23 Bookish Facts

This post is brought to you by Cait @ Paper Fury. She gave me permission to thieve her question list away [which you should read]. SO I THIEVED IT! Her orginal post had 30 questions, but uh, I'm lazy.

[Don't tell me it's not thieving if I've gotten permission. I'm a polite dragon, okay? I thieve with courtesy.]

1) Currently Reading?

The Death Cure! Do you know how long I've been putting off waiting to read this? I actually own the book. But I heard spoilers and I don't want them to be true and, and-- I don't want it all to end.

Besides I always procrastinate the books I know I'll like, because . . . logic.

2) Book That Impacted You?

That's not a difficult decision.

Okay, I'll pick one. The Rose Daughter by Robin McKinley. The POV was not perfect. I think it started out omniscient, but after Beauty went to the Beast's castle, it switched to deep POV? Which is. . . not normal.

BUT here's the thing. The deep POV part was very, very deep. Beauty outright asked questions via internal monologue. She would mentally address questions to the Beast, and--

There were no italics.

Guys, this is monumental!

Do you know how happy that made me? That's how I write my internal monologue. Some people are like, "I love this. Italicized internal monologue is so unnecessary. Keep it up!" But most people are like, "You need italics. What is wrong with you? Why can't you be normal?" And while I know that, no, I don't need italics, it's nice to see another author pull it off. Sure, Imma still gonna do my thang, but the extra affirmation is refreshing.

3) Hyped vs Backlisted titles?

 I tend to procrastinate hyped books, soooo the hyped books end up at the back of my list. Yeah?

 

"Ashley, you're not funny."

Well, I have to try.

4) Current Series Crush?

Oh. Okay. Uuuuum. I want to say Red Rising, but I've only read the first book. Does that count?

Oh, and The Lunar Chronicles! That is a must read! *shifty eyes at all you TLC slackers*


 

5) How Strong is Your Shelf-Control Around Books?

Are you asking if I flail and run around like a lunatic at the sight of one?

Because I *might* internalize that. . .


 

At the bookstore, I'm very picky. I only want to buy books I know I'll like. But at the library I will borrow ten books and DNF six or eight.

6) Plot vs Character?

Character all the way!

Characters can drive Plot [because Plot is a vehicle that takes you places].

But can Plot drive Characters?

Some may argue that Plot can drive Characters, but you usually end up with a poorly written story and bad character development. Aka: bad plot and bad characters. So no. Plot does not drive Characters, well. 

7) Would You Marry Your Bookshelf?

I'm in the middle of a move, so my books and I are unattached at the moment. But when I find one up to standards, I'll consider committing.

8) Do You Ever Get Sick of Reading?

There are those rare times, yes. It happens. [I here you gasping. Stop that.] So I do other stuff and then I miss my books. What do they say? Absence makes the heart grow fonder, or some such sentimental rot.

9) Random Bookish Memory?

The homeschool moms used to laugh at me on Park Days because I would read and swing simultaneously.


 

10) Character You Relate to?

So I relate to characters here and there, but I rarely relate to a character fully. Besides, I can only think of one right now.

This is going to sound bad. But here it is any way.

Saba from Blood Red Road. She's a loyal misanthrope. She doesn't let people get close to her often, but when she does, she cares about them with everything that's in her. But I also really related to her "I got this," "leave me alone" attitude. She wanted to do everything alone, but people kept following her around and being clingy. In the first book that was a good thing. But in the second book the crowd following her only brought more trouble [especially at the end; Jaaaack!]. I really don't like/understand clingy people. Which is rare. Even if I can't personally relate to someone, I can usually at least see where their coming from. But clingy people? They are another species whom I avidly avoid.

11) Controversial Opinion?

I normally get sick of the 'hot topics,' like Diversity, SFC, or Mental Illnesses. I'm not saying these aren't important topics. THEY ARE IMPORTANT. But they shouldn't be the sole purpose of a story. Why don't people bash me over the head with a book already? Oh wait, they are.

It's even more irksome when someone suggests you change your male character to a female character. Why? Because your male character is a swordsmaster, and you know that the suggestioner has SFC on the brain.


 

I'm just saying. It's fine to drive your bandwagon, but don't run people over with it. Pedestrians have right of way, okay? [aka: Story trumps all.]

12) NOTP?

I'm just going to say Phantom of the Opera [yes, it's a book]. I don't ship Christine with anyone. Eric is a murderous psychopath and I wouldn't ship him with my worst enemy. Rauol is a limp, whiny noodle and I would ship with my worst enemy. Christine doesn't need either of them.





I'd say she ought to run off on her own and sing somewhere else, but unfortunately she lived in a time wherein a girl traveling alone was scandalous. That's the last thing she needs in her messed up life. Sorry, Chrissy. There's just no hope for your love life. Thank Gaston Leurox.

13) Why Didn't I Love This?!

I really, really wanted to like Splintered by A G Howard. I mean, the world building? ON POINT! Wonderland was just enough creepy and just enough charm. It was fantastical and alluring! Also, the stories behind some of the Wonderland characters like was interesting.

But the main character. . . meh.

The love interests? What is wrong with the MC? Why are these her choices, hm?

The romance? Way over the top. I'm sorry. I tried.

But I can't.

14) Hardcover vs Paperback?

I love the approach-ability that paperbacks have, but I hate it when the cover curls upward. Hardcovers are hardcore and durable, plus they look amazing without their jacket. [Don't look at me like that.] But they tend to be clunky and large; which makes me feel more noticeable when carrying them in public.

The pros and cons of each balance out. So I choose option C. Both.

15) Do You Ever Like Villains?

Who? Me?

16) Cringeable Reads?

You mean, the ones I DNF?

[No mercy in this dragon heart]

17) Where Do You Get Your Books From?

The books I own? I used to receive one book on my birthday or during Christmas. But I realized that when my family asks what I want and I only give them book titles, guess it! I receive more books because nobody has a clue what to get me besides.

 I love to wander bookstores, especially secondhand ones. I just love to be AROUND books. But there aren't many book stories here. So recently, I succumbed to purchasing a few books online.

One of them was Every Breath, of which I haven't been able to find a physical copy anywhere. So I'm super excited!

18) Haunting Read?

I know I've mentioned Cait two times in this post already. But The Dead Boy and the Paper Cut that she posted on Wattpad was super good. I read it as she was posting it, so I only got to read a chapter a week. [At times I made myself suffer through two weeks so I could read two chapters at once, again, logic at its finest.] And when I couldn't read it, I was thinking about it. It's really rare when a book evades all my life. My brain has been on a compartmentalizing kick. So when I say I thought about it while washing dishes, before bed, at work, and so forth, I mean it.


 

[BBC Lestrade is so underrated.]

19) Annoying Character Qualities?

1) Needy, whiny characters.

2) Clingy, I'm-gonna-follow-you-the-rest-of-your-life characters.

3) Manipulative characters who think they own everybody's soul.

4) Characters who are mean because they enjoy humiliating people, and feel bigger when they bring others lower. I want to shove them out a window.

20) Least Favorite Genre?

Romance.

Historical Fiction I can read if it's not heavy on the history. OR if it's set in the Dark Ages and makes me feel like I'm reading a fantasy [but there are no dragons *cries*].

Contemporary. I have a long DNF relationship with contemporary. We hates each other.

21) Best Tropes?

Lost royalty. I can see it from a mile away and I still adore it. Something's wrong with me.

Guy-girl friendships that stay friendships. [Oh, wait this isn't popular enough to be a trope. WHY NOT?]

Realistic sibling relationships.


 

Heights. I love heights. It's official; something's wrong with me. So anything with flying or especially climbing.

Anything hilarious. I am in.

 Clever plans. Give me all the brilliance!

Dragons. You didn't see that coming. Such majestic beasts.

Revenge.

Ships. The kind that sail the seas, people. Not your OTP. 

Snarky characters. Lemme have the book!

Fairytale retellings.

Open/Bittersweet Endings. They're realistic.

Oh, and the squishy, socially clueless characters. Yeah.

22) Have you abused a book?

I've let the wrong people read my books and abuse them. Apparently, I'm a bad book parent. 

23) Bad Bookdragon Side Effects?

The hoard grows faster than I read.

So tell me: what are your favorite tropes?  Is there a book that you really wanted to like, but it didn't work out? And be honest now, do you go into a flailing at the sight of a book?

2016 Review Train: Rebel of the Sands

 Isn't this one of the coolest blog buttons?! Brittany made it for the 2016 review train and each of the books being reviewed is a train car! By of way, yesterday Alicia @ A Kernel of Nonsense reviewed The Distance Between Us by Kassie West. Go check out her post!

 Today I'm reviewing Rebel of the Sands by Alwyn Hamilton. It's very likely one of my favorites this year. It's a fun read, packed with action. You can't help but read it fast.

my mini blurb:

Amani will do anything to escape her dead end town Dustwalk. Anything to keep from being wed or dead. Posing as a sharpshooter boy seems to be her only chance out, but is it?

It's fantasy with a Middle Eastern culture mixed with a Western setting (think guns, desert, and train heists Western). It sounds like an odd mix, but it works. I don't think I've ever read a "real" Western, nor do I often read books with Middle Eastern culture. This was a refreshing change and I loved every minute of it.

Amani lives in a culture where being a woman is a shame. But she's always been one to go against the grain and make her own way. She has strong determination and she doesn't let anybody get her down. Although she does make some very bad decisions and sometimes she's selfish. So she has her flaws; she's human.

Character development for the win!

Also, she has a smart mouth. She grew up being beat for her attitude and yet she still has a steadfast sass. I loved it! Smart mouth characters are always my favorites. 

To be honest, at the beginning of the book I was a little put out. I liked it, the different setting and the culture, the sand and the GUNS! Did I mention there were guns? Loved the guns! But I felt like I was reading any other girl-goes-independent YA book, just with a different flair. I liked, but didn't love, the book (although the guns, man, the guns). I thought, "This is good, but not outstanding."

And then

The plot twist!

Haha! I loved it! It surprised me. Recently, in the books I've read I've seen half the "plot twists" coming. Not this book. This one threw sand in my eyes and ran away laughing.

I do have one qualm though, and it's not with the book itself. It's YA in general. The love interest. Why is it that you can always spot the love interest from a mile away? With a huge arrow floating above him/her and fireworks in the background. Love interests rarely sneak up on us. The moment we see them we all know, "Here's the really hot person our MC will kiss on the last page."

I just like to be surprised. That's all I ask.

Also, there was that other "plot twist." It's one of those twists that you're not sure if it actually categorizes as a plot twist because everyone knows it except for the MC. We're all just waiting around for her to catch on.

That aside.

I loved how everything had a subtle foreshadowing and then it all comes together. Everything intertwined. All the coincidences mentioned in passing actually become something meaningful by the end of the book. Which I think is how it ought to be. An event might seem distant and unrelated to one person, when it is close to someone else and really hits home.

Even though the love interest first shows up in all his cliched glory, after time I really liked him. Other people wouldn't give Amani the time of day because she was a girl. The love interest though treated her like she was capable of taking care of herself and capable of helping others, which she was. Meaning they made the best team. I love couples who work together. I appreciate that trust in each others' abilities and the not-smothering-each-other-with-concern. They were an unstoppable duo! And that's how it should be.

Also, Amani actually gets to form friendships outside of her love life. Wow, who'd ever think that was possible? Or realistic. A love life and friends could be unhealthy, Amani. Don't get too crazy.

The other characters were a great cast. I loved them all! The banter. The personalities. I don't think I could pick a favorite. There was an emphasis on friends and siblings. Especially siblings. It wrestled with the questions like, "What if your sibling is a dastardly villain? Would you kill him/her to save the world?" Because this is relevant to everyone. 

The author balanced all of the relationships in the book superbly. It was done well even to the very end. Usually, a story emphasizes the romantic relationship most since the last sentences depict the couple kissing or holding hands, walking off into the sunset--  have a good life! This book didn't end that way. I appreciate the redirected emphasis. It took a broader outlook which was very fitting.

So by the end, I was grinning like an idiot.

Translation: Go read the book!

 

Don't forget to stop by Sinead's blog Less Reality, More Books for the next stop on the review train! Thank you so much Brittany @ Space Between the Spines for host!

Have you read Rebel of the Sands?

Why You Should Read The Princess Bride

Today is the last day Of Beasts and Beauties. It's also the last day of the Cinderella Ball and THE GIVEAWAY! So I hope you join in the fun if you haven't yet. Thank you all so much for reading! It's been a lot of fun.

It's the last day of the party and I'm going to talk about The Princess Bride? 

You're welcome.

Every reader should make their way through this long book at least once. (Though after you've read it, you'll probably want to do it more often.) I know it isn't technically a fairytale, BUT it has a lot of fairytale elements. Mostly because it satirizes these elements that we find strange, outlandish, and hard to believe.

So why should you read it?

1. It’s a satire. 

I think a lot people miss this point. They pass off The Princess Bride as a cheesy love film. What they don’t realize is that it’s actually making fun of everything by taking it to extreme lengths. You’re not supposed to take it seriously.

It pokes fun at the literary world as well as the publishing industry. 

It also makes fun of a lot of tropes/elements that I think fairytales have influenced in media. For instance the inevitability of true love. The inconceivable invincibility of the hero. The miraculous resurrection of the hero. The endless beauty of the lady. That endless beauty can overlook all other faults. The lady’s inability to save herself. The driving force of revenge. The epic and yet frequent kiss. The evil that is evil for the sake of being evil. It even laughs at our happily ever afters. 

The delivery of it all is even better.

2. Inigo and Fezzik

If you’ve seen the movie, you know these two are the best. We know a little of Inigo’s history from the movie, but there’s more in the book. The book also delves into Fezzik’s history. 

One of the things that I super love, is that these two have a strong friendship. It comes out more in the book. There’s more of their rhymes. The rhyming part only happened once in the movie and I didn’t really understand until reading the book. Also, there’s a hilarious scene with these two down in Humperdinck’s Zoo of Death. Why did they leave that out of the movie? 

Oh, and keeping to satire, when we read Inigo’s and Fezzik’s backstories, the book stops the whole story for some drawn out flashbacks.

3. The historical inaccuracies and other parenthetical elements

Did you know they had jeans back then? Yeah. . . also, we’re informed that 

(This was before Europe.)

Although later, Westley says he’s going to America to seek his fortune:

(This was just after America, but long after fortunes.)

It’s so funny and sometimes we get told the “origins” of random things.

(Originally, jealousy pertained solely to plants, other people’s cactus or ginkgoes, or, later, when there was grass, grass, which is why, even to this day, we say that someone is green with jealousy.)

The parenthetical elements are one of my favorite parts.

4. The complexity

Goldman presents the book as his “good parts” version of a much older book by  S. Morgenstern. Goldman’s father read this book to him when he was sick, his father who is in fact Florinese. When Goldman is older he realizes his father didn’t read the whole book to him because Morgenstern had written a historical account and spends lengthy pages on things like culture and customs. His father had left out all the boring history parts and only read the “good parts” to Goldman.

Spoiler Of Sorts

Goldman tells us that this stuff really did happen.

I believed him the first time I read it. It’s was kind of nice, to at least pretend that it’s all real. I was a little upset (like most people) to find out it was a trick. Even the real world aspects of the book are made up, like Goldman’s family, the scene with Stephen King, etc.

But I really admire the complexity of it. Just how far Goldman carried the ruse was what made it so believable. Another thing I think helps believability is that he framed the story first in the real world than transitioned to Buttercup and Westley’s world. The whole book is very elaborate. It must’ve been a difficult book to write. Sometimes Goldman stops the story to sum up a part that the “original” author Morgenstern took too many pages to indulge in. Whenever Goldman interrupts the story (frequently might I add) he usually criticizes the non-existent Morgenstern or the publishing world or whatever he feels moody against at the moment. It’s really funny and I admire all the work and intricacy it required. 

Spoiler Of Sorts Ended

This is also what puts most people off, I think. When they open the book, they expect to dive right into Buttercup and Westley’s world. Instead the book starts out in the real world, with Goldman, his dysfunctional family, and his publishing problems. (It’s not the cleanest of reads either; there’s some lust involved in the “real world” parts.)

If you want to read that, that’s fine. It is lengthy though. If you want to begin with Buttercup and Westley’s world start where it reads 

One

The Bride

You may definitely want to backtrack later and read everything you skipped over.

And just believe everything. That’s the whole fun in it. 

5. It is enormously quotable.

"Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die!"

If you've never heard that line, there you must be from another planet or something. The Princess Bride (along with The Book Thief) is one of the most quotable books I've read. People spout of the movie lines all the time, and the book is even better. 

Do you know how many times I want to end a post with

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6. Life isn’t fair.

One of the things that most fairytales teach is that life is fair. The person who’s preserved all their lives and done good things will be reward with a royal life in the end. A person with bad intentions who treat other cruelly will meet a cruel end, sometimes interlaced with poetic justice. Disobedient little girls get eaten. Good boys get princesses. And so on. 

But real life does not work like a fairytale. Sometimes in real life, you can do the best anyone ever could do and you’re still the one left behind in the end. Sometimes bad things happen to good people. Sometimes the “bad guys” get away. Inconceivable, I know.

I’d love to tell you how The Princess Bride ends. But I’ve already gave you spoilers, so I’ll keep my mouth shut.

(Did I quote that right? Aw, well.)

 Tomorrow I will announce the winner of the giveaway. Just to let you know, the post will probably be titled Starting Sparks or something like that. You may want to mentally prepare yourself for wholly absurd adventure with the Oddball Foursome.

Oddball hates me right now. 

Have you read or seen The Princess Bride? Any thoughts?

Wishful Thinking // my own speculations

 Some fairytales have similar elements. Often these elements seem bizarre or unrealistic to us. Here's some wondering about maybe why. (Oh, and a picture dump. I tried to make it relevant, but you know. *shrugs*)

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1. Was the love at first sight element people’s wishful thinking? Arranged marriages were what part of the culture and society back then. People often married for advantage and monetary reasons. When it came to romance they had to tough it out. True love was impractical. Love at first sight would have been a comforting hope. 

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2. The rags-to-riches could be another wishful hope. People from lower classes rarely married anyone of a higher class.So perhaps beauty and kindness was thought to transcend even class? Or perhaps even that was wishful thinking? There are many fairytales where a poor person would may into royalty, like Cinderella simply for beauty or a virtue. Or perhaps it was the hope that one could be married for something more than status or money. That their character might actually be attractive. 

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3. Most stories are clearly told during eras where women were suppressed. Yet some of these tales have many different versions. 

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Take Red Riding Hood for instance. Charles Perrault first wrote it with a very clear message. And it did not end well for the leading girl. But these tales were also often told by women, as they were spinning and weaving or sewing. It was meant to keep time with the spinning of the wheel.

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 This also is why a lot of fairytales have related elements in them. Rumpelstiltskin spinning gold. Rapunzel pricking her finger on a spindle. Etc. Perhaps this is where the term “wives tales” comes from? Anyhow, there’s another version of Red Riding Hood (The Grandmother) where the little heroine outwits the wolf and escapes. Which version do you think the ladies told? 

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4. The Grimm brothers get a lot of criticism for altering their original edition of fairytales. They get a lot of criticism for many things actually. I understand this, but to a certain point. 

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If you look at the big picture of the all fairy tales from around the world, you'll notice a lot of them are similar. It seems to me that fairytales have been retold again and again. Each storyteller told their own retelling of it. They altered it and made the story their own to fit a specific culture or set of beliefs or their audience. People are still doing that today. So yes, the Grimm brothers changed things. But we're still changing even what they've changed, so do we really have a right to critique them?

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5. In most fairytales, you rarely find gray characters. Most characters are archetypes that either represent everything good or everything evil. Sometimes I wonder if this stems from our desire for transparency. Who wants to question people’s motives all the time? To always wonder if someone was telling you the truth? Why can’t people be who they say they are? 

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Also, there’s always that one person who seems really good. And although you know that no one is ever perfect, you still imagine that person as embodiment of all things good.  

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 In a world where there's constant lawlessness and pain, you want something that is pure and untainted. You want to believe that a perfect, incorruptible person exist (personally, I suggest God as the answer).  

Similarly, there are times we want to blame someone for all the bad things that have happened. And when someone does something wrong, we don't always want to try understanding why. 

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We don't want to consider that maybe they're human too. When they’ve hurt us, we don’t want to put them on a victimized level. They are the villains here, right? (I'm not saying these points of view are a good idea, I'm just saying sometimes we tend to do this; I fall into this pitfall, at least.)

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Fairy tales do this for us. They give us indestructible goodness and irrational evil. 

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Fairytales, in some strange way, are stories of hope. The people who told and wrote this stories lived in dark times. (Ever heard of the Dark Ages? And I wonder if perhaps this is why some fairytales are so dark.) People found comfort and excitement in these stories. When a group of people gather around a fire at night there's always that one person who wants to hear the same story, or sing the same song, over and over. That person finds something in the story or song to grasp onto, be it happiness or thrill or just plain hope. 

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That's what fairytales were for people then. Fairytales are still around today, still evolving. I think that's because humanity will always be in need of hope. Therefore we will always need fairytales. 

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 What do you think?