Unpopular Opinions Book Tag

I've seen this tag going around blogs and booktube for ages now and I've been wanting to do it, so here goes. The tag was created by The Book Archer on booktube.

Try not to get too upset if I really dislike your favorite books.

A Popular Book or series that you didn't like.

 There are many, but I'll just give you a couple.

A Popular Book or series that every one else seems to hate but you love. 

This is a rather tough one for me, I wouldn't say these books are hated per se,but they do get a lot of hate in comparison to many other books and they are two of my favorites. 

A Love Triangle where the main character ended up with the person you did NOT want them to end up with OR an OTP that you don't like. 

It's hard for me to pick because usually if there's a love triangle the character ends up with the person I like. I don't know if that's a good or a bad thing. 

A popular book Genre that you hardly reach for. 

This would probably have to be romance. Not that I don't ever read romance, but if it's steamy romance or verging on erotica, then I'm not going to read it. And most books that are labeled New Adult fall into this, so I tend to avoid those. I'm also not really into vampire or zombie books.

A popular or beloved character that you do not like.

Warner from the Shatter Me series. I tried to read the second book and could not get into it. And I just don't like Warner and what was done with his character. I don't particularly like Katniss from The Hunger Games or Tris from Divergent. There are just things about both of them that irritates me. While I do like certain things about them, overall they wouldn't be my favorite characters. 

A popular author that you can't seem to get into. 

Sarah J Maas. I tried to read Throne of Glass and could not do it. And everything I've seen since just solidifies my belief that I would hate it if I read it. And everything I've seen about her new series is the same way. Pretty sure I wouldn't enjoy her.

Also John Green kind of fits this category. I really like The Fault in Our Stars, but Paper Towns and Will Grayson, Will Grayson were very disappointing. I don't think I will be picking up any more of his books. At least not any time soon. 

There are many more I could list, but I'll just stick with these two. 

A popular book trope that you're tired of seeing.

While I think that it's great to have strong female leads, I'm kind of getting tired of this focus (particularly in YA novels) where the lead has to be an independent woman who doesn't want need anyone else. Part of my problem with this might be that the character is then seen requiring a relationship in order to function, meaning that she's not really all that independent to begin with. I'm not sure. I just get kind of fed up with all of these heroines. 

A popular series that you have no interest in reading.

 The saying goes "The book is always better than the movie", but what movie or T.V. show adaptation do you prefer more than the book?

There are a few that I either prefer or like just as much. I'll give you a few.

An Interview with PD Kalnay, Author of The Arros Chronicles

I was recently able to interview P.D Kalnay, author of The Arros Chronicles, a young adult fantasy series centered around the adventures of six princesses. 

You can visit P D Kalnay at his website or follow him on twitter to keep up to date with his latest projects. 
The Spiders of Halros (The Arros Chronicles #1) is currently free on Amazon in US, UK, and Canada. I highly recommend this series if you want some fun, light fantasy to read. I have really enjoyed them so far. Now on to the interview!

So far you’ve published two novels in The Arros Chronicles. Can you tell us a little more about this series and where your inspiration came from?

I started writing The Spiders of Halros as an experiment to see if I could: a) write a novel and b) write a fantasy novel my younger sister would enjoy. Along the way I became interested in the characters and the story grew. Originally, I planned to write a middle grade trilogy (you can still see some of the bones of that in the first book). Once I’d laid out the entire story arc I realized it would take six or seven books (of the same approximate size) and the story-line went too dark for pre-teens. I found myself in the position of not being able to let my nine year old nephew read the second book which is why I rated the series as young adult. I think you’d have to search long and hard to find a thirteen year old who’d lived a sheltered enough life to be shocked by anything in The Arros Chronicles.

The inspiration for the series was the many, many fantasy books I’ve read. Admittedly, only a small percentage of those had female leads. I started a princess filled series for reason b) above.

How do you choose names for your characters? Do the names have special meaning within the story (or to you)?

I find naming characters to be particularly onerous. Back when I was much younger (and never finished writing any books) I would spend a good deal of time world building. Drawing maps, filling in family trees and all the rest of the things you’ll find in the appendix for the Lord of the Rings. Now I mostly cut to the action and build the world in a backhanded way. The names of the princesses in The Arros Chronicles are, with one exception, my niece’s names. You can decide if that’s sweet or merely lazy. Some people have strong feelings about using real life names for characters in fantasy books. I find if the names in a book are weirdly unpronounceable I mentally replace them with nicknames anyway. I make up the odd name, but I try to keep a tight grip on my use of x’s and z’s.

Do you have any favorite authors or books you would recommend?

Some of my favorite deceased authors are Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, and Terry Pratchett. For the guys still writing, I’d recommend Brandon Sanderson and Jim Butcher. Fiction is very subjective, so I think it’s best to sample a lot of it and find what you like.

Do you have a certain place you write (office, kitchen, outside, etc)? Do you set daily/weekly writing goals?

I write in a little office/closet with a big window beside me. I’m the sort of person who likes a quiet distraction-free environment. I’m always amazed when people tell me they write while listening to music. I find being outside too distracting to read, let alone write.

I set myself a 2000 word a day minimum. That’s an arbitrary number. On a bad day I’ll struggle to hit that and on a great one I might crack 7000. I’m slower and more meticulous than a lot of writers I think. My goal is to write 2000 words which will likely make it into the finished book.

Are you a plotter or a pantster?

Both. It depends on the day. Sometimes I sit down and write with no plan. Sometimes I have a chapter planned out. Sometimes the entire series is planned out. Once in a while, some scene from later in a book or series will hit me in a bout of inspiration and write itself (those parts are almost always keepers).

Usually, a book is some combination of the above. Even if the overall plot stays the same there are always unexpected twists and turns that pop up. I find writing a book as exciting as reading one.

What book(s) do you wish you could have written?

I’ve loved a lot of wonderful books by other people, but would most like to write my own truly excellent book at some point.

How do you come up with titles for your books?

I look for an underlying theme or piece of the story that sets the book apart from the others in a series. Nothing I’ve written yet has kept its original title in the end. Titles are like online user names, most are already taken.

Have you always been a writer? Who/what first inspired you?

I’ve always been a reader. I didn’t start writing (fiction) consistently until about two years ago. Writing books was on my to-do list for a few decades. I started a novel in the mid 90’s and made it about eight chapters in. The only copy is a dot-matrix printout on perforated printer paper. It wasn’t terrible and after reading it again I thought, I’d like to know how this ends.

I think C.S. Lewis deserves credit for my initial love of reading.

Are you currently working on any projects?

I’m always writing something. I have to do the final edit on a science fiction novel which is more or less finished. The third book of The Arros Chronicles is about half written and all laid out, but I’ll probably only write one book a year for that series. Most recently I’ve been writing a new middle grade fantasy series while I let the science fiction book percolate. I’ve been writing that series all together, moving from book to book. I find being my own editor; I need a break from a book to see it with fresh eyes again. I start working on another in the meantime.

Finally, I’ve got a stack of picture books to illustrate (someday).

What is a question you’ve always wanted to be asked in an interview? Answer that question.

This is my first interview;)

 

Tuesday Talks | Reading for Holidays or Seasons

Tuesday Talks is a weekly discussion group created by Janie and Janelle. If you blog, vlog, or have goodreads, it's a good place to discuss bookish topics with other readers. There is a new topic each week and we get to suggest topics to be used, so if there's something bookish you would like to have a discussion about, suggest it.

Reading for Holidays and Seasons

A lot of people I've met will set their reading entirely around a certain season or holiday. At Halloween they might only read scary books and at Christmas they might read Christmas themed books. For me this hasn't ever really been a thing. I read what I feel like reading when I feel like reading it, no matter the genre or subject. 

I know "summer reads" are also really popular, but I find that I usually read the books people are planning to read over the summer during the winter/spring. I don't know why that is. The only books that I'm probably slightly more likely to read for a specific season are those set around Christmas or in winter. I do read these at other times in the year, but at that time I'm  more likely to pick up a book for that holiday/season.

There are also a lot of people I've met or seen on booktube who like to read certain genres during certain seasons. Like fantasy during the winter and contemporary over the summer. Again, for me it all depends on what I feel like reading. Fantasy is my favorite genre, so I read it all year long, no matter when it's set. If I think I might like a book I pick it up and read it. 

What about you, do you read specifically for holidays and seasons? Or do you just read what you feel like reading?   

Bound~Donnielle Tyner | ARC Review & Giveaway

Title: Bound (Caelian Cycle #2)
Author: Donnielle Tyner
Genre: YA Dystopian/Science Fiction
Length: 200 Pages (approximately)
Release: October 2015
My Rating: 4/5 Stars

I received a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Review

Bound picks up shortly after the events of Lost, with Sadie training and on a mission to stop the Konig family. She's trying to master her physical and mental abilities while not losing herself. 

It's always hard going into a second book because I'm worried about "second book syndrome." This one suffered slightly from that condition, but wasn't a disappointing read. It did feel like there wasn't as much development in the overall story or in the characters themselves as there was in Lost, however. I would have liked a bit more self exploration from Sadie than we got. She did have to face some challenges, obviously, and did grow, I just would have liked it presented slightly differently. 

There is a lot of action in this novel as Sadie goes from one extreme situation to the next. She finds out a lot about her life and the lives of those around her that she didn't know before. And there are still plenty of questions open to explore in the next installment. Society is falling apart as norms and Caelian's fight each other, causing widespread unrest. 

One thing that I really enjoy about these books is Sadie's relationship with all of her friends. They hold each other together and support each other. We get to see Rebecca, Madison, and John again, as well as some of their other friends from the orphanage. Kian has been at Sadie's side since the end of Lost. I wasn't completely happy with the progression of their relationship because I just didn't feel it building very much. Things seemed almost too sudden. 

This was slower paced overall than Lost, but still really enjoyable. There are plenty of questions leading into the third installment and I am very excited to get my hands on a copy when it's released. This has proven to be a very enjoyable series so far, something that I was a bit skeptical about when I started these. Definitely a pleasant surprise. 

 

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The Mistborn Tag

As everyone knows, I am a huge Brandon Sanderson fan. I'm currently reading (or have just finished) Shadows of Self, his newest book. So if you haven't read a Sanderson novel yet, you really should. Particularly if you like fantasy. So here is the Mistborn Tag. I'm going to try and find the original (I think it's on YouTube), and get the link added in.

Iron: Name a book that PULLED you to it based on the cover. 

 Check out those covers. Aren't they pretty?

Steel: Name a book/series that PUSHED you to be a better person.

So many of Dean Koontz's books. They just push me to be a better person in general, because no matter how dark it gets there is always a way to be a light.  Odd Thomas in particular makes me want to be better. 

Tin: Name a book/series that you SENSED the ending of before it happened but still loved anyway. 

 This has probably happened with a lot of books and series over the years. I've even been spoiled for some (sometimes on purpose. I know, I know. I'm terrible), but that doesn't ruin my enjoyment. One of the most recent ones is 

Pewter: Name a Big book that made you physically STRONGER after carrying it around while reading.

And I loved all 1,087 pages. I carried it everywhere. And when book three comes out, I'll do the same thing.

Brass: Name a book that made you FEEL NUMB after reading it.

Anything by Sarah Dessen. Particularly

Zinc: Name a book that made you FEEL ANGRY. 

Well, I was not particularly fond of this novel. And the characters made me super mad. So here you go. 

Copper: Name a book where the main character must keep a secret or something terrible will happen.

 I suppose Sam's secret could mean "terrible" things might happen in a sense. Super good book.

Bronze: Name a book you’ve heard a lot about but have yet to pick up.

There are a lot, but I try not to read books when they are super popular, because I have a tendency of being disappointed. One that I would like to try (and I already own the first one) is

Atium: A book so great that it DESTROYS all others.

This is an easy one. My absolute favorite book

TAGGING!

I'm just going to tag Saloni, since we've been reading the Mistborn books together. Check out her blog My Fantabulous Bookshelf.

 

Moment by Moment | Guest Post by Rajdeep Paulus Author of Swimming Through Clouds

Moment by Moment - A Guest Post by Rajdeep Paulus, author of Swimming Through Clouds

I’ll be honest, I’m not the best planner. But moments, I’m pretty darn good at. For example, I might not plan a vacation very well, and I often start packing the night before a trip, but I’m thilled once I arrive. Suddenly I have a flood of ideas of how to make special memories. Maybe a walk alone with one of my daughters to watch a sunrise. Or look for a shooting star with the teenager who hates to wake up early. Or a slow dance in the RV with hubby when the kids are off collecting kindling for the fire.

And these same moments transcend into my fictional world. When I start a new book, I have the best intentions to plan and outline and chart up a storm, but I fumble and grumble and magic lamp my way through it, wishing I could just start writing already. And then it happens. I see a moment in the story. One that just tickles my story-buds and I have to write it down. I don’t even know if this is in the middle of the story. Near the end. Or if this kicks off the whole adventure. Here is one of those “moments,” from a book I’m working on that I’ve temporarily titled, Blindspot. Enjoy:

** 

Last night I dreamt like a blind person sees. Blackness walled me in. Turning when I heard the flicker of a match, heat greeted my fingertips and the scent of smoke filled my senses. At first there was no light. Then I forgot what light looked like. Colors faded one by one, and soon, only black remained. I could not will my return to the world of sight no matter how deeply I longed it. I now dreamed as I lived. Blindly.

At first I resented my brain for catching up with my reality, hating my memories for teasing me a trip to the past. Like a missed flight, I waited in a crowded airport with no hope of reaching my destination. I lost count of how many mornings I woke up angry. And then one day, I stopped, and let myself dream again. And it was like skinny-dipping on a moonless night. I felt free. I could not see the night, and the night could not see me.

And in time, the sounds awakened me, the scents nourished me, and the sweet touch of a feather brushed my arm, luring me back each night. Because his voice tickled my ears. I inhaled his closeness as we walked on water. And his fingers held the feather that traced life up and down my arm. 

And that’s when I stopped feeling sorry for myself. I could still feel. And feeling meant feeling alive. Pain, joy, rage, love. Bring it. I wanted it all. Like a tree dusting off winter’s hold, I couldn’t waste another second.

**

And you? Are you a planner or a moment by moment kind of person? And for fun: what’s one thing you forgot to pack on your last vacation? For me, I forgot to pack my light pink nail polish. Which was a problem since that morning, two nails got chipped, and I had time at the airport to brush those puppies back into shape. In the end, I wore gloves. Kidding. It was summer, and I just did my best to not let it bother me. And no one said a thing. Although I’m sure they were talking about me when they got home. Glad I was good for something!

**

Rajdeep Paulus, Award-Winning author of Swimming Through Clouds, Seeing ThroughStones, and Soaring Through Stars, is mommy to four princesses, wife of Sunshine, a coffee-addict and a chocoholic. As of this June 2013, she’s a Tough Mudder. To find out more, visit her website or connect with her via Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, or Instagram.

A Thousand Nights~E K Johnston | Review

Title: A Thousand Nights
Author: E K Johnston
Genre: Fantasy/Fairy Tale
Length: 336 Pages
Release: October 2015
My Rating: 3/5 Stars

I received a copy of this novel through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Review

I am not particularly familiar with the original story A Thousand and One Nights, but this story sounded very promising. A demon inhabiting a king and killing women, magic, desert mythology. It definitely sounded like a fascinating blend. 

What makes talking about this novel difficult is the fact that the characters don't have names. Other than Lo-Melkhinn (the king), not a single character has a name. It's written with a first person narrator, who just refers to herself as "I" and her family as "my sister," "my mother," "my sister's mother," and that sort of thing. I thought this might be annoying (and it was, at times) but for the most part it didn't bother me. It does make discussing the book difficult, because you have to explain what you're talking about instead of being able to say a characters name to describe something. Otherwise this didn't really bother me. 

The novel was rather long for its content. Not enough happened to warrant nearly three hundred fifty pages. Most of it was flowery (admittedly often beautiful) writing that wasn't really necessary. It could have easily been shortened and told the same story with around two hundred pages. There also wasn't much characterization, instead focusing almost solely on the main character and the magic surrounding the entire situation. 

All that being said, I did enjoy this novel. I don't think it was excellent and could be greatly improved, but it was enjoyable. As I said before, I'm not very familiar with the original stories, but I found the concept very intriguing. The magic was also interesting, though I didn't think it was explained all that well. The writing was pretty (if a tad excessive at times) and I found that it was an easy read. Everything flowed well and was easy to follow. 

So this was not a brilliant novel, but it was worth a read. An interesting concept with some interesting scenes and characters with lots of potential.