29 February 2016

February recap

FEBRUARY READS
That was February! It has been an okay month for me since I had a break from my practical course but I've also been sick. I didn't get a whole lot of reading done but I managed to reach my major goal for the month; to read The Complete Chronicles of Narnia cover to cover. 

blogging goals
Well, I've been doing fine on my blogging goals! 

I've been keeping up with my 'for review' spreadsheet and I've also been using libib.com! So, at least I'm doing great in that departement.
I haven't used my blog planner a ton but I haven't totally neglected it! 

The goal I didn't reach last month was to update my review archive so it was up to date - but I did it this month and now I just have to update it on a regular basis! 
I also updated my drop down menu so the blog got a tiny makeover too! 


reading goals
Again, I'm doing fine but I've totally butchered my goal of reading from my shelves according to my spreadsheet! Apparently I have to read 5 books each month to reach my goal - but if I buy 2 books I have to read 7 to stay on track and since I received a whole bunch of books this month (review books don't count though) I'm now 16 books behind.. 

I read 9 books in February which adds up to 3048 pages! 

  1. Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell ★.5 
  2. Hidden Bodies (You, #2) by Caroline Kepnes ★.5 (review)
  3. Omega Beginnings Miniseries (Omega Beginnings Miniseries, #1-8) by Lizzy Ford ★ (review)
  4. 62 dage (=62 Days) by Cilla Naumann 
  5. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë ★.5
  6. Hvor intet bryder vinden (=Where Nothing Breaks the Wind) by Leonora Christina Skov 
  7. The Storied Life of A.J. Fiery by Gabrielle Zevin 
  8. The Complete Chronicles of Narnia (The Chronicles of Narnia, #1-7) by C.S. Lewis 
  9. Ildprøven (Vildheks, #1) (=The Fire Trial (Wildwitch, #1)) by Lene Kaaberbøl ★.5
I also read The Grownup by Gillian Flynn which was okay. If you've been with me for a while you know that I don't count short stories, novellas, children's literature and graphic novels as books which is why I count them on the side! 

With these books I managed to finish 3 series once again! Which means I now have to finish a single series and then I've reached my goal of finishing 7-10 series! The series I finished (and started) is;
  • You by Caroline Kepnes
  • Omega Beginnings Miniseries by Lizzy Ford
  • The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis 
I only read 1 YA book this month which was one of the Danish books on the list 62 Days and it was okay but again, I find I'm often disappointed by YA. At least I did great on my 'read (much) less YA' goal. 
This month I technically reread 3 books since I read the first three books in The Narnia Chronicles last year, but since it's the entire series in one book I can't really count it as a reread - but I did technically reread! 

This month I read 5 books from my shelf, which is the goal for each month so that's great! A bunch of these, 4 I believe, is on my 20 before 20 list so I did great with that list too! 3 of these were also classics so now I've read 4 towards my goal of 10 classics! 

I didn't finish any audiobooks but it's fine since I listened to 4 last month! All in all I count this month as a win! 


New on the shelf
WON IN A DANISH GIVEAWAY, MR. MERCEDES BY STEPHEN KING

SHOPPING SPREE WITH MOM

BOUGHT, GIFT TO MYSELF
I wish you all a great March! It's also my birthday on March 2.

26 February 2016

First Paragraphs: The Narnia Chronicles #4-6


First Paragraphs is a weekly meme where I share the first paragraph, and some thoughts, from my current read or an upcoming book. 

Last Friday I shared the first paragraphs of the first three books in the Narnia Chronicles so it's fitting that I'm going to share the next three paragraphs with you guys! I'm really enjoying it so far and while I was a bit disappointed by Prince Caspian (#4) I was very impressed with The Voyage of the "Dawn Treader" and it's definitely my second favorite (after The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe). My goal is to finish this hunk of a book by the end of the month and, since I only have the last two books left, I think I can do it! 

I'm a bit saddened by the fact that the first paragraph doesn't tell what's to come in these books opposed to the first three. I loved that because I found it unique! 


Prince Caspian
This took me a while to read, or at least it feels like it took a while to read. It was very slow going and I wanted more action! It's still a great read though! 

Once there were four children whose names were Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy, and it has been told in another book called The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe how they had a remarkable adventure. They had opened the door of a magic wardrobe and found themselves in a quite different world from ours, and in that different world they had become Kings and Queen in a country called Narnia. While they were in Narnia they seemed to reign for years and years; but when they came back through the door and found themselves in England again, it all seemed to have taken no time at all. At any rate, no one noticed that they had ever been away, and the never told anyone except one very wise grown-up. 


The Voyage of the 'Dawn Treader'
This is probably one of the longest books in the series and it is so so good! I read it late last night and it is definitely captivating! It's somehow reminds me of Pirates of the Caribbean since it's on a ship and other details I can't give you! I also love how we get diary entries in this one! It's really one of the best in the series out of the 5 I've read so far.

There was a boy called Eustace Clarence Scrubb, and he almost deserved it. His parents called him Eustace Clarence and masters called him Scrubb. I can't tell you how his friends spoke to him for he had none. He didn't call his Father and Mother "Father" and "Mother", but Harold and Alberta. They were very up-to-date and advanced people. They were vegetarians, non-smokers and teetotallers, and wore a special kind of underclothes. In their house there was very little furniture and very few clothes on beds and the windows were always open.


The Silver Chair
I've never, ever, read or heard about The Silver Chair. I've watched some movie adaptations of some of the other books and I've met Caspian in those movies so I had a feeling of what was to come. This one is totally new to me and I'm going to read it today;


It was a dull autumn day and Jill Pole was crying behind the gym. 



Which book are you going to read today? Feel free to share the first paragraph of said book or leave a link!

25 February 2016

Author interview: R.P. Channing

Today I bring you an interview with R.P. Channing which is the author of Thirst. I shared an excerpt from this book on Saturday, you can check it out here. Rick is extremely nice and I've definitely enjoyed working with him! You can look forward to a guest post from him which is coming next month - it definitely made me think and may have inspired a couple of new posts. 



A bit about R.P. Channing 
Website ⎜Twitter ⎜Amazon
R P Channing started writing three years ago, but never published anything even after churning out over a million words of fiction. Thirst: Blood of my Blood is the first book he dared to publish. When asked why, he said, “Because it’s the first thing I wrote that my wife actually enjoyed reading.” When not hammering away (most literally) at his keyboard, he can be found buried in a book, reading anything from romance to horror to young adult to non-fiction to comedy.


When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?
It wasn’t the first thing I came up with when I was listing “possible professions” as a kid. I don’t even think it made the list. I just started writing one day and then I wrote more and then I wrote more... Before I knew it, I started calling myself “A Writer.” 
How long does it take you to write a book?
It depends on the book and the story and how long it’s been since my last book. It’s so different from story to story that I have no fixed timeframe. Some stories are out of my head and onto paper before I can even blink, others take longer, much longer.

What is your work schedule like when you're writing?
I try and set myself a target of words for the day and then make that target. Sometimes that takes only a few hours, sometimes I’m writing until the early hours of the morning.

Where do you get your information or ideas for your books?
Wow. They’re random. They come out of nowhere. Sometimes I don’t even have an idea. If I do have one, the writing is easy. if I don’t, I just pound away until the story takes me somewhere, and then I re-write. I try and take a professional attitude to my writing and not “wait for inspiration.”

Tell us something unusual about yourself.
The weirdest thing I like doing is jumping in my car and going for a drive with no place to go. Some people like walking, I love just getting on the highway, looking around, and then driving back home after an hour or two. I find it very relaxing.

How many books have you written? Which is your favorite?
Well, I’ve written plenty of stories, but Thirst is the first one I published. I guess that makes it my favorite because I actually put it out there for people.

Do you have any suggestions to help me become a better writer? If so, what are they?
Don’t listen to advice from new writers.

Do you like to create books for adults?
I’ve written all kinds of stories (unpublished), but I like YA as a genre. I like the crowd, I like the “innocence.” I don’t see myself publishing in any other genre. At least not for a while.

What do you think makes a good story?
Likable characters that take initiative.

As a child, what did you want to do when you grew up?

I wanted to become an actor. Of course, that failed. :)

23 February 2016

Top Ten Tuesday: Books I enjoyed recently which were out of my comfort zone

THE NIGHT CIRCUS AND TELL THE WOLVES I'M HOME (DANISH VERISON)

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by the lovely ladies at The Broke and the Bookish. Each Tuesday we have a certain theme and we make a list of books or items inspired by that theme.

Today it's all about the books we've enjoyed recently which were out of my comfort zone. This was bit of a hard topic for me since I read basically everything. The only genre where I don't feel comfortable is erotica and I haven't read any erotica since last year. I tried to make the best of it though.

First I have Not If I See You First by Eric Lindstrom. This particular book is about a blind girl and I've never read, or rather heard in this case, a book about being blind. I really enjoyed it even though it quickly became all about love and I'd really wished for something else. I recommend it though, it's a spectacular audiobook!

Then I have to choose Us by David Nicholls. I like my adult books but they're usually about people in there 20s or 30s and Us is an old married couple in their fifties! I definitely enjoyed it and I loved how philosophical and beautiful the writing is even though our narrator, Douglas, is a scientist. I particular liked one line; A portrait in words. It's beautiful, right?

I of course had to have The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern on the list as well. It's a beautiful read but I've never read anything like it. I knew next to nothing going in and it's just so so good! We talked long and hard about which age group to put this one in and it fits both YA and adult!

Tell the Wolves I'm Home also deserves a spot! It's such a beautiful book which, like The Night Circus, can be read by all ages. June is such a relatable character even though it takes place in 1937! I love everything about this book and I wish more people knew about it!
Fun fact: My mom, who primarily reads erotica and crime fiction, wants to read this book! Basically everybody I recommend it to or talk to about it wants to read it!

This next one is the one I'm most uncertain about but I figured I'd add it anyway. The Heir (The Selection, #4) by Kiera Cass.. I feel a bit bad for saying this but I often put a book down if the main character is a brat and truly annoying - Eadlyn is possibly the most annoying character I've ever come across and I managed to finish it and even give it the highest rating! The Selection series is my guilty pleasure - it's quite bad but very enjoyable.

Lastly I have a graphic novel. I wish I was one of the people who loved graphic novels, I truly want to be, but I just don't enjoy them! I loved Poison Ivy: Cycle of Life and Death though. I'm still in the mood for a reread because it was just that good. Trust me, I don't often say that about a graphic novel.


Which book have you enjoyed recently which were out of your comfort zone? 

22 February 2016

Hidden Bodies by Caroline Kepnes

Series: You, #2
Publication date: February 23, 2016
Publisher: Atria
Genres: Adult, Thriller
Format: eARC
Source: The publisher in exchange for an honest review
Pages: 448
Rating: ★★★.5/5

 In the compulsively readable follow-up to her widely acclaimed debut novel, You, Caroline Kepnes weaves a tale that Booklist calls “the love child of Holden Caulfield and Patrick Bateman.”

Hidden Bodies marks the return of a voice that Stephen King described as original and hypnotic, and through the divisive and charmingly sociopathic character of Joe Goldberg, Kepnes satirizes and dissects our culture, blending suspense with scathing wit.

Joe Goldberg is no stranger to hiding bodies. In the past ten years, this thirty-something has buried four of them, collateral damage in his quest for love. Now he’s heading west to Los Angeles, the city of second chances, determined to put his past behind him.


In Hollywood, Joe blends in effortlessly with the other young upstarts. He eats guac, works in a bookstore, and flirts with a journalist neighbor. But while others seem fixated on their own reflections, Joe can’t stop looking over his shoulder. The problem with hidden bodies is that they don’t always stay that way. They re-emerge, like dark thoughts, multiplying and threatening to destroy what Joe wants most: truelove. And when he finds it in a darkened room in Soho House, he’s more desperate than ever to keep his secrets buried. He doesn’t want to hurt his new girlfriend—he wants to be with her forever. But if she ever finds out what he’s done, he may not have a choice...

Unfortunately my review of the first book in the series; You is in Danish but it was one of my favorite reads of last year! I absolutely loved it and I was surprised by the amount of literature in the book I mean Joe Goldberg, our main character, works in a bookstore and loves to read! I basically loved that we liked Joe and didn't like Beck. You definitely need to have read You before Hidden Bodies, I'm not sure how much sense some of it is going to make if you haven't.

I thought You was a standalone so I was very surprised when I found out that it was a duology - as far as I know she only have a two-book deal. I'm quite happy that I was able to get my hands on an eARC of Hidden Bodies though - even though I wish I could have listened to it as an audiobook instead. I think this series is the perfect one for audiobooks!

As you know, Hidden Bodies is about Joe Goldberg. It hasn't shifted in narrators and for that I am grateful! This one takes place in Los Angeles opposed to New York and I'm going to come straight out and tell you guys; You is so much better! Joe of course goes after Amy Adams, as you'd expected from the ending of You. Their relationship is nothing like the one he had with Beck - but I still didn't like her.
Hidden Bodies is just as poetic as the first one and I just love the writing style! It's hauntingly beautiful so of course I highlighted the heck out of this one! He managed to write a story in 6 words;
She waves. She goes. The end. 
I kept reading these 6 words over and over. Even though it's now completely out of context it's more beautiful. Ofcourse some will be cynical about it, but that line is what I like the best about this series. The ability Kepnes has to write the creepiest story, with a compelling main character, and the book is still hauntingly beautiful - who does that?

Even though I wasn't Joe's biggest fan in this one, I loved watching him grow! He experiences love and he's definitely, well almost, a changed man. I also enjoyed learning more about him, for example;
I've never harmed an animal; I can't imagine being that sort of monster.
He somehow rates animals higher than humans! Because obviously he's killed a lot of people but he would never stoop so low as to kill, or even harm, an animal. I for one find that quite funny.

What I really missed in this one was all the literary goodness we got in You. I wanted the bookstore, I wanted literary discussions, I wanted books! I was expected by the lack of it when you compare it to You. There's next to nothing when it comes to literary references and it saddens me.

Going through my notes I made while reading Hidden Bodies have me laughing out loud. The last 15-20% is all WHAT!?... WHAT!? etc. Well, I'm going to warn you in advance. It's what, 50 pages?, of plot twists! I didn't know what was going on half the time and reading this on the bus made for quite an embarrassing ride. It's all worth it to read the last 20 percent of the books, it's quite literally a roller coaster ride and it's a crazy one!

I'm trying to be pretty vague about what happens in this one since these books are just better to read knowing as little as possible! So, it's worth the read, but You is much better.

21 February 2016

Weekly rewind 2.21.16

And we're here again! I've been on a break this whole week so I've been able to read a lot! I also saw my mom on Thursday to grab lunch and we ended up shopping - well, we ended up in a bunch of different book stores and of course I left with some!

It's definitely been a great week with reading and blogging - I have a bunch of posts scheduled and I'm all caught up with reviews again! I've also been quite inspired by everything so I have a ton of ideas for new blog posts!


On blogging
I feel like this has been the perfect month when it comes to blogging! I've written so many posts and for once I feel like I'm actually back! 


On reading
READS, THIRD WEEK OF FEBRUARY
Yes, I've read a ton this week! I finished Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë and I have to admit that I'm a bit disappointed. I'm a bit hesitant going into Jane Steele now. I also continued The Complete Chronicles of Narnia but I only read The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe even though I'd hoped to read The Horse and His Boy too - maybe I'll read it today? You can read a couple of thoughts on the first two books on The Narnia Chronicles here

Then, suddenly, I went on a bit of a reading spree. I read Hvor intet bryder vinden (=Where Nothing Breaks the Wind) by Leonora Christina Skov. It's basically a new interpretation of And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie. It was actually really great and definitely one of my favorite reads of the year so far! I then, finally, read The Storied Life of A.J. Fiery by Gabrielle Zevin. I've tried listening to it as an audiobook but I wanted to save all the lovely bookish quotes, I then borrowed it from the library but I ended up returning it. Now, since I just got it, I saw the perfect opportunity to read it! And it was great! Not as good as I was hoping though but wonderfully bookish! 

Lastly I have The New York Trilogy by Paul Auster. I tried picking it up earlier this month but I wasn't  feeling it. I've read about 50 pages and well, it's quite weird so far! Hopefully I'll end up really enjoying it! 

I also read The Grownup by Gillian Flynn this week and I really don't think she's the author for me. I've been disappointing by both this one and Gone Girl and I never finished Sharp Objects


On the shelf

I might have gone a bit crazy with books this week - but I didn't spend anything! I had some credits at my local used bookstore and I still have some left! My mom also got me one of them! 

The first two books are by Lene Kaaberbøl - the author of The Shamer Chronicles. I'm unsure whether the rest of her books are translated in English but I really enjoyed The Shamer's Daughter so I've slowly been collecting her books when I find them for a reasonable price! The first one is a standalone - which is definitely not something she usually writes - it's called The Shadow Gate or Gateway in English. The other book I bought is Wildwitch which is her newest series! 

My mom got me The Storied Life of A.J. Fry as an early birthday present because she knew I wanted it. As you can tell from the picture above I've already read it! It's so bookish!

The last Danish book I got is Idun by Johanne Hildebrandt. It's a name, so I can't translate it! It's the second one in a series about Northern mythology and I just love reading about northern mythology! I'm not going to read Rick Riordan's new series though - he's not really the author for me! 

Even though I'm quite hesitant about Steinbeck I couldn't pass up Sweet Thursday or the bindup of Of Mice and Men and Cannery Row. As far as I can tell Sweet Thursday is the sequel to Cannery Row or at least takes place in the same area. I hope all three are better than The Pearl

It is not often that I buy books I've already read but I had to buy The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime by Mark Haddon! Even though I initially gave it 3 stars I've been raving about and I've been in the mood for rereading so it's perfect! 

Lastly I bought The Dice Man by Luke Rhinehart. Apparently a man lets a dice make all his decisions or something along those lines and both my sister and brother wants to borrow it! It's also quite a nice edition! 

I also received a book for review, but since it's in Danish it's not too interesting for you guys. 


On discoveries
This week I found out what a bullet journal is and I now have two dotted notebooks from Moleskine in the post. It's so cute and I love that I can style it the way I want! 


On all the rest
On the blog: 
Next week:
  • Tomorrow I have a review of Hidden Bodies the second book in the series about Joe Goldberg, the stalker, coming! It's going to be released on Tuesday! 
  • As always I have a Top Ten Tuesday on Tuesday! I'm bringing you books I enjoyed recently which were out of my comfort zone! It was a tough one!
  • Then I have an author interview with R.P. Channing
  • Lastly, or at least that's all I have planned so far, there's a First Paragraphs post on Friday as always. 


I hope you had a great week to!