My Blogger Reputation and Giveaway

I'm so excited to be a part of this awesome event as part of the upcoming release of Rebel of the Sands by Alwyn Hamilton, one of my most anticipated debuts of 2016. I just bought a copy of the UK paperback from The Book Depository and I cannot wait to read it. It sounds like an absolutely amazing combination of fantasy, mythology, and Westerns in a Middle Eastern desert setting. Sign me up.

About the Book:

Title: Rebel of the Sands Series: Rebel of the Sands #1 Written by: Alwyn Hamilton Published: March 8, 2016 by Penguin (Amazon / Goodreads) Synopsis: She’s more gunpowder than girl—and the fate of the desert lies in her hands.   Mortals rule the desert nation of Miraji, but mystical beasts still roam the wild and barren wastes, and rumor has it that somewhere, djinni still practice their magic. But there's nothing mystical or magical about Dustwalk, the dead-end town that Amani can't wait to escape from.  Destined to wind up "wed or dead," Amani’s counting on her sharpshooting skills to get her out of Dustwalk. When she meets Jin, a mysterious and devastatingly handsome foreigner, in a shooting contest, she figures he’s the perfect escape route. But in all her years spent dreaming of leaving home, she never imagined she'd gallop away on a mythical horse, fleeing the murderous Sultan's army, with a fugitive who's wanted for treason. And she'd never have predicted she'd fall in love with him...or that he'd help her unlock the powerful truth of who she really is. Get a copy: (Penguin / Amazon / Book Depository)

In a world where metal and magic clash with deadly consequences, Amani finds herself becoming a myth in the making, legendary for her sharp-shooting skills, more gunpowder than girl. So, inspired by Amani’s legendary skills and growing reputation, Penguin had asked bloggers to come up with our own blogger reputation post, highlighting skills, behaviors, designs, or habits that you would be famous for in the blogosphere. So what am I know for?

As a blogger... THEMED MONTHS!

Me without themes. Or sometimes with, you know.

I think most bloggers and followers of My Thoughts Literally know that my thing is picking a different theme every month and reading a bunch of different books that fit that theme. Currently my theme is pirates (although I'm basically done with the pirate reads I had planned). Past themes have been genres like Science Fiction, High Fantasy, and Mystery or concepts like Time/Dimensional Travel, Geek Books, Adventure/Survival, Anti-Love, and Supernatural Christmas.

I love taking the time to explore in depth a particular genre and concept but it's great too because then I don't spend too much time focusing on a particular type of book. Next month will be something totally different so it keeps things fresh at the same time. And the themes definitely keep me focused. When I don't have a theme I tend to just stare at my bookshelf unclear of what comes next. I need structure or I face crippling indecision.

And I know a lot of fellow bloggers and members of the bookish community have told me that they love the theme idea. A lot of people are mood readers so they don't necessarily want to do it themselves but they think it's a cool and creative concept for the blog. Right? You guys think that right?

As a reader... SOLVING TWISTS AND MYSTERIES! 

You have probably heard me bragging about how good I am at solving mysteries. I like to tout this
reputation for sure because I am a little conceited and often super proud of myself for figuring things out in mysteries or fantasies. Especially if it's an author whose books I often don't solve stuff in like Brandon Sanderson. But I also like figuring twists out and mysteries because I hate surprises. I'm just as excited, if not more, about getting something right as I am about having my mind blown.

But here's the truth as to why I say that I'm so good at this... I love theory-crafting. Often when I'm reading a book where there is a huge mystery element, my brain is working a mile a minute and I spend a lot of the book suspecting and accusing people of things they may have done or will do. I tend to narrow these theories down as clues start coming in but I operate under a guilty until proven innocent mantra while reading so that helps.

I think a lot of bloggers know me for my ability to solve mysteries. Mostly because I shamelessly brag about it but that's how reputations work right? I don't know. But if you want verification, ask Michelle at Pink Polka Dots Books who I was DMing about Dangerous Girls and whose faith I'm trying to restore for not figuring out her OTSP Secret Sister last round.

BEING ROMANCEPHOBIC!

You may have seen my discussion post where I talk about why I find romance superfluous and wish books didn't feel like they have to have it. Or you've heard me complain about how I didn't like the romance in a book and that I don't read contemporary romances because love is a secondary plot to me to the main thread of a book.

And yeah, it is kind of frustrating to not be the shipping type and not enjoy books that were otherwise great because I didn't like the romance but I'm used to it. It happens so often. But honestly I like being this way because when I do find a ship that I like and a romance that I enjoy then it's even better. It's such a rare thing that the ships I do ship I fall hard. It's quality of quantity for me. Plus doesn't it help you all out too. I'm not going to steal your book boyfriends or book girlfriends. That's not my thing, more for you.

I know I've talked to a few bloggers about this who fall into the same romancephobic camp. It's nice to find those fellow readers who could do without that kiss at the end of the world. And hey, if you didn't like the ship and you want to complain about how stupid it is, you know where to find me.

Those are my reputations. What are yours? Leave me a comment with your thoughts. And to celebrate the pending release of Rebel of the Sands, Penguin has an amazing giveaway. Don't forget to enter down below and check out this book when it comes out in two weeks!

   a Rafflecopter giveaway

Top Ten Tuesday: Shocking Plot Twists 101

A weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish

You guys know that I often talk about how good I am at solving plot twists and mysteries in the books I read. I talk about it so much that I probably sound a bit like a conceited little jerk but I don't really care. If I don't toot my own horn who will? Anyway I though if there were a literature class I would want to take it would be one where they read and discuss books who do shocking plot twists really well. So here are the books I would include.

Unit 1: The Ones Where Your Mind = Blown

1.) Steelheart by Brandon Sanderson - My Review

When I think of crazy reveals I think Brandon Sanderson. I even refer to it as the "Sanderson twist." This was my first book by this author and the twist blew my mind. I immediately needed to talk about it. And let's not even get started on Firefight.

2.) Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson - My Review

I usually don't like including multiple books by the same author but I have to with Brandon Sanderson. With each book the reveals and mysteries got bigger and better. Some were solvable but most of them were mind-blowing. Plus a year later I'm still not over the ending in Hero of Ages.

3.) Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas - My Review

Did I know what was going to be revealed at the end of Crown of Midnight? No I did not. I just finished my reread of this series and there are so many clues along the way but I didn't see them the first time around. Also we'd have to read the rest of the series and that wouldn't be so bad, right?

4.) These Broken Stars by Aime Kaufman and Meagan Spooner - My Review

So this one is a little different because it's not a mystery. Okay, so there is a mystery that is incredible and blew my mind. I need to reread this series before the last book comes out because I need it. But there is also a really crazy twist that was a serious gut punch in the feels that I'm still not over

Unit 2: The Ones That Are Solvable

5.) The Walls Around Us by Nova Ren Suma - My Review

If I were teaching in a class that talked about crazy plot twists I would definitely want books where the twists are solvable but the mystery is still pretty killer. In The Walls Around Us that's definitely how I felt. It was a mindblowing twist but it was purposeful and interesting. 

6.) The Raven Boys by Maggie Steifvater - My Review

There are two big reveals in this series that I solved but were still done so well. There were lots of great clues that helped  me figure it out but it was still a crazy reveal. I remember with at least one of them being so proud of myself for figuring it out.

Unit 3: The Twists The Hit You Right in the Feels

7.) The Young Elites by Marie Lu - My Review

I've compartmentalized my feels from this book because it destroyed me so much. But with The Rose Society coming out in a little over a month I need to reread and think about what happened. Again, this blew my mind and hit me right in the feels.

8.) A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin - Goodreads

You want to talk about a series where you need to expect the unexpected. There were so many crazy twists that happened within this series that you could probably reach a whole class on it. And then you could also talk all about the crazy fan theories many of which I assume to be canon.

9.) Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein - My Review

Oh man, so many great twists and mysteries in this book that really just destroy your feels. The first have of the book had me question so much and then the reveal and then the ending and just... Excuse me I'm going to need a moment.

The Left Field Reveals Done Right

10.) The Mime Order by Samantha Shannon - My Review

The ending of this book had a big reveal that shocked me so much. It seemed a little out of the blue but it made so much sense at the same time. If there were a class about crazy twists, then this would be an example of the left field reveal done right.

11.) All Fall Down by Ally Carter - My Review

Just like The Mime Order, the ending of All Fall Down came out of nowhere and made me question everything I thought was true. I saw Ally Carter on Twitter refer to it not as a cliffhanger but a "gamechanger."

12.) Bitter Greens by Kate Forsyth - My Review

So it wouldn't be a top ten if I didn't include Butter Greens, amiright. No but seriously folks, this was another crazy twist ending hat caught me totally off guard and had me reeling. It was a bit out of nowhere but it also made sense. 

PLOT TWIST: There are more than ten books listed. No one is surprised by this right? I usually go over ten. What books would be on your list for a class about shocking plot twists? Have you read any of these books? What did you think about the twists?

The Five Stages of Bookish Grief: Solving Twists

Hi guys, so I was recently talking to Britt from Please Feed the Bookworm about a handful of books that we both read. None were really amazing but with all them I didn't really love the ending. For a few it was because the mystery was very much not mysterious. It got me thinking about this discussion post I have been thinking about for awhile so here it is.

I am the kind of person who reads a lot of mysteries and/or books with mystery and crazy plot twists. And because I read a lot of books with mystery, I have a tendency to figure out the twists pretty early. Not to toot my own horn, but I'm a pretty good book detective. This doesn't always ruin the book for me, but there has been a few times where this has happened. And a lot of times solving the twist makes me wonder how to respond. SO I present to you the five stages of solving twists and how you can respond.

1.) Denial

Obviously this is the stage where you think that you couldn't possibly have figured out the twist this early. Less than 100 pages in and you already solved it? No. It's a red herring, it's a harebrained theory without any real merit. You're just guessing. It's something else, you're sure of it. There's a lot of doubt here and you're thinking things like "no way," and "absolutely not, it wouldn't be this easy."

How to Respond: Just keep reading. You could be right, or you could be wrong and it's just an offhanded thought and/or a red herring. Often I'll just have this random thought where I'm like "that's probably the murderer" without any real proof. When I'm in the denial stage it's easy to convince myself that I should keep reading. If for no other reason then to find clues to verify that I'm right.

2.) Anger

So you move past denial and find clues to back up your harebrained theory. You now have verification and your not happy about. This usually happens to me if I solve the twist really early in the book. I'm talking like the first 50 pages, which has in fact happened. I also feel anger when there's a lot of dramatic irony because of something that was revealed in the synopsis. This stage and the next stage are pretty similar but when I'm in the anger phase I'm usually mad at the book or the character. I'll be thinking things like "this book is stupid" or "that was way to easy!" or you'll want to yell at the characters for being so stupid and unable to solve an obvious mystery. I'll want to hulk out on the book because it's not more mysterious.

How to Respond: Well at this stage you have two options. You can DNF. And honestly if you are legitimately angry at a book or a character then you should probably DNF it. You're just going to get more angry and resentful if you don't. But you can also keep reading. If you do decide there are some redeeming qualities about this book then keep reading. But I would suggest putting it down for a few days. Take a break so you don't actually hulk out.

3.) Betrayal

So for me, betrayal usually happens if I skip the anger step because it took me a little while longer to solve the twist. It's the I'm not mad, I'm just disappointed. It's pretty rare for me to feel betrayed. Because I think of betrayal when you're annoyed at either yourself or in rare cases, the author.  For the author it's when a favorite of yours doesn't surprise you like they did before. Like I said it's rare. But the mad at yourself here is more common. How could you have gone through all this time and not figured the twist out. Or how could you have kept reading when you figured out the twist ages ago.


How to Respond: Again you can either DNF or you can keep reading. If you are feeling betrayed at the author then I would suggest DNFing. Similar to anger, you will only get more annoyed. But if you are in the mad at yourself kind of betrayal, that's actually a good thing. Sure you figured it out but if it took you this long then it's actually pretty good. You should keep reading, again maybe take a break and cool off to see if you are interested in the book still.

4.) Depression

This is the stage where the big reveal is so close and you are 100% certain that you figured the twist out and you are so sad that you did. At this stage you'll find yourself thinking things like "WHY BOOK, WHY!" You're wondering why it couldn't be more mysterious. I often feel this instead of betrayal because I'm sad that the book didn't have a better twist or less obvious clues. When you're at this stage the big reveal is on the horizon and there is no doubt in your mind that you are right and it's just making you sad that either you kept reading or that the book just isn't working for you. I'll be sighing a lot when I hit depression. There is also a lot of frowning and general resignation.

How to Respond: Well at this phase it's kind of too late to DNF. You've gone this long you may as well finish. You're probably wishing you had DNF'd but you didn't so stop crying and finishing the book. But seriously, I would suggest at this stage to just skim until the ending. You don't need to search for clues, just verification that you were indeed correct all along.

5.) Acceptance

That's it, it's over. You were right all along. Maybe you figured the twist out on page 50 or maybe you figured it out 50 pages ago but you were right. The big reveal just happened, you and the characters are on the same page. So by now you have come to terms with the fact that you solved the twist. Now acceptance can come in two forms. The first is that resigned feeling that you figured it out and while you've come to terms with that it's made you feel like the book didn't really work for you. This can sometimes happen and it's okay. Not all books are going to work for all people. Better luck next time. The second kind of acceptance is much more satisfying. It's that feeling or excitement when you find out you were right.

How to Respond: Celebrate! Honestly you feel so much better about figuring out a twist when your response is to celebrate. Jump in the air and shout "I KNEW IT!" Perhaps you should laugh maniacally, pump your fist in the air like your football team just scored a touchdown. Get excited! You have superior intellect, you are good at solving mysteries. Yeah, it's kind of a bummer that the book didn't shock you but maybe that's not a bad thing. For me some really great mysteries are solvable with clues that help me figure it out along the way. The problem comes when you reach acceptance and there's still half the book left!

So there you have it, my feelings on solving twists and the five stages of grief associated with solving them! Have you experienced any of these? Do you DNF if you figure the twist out reall early in the book? Leave me a comment with your thoughts. Thanks for stopping by and HAPPY READING!