Let's Talk About Reading in Public

Alright, folks. So with the weather warming up, I am determined to spend more time outside the house this summer. However, I also want to read more this summer. I guess that means I will be reading more outside my house!



I do have some ideas and concerns about this, though. I want to talk a bit about them, and get your thoughts.



So first, I want to talk about the benefits of reading outside the house!



Exercise. You have to walk, or jog, to where you're going to be reading. This is great because there is a library near my house where I want to spend more time, so I get to be surrounded by books and get some exercise!



Sunlight and fresh air. Reading outside the house can include reading in parks, cemeteries, or at the beach. As a result, this can increase the amount of sunlight and fresh air you get, which is also great.

Image found here

Discovering other books. If you decide to go sit at the library to read, you can also browse for more books to read later on!


An excuse to get ice cream. Hey, I'm outside and sweating in the sun, might as well get some ice cream to cool down!


I do have some concerns about reading in public, though!


First off, comfort. I like to sit cross-legged, or stretch my legs on the couch when I read. I can't exactly do that on the park bench. I have to be more careful about taking up space.

 

 I would not read this in public.

The books themselves. The subject matter of a book can be an issue when reading in public. There is the issue of the cover of a book, of course. Many romantic books have very steamy cover scenes, and personally I would not be comfortable reading them in public. Sometimes book titles can be a little raunchy as well! Maybe I am being paranoid here, but I also would avoid reading books such as Pet Sematary or The Smart Aleck's Guide to Grave Robbing in the cemetery.


The sun/heat. Of course, while getting more sun and fresh air is great, if it is too hot or sunny outside, you might find yourself regretting settling outside for a read.


People. People might come up to you and ask to talk about what you are reading. This is an issue for me because I am introverted and socially awkward.


What are your thoughts on reading in public? Do you agree with my pros/cons? Are there any other benefits or concerns you have that I have missed?


Happy Reading!

Summer Plans

I know it is technically not summer yet, but the school year has ended so for me, this is the start of "summer"!


I want to talk about summer plans. First off, I am planning on blogging regularly again. Finally, I can relax (if my stressed out brain lets me!), so I can read more and concentrate on my blog :)


I am also planning on walking down to the library a lot. I live fairly close to it, so it is an incentive for exercise, plus many books I want to read! It's nice for when I want to get out of the house and not spend money.


I am thinking of making a summer TBR list. I have some books I definitely want to get to this summer, generally thicker books I don't have the time to really get into during the school year. Among these books are my copy of The 120 Days of Sodom and Other Writings (which has been.....an experience so far), Lady Midnight and Lord of Shadows (the second of which I received for Christmas!), A Court of Mist and Fury, and the soon-to-be-released Bedlam!

However, I don't want to put too many books on this list, as I also need to make sure that I have enough time to read library books as well (I never have time to visit the library during the school year). Do you make a summer TBR list? Is it definitive, or do you just choose a few select books that you make sure to sprinkle throughout your summer reading?


I am also hoping to get some planning and maybe even part of a draft done for the story I am working on. I really worked on world-building throughout the year, so maybe I can get things going on this project.



I don't really have any other summer plans, besides working. No traveling, no major get-togethers, just a nice, chill summer.



Just some important reminders: make sure to drink lots of water this summer! Don't forget to wear sunscreen, and try to have fun!


Do you have any summer plans?

Beautiful Book Covers

Today I want to talk about some more beautiful book covers! I am featuring a trilogy with covers I love!

 

 

I love these covers for a lot of reasons. I think they're just so pleasing to the eye, but what I really love about them is the colour scheme. I love the mostly grey scale colours with a big pop of orange, blue, or red. It makes them stick out from other books to me, and it is simple enough, but not boring. It is interesting, but not overwhelming either.


What do you think of these covers?

Awesome Things about eBooks

Hey everyone! So with the rise of technology, we've seen an increase in the ways we can read books. Whether we still read them mostly in physical form, in audiobook form, or via eBook apps on our phones and eReaders, there are so many choices and possibilities out there.


I always wonder what we are going to come up with next! It seems like we are continuously developing new ways to read, create, and listen to books and stories.


With that in mind, I want to talk about some things I really like about eBooks!


First off, they are super portable. I use my phone to download eReading apps, and it is so nice to just be able to pull out my phone and read! No carrying around bulky books, no worrying about bending the cover because I put it back in my bag too roughly.


I love being able to read thick books in eBook editions, because that saves room on my shelves, in my bags, and in my hands. It is especially useful on the bus where books, both thin and thick, are at risk of being dirtied or ruined by snow and dust and people stepping on it if I drop it.


Another awesome thing about eBooks is that authors have more options when publishing their work. No longer do authors rely on big publishers to have their stories read and appreciated. There are lots of independent publishers that give authors platforms for short stories, stand alone novels, and series. Some publishing options allow even the most inexperienced writers to publish their work, which allows them to receive feedback from readers and ultimately improve their writing skills.


Ebooks often cost less than physical books, which can be great for people on a budget. On the other end of this, though, is that unfortunately some people may not have access to eBooks for financial reasons. They may be unable to afford a compatible phone or other device, leaving them with only physical books for entertainment.


Overall, it seems that eBooks offer many advantages to both readers and authors alike, although there are difficulties accessing eBooks for some individuals. Do you see any other advantages, or even disadvantages, with eBooks? Do you prefer eBooks over physical books?

Image source

Happy 2019!

Happy New Year everyone!


I hope you all had a great 2018, and I hope you all have an even better 2019!



How did all of you do concerning your book and reading goals for 2018? I achieved my goals, reading 72 books in 2018, with most books being 4 stars reads. According to my Goodreads stats, I read over 22 thousand pages!



This year, my reading goal is 50 books, though I hope I get to read more.



Concerning the new school semester, I will try my best to keep up my blog, because I really do miss blogging. But again, it depends on the work load. If it's anything like last semester, unfortunately blogging regularly may have to become a summer thing. I hope you can all be patient with me! I still think you're all awesome.



Do you have any non-reading resolutions for the new year?



Personally, my resolution is really just to take better care of my mental health. Whether that's through self care, or not hesitating to talk to someone when I'm struggling, I think I need to focus on myself a bit more.



Have a great year, everyone!

Book Talk

Hey everyone!


Today I wanted to talk about books (as usual).


As someone who uses Goodreads, I often see my Goodreads friends' shelves, including their currently reading shelves. Sometimes, I see people who only read one book at a time. Other times, I see five or six books shelved as currently reading!


Personally, I tend to read two books at once: one physical, and one eBook. I tend to read the eBook on the bus. Sometimes, there will be three books on my currently reading shelf because I have received a review copy. How many books do you tend to read at a time?

This image was found here

I was also thinking about books as de-stressors. When you have four papers due in the next two weeks, or work is getting stressful, I suggest taking some time to relax and read. As a university student, I have a lot of assignments and assigned readings. However, I find myself managing them by dividing the readings into blocks, with breaks in between. I like to relax and read for fun during these breaks. I also like to set goals each day: for example, I make myself read two of my assigned readings one night, and then get to relax and read for fun for the rest of the night. This way, I have an incentive to push through my assignments. I use reading for fun as a reward. It's also great when I get stressed about assignments to remind myself that I have tons of awesome books waiting to be read....that I'll be able to read non-stop during winter and summer break.


Finally, I wanted to discuss reading on the bus. I mentioned earlier that I tend to read my eBooks on the bus. I read them on the ride to and from school, and I like them because they help me to wake up, or to wind down after my classes. They help the bus ride go by faster as well, which is great.


Do you have any similar, or different, reading habits?

Books I am Excited to Read

Hello everyone. Today I wanted to talk about some books that I am excited to read! Some of these books haven't been released yet, while others are fairly new releases.

I am super excited to read Midnight by Derek Landy. This is the new Skulduggery Pleasant book, and as a huge fan of the series, I can't wait to read it!

I'm excited to read Ruin of Stars by Linsey Miller. I enjoyed Mask of Shadows, and I can't wait to read more about Sal!

I want to read Song of the Dead by Sarah Glenn Marsh, the sequel to Reign of the Fallen. I cannot wait for this book's release!

 

Black Wings Beating by Alex London is also on my "Excited to read" list! I enjoyed Proxy and Guardian, so I'm hoping I'll enjoy this one too.




These are only a few of the books that I am excited to read. If I kept going, this post would be miles long! Are you excited to read any of these? What books are you looking forward to?

Bookish Unhauls

Hey everyone. So I wanted to have a discussion about bookish unhauls.


If you don't already know, unhauls are basically when you get rid of books that you own. They're essentially the opposite of book hauls.


Recently I have started watching book unhaul videos on youtube. For some reason, I can just binge watch them! I watched an unhaul challenge, and I actually decided to clear out my shelves a bit as well.


I want to talk about how readers decide which books to keep, and which books to give away or sell. For myself, I tend to give away books I didn't enjoy, books that I am no longer interested in, or books that I did actually like but feel no personal attachment to.

     

These are a few books that I enjoyed, but I am still unhauling them.

I also unhaul books because while I may have enjoyed them, other people may enjoy them even more. I also currently have limited room on my bookshelves, so I am a bit more generous in my unhauling. I'm assuming that when I get my own apartment or house and have more room, I will be doing less unhauling.


I've seen some videos where readers unhaul books because they have multiple copies! I have two copies of Mask of Shadows, however I'm keeping them because one is an ARC and the other is a finished hardcover that I won in a giveaway. But if I had two of the same editions of a book, I would definitely unhaul one of them.


Something else I do when I unhaul books is offer them to my friends. Depending on if there is a need at libraries, youth centres, or other institutions, I may someday donate some of my unhauls. I've heard of programs that promote donating books to prisons, and while none of my unhaul books are in demand in these programs at the moment, in the future, if I have some that I think they may like, I might go that route as well.



Finally, I may unhaul certain books because while I liked them, I feel no need to purchase the rest of the series, and find borrowing the library copies a sufficient option. Some series, I absolutely must own all of the books, while for others, while I liked the first book, I don't feel compelled to spend money on a personal copy of the second book. In this case, I often feel like there is no need to keep the first book, as I won't be completing the collection. Obviously there are exceptions to this rule, however I've found this to be the case for many books.



So these are my thoughts on unhauls! Why do you unhaul books? What do you do with your unhauls?

Pride Month

Happy Pride Month everyone! So I wanted to make this post to talk about my thoughts on Pride Month, my own struggle with my gender identity, and recommend some LGBTQ books.



Just a warning, I will be discussing dysphoria and bigotry in this post, along with a negative view of my gender identity. 



First off, Pride Month is essentially a month to celebrate the LGBTQ community. It is, contrary to some peoples' perception, more than just a month of waving rainbow flags around and shouting "I'm gay!" It is a month to celebrate how far we have come. It is a month to celebrate many countries decriminalizing homosexuality, legalizing marriage equality, and acknowledging transgender and nonbinary peoples' existence. For me, it is also a month to reflect on the state of LGBTQ rights worldwide (though I honestly do that all year round). While LGBTQ people generally face an easier time living in western countries (such as my own country of Canada), it is also important to remember that things are not perfect here yet. While many of us are lucky not to live in a country that prescribes the death penalty for LGBTQ identity, prejudice still remains. LGBTQ people are often looked down on, disowned, bullied, abused, and used as a scapegoat for causes outside of, and even within, their own communities.



I remember going to my first pride parade. Seeing people be themselves brought so much hope, it made me literally cry. I grew up in a very queerphobic home, went to queerphobic schools, and met many, many queerphobic people. Coming out as bisexual (later as pansexual) to my family did not go well, and I struggled with dealing with gender dysphoria as a genderfluid person, alone. So to me, pride parades are a symbol of hope, and of moving forward.



I also like pride parades because I like seeing transgender identities celebrated. To be perfectly honest, I hate being genderfluid. I hate it. I mean, we've all seen those videos of happy go lucky, chatty genderfluid people talking about their clothes or their pronouns or their favourite kind of coffee. But its not really like that. That's a snapshot of a genderfluid person's life: it doesn't show the whole picture. While not all genderfluid people may experience life as I do, my experience is very painful. My dysphoria fluctuates severely, which means my inner sense of self, and my inner sense of gender, fluctuates as well. I believe this is because my brain is somewhere in between the male and female range of development (just as trans men have male brains and trans women have female brains). Because my dysphoria and gender identity fluctuate, that means that I will never ever be rid of my dysphoria. Ever. There is this narrative of (binary) transgender people as trapped in their own body. Well, thats quite literally my experience. I could get surgeries and take hormones. And I'd just be paying to have dysphoria opposite the type I have now. So here I am. As you can see, this is a very negative experience for me. So it is nice to take a break from brooding over my dysphoria, and its nice to take a break from hateful, cruel comments against nonbinary people from both outside of, and within, my own community, and see a place where I can let it all go and celebrate my existence.



You might wonder why I feel the need to talk about this, about my identity, my struggles, and my thoughts. I want to be out so I can challenge stereotypes and prejudices, correct misunderstandings and misconceptions, and maybe even inspire other people like me to look forward with hope in their heart. That is why I'm going to add this: your gender identity and sexual/romantic orientation are all wonderful parts of who you are, and if they cause you suffering (such as in my case), remember that you are not alone, you are not broken, and together we can work for a better future.



Alright. Now that my ideas on pride and my identity are out of the way, its on to the books!



I am going to suggest some LGBTQ reads. I may have suggested some of these last year as well, but I might have new followers that haven't seen last year's post so I will repeat some of them.



So I suggest Symptoms of Being Human, Mask of Shadows, and Freakboy for nonbinary characters. Freakboy is actually written in a poetry format, and Mask of Shadows is a cool fantasy.

Genderfluid Flag

I also recommend Reign of the Fallen, which has a bisexual character and lots of other queer characters as well. Switch is a (recent) historical book with a bisexual male character, and Seven Ways we Lie features a pansexual character.

Pansexual Flag

Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda is a fairly light-hearted contemporary story featuring a closeted gay boy, and When Everything Feels Like the Movies is a heartbreaking novel featuring a queer main character. Proxy is a great dystopian starring a gay boy, and Three Truths and a Lie is a short mystery featuring a gay couple.

 Gay/LGBTQ general flag

Captive Prince is an adult novel featuring LGBTQ relationships, and The Crimson Spell is a gay adult manga that I enjoyed. Finally, a great and emotional book featuring a forbidden LGBTQ relationship is If You Could Be Mine, and a nice anthology of real-life stories about life as an LGBTQ person is It Gets Better.



I'm also going to shamelessly promote the anthology featuring my short story I Am Logan (where I write as Caleb Andrews).



So there are just a few LGBTQ books I enjoyed and recommend. Please tell me what you think of these books, and also recommend some more in the comments!



Happy Pride month to all, and remember that there is hope beyond hatred.

Book Talk

Image found here

Hey everyone. I hope you're doing well! I wanted to talk about books, what I've been reading, what I want to read, and other things. 

So recently I've been getting into nonfiction a bit more. I especially love books about creepy or strange things, such as unsolved crimes, strange phenomena, mysteries, and modern day controversies. For example I recently read Going Clear, which is about Scientology. I'm looking into books about Jack the Ripper, for example books that speculate on his identity. What are your favourite nonfiction books? What topics are you interested in reading about?

I attempted to read the first Spiderwick Chronicles book in french, but I failed miserably. It turns out my french skills are much worse than I thought! So I guess its to the picture books I go. I am so annoyed how after thirteen years of french classes and living with a family who speaks french fluently, the language still does not stick in my brain! It is so incredibly frustrating. Do any of you struggle with this? And for those who are great at your second language, how did you accomplish this? Any tips?

I'm so happy I renewed my library card. While I have lots of books to get through at home, taking a walk on a nice day to the library, sitting down for a bit and reading bits and pieces of books, is somehow relaxing. I like the general quiet one finds in a library as well, its like taking a break from the outside world for a while. 

How many books have you all read so far this year? I've read 35 according to Goodreads, which is 70% of my goal of 50 books for 2018. 

Happy reading!

I'm Back! + Summer Plans

Hey everyone.


So I am back! Exams went really well, and I did great on my final projects. Straight As!



I'm hoping to return to a regular posting schedule soon. I took about a week extra off to just relax after exams ended, so I want to get back to blogging and start a spring/summer schedule in general.



I will say, though, that I am having trouble getting the motivation to get out of bed. Its so hot in my room! And for myself, when I'm really warm, I just want to curl up and nap. I'm kinda like a cat that way..... so I'm fighting off some extra fatigue. If anyone has any suggestions for fighting off this tiredness, please do let me know. Also, how do you keep your room cool during the summer? Because sometimes its like I'm being toasted or something.



I also live in walking distance to the library now. I have lots of books to read at home but I want to start walking down to the library and taking a book out maybe on a weekly basis, so I have an excuse to go for a nice walk. Plus I just love being surrounded by books and not being tempted to spend money, as I would in a bookstore. Free books are best books.



I'm also hoping to get writing a story this summer as well. I am having really bad writers block, where I think about my story and its literally like a brick wall. Hopefully I can do something about that.



Poe update: she survived the move! Poor thing, we had to lock her in the bathroom as we were loading my stuff to be transported, and her pitiful meows echoed! There's an issue though.....the landlady has two cats, and one of them in particular does not like Poe at all. Poe is just sitting there and he comes in my room and hisses and hisses! And Poe goes downstairs to explore the house and he full on attacks her! I don't know what to do. Poor Poe, I don't want her to be trapped in my room all summer. Any thoughts on this?



Anyways, thats really it for now, just wanted to give a general update and chat a bit before resuming my usual posts. It's nice to be back! Happy reading.

Holiday Book Haul

Hey everyone! I'm back :) Hopefully you all had a nice holiday season.


I was super busy throughout December with school exams and get-togethers for the holidays, so I didn't have time to post much. However, I was gladly enjoying delicious food and drinking hot chocolate and Tim Hortons Iced Capps in negative twenty degrees Celsius weather. Poe is adorable and fluffy, as always. I've really been enjoying the winter break!


This year I have received/ordered a record amount of books for one holiday season (unless I am mistaken and one year I got more.....but so far it seems to be the record!) I thought I'd list them off and maybe talk a bit about why I got some of them.


So first off is my BookOutlet haul. My boyfriend's gift to me was some money for BookOutlet! And I ended up getting 20 books!


I got:


Assassin's Heart : I've really been getting into the whole assassins in a fantasy world thing lately. It started with Throne of Glass and now I want all the assassins books!


The Accident Season :  Dark family secrets? Count me in. Also the cover is great.

Lockdown : I want to read some more creepy stuff, and this book seems to have a creepy vibe.


Altered and Unraveled : I read the first book in this series a few years ago and I really liked it. I never got to reading the sequels, so when I saw them for about a dollar fifty each on BookOutlet, I decided to order a copy of each.


Rapture : I enjoyed the first three Fallen books years ago and I never got to reading Rapture. Plus I want to read Unforgiven, Cam's story. I remember liking Cam best, so I gotta get through Rapture so I can eventually read Unforgiven.


The Girl At Midnight : As I've mentioned, I'm getting more into fantasy, and this fantasy novel sounds interesting. People with feathers for hair??? A firebird??? LGBTQ characters? Of course I was gonna get this eventually.

Mortal Danger :  I like books about revenge!


Sweet : I actually found myself drawn to this book by the title. I'd written a short story titled Sweet, so I was curious as to what this particular "Sweet" was about. Anyways, the Goodreads blurb mentions this book being about a "dream vacation that goes first comically, then tragically, then horrifyingly wrong" which I think is intriguing.


The Winner's Curse: Once again more fantasy! This book sounds a bit dark for a fantasy as well, what with the slavery and all, so I thought I'd give it a try. Though to be fair, I own quite a few fantasies that have dark elements. Either way, it sounds interesting.


Spells of Blood and Kin: As you probably have noticed from this list so far, I tend to read young adult fiction. Which is fine, but I want to expand a bit into the world of adult fiction. This adult fantasy seemed like a good pick for someone with my tastes.


Caraval: Intriguing premise, lots of positive reviews, and not to mention, simply lots of reviews in the first place! I need to catch up with the crowd.


Flawed : Rule-breaking, possibly ridiculous and oppressive societal standards, and the cost of standing up for something. Say no more.


The Hollow : Appears to have a connection to Sleepy Hollow. And secrets!!!!


Sempre : I'm getting more into these forbidden crime/mafia romances.


Shackled : If I saw my missing friend mouth "help me" in public six years after her disappearance, I'd probably lose it too. But I also want to know her friend's ultimate fate.


Dead of Winter : I liked Poison Princess, so seeing the third in the series on sale for less than two bucks was a steal! I don't have the second yet but I'll have the third for when I finally do finish the second. And for barely anything at that!


The Leaving: I love books about disappearances!

Count All Her Bones : The sequel to Girl, Stolen! I am so excited!


The Devil You Know : I like books where somebody is not who they seem to be....



Along with BookOutlet, I got some paper-copy books with a gift certificate that my brother gave me. I bought the books early because I received the gift early, but it was still a Christmas/holiday gift. I got :


The Darkest Night : because paranormal romance!


House of Leaves : This book looked weird. And it was. I read it all over the break so far, and I've never read anything like it before!


Seven Ways We Lie: I'm gonna be perfectly honest here, the main reason I got this was for the pansexual representation. Us pansexuals don't get a lot of representation in media so its exciting when we do. Also, there are scandals.


Resurrection : The newest Skulduggery book!

And then I got another gift card for Chapters/Indigo! But the thing is I'm gonna be moving soon and its already gonna be a pain to move all my current books plus the literally 24 I just ordered so.....I spent some of it on Kobo! I still have some left on the card for sequels. So far, I got:



The Warlord Wants Forever : I liked Poison Princess which is by the same author and I'm trying to get into adult books more, so of course I'll get this author's adult paranormal romance.


The Hard Way: I liked the previous books in this series a lot so yeah I got the next one!


Torn From You : I read the free prequel first and enjoyed it so I decided to get the official first book in the Tear Asunder series.


Sordid : Got this one because I enjoy dark romance, and I also want to support the author after this fiasco . As stated here , "what the terms don't mean is that readers or writers condone these behaviors in real life. Fiction is fiction."



So that's my holiday book haul! Have you read any of these books? Are any of them on your to-read list? What was your biggest book haul?


I also got a tea infuser and a nice package of teas from Davids Tea, I think the company is called. My awesome friend gave it to me! I was wondering if you have a favourite tea? So far my favourite appears to be the coconut cream pie flavour!

As the New Year Draws Near.....

Hey everyone! Sorry I haven't been posting much, I've been studying for my upcoming exams. I want to focus on my exams for the next week or so, so my regular posting schedule won't resume for another week or possibly two. But don't worry, I'm still here!


Anyways, I wanted to talk about our book goals for 2017, and also for the new year.


My Goodreads reading challenge was successful! As of right now, Goodreads says I've read 89 books, which is way above my goal of 50! I am really surprised that I was able to read this much. I had a lot going on, but I guess as a bookworm, I couldn't really give up reading.


For 2018, I think I'll set 50 books as my goal again. I'd go higher, but I want to consider what's going on in the new year, plus changes that I want to make to my reading habits. So first off, I need to focus on school first, and if my reading goal is too high, I might get distracted from my schoolwork. Secondly, I've added some books to my to-read pile that are really thick, like 600-700 pages long, so I don't want to make my goal too high.....I might end up putting books on hold just because they're longer than the average 400-500 page novel. I also need to work on my own novel.....My resolution for 2017 included finishing the rough draft of my novel and let's just say.... that didn't happen! So instead, another resolution will be simply working on my novel at least once every few weeks.


How did you do in 2017? How many books did you read? What are your 2018 reading goals?

Books to Movies

The other day, I finally watched the trailer for the Fallen film. I am super excited for the movie, however, I think that the trailer seems a bit disappointing. I'm unsure if I will like the movie as much as I liked the book, and I don't know if I like the actors they cast for each role. I'm a bit frustrated, to be honest, because I waited for the Fallen movie to finally be produced for a long time! It was one of my favourite books, and I was ecstatic to find out it was becoming a movie, but it was such a long wait.




Other books I've read that have become movies include Twilight, City of Bones and The Hunger Games. I kept hearing that they were going to make Shiver and Hush, Hush into movies, but nothing ever came of it. Then there was my excitement at hearing that Skulduggery Pleasant was going to be brought to the big screen, but then my hopes were later shattered as it turns out they decided not to go through with it. Sigh. 

When I found out that Vampire Academy was being filmed, I hurried to read the book before I saw the movie. I didn't mind the movie, though I felt it had a completely different feel than the book. I've never really been disappointed by a book to movie adaption, however the Beautiful Creatures film didn't exactly live up to my expectations, although I enjoyed it.

Alright, so all of my excited rambling aside, I want to know: what is the best book to movie adaptation that you've seen? What about the worst? Are you excited for the Fallen movie?