#saw it on goodreads while looking for a different list. checked the editions for the last book. HIDEOUS covers. they have murdered my girl.

[three-bunnies-in-a-trenchcoat]

If anyone needs me the crushed and broken down 8 year old inside of me is going to be crying she just heard some devastating news about a book series she liked

[nitemice]

Hey, here's my latest post over on my main blog:

In May each year, comic book shops around the world participate in a one day event called Free Comic Book Day. For me, this year was my eighth year of going into the city to take part, and the first time I’d been on my own.

Free Comic Book Day happens on the first Saturday in May each year, and comic book shops offer a selection of free comics to patrons, usually without even making a purchase! Often it’s accompanied by a bit of a festival or celebration which the stores throw to try and encourage visitors to lay down some cash, and get involved in the day in various ways, such as by dressing up (cosplaying), or getting a caricature drawn of themselves.

Like last year, I was feeling pretty disillusioned by the whole thing this year due to various factors: having been to so many now, and visiting comic book stores on a regular basis. Also, the lineup of free comics announced for this year didn’t really contain many that got me excited. So I wasn’t too enthusiastic about going, plus none of my friends were interested this year. So I took it easy, and decided to go in a bit later and get out earlier.

It’s also worth mentioning that since last FCBD, one of the four comic book stores in Melbourne’s CBD has closed down: Classic Comics. This was a pretty big shock when it was announced in mid-2018 and has left a pretty big impact in a number of ways. For one, Classic Comics was the most competitively priced of Melbourne’s comic book shops. It was a small, family run business and always had a good spread for FCBD. It will be missed.

So I headed into the city for just after 9am, knowing that it usually quietens down by around then, so I wouldn’t need to line up for too long. Boy, was I wrong.

Minotaur

As I arrived at about 9:20am, I could see people walking away with Minotaur bags full of comics. There was no one outside, but the line inside snaked through pretty much the whole store and seemed to move extremely slowly. It ended up taking just under an hour to reach the front of the line.

Minotaur’s setup was essentially the same as every other year. The first 30 people in line got a bundle of all of this year’s FCBD comics, and the first 150 got a goodie bag with their selection of comics. Each person could pick 5 comics from the available range, which seemed to include most comics on this year’s FCBD list, with family-friendly comics marked as such. However, on the board where they displayed all the free comics available, a few were missing this year. Initially I just assumed that those comics weren’t available, but I heard a woman after me ask about one of them, and it turned out that they were just in boxes still. This was especially disappointing as the missing comics seemed to all be indie titles, which many people wouldn’t realise weren’t there. Given one of the main purposes of FCBD is to promote the art, in all its variety and diversity to people who wouldn’t otherwise be exposed to it, this was a pretty unfortunate and disappointing occurrence.

Minotaur also had 15% off full price sale over the course of the day.

Comics-R-Us

After wandering around Minotaur for far too long, I decided to give Comics-R-Us a go, as they almost never have a long line. I got there just after 11am, and was through the line in 5 minutes or less.

Comics-R-Us too used their typical setup, where people pick the comics they want from a display board, with one staff member serving them, and another staff member picking the comics out and bagging them. This double-staff situation is mainly only necessary because there are so many comics with the same or similar names on the board that need clarification. This year, they had returned to letting people choose 3 comics each. The selection was dominated by older FCBD comics, along with various ‘true believer’ editions which are supposed to sell for a dollar, so it’s always nice to see them as an option.

It was noticeably subdued in Comics-R-Us, with less decorations or festivities than other years. I overheard one of the staff mention that this was a conscious decision, although I didn’t catch why, and they even recommended visiting All-Star Comics for their costume competition.

All-Star Comics

Although I didn’t actually visit All-Star Comics, this year was the first time I’d checked out their Artists Alley, which they put on each year on FCBD. And the name is fairly apt; it was literally an alley full of artists doing caricatures or drawing requests, and I think a few were signing art. Located in the alley inside 333 Collins, it was a bit cramped, with queues taking up all the walking space in spots. Although, it was good to be in an enclosed space, out of the rain and wind.

I also observed All-Star from the outside, and the line looked a little shorter than about the same time of day last year. It looked like they were using the same queueing system as last year too, with 3 phases of queue, although they seemed to be moving relatively quickly. I also saw they again employed the use of little flyers listing all the comics on offer, so people could make their decision while in the line. I like this system, and it has interesting ramifications for the other comic book shops around the city. Once someone has visited All-Star, they have a list of comics they want and that should be available. In theory, this allows these people to move through the other stores more quickly and decisively as well. When a store’s offerings differ from this, this difference is made obvious, for better or worse.

In the end, I managed to pick up 9 new comics, with no duplicates this year. However, of the 6 or so comics I was interested in, I only picked up 4.

If you want to see what I thought of the comics I grabbed, or other comics I read, you can follow along on the League of Comic Geeks or on Goodreads.

As I’ve said many times before, I highly recommend visiting a few comic book shops on Free Comic Book Day. It’s a fun time, and you end up with free comics! What more could you want!

To Infinity and Beyond, Nitemice

[televinita]

Liiiiiibrary triage!

I’ve somehow only read 2 books in the last 2 weeks and part of that is because work is tiring, but part of it is that everything I currently have checked out is SO appealing to me that I can’t seem to settle down and dig into one, so maybe it will help if I talk it out.

1. The Gilded Ones - Namina Forma (ONE DAY I’ll remember this poor author’s name and stop trying to write Nina Formina...): I’m about 40 pages in and it’s upsettingly violent and kind of hard to swallow the premise, but it’s also fascinating? I already love Deka. Most frustrating is that I’ve also spent the last week desperately looking for an interesting audiobook with a good narrator to help me fall asleep, and finally checked this one out just so I could continue the story while going to bed at 10pm, and I’m frustrated that her voice is PERFECT but I’m not sure I want to listen to such violence in carefully articulated detail that I can’t skim.

2. Bitter End - Jennifer Brown: Grabbed to reread because in the wake of rewatching Melissa Benoist’s video, I’d like to process that story through my preferred lens of fictional prose, and I already thought this one was above-average 10 years ago.

3. Everything Leads to You - Nina LaCour: I made a special trip to the other library to get this one because the premise of a teenage set designer in Hollywood REALLY appeals to me, and I’m finally ready to start working through her novels. But also, the idea is SO good that I’ve been putting it off for 7 years already.

4. Seven Perfect Things - Catherine Ryan Hyde: Grabbed it while I was out at the other library, but I still haven’t figured out how to cast this and I think I might end up sending it back just because I don’t want to spoil it by doing it wrong.

5. Lucky T - Kate Brian: Random grab at the library when I picked up Bitter End, because I took one look at it and was like HOLY CRAP THROWBACK, and lo, when I opened the cover I found it was indeed from 2005 (like “from the author of The Princess and the Pauper” on the front hadn’t already given it away). Everything in me wants to be swept away by a light-hearted, silly YA novel from this era, the kind I used to read by the dozen when I made my contemporary reading selections based entirely on whatever I ran across at the library. The only problem is that it doesn’t fit a specific craving, so I should probably leave it ‘til last, but also if I do that then odds are a new craving that needs multiple books will crop up by the time I get to it.

6. Georgia Peaches and Other Forbidden Fruit - Jaye Robin Brown: I’ve contemplated reading this a couple of times before, and I keep ditching out because f/f still isn’t really my thing, but as YA gets more diverse, the same-sex-relationship books have gotten more well rounded and less Entirely About Being Gay and Different. This one looks like a pretty solid contemporary, lighter than all the others on this list....but on the other hand, just saw on Goodreads that there are “a couple of fairly explicit sex scenes” so now I have 3 to 1 odds on ditching out again.

EDIT:

7. Struck By Lightning: The Carson Phillips Journal - Chris Colfer

I’ve been saying for almost 10 years that I’m saving this for after I watch the movie, and I was about to say “screw it, maybe I just read the book while the library still has it,” but turns out SBL IS FINALLY ON A FREE STREAMING SERVICE so as soon as I finish this project and watch my two brand-new library DVDs with massive waitlists on them, that’s happening. And then so is this.

[ninasoden]

Would you prefer to watch the video, instead of reading the review? CLICK HERE

TITLE: One Two See AUTHOR: Bob Lee

RATING OVERVIEW Writing: ★★ Story: ★★★★ Characters: ★★★★ Appearance: ★★ Overall: ★★★ (3)

GOODREADS DESCRIPTION: Counting enables Andrew Strong to see the future. He has to be careful though as changing the future can get people killed. He decides to ask a psychiatrist for help but has to save his life first and convince him that his abilities are real. Even with help, it’s hard to stop a kidnapping and break up a Miami Street gang while you’re falling in love.

Buy the book HERE!

WRITING (★★): I love reading. I love supporting self-published authors. I love a captivating story that draws me in… or at least a story that intrigues me. This one did that, which is why I was able to overlook the obvious lack of editing. However, because it was so obvious, I couldn’t give the writing anything higher than a 2-star rating.

I double checked the copyright page, wanting to make sure I was correct, and no editor was listed. It’s sad, because so many readers will put a book down faster than they pick them up, if there are too many editing issues in the first chapter. This story, as you will read next, was very interesting, but the constant grammar issues and incorrectly used words was very distracting.

Just a couple of examples would be the use of the words coarse and cloths

Instead of saying ‘of course’ the author used ‘of coarse’ throughout the book. This happened several times, to the point that I began counting and then lost count. Sure, the two words are pronounced the same, but they have different meanings. Coarse is always an adjective meaning “rough or crude” and is often used to describe the texture of something like a material. “This shirt is so coarse, it makes my skin itch.” Course, on the other hand, can be used in several different ways, the most commonly used, of course, is ‘of course.” However, it also can be used as ‘a route, direction, or path’ that something is going. “The trail’s course was steep and winding.” It can be a series of lessons, such as those learned in school. “I’m taking a debate course and learning all about public speaking.”

Cloth, which refers to fabric or material was used in the plural ‘cloths’ throughout the book in place of the word ‘clothes.’ This word wasn’t used nearly as often as ‘coarse’, but it was enough that I remembered it.

These are simple mistakes that could have been fixed by the use of an editor. As a self-published author, I know the importance of utilizing beta readers and a professional – PAID – editor before publication. I’m an author, my passion is in the written word… telling my story… and seeing where my characters take me. I am not an editor, which I’m sure if you’ve read enough of my blog posts you can tell. However, that is why all of my books go through extensive rounds of beta-reader edits as well as multiple rounds of professional editing.

My suggestion to Mr. Lee would be, “get this book professionally edited then, republish with a new cover.”

STORY (★★★★): I probably would not have picked this book up if I saw it in the bookstore. The fact that it isn’t available in bookstores, or anywhere I could find online, would make it hard to pick up anyway. However, if I did see it, I can say, I wouldn’t have bought it. The cover alone turned me off, but I’ll get to that later.

The first grammar error I noticed was on the back cover, not a great sign. However, a friend loaned me the book and said she really enjoyed it. She knew the author and wanted to know if I wanted to read it. Since I love reading, I said sure. I pushed aside the grammatical issues and just focused on the storyline. I won’t lie, it’s intriguing. The author is able to weave together a number of small plots very well. He brings characters together at just the right moments and ties them into the main story in a pretty seamless way. Once I got into the story, I was invested in knowing where it was going and what would happen next. Andrew’s ability to count things and see the future was exciting and somewhat daunting at the same time.

There were times when the story seemed to drag on, giving a bit too much exposition. However, in the end, it all tied together and as a reader I was thankful for all the extra scenes he plugged in throughout the book that didn’t seem to be necessary at the time I read them. I know, that may seem a bit cryptic, but I really don’t want to give to much away. I think, for the story alone, this book is worth reading. You just have to be prepared to ignore the grammar.

CHARACTERS (★★★★): Lee brings together two very unlikely characters and turns them into fast friends. That part didn’t bother me. I could envision Andrew and Leo as friends. The character development and back story of both Andrew and Leo was well written, although Bob Lee often used dialogue to tell the reader, instead of descriptive language to show the reader what he wanted us to know.

I felt that the book was a bit to dialogue heavy at times and Lee doesn’t always tell you who is talking, so there were times when I lost track and wasn’t sure who said what.

With all that in mind, I have to say he did a wonderful job of fleshing out the character of Andrew Strong. He is a fully developed character with a complete back-story and a consistent attitude throughout the book. There isn’t much growth for any of the characters, but there is conflict throughout and obstacles that they all have to find their way through.

APPEARANCE (★★): There are two titles for this book ‘1-2-See’ and ‘One Two See’. There are also two covers for this book, the one above (on the left) which I found on Amazon and the one on the right, which I read. Neither does the book justice. The one on amazon looks like a child using scissors and glue put it together. The one I have just had no imagination to it.

A novel’s cover is the first impression a reader has of your book, of you. If the cover isn’t appealing, readers will not pick up the book. As an author, I highly recommend hiring a professional cover artist as part of your preparation for publication. There is so much to this story. I feel a real cover artist could have given it a great, eye-catching cover that would have drawing readers to it.

Check out my YouTube channel and the video review below… and make sure you hit subscribe so you never miss a video.

https://youtu.be/k7boJFtz2B4

Have you read One Two See by Bob Lee? Check out my thoughts on the story, the cover, the writing, and so much more, here! #FridayReads #amreading #authorlife #bookreview #ninasodenbooks Would you prefer to watch the video, instead of reading the review? CLICK HERE TITLE: One Two See…

[instantlit]

End of the Year Survey - 2018

Another bookish year has come and gone, and I'm really happy with what 2018 brought me, in terms of reading at least. I've had quite the unexpected year but I've also never read quite so many books I've liked so wholeheartedly. So, here's my year in review! 

Also, you can check out my Year in Books: 2018 Edition on Goodreads!

(Under the cut because it’s hella-long)

Number Of Books You Read: As is becoming a habit, I've put my Goodreads Reading Goal at 25 and, while I did pretty great last year by reading 33 books, I've surpassed that number even more in 2018 with 38 books in total! (I’m stopping at 38 at least, I’m kind of rereading something at the moment, but I’m not including it since it’s just to pass the time) Some might think that I should put a higher number as my goal since I can do it apparently, but know that most of the books I’ve read this year were shorter or, at least, I’ve read less big books in 2018. Also, I like the freedom I feel when I see that I'm ahead of schedule. It allows me to pick bigger books or books that I wouldn't have tried by fear of fucking up my quota. Anyway, I'm really happy and I hope 2019 will go just the same. Number of Re-Reads: Only one this year and that was during the month of January, when I was still at my mom's place for the Christmas holidays, stranded without any new books to read. So, it was with pleasure that I revisited an old favourite: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, my favourite in the series. It made me fall in love with Remus Lupin even more. Genre You Read The Most From: It's so hard to define because it's been all over the place this year. I think, while most of the books I've read don't really fit the Fantasy category, most of them contain some kind of magical element, so maybe I'd say Magical Realism? Without any true conviction though. I could also have easily said Literary or Adult Fiction.

Best Book You Read In 2018: It's so difficult to narrow it down to only just one book, though! After much deliberation, I'll go with Station Eleven by Emily St John Mandel, because it's just that good! Also, I think this book's got something in it for every type of reader: it's a character-driven story but in an apocalyptic/post-apocalyptic setting, there are different perspectives but they're done well and connect in the end, there's talk of literature and philosophy, but one of the main focus is also a famous Hollywood actor... I don't know, I feel like I could recommend this book to anyone and they'll probably like it. That's not something that happens to me a lot.       Book You Were Excited About & Thought You Were Going To Love More But Didn’t: All Our Wrong Todays by Elan Mastai, which is sort of my own fault. I mean, the reviews are not bad, but I'd just hyped this book so much because it's about time-travel and alternate realities... I even picked it up pretty quickly considering the fact that some books have been in my TBR for years. But, in the end, it was a huge disappointment for many, many reasons. The first of which is that the main character is a complete idiot, who has no redeeming qualities, who doesn't make sensible decisions and who expects people to feel sympathy for him constantly. It's also so obviously written by a man ™ , what with the way that Mr. MC sleeps with every female character in the book, except his mother and sister (thank Merlin for that), while none of them are developed beyond what they bring to the main character. It was ridiculous.     

Most surprising (in a good way or bad way) book you read: It feels like ten thousand years have gone by since I've read this book, but no, it was only last February: My Lady Jane, by Cynthia Hand & Co. The reason I was surprised was because the hype was so strong with this one. I hadn't read a single negative review, and everyone and their mother seemed to have loved it. It's not like I was expecting to hate it. I was hoping so hard that I would end up raving about it but, it still surprised me. It's kind of silly and lighthearted, and not at all the kind of stories you'd expect when you hear "Jane Grey retelling", but it was an amazing read: super quick, terribly hilarious, and just fun all around.   Book You “Pushed” The Most People To Read (And They Did): I don't recommend books to people! My tastes are so specifically mine that I don't like to recommend books, unless I'm one hundred percent sure they'd be interested. That being said, one of my friends has The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss on her shelves, but still hasn't read it, so I allowed myself to vouch for it. Best series you started in 2018 / Best Sequel of 2018 / Best Series Ender of 2018: Except for the Best Starter, which I feel strongly about, most of those are by default (mostly), because series haven't been a big part of my reading life this year.

Starter: The Poppy War, by R.F. Kuang

Sequel: Waking Gods, by Sylvain Neuvel

Ender: Muse of Nightmares, by Laini Taylor Favorite new author you discovered in 2018: It's kind of a difficult question, though. I've read many new authors this year (or at least, they were new to me), but not one of them made me go "Oh my God, I have to read everything they ever published!" simply based on the writing itself. I guess I'll go with Min Jin Lee. Pachinko plunged me into the Korean immigrant experience, and I'm asking for more. I already got my hands on her previous book, and I know that a third one is coming up soon-ish.   Best book from a genre you don’t typically read / was out of your comfort zone: The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield. It's a mystery/ghost story, and I don't usually read those, but it was an amazing experience. The writing was beautiful, the setting was eerie and the story was gripping until the very last page. Total success! Most action-packed / thrilling / unputdownable book of the year: Hands down, the Poppy War by R.F. Kuang wins in terms of Most Action-y. I mean, it's about a war. It's the perfect mix between Game of Thrones and Mulan so, it's not really a surprise, but everything in it was thrilling. There were some really gruesome and graphic moments of carnage but I think it all contributed in making it unputdownable. Book You Read In 2018 That You Are Most Likely To Re-Read Next Year: Easy: none of them! I already have a pretty tight reread schedule for 2019, six books in total, which is more than my yearly average but I'm committed. In any case, it doesn't leave much room for more, I don't want to crawl through the weight. That being said, I thought I would be rereading the Six of Crows duology in 2018 and I didn't, so... And look at me! I'm doing it in 2019, yeah!

Favorite cover of a book you read in 2018:

Most memorable character of 2018: By the end of the year, I fear the full effect of this or that character has usually dimmed quite a bit, but! I nominate Noah from Min Jin Lee's Pachinko, because I thought about him and his story for months, and I mean months (very long months), after I finished the book. Most beautifully written book read in 2018: Well, I've read a Donna Tartt novel this year, so... The Goldfinch. Easy win. Most Thought-Provoking / Life-Changing Book of 2018: I'm going to go with Pachinko again because it marks such a drastic turn in my reading life and my overall interests. I'm getting into Korean culture, I'm learning Korean so, of course, I'm getting interested about what Koreans do in terms of literature. And, while Pachinko was not the first one I picked, it's the one that remained with me ever since. It does such a brilliant job of describing the Korean immigrant experience in Japan that it has to make you react in some way. The story is also very diverse and nuanced, and I loved that. Book you can’t believe you waited UNTIL 2018 to finally read: A Midsummer Night's Dream by Shakespeare. Okay, to tell this story, I have to go back a little bit. I've studied literature, but not specifically English literature, so Shakespeare has never been a priority on the curriculum. I read Romeo & Juliet for a class in high-school, and was vaguely planning to read King Lear and Hamlet in college when I did a course on Theatre but, while I bought both of them, I never even opened the first page. I was never planning on ever reading anymore Shakespeare, because I thought I was not into reading plays and, anyway, since all my reading is in English now, that means I'd have to read the original which is in Old English. Haha, no way. But, in the meantime, I got interested in this particular play of his, I saw the ballet, knew the story and the characters, but had not read the work in itself. So, I decided to give it a go... and it was absolutely fantastic. It's funny in many different ways, it's clever, entertaining, it's got a bit of magic in it which soothes the Fantasy nerd in me. It was basically perfect and I rated it 5 stars, directly added it to my list of favourites. I'll read more of his plays in 2019, they're on the list!     Favorite Passage / Quote From A Book You Read In 2018: Honestly, I couldn’t think of anything, although I know there has to be one. So, allow me to quote a passage from Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream:

[Helena to Demetrius]: Your virtue is my privilege. For that / It is not night when I do see your face, / Therefore I think I am not in the night, / Nor doth this wood lacks worlds of company, / For you, in my respect, are all the world. / Then how can it be said I am alone / When all the world is here to look on me?

Of course, Demetrius, then, proceeds to be a giant dick to her, again, but well...

Shortest & Longest Book You Read In 2018:

Shortest: Opal by Maggie Stiefvater - 38 pages

Longest: The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt - 864 pages Book That Shocked You The Most: I don’t think I’ve read any book that shocked me in the sense the question is intended but, since I have to give an answer, I’m going with More Than This by Patrick Ness, because this book just fucks with your head and makes you question reality at every turn of the page.  

OTP OF THE YEAR (you will go down with this ship!) Bitty and Jack from Ngozi's Check, Please! To be fair, I already knew about them because of the webcomic and, technically, their relationship is only just starting in this first volume, hasn't technically started yet if you're into specifics, but they’re the best and probably the only pairing that really matches with this category. Favorite Non-Romantic Relationship Of The Year: Last year's answer was about a boy and his father and, well, this year, it's a girl and her mother: Frances and her mom from Radio Silence by Alice Oseman. They have the perfect mother-daughter relationship based on love, trust and independence. They're nerding out together, but Frances' mom is also a huge support system for her and just surrounds her with all the warmth!   Favorite Book You Read in 2018 From An Author You’ve Read Previously: I could answer The Goldfinch but I'm trying to prove that I haven't only read 3 books this year and, anyway, my answer is still relevant: Circe by Madeline Miller. The Song of Achilles is an eternal favourite of mine, and the fact that she took Circe's not very developed/barely mentioned story and turned it into something more and something brilliant, only makes me more curious and excited about what she'll do next.   Best Book You Read In 2018 That You Read Based SOLELY On A Recommendation From Somebody Else / Peer Pressure: The Poppy War. The hype was SO strong! It's also a 2018 release and, I mean, I didn't really waste any time in picking it up. That's how fast they got me.   Newest fictional crush from a book you read in 2018: Noah from Pachinko was a strong contender, but I rediscovered Sam in Before the Devil Breaks You by Libba Bray, the third book in the Diviners series, and I loved what I saw. He's not exactly new, but I don't remember crushing on him in the previous books. Best 2018 debut you read: By default, it's the Poppy War. While it's definitely the strongest, I do think that there's room for improvement but, seriously, the author is only like, 22! Who cares?   Best Worldbuilding / Most Vivid Setting You Read This Year: Last year, my answer was Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor and, since I've just read its sequel and conclusion, I could technically answer with Muse of Nightmares, but that'd be the same answer, and I don't want to cheat so, I'm going with Every Heart a Doorway by Seanan McGuire. The book itself is super short, but it's part of a series of novellas focusing on parallel Narnia-like universes: they're called Portal Fantasy. The first book introduces us to a special school for people who went through magical doors and spent time in these magical universes, who were then sent back to their original worlds, and the repercussions this entails. Basically, it's a look at what would happen after Alice came back from Wonderland, it's a closer look at the PTSD effects the Pevensies should have suffered from after their adventures in Narnia, it's the loss Claire went through in Outlander once she was back in her present day. It is so fascinating, and I loved the fact that multiple universes exist and that each character was completely influenced and molded by the one they were sent to. It opens such a large variety of possibilities and I can't wait to get my hands on the other books. Book That Put A Smile On Your Face / Was The Most FUN To Read: There are a few possible candidates, but I'd like to mention a book I haven't talked about yet: The Prince and the Dressmaker by Jen Wang. It's a graphic novel about a young prince who likes to wear dresses. He entrusts a young seamstress with this secret and, together (the prince with his looks, and the dressmaker with her designs) become the talk and the envy of all Paris. It's very light-hearted and the characters are so endearing. It made me laugh and put a smile on my face because of the positive message of acceptance and self-love. Book That Made You Cry Or Nearly Cry in 2018: The closest I've come to crying was reading Noah's parts in Pachinko. Otherwise, had I been in another setting (and not at the beach), I think All the Lights We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr would have pulled a good cry from me, it's just beautifully heartbreaking. Hidden Gem Of The Year: I'm going with Radio Silence by Alice Oseman. People are starting to be more vocal about it, which is amazing, but I feel like it's not up to where it should be. The story is amazing, terribly relatable, it talks about fandom and internet culture, there's amazing mental health representation AND the cast of main characters is incredibly diverse in terms of ethnicity and sexuality! That last part alone should be enough to make everyone rave about it on Tumblr and draw fanart. Where are you people at? Book That Crushed Your Soul: Pachinko. Sorry. Most Unique Book You Read In 2018: Again, nothing new: Station Eleven, because I don't think I've ever read quite anything like it.

Favorite review you wrote in 2018: Probably my review of Radio Silence. I just had so much fun with it and, unlike many other reviews, the words came to me naturally. It was basically writing itself, and I just love when that happens. Best bookish discovery (book related sites, book stores, etc.): PODCASTS! I'm just becoming a true podcasts aficionado. I'm following so many, and many of them are related to books in some way. A lot of them are fictions, but my favourite at the moment is Myths and Legends, where they talk about famous but also not-very-known stories. From Mulan to a very obscure character from Arthurian legends to Viking and oriental folklore, every culture gets its fair share and the stories are all weird but awesome. Did you complete any reading challenges or goals that you had set for yourself at the beginning of this year: Only the Goodreads Challenge, as usually, but it's also the only one I participated in.

One Book You Didn’t Get To In 2018 But Will Be Your Number 1 Priority in 2019: All Out, the short story collection with lots of queer characters in it! I am literally dying to get my hands on it, and I was supposed to read it during Christmas, and then shit happened and my plans got messed up, but it's my absolute priority for 2019! Book You Are Most Anticipating For 2019 (non-debut):The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern. At first, I wasn't planning on reading it. Like, yeah sure, she wrote one of my favourite books of all time, but that doesn't mean  that she can do it again. And then, I read the synopsis and, basically, there's no way I'm not reading this book. It's almost too perfect to be real. Fingers crossed! 2019 Debut You Are Most Anticipating: I can't really think of one, at the moment. But the same thing happened last year, and I did read a bunch of debuts. Series Ending / A Sequel You Are Most Anticipating in 2019: It's already been published, but I will read it in 2019, so I'm counting it: Only Human by Sylvain Neuvel. I'm still surprised by how into this series I am. It's really great and I think the best is to come.   One Thing You Hope To Accomplish Or Do In Your Reading / Blogging Life In 2019: I'm proud to say that my 2018 resolution was completely accomplished. Hurray! Now, for 2019, I want to keep being excited about books and read books that excite me. I DNFed only one book in 2018, but a few were terribly disappointing and, while I know it's not possible to predict which books I'll end up disliking, I want to be better prepared and to choose wisely or, at least, to still keep an open-minded view so as to enjoy as many books as I'll get my hands on.   A 2019 Release You’ve Already Read & Recommend To Everyone (if applicable): Again, I'm not one to recommend books and, also, I'm not too great on knowing in advance what books are coming up + I don’t receive ARCs, but I know for a fact that the Poppy War sequel is planned for 2019, so that's my pick. I'm hoping for the Dragon Republic to be even better!  

[magiccaughtoncamera]

This is the third year in a row I’m doing this tag and two years ago my blog was a tiny baby blog and now it’s grown so much (I’m getting sentimental). I’m so grateful for how far I’ve come and I’m so grateful that you all support me and my content, thank you!

Now that I’ve gotten the cheesy stuff out of the way, let’s get into the tag. It’s almost halfway through 2018, so it’s the perfect time to look back at what I’ve read in the past six months. I’ve read about 60 books (I’m writing this in advance so I can’t go any more specific than that but check my goodreads if you want more details), and loved the large majority of them! I’ve discovered some new favourites and overall had a great time reading!

I was tagged by the lovely Ruby, go check out her blog here!

The best book you’ve read so far in 2017

I’ve had added only two books to my “favorites” shelf, but I always struggle with picking my favorites. I always love books a lot but never so much that it really sticks out from the other books I loved. Anyway, I’m going to go with… I CAN’T CHOOSE. I’m just gonna pick two because they were both personally really important to me and also really fun!

  Your favourite sequel of the year

Obsidio!! Okay, it wasn’t perfect but I love that series with all my heart (seriously, it broke it so many times, I think it just tricked me into thinking I love it). The new characters were a bit meh but I liked them nonetheless and *screams “Kady” into empty space*. I just have so many feelings for this series, and Obsidio was a pretty darn good conclusion!

A new release that you haven’t read but really want to

Let’s Talk About Love has been on my TBR since I first heard about it and I just need to read it. I just need to get my act together and buy myself a copy of that pretty thing and read it. It has an ACE POC MC (I’m pretty sure she’s also biromantic)!!!

Most anticipated release for the second half of the year

So last year my most anticipated release for this question was All The Crooked Saints and I still haven’t read it oops. Let’s hope it’s different this time. I’m just gonna make a little list because I honestly have too many to just pick one!

First and foremost: The Lady’s Guide to Petticoats and Piracy by Mackenzi Lee- If I die before I read this book, someone better go to my grave and read it to my dead body because there ain’t no way I’m missing out on this book. It has the epic wonderful aro-ace Felicity as main character and my babies Monty and Percy better be in there. ALSO: SCIENCE GIRL GANGS, HELL YES.

others: Vengeful by V.E. Schwab (I still haven’t read the first book but shhhh I will), Summer Bird Blue by Akemi Dawn Bowman, Muse of Nightmares by Laini Taylor.

  Your biggest disappointment

I can’t really think of any one book that stood out, but perhaps The Opposite of Loneliness because I thought it was just very boring. I more often than not do not finish books I don’t enjoy so if I picked from those it’d be Stalking Jack the Ripper though I only read about a quarter of that. (rant review here)

Biggest surprise of the year

My biggest surprise was probably Far From The Tree by Robin Benway because I went in with no expectations whatsoever and ended up absolutely adoring it!

Favourite new to you or debut author

Ashley Herring Blake (new to me) and Laura Steven (debut)! I’ve read ARCs of both of their 2018 releases and now I definitely need to try and read everything they’ve written or will write!

  Your new fictional crush

I don’t do crushes.

New favourite character

Felicity Montague from The Gentlemen’s Guide to Vice and Virtue!!! I just relate and look up to her so much!

A book that made you cry

I don’t remember if I read anything that made me really cry, only books that made me cry because I was laughing so hard (The Gentlemen’s Guide) or because they were hurtful…

A book that made you happy

I’m really trying not to mention The Gentlemen’s Guide to Vice and Virtue for every question so let’s go with something else. Not Your Sidekick by C.B. Lee and the sequel Not Your Villain both made me really happy! They’re just so sweet and uncomplicated without being boring at all!

  Your favourite book to movie adaptation that you’ve seen this year

I saw Love, Simon a few weeks ago and loved it!! (except the ending)

Favourite book post you’ve done this year

The most popular post I’ve done in the past 6 months was this one which is about ARCs and alternatives to Netgalley, and as much as I enjoyed doing the series on ARCs with a focus on international reviewers, those are not my favourite posts! My favourite is definitely my post about Simon Spier and the rise of LGBT+ stories. I absolutely adored the response it got and I got to interact with a lot of lovely people and hear their stories and it was wonderful! I’ve been wanting to do more similar posts but I lack the inspiration.

The most beautiful book you’ve bought/received this year

I actually haven’t bought that many physical books (I read a lot of ebooks and audiobooks) lately but here are some of my highlights:

  What are some books you need to read by the end of the year

My TBR is very plain right now, I’ve been ignoring it for a while and barely ever add books to it but I’d like to read Queens of Geek and Let’s Talk About Love (and all the before-mentioned books I’m anticipating of course).

  Did you do this tag? What was your favourite read of 2018 so far? Do you agree with any of my choices? Do you have a favourite post you’ve written this year? Let me know! I’d love to read it (if I haven’t already)

The Mid-Year Book Freak-Out Tag | 2018 edition This is the third year in a row I'm doing this tag and two years ago my blog was a tiny baby blog and now it's grown so much (I'm getting sentimental).

[fesahaawit]

The Case for Slow Reading

This is a guest post from my friend Erin. In it, she shares something I’ve practiced long before any other slow living experiment. Before, I thought I would write a post explaining why I’m not a fan of listening to books/podcasts on 1.5x or 2x speed, but Erin did it for me! Enjoy!

When reading Cait’s many thoughts on living slowly and mindfully, it got me thinking about reading slowly, and how I’ve been taking more time to read through both books and articles without even realizing it. And a lot of it is due to the arrival of my son.

I first discovered Goodreads in 2011 and found myself in heaven. Finally, a solid way to track all of the books I’ve read, organize them into different categories, and find and bookmark books I wanted to read. And then, I saw the Goodreads Reading Challenge.

You challenge yourself to read a certain number of books by the end of the year, and it keeps track of your progress, letting you know if you’re behind or ahead of schedule.

In 2016, I read more than was necessary to complete the challenge. I was pregnant for most of the year and found myself consuming books even more readily than usual. I went through the entire Harry Potter series, a number of memoirs, and countless other gems. Sometimes I read aloud to the baby—sometimes kids books, sometimes not. But I was always reading. I finished up The Chemist while in early labor.

As soon as 2017 hit, and the baby was born on January 8th, I found my time for reading decreased, but more importantly, I began taking the time to really enjoy books when I did read.

Slowing Down for Long-Term Books and Audiobooks

Once the baby was here if I had a moment to myself to read, I wanted to savor it. I also found myself picking up what I like to call “book-in-between-books.”

Books like What to Expect the First Year (by the same author as What to Expect When You’re Expecting and Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child are not books that you devour as quickly as you can to move onto the next book; they’re not typically read cover to cover. They’re intended to follow the life of the child, and you read along as the kid gets older. These are the type of books you return to again and again to look things up or reread a passage.

Initially, I was annoyed that I’d read a good portion of (but not yet finished) a couple of these book-in-between-books but I wasn’t able to close them out yet on Goodreads. But then I realized these books aren’t items to be crossed off a list. The point isn’t to read as fast as you can so you can put the book out of sight, out of mind, to move onto the next read. They’re meant to be relished over time.

And frankly, they’re intended to learn from too. They’re non-fiction, informative books that are teaching me about how to be a better mom. I don’t want to fly through them just to say I’ve read them.

Similarly, I’ve gotten into audiobooks in recent years, and I’ve found that sometimes I have to go back and listen to a passage or chapter again to better understand what I’m “reading.” It can take me awhile to get through these.

But that’s okay. I’m not going to turn up the speed and listen to them as fast as I can so I can read more and more and more and more. If I did that I’d barely be able to enjoy or even process the books, so what would be the point? Could I even really say I’d read the book, at that juncture?

Reading Slower at Work

I’m a writer/editor at a marketing company. I got the job in early 2016, right as I found out I was pregnant (yes, it was awkward timing for me). In the beginning, I tried to pump out articles as quickly as I could. I wanted to demonstrate that they could rely on me to get pieces done fast.

But you know what happens if you rush through an article? You have more edits. Things get missed. You forget to check the spelling of a name, you miss pertinent information in a press release, you’re so busy getting the words down you forget who your demographic even is.

At some point, my editor said something to me along the lines of:

“It’s okay to slow down and take a little more time. We’d rather it get done correctly than quickly.”

And again, this is when I was pregnant, which for some reason put me in go-go-go mode as far as reading—and writing—went. So I started to make myself slow down.

One way I force myself to do this is when reading articles as research for a piece sometimes, I actually retype everything I’m reading as I’m reading it. I could just whiz through reading an article, or, I could take the time to type it out, so I have to carefully think out each word, each sentence, each paragraph. This really helps me to better take in the information and not miss something important.

Taking Time to Read with the Kid

I’ll admit, sometimes I’m ready for him to go to bed, so I can get on with my evening. I’m occasionally tempted to race through Goodnight, Goodnight, Construction Site so I can get him in his crib and I can go and do yoga/watch my soap opera/read my own book.

But I can’t do that. He deserves to take the time to enjoy books, too.

Before I had a kid, when I was babysitting or watching other people’s kids, I would hate how we’d have to pause several times when reading a book. I’d say something like, “And then the bunny hopped across the lawn,” and the kid would interrupt me with, “Bunny!!” while enthusiastically banging his or her hands on the book.

I’d respond with, “…yes, bunny. As I was saying…” I just wanted to read through the story. But little kids don’t read that way. They need to stop and point things out and pull tabs on pop up books.

With my kid, he’s not yet a year old, so he’s not quite talking (other than “Dadadadada”), but from what I’ve read in What to Expect the First Year, during this time period you need to be the one to stop during the story. You must be the one to point out what’s going on in the book, before he can do this himself.

“Look at the little girl eating blueberries. Blueberries are yummy and sweet.” Or, “That’s a cow. Cows go ‘moo.'” Goodnight Moon is particularly great for this, as it has quite a few objects in the book that are excellent for examining: mittens, kittens, a mouse, a brush, a bowl.

Kids need to read slower. There must be interruptions, discussions, the pointing out of various things. Time to take a couple of moments to digest what we’re reading. We could all probably benefit from taking a chapter out of their book.

Erin Nudi is a writer/editor for a marketing company in Glens Falls, New York, just south of the beautiful Adirondack Region. She’s also an aspiring novelist and has her own small blog on the side, ErinNudi.com.

The Case for Slow Reading posted first on http://ift.tt/2lnwIdQ

[fesahaawit]

The Case for Slow Reading

This is a guest post from my friend Erin. In it, she shares something I’ve practiced long before any other slow living experiment. Before, I thought I would write a post explaining why I’m not a fan of listening to books/podcasts on 1.5x or 2x speed, but Erin did it for me! Enjoy!

When reading Cait’s many thoughts on living slowly and mindfully, it got me thinking about reading slowly, and how I’ve been taking more time to read through both books and articles without even realizing it. And a lot of it is due to the arrival of my son.

I first discovered Goodreads in 2011 and found myself in heaven. Finally, a solid way to track all of the books I’ve read, organize them into different categories, and find and bookmark books I wanted to read. And then, I saw the Goodreads Reading Challenge.

You challenge yourself to read a certain number of books by the end of the year, and it keeps track of your progress, letting you know if you’re behind or ahead of schedule.

In 2016, I read more than was necessary to complete the challenge. I was pregnant for most of the year and found myself consuming books even more readily than usual. I went through the entire Harry Potter series, a number of memoirs, and countless other gems. Sometimes I read aloud to the baby—sometimes kids books, sometimes not. But I was always reading. I finished up The Chemist while in early labor.

As soon as 2017 hit, and the baby was born on January 8th, I found my time for reading decreased, but more importantly, I began taking the time to really enjoy books when I did read.

Slowing Down for Long-Term Books and Audiobooks

Once the baby was here if I had a moment to myself to read, I wanted to savor it. I also found myself picking up what I like to call “book-in-between-books.”

Books like What to Expect the First Year (by the same author as What to Expect When You’re Expecting and Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child are not books that you devour as quickly as you can to move onto the next book; they’re not typically read cover to cover. They’re intended to follow the life of the child, and you read along as the kid gets older. These are the type of books you return to again and again to look things up or reread a passage.

Initially, I was annoyed that I’d read a good portion of (but not yet finished) a couple of these book-in-between-books but I wasn’t able to close them out yet on Goodreads. But then I realized these books aren’t items to be crossed off a list. The point isn’t to read as fast as you can so you can put the book out of sight, out of mind, to move onto the next read. They’re meant to be relished over time.

And frankly, they’re intended to learn from too. They’re non-fiction, informative books that are teaching me about how to be a better mom. I don’t want to fly through them just to say I’ve read them.

Similarly, I’ve gotten into audiobooks in recent years, and I’ve found that sometimes I have to go back and listen to a passage or chapter again to better understand what I’m “reading.” It can take me awhile to get through these.

But that’s okay. I’m not going to turn up the speed and listen to them as fast as I can so I can read more and more and more and more. If I did that I’d barely be able to enjoy or even process the books, so what would be the point? Could I even really say I’d read the book, at that juncture?

Reading Slower at Work

I’m a writer/editor at a marketing company. I got the job in early 2016, right as I found out I was pregnant (yes, it was awkward timing for me). In the beginning, I tried to pump out articles as quickly as I could. I wanted to demonstrate that they could rely on me to get pieces done fast.

But you know what happens if you rush through an article? You have more edits. Things get missed. You forget to check the spelling of a name, you miss pertinent information in a press release, you’re so busy getting the words down you forget who your demographic even is.

At some point, my editor said something to me along the lines of:

“It’s okay to slow down and take a little more time. We’d rather it get done correctly than quickly.”

And again, this is when I was pregnant, which for some reason put me in go-go-go mode as far as reading—and writing—went. So I started to make myself slow down.

One way I force myself to do this is when reading articles as research for a piece sometimes, I actually retype everything I’m reading as I’m reading it. I could just whiz through reading an article, or, I could take the time to type it out, so I have to carefully think out each word, each sentence, each paragraph. This really helps me to better take in the information and not miss something important.

Taking Time to Read with the Kid

I’ll admit, sometimes I’m ready for him to go to bed, so I can get on with my evening. I’m occasionally tempted to race through Goodnight, Goodnight, Construction Site so I can get him in his crib and I can go and do yoga/watch my soap opera/read my own book.

But I can’t do that. He deserves to take the time to enjoy books, too.

Before I had a kid, when I was babysitting or watching other people’s kids, I would hate how we’d have to pause several times when reading a book. I’d say something like, “And then the bunny hopped across the lawn,” and the kid would interrupt me with, “Bunny!!” while enthusiastically banging his or her hands on the book.

I’d respond with, “…yes, bunny. As I was saying…” I just wanted to read through the story. But little kids don’t read that way. They need to stop and point things out and pull tabs on pop up books.

With my kid, he’s not yet a year old, so he’s not quite talking (other than “Dadadadada”), but from what I’ve read in What to Expect the First Year, during this time period you need to be the one to stop during the story. You must be the one to point out what’s going on in the book, before he can do this himself.

“Look at the little girl eating blueberries. Blueberries are yummy and sweet.” Or, “That’s a cow. Cows go ‘moo.'” Goodnight Moon is particularly great for this, as it has quite a few objects in the book that are excellent for examining: mittens, kittens, a mouse, a brush, a bowl.

Kids need to read slower. There must be interruptions, discussions, the pointing out of various things. Time to take a couple of moments to digest what we’re reading. We could all probably benefit from taking a chapter out of their book.

Erin Nudi is a writer/editor for a marketing company in Glens Falls, New York, just south of the beautiful Adirondack Region. She’s also an aspiring novelist and has her own small blog on the side, ErinNudi.com.

The Case for Slow Reading posted first on http://ift.tt/2lnwIdQ

[fesahaawit]

The Case for Slow Reading

This is a guest post from my friend Erin. In it, she shares something I’ve practiced long before any other slow living experiment. Before, I thought I would write a post explaining why I’m not a fan of listening to books/podcasts on 1.5x or 2x speed, but Erin did it for me! Enjoy!

When reading Cait’s many thoughts on living slowly and mindfully, it got me thinking about reading slowly, and how I’ve been taking more time to read through both books and articles without even realizing it. And a lot of it is due to the arrival of my son.

I first discovered Goodreads in 2011 and found myself in heaven. Finally, a solid way to track all of the books I’ve read, organize them into different categories, and find and bookmark books I wanted to read. And then, I saw the Goodreads Reading Challenge.

You challenge yourself to read a certain number of books by the end of the year, and it keeps track of your progress, letting you know if you’re behind or ahead of schedule.

In 2016, I read more than was necessary to complete the challenge. I was pregnant for most of the year and found myself consuming books even more readily than usual. I went through the entire Harry Potter series, a number of memoirs, and countless other gems. Sometimes I read aloud to the baby—sometimes kids books, sometimes not. But I was always reading. I finished up The Chemist while in early labor.

As soon as 2017 hit, and the baby was born on January 8th, I found my time for reading decreased, but more importantly, I began taking the time to really enjoy books when I did read.

Slowing Down for Long-Term Books and Audiobooks

Once the baby was here if I had a moment to myself to read, I wanted to savor it. I also found myself picking up what I like to call “book-in-between-books.”

Books like What to Expect the First Year (by the same author as What to Expect When You’re Expecting and Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child are not books that you devour as quickly as you can to move onto the next book; they’re not typically read cover to cover. They’re intended to follow the life of the child, and you read along as the kid gets older. These are the type of books you return to again and again to look things up or reread a passage.

Initially, I was annoyed that I’d read a good portion of (but not yet finished) a couple of these book-in-between-books but I wasn’t able to close them out yet on Goodreads. But then I realized these books aren’t items to be crossed off a list. The point isn’t to read as fast as you can so you can put the book out of sight, out of mind, to move onto the next read. They’re meant to be relished over time.

And frankly, they’re intended to learn from too. They’re non-fiction, informative books that are teaching me about how to be a better mom. I don’t want to fly through them just to say I’ve read them.

Similarly, I’ve gotten into audiobooks in recent years, and I’ve found that sometimes I have to go back and listen to a passage or chapter again to better understand what I’m “reading.” It can take me awhile to get through these.

But that’s okay. I’m not going to turn up the speed and listen to them as fast as I can so I can read more and more and more and more. If I did that I’d barely be able to enjoy or even process the books, so what would be the point? Could I even really say I’d read the book, at that juncture?

Reading Slower at Work

I’m a writer/editor at a marketing company. I got the job in early 2016, right as I found out I was pregnant (yes, it was awkward timing for me). In the beginning, I tried to pump out articles as quickly as I could. I wanted to demonstrate that they could rely on me to get pieces done fast.

But you know what happens if you rush through an article? You have more edits. Things get missed. You forget to check the spelling of a name, you miss pertinent information in a press release, you’re so busy getting the words down you forget who your demographic even is.

At some point, my editor said something to me along the lines of:

“It’s okay to slow down and take a little more time. We’d rather it get done correctly than quickly.”

And again, this is when I was pregnant, which for some reason put me in go-go-go mode as far as reading—and writing—went. So I started to make myself slow down.

One way I force myself to do this is when reading articles as research for a piece sometimes, I actually retype everything I’m reading as I’m reading it. I could just whiz through reading an article, or, I could take the time to type it out, so I have to carefully think out each word, each sentence, each paragraph. This really helps me to better take in the information and not miss something important.

Taking Time to Read with the Kid

I’ll admit, sometimes I’m ready for him to go to bed, so I can get on with my evening. I’m occasionally tempted to race through Goodnight, Goodnight, Construction Site so I can get him in his crib and I can go and do yoga/watch my soap opera/read my own book.

But I can’t do that. He deserves to take the time to enjoy books, too.

Before I had a kid, when I was babysitting or watching other people’s kids, I would hate how we’d have to pause several times when reading a book. I’d say something like, “And then the bunny hopped across the lawn,” and the kid would interrupt me with, “Bunny!!” while enthusiastically banging his or her hands on the book.

I’d respond with, “…yes, bunny. As I was saying…” I just wanted to read through the story. But little kids don’t read that way. They need to stop and point things out and pull tabs on pop up books.

With my kid, he’s not yet a year old, so he’s not quite talking (other than “Dadadadada”), but from what I’ve read in What to Expect the First Year, during this time period you need to be the one to stop during the story. You must be the one to point out what’s going on in the book, before he can do this himself.

“Look at the little girl eating blueberries. Blueberries are yummy and sweet.” Or, “That’s a cow. Cows go ‘moo.'” Goodnight Moon is particularly great for this, as it has quite a few objects in the book that are excellent for examining: mittens, kittens, a mouse, a brush, a bowl.

Kids need to read slower. There must be interruptions, discussions, the pointing out of various things. Time to take a couple of moments to digest what we’re reading. We could all probably benefit from taking a chapter out of their book.

Erin Nudi is a writer/editor for a marketing company in Glens Falls, New York, just south of the beautiful Adirondack Region. She’s also an aspiring novelist and has her own small blog on the side, ErinNudi.com.

The Case for Slow Reading posted first on http://ift.tt/2lnwIdQ

[fesahaawit]

The Case for Slow Reading

This is a guest post from my friend Erin. In it, she shares something I’ve practiced long before any other slow living experiment. Before, I thought I would write a post explaining why I’m not a fan of listening to books/podcasts on 1.5x or 2x speed, but Erin did it for me! Enjoy!

When reading Cait’s many thoughts on living slowly and mindfully, it got me thinking about reading slowly, and how I’ve been taking more time to read through both books and articles without even realizing it. And a lot of it is due to the arrival of my son.

I first discovered Goodreads in 2011 and found myself in heaven. Finally, a solid way to track all of the books I’ve read, organize them into different categories, and find and bookmark books I wanted to read. And then, I saw the Goodreads Reading Challenge.

You challenge yourself to read a certain number of books by the end of the year, and it keeps track of your progress, letting you know if you’re behind or ahead of schedule.

In 2016, I read more than was necessary to complete the challenge. I was pregnant for most of the year and found myself consuming books even more readily than usual. I went through the entire Harry Potter series, a number of memoirs, and countless other gems. Sometimes I read aloud to the baby—sometimes kids books, sometimes not. But I was always reading. I finished up The Chemist while in early labor.

As soon as 2017 hit, and the baby was born on January 8th, I found my time for reading decreased, but more importantly, I began taking the time to really enjoy books when I did read.

Slowing Down for Long-Term Books and Audiobooks

Once the baby was here if I had a moment to myself to read, I wanted to savor it. I also found myself picking up what I like to call “book-in-between-books.”

Books like What to Expect the First Year (by the same author as What to Expect When You’re Expecting and Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child are not books that you devour as quickly as you can to move onto the next book; they’re not typically read cover to cover. They’re intended to follow the life of the child, and you read along as the kid gets older. These are the type of books you return to again and again to look things up or reread a passage.

Initially, I was annoyed that I’d read a good portion of (but not yet finished) a couple of these book-in-between-books but I wasn’t able to close them out yet on Goodreads. But then I realized these books aren’t items to be crossed off a list. The point isn’t to read as fast as you can so you can put the book out of sight, out of mind, to move onto the next read. They’re meant to be relished over time.

And frankly, they’re intended to learn from too. They’re non-fiction, informative books that are teaching me about how to be a better mom. I don’t want to fly through them just to say I’ve read them.

Similarly, I’ve gotten into audiobooks in recent years, and I’ve found that sometimes I have to go back and listen to a passage or chapter again to better understand what I’m “reading.” It can take me awhile to get through these.

But that’s okay. I’m not going to turn up the speed and listen to them as fast as I can so I can read more and more and more and more. If I did that I’d barely be able to enjoy or even process the books, so what would be the point? Could I even really say I’d read the book, at that juncture?

Reading Slower at Work

I’m a writer/editor at a marketing company. I got the job in early 2016, right as I found out I was pregnant (yes, it was awkward timing for me). In the beginning, I tried to pump out articles as quickly as I could. I wanted to demonstrate that they could rely on me to get pieces done fast.

But you know what happens if you rush through an article? You have more edits. Things get missed. You forget to check the spelling of a name, you miss pertinent information in a press release, you’re so busy getting the words down you forget who your demographic even is.

At some point, my editor said something to me along the lines of:

“It’s okay to slow down and take a little more time. We’d rather it get done correctly than quickly.”

And again, this is when I was pregnant, which for some reason put me in go-go-go mode as far as reading—and writing—went. So I started to make myself slow down.

One way I force myself to do this is when reading articles as research for a piece sometimes, I actually retype everything I’m reading as I’m reading it. I could just whiz through reading an article, or, I could take the time to type it out, so I have to carefully think out each word, each sentence, each paragraph. This really helps me to better take in the information and not miss something important.

Taking Time to Read with the Kid

I’ll admit, sometimes I’m ready for him to go to bed, so I can get on with my evening. I’m occasionally tempted to race through Goodnight, Goodnight, Construction Site so I can get him in his crib and I can go and do yoga/watch my soap opera/read my own book.

But I can’t do that. He deserves to take the time to enjoy books, too.

Before I had a kid, when I was babysitting or watching other people’s kids, I would hate how we’d have to pause several times when reading a book. I’d say something like, “And then the bunny hopped across the lawn,” and the kid would interrupt me with, “Bunny!!” while enthusiastically banging his or her hands on the book.

I’d respond with, “…yes, bunny. As I was saying…” I just wanted to read through the story. But little kids don’t read that way. They need to stop and point things out and pull tabs on pop up books.

With my kid, he’s not yet a year old, so he’s not quite talking (other than “Dadadadada”), but from what I’ve read in What to Expect the First Year, during this time period you need to be the one to stop during the story. You must be the one to point out what’s going on in the book, before he can do this himself.

“Look at the little girl eating blueberries. Blueberries are yummy and sweet.” Or, “That’s a cow. Cows go ‘moo.'” Goodnight Moon is particularly great for this, as it has quite a few objects in the book that are excellent for examining: mittens, kittens, a mouse, a brush, a bowl.

Kids need to read slower. There must be interruptions, discussions, the pointing out of various things. Time to take a couple of moments to digest what we’re reading. We could all probably benefit from taking a chapter out of their book.

Erin Nudi is a writer/editor for a marketing company in Glens Falls, New York, just south of the beautiful Adirondack Region. She’s also an aspiring novelist and has her own small blog on the side, ErinNudi.com.

The Case for Slow Reading posted first on http://ift.tt/2lnwIdQ