tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15578290054064230972024-03-11T19:15:42.651+01:00Just Another Bookish BlogJust Another Bookish Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13546606260871646035noreply@blogger.comBlogger403125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1557829005406423097.post-66540498721034598172021-08-20T18:50:00.003+02:002021-08-20T18:50:31.200+02:00Life Update<p>Yo, my last post was in February... </p><p>We are well into August... </p><p>Let me just crack my knuckles and get to writing this entry. </p><p><br /></p><p>Hey, all! </p><p>How have you been? It's been a while and, honestly, I didn't know I'd be writing today. But here I am, behind my laptop once again, back to this familiar website that I seemingly abandoned out of thin air. </p><p>So, where have I been? Nowhere in particular, actually. Since March 14 2020 I've been at home while the world figured out how to react to The Virus. It's an exhausting phenomenon that keeps reminding us not only that we are mortal, but also that the world is nowhere near as organized as it seems to be. </p><p>But enough about that. I'm here today to write a little life update because quite a bit has been going on! </p><p><br /></p><p><b>1. I finished my masters degree!<br /></b>I did it! After 7 years of studies, I have finished my masters degree in chemistry, with a specialization in astrochemistry and a minor in communications! I wrote a whole 2 theses, one about how meteorites may have brought a certain configuration of molecules to earth, and one that was fully new research about the chemistry that happens around new stars! I have taken so many classes, did so many projects, and have written so many papers in the past year and a half that now that I'm on summer break, I'm kind of at a loss on what to do. What do you <i>mean</i> there are no assignments due next week? That I can do what I want because responsibilities for uni are no longer relevant? That sounds fake?! But it's true! I, for now, am done with my education. </p><p>Woah</p><p><b>2. I'm gonna start a job next week! <br /></b>And here comes my fear of growing up in full swing! I found a job in scientific communication! I have to move back to the Netherlands for it, in the super cute town of Leiden. It'll be nice to go back to a country I'm familiar with, where I have friends I can see on a regular basis. The job will entail me (and a team) simplifying complex scientific information, such that anyone can understand it! This blog actually helped me build my resume and, for that, I am so thankful that this site is still up! </p><p><b>3. I have barely been reading<br /></b>Between university work, calling my friends in the evenings, playing games with my brother and dabbling in video games, I have barely had the time (or energy) to read. Actually, I just finished Vengeful, by VE Schwab, which Goodreads just casually reminded me I started in April! I've read 8 books so far this year, so I'm 17 behind my goodreads goal schedule... It's a thing, I know. </p><p><b>4. Playing games<br /></b>I see here that I had a draft for a Why the Hype post about Fire Emblem: 3 Houses. Goodness that was a while ago already! Since playing that (3 times, highly recommended), I have also finished Skyward Sword, I Am Setsuna, A Short Hike, Sky: Children of Light, Ori and the Will of the Wisps, Final Fantasy 14 and 15, and probably others that I'm blanking on right now. I also have D&D sessions 3 times a week on average, online with my friends!</p><p><b>5. Learning to draw<br /></b>I have been teaching myself to draw for a few months now! I post what I drew on @justanothernerdling on instagram. I'm quite proud of my progress so far! </p><p><b>6. CRAFTS<br /></b>I have fallen back into my childhood habit of crafting as much as I can! I started making resin dice, drawing, picked up cross stitching and paint by numbers once again, origami... If it's in the stationary aisle, I probably have tried it! </p><p><b></b><br /></p><p>So there it is! Where I've disappeared to. I hope that the regular schedule a working life brings will incite me towards blogging consistently again. I do miss the easy breezy writing style, the interaction and the blogging life in general. </p><p>Take it easy,</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNYMB5sur5G9GZU_WpmGiKjo_bGa2aiXhPmV3wIMjA7gCVer-w7qlCca8G3A9An4BSkVOMt7byhz1UQlTRWSpwCcfxQPvKz7R5Cq4LPXgMHaVPF0NxFjKe8C8Em37653tnDKPsuZ7mPEs/s450/caroline-name-design9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="450" height="142" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNYMB5sur5G9GZU_WpmGiKjo_bGa2aiXhPmV3wIMjA7gCVer-w7qlCca8G3A9An4BSkVOMt7byhz1UQlTRWSpwCcfxQPvKz7R5Cq4LPXgMHaVPF0NxFjKe8C8Em37653tnDKPsuZ7mPEs/s320/caroline-name-design9.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p>Just Another Bookish Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13546606260871646035noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1557829005406423097.post-26669742327204461962021-02-19T15:49:00.004+01:002021-02-19T15:49:50.723+01:00The Graceling Realm - Fangirl Rambles <p> Hey, all! </p><p>It's been a while! I hope everyone is doing well, that you are healthy and safe, and that you have found wonderful new stories to indulge in! </p><p>I have recently binge-read the Graceling Realm series for the release of <b>Winterkeep</b>, book 4 of the series, that came out in January, 9 years after Bitterblue! I have a lot of thoughts and feels about this series. It's been a favorite for a while, and I really wanted to dive back into this story before starting Winterkeep. </p><p>For those of you who are curious, Graceling is a series of 4 books that give stories in different settings. The first three center around the same villain, Leck, at three different points of his involvement in the Realms. Each book can be read as a standalone and have different focuses. </p><p>Graceling focuses on people with special abilities called Graces, who have two different eye colors. It occurs during Leck's Downfall. </p><p>Fire focuses on a different country where colorful animals are known as monsters. This occurs during Leck's childhood. </p><p>Bitterblue is very close to Graceling, but focuses on the politics of the country, and the consequences of Leck's past tyranny. </p><p>Winterkeep looks at international relations and the healing of some of those affected by Leck. </p><p>In this ramble I will be talking about <b>SPOILERS </b>. I'm writing this as a space to organize my thoughts about this series because oh goodness there are quite a few.</p><p><b>1. WHY IS THIS SO UNDERRATED?</b></p><p>Graceling came out in that golden era of YA where books like The Hunger Games, Divergent, Percy Jackson and City of Bones were quickly gaining popularity. And while Graceling has many of the same qualities - amazing leads, a rather political background, a solid magic system, wonderful characters and probably one of the best villains I have had the pleasure to read about - this book never gained the hype all of these other well-known series did. I guess in a way it does feel a tad more mature than some of the other titles.</p><p><b>2. INTERESTING ROMANCE USE </b> <br /></p><p>Romance is always on the sidelines, yet is used in a really smart way. For instance in Graceling, the way Kasta is basically against love, but absolutely crashes into her feelings for Po, is quite different than the usual insa-love, slow-burn romance we find in many contemporary YA books. And even through her cascade of feelings, she keeps true to herself and her wish to never marry or bear children. Each of the 4 books handles romance in a different way, and I enjoyed seeing Cashore experiment with this. I loved reading a demisexual Kasta, a hopelessly in love Giddon, a fluffy relationship with Bitterblue and a more<b> </b>grown-up (likely bisexual) Fire. On the sides there were all kinds of pairings that I realize... people are upset at. </p><p> </p><p><b>3. RANDOM RAMBLE ABOUT READING ETHICS: A HOT TAKE<span> </span></b> <br /></p><p>People have told me I shouldn't read this because only the side couples aren't in a heteronormative relationship. I feel like that's such a sad comment to get. What I don't understand is that some people currently get mad on 2 accounts: if an author tries to write about something that they are not (POC, lgbt+ etc), but also if there is a lack of diversity within a book. I'm unsure where to draw a middle line between these opinions. I mean sure someone of color will be better suited to write characters of color, for instance, I get that. But then why be upset at (stereotypically) white, heteronormative authors for <i>not</i> including such aspects to their characters, all while saying they shouldn't? I feel like these arguments go full circle, and, in that sense, no book will ever be 'acceptable' to people who use these arguments. <br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>4. BACK TO THE SERIES: THE WORLDBUILDING</b></p><p>Another thing I really like about the Graceling realm series is that it reads like a puzzle. Every book shows a new country, with new traditions and cultures and languages. The first 3 books fill up a gruesome yet spectacular villain, one of the type I wish I could read more often. Every book has a mystery to unfold, and this is done in an impressingly smooth way. </p><p><b>5. LECK</b></p><p>I've said this on instagram, and to my friends and family, I think I have a new favorite villain in Leck. And it's not in that suggestive way, for instance the way people love Sebastian from The Mortal Instruments, or the Darkling from the Grishaverse. Leck is <i>despicable</i>. With the Grace to alter people's mindset, he is able to convince people he is actively experimenting on and vivesecting that everything is alright. He does this both on animals and people, stemming from a macabre curiosity about how things work. He also uses this power to make people across the world believe that he is a kind, benevolent king, to keep up a facade behind which he hides his experiments. He's so twisted and dark, and his motive is his own curiosity. He's the main villain in Bitterblue despite having been dead for years. It's such an interesting character arc. I just wish he was more present in Winterkeep<br /></p><p><b> 6. CHARACTER GROWTH</b></p><p>I cannot get over character growth in this series. Kasta and Po are just my favorites because of how brave they are. Fire becomes Leck's obsession for years. Bitterblue's arc, however, is my favorite. She goes from a 10 year old child who is terrified to open her mind, as the daughter of Leck, to a young queen trying to undo her father's terrors, only seldomly opening her mind to those she trusts the most, to a strong queen, mind-linked to a fox, confident and positive. I love how side characters each get their happy endings, one by one. All I hoped for was for Giddon to have a happy ending, so by the end of Winterkeep when he found Bitterblue, the one he loves, after weeks of thinking she was dead, you can bet I was also crying. </p><p><b>7. BOOK ORDER</b></p><p>Graceling and Bitterblue stand out much more than Fire and Winterkeep for me. I am not sure exactly what it is, but something about books 1 and 3 have a sense of grandeure and familitarity all at once. Those two books are practically perfect in my eyes, books I'd save from a fire if I had to. </p><p><b> </b><br /></p><p>That's it for my rambling! I hope it's not too nonsensical, but, to be fair, I am writing this for myself. I have many thoughts on this series and having them all in one place can only be a good thing for me to come back to. </p><p><b></b><br /></p><p><b>Stay bookish!</b></p><p><b>Caro </b><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Just Another Bookish Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13546606260871646035noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1557829005406423097.post-89432800938766176332020-12-01T00:40:00.002+01:002020-12-01T00:40:23.416+01:00[ARC] Lore, by Alexandra Bracken<div class="separator"></div><p> Hey, all! </p><p>I just finished <b>Lore</b>, by Alexandra Bracken! It just turned midnight here but hey I'm VERY hyped on sugars from the Skittles I've been snacking on and the absolute high this book gave me. Because seriously, this was the YA urban fantasy I've been <i>waiting </i>for! </p><p><b>NOTE: </b>I received this ARC from Netgalley. This absolutely positively superduper doesn't alter my view of the book in any way. Thank you DisneyBooks and Alexandra Bracken for entrusting little ol' me with this early copy! <b>Lore</b> will be out on the 5th of January everywhere so make sure to keep an eye out for it! Naturally, this review will be spoiler-free. <br /></p><p><span id="freeText12782871046064332220"></span></p><p style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="53375824" height="320" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1594222283l/53375824.jpg" width="213" /></p><i>"Every seven years, the
Agon begins. As punishment for a past rebellion, nine Greek gods are
forced to walk the earth as mortals, hunted by the descendants of
ancient bloodlines, all eager to kill a god and seize their divine power
and immortality.<br />Long ago, Lore Perseous fled that brutal world in
the wake of her family's sadistic murder by a rival line, turning her
back on the hunt's promises of eternal glory. For years she's pushed
away any thought of revenge against the man--now a god--responsible for
their deaths.<br /><br />Yet as the next hunt dawns over New York City, two
participants seek out her help: Castor, a childhood friend of Lore
believed long dead, and a gravely wounded Athena, among the last of the
original gods.<br /><br />The goddess offers an alliance against their
mutual enemy and, at last, a way for Lore to leave the Agon behind
forever. But Lore's decision to bind her fate to Athena's and rejoin the
hunt will come at a deadly cost--and still may not be enough to stop
the rise of a new god with the power to bring humanity to its knees."</i><p></p><p><span id="freeText12782871046064332220"><i> </i></span><span id="freeText12782871046064332220"><i> </i></span></p><p><span id="freeText12782871046064332220">Okay. I just... I need to get my fangirl rambling out of the way before I can write absolutely anything consistent. This book is the perfect blend of ancient Greece and modern New York, old customs and cutting edge technology, old-fashioned issues and diversity. It covers so much in just over 450 pages, that it is clear that this is going to be a hit. It's messed up and twisted and bloody but also funny and endearing and so gosh dang cute sometimes! <br /></span></p><p><span id="freeText12782871046064332220">I'm a 24-year-old who grew up with Percy Jackson, The Mortal Instrument and The Hunger Games. The 'golden era' of YA where almost anything published was an insta-hit. I see so, so many people compare this book to those three, but imagine this: those three books met, matured a whole lot, and had a murderous love child. And even then, it's difficult to image the complexity that was <b>Lore. </b></span></p><p><span id="freeText12782871046064332220">For the sake of minimizing rambling, I'm going to talk about several distinct points that I think truly highlight why this book stood out for me so much this year. </span></p><p><span id="freeText12782871046064332220"><b>1. Take That, Tropes! </b></span><span id="freeText12782871046064332220"><b><br /></b>So many authors find a certain comfort in writing tropes that they know are popular. Insta-love, love triangles, the chosen one, the 'I'm a <i>what?!' </i>, the gods being super chill... you know what I mean. Pick up any book and you should be able to name a trope, right? ...Right!? This book did something different. No insta-love, no triangles, no chosen one. The gods are evil, the main character always knew what she was... this was just another (violent) 'chapter' in her life. I truly appreciated being surprised on this level. Although there were some rather expected developments, Bracken truly keeps you on your toes throughout this story. </span></p><p><span id="freeText12782871046064332220"><b>2. The Characters, Me Likey! </b></span><span id="freeText12782871046064332220"><b><br /></b>Anyone who's followed me for a while knows I have a weak spot for two things in books: short chapters, and likable characters. Heck, I've read most of the Shadowhunter books purely for the feels the characters bring up. </span><span id="freeText12782871046064332220"><br />Every single character in <b>Lore</b> brought something new to the table. Lore herself was a flawed fighter, Castor was such a rock for everyone, Miles brought the laughs and a sense of familiarity, and Van was the careful tech genius. </span><span id="freeText12782871046064332220"><br />And don't get me started on the GODS. <br />I loved seeing that break from the usual convention of gods being approachable and borderline quirky. These gods were dangerous, out for blood, revenge and victory. I loved seeing a feral Artemis and a vulnerable Athena. I loved seeing an Apollo just try his best and an Ares being more than just 'BLOOD GOOD!'. Every character had so many facets, I'm surprised a disco ball didn't just emerge from the pages. </span><span id="freeText12782871046064332220"><br />Also: Stable. Ships. You ship em on page 1, you keep shipping em on the last page. That's all I'll say about that. <br /></span></p><p><span id="freeText12782871046064332220"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNDNS-0YLHEw0OdgWMKKIEy2IAtnpC8Jt8lYis6ZZbt1MzVsWdFXnpqAwp4-7fgZPP_nyBRiluQQg-VAMnPz0kUFe34Grwl3gWJmKcDikUEr0paeR8uN6A0fum_tK4nPqF2B6JAVUcuX8/s245/413b22278add7489e07fcf4f4d9bb04b.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="180" data-original-width="245" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNDNS-0YLHEw0OdgWMKKIEy2IAtnpC8Jt8lYis6ZZbt1MzVsWdFXnpqAwp4-7fgZPP_nyBRiluQQg-VAMnPz0kUFe34Grwl3gWJmKcDikUEr0paeR8uN6A0fum_tK4nPqF2B6JAVUcuX8/s0/413b22278add7489e07fcf4f4d9bb04b.gif" /></a></div><br /> <p></p><p><span id="freeText12782871046064332220"><b> </b></span><span id="freeText12782871046064332220"><b>3. When will you learn, that your acTIONS HAVE CONSEQUENCES!?</b></span><span id="freeText12782871046064332220"><br />Well, Bracken must have found that meme and imprinted it in her mind, because she seemed to have made sure that everything that happened in this ancient Greek battle royale had real-world consequences too. From making sure meetings happened in abandoned buildings to explaining the repercussions of a city-wide blackout, </span><span id="freeText12782871046064332220"><b></b></span><span id="freeText12782871046064332220">the city of New York was as much a character in this book as Athena or Miles. It even went into little details, such as losing track of a team mate because the city didn't have cameras in a specific area. <b>Lore</b> draws a fantastic interplay between actions and location, such as I have rarely read. </span></p><p><span id="freeText12782871046064332220"><b>4. Let's Talk About That</b></span><span id="freeText12782871046064332220"><b><br /></b>Ok, I must say, I had fun with this book from page 1, but there was a moment that I got... concerned. The story started being relatively misogyny-heavy, with a constant pressure on 'male heirs' and making sure men get what they want. This surprised me, but after a while, this becomes very clearly explained, and even more clearly a tool for character development. Bracken was not afraid to talk about things that can be seen as taboo in the YA realm: the idea of possession and attempted r*pe, yes, but she also made the characters <b>vulnerable</b>. Lore wasn't perfect - in fact several times she missed in fights, wasn't brave enough to go through with actions or just plainly never had the upper hand. There was a whole segment about Medusa being seen as a witch, simply because she didn't adhere to beauty standards. This book took these ideas and directly confronted them. I applaud. </span></p><p><span id="freeText12782871046064332220"><br /></span></p><p><span id="freeText12782871046064332220"><b>Goodness it's almost 1:00 AM now, I could keep talking about this book for a while yet! I'm giving it a 4.5/5 stars! If I had to take away points it would be for the last chapter: it felt a tad rushed. Additionally, one character could have been given a more central role. However I'm also aware that this is an ARC and things may differ in the final version! </b></span></p><p><span id="freeText12782871046064332220"><b></b></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-Hd4NeFoI01VVyjFMusCXVVKwHTx0RPoprfGJQOh1r2r-fEIPS-VGp7EJfJ2Y5TTap3c3J3t24tyTjTCxsXuZGIuuiJZpunDpL9qeD6dIFBrEW5BdMUA_UcTSb2va6OE0kWRixcD6aGI/s289/Screenshot+2019-05-01+at+12.43.00+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="173" data-original-width="289" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-Hd4NeFoI01VVyjFMusCXVVKwHTx0RPoprfGJQOh1r2r-fEIPS-VGp7EJfJ2Y5TTap3c3J3t24tyTjTCxsXuZGIuuiJZpunDpL9qeD6dIFBrEW5BdMUA_UcTSb2va6OE0kWRixcD6aGI/s0/Screenshot+2019-05-01+at+12.43.00+PM.png" /></a></b></div><b>Stay bookish! </b><p></p><p><span id="freeText12782871046064332220"><b>Caro <br /> </b><br /></span></p><p><span id="freeText12782871046064332220"></span><span id="freeText12782871046064332220"></span><span id="freeText12782871046064332220"> </span> <br /></p>Just Another Bookish Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13546606260871646035noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1557829005406423097.post-21319851356413703832020-11-04T13:55:00.002+01:002020-11-04T13:55:22.864+01:00October Wrap-Up: A whole lot of Miscellany <p> Hey, all! </p><p>October happened! One more 2020 month done and over with and hopefully we can move on to bigger better things soon <strike>NEVERMIND FRANCE IS UNDER LOCKDOWN AGAIN WHOOP</strike></p><p>But it's ok, we have books and movies and games and a whole lotta food, considering that we felt this 2nd confinement coming from a mile away. I'm not kidding guys it's a lot of food. We made three cakes this weekend so far, it's only Sunday morning, we have a problem. </p><p>ANYWHO as you can probably tell by the one of this I'm in a wholly talkative and sarcastic mood so this monthly wrap-up is gonna be wild. I'm especially looking forward to the November one since a second lockdown plus easier classes means I have a LOT of time to do essentially anything I want. I also ordered a whole stack of books so BRING ON THE FICTION. </p><p><strike>I might have also had a 2nd morning coffee before writing this don't mind the energy. </strike></p><p><strike><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq1r3GWIvXgT_Q9xb0CWP2FTjh25MWuG5zU0SGa3rfFdJrk7Y2Xjbo34K1QmI7VjBhaGNszsjL9xm-wGlO_zBkfwIUmzIi1ml3aBKlRV_p_MCT7NGWzJt3Phzb69A7ctILrvcAjEHJ7iY/s951/october-wrap.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="722" data-original-width="951" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq1r3GWIvXgT_Q9xb0CWP2FTjh25MWuG5zU0SGa3rfFdJrk7Y2Xjbo34K1QmI7VjBhaGNszsjL9xm-wGlO_zBkfwIUmzIi1ml3aBKlRV_p_MCT7NGWzJt3Phzb69A7ctILrvcAjEHJ7iY/s320/october-wrap.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Again not my image this one comes from<a href="https://thirdlimited.home.blog/2018/11/06/october-wrap-up/" target="_blank"> Third Person Limited</a>, another super cute blog! I am trying real hard to fix my photoshop but my laptop ain't having it.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table></strike></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script;"> </span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script;">What I read</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">(I love how the font I use is called Trebuchet) This month I didn't read half as much as I would have liked to especially considering the fact that I am still essentially confined, but I must say it was exam month and I was therefore otherwise occupied =P. But I must say my average this month was a solid 4/5 stars so I'm still counting that as an absolute win. </span></span></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"> The title of my reads are all quite Halloween-y. The middle grade graphic novel <b>Ghosts</b> by Raina Telgemeire was an absolute treat. It's about a half-hispanic family that moves to a seaside town for their daughter who has cystic fibrosis. It turns out that this town is a place where ghosts can come visit their family around Halloween and the Day of the Dead. This was a super quick, very wholesome read, that I gave a 4/5 to. </span></span></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"> <b>The Near Witch </b>by VE Schwab was something I was keeping an eye on closely for a while, and was glad to finally get to! I loved the creepy vibes and the moor aesthetic more than I thought I would. But after having read most of Schwab's other books, I felt a little underwhelmed. However it was still a really great October read, 3.5/5 stars from me! </span></span></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">Finally, right before exams, I finished <b>Truthwitch</b> by Susan Dennard. This book was a lot more fun and fast-paced than I anticipated. I absolutely tore through it, truly enjoying the sense of sisterhood, the moments on the ship and the magic system. I did feel like there was a lot more that could have happened and it easily could have been 800 pages, though, so 4/5 stars from me! </span><br /></span></span></span></span></p><p><br /></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script;">What I played</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script;"> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">I finished playing <b>Final Fantasy VII! </b>I did write a whole review of it on my latest post, and I urge you to read it because it was a really fun Why The Hype post to write! For me it was a 4.75/5 star game, some bits didn't age well, but... </span></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">I started playing the <b>remake</b> and so far it's absolutely incredible. I am shook by how smooth it is! I heard that all the bits that didn't age well got re-considered so I'm really looking forward to seeing how exactly this all evolved. </span></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">I'm also making my way though an absolutely BEAUTIFUL game I got for my birthday: <b>Ori and the Blind Forest.</b> I'm not really used to platformers but this game is so purely <i>pretty</i>. I can't remember the last time I played a game and wanted to take screenshots everywhere because every scene is aesthetic goals. The gameplay is all about patience which is kicking my butt but I'm sure I'll get it eventually :) </span></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">Because of exams, it was a little more difficult to play <b>D&D </b>this month, but hopefully November will bring back a sense of normality. </span></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><br /></span></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script;">What I listened to</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script;"> <span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="font-size: small;">While I didn't discover anything specific this month, I did dive back into <b>The Cab</b>, like I did as a teenager. Nostalgia is defo a driving force in the kind of music I enjoy. Otherwise my playlist didn't change too much. <br /></span></span></span></span></p><p><br /></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script;">Other Shenanigans</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script;"> <span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="font-size: small;">Anyone else check their camera feed to remember what actually happened this past month? Pff me neither... *starts scrolling frantically* </span></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="font-size: small;">- I (sorta) participated in Inktober! The few times I was inspired, I drew something based on the prompt, and other times I just took out my tablet/notebook and just started drawing. I'm really trying my best and am having a lot of fun with it</span></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="font-size: small;">- I went to the city a bunch of times, and also did what I could with my camera because oh boi is Paris pretty in the Autumn! </span></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="font-size: small;">- I also started making candles. And beaded animals. In short, I got really into easy creative arts =P </span></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="font-size: small;">- I took a baking course in the Ritz with my cousin! We made an awesome chocolate mereingue thing which was BEAUTIFUL and tasted like EVERYTHING GOOD IN LIFE</span></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="font-size: small;">- Courses killed me but that's ok but this month my courses are way more chill so it'll be fine! :D</span></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="font-size: small;">- Halloween happened!<br /></span></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script;"> </span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script;">November Anticipation </span></span><br /><strike></strike></p><p>I'm not anticipating anything in particular except for actually having the time to read and work on my thesis. Oh how I have missed my thesis. </p><p>Weather I am being sarcastic or not is totally up to you! </p><p><br /></p><p>Anywho I hope you are doing well! </p><p><b>Stay bookish! </b></p><p><b></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNYMB5sur5G9GZU_WpmGiKjo_bGa2aiXhPmV3wIMjA7gCVer-w7qlCca8G3A9An4BSkVOMt7byhz1UQlTRWSpwCcfxQPvKz7R5Cq4LPXgMHaVPF0NxFjKe8C8Em37653tnDKPsuZ7mPEs/s450/caroline-name-design9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="450" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNYMB5sur5G9GZU_WpmGiKjo_bGa2aiXhPmV3wIMjA7gCVer-w7qlCca8G3A9An4BSkVOMt7byhz1UQlTRWSpwCcfxQPvKz7R5Cq4LPXgMHaVPF0NxFjKe8C8Em37653tnDKPsuZ7mPEs/s320/caroline-name-design9.jpg" width="320" /></a></b></div><b><br /> </b><br /><p></p>Just Another Bookish Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13546606260871646035noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1557829005406423097.post-91801700415623984842020-10-11T18:30:00.004+02:002020-10-11T18:30:29.074+02:00Final Fantasy VII - Why the Hype? <div class="separator"></div><p><b>Spoiler free, for your convenience :) </b> <br /></p><p> Hey, all! </p><p>So I'm on quite a high right now - within half an hour I finished both <b>The Near Witch by VE Schwab</b> and <b>Final Fantasy VII (1997) </b>on switch. My thoughts are kind of all over the place, so I decided to find a way to calm down. Thus, I made myself a cup of tea, put on my new blue-light blocking glasses (which is a beautiful invention, very useful in times when uni from home means you are staring at a screen 90% of the day), and start writing a new Why the Hype post! </p><p>Oh, how I've missed writing these! </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFdcH_A04AK8a3tNtBBp5ftdbGQ_snLlfHlP2RZ9W2ZInjWgkf9CZy8TrUP52S6o986L6YxUo1eF54JYR2i2UM8sRMMpKgoG4xDlrTcWi98ip8SDdFBf61m1wVeo8LsicJCD35BivzFeU/s512/unnamed.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="250" data-original-width="512" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFdcH_A04AK8a3tNtBBp5ftdbGQ_snLlfHlP2RZ9W2ZInjWgkf9CZy8TrUP52S6o986L6YxUo1eF54JYR2i2UM8sRMMpKgoG4xDlrTcWi98ip8SDdFBf61m1wVeo8LsicJCD35BivzFeU/s320/unnamed.png" width="320" /></a></div><br />Very, <i>very</i> simply put, Final Fantasy 7 doesn't sound lie something I would have picked up if it weren't for the 2 previous FF games I played. The story can be boiled down to: A group of ecoterrorists hire an ex-soldier to help blow up reactors that are soaking up the Earth's resources. They go on to try stopping a giant company from using up the Earth's resources, while the big bad evil guy tries to use these resources to become a god. <p></p><p>It's absolutely fantastic. </p><p>Square Enix and Dotemu managed to transmit an intriguing, poignant story through simple graphics and polygon characters. The story is beautifully paced, with great timing between reveals, and is really consistent. </p><p>The characters each have their own charms, that I can only imagine will be enhanced during the remake! While I had the tendency to stick to playing with Cloud, Tifa and Barret, each of the others had really interesting mechanics, stories and attitudes. I had a lot of fun getting to know each and every one of them! Their troubles, priorities and ways of being felt relatable, and that's something I really loved. </p><p>The gameplay itself is surprisingly smooth! While at first I had a hard time measuring my patience while waiting for each attack to be ready, it was easy to learn to use that to plan my next move. Walking around and knowing what was a real door and what wasn't was a real learning process, but there was one mechanic I really, really liked. </p><p>Materia. </p><p>For those who don't know, Materia is a marble-like sphere of super-concentrated magical Earth energy, that allows its user to use certain abilities. For example, if you equip a Fire materia, you get fire magic. Every weapon and piece of armor has a certain number of slots for materia, so you can customize character abilities. This mechanic is something I'd love to replicate in a game of my own, maybe someday in D&D! It was easily manageable and a lot of fun to play around with. </p><p><b>So, why the FFVII hype? This game masterfully balances simple gameplay with an intriguing story, and fun mechanics with distinct characters. The story feels complete, and reaching the end is wholly satisfying, just like after finishing a good book. Even the music is something that just makes the game a unique experience that I cannot wait to go back to with the remake<br /></b></p><p><b>Oh, and the final battle? Incredible in every way. </b></p><p>I'm giving this 4.75 stars out of 5. A quarter star is missing because, being from '97, some things didn't age so well. However, I heard that the remake makes up for this several times over! </p><p><b> Have fun</b></p><p><b></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNYMB5sur5G9GZU_WpmGiKjo_bGa2aiXhPmV3wIMjA7gCVer-w7qlCca8G3A9An4BSkVOMt7byhz1UQlTRWSpwCcfxQPvKz7R5Cq4LPXgMHaVPF0NxFjKe8C8Em37653tnDKPsuZ7mPEs/s450/caroline-name-design9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="450" height="89" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNYMB5sur5G9GZU_WpmGiKjo_bGa2aiXhPmV3wIMjA7gCVer-w7qlCca8G3A9An4BSkVOMt7byhz1UQlTRWSpwCcfxQPvKz7R5Cq4LPXgMHaVPF0NxFjKe8C8Em37653tnDKPsuZ7mPEs/w200-h89/caroline-name-design9.jpg" width="200" /></a></b></div><b> </b><br /><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div><p></p>Just Another Bookish Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13546606260871646035noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1557829005406423097.post-24426818535528313502020-10-04T12:05:00.002+02:002020-10-04T12:05:28.346+02:00September Wrap-Up - From Summer to Studies<p> Hi, all! </p><p>I realize I've become very (very) sporadic when it comes to actually posting here. But on days like today, I just want to write all the things! I was looking through this blog and realized there's a lot of 'everything goes' here, so guess what I'm writing today.... </p><p>That's right more not-specifically book reviews! I decided to try out a monthly wrap-up because why not. <br /> </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="September Wrap Up – One More Chapter Book Blog" class="n3VNCb" data-iml="68273" src="https://onemorechapter663547745.files.wordpress.com/2019/10/pink-dots-beauty-skincare-facebook-cover-10.png?w=828" style="height: 219.511px; margin: 11.8946px auto; width: 577px;" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image credit to <a href="https://one-more-chapter.blog/2019/10/01/september-wrap-up/v">One More Chaptr</a>. My photoshop is frozen, I'll do my best to fix it! Leah has a super cute blog and I would love for you to check it out! <br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">September, to me, felt like a surprisingly long month. I turned 24 on the 18th, yet most of the month passed in a blur of studies and 'other stuff'. It's weird to have such a steady rhythm of life, when you are staying home daily. I'm still in France, my friends and university is still in the Netherlands, so I don't have much more to do than to stay home. I sometimes go to the city, but with the rising Coronavirus infections around Paris, I feel like it is more responsible to stay home, so that's what I've been doing. But it certainly makes time feel infinite. </div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="margin-left: 120px; text-align: left;"> <span style="font-family: Dancing Script;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><img alt="The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes | The Hunger Games Wiki | Fandom" class="n3VNCb" data-iml="92993" height="200" src="https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/thehungergames/images/b/ba/Ballad_of_songbirds.jpeg/revision/latest/top-crop/width/360/height/450?cb=20200325222912" style="height: 450px; margin: 0px; width: 360px;" width="160" /></span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">What I read <br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">I didn't have the chance to read a whole lot, but both books I read were absolute hits for me! I finished <b>Crooked Kingdom</b> by Leigh Bardugo, the end of a duology (<b>soon to be trilogy!!</b>) that I can't believe I didn't read sooner! Fun group banter surrounding a complicated heist is everything I love in fiction, and this duology absolutely hit the nail on the head! The only thing that sort of fell flat for me was the ending, but this didn't surprise me too much, as the ending of the Grisha trilogy left me with the same, underwhelmed feeling. </span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"> </span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">More than Crooked Kingdom, I absolutely adored <b>The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, </b>by the legendary Suzanne Collins. Despite the backlash received for writing from the point of view of the villain, I feel like Collins did this masterfully, never making the reader feel any positive regard toward Coriolanus snow. This amazed me to no end, and I entered a week-long reading slump after finishing it :'). </span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"> </span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">I also ended up reading <b>Tunnel of Bones </b>by VE Schwab. It was really unique and fun to read a book based on the city I currently live in, it was interesting to be able to really envision every setting, every street mentioned and every place visited. I really enjoyed reading this little spooky middle-grade read, and I can't wait to read something similar soon! </span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"> </span></span></span></span></div><div style="margin-left: 80px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><img alt="FINAL FANTASY VII – Aplikácie v službe Google Play" class="n3VNCb" data-iml="39793" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/jPh5xW8fNfNqfWSP-_S1b6f5PcE10qCMrNW6AyrQL86uuCwxto16sgS3z9Wsfknh5aA" style="height: 250px; margin: 0px; width: 512px;" /> <br /></span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"> </span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script;">What I played</span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">I have a confession: I never actually ended up finishing Final Fantasy X - some things I needed to obtain to finish the game were just too tedious to obtain (It would have required running around for a long, long time, completing so many side-quests just to<span style="font-family: Dancing Script;"> <span style="font-family: trebuchet;">get into an unfailable battle... I ended up watching the end of it on Youtube, which resulted in many tears and in the understanding of just why this game is so popular. I still preferred XV, but I guess it's a personal thing. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">Once I 'finished' Final Fantasy X, I moved on to VII. I feel like I'm currently moving towards the conclusion of it, and I must say, I <i>adore</i> it. Even though the game is largely comprised of polygons (it was released in 1997), there's something about the story, combined to the music, that is absolutely enchanting. It's full of real emotions, beautiful settings and plot twists that leave you shook. I'm not quite done yet, but I do know one thing: that this is going to join my top games list. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">I've also been just playing a lot of Smash Bros Ultimate (with Cloud as my fighter) and Mario Kart with my friends online. However I have also re-fueled my love for Tetris with Tetris 99 and, naturally, have been continuing playing D&D about twice a week. Games are becoming a bigger part of my life, which I am not at all minding! My brother and I are looking for a 2nd hand PS4 and have a whole list of games we want to play, it's a hobby I'm really enjoying falling into! </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="margin-left: 120px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><img alt="Taylor Swift - reputation - Amazon.com Music" class="n3VNCb" data-iml="5862" src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/81Ii6u2neLL._SY355_.jpg" style="height: 355px; margin: 0px; width: 355px;" /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">What I listened to</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"> </span></span> With the release of Folklore (which I must say I really didn't like so much), I was reminded of Taylor Swift, and how much I enjoyed her music as a teen. So naturally, I headed to Spotify, pressed shuffle on her music, and basked in nostalgia. That is, until it hit the Reputation album - the album of hers I ignored the most for some unknown reason. And I'm amazed by how awesome the album is?! I love most of the songs, and the album has been on repeat in the background of my daily life. This is not at all something I expected, but I'm enjoying it. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">On the total other side of the music coin, I've also... started listening to instrumental music. (Its a shock for me too, I never really liked instrumental!). A while ago, I discovered Ludovico Einaudi and I cannot express how lovely his compositions are to listen to while reading or working! It's so, so beautiful. I've also been loving to listen to works by Nobuo Uematsu, the composer of many of the Final Fantasy games. His works are amazing to study with - there's something about it, especially the boss music, that makes you feel so productive! </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"> <span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script;">Other Shenanigans</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script;"> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">- Classes started, some of which I love (Science and Media, for instance) and others which I can't stand. But, it helps to know that I have less than a year before graduating! </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">- I found several places that sell English second-hand books and I've been on a personal rescue mission to save as many as possible - my shelf is a good home. However, I've also been unhauling some books - I've DNFed quite a few, and I don't think I'll ever finish them. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">- I've been getting back into baking and trying fun baking techniques! My favorite so far is sugar work, I hope to make a mirror icing sometime this week! </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">- I've been exploring Paris, accompanied by only my camera. There are so many beautiful angles, and with the lack of people, I've been taking many, many photos! </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">- I started re-watching Once Upon a Time! Such a guilty pleasure show! </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">- I watched YALFU 2020 from afar, where Leigh Bardugo spoke through Skype. It was such a strange situation, especially considering that I usually go every year with some blogger friends, but I hope we will all be able to go next year! </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">- I've been trying to draw more, so decided to participate in Inktober 2020! </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script;">October Anticipation</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">Why is everything happening in October? The release of <b>The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, Tower of Nero, and God Storm </b>has been keeping me on my toes, I cannot wait to read each and every one of these, and I might become broke to order them, but my goodness I'm excited! </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">I'll also be receiving a huge haul of both books and games and every bit of me needs to constantly hold back from checking shipping progress every 5 minutes. The book haul is substantial, making me think that I may need a new shelf... </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">Right before exams, I'm going to take a baking class with my cousin... hopefully. The virus is being weird right now, and nobody really knows what to expect, so we are all just rolling with it. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><i>Exams and US elections oh gods help</i></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><i> </i>I sent in my vote a few weeks ago, and I urge you to do the same. Every vote counts! </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><i> </i></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><i> </i></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><b>Stay bookish! </b></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNYMB5sur5G9GZU_WpmGiKjo_bGa2aiXhPmV3wIMjA7gCVer-w7qlCca8G3A9An4BSkVOMt7byhz1UQlTRWSpwCcfxQPvKz7R5Cq4LPXgMHaVPF0NxFjKe8C8Em37653tnDKPsuZ7mPEs/s450/caroline-name-design9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="450" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNYMB5sur5G9GZU_WpmGiKjo_bGa2aiXhPmV3wIMjA7gCVer-w7qlCca8G3A9An4BSkVOMt7byhz1UQlTRWSpwCcfxQPvKz7R5Cq4LPXgMHaVPF0NxFjKe8C8Em37653tnDKPsuZ7mPEs/s320/caroline-name-design9.jpg" width="320" /></a></div></b></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: Dancing Script;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><b><br /> </b><i> </i> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span> </span></span><br /></div><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> </td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /> </td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /> <br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> </td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> </td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> </td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> </td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p>Just Another Bookish Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13546606260871646035noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1557829005406423097.post-1250810864511830862020-09-27T16:10:00.004+02:002020-09-27T16:10:48.934+02:00The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, by Suzanne Collins<div class="separator"><p style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><b> </b><img alt="The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes (Suzanne Collins).png" data-file-height="393" data-file-width="260" height="333" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/f/f1/The_Ballad_of_Songbirds_and_Snakes_%28Suzanne_Collins%29.png/220px-The_Ballad_of_Songbirds_and_Snakes_%28Suzanne_Collins%29.png" width="220" /></p></div><p> Hey, all! </p><p>Before I go into reviewing this, stop. If you've read it, go ahead and continue. If not, I'm not going to be mentioning spoilers, but I beg you, if you have any regard towards TGH, pick this up. Order it, make it next on your TBR, go support your local bookstores... just go do it. <br /></p><p>It's been a minute since I wrote a review, and I've finished many a book since then. However, <b>The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, by Suzanne Collins, </b>was too interesting to not write about. I finished it last night and I'm still on an emotion I can't quite describe other than absolutely impressed. I understand that this book had/has some controversy surrounding it - why write a book about such an awful villain, if not to make us feel sorry for them? Upon finishing this book, I am amazed by how incredibly smart Suzanne Collins is. I will keep this review as <b>spoiler-free</b> as possible, so don't worry about reading on! </p><p>This book is the prequel to The Hunger Games, focusing on Coriolanus snow before he becomes president. He becomes the mentor of the 10th Hunger Games's female tribute from District 12, Lucy Gray Baird, as a sort of school project. Having lost his family fortune in the war, he attempts to keep his name meaningful, while doing everything he can to help Lucy Gray win the Games. </p><p>This is a particularly difficult book to review. It is certainly a 5/5 star book for me, but finding the ways to explain why is quite peculiar. This is the first time I read a book from the point of view of the villain during their childhood. You'd think that that was just written for the author to get more attention. </p><p>This really wasn't the case. </p><p>Reading this book makes the original trilogy that much more complete. The weird spiteful fascination Snow had with Katniss in THG completely makes sense. The origin of many of the Games's events is now evident. Every bit of the original trilogy now makes sense, and this book make the trilogy a beautiful, whole quartet. </p><p>What impressed me perhaps the most was the fact that Suzanne Collins never, not once dried to make you feel sorry for Snow, or to side with him. Having such a morally ambiguous main character, to the point where none of his actions even feel remotely 'good', was incredible. You can truly see that the only thing that drives Coriolanus is himself, and his reputation. He doesn't truly <i>do</i> anything bad. But seeing his thought process always turn back towards himself and his own self-interest was fascinating. Until the end, you never really see him talk about good or bad - just what will serve him best. But even then, it's not always displayed blatant selfishness. But his title as a Snow is always in the background. </p><p>Snow falls on top. </p><p>The book has powerful side characters, ones that left a mark when reading. Lucy Gray, Sejanus, and so many others, as well as every little detail feels well thought-out, as if this story about Snow may have even been considered before the original trilogy was written. </p><p>Another thing I truly enjoyed about this book is that something about it - although I cannot for the life of me decide what it is (and I've been considering this since yesterday), is that it left me with the same feeling as YA used to, 10 years ago. There's a certain husky grittiness to it. It didn't try to be quirky or funny or lighten the mood with a sprinkle of romance. It just <i>was</i>. I haven't felt this certain about a YA book in a long time. I don't know how to explain it better than that, but hopefully you understand what I mean. </p><p>I could go on an on about this story, and especially about how Coriolanus Snow was written, but I can imagine interest will dwindle quickly </p><p>As aforementioned, I'm giving this 5/5 stars. This book deserves nothing less. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-Hd4NeFoI01VVyjFMusCXVVKwHTx0RPoprfGJQOh1r2r-fEIPS-VGp7EJfJ2Y5TTap3c3J3t24tyTjTCxsXuZGIuuiJZpunDpL9qeD6dIFBrEW5BdMUA_UcTSb2va6OE0kWRixcD6aGI/s289/Screenshot+2019-05-01+at+12.43.00+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="173" data-original-width="289" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-Hd4NeFoI01VVyjFMusCXVVKwHTx0RPoprfGJQOh1r2r-fEIPS-VGp7EJfJ2Y5TTap3c3J3t24tyTjTCxsXuZGIuuiJZpunDpL9qeD6dIFBrEW5BdMUA_UcTSb2va6OE0kWRixcD6aGI/s0/Screenshot+2019-05-01+at+12.43.00+PM.png" /></a></div><p>Stay bookish! </p><p>Caroline<br /></p>Just Another Bookish Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13546606260871646035noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1557829005406423097.post-20539602753580526452020-09-02T15:26:00.000+02:002020-09-02T15:26:00.915+02:00A Summer of Stories<p> Hello Hello! </p><p>It's been a minute and a half since I last posted, and for that I'd like to apologize. I still probably won't be super duper consistent, but hey, I still enjoy writing and still have things to share for you! </p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzTxRxp5ow6Vwkq1dt4szE8D1iGnThO7UTneX5b-HGHn5xouKEx_zPuUBI4CNUYK6negXIf4ERkepToWtOe94Y1lyrM9Endbz8yOcMtfu14rmOou6pMLudDrahLgxBkrZp56tGnlGvdVI/s825/JABBmeme.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="393" data-original-width="825" height="244" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzTxRxp5ow6Vwkq1dt4szE8D1iGnThO7UTneX5b-HGHn5xouKEx_zPuUBI4CNUYK6negXIf4ERkepToWtOe94Y1lyrM9Endbz8yOcMtfu14rmOou6pMLudDrahLgxBkrZp56tGnlGvdVI/w512-h244/JABBmeme.jpg" width="512" /></a></div><br />I've been discovering a lot lately, so I would like to share my new passions and obsessions be cause my goodness I am certainly obsessed with some new things! <p></p><p><b>1. Leigh Bardugo's Books</b></p><p>I spent last month binging through the Grisha trilogy. And I must say, I enjoyed reading it. I didn't quite see the chemistry between Alina and sentient-brick-Mal, but hey, the author made an atypical choice in the midst of a love triangle, which I appreciate. I also found the end of the trilogy just absolutely underwhelming, a huge fall after a crazy culmination of circumstances. Despite that, I still gave the trilogy 4/5 stars, as I had a great time reading it! <br /></p><p>But everything change when Six of Crows attacked. I am currently about halfway through Crooked Kingdom, and absolutely ADORE everything that the Dregs are. I absolutely need to know more about them, and cannot wait to finish Crooked Kingdom and fully indulge in the fandom because this was a story I didn't know I needed in my life! </p><p><b>2. Final Fantasy</b></p><p>About a year ago, some friends introduced me to Final Fantasy XV. I automatically loved it, but couldn't play often, as I could only play at their place. Eventually, just exploring games available on Switch, I saw that FFXV was available... as a pocket version. All that changed was graphics and the open-world angle, but I caved and got it anyway at the beginning of the Curse of Forced Introversion. </p><p>If you like well-thought plots, characters you can only love, intriguing villains, and smooth gameplay, I can only recommend FFXV. Some moments, fights and cutscenes were so epic I could hardly believe that I had just watched it. The end had me bawling like a kid, and I absolutely love the game for what it is. </p><p>I do understand that many people, especially longtime FF fans, are upset at the game for its incomplete angle. I just watched a letsplay of the DLCs and I do see that those were necessary to give the game a sense of completion. But as a first time FF player, I still cannot get over how beautiful the game was. </p><p>Yesterday, I finished playing FF X. This game is much older and, interestingly, feels like a totally different franchise - if it weren't for the Chocobos (CHOCOBOS!!!) it would feel even more alien. FFX was very different, yes, but also did not fail to make me care deeply for the characters, their story (It's not just you, Tidus!), and their journey. The unfolding of the story is masterfully done, and the concluding images absolutely <i>broke </i>me. </p><p>I would suggest playing FFX over XV more specifically if you enjoy building a strategy, and don't mind needing to find save points. Personally, I find real-time fights in games better than turn-based, but it was still certainly fun, and I cannot wait to move on to my next final fantasy game - 7. </p><p>Final fantasy gets all the stars from me <3 <br /></p><p><b>3. The Umbrella Academy Season 2</b></p><p>What a masterpiece! Season 2 was so much fun to watch and endlessly intriguing. It pulled at emotions and masterfully represented the issues of the 60s, in many cases mirroring current issues very well. The end had me shook and I really enjoyed binging the series in a few days. And now we have to wait 2 more years for more content... oh boy... </p><p><b>4. More D&D </b></p><p>I finally have a consistent D&D schedule! Every Monday and Wednesday, I play one of 4 games, one of which I DM. I just started DMing what I wrote myself two days ago, and I'm so excited to see how that turns out! Up until now, my group had been playing through a module, and I'm really glad I set up my game that way - it gave my 2 new players an opportunity to test out the D&D waters, and my older players to really flesh out their characters. </p><p>I'm also getting to the point in the games where I'm a player where everything is happening all at once. I have been writing diary entries for each of these characters on a new blog, after each session! <a href="http://decietfuldice.blogspot.com/">You can see it by clicking here!</a><b> </b></p><p><b> </b></p><p><b>That's all I can think about for now, but I'll make another post like this in the future! I'm in the mood to discover so much all at once!</b></p><p><b>Stay bookish! </b></p><p><b>Caroline </b> <br /></p>Just Another Bookish Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13546606260871646035noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1557829005406423097.post-59015569555581205002020-04-05T15:25:00.000+02:002020-04-05T15:25:01.174+02:00Making the most of forced introversion - 2 <span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Hey, all! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I hope everything is going well, that you're having a good time at home and that things aren't too crazy where you are. Even if your local officials aren't asking you to stay home, it's a wonderful initiative to take - for once, staying home is the best way to save lives. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Here, I'm on my 21st day of confinement. Yipee. Things can get a little repetitive, especially when you run out of things you can be entertained by. Boredom is finding many victims nowadays. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">So today, I finally decided to put together this <b>giant list </b>of media alternatives that I and other people have been using lately! Because instead of lamenting being able to go out, we should be making the most of this confinement. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><b>MUSIC</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I listen to a ton of music. It varies a lot and allows for a great mood boost if I need it. I'm also someone who loves to make playlists for various occasions, and I can ensure that there are many amazing playlists on Spotify for any genre you may enjoy. But for now, I decided to make an upbeat, large and mostly positive playlist I can share with you all! Some songs are inspired by friends, indirectly, while others are just plain fun to listen to. Click <a href="https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1QQzKvV3yiskbeWH0mkeIo?si=X07iXaKeSIGEyVqSVGk2RA" target="_blank">here</a> to access my list! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><b>YOUTUBE CHANNELS </b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">My brother and I are Youtube nerds. Here are some channels that post daily, or that make videos with always a twist of positivity! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><b>- </b>Good Mythical Morning<br />- Jacksepticeye<br />- MrBeast<br />- SimplyNailLogical<br />- Doctor Mike<br />- AmazingPhil</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />I would also highly recommend general storytelling animators like TheOdd1sOut, weird experimental channels like The Slow Mo Guys, and finding letsplays of some favorite game (even if it's not a famous youtuber they are super fun and make hours go by far too quickly!)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><b><br /><br />SORTA-SERIES </b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Of course there are many interesting series to keep up with on Netflix and Hulu, but there are so many other platforms on which you can find series that are just as interesting as what you may find on them! Youtube offers 2 of my personal favorites: Critical Role and RWBY. Critical Role is a bunch nerdy-ass voice actors who play dungeons and dragons. They play on a weekly bases, and have a story that is absolutely entralling. It is both hilarious and adorable, as fun as it can be sad. You really get invested in the characters played by the players, and the story is absolutely phenomenal. At first it's odd to watch people play, but you get used to it quickly. It makes for an awesome 150+ hour audiobook to listen to in the background of things. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">RWBY is something I'm only about halfway through but that I've recently been having a lot of fun with. Made by RoosterTeeth, this animated series follows a bunch of teenagers and young adults who study at a school for hunters, to keep the world safe. Imagine Winx all grown up on steroids, with epic fight scenes and awesome music. Getting through volumes 1 and 2 takes some getting used to, but volume 3 is so incredible! I'm halfway through 4 and I can't recommend it enough! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><b>GAMES TO PLAY</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I have been spending almost every evening playing games online with my cousins and friends. It took us some time to find our favorites, but after some searching, I can highly highly suggest these games! The best way to play is always in groups while chatting over discord (or some other similar chat application!)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">- Pictionary - there are tons of sites that allow you to play this! Just experiment a bit to find your favorite</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><b>- </b>Cards against Humanity - because we can all afford to have dark humor nowadays </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><b>- </b>Terraria - there's something super fun about exploring the resources of a world with friends</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">- Tricky Towers - Imagine building a tower based on tetris pieces, with power ups and curses to send your friends. Yes it's fantastic. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">- Mario Kart - If you have Nintendo online, you can play mario kart with friends from a distance! It's super fun! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><b>EVENTS TO ATTEND</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Just because the world is shut down doesn't mean that big events are totally giving up. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><b>- </b>Many comic cons are opening their doors online! This follows several days of events, including panels, shop advertisements and even cosplay competitions! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><b>- </b>NANOWRIMO is going on in certain regions right now! Great way to pass time. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><b>- </b>Many streaming services are offering movies earlier than planned! Movies that were supposed to be released in the next months will be released online very early :) </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><b>- </b>There are currently a ton of readathons and giveaways to participate in, which I would supper suggest being a part of! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><b>SMALL SHOPS TO SUPPORT </b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Around the world, so many small independent shop owners are being affected by this crisis. I really am pleading you to support your local shops. Going to the supermarket is good, but if you have a little grocer, that's even better. However, small owners on etsy could also use your help. Follow some of the links below to some incredible shops I know of. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><b><a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/Threadedmoons?ref=search_shop_redirect" target="_blank">Threaded Moons</a> </b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><b><a href="https://www.lettersandlights.nl/" target="_blank">Letters & Lights</a> </b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><b><a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/NerdieNifties" target="_blank">NerdieNifties</a> </b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><b><a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/firenationcreations" target="_blank">Fire Nation Creations</a> </b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><b><a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/Oriandle" target="_blank">Oriandle</a> </b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><b><a href="https://www.instagram.com/createexploreread/?hl=en" target="_blank">Create Explore Read</a> </b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><b><a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/TillandDill" target="_blank">Till and Dill</a> </b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><b> </b>To name only a few! I wish it were possible to list all of them I've grown to appreciate over the years! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><b> </b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><b>Disclaimer time </b></span>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Remember to </span>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">- stay home stay home stay home</span>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">- Stay at least 1 meter/3 feet away from people (or if you are in the Netherlands, it's anderhalve meter!)</span>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">- Please don't spam amazon or any other delivery service - only order what you really need! </span>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">- Please don't hoard at supermarkets - you're taking things away from people who need it.</span>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">- Listen to a reliable news source </span>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">- You are not mightier than the virus - don't think the rules don't apply to you </span>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">- Keep in contact with people </span>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">- Don't hate on the
authorities who are putting regulations in place - this is a new
situation for everybody, no government knows what to do more than
another</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br /></span>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><b>I would LOVE to hear other recommendations you have! I will gladly add them to this list based on chats and comments :) </b></span>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><b>Stay bookish and stay home! </b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><b> </b></span>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"> </span>Just Another Bookish Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13546606260871646035noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1557829005406423097.post-80441544125972488992020-03-31T13:17:00.003+02:002020-03-31T13:17:46.437+02:00Series I hope to finish <span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Hey, all! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">A while ago, I posted an article listing <a href="https://justanotherbookishblog.blogspot.com/2017/02/just-some-series-i-probably-wont-finish.html">some series I (probably) won't finish</a>. Even though I'm kind of cringing at my old writing style, I can safely say that I actually finished one of the series mentioned - The Selection! I ended up really enjoying this trilogy and all of its drama, they were wonderfully light reads! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">But now that we are all stuck in our houses with little else to do than twiddle our thumbs and watch hours tick by, I decided to do the impossible: <b>finish all the series I never finished. </b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">There are way, way too many series that I haven't finished, but that I own every book of. It's such a weird thing, I'll be head over heels for a series and once I get to the finale, I'll just move on to reading something else, and never get back to it. <b> </b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><b>Am I crazy? Am I missing a brain function? Am I deeply afraid of authors and what they may do to their characters after the ending that was in Allegiant!? </b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">To be honest it's probably the last one. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">However, I am now taking it on myself to finish all these series I just never picked up the last book of! Some series are gonna require re-reading, because let's be honest, I don't have a superbrain with a perfect memory. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">So without further ado, here is the list - and oh boy what a list - of series I would like to finish during <strike>confinement </strike>forced introversion. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><b> </b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><b>1. Heroes of Olympus, by Rick Riordan</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Before you rally up your cabin to do all sort of unspeakable things to me, hear me out. I never read Blood of Olympus for one simple reason - I heard about the ending, and I'm in absolute <b>denial</b>. I don't want that ending. That's not what's supposed to happen. But this PJO ultimate fangirl feels like she's cheating the world by never having read it. So I'm going to re-read the first 4 books soon, to eventually read that dreadful ending i'm so afraid of. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><b>2. Maximum Ride Forever, by James Patterson </b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I was one of those Maximum Ride fangirls as a kid. Having bird wings? Sign me up. When Patterson released the last book of the franchise, I was hyped! I ordered it the minute it was released... and never read it. It's tempting to re-read the whole series, but a whole 9 books is a lot, and I remember most of the series, so I'll just look for summaries. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><b> </b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><b>3. A Reaper at the Gates, by Sabaa Tahir</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I absolutely loved An Ember in the Ashes a Torch Against the Night! I find these books awesome with their roman influences and the story it provides. But I have yet to read book 3, which I would love to read before the 4th book comes out this autumn! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><b> </b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><b>4. Wayfarer, by Alexandra Bracken </b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Passenger was a beautiful, whimsical read. I want to know what happens at the end of the duology. It's as simple as that. I will re-read Passenger though, as it was pretty and it deserves a re-read. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><b> </b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><b>5. Snow Like Ashes, by Sara Raasch</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">This trilogy is special because I've ONLY read the first book! But I remember really really loving it, so I am to crash through the entire trilogy soon! Plus the aesthetic of these books is fantastic, I swoon every time I see them all lined up on my shelf. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><b>6. Eon, by Alison Goodman </b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Eon is an epic book about chinese mythology and dragons. That's all you need to know. The second book of this epic duology is Eona, which I haven't yet read. I am ashamed of this, because I know I would adore it, so I will read it soon. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><b> </b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><b> </b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I do have some other series I'd love to finish, but they are not as high up on my priority list. The Iron Fey, The Fire Within, The giver are all on my list of series I'd love to finish, someday. But hey, all of the books mentioned above tally up to at least 13 (depends on what I decide to do with Maximum Ride), not even counting the ARCs I recieved and standalones I want to read! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><b>Do you have a goal for the upcoming months? I'd love to hear about it! </b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><b>Stay bookish, and stay home! </b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><b> </b> </span>Just Another Bookish Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13546606260871646035noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1557829005406423097.post-69782934530345873152020-03-26T13:58:00.001+01:002020-03-26T13:58:07.505+01:00Making the Most out of Confinement - 1<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Hey, all! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Today I come to you with something I have been taking notes about for about a week - how to make the most out of confinement. For this post, I want to focus on <b>things you can get to make confinement a little better.</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I have not left our house in 11 days due to current circumstances, and had a really big think about what I'm happy to have with me, and what would have been nice to have. These are weird times for everyone, and I urge you to reach out to your anxious friends. Personally I have been working on my anxiety for a while now, but have fallen back into old habits with all of this. It's an emotional rollercoaster. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">But without further ado, here's a list of things you can get to make confinement a little less awful. </span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Stress-reducers</span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1. Weighted blanket</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As a chronic insomniac, I absolutely adore my weighted blanket. They work wonderfully for nervous people, as they not only hold you down in your sleep to give you a better rest quality, but also simulate contact. They are great to use to calm down, are super cozy and are worth every penny. I personally use a child-size Daverose blanket, you can find it on amazon. Make sure to select one that's about 10% your body weight! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">2. Tea</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Different teas work well for different moods - this is a fact. Green tea helps with digestion, whereas black tea is great for mornings. However I want to point out two very nice teas that are <i>fantastic </i>for this<b> </b>kind of situation - red and white. White tea is an absolute underdog - they are usually a lot lighter and fresher than black and green tea, can be fruity or flowery, and are absolutely fantastic for daytime tea drinking. Red tea such as rooibos is better for evenings. It contains no caffeine, and is paired well with flavors like honey, vanilla and cocoa. Drinking a cup of rooibos really puts me in a sleepy evening mood. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">3. Headphones</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">You are going to be with the same people for a long time. It is totally understandable to want to escape and listen to music, watch movies, follow podcasts, or listen to audiobooks. I can only recommend getting good headphones. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">4. Candles, creams and cozies</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Being in a house for a long time really makes things repetitive. Mix it up by lighting different scented candles, for example. Since the northern hemisphere is still in the transition between winter and spring, having heaters on all the time really dries your skin out - make sure to have hand and face creams at the ready. I would also suggest fuzzy socks, new pyjamas, and anything you like to have when you're having a cozy sunday afternoon. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Gotta have some fun!</b> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1. Subscriptions</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">One of the things keeping me hyped for the coming months is the fact that I have ordered 2 subscription boxes! This also helps support the companies that may be receiving less orders in these times. I highly suggest caving in and making orders to small companies right now. They're gonna need the help, as for many of these owners, their small business is their only source of income. In the coming days I will make a list of small shops I know that deserve some love. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">2. Keep up with friends though calls</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Texting is great. It's the one thing that makes an introvert's life bearable as it replaces dreaded phone calls. However, there is something super comforting about calling your friends who live far away. Services and apps such as <b>Discord, Zoom, Google Hangouts, and Skype</b> among so many others are fantastic platforms with which you can call many friends at once, and just talk about life. I've gotten into the habit of calling people almost every evening - I play D&D online once a week, and on other days I call other friends with whom I enjoy playing pictionary and terraria. I will have an upcoming post about other examples of what you can do online</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">3. Hobbyists </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This is such a good time to figure out what your individual hobbies are. Reading, making puzzles, baking, arts and crafts, learning to knit, drawing, discovering video games, learning nail art, brushing up on mythology, writing, photography, interior design, cooking... the list of things you can do to pass time goes on and on! This is a great time to discover what you like. Make sure to have some board games in the house, maybe some puzzles, or other supplies you can use for a hobby you think you might enjoy! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Disclaimer time </b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Remember to </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">- stay home stay home stay home</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">- Stay at least 1 meter/3 feet away from people (or if you are in the Netherlands, it's anderhalve meter!)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">- Please don't spam amazon or any other delivery service - only order what you really need! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">- Please don't hoard at supermarkets - you're taking things away from people who need it.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">- Listen to a reliable news source </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">- You are not mightier than the virus - don't think the rules don't apply to you </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">- Keep in contact with people </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">- Don't hate on the authorities who are putting regulations in place - this is a new situation for everybody, no government knows what to do more than another (although I really hope the US wakes up soon - just heard that there are 70,000 cases there over the radio, that's huge)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>As I said, this is the first of a series! I'm also going to be posting about online games and chat rooms you can be on with friends, different brands you can support now, things to do to stay in a good mindset, book recommendations, et cetera! I wanted to post this one first, as many companies are reducing their delivery service. </b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Stay bookish, and stay healthy! </b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b> </b> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b> </b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span><b><br /></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span>Just Another Bookish Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13546606260871646035noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1557829005406423097.post-14053393003537323122020-03-24T20:31:00.004+01:002020-03-24T20:32:09.049+01:00Sky Without Stars, by Jessica Brody and Joanne Rendell<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Hey, all! <br /><br />I just finished reading <b>Sky Without Stars, by Jessica Brody and and Joanne Rendell! </b></span><br />
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<i><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">"<span style="font-size: small;"><span id="freeText10471721266054102229">When the Last Days
came, the planet of Laterre promised hope. But five hundred years later,
it’s now a place where an extravagant elite class reigns supreme; where
the clouds hide the stars and the poor starve in the streets; where a
rebel group, long thought dead, is resurfacing.<br /><br />Whispers of revolution have begun—a revolution that hinges on three unlikely heroes…<br /><br />Chatine
is a street-savvy thief who will do anything to escape the brutal
Regime, including spying on Marcellus, the grandson of the most powerful
man on the planet.<br /><br />Marcellus is an officer—and the son of
a traitor. Groomed to command by his legendary grandfather, Marcellus
begins to doubt the government he’s vowed to serve when he discovers a
cryptic message that only one person, a girl named Alouette, can read.<br /><br />Alouette
is living in an underground refuge, where she guards and protects the
last surviving library on the planet. But a shocking murder will bring
Alouette to the surface for the first time in twelve years…and plunge
Laterre into chaos.<br /><br />All three have roles to play in a dangerous game of revolution—and together they will shape the future of a planet."</span></span></span></i><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span id="freeText10471721266054102229">This book is based on Les Miserables, and has been quoted to be a mix of Les Mis and The Lunar Chronicles. </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span id="freeText10471721266054102229"><i>Disclaimer: I have never read either of those stories. </i></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span id="freeText10471721266054102229">I know I know, missing out on two classics, one in the real world and one in the YA world? But I might just have to try to read them, because Sky Without Stars was <i>awesome. </i></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span id="freeText10471721266054102229">I had so much fun reading this book! It was compulsively readable to to the point that I didn't want to put the book down to sleep at night - that hasn't happened to me in a very long time<i>! </i></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span id="freeText10471721266054102229">This book hit all of the marks I appreciate in YA: short chapters (yes), a plot that thickens (yesss), compelling characters (yessssss) and plot twists galore (YESSSSS!) I also love books that are split into sections - somehow it makes reading such big books less daunting. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span id="freeText10471721266054102229"><i> </i></span><span id="freeText10471721266054102229"><i> </i></span><span id="freeText10471721266054102229"><i> </i></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span id="freeText10471721266054102229">I really enjoyed the characters, but there was definitely an appreciation scale. Alouette was intriguing, in the sense where she felt like any one of us, who would be thrown into a bad situation just because we tried to help. She is full of confusion and questions and just felt very relatable. </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span id="freeText10471721266054102229">A bit more interesting for me was Marcellus - he was a little oblivious too (I mean not being able to tell Chatine was a girl... wow!), but I'm a sucker for royal-like characters. He was the absolute definition of 'kind', and I am very curious about what he ends up doing in book 2. </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span id="freeText10471721266054102229">The coolest character by far for me was Chatine. A thief who steals to live and who ends up in a situation far bigger than herself, in which she has to use deception to make ends meet? That's everything I love! She reminded me tons of my D&D character, Lila, which was super cool to read! I absolutely loved the intrigue she brought, her shady background and her ending!!! She's definitely the one I'm most looking forward to reading about more again. </span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span id="freeText10471721266054102229">The villains were awesome. I won't say more about that, because I'm trying to make this as spoiler-free as possible. Some people were clearly villains from the start. However, a few characters were total surprises! </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span id="freeText10471721266054102229">I also had a lot of fun with the worldbuilding! Albeit a tiny bit confusing at fist, you quickly fall into it quite naturally. </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span id="freeText10471721266054102229">Now, there is one thing about this book that people seem to either love or hate - the frenchification (is that a word? It is now!) of some words. There where certain words that were replaced with the French equivalent, while others were given accents. At first, I thought this was weird. But quickly enough, I realized that this way of reading almost perfectly mirrors how I think every day. I'm half French half American, I usually think in English but sometimes will replace simple words with their French equivalent. I do this when I talk with my family as well! </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span id="freeText10471721266054102229"><i> </i></span><span id="freeText10471721266054102229"><i> </i></span><span id="freeText10471721266054102229"><i> </i></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span id="freeText10471721266054102229">I can understand that this may be a little annoying to people, though. This book was incredibly entertaining, but it had its flaws. I wish that some side characters were a little more thought out, and that maybe a map of this system was given. However, all of these things can be 'fixed' in the upcoming book, out today! </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span id="freeText10471721266054102229"><b>I'm going to end this review here! I had a lot of fun reading this book and would definitely recommend it if you are looking for a futuristic read! </b></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span id="freeText10471721266054102229"><b>I'm giving this 4/5 stars! Definitely worth the read! </b></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span id="freeText10471721266054102229"><b>Stay bookish, and more importantly, STAY HOME! </b></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span id="freeText10471721266054102229"><b> </b></span><span id="freeText10471721266054102229"></span><span id="freeText10471721266054102229"></span></span></span><i><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span id="freeText10471721266054102229"></span></span> </span></i>Just Another Bookish Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13546606260871646035noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1557829005406423097.post-67268817184214775212020-03-20T14:49:00.001+01:002020-03-20T14:49:35.464+01:00Hello from Forced Introversion<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Hello from forced introversion! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">For now, it is quite sunny here in France! We're not allowed to leave our house, but we do have a nice little garden we can go to for fresh air. I understand not everyone has one, but at least nobody will be yelled at for being outside for a few minutes. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Here, we do need a permission slip to go out to buy groceries. This is a bit weird for us, but it'll just take some getting used to! At least we can order anything we need for the house! I was even able to order new D&D dice and an Owlcrate! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I have loads of time now! All my homework is done and I have a lot of time to read and play games, and I can still call my friends every evening! I'm very happy to be home. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Some things are definitely weird though. I quickly had to leave my room in the Netherlands, and I probably won't be back until September! That's a long time from now, and I have some things that I'm kinda sad I won't see until then! Some nice clothes, signed books, candles, CDs, textbooks, stuffed animals... it is weird that so many of my things are so far. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And my friends are all in the Netherlands too! But thank goodness we can call online on Discord and play games together. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Here they are doing a lot of good things because of the forced introversion. Classes are being held on TV, radios are hosting gym classes, and people are being very kind to those in need! It is good to see this :) Even hotels and taxis are free for people who need them! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">How are you? I hope that you are enjoying your forced introversion, too. What is that like for you? Looking forward to hearing from you! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Many hugs, </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Caro</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Hey, all! I'm thinking of writing these postcards once a week. I'm a postcard collector and I was thinking it could be fun to write one about this forced introversion we are all going through, both as a 'diary' and as posts. </b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Stay bookish and stay at home! </b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b> </b> </span>Just Another Bookish Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13546606260871646035noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1557829005406423097.post-69171604757497875072020-03-16T18:19:00.000+01:002020-03-16T18:19:07.322+01:00Chain of Gold, by Cassandra Clare<br />
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<span id="freeText4472720572010307237"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span></span><img alt="Image result for chain of gold fanart" class="n3VNCb" data-noaft="1" src="https://66.media.tumblr.com/90178cbcb4ef4a4cf8d3090b6e9e6fcc/94027bd5666effc4-e6/s500x750/55734e6ce6a1a78d3931adc3cb9c4d0bbeb5043d.jpg" style="height: 465px; margin: 0px; width: 364.42px;" /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Hey, all! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I just finished reading Chain of Gold, by Cassandra Clare! This is the first book of the Last Hours trilogy, a series that follows The Infernal Devices, about 20 years later. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This was an incredibly anticipated book for me, and I'm making sure to review this without letting my anticipation for it guide me. It will also be <b>spoiler-free</b>, so don't worry about the possibility of running into things that may reveal the plot! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>"<span id="freeText4472720572010307237">Welcome to Edwardian
London, a time of electric lights and long shadows, the celebration of
artistic beauty and the wild pursuit of pleasure, with demons waiting in
the dark. For years there has been peace in the Shadowhunter world.
James and Lucie Herondale, children of the famous Will and Tessa, have
grown up in an idyll with their loving friends and family, listening to
stories of good defeating evil and love conquering all. But everything
changes when the Blackthorn and Carstairs families come to London…and so
does a remorseless and inescapable plague.<br /><br />James Herondale longs
for a great love, and thinks he has found it in the beautiful,
mysterious Grace Blackthorn. Cordelia Carstairs is desperate to become a
hero, save her family from ruin, and keep her secret love for James
hidden. When disaster strikes the Shadowhunters, James, Cordelia and
their friends are plunged into a wild adventure which will reveal dark
and incredible powers, and the true cruel price of being a hero…and
falling in love."</span></i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span id="freeText4472720572010307237">This book... wow! Cassandra Clare is getting increasingly better at writing, continuously weaving more intricate plots and characters with every book she releases. From page 1, I felt a sense of comfort and familiarity from reading about the London group of shadowhunters, something I now realize I was really missing when reading The Dark Artifices. In fact, it's super easy to consider the London bunch separate from the New York/LA groups. This book felt right, and even though I had never read it before (obviously), it was as comforting as re-reading an old favorite. </span></span><br />
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<span id="freeText4472720572010307237" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Image result for chain of gold character art" class="n3VNCb" data-noaft="1" height="320" src="https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/mortalinstruments/images/d/dd/CoG2_frontispiece.jpg/revision/latest/scale-to-width-down/340?cb=20200226213555" style="margin: 0px;" width="213" /> </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span id="freeText4472720572010307237">As usual for Clare's books, I adored her characters and their interactions. The core group - James, Matthew, Thomas and Christopher were an amazing group of friends, each who had incredibly distinct personalities. James became increasingly likeable, Matthew and Thomas have become incredibly intriguing, and Christopher is an absolute cinnamon roll <strike>who is relatable in every way and I adore him and doom come to those who may say ANYTHING bad about him.</strike></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strike><span id="freeText4472720572010307237"></span></strike><i><span id="freeText4472720572010307237"> </span></i></span><span id="freeText4472720572010307237"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Lucie was a fantastic character who I had a lot of fun reading about, Alistair is super duper awesome and I can't wait to read more about him, and Grace thoroughly creeps me out. Anna has the confidence of a thousand suns and honestly was the Magnus Bane of the book (even though he was actually there but she definitely had that kind of presence).</span></span><br />
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<span id="freeText4472720572010307237"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Sadly the only character I disliked... was Cordelia herself. I found her more annoying than I care to admit. Sucks for me that she was the main character, I guess, oops! I'm not even sure what it as, there was just something that irked me, but hey, there can't be a reason for everything! </span></span><br />
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<span id="freeText4472720572010307237"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The book had a little bit of a slow start, plot-wise, but it was compulsively readable, because it was such a comfortable read to me. About halfway through the book, however, things start to pick up. Characters who seem innocent become shady, shady characters get redeemed, and </span></span><br />
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<span id="freeText4472720572010307237"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">so</span></span><br />
<span id="freeText4472720572010307237"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">many</span></span><br />
<span id="freeText4472720572010307237"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">demons</span></span><br />
<span id="freeText4472720572010307237"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">!!!! </span></span><br />
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<span id="freeText4472720572010307237"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I swear, these guys couldn't go outside without there being demons everywhere, and without people getting hurt. No one ever had a break! </span></span><span id="freeText4472720572010307237"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Cassandra Clare definitely has an evil plan for this trilogy, and I cannot wait to see what this may lead to! </span></span><br />
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<span id="freeText4472720572010307237"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">There were also many little side things I particularly enjoyed </span></span><br />
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<span id="freeText4472720572010307237"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span></span><img alt="Image result for chain of gold fanart" class="n3VNCb" data-noaft="1" height="320" src="https://66.media.tumblr.com/90178cbcb4ef4a4cf8d3090b6e9e6fcc/94027bd5666effc4-e6/s500x750/55734e6ce6a1a78d3931adc3cb9c4d0bbeb5043d.jpg" style="margin: 0px;" width="250" /></div>
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<span id="freeText4472720572010307237"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">- The book overall was never overbearing with nostalgia from TID. Yes that tugged at my heartstrings, but it never felt like it was there to bring nostalgia for old readers - It never got in the way of the main plot. </span></span><br />
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<span id="freeText4472720572010307237"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">- The side characters were brought into the plot concretely enough for them to feel real and to be appreciable. Their names are certainly going to be remembered. </span></span><br />
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<span id="freeText4472720572010307237"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">- Magic is awesome </span></span><br />
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<span id="freeText4472720572010307237"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">- Scientists (especially chemists) have FINALLY been mentioned in popular fiction!!! </span></span><br />
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<span id="freeText4472720572010307237"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">- The Wessa wedding... I'm not even gonna deny it, I cried like a little baby. </span></span><br />
<span id="freeText4472720572010307237"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span id="freeText4472720572010307237"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span id="freeText4472720572010307237"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This book is definitely worth it. Go pick it up and adore it and while you read, please give Christopher (ok sure and Alistair) a hug for me <3</span></span><br />
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<span id="freeText4472720572010307237"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>I'm giving this book 4.5/5 stars! </b></span></span><br />
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<span id="freeText4472720572010307237"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b> </b></span></span><br />
<span id="freeText4472720572010307237"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Stay bookish! </b></span></span><br />
<span id="freeText4472720572010307237"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Wash your hands and stay home! </b></span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNYMB5sur5G9GZU_WpmGiKjo_bGa2aiXhPmV3wIMjA7gCVer-w7qlCca8G3A9An4BSkVOMt7byhz1UQlTRWSpwCcfxQPvKz7R5Cq4LPXgMHaVPF0NxFjKe8C8Em37653tnDKPsuZ7mPEs/s1600/caroline-name-design9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="450" height="88" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNYMB5sur5G9GZU_WpmGiKjo_bGa2aiXhPmV3wIMjA7gCVer-w7qlCca8G3A9An4BSkVOMt7byhz1UQlTRWSpwCcfxQPvKz7R5Cq4LPXgMHaVPF0NxFjKe8C8Em37653tnDKPsuZ7mPEs/s200/caroline-name-design9.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<span id="freeText4472720572010307237"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span></span><span id="freeText4472720572010307237"><br /></span><i><span id="freeText4472720572010307237"></span></i><span id="freeText4472720572010307237"></span><br />
<span id="freeText4472720572010307237"></span><i><span id="freeText4472720572010307237"> </span></i>Just Another Bookish Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13546606260871646035noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1557829005406423097.post-17031728105557747802020-03-13T14:57:00.000+01:002020-03-13T14:57:25.735+01:00The Streets are Silent<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The streets are silent today. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">After spending all evening pressing refresh, waiting for emails from work, university, and events, the whole country is now holding their breath, waiting for a next step. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Everyone woke up to an odd silence. A veil of surrealism covered everything announced by the news, combined with an odd sense of fear and familiarity... </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>Quarantine</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>Lockdown</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>Cancelled</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>Postponed </i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>Sold Out</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>Shutdown </i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I was walking through the streets last night, looking at the dozens of posters announcing concerts, festivals and shows, knowing they would not happen. I took the bus<i> </i>that is normally filled to a brim at that time, but that today was eerily empty. I received email upon email about what has been cancelled and with links to online classes. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Left and right, countries are closing borders. Governments are making decisions so quickly that plans have been shifted from next week, to this weekend, to tomorrow... Minds are as filled with what-ifs as shelves in supermarkets are empty. People are packing piles of essentials into cars, purely on the chance that stores may close. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And the thing is... nobody knows what is next to come. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Some countries are closing borders, others are simply limiting events. Some countries are canceling classes while others are still hosting concerts. This mix of rules and obligations that none of us can do anything about has caused stress and panic among everyone.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It is difficult not to see some individual actions as extreme - the fact that supermarkets have run out of essentials in less than a day makes little sense to me, as is the fear of others. And even more sadly, this has generated a new form of racism I have yet to encounter before. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">All of this does feel familiar: it feels like a post-apocalyptic movie in the making. The ones where people still live in homes, but where everything is guarded. Where people flinch at a cough and vocally insult people who come from foreign countries, because that country is a 'source'. Where countries are closing borders and people have to be screened before being admitted places.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And despite the mass panic, despite people freaking out about something they have no control over, </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The streets are silent. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>I wrote this purely on my thoughts about the current updates about the Coronavirus pandemic. This was written in the Netherlands, based on a walk I took this morning. None of what I mentioned is fiction. I just had to get thoughts out in writing.</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Stay bookish, my dears, and wash your hands. </b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b> </b> </span>Just Another Bookish Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13546606260871646035noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1557829005406423097.post-55711927436162685572020-03-01T17:58:00.000+01:002020-03-01T17:58:13.984+01:00Why I Stopped Blogging... and Why I Came Back<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Hey, all! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A few days ago I promised to write a post about why I stopped blogging for several months. It is a little bit of a long story but it made me learn a lot about how the internet works. I might not be explaining it 100% correctly in the technical bits, but I promise to do my best. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">September/October got incredibly busy for me. I had a very difficult time finding the time to read at all, and with my uni coming in the way again, finding the time to post anything at all became a huge challenge. However I never forced myself to post just to 'keep up with views' and whatever - that's a mindset I do everything I can to avoid. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">However, after about a month of inactivity, I opened up my stats page to have a look - I had a consistent amount of views daily, but when I had a look at the traffic source, all of the links brought me to third-party websites, including adult sites, gambling and some weird lawyer firm that felt sketchy in every way that mattered. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As far as I understood, when you get too few views, you get traffic through third party websites. However, nobody actually <i>sees</i> the blog - you get given fake views in order to keep traffic existent. In return, third party websites that pay to give you fake views are seen in your traffic source, generating, you know it! <b>Clicks!</b> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This absolutely disgusted me. Not only were the 'views' I was getting fake, but these websites were suddenly linked to a project I had been working on for years. I'm someone who has to be held back from sending rants back at those 'pay for views' companies to 'grow your website'. I find that idea to be such a shame - if you have a good site, account or any other form of media, you will get appreciation. That's how it works. Now I <i>certainly </i>do not have any huge accounts or big followers, but that's not what I'm aiming for anyway. I just really enjoy writing and posting photos and reviews - exchanging opinions about books is something I truly enjoy. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It took a lot for me to put my blog on private. I could not bring myself to delete it for the life of me, but at least on private I could keep it whilst it being inaccessible to such a system. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The 'break' was nice - I could read without feeling the need to review rereads (which I find redundant), books I didn't enjoy (which I find tedious) and I could focus on other things. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">However, I recently read <b>Shielded</b> (make sure to look out for my review!) and truly wanted to write a review about this ARC. I've also recently had a study change - I am shifting from pure physical chemistry and astronomy, to general chemistry and journalism. I have thus been writing a lot more, which gave me a newfound energy to actually, well, write! I figured it was as good a time as any to open up my blog again to blog whenever I'd like. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I've really been enjoying writing again! I know I'm not 100% consistent, but I will do my best. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Stay bookish, </b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b> </b> </span><br />
Just Another Bookish Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13546606260871646035noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1557829005406423097.post-41701954267151974402020-02-22T16:43:00.001+01:002020-02-22T16:43:11.912+01:00Reading Habits: Before and After Social Media<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Hey, all! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Yesterday I arrived back in the family house from uni for a short week. It is Carnival in the Netherlands and that can get overwhelming for a small introvert with crowd anxiety such as myself. Usually, the first thing I do when I come back to France (after eating way too much bread and butter) is look at my shelves and decide what I want to read next. <br /><br />That's when I started craving re-reading my Middle Grade favorites. I picked up a book that means a ton to me - Stravaganza: City of Masks, by Mary Hoffman - and realized: I have never heard other people on blogs or Instagram talk about these books. Reviews for it on Goodreads are generally pretty decent. So, after I sent an email to the author, I got to thinking. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As much as I have always loved reading, I started noticing a trend in my reading patterns since I started reviewing books and being a part of 'the book community'. So today, I wanted to take half an hour or so to go over what I noticed changed. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>1. Book Selection </b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Before</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I remember spending countless lunchtimes in the school library, looking for new titles and reading the blurb of every book I could get my hands on, before carefully selecting 4 books I had to bring back in a month's time. Some books simply didn't stick with me, while others brought a bookish love upon me that still sticks around. I _still_ squeal like an 11 year old when Rick Riordan says he will publish a new book soon! I also remember scrolling through the teen's books on amazon, looking for something that sounded promising. Mom ordered so many random books for me that, sure, were either hit or miss, but I made the decisions myself. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>After</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Since involving myself in the book community, I have been introduced to some fantastical word, known as <i><b>hype. </b></i>Certain books were talked about by EVERYONE, while some books I knew and loved seemed to hardly be mentioned anywhere at all. I've realized that I no longer reach out to books I have not seen anyone mention, but rather end up buying the books that have been mentioned everywhere - there is a hype for a reason, right? This has certainly lead me to some amazing books, that I most likely would not have discovered otherwise. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>2. My pickiness about books </b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Before</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A book is a story written on pages bound between two covers. I don't care if my spine is broken in or if I dog ear pages or if the entire series is made up of different covers. I want the story and <i>I want it now</i>. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>After</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Uuuugh I kind of wish I paid more attention to having similar covers... And I kinda wish I didn't dog ear some of my all time favorites... And the broken spines annoy me... <i>But I won't replace my old copies for the world </i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>3. Series</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Before</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I used to be a series junkie - I would usually find the first 2-3 books in my school's library, and the time of year when the next book would come out was more exciting than Christmas. Some stand-alones were fine, but there was a certain thrill to series! <b> </b></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>After </b><i> </i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>Gimme the stand alones. </i>I do have some favorite series, but for some reason it has become incredibly difficult to find YA stand alones that aren't contemporary. I live for a good high fantasy but most of those come in HUGE series! And while I enjoy a good trilogy, I get emotionally attached to books strongly enough to just lose patience when waiting a year for a next book to come out, oops! </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">But that's why you gotta learn to wait out the series's publication, then 1, 2, 3 BINGE! </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxF1hIz5iY1XuHYn7BwT7entmoJzHujXnWI8ST36E21ppNnivxVzTCHXIZlnNrj9Bjf3dtedXCPfTUMfGqHVu9av8PHYf4GRqFvMvHxvKyrdPO6JQjddsczVmIWMRkDE0tIzJICdDYI7w/s1600/After-working-my-way-through-Peggys-book-I-decided-to-try-some-botanical-doodles.-myflowerjournal.com_-345x236.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="236" data-original-width="345" height="136" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxF1hIz5iY1XuHYn7BwT7entmoJzHujXnWI8ST36E21ppNnivxVzTCHXIZlnNrj9Bjf3dtedXCPfTUMfGqHVu9av8PHYf4GRqFvMvHxvKyrdPO6JQjddsczVmIWMRkDE0tIzJICdDYI7w/s200/After-working-my-way-through-Peggys-book-I-decided-to-try-some-botanical-doodles.-myflowerjournal.com_-345x236.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>4. Caring about Opinions</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Before</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I used to not really care if people liked the same books I did or not, or if I liked books recommended to me. I would read and absorb a story, weather I liked it or not was simply a personal choice. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>After</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Now, it is easy to _say_ I don't care, but it is difficult to enact. Seeing someone with influence tear apart at a book I loved on goodreads just because they can always breaks my heart a little, and I am always a little afraid to admit that I didn't like a very hyped book. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">However, this also works the other way around! I cannot express how happy it makes me to see a message from someone - stranger or friend - saying that they saw me recommend a book and that they loved it as well. I also love the feeling of reading a super-hyped book after a while, and completely understanding why it was so loved! </span><br />
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<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">All in all, I don't think that before or after was better for me, reading-wise. They both have their value, and have both built me to the kind of reader I am today. However, I will be trying to implement some of my past reader philosophies into my current reading and blogging habits! I'm definitely going to be exploring the books I don't see being mentioned as much once again! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>I would love to hear your opinions on the subject! </b> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Stay Bookish! </b></span><br />
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b> </b> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span><br />
Just Another Bookish Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13546606260871646035noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1557829005406423097.post-44645226748226349762020-02-20T20:20:00.001+01:002020-02-20T20:20:23.673+01:00ARC Review - Shielded, by KayLynn Flanders<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Hey, all! <br /><br />Before I get into the spoiler-free review of a book I absolutely adored, I feel like I owe you all an explanation. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">My blog has been on 'private' since October. I shut it down without warning, and more than one person asked me where it went and why I deleted it. To be honest, it is a long story. Later this week I will make sure to dedicate a post about why I closed my blog. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">But for now, I'm back! I am super happy to be back behind the keyboard, finally able to talk about new book discoveries! </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Today I come to you with a review of an ARC! I am talking about <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/42281684-shielded"><b>Shielded, by Kaylynn Flanders</b></a>. Before you continue, click on the link and add this book to your TBR. It's that good. And don't worry, this review will, naturally, be spoiler free!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>Note: This book was given to me by Delacorte Press via Netgalley. This does not, in any way, influence my thoughts and opinions. </i></span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="42281684" height="320" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1572950505l/42281684.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="212" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This cover is simply too beautiful for words!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<i style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> </i><i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span id="freeText18191063560306417723">"The kingdom of Hálendi
is in trouble. It's losing the war at its borders, and rumors of a new,
deadlier threat on the horizon have surfaced. Princess Jennesara knows
her skills on the battlefield would make her an asset and wants to help,
but her father has other plans.<br /><br />As the second-born heir to the
throne, Jenna lacks the firstborn's--her brother's--magical abilities,
so the king promises her hand in marriage to the prince of neighboring
Turia in exchange for resources Hálendi needs. Jenna must leave behind
everything she has ever known if she is to give her people a chance at
peace.<br /><br />Only, on the journey to reach her betrothed and new home,
the royal caravan is ambushed, and Jenna realizes the rumors were
wrong--the new threat is worse than anyone imagined. Now Jenna must
decide if revealing a dangerous secret is worth the cost before it's too
late--for her and for her entire kingdom."</span></span></i><br />
<br />
<i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span id="freeText18191063560306417723">Shielded </span></span></i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span id="freeText18191063560306417723">is so much more than I was expecting. With every sentence you can feel the world and characters being built, with every plot twist you realize how insanely detailed Flanders's idea for this series is. There are so many twists and turns and unexpected moments that the book was very difficult to put down, and even harder to stop thinking about. </span></span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Image result for gif reading shock" class="n3VNCb" data-noaft="1" src="https://i.gifer.com/2U4B.gif" style="height: 218px; margin: 0px auto; width: 320px;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My exact face when *REDACTED* happened only about 20% in.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span id="freeText18191063560306417723" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> </span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span id="freeText18191063560306417723"></span><span id="freeText18191063560306417723">For those who have followed my blog for a while you know that nothing makes me happier than a good character-driven novel. I become even giddier when the plot matches the characters in intensity. <i>Shielded </i>absolutely delivered in these aspects<i>. </i>Every single character, main, side and backstage alike, were thoroughly fleshed out and had personalities that stood out. Jenna - our main character - wasn't flawless, Enzo - the prince - was absolutely adorable (imagine if Will and Jem had a lovechild who was very protective, but also dorky and smart and smells like apples and books... *sigh*...). I absolutely adored Ren, Chiara, Mari and Luc. (Mari MVP, just saying!). They were each so unique I could hear their voices in my head as I read. </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span id="freeText18191063560306417723">And the plot! I cannot say much about it, but I adored how descriptive Flanders was about the Wild, the feeling left after being hurt, and even simple things like the way the sun felt on people's skin. The plot itself feels as insane as something that could be played out in a fantastic campaign of D&D. The magic system is so alive, and evil of the antagonists is just dripping from the pages. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span id="freeText18191063560306417723"><b>I have to stop here, lest I go fully into spoilers because THINGS HAPPENED, OKAY!? I'm giving this book 5/5 stars, and I simply need book 2. Right now. Even if it's just an outline of it, or an idea that Flanders came up with and quickly wrote on the back of a shopping receipt. I want more from this world and its three kingdoms! </b></span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-Hd4NeFoI01VVyjFMusCXVVKwHTx0RPoprfGJQOh1r2r-fEIPS-VGp7EJfJ2Y5TTap3c3J3t24tyTjTCxsXuZGIuuiJZpunDpL9qeD6dIFBrEW5BdMUA_UcTSb2va6OE0kWRixcD6aGI/s1600/Screenshot+2019-05-01+at+12.43.00+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="173" data-original-width="289" height="119" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-Hd4NeFoI01VVyjFMusCXVVKwHTx0RPoprfGJQOh1r2r-fEIPS-VGp7EJfJ2Y5TTap3c3J3t24tyTjTCxsXuZGIuuiJZpunDpL9qeD6dIFBrEW5BdMUA_UcTSb2va6OE0kWRixcD6aGI/s200/Screenshot+2019-05-01+at+12.43.00+PM.png" width="200" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Stay bookish! </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNYMB5sur5G9GZU_WpmGiKjo_bGa2aiXhPmV3wIMjA7gCVer-w7qlCca8G3A9An4BSkVOMt7byhz1UQlTRWSpwCcfxQPvKz7R5Cq4LPXgMHaVPF0NxFjKe8C8Em37653tnDKPsuZ7mPEs/s1600/caroline-name-design9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="450" height="88" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNYMB5sur5G9GZU_WpmGiKjo_bGa2aiXhPmV3wIMjA7gCVer-w7qlCca8G3A9An4BSkVOMt7byhz1UQlTRWSpwCcfxQPvKz7R5Cq4LPXgMHaVPF0NxFjKe8C8Em37653tnDKPsuZ7mPEs/s200/caroline-name-design9.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span id="freeText18191063560306417723"><b> </b> </span></span><i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span id="freeText18191063560306417723"><br /></span></span></i><br />
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Just Another Bookish Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13546606260871646035noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1557829005406423097.post-49463305569468388962019-10-14T14:36:00.001+02:002019-10-14T14:36:22.015+02:00YALFU 2019 - A fantastic event <span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Hey, all! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">It's been a little while, but as I said in one of my later posts, uni has been obscenely busy. I haven't finished a book in almost a month! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">However, I did spend yesterday at an absolutely fantastic event - YALFU! This is the Young Adult day of the International's Literature Festival of Utrecht, a large event that happens every year in The Netherlands. This year, amongst small Dutch authors, the event hosted <b>V.E. Schwab,</b> the author of the Shades of Magic trilogy, Vicious and Vengeful, as well as a whole collection of other fantastic books! She is an author who I had been wanting to meet for a long time - I <i>love</i> the Shades of Magic trilogy, and this put her in my top 5 authors to meet someday! </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEvHIhEAGzwVBF_jDUx-ImrVqTGEAq4BkGFnALbMH0b811c0jPTSedEBwiNY35WngJBkVsuL8FsObeB7lTlIR3da0H79VfzFKuTx6Z6lMKhyphenhyphenF-2ryiZ1ScnXYSOczi1E4z_qiJxujP4F8/s1600/Screenshot+2019-10-14+at+1.52.29+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="303" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEvHIhEAGzwVBF_jDUx-ImrVqTGEAq4BkGFnALbMH0b811c0jPTSedEBwiNY35WngJBkVsuL8FsObeB7lTlIR3da0H79VfzFKuTx6Z6lMKhyphenhyphenF-2ryiZ1ScnXYSOczi1E4z_qiJxujP4F8/s320/Screenshot+2019-10-14+at+1.52.29+PM.png" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I was not disappointed. The event ended up being a lot more organised than last year, and I went there with a group of friend who I met at the event last year. We all had a fantastic day fangirling and seeing people we had not spoken to in some time! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The day started off the day before. Some friends and I met up together in Amsterdam, where we played a personalised game of Cards Against Humanity. Combinations were fantastic, and we ad a great time playing and just catching up from the last time we met up earlier this year. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The next morning, we all took the train to Utrecht! The venue was fantastic - a large theatre-like building that makes for the perfect convention centre. We started off by exploring the various bookish shops that had set up a stand in the centre - most of them I knew well! I did end up buying two small candles, though! One is specifically made for the Shades of Magic series - made by RomeMadeCandles! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">We then saw a talk with 3 dutch authors. I mostly didn't pay attention because, well, my Dutch isn't perfect. But the Italian author was super sweet and had a fantastic way of looking at writing and life in general, making him really interesting to listen to! </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">After the break, it was time for Schwab's interview! We all loved it - she said things that resonated with us, each for different reasons. She said that there was some sort of prophecy when she was born that said she would become an author or a cult leader - she totally is a cult leader who got us all in on it with words! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">After the talk (that let us all feeling wholesome, somehow), we hung out until it was our turn to get our books signed. Despite staying in line for close to 2 hours, the bunch of us had a lot of fun talking about everything and nothing. The signing session was absolutely lovely - I was wearing a shirt depicting words from her books and had stylised my nails, which she seemed to really like! All of us had a lovely talk with her, and we all left super happy! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">We did get a goodie bag as well, that I decided to donate to a local book drop point. This goes to a local open library that anyone can access. Since I don't read Dutch I believe that this was the right choice :) </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>If you ever are hesitating about wether or not to go to events, always take the step to do so. Not only can you make super fun friendships, but you get to experience great days and hear some truly motivational comments that makes it all worth it. </b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>Stay bookish! </b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>Just Another Bookish Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13546606260871646035noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1557829005406423097.post-36799910436048889642019-09-10T20:18:00.002+02:002019-09-10T20:23:36.095+02:00Finale, by Stephanie Garber <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Hey, all! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I'm back at uni! Although I've been out-of-my-mind busy, I've been finding the time to read (and to play Dungeons and Dragons!) to make sure I stay, well, sane. I'm two days into my classes and already have a whole list of things to do! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">However, I did finish a book recently and have some things to say about it. On Sunday I finished <b>Finale, by Stephanie Garber! </b>I absolutely adored the first two books, however the third instalment of the Caraval trilogy left me somewhat disappointed. In this review I shall do my best to try to figure out what happened, and to explain my thoughts. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Note: everyone is entitled to their own thoughts. I do realise that this is one of the most popular books of this year, with super high ratings on Goodreads! This review will also contain <b>SPOILERS</b> so read to your own discretion!</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipsxtaYVi7a5EXqTryW866oTZplmyAQRUdvBwFZ65e3mBhla9NOJrxaVuivXr1pI_zXssey00OrxXPaHMR_ZuulUAmW15jYG1fpUi72Vm-JXtzZ6uTLJxqUHvMLSexR0ch42mE00xk_dM/s1600/Screenshot+2019-09-10+at+7.39.16+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #444444;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipsxtaYVi7a5EXqTryW866oTZplmyAQRUdvBwFZ65e3mBhla9NOJrxaVuivXr1pI_zXssey00OrxXPaHMR_ZuulUAmW15jYG1fpUi72Vm-JXtzZ6uTLJxqUHvMLSexR0ch42mE00xk_dM/s320/Screenshot+2019-09-10+at+7.39.16+PM.png" width="318" /></span></a><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i style="background-color: #f3f3f3;"> "<b style="caret-color: rgb(24, 24, 24); color: #181818;">A love worth fighting for. A dream worth dying for. An ending worth waiting for.</b></i></span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i style="background-color: #f3f3f3;"><br style="caret-color: rgb(24, 24, 24); color: #181818;" /><span style="caret-color: rgb(24, 24, 24); color: #181818;">It’s been two months since the Fates were freed from a deck of cards, two months since Legend claimed the throne for his own, and two months since Tella discovered the boy she fell in love with doesn’t really exist.</span><br style="caret-color: rgb(24, 24, 24); color: #181818;" /><br style="caret-color: rgb(24, 24, 24); color: #181818;" /><span style="caret-color: rgb(24, 24, 24); color: #181818;">With lives, empires, and hearts hanging in the balance, Tella must decide if she’s going to trust Legend or a former enemy. After uncovering a secret that upends her life, Scarlett will need to do the impossible. And Legend has a choice to make that will forever change and define him.</span><br style="caret-color: rgb(24, 24, 24); color: #181818;" /><br style="caret-color: rgb(24, 24, 24); color: #181818;" /><span style="caret-color: rgb(24, 24, 24); color: #181818;">Caraval is over, but perhaps the greatest game of all has begun. There are no spectators this time—only those who will win, and those who will lose everything."</span></i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(24, 24, 24); color: #444444;">Finale ends just a little time after Legendary ends, and alternates between Scarlett's and Tella's points of view. Unlike the first two books, there is no Caraval during the timespan of the book. Instead, the coronation of Legend attracts visitors from far and wide. In the meantime, Scarlett is debating wether to give a chance to Julian or the man she used to correspond with, Tella is in the middle of a triangle between Legend and Jacks, and the Fates have been released and are slowly re-gaining their magic, causing some chaos everywhere. </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="color: #181818;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(24, 24, 24); color: #444444;">Now, this book is definitely not bad. Stephanie has a way of writing that can enchant event those with a lower sense of imagination. However, I was disappointed with the plot of Finale, having read and adored Caraval and Legendary. </span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #181818; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: #f3f3f3; caret-color: rgb(24, 24, 24); color: #444444;">Let's rip off the band-aid and do this good-bad-ugly style! </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #181818; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: #f3f3f3; caret-color: rgb(24, 24, 24); color: #444444;"><b>The Good</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #181818; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: #f3f3f3; color: #444444;">As mentioned, Stephanie really knows how to build a beautifully magical world. Not only were her descriptions amazing, but the mythology she has created in her books, namely the Fates, was incredible. I couldn't get enough of reading about the Fates, their abilities and their actions. </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #181818; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: #f3f3f3; color: #444444;">Jacks, being one of these Fates, is honestly the single most intriguing character in this series. I adore him and his twisted mind, and believe that he deserved better in the end! His love for Tella just shook me to my core when he took her pain away and allowed himself to feel it. He could be a butt sometimes, sure, but still intrigued me from the first page. </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #181818; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: #f3f3f3; color: #444444;">I did love the Fated Items as well! the Key was super interesting, and the idea of the coins was fantastic as well! I would love to see Stephanie come up with a book of the Fates, full of their stories! </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #181818; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: #f3f3f3; color: #444444;">Also Scarlett and Julian were cute. </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #181818; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: #f3f3f3; color: #444444;"><b>The Bad</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #181818; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: #f3f3f3; color: #444444;">This is where I must admit, I had problems with this book.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #181818; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: #f3f3f3; color: #444444;">I feel like the end was just too obvious. Killing the villain seemed to be done far too easily, and wasn't drawn out enough. Scarlett and Tella's mother's death did not affect me emotionally at all. Scarlett's secret identity fell flat. I feel like every time emotions were meant to be drawn for me, I just didn't truly care. </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #181818; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: #f3f3f3; color: #444444;">Books are weird: the best ones make you want to cry, and the ones that fail to do so are less appreciated. </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #181818; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: #f3f3f3; caret-color: rgb(24, 24, 24); color: #444444;"><b>The Ugly </b></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #181818; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: #f3f3f3; caret-color: rgb(24, 24, 24); color: #444444;">Some things made me want to just DNF it. </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #181818; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: #f3f3f3; color: #444444;">I feel like Scarlett's love triangle was nothing if not pointless. It started at the end of Legendary, and ended in the first third of Finale. There never was a contest, and her proposal to make it a game for her heart made me almost DNF the book at about 20 pages. </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #181818; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: #f3f3f3; color: #444444;">I couldn't stand Legend's obvious obsessiveness. He was immortal, and had refused to give that up until Tella just refused to turn immortal for him. (Except for once, when he then, for some reason, outright refused to turn her.) Once she refuses him, he makes what I believe to be an even more obsessive and selfish act by renouncing his immortality to 'have' her anyway. It was supposed to be heroic but I found it desperate. </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: #f3f3f3;">Jacks's simple dismissal was sad. I want to know what happened to him, and the other fates. Were they allowed to live peacefully within the world? Were they trapped somewhere </span><span style="caret-color: rgb(24, 24, 24);">again? </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>There are many, many more things I could say about this book, good bad and ugly. However I do have assignments to finish as well! </b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>I'm giving it 2.5/5 stars. </b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>Have you read Finale? What did you think about it? Let me know! </b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>Stay bookish! </b></span></div>
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Just Another Bookish Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13546606260871646035noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1557829005406423097.post-81223351462993682492019-09-01T17:51:00.000+02:002019-09-01T17:51:26.154+02:00Dungeons and Dragons - My character got drawn! <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Hey, all! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I just want to publish a short post today because something made my messy day shine a little brighter - my Dungeons and Dragons character was drawn by a commission artist! Victtoria was doing a free commission giveaway and chose my character to sketch, and I simply adore the outcome! I truly encourage you to check out her website by clicking <a href="https://forms.gle/Sib4Q97NhM2GwG2D8?fbclid=IwAR0adyRLRYlJZqwzAN70DsZUMh7V-tPJSg8hcEVaD8yXiF8KBe5-Xt18m_U">here</a>. Her art is simply beautiful and <b>truly affordable, even for student budgets! </b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Drumroll please... </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUnozUARJegJh1v3E32fTxB7SvOdrDcAOZ5xnPrlXKuFARZt0pUENkzw9OpPwM8tjEUGKgpqc_dLYeNTnSXJnOv28TSF4ynC49BWp7UWwh6huEOq3QOK4xwY9C6ehCwcRabUBXti54pvo/s1600/69610457_10206166560319806_627210077283024896_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="717" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUnozUARJegJh1v3E32fTxB7SvOdrDcAOZ5xnPrlXKuFARZt0pUENkzw9OpPwM8tjEUGKgpqc_dLYeNTnSXJnOv28TSF4ynC49BWp7UWwh6huEOq3QOK4xwY9C6ehCwcRabUBXti54pvo/s400/69610457_10206166560319806_627210077283024896_n.jpg" width="298" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Tada! Isn't it gorgeous? I absolutely love how Victtoria captured my description of my character! I know I spoke of her in my last post, but I copied and pasted it here, to create a lovely little character profile. </span></div>
Just Another Bookish Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13546606260871646035noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1557829005406423097.post-27993118032842482782019-08-26T15:00:00.000+02:002019-08-27T12:48:14.328+02:00Dungeons and Dragons - Why the Hype? <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Dungeons and Dragons - the one game known to be played by nerds and geeks everywhere, that outsiders don't totally understand and that makes us players sound like we suddenly come from a different planet. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Hey, all! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">How's it going, nerds? My name is Caaaaaro! (The day after Pewdiepie's 100M, a bit after his wedding, I'm in a mood to watch all his videos, ok?) And welcome to a new why the Hype! Today, we're discussing Dungeons and Dragons. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Yes, I play D&D. I have for a long time, and it's something I really love! I have one main character and a bunch of other characters I'm not as invested in (yet), I am the game master for a campaign and have, indeed, suffered from D&D withdrawl after spending a month or so unable to play. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">D&D has not only been super entertaining, but has also helped me make friends! So today, with the help of <b>The Magic Mates,</b> I am going to be telling you why D&D is so, so worth it! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Just note: <b>The Magic Mates</b> is the group name of the campaign I'm currently in, with my character, Lila. It includes 6 amazing characters and just as amazing players, who have been shouting ideas my way! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>1. It's an amazing creative outlet</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">D&D is one of the most creative things you can do without having an ounce of artistic talent in your body. You start by creating a character (virtually any character you can think of!), their personality, and allow a Dungeon/Game master to walk your character through a story, where you take actions and make decisions based on their abilities and personality. Want to make an eagle-man? There's a race for that! Want to make someone who is really good at tinkering and inventing stuff on the spot? Awesome character arc! The possibilities are virtually endless, and the worlds you can create are even more so. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">After my main character, I have a half-drow (dark elf) ranger who believes she's the next Sherlock Holmes and is searching for the worlds best Lemonade recipe, and a few back up characters including a Human Cleric who is incredibly nerdy and is easily scared, and a steampunk alchemist who believes she's all that. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>2. It's actually super smart </b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">D&D actually takes its time to model the probabilities of real life super well! There are 6 statistics that modify your character to be better or worse at certain things - Intelligence, Strength, Wisdom, Dexterity, Constitution and Charisma. When you make your character, you get points for each of these. You can't be good at everything, but can't be bad at everything either! If you have high points for strength, you are more likely to perform well on a task that involves strength. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">How well you perform all depends on one little piece of equipment - a d20. *Magic angel sounds*. This is a 20 sided dice that you roll to see how well you perform. You add any bonus points to the roll. The higher the score, the better the outcome! What I love about that is that, even in real life,<b> if you are good at something, you can still mess up.</b> Even the best chef can mess up a recipe, or do exceptionally well, or anywhere in between. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>3. It's easy to understand </b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">This is a game that is both full of rules and has no rules. You can certainly ask your DM wether you can tame a shark and keep it as your pet, if you want. But you <i>must</i> roll a certain combination of dice to see if you do well. Once you know when to roll what, it's easy sailing! And usually your DM should be happy to tell you when to roll what, if you're starting out! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Plus, the rules essentially boil down to how to make a character and what to do once it levels up! Super simple! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>4. You can do (almost) anything </b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">You should be able to do anything the dice lets you do. I've had one of my players ask if he could pick up a tree to use it as a bat when a giant was trowing stones at him. The roll failed, but had it passed, it could have happened. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I once had Lila in a narrow passage, in front of a group. Seeing something shiny in the distance, she just started <i>absolutely sprinting</i> towards it. She dodged another character that tried to catch her, not once but twice, and avoided another tackle. She showed another character the shiny thing in the distance, and they both started running. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Both the other player and I knew that the shiny thing was one of our enemies. But Lila and Tide? When they see something shiny, they go for it. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>5. You end up with the funniest stories, intense drama and very real emotions</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">More of these will be written further down, but I have had moments where I was crying as things were happening, I've had moments where we couldn't stop laughing at what was happening, and I've had moments where I was stress-eating bell peppers (paprika) because we all almost died. It's wild. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">6. <b>It is accidentally social </b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Most players I know are quite socially anxious or quiet in everyday life, but all that seems to change during a D&D session. It's always fun to create a fun character and laugh with others (or make others laugh! Bards are amazing for that!). Even creating a world for people to explore makes you consider a whole army of side characters and invites you to interact with the people sitting at your table. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>Now, I want to tell you about Lila, </b>a character I absolutely love. Lila is a Halfling Rogue (a hobbit who steals stuff and stabs other stuff). Lila grew up with her brother, Bart, in a small village where her parents had a small farm. Every week, her and her brother were meant to take the produce to the market to sell it. However, the family was in need for more money, so the pair took matters in their own hands. Lila used her sleight of hand to steal, while Bart performed some melodies he had created on his guitar. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Lila's best friend was Taegan, the youngest and most appreciated prince of the Elves. They had been through thick and thin. Taegan one day showed her how to use daggers to defend herself, after she had witnessed an attacked and felt helpless. Since then, she always had a dagger at her side. After having done a favour for the elves, she was gifted a Moon Dagger - carved from the bones of the Titans that once roamed the world. It is now her most precious possession. (That, and anything shiny). </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">However, one day, Taegan disappeared. This happened during a time of unrest in the world, where a dark, corrupted high lord had decided to separate the races to avoid conflict. Naturally, this was a source of conflict in itself. For years, she believed that Taegan was taken by the dark lord, and promised herself that she would fight to find him. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Since that day, Lila has been on quests to gain enough strength and bravery to find her friend. For how much can a small, quick halfling actually do? </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Recently, Lila has been waking up in different places. Unsure how to control it, she has been joining groups of adventurers on their quests for as long as she stayed around. These places were never twice the same, and she never stayed there long, until she met <b>The Magic Mates</b> and started helping them... look for missing children?! In any case, finding one thing can only make finding another easier, right? </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: trebuchet ms, sans-serif;"><b>Do you play D&D? Who's your favorite character you made? Let me know!</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: trebuchet ms, sans-serif;"><b>Stay Bookish!</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span>Just Another Bookish Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13546606260871646035noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1557829005406423097.post-33794322342913738962019-08-25T14:34:00.001+02:002019-08-25T14:51:01.451+02:00Legendary, by Stephanie Garber <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I keep thinking that authors do a good job at shaking you once really well in their first books and that nothing will surprise me again, and I keep being reminding that that is a very wrong way of thinking. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Hey, all! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I just finished reading Legendary, by Stephanie Garber! It took me a few months to get to but in the end I finished it in essentially 24 hours! </span><br />
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</span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQqpmvjNj3t8leiv06zEmBMpTdBMh5HyG10x0JXIkB_pyMocGqK5mTkeOAME9Mq5K1LDPqfVzulBSrKlGTWucEgREx8IkhDGT2eazw1uYOUXywW5GPs3OMe_fMM2YMpZsgheCJgFbzMf0/s1600/Screenshot+2019-08-25+at+2.04.50+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="background-color: #f3f3f3;"><img border="0" height="314" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQqpmvjNj3t8leiv06zEmBMpTdBMh5HyG10x0JXIkB_pyMocGqK5mTkeOAME9Mq5K1LDPqfVzulBSrKlGTWucEgREx8IkhDGT2eazw1uYOUXywW5GPs3OMe_fMM2YMpZsgheCJgFbzMf0/s320/Screenshot+2019-08-25+at+2.04.50+PM.png" width="320" /></span></a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i><span style="background-color: #f3f3f3; color: #181818;">"After being swept up in the magical world of Caraval, Donatella Dragna has finally escaped her father and saved her sister, Scarlett, from a disastrous arranged marriage. The girls should be celebrating, but Tella isn’t yet free. She made a desperate bargain with a mysterious criminal, and what Tella owes him no one has ever been able to deliver: Caraval Master Legend’s true name.</span></i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i style="background-color: #f3f3f3;"><br style="caret-color: rgb(24, 24, 24); color: #181818;" /><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(24, 24, 24); color: #181818;">The only chance of uncovering Legend’s identity is to win Caraval, so Tella throws herself into the legendary competition once more—and into the path of the murderous heir to the throne, a doomed love story, and a web of secrets…including her sister's. Caraval has always demanded bravery, cunning, and sacrifice, but now the game is asking for more. If Tella can’t fulfill her bargain and deliver Legend’s name, she’ll lose everything she cares about—maybe even her life. But if she wins, Legend and Caraval will be destroyed forever..."</span></i></span><br />
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<span style="color: #181818; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: #f3f3f3;">This review will <b>contain SPOILERS!</b> Advance at your own risk! </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="background-color: #f3f3f3; color: #181818; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">This book is every bit as magical as Caraval - everything is described with vivid colours and a certain over-the-top quality that really shows just how incredible Caraval is supposed to be, and I was <i>there</i> for it. Magical realism? Yes please! Both books so far really give off a fairytale vibe that I have loved ever since I was tiny - beautiful descriptions, magic, fancy dresses, princes and princesses, and a whole lot of mystery. These books have it all! </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #181818; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: #f3f3f3;">Right off the bat I knew something was up with Dante - I had a feeling he was either Legend himself or possibly a Fate, and for some reason <i>I</i><i style="caret-color: rgb(24, 24, 24);"> don't like him</i>. I don't like his constant being there, or his smugness, or his sudden devotion to Tella. I essentially don't like him in the same way I don't like Chaol from Throne of Glass - I don't have a <i>reason</i>, I just don't. </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #181818; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: #f3f3f3;">Oh did I not mention? This book centres around Tella, rather than Scarlett. I quite liked Tella's point of view! She's fierce and smart and devoted. </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #181818; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: #f3f3f3;">Who else did I like? Oh yes, this absolutely intriguing character named Jacks. The Prince of Hearts. He only had a few major scenes within the book, but they were up there in my favorite scenes. He's like a mix of Finnick Odair and Jack Frost and I love it! If a movie happens, can he be played by Sam Claflin? Please?</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #181818; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: #f3f3f3;">I also adored the whole plot surrounding the Fates being trapped within a deck of cards, and Tella's mother's involvement with that. </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #181818; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: #f3f3f3;">The ending of the book was filled with many twists and turns! As I mentioned, I was not surprised when Dante was revealed to be Legend - but Tella's sacrifice, though brief, surprised me. And what surprised me even more was Legend's releasing of the Fates into the world. Tella called him a hero for that, but I believe that something much, much darker is coming up. </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #181818; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: #f3f3f3;">Some small things did bother me: both Scarlett and Tella are in a love triangle? This Caraval was so obviously designed for Tella? The Scarlett bits felt forced? </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #181818; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: #f3f3f3;">I'm definitely looking forward to Finale, which I hope to start today! </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #181818; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b style="background-color: #f3f3f3;">I gave this book 4/5 stars! </b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>Have you read Legendary? What did you think about it? Let me know! </b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>Stay Bookish! </b></span></div>
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Just Another Bookish Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13546606260871646035noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1557829005406423097.post-33650983585292914762019-08-22T13:00:00.000+02:002019-08-22T13:00:38.055+02:00Voyage to the States (and Rescue Book Haul)<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Hey, all! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">So some of you may know that I'm half American. I have loads of family in California that we go visit from time to time. However, last time was four years ago, so my family decided it was high time to go back. This resulted in a fantastical voyage through the land known as ~The United States~. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Ooh, magic!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Being born and raised European, I'm used to a certain pace of life. Let's just say that visiting the US caused a culture shock I did not expect, being from there myself. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">So without further ado, I just want to tell you about some of my trip's thoughts and highlights, as well as a Book Haul! I rescued a lot a books throughout this trip and I'd love to share with you which ones I've decided to take home with me. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>Disclaimer</b>: This is going to include some brutally honest thoughts about life in the US. If you don't want to hear any negatives about the country, then it may be best to leave. Good things are included too! However, it's totally okay if our opinions differ, and I'm very open to having comments arguing against (or for!) my thoughts - the best way forward in life is by seeing opinions that may differ from your own! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>Disclaimer 2.0: </b>All of these photos are ones I took myself. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>The Voyage</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">First of all, Jetlag sucks - you try to go to bed at a normal time, but you wake up way early or way late, you get hungry at weird hours and no matter what you do, it takes about a week to get back on schedule. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">But once you're past that, things are much better. I'm from the North of California (around the Sacramento area), so there is a lot of Nature and not a lot of City. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiawRlcyYOz_43dfRaZT4ZCTpbkwakGthl7Bca9dWHdhfu7hVd6d7MP16YH6fPoANDJKgRJGJNM62T2oIGBSN-72EmXW9d-n2PPR3XeZlmm1xn76tewIQ2qrGAxvdNowN-3lNeodFbW7fQ/s1600/_DSC0111.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiawRlcyYOz_43dfRaZT4ZCTpbkwakGthl7Bca9dWHdhfu7hVd6d7MP16YH6fPoANDJKgRJGJNM62T2oIGBSN-72EmXW9d-n2PPR3XeZlmm1xn76tewIQ2qrGAxvdNowN-3lNeodFbW7fQ/s320/_DSC0111.JPG" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">The most amazing thing about California is how one can seemingly teleport from one climate to the next. Within 200 kilometres, you can go from semi-arid, dry areas to the constant rain and fog of San Fransisco, to huge forests to the ocean to high mountains to wineries. It's absolutely astounding! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">San Fransisco is such a fun, free city. It felt the most European, and had so much to see! I loved riding the cable car through the steep streets and walking along the pier! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">What I mean by <i>European </i>might have to do with the culture there. There was an importance placed on diversity and inclusion. People everywhere were able so simply be themselves and not have any dirty glances shot in their direction for just being themselves. It didn't feel sterilised like many other places I had been. What do I mean by sterilised? In the US I noticed that people lived in very segregated bubbles. Wether it be a community specifically designed for older people or a small town, each bubble followed its own rules, such as <i>no children in housing</i> and <i>no driving past 9PM</i>. Some places were also very racially segregated - white people in golf carts and black people literally cleaning up after them. It made me more than a little uncomfortable. There are very specific rules, topics of conversation that are hushed, and everything was sugar-coated. San Francisco felt a lot more inclusive and free, which I wholly enjoyed and overall felt a lot more at ease in. The lifestyle in other places felt like the country took a large step backwards in inclusion. I'm not saying that the European lifestyle is the ultimate one - it does have its problems. However, what I saw did not strike me as okay. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">The nature in the US is unlike anything I've ever seen - you feel so small amongst the trees of Muir Woods and Calaveras park! It is amazing what nature can create. These places really show that us as humans are small inhabitants of this planet, and that nature is so much more mighty than any of us can ever hope to be. There are lakes so high up in the mountains they seem to be lost to civilisation, forests so vast it's common to see bears roam around, and mountains so high that trees cannot grow. I adored every moment of these visits! </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoj7P5kphwtPItMywUXPtdhyphenhyphenMJOtZsMc4dPmmJkVQpsVviAX1yhqX_TcRP6DdSfnLB-IkiVphKMlCOde47lcnAyPByYl1uRjc_LRkIAJ292C9UUNsM6zP8znI7aZb9z8LDTz8s_HlqpvA/s1600/_DSC0258.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoj7P5kphwtPItMywUXPtdhyphenhyphenMJOtZsMc4dPmmJkVQpsVviAX1yhqX_TcRP6DdSfnLB-IkiVphKMlCOde47lcnAyPByYl1uRjc_LRkIAJ292C9UUNsM6zP8znI7aZb9z8LDTz8s_HlqpvA/s320/_DSC0258.JPG" width="213" /></a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Yet every year forests are burned down and holes are drilled for oil. The ocean is filled with plastic and the air with particulates. Our footprint is everywhere. The way of life in the US really focuses on consumerism - there's always gotta be more of everything, and everything has to be bigger and better than it once was. California took a good step forward in banning plastic straws, but there still is a long way to go. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">We saw the whales off the coast of California at Point Reyes, as well! that was incredible in every way, I never wanted to leave! The Pacific is so vast, I could have sat there all day! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">The little towns we visited were also so much fun! California has really kept some towns that were around in the 'Wild West' time intact, giving visitors a totally authentic experience. I really recommend Murphy and Nevada City, they are both fantastic in their own way! I discovered Cajun food there and I think I have a new favourite set of spices that I will definitely try cooking with! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Aside from California, we also took short trips to Washington DC and Florida. In DC, we went to the Air and Space museum, where rocket ships, satellites and aircraft of all sorts were on display, as well as a piece of the moon. I touched this seemingly uninteresting stone, and started crying my eyes out. The moon has always meant a lot to me, but I wan't expecting the tears by any means! </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcxO4o5M8VjFE6vFCRG5uRgfFTY44glF_S3y0fazcFdG3TEYhjp09IHmcHDywb-gBMtz_6coo8gyftxZq2R39T0fCNVqHWDKXw7aVGjoj4kzgBkq5WJ9gwlbOzUngeby8OcNIW5QduE1g/s1600/_DSC0495.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcxO4o5M8VjFE6vFCRG5uRgfFTY44glF_S3y0fazcFdG3TEYhjp09IHmcHDywb-gBMtz_6coo8gyftxZq2R39T0fCNVqHWDKXw7aVGjoj4kzgBkq5WJ9gwlbOzUngeby8OcNIW5QduE1g/s320/_DSC0495.JPG" width="212" /></a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">The US is so advanced with technology and innovation! It was difficult to believe the diversity of air and spacecraft they exhibited, and they still show every day! Science can take us to far forward, and I'm honoured to be a part of it! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">We went to Florida to visit some family friends, who were happy to show us around despite the near-constant rain. I adored zooming across the bay on a boat to get to a restaurant! I was able to do so on Percy Jackson's birthday, which made it double cool! We saw dolphins out in the bay, as well as huge fish that could probably swallow me whole! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">However, I also walked into an archery range, hoping to squeeze some practice into my trip. The place wasn't quite as was advertised on their website - right away, the storeowner came to speak to me, assuming I was there to buy a bow (or gun!) to hunt game with. There were dead animals everywhere, complete with descriptions of how they were hunted. Simple target practice didn't seem like something they catered for. Also, seeing guns (including real guns for children) merely days after the two shootings that recently happened made me sick - not only were they being sold, but they were being sold in the same manner a stapler or scissors or an ink cartridge would be - simply in a box, with no safety whatsoever. Saying that shootings are bad and something must be done simply isn't enough. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">We also had some amazing bloopers! On the same day, my brother forgot his phone in a park, and I dropped mine in a river while gold panning! I forgot my camera battery on two of the most beautiful days we had, thus had to rely on my phone that had almost no battery itself at the time! We even had a laugh about our constant awe about the size of produce - comparing a normal sized avocado to a larger one made the standard avocado look like a small lime, or perhaps a large grape! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">The US is also the perfect place to be a geek and nerd! So many specialty pop culture shops offer merchandise of a lot of series! Additionally, many larger cities show off science as a part of its culture, which I found to be amazing! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I also learned a new word during my trip - Keto. This is a diet that includes high animal fat and no sugars (even natural). This diet has taken California like a storm - it's recommended by every doctor and is advertised in every shop imaginable! Although it does obviously have some health benefits when done right, I could not believe how fashionable it was to have a Keto diet! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Finally, if you're gonna go road tripping around the US, I highly recommend the Air BNB system - we had whole houses that could hold up to 10 people for less than a hotel would have cost, in any location we wanted! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>Rescue Book Haul </b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">With the rise of Amazon and Kindle, bookstores in the US are loosing business. Thus, a whole collection of secondhand bookstores, as well as stores such as Barnes and Noble have entire sections where books are being sold for a fraction of their original price. This allowed me to rescue many, many books that I was happy to take home with me! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I was honored to bring 12 books home with me, each of which I find more intriguing than the next! These include... </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3Gv4AFemXXdQdnsJ5vEi3HLhrHV___uqWRQ8guhhZdpVVFu-UJoiGNTzHOV7kcJJjKaQwXeSRJjByEjzcEZLhBPp7550KKBbF30d3j29ZDP33ficrMJUmztEVcamuYreYYvqtU73hw-k/s1600/Screenshot+2019-08-21+at+5.42.21+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3Gv4AFemXXdQdnsJ5vEi3HLhrHV___uqWRQ8guhhZdpVVFu-UJoiGNTzHOV7kcJJjKaQwXeSRJjByEjzcEZLhBPp7550KKBbF30d3j29ZDP33ficrMJUmztEVcamuYreYYvqtU73hw-k/s320/Screenshot+2019-08-21+at+5.42.21+PM.png" width="315" /></a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">The Dark Days Club, by Alison Goodman</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">The Thousandth Floor, by Katharine McGee</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Legacy of Kings, by Eleanor Herman</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">The Serpent King, by Jeff Zenter</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">The Rest of the Story, by Sarah Dessn (Signed!) </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Sky without Stars, by Jessica Brody and Joanne Rendell</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">The Luxe, by Anna Godbersen (4/5 stars)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">The Night Circus, by Erin Morgenstern</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Scythe, by Neal Shusterman</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Fairest, by Gail Carson Levine (3/5 stars) </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">The Dream Thieves, by Maggie Stiefvater</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Satellite, by Nick Lake </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>Any opinions on which to read first would be greatly appreciated!</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Why did I take the risk of talking about the issues I saw as well, when I could have so easily brushed it off and glorified everything I saw? Because I believe that it is important to discuss such matters. So I want to encourage you, whoever you are and wherever you're from, to have a think about what you think is important. Go out and speak to someone you haven't spoken to and listen to stories. Check the news on the other side of your political view, read a book about a culture other than your own. Ask yourself why what you think is wrong is wrong, and why what you think is right is right. I wholly believe that the world will move forward once discussions happen about the important topics. There is no right or wrong answer. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>Overall, I loved my trip back to the states! There was so much to do and to see, and everything left me in awe! Everything screamed for its photo to be taken, and I had a lovely time with my family. </b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>Please use the comments to discuss this! I can't wait to hear your thoughts and opinions! </b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>Stay bookish! </b></span></div>
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Just Another Bookish Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13546606260871646035noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1557829005406423097.post-28471431061917479282019-08-17T17:02:00.000+02:002019-08-17T17:04:58.619+02:00Happy Book Lovers Day!<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Hey, all! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Happy book lover's day! (A week late, I know, but I've been running around a lot)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">For this occasion, I decided to create a tag! Feel free to complete it, you are all automatically tagged! </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6y8TtB0LUgLra2VL7JtgcBPCY84ZMPXvRzk5dM3pnkOf8IYuOVSawhhvqdvNrtiE-mUhRoGrdBVMFXWzLzUuG19hBCIl0M7mgOx2OzRiCQrFSyV6jhbJdpKzscurbp7ioUQsY4sENQn8/s1600/HappyBook-LoversDay-1-833x512.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="512" data-original-width="833" height="196" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6y8TtB0LUgLra2VL7JtgcBPCY84ZMPXvRzk5dM3pnkOf8IYuOVSawhhvqdvNrtiE-mUhRoGrdBVMFXWzLzUuG19hBCIl0M7mgOx2OzRiCQrFSyV6jhbJdpKzscurbp7ioUQsY4sENQn8/s320/HappyBook-LoversDay-1-833x512.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>1. Which book are you currently loving? </b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I just finished loving The Luxe by Anna Godbersen! It was a lovely and elegant about the New York high class in 1899. A review will be posted soon!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>2. Which books do you love the most? </b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">The series closest to my heart is most likely Percy Jackson and the Olympians, by Rick Riordan. My love for these book is immeasurable. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>3. You can hug any book character - which do you choose? </b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">James Carstairs ok? I'll say it over and over again. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>4. Which book did you not love so much? </b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I had a really difficult time with The Truth and Lies of Ella Black, by Emily Barr. However I'm really curious about another one of her books! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>5. What is the most bookish habit you have?</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">The second-hand book section at the bookstore has become my second home. Unless it's a release I've been anxiously waiting for, I will likely wait to see it on a second hand shelf and/or online before I buy it. I know it's not the best habit, but I'm a student, okay? Money's a thing. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>6. Who's your bookish OTP?</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Maybe not my top one, but one that should be discussed nonetheless. I loved America and Maxon's relationship in The Selection. They're so perfect together it's almost too much! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>7. Describe your ultimate book: genre, format, tropes, etc! </b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I would love to read a magical realism book that's light on the magic, with a beautiful yet simple hardcover. No insta love or love triangle, more a relationship that's not obvious yet is still beautiful. Maybe a fallen hero story? I don't want battle scenes that are too extensive, but definitely do want conflict and intrigue. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>8. Which book do you think everyone should read? </b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">The Giver, by Lois Lowry. Again, I'll say it over and over. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>9. Honestly, do you ever buy books because of their cover? </b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">All the time, did so just two days ago! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>10. Tag some other booklovers! </b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I tag you all! <3 </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>I hope you enjoyed this little tag I put together! </b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>Stay bookish! </b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span>Just Another Bookish Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13546606260871646035noreply@blogger.com0