Does Reviewing Books Take Away The Pleasure Of Reading?

After a great summer of reading roughly 13-14 books a month, September saw a huge reading slump. However, as a book blogger, small though I may be, having a reading slump is inconvenient and annoying because I won't have any reviews to post and therefore it will affect the readership of my blog. I feel a pressure to be reading more when in reality I just want to take it slow. To a normal person reading 3-4 books a month is pretty good going, but to a book review it is not. I am lucky in a way that because I had such a great summer of reading I have been able to have posts queued up however, they are running out and with it my enthusiasm for reading.

I never wanted reading to become a chore because it is something that I do for fun and to relax me, however, recently, probably through fault of my own I have been feeling a bit like a failure for not being able to read as much, both from being super busy and from just being lazy I guess. So that brings up the question of this post: Does reviewing books take away the pleasure of reading?

I do love this little blog and although I have a very small readership in comparison to the large bloggers and booktubers, I take pride in making it the best I can. Further pressure is put on when receiving books for review from publishers, something that makes me very proud but also very stressed, because I don't always have time to read the books before they come out, either because they aren't what I feel like reading at the moment or just because I am simply too busy to read. By not reading the books before the review date it seems rude to be taking the books without giving something back to the company.

All in all, I am not sure this post makes any sense at all, I am also not sure it even matters, I feel like I am putting pressure on myself for something that no one even cares about, I don't have a big readership so they won't care if I don't post for a while, so why do I feel so guilty about not reading?

If anyone has any thoughts about this topic talk to me on twitter @reviewswithemma I'd love to know your thoughts.

The Red Queen- Philippa Gregory BOOK REVIEW

“1453, Heiress to the red rose of Lancaster, Margaret Beaufort is a strikingly pious child. Saints’ knees he stigmata, she has a fierce and unwavering sense of destiny, if not a nun, then she’ll be Queen of England and sign her name Margaret Regina: Margaret R.

Still a girl, Margaret is sent to a loveless marriage in remote Wales. There she gives birth to a son whom she names for the King, he cousin Henry VI of England, who is sinking into madness. Determined to put her Henry on England’s throne, regardless of the overwhelming power of the York dynasty, she sends him into exile and pledges him in marriage to the daughter of her enemy Elizabeth Woodville.

Meanwhile, devoted in her belief that her House is the true ruler of England, Margaret feigns loyalty to the usurper King Richard III and masterminds one of the greatest rebellions of all time.”

Before reading the book but watching the TV show I have come to the conclusion that Margaret is slightly mad. Driven by her belief that it is God’s will to put her Henry on the throne. She is as the blurb states in a loveless marriage at the start and an even less so one later on, married only for personal gain and a place in court.

After reading the book you can’t help but feel so sorry for Margaret Beaufort. She was a disappointment to her mother because she was a girl and not a boy, she is given a betrothal when she is only 6 and gets re-betrothed when she is 9. She is only 12 when she finally marries and is a widow at 14 after carrying her husband’s child. Then to make matters worse she is made to re-marry to Henry Stafford and forced to give up her child. Well, I don’t know about you but my childhood certainly wasn’t that bad. Her mother is wicked woman and an absolute beast; I just simply cannot understand how a mother can have so little love for her child. It must have really sucked to be a girl in Margaret’s time, to never have a say in your life, but instead it be all to do with your parents and later your husband is a completely horrendous thought.

She continues to be told what to do throughout her life but she always holds on to the unwavering sense that she is doing the will of God, she believes that he speaks to her. She will stop at nothing to get her son on the throne of England. She even marries to get a place in court so as to get her closer to getting her boy on the throne. She is a very strong, pious woman.

I didn’t enjoy this book as much as the Kingmaker’s Daughter purely because of the amount of battle and I felt as if Margaret kept repeating herself about the will of God, which of course is supposed to happen because that is what she lives for and is the main plot line and her driving force behind everything she does, but I did find it getting a little bit trying. If anything I am more intrigued to read about ‘The White Princess’ Elizabeth Woodville’s daughter, which is due to be released sometime in August. She seems to be a rather significant figure in both of the books towards the end of them and I’d like to find out more about her.

My kind of decoration

My bookcase is my pride and joy. I know it sounds ridiculous but honestly it is my favourite part of my room, so in saying that I like to spend a lot of money to make it look awesome. Apart from obviously housing my books it also showcases a couple of my favourite action figures.

So starting with those from Harry Potter

Harry Potter from the first year and I believe that this figure is limited edition because of the cobwebbed cloak, however, that's just a guess. 

We have a broomstick, a TimeTurner and Hedwig in his cage, which if you would like to see the two latter items in more detail, click HERE

This is Professor Quirrel and if you turn his turban around it has the face of Voldemort on it which is a pretty cool feature.

Then we have probably my favourite trio of figures. Harry Potter, Fred and George Weasley in their Gryffindor Quidditch uniforms and a broomstick.

Then we have a Goblin from Gringotts Wizard bank and a cart full of 'jewels'. 

And a small Harry Potter Lego figure of him by a potions 'classroom'.

 Next up is Toy Story

Buzz Lightyear and Woody and Buzz again

These are actually on my DVD bookcase but I thought I'd show them anyway. They are Woody and Buzz in cars.

Next is random stuff

Batman, Spiderman, a small Cyberman and a broomstick, because I like to represent the fact that I am multi-fandoms.

Stitch, Rex from Toy Story and a jar of sweets in a Honeydukes jar from the Studio Tour.

Dalek and Cyberman from the Doctor Who experience.

Again these are on my DVD bookcase but oh well, it still counts. Woody and a PygmyPuff called Arnold obviously from the Harry Potter studio tour.

Then we have the top of my bookcase

Scooby Doo, a killer whale from Sea World that is made of rubber and is pretty heavy actually, a Mickey Mouse trophy saying Best Daughter because obviously I am, a large Buzz Lightyear.

A Rex from Toy Story, Papa Smurf, Simba from the Musical The Lion King, Stinky Pete, Eeyore, a Radley box with batteries in it and china dove birds and finally my Elder wand.

Phew, so that's it!

Goodreads

As you know if you read my blog a lot then you will realise that I absolutely love reading. I am always on a constant hunt for books, I love reviewing them and I just like losing myself in the internet looking for books/reading about books and just generally books.

Therefore the best website for me to do this is Goodreads. I created an account absolutely ages ago, but in all honestly with the business of life forgot all about it, until today. SO if you would like to see what I am currently reading, what I have read or what is on my to-read list then head on over to this link HERE.

Pet peeves of a fiction obsessed sixteen year old

I have probably done plenty of these posts that either tell you more about me or more to the point what annoys me, but this time I'm going to make it more topical. I am going to talk about things in literacy, films and music that irritates me to the end of the earth and back again.

1. When people bend the page of their books and/or bend/break the spine on their books.
Okay, I do think I have a slight OCD when it comes to looking after books and if you look at about 95% of my books in my bookcase, despite having read each book several times, you will not find a single break in the spine or a bend in a page. (Apart from the dreaded initial break that you get just from opening it, but even that one is so faint you can barely see it). Literally whenever I see anyone doing either of those things I just want to slap the book out of their hands and repair the damage immediately. This is also why I very, very rarely lend my books to people unless I know they can be trusted to treat it carefully. This is also another reason why I cannot deal with library books and have never ever read a book from the library because they are always so tatty and broken that it just takes the enjoyment out of reading for me. The care of books is something I do not take lightly, my friend.

2. When there is a misprint or spelling error in a book.
This is just careless on the publishers part; although, granted, its a very rare thing to happen and even more rare with printed books. However, I've noticed especially on E-Books there can be careless mistakes and it takes you a few time to read over the sentence to understand what was trying to be said. It's extremely frustrating because the amount of times that a book is read and re-read and re-re-read before its published silly mistakes should be seen and sorted out.

3.When films based on adaptations just get the casting all wrong.
I know that everyone has their own ideas about what a certain character looks like when they are described in a book. For example, when I read a book I imagine most of my characters as cartoons and so I find it hard to describe a character to another person who is not inside my head. However, sometimes I really do question if the casting people have read the books at all; take the new Divergent movie for example, Shailene Woodley and Theo James look nothing, absolutely nothing like how I would have imagined them (you know if my brain wasn't weird and turned everyone into cartoons) I just feel like its disappointing for the fan of the books. I understand that it would be impossible to find an actor that everyone loves and imagines in the place of their favourite character but at least attempt it. Harry Potter is a fine example of brilliant casting and costume; you can just tell that the casting people took the time to read the books and study the characters with detail. I am just left feeling like that in today's Hollywood, film companies are more interested in whacking out as many films as possible without really investing too much time into them.
p.s I'm sure these actors mentioned above are good, I've yet to see them in anything but this comment is made purely on their looks (vain, I know right).

4.When books could have been finished but the author tries to milk it.
This is extremely frustrating when you find a decent new book series, you read the first few and it seems that all of the events have been rounded off well and nicely, however, then the author keeps writing new books with weaker plots. This makes the series loose its integrity and makes the reader get bored and disengaged with the writing. Authors need to know when its best to put a series to bed: know when to quit, go out on a high. Particular examples of this are The House of Night series and The Mortal Instrument series. The House of Night currently has 10 books in the series when realistically they could have stopped writing them at about book 5/6, I really cannot be bothered to continue reading the rest in the series because it is getting boring and silly. The Mortal Instruments could have been finished on book 3, that would have left the reader wanting more but not really needing it, the 4th book was lacking compared to the others and took me a long time to get through it. What I am trying to say is that if you want to write a successful book series then you need to know when enough is enough, you want the reader to want more but that they don't necessarily need to have any more because the story is strong enough without it.

5.When films change what happens in the books in a very sucky way.
Sucky isn't the most sophisticated adjective but it describes what I am talking about in the best way possible. When a film is based on an adaptation, I understand that somethings have to be changed so that they make it cinematically pleasing but when they completely change the way an event happens in the book to something that to anyone who has read the books just does not make sense, then you know you have a problem. Take Harry Potter (probably the first time I am criticising it on my blog, take note because it wont happen very often, haha) in the last film (Deathly Hallows part 2) Harry snaps the Elder Wand in half and throws it away... however, in the book, Harry uses the Elder Wand to repair his old trusty wand and then returns the Elder Wand back to Dumbledore's grave. According to the film Harry no longer has a wand after he does what he does because it does not show him fixing his previous wand. To any fan of the books this will come as a very large annoyance, it would have taken the film makers literally about 2 minutes to show what happened in the book but instead they decided on a scene that is just stupid.

The 32 book summer challenge

Its no surprise that I love to read and seeing as I have an abnormally long summer this year because of leaving early to do exams, I'll have a lot of spare time. Although 32 books may not seem a lot, many of the books I have chosen are part of a series that I may get hooked into and so therefore this number could expand; I also didn't want to have to many because my mum tells me off enough as it is for spending too much money buying books and I want to enjoy my summer as much a possible by going out as much as I can and believe me if I have a book the likelihood is is that I'd rather read my book and I end up missing out. So here is the list of books I hope to read, I will read them as and when I want and in whatever order.

1. The great Gatsby- F Scott Fitzgerald 
2. To Kill a Mockingbird- Harper Lee
3. The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fray- Rachel Joyce
4. Quiet- Susan Cain
5. Fated- Alyson Noel
6. Game of Thrones- George R R Martin 
7. The Bling Ring- Nancy Jo Sales
8. Beautiful Creatures- Margaret Stohl and Kami Garcia
9. Lord of the Rings- J R R Tolkien 
10. City of Fallen Angels- Cassandre Clare
11. City of Lost Souls- Cassandre Clare
12. Catcher in the Rye- J D Salinger
13. Little Women- Lousia May Alcott
14. Gone Girl- Gillian Flynn
15. The Secret Keeper- Kate Morton
16. Enchantress- James Maxwell
17. Gone- Michael Grant
18. The Travel Bug- Sheila Norton
19. Bridget Jones' Diary- Helen Fielding 
20. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy- Douglas Adams
21. Call the Midwife- Jennifer Worth
22. Never Haunt a Historian- Edie Claire
23. The Perpetual Astonishment of Jonathon Fairfax- Christopher Shelvin
24. Where'd You Go, Bernadette- Maria Semple
25. Ender's Game- Orson Scott Card
26. Switched- Amanda Hocking
27. Paper Towns- John Green
28. The Mazer Runner- James Dashner
29. The Book Thief- Markus Zusak
30. Matched- Ally Condie
31. It's Kind of a Funny Story- Ned Vizzini 
32. Night School- C J Daughtery 

*I may include books as the summer goes on.* I'm going to say that I will start today, reading Bridget Jones' Diary and my summer finishes 2nd September. As I finish each book I will come back and cross it off the list; I will also post reviews of all the books that I read.

New books!

I can only apologise for completely abandoning my blog this past week (reasons for why here) but unless you wanted a rant and worry over my knowing absolutely nothing about either biology, chemistry or physics and my exams are only 11, 17 and 20 days away respectively then I'm sure you will thank me for staying off the blog. Also revising for several hours after a long and arduous day at school completely drains your inspiration for decent blog posts, oh the setbacks of teenage life.

Anyway enough about mundane life; I thought I would share with you a few book purchases I have made in the past few weeks. Although I can't read them yet because of lack of time, they are definitely motivating me and yes, making me very excited to finish my exams so I can read without feeling guilty about not revising.

City of Fallen Angels and City of Lost Souls

Cassandra Clare

Oh so excited to read these after reading the other books in the series it seems almost nasty that I have to hold off from finding out what happens next. I am slightly dubious to how and why Clare has written two other books (and I'm told there is a sixth book on the way) when the third book- City of Glass, finished nicely... I suppose I can expect character death as this doesn't seem like the type of series that is going to let me off lightly and happily. 

Quiet

Susan Cain

I picked this book up on a whim along with the book underneath in Waterstones because they were buy one get one half price and when it comes to books I can't resist a deal like that. It seems like an extremely interesting book which I am sure will have plenty of mystery about it; the thing that attracted me most was the cover; it is completely white even the title which implies simplicity which excites me very much (although I couldn't find a decent picture on the internet). I like the idea of introverts, like myself, not always getting ignored because we aren't the ones who are the centre of attention, which is what this books seems to be about. 

The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry 

Rachel Joyce

As I mentioned above I got this in Waterstones, it was in the section where they have the best sellers which if you are stuck for what book to read next, or if you're like me and just like seeing what everyone else is reading then have a look in this section first. This book is very strange and it immediately made me want to read it. It seems like a very dystopian theme in a normal world (if that makes any sense). I am sure that this book will keep me on my toes and enthralled throughout: at least I very much hope so. 

Clockwork Prince and Clockwork Angel

Cassandra Clare

I chose these books because of the author, I thought seeing as I am enjoying the Mortal Instruments series I would try out her other series the Infernal Devices. They follow the same type of theme by the looks of it except it is set in London and in a very different time period. I really hope that these books are as good, if not better, as the Mortal Instruments and I will be just as excited with the characters as I am now.

So for now I have to have them sitting in my bookcase mocking me as I revising completely pointless and irrelevant things that will never help or affect me in life! Fun times.

(A few) Favourite fictional characters from BOOKS

I read a lot- does that shock you? I didn't think so, but because of this I have gained a lot of favourite characters that in all honesty shape the way I think. The worst thing for me is reading a book when you have absolutely NO connection towards the characters and you just really don't have any feelings towards them- hatred or love; absolutely nothing. *WARNING this post might contain spoilers*

First and for most my absolute favourite character of any book I have read is of course Harry Potter- the boy who lived. (Harry Potter written by JK Rowling, seven books in total and made into 8 films). Now harry is a character that is extremely flawed and so far away from perfect; but even so he is so special. He not only defeats the most evil wizard of all time (Voldemort for those of you that haven't read the book: that is if there is anyone who’s not read the books) but he is the most fiercely loyal and just boy that I have seen. He would do anything for his friends, despite his horrible upbringing he still gives and receives love in many different forms; he stands by his friends no matter what. Harry, although fighting on the good side, he still feels the bad inside him and knows he has flaws: which inspires one of my favourite quotes from Sirius "We have all got both light and dark inside us. What matters is the power we choose to act on. That's who we really are". I could go on forever talking about Harry but I won't, I’ll save that for another day.

Another favourite from Harry potter is Hermione Granger- the brightest witch of her age. Hermione is the ultimate role model for a girl like me; she shows that actually having brains is a good thing and defiantly should not be played down just because you get made fun of. She is also a huge bookworm like me. However, Hermione isn't just about books and cleverness (notice the quote ;-) but she has so much bravery and fight in her which is of course what makes her a Gryffindor and not a Ravenclaw. What I also love about her is that even when Ron leaves in Deathly Hallows she remains behind because she knows that is what is right and what needs to be done despite her feelings; it shows she doesn't need a man to live her life. 

*by the way I have just decided upon writing this post that a lot of my favourite characters are from Harry Potter, so therefore I will make a separate post soon talking more in depth about them so as not to labour on one point, but for the sake of freshness I will move on to other books for now* 

Next up is Katniss Everdeen- the girl on fire. (From The Hunger Games written by Suzanne Collins, three books, first already made into a film and the second in creation as we speak). Katniss, again is a very, very flawed character, who probably isn't a great person but she is someone who reminds me as a fighter, she reminds us that no matter what happens as much as you want to go and cry you can't you must carry on and fight because people are counting on you; although I know that (or at least hope) I will never have to fight in something like The Hunger Games but even in the mundane thing such as life you still have to soldier on and she is a fabulous role model for that. 

Peeta Melark (from the Hunger Games) is someone who shows that love is all you have, throughout everything he does he remains in love with Katniss despite her feelings being for the Games for the first book and its only when Peeta has been turned into a mutt is when Katniss realises that actually she does love him. Peeta goes through a hell of a lot but in the end his love still remains and this helps him remember who he is before the Capitol messed around with him. He also puts every other character above himself, which is such a good trait to have.

Another favourite is a semi minor character; Jocelyn Fray (The Mortal Instruments written by Cassandra Clare, 5 books in the series, the first film is currently due for release in August). Now for the first three books (that's as far as I'm up to currently) she is pretty much not involved in the story because she is in the hospital seemingly unconscious, however, she is so brave and clever, that as Clary finds out more about her my respect for Jocelyn grows. She not only managed to escape from the villain of the story but brought up her kid away from the Shadow Hunter world so that she wouldn't have to go through the same pain as her. She lost her entire family but still remains a mother for Clary, I don't want to say too much because I don't want to ruin it and of course I’m still not 100% sure what happens to her as I haven’t finished the series, but seriously Jocelyn is one badass mother. 

Charlie (from the Perks of Being a Wallflower written by Stephen Chbosky, recently been made into a film) is a favourite for completely different reasons to the others because Charlie is a hero in the 'real' world, he had a mental illness and is so extremely awkward it is painful but he carries on and keeps fighting the illness that has been eating him up inside and for me that is the bravest thing anyone could do. I know a lot of teenagers relate to Charlie and that's why the book is so successful, because truly being a teenager sucks and eventually we all feel as if we don't want to be here and although most get over it is still hard and anyone who fights an illness like this deserves to be on this list. This book also inspires one of my favourite quotes "I am both happy and sad and still trying to figure out how that can be".

As you can see from the type of characters on this small list of a few characters, I value bravery and love amongst anything else. But so as not to bore you I will stop for now, but expect more posts like this in the future, because of course, as I continue reading this list especially will expand.

Within the next few posts there will be a post on my favourite fictional charactersfrom films and TV and the Harry Potter one I promised. 

“We read to know that we are not alone.”

                                    

As some of you may know from reading my blog, is that I love to read it is my absolute favourite past time and I get so much joy from it. I have made friends through a mutual love of reading and of the characters inside the novels; not only that but it has improved my imagination, my empathy and understanding of topics that I would never think to discuss. To some reading is a chore but to others it is a way of escapism and a way to relax, it is a way to put your emotions into something else other than your own life and for many it is a way of making people feel like they are not alone. 

As with most things I have my favourites which include titles such as Harry Potter, The Hunger Games and Divergent/Insurgent, which although all follow the same sort of genre follow completely different plots with completely diverse characters and with them all comes with fresh emotion and an experience that I've never had before. I can connect to the characters and feel their happiness, their sadness, I mourn when they die and I feel elated when my favourite characters finally end up together and get a chance at happiness (usually in these types of books their happiness is short lived but you still get the idea)

Out of the very many books I have read during my lifetime, I have also enjoyed The Fault in Our Stars which discusses an issue which could be slightly taboo and although it didn't affect me as much as it has affected the whole of the internet it was still a moving and well written book. I loved The Perks of Being a Wallflower because it related to a lot of feelings that most teenagers have but never feel the courage to speak up about. I am currently reading City of Bones and I can already tell that it’s going to be up there with my favourites once I have finished. On a softer note I have really enjoyed books written by Milly Johnson and although they are they are predictable and soppy they are great for easy reads; my favourites from her are The Birds and the Bees and Here Come the Girls, my mum loves her writing and because of this I have every book she has ever written at my disposal so when I'm feeling cheesed off they are brilliant to loose myself in for a few hours. 

For my English literature last year we were given Of Mice and Men to read for our exam and I read it within a few hours, I (unlike most of my peers) really loved the book as I am the type of person that loves to find hidden meanings and discuss the importance of the novel, I love talking about what could have impacted them to write about what they have and this book is a perfect way to do this. Due to my liking for this book I have extended my library to other classics such as The Great Gatsby, To Kill a Mockingbird, Emma and I'm even debating whether to read a Shakespeare novel.

books that have been reviewed or mentioned in previous posts:

  Perks of being a wallflower

Harry Potter

The fault in our stars

bookshelf tour

Bookshelf Tour!

One of my absolute favourite things to do is read, and this therefore results in me owning a heck of a lot of books. Thankfully, last year I had a Kindle given to me as a gift so I have managed to whittle down the amount of physical copies of books that I own. But here is the contents of my bookshelf.
*p.s. I don't usually have tinsel around it, but being Christmas and all*

My bookcase is from Argos, for about £60 this time last year. I skipped the second shelf because it will be in my DVD collection in my next blog post.

The top of my bookcase- 

Eeyore, ariel for TV, Pygmy Puff(called Arnold), and the Shopaholic series, Remember Me, Can You Keep a Secret and Undomestic Goddess and my hamsters treats.

1st shelf

(at the top) To kill a Mockingbird, The world of the Hunger Games and THG Tribute Guide, The Great Gatsby and The Night Circus

(from left to right) Twilight series, The Woman in Black, The Hunger Games series, an American version of Harry Potter and the 'Scorers Stone', The Harry Potter Series, Uglies, The Perks Of Being a Wallflower, Night School, The Hundred Year Old Man Who Jumped Out Of a Window and Disappeared, Divergent & Insurgent, The Girl With a Dragon Tattoo and Here Come The Girls.

2nd Shelf

(from left to right) A Desirable Residence, The Tennis Party, Cocktails For Three, The Wedding Girl, Swimming Pool Sunday, Sleeping Arrangements, The Gatecrasher, A Bend in the Road, The Choice, Dear John, The Lucky One, The House of Night Series (minus the sixth one because that is the book I am currently reading), The Love Academy, Out Of The Blue, Cafe Tropicana, California Club, Diva Las Vegas, I Love Capri, On the Road to Mr Right, The Paradise Room and (at the top) The Last Song.

3rd shelf

(from left to right) Tom Daley- My story, (behind Simba) Girl on the Run, The Newly Weds, Bridesmaids, My single Friend, Secrets at St Judes series (New Girl, Jealous Girl, Drama Girl, Rebel Girl), A Spring Affair, The Yorkshire Pudding Club, The Birds and the Bees, White Wedding, An Autumn Crush, A Summer Fling, My Life Starring Mum and Hollywood Bliss.

Wii Games- Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games, Mario Kart Wii, Lego Harry Potter years 5-7, Sonic Colours.

Cd's- Maroon 5- Overexposed, Ed Sheeran- Loose Change, + and Songs I Wrote With Amy.

Then I have The Casual Vacancy and random school text books and revision books.

The coloured words in the list are my favourite books.

Authors books who I have mentioned- Stephanie Meyer, Susan Hill, Susanne Collins, JK Rowling, Scott Westerfield, Jonas Johnson, Harper Lee, Erin Morganstern, FScott Fitzgerald, Veronica Roth, Stieg Larrson, Milly Johnson, Sophie Kinsella, Nicolas Sparks, P.C and Kristin Cast, Belinda Jones, Jane Costello, Carmen Reid, Chloe Rayban.