I've been thinking about what "well read" means lately, and I might have come to the conclusion it's impossible to be "well read", or near impossible, unless you mean well read in a specific niche or genre. To be broadly well read i'd say one needs to read a lot of books from all age categories and genres. Middle Grade, Children's, Young Adult, Adult, Contemporary, Romance, Horror, Mysteries, Thrillers, Fantasy, Science Fiction, Non-fiction, Graphic Novels, Short Stories, Long ass tomes, etc. Anything and everything.
And of course also from diverse voices. Authors of color, queer authors, disabled authors, neurodiverse authors, non-binary and trans authors, authors from different places in the world, from different religions/spiritualities etc. It would take a long long time to read enough to be considered "well read" in that sense, but man would it be a fun and interesting journey!
If one means well read in a specific genre or category...how many books would that take?
Also, what I don't like is the snobbery of people who are, or think they are, well read, looking down on those that aren't or don't want to be. Reading is meant to be fun and enjoyed. People read for many reasons and a popular reason is pure enjoyment, and there is nothing wrong with that! It's the main reason I read.
Would I like to try to be "well read"? Well sure. I do enjoy reading all over the place in terms of genres, voices and categories. But I don't know if i'd ever consider myself well read, because what does that even mean? How many books does that take? Are there certain books i'd need to read? Everyone's definition could differ.
I think i'm going to stop worrying about what "well read" means, and just focus on reading a bunch of great books and enjoying reading! Yes, I do want to read from many genres, categories and voices and I consider that important to me for various reasons, but whether I ever attain "well read"? Who cares. As long as I continue enjoying the books i'm reading.
What does well read mean to you, and do you care? Comment down below!
My Social Media: Youtube | Twitter | Tumblr | Goodreads | Instagram | Letterboxd | TV Time
Friday, May 29, 2020
Friday, May 22, 2020
Fifty Shades of Grey Trilogy by E.L. James Book Thoughts
Fifty Shades of Grey
In a Nutshell: An erotic romance trilogy.
Published: May 25th, 2011, Sept 13th, 2011 and April 17, 2012
Format: Physical
Number of Pages: 514, 532 and 579
Finished: May 2020
Rating: 4.5⭐ (for all 3 of them)
Diversity: None
My Thoughts
I actually really enjoyed this trilogy and wish I had read it years ago but I had listened to all the nay-sayers and everyone shaming anyone who liked it or even dared to read it. I was in my early 20s and at the time let the shame get to me and followed the crowd, I mean everyone was saying how it's awful and abusive so...it must be...right? Also I had been in an abusive relationship when I was 19-20 so I did NOT want to read that at the time, which is certainly valid but now having read it...I wish I hadn't listened to others to be completely honest and just read it for myself.
Is it very well written? No, but that rarely if ever bothers me. I'm a character-driven reader and here for the feels. Christian is fucked up, of course he is. But as the trilogy goes on you learn WHY, and that shit happens. He has childhood trauma and a lot of it and I got to thinking...if Christian was a woman...would anyone blame him (instead her) for being fucked up? No, I really don't think they would, or at least not for the most part. I think people would understand and be sympathetic but of course he's a man..he should just man up or something I guess? Oh wait...that's toxic masculinity talking...
He never got the help or understanding growing up that he needed. And BDSM is, in my opinion, SO NOT THE POINT of the story (and for that matter isn't really that large of a part of it). It is so far from the point that I saw. The bitch is just that...a bitch (which will only make sense if you've read it).
I found the story complex and layered and I really felt for the characters. There were a lot of instances where I thought "this needs to be talked about more and dealt with" and guess what? Every. Single. Time. it was. Ok, once in awhile (not often) I wish things had been fleshed out a little more but it's not like they were ignored. You just had to wait sometimes to get to where they'd be dealt with and talked about.
Ana, oh Ana. I loved her character arc! I ended up relating to her at times and loved seeing how strong she was, became and her standing up for herself. Does Christian do things that aren't ok? Of course he does. As stated he has a lot of trauma, from childhood, that never got dealt with when or as it should have, and people are messy. He's real. Does that make everything he does ok? HELL NO! And I am not claiming that it does. Hence what I said in the last paragraph. Ana stands up to him and for herself. The character development through-out but ESPECIALLY in the last book was amazing! For both of them.
Is Christian scary sometimes? Yes. But Ana ends up sticking up for herself and being SO FREAKING STRONG. Her strength was amazing. And just what he needed. Did she have to stay with him? No. She had every right to leave (and at one point did). Christian needed someone strong to stick up to him as well as help him through all the aforementioned trauma. He does also have professional help as well. Ana could've left him, and I would've understood, but she loved him and Christian did deserve love, the trauma and lack of care wasn't his fault, he wasn't easy to love. Sometimes people aren't easy to love but still deserve it. Shades of Grey.
She didn't deserve all his crap either, but was strong enough to stand up to him and to love him and to eventually make it work. It wasn't easy. But life isn't always easy. It's hard to talk about and I wish I could find better words. Love isn't a fix but hard to love people deserve love too, they just need someone strong enough but that is no one's personal responsibility, or even just one person's responsibility (as I said he did have a therapist too). Sometimes people don't work and that's ok, sometimes they do work but with hard work that can be worth it. Each person and situation is different.
Also...so many things i'd heard about (and believed before I read it) about Fifty Shades of Grey online that turned out to be nothing but lies. I even heard someone say something along the lines of "let me save you, the third book of Fifty Shades is just Christian asking Ana for anal, her saying no, and then Anal in the end" and...there is never a question of Anal and there is no anal...at all.
But stuff like that (many other things, that's just one example that I remember) that are spouted online from people that ACT like they've read the books in an effort to make sure no one reads the books, or just people shaming others in general, but let me reiterate that i'm talking to past me as well. Granted I never claimed to have read the books when I hadn't but I acted above them, believed what others said without reading for myself, and i'm sure I shamed anyone who dared to read them or wanted to by following the "holier-than-thou" crowd. And for past me, I am so sorry. That is wrong and was wrong of me.
It's fine to not like books, and I understand why people would not like Fifty Shades of Grey, and it's fine to not even want to read books for any reason. We can have different opinions and that's fine. What I have an issue with is people shaming others for reading something, acting like they are above others and stuff like that. I'm tired, i'm pretty sure you already get my point.
There were minor things in each book that made me give all of them 4.5 instead of a full 5 stars, but I loved the entire trilogy. Now at some point I need to watch the movies.
My Social Media: Youtube | Twitter | Tumblr | Goodreads | Instagram | Letterboxd | TV Time
In a Nutshell: An erotic romance trilogy.
Published: May 25th, 2011, Sept 13th, 2011 and April 17, 2012
Format: Physical
Number of Pages: 514, 532 and 579
Finished: May 2020
Rating: 4.5⭐ (for all 3 of them)
Diversity: None
My Thoughts
I actually really enjoyed this trilogy and wish I had read it years ago but I had listened to all the nay-sayers and everyone shaming anyone who liked it or even dared to read it. I was in my early 20s and at the time let the shame get to me and followed the crowd, I mean everyone was saying how it's awful and abusive so...it must be...right? Also I had been in an abusive relationship when I was 19-20 so I did NOT want to read that at the time, which is certainly valid but now having read it...I wish I hadn't listened to others to be completely honest and just read it for myself.
Is it very well written? No, but that rarely if ever bothers me. I'm a character-driven reader and here for the feels. Christian is fucked up, of course he is. But as the trilogy goes on you learn WHY, and that shit happens. He has childhood trauma and a lot of it and I got to thinking...if Christian was a woman...would anyone blame him (instead her) for being fucked up? No, I really don't think they would, or at least not for the most part. I think people would understand and be sympathetic but of course he's a man..he should just man up or something I guess? Oh wait...that's toxic masculinity talking...
He never got the help or understanding growing up that he needed. And BDSM is, in my opinion, SO NOT THE POINT of the story (and for that matter isn't really that large of a part of it). It is so far from the point that I saw. The bitch is just that...a bitch (which will only make sense if you've read it).
I found the story complex and layered and I really felt for the characters. There were a lot of instances where I thought "this needs to be talked about more and dealt with" and guess what? Every. Single. Time. it was. Ok, once in awhile (not often) I wish things had been fleshed out a little more but it's not like they were ignored. You just had to wait sometimes to get to where they'd be dealt with and talked about.
Ana, oh Ana. I loved her character arc! I ended up relating to her at times and loved seeing how strong she was, became and her standing up for herself. Does Christian do things that aren't ok? Of course he does. As stated he has a lot of trauma, from childhood, that never got dealt with when or as it should have, and people are messy. He's real. Does that make everything he does ok? HELL NO! And I am not claiming that it does. Hence what I said in the last paragraph. Ana stands up to him and for herself. The character development through-out but ESPECIALLY in the last book was amazing! For both of them.
Is Christian scary sometimes? Yes. But Ana ends up sticking up for herself and being SO FREAKING STRONG. Her strength was amazing. And just what he needed. Did she have to stay with him? No. She had every right to leave (and at one point did). Christian needed someone strong to stick up to him as well as help him through all the aforementioned trauma. He does also have professional help as well. Ana could've left him, and I would've understood, but she loved him and Christian did deserve love, the trauma and lack of care wasn't his fault, he wasn't easy to love. Sometimes people aren't easy to love but still deserve it. Shades of Grey.
She didn't deserve all his crap either, but was strong enough to stand up to him and to love him and to eventually make it work. It wasn't easy. But life isn't always easy. It's hard to talk about and I wish I could find better words. Love isn't a fix but hard to love people deserve love too, they just need someone strong enough but that is no one's personal responsibility, or even just one person's responsibility (as I said he did have a therapist too). Sometimes people don't work and that's ok, sometimes they do work but with hard work that can be worth it. Each person and situation is different.
Also...so many things i'd heard about (and believed before I read it) about Fifty Shades of Grey online that turned out to be nothing but lies. I even heard someone say something along the lines of "let me save you, the third book of Fifty Shades is just Christian asking Ana for anal, her saying no, and then Anal in the end" and...there is never a question of Anal and there is no anal...at all.
But stuff like that (many other things, that's just one example that I remember) that are spouted online from people that ACT like they've read the books in an effort to make sure no one reads the books, or just people shaming others in general, but let me reiterate that i'm talking to past me as well. Granted I never claimed to have read the books when I hadn't but I acted above them, believed what others said without reading for myself, and i'm sure I shamed anyone who dared to read them or wanted to by following the "holier-than-thou" crowd. And for past me, I am so sorry. That is wrong and was wrong of me.
It's fine to not like books, and I understand why people would not like Fifty Shades of Grey, and it's fine to not even want to read books for any reason. We can have different opinions and that's fine. What I have an issue with is people shaming others for reading something, acting like they are above others and stuff like that. I'm tired, i'm pretty sure you already get my point.
There were minor things in each book that made me give all of them 4.5 instead of a full 5 stars, but I loved the entire trilogy. Now at some point I need to watch the movies.
My Social Media: Youtube | Twitter | Tumblr | Goodreads | Instagram | Letterboxd | TV Time
Friday, May 15, 2020
Felix Ever After by Kacen Callender Book Thoughts (And my non-binary/demiboy feels)
Felix Ever After by Kacen Callender
Synopsis:
From Stonewall and Lambda Award-winning author Kacen Callender comes a revelatory YA novel about a transgender teen grappling with identity and self-discovery while falling in love for the first time.
Felix Love has never been in love—and, yes, he’s painfully aware of the irony. He desperately wants to know what it’s like and why it seems so easy for everyone but him to find someone. What’s worse is that, even though he is proud of his identity, Felix also secretly fears that he’s one marginalization too many—Black, queer, and transgender—to ever get his own happily-ever-after.
When an anonymous student begins sending him transphobic messages—after publicly posting Felix’s deadname alongside images of him before he transitioned—Felix comes up with a plan for revenge. What he didn’t count on: his catfish scenario landing him in a quasi–love triangle....
But as he navigates his complicated feelings, Felix begins a journey of questioning and self-discovery that helps redefine his most important relationship: how he feels about himself.
Felix Ever After is an honest and layered story about identity, falling in love, and recognizing the love you deserve.
In A Nutshell: A chaotic bisexual black transgender (Demiboy) teenager learning about himself and life. Real.
Published: May 5th, 2020
Format: Physical
Number of Pages: 360
Finished: May 2020
Rating: 5⭐
Diversity: Black bisexual demiboy trans MC, M/M romance, queer side characters, poc side characters
My Thoughts
I don't even know where to begin! And to begin i'm going to need to talk about myself a lot. I am bisexual and have known that since I was 13 (am now 31). I struggled with my gender my entire life but growing up, I didn't have the words like non-binary and I also thought being LGBTQ+ in any way was a sin, so upon realizing I was bi it took me years and a lot of tears to come to terms with that and be ok with it. I knew of transgender people or I should say trans women. There was never any talk of trans men and non-binary didn't exist in my vocabulary. I'm afab (assigned female at birth) and girl, never felt right. But I had to assume I just didn't know how to "girl" properly, like it's a damn verb or something.
Because of my pain and confusion I looked down on many girls, that whole "i'm not like other girls" thing. Doing it out of pain does NOT make it ok. There is nothing wrong with girls, girls are awesome, women are awesome, and come in many varieties. I'm just not one. Though i'm also physically disabled and a medical nightmare. I'd love to have top surgery one day but who knows when or if that'll ever happen. I'm not sure I can go on T because of certain medical reasons, though i'm not entirely sure i'd want to but maybe it's just too painful to look into something I may not be able to do. That's to say, while I do have really short hair (FINALLY!), I still LOOK like a cis woman. I'm not one, but I look like one to many people and there-for get treated like one. Life is complicated.
I hated my boobs, and hips...since they appeared. I thought i'd grow out of it. I never did. I don't just hate the fact that they are big, I hate the fact I have them at all. Hell in school I was so confused as to why girls were jealous of my big boobs when I was so jealous of their small ones. I couldn't understand why anyone even liked having boobs at all. Now i'm like, oh that was you dysphoria. They don't feel like they belong to me. I thought of trying to find some ways to bind growing up but I didn't know how and didn't think it was possible with how big mine are (and could've damaged myself trying. If you are going to bind PLEASE look up how to do it safely!) Now I don't want to hurt myself as I already live in chronic pain from various medical issues and binding improperly can actually make any chance of top surgery go out the window. So, my boobs are here. Hopefully not forever, but if they are...well i'm still here aren't I?
I didn't know the word dysphoria growing up either. Now I know and can see that I have, and always have had, dysphoria. I wanted to be a boy so badly growing up. I didn't know I could be one. Especially when full on boy didn't quite seem right all the time either. But girl or boy, those are the only options, right? That's what I thought. In my mid 20s I heard the term non-binary but was terrified to look into it. I was too old, it was too little too late and I couldn't shake up my life now. Not when I need help just to live because of my physical disabilities. I couldn't risk it.
At 30 it came to a mental breakdown, and I had to realize I am non-binary. Eventually finding the term demiboy. I know who I am and I FINALLY have the words to say it. Words to explain how i've ALWAYS felt even when I didn't have the words. I don't look how i'd like, and I might never, but i've lived this long and through so much shit that I refuse to let that stop me from being who I am anymore. I've been suicidal for about 20 years. It's not easy and some days are harder than others, but damn it if i'm going to hide who I am. I can't do that anymore. That's where I draw the line. You don't have to understand, I just ask you to respect me as who I am. At least my name, Tyler, and my pronouns (They/He).
So...back to the book. Felix feels like he is one marginalization too many as black queer and trans, and I can relate. I am not black but I am disabled. Obviously those are entirely different (though not mutually exclusive of course) but that is the same amount of marginalization's (i'm aslo queer and trans-even if I don't "look" like it, though spoiler alert, queer and trans don't have a look) and i've felt that "too much" a lot. I'm also fat now and am mentally ill and neurodiverse in more ways than one. I'm not trying to make it a competition i'm just explaining how I get that "too much" feeling.
Felix feels so real. He makes mistakes, he isn't perfect, he struggles with his identity. We get to see him fuck up, like people do. He felt like a real person and a real teenager, which is a good thing! He's going through life and trying to figure so much out and having been so hurt by things. He thinks that he isn't worthy of love (at least in part because of parental abandonment), and even pushes people away because of it, but eventually learns that he IS worthy of love and respect.
I also loved the friendships in here, and the romance. The writing, the story, all of it. And I related a lot to it. At times it did hurt because I thought "I wish I had that when I was younger" or "I wish I had that privilege" but that isn't a knock on the book. Different people have different privileges and hard ships and I know I have privilege's that others don't too. I'm SO GLAD this book exists now.
This book tackles so many things and does it wonderfully. It's real, honest, raw. I don't know what else to say. I just want to shout about it and how much I loved it!
My Social Media: Youtube | Twitter | Tumblr | Goodreads | Instagram | Letterboxd | TV Time
Synopsis:
From Stonewall and Lambda Award-winning author Kacen Callender comes a revelatory YA novel about a transgender teen grappling with identity and self-discovery while falling in love for the first time.
Felix Love has never been in love—and, yes, he’s painfully aware of the irony. He desperately wants to know what it’s like and why it seems so easy for everyone but him to find someone. What’s worse is that, even though he is proud of his identity, Felix also secretly fears that he’s one marginalization too many—Black, queer, and transgender—to ever get his own happily-ever-after.
When an anonymous student begins sending him transphobic messages—after publicly posting Felix’s deadname alongside images of him before he transitioned—Felix comes up with a plan for revenge. What he didn’t count on: his catfish scenario landing him in a quasi–love triangle....
But as he navigates his complicated feelings, Felix begins a journey of questioning and self-discovery that helps redefine his most important relationship: how he feels about himself.
Felix Ever After is an honest and layered story about identity, falling in love, and recognizing the love you deserve.
In A Nutshell: A chaotic bisexual black transgender (Demiboy) teenager learning about himself and life. Real.
Published: May 5th, 2020
Format: Physical
Number of Pages: 360
Finished: May 2020
Rating: 5⭐
Diversity: Black bisexual demiboy trans MC, M/M romance, queer side characters, poc side characters
My Thoughts
I don't even know where to begin! And to begin i'm going to need to talk about myself a lot. I am bisexual and have known that since I was 13 (am now 31). I struggled with my gender my entire life but growing up, I didn't have the words like non-binary and I also thought being LGBTQ+ in any way was a sin, so upon realizing I was bi it took me years and a lot of tears to come to terms with that and be ok with it. I knew of transgender people or I should say trans women. There was never any talk of trans men and non-binary didn't exist in my vocabulary. I'm afab (assigned female at birth) and girl, never felt right. But I had to assume I just didn't know how to "girl" properly, like it's a damn verb or something.
Because of my pain and confusion I looked down on many girls, that whole "i'm not like other girls" thing. Doing it out of pain does NOT make it ok. There is nothing wrong with girls, girls are awesome, women are awesome, and come in many varieties. I'm just not one. Though i'm also physically disabled and a medical nightmare. I'd love to have top surgery one day but who knows when or if that'll ever happen. I'm not sure I can go on T because of certain medical reasons, though i'm not entirely sure i'd want to but maybe it's just too painful to look into something I may not be able to do. That's to say, while I do have really short hair (FINALLY!), I still LOOK like a cis woman. I'm not one, but I look like one to many people and there-for get treated like one. Life is complicated.
I hated my boobs, and hips...since they appeared. I thought i'd grow out of it. I never did. I don't just hate the fact that they are big, I hate the fact I have them at all. Hell in school I was so confused as to why girls were jealous of my big boobs when I was so jealous of their small ones. I couldn't understand why anyone even liked having boobs at all. Now i'm like, oh that was you dysphoria. They don't feel like they belong to me. I thought of trying to find some ways to bind growing up but I didn't know how and didn't think it was possible with how big mine are (and could've damaged myself trying. If you are going to bind PLEASE look up how to do it safely!) Now I don't want to hurt myself as I already live in chronic pain from various medical issues and binding improperly can actually make any chance of top surgery go out the window. So, my boobs are here. Hopefully not forever, but if they are...well i'm still here aren't I?
I didn't know the word dysphoria growing up either. Now I know and can see that I have, and always have had, dysphoria. I wanted to be a boy so badly growing up. I didn't know I could be one. Especially when full on boy didn't quite seem right all the time either. But girl or boy, those are the only options, right? That's what I thought. In my mid 20s I heard the term non-binary but was terrified to look into it. I was too old, it was too little too late and I couldn't shake up my life now. Not when I need help just to live because of my physical disabilities. I couldn't risk it.
At 30 it came to a mental breakdown, and I had to realize I am non-binary. Eventually finding the term demiboy. I know who I am and I FINALLY have the words to say it. Words to explain how i've ALWAYS felt even when I didn't have the words. I don't look how i'd like, and I might never, but i've lived this long and through so much shit that I refuse to let that stop me from being who I am anymore. I've been suicidal for about 20 years. It's not easy and some days are harder than others, but damn it if i'm going to hide who I am. I can't do that anymore. That's where I draw the line. You don't have to understand, I just ask you to respect me as who I am. At least my name, Tyler, and my pronouns (They/He).
So...back to the book. Felix feels like he is one marginalization too many as black queer and trans, and I can relate. I am not black but I am disabled. Obviously those are entirely different (though not mutually exclusive of course) but that is the same amount of marginalization's (i'm aslo queer and trans-even if I don't "look" like it, though spoiler alert, queer and trans don't have a look) and i've felt that "too much" a lot. I'm also fat now and am mentally ill and neurodiverse in more ways than one. I'm not trying to make it a competition i'm just explaining how I get that "too much" feeling.
Felix feels so real. He makes mistakes, he isn't perfect, he struggles with his identity. We get to see him fuck up, like people do. He felt like a real person and a real teenager, which is a good thing! He's going through life and trying to figure so much out and having been so hurt by things. He thinks that he isn't worthy of love (at least in part because of parental abandonment), and even pushes people away because of it, but eventually learns that he IS worthy of love and respect.
I also loved the friendships in here, and the romance. The writing, the story, all of it. And I related a lot to it. At times it did hurt because I thought "I wish I had that when I was younger" or "I wish I had that privilege" but that isn't a knock on the book. Different people have different privileges and hard ships and I know I have privilege's that others don't too. I'm SO GLAD this book exists now.
This book tackles so many things and does it wonderfully. It's real, honest, raw. I don't know what else to say. I just want to shout about it and how much I loved it!
My Social Media: Youtube | Twitter | Tumblr | Goodreads | Instagram | Letterboxd | TV Time
Friday, May 8, 2020
April 2020 Wrap Up
What I Read
In the Valley of the Sun by Andy Davidson DNF: Unrated
Unsheltered by Barbara Kingsolver DNF: Unrated
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins 4.5⭐
Hide and Shriek by R.L. Stine 3⭐
Coraline by Neil Gaiman 4.25⭐
Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins 4.75⭐
Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins 5⭐
The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck DNF: Unrated
On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King 4⭐
I think it was a mix of my mood, the setting and the slow pace that just had "In the Valley of the Sun" not working for me. "Unsheltered" just wasn't working for me either. I had gotten "In the Valley of the Sun" via Hoopla and "Unsheltered" via Libby. I got "The Hunger Games" (all 3 of them) via Libby and read them for the first time! I LOVED the trilogy! The character, the messages, the depth, the gray-ness, the emotion, and I shed a lot of tears! I still have not watched any of the movies. Somehow I went in (thankfully) completely unspoiled!
I had one issue (which ended up being a large part of the small book and completely unnecessary) with "Hide and Shriek" in regards to to the little sister constantly having to tell her family to stop calling her baby and them refusing to listen again and again, and again, and again and...It's like you say you're trying but actions prove otherwise. Slipping up is normal but at some point just admit you don't care to even try and stop lying. Was I projecting trans issues onto it? Probably. But still. But I did enjoy the creepy ghost story.
I read "Coraline", my first Neil Gaiman book, via Scribd (currently on a 60 day free trial. This link, scribd.com/gat/8e5y1b, should give you 60 days free as well if you want to try it out. Not sponsored, it's just something they do and you can cancel it if you so choose.), and really enjoyed it. It was so creepy. I need to read more by Neil Gaiman.
I DNF'd "The Grapes of Wrath" because it was boring me that badly and the outdated gender stuff was getting on my nerves. Yes, I know, product of it's time and important, but I couldn't take it anymore. If it wasn't so boring maybe I could have pushed through it. Then again my mood may have affected it as well. Then I finally finished "On Writing" and really enjoyed it. Learned a bit about Stephen King's life as well as writing. Entertaining and a bit funny at times.
What I Watched
Nothing. At all. Not a thing.
What I Played
A little bit of Animal Crossing. I gave in to the hype. It's cute and fun.
Blog Posts
March 2020 Wrap Up
No More TBR's (for me)
Of course I didn't have a computer for part of April hence less blog posts.
Videos Posted
March 2020 Wrap Up: What I Read + Life [CC]
March 2020 Wrap Up: What I Watched (and played) [CC]
Bookshelf Tour (sort of) [CC]
Island Horror Readathon Possibilities [CC]
Merfolk May 2020 [CC]
April Book Haul Part 1 [CC]
What did you do in April? Any thoughts on what I did? Comment down below!
My Social Media: Youtube | Twitter | Tumblr | Goodreads | Instagram | Letterboxd | TV Time
In the Valley of the Sun by Andy Davidson DNF: Unrated
Unsheltered by Barbara Kingsolver DNF: Unrated
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins 4.5⭐
Hide and Shriek by R.L. Stine 3⭐
Coraline by Neil Gaiman 4.25⭐
Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins 4.75⭐
Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins 5⭐
The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck DNF: Unrated
On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King 4⭐
I think it was a mix of my mood, the setting and the slow pace that just had "In the Valley of the Sun" not working for me. "Unsheltered" just wasn't working for me either. I had gotten "In the Valley of the Sun" via Hoopla and "Unsheltered" via Libby. I got "The Hunger Games" (all 3 of them) via Libby and read them for the first time! I LOVED the trilogy! The character, the messages, the depth, the gray-ness, the emotion, and I shed a lot of tears! I still have not watched any of the movies. Somehow I went in (thankfully) completely unspoiled!
I had one issue (which ended up being a large part of the small book and completely unnecessary) with "Hide and Shriek" in regards to to the little sister constantly having to tell her family to stop calling her baby and them refusing to listen again and again, and again, and again and...It's like you say you're trying but actions prove otherwise. Slipping up is normal but at some point just admit you don't care to even try and stop lying. Was I projecting trans issues onto it? Probably. But still. But I did enjoy the creepy ghost story.
I read "Coraline", my first Neil Gaiman book, via Scribd (currently on a 60 day free trial. This link, scribd.com/gat/8e5y1b, should give you 60 days free as well if you want to try it out. Not sponsored, it's just something they do and you can cancel it if you so choose.), and really enjoyed it. It was so creepy. I need to read more by Neil Gaiman.
I DNF'd "The Grapes of Wrath" because it was boring me that badly and the outdated gender stuff was getting on my nerves. Yes, I know, product of it's time and important, but I couldn't take it anymore. If it wasn't so boring maybe I could have pushed through it. Then again my mood may have affected it as well. Then I finally finished "On Writing" and really enjoyed it. Learned a bit about Stephen King's life as well as writing. Entertaining and a bit funny at times.
What I Watched
Nothing. At all. Not a thing.
What I Played
A little bit of Animal Crossing. I gave in to the hype. It's cute and fun.
Blog Posts
March 2020 Wrap Up
No More TBR's (for me)
Of course I didn't have a computer for part of April hence less blog posts.
Videos Posted
March 2020 Wrap Up: What I Read + Life [CC]
March 2020 Wrap Up: What I Watched (and played) [CC]
Bookshelf Tour (sort of) [CC]
Island Horror Readathon Possibilities [CC]
Merfolk May 2020 [CC]
April Book Haul Part 1 [CC]
What did you do in April? Any thoughts on what I did? Comment down below!
My Social Media: Youtube | Twitter | Tumblr | Goodreads | Instagram | Letterboxd | TV Time
Friday, May 1, 2020
April 2020 Book Haul
So because of the whole thing where I couldn't blog for a bit because my computer died i'm going to be doing hauls differently than I used to. I'll just be doing monthly ones and not bothering to mention all the freebies and such. Just mentioning what I want to. I do still add everything on my Goodreads if you want to be really nosy lol. Anyway, onto the book haul!
Ebooks
The Curse of Doll Island: A Paranormal Suspense Thriller by Ocean
Three Women by March Hastings
Boy Erased: A Memoir of Identity, Faith, and Family by Garrard Conley
Graymatter by Nicholas Gray
Raziel's Journey by Rian J. Henry
Ultimate Horrotica by Valkyrie Kerry
Physical Books
Castaways by Brian Keene
Mummy Stories edited by Martin Harry Greenberg
The Grave by Christopher Pike
Orca by Arthur Herzog III
Food Wars!: Shokugeki no Soma, Vol. 20 by Yuto Tsukuda
Food Wars!: Shokugeki no Soma, Vol. 21 by Yuto Tsukuda
Monster Musume, Vol. 2 by OKAYADO
Dance in the Vampire Bund: Age of Scarlet Order Vol. 1 by Nozomu Tamaki
It's Only a Nightmare! by R.L. Stine
Escape from Camp Run-For-Your-Life by R.L. Stine
The Twisted Tale of Tiki Island by R.L. Stine
Return from the Dead: A Collection of Classic Mummy Stories edited by David Stuart Davies
The Drowning Girl by CaitlÃn R. Kiernan
Village of the Mermaids by Carlton Mellick III
Uzumaki by Junji Ito
Miscreations: Gods, Monstrosities & Other Horrors edited by Doug Murano and Michael Bailey
The Animated Skeleton by Anonymous
Drowned Worlds edited by Jonathan Strahan
So what you have gotten in April? Have you read any of these? Comment down below! :)
My Social Media: Youtube | Twitter | Tumblr | Goodreads | Instagram | Letterboxd | TV Time
Ebooks
The Curse of Doll Island: A Paranormal Suspense Thriller by Ocean
Three Women by March Hastings
Boy Erased: A Memoir of Identity, Faith, and Family by Garrard Conley
Graymatter by Nicholas Gray
Raziel's Journey by Rian J. Henry
Ultimate Horrotica by Valkyrie Kerry
Physical Books
Castaways by Brian Keene
Mummy Stories edited by Martin Harry Greenberg
The Grave by Christopher Pike
Orca by Arthur Herzog III
Food Wars!: Shokugeki no Soma, Vol. 20 by Yuto Tsukuda
Food Wars!: Shokugeki no Soma, Vol. 21 by Yuto Tsukuda
Monster Musume, Vol. 2 by OKAYADO
Dance in the Vampire Bund: Age of Scarlet Order Vol. 1 by Nozomu Tamaki
It's Only a Nightmare! by R.L. Stine
Escape from Camp Run-For-Your-Life by R.L. Stine
The Twisted Tale of Tiki Island by R.L. Stine
Return from the Dead: A Collection of Classic Mummy Stories edited by David Stuart Davies
The Drowning Girl by CaitlÃn R. Kiernan
Village of the Mermaids by Carlton Mellick III
Uzumaki by Junji Ito
Miscreations: Gods, Monstrosities & Other Horrors edited by Doug Murano and Michael Bailey
The Animated Skeleton by Anonymous
Drowned Worlds edited by Jonathan Strahan
So what you have gotten in April? Have you read any of these? Comment down below! :)
My Social Media: Youtube | Twitter | Tumblr | Goodreads | Instagram | Letterboxd | TV Time
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