July was super quick!

What a crazy month!
Where has 2017 gone....

Anyways,
let's get right to it!



 

I still don't understand how I manage to read so much in such a short amount of time?!

Felt like I only read a few books, and when I did the count, it came to 19! Which matched my record for June too.
What is going on here? 
This is nonsense.

But I am loving it!


What I read for myself:

- Calvin by Martine Leavitt
- The Scarlet Letter 
- Frankenstein 
- The Sword in the Stone 
- The Count of Monte Cristo (abridged version) 
- Unstable by S.E Hall 
- Corliss *and* Donna by VC Andrews  
- The Book Jumper by Mechthild Gläser
- The High King (Prydain book 5) 
- Oliver Twist 


I still have yet to finish Gone with the Wind, City of Heavenly Fire ... and I started book #20 "The lives of Elves" but only a chapter or 2 in; priorities, much?
It's because they're so heavy, I can't throw them in my purse and be on my merry way!


For TDC Book Reviews (sister site) - I read 8 books. 
Some were absolutely fantastic!
Some were rubbish. 
All about that balance *winks*
I am known as "Canadian Rebel" over there 


2017 Goal: 121/200 (I may actually come out ahead this year?!) 

Check out my IG @inafieldofbooks for pics of all these lovelies and updated shelfies!

I am determined to finish Heavenly Fire and GWTW!

so I kept my TBR small with: 

- everything from my June TBR (4 books: LM/LOS, Maas: QoS/EoS) 

- Strange the Dreamer 

- the rose and the dagger / the wrath and the dawn 

- Peter Pan 

- Bittersweet Dreams by V. C Andrews (because Corliss/Donna were "prequels" and there are 2 more coming!) 

For TDC I have 6 booked right now (We'll see if they all send them in)

I also am working on my writing still: 

-my elves one is still being flushed out ; 

-my revenge-geeky based one is on hold because I'm mad at it ; 

-and this past weekend I wrote out an outline for a story where Captain Hook is the hero. So far so good. I've written a little bit but it's worked itself out in my head already so just got to get it out of there and out into the world. 

**Scribe Kit gets sent out this month, can't wait for that! **

I am behind in my book reviews but I'm okay with it. There are so many drafts half finished on here ; Just need a day to sit down and attack them this month. 

I also started a GoodReads account so hello, reviewing there too. Sheesh. I cannot remember all the dates when I read the millions of books I've read in my life. 

Work wasn't supposed to be busy this month (*looks at the 19 books*) and then these last 2 weeks got hit with a full schedule so life got crazy. 

August is completely empty right now, as to be expected in summer, but I am hoping I get a little somethin' somethin' mid-month. 

Hopefully that gives me some time to sit and write my stories and catch up on my reviews.

It looks like the Fall will be extra busy so I am taking advantage of all the free time I have now. 




What a boring month ...
but it was fun to read some "classics"
I really want to go book shoppping and SPLURGE but I told hubby I'd behave until I knocked off some of my TBR books *grumbles*  


Until next month everyone <3

- A 

Review: The Book Jumper

 The Book Jumper
 Mechthild Glaser


Ever think about a story

inside a story 

inside a story? 

(and not in a "neverending story" kind of way)

but imagine if you could travel into all the books that sit on the shelves beside you...just by opening them up?

or if everytime you were laying in bed, and your arms were hurting from holding up the hardcover (because you couldn't wait for the paperback, and let's be honest, #prettycovers) and so it falls on your face... and then you disappear into the story. 

and now you can sit on the sidelines and watch from the vines as Mowgli plays with Baloo 


and as Alice chases her White Rabbit 

and as Pan and the lost boys travel across Neverland 

*content, wishful sigh*

well, for Amy, her family has this ability. 

Oh, and so does the neighboring family on the Island (population: 12) that they live on 

with a magical library underground that Amy and two teenagers from the rival family, Will and Betsy, have access to in order to fulfill their destiny and responsibility as  Keepers of the Books and Protectors of the Realms. 

They are to stay in the margins of the stories they visit and make sure everyone, and thing, is following the correct plot line. 

When Main Ideas start getting stolen from popular stories, no one is aware how this is possible, or who is behind it and everyone starts blaming each other. 

Amy knows she must get to the bottom of it before the stories she grew up loving are no more. 



I could not put this one down; I loved every aspect of it! 

and while most people I talked to when I had this in my hands the day I bought it assumed it would be similiar to Inkheart, it is nowhere near it - at least, in my opinion. Not that I ever finished Inkheart but I remember the movie being weird. 

Anyways, 

this book gave my bookworm heart a happy inflation of geekiness and a tiny bit of envy because who DOESN'T think about jumping into the stories we love. To meet the characters, to see the lands, to smells the smells ... uh, what?... and with all the twists and turns that this story had, it definitely keeps you on your toes until the very end. 
Put it on the top of your TBR's ladies and gents, you will not be disappointed.


PS "Sherlock Holmes had vanished without a trace" was probably the best ending of a first chapter I have read in a long time.

 

How I keep my TBR organized...

... well, slightly.

We bookworms know that TBRs have us under control 102.4% of the time, but there are moments where we read a whole book in a day

or TWO!

and feel like we are gaining the upper hand *round of applause and cake for us*


Now,

because I actually like that feeling

and I like paperwork

(because what is the point of having all this stationary - besides looking at it's prettiness - if we don't use it?)

so I've come up with a few tricks that help me keep track of my books and I'm going to share them with you lovelies.


Step 1:

I have a notebook with *all* the books I own written down.
Now, this started when I was 13.
However, I have written them out again and again
because I have lost books *sobs* when moving
and evil do-ers of the world who have borrowed my books and not given them back (I've bought Life of Pi 3x in my life because of this reason) and so on and so forth so this list is constantly being updated.

Keep in mind I currently have over 400 books
i used to have almost 700
so I feel the pain in writing them all down!

but this is what my notebook looks like:

  

*forgive the blurriness. I have awful lightning in this room and my phone didn't like me. My coffee isn't finished yet, okay?! 

and so, in no particular order, I break the notebook into "series" and "non series" and when I get a book, I add it. However, it's been annoying when I think a series is over and then YEARS later the author goes 'hey guys, I'm going to write one more" LIKE, YES! but REALLY?!  so then I need to redo a page or two.

or just get a new notebook - which is how I ended up with this current one (but then it happened again so I ripped out the pages last night actually and spent this morning redoing them - hence why there's some incomplete titles *winks* I'll fill them in when I cuddle up with Netflix)


Step 2: keep track of what you read:

For this, I do a few things:

thanks to pinterest, I have started doing some colouring of my checklist:

 

which always makes me feel productive! and happy, because COLOURS!  (i also have one of "i wants" but it isnt updated as often as it should because there are SO MANY BOOKS)

also, I keep an actual list because sometimes I go off of what I have in my colouring page of shelves:

 

*this was 2016's. Also, because I read for TDC Book Reviews I don't write down each title, just a #/month. 

and finally, this year I have started keeping a "monthly goal list" to try and stay on track. It has helped a little bit. But I have yet to finish a month yet .. *looks at imaginary spot on ceiling* LOOK, WORK HAS BEEN BUSY AND THE BOOKS ARE GIANT and other books are distracting. 

and so is netflix. 

but, this is an example:

 

so it's helpful but it's also sad to not see checkmarks. but they're coming, okay!? I think I am devoting August to playing catch-up because... well, yes. I REALLY WANT TO READ LORD OF SHADOWS BUT I CAN'T until I finish the rest. SIGH!



So that is all I do. It helps, it really does.

I also keep a list on my phone (and a papercopy in my wallet) of missing books from series 

for example, Christine Warren wrote a 15-book series about werewolves and such and i have like, 7 of them. in NO order. 

so i keep a list of titles for when I am on an adventure and come across random books. 

R. L Stine needs his own notebook because all his titles are so confusing - they all sound so alike and I can never remember which ones I have. probably easier to take a photo but WHAT IF IT GETS DELETED or i cant zoom in enough. or I forget my phone in the car (that happens a lot too). 

OKAY RANT OVER.

Would any of these techniques work for you? Do you do any of them? Do you do something else?
Let me know in the comments! 

Review: "Classics" Part 1

A goal for 2017 was to read more "classics" just because.
Understand more references in pop culture.
be a more well-rounded reader.
and I've had most of these on my shelves for -years- so forcing myself to tackle my TBR
*Each book cover shown is the copy I read for reference!


Heidi
Johanna Spyri


I've always loved the Shirley Temple movie version, and this book kept mostly to the movie, which kept me happy.

A story about a little orphan girl who goes to live with her grandpa in the Swiss Alps. Her grandpa, unfortunately, is not liked by the community he lives in and they are concerned about the influence he will have on this innocent little girl.
When he aunt, the one who initially dropped her off at her grandfathers, comes back to take her away to be a playmate for a crippled little girl, Heidi is unhappy and tries everything in her power to get back to her grandfather.

This little girl, while annoying at times, is adorable. She has a way with words and a unique perspective on life. The way she helps everyone and anyone she comes in contact with is beautiful. Highly recommended!
 
 

The Great Gatsby
F. Scott Fitzgerald

I picked this one up back in February thinking it would be an easy read as I was preparing for a business trip.
Little did I know how boring this one is! I don't understand how people love it, but to each their own!
It was the writing, mostly that annoyed me.
but of course, the writing impacts the story and I didn't even finish this.

We follow along a guy who seems to have no purpose in life, and then he meets this guy Gatsby and no one is sure where he's from but he seems to know everyone.

That is honestly all I remember. Sad, isn't it?
Something about a girl named Daisy... and all I know from pop-culture references is that this Gatsby guy has been pinning for her for years.


 

 The Scarlet Letter
Nathaniel Hawthorne


The version I have is pretty, but the language was difficult to get through, so this one was a big skim but I got the jist of it. (and thank you to Mr. Turner of John Adams for teaching me about this one!)

Hester Prynne lives in a town of purists. When she is accused of adultery, with a child of said affair, she is sentenced to live with a stitch of a red "A" on her person.

We follow Hester as she makes her life on the outskirts of town regardless of her "A" while raising her daughter. The men that are in her life make for some interesting characters and as we go through the story, we find out what really happened to Hester.

This one I really enjoyed but I did have to google some clarification (just because of the old English) on some plot points.

  

The Sword in the Stone 

T. H White 

I love anything King Arthur. 

I found this a few months ago at a garage sale and was very excited. It didn't take me long to read.

We meet Wart, a young pupil who lives at the hands of Sir Ector and his son, Kay. (Think Cinderella without the family connections).
One day, Wart meets Merlin. Merlin is a wizard, and vows to teach Wart about life through his magic.

This goes on for a few years until the King dies. To find the next King, there mysteriously appears a sword stuck in an anvil. The anvil reads 'to whom pulls out this sword, goes the crown'.
Many try to pull it out but none prevail so there is a tournament held, in which the winner will be crowned.
When Kay forgets his sword at the tournament, Wart goes looking for one... 

Loved this story. We see more of the background, which I liked. More lessons from Merlin to Wart - similar to the Disney movie version (which is a favourite of mine as well)

Frankenstein
Mary Shelley

This story was not what I was expecting.
Not that I have seen the movies (but I have seen clips/spoofs) because I am a big 'fraidy cat
but this did not live up to my standards.
Some of it was the language - some of it was the story.
and I had to force myself to finish it.

This book is ... hearsay. letters. Not a lot of direct story.
I kept waiting for more, and I didn't get it.
Skimmed a lot.

When Frankenstein decides to make himself a monster, he doesn't realize what consequences he will face. He doesn't realize what personality this monster will have. When this monster starts killing, he doesn't know what to do.
There is a love story in there though, but it is hard to see.

I love that society calls the monster 'Frankenstein' because that's wrong. I don't remember the monster having a name (but that may have been lost in the skimming) - or just this translation.

Mary Shelley has an interesting life though, and if you like "twisted" go read up about her.

That is it for now!
I am in the middle of 2 other classics, and have a bunch more starring me down so part 2 will happen later this year.

Have you read any of these? Do I need to give any a second chance, with a different version? Are there movies that are better *shock and horror*  Are there any classics I should add to my list?
Let me know!

Where'd June go?

June Wrap up!


What a crazy month! 

I swear I don't know where the past few weeks went. 
Life got crazy busy, and so did the books, and just... *zoom* good bye month. hello July! (Happy Canada Day too!) 

let's get down to business... no, there were no Huns in my month. 

What I read:
- Crystal Storms (FK 5)
- Queens of Geek
- Mortal Instruments 1 - 5
- the MindF* ck Series 1- 5
- Petals on the Wind
- Taran Wanderer (Prydain 4)
- A Wrinkle in Time 

Plus, for my sister site, I read 4. slow, slow, slow but authors are not sending in their books after their request gets approved which is ridiculous so the other 4 I had booked didn't work out.

That makes for a total of 19 books. Plus I started book 6 of TMI but only a few chapters in ;)


2017: 102/200 ~~ just over half way! ~~ 

If you're following me in IG, you'd have seen my TBR posted for this month.
It includes the following*:

- The Life of Elves (research for my book) 

- Calvin
- The Book Jumper
- Strange the Dreamer
- Gone with the Wind
- The Scarlet Letter (which I'm already half way through. Should be done today)
- Oliver Twist
- The Sword in the Stone
-Frankenstein
- Guilliver's Travels
- Treasure Island
- Count of Monte Cristo


Plus finishing up the TMI series because HELLO LM AND LOS! I want to devour you!

*i am trying to read more "classics" this year, so July should get a bunch out of the way.

and I need to go book a few for my sister site (which I'll do after this!) 

Luckily, July isn't too busy right now (except all my weekends) so I should have plenty of time. Right? Who knows.
Hubby and I never finished our GOT marathon and it starts next week so EEK! We're thinking of a getaway weekend to Niagara Falls next week which should be nice, but I doubt the hotel has HBO.

Besides work being crazy in June, nothing new is really going on. Quiet life is okay by me.
and I like how busy work is, but I WANT TO READ MY BOOKS! I got 20 new ones this week (16 from BookOutlet alone) and no time. Sigh.

I just ordered food since Hubby has left me for the weekend, with the car, and we didn't do groceries, and I am off to read!
Also, in the mood to watch 'a streetcar named desire' ; don't ask me why.


that's all folks!

xo

Bloggers tag!

I was tagged by Emily @ thatweirdgirllife.blogspot.ca to do a bloggers tag!
Which involves answering 11 random questions that she's asking, and then I'll ask 11 and tag some people :)

Official Rules: 

1. Answer the 11 questions that your nominator has asked you.

2. Nominate 11 other bloggers (with under 200 followers)

3. Ask your nominees 11 questions.

4. Let them know that you have nominated them!

Alright, here we go! 

1. When you were young, what did you want to be when you grew up?

I had a few ambitions; maid, marine biologist, actor... but ended up as a Sign language Interpreter. which is a job i love to the point that even if I won the lottery and never had to work again, I'd still do it. 

2. What time of day do you do your blogging? Do you usually work in the daytime or are you a night owl?

Depends on when the mood strikes. Sometimes I wake up and spend a few hours doing prep, sometimes I come home from a day of work and write for a few hours. 

3. If you could only eat one candy or chocolate for the rest of your life, what would it be?


Hmm. This is a difficult one. Chocolate bar would be Twix I think. Candy is probably lollipops. Orange flavour. 

4. What is your go to movie to watch when you're feeling sad or upset?


The original Willy Wonka. Or the animated Beauty and the Beast.

5. Has there been a book that has changed your life?

Many have had an impact, for sure. As far as made me change my beliefs or some aspect about my life, nope. 


6. Which Disney movie scared you the most as a kid?


Ironically, Beauty and the Beast haha. Now I can't get enough of it (both versions). 

7. What is the hardest thing for you about blogging?

Coming up with ideas, besides reviews. and being consistent. The month of june was spent reading and real-life work and I don't think I posted a single thing... oops. 


8. If you had to recommend one musician/band that everyone should listen to, who would it be?


The Spill Canvas. Esp their 'one fell swoop' CD. *swoon* 

9. If you could sit down and chat with any fictional character (from a book, movie. or TV) who would it be? And what would you talk about?

Oh gosh. uhm... Magnus Bane, but he'd have to be willing to open up because I want to hear his stories. and Rhett Butler for the same reason. and Rhys - I don't care what we talk about, I just wana stare at him.
and All the girls from the Lunar Chronicles. I just wana be their friend :(
and Arya. 


10. What is something that no matter what, always makes you laugh?

Minions.
and Friends.
and Calvin and Hobbes. (oh, add Calvin to #9)
and my neices and nephew <3


11. And if you had to pick: cake or pie?

CAKE. always. but, good cake. some cake is just gross.
major sweet tooth for pastries.


SO FUN! Thanks Emily!



MY 11:

1. What book character would you like to switch places with?
2. Did you have any childhood friends? Names, occupations?
3. What's your fave Disney Song?
4. Tin Man, Scarecrow, or the Lion? 
5. What are your goals with your blog?
6. Do you have any other  hobbies?
7. Can you read in the car?
8. Do you collect different editions/languages/covers etc of books?
9.  What's on your desk?
10. What's one of your idiosyncrasies ?
11. Do you collect anything non-book related?


Can't wait to read everyone's answers!