If there's one thing I've learnt so far in 2016, it's that life is too short. Far too short. In the midst of family issues, and celebrities dropping like flies, along with career alterations and just life in general, I've started to focus on things that matter the most to me, and spending more time doing the things I love. Whilst this includes reading, some 'light' crafting, and filming for my YouTube channel and writing blog posts, it also means spending time with family, fiance, and friends.
So what does this mean for my blog and YouTube?
Absolutely nothing.
As soon as I finish a book, I'll be posting a collective review of my thoughts and feelings surrounding the book, its plot, characters etc. I'll still be posting videos as and when I can, with hopefully a variety of content.
But what about my reading?
Well, that's actually what I wanted to talk about in this post to be honest. I've FINALLY decided to make the executive decision of being ruthless toward my reading. I have such a huge TBR pile that it just has to be done. So how am I going to do it?
It's simple. If I'm reading a physical book, I'll give it 3 chapters, or between 30 and 50 pages, depending on what I reach first. If the book seems promising and I'm enjoying it, I'll see it out. If it isn't tickling my fancy, it'll have until the 50 page mark to redeem itself, or else it will be going on my DNF pile. If I'm reading an eBook, it will have between 10 and 20%, depending on the size of the book. If the book is large, I'll apply the 50 page rule, as long as my kindle has the page number option available. If not, it'll have up to 30% to redeem itself, or else I will be leaving it unfinished, It's a shame to have to be strict on myself and my reading, but when I have such a busy schedule, along with a continuous growth spurt of my TBR, it has to be done.
Have any of you had to be ruthless with your TBR? Or with anything else for that matter? If you have any more tips or tricks about being ruthless, let me know down below!
See you all soon with another post!
Friday 22 April 2016
Tuesday 5 April 2016
REVIEW || A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness
How the hell am I meant to review this book?
*
In this short, but powerfully moving novel from Patrick Ness, we follow Conor, who has all the usual teenage struggles alongside two other things. His mums illness, and a nightmare that visits him night after night. Until one night, there's a looming shadow in this nightmare. And it doesn't go away.
*
This book had me in tears. I honestly don't know how anyone can read this and NOT cry. I genuinely believed Conor's views and thoughts, so much so I was rooting for him from start to finish. But it just wasn't meant to be.
I loved the representation that the character of the monster brought to the novel. It had this big looming scary feeling to Conor, but as time passed, he got used to it and allowed to become a friend almost. And in true friend fashion, it allowed him to do absolutely anything, from trashing his grandmas pristine and precious living room, to finally beating the crap out of his bully (which was totally justified).
I don't want to say too much in fear of spoil on the experience. I went in not knowing much - literally just what I had read on the back of the book, and in this instance, that is exactly how it should be.
A phenomenal piece of writing from Ness, so thought provoking, thoughtful and eye-opening. This has definitely willed me into reading more by him, and is incredibly deserving of the full five star rating I'm giving it.
*
In this short, but powerfully moving novel from Patrick Ness, we follow Conor, who has all the usual teenage struggles alongside two other things. His mums illness, and a nightmare that visits him night after night. Until one night, there's a looming shadow in this nightmare. And it doesn't go away.
*
This book had me in tears. I honestly don't know how anyone can read this and NOT cry. I genuinely believed Conor's views and thoughts, so much so I was rooting for him from start to finish. But it just wasn't meant to be.
I loved the representation that the character of the monster brought to the novel. It had this big looming scary feeling to Conor, but as time passed, he got used to it and allowed to become a friend almost. And in true friend fashion, it allowed him to do absolutely anything, from trashing his grandmas pristine and precious living room, to finally beating the crap out of his bully (which was totally justified).
I don't want to say too much in fear of spoil on the experience. I went in not knowing much - literally just what I had read on the back of the book, and in this instance, that is exactly how it should be.
A phenomenal piece of writing from Ness, so thought provoking, thoughtful and eye-opening. This has definitely willed me into reading more by him, and is incredibly deserving of the full five star rating I'm giving it.
Sunday 3 April 2016
REVIEW || Flawed by Cecelia Ahern
***this book was received as an eArc in exchange for an honest review***
You want honest?
I've never read Cecelia Ahern.
Now, I'm well aware of just how popular her works are and how successful a writer she actually is. So when I heard she was venturing out of her usual writing realm and diving into YA, I thought 'good for her'. Well, you can only imagine my surprise at seeing her new novel available on the eArc site I use. I snapped that bad boy up.
So what is Flawed about exactly? Well, we follow Celestine, our main female character who is 17 years old. Lives with her parents and siblings, straight A student with an amazing boyfriend. One problem. There's this thing called the Guild. The Guild are there to protect the community, by preventing corruption and dishonesty in leaders BEFORE it has a chance to happen. How? They monitor your every move. If you do something morally or ethically wrong through any of your actions, you get punished, and are seen as flawed. The punishment is simple. You are branded - with a hot iron just like cows no less- in one of five places, depending on your sentencing. Those places each have a different meaning, and being flawed and branded restricts your freedoms and corrupts your quality of life. So what exactly does this have to do with Celestine, our seemingly perfect female lead? Well, she's faced with a rather tough decision, and whatever path she follows for that decision has grave consequences...
This book is phenomenal for a first time venture into YA fiction from an author outside the field. Throughout my goodreads updates, I found myself going through the motions with Celestine. When she was scared, I was scared for her. When she was worried, I was too. And so on. One thing I didn't like however, is that this is part of a series. The ending clearly leaves the series open to a number of different directions, but I felt it didn't have the closure I usually prefer, which naturally would come from a standalone piece.
Overall, I'm rating the book 4 out of 5 stars. I may pick up the sequel (if I remember to), but if not, I can leave the series knowing that I have been pleasantly surprised by yet another novel, with an ending open to interpretation for myself.
Have you read this book? Let me know down below and we can chat about it! (I promise I'm going to try harder with comment replies!)
You want honest?
I've never read Cecelia Ahern.
Now, I'm well aware of just how popular her works are and how successful a writer she actually is. So when I heard she was venturing out of her usual writing realm and diving into YA, I thought 'good for her'. Well, you can only imagine my surprise at seeing her new novel available on the eArc site I use. I snapped that bad boy up.
So what is Flawed about exactly? Well, we follow Celestine, our main female character who is 17 years old. Lives with her parents and siblings, straight A student with an amazing boyfriend. One problem. There's this thing called the Guild. The Guild are there to protect the community, by preventing corruption and dishonesty in leaders BEFORE it has a chance to happen. How? They monitor your every move. If you do something morally or ethically wrong through any of your actions, you get punished, and are seen as flawed. The punishment is simple. You are branded - with a hot iron just like cows no less- in one of five places, depending on your sentencing. Those places each have a different meaning, and being flawed and branded restricts your freedoms and corrupts your quality of life. So what exactly does this have to do with Celestine, our seemingly perfect female lead? Well, she's faced with a rather tough decision, and whatever path she follows for that decision has grave consequences...
This book is phenomenal for a first time venture into YA fiction from an author outside the field. Throughout my goodreads updates, I found myself going through the motions with Celestine. When she was scared, I was scared for her. When she was worried, I was too. And so on. One thing I didn't like however, is that this is part of a series. The ending clearly leaves the series open to a number of different directions, but I felt it didn't have the closure I usually prefer, which naturally would come from a standalone piece.
Overall, I'm rating the book 4 out of 5 stars. I may pick up the sequel (if I remember to), but if not, I can leave the series knowing that I have been pleasantly surprised by yet another novel, with an ending open to interpretation for myself.
Have you read this book? Let me know down below and we can chat about it! (I promise I'm going to try harder with comment replies!)
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