I generally did not feel any excitement about any of these books because I did not feel like reading this month. I will comeback to these when I am in the mood to read. Last year I did not finish any books in December so I think this is the month were I just don’t feel like reading.
- Through Wolf’s Eyes[chapter 1]- The book seems like it is going to only be about politics. I was overall not interested in the story or characters DNF
- Brave New World[30 or so pages]- I just don’t have enjoyment or see the point of this dystopia. DNF
- A Voice in The Wind[chapter 1]- I am sick of lack of diversity and genericness. I like Francine Rivers but this made me read the first chapter then promptly close it. I finally tried to read through one of her other books and couldn’t do it. So I bulk DNF all of her books.
- A Clash of Kings[2 character chapters] – I’m just not into it. I need game of thrones fever to comeback. still not finished yet. I’ll probably get into it closer to when Game of Thrones season 4 comes out.
- East of Eden- I just lost interest. still not finished.
- A Feast for Crows[prologue]- I just was not into it. I think I need to finish A Clash of Kings and possibly reread book 3. There are so many things I don’t remember from A Storm of Swords that it is truly odd.
- First Men in the Moon I finished it. It was okay.
Previews (and a random discussion on my opinions on ya and romance )
I just was not into these books that much.
I think I was looking for thoughtful diversity in all the wrong places. I mean chick-lit and ya, didn’t I decide to dnf these two genres all around a couple of months ago.
A part of me still wants chick-lit or romance to be great. I feel that I have out grown ya. I feel that I have out grown the writing that many chick-lit novels suffer from too.. I have not outgrown the want to see a great romance portrayed. I’m watching a rom-com Korean drama right now, Let’s Eat. What I like about the show is the romance is developing. I want to feel the romance. I could read a book with romance in it as a side or main focus if the writing was were I needed it to be. Then again maybe I am looking in all the wrong places for good romance books. I just don’t feel like looking for a needle in a haystack.
Manifest by Artist Arthur
Unexpected Interruptions by Trice Hickman
Rants
My New Anthem
All I want is everything
Yes everything too much is not enough
I’m sick of settling for in between
And I’m not givin’ up
Using the lyrics from Victoria Justice’s song “All I Want Is Everything”. These lyrics explain my feelings right now. I am sick of settling for almost. I want a fantasy world that is unique and interesting. I do not want a fantasy world that is just a repeat of our world. I do not want a fantasy world that is different but not interesting. I want what I want and I am not giving up until I get it. It explains also why I am not reading the books I own. They are not what I want. I do not feel like trying to get into a book that is not what I really want.
A day or two later… I had to mellow out because I was getting really intensely (reading depression/slump inducing) mad/sad about how much my books don’t have a interesting fantasy world. I had to step back and decide to read something else. Since, I am not going to the library I need to stick to reading the books I own. Still a problem. It is actually one of the main reasons that February as a month will probably not have any novels on it. However, since I am being more introspective about my reading and trying new things it has gotten better. Most graphic novels are fulfilling my need for action and adventure right now. Graphic novels so far is the genre that knows how to take care of business.
Things I Am Noticing
A lot of book covers are not good. I blame this on the Top Ten Tuesday post I did on redesign covers. I did not notice this phenomenon until recently. I think one of the reasons is I only recently stopped using book covers for most of my books. Early on I trained myself to not pay attention to the covers of books. I exclusively buy used books so finding any book that I want is a gift. I worry more about price than I worry about covers. I should do another post about book covers.
If authors wonder if a reader will not continue a book because of these reasons they will.
Pet Peeve That Keeps on Giving (Lack of Diversity)
I am starting to get mad at this point. I’m getting really sick of reading books set in past with a non-poc main character. Then the author cannot even allow the main character to not be the same [default] race character who feels stereotypical. Still irritating!
Bookhaul and Purge
I bought 14 books and dumped 37 books. I am at 99 [179 including my 80 desert island books]. I might not have to pick 10 books to do a theme each month so I can purge on some books. So I can probably pick 7-8 now. I will probably only finish 2 out of 8, 7, or even 10. I am happy that I have actually went down rather than up on my books left to read.
80 Desert Isand/H&NAS/just books I don’t finish before the end of the year
A. I am toying with the idea of reading books that in a series out of order. There are some books that the first book is hard to get and I just think it would be easier to just read the books I own.
B. I purged a lot more books off of the list. I think that space needs to be saved for authors such as Charles Dickens or George r.r. Martin who I only read 1-2 at the most a year. Instead, of having authors such as Agatha Christie taking up space with books I will never like. I don’t like Poirot now so I will most definitely not like him later. I will keep all her other books on the list. I need my 80 books to be filled with books that I will like. I actually am lowering the amount of books on my desert island books to 50 or lower. I also am going to try to read more books a year by authors that I like. I don’t want authors that I actually like to sit around. Why have books I like sitting around when I can read and enjoy them? I still probably cannot possibly read more than 1-2 Charles Dickens a year just because of the size.
Why I Read
I recently saw a video talking about why they read. They talked about how they read out of curiosity. I read for many reasons but I will just focus on two reasons here. I read out of curiosity and imagination. When I feel that these two are not getting fulfilled I get annoyed. I have ranted about lack of creativity in authors writing. So I will not get more into that. I have written a bit on the curiosity angle of my reading but probably have not went in depth. I am curious about peoples lives. I feel that every person has a story, dimensions, motivation. I wonder a lot what is this persons life like. Why are they the way they are? It makes me annoyed to see one dimensional or generic characters. Our world is so expansive and filled with unique people. Even people who we think are one dimensional or shallow have a something. Why are authors making characters who are one dimensional? When things go right I can enjoy a world that shows characters x time period or like x. I like big books because they have more time to show the everyday life of characters. There is also more time to develop characters and show their different relationships.
themollyweather 