Reading slumps, do they really exist?
1. Read when you feel like it.
Don't make reading something you have to do. Because if reading is something you have to do, like homework or cleaning your room or something like that, you might not want to do it, or you'll get tired of it. Read when you're really in the reading mood.
Many people can just sit down and read knowing that they have other things to do. They can shut out those things and only focus on reading, and to them i say, great for you. But if you're like me then if you sit down and read, and know you have something else to do , that little something stays in the back of your mind and you can't focus 100 % on the book in your hands. If you have homework, then do that before you sit down and read. If you have a messy room, then clean it before you read. If you have something at work, then get that done before you read. I promise it will feel much better when you can 100 % focus on the book without stressing about things you have to do.
This is kind of the opposite of the first tips but not really. I said that you shouldn't make reading something you have to do, because that puts pressure on you and you might get tired of it. But if you are like me. If you have school or friends or family taking up almost all your spare-time then make time to read. You don't have to make a schedule for reading but decide some certain time of the day where you can read if you feel like it. Now when i have school , I for example have decided that reading time is either in the morning, while eating breakfast or at night before i go to bed. And i don't pressure myself into doing it if i wake up one morning and don't feel like it but i still know that these times i can read if i want to without feeling that i have to do anything else.
A lot of people have trouble reading more than 1 book at a time. I am one of them. I can maybe read two books if they are from the same genre. Right now for example I am reading Heir Of Fire. Heir Of Fire is a fantasy book which means it has a lot of new words, it's pretty big, and the world is sometimes complicated to understand. Most fantasy books are that way. You have to focus on only that book because it's so much to take in. Even if you're one of those people who can read several books at once i recommend tbat you don't. Finish one book before you start the other. And only read more than one if they are from the same genre.
Many people that read also collects books, and most book-collectors have that shelf with the books they haven't read. Or if you don't collect books you might have a list of books you want to read. Anyway , don't focus on your TBR. I have about 73 books in total on my shelf, 20-21 of them is books i haven't read. Many people i watch on youtube or meet on twitter or other social medias have a lot more. Some people have even up to 300 books on their TBR. My advice is not to think about it that much. It draws focus from the book you are reading, and it might cause you not to enjoy that book as much as you would have. Also don't feel like you have to read everything on your TBR right away. Read the books you feel like reading and when you have done that you can think about what to do with the other books that you feel like you're never going to read.
Okay, so i take that if you read this, you are already in a reading slump right? Let me help you.
1. Find out the source / the reason to your reading slump.
The source doesn't have to be a book. You don't have to be in a reading slump because of a book. It can be because of personal reasons that you didn't think of. You can of course get into a reading slump because of a book. If it was a book that was in a genre you weren't really in the mood for , or if it was a book that everyone loves and you didn't like that can lead to a reading slump. But sometimes it's not the book at all. Think about how you were feeling when you slowly got into the reading slump. Were you stressed because of school? work? family? And if it is the book that caused the reading slump try to remember why. Was it because you were not really in the mood for fantasy? Not in the mood for romance? Or was it just simply that you did not like the book?
If it was in fact because of stress that you got into a reading slump my advice is: take a break. If you don't feel like reading for a week/month/ several months even a year, then don't- Don't feel pressured by your huge TBR or pressured by other readers. Because sometimes when we see that other readers read this and that many books / year / month we get stressed out. Even if we don't think about it. But your well being comes first. Your health comes first. If reading is stressing you at the moment then take a break and read again when you feel like it.
Let's say you were reading a fantasy book. A fantasy book takes up a lot of concentration to begin with. You have to really focus on that big and fantasy books are usually huge. If you don't feel like reading fantasy and then read fantasy because you really want to read that book , because you are excited for it and everyone is talking about it. Put the book down. It doesn't mean that you will never read it, it only means that maybe you are not in the mood for fantasy. Look at your shelf, and really think about what you are in the mood for.
I know many people doesn't want to reread books because they have so many books to read that they haven't read but my best advice to people who are in a reading slump is to reread your favorite book/books. I always do this. Find that book that you will never get tired of, and that book that you know you love. For me it's always divergent or harry potter.
My last advice is to read a shorter book if you are in a reading slump and want to get out. Reading a 800 page fantasy won't help you get out of the slump. Read a book that has maybe maximum 300 pages.
GIF reactions a reader can relate to
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SECOND CATEGORY: FANDOM VS FANDOM.
1. Hunger Games VS Divergent
My first ever ebooks
Paperback VS Hardcover
So i've seen this subject floating around for a while.We are all different kinds of readers and we all have opinions on things that has to do with reading. I thought i would share my opinion on the whole paperback vs hardcover subject. For me it depends on the book. I prefer hardcovers because they are very often more beautiful and is easier to read without worrying that the spine will break. Although there are some paperbacks that i find really beautiful , even better than the actual hardcover, like throne of glass above for example. I think there are both pro's and con's with both of the alternatives. I am a book collector , so i like my books to look pretty on the shelf. Hardcovers are often really beautiful and then the paperback edition is just a less beautiful copy of the original hardcover. The good thing about paperbacks though is that you can get 3 paperbacks for the same price as 1 hardcover book, so when i don't have so much money ( since i'm still a student i'm not exactly rich) i prefer to buy the paperbacks. Paperbacks are also really easy to hold while reading, even though you have a bigger risk of breaking the spine of a paperback than a hardcover.Hardcovers , big books in particular , can be really hard to read. Also if you want to take your book with you somewhere it's easier to take a paperback with you. The bad thing about a paperback is that you have to be much more careful with it since it's basically only paper, meanwhile a hardcover book is not so easy to destroy. Really what i want to say with this post is that there are good and bad things about both of the options. I still prefer hardcovers but that doesn't mean i don't buy paperbacks, because i do. I would like you to comment your opinion below. It would be fun to know what you think of this subject.
Paperback VS Hardcover
The Ultimate Book Tag
Let’s get started!!
The Ultimate Book Tag
1. Do you get sick while reading in the car?
Sometimes yes , sometimes no. I can't read for 3 hours straight in a car without pauses because then i will get sick, but if i read like 15 minutes a time, then take 5 minute breaks between, then i can read in the car.
2. Which author’s writing style is completely unique to you and why?
I thought a really long time about this, and i have to say that it is Tahereh Mafi who wrote the Shatter Me books. Her writing style is just so poetic and beautiful , also the main character Juliette cross words when she changes her mind about something, and that is something that i don't think a lot of books have. I just think it's beautiful.
3. Harry Potter Series or the Twilight Saga? Give 3 points to defend your answer.
As much as i loved Twilight when i had my Twilight Period ( we all know we had a Twilight period, don't even deny it) and as much as i still enjoy The Twilight Saga i would be crazy to not say Harry Potter. And i'll give you my reasons.
1. JK Rowling Deals with racism in such a good way. You don't even think about this in the books, you just think that the evil characters are evil when you are younger, but when you start to think about it as you get older you realize that Harry Potter actually deals with Racism. It's the relationship between the "Pure Bloods" the ones who are 100% wizard born like Malfoy for example and The ones they think less of , the ones who are not 100 % wizard born like Hermione or Harry. And Hermione get's called ugly names like Mudblood throughout the entire series.
2. The Plot, i don't really need to say more. The plot's for these books are just fantastic and so well done i want to thank JK Rowling if i ever meet her.
3. The Characters. I can relate to them so much, they all have problems that we can relate to even though you don't really think about it first because it's a book, and it's "made up characters" but JK Rowling writes them in a way that makes you feel like they could be real, they could be real persons and i think that's the reason why so many children/teenagers turn to Harry Potter when they grow up. Because Harry, Hermione and Ron are children growing up as well, so that makes them easy to relate to.
4. Do you carry a book bag? If so, what is it in (besides books…)?
I don't have a special bag for books, but i do bring books in the bag i bring to school sometimes. You never know when you are going to get a free period or when you have to wait for a lesson to start. Sometimes , if i walk to school i can even read while I'm walking to and from school. I almost always keep a book in my bag wherever i go. In that bag i have my school things and a book, always bring a book.
5. Do you smell your books?
I'm not even going to deny it, yes i do. But it's not like i smell my books daily, i just do it sometimes when I'm reading a book , so it's not like i have smelling books as a daily activity.
6. Books with or without little illustrations?
I actually do prefer books without illustrations because i like to make up pictures in my own mind of the things that I'm reading but sometimes it can really help with illustrations like in high fantasy books, it can be hard to imagine things on your own. So i'd say both.
7. What book did you love while reading but discovered later it wasn’t quality writing? (Ex. I read Twilight before I read HP and thought the writing was amazing but read HP and now think Twilight is a little bit of a joke.)
I don't want to say that i have a particular book who is and is not quality writing because i think all books that i've enjoyed i would like to call quality writing. And I'm not an author so I'm not one to judge if a book is quality writing or not. But as i started reading a lot of YA books i realized that Twilight maybe wasn't the best, but i still don't consider Twilight as bad quality writing. It might not be as good as the books i've read since Twilight but it's still enjoyable and therefore i think it's quality writing.
8. Do you have any funny stories involving books from your childhood? Please share!
I don't think that i have something from my earlier childhood, because i read a lot even back then. But i do have memories of reading Harry Potter. I think it was when i read the goblet of fire. When i read the Goblet Of Fire i was 10 years old i believe. And I just remember that being the first book that i really fangirled about while reading the book. You know how it is, when you cry and laugh because of the book. I had never done that before for real, like getting a real "fangirl - all- the- emotions" attack but i remember sitting in school reading it, and in my school we had these reading hours when we would just sit quiet and read for 30 - 60 minutes. And I remember reading the part where Cedric "SPOILER ALERT BUT COME ON" dies and i was tearing up really bad, and it was quiet in the classroom. I realized that i had to get out of there so i took the book with me and ran to the door and when i had closed the door and was in the hallway i remember throwing the book to the ground screaming that Voldemort could shit himself. I thought i was alone and then a whole class came buy and saw me jumping and screaming with the book on the ground and then my teacher opened the door and my class saw me and now two classes was looking at me , and i remember that i started to laugh and my class started to laugh and then i walked in the class room with my book and somebody had written, "Voldemort shit yourself" on the board.
9. What is the thinnest book on your shelf?
I think that "If I Stay" By Gayle Forman is the tiniest book i own. It's about 200 pages or something like that, it's really short anyway.
10. What is the thickest book on your shelf?
That would be a tie Between Game Of Thrones By George RR Martin and Harry Potter and The Order Of The Phoenix by JK Rowling. I believe they are both about 800 pages.
11. Do you write as well as read? Do you see yourself in the future as being an author?
Actually i do. I write a lot of stories on my computer and i'm currently writing a book , i want to be an author when i grow up and i've heard from people around me that I'm really good at writing so who knows? Maybe you will see my name on book someday.
12. When did you get into reading?
I don't know if i ever got "In" to reading because i feel like i've always read a lot. My mother read books to me when i was young then i started to read on my own when i was like 6 years old. Since then i have had my on / off periods of reading and between my Twilight period and maybe two years ago when i was 15 i didn't read almost anything. So between the age of 12 and 15 i read almost nothing besides maybe books for school. And i think that was because i forgot about reading. It sounds horrible but when i started to get more and more homework for school i became so stressed out, then i watched a lot of tv shows as well. But i feel like i really really got in to reading 2011/2012 when i started reading again. And the book that i started to read 2011 was City Of Bones , so i have Cassandra Clare to thank that i got in to reading again.
13. What is your favorite classic book?
I have not read a lot of classics i will admit that. But one that i do liked that i read was Dracula by Bram Stoker. I think that i read it during my Twilight period so i was really in to vampires then. But i remember liking it.
14. In school was your best subject Language Arts/English?
I am still in school and i have to say that english indeed is my best subject. I have always been good at english even though I'm Swedish. I feel like sometimes i know english better than Swedish hahah.
15. If you were given a book as a present that you had read before and hated…what would you do?
I would say thank you and probably keep it on my shelf anyway because i like to collect books. I wouldn't give it away because i feel like the person who bought me the book wasted money on me. They took their time to buy a book for me because they knew i loved books , and even though i didn't like the book i would feel ashamed to give it away because it's not really the persons fault that i didn't enjoy it. Depending on the book i might also would have given it a second chance.
16. What is a lesser known series that you know of that is similar to Harry Potter or the Hunger Games?
This one is kind of hard because all the series i read are kind of famous and hyped up. I just wanted to point out that i read a lot of these series before they became "cool" ( #hipster, no but i don't know really) I feel like a lot of books are hyped up on Booktube but one series that i just finished and loved is the Lunar Chronicles. I do know a lot of people know about this but it's still not as big as The Hunger Games or Harry Potter or even Divergent. It's a dystopian series. I don't know if i would say that it's really similar to any of the two above but it's dystopian, it's sci fi and it does have magic in it. And i really loved it so go and look them up on goodreads, the first book is called Cinder, The Second one Scarlet and the third one Cress.
17. What is a bad habit you always do while filming?
I often don't write scripts for my videos, which can lead to that i sit in silence for 10 minutes and then start talking again. Also I am really easily distracted which can lead to that i sit and pet the book I'm talking about for ten minutes and then start talking again.
18. What is your favorite word?
Fudge. It started of as a joke between me and my brother when we watched the Harry Potter Movies. And whenever we got angry we would say "Fudge you" because you know Cornelius Fudge. Since then i have started to use it in real life and i don't know how many times i say fudge you every day. It's just a funny word to say.
19. Are you a nerd, dork, or dweeb? Or all of the above?
Pretty sure I am all of the above.
20. Vampires or Fairies? Why?
Vampires. I don't know if it's because of my twilight period or if it's because Simon Lewis but i love Vampires. Also i Watch Vampire Diaries and i might be in love with a certain vampire Called Stefan. Also fairies tend to creep me out.
21. Shapeshifters or Angels? Why?
Both , honestly i do love angels, *Cough cough shadowhunters are part angel * And i love shapeshifters *Cough cough Celaena Sardothien and also sexy werewolves cough*
22. Spirits or Werewolves? Why?
I feel like shapshifters and werewolves are kind of the same thing and i do also love spirits. So i would say both.
23. Zombies or Vampires?
I prefer Vampires , because they are smarter, they are more attractive and it's kind of hard to relate to a Zombie. (Vampires tend to have a human side since they were once humans, Zombies don't have human sides since they are dead, but i still love Zombies)
24. Love Triangle or Forbidden Love?
FORBIDDEN LOVE FOR SURE. I mean have you seen The Vampire Diaries? If you have you could probably bury yourself if someone even mentions a love triangle because that shit is awful. Also love triangles tend to create teams within fandoms causing them to have a war between them instead of focusing in the love of the book.
25. AND FINALLY: Full on romance books or action-packed with a few love scenes mixed in?
It depends on the book but usually i can't read a book that is only a love story, it has to have action in it or i lose interest.
currently reading
Goodnight my fellow booklover friends
The Bookshelf Tour
26 reasons reading will actually ruin your life
1. You learn so many new, unique words while reading that when you use them in real life people get weirded out by you.
2. People who don’t really read never understand your references.
3. When a character you love dies, you die.
4. If there’s no sequel to an amazing book, it almost feels like there’s no tomorrow for you.
5. When a good book turns into a movie and an important character looks nothing like they were described, you feel cheated.
6. If you ever decide to sneak a peek at the last sentence of the book and it ends up SPOILING EVERYTHING.
7. Authors never show any remorse for killing off your favorite characters but don’t they know they’ve sucked all the happiness you ever had out of your soul?!
8. Cliffhangers are not really cliffhangers, but more like “I want to jump off that cliff”-hangers.
9. When someone asks you, “What’s so fun about reading anyway?”, you start serenading them with all the ups and downs and magical, mystical feelings that reading gives you.
10 . When you get a non-book-lover to FINALLY start reading and they’re reactions make you want to cry and jump with joy at the same time.
11. Whether you’re at the library, book store, or looking at your own bookshelf, there is always a love/hate feeling.
12. When you read a monumental moment in a book (death scene, OTP breaks up, etc) and you’re freaking out but NO ONE UNDERSTANDS.
13. If you’re generally someone who doesn’t like putting their emotions on their sleeves, reading for fun can be kind of difficult at times.
14. You have at least one (but probably more) character that you act like they actually exist. And you are unashamed.
15. You look constipated when you read.
16. When people walk into your room they start to get a pretty idea of what your social calender must look like.
17. …So you tell ‘em like it is.
18. You know books are magical and it’s like…it’s like…it’s like no one around you understands!
19. You actually feel like Tony Stark at school quite often. But you don’t seem to look that good when you say it.
20. You can’t converse with people without seeming elitist.
21. You feel bad for a friend who’s reading a book that includes a traumatic character death after you.
22. When you’re almost done with the book and you realize there aren’t enough pages left for the things that need to happen, or when everything is happily resolved and the book has 200 pages left.
22. When you finish a book and look around and realize that everyone is carrying on with their lives as if you didn’t just experience emotional trauma at the hands of 300-900 pages.
23. There are so many emotions and characters and feelings of love and hate and betrayal and it hurts. IT HURTS.
24. And when people flat-out say they hate reading?
25. And when they have the nerve to say say that movies are BETTER?
26. Books are awesome, and nothing will ever change that for you. Even when you’ve read them more times than you can count.
I've joined booktube!
New bookshelf
Crown Of Midnight- Sarah J Maas // Review
SPOILERS AHEAD, IF YOU HAVE NOT READ THIS BOOK THEN DON'T READ THIS IF YOU DON'T WANT TO GET SPOILED, NOW YOU ARE WARNED SO DON'T BLAME ME IF YOU'RE SPOILED, THANK YOU....
Okay so people, i have so much to talk about in this spoiler section of this review. First of all I'm just going to say that i still prefer Chaol to Dorian. It's not that i don't like Dorian , he's and interesting character and i still really really like him but i still prefer Chaol to be with Celaena , if anyone is going to be with Celaena it's Chaol. This is weird because i said earlier in this review that i like Reign, and in Reign I am team Francis. And if you watch Reign and has read Crown Of Midnight you know that Dorian is a LOOOOT like Francis. The relationship with his father, the relationship with Chaol , they both also come off as these douchebags who sleeps with a lot of women in the beginning of the tv-show/books. That's why it's weird because Chaol is kind of like Bash or Sebastian from Reign, they are loyal to the king, they love their best friends/brothers love interest and i don't know why i'm team Chaol and Team Francis because it would make sense to me to be either team Francis/Dorian or Chaol/Bash, but I'm not. Okay so I'm not going to speak so much about the relationship/love triangle thing that's going on ( which i don't think is a love triangle because it was pretty clear that she would always pick Chaol, she even said so herself) But focus on the fact that Celaena is a Fae? I mean i thought she was part Fae from the start but that she was the heir ? How cool was that? I started making the connections as soon as it was mentioned that she survived when her parents died. I also think that's why the king had an interest in her from the first book. Also, HOW FREAKING MAD IS THE KING? First the Ridderak in the first book and now this kind of human but not creature living far below ground. I WAS SCARED OKAY. I cried so much during the scene where Nehemia died. Reading about Celaena's kind of mental breakdown during that time was heartbreaking. One thing i also really loved was the kind of bromance/brother relationship between Chaol and Dorian. I really respected Dorian when he kind of said "take care of her" to Chaol. Because if my best friend and i was in love with the same guy and that guy was interested in my best friend it would not be easy for me to accept that but he kind of did and i respect that. Also how badass was it when he saved Chaol with magic? I was really frustrated with Celaena blaming Chaol for Nehemia's death. I am also really frustrated with Chaol not telling Celaena about the threat to her life. I mean she's an assassin Chaol, i get that you want to protect her and that is really sweet but she could kill the man/woman who was sending Nehemia that threat. So i kind of understand how she blamed Chaol too but at the same time it wasn't his fault because it kind of seemed like Nehemia planned to sacrifice herself so Celaena would do what she had to do. It was mentioned in one part of the book that queen Elena and Nehemia talked about a thing that Nehemia had to do. I think that thing was to kill herself. As for Archer Finn, i really didn't trust him from the moment we met him, but i didn't think he would play such a big part as he did. When she killed him, that was so badass. Also can we talk about that creepy witch Baba Yellowlegs for a second? I was like no Celaena , don't go in there, it's a freaking trap. But guess what, SHE DID GO IN THERE. But it worked out well didn't it. Also Mort, A TALKING DOORKNOB hahahha and a sarcastic one at that. I was laughing out loud whenever he talked to Celaena. I don't know what to expect from Heir Of Fire. I think one of the guys is going to go after her. I hope it will be Chaol. But the thing is that i don't think she really needs Chaol or Dorian's help , i think she can handle it on her own, and i thought it was nice of Chaol since he knew that she was a Fae and that the place she was going is like some kind of homeland for Fae's. I actually kind of hope that Chaol and Dorian will go together and bond during their trip. I really really want heir of fire right now but it doesn't come out until september 2. What's your opinion on the book? What did you think? Leave a comment down below!
Wrap up : June / July TBR
Welcome booklovers!
My name is Ida , I am 16 years old ( turning 17 this year) and i live in Sweden. I live here with my mom, dad and my younger brother who's 13 years old. When i grow up i want to move to England and study there. I love books ( obviously) , music, dancing, just hanging out with friends and animals. You can find me on several social medias such as tumblr and twitter. I will link them down below here.
Here in the blog you will see different things, everything from book reviews to monthly reading wrap ups and book recommendations. I will write in english because i want people from other countries to be able to understand. I want to spread my love for books. I will try to post as much as possible but i remind you that i still go to school so sometimes i might not post as much. But i will try to post at least twice a week. If you have any questions just ask them in the comments or on my twitter etc. I hope you will enjoy yourself and feel free to look around in the different categories. THANK YOU!