Reading – Page 12 – Lyndsey Hall

Burn, Rewrite, Reread Book Tag

The lovely Shouni @ Through the Book Portal tagged me for the Burn, Rewrite, Reread book tag, which is like a literary version of Snog, Marry, Avoid, and who doesn’t love that show?

Rules:

Randomly choose 3 books (Tip: Use the “Sort > Random” option on your Goodreads’ Read shelf.).
For each group, decide which book to burn, which one to rewrite, and which to reread (a lot like Kiss, Marry, Kill).
Repeat until you’ve completed three rounds (or six).

Round One

Burn: The Bane Chronicles by Cassie Clare

Rewrite: Flawed by Cecelia Ahern

Reread: And I Darken by Kiersten White

This was an easy choice, but only because I absolutely loved And I Darken, and Flawed had such a fascinating concept. I wouldn’t really burn The Bane Chronicles, but I did find as I was reading that it didn’t grip me like most Clare books, and I could tell it was co-written by other authors whose styles were slightly different. I still enjoyed it mostly, but out of these three it’s definitely my least favourite.

Round Two

Burn: The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz

Rewrite: The Bone Season by Samantha Shannon

Reread: A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas

OK, so this round was incredibly difficult and I feel horrible about my choices, but them’s the shakes. These are three of my favourite books ever, and I really don’t want to have to burn any of them, so I’m only choosing Oscar Wao because it’s been years since I read it and it was for Uni, but I loved every minute of it back then. A Court of Mist and Fury was my favourite book of last year, and possibly ever, it left me with the biggest book hangover I’ve ever had. So, that’s the reasoning behind my awful choices…

Round Three

Burn: Rapture by Lauren Kate

Rewrite: The Assassin’s Blade by Sarah J. Maas

Reread: The Fate of the Tearling by Erika Johansen

This was a tough choice between The Assassin’s Blade and The Fate of the Tearling for reread, but ultimately I went with rewriting The Assassin’s Blade for obvious reasons if you’ve read it *no spoilers*. I think we can all agree we’d rewrite that story if we could. If you haven’t read The Queen of the Tearling series go read it now, it’s a fascinating concept, somewhere between a dystopian and a high fantasy. I won’t give too much way, but it’s another one with a huge twist I didn’t see coming, and the ending is just heart-wrenching.

That was actually really fun, despite the traumatic image of anyone burning books. Feel free to have a go if you like the sound of this tag, it’s a great way to remind yourself of the books you’ve read. I’ll tag a few people just to get the ball rolling…

Lyndsey

I am a member of the Book Depository affiliate program, so if you click through and buy any of the books mentioned in this blog I might make a little commission, but I am not paid to review books and all reviews are my own opinions!

The Sunshine Blogger Award

Sunshine Blogger Award Lyndsey's Book Blog

Thank you to the lovely Katie @ Read with Katie for tagging me in the Sunshine Blogger Award! I can’t seem to find out who created this award, so if anyone knows, please leave a comment so I can credit them!

THE RULES:

Thank the person who nominated you in a blog post and link back to their blog.
Answer the 11 questions sent by the person who nominated you.
Nominate 11 new blogs to receive the award and write them 11 new questions.
List the rules and display the Sunshine Blogger Award logo in your post and/or on your blog.

What made you start a book blog? Now that you’re a book blogger, is it different to what you thought it would be?

I’ve had a couple of blogs in the past, a personal one and another when I sold crafts on Etsy, so I’ve always loved blogging and the community, but the book blog community is like no other! I’m entering Pitch Wars next month with my first novel and I really wanted somewhere I could share my writing journey, as well as my love of books. Honestly, it’s completely different than I expected it to be! I didn’t think anyone would read my posts and I’d be sitting here in a lonely corner of the interwebs writing my posts and sending them into the void. But, I’ve made so many blogging friends in the last ten months, I’ve got over 250 followers (how did that happen??!) and my favourite posts are tags and memes, and reading everyone’s different answers. It’s been better than I ever imagined.

Do you read eBooks and listen to audiobooks?

I’m obsessed with audiobooks, but I haven’t read any ebooks yet. I have downloaded a few from NetGalley, so I really need to get to those after I finish my library books.

Are you participating in any other yearly reading challenges apart from the Goodreads challenge?

No, just the Goodreads challenge, mine’s set at 36 and I’m slightly ahead at the moment. I’m taking part in a few buddy reads with my Goodreads groups too, to keep me on track as life is really busy at the moment!

Do you participate in readathons?

No, I wish I had the time for readathons! The only time I get chance to read several books in a week is on holiday.

Where do you purchase the majority of your books?

Sadly, Amazon. We live in a rural area without any nearby bookshops, although I do occasionally also buy from the supermarket. Is that worse? Either way, I’ve started using the local library more to save money and it’s a brilliant resource. I’d rather borrow books I want to read but probably not reread or keep.

Do you unhaul books?

I do! I’ve had a few major clear outs recently as we’ve moved house, and a couple of years ago I started a Book Exchange at work, so I take any books I don’t want anymore to work, and every six months I take the books no one wants to the charity shop.

Do you have a book buying budget/rules for book buying?

Not really, I tend to buy a few at a time to save on postage, usually when I’m about to go on holiday. I only really buy paperbacks, unless I’m desperate for a new release, as they’re cheaper. I try to ban myself from buying any more books if I still have several unread books on my shelf, but I never can resist a new release by my favourite author or a long-awaited sequel.

How long, on average, does it take for you to finish one book?

I am such a slow reader! It takes me a couple of weeks of reading for an hour a night to finish a book. I wish I had more time to read, but with work, writing and my dog and husband I’m kept pretty busy! When I’m on holiday I can read a book in a couple of days (I’ve never finished a book in one day). If I’m honest, I like to savour and enjoy books rather than rush through them, I try to put off finishing the really good ones.

Do you underline and mark-up your books?

I don’t write or highlight or anything like that inside my books, but I am a page dog-earer. Bookmarks just slip out too easily…

Do you create TBR’s? If you do, are you good at sticking with them?

I do, but I’m pretty terrible at sticking to them. I’ll borrow books I come across at the library and prioritise them because they need to go back, I’ll receive a new Illumicrate (check out my unboxings here and here) and immediately add those books to my pile. Basically, my TBR is a hot mess and I have so many unread books languishing on the bookcase waiting to be loved.

What are your favourite blog posts to write?

These kinds of posts, awards, tags, memes etc. have become my absolute favourite to read and write. Book reviews are harder than I expected! And coming up with other types of content can be time consuming, but getting tagged feels like an enormous compliment and gives me a pre formatted post to share, as well as letting me discover other bloggers and make new friends.

I nominate…

I’m just going to nominate a few people and anyone else is welcome to nab this award and tag me in your post!

My questions for you are…

Which book or series sums up your childhood?
What song takes you back to a book you were reading at the time, or reminds you of a specific scene?
Which ship reminds you of yourself and your partner or BFF?
What’s your favourite book to movie/TV adaptation? (Even if you haven’t read the book)
Which Hogwarts house are you in? (Hufflepuff fo life!)
Do you consider yourself more of a leading man/lady, quirky best friend or villain? Why?
Tell us a joke!
Bookish candles or literary tote bags?
If you have siblings, which fictional characters are they like? If not, which characters would you love to have family dinners with?
Your favourite book is out of print and you have one of the only copies. Your crush wants to borrow it, do you let them?
If you were stranded on a desert island, which one book would you want to have with you and which one author would you want for company? (No e-readers, you cheats!)

Have fun, folks!

Lyndsey

This or That Book Tag

I was tagged by the lovely Bella @ Bella Blogs Because Books for the This or That Tag, if you don’t already follow Bella go check out her awesome blog right now. Are you back? OK, let’s get started with the questions…

Reading on the couch or in bed?

Definitely in bed, but propped up on loads of cushions because nobody likes getting hit in the face by an 800 page tome when it slips through your fingers.

Male MC or Female MC?

As a girl, I find it easier to relate to female MCs, but I love reading from the boy’s perspective because it’s like an insight into the mind of a guy. I read more books from a female POV, but that’s not necessarily intentional, I get the impression more YA books are written from a female POV, so I definitely need to hunt down more male perspective YA books. I’ve been loving getting into Jorg’s head in the Prince of Thorns series, and I know there are some amazing YA contemporaries from a guy’s perspective, like Aristotle and Dante discover the secrets of the universe by Benjamin Alire Saenz, and everything by Adam Silvera, which are all on my TBR.

Sweet or salty snacks?

Ooh I like a bit of both, salt and vinegar crisps and chocolate, preferably Maltesers or some kind of Galaxy bar. And ice cream. With coke. Or wine. Or tea. Now I’m hungry. And thirsty.

Trilogies or quartets?

I love a really, really long series, like The Mortal Instruments or Throne of Glass, so I’m going to vote for quartets, as I find that trilogies often drag out plot lines that could have been wrapped up more effectively in a duology. At the end of the day, if a story is still compelling and well written, I’m still reading, but if it loses its thread and just seems to drag on for no real reason other than book sales, I stop reading.

First or third person POV?

I honestly don’t have a preference on POV, I’ve read plenty of both and it’s never occurred to me that one feels more natural than the other. However, I do much prefer past tense than present. “I opened the door” just feels smoother to me than “I open the door”. I can get past it, it doesn’t stop me enjoying a really great book (The Hunger Games was written in first person present and is still one of my favourite series), but it takes longer for me to become absorbed in the story.

Reading at night or in the morning?

I tend to read more at night, because mornings are busy times in my daily life, plus I love a lie in if possible, but on holiday I prefer reading in the morning. Waking up and picking up my current read to dive back into the story while my husband is still asleep is such a pleasure. I love long lazy mornings when we’re on holiday, we almost never make it to breakfast!

Libraries or bookstores?

Libraries, all the way! If libraries sold coffee and cake my life would be perfect. It’s not necessarily that bookstores expect you to pay for the books whereas libraries don’t, it’s more that bookstores are designed for you to pop in and out, whilst libraries are laid out so you can spend a few hours browsing, reading, using the computers, etc. They encourage you to stay, whereas I feel like shops want you to come, pay and leave so they can move onto the next customer. I also love that libraries allow those who can’t necessarily afford to buy lots of books to still enjoy reading, and if we all request the newest releases then our favourite authors are still getting paid. Win, win!

Books that make you laugh or cry?

Both, please. Preferably simultaneously, or at least alternately. Books should make you feel something, whether that’s happiness, sadness, anger, frustration, joy, amusement or hope. If a book doesn’t make you feel, or think, then is it even a book?

Black or white book covers?

Being that I’m a huge fantasy fan, my book shelves are full of books with predominantly black covers, and I need to continue in that vein or they won’t coordinate pleasingly. So, black book covers for that reason, but I actually love books in a rainbow of colours, especially pastels (I need to read more contemporaries!). The only books with white covers I can think of are Throne of Glass, and I only own the audiobooks, so…

Character or plot driven?

I prefer character driven books, I can excuse a predictable or slightly cliche plot if I fall head over heels in love with the characters, but a great plot can rarely save a bunch of 2D, unlikable or boring characters. Witty dialogue trumps thrilling action scenes in my book!

I tag…

Breeny @ Breeny’s Books
Sarah @ Between the Pages
Tanya & Shanya @ Twin Bookmarks
Anyone else who hasn’t done this tag and wants to!

I have so much to tell you all, I’m going to have to do a writing update soon to let you in on what’s been going on in my writing life! I’m off to FRIENDSfest this weekend, which is where the film sets from FRIENDS travel around the world and you can take photos, buy merchandise, and sit on the Central Perk sofa, so I’ll take hundreds of photos and post them here on Sunday so you can all enjoy!

Lyndsey