Tag: reading

Posted in Book Talk

March Wrap Up (a month of whims)

Posted on by Jennifer

~reading

How many books that I planned did I read?

Well, I didn’t actually have a TBR post or much of a plan for March. After a fairly slow and dismal February (both for reading and for weather and for stress) I didn’t bother to plan anything for March because I had no idea how it would go. 😅

The Plan:

The rough plan was:

  • When The Apricots Bloom (a new release I’ve been waiting on and finally got from the library)
  • The Office of Historical Corrections (a BOTM short story collection I’ve been “in progress” with for months)
  • The Gilded Ones (a gift that I wanted to have time to read without having to hurry it)

The Result:

The fact that I finished Eldest by Christopher Paolini in a month, let alone also finished several other books, is a fact that would have astonished younger me. When I first tried to read it, I made it probably halfway through before I had to return it to the library. And then took a while to bother going back to read it fully. xD

Speaking of not finishing books, I DNFd two more this month. Blanca & Roja by Anna-Marie McLemore was just a little to abstract and lyrical for my current mindset, though it’s one I can see returning too another time when I’m more ready for it. Frankly in Love by David Yoon on the other hand… after just reading his other book, Super Fake Love Song, I just kept thinking that the characters felt exactly the same. Even the plot felt really similar. The writing style was spot-on consistent, which is generally a good trait, but left me feeling kind of bored. Considering I didn’t love the characters in Super Fake Love Song anyway, and getting more of that wasn’t going to do it for me. I’m probably done with his books to be honest, because I get the feeling that having read one, I’ve read them all.

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Posted in Book Talk, Chatty

What I read while sick on the couch

Posted on by Jennifer

Hey y’all! While this day was supposed to be time to work on the house (as always) I instead have spent it feeling terribly sick and unable to stand since the wee hours of the morning. And so instead, I remained on the couch distracting myself with fake worlds. Here’s what I read to escape my body in the past 18 hours.

1am – the well-timed end of a binge read

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Posted in Book Talk, Chatty

Why I’m reading Eragon… yet again!

Posted on by Jennifer

Hey y’all! For all my fellow mood readers, I’ve had a very relatable moment recently. I was restless one morning and despite having several books in progress, decided I wanted something new (because of course). I decided I wanted something very specific:

  • a grand adventure
  • definitely some kind of magic
  • probably elves too or some other magical creatures
  • not super dark, but not fluffy, either
  • a fast-paced read rather than a slow-burn thinker

Honestly, I kept thinking “something like Lord of the Rings, but not Lord of the Rings.” After drilling through a lot of recommendations on Storygraph, I found my perfect book for the moment, which was actually a re-read!

And so I’m now a little over halfway through Eragon by Christopher Paolini, and I was correct in choosing it because it is perfectly scratching the itch I had. I had also been wanting to re-read this book (and series) recently because To Sleep In a Sea Of Stars last summer got me all fired up and wanting to read more from Paolini. Saphira is keeping me company as a star of her own kind. ^.^

Since I’ve already read this book several times before, mostly when I was in school still, it also has the benefit of being comfortable and familiar. Do you ever feel struck with the desire to re-read a book you’re already familiar with?

PS – If you’re also a fan of Eragon, check out these covers for it from all around the world. Some of them are really awesome!

Posted in Book Talk, Chatty

How did the 2020 pandemic affect the amount people read?

Posted on by Jennifer

Hey y’all! I know it’s not an original question, and it’s one we’ve all been talking about for a year now: how is the pandemic affecting our reading habits? For many people, it’s crippled them, as the downtime to read has diminished. Kids are at home, commutes are no longer free time to read, and so many potential other stressed might just be keeping your brain from relaxing enough to really sink into a story.

But for other people, they’ve read way more than usual. I fell into that camp, in large part because I was out of work or part-time for the vast majority of the year and so had a lot of time to fill. For me, it was also a much needed escape from the fears and pressures of daily life.

2019 4,604,999 books 2018 4,534,121 books 2017 4,204,775 books wish-list 4,085,516 books owned-books 3,929,645 books ya 3,929,512 books 2016 3,883,823 books 2015 3,748,003 books science-fiction 3,738,209 books 2014 3,521,706 books

I saw this on Goodreads the other day in the list of shelves people use, ordered by how many people have a book tagged to that shelf name. It’s pretty common to have shelves with years to keep track (because it wasn’t that long ago that the Goodreads challenge didn’t count re-reads 🙄) as you can see below. Interestingly, it looks like people were reading a little more every year since 2014, although there are so many other variables that could be at play. Goodreads was also getting a lot more popular in that timeframe, so more users overall will of course result in more tags. But still, the general trend is upward. So where does 2020 come in?

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Posted in Book Talk, Chatty

January 2021 wrap up: a lot of stuff besides reading

Posted on by Jennifer

~reading

How many books that I planned did I read?

I planned eight. Of those eight I read — one. One. Because I got distracted by a bunch of other books instead (6 total finished). My mood reader-ness hit hard this month, and I actually don’t hate it!

The Plan:

The Result:

So I read 6 in January, and only 1 was planned (the one that had already been in progress, of course. 🤣) The rest are still on the backlog to read through. I did attempt one other from the list, but gave up about 75% of the way through.

Continue reading “January 2021 wrap up: a lot of stuff besides reading” →
Posted in Book Talk

2021 Library Love Challenge!

Posted on by Jennifer

Hey y’all! Last year, I learned of a challenge that was able to wholeheartedly embrace, despite my usual struggles with reading challenges! My impulsiveness will not hinder me for this one, since it’s the 2021 Library Love challenge! Hosted by Angel’s Guilty Pleasures & Books of My Heart, the goal is simple: read books from the library!

Who doesn’t love the library? When I move to a new place, I always go to the library to check it out and get a card within a day or two of moving in. Usually before I’m even fully unpacked. Priorities, right? 👌🏼

So this year I’m joining the 2021 Library Love challenge and going to shoot for at least 12 books (the lowest tier). Admittedly, last year I blew that goal out of the water, but I’m planning on using a lot of this year to read backlist books on my shelf, so if I’m doing it right then I won’t be seeking out external sources as often! ☺

Progress!

If you’re interested as well, go see the full post and sign up link from the hosts! The levels for the challenge are:

  • Dewey Decimal: Read 12 books
  • Thrifty Reader: Read 24 books
  • Overdrive Junkie: Read 36 books
  • Library Addict: Read 48 books
  • Library Card on Fire: Read 60+ books

My reads:

  1. House of Earth and Blood by Sarah J Maas
  2. Siri, Who Am I? by Sam Tschida
Posted in Book Talk, Chatty

Do you like knowing if a book is the start of a series before reading it?

Posted on by Jennifer

Hey y’all!

I ran into a little issue with a book I read today (and finished today… it was a slow day). While I actually enjoyed Heiress Apparently by Diana Ma more than I thought I would, I also learned that it’s apparently part of a series! I’m not totally sure how or why, since it doesn’t feel totally required by the ending. I’ll probably read it though — I quite enjoyed this one and would follow the characters a bit further!

Anyway, once I found that out midway through the book, it shaded my expectations of it a bit. I got a little bit bitter and suspicious, because it felt like the story could cleanly wrap up in this one book — but I knew it was the first in a series! I started thinking something really frustrating would happen to unnecessarily draw the story out, likely in a way that didn’t make sense and wasn’t needed (which is all too common).

Continue reading “Do you like knowing if a book is the start of a series before reading it?” →
Posted in Book Talk, Chatty

Did you get read to as a child?

Posted on by Jennifer

Hey y’all! If you haven’t heard yet, I’m a bit of an avid reader (as you may be too, if you’re reading this blog. ☺) I feel like I’ve loved reading ever since I was learning how, but there was always one thing I thought was kind of odd.

I don’t remember my parents (or anyone) ever reading to me when I was little! I guess I just happened to pick it up easily and really enjoy it. My brother was always a big reader as well, and my sister too, in fact. They’ve lost the time to really indulge in it as much anymore, but luckily I haven’t quite yet.

However. There’s a twist. Because even though I don’t remember my parents ever reading to me, apparently my mom totally did all the time. I asked her one time when I was thinking about exactly this, how strange it was that they hadn’t but I came to love reading, and she was practically offended and said “Oh, I read to you guys all the time!” So I have no idea how young I must have been when she was reading to me for me not to remember it at all.

Next step: see if my brother remembers! Because a lot of my early books that I read, I grabbed from his shelf. Hello, Animorphs!

Did anyone read to you as a kid before you were able to read on your own? Either way, do you think that impacted your opinion of reading now? ✌

Posted in Book Talk, Chatty

In Progress with ORESTIN’S OWN

Posted on by Jennifer

Progress: page 230/404 (57%)

WELL WHAT A FANTASTIC FIND!!

Why did I start reading it?

Lucky little me got an offer from the author to read and review this gem, and wow is it absolutely blowing me away! It’s been so exciting right from the start, and I feel like there’s never a good place to put it down because there’s always a crisis happening! I absolutely love it so far. The world and the characters are meeting perfectly. I can feel the cold and the relentless wind of the Wastes, and I’m looking over my shoulder for the bone children in pursuit. LOVING THIS.

Words I’ve Learned:

this one also then taught me “antipyretic” — two for one!

Lines that linger

In Karth-Aemon’s armor even ugly men looked beautiful.

“Are you ready to die?”

“Always. Remember that, Knight, if you remember nothing else of me.”