Well the theme from The Broke and the Bookish this week is a bit different. I’ve never really thought about something like this before, especially since I’ve not been a blogger all that long, I can’t really have developed that many bad habits can I?
1. I avoid books which get all hyped up on the blogosphere. I mean, I actively go out of my way to avoid them. I don’t read posts about them, I don’t go out and buy the book unless it was on my radar before all the hype started. You might think that can't be true because I’ve read plenty of hyped books, like Throne of Glass, Fangirl, Open Road Summer, etc. but it’s the hype I try and avoid. If I read too much about a book I develop expectations so when I read you are horribly disappointed, this happened with the Grisha series by Leigh Bardugo. I know everyone loves it, but I just don’t. I am going to get around the third book, because I hate nothing more than leaving a series unfinished, but I don’t love it like everyone seems to.
2. I don’t post all that often, which is terrible because I love getting comments on my own posts. I attempt to reply to every comment I get, but I am terrible about posting on everyone else's blogs. I am trying to break this habit, if I like a post or have something to say I am trying to post it, but the number of blogs I read and posts out each day, I can’t comment on everything because mostly I have nothing to say.
3. I am a lazy blogger. I will often throw a post together in the space of an hour because I know I should post something, but I put off writing in favour of TV or reading and then have a mad panic in writing something.
4. I often Google words and phrases because despite using a word or phrase often I begin to doubt myself that it is an actual thing and not just a black country thing (I live in an area of the UK which is referred to as the black country, it’s a thing, Google it if you don’t believe me. We have the most shocking accent known to man and we say weird tings at times).
5. I often skip reading people’s reviews of books, even if I want to read it, because they may spoil things for me. Also, I get bored of hearing the greatness or terribleness of a book over and over again. Then, if I already read it then I don’t read reviews because I have my own opinion so why bother ruining it with everyone else's?
6. I don’t read through and do a general check of my blog posts because I hate to read what I write because I am terrible at creating coherent sentences. So, if you notice any spelling errors or general errors in phrasing etc. that would be why.
7. I judge people’s blogs by their design. I know, it’s as bad as judging a book by it’s cover, and I try not to. Sometimes though, it’s just easier to find blogs I think are pretty. It’s also stupid, because I read a lot of posts on my phone or tablet so don’t even get to see the design.
8. I don’t read that many reviews, but I also don’t write that many because I’m worried people don’t care what I think about books, and that what I do have to say is boring. So I tend to try and avoid writing reviews, and when I do write them I don’t want them to be too long. At the same time I don’t want them to be too short either because then it seems like I am reviewing with nothing real to say.
9. I don’t like text posts that have no pictures, but I hate adding too many pictures so I normally end up going from one extreme to the other, I either have too many pictures or none at all.
10. I have more books than time to read and I am eternally incapable of not buying things. I am jealous of bloggers who can enforce a spending ban and also bloggers who can plan what they read so they are forever on top of their TBR pile. My TBR pile is expanding on both my kindle and around my room.
I don’t know where the first half of the year has gone. I know they say time flies and all that, but this is ridiculous. I can’t believe it is now two years since I graduated uni and I am no nearer to having my life figured out. At this rate it will be December before I know it. Crazy times.
I almost forgot to do this summary post this week, I know, bad Becky. I blame it on The Walking Dead game. I downloaded season 1 on my tablet and I just haven’t been able to stop. I wasn’t even sure I was going to get it, but the first episode was so good that I couldn’t say no to buying the season, it helped I had some Google Play credit to spend. Seriously guys, you need a way to spend a weekend I would strongly recommend this game. I’m gonna get season 2 once I finish, and there’s a similar game for Fables which I want, but it’s not currently in the android appstore, it is in the Amazon one though, so we shall see.
I’ve been a semi productive reader this week, I think. I have binge read two series though. I finished off the rest of the Study series (or whatever it’s called) by Maria V Snyder in the first two days of the week, I then thought I should take a break from the series and started on The Guild Hunter by Nalini Singh because that’s been on my radar for a while and I figure they are easy reads. The series is pretty much what you expect, a girl kicking ass and a ridiculously good looking Angel who is cold and aloof but has such depths of emotion you cannot understand him. It’s cheesy and I love it, I love series like this. The only reason I didn’t stay curled up with this series all weekend is because they went and changed the protagonist in the next two books. Don't get me wrong, I love a series developing secondary characters, but I’m not a huge fan of a series switching perspective part way through. I’ll get back to them soon enough I’m sure.
I was totally going to be all like, yeah I’ve just watched all of Orange is the New Black this weekend and can now understand what everyone has been raving about, but then I didn’t end up watching any TV. So that went out of the window.
I finally have been to Nando’s though, and mine, unlike this one in Leicester, did not run out of chicken. You may be wondering why it’s a big deal that I’ve finally been to Nando’s and I’ll tell you. I love chicken, it is basically the only meat I eat, so to have never been to a restaurant that serves chicken is ridiculous. Also, it seems like Nando’s is totally a big thing, who knew right? It was alright, I don’t think it deserves all the hype, but food is food and it was nice to see some of my friends so I can’t complain.
I suppose I’ll get back to The Walking Dead, I had a plan for this weekend. I was going to do lots of online shopping to sort me out some clothes for my holiday in September and that just hasn’t happened, instead I lost my weekend to a game, but at least I’ve had fun. Also, I did buy a couple of books, I cannot wait for them to arrive Monday.
I am a binge reader. It is something I have been ever since I started reading. I clearly remember going to the library getting our 5 or six books each week and just binging on them. I would try and get out entire series at a time and I would finish them by the end of the weekend. If you think I am lying about this, I am not. I would visit the ‘teen’ section of the library (this was back in the days before YA as a genre was a thing) and I would pick out my books. I would rush home from town and read. I would have a book glued to my hand for an entire weekend. It got to the point that I could estimate how long it would take to finish a book by the length of it and plan my days around it. I would forego sleep to finish a really good series, I would read as soon as a woke up and continue reading until I could no longer keep my eyes open. I would finish a series and be lost without another book to read in that world. I regularly got out my favourite series from the library just to revisit.
I binge in all aspects of my life, though. I binge on TV series, I clearly remember turning sixteen and I spent all my birthday money on buying the Buffy the Vampire series on DVD and then I spent my evenings after school watching it. I knew how long it would take to finish a disc and would aim to watch 2 discs a night. I literally became a hermit. I barely saw people, it was probably a really unhealthy thing to do at sixteen, but I enjoyed it so much.
So, I know binge reading is not the best way to read. I often end up skimming pages in a book because I am so involved in a story that I must find out what happens, and as I read during my lunch hour and on my commute I am often limited in time, and cannot stop reading when I reach the end of a chapter, like at home. The way I read means often I do not savour a book, I dive in head first and immerse myself completely. Then I am so absorbed I read to the exclusion of all things around me. I do not appreciate books as much in some ways I suppose, I miss the intricacies. It also means I am always at major risk of a book hangover. I get so involved in books, and read at such speed that sometimes I finish a book too soon, and my mind is still caught in the pages. I am then lost trying to find another book to immerse myself in.
I sound like I’m a complete recluse, I’m really not. I just have self control issues. I am incapable of reading a book a few chapters at a time. Instead I must carry on reading until I reach the end, or until something comes along which requires me to stop reading, such as reaching my stop on the bus. I don’t believe the way I read is in anyway a bad thing, but sometimes I do feel like I might be missing out by overindulging in this way. I don’t miss out on the enjoyment, but I certainly think the different ways in which I read affects the experience of the reader. But then again, each readers experience is individual so who is to judge how reading affects that. I don’t know.
Anyway, does anyone else binge read and do you think it changes the way you read a book? Do you think you miss out on things by speeding through a book and not savouring the story a bit? I don’t believe I enjoy books any less from the way I read, I’m simply curious if anyone else has the same experience from reading as I do.
I started reading this series the other week, as I am sure you are aware of if you are a regular visitor to this blog. I loved it, I really did. It is definitely one of my favourite series. It was just terrible I didn’t begin it sooner, but at the same time I am so glad I waited because there fourth book isn’t out yet and a longer wait might kill me.
Humans and androids crowd the raucous streets of New Beijing. A deadly plague ravages the population. From space, a ruthless lunar people watch, waiting to make their move. No one knows that Earth’s fate hinges on one girl.Cinder, a gifted mechanic, is a cyborg. She’s a second-class citizen with a mysterious past, reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister’s illness. But when her life becomes intertwined with the handsome Prince Kai’s, she suddenly finds herself at the centre of an intergalactic struggle, and a forbidden attraction. Caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal, she must uncover secrets about her past in order to protect her world’s future
I really enjoyed the first book to this series. I didn’t love it. It did not grip me and force me to consume the book in a matter of hours, I did enjoy it though. I wanted to know what was going to happen. The entire story intrigued me. It was so well done in that way, you were interested because, despite it being based upon a fairy tale everyone knows, you could not predict what was going to happen next.
Cinder was great because you only ever really follow Cinder’s story and she is such a good first character, she is so completely likable, which is good I think.
Also, can I say the world building was amazing, the first one especially because you learn so much about the world Cinder lives in and it could be difficult to introduce all that in one book, but some how it is achieved and it is awesome. Cinder’s story is such a pleasant and nice story (in comparison to some of the later books) that it was the perfect introduction to the series, and the cliff hanger ending was amazing.
Cinder, the cyborg mechanic, returns in the second thrilling instalment of the bestselling Lunar Chronicles. She's trying to break out of prison--even though if she succeeds, she'll be the Commonwealth's most wanted fugitive. Halfway around the world, Scarlet Benoit's grandmother is missing. It turns out there are many things Scarlet doesn't know about her grandmother or the grave danger she has lived in her whole life. When Scarlet encounters Wolf, a street fighter who may have information as to her grandmother's whereabouts, she is loath to trust this stranger, but is inexplicably drawn to him, and he to her. As Scarlet and Wolf unravel one mystery, they encounter another when they meet Cinder. Now, all of them must stay one step ahead of the vicious Lunar Queen Levana, who will do anything for the handsome Prince Kai to become her husband, her king, her prisoner.
The second book took longer for me to get into, which is surprising since the cliff hanger of the first book was so very gripping you’d think I’d dive in head first. I couldn’t get into it because you wanted to know what happened Cinder but you were stuck following Scarlet’s story to begin with and I had to figure out if I cared. Then I began to be intrigued with Scarlet’s story, with Wolf and Scarlet's relationship, with what happened to her grandmother, but it kept getting interrupted by Cinder’s story and Thorne. Occasionally you had Kai interrupting as well, I definitely didn’t like hearing about Kai’s story, it didn’t interest me like Cinder and Scarlet’s story.
Again, the world building was amazing, but it was the character development that was the best. Seeing the growth of Cinder into her role as she flees prison and makes friends is awesome-sauce.
Scarlet was amazing, she was badass and independent, I just wish we got more of her. I wish this book focused more on her, I really do, I think I wish it had been longer so I could get to know more about her because her story was only touched upon.
Cress – Marissa Meyer
In this third book in the Lunar Chronicles, Cinder and Captain Thorne are fugitives on the run, now with Scarlet and Wolf in tow. Together, they’re plotting to overthrow Queen Levana and her army.
Their best hope lies with Cress, a girl imprisoned on a satellite since childhood who's only ever had her netscreens as company. All that screen time has made Cress an excellent hacker. Unfortunately, she’s just received orders from Levana to track down Cinder and her handsome accomplice.
When a daring rescue of Cress goes awry, the group is separated. Cress finally has her freedom, but it comes at a high price. Meanwhile, Queen Levana will let nothing prevent her marriage to Emperor Kai. Cress, Scarlet, and Cinder may not have signed up to save the world, but they may be the only hope the world has.
I think I liked this book, but again, there were too many stories going on that it was hard to connect. I liked Cress, she is so adorably sweet and innocent that you can’t not like her. The same time she is tough, she is intelligent, and she is so relatable to anyone that tends to spend a lot of time alone. Her resourcefulness was amazing and her ability to try and see the good in people and look at the facts was great. I don’t know how you could not like her.
I hated that you lost out on Scarlet's story in this book, I feel like Scarlet has so much to offer and she sort of dropped off the face of the earth in this book, you get hints of what’s to come with her, which is great, but I wish we had more because I really do love her story. Cinder was awesome though, whilst she flicked in and out a lot in the last book, here she got to have her own story developed again. It did feel like Cress wasn’t really about Cress though, but more about Cinder, which bothered me a bit, but at the same time didn’t because Cinder's developing story was so strong.
I know I said I didn’t like Kai’s story in the last book, and I do feel like his views were just thrown in there so you got an idea of what was going on with Queen Levana, but I kind of wish you got more male perspective’s in these books, since they have gone the multiple perspective route. You did get to see some of Thorne (which was great, he is one of my favourite characters, I definitely want to know some of his story) but I wish I got to see what was going on in say Wolf's head, he was an intriguing character last book and now he has fallen on the wayside with the loss of Scarlet to further his story I think.
Anyway, I seem to be complaining a lot but I genuinely adored this book, it makes the next book seem so promising, I absolutely cannot wait. These were the most unique adaptations of fairy tales I have ever read. I know it has become a popular book trend, but when they are as well done as these books are you cannot fault people for doing that. I just can’t wait for Winter to be released, until then I need to go our and buy hardcopies of these books.
SO what do you all think? Were the later books a bit disjointed trying to fit in multiple people’s stories leading to a loss of some of the connection to characters? Or did you just love the books regardless, which I get because I did.
I am trying out this posting a monthly wrap up for my reference and everyone else. Also, because I really want to post monthly mixes, round ups of all my favourite tunes of the month for you all to listen to whilst reading all these fabulous books I’m recommending. I want to do that because I am constantly listening to music, less music than I use to listen to, but still a lot.
We’ll Begin With My Tunes Of June
What I've read This Month
It may have been a shaky blog posting month but it has been an awesome reading month. I had been going through a long phase of contemporary reads and a lot of New Adult books as well this month, but then I started getting excited about Heir of Fire coming out so started reading all the fantasy type books I could find. I feel like I’ve been trying to tackle some of the books that have been lingering on my TBR list, I don’t know how successful I’ve been though.
What I’ve Found Around The Internet
Buzzfeed: Why You Should Read Like A Teen Again
Youtube: The Book Of Life Trailer
The Nicest Place On The Internet
Youtube: The Book Of Life Trailer
The Nicest Place On The Internet
In Case you Missed Them
Sunday Summary: I Don’t Know What I Do With My Weeks Anymore
Top 10 Tuesday: Top 10 Books That Should Be In Your Beach Bag
Quick Thoughts: Something Like Normal & Full Measures
Sunday Summary: 8th June
Top 10 Tuesday: Top 10 Books I’ve Read So Far This Year
Sunday Summary: 15th June
Top 10 Tuesday: Top 10 Books On My Summer TBR List
Discussion/Thoughts: Perseverance Is Key
Sunday Summary: 22nd June
Top 10 Tuesday: Cover Trends I Love
Discussion/Thoughts: I’m 23 And Sometimes I Feel Like I Am About 80
Sunday Summary: My Week Has Lasted Far Too Long
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