Weekly Reads and Writing! #1

Hello there! So I decided to add a new segment to this blog, a weekly update on what I'm reading and writing! I'll make a post once a week, probably around the end of each week, to share with you what's going on in my writing and reading world! This post kicks off my first Weekly Reads and Writing!

I am currently reading two books, one of which I started today. I am about 15% of the way through with both of them, according to Goodreads.

The first book is The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle by Haruki Murakami, which I started this past week. It's a pretty large book, and I've been reading it rather slowly. Like the other book I've read by Murakami, it holds the same dreamlike air and attention to seemingly mundane things. I really love that about his writing. It's very real, as if you're not reading, but rather, following around a friend and observing their life. I'm really enjoying it, though I do need to pick it up more often. I typically save reading it until night time, but by them I'm too tired to stay up. Whoops.

Then this morning I started reading Obsidian by Jennifer L. Armentrout, on my Kindle. I've heard loads about this book, and was really interested in the alien aspect of it. So far, there is nothing about aliens. Only a ripped douchbag guy that the main character has the hots for, despite her knowing what an ass he it. I can already assume there is going to be a freaking relationship happening between them. So far, I'm not amazed at all with this book, but it is decent, and I'm willing to keep giving it a shot.

This past week I've been working a lot on worldbuilding for a story/stories I plan to write. I have several ideas for novels, so I'm not sure yet which one I'm going to start. However, I do need to do lots of worldbuilding before I can even think about writing one of them.

Previously, I had written out a short, incomplete history, and a bunch of towns, places and a few people. So I had some basis for a country and what I imagined it to look like. It is actually based off of a country I created back in middle school. But now I need to work out the nitty gritty, the details that make the place whole and realistic. 

I plowed through this week with writing and finally have written a completed history for my country! Though it's not completely detailed, and I'll have to edit it later, I'm very relieved to have it done. Over everything, creating a history for your land is the hardest and least fun, in my opinion. It ended up being just shy of 3,000 words, or 6 pages, including a timeline. I am currently working on writing out the main races, secondary races, and then the common creatures found in the land. That's at least a bit more fun! After that, I'll focus on the landmarks, cities and towns, which I find to be a lot of fun and really open creatively.

I'm pretty excited to keep writing and to see how the books I'm reading turn out! Hope you enjoyed my first Weekly Reads and Writing!

 

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

Despite the emphasis and importance of words that this book brings, I am at a lack for them right now, as I write this review. A page of notes hovers before me, and the book itself, still warm from my intent gaze, sits beside me. Still I can’t find the correct words to start this review. For me, such a book deserves more than this review can offer. Nonetheless, I want to share my opinion, so I suppose I should start by saying that The Book Thief was a nearly flawless story, one I can only wish I had picked up sooner.

Following a young girl named Liesel during Nazi Germany, this is a book about life, as told by Death. Instantly, this unique narrative captured me. I found the straight forward speech of the narrator fitting for such a story. It gave the writing a slightly broken feeling, which is very similar to the way people’s thoughts flow. With the use of colors, the beginning is able to convey such vivid descriptions in very few words. The writing never loses its potency as the story goes on. It is simply gorgeous, easily invoking an accurate mood and setting. Perfectly crafted metaphors add to this as well. The dialogue, though minimal, was also very potent and important.

Despite the starkness of the narration, despite the blatant foreshadowing told in flashes forward and back, it never takes away from the emotion and shock of what happens. The plot continues on at a constant speed. Even though we are interrupted many times along the way, the book reads quite quickly, while still giving the reader enough time to absorb everything.

The lovely and terrible snippets of Liesel’s childhood were woven together to portray a beautiful story of what is was like for her growing up during Nazi Germany. During this time, she forms strong relationships with several important people, who help sculpt her life. All of the characters were really pleasant to read about, each with their own strengths and weaknesses. One of them is her Papa, Hans Hubermann, who is a smart and gentle man that teaches Liesel how to read. He shows his strength throughout the story by constantly questioning the society he exists in, and taking risks to help others. The biggest risk he takes is by helping a young Jewish man named Max. While staying in the Hubermann’s house, Max and Liesel become close friends due to a common interest in reading and writing. Though Max has been through lots of hardship, an innocence and wisdom remains in him, which is shown through his illustrated stories. Along with her personal growth throughout the book, Liesel’s best friend Rudy also grows. During such a time, he is forced to grow up quickly, going from a carefree and wild boy to a caring and watchful young man. The growth of each character was subtle, shown through small, and large, acts throughout the story. Their choices and actions shaped who they became.

There is another relationship Liesel forms which is one of the most important aspects of the book- her relationship with books. From the start, Liesel’s interest in books gives the novel a warm, cozy feeling, which progresses as she learns how to read and steals more books. It inspires me to want to read more, to push the boundaries with writing, and to learn as much as possible. I also found Liesel’s feelings toward books and words very relatable, a sort of love hate relationship with them that I’m sure every reader has felt.

Though slightly dark at times, The Book Thief was a beautifully written book. The addition of Max’s illustrated stories gave the book a needed childlike quality, among its somber plot. With its unpredictable and emotional ending, this book will leave you yearning to keep reading it for much longer than it lasts. I loved everything about this novel, and will undoubtedly pick it up time and time again.

Lord of the Flies by William Golding

This book delivered exactly what I expected it to. It is a rather simple story featuring a group of schoolboys whose plane crashes on a deserted island. There, they must survive, first against the struggles of being on the island, and soon against each other. Holding an atmosphere of thick, dripping heat, and untamed jungle, I could easily feel the setting in which the story takes place.

Though this story is caked in symbolism and themes, there is one that stands out above the rest. The decline of the sanity and sensibleness of the characters, as they’re overwhelmed with freedom and lack of order. As children, it is easier for them to revert back to primitive ways, which is shown increasingly throughout the book. The character Piggy, who is a symbol of wisdom and common sense, is just about the only thing allowing some sense of law within the group.

The decline of the group’s order was beautifully shown as this short but potent novel progressed. Just as well, the immense imagery made the setting of the island seem very real. The characters portrayed a variety of mental states, all of which are greatly effected throughout this novel. Though a story simple enough to be read by nearly anyone, its dark undertones and shocking themes made it a hearty and complex read.

Reading, Writing, and Blogging Goals for 2015

Hello there! 

Long time no blog! I feel horrendously sorry for my lack of activity on this blog, but I'm here to announce a change! The post is going to both explain my absence, and discuss what my 2015 reading, writing, and blogging goals are.

To begin, I'd like to explain my lack of posts. Basically, I've been going through a really bad reading slump that started during the summer, due to depression and life stuff. At first, I was able to get through several books, but over time I stopped being able to finish them, and soon couldn't even start new ones. It's been very rough, and I talk more about it in this video:

However! I am actively trying to overcome this slump! In fact, yesterday I started reading Lord of the Flies by William Golding. It is quite a small book, so I figured it's a good beginner to start getting back into the reading swing of things. I'm on page 86 as of this afternoon, but I plan on reading some more later.

So that's that! Now to discuss this year's goals!

Reading Goals:  Unfortunately, I did not reach my 2014 Goodreads goal of reading 50 books last year. However, I am not at all disappointed, as I did end up reading like 30! I knew when the slump hit, that I wouldn't reach my goal, but I was still very happy with the fact that having such a goal pushed me to read more than I would have otherwise. 

This year, I'm making my goal 40 books. Not sure if I'll accomplish that, depending how my reading (and life) goes, but it's a goal nonetheless. This year I want to truly enjoy reading. I'm not going to review every single book I read, because honestly, sometimes that takes the fun out of reading it.

I'm also going to try to read more of the books I already own, instead of buying new ones. Perhaps I'll do that Read 5 Buy 1 challenge thingy that I've seen some people do. That way, it's almost like a reward for reading! And plus I have like $40 of Barnes and Noble giftcards from Christmas and my birthday, hehe!

Writing Goals:  First of all, I want this blog to not only be a place to talk about reading, but also writing. I write all types of stuff, fiction, poetry (occasionally), non-fiction prose, etc. One of my goals in life is to become a published author. So I want to be able to talk about my writing and how it's going, and be able to communicate with other writers through this blog! Along with my reading slump, I also have been having trouble writing, so my writing goal is simply to write more! It doesn't matter what, just write! I have a notebook for writing little pointless pieces, and I also want to finish more stories. I have so many novel ideas floating around, and eventually this year, I want to get up the guts to actually write one.

Blogging Goals:  Of course, I want to be more present on this blog, as well as my art/lifestyle blog. I don't want this blog to solely be book reviews, which it started becoming. I want to just talk about books and writing on here. I want to join in on book related discussions. I also am going to talk about zines, which I have a whole post about. My overall goal for this blog is for it to be a fun place to discuss books, while remaining (somewhat) professional, with reviews and such. I want it to grow grow grow. I'm going to also become more a part of the book blogging community on here, and on Goodreads.

That's about all I have to say! Now, let me get back to reading. ^w^

Once in a Full Moon by Ellen Schreiber

I was so glad to finish this book. Between its ridiculous insta-love, and shallow, pointless characters, I found myself skimming through the second half of this book. Having read and loved Vampire Kisses by Ellen Schreiber when I was younger, I really wanted to like this book. And in some ways, I did. However, there were many blatantly awful aspects to it that really had me just wanting to be done with it.

The best thing about this book was the writing. It has the perfect amount of description, and really sets the mood for each different scene. Starting this book was like snuggling up in a cozy blanket and drinking tea. But as I read on, its problems really took a toll on me, making me want to just throw the book at the wall.

It was obvious from the beginning of the book, who the werewolf was going to be- (it’s Brandon). Along with that, many aspects of the book are also extremely predictable. This is aside from the fact that the psychic character, Dr. Meadows, practically reveals the whole plot from the beginning.

There is an extreme lack of character building. The majority of characters, including the main character, were really shallow and kind of stupid. Celeste has absolutely no backbone or sense of self respect. She even refers to herself as one of those people who won’t do something for fear of hurting someone else’s ego or social standing. She never even stands up to her snobby friends or stupid ex-boyfriend, to defend herself or her relationship with Brandon. She is quick to blame herself, and claims she wants to help Brandon, but only seems to focus on what she did wrong. In the story, they come nowhere near ‘curing’ him, and her search for help is pathetic.

The only character I actually saw potential for, was Brandon. He seemed the most normal and real character in the story. Also, admittedly, the main character had potential. If she had perhaps stood up for Brandon near the end and told Nash to lay off, I would have appreciated her more. Instead, she barely mentions that he’s not as bad as her friends expect. Mr. Worthington, the old man Celeste visits sometimes, was probably the best character in the whole book.

Nash is just a dick. Yeah, I’m actually saying that in a review. He is clearly a terrible boyfriend, who doesn’t give Celeste any attention, UNTIL she stops caring about him. And then he does a really stupid thing, that ends up being a major part of the plot, to try to win her back.

Though the lack of character development was very frustrating, the biggest flaw to this book was its insta-love. I have never seen a ‘love’ form so quickly in a book before. Celeste sees Brandon one day at school, later he somehow miraculously saves her from wolves, and boom- she’s in love with him. It’s not just a crush, or lust, she is obsessively in love with him, and even admits that!  They have one encounter after he saves her, and they both are 100% head over heals in love with each other. While Celeste at least explains why she loves him- (his outdoorsy-ness), Brandon literally has no reason to love her back.

I am so done with this book. I feel bad to have to give it such a terrible review because I really liked Ellen’s books when I was younger. And also, as I said, the actual writing is actually quite good. Perhaps this book would be better for a younger person, like a middle schooler. However, I still think calling what Celeste and Brandon have ‘love’ is not at all accurate and a bad example for kids to read. I don’t know how this continues as a series, but I will not be reading the rest to find out.

Insurgent by Veronica Roth

I was hesitant at first to pick up the second book in the Divergent trilogy, after the first book proved to be unspectacular, unlike it was hyped to be. However, my interest in the dystopian world made me want to hang in with this series a bit longer. And to my pleasant surprise, Insurgent was well worth the read. It filled in most of the holes that the first book left, and ended up being a lot better than Divergent.

The writing, though still somewhat mediocre, did seem a bit better than the first book. Perhaps this is due to the immense character growth and story progression, or simply Roth’s improved writing skills from one book to the next. Regardless, there weren’t quite as many repeated words in small amounts of space as the first book.

The book starts directly where the last one left off, something I really enjoy in a series. The great thing also about Divergent’s end and Insurgent’s beginning, is the slight pause in the plot, that allows the reader to see not only how the world has changed, but also how the main character, Tris, has changed. The character development in this book was absolutely the best part about it. Tris becomes independent, headstrong and selfless, more sure of herself than in Divergent. Her true self is revealed as she matures and grows with the situations she is put in.

The romance between Tris and Four becomes a lot more real in this book. The emotions and struggles are so natural, and you can truly see how their personalities come together, despite clashing. However, the kissing toward the beginning seems a bit excessive.

I was very happy to learn more about the factions and the world in general. The world-building was much better in this book. We learn about every faction, as well as the factionless. In learning about the society they live in, we are also shown its flaws. None of the factions are perfect, or what they seem. Through this, we realize that people are much more complex than they seem to be. People are so vastly different, even people within the same faction. This book makes you question people’s morals and ways of life, as well as their character.

Tris’s emotion and thoughts were very relatable, in my opinion. She thought in a much more straightforward way than in the first book, making her choices seem rational and right. Because of the strong emotions and great character development, this book was much, much better than the first book in the series. With a shocking and thought-changing ending, I am more than excited to pick up the third and final book in the trilogy.

Goddess of the Night by Lynne Ewing

 

I first started reading this series back in middle school and was completely engulfed in the witchy world of the characters. I was lucky enough to find books 1-9 at Goodwill several months ago, and now I’ve decided to reread them to see how I like them now.

The first book of the Daughters of the Moon series was a really fun and quick read. I read it mostly at night, which emphasized the slight creepiness of when Vanessa, the main character, was being followed. The writing was pretty juvenile, including a lot of short, simple sentences. However, when there was description, it was more enjoyable, especially when the girl’s powers were being explained.

The overall storyline was extremely predictable. It is easy to see from the beginning who the bad guy is going to be. The characters were definitely underdeveloped. Vanessa, despite being popular and cool, is a regular, boring girl, with no back story and hardly any personality. The others, though they had a bit more personality, still did not seem very believable. Each character just seemed to be contained of a different cliche high school group.

The way the characters meet was unrealistic. Vanessa acts like Serena is her friend almost instantly, when all she did was go over her house for a psychic reading. They become friends without ever really being friends. Also, the relationship between Vanessa and Michael is very forced. Despite Vanessa telling the reader that she has always liked Michael and that they apparently had something going before the start of the book, it still seemed to develop unnaturally, and there is no concrete reason given as to why Vanessa even likes Michael. Also I like how the character of Stanton developed throughout the story, even though he rarely appeared.

So there were a lot of things wrong with this book, but fortunately, those faults didn’t stop me from liking it. I am a sucker for girls with magic powers, and the lore behind them, especially moon driven powers. Though it is only touched upon in this book, through the character Maggie, I love the Greek mythology aspect of their magic, as well.

I also really liked how Vanessa didn’t take any sexist shit. That’s something I did not notice the first time reading this, but finding them this second time made me appreciate this book even more.

There was definitely a bit of nostalgia going on for me while I was reading this book, which is perhaps why I liked it more than I should have. Regardless, if you are willing to overlook this book’s flaws, it’s worth a read. I definitely recommend it for a younger audience, like middle schoolers. With it’s subtle basis in Greek mythology, and slight feminist undertone, I think this is a great book for young girls. I will be continuing the series, and I’m excited to see if there is any character development.