How's it hanging?
I, for one, am cold. This polar vortex has got me at home (at least I didn't have to go to work…) snuggled under a blanket with slippers on my feet and my laptop warming my lap. A feels-like temp of -50 degrees isn't fun, guys. But I have had a productive day at home, regardless! This weekend was busy. The fiance was visiting so he and I worked on some wedding plans. Luckily, he let me spend a majority of Saturday reading and working toward my goal for #24in48. He dealt with my complaining as I got more and more upset at my book (check out why in my review of She's Come Undone). So Saturday, I was able to read about 10 or 11 hours, getting way past what I thought I would. Honestly, I thought I'd get lucky to read for like 6 hours. But Corgan knew that I wanted to get a lot of reading done, and then as I kept reading and getting more upset, he just let me keep going so I could find out where the book was going and what was going to happen. Then, on Sunday, I got another couple of hours in, giving me a great opportunity to start Cinder by Marissa Meyer. In total, I was able to read about 13 hours, which I thought was pretty good considering the other things going on this weekend. Truth be told, I'm glad it was cold this weekend. It was perfect to just sit at home and spend my time reading. Did you participate in #24in48?? How'd you do
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Hey, y'all!
So, this weekend, I'm going to try something new. As you already probably know from my other posts this year, I'm working hard to get more involved in the bookish community. One way to do that is involve myself in readathons. Like #24in48. So if you haven't heard of #24in48, it's a challenge to read a lot over one weekend (48 hours). In that 48 hours, the goal is to read not 24 books, but for 24 of those hours. That's a lot of time!! I saw Instagram posts promoting the first #24in48 challenge this weekend, and I figured why not? I may as well try it! I'm not sure how much reading I really will get done, though, because my fiancé is visiting this weekend before his spring term starts back up next Wednesday. Likely, I won't be able to manage reading as much since he will be around wanting to do things with me… But, regardless, I did sign up for it, and I'm going to try my best. Maybe I'll get him started playing Xbox or something so I can be left alone to read. We will see. Since I've decided to do my best and take this on, I figure I'd better have some books on the docket for me to read this weekend! Here's the list! I'm starting out the weekend with She's Come Undone by Wally Lamb. It's my current read and I'm only about halfway through. It's pretty long, so I'd assume that I won't make it through before this weekend. She's Come Undone will be my first read of the weekend. Next on my TBR is Cinder by Marissa Meyer. I have heard ALL of the great things about the Lunar Chronicles through friends, bookstagram and booktube. I've made it through a couple of my physical TBR pieces that I got for Christmas, so I'm ready to work on another series. Today I went to the library (for the first time in I don't know how long) and picked up the first two novels in the series, so the third book (if I get that far) will be Scarlet. If I'm making really good progress already on Saturday, I'll go ahead and go back to the library to pick up the next couple of books in the series. If not, I'll risk and see where I'm at. So the next books are up in the air. Either I will continue reading about Cinder in Cress and Winter, or I will go back to my own bookshelf. If I need to pull something from my own collection, I'd like to read Go Set A Watchman by Harper Lee. You can follow my #24in48 progress on my Bookstagram (@booksnteacups18) and here! So there you have it! My plans for the weekend! What are you up to? Are you going to join me in a weekend of reading?? (click here to sign up!) Let me know! I'd love to hear what you're planning to read! Why I Picked itThis book was one that my future mother-in-law for Christmas. It was a physical book added to my TBR, and I was interested with the title and synopsis. Plus, it was about time to read another historical fiction, but one not quite as long as The Queen's Lady. This also was a mystery novel, and it has been FOREVER since I've read a mystery. SummarySet in 1800's San Francisco, Blanche Beunon, a French burlesque dancer is working for a living, supporting her lover and his friend. One day, she runs into Jenny Bonnet, a frog hunter and notorious for wearing men's clothing. The book starts in the middle of the story, at Jenny's death. For the next three days, Blanche is on a mission to find Jenny's killer. Throughout, Blanche remembers the days between meeting Jenny up until her death, creating a story being woven from two sides at once. This is a story of love, heartbreak, friendships and bloodshed. DISCLAIMER: There are a few sex scenes, which is really to be expected in a book about a burlesque dancer. In my opinion, they are done well, in a way that describes the important emotions and feelings that Blanche is having as it happens without being too descriptive or cringy. Though some of the things that happen are cringy. I just read through those parts quickly. What I likedI loved the two different timelines. At first it was a little confusing, but then I started to see what signified the change between before the murder and after. The information that came out throughout both timelines matched up, helping the other make better sense. I also loved the realness of the whole book. I could picture myself walking along the streets in California with Blanche and Jenny. I could feel Blanche's pain and worry and stubbornness. There were moments that I could see what was going to happen next, and other times that Donoghue sent the story in a totally different direction. I pride myself at being good at guessing the plot of books and movies before I get to the plot twist and before anyone else realizes what is happening. That was not the case with this book. Jenny is such an interesting character, and the reader gets to learn about her life alongside Blanche, surprising us both. Another awesome thing about this book as that it is very much based on real events. I've always hated history, but if I could learn what was happening socially, politically, and culturally through books like this one, I think that will help me! This book did a good job of setting up the context around all of those social and cultural environments. Smallpox is a huge part of the story, as well as "farm houses" (which you'll figure out if you read the book), and burlesques. So needless to say, I was able to learn from this (always a good thing!), not just emotionally, but in terms of history too. What I didn't likeThere wasn't a lot I didn't like. I do wish I would have known about the French Glossary in the back of the book. There are plenty of French words and phrases used, but Donoghue (in addition to the Glossary that I found at the end when I was done reading…) normally does a loose translation in the text as well, or helps you translate it based off of the context around the word. Other than that, I really can't think of anything that I would have liked more. This book was a great work! Overall Impression 🌟🌟🌟🌟4/5 stars. It was really a great read. Really the only reason it doesn’t get 5 stars is because it's not one of my absolute favorites. I liked a lot of the book, and it was really really good, but I don't know if it's going to stick with me as long as a lot of my 5/5 star books do. I guess time will tell, but for now, 4/5. I strongly recommend it!
Now I want to read them.Lately I've been watching a lot of Booktube, just because. I mean really, I did make a resolution for 2019 that I would be more active in the bookish communities (specifically Bookstagram, but overall in the bookish community). As I watch more, I will do a post specifically recommending certain Booktubers, so if you have recommendations, let me know!! I'd love to check out more. So, as I was watching Booktube, I was watching a few videos on the worst reads or unpopular opinions on books, and I realized something. The bad reviews on books I haven't read almost made me want to read the books more than a good review would have. Hear me out. I love book reviews because I went on such a reading hiatus when I was in school, so now I'm SOOOO behind on the bookish trends! I also went to a high school that had a not-great English teacher at the time, so I haven't read a lot of "classics" either. So now, to get through everything I've been missing out on, I'm prioritizing by listening to and reading reviews to put things on my ever-growing and seemingly never-shrinking TBR. On these bad reviews I listened to, I was intrigued. There were books that had a bad review from a Booktuber that I have already on my TBR list, and hearing the bad review made me want to read them more! Some of the bad things they ranted about were things that are definitely very subjective, so they didn't turn me away from the book when they brought those up. Other aspects that they didn't like about the books actually made me want to read it, just to see if it was true. For example, one bad review was on The Queen of the Tearling by Erika Johansen, but when she summarized the book, I started to get interested, and then she talked about all of the action that happened (though apparently didn't move the story forward?) and I wanted to read it! Mainly, I'm just curious if she is right and if my opinions match hers about the book. Why does this happen?In my very unprofessional opinion, this is probably a psychological thing. Kind of like the idea that when you're told not to do something, it makes it that much more tempting to do it. Another thing: I know that these reviews are opinions. So I am fully aware that the person giving the bad review doesn't expect everyone to dislike it. They don't hold the same opinions as others, and so they know their review will not be fully true for the next person either. These reviewers (just like me and any other person who ever recommends against books) just wants to give yet another opinion and add their voice to the conversation. Sometimes that means bashing a book that everyone else seems to love (like my opinion on City of Bones) or on a book that had/has a lot of hype around it or on a book that you were SUPER excited to read because of the previous two items mentioned. That doesn't mean anyone is right or wrong. It just shows the different opinions, and honestly, I love to get all sorts of opinions (both bad and good!) on some things. It helps you know what you're getting into! Now I'm going to go business nerd for a sec.Listening to or reading bad reviews on books that so many people seem to have strong opinions on can be a great thing (and sharing those good and bad too!). It makes me think about the problem called groupthink. Groupthink (if you don't already know what that is) is when people with similar ideas/opinions/backgrounds/etc. get stuck when they are planning or discussing an item because the opinions are all too similar. The ideas get nowhere or are unsuccessful because there are no diverse perspectives to challenge and improve the idea. That's why I loved hearing A Clockwork Reader talk about 13 Reasons Why (which I loved!) even though she hadn't liked it. I was interested to hear her opinions and learn more about why specifically she didn't like it. 1) it challenged me to (in my head) defend some of the reasons I disagreed as well as 2) it brought up some bad things that I didn't necessarily see when I was reading it because I was so blown away by how much I loved it, and I found there were some things I actually agreed with! So all this to say...Listen to diverse opinions. Even if it doesn't agree with your own, challenge yourself to explore more diverse opinions so that you can either learn to defend yourself or see it from another perspective.
And, if you have any bad book reviews or unpopular bookish opinions you hold, I'd love to hear them! Leave 'em in the comments below! Hello, hello! I know we are now 12 (almost 13) days into the new year, but I haven't yet shared my bookish goals! I just wanted to put out there some of the goals that I have for myself in this new year. If you have any tips to help me stick to it, or if you share some of the same goals, I'd love to hear from you! 1. Bookstagram
2. Writing
3. Reading
Here's to a great year! I hope you have made some bookish goals and stick to them! I can't wait to make some progress this year and keep going on the endeavors I started about 6 months ago! 2019 should be a great year, so good luck, and I hope your 2019 is the best year yet!
Why I Picked ItUm...It's a continuation of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter by JK Rowling. Need I say more? SummaryNewt Scamander is tasked by his former professor, Albus Dumbledore to find and stop Grindelwald. Having to avoid the Ministry of Magic because of a travel ban, Scamander goes on a mission to complete Dumbledores wishes. Grindelwald is gathering followers who agree with him that pureblood wizards and witches must be the superior race on earth and should be in complete control. As he does that, he is also searching for a child who is seeking to learn where he is from and what family he belongs to. This is a story of confused lovers, unknown histories, and new creatures. What I LikedI loved that I could visualize everything, even though I haven't seen the movie yet (I know, I'm being a bad fangirl). There were descriptions where necessary, and the book included a screenplay dictionary at the back in case I didn't know what some of the abbreviations and words meant (though I didn't feel the need to use it. Most was pretty obvious or I already knew it). I also still love Newt Scamander. The character that Rowling created with Newt is amazing. He is so dynamic, and I can't wait for more about him. He's crazy and off the walls and intriguing, but he also is just so real and relatable. He doesn't really care what people think about him, and he does what he feels is right. And he's great with all magical creatures ever, which is both amazing and so dang cool. What I didn't LIkeIt was too short! It's a screenplay, so of course the book only took me about 2 hours to read since that's probably about the time that it shows on screen as well. As much as it was great for me to read a new type of book through reading a screenplay, I wish there was more! I want this to be an actual book now with more detail and more action, just because I WANT MORE. Overall Impression 🌟🌟🌟🌟I give it 4 stars. It was great, truly. Not the best I've read (and mostly because it's not actually a novel). But Rowling did a great job once again, and I loved every short minute of reading that I did!
Why I Picked ItThis book was another one of my great finds from my favorite bookstore (Goodwill). The cover caught my eye, and it was in really good shape. When I read the synopsis and found out it was a historical fiction based in the era of King Henry and the Lutheran movement, I was intrigued. As a student who studied music history, I learned a lot about Luther and the effect he had on Christianity and how that affected the music development. So I already knew a bit about the 1500's in England, which made this a fun find for me (especially because it isn't often that I have an idea of what is going on in historical fiction books…History has always been a weak subject for me…). SummaryThis book follows Honor Larke throughout her life, from watching a Bishop take her father's most prized possession on his deathbed to watching that Bishop tear apart much of the good things in her life. She became a lady for the queen, helping her to build a case against the King's quest to nullify their marriage so he could be with Anne Boleyn. She learns a lot about the Church, politics, and herself and her own beliefs. She finds love without searching for it and goes through the struggles that come with loving someone. She travels, looking for sanctuary. The whole time, she is just doing what she thinks is best and the right thing to do, even if that means keeping secrets and going behind her loved ones' backs sometimes. (I have to be vague, because so many things that happen are reliant on other things throughout the book. Everything is connected, and it's hard not to give too much away!) What I LikedI could tell a lot of research went into this book. I learned a lot more than what I already knew about the times and the strife happening throughout the era. I also really liked the journey that I went through with Honor. She truly went through a long journey of self-discovery. She listened to the different teachings (sometimes more openly than others), and finally discovered for herself what she believed. Overall, Honor always tried to do what was right. She wanted to help others. She hated the violence and punishments that happened all around her at almost every turn, so she did what she could to save others from the pain some of her friends had to endure. I also loved the romance that happened throughout the book. I kind of wish there was a bit more of it, especially earlier on, because I felt like I only got to see tiny glimpses into her life with her love (I won't say who, because it takes a while for the relationship to blossom), and I would love to have seen so much more. Barbara Kyle also kept me on my toes throughout a majority of the book. Once in a while there were these really simple turns that I just knew where the story was going, but there were a lot of other ones where it changed course so quickly that I was legitimately surprised (in a good way) What I Didn't LikeThe book is 558 pages long (my copy at least), and I feel like it could very well have been cut down. There were a lot of storylines to follow. A majority of the time we followed Honor, but once in a while we'd go to King Henry VIII's view or that of Thomas More, or other smaller characters in the story. Sometimes that was difficult to follow because there wasn't always a clear change in character right away, so when the view changed from one paragraph to the next I had to go back and do a double take, re-reading to make sure I understood what was happening. I also thought there were some things that didn't need to be explained in as much detail. I read most of the book in the last 2-3 days (I think I was on page 100 or so by New Year's Eve), and yet I still only remember the huge turning points of the book. A lot of the detail items, though interesting, didn't always add a ton to the story lines. I think that maybe it could have been a little less wordy at some points and still been able to get the point across just fine. I also feel like Honor said "This is the last risk I will take" or "I know what I'm doing. I can trust this" A LOT in the last 150 pages. I understood why she continued doing what she was doing, but at the same time, I feel like she should have learned after trusting the wrong people a few times that she needed to be more careful where she put her trust. Overall Impression 🌟🌟🌟I truly did enjoy this book, but it wasn't my favorite. I may be biased because I'm not as big of a fan of historical fiction pieces, but this was a very average read. Like I said above, sometimes it drug on and I just wanted more action to happen and move the story forward. As much as a lot of the political or religious banter was important for the time, I was in the book to see what was going to happen next in Honor's life, not get a lecture on why Lutheranism or Catholicism was better. But I still very much enjoyed the book. I may go on to read Kyle's The King's Daughter about Queen Mary or The Queen's Gamble about Queen Elizabeth I, but I think I will have to read some other books in between I could not go from one to the next very quickly.
Why I PIcked ItA few weeks ago, I was at work, but I was alone. And it was a slow day. A VERY slow day. I had gotten everything I wanted to get done for the week done, and it was only about 11 a.m. on a Friday. So, I decided to do some cleaning and reorganizing around the office, and while I did so, I wanted to listen to Spotify. I decided that I was going to try a new podcast instead of listen to music. The Classic Tales Podcast by B.J. Harrison was in my recommended section, so I decided to see what was there. I first listened to a couple of shorts, and I loved it. So I was exploring what stories he's done and I saw Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie (in a seven-part series). What the heck. I knew I had the time to listen to a good portion of it, and I couldn't recall ever reading the book, just watching the Disney movie. So I started it. It was the perfect way to keep me going throughout the slow day. SummaryIf you've ever seen the movie, you already have a general idea of what the book is about, though, similar to most all movies adaptations, there are definitely a variety of differences. So, a little girl named Wendy Darling meets a fairy and a boy named Peter Pan one night when Peter's shadow had gotten lost and hid in the Darling household. Because Wendy was a motherly figure, even with her young age, Peter thought she would be a great companion and mother for himself and the Lost Boys of Neverland. You see, Peter Pan never wanted to grow up, and he and the lost boys planned to stay young forever. But they did miss having a mother. Throughout the story, you learn of each of the Lost Boys and all about Neverland, the island they live on. You also meet Captain Hook and his pirates, hellbent on getting rid of Peter Pan and the Lost Boys. Eventually, Wendy and her brothers (as well as most of the Lost Boys) decide that they miss having a real mother and decide they want to go home, but Peter is against that, and fights them on it as long as he can. Kind of a short and simple summary, but most people already know a lot of the story, and since I was listening while I was at work (and this was a few weeks ago), this is what we get today…Sorry What I LikedTinkerbelle. If you've never read the book, you probably don't know how much of a snobby little thing she is. I mean, yes, in the movie she is a little snobbish too, but the book shows it sooooo much more. She is such a fun character, and I just loved getting to know her better. Not only that, but I loved learning about each of the individual Lost Boys a little more too. I also loved to see the interaction that Peter Pan and Wendy had throughout the book. Sometimes they'd be like best friends and other times they would fight like an old married couple. The Narrator was a huge feature. He added bits and pieces as if he knew everything about everything, and so sometimes he would mention another story that would help give context to something that was happening. He'd give just enough to give that context needed, but then say something like "but that's a story for another time…" Another thing I just absolutely loved about J.M. Barrie's work was the amount of detail that was put into it. Even if you have never seen the movie, you can still picture almost every single part of the book, the characters, Neverland, everything. The world of Neverland just expands before you, and you can picture all of the different groups of characters that make up the island, like the Mermaids, Pirates, Indians, and Lost Boys. The best part was that it was easy to follow. It was a long book, especially to listen to (I'm not one for listening to long books typically). And even if I missed one or two little sections (because I'm easily distracted), I was able to jump right back in and still know what was going on. What I didn't LIkeThere wasn't a ton. Sometimes, though I liked the extra stories that didn't necessarily follow the storyline, it became wordy and would get me off track. Like I said, it was still easy to follow. I just am not sure how relevant a few of the stories were. I'm also not sure I thoroughly enjoyed the ending…not to give too much away, but I was just a little disappointed. And the end also just seemed to drag on and on and never end. Which maybe is why I feel a little cheated, like the story never fully came to a conclusion Overall Impression 🌟🌟🌟I'll give the story 3/5 stars. I liked a lot, but there were a few things that just kept it pretty average for me. But, it is definitely a classic that I needed to read (or listen to) in its entirety.
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AuthorJust sharing my passion of reading through my passion of writing. Archives
May 2020
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