Reader Rayna

Month: December 2016

  • Festive Christmas Book Tag

    Hey peeps, how’s it going? I’m here to do a fun Christmas tag that I first saw on Jessethereader‘s channel, but the tag was originally created by GirlReading. I haven’t done a tag in a while and let’s be real: FESTIVE TAGS ARE MY FAVE. So without further ado, here’s the questions!

    1. A fictional family you would like to spend Christmas dinner with.

    img_4197

    No gonna lie, I’d love to spend time with the Weasley family. I think it would kind of fun in a chaotic way? And I’m talking before all the crap happened with Voldemort. But even afterward, a few years down the road, I think it would be fun to sit with a big family and just have a fun magical Christmas dinner.

    2. A bookish item you would like to receive as a gift.

    See my Top Ten Tuesday Holiday Gift Guide from this year because I need something from every single one of those small businesses I listed!

    3. A fictional character you think would make the perfect Christmas elf?

    THIS GUY RIGHT HERE:

    delibird

    …it didn’t say it had to be a fictional BOOK character…

    Oh fine.

    twilight

    For this one I think I have to go with Alice from the Twilight series by Stephenie Meyer. She seems to have a knack for giving Bella a lot of really cool, expensive gifts, plus she has really good taste, so she’d be a great Christmas elf.

    4. Match a book to its perfect Christmas song.

    simonvs

    For Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli I think the perfect song would be All I Want for Christmas is You. Because let’s be honest: it’s true.

    And if we wanted to play off of a certain someone’s nickname, then it would be I’ll Have a Blue Christmas Without You. >> Harharharhar.

    5. Bah Humbug: a book or fictional character you’ve been disappointed in and should be put on the Naughty List.

    thewinnerscurse

    I was disappointed in The Winner’s Curse by Marie Rutkoski when I read it earlier this year because it had been so hyped up for so long by so many people that I was expecting to go into it and really enjoy it, but it just didn’t work for me. You can check out my review for more details.

    6. A book or fictional character you think deserves more love and appreciation and deserves to be put on the Nice List.

    myladyjane

    I think My Lady Jane by Brodi Ashton, Cynthia Hand, and Jodi Meadows needs more love and appreciation (even though it has lots) because IT’S SO GOOD. Historical fiction meets fantasy meets comedy meets romance? I mean, there’s seriously something really cool about it and you NEED to read it! Check out my review for more thoughts as to why!

    7. Red, Gold, and Green: a book cover that has a wonderfully Christmasy feel to it.

    I mean, Unravel Me by Tahereh Mafi is kind of already styling for the winter season, so…

    unravelme

    8. A book or series you love so much that you want everyone to find it under their Christmas tree this year so they can read it and love it too.

    THRONE OF GLASS.

    But, I mean, that’s a given. So let me talk about something other than that series.

    airawakensfirefalling0bc6e-earths-end-coverwaterswrathcrystalcrowned

    I think everyone should check out the Air Awakens series by Elise Kova. They whole series is already out and they’re available as ebooks on Amazon! It’s a YA fantasy series about a library apprentice named Vhalla who is just working her days in the library, a place she considers her home, when she saves the life of one of the princes when he arrives home. She is then thrown (quite literally) into a situation that awakens her powers as a Windwalker – the only known one in the world in many, many years. She faces a lot of peril, betrayal, love, friendships, and more. I still have to finish the fourth book then read the fifth, but the first three are definitely amazing and I highly suggest you check them out!

    I tag…

    Let’s Chat! ≧◡≦

    Do you celebrate Christmas? If not, what do you celebrate for the holidays? Do you like the festiveness of the season, or are you more of a Scrooge? What book or series would you recommend me to definitely read?

  • Harry Potter & the Sorcerer’s Stone Book Review

    hpsorcererTitle: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone
    Series: Harry Potter #1
    Author: J.K. Rowling
    Publisher: Arthur A. Levine Books
    Publication Date: June 26, 1997 (illustrated edition published October 6, 2015)
    Genre: Children’s/Young Adult – Urban Fantasy
    Pages: 256
    Format: Purchased Hardcover

    Harry Potter has never been the star of a Quidditch team, scoring points while riding a broom far above the ground. He knows no spells, has never helped to hatch a dragon, and has never worn a cloak of invisibility.

    All he knows is a miserable life with the Dursleys, his horrible aunt and uncle, and their abominable son, Dudley–a great big swollen spoiled bully. Harry’s room is a tiny closet at the foot of the stairs, and he hasn’t had a birthday party in eleven years.

    But all that is about to change when a mysterious letter arrives by owl messenger: a letter with an invitation to an incredible place that Harry–and anyone who reads about him—will find unforgettable.

    The beloved first book of the Harry Potter series, now lavishly illustrated by award-winning artist Jim Kay.

    Yup, I’m doing reviews of these books. Why? I’ve never read the series all the way through before. GASP. I KNOW. It’s so weird, right? I was always the kind of person to never get into the hype of things and I just didn’t know about them, really, when I was younger. I’ve seen all the movies, though, and I love them to bits (they’re some of my most watched movies as I watch them any time they’re on TV), but as for the books I’ve only read the first three and part of the fourth. And I didn’t even start reading them until I turned 20! So I decided I’m going to challenge myself this month and read all seven books by the new year. That’s right! Rayna’s reading Harry Potter!

    If you want to follow along with me as I read, you check out my Twitter where I’m using #RaynaReadsHP to talk about my thoughts, but I’m also doing an Instagram story with my reactions, too, so check out both! Now that I’ve said that, onto the review!

    As I’ve read this book before, this is a reread, and I think I enjoyed it more than the first time! This world is so magical and the characters are so fun. This book is definitely light hearted compared to the later ones, I’m sure, but it still had its creepy moments (Filch is creepy AF) and it’s harrowing moments (like, why do people want to kill an 11 year old child?), but overall it was extremely enjoyable and I found myself smiling a lot as I read it.

    The plot is centered around a boy who’s treated horribly by his Aunt, Uncle, and cousin when he’s left on their doorstep as a baby by some wizards and witches after his parents have died. He’s often left with nothing or hand me downs and left overs. I was shocked to really think about it and see how abusive this dynamic is, and it made me just mad at the Dursleys for how they treated Harry just because he was “different” and wasn’t their own child. As Harry grows up and strange things happen around him, and he gets his letter, he’s thrust into the wizarding world where life is much better for him – even though Lord Voldemort is still looking for him.

    I thought that even though Harry’s life does get better and he’s thrust into this world, he was oddly calm about it when Hagrid had bust into that shack on the sea to tell him all about it. Like… I was in disbelief that Harry wasn’t in more disbelief or asking questions. I mean, I get he was eleven and everything, but I’d be a little confused if magic was never really introduced to me before. But I also guess that the weird things that happened around him were enough to convince him? I don’t know, I just thought that was funny. Harry as a character, though, was very brave and intuitive for his age. He was always ready and willing to do what was needed to save others or himself or just take on what was next. I liked him, for sure, and am interested to see what happened next with him.

    I thought that the friendship that formed between Ron and Harry was in a manner in which a lot of friendships formed at that age: with food. It felt like it just sprang forth and was introduced to us and I think that it felt kind of genuine because do YOU remember how you formed friendships back then? I don’t but I know it was much easier and different than now. I thought that the two were fun together and that I really just enjoyed the Weasleys overall. They’re a fun family, really funny, and I need more of all of them. Ron, himself, was kind of sullen? I mean, I get he’s the youngest boy in the family, so he had a lot of pressure put on him. Maybe that’s why? But I found his character to be likable, for sure.

    Hermione was treated poorly at the beginning, and I mean, I guess I understand why if she was acting like a know-it-all, but I thought Harry and Ron were just kind of mean to her until she stood up for them and lied to the professors after taking on the troll. And then that friendship formed and everything was fine (even if Ron and Hermione still fought), but I also found it to be believable. I loved that she was kind of like the conscience of the group and the voice of reason, even if she was ignored sometimes.

    Neville is a precious cinnamon roll and I just want to squeeze him! He had so many unfortunate things happen and I didn’t remember how much of a role he played in this book! In the movies it was always the Golden Trio, but nope! Neville had a lot to do with the story, and I loved that.

    I didn’t realize how awful Malfoy was in terms of his views of others. Like, wow, calm down there. I was glad to see Neville and Ron stick up for themselves as well as Harry during one of the Quidditch matches, though, and I thought that even though Malfoy was pompous, I found myself interested in how his character arc will form in later books.

    Hagrid was so awesome! I thought that he made himself to be kind of like a father figure to Harry throughout the book, like he wanted to help him and protect and stuff. I don’t know, I just thought that the way Hagrid talked to Harry and was around to help was so great.

    Dumbledore, McGonnagal, Snape, Filch, Quirrel, and others weren’t as present as I had hoped or remembered? Maybe I was projecting the movie onto the book, but I really want to see more of Dumbledore, McGonnagal, Snape… I want to learn so much more about them! I know it’s only the first book and they’re obviously going to be in the later books, too, but I just want more now!

    I thought that some of the circumstances that happened in the book were kind of convenient in some ways, like things happened easily or some things weren’t fleshed out enough. That was probably my biggest gripe: I wished so much more had been fleshed out. Like, I seriously wanted to see more than what there was. I know that it’s only the first book (and therefore the smallest) and a lot more things will be revealed and stuff in the later books, but dammit, I want more!

    ANYWAY, I really enjoyed this first book! There were just a few things that bugged me in very small ways, but it was overall enjoyable and I really liked the voice, the characters, the plot, and more.

    As for the illustrated edition: omg the illustrations were beautiful! I loved how it added to the story and that we got to see the illustrator’s take on the characters and the world. They were all very beautiful and I think I enjoyed the book more because of it.

    I rated this book 4.5/5 stars and highly recommend it!

  • NaNoWriMo 2016 Week 5 – The Homestretch & Winning NaNoWriMo

    nanowrimo_2016_webbanner_winner

    I WON! I mean, if you couldn’t tell by the banner and the title of this post. But yeah! I won! I’m so incredibly proud and happy with myself. I was honestly going to give up before I reached 40,000 words. But then I was like, “No. I need to do this.” And I pushed through it and I managed to win. It was a long month full of patterns of writing A LOT one day, a little bit other days, and then weeks without writing. It was crazy and exhausting, and I’m so tired, but so happy. Oh man.

    To anyone out there who thought they couldn’t do it, but did: CONGRATULATIONS!

    To anyone out there who tried but didn’t make it: YOU’RE AWESOME! You still wrote, you still tried, and that’s really all that matters. 50,000 is just a goal. The real goal is writing.

    Goal

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

    My average daily goal is to write 1,667 words.

    Stats for Week 5

    Day 27: 0 words
    Day 28: 0 words
    Day 29: 6,905 words
    Day 30: 6,246 words

    Total Words: 50,234 words

    Chart

    screen-shot-2016-11-30-at-12-35-56-pm

    That purple bar makes me so happy. But as you can see: I plateaued A LOT this month. See those huge gaps in the bars where they just suddenly shot up? Yeah. That was sheer determination. I don’t know how I managed to do it, but I did, and I still can’t believe it.

    What I’ve Learned & What I Look Forward To

    Oh man, where do I begin? What I’ve learned this month is that I am so a writer. I love to create, to tell stories, to see where my imagination takes me. I want to be able to one day share these creations with the world, but first I need to finish them. But I’ve also learned that I couldn’t have done it without the support of my husband, who cheered me on all month which I’m super grateful for, as well as some of my lovely friends on Twitter who cheered me on as well.

    I’ve also learned that I really like outlining! I hated it before. Loathed it, even. But man, I found that following an outline actually really helps! I tried doing the pantsing thing multiple times and I don’t think it helps me to stick to the story that I originally set out to do. This time I feel like I followed it very closely, took out the parts that I didn’t need, and formed my story around the ones I definitely wanted to hit.

    I’ve also discovered that I like to write in bursts. I like to write 10k+ words in one day because I’m too tired throughout the week to do it, so why not do it on that one day? I find that if I’m really into the story that the words come easily for me.

    I’ve also learned that wearing magical writing gear helps, too.

    So what do I have to look forward to now that NaNoWriMo is officially over? Well, let me tell you: my story isn’t even close to being done. I just got to the part in my outline where it’s the beginning of the end, so I still have all of the ending of the story to write. I don’t know how much more that’ll be, but I will finish it soon! I am going to take a break, though, because my brain is so tired from pushing so much creativity out in one month. But damn, I missed it.

    Once I’ve finished writing my first draft I plan to edit and revise it all before I let anyone beta read it or critique it or anything. I have someone in mind who I’d like to critique it, I just need to ask her if she’d be willing to. And of course let my husband read it (aka make him read it, lol).

    I hope you all had a wonderful writing month and that no matter how much you wrote you are still proud of yourself for what you did accomplish.

    Let’s Chat! ≧◡≦

    Did you win at NaNoWriMo? What was your final word count? I hope you had as fun a time as I did this past month because man, what a ride it was! Tell me the ups and downs you faced this month as well as what you’re looking forward to for your project. Congrats to everyone!