Book Fangirling Blog Award

I was nominated/ tagged by Just Another Bookish Blog for the Book Fangirling Blog Award, so, first things first, thanks! (Tags are fun, so this is great for me.)

1. Do you remember what the first book you bought on your own was? If so, what was it? 

Maybe Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone? I don't really remember if it was the first, but I definitely remember that I bought our house's first copy of the book. (We've since had to replace it after the book was read until the cover quite literally fell off, along with a significant part of the first chapter).

2. What encouraged you to start blogging?

This is kind of a weird story, actually. You see, I didn't start out as a book blogger, and I didn't start out on this blog. The blog I started on has since been lost into that internet ether where deleted blogs go, hopefully never to resurface. I was twelve, and it was probably terrible. But, even so, I was hooked. It started out as more of a general blog (which was even then very environmentalist- I was and remain like that...) That was seven years ago.

My decision to start blogging was actually inspired by a book in which a character had a blog, but I didn't post about books until significantly later. Books are a huge part of my life, though, and so it was inevitable that they would spill over. Gradually, books started taking over the blog I had at the time and I eventually created the blog where I am now.

3. Favorite bookish youtuber?

I do not have a favourite. I have MANY. I spend a truly worrying about of time wandering booktube, and a not inconsiderable amount of time wondering if I should do videos as a supplement to this blog (it is looking increasing plausible for me).

4. When was the last time that you had to 're-read a paragraph, or put your book down, because of a major plot twist that you didn't see coming? 

I can't remember, actually. Recently all of the plot progressions I've read have seemed sort of... organic, and even when I'm surprised, I'm not floored...

5. Which bookish fan group / role play / can fix are you most active in? (Like on wattpad, goodreads, etc...) 

I'm on Goodreads, but I'm not all that active there. I'm on Tumblr quite often, but I'm not super-involved in any one fanbase generally speaking (which is for the best, Tumblr fans can be very... intense.)

Nominees
Sondra & Polina from Sorcery in the Bookshelves
Ariana from YA Book Nook
Jessica from Read My Breath Away
Sarah from Trees of Reverie

Questions
1. Which four books are you most excited to read next?
2. What is your first bookish memory?
3. What are your feelings on read-a-thons?
4. Favourite book cover of 2015?
5. Which book do you recommend the most often?

Last Ten (Fiction) Books That Came Into My Possession

Top Ten Tuesdays is a weekly feature created at The Broke and The Bookish.

1. Blood Jack: being an account of the curious adventures of Mary "Jacky" Faber, ship's boy by L. A. Meyer: I've wanted to start this series for a really long time now, but I wanted it to finish up before I did. And then the author died, and someone else had to finish the last book. In any event, the series is at a close now, so now is the time.

2. The Diviners by Libba Bray: I'm trying to read this again, despite my deep hatred of the 1920s. (I don't know why, I dislike pretty much everything about the 20's.)

3. Angelfall by Susan Ee: I actually got this after finishing End of Days because I felt like rereading.

4. World After by Susan Ee: Rereading, etc.

5. End of Days by Susan Ee: I finally got around to finishing this series! It had to go back to the library, though...

6. Wildthorn by Jane Eagland: I can't remember why I ended up not reading this one the last time, so I grabbed it on the off chance that I might like it.

7. The Storyspinner by Becky Wallace: I wasn't really planning on reading this until I saw it at the library, and figured, well, why not?

8. The Illusionarium by Heather Dixon: Again, saw it at the library, and grabbed it. My reading habit would be completely unsustainable without libraries.

9. The Wrath and the Dawn by Renée Adhieh: This FINALLY came it at the library. I really enjoyed it, though I haven't reviewed it (yet).

10. Rook by Susan Cameron: I'm surprised that this is the most recent, actually. It feels like its been on my shelf for a while... I probably ought to return it soon...

Review: The Storyspinner

Title: The Storyspinner
Author: Becky Wallace
Series: The Keeper Chronicles
Volume: 1
Genre: Fantasy
Goodreads

A Quick Introduction: Johanna is a Performer, born and bred- or so she thinks. Following her father's death and her family's subsequent exile from the Performer's camp, Johanna finds herself taking work at a ducal estate. Meanwhile, a group of magicians set off on a desperate quest to save a princess nobody has seen in years. Between the power struggles of the nobility, the reappearance of magic in the world, and girls matching her description turning up murdered, Johanna has her work cut out for her if she wants to make it out alive.

Out of Ten: 7/10

Review at a Glance: Despite a scattered and slow start, this book proved to be an enjoyable opening to a fantasy duology.

Review: This book took a while to get going, but, once it did, it was a fairly quick read.

Johanna is a determined character- she wants to protect her family and to keep performing. After seeing her father's death on the high wire, she does everything she can to keep her family, especially her younger brothers fed, even if it means agreeing to perform on an estate. The lord who enlists her, Rafael came into his lordship unexpectedly, and is now struggling with responsibilities he doesn't want, but knows he is obligated to take. Overall, while I didn't really dislike either of them, I didn't connect to them either. The Keepers were never really felt like main characters, despite how frequently they were present.

Two romances both seemed to proceed in fits and starts- I could have done with more buildup for both of them. They both added a lot of extra to a story that already ricocheted from place to place. The romances combined with frequent action, told in a style that jumped from place to place caused the many plot threads to occasionally trip each other up.

Despite these faltering points, the book got more engaging as time went on, and I found myself invested in the story. Once it got moving, it didn't let up, with the action action carrying on to the very last page.

The story juggles multiple points of view, and in a way that initially slowed the story down- the constantly shifting viewpoints served to reduce investment in any given storyline and viewpoint as they were introduced. Eventually they got into more of a flow, though I did find myself more invested in some points of view than others.

All in all, I quite enjoyed reading this novel, and I'm looking forward to reading the sequel when it comes out.

Top Ten Hyped Books I've Never Read

Top Ten Tuesdays is a weekly feature created at The Broke and The Bookish.

1. Divergent by Veronica Roth: I'm just not intrigued by it somehow. I seems like it ought to be up my alley, but it simply isn't.

2. The Fault In Our Stars by John Green: Never ever. I don't know, I'm just not remotely interested.

3. The Maze Runner by James Dashner: I just never got around to it.

4. Ready Player One by Earnest Cline: This one sounds quite enjoyable, and it is on my extended TBR, but it just somehow hasn't been near the top just yet.

5. The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken: I keep almost picking it up, but I still haven't. I just haven't been in the mood for it, I suppose.

6. Not A Drop To Drink by Mindy McGinus: It sounds interesting, but a little grim, and I need to be in the mood for a good post-apocalyptic novel.

7. The Diviners by Libba Bray: I tried starting this once, but I just don't think I was in the mood for it, I'm planning to give it another try.

8. The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern: I've just never gotten into it, though I tried starting it, it came due to the library before I got very far.

9. The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making by Catherynne M. Valente: This sounds charming, and whimsical.

10. Of Poseidon by Anna Banks: I've heard good things, so maybe one day...

June Wrap-Up

Read

• Magonia by Maria Dahvana Headley 
• The Martian by Andy Wier
• From a Distant Star by Karen McQuestion
• Compulsion by Martina Boone
• Rook by Sharon Cameron
• Cutlass by Ashley Nixon
• Every Word by Elizabeth Marney
• End of Days by Susan Ee
• The Crown of Embers by Rae Carson
• The Bitter Kindgom by Rae Carson
• The Wrath and the Dawn by Renee Ahdieh

Acquired

From Chronicle Books, Armchair BEA prize pack (thank you!):

• A History of Glitter and Blood by Hannah Moskowitz: I'm picky about my fairies, but I'm hoping to like this one.
• House Arrest by K. A. Holt: Contemporary middle grade, written in verse from the looks of it, which is off the beaten path for me.
• The Chess Queen Enigma by Kathleen Gleason: I still have to read The Spiritglass Charade, but I'm planning on reading them back-to-back soon.

Purchased:

• Fullmetal Alchemist Omnibus Volumes 22-23-24 by Himoru Arakawa: I was unsure about my decision to purchase the 3-in-1 at first, but it was much more affordable than buying the individual volumes.
• Fullmetal Alchemist Omnibus Volumes 25-26-27 by Himoru Arakawa: And now I finally have the whole manga. I can do a reread!
• Arthur Spiderwick's Guide to the Fantastical World Around You by Holly Black and Tony diTerlizzi: I got super excited when I found this on Book Outlet! Its a gorgeous book (you're probably sick of me saying this by now, but I love Tony diTerlizzi's artwork).
• Jackaby by William Ritter: I have a soft spot for paranormal historical fantasy. Especially if there are detectives.
• Compulsion by Martina Boone: Another Book Outlet purchase. I quite enjoyed the atmosphere of this one.
• In the After by Demitria Lunetta: I liked the sound of this (Book Outlet again), I've been considering reading it for about a year, and I'm looking forward to starting it the next time I'm in a post-apocalyptic mood.

Top Ten Books I've Read So Far In 2015

Top Ten Tuesdays is a weekly feature created at The Broke and The Bookish.

1. The Darkest Part of the Forest by Holly Black: Faeries, sarcasm, lady knights, and a strange little town... this is where I'm at.

2. Magonia by Maria Dahvana Headly: My review turned into gushing a little, actually. This is such a bizarre and beautiful book.

3. The Spiderwick Chronicles by Holly Black and Tony diTerlizzi: I find I often LOVE middle grade fantasy novels, and this one is great. The series is so much fun, and I am a huge fan of Tony diTerlizzi's gothic styled illustrations.

4. An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir: I enjoyed this debut, and I'm looking forward to reading more in the story.

5. The Winner's Crime by Marie Rutkoski: This was a great second book in the trilogy, it really built up the story, and I'm looking forward the final book.

6. The Silmarillion by J. R. R. Tolkien: I'm still a little astonished that this is my favourite Tolkien work to date. I really found myself appreciating the world and stories. I don't like it in the way that I like other books... I value it in a very different way from other books that I've read.

7. End of Days by Susan Ee: I just had so much fun with these books! They're both fun in a funny way and fun in a fast-paced awesome way. I mean, there's lots of violence and darkness, but I still had a lot of fun reading them.

8. Empire of Night by Kelley Armstrong: I'm quite enjoying this series so far, even when it has its frustrating moments.

9. Rook by Sharon Cameron: I think I might have to eventually read The Scarlet Pimpernel, though I will possibly be disappointed by the lack of cross-dressing, since I really enjoyed the retellings/ tributes to it that I've read.

10. Shadow Scale by Rachel Hartman: I remember reading this at an abnormal speed for this book, because it isn't really a fast paced novel. I enjoyed finally getting the sequel to Seraphina.

June Mini-Reviews

Title: From a Distant Star

Author: Karen McQuestion

Release Date: May 19, 2015

Out of Ten: 4/10

Review: I think that this book is probably good for what it is, but sadly, what it is isn't for me. I went into it know that there would be a romantic element, as it is primarily about Emma trying to save her boyfriend. That said, I really didn't like how her life seemed to completely rely on their relationship, to the point of neglecting school, and not really having friends. It just seemed... unhealthy, and that aspect was never really examined. It didn't help that I didn't particularly care much about Lucas. The other thing that really got to me was how forced elements of the plot felt, with much of it feeling too convenient. 

The part I liked most about this story was Emma's friendship with Scout, the alien who has taken over Lucas's body. It was fun to watch Scout learn about the world, and reminds you how strange a lot of customs are when viewed from the outside. I found I liked reading Scout's view more than Emma's, which isn't that common for me, I often get pretty attached to the main narrator. Overall, this novel had its weaknesses, and what ultimately got me through it was the friendship that develops between Emma and Scout.

Title: The Martian
Author: Andy Weir
Release Date: Feb. 11, 2014
Out of Ten: 7/10
Review: This story hit a lot of points that I really enjoyed. For one thing, MARS. Mars rates pretty high on my solar system interests list. Its a scientifically minded survival story in what is genuinely the most hostile environment humans have ever been exposed to. I am a huge fan of survival stories like that. The science in this book is very detailed, and doesn't miss a beat, it always feels plausible. I didn't quite feel connected to Mark, though I was still invested in the story, and there was something that didn't quite work in the action-y bits.

In a lot of ways this book is a love letter to humanity. It highlights the best parts of the human race and really is unfailing optimistic. Both human ingenuity, as well as everyone on Earth working together to find a way to keep a single human alive. It shows a lot of faith in the human race on a whole, and ended up being a really enjoyable read.

My Ten Favorite Top Ten Topics We've Ever Done In The Past 5 Years

Top Ten Tuesdays is a weekly feature created at The Broke and The Bookish.

Wow, FIVE WHOLE YEARS worth of ideas! That's a lot of Tuesdays. I admit, I haven't done all of them... I only started participating in TTTs about two years ago.

1. Top Ten Reasons I Love Being A Reader: I think this one is pretty self explanatory, but it was great to be able to talk about the things I love about reading.

2. Top Ten Classics I Want to Read: I've only read one of them since I posted this (The Silmarillion). It seems that I have a slightly loose interpretation of "classic" as well. I'd love to redo this TTT at some point.

3. Top Ten Characters You Wish Would Get Their OWN Book: This was a fun one, but it kind of tortured me a little too... I'd do this one again if I got the chance.

4. Top Ten Things I Like/Dislike When It Comes To Romances In Books: Boy, do I have many grievances to air on this subject!  So it was nice to vent about that.

5. Top 10 Books From My Childhood That I Would Love To Revisit: This post was nostalgic in the best possible way. Also, if you haven't read The Lorax, go, read The Lorax!

6. Top Ten Things On My Reading Wishlist: A lot of things from here are still things that I would love to see/ see more of.

7.  Top Ten Characters I'd Like To Check In With: The reason I liked this was similar to why I liked #3 on this list. I would love to revisit!

8. Top Ten Popular Authors I've Never Read: I've now read stuff from Rae Carson, Richelle Mead, Maria V. Snyder. It turns out I accidentally lied about never having read Neil Gailman! I read one of his short stories a long time ago and really enjoyed it, but only recently discovered he was the author.

9. Top Ten Books I'd Love To See As Movies/TV Shows: This was a recent one, and it was so much fun to imagine some of my favourite books in a visual medium!

10. Top Ten ALL TIME Favorite Authors: In reality I have at least sixty favourite authors and the order of the list tends to vary by mood and the phase of the moon, but I really enjoyed reflecting on my reading preferences.