This week I am contemplating about how it is important to stick with things. Why might I be thinking this? I suppose you have all noticed I have had a terrible blogging month, I can just about manage to post Top 10 Tuesday and a quick Sunday Summary post and then I disappear into the abyss of real life. It isn’t because I haven’t been enjoying blogging, it’s that I've been struggling to find time to write anything particularly unique, especially when I have been busy doing things outside of the blog and work which has left me little to no time to just chill. Take this week for example, I have been so busy I have any read one book this week! One book! That is appalling by my standards. But, it wasn’t actually my lack of blogging that brought on this contemplation it was the fact the zip on my bag got stuck.
You see, the zip got caught on a bunch of fabric when I was zipping it up I guess, I didn’t notice anyway. Then I came to need to open it to get my purse out to do a little online shopping, but my bag wouldn’t open. I got the zip shifted about an inch and then it was completely jammed. I spent a good twenty minutes pulling trying to close and reopen the zip to no avail, if anything I probably got it more stuck. After some googling and a lot of growling and bag throwing it still wouldn’t open. I was fully ready to embrace my bag was broken beyond all repair and I was going to have to cut it open to get my purse, phone, and kindle back. Being the mature adult I am I went stomping downstairs chucked my bag on the kitchen floor grabbed the kitchen scissors and was ready to massacre my favourite bag. Luckily for me, my mother came in told me to chill my beans and had a look at it.
At this point in the story I must advise you my mom has very bad psoriasis on her hands which she is currently getting treated but it is painful and leaves her with terribly flaky skin on her palms, she smothers her hands in greasy cream to help relieve some of her difficulties, but she hasn’t the normal dexterity in her hands because she has a lot of cracks and general pain in her hands when it's bad. Also, due to the cream, she has little to no grip on things, so her trying to yank at the zip only helped to get grease on my bag and make things slippy.
Anyway, we were there struggling with the zip, my mother had helped calm me down and make me laugh, but I was still ready to grab the kitchen knife and start stabbing my bag to get my stuff back,. But we were laughing and struggling and I was saying there was nothing for it except to cut the bag open and my mom was saying go for it if I was sure. I wasn’t, but I wanted my stuff back. I was pulling at the fabric stuck in the zip through that inch gap that we managed to get the zip open. I was getting myself mentally prepared to do some bag damage when the fabric came free. I could open my bag. Once more my belongings were available to me and I felt mighty. I felt like a God. I had managed to do what I was convinced half an hour before I was not going to be able to do. I had opened my bag. I had tears stains on my face from crying in frustration. My face was flushed. I had a snotty nose from the crying, but my bag was freaking open.
The lesson I learnt from that traumatising half an hour? Apart from the fact that I will let little get in the way of me buying shoes, not even a bag refusing to give my purse up to me, I also learnt that you should never give in too soon, as I was willing to do in regards to my bag. I would have cut it open far sooner if my mom hadn’t come along and helped calm my frazzled frustrated nerves and I would have destroyed my favourite bag and been very upset about it. That didn’t happen though. I managed to get it open all because I held on that bit longer, I struggled for that moment more and the fabric gave and the zip opened. I view blogging like that. It will not always come easy. I will often stall and get stuck, either when I don’t post often, or stuck in a rut of posting the same things each week and becoming stale.. But as long as I am willing to persevere, to hold and struggle for that moment longer I will pull through. And when that happens I will feel mighty and feel like a God. That is a nice feeling to have and I hope to achieve it again in terms of this blog.
I think what I am trying to say is please bear with me whilst I struggle through this month of poor blogging. I am determined to get back on track and if you hold out I hope you all will be pleased with what will come after we’ve gotten through this, and I hope to feel mighty when I’ve beaten this slump.
I feel like I did this one a couple of weeks ago when The Broke and The Bookish had the beach read theme, but oh well, some of the books will be the same, others will be different. It’ll be fun, right? Also, a warning for you all. I am a mood reader, I do not plan too far ahead with my reading, I just have a lot of TBR books, I am going to try and list ones I want to read most immediately and try and list books that are new releases, it’ll kind of be like the books I am most looking forward to reading over the next few months.
Cress – Marissa Meyer So, this isn’t a new release, but it is new to me. I plan on reading this this week in fact. I have enjoyed the series thus far. It hasn’t gripped me but I am intrigued, here’s hoping this is good too.
The Book Of Life – Deborah Harkness I think I try and get this series in every week, but I am really excited for this book, what can I say? This will be bought and read as soon as it is released.
Strange and Ever After – Susan Dennard Another series I am excited about. I kind of forgot I read the other two books, but hopefully this third book will be good, I am always wary about the third book in a trilogy, they don’t always meet expectations.
Landline – Rainbow Rowell Who isn’t excited about Rowell’s new novel? I mean really? I liked Attachments, Rowell’s last venture into writing adult books. Hopefully this will meet all my expectations, but we shall see.
Boys Like You – Juliana Stone I think I just want to read this because it is the perfect summer sounding read. I haven’t thought about it much, but I’ve been looking at my to-read list and this is on there. It looks aces.
Out of the Easy – Ruta Septys This one I have wanted to read for a while, but the fact I am going to New Orleans in September is really motivating me to want to read it more. Also, I have heard good things.
Seraphina – Rachel Hartman I bought this book a little while ago. It was when I felt the urge to find a good fantasy read. I am dying to read it, but I am also nervous. I am hoping it will be good.
Of Metal And Wishes – Sarah Fine I added this to my TBR list on impulse. It sounds different and intriguing though. I am definitely excited for it.
The Source – JD Horn I am dying to read this. I just found out is came out the beginning of the month. This is why I should preorder all my books, I can never keep track of new releases.
Chasing Luck – Brinda Berry This book intrigues me. I plan on reading it soon. It looks like a NA book, but then there is more than the typical romance and fluff you tend to get with NA.
Well, I hope you like. I am going to try and put up a real post for you this week.
This week I have had a more relaxed week. I figured out what to buy my mom for her birthday yesterday. I’d already bought her a scarf from M&S and I went and got a her a fancy bottle of vodka as well. That may seem like a bit of a strange present for a parent, but she loved it. Grey Goose vodka costs a bomb, but she liked it so who am I to complain? I have a friends birthday coming up real soon. I have bought her nothing. I am a terrible friend, but that’s the plan for next week. Shopping around for another present. I really hate gift giving, I suck at it.
I’ve had a more relaxed reading week this week, I read another Jennifer Echols book because she is slowly becoming one of my favourite authors. I have avoided reading Such A Rush for a stupid reason, I didn’t think I’d like that there were planes involves. I know, stupid right? I don’t claim there is any logic in my avoidance, but that is one clear thought I remember having a while back when I was debating whether or not to get it. I thoroughly enjoyed it and take back every stupid thought I had about it.
I also read There The Stars Still Shine, another book I have spend a considerable amount of time avoiding because I was wary of the whole child abduction element of the book, but mostly because everyone was raving about it and it made me wary of reading it. Now it’s been out forever, people bring it up occasionally, but the hype has died down so I deemed it safe to read. Also, I loved Doller’s other book Something Like Normal, I had to give it a try. I am so glad I did, this book blew me away. It was all I could think about at work, I did not want to stop reading. I didn’t want this book to end, but it did and I was sad.
And, because it seems like my reading choices this week have been all about reading books I have been avoiding due to hype and weird misconceptions about whether or not I'd like a book I decided to read Cinder. I enjoyed this book, I did not adore it. I wanted to know what was going to happen next, but I was not drawn and did not feel compelled to finish. I enjoyed it, I’m currently reading Scarlet. I will happily read Cress after that, but I am not going to gush about the series like others have. I’m a bit disappointed I’m not more in love with the series, but I enjoyed it and get why everyone loves it. This was an intelligent take on a fairy tale story, I loved that it’s set in the future with cyborgs, androids and space. It is something you don’t see too often in books, or I haven’t read too much of in books anyway. It’s refreshing and definitely a decent read.
This is really the only important thing I watched this week. I mean, I watched Eastenders as well. And I watched The Blind Side on Amazon Instant Video, but the highlight of my viewing week was going to the cinema to watch X-Men. I bought the largest drink at Odeon and needed to pee about an hour in, but I persevered and did not move from my seat until the credits had rolled. I adored Quicksilver in all his adorable speedy glory, I think he was the highlight of the film for me. No spoilers to anyone but I was talking to my friend near the beginning of the film, I can’t remember what we were talking about or why, but I said the words ‘that’s grim’ and that Hugh Jackman was on screen, in 3D glory buttass naked and the next words out of my mouth were ‘but that’s not’. I am hilarious I know. Anyway, if you’re a fan of X-Men, go watch. It doesn’t stick to the comics but it’s still aces. Also, Bishop is in it, I freaking love Bishop.
So, that’s my week. I am going to go and watch crap on Netflix now, or Amazon Instant Video (that one does not role off the tongue, they need a shorter name for their streaming service). What do you guys think, should I watch Orange is the New Black. I got halfway through the first season last year and then got bored (not of the series, just get bored easily so if I series binge it must be a proper back to back binge session).
This week The Broke and the Bookish have proposed the theme of what my top ten reads are for the year so far. This is difficult for me because I am an indecisive individual. I looked out my goodreads read shelf though, and these are the picks I came up with. I’ve read a lot of books so far this year, but these are the books which stuck with me.
The Line – JD Horn I don’t think I ever properly raved about this book, it might have been before I was book blogging, I don’t know. This was an impulse buy on my kindle, I happened to see it as one of the offers they show as adverts on the Kindle Fire and it intrigued me, it had magic in so I was like why not? It was such a good book, the second is out this summer. I am definitely buying it..
Dreams Of Gods And Monsters – Laini Taylor I think everyone and their mom has been raving about this series. It was one of those series that I thought no one had been reading, but then this book came out and in fact everyone has been reading it. This was an excellent read I encourage you all to read this series if you haven’t already.
The Rosie Project – Graeme Simsion A book I have already extolled the virtues of. Please, go read it. It is just a lovely book. It is surprisingly funny and so very heart-warming.
Graceling - Kristin Cashore A series everyone loved and I had been avoiding reading for some foolish reason. It is a fabulous book. It has a strong female protagonist and an excellent adventure story. Amazing world building. It is an ace fantasy novel.
Some Girls Do – Clodagh Murphy This is a romance. It is a book which I don’t think I’ve ever spoken much about, but adored. I had been eyeing it up for weeks on amazon because I loved the cover. Eventually I decided why not, I wanted it, I bought it. I did not regret it. If you like steamy romances this is the book for you.
Between The Lives – Jessica Shrivington A book which is not released until August and I had the pleasure of getting an ARC of. I did not think I would enjoy this book as much as I did. It was freaking fantastic. Everyone go and buy it when it’s out. It has mystery, romance, intrigue and is essentially a great book about self discovery.
Open Road Summer – Emery Lord I don’t think I need to say much. An ace summer read with a friendship to die for. Go. Read. ENjoy.
To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before – Jenny Han Another book I’m sure everyone has heard about. Not only is it one of the prettiest books I own, and I mean pretty. I own the hardback and I spent a good half hour admiring it when it came in the post. It also has a wonderful story within its pages, which is a bonus really. Not often a pretty book is also a good one.
Biggest Flirts – Jennifer Echols I wrote a review a little while about this book. I am not able to define why I enjoyed it so much, I just did. Jennifer Echols really is one of my favourite contemporary authors.
So, what do you guys think? What are favourite reads so far of the year? I would love to see your lists and recommendations.
You can all probably tell that this week Top 10 Tuesday inspired my reading this week. I did not know what I wanted to be reading I was in a reading slump. Well, of a sort, I’ve recently been reading fanfiction like crazy, probably because it’s easy, and neglecting normal reading. I’ve just felt so uninspired by the books I’ve got to be read recently. I read Full Measures after seeing a glowing review for it online, I just knew that I had to read it, and I adored it, but then I got the post book blues upon finishing. Anyway, after writing my post for top 10 Tuesday, I felt inspired to read a few of those books. Then, I read The Longest Holiday just because it has been say in my Kindle for so long I’m starting to feel a bit bad I haven’t read it yet. That was a fun easy read, perfect for when you just don’t know what you fancy reading.
I have had the urge to re-read Throne of Glass recently, and I’m trying to hold off until September, so the books will be fresh in my mind for thirds release, but it’s difficult, I really want to read the now. I think that’s the issue, I want to read that, so no book appeals to me right now. Anyone know of any similar style fantasy novels I can read to try and tide me over?
To be honest, I’ve not been up to much. It’s been flea central in my home for the past week. My cat has managed to get fleas from somewhere so I’ve been reading up on how to get rid of them. Glamorous, I know. The problem is I have now been itching like crazy just at the thought of fleas. I am tempted to wash everything in my room. Every piece of fabric my cat may have touched. The major issue is I think my cat still has fleas, which is mental because we used the good stuff. But we shall see how it goes.
I have also been on the hunt for presents. It’s my mom’s birthday next Saturday, I need to get her something good, so I have done a lot of online browsing for ideas of stuff to buy. It’s crazy how much thoughts I’ve been putting into it. My internet history makes me seem like a bit of a weirdo, I must come across as a weird fanfic reading person obsessed with fleas and constantly browsing clothing websites and eyeing up alcohol online. It is weird internet history I am telling you.
Well that’s all from me this week. I am off to go shower and inspect my bed for flea infestation because my cat lay on my bed once, flea’s are sneaky bastards I’m telling you.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
Social Icons