Books That Clear Your Expectations In One Leap // and those that fall flat on their cover . . .

Let's talk about those kinds of books that you open with skepticism only to find the best book you've read in a long time and the . . . other books. Maybe the other book is one you've counted down the days until its release date. Maybe it was an over-hyped book. Or worse, it's a sequel. Those books make you nervous about looking forward to a book too much or else you'll never be pleasantly [ecstatically] surprised again.

Here are a few of those good and not so good surprises that I've experienced. 

Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones

I think of the anime when I think of this book even though I've never seen it, or any anime. I opened this book with mixed ideas. I was never impressed when I'd hear the title, but a friend highly recommended it [discussed here as well]. I guess, I just never took it very seriously before.

I cannot express how much I loved it.

It's not a serious book. Still. I never expected it to mean so much to me? It makes me laugh, and that's important.

A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway

One of my favorite English professors loved Hemingway. He had a whole shelf full of Hemingway in his office. He talked and talked about the guy in class. And I rather liked Hemingway's short stories. So why not give his novels a try too?

Sadly, it didn't work for me.

Hemingway's cropped style works well for short stories, but in longer fiction, I found it kind of annoying. And I didn't like the main character. There are parts and words that I appreciate about A Farewell to Arms, and I did really want to like the book, but it just didn't happen. 

Percy Jackson and the Olympians by Rick Riordan

Let's just say my views were tainted by the movie I watched first. Oops.

This series is so hilarious [it's an MG series, so aka MG humor. it's hilarious for what it is]. The chapter titles are outrageous, and I love the characters. They all have a strong life in and out of the books, meaning there's a large reader community surrounding the series. It's fun having halfblood comrades. And the books just make me laugh every time [totally not a reflection on my sense of humor].

Red Rising by Pierce Brown

I adored this book the first time I read it. But it has been awhile since, and I want to continue the series. What better time for a reread? Except. . . except what if I didn't remember well enough? What if my new expectations were too high, and I didn't like it as much the second time? That would be the worst sin among bookish sins. 

But, duh, I fell in love with it again. 

I actually had difficulty reading it as quickly as I wanted. I kept putting it down because I got so stupidly excited about the parts that I LIKE. "Oh, this is when Matteo comes in!" I'd stop and pick it up two days later. "Ah! Darrow kidnaps the cook in this chapter!" I'd wait until I had a quiet moment to read it over coffee. "Sevro! Knivesalknalkadkkajdg!" I have no idea why I kept doing this.

And guess it. I still haven't read Golden Son.  

The reread just solidified my appreciation for the world-building. The characters. The imagination that put this book together. Strategy and tactics. Character development. Huge concepts being explored throughout the length of a book instead of just being stated and there's the end of it. . . I just really love this author [it only takes one book, ok?].


Rebel Heart by Moira Young

A sequel. Uh, oh. 

Blood Red Road was a surprise favorite I found in a library. I would walk across a desert for it. [ok, i'd actually purchase it online? because i know how to navigate the interwebs better than a desert. common sense is essential to survival.] The second one had to be as good, right? 

*high-strung anxious tone* RIGHT!?

I admit it has good qualities. There were things I liked about it, buuuut *whines* it wasn't as good as Blood Red Road. Overall, it was a let down for me. 

Vicious by V. E. Schwab

I've heard a lot about this book. I've heard a lot about this author. Because Cait never shrieks about her enough. I didn't intentionally put off reading the book until I acquired the book [more on that later]. My friend [like, the face-to-face kind?] read it and did everything short of force-feeding it to me. 

Thing is, I knew I would absolutely love, love this book even before my friend read it. It wasn't an expectation. It was a certainty. Which is a very weird thing for me. But anyhow. Even though the outcome was positive, I still procrastinated?

I read it. And ALEFLKADNGA! It's even better than I could've imagined. So that's really saying something. Schwab is my new author hero [with only one book, yet again. i promise i'm not that impressionable]. I'll have a proper review later because there isn't enough flail room left in this post.

What are some books that overreached your expectations or ones that couldn't get past the starting line?

Every Breath by Ellie Marney // book review video

I finally recorded a book video. Yay. [Such quality.] I actually shot this at the beginning of the summer, but video editing is a pain since I know the quality won't be as good as I want it to be because I lack 

1) a good camera

2) a good place to shoot

3) good video editing software

4) good video editing skills


 

So yeah, all I know how to do is turn on my phone and talk to it. And even that is questionable since talking is hard. Really though, I wasn't feeling well while videoing this, so there's times when I gather my words for too long and have a coughing break. So please excuse that and the sunlight's game of hide-and-seek. 

*changes blog title to The Ghostly White Hatter*


Have you read this book? Thoughts? Any other Sherlock retellings you love/hate?

Spring Cleaning Writers Tag // in August

So while I was busy dashing about doing the bidding of various professors earlier this year, Skye @ Ink Calamities tagged me for a tag. I'm grateful for it. It's nice to realize I was thought of while I was drowning in the higher education system.

If you wish to know the rules of the game, refer to her post because I haven't time for them. [You should read her blog if you don't already. In fact, she is getting PUBLISHED soon! I want to scream it from the top of Mt. Everest, but I'll have to settle for the peak of my tbr.]

1) Dust Bunnies and Plot Bunnies: Reorganize your goals or make new ones

My goals have undergone recent renovation. I've been writing a novel for my last class, so it needs a place on the list.

-- properly combine the original material of Zuezak with the new material

-- finish writing the first draft of Zuezak

-- edit Oddball the First

-- while editing, maybe write or brainstorm for something else

-- edit Zuezak, while continuing above

-- edit Oddball the Second?

-- who knows

-- I don't plan this far ahead

-- but serious? probably take a dragon nap

2) Which stage are you at?

a. Planning a story

b. Writing

c. Editing

d. Combining all the above

Definitely d. Always d. I used to hop from story to story too often. Recently, I've learned how to have one story as my main focus while I occasionally divert to the others [totally disregard the goals list described above]. 

Sometimes when I work on only one for too long, I'm just smashing my imagination into brick wall A without finding any solutions that'll make it phase through smoothly. So if I smash my imagination against brick wall B, sometimes I find the solution to phasing through wall A even if wall B remains unconquered.

I didn't make the rules to The Funny Way Creativity Works, so don't expect me to explain them properly.

3) Treasure from the Back of the Closet: Share 1-3 snippets.

Sure. How about

"Bay needed to stretch her legs with nice wrong."

People, that's supposed to be "'with a nice run.'" XD My typos are the worst! It's cracks me up.

Ok. Here's some serious ones. They've not been edited, so excuse the mess.

“Damon!” Zuezak dashed after him. “Damon! Get over here! Don’t go near—Aaahmmf. . . .”

A hand jerked him against a wall as another covered his mouth.

“Not so loud,” Damon whispered. “they’ll hear you.”

He pulled Zuezak down to crouch behind some barrels. They peered around. Boxed into the dead end alley, two kids shivering against a wall with a gargan snapping at them.

Swell. He knew exactly what Damon was thinking.

“Look, you don’t have your sword,” Zuezak pointed out.

“And you didn’t bring your bag of science tricks, I see. So we use our own brain and brawn.”

“Damon, this is madness.”

“They’re just kids. You think they’re going to get out of there alive?”

“I won’t let you go in there.” Zuezak tried to keep his voice to a whisper.

“Why?” Damon rolled his eyes. “Because I’m the prince.”

“What? No. Because you’re—”

“Get the kids away once it’s clear.” Damon dashed off.

“—my brother.” Zuezak clenched his teeth. “My insufferable ninny of a brother!” he yelled.

---

“You can’t make me leave.” Tyke crossed his arms. “And I’m not going to, you and I, we’re in the same boat.”

Zuezak rolled his eyes. So they should stick together like pals for the remainder of their lives? Whoop-de-doo. “No, we’re not.”

“Sure. Damon was kind to both of us even though nobody else likes us. He always stood up for me and never laughed at me when everyone else did.”

“You’re a jester.” 

---

“And you make magic weed killer for a living? And in your spare time . . . save princes from imminent doom?”

---

I'm still wrestling with this beast of a sentence. Not sure if I like it or not. 

Everyone he encountered so far, Zuezak, the Seeker, even Cassie looked at him with surprised hollow eyes that held the relief that he was here and alive but the bewilderment of not knowing what would come next as if his return was something that they had anticipated in the despair of believing their anticipation would be disappointed.

4) Show some actual spring cleaner of your writing life.

I don't quite understand what I'm supposed to do here. But my bedroom, where I regularly write has changed since I got a new mattress. A new mattress that's too small for the box frame . . . oops. I'm glad for it though as it has allowed me to use the extra space well.

How blurry.

Also, I take my coffee in the living room, thus, here's where I write with coffee in hand.

What are some of your writing goals? Do you tend to write in the same place or will anywhere do?

[ps: in case you cared, I'm currently working on the rough draft of something that is not Oddball. aka Zuezak. Give me any questions you want answered in the comments, and I'll answer them in a proper post.]