carton, a disreputable but brilliant English lawyer, become enmeshed through their love for Lucie Manette. From the tranquil roads of London, they are drawn against their will to the vengeful, bloodstained streets of Paris at the height of the Reign of Terror, and they soon fall under the lethal shadow of La Guillotine.

This edition uses the text as it appeared in its serial publication in 1859 to convey the full scope of Dickens's vision, and includes the original illustrations by H. K. Browne ('Phiz'). Richard Maxwell's introduction discusses the intricate interweaving of epic drama with personal tragedy.

Rating: N/A

Status: UNREAD

Comment: I'm off to a bad start here, lol Anyway, the only reason I bought this is because it was mentioned too many times in Cassandra Clare's Infernal Devices Trilogy. Curiosity got the best of me. But don't worry, I will be reading this. Eventually.

Find a book with a key on it

Note: Unfortunately, I can't find any books of mine that has a key on it.

Find something on your bookshelf that's not a book

I am a huge fan of dragons, and this one just happens to sit right next to my High Fantasy books! 

Find the oldest book on your shelf

Description: Edith Hamilton's Mythology succeeds like no other book in bringing to life for the modern reader the Greek, Roman, and Norse myths that are the keystone of Western culture--the stories of gods and heroes that have inspired human creativity from antiquity to the present. We meet the Greek gods on Olympus and Norse gods in Valhalla. We follow the drama of the Trojan War and the wanderings of Odysseus. We hear the tales of Jason and the Golden Fleece, Cupid and Psyche, and mighty King Midas. We discover the origins of the names of the constellations. And we recognize reference points for countless works of art, literature, and cultural inquiry--from Freud's Oedipus complex to Wagner's Ring Cycle of operas to Eugene O'Neill's Mourning Becomes Electra. Praised throughout the world for its authority and lucidity, Mythology is Edith Hamilton's masterpiece--the standard by which all other books on mythology are measured.

Rating: N/A

Status: Half-read

Comment: I wasn't sure of this category, whether it meant being the OLDEST book on my shelf, or the oldest in terms of PUBLICATION. So, I went for the physical aspect, and went for the oldest looking book on my shelf, which is my Mom's copy of Mythology. I read a couple pages of this book in high school, but I'm not comfortable rating it being half-read.

Find a book with a girl on the cover

Description: For thirty-five girls, the Selection is the chance of a lifetime. The opportunity to escape the life laid out for them since birth. To be swept up in a world of glittering gowns and priceless jewels. To live in a palace and compete for the heart of gorgeous Prince Maxon.

But for America Singer, being Selected is a nightmare. It means turning her back on her secret love with Aspen, who is a caste below her. Leaving her home to enter a fierce competition for a crown she doesn't want. Living in a palace that is constantly threatened by violent rebel attacks.

Then America meets Prince Maxon. Gradually, she starts to question all the plans she's made for herself—and realizes that the life she's always dreamed of may not compare to a future she never imagined.

Rating: 5/5

Status: Read

Comment: This is way too easy to find.

Find a book that has an animal in it

Description: While on a camping trip, Ted Kerasote met a dog—a Labrador mix—who was living on his own in the wild. They became attached to each other, and Kerasote decided to name the dog Merle and bring him home. There, he realized that Merle’s native intelligence would be diminished by living exclusively in the human world. He put a dog door in his house so Merle could live both outside and in.A deeply touching portrait of a remarkable dog and his relationship with the author, Merle’s Door explores the issues that all animals and their human companions face as their lives intertwine, bringing to bear the latest research into animal consciousness and behavior as well as insights into the origins and evolution of the human-dog partnership. Merle showed Kerasote how dogs might live if they were allowed to make more of their own decisions, and Kerasote suggests how these lessons can be applied universally.

Rating: N/A

Status: UNREAD

Comment: Some books are meant to fill gaps on your bookshelf. And this is one of those books. It was interesting enough for me to buy, but not enough for me to read.

Find a book with a male protagonist

Description: Benson Fisher thought that a scholarship to Maxfield Academy would be the ticket out of his dead-end life.

He was wrong.

Now he’s trapped in a school that’s surrounded by a razor-wire fence. A school where video cameras monitor his every move. Where there are no adults. Where the kids have split into groups in order to survive.

Where breaking the rules equals death.

But when Benson stumbles upon the school’s real secret, he realizes that playing by the rules could spell a fate worse than death, and that escape—his only real hope for survival—may be impossible.

Rating: 4/5

Status: READ

Find a book with only words on it

Description: The 101 Rules You Need to Know*but no one has ever told youYou already have a million writing books. You know the principles, the lectures, the "expert" techniques. And you've discovered that sometimes tried-and-true just equals tired."In Robert's Rules of Writing," successful author Robert Masello stomps out status quo writing advice and delivers 101 uninhibited techniques to improve your writing that include: Burn your journal (See rule 1)Strip down to your briefs (See rule 38)Spend time gossiping (See rule 61)Buy the smoking jacket (See rule 56)Skip the Starbucks (See rule 7)De-claim! De-claim! (See rule 63)

Whether you're a fiction writer, freelancer, memoirist, or screenwriter, "Robert's Rules of Writing" gives you the unorthodox advice to transform your writing life and get published!

Rating: 5/5

Status: READ

Comment: Closest I can find in this category, if not for those strips of paper... ugh.

Find a book with illustrations in it

Description: This is one spooky spotlight Nancy and her friends are on a fun-filled trip to the coast of Maine. But when they find out that the historic town lighthouse might be haunted, the girls are spooked And when they find mysterious clues that seem to lead them on a treasure hunt, Nancy knows she has a mystery on her hands. Who wrote the clues? And where could they lead? Maybe this lighthouse really is haunted like everyone thinks. One thing's for sure -- it's up to Nancy to shed some light on this case before they are all left in the dark

Rating: N/A

Status: Read

Find a book with gold lettering 

Description: What was once the western United States is now home to the Republic, a nation perpetually at war with its neighbors. Born into an elite family in one of the Republic’s wealthiest districts, fifteen-year-old June is a prodigy being groomed for success in the Republic’s highest military circles. Born into the slums, fifteen-year-old Day is the country’s most wanted criminal. But his motives may not be as malicious as they seem.

From very different worlds, June and Day have no reason to cross paths—until the day June’s brother, Metias, is murdered and Day becomes the prime suspect. Caught in the ultimate game of cat and mouse, Day is in a race for his family’s survival, while June seeks to avenge Metias’s death. But in a shocking turn of events, the two uncover the truth of what has really brought them together, and the sinister lengths their country will go to keep its secrets.

Rating: 5/5

Status: READ

Find a diary (true or fictional)

It's Ellie's first day at the Royal Ballet School and she's feeling nervous and homesick. What if the other students don't like her? What if she's not as good as everyone else? But eventually Ellie begins to settle in at her new school, making new friends and learning the routines in her dance classes. Before long, Ellie befriends Lara. But Lara, who comes from a big family in Scotland, is struggling with a huge case of homesickness. Will Ellie be able to convince Lara to take a leap of faith and remain at the Royal Ballet School?

Rating: N/A

Status: Half-read

Find a book written by someone with a common name (like Smith)

Katniss, 16, takes her sister's place in the televised annual Hunger Games, competing against Peeta, the boy who gave them bread to survive after their father died. The cruel Capitol forces each of 12 districts to submit a boy and girl 12-18, to fight to the death. Only one can survive and be rewarded. President Snow manipulates behind the scenes.

Rating: 5/5

Status: READ

Comment: Suzanne is pretty common right? Same as Collins? *coughs LILY COLLINS *coughs

Find a book that has a closeup of something on it

Quentin Jacobsen has spent a lifetime loving the magnificently adventurous Margo Roth Spiegelman from afar. So when she cracks open a window and climbs back into his life - dressed like a ninja and summoning him for an ingenious campaign of revenge - he follows. After their all-nighter ends and a new day breaks, Q arrives at school to discover that Margo, always an enigma, has now become a mystery. But Q soon learns that there are clues - and they're for him. Urged down a disconnected path, the closer Q gets, the less Q sees the girl he thought he knew. 

Rating: N/A

Status: Discontinued Reading

Comment: Yes, there's a closeup of a push pin.

Find a book on your shelf that takes place in the earliest time period

In a time when Shadowhunters are barely winning the fight against the forces of darkness, one battle will change the course of history forever. Welcome to the Infernal Devices trilogy, a stunning and dangerous prequel to the New York Times bestselling Mortal Instruments series.

The year is 1878. Tessa Gray descends into London’s dark supernatural underworld in search of her missing brother. She soon discovers that her only allies are the demon-slaying Shadowhunters—including Will and Jem, the mysterious boys she is attracted to. Soon they find themselves up against the Pandemonium Club, a secret organization of vampires, demons, warlocks, and humans. Equipped with a magical army of unstoppable clockwork creatures, the Club is out to rule the British Empire, and only Tessa and her allies can stop them....

Rating: 5/5

Status: READ

Comment: It may not be the oldest time period in my shelf, but it's the first book that popped into my head. Hey, it's 1878!

Find a hardcover book without a jacket

Zoey needs a break after some serious excitement. Sadly, the House of Night school for vampyres doesn’t feature breaks on its curriculum—even for a High Priestess in training and her gang. Plus juggling three guys is no stress reliever, especially when one is a sexy Warrior so into protecting Zoey that he’s sensing her emotions. Wider stresses lurk too, and the dark force in Tulsa’s tunnels is spreading. Could Stevie Rae be responsible for more than a group of misfit fledglings? And Aphrodite’s visions warn Zoey to stay away from the immortal Kalona and his dark allure—but they also show that only Zoey can stop him. She’s not exactly keen to meet up, but if Zoey doesn’t go to Kalona he’ll exact a fiery vengeance on those closest to her. She just has to find the courage to do what’s necessary, or everything that’s important to her will be destroyed.

Rating: N/A

Status: UNREAD

Comment: Don't worry, it came with a dust jacket. But I taped in on my wall once, and when I reorganized my wall of posters/drawings/pictures/etc, I lost it. I may have thrown it out... pity. And the reason why I haven't read this one is because when I bought it, I thought it was the first book. I was wrong... obviously...

Find a teal/turquoise colored book

Just when seventeen-year-old Cullen Witter thinks he understands everything about his small and painfully dull Arkansas town, it all disappears. . . .

In the summer before Cullen's senior year, a nominally-depressed birdwatcher named John Barling thinks he spots a species of woodpecker thought to be extinct since the 1940s in Lily, Arkansas. His rediscovery of the so-called Lazarus Woodpecker sparks a flurry of press and woodpecker-mania. Soon all the kids are getting woodpecker haircuts and everyone's eating "Lazarus burgers." But as absurd as the town's carnival atmosphere has become, nothing is more startling than the realization that Cullen’s sensitive, gifted fifteen-year-old brother Gabriel has suddenly and inexplicably disappeared.

While Cullen navigates his way through a summer of finding and losing love, holding his fragile family together, and muddling his way into adulthood, a young missionary in Africa, who has lost his faith, is searching for any semblance of meaning wherever he can find it. As distant as the two stories seem at the start, they are thoughtfully woven ever closer together and through masterful plotting, brought face to face in a surprising and harrowing climax.

Complex but truly extraordinary, tinged with melancholy and regret, comedy and absurdity, this novel finds wonder in the ordinary and emerges as ultimately hopeful. It's about a lot more than what Cullen calls, “that damn bird.” It’s about the dream of second chances.

Rating: N/A

Status: Currently Reading as of September 22, 2013

Find a book with stars on it

After the 1st wave, only darkness remains. After the 2nd, only the lucky escape. And after the 3rd, only the unlucky survive. After the 4th wave, only one rule applies: trust no one.

Now, it’s the dawn of the 5th wave, and on a lonely stretch of highway, Cassie runs from Them. The beings who only look human, who roam the countryside killing anyone they see. Who have scattered Earth’s last survivors. To stay alone is to stay alive, Cassie believes, until she meets Evan Walker. Beguiling and mysterious, Evan Walker may be Cassie’s only hope for rescuing her brother—or even saving herself. But Cassie must choose: between trust and despair, between defiance and surrender, between life and death. To give up or to get up.

Rating: 5/5

Status: READ

Comment: I am assuming here that the gold dots are stars, okay? Like a rip-off of the Galaxy or some sort. It's a science fiction anyway. If you have a copy of the book, see the black pages.

Find a non-YA book

Megastar Michael Jackson’s singularly brilliant career and intensely private lifestyle have become a magnificent obsession for millions of rock fans and celebrity watchers throughout the world. His double-platinum singles rocket to the top of the music charts with a velocity equaled only by the inevitable accompaniment of wild rumors about his eccentric personal life. Now for the first time, Michael Jackson breaks the fiercely guarded barrier of silence that has surrounded him in a remarkably candid and courageous book — Moonwalk.

Rating: 5/5

Status: READ

Comment: Sorry for the ripped jacket, but yes I'm a Michael Jackson fan and this is his autobiography, therefore non-YA!

END

(c) Lilah Gran