The Blood Traitor by Lynette Noni || Book Review

This review will be mostly just commentary rather than a proper review (mild spoilers ahead).

The Blood Traitor is the third instalment of The Prison Healer series.

It’s been a while since I have found a series I genuinely could not put down. I finished the first two books within a week and managed to finish this one within 2 days, whilst loving every minute of it.

“Your Future is as Bright as the Stars.”

The story was simple in structure- they had to find the rings, complete the challenges and move onto the next one. But it wasn’t so much about what they were doing that was the focus, but rather the interactions between all the characters. The events that followed were constructed to push the characters closer together instead of action for the sake of action. However, this helped keep the book fast paced and exciting, with never a dull moment in Kiva’s group of friends.

The characters are what truly makes this story. Each one is as different as the next and are written in such a way that they are brought to life. Kiva said it perfectly ‘it’s impossible not to love them.’  It’s also incredibly obvious throughout the story, just how much the author loves her characters. Which is further confirmed at the end in her acknowledgements.

Caldon was fantastic throughout this entire series and has easily become my favourite character. His loyalty, understanding and his ability to care so deeply are just among some of his traits that made this book so enjoyable. Every time he opened his mouth, just like Kiva, I also wanted to cry. He spent the whole book telling her not to, but honestly how can you not burst into tears when everything he says and does is so thoughtful. He is such an amazing friend to have and I am so glad that Kiva appreciates him as much as she does because he truly deserves it.

“We’re in this together, Sunshine.

You and me.

Got it?”

This book is also realistic in a sense when dealing with difficult situations. When people lie to others, in most stories, they aren’t forgiven because lying is bad. But it’s not always so black and white in reality, and Noni showcases this perfectly. If someone is truly sorry for their actions and is actively trying to fix the situation, within time healing can take place and soon after forgiveness.

I will admit in the second book, The Gilded Cage, I spent the whole time being so angry at Kiva for what she was doing to Jaren, Caldon, Tipp and the rest of the Valentis family. They’re so kind and pure and for them to be treated with such disregard, I was personally offended on their behalf. Going into this book, I felt that Kiva would have to prove a lot to earn my forgiveness, as well as the others. But whether she proved it or not, she was truly haunted by her actions which seemed like punishment enough without all the events that followed.

Jaren’s actions in this situation were hard to swallow. After seeing him so in love with Kiva, it was difficult to see him so hurt and humiliated. It wasn’t the Jaren we were used to, because this Jaren was broken. However, this is also realistic because after going through a situation like this, no one would go back to being themselves straight away. I also appreciated the fact that this took time and there wasn’t a magic fix. Kiva didn’t apologise and suddenly everything was back to the way it was. It took most of the book to fix and even then the readers could tell it would take some time for Jaren to fully trust her again. But by this point, Jaren was mostly back to the character we all know and love.

(Major spoilers ahead)

What bothered me in the book was when Tipp forgave her. Although Kiva was happy he had, all she could think about was how Jaren had been telling him to forgive her. She also didn’t officially apologise to Tipp or even had a real conversation about why she did the things she did to him.  He just forgave her and they moved on. A similar result happened with Naari as well, but in that situation, Kiva had saved her life so she forgave her without needing an explanation. With Tipp however, though he was distraught at almost seeing Kiva die, he still deserved more than what she gave him.

There are so many parts of this book that I loved, ranging from Kiva spilling all of her secrets whilst high on angeldust, to every moment involving Caldon, to the mountain scene where Jaren finally forgave her. When Tipp told us Caldon was dead towards the end, I could not contain my grief. Caldon, their most capable warrior was dead? When Kiva awoke in the hospital and saw him alive, our reactions were almost the same. He was alive and once again saying all the thoughtful things that make Caldon who he is. A sincere thank you to Lynette for being one of the only authors to not kill off my favourite character.

I highly recommend this story to anyone who is a fan of the YA genre, specifically when regarding fantasy and romance. As well as for anyone who loves characterisation and world building. Each book also contains a map on the first few pages, illustrating all the areas of Zalindov and the Kingdom. It is also quite fast paced and perfect for anyone who is easily distracted or trying to get back into reading.

Scythe by Neal Shusterman || Book Review

This review will be based solely from what is provided in the first book and contains spoilers.

Scythe by Neal Shusterman, is the first book in the ‘Arc of a Scythe’ triology. I had been seeing this book everywhere. I read the blurb and, though the cover made it seem like my type of book, I was not convinced. Eventually, I gave in and decided to buy the first book.

Let’s start off with the positives:

Worldbuilding

The worldbuilding in this book is its strongest point, in my opinion.

Right from the beginning of the book, the story takes shape, and the immortal world starts to form.

“We must, by law, keep a record of the innocents we kill.”

The journal entries showcase the beliefs and philosophies of the Scythes and the people. This is usually in regard to the art of “gleaning” and the Thunderhead. Everything in their world revolves around the Thunderhead and the Scythedom. The Thunderhead is an advanced AI that rules over the world and everyone in it, except for the Scythes. The Scythes are their own government and are above the laws of the Thunderhead. However, they are not above the laws of the Scythedom.

In this advanced take on our world, we have finally achieved immortality and it is the job of the Scythes to choose who lives and who gets gleaned. This is the most important and hardest role a person can do in this world. This is because if people have to die, they should lose their life to the hands of a human who is capable of remorse, compassion, and a conscience. The Thunderhead could glean and could do it in a more effective manner, but the humanisation would be removed and therefore would make death just another chore. Without the Scythedom, the Thunderhead would glean without compassion or emotion. You would be gleaned, and the world would move on. You would be remembered by your family and forgotten by your murderer. But a Scythe will always remember those they have murdered, and their journal entries ensures your gleaning will be immortalised even if you were not. The Scythedom is a necessity even if it is a role no one should want and a job the Thunderhead would do more proficiently.

This concept was developed thoroughly and was a major reason as to why I stayed invested enough to make it to the end of the story.

Structure

The structure of the book is a useful tool in expanding the world and putting forth the values of the Scythedom.

Each chapter has a journal entry prior to the start of a chapter. The Journal entries are usually told from Scythe Faraday or Scythe Curie. Sometimes we hear from Scythe Goddard or Rowan and Citra. Each chapter’s journal entry shows a different take on a concept that will be explored within the chapter. This usually relates to the philosophies and methods of gleaning or immortality. This is to give an all-rounded view on the ideas put forward, which allows the readers to decide for themselves what is considered to be morally good or bad. Furthermore, it places the readers in a particular mindset before each chapter begins. Whether it is contemplating death, or the potential events that will unfold in the chapter. Each journal entry will already have the reader thinking before the events have unfolded.

Prose

The writing is clear and precise. It flows well and is easy to read. Even when a chapter ends, the short journal entries drag the reader back into the story. The narrative voice can change perspective rapidly, but it is easy to recover and get back into the story.

Now I will discuss the negatives of the book:

Characterisation

The Characterisation in this book was sorely lacking and needed to be delved into more deeply. The characters form deep relationships without having any of the experiences to result in this.

The story is told through third-person limited omniscience and switches throughout the chapters. One moment the story is told with Citra’s view the next it’s Rowan’s. In some cases, it’s told through complete strangers to provide the reader with an outsider’s perspective of the characters. This, however, would be far more effective if the characters were developed more thoroughly. It feels that by the end of the novel you should know the characters inside and out, but because the book never delves too deep into their experiences, they still feel like strangers by the end of it.

A question for me that I could not ignore was, how can Rowan and Citra be in love when we’ve never seen any interactions between them to show this? We are told how they feel but we have not seen the actions to show this is true. Actions speak louder than words.

When they kiss, it’s as though it came out of nowhere because aside from the third person narration telling us they like each other, it was not established outside of the narration. This could have been better if the scene didn’t depict it as though this were an obligation from the characters. Both parties assume there is an attraction that the other doesn’t feel, and a kiss will just get it out in the open. The atmosphere didn’t build up to this moment and even Rowan was blindsided by Citra’s sudden gesture.

Aside from the forced romance, we see Rowan’s experiences throughout his apprenticeship with Scythe Goddard. Unfortunately, we just scrape the surface of how this is affecting him. The only time we really see the effects of his time with Goddard is when he murders him and his disciples. Aside from this development, and a few cases where Rowan renders a few people deadish, it does not appear he has changed as much as the author would like us to believe because it is not emphasised how these experiences are affecting him, we are only told that it is.

One of Goddard’s disciples, Volta, is Rowan’s friend, but we don’t see or hear a lot about this supposed diamond in the rough except for a few encounters he has with Rowan. We don’t learn about his backstory or why he joined Goddard in the first place. So, when his death comes about, as gruesome as it was, why should we care? Amazingly though, I did care, because his death was one of the only points in the book where you felt something. This character did not have plot armour and was the first person to actually show a real reaction to an event. It was the only time in the book where the reader was thrown a curve ball and it worked with the story. It is as though the book is written to make the reader feel what the people in this world would have felt. We have the same pain nanites that restrict us from feeling anything negative. We are told what to feel and why we should feel a certain way to an event which doesn’t evoke the same effect as a story that unfolds rather than explains.

Problems with the story

There were no stakes. The characters can’t die unless they are scythes and our two main characters are not officially scythes. The story may have built up the idea that either Rowan or Citra would have to glean the other, but for the whole story, even when Rowan was Scythe Goddard’s apprentice, the characters constantly emphasised their resistance to do such a thing. They even went as far as to sabotage themselves to lose. Even if we were told they would have no choice, the suspense that may have potentially built is lost when we are told they both have plans to escape this proposed idea.

Love in the Scythedom is banned. This was an interesting concept that could have been explored into far more than Scythe Faraday’s romance with Scythe Curie. The author could have mirrored this experience with Rowan and Citra, as a way of history repeating itself. They could have been accused of a forbidden romance and that’s why one must glean the other, rather than just the idea of it enforcing competition. This would have made the stakes and the potential gleaning all the more tragic. It was also not established who exactly had the authority to demand they glean the other since the Scythedom never voted on it.

Conclusion

Though the characters could use more development, the writing, philosophies and worldbuilding within the story was enough to keep me interested, even when the story dragged on. More in-depth characterisation would have made the book a lot higher up on my list, than it currently is, and would have made the narrative more exciting to read. The whole book leads up to the idea that they will have to glean each other, which should build suspense but does not. This is because from what we do know from the characters, neither of them would have gone through with it. This was then confirmed right before the gleaning when Citra said she had a plan and Rowan claimed to fight to his untimely end. I did however like the ending, but it would have been more effective if I were more attached to the characters and knew them better than what was shown or implied. Overall, I will read the rest of the series and hope the faults in the first book are corrected. If you enjoy philosophies regarding murder, death or immortality; or if you just like a book with efficient world building, then this book may be for you.

Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi || Book Review

Shatter Me, by Tahereh Mafi, is the first book in the Juliette Chronicles. Since I have yet to read the rest of the series, this review will be based solely on the story told in this novel. This review contains spoilers.

Shatter Me intrigues the reader from the first page, presenting us with crossed-out sentences and a writing style that allows the reader to glide right through the pages. The chapters are short and usually purposeful. However, all these elements that provide the story with potential is shortly lived by the lack of good character building, purpose, and interesting story.

We are introduced to the main character, Juliette Ferrars, and her love of numbers. Juliette has been in isolation for 264 days and has not touched another human being for 6,336 hours. Immediately the reader has so many questions, but it is not the questions I was interested in. I was first drawn to Shatter Me after seeing the unique formatting of the book. The crossed-out words were different from the traditional formatting in a story and I wanted to know why the author had chosen to do this. As the reader soon finds out, all the sentences that have been crossed out are the main character’s intrusive thoughts and it adds to Juliette’s character a fair bit. It shows the reader all the things Juliette is in denial of.

It was a style of writing that held so much promise, if only it was consistently done well and had a purpose. In most creative writing classes, the first thing you learn about is the concept of “does it work?” You can do anything you want in a story as long as it works. The crossing-out works at the beginning of the novel because we are still discovering Juliette. We are still being shown how her mind works, why she is this way and whether she is doing this in her mind or in her notebook. But as the novel goes on, all the characterisation that is developed in the beginning is not utilised for the rest of the story and she loses that mysteriousness and edge that had the readers so interested to begin with. This is because in order for the story to progress the way the author had intended, the Juliette we were first introduced to needs to change. The issue is that it is not done well.

Juliette begins the novel as a scared girl of 17 years who, in spite of all that has been done to her, still has hope for the future. This is shown through the motif of a white bird with a golden crown. She stares out her small window in her cell waiting for this bird to fly past her window. Due to the decay of her world, birds don’t fly anymore but some people have claimed to see flying birds and she hopes she will as well. She also has a broken pen and a book she writes in to keep herself sane. She was a character I was very much interested in. I wanted to know what she was writing in her book, I wanted to know why her thoughts were crossed out, I wanted to know why she loved numbers so much and I wanted to know why she could not touch another human. None of this is answered.

Along with Juliette, we are introduced to her new cellmate, Adam Kent. He also starts off with an interesting character. A boy who is narcissistic and naive who steals her bed and laughs at her fear of him. Again, this characterisation is undone in the second chapter, but this is done in a believable way that made the readers want to know more about Adam Kent. After Juliette helps guide Adam through the dark asylum to the showers (where it took her three months to find) we find out Adam is not a jerk and was only trying to assert power in the case that his new cellmate was insane. This dark asylum was an interesting concept to me that I had hoped would be developed further. Alas it was not, and we don’t meet any of the other children that are also supposedly locked up as well.

Juliette does not speak to Adam unless prompted and even then, begins to drift off in her own thoughts and forgets that he is even speaking to her. This was an interesting perspective to see and provided insight into how a person might react after years of solitude. This, however, all comes undone as well by chapter seven. Remember these chapters are written short so this realistic perception only lasts for 40 or so pages. Before chapter seven, we learn through the crossed-out words that this boy is familiar to Juliette. That she knows him and his blue eyes. Again, curiosity is developed, it draws the reader in and gives us high hopes for a compelling story to follow.

Then, out of nowhere, in chapter seven, a bunch of soldiers burst through the door and slam her to the floor. When I first read this, I had to go back and read the last few sentences because I had thought I had missed something or that it was a dream. One minute she is telling us about how Adam is ignoring her and about how she is in this asylum for murder and then next second soldiers have burst through the door and pinned her to the floor. As the story progresses, this scene becomes more and more unbelievable. We soon learn the soldiers are being led by a man with the last name Warner (we don’t learn his name in this book) and that Adam was undercover the entire time to learn whether Juliette was able to still function after her isolation. Warner wants Juliette to join the Reestablishment in a position of power where she will torture people for information with her ‘gift.’ Suddenly, this quiet and scared girl who hid in the corner of her cell and let Adam steal her bed a few pages ago gains a voice and says she will never join him and would rather die. She was also only fed one meal a day and has never gone outside in three years yet is only given a few bruises when she is kicked in the back of her knees and her spine. But the main reason I find this unrealistic is because Warner is obsessed with Juliette. He has done all this research on her, has watched her in the asylum and even had Adam assess whether or not she is a threat or capable of human interaction. He knows she is not a threat and is willing to wait and be patient in order for her to want to be on his side and want to be with him. He wants her to think everyone is her enemy except for him and the Reestablishment and along with all these things we learn about Warner, he still went into the cell and attacked her. We know Warner is psychotic and a liar but with his characterisation throughout the book it never made sense that he would attack her and then ask her to join him and wait for her to want it.

Aside from this, surprisingly, the main plot of this story is the romance between Adam and Juliette which is lazily developed. The whole basis for Juliette and Adam’s relationship is their history. They went to school together and though had never spoken felt a connection between each other. Juliette was a saint and despite all the horrible things her parents and classmates ever did to her she treated them with kindness and did everything she could to gain their friendship and approval (again, we also learn from Adam that Juliette rarely spoke in school. It just continues to make no sense that she is able to defend herself vocally from Warner when she cowered from Adam, was in isolation for years and never spoke in school unless forced to.) Adam fell in love with Juliette because of this kindness she demonstrated. Juliette fell in love with Adam because he sometimes defended her from the school bullies, and she felt sorry for him because his father beat him up. In general, I would say this could potentially be a good basis for them to eventually fall in love, but for this to be the only reason they love each other is not entirely believable. Then, conveniently, we learn Adam is able to touch Juliette without being in violent pain. This becomes the other half of the reason they are together. They liked each other in school, and he is able to touch her. From this moment onwards the whole story is the fluffy romance between them and a few screaming matches with Warner. Eventually, she convinces Warner to take the cameras out of her room so her and Adam can have “alone” time. Warner agrees only if she will touch him and they make a deal. This does not happen and instead she is forced to save a child from a torture chamber but in doing so she has to pick him up and send him into excruciating pain. As a result of her anger she bursts through a concrete wall and attacks Warner. But guess what? She does nothing to him, because Juliette is a saint who will never hurt a human being intentionally. She bursts through the wall and does nothing but run away back to her room

At this point you may be wondering about the crossed-out words and her love of numbers that we started with in this novel, or even the book she was writing in. There are still crossed out words but since we know a lot about Juliette at this point, it no longer works with the story because what is written is already implied. Her love of numbers shows up every now and then, but even this you forget about until it is randomly brought up again. As for the book, the only purpose it had was for Adam to write her a note and for Warner to see the book in her pocket, but other than the fact she does not have clearance to have a notebook it does nothing because we don’t find out what is written in it anyway. By this point, because Warner is so close to her physically, Adam gets jealous and bursts through the door threatening to shoot Warner. Warner had sent Adam out of the room because of a fake evacuation alarm he had set off. We never find out why Warner set it off only that he did. They use this as a chance to escape, but despite tying Warner up and never stating his gloves were removed, he somehow manages to touch Juliette’s leg and we find out Warner can also touch Juliette without needing gloves.

After running away and finding Adam’s little brother James, Adam’s soldier friend Kenji appears at their door after being tortured and tells them he has a safe place for them to go. During this time Juliette somehow knows how to use a gun and is comfortable holding it (despite saying throughout the whole book she would never work for Warner because she values human life and would never want to hurt anyone). Soon the rest of the Reestablishment finds them, and they are forced to run away again. Adam gets shot and Warner seizes Juliette. Juliette lets Warner touch her while she attempts to grab his gun she then shoots him and runs away feeling no regret or remorse at all (despite it being emphasised throughout the entire book that she would never hurt anyone intentionally ever. I cannot emphasise this point enough.) She bursts through another metal door, finds Adam, steals a car, and goes back to Kenji and James. They drive to the safe place which turns out to be a rebel base and this romantic love story turns into X-men. There are others who have gifts and can do all sorts of things. Everyone is healed by a set of gifted twins and she is given a super suit, to help protect everyone who touches her. The story ends with Juliette trying on the suit, while they walk away to breakfast where they can meet everyone.

In summary, this book held a lot of potential to be amazing and fell short. There were so many elements that gave me hope for this book to be brilliant which were not utilise. The story has many scenes that were not believable, and Juliette’s characterisation was not developed effectively. The novel feels as though there were two different ideas that was shoved into one big mess. The romance between her and Adam also held a lot of potential which just ended up not working due to a lack of proper development and realistic growth. It seemed the only reason they were together was because they knew of each other in school (where they never actually spoke to each other) and because Adam, as far as she knew, was the only person who could touch her. Warner was also introduced in an unrealistic way. Warner thought he loved Juliette, that she was the same as him. He wanted her to want to be there. It never made sense he would jeopardise his motives and desires by attacking her. Some good points I found with this book was the good description and the flow of the writing. It was easy and clear to read and allowed the reader to flow through the book quickly. The formatting was very interesting and had a very strong beginning. If only the author had gone through another two drafts it very well could have been one of my favourite books. But as it stands now, it reads as though it is glorified fanfiction. Perhaps the rest of the series is done better but I am unsure as to whether I am willing to commit myself to a series that already feels underdeveloped.

There, Their and They’re || A Short Explanation

Though they may be visually similar, all three words have their own uses and meanings.

There:

There refers to a location or position.

Examples:

• “Look over there!”
• “There is a dog”
• “We stayed there once.”

To remember the meaning of ‘there,’ look for ‘here’ within the word

• T-HERE

The word ‘here’ also refers to a location, which can help you to differentiate it from ‘their’ and ‘they’re.’

Their:

Their refers to a belonging.

Examples:

• That’s their dog.
• Their mum said so.
• Their hair is brown.

To distinguish ‘their’ remember it is the only one of the three words with an ‘I’ in it.

If you are trying to think of what word to use remember, if it is referring to a belonging use the one with the ‘I.’

They’re:

They’re is a contraction word. This means it is two words formed into one word using an apostrophe (‘) to replace the missing letters. This means ‘they’re’ translates to ‘they are.’

Examples:

• They’re over there.
• They’re kissing.
• They’re getting a dog for Christmas.

When trying to input this contraction, read the sentence as if you are using the full saying.

Examples:

• They are over there.
• They are kissing.
• They are getting a dog for Christmas.

If the sentence makes sense, then you can use the contraction. If it does not then you may have to find a different word.

To remember ‘they’re’ look for the apostrophe. If it has an apostrophe then it is a contraction that means ‘they are.’

 

Thank you for reading!

Hopefully this guide can help you remember the different words and their meanings.

 

Effect and Affect || A Short Explanation

Affect and Effect can be confusing to differentiate due to their very similar uses.

Affect

• Affect is a verb.
• Affect means to have an impact on or to influence.

Effect

• Effect is a noun.
• Effect is the result of the impact.

Remember:

To remember the correct use of Affect and Effect, ask yourself whether the sentence you are writing is describing the influence or the result of an impact. If it is describing the influence it is Affect; if it is describing the result it is Effect. 

It may also help to think of effect as the ‘end result.’

In some cases, it can help to see if you can replace Affect with “have an impact on.” If the sentence’s meaning doesn’t change then it is the correct use of the term.

For example:

Effect: The experiment showed various effects.

Affect: The rain affects the traffic.

Effect as a Verb:

There are some cases where effect can be used as a verb. Though this won’t occur often, it is still important to remember. When Effect is being used as a verb the definition changes from “result” to mean:

1. “to bring about”
2. “to cause,”
3. “to achieve”

For example: He effected his escape with a stolen key.

---

 

Thank you for reading!

Feel free to comment below.

 

New Additions! || Bookshelf Update

New additions to the bookshelf!

• Special Edition Lovecraft Short Stories
• Special Edition H.G Wells Short Stories
• Animal Farm by George Orwell

 

Showing and Telling || A Short Explanation

Showing and telling are two elements in a novel that are necessary.

Showing:

Showing refers to a form of writing that reveals the events of a story as they are happening. Thus, allowing the readers to create their own judgements on what they are perceiving.

For example: The cat peers around the corner, scanning the hallway for movement. Her eyes suddenly freeze. The small, brown mouse scurries towards the gap under the front door. The cat leaps into the air and dashes towards the mouse, but not before he was able to swiftly escape into the outside world. The cat hung her head, walking to the living room. She jumps on the couch and curls into a ball until, all that can be heard, is her gentle snoring.

Showing is necessary in a novel to engage the readers within a story. It captures their attention and leaves readers wanting to know more. Through showing, the readers are encouraged to ask questions and make predictions as to what could possibly happen next. Showing is particularly used when the author wants to progress the story further and can be written in both present and past tense. It does not explain to the reader what is happening and, instead, allows the events to unfold for the reader allowing them to experience it for themselves.

Telling:

Telling refers to a form of writing that explains and recounts an event that has happened. It usually tells the reader what to think and what the event means.

For example: The cat was looking for the mouse that she had seen earlier. She felt it was her duty to keep her house safe from unwanted visitors. She finally saw him running towards the front door. Unfortunately, the cat was not quick enough and the mouse escaped. The cat felt disappointed and wished she could go outside and find him. Instead,  she went into the living room and slept on the couch.

Telling is necessary to help readers fill in the blanks and understand an event that has happened. It allows a clear way of explaining to the readers worlds, situations and people that can not be presented in a showing format.

In terms of world building, telling can set up and explain to readers what exactly they can expect from the novel they are reading. This is usually done through description and informing. This tends to answer the question of location and genre. Are they in a dystopic world or a place like our current society? 

For events, the author may need to tell the reader about a situation that has already happened. It does not need to be seen but is necessary to know about for the plot. This usually entails a recount with some after thoughts from the character or narrator.

People are usually described to the readers in a telling format. ‘Lilly has blonde hair and blue eyes. She always says please and thank you and is always willing to lend a helping hand.’ Telling presents to the reader, the protagonist’s view of the people that are around them.

Telling is mostly told in a past tense, however can be told in a present tense as well.

---

You will hear from many teachers that it is best to show rather than tell. This, in most cases, is true; however, it is best to remember to do whatever your story needs. Do not hold back from telling if you really need to explain something to your readers, but do not get carried away as they can lose interest if there are pages and pages of explanation and not enough progression.

‘1984’ by George Orwell, is an example of a story where there are clear examples of both showing and telling.

Thanks for reading! Feel free to leave your thoughts in a comment.

Different Bookworms

Everyone is a different type of bookworm. Which one are you?

 

The Procrastinator:

The procrastinator is the type of bookworm who loves to visit bookshops and buy as many books as their hearts desire, despite having a million books at home they haven’t read or finished.

The procrastinator rushes home to display all their new books on their bookshelves, bedside tables and even on the floor. Looking around they smile to themselves and try to decide what they should read first. After an hour of contemplation, they resort to book roulette where they close their eyes and point at any random book. Opening the book, they read the first page and yawn before closing the book and moving onto another activity. The procrastinator requires action and excitement. They need to be completely invested in their book or else they will lose interest and stop reading.

If you are this type of Bookworm and you want to stop the cycle of procrastination, here are some recommendations of books you should be able to finish with little to no procrastination stops. Tip: It helps to start with a smaller book and work your way up to the larger ones when you are this type of bookworm.

• The Chronicles of Narnia- C.S Lewis
• Holes- Louis Sacher
• Girl interrupted- Susanna Kaysen
• Winter’s Shadow- M.J Hearle
• Harry Potter- J.K Rowling

 

The Multitasker:

The multitasker, is the type of bookworm who can read three or more books at once. They tend to switch books due to boredom, a change in pace and curiosity. They have the ability to be as invested in multiple books as a normal reader would be in one book. They find it incredibly tempting to keep starting new books, in hopes of finding the sense of adventure they crave so much.

They glance at the many books spread out all over their bed, each with a carefully placed bookmark. The multitasker immediately sets out to work as they pick up the book nearest them and begin to read. After half an hour, the story begins to slow its plot into a more stable position. The multitasker begins to grow slightly bored as their eyes wonder to a new book on the shelf. Immediately a bookmark is placed and a new story begins.

If you are this type of Bookworm and you want to stop the cycle of multitasking and be 100% invested in one book, here are some recommendations:

• Blood Red Road (The Dustlands Trilogy)- Moira Young
• Delirium (Delirium Trilogy)-  Lauren Oliver
• The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas- John Boyne
• Legend (Legend trilogy)- Marie Lu

 

The Speed Reader:

The speed reader, is the type of Bookworm that can read a whole series within a day or two. They are able to read this fast as they are so captivated in the story it doesn’t even seem like reading. The speed reader can usually be captivated in any story so long as it is interesting. They tend to have full shelves of book both physically and electronically.

They have just finished the whole Harry Potter series. Glancing at their phone/watch, they realise they have successfully entertained themselves for the day. Their pride slowly fades as they glance around at the many books they have finished repeatedly. They have a need for something new. Immediately they rush to their phone and research different books until they find the one.

If you are this type of Bookworm and you want to have a book to read that occupies your time, here are some recommendations.

• The Hobbit/ The Lord of the Rings series- J.R.R Tolkien
• Pride and Prejudice- Jane Austen
• War and Peace- Leo Tolstoy
• Gone with the wind- Margaret Mitchell

 

The Soulmate:

The soulmate, is the type of Bookworm who sticks to one book or series until they have completely finished it. After completion they would then wait an appropriate amount of time before moving on to the next book.

They are nearing the end of the book, they can feel it. With every turn of the page, their right hand has less to hold until finally, they turn the last page. They are overcome with a sense of denial. “No wait this can’t be it, this can’t be how it ends.” What follows is 10 minutes of researching whether there are any more books left in the series, even a spin-off would do. When they discover there is no more and that what they read really was the end, they are then overcome with anger. How can that be the end? It left so much answered.

Next comes bargaining. This can range anywhere from tweeting the author and attempting to bribe them into writing another book, to screaming in their pillow offering their life for just one more book.

Once that stage is finished comes the immense sadness and questioning. What happened to these characters? We will never know. There is no point in dwelling on what could have happened, the bookworm knows this.

Instead they are be glad it happened that they were able to go on that adventure in the first place. Which comes to the final stage, acceptance, until they repeat the process again with another book.

If you are this type of Bookworm and you want to read a book that finalises everything and doesn’t leave you with questions, here are some recommendations:

• The Outsiders- S.E. Hinton
• Tuck Everlasting- Natalie Babbitt
• Bridge to Terabithia- Katherine Paterson
• The Great Gatsby- F. Scott Fitzgerald
• 1984- George Orwell

 

Thanks for reading!  Tell us which Bookworm you are in the comments.

1984 by George Orwell || Book Review

War is Peace.

Freedom is Slavery.

Ignorance is Strength.

1984 is a book everyone has read … at least, it seems like it is.

I was never really interested in reading it because it was a HSC prescribed text (this meant it was a book some students had to read for their final exams of high school.) Thus meaning, there was a good chance it was going to be boring. My friend finally convinced me to read it when he said, “how can you claim to love the dystopic genre but have never read 1984?” So, I borrowed his annotated copy and began reading.

At the beginning, I was very excited to read it due to the hype my friend had created around the story. Orwell has a way with words that most authors can only dream about. He is able to make the simplest of sentences sound magnificent, especially his contradicting slogan: War is Peace. Freedom is Slavery. Ignorance is Strength, which can be said backwards as well.

However, as I delved deeper into the book, I was quickly losing interest. It wasn’t because the story was boring, in fact, I found it really interesting. It was due to the structure in which Orwell had written it. There was a constant switching between a story telling format and an essay writing format.

You would be captivated in the story Orwell is presenting when all of a sudden, he would start analysing and explaining everything in the story for pages and pages, rather than showing this to the reader and allowing the reader to create their own judgements. In most stories you would slowly be revealed all the answers, but Orwell shows all his cards as soon as he is able to. If this was intentional by Orwell, telling the readers how to think rather than allowing them to see for themselves in order to replicate the control of Big Brother, though overdone was effective. Whether this was intentional, this form of storytelling tended to overshadow the story and I yearned for the parts of the book that were pure showing rather than explaining.

During the book, I told my friend I was bored and felt like I was reading an essay on the book rather than the book itself. He kept saying “wait till Part III.” Finally, I got to Part III and Orwell had done what I wish he had done for the whole book. He stopped analysing, stopped explaining and just let the story and its events unfold for the reader.

Despite this, I did enjoy the story and I felt Orwell utilised the potential of his world well. The ending I loved because (spoiler alert) I had not yet seen a dystopic book that did not end in an uprising or with some dramatic change, but rather in a way where it seems all was for nothing. That is, until I read the appendix at the end of the book. The appendix is something most readers would skip since the story is over and there would most likely not be anything interesting in an essay about newspeak. That’s where everyone is wrong! The appendix is written in past tense in the voice of a historian who implies, in many sections of the appendix, that Big Brother eventually fell when the Party attempted to eliminate speech and therefore free thought. This means that though our characters, Winston and Julia, did not have a happy ending, it was not in vain because eventually, after the year 2050, the party did in fact fall. Whether this ruins the ending or makes it better for readers is entirely subjective. Personally, I preferred the original ending rather than what is said in the appendix.

Final thoughts:

I would like to make it clear that I did love 1984 when the story was progressing. It was only when Orwell began explaining the book that I felt disinterested and disconnected. I do feel it is a book everyone should read at least once.

If I were Orwell, I would have divided 1984 into three books.

Book 1: “1984.” The original story of 1984 without the analysis, the explanation and Goldstein’s “The Theory and practice of oligarchical collectivism.” 1984 would be the exact same story except the whole story would have been like Part III

Book 2:  “Goldstein’s, The Theory and practice of oligarchical collectivism.” This would be the entire book that Goldstein gave Winston when he joined the rebellion (This book is in 1984 already but would have been much clearer for the story and Goldstein’s book if it was separated)

Book 3: “1984, An Analysis” All the analysis and explanation into a proper essay.

Thanks for reading! Feel free to leave your thoughts in a comment.

Hello!

Welcome to my new blog!

Here you will find everything to do with books.

The image you see featured on this post are some of the books that I own. I recently bought a new bookshelf, so I am in the process of buying new books and organising the ones I have. These are the books I had prior to the new bookshelf. Hopefully in the future I can show you a more completed collection, but for now please enjoy this snippet of what is to come.