Review: A Clash of Kings by George R. R. Martin (spoilers)

     Reading the first couple of books in the Song of Ice and Fire series has just been a ton of fun. I love the show despite my general dislike of adaptations and think they've done a brilliant job with the story. But it's got nothing on the books. I love the writing, there's something about the flow of it that hooks you. The cast of characters is a giant, delightfully diverse, and unique group you can't help but either love or love to hate. And the world is pure genius, somehow familiar but still fresh and full of surprises.

     I read the first book, Game of Thrones, some time last year and absolutely adored it but was hesitant to start the second. The second season of the show is my least favorite and after seeing just how close of an adaptation season one was to the book, I was honestly dreading it. I saw it as a (gigantic) road bump in the series that I'd just have to get over. But I was nearly as wrong about it as Thorin's initial opinions of Bilbo. I enjoyed it so much more than I thought I would and it was completely due to the characters. The actual plot of this one was slow, but I love the characters so much I didn't mind. I like just sitting in the world with them and seeing them grow.

     There are so many small characters, though I can see why they were left out of the show, that really filled out the story for me. Arya's story line was full of extra little creeps from Harrenhal that made it so much darker and much more interesting than it was on screen. Arya as a character is phenomenal and you can start to see what a badass she's going to be in this one. She starts her list which simultaneously breaks my heart and makes me love her even more. She's never going to be a damsel  and makes sure everyone knows it. Even though she has pretty twisted side I still think she has a noble heart underneath. She also meet Jaqen, who is one of the most interesting characters in the series to me. He's so mysterious and dangerous and I'm a little obsessed with him.
     Davos is one of  my favorite characters in the series and reading from his point of view was incredible. His dedication is unrivaled and he's not afraid to tell Stannis the truth. Melisandre is an insane but interesting part of his story that is one of the people I love to hate. Her faith is so strong but some of the things she does are just disgusting.
     Speaking of disgusting, Theon is one of the worst. I hate his character through the first two books
and I don't think he has any redeeming qualities. He molests his own sister, his ego is even more
repulsive than his sense of entitlement, and he doesn't have a shred of loyalty. You could argue that he's loyal to his father and the islands but he just wants the power. He constantly disrespects his father's god and clearly doesn't believe in any of the things the people of the Iron Islands do. He's not one of them. The Starks raised him like family and he should have held some value to that. I despise him and don't feel bad about what's about to happen to him.
     Jon's story was one of the slower ones to me but still one of the most interesting. I love seeing beyond the Wall. I feel like his story with Ygritte isn't going to be as cute in the books but I still ship it. She's tough and stubborn and makes his life hell but I love it.
     Tyrion is my favorite character. He's brilliant and refuses to let anyone stop him. He proves over and over just how valuable he is. Cersei is the devil but watching them battle it out is one of my favorite parts of the series. The way he manages to manipulate and work the people around him proves that he was made for politics. Kings Landing is a jungle but he jumps right in like its nothing. I love watching him with Varys and just Varys in general. I think they're only two in Kings Landing that care about the people they're responsible for.  His bravery and ingenuity both before and during Stannis's attack was inspiring. I just wish he was working for the good guys.
    Dany's story wasn't as slow as it was in the show but it still wasn't my favorite. I thought it dragged and even though I love her I had to push myself through a decent chunk of her story line.
     I'm so happy that Bran's story is really starting. Jojen and Meera are amazing. I love all the strong females in the book and Meera is up there. I love that Bran is learning about magic, he and Jojen's abilities are so cool. Jojen is so odd but you can't help but adore him. I can't wait to see what all happens with this group.
     I'm not always sure how I feel about Sansa. I hated her in the first book, but she grows in this one. She's matured in this one, but how couldn't she? She's handling everything as well as anyone could. I just want to see her get more aggresive. She's strong, the fact that she can keep her head around Joffrey and control herself despite how petrified she understandably is proves that she's a Stark. I know she can't really do anything without getting killed but I hope we get to see her come into her own by the end of things.

    Overall I was pretty happy about where the story went throughout this one. It did seem a little slow at times but I think that was just because of the amount of POVs we get. Each chapter was around ten pages, which isn't super long but when there are this many people going it can be over 70 pages before you get back to somebody. So it's not really that it's slow so much as spread out. But, for the most part, I felt like everything was still necessary. I loved the big battle at Kings Landing, it was brilliantly done. I really adored seeing it from both sides with Davos on the other end, it added so many layers to it.You weren't just rooting for one side to win or lose, there are amazing and terrible people in both armies.
    Even though I feel like a lot of this book served as set up for the next one it was still an enjoyable time. I think Westeros is one of the most twisted places with some of the most twisted people that I've ever read about. If you haven't picked up the series, I don't know why you've read this but go pick it up. This story is unlike any other and you won't regret it.

4.5/5 Stars
   

I Finished A Book!

It's been weeks, guys. Weeks.

But I FINALLY MADE IT THROUGH AN ENTIRE BOOK AGAIN! I don't know what's been going on with 2015, but I've spent most of it in reading slumps and it's driving me insane. I think I'm six or seven books behind on my goodreads challenge. It's not the first time I've been this far behind either. It keeps happening. I get to the point where I'm this behind and then I'll go on a crazy spree, finish six books in a week catching up so I can go back into a bloody slump. It's not like I'm pushing myself to read a ton at once, my brain just starts working overtime and the only way to keep myself entertained is to start three books at a time. I don't seem to have the attention span for one book during these manic periods. The whiplash has been frustrating, to say the least.


But it seems this slump session is (hopefully) over and I'm trying really hard to keep myself from overdoing it. Instead of letting myself take on several books at once, I've been playing what I call the Chapter Game. I read a chapter, watch a video on a YouTube or some other quick thing, read two chapters, watch a thing, read three chapters, watch a thing, read two chapters...you get the point. It's helped me to not only read the last half of Guilty Pleasures today, but to also get over halfway through An Abundance of Katherines by John Green. Which I'm loving so far.

It's a silly game.

I love it.

But back to An Abundance of Katherines. I'd heard that a lot of people aren't huge fans of this particular John Green novel, so I was hesitant to start. John Green is one of my favorite authors of all time. I love TFIOS and Paper Towns has been a favorite of mine since high school. He's also one of my heroes in general. I don't know what it is about summer but I can't not read one of his books. I knew I wouldn't hate this book because I just really love John's writing style, but I think it might end up as one of my favorites. Colin is such a unique character, who's brain power and social ineptitude reminds me a lot of my Dad. Which is probably why I'm rooting for him so much. He's like an awkward little penguin trying to navigate the American Ninja Warrior obstacle course. Hassan is hilarious and I love the balance he brings to Colin.

The plot is relatively unrealistic to me, but I don't see that as a bad thing. It's a book, I like my books unrealistic. Even contemporaries. I only mention it because that was one of the things people complained about the most. I don't care that it isn't likely for two teenage boys to take off on a random road trip and end up living with a stranger they met that day but it was fine because their parents were cool with it. I wish I could take off on a random road trip with no destination, I'm just too chicken. So it's nice to read about.

A New Book Can Make All The Difference

Seriously, the best advice I can give anyone dealing with a reading slump is to ditch whatever they're reading and start something new. After talking to you guys about my disappointment with ACOTAR I packed it away with the rest of my books and dug out a new one that's out of my comfort zone.

Theres another good move to make when fighting a slump; pick something you wouldn't normally read.

I've really been loving Shelf Life Extention over on the BookTube and she's always talking about the Anita Blake series by Laurell K Hamilton. I found a super cheap copy on Amazon and figured I may as well give it a shot. It's an adult, urban fantasy series following an incredibly sassy and strong female protagonist. Anita Blake works on a special task force that deals with all things Supernatural in an America where vampires and other night terrors are out in the open. As an animator, Anita has a stronger resistance to the vampire's mind control, super human reflexes, and can raise zombies to help her on bad days.

I still feel like I'm in my slump, but now I think I'm heading in the right direction to escape. I read 70 pages last night, which on a good day is horrible but in a slump is amazing. I'll take what I can get, it's not the number of pages but what's on them that counts. (At least according to my overly optimistic mother.)

It's Not You, It's Me.

Guys. I have a confession to make. But before I make it, be warned that it will undoubtedly anger several people, even though opinions aren't really something to get upset over because everyone is entitled to theirs.

I couldn't get into a Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas.

Now before you start throwing things, know that I think Sarah is brilliant. Her writing is beautiful and unique, her characters generally lovable, and her worlds are out of this one. It also doesn't help that I've been in a bit of a reading slump since I started the book. I crammed six books in the week before I started and burned myself out a bit. I also kind of got evicted a few days ago and had to pack everything and be out in three days. Between those two things I haven't even felt like listening to an audiobook. But I think it might be coming to an end and hopefully I'll be reading again before the night is through.

I'd also like to say that I will be picking this book back up in the future. I hate reading slumps. They happen to me every couple of months and generally ruin a good book with their timing. I have a really strong feeling that if I try this book again while I'm in a different head space, I'll love it as much as everybody else does.

There were a few things about the actual book that got under my skin though. What really surprises me is that my problems are with her characters. I'm used to loving the people she writes, so it threw me off guard to automatically hate several of them. I can't stand Feyre's family. It's hard for me to sympathize with her being taken to Tamlin's when her whole family is horrible. Even her nice sister is petty, pathetic, self centered, and spoiled. The father is useless. I wasn't even a fan of Feyre. I found her whiny, rude, and socially incompetent on a whole new level. She's bitter, melodramatic and angry about pretty much everything. I get that her situation isn't ideal, but she got herself into this mess, the least she can do is suck it up. Again, I feel like my abnormally strong negative feelings are heavily influenced by my reading (being grumpy) slump.

Back To Blogging/What I've Been Reading

Hey everyone! Sorry I haven't posted in so many months. Between a move and the worlds worst internet I've fallen a bit behind. But that's alright, we'll just jump back in.

I hope you've all had a great few months filled with loads of books that have completely blown your minds. I've found some amazing ones since we've chatted last. I finally dove into the series Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi and I'm head over heels. I love everything about her beautiful and unique writing style. Her characters are messes, but so lovable and well written that you want to hug them all anyways. And the world, though it follows a few classic dystopian tropes, still managed to feel fresh. I've yet to be bored and can barely get myself to put them down. I only have the finally book in the series Ignite Me left to pick up. I always make myself break up a series, no matter how much I'm enjoying it, because if I don't I'll burn myself out on the characters/world. And when I say break up a series I mean that I'll usually spend years on one because I take so much time in between. But not with this one. This one has my full attention, and even though I've made myself read another book between each of these all I think about is finding out what happens to the characters I've grown to adore so much.

But since I break things up, I decided to finally finish the Infernal Devices trilogy by Cassandra Clare with Clockwork Princess . Even though I'm only about 250 pages in, its been an amazing 250 pages. You never have to wait long for one of Cassandra's books to pick up, and this one was jammed packed full of action from the very beginning. I love the this trilogy even more than her Mortal Instruments, which is another series I need to complete (I'm on book 5). I adore the Shadowhunter mythology in both series, but I love the setting in these ones. There's just something about London in the 1800's that I can't get enough of in books. I
also feel like she writes these particular characters exceptionally well. You can tell how much she loves them and it makes me love them all the more.

Thanks for stopping by! Make sure to let me know what you're reading and how you feel about the books I've mentioned above in the comments or tweet them at me here, RazzleFrazzleIv

Until next time, have a great life!

Top Five Wednesday: Favorite Couples (Contains some Spoilers)

Okay. So this is a day late. But better than late than never, right?

Choosing only five couples is ridiculously difficult. I love fake couples. I have more OTP's than I can count. When a couple I like finally gets together, I literally victory dance around my room...

My favorite couples also change on a regular basis. But heres who I'm loving at the moment.












5. Percy/Annabeth from Percy Jackson and the Olympians & The Heroes of Olympus series by Rick Riordan: I've loved Annabeth and Percy from the beginning. Watching them grow throughout the books is one of the things I love most about both series. I will ship them until the end of time.
















4. Alice and Cole from the White Rabbit Chronicles by Gena Showalter: I love these two together. They're both  sassy, spunky, stubborn little messes that I adore. I love the way they check each other throughout the whole book. They balance each other so well and I can't wait to see how they grow throughout the rest of the series.













3. David and Jess from Fire in the Woods by Jennifer M. Eaton: I just finished this book yesterday and I'm a bit obsessed with these two. Especially David. He is without a doubt the cutest thing in history. I love that he and Jess are both amazing characters on their own, as are most of these fine people, but become even better as a couple. Each of them are strong, smart, and brave as well vulnerable, raw, and flawed. They bring out the best in each other and I really need the second book to be out. Like now.












2. Lola and Cricket from Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins: I couldn't make a list about couples without mentioning one of Stephanie Perkins'. I love all of her books, and choosing just one was difficult, that being said, Lola is my favorite book of hers. I love Lola as a character so much, that whoever she was with would be on the list with her. The fact that boy is Cricket is just the sprinkles on top. The two of them are wonderful together. They support each others dreams, and love each others quirks. They understand each other so well and except the good with the bad. It also helps that I'm a sucker for a lost love comes back story.









1. Celaena and Chaol from The Throne of Glass series by Sarah J. Maas: Even though these two didn't get together until Crown of Midnight I've shipped them since they first met. I love the way they challenge each other. They make each other stronger and would do anything for the other. When they danced; I died a little, when they finally got together; I had to set the book down so I didn't destroy it while I fangirled all over my room. When their romance was...errr...put on a temporary hold, I screamed so loud my Mom came rushing into the room to see I was being murdered. I still haven't read the third book, so I'm not sure how it continues, but for the sake of my little fangirl heart I'm just going to keep believing that they'll live happily ever after.

Getting Back In The Swing Of Things

Hey everybody, so as most of you know I was in Kansas for a week for the birth of my nephew. I've been doing my best to get back into the swing of things here on the internet as well as in real life. It's going slower than I would have hoped, but I think I'm finally getting into my routine again.

I finished Frostbite, the second book in the Vampire Academy series, a couple of days ago and it was pretty good. I wasn't as into as the first book but as far as sequels go it wasn't terrible. I only have a couple of issues with it. One thing I had a problem with in the first book as well, is the narrative. I'm not a huge fan of first person POV's and even though I like Rose as a character, I get really sick of being in her head all the time. Don't get me wrong, she's a badass, but I find Rose a bit whiny and as much I love some good teenage angst; that's pretty much all you get from her. It takes me a few chapters to get past it. The other problem I had was the end battle. It felt super rushed to me. We spent an annoying amount of time on Rose's melodramatic boy problems but we couldn't spend a few more pages on the only real action we get in the book? That being said, I did appreciate how a certain characters death was handled. It hurt me. A lot. But I think it was important for Rose's development. I'd give it a 3 out of 5 stars.

Now I'm re-reading Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief as part of the Percy Jackson read-a-long over on goodreads. I always miss Percy, his sass is some of my favorite. It's been four or five years since I first read the series and I'm really looking forward to getting to know it again.

I also started Alice in Zombieland by Gena Showalter. I'm only a couple of chapters in but I'm really enjoying it so far. Unlike in VA, I'm really digging the first person POV. Alice is a great character, she's snarky and I like the backstory we get from her right off the bat. I can't wait to get back to it and I think I'm gonna love it.

A Baby Ruined My Readathon

So, my brother had a baby. I was supposed to be doing the readathon but instead I drove to Kansas and helped them finish setting up before they induced labor last night. I was there through the whole thing, and for those of you who don't know; birth is petrifying and kinda gross. But despite the horrors, I now have an adorable nephew.

But as another negative result I've fallen behind all over the internet. I had every intention of keeping up with everything, but plans fall through. I just got swept up with everything happening here. I'm not really sorry about it. As much as I love the online book community, family still takes priority. And even though I'm sad I haven't gotten to read and its been ridiculously stressful, holding my nephew made it all worth it.

He also looks a little bit like an alien.

I'll get back to the internet soon, I promise. But until then, it's probably good for me to spend some time in the real world. I hear it's good for me.

Thanks for being patient and until next time, have a great life!

#72HourReadathon

Hey guys! So Sam, from Samantha's Books and I will be hosting a readathon starting at midnight on the 27 of October and ending at midnight on the 30th. I'm really excited to be a part of this and can't wait to see how many books I can get through in 3 days. I go over more of the details in a video that should be up in a couple of hours, and I'll post the link once its there.

I hope you'll all join us! Here's a link to the goodreads page:
Readathon Page

Mary: The Summoning by: Hillary Monahan

Okay guys, this book was freaking creepy. It's about a group of four friends who summon Bloody Mary who in turn starts to haunt our main female, Shauna. Even though it's based off of an urban legend I'm sure we're all familiar with it still managed to feel like a new story. The mythology behind Mary was a version I haven't heard before and petrified me.

I love urban legends, horror movies, and all things creepy so this book was right up my alley. I ended up giving it 4/5 stars over on goodreads for several reasons. I loved the characters, the group of girls reminded me so much of my group of friends from high school that I almost called them to make sure they were okay. I liked that the friendships weren't perfect but were filled with loyalty. And when (SPOILER ALERT) Anna gets killed I cried a bit. Though, I do cry at books all the time...

I also loved the writing, it got to the point but still painted a clear picture and was full of detail. It had me completely hooked. I started the book this afternoon and despite a small trip to the bookshop  I couldn't put it down.

The main reason I loved this book is that it legitimately managed to creep me out. I have to go wash my face but I'm petrified that Mary will be there when I look up. Bloody Mary has always been a story that gets under my skin. I have no idea why but it's the only one that really does freak me out. But it is Halloween month, so some scary was in order. And Hillary Monahan did such an amazing job at getting the scare across. Her style of writing is perfect for a horror novel, the fast pace makes everything feel so intense. It was the horror work I've been longing for. That being said, I'm definitely going to go read a more mellow book next.

So, if you're looking for that perfect, Halloween, scare the crap out of yourself read, this book is for you. Now if you'll all excuse me, I have to go cover my mirrors and other shiny surfaces.

Have a good life.

New Video On IvAnReads

Hey guys! So earlier today I discovered that one of my new books had been mutilated. In an attempt to cope with the trauma and blind rage that followed I made a video rampaging about it. Here's a link.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f66lA2ufaAc&feature=youtu.be

My Brain is a Snail This Month

Guys, I'm not sure what's wrong with me. Even though I think I'm out of my slump, my reading has been super slow. I normally finish a book in about two days, but this is day four on a relatively fast moving book and I'm starting to get a bit annoyed with my nonexistent attention span. I just want to read all of the books but as soon as I start I get antsy. It needs to stop or I may snap. This could be it guys, the thing that drives me over the edge. Who knows?

Have a good life.

Hyperbole and a Half by: Allie Brosh

                                          Summary:

Allie Brosh started a blog back in 2009 called Hyperbole and a Half and after a ton of success on the internet decided, along with other people, that she should make a book. The book has a lot of the amazing stories from her blog and a handful of new ones to go with them. Brosh takes us through awkward situations from her past using humor and sarcasm.

My Thoughts:

I first fell in love with Hyperbole and a Half my junior year of high school after my friend Sam showed it to me while we avoided doing work in Newspaper. I've been meaning to pick up this book since it came out but either couldn't find it or got distracted by other books in the shop. Going in I definitely had high expectations for the book, and they were not only met but surpassed. I loved everything about it. The stories she chose from her blog were some of my favorites and the new ones were just as funny. But one thing I loved is that even though she approached certain topics in the book, like depression, with humor she didn't make a joke out of it. Her bit on depression was really well done, and the way she described it humanized it in a way I think will help people understand the disorder. 

This book is without a doubt a 5/5 stars for me, I'm so happy to have finally gotten my hands on it. 

Review: Unnatural Creatures- stories selected by: Neil Gaiman

Summary:

Unnatural Creatures is a collection of short stories all about different kinds of creatures you would never find in the Natural History Museum. It's full of brilliant pieces about monsters and myths from some amazing authors like Neil Gaiman, Diana Wynne Jones, E. Nesbit, and several others.

My Thoughts:

I loved this book. I gave it a 5/5 stars over on goodreads. I thought the stories in it were absolutely brilliant. They were all so well written, and creative that it blows my mind a little bit. I credit this book with pulling me out of my reading slump because it was just really fun to read. I love monsters and the monsters in this book, while familiar, were still really unique and I love the way the authors made them their own. None of it felt old or worn out even though a lot of the creatures are popular, like werewolves. 

It was a perfect pick for this time of year. If you like Grimm; you'll love this collection. It's definitely worth checking out.

Till next time, have a good life!

I Need Help

Guys, I just went and bought ten more books. Is there a hotline I can call to help me gain some semblance of self control? I would post another haul post, but I'm ashamed. Completely ashamed. I'm supposed to be saving money to go see the birth of my brothers first born but instead I keep buying all of the books.

They're good books though.

It's Finally Over!

Like I said in one of my older post, I've spent this month (so far) in a reading slump. It's been terrible. In fact, I haven't read a single page in days...

BUT IT'S FINALLY OVER! I've actually read the majority of Unnatural Creatures today, and plan on finishing it before the night it over. It's absolutely amazing, and there will be a full review here for it in a day or so.

I just wanted to say announce the good news somewhere...

Till next time, have a good life!

New Shelf

So yesterday I finally caved and bought a third bookshelf. I now have a wall of books. A wall. Granted, my shelves happen to share that wall with the door, but other than the door, it's all books and makes me extremely happy. The only problem now is that the three shelves are already almost full, I have a serious book buying problem, and I have no idea where I could fit a fourth shelf in my room. I suppose I could just rearrange my room when the room when the time comes. And who really needs a dresser?

Anyways, in case you're curious, I get my shelves from Wal-Mart because they're relatively cheap but not completely terrible. I do have to put a different backing on them, though. In the box you get this little cardboard backing which are completely useless at supporting your shelf. So I just run over to Lowe's or Home Depot and have them cut a piece of plywood out for me. I also spray paint the backs because it's a really fun way to make the shelf a bit more unique.


Have some (kinda awful) photos of the beauty,:

Random Book Haul

Hey guys! I spent the Saturday out shopping with my Mom and we ended up at a couple of book stores. Normally, my mother lectures me about the obscene amount of money I spend on books but today I was buying the rest of a series she's started so it was a nice break from the usual lecture. I love buying books. I know that libraries exist. In fact, I go to mine once a week or so. But theres something about getting a new book that pushes me out of bed for work in the morning.

Any ways, here are the lovely books I got:

1. Hyperbole and a Half by Allie Brosh- I was so excited to get my hands on this book. I know its been out for a while, but every time I was at a shop it was either sold out or simply slipped my mind. I loved this blog in high school and the book is just as funny.
 

2. Mary: The Summoning by Hillary Monahan- I saw a preview of this on goodreads and had to go get it. It seems so creepy which is perfect for the Halloween month.

3-4. Alice in Zombieland and Through the Zombie Glass by Gena Showalter- I love Alice in Wonderland and I love zombies so grabbing the first two books in the series was a no brainer. I'll most likely grab the third once it's released in paperback so it'll match the other two.

5. The Iron Trial by Cassandra Clare and Holly Black- So...I already own this book. I read it last month and completely loved it. Normally I wouldn't get another copy of a book I already have unless I need it in either paperback or hard cover to match a set. But this book is signed! Clare and Black are two of my favorite authors and I couldn't leave a signed copy of their book in the store.

6. The Hero of Ages by Brandon Sanderson- I have yet to start the Mistborn series, but my Mom has read the first two books so I figured I'd go ahead and grab the third so she could read on. I do plan on getting to the series eventually, but I just haven't felt like diving into such a dense series. One day, though.

7. City of Fallen Angels by Cassandra Clare- I loved the first three books in this series. The only reason I didn't grab the fourth one earlier is because I wanted the first three to be a trilogy. I felt like it ended really well and I wasn't sure if I wanted to risk that. But I've been missing the Shadowhunter world. I got the 5th and 6th books off of the book depository but for some reason the fourth one didn't ship out, so I just grabbed it from my local book shop.

8-10. The Assassin's Blade, Crown of Midnight, & Heir of Fire by: Sarah J. Maas- I loved Throne of Glass. After reading it last month I couldn't wait to grab the rest of the series (that's been released). Also, can we take a moment to appreciate how beautiful Assassin's Blade is? I'm completely in love with the cover.

11. The Young Elites by Marie Lu- I'm really looking forward to this book, it sounds amazing. And who doesn't want more super powers in their lives?

Well, that's all I got this time around. I'm really happy with the books I found and can't wait to read them. Now I have to go building my third book shelf...

Until next time, have a nice life!

Uh-Oh

Guys, I think I'm in a reading slump. Which is kinda hard for me to admit right off the bat, but it's happening. I read a lot last month, and I think  I may have fried my brain a bit. I'm just not as excited to pick either of the books I'm reading up as I normally would be. But there could be other reasons, right? Maybe it's not a dreaded slump but something else?

I think that's actually true. I'm currently reading the Fellowship of the Ring, and even though I love J.R.R. Tolkien's writing I'm just not sucked into the story. I do love the story, however,  it's one of my favorite movies of all time. But I think that's making it harder to read. There are so many books and stories I want to get to that I haven't felt the urge to re-read anything in ages. Even though I've never read the book before it still feels like a re-read because I know the characters and the plot so well from the movies. But I'm determined to read the series so I can feel like a true fan. It won't be back to back or fast though.

The other book I'm reading is called Unnatural Creatures, which is a bunch of short stories written by various authors selected and partially written by Neil Gaiman. I actually really like the stories, they're so well written, brilliant, and entertaining. But the problem with such short stories is that I'm not invested in any characters and therefor not as drawn back to the book. It's still really good though and I fully intend to finish it.

I suppose another issue is Netflix. I've recently learned to love Numbers and it's been sucking up a ton of my time. They also put the second season of the Following up, so that hasn't helped either. Seriously, if you haven't seen that show you really should go check it out, it's absolutely brilliant and there are a ton of literary themes throughout.

Well, no matter what the reason for my reading slump the only thing a person can really do is wait it out. I know that if I try and force myself to read for hours like I normally do, I'll just get bitter about the books and make this slump thing even worse. So here's to hoping for a speedy recovery.

Thanks for reading and until next time, have a good life!

How Do You Start?

I find that starting things is always the hardest part. Over on my BookTube channel I usually just say, "Hello everyone, and welcome to IvAnReads," but I'm not sure if that will work on a blog. Either way, Welcome! I'm really excited to have another place to talk all about the books I love, and I'm glad you're here.

I love books. Truly and deeply love them. I recently made the decision to go ahead and pursue my dream of making that love of books into a career. Now that I've switched to an English major I can't wait for classes to start. I'm hoping to become an author one day, but in case that doesn't work out I'll be going into publishing. There's something really exciting about the idea of being part of creating a book. Of designing it, promoting it, and helping make an authors work come to life. It seems really fun.

What to expect out of this blog:
Reviews
Tags
Reading Updates
Random Rambling
and
The Occasional Cat Picture

I hope to see you all again, so until next time have a great life!