Discussion Post: Am I Becoming a Mood Reader?

Hi Friends,

Welcome to another installment of My Thoughts Figuratively where I wax philisophically about things relating to reading and blogging. I used to do try and do discussion posts monthly and this is actually the second month in a row that I have posted one. Maybe I am actually going to be able to do that moving forward. But lately I have been thinking  a lot about my reading and I wanted to talk about here to get my thoughts out and see if you all have experienced it.

If you have been a longtime reader of the blog you know that I used to do monthly themes where I would read a bunch of books based on certain topic. It could have been a genre like historical fiction or high fantasy, or something more specific like pirates of "island adventures." I really liked the structure and being able to explore certain types of books in depth. But as time went on I wasn't able to think of ideas anymore and the themes stayed the same. Plus as I started to read more it became harder to predict what I was going to read each month and stick to a specific theme. Over time I slowly dropped the theme and just decided to read what I wanted every month.

But reading what I wanted in any given moment was easier then it looked. So instead of knowing exactly what I was going to read next I was faced with crippling indecision on what book to pick up after I finished one. I mean, I had a general idea of what I was hoping to read for the month based what new books were coming out and what books I had review copies of, but in general I didn't have a plan. And when I don't have a plan I tend to get overwhelmed and give up. Call it anxiety or whatever else but it made deciding what to read next a tough choice. So in those cases I have taken to Twitter and let my followers make the decision for me. It's sometimes easier when someone else tells you what to do.

So for a few months everything has been working out. I've been getting tons of reading done and there hasn't been much of a struggle deciding what to read next. Then suddenly, I feel like I've hit a wall. I feel like I have been getting burned out from fantasy, one of my favorite genres. When I do read fantasies, the ones that I have read haven't really been impressing me.And yes, that could just be the nature of the book but it felt like more than that. So I decided maybe I should take a break from fantasy, refresh myself a little bit before the winter when I know some highly anticipated books are coming out.

Then Wednesday night, as I'm deciding what to read next I asked myself what I was in the mood for. And that's when I realized that I have been asking myself what I am in the mood to read. A question I have never really thought about. I know that a lot of people are mood readers. It's a thing you hear all the time in the blogoshere "I'm a mood reader so I'm not interested in that right now." And I honestly never understood that. If a new book that you were really excited to read just came out, how are you not in the mood for it?

But now I think I get it. The type of book you are interested in reading can really shape your opinion of it. Often reading is just an expression of your feelings at the time of your reading it. How many times have you reread something that you loved only to be shocked at how not good it was? Don't lie to me, we all know you liked Twilight 10 years ago. I guess that's what mood reading is. Being in the mood for something can make you love it, and not being in the mood can make you not enjoy it. The fact that I am now in that boat completely changes the way I decide what to read next and honestly I am not sure how to proceed.

Are you a mood reader or can you set a TBR for the month? If you are a mood reader then let me know how you decide what to read next? HELP ME! Thanks for stopping by and HAPPY READING!

Discussion Post: Do You Need to Read the Book Before Seeing the Movie?

Hi everyone. Wow, it has been awhile since I did a discussion post, or as I like to call it, My Thoughts Figuratively. But I have been mulling over this topic for awhile now after discussing it with CJ from Sarcasm and Lemons on Twitter. And with the movie adaptation of The Hate U Give coming out on Friday and my need for a post for the week I thought it was a good time to talk about this subject.

Movie adaptations of books are not a new concept, it's been happening ever since the dawn of Hollywood I'm sure. But today it feels like every movie that comes out is based on some book or another. And you know what, I am completely cool with that. There are a lot of really awesome books that have made amazing movies and plenty of books I wish would be made into movies or TV shows. And as readers we all have a tendency to want to read the book first. But is that actually a good idea?

How many times has your favorite book been made into a movie and you were just didn't like the adaptation? You felt like the completely changed the source material and it wasn't even the same story. I never read The Shining because the book seriously traumatized me but I know Stephen King notoriously loathed the movie for this reason. It's definitely a risk when you turn the rights over to a story and lose creative control. It's also just a completely different medium. Not to mention you often have an idea in your head of what a character looks like or acts like and if the movie adaptation doesn't live up to that it can be frustrating.

But there are also some benefits to having You can't always do in a movie what you can in a book. Being in a characters head is difficult unless you have a voiceover and there is often a lot of backstory that has to be cut because there is limited time. I have watched a lot of movies and TV shows where I had to explain to my friend what was happening and what it meant for the larger story. If that person had read the book beforehand they wouldn't be in that situation. Not to mention as bloggers, and people in general, we have a tendency to want to say that we liked something before it was cool and before it was popular some

But there are also benefits to not having read the books beforehand. Sometimes movies change things for the better. In my group of friends I was the only one who had read To All the Boys I Loved Before before seeing the movie. We all loved it so I was finally able to convince my friends to read the book. And it's not that they didn't like it but they absolutely preferred the movie, mostly because Noah Centineo's Peter K is way more likable but there were other reasons to. And for me, I absolutely am glad I saw the Lord of the Rings movies before reading the books. Tolkein is great and all but if he could go ahead and shorten everything that would be great. I really didn't need 300 pages of people walking around Middle Earth. And who cares about Tom Bombadill?

But the ability for a book to expand on the movie is actually a benefit to me. If you watch the movie first and you love the story you have something more that gives you background, deeper characterization, and additional storylines to explore and fall into. If you read the book first then you see the movie it will always be a truncated version which will possibly annoy you.

There is no hard and fast rule about whether you should read the book before you see the movie and don't let anyone pressure you into it. If you want to wait and read the book first go ahead and do that. If you want to see the movie and then read the book you should feel like you can do that as well. I think ultimately it is up to you.

Speaking of up to you, what are your thoughts? Do you have to read the book before you go see a movie or can you watch the movie first? Leave me a comment with your thoughts. Thanks for stopping by and HAPPY READING!

Discussion Post: How Blogging Has Changed the Way I Read

Wow, it has been a long time since I did a discussion post. For awhile I was trying to do at least one a month but that fell apart pretty quickly. I can't remember the last time I did a discussion past. Although I can tell you one thing, I have not done one since 2017. So needless to say, it's about time I did another discussion post.

And t be honest, this post has been a long time coming. I have been thinking about how my reading has changed since blogging for awhile now. A lot of this too is influenced by conversations I have had with some fellow blogger. I think anyone who has been reviewing books for longer than a few years can't help but change things a little bit, it's natural. So here are some things I noticed when it comes to my reading.

1.) I am much more critical

When I read a book today I read it for a very specific purpose and that is reviewing the book. So when I am reading it I am looking for very specific things. Things like plot development, world-building, pacing, characterizations. Since I started blogging reading has become much more analytical. It's not just read and enjoy a book, it's purposeful and specific.

Now this in and of itself is not a bad thing. Being critical can be good sometimes. You definitely delve deeper into the book and it's less superficial which can absolutely be a god thing. But over time I think it has become a detriment. It's harder to please me sometimes. Like I can find a book totally brilliant and still be critical of it because of the pacing or characterizations. Blogging has taken away the grey area when it comes to reading. I'm looking for that perfect read and that means there are way more books that I think are good not great.

2.) I read way more books

Before I blogged I didn't really count how many books I read in a year but it was probably 2-4 books a month. Maybe 5 or 6 if I had a lot of free time. These days if I read 5 books in a month I feel like a complete failure. Most months I read about 10 books a month and in a good month that can be 15. I'm reading way faster and I'm reading way more.

This is definitely a good thing. More is more after all. The main reason I would say this is good is because I am able to tackle that TBR way easier these days. I just have to remind myself that if I had a slow month it doesn't mean I failed, I used to read only a few books a month and that's okay too.

3.) I am much more connected with the current releases

I think this is definitely a natural side effects of blogging. There's very much an association with the new and the current and the unreleased book. There is a lot of pressure to read the coolest most exciting book. I think part of this is a side effect of wanting to be up on the trends and to get people to read your blog by being the first to review that exciting release. But I also think it's just because we know about all the new releases. We are much more connected to the publishers and their latest releases. Gone are the days where you had to wait for books to show up in the bookstore before you learned about them.

This is another thing that is neither good or bad. I mean it can definitely seem negative to be follower of the trend and obsessed with the latest thing, but in my opinion as long as you don't take it to far and forget all about backlist books or the books who have been released a few months ago then I think you are doing okay. Just don't be a snob.

4.) I own way more books

Before I started blogging I had one three shelf bookshelf and it fit all the books I owned. It got a little full before I moved to Pittsburgh but after that I started blogging and the amount of books I owned exploded. I think this is a direct result of the previous one. Knowing about more upcoming releases and the latest books is going to mean that you want more books and if you are like most book blogger you lack self-control in this department and can't help but buy all the books. I mean you are all such enablers. You make me want to buy all the books.

This is another one that isn't intrinsically bad, but can definitely turn bad very easily. For one thing, it's very bad if you are buying books you cannot afford. I hope everyone is being responsible with their money and not using rent or grocery money on books. You need housing and food, for books you can go to the library. But also I think it's very easy to get out of control. You don't have to own every single book that was ever written. It is impossible to read all those books and if you are creating an insurmountable TBR I think that's a problem. But that's my opinion.

But these are all my opinions. My thoughts, if you will. What are your thoughts? How has your reading changed since you started blogging? Is it for the better or worse? Leave me a comment with your thoughts. Thanks for stopping by and HAPPY READING!

Discussion Post: Finding Time to Read and Blog

I know what you're thinking, "oh wow, a discussion post. How long has it been?" And honestly, I don't even know. I was trying to do at least one a month but I failed miserably at that goal and then at some point I just kind of gave up. It may have been around the time I moved and started a new job. But honestly I'm not even sure. It could have been way before that.

But this topic has been bouncing around in my head for months now, since about the time I moved and started a new job in fact. So I am finally taking the time to write this post so I can get this out of my head. And also to share with you all to see if you have any thoughts or tips for me.

This will probably come as no surprise but all of my problems on this subject started when I moved and got a new job. Did you know that I moved and got a new job? Anyway, I had a good system going for reading and blogging before. To be honest, I did a lot of blogging at work and I can't really do that anymore. My job is a lot more computer work so I can't do my blogging. I also can't listen to audiobooks like I used to because I have to listen to podcasts at work. Weird problem, I know. Finally, I don't take the bus to work anymore so I don't have time to read while I'm on the way to and from work.

Basically what this means is that the only time I have to read and blog are the few hours in the evening after I get home from work and before I go to bed. That's not a lot of time considering that I also have to make and eat dinner, and do other stuff like shower and such. Plus I now have a roommate so I can't really hide in my room and read like I used to. And I do have time on weekends to read but for some reason I never end up reading as much as I did before.

All of this has significantly reduced the amount of books I read in a month and that has reduced the amount of blog posts I have in a month. I used to be able to post five days a week and these days I am lucky if I can post three times. And I used to easily finish 12-15 books in a month and now I'm lucky if I can finish 10. I know this doesn't sound that bad but everything is relative and this feels like failure to me. Anything less than what used to be normal feels like I'm not doing my best. In my head I know I should feel bad about this because it's pretty good, but I can't help it.

But I am still plugging away. I listen to audiobooks when I drive to work and when I do stuff around the house, I read a little bit in the morning before I leave for work, I read on lunch, I spend my weekends doing nothing but reading. But I still wish I could read more. I know I used to not read at the level I did when I left Pittsburgh, and I just need to develop a new system but it's hard to get there and I want to be there now! Maybe in a year. We'll see.

So my question is, how do you get reading and blogging done? When do you find the time to read and blog? Do you have any tips that can help me get more read in a month and get more blogged in a month. Leave me a comment with your thoughts. Thanks for stopping by and HAPPY READING!

Discussion Post: I Have Bookish Amnesia

Recently I was having a conversation with Michelle, as we often do, about books. I can't remember the book that we were talking about but it was one that I had already read and she was reading it. She mentioned a part that she was surprised about, something that maybe she didn't like and I didn't remember that happening at all. It was a pretty big part of the book and I had no idea it had happened. And then I started rereading the Jackaby series in order to prepare for The Dire King coming out and when I got to Ghostly Echoes, there was an entire part of the big, again a big part. that I didn't remember at all.

And that's when it hit me. I have book amnesia. Something typically happens to me when I finish a book where I almost always forget what happened. And I'm not just talking about small details like what the character had for breakfast or how they got to school every day. I mean major plot points like why a character double crossed the other and who died in the big battle scene. Sometimes I will even forget entire plot points. Like I will look back at my Goodreads list of books when I am doing Top Ten Tuesdays and sometimes I will have no idea who the characters in a book were or what happened in the book.

And I don't mean I forget what happened in books I read a year ago. I mean I forget what happened in books I read recently. Like I finished The Epic Crush of Genie Lo less than a week ago and I've already forgotten the name of the male lead and how they defeated the big bad. And sometimes this happens the next day. Like if I don't write my reviews for these books as soon as I finish them I will forget how I felt about the book because I will forget what happened in the book.

But the most common thing for me to forget is romances. As many of you know, I am romancephobic. I don't really read a lot of straight romances and when I read books that have romance in them, I almost always forget the romance. Like not just that the characters had a spur of the moment make out session as the world was about to end, although I do often forget that. I mean I will forget that there even was a romance in the book. Like if the main character had a whole relationship with a ghost and couldn't decide between him and an actual human boy I will forget that completely (well until someone reminds me).

Why Does This Happen?

Well, it could be because of any number of reasons. It could be because I am reading multiple books at once. I am never only reading one book so it is hard for me to focus on any given book. And because I am usually do themed months I tend to read multiple books with the same themes and general plots. Because of this the books tend to blend together in my mind.I forget points of the book because I am getting them confused and my subconscious isn't able to grab hold of the details.

The other reason that I think this tends to happen is that I read too quickly sometimes. The problem with blogging sometimes is that we are trying to churn our reviews out in a consistent way. On the internet content is king and on book blogs, that means reviews. I usually try to have at least two reviews a week, ideally three. That means I need to finish one book every weekend and one every work week. This is sometimes challenging. If I am having a busy week and I don't have as much time to read then I will try to finish the book faster than I should. Sometimes that means skimming and sometimes that means just not reading as critically.

Is This a Good Thing?

No, probably not. Being this forgetful is probably not a good thing. I mean I don't think it bodes well for me as I get older. At this age I shouldn't be this forgetful. Although frankly, I have always been a little absent-minded. But general life stuff aside, it's probably not very good for me as a reader. I want to remember what happened in the books I read. I want to be able to talk about them with people who read them after me or later down the line. When sequels come out I don't want to be forced to do a reread because I know I will have forgotten all the details. I want to remember what happened.

But, sometimes I do think that being forgetful is a good thing. For one, I am not usually the kind of person to have a grudge on a book. It's very rare for me to look back on a book and not like it. Because the books I didn't enjoy are sometimes the first to go from my memory. Of course those that I actively despise are another story. But it also helps with book hangovers. Because I am so forgetful about what happens, it's easier for me to move on to the next book. My thoughts don't linger on the previous one. And honestly, years of attempting to avoid book hangers by starting a book right away (more on that here) might be one of the reasons I do get bookish amnesia.

How Can I Solve This Problem?

If I really don't like this then I need to do something about it. I can do one of two things. First I can make sure I take my time reading the book. In order to do this I need to not put so much pressure on myself to pump out reviews twice a week, every week. Sometimes I will just not meet that goal and that is fine. If I stop worrying about finishing that book and start worrying about soaking up every word that will probably help. The other thing I can do is write stuff down. I used to have a notebook where I wrote spoiler thoughts about the books I was reading but I stopped doing that. Maybe I should start that again. This way I would need to remember stuff and if I forgot I would have a way to remind myself.

There you have it, my bookish amnesia. Do you forget what happened in a book shortly after you read it? Why do you think that happens to do? If you don't forget anything, how do you remember? Leave me a comment with your thoughts. Thanks for stopping by and HAPPY READING!

Discussion Post: Why I Think Audiobooks Are The Best Way to Reread

Hi Everyone,
In case you missed it a week ago when I talked about the new audiobooks to my wishlist, June is Audiobook Month. As many of you probably know I am a huge fan of audiobooks. I'm an audiotory learner and so listening to books is great for me. On top of that I can listen to them at work, on long walks, on public transportation, and while doing housework. Which are things I both love and hate. But in general, I think there are just certain books who are perfect in audio format.

But some of the best audiobooks are rereads. I really don't like rereading physical books. I have done it before but when it comes to rereads I would much rather listen to the audiobooks. I really think that audiobooks are the best way to reread a book. And just in case you haven't experienced this joy I decided for this month's discussion post, to explain that to you.

1.) You Can Experience the Book Faster.

I'm not a very fast reader. It depends on the book and what I am up to but in general it takes me about 4-5 days to finish a book. But when it comes to audiobooks I can listen to them in 2-3 days, that is if I actually hunker down and listen to them. Partially this is because you can alter the speed and read at 1.25 or in rare cases 1.5 speed but this is also because you can listen anywhere. It really is a super helpful way to read more books.


This is a good thing for reading in general but it's even better for rereads. Say that the book you have been waiting two years for, the sequel to that book you loved, comes out a week and you want to refresh your memory on what happened. You can read the whole book and nothing else, or you can listen to the audio while you're at work and be ready for the next book. I choose the latter.

2.) Doesn't Take Reading Time Away From Other Books

This sort of goes hand in hand with what I just said about reading books faster, but when you are listening to an audiobook you can still read physical books or e-books. I'm the kind of person that is almost always reading two or three books, one of them is an audiobook. And because of this I can keep my audiobook for rereads and have my other reads be new releases or upcoming ARCs.

Now this is particularly important for rereads because if you are taking the time to read something again then it means you can't read something new. But if you're doing it on audio you can have your cake and eat it too. So many times I've thought I wouldn't be able to reread a book because I had review books I needed to prioritize but this way I don't have to worry about that. Everyone wins, especially me.

3.) Gives You a New Perspective

One of the things that I love about audiobooks is how they set a very specific tone for the book. It establishes the atmosphere of the book because the narrator can do certain things like speed up their voice during really thrilling scenes or build the suspense with dramatic pauses. It makes you feel the tone of the book so much more that way.

And for rereads this has an even bigger effect. You can see the book in a whole different way just because of the narrator. There has been times where I started reading a book and I liked it but as soon as I picked up the audio and got the tone of the book it was like a whole different story. A good narrator can make you see things in a totally new light. And when you are rereading a book isn't that what you want? And if they are really good and the audio is good enough, it's like you are experiencing the book for the first time. Plus presumably you liked it before but maybe you'll love it this time.

4.) Immerses You in the World

Again, this goes hand in hand with what I just said about giving you a new perspective. Because just like that one, this is all about the narrator being able to set the scene and create an atmosphere for the book. A really good narrator is able to do that in such a way that you are able to forget about the real world or your location and you are transported to wherever the book takes place. If I am being entirely honest that rarely happens to me when I'm reading a book but when I am listening to an audio it almost always happens. It's like I'm there, I can see the sights, hear the sounds, smell the smells, feel the feels. I am immersed in that world.

Now again, this is even more beneficial when you are rereading a book. It's like a more extreme reaction to the book. And when you are experiencing a book again you want that stronger reaction because then you will appreciate the book as much if not more. It's happened to me many times where I loved the book so much more on audio because I was able to feel immersed in the world. It almost ruins the actual reading of the book for me (more on this later), but it's honestly a good thing for me. Plus when you are rereading a book it's usually because a sequel is coming out and being able to reimmerse yourself in the book helps you jump right into the next one.

5.) Helps You Reconnect With The Characters in a Different Way

You can probably tell that one of my favorite things about audiobooks is the narrators. A lot of what I have been talking about here is how a good narrator is able to create the scene and pull you into a book. But a great narrator is also totally able to embody the character. There are certain books and certain narrators where I have just thought, that person is that character. MacLeod Andrews is David Charleston, Steve West is Sean Kendrick, Elizabeth Evans is Celaena Sardothian. These narrators become the characters so much that you can't help but connect with them because it's like the character themselves is talking to you. This is even more amazing if you have a full cast or multiple perspectives, that narrator becomes the character.,

This too is even more heightened for rereads. In these cases you already met and probably connected with the character. So when it comes to rereads you can just let go and allow them to soeak to you in their tone and their way. Sometimes this can happen so much that I can no longer read a book because I will have the narrators voice in my head. I'll hear the dialogue in their tone and inflections. It's like they have embodied that character so much that I can't experience them any other way. And while this is a good thing, often I'll be like "it's not the same" and I'll just get the audio. But in the case of rereads it really does help you jump back into the characters head which is super helpful.

There you have it, all the reasons I think that audiobooks are the best way to reread anything. I am currently doing my own audiobook reread of This Savage Song. I'm really enjoying it. There Plummer is definitely able to set the tone of the book and immerses me in the world of The Monsters of Verity. She is also able to embody Kate Harker, she's so perfect for Kate. I'm not sure she gets August just right but still it's really good. I'm so ready for Our Dark Duet, I just need to finish this audiobook.

What do you think? Do you like listening to audiobooks on rereads? What are some of your favorites? Leave me a comment with your thoughts. Thanks for stopping by and HAPPY READING!

Discussion Posts: What Makes You Comment?

Hi Everyone,
When thinking about what to write about in my monthly discussion post I had one idea. I've been thinking a lot about blog comments lately. I'm not sure why. Maybe because I feel like the comments over here have been down lately. Now don't get me wrong, I never did get a ton of comments but I could usually count on each post to get one or two and if I was really lucky four or five. But these days I feel like I am lucky if I get two comments on my posts. And it doesn't matter if it's a review, a discussion post, or a meme comments are down.

One thing I want to say before I go any further is that it's not like I expect comments. There is nothing that mandates people comment on my post. I mean there is nothing saying that people have to read my posts. It's nice when they do one of those things but it's especially nice if you do both. Seeing comments is the best way to validate that you read and liked a person's post. It shows them that "I was here and something resonated." So even though I know there is nothing saying people have to comment I can't help but feel like maybe my posts aren't as good or maybe people aren't reading them as much. I know that's not true and I'm a Ravenclaw and therefore a logical thinker so let's break it down to make me feel better.

Why Do I Comment?

I have to take a second to think about the reason that I might comment on a post. And there are any number of reasons why I might comment on a post. By far I think the posts I comment most on are memes like Top Ten Tuesday and Waiting on Wednesday. I think this is normal. The whole point of this is to connect people throughout the blogosphere and it definitely does. Then I think I am more likely to comment on reviews for books that I have read. I think when I read a review of a book I have read there is a tendency to add something akin to "me too." I want to add things like "I also found the pacing slow" or "I know they didn't work for you but I liked the characters."

I also tend to comment on the posts written by my blogger friends. There are just some blogs that you read every day or every time that they post. Maybe it's because you really like what they have to say or maybe it's because you really like them as people. I know cliches are bad but friendship is good, right? Over the years I've developed some good relationships with fellow bloggers. These are often the people whose blogs I like and reviews I trust. So when I see that they have a new post I will definitely read it and I want to support them by adding my two cents.

I will also sometimes comment back to people who commented to me. Now admittedly I am not very good at this. If I see someone has commented (whether they are an old follower or a new one) I usually forget to check out their site and to say something. And sometimes I will go to their site and not have anything to comment on. I can comment on anything but as statated above, I prefer to comment on books I have read so I can say "me too" instead of saying "I want to read this, it sounds really good." Which to be entirely honest is stupid. Some of my favorite comments are people saying that I convinced them to read the book I was reviewing. I should try to be better about this.

Why Wouldn't I Comment?

Well, again there are a few reasons why I might not comment on something. For one I think you have probably figured out that I wouldn't comment on a post if I have no interest in reading the book. We all have different tastes which is totally fine. It's one of the best things about this crazy blogosphere that you can find all kinds of different people and reviews. But if I see a post from someone that is about like an adult romance I am not going to read it and therefore not going to comment.

But the weirdest reason is if I haven't read the book but want to. These are often reviews I will read but not comment on. Maybe because I think I have nothing meaningful to say. Like often I will read multiple reviews for the same book, especially if it's a hyped up book just to see what different people are saying. Because as stated, different people have different opinions. But you can only say "I can't wait to read this book. Great review!" so many times.

I also read recently that the amount of engagement matters, I can't remember who wrote a post talking about this. It's frustrating me because it's one of the reasons why I decided to do this discussion. But last week someone said something about people are least likely to comment on posts with a lot of comments or ones with no comments. And this I think is true for me. When a post already has a ton of comments I think that I can't add anything else and I don't comment. But at the same time if there are no comments I don't want to be the first. But isn't that a thing on YouTube. People are always trying to be the first to comment. We should get more like that.

What About People Commenting For Me?

Well, if I am operating under the assumptions that people comment similar to me than I can come to a few conclusions. For one, I need to explore more and comment more. The best way to get comments and expand the interactions is to make the first move. I'm definitely not very good at this and should get better. I also would like to start finding some more blogs. When I first started I was all about finding that awesome new blog that could share some insight I didn't have and talk about books that I also loved and hated. I've gotten away from that.

I also think that other that that there isn't much else I can do. I know that reviews never get that many comments. I shouldn't really be upset if a review doesn't get any comments. But I can't help but feel like I'm doing something wrong. If people are like me and they prefer to comment on books that they have read and/or are new to them then I guess I could share some different books with people. But honestly there have been some books that I thought would be really popular like The Song Rising, To All the Boys I Loved Before, and A Conjuring of Light that didn't get many comments. But maybe I could read some different kinds of books that are either really popular or new to people.

But for the most part I'm just curious about what makes you comment on a post? What would encourage you to comment more? What about your posts? Leave me a comment with your thoughts. Thanks for stopping by and HAPPY READING!

Discussion Post: Is Hype a Good Thing or a Bad Thing?

So lately I have been reading a lot of super hyped books that I haven't been loving and it's got me thinking, is hype good or bad?

One thing I learned being withing the blogosphere almost right away is the fact that there is always going to be some super popular book that everyone seems to be talking about. It doesn't matter if it's a book that just came out, one that's coming out soon, or one that has been out forever there is always going to be a book that is almost universally loved that you feel left out if you haven't read it. The hype is real with so many books. But, is that a good thing or a bad thing?

On the one hand I have found some absolutely amazing books because of the recommendation from bloggers and because of the hype surrounding them. I probably never would have found Sarah J. Maas, Leigh Bardugo, Rainbow Rowell, or Brandon Sanderson if it wasn't for the hype around their books. I had heard basically everyone talking about the Throne of Glass series, the Grisha trilogy, Eleanor and Park, and Mistborn when I first started blogging. These are now books I consider to be favorites and I never would have found them if it wasn't for the hype.

Even more than that, I feel like hype around upcoming releases like debuts can definitely help me diversify my reading. When I first started blogging and even up until a few years ago I had a much narrow focus on my reading. I read pretty much only genre fiction and was even picky about that. Then I started to see the hype around other books and ended up deciding to try some books I wouldn't have read if they weren't super popular. I definitely think hype can be good in that it causes people to break out of their comfort zone.

I also think hype can be a good way to build community. The book blogging community is surprisingly big. I am constantly finding new blogs because people are just starting out or I just never interacted with them before. And sometimes it can be hard to start up a conversation. But if everyone is talking about the same book and you loved it, it makes it easy to gush along with them. In that same vein, if you do a review of a super hyped book it brings people to your site because they want to see your thoughts. It can definitely brings people together.

But it can also be a bad thing. I've gone into books with super high expectations because a book was so hyped up and popular that I thought it was going to be the next great American novel and then been disappointed in the book. If everyone is raving about a book you can't help but assume that it is going to be mind-blowing. I have been burned many times by books that everyone was raving about, which I didn't love. Sometimes they were good but not as good as I expected, and sometimes they were just not good and I didn't get the hype at all. And in cases like this you feel like such a black sheep and don't want to talk about the book at all because everyone seems to love it but you. You wonder if it's you or the book.

And if I am being entirely honest, sometimes I wonder if the hype surrounding a book is actually genuine. It could very well be just that a book has really good marketing. You know what I mean, right? There are just some books the publishers are doing a great job hyping up. You see the cover all over Twitter and there are blurbs and previews, people are talking about it in their WoW posts, and even a few early reviews are coming in. I can't help but wonder in those cases if the book is really worth the hype or I'm just seeing the book everywhere. These are instances where I wait for more reviews, especially ones from trusted reviewers.

But after all of this, do I think hype is good? Yes. And do I think hype is bad? Yes. There are definite benefits to the hype. It helps you find books that are amazing, it helps you diversify your reads, and it builds community. But there are also downfalls like you can have really high expectations, you can feel like a black sheep, and it can be disingenuous. I think the key thing is to just be aware that hype doesn't always mean that the book is right for you. Try and suspend your expectations and like every other book you will love it or not like it.

What do you think? Is hype a good thing or a bad thing? Leave me a comment with your thoughts. Thanks for stopping by and HAPPY READING!

Discussion Post: Fantasy Tropes I Actually Like

Hey everyone, I'm taking part in the 2017 Discussion Challenge hosted by Feed Your Fiction Addiction and It Starts at Midnight. The goal of this challenge is to do at least 12 discussion posts ina year. I'm not great with discussions and I am currently in the think of a severe reading slump so I thought, why not. Let's do a discussion.

You all probably know that I read a lot of YA fantasy. It's my favorite. Fantasy is my favorite genre and these days I am just more excited about YA novels that Adult or Middle Grade. This usually means that a solid 1/3 (maybe more) of the books I read in the year fall squarely in this category. And as original as they may seem, after a few they start to get real tropey. You start to see the same things over and over again. And sometimes it makes for a frustrating and predictable narrative. But to be entirely honest, there are also some really tropey books that I love. Why, because I like certain tropes. So here I want to explain a few of my favorites.

Side Note: If you want to fall down a rabbit hole of tropes check out this website called TV Tropes where I got a lot of information from. It's basically Wikipedia for tropes. All of the definitions here are taken directly or paraphrased from these entries.

1.) Reluctant Hero

Definition: They didn't want these powers, this magic, this curse, or whatever it is that was foisted upon them. The responsibility to save the world? Forget it! All those exciting adventures and the ability to potentially do anything? Take it away. They want nothing to do with it.

Why I Like Them: This is my favorite kind of protagonist. You will notice throughout this list that I don't typically go for the more traditional kind of heroes. The kind of people who think it's totally normal and acceptable to just drop everything to fight, the kind of people totally prepared mentally and physically for the task before them. I like heroes that are like "I kave no idea what I'm doing, this task is way out of my league, but I'll see what I can do." Not only is that easier to relate to but it's also so much more entertaining. It makes for more drama and conflict as the hero figures out what they need to do and better development as the go on a classic "Hero's Journey" which I love.

Examples: Harry Potter in the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling, Katniss Everdeen in The Hunger Games by Susan Collins, Frodo in the Lord of the Rings, All These People in this Top Ten Tuesday Post.

2.) Badass Princess

Definition: With all the luxury afforded to a princess and all the knights dedicated to her protection, who would have thought the most dangerous person in the castle is the princess herself? Instead of knitting or gossiping, this princess has developed powers or abilities that make her more like a cactus than a delicate flower. Instead of the Damsel in Distress, this princess's role in the plot is active. She still might fall in love with the hero, as a princess traditionally would, but she'll be fighting next to him instead of crying for help

Why I Like It: This I think should be pretty obvious. I know that the strong female protagonist cliche is pretty tired, especially in YA Fantasy but honestly I am seriously a sucker for it. For so long we had to endure damsels in distress or ineffectual and virtually unimportant female leads, but no longer. Now we have tough women who are the heroes of their own story. But as much as I am all for the SFP I am not a huge fan of the female warrior trope. I'm cool with the Lady of War but I personally prefer my kickass ladies to not feel like they have to act or dress like men to kick ass. That's why I love the badass princess. She will fight by the side of the male hero but she will do it in her skirts and crown to save her kingdom.

Examples: Aelin Galathynius in the Throne of Glass series by Sarah J. Maas, Danarys Targeryan in A Song of Ice and Fire, Lada Dragwyla in And I Darken by Kiersten White, A certain character in The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer, and a ton of others that seem to be spoilers. Apparently badass princesses do have to be in disguise.

3.) The Lovable Rogue

Definition: A person who breaks the law for their own profit but is nice enough and charming enough that the audience roots for them, especially if they don't kill or otherwise harm anyone.

Why I Like Them: I mean this is honestly one of my favorite tropes and often my favorite character, especially my favorite secondary character, will be a lovable rogue. For one thing I love an amoral character, especially if they fall on the hero side of the equation (more on that later). But what I really appreciate about Lovable Rogues is when they aren't the hero at all. They make such great "sidekicks" because they are the perfect foil for the more high strung hero types who seem to fixated on doing what is right. Plus bonus points if the lovable rogue is also the romantic lead because BANTER!

Examples: Sturmhond in the Grisha Trilogy, Thorne in the Lunar Chronicles, Rob in the Scarlet Trilogy, Kelsier's Crew in Mistborn, Basically Everyone in The Lies of Locke Lamora.

4.) The Chessmaster

Definition: The Chessmasters tug at their strings of influence, patiently move their pieces into places that often seem harmless or pointless until the trap is closed, and get innocent unwitting pawns to do all the heavy lifting. The best will also have layers upon layers of misdirection and backup plans in case an unexpected hero gums up the works.

Why I Like Them: Well for one thing, Chessmasters are my favorite kind of villians. There is nothing more satisfying than learning that everything you thought was harmless is actually been orchestrated by some malevolent force who has been pulling the strings without you even realizing. Plus I love when my fantasy has a lot of scheming and plotting and usually that means there is some kind of Chessmaster somewhere within the book. It makes for such compelling characterization and plot development.

Examples: I don't want to tell you because that ruins all the fun reveals. But you know some, right? Of course you do.

5.) Plucky Girl

Definition: Chessmasters tug at their strings of influence, patiently move their pieces into places that often seem harmless or pointless until the trap is closed, and get innocent Unwitting Pawns (who else?) to do all the heavy lifting. The best will also have layers upon layers of misdirection and backup plans in case some unexpected hero appears to gum up the works.

Why I Like It: I mean how can you not like a character who doesn't give up? I am the eternal pessimist, I am a worst case scenario kind of person, therefore I greatly admire characters who really should throw in the towel and don't. Seriously, these characters could very easily just say that's it, I give up, and I wouldn't blame them. But they don't and to me that makes the most amazing protagonist. It's really easy to root for a heroine who keeps getting back up. And in the end often the challenges that they are thrown make them, stronger, smarter, and a better hero.

Examples: Sansa Stark in A Song of Ice and Fire (fight me!),

6.) Anti-Hero

Definition: An antihero is a protagonist who has the opposite of most of the traditional attributes of a hero. They may be bewildered, ineffectual, deluded, or merely apathetic. More often an antihero is just an amoral misfit. While heroes are typically conventional, anti-heroes, depending on the circumstances, may be preconventional (in a "good" society), postconventional (if the government is "evil") or even unconventional.

Why I Like It: Remember when I said I like amoral characters? Yup, this is what I meant. I honestly love a good anti-hero. I love when you root for the character that you would not typically root for. I love when the actual hero of the story, the protagonist, the one who saves the day, is the one who is generally a terrible person.  Just like all the characters here it makes for really interesting characterizations and even though I know this is a trope it feel so much more creative and interesting than the steretypical hero who does everything perfect while saving the day. Those are not the tropes I enjoy. This however, I love.

Examples: Adelina Amouteru in The Young Elites, Quentin Coldwater in The Magicians trilogy. Joe Goldberg in You.

There you have it, all my favorite fantasy tropes. Obviously this is mostly for characters. I didn't set out to do that but it's just what this became. What are your favorite tropes. Leave me a comment with your thoughts. Thanks for stopping by and HAPPY READING!

Discussion Post: Am I In A Reading Slump?

I like to pretend I don't get reading slumps and book hangovers. Now don't give me too much credit on this feat, it's not that I'm a really good reader, it's mostly that I am usually reading so many books that it doesn't really sink in until I'm committed to the next book. Not to mention that I live in denile. It makes me feel better about things if I can pretend they don't exist. Shameful, I know! But every once in awhile I get to a point where I have to take my head out of the sand and admit that yeah, I might actually be having an issue here. But it's pretty hard to avoid that feeling sometimes.

And I have reached a point where I can no longer avoid that feeling. I think I might be in a reading slump. But I'm still trying to tell myself that it's not that serious, that I'm not in a full on slump because for some reason that feels like admitting defeat. So I need your help. Let me explain my situation and you can all weigh in and tell me if I am in a reading slump. They say admitting you have a problem is the first step to recovery so let's give this a try.

So, here's the deal...

1.) I am reading slower than usual.
Now I'm not a particularly fast reader (I know some might disagree) but I am a frequent reader. I usually always have a book with me and I read every chance I get. But lately even though I seem to be reading as often as I usually do, I am still not finishing books at my usual speed. When I am at the top of my game I can read 15 to 16 books in a month. But lately it has only been 11 or 12. A few less books doesn't seem significant but it is 20% less than my best. I hate not being at my best.

I want to blame this on the fact that I am in a post-EoS book hangover but if I am being entirely honest, this has been a long time coming. In fact this post was in my drafts for a few months. Because back then, it took me almost a week to read a YA novel that was less than 400 pages. Usually I can do that in two or three days tops, especially if it's over the weekend. And no, I didn't have a particularly busy weekend. I did a few things that got me out of the house but mostly I sat around reading. But I wasn't able to get through this book.

2.) It's hard for books to capture my interest.

This is probably the biggest clue that something is amiss with me and my reading. I have had this issue lately where even this highly anticipated read will have a hard time hooking me. I've been desperately waiting on the sequel to this book for over a year and now that it's finally here and I have the chance to read it, I'm waiting four days before I even pick it up and even then I'm not engrossed. Now I know every book is different, and honestly I had a super busy week last week and really couldn't have read it but six months ago, that would not have stopped me. 

The other issue with this is that when I am reading a book sometimes the events of the book aren't even sinking in. I'm reading, I'm flipping through pages but it's like I'm not even comprehending what is happening. It feels almost like I am going through the motions of the book without actually taking in the book. And that, honestly is a problem.

3.) I'm not super interested interested in rereading a favorite series.
Usually when I am in a book slump or book hangover the first thing I do is reread a favorite book or series. It helps me restore my love of reading and get back into new books. But I have been doing so many rereads lately to prepare for sequels and series enders that I think this might not be effective anymore. I started the audiobook for a book that I loved and while I'm really enjoying it is taking me forever to finish it. I can usually cruise through an audiobook in a few days to a week and this time it seems to be taking me twice sometimes 3 times as long.

Now to be entirely honest here I feel like I need to explain this a little bit. The problem here I think is that I usually do rereads on audio and I honestly don't have the time anymore to really listen to them. I usually listen at work and I haven't been able to do that for the past few months because I have been so busy. And then when I get home and have the chance to read I don't want listen to audio, I want to read physical books.

4.) I can't even figure out what to read next.

Usually I am all about keeping to a schedule and structure. It's what keeps me focused. But lately not even that is helping me. I have slowly been trying to get away from the super structured TBR because it honestly caused more problems for me. Sticking so closely made it so that I was reading too many books I wasn't enjoying and ended up DNFing. So I started doing kind of a combination sort of thing, potential reads that I would pick up depending on my mood.

And that helped a little bit but now even that isn't helping me pick what to read next. I have a giant stack of books I am really excited about and I can't pick what to read. And even when I have already started reading a few books I can't decide what to read. I'm usually good at prioritizing one over the other or will be able to power through one but lately I have not been able to decide which one I want to read more and sometimes end up reading neither.

5.) I can't remember my last 5 star read. And that book was far from perfect.

Well this is kind of a lie. I can remember my last five star read because it was Empire of Storms but that was almost three weeks ago. In the past few months I think I have only given four 5 stars on goodreads and I don't think any 10 stars here on the blog. Maybe one. This more than anything else makes me think that I might be in a reading slump.

I say this for two reasons. The first one is that I haven't loved many of the books I have been reading lately. Many of them have just been kind of middle of the road reads. Which you know, happens. You can't win them all. But lately it feels like I can't win any of them. It's even hard for me to be really impressed by a book. In the last few months there has only a few that were amazing in an unexpected way. And those are my favorite kind of reads. The other reason I think that not having many five star reads is why I'm in a reading slump is because I haven't been loving highly anticipated sequels or reads (with the exception of Empire of Storms). If you have been waiting for a year to read a book and it doesn't blow you away you start feeling a little slumpy.

Alright, there you have it. All the reasons I think I might be in a reading slump. What do you all think? Would you call this a reading slump? How do I get out of it? I really want to make sure I restore my love of reading for the next month. There are some releases and sequels coming out that I have been dying to read for and I am hoping to have this all cleared up by then. So what do you do to cure your reading slumps? Give me tips. Thanks for stopping by and HAPPY READING!

Discussion Post: I Don't Take My Time Reading Anymore.

So many of you probably know that I am usually a crazy planner when it comes to my reading schedule. I am taking part in ARC AUgust next month, an event hosted by the lovely ladies at ReadSleepRepeat that I look forward to every year, and I was kind of overwhelmed by the fall releases I was thinking about reading. It's not just me, right. I mean I see you all getting excited about the September and October releases and stressed about how you are going to read them all. Samesies.

So with all the new releases coming out and my crazy reading schedule all I want to do lately is devour the books that I am hoping to read and then quickly go on to the next one. Now before we go any further I want to make something clear. I'm not a fast reader. I just read very often. I listen to audiobooks at work, I read on the bus to and from work, I read all night most days. On average I read about 100 pages a day, 30 pages while I'm commuting to and from work and then 70 at night. But then on weekends I honestly spend most of my time reading so I can finish what I started during the week or read an entire new book.

But since I started blogging I feel like the amount of books that I read in a year has exploded. Instead of reading 3 books a month I'm now reading 3 books a week. So have I started reading faster? No, I don't think so. I mean it could be that I'm reading more YA and therefore it takes less time to finish it, but I think that it's more than that. I think that now instead of taking the time to sit with a book and immerse myself in it, I just devour it.

I know some bloggers and readers who, when they are reading an amazing book, have this desire to make it last as long as possible. When the last book of their favorite series comes out, they don't want to read it yet because they don't want it to be over. I am the exact opposite. I need to find out what will happen as fast as I can. I need to know who lives, who dies, who tells their story (yup I went there). I'm way too impatient for that. Seriously, I have never been known as a patient person. I can't wait for anything. Plus I hate surprises. Often when I start reading and things get crazy, my anxiety starts flarring and there is no way that I will be able to slow down while reading this book. I can't wait, waiting's for suckers (you're not a sucker, I'm sorry for that. I just got carried away. See this is what happens). I must read as quickly as possible because I must find out what happens in the end.

This is not something I never even realized until about six months ago when I started reading Bands of Mourning by Brandon Sanderson. I couldn't stop reading so I bought the book in multiple formats, including the audiobook so I could listen at work. I needed to just devour this book whole. But then after I finished I started reading Mistborn: Secret History and despite it being a novella I was reading it extremely slowly. I wanted to make that last and it was messing with my head so I couldn't plow through it. I didn't consider the fact that my usual style is to not slow down until I wasn't doing it that way and then it clicked. I devour books, I don't take the time to sit with them.

Benefits to this Style of Reading

Well for one thing, it lets me read more books than if I took my time. There are so many amazing books out there and there is no way I could read all of them. But this really allows me to read more of them. Like I said before, the amount of books I have read since I started blogging has gone up substantially. I'm a few books away from reading 100 books this year and three years ago that seemed impossible. I think a lot of this has to do with the fact that I am moving quickly from book to book. I can marathon a whole book in a day and a half, something I never thought possible before I started blogging.

It also lets me stay current. This isn't a criticism of bloggers or the blogging world but so much of it is about timing and trends. There's a hype contingent as part of this world. Many people will read books ahead of release and there is this desire to do that. But even if I can't read it before the book comes out, I want to read it as close to release date as possible. I think it's just this desire to be part of the conversation. So much of the talk tends to be all about something new and exciting then a few days later we're onto the next book. Which is honestly understandable considering that every week a stack of interesting new books is coming out. I have found myself building up this backlog of books I want to read if I am taking my time with a book.

Plus it helps me keep up with the TBR. No, I don't necessarily mean the books that I want to read, I mean the books that I plan to read. You may know that here on the blog I do themed months where I read a bunch of books around a certain topic. Each month I set a definitely reading plan and a maybe reading plan. Moving quickly from book to book and devouring books as quickly as possible helps me stick to that. It also helps me stay up on my review books. I don't get a lot of books for review but lately I have been getting more and more, usually through Netgalley because I am addicted to checking it (seriously like 3 times a day I'll look if anything new is added and I'll request all the books). If I can power through a review book than I can finish it before release date which is always the goal or finish it within a few days. And it keeps my Netgalley percentage pretty high, but seriously it will never be 80%.

Problems With This Style of Reading

Well for one thing, you really can't savor a book. This seems obvious but it goes deeper than that. My tendency to read a book very quickly means that I don't often let myself be fully immersed in a book. I'm more worried about finding out what will happen next that I don't allow myself to take the time with what is happening then. It's like I'm not living in the moment with the book. I'm not really allowing myself to think critically about why something is happening because I'm feel as if I'm reading only from a superficial level. This isn't to say that I don't pick up on the larger themes of the book or things like foreshadowing and clues to the mystery but I feel like I'm just not as deeply involved in the book as I used to be.

But I think my biggest problem with speeding through my books is that I forget things. I mean this in two ways, first I forget things when it comes to what happened in a previous book in a series. This is small in the grand scheme of things because often it has been a year or more between reading one book and the other so naturally you are bound to forget some things. I have been trying to do more rereads this year, so far it has been in anticipation of upcoming sequels and series enders, but preparing for those is not the only reason I feel like I need to reread certain books. The fact that I don't take my time with a book means that I need to reread to remind myself about what happened in the book. Mostly I'll remember big picture stuff but not the why or how about what happened.

But that lack of remembering what happened also then extends to my memory about the enjoyment of the book. Frequently what will happen when I think back on books that I read is that I will remember a feeling and not remember specific reasons why I loved or hated the book. Like even when it comes to my favorites of the year and books I gave 10 star ratings to, a month later I won't remember exactly why I loved a book so much. I mean I can easily just read my review again and refresh my memory but still, it's a problem.

Just like anything else, there are benefits and problems with this style of reading. I don't know that I am going to change it any time soon, but I think the big thing is that I am more aware of it so I can slow down a little bit and take my time reading. This month has been one of my slower months for reading and I think that's a good thing. I'm hoping in the future to not be so caught up in having to finish a book for review and be more concerned about taking my time to read it.

What about you? Do you take your time to read a book or do you fly through it so that you can move on to the next one? Do you think reading quickly is a good thing or a bad? Leave me a comment with your thoughts. Thanks for stopping by and HAPPY READING!