Month: April 2016

Genrethon Wrap Up

I swear, every time I participate in a readathon something in my personal life drags me down and I find myself struggling to keep up with it all. Ahhhhh. I mean, I still participated and I had fun, but this week was just a load of ups and downs and not a lot of reading time.

So, genrethon is over (sadface) and it was a less than stellar week because I didn’t finish a single book, BUT I still read some things, so here are some stats:

Magical Realism

The Night Circus: 46 pages

I only read the first chapter of the book because I didn’t have much time, or the time I want to invest and dive into the book. I hope to do so eventually, though, because I know this is a very beloved book.

Horror

Asylum: 150 pages

WHY MUST THERE BE PICTURES IN HERE? WHY. Other than the unsettling pictures, I’m enjoying what I’m reading so far. It feels like a “classic” kind of school horror story and I really like that feeling about this book.

Memoir

Binge: 12 pages

Oh Tyler.

Total Pages Read: 208 pages

I mean, that’s not horrible. At least I still read a bit from each book I was setting out to read for genrethon. Things just kept getting in the way in my personal life, so there’s that.

Otherwise I had a fun time and I know some people got enjoyment out of my Twitter hashtag #raynareadsasylum. Oh man. Here’s a few:

So that was a fun experience. I’ll finish the book, I promise, but I don’t know how I’m going to handle it!

So that’s it for the genrethon! I hope to participate next time and actually try to finish at least one book, hopefully. Until then, I’ll just keep reading.

Did you participate in genrethon? What books did you read? What was your favorite and least favorite? Let me know!

April 18, 2016
Camp NaNoWriMo Week 2 Recap

Honestly this week was a real struggle in my personal life so I didn’t make much time to write at all this week. I did, however, change what I was writing to something different because I had been struggling with what I was writing. And then I struggled again and got myself stuck.

Goal

50,000 words total by the end of April 30th.

That’s the equivalent to a 200-225 page book. So my average daily word count goal to reach my main goal is to write 1,667 words per day.

Stats for Week 2

Day 9: 2,096 words for a total of 15,904 words
Day 10: 1,211 words for a total of 17,115 words
Day 11: 0 words for a total of 17,115 words
Day 12: 0 words for a total of 17,115 words
Day 13: 0 words for a total of 17,115 words
Day 14: 545 words for a total of 17,660 words
Day 15: 0 words for a total of 17.660

*I’m not including today, April 16th, as the day is not over yet. Today’s word count will be in next week’s recap.

This Week’s Advice: It’s Okay to Change Your Mind

I found myself struggling since I started this month with writing my story for Camp. I found it extremely hard to get into the mode of writing, especially from my characters’ points of view because they just weren’t flowing correctly. I rewrote several chapters and exceeded the word count in each of the previous ones so I wouldn’t lose any words for Camp, and even though I felt the new chapters flowed much better and that they resembled who I wanted the characters to be a lot more, I still found myself struggling every single time I wrote.

So, I decided to make a change.

I kept all of my words, therefore keeping my word count, but I changed my story completely. Where before I was writing a YA/NA fantasy story about a thief and a magician, now I’m writing a YA/NA contemporary about a girl movie blogger and a guy who’s wicked into movies, too, but has a few quirks.

And let me tell you something: the words flowed so much easier than before.

I wrote over 2,000 words for the first chapter of this new story and found that even if it wasn’t perfect (because what first draft ever is), I still had fun doing it, and I think that’s the key here: having fun.

If you’re like me then you probably had your heart set out for something that you really wanted to write because you love the genre or the idea of the story or one specific character, but maybe it’s just not the time for you to tell that story yet if you find yourself struggling as much as I did.

So take the chance, make a change (and breakawaaaaayyy). Change up the plot, the characters, write a whole new story in a completely different genre than what you were expecting to. That just might help you find those creative juices you were looking for.

I hope the second week of Camp NaNoWriMo has been treating you well and that you find you’re really getting to know not only your characters, but the world they’re in and their situations a lot better.

Do you find that you’re stuck and struggling with what you’ve been writing? How far have you gotten in your story toward your goal? Do you have to start over with a new genre? Let me know!

April 16, 2016
Beautiful Covers: Orange

Hey peeps, welcome to another Beautiful Covers! I’m working my way through the rainbow, so check out the rest of the colors when they come out over the next several weeks!

Today’s color is: orange!

Orange is a fun color that I think really brightens and livens up many things, and so here are some of the covers I think are lovely with orange:

1 . Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins

I love, love, LOVE these covers so much. Each showcases a different part of the world and I think that it does so in a classy, simple way. The orange hues really reflect what sunsets probably look like on the golden coast, so this is just lovely. Plus the typography is sleek and clean.

2. Illuminae by Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff

This cover is not only pretty, but it’s really cool because when you remove the dust jacket there is a lot of writing on the cover and it looks wicked cool. I’m a sucker for nebulas and clouds and such, so this just speaks to me. Plus, space.

3. Fire Falling by Elise Kova

CAN WE JUST APPRECIATE THE BEAUTIFUL ART ON THIS ONE? Because wow, I love this cover so much. I love that it showcases Vhalla and Aldrick and that it shows their personalities in this book really well. The oranges in this cover are much more toned down and subtle, but still there as it shows Aldrick’s fire power around them. And the typography and everything about it is beautiful.

4. Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas

Celaena is bae. I love this cover and this book because ALL THE FEELS. OH MAN. But also because the covers for these books are so perfect: they always show Celaena as a warrior on the front, and her more formal side on the back. The fire colors on this cover really kind of reflect what happens in the book because there’s a lot of chaos that ensues, for sure. I think the stance she has is strong and that it speaks to who she is.

5. Firelight by Sophie Jordan

Now, I know a lot of people don’t like faces on covers, but I love this cover so much! This whole trilogy, really, is very lovely and I think that the way it shows Jacinda (the main character) on this cover is awesome because it’s a story about dragons and she is a dragon, so having the scales on her face is a great way to show what she is. I love iiiiiit.

So there you have it for this week’s Beautiful Covers! I almost completely forgot about it as I’m trying to post every Thursday on a new color, so… yeah. But I didn’t miss it!

Let me know some of your favorite orange colored covers and what you think of my choices!

April 14, 2016
Top 5 Wednesday: Books On Hard Topics

Welcome to another Top 5 Wednesday which is now hosted by Sam from Thoughts on Tomes. Today’s topic is about our top five books on hard topics. If you’re wondering what a hard topic is it’s a topic that is something heavy such as mental illness, eating disorders, sickness, etc. So these are my picks:

5. My Heart and Other Black Holes by Jasmine Warga

This book deals with the topic of suicide and when I read it I felt like I could relate to a lot of what was being said and some of the words and sentences really stuck out to me. Though it did have flaws I think that it handled the subject pretty well, but it’s always a hard topic to really grasp.

4. This is Where It Ends by Marieke Nijkamp

This one deals with school shootings and it’s a fast-paced story that really just had me needing to know what happens next. I thought that some parts were kind of unnecessary or that it didn’t make sense given the situation, but overall I really enjoyed it.

3. Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon

This one is about a few things: a girl with a very serious health condition, and a mother with mental health issues. It’s a cutesy read for sure, but there are some underlying problems within the book that surface a lot toward the end especially.

2. None of the Above by I.W. Gregorio

This deals with the topic of being an intersex person and what it’s like discovering that, plus bullying and how to reach out for help. It’s a fascinating read given I had never heard the term intersex before reading this book and so I thought it was a great eye opener for that reason.

1 . Every Last Word by Tamara Ireland Stone

This book deals with a particular kind of OCD where the main character uses poetry to help her cope with it. It’s also got quite a bit of romance, too, but I love the way it’s handled and I found myself once again relating to a lot of what was said.

Though some of these reads are on the lighter side of the spectrum for hard topics, I think that they’re still important because those kinds of things are so broad and it’s hard to pinpoint an exact way people react and cope and live; we’re all varied individuals, after all.

Let me know some of the books that you’d recommend to me on hard topics!

April 13, 2016
Top Ten Tuesday: Books Every Magic Lover Should Read

Welcome to another Top Ten Tuesday as hosted by the lovely people over at The Broke & the Bookish. Today’s topic is books that every ___ should read. We got to pick the kind of person we wanted to recommend books to, and I chose people that enjoy reading about magic!

1 . Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling. Honestly, did you not expect this to be on the list? I find that the magic in this world is something that we, as children, definitely wanted to have when we were younger. And we’re all still waiting for our letter.

2. Daughter of Smoke & Bone by Laini Taylor. This story has a different sort of magic that relies on wishes and incantations. Though it’s mostly magic of a different kind, there are still elements and hints of a deeper kind of magic throughout the world.

3. The Mistborn trilogy by Brandon Sanderson. This trilogy has a different kind of magic system that focuses on Allomancy: the use of metals and the different types of metals having a different effect.

4. Truthwitch by Susan Dennard. I think that the magic in this world is so complex and so interconnected to everything around it that it’s just really kind of cool. A lot of it is elemental, but there are some that are different and deeper like truthwitches, bloodwitches, threadwitches, etc.

5. Air Awakens by Elise Kova. This series has a lot of elemental magic of varying levels and degrees and I just love, love, love it.

6. Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas. You guys know me by now. Though the magic doesn’t really appear until the third book I find that when it’s used by people that it’s intimidating and strong.

7. Sailor Moon by Naoko Takeuchi. I haven’t read or watched Sailor Moon in a bagillion years, but this classic magical girl story is one that should definitely be appreciated by anyone who wants silly, fun magic in their lives based off of the planets.

8. The Iron Fey series by Julie Kagawa. If you love faeries and fey magic then definitely pick up this series. I need to reread it soon because I remember loving it and the magic in it.

9. Fushigi Yuugi by Yuu Watase. As my all time favorite manga series, I had to include this. The magic in this book is subtle and not too often, but it involves the main character being sucked into a book and having to live through a lot of things. Some magic does happen, but it’s a mysterious kind.

10. Stardust by Neil Gaiman. The writing itself may as well be magical, but this is another faerie story with a lot of faerie magic, tricks, and turns. I love this book and the beauty within it.

There you have it! Ten books that I think people who love magic should take a peek at. Some have more magic than others, and some vary in the kind of magic used, but I definitely think all of them are definitely worth checking out.

What books did you recommend today? What kind of magic books would you recommend to me? Let me know!

April 12, 2016