The Perfect Genre

Is there a perfect genre for you?

I always go towards the same types of books, but there are factors that make all genres interesting.

We all know what we like - or not - but there are things that uniquely draw us into a book so I thought I'd analyze that a bit. What genre is perfect for each reader, and what genres are for you if you like another one.

We'll see how far I can even take this but let's start with things I crave for in a book:

Action, romance and a bit of mystery or fantasy.

I need it to be fast paced and hold my attention and I want the characters to grow.

>So I usually gravitate towards low fantasy with an action plot.

Non-fiction:

This is the first question you want to ask yourself when trying to find a new book to read: "do I want it to be a story or not". If not then do you want it to be a pondering book, the story of someones life or perhaps an explanation to a scientific wonder. The point is that with non-fiction, it's all real (maybe).

I tend to not read non-fiction because I can find it boring. When I read I want to immerse myself into something completely different. So when I do read non-fiction I usually go with a science-y book laced with humor like The Idiot Brain or What If?

Science fiction:

You don't need to be a huge fan of science, but you need to like learning about new things and inventions.

Batman by Mari Lu is a great introduction to this if you like action and want to veer from fantasy to sci-fi.

"Low" fantasy:

This is the fantasy that I tend to read. It brings a whole new world to you that you get to experience, usually right along the man character. That sort of "wait you're saying I'm not human?" is seen in countless books like Harry Potter and The Mortal Instruments and it works well, though I'd like to see a different approach to this.

"High" fantasy:

They can seem intimidating since most series are so long, but the thing is the worlds are incredibly complex and you first need to learn about the world. Literally anything can happen in them, I know I couldn't come up with them.

"Pure" romance:

By this I mean it's not fantasy or sci-fi but the story involves only the romance. The types I read are "fluffy" contemporary romances with a cute and quick read which often flies by and doesn't need too much thought. Anna and the French Kiss and any of Kasie West's books are great ones like that.

If on the other hand you want some more emotions and maybe even a good cry try If I Stay or maybe 

a John Green book.

Mystery/crime:

Maybe you have a short attention span or you like trying to solve a mystery this is the genre for you. You can find books from side to side depending on what type you're looking for. There are psychological thrillers for a creepier factor, mystery books revolving around romance and the always great Agatha Christie mysteries.

Classics:

What counts as a "classic" is a whole other story, but there's something that appeals to me about classics. There's a reason why they are classics and they've fought against time. The writings are timeless and people back then - well they were people too.

Read on lovelies,

S

Women are some kind of magic by Amanda Lovelace : review

The Witch Doesn't Burn in this One

and The Princess Saves Herself in this One
by Amanda Lovelace

*ARC kindly provided for book 2 from NetGalley for an honest review!*

SUMMARY: These moving, relatable poems encourage resilience and embolden women to take control of their own stories. Enemies try to judge, oppress, and margianalize her, but the witch doesn't burn in this one.

The "second" book of the trilogy  Women Are Some Kind of Magic is being published March 6th 2018.

Goodreads' link to book 1.

Goodreads' link to book 2.

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So what did I think?

The Princess Saves Herself in this One

3.5 Stars

I don't tend to gravitate towards poetry, but this one made me feel. I picked it up because I saw the second one on NetGalley, and this had been given so much praise in 2016 I decided it was time.

Only the fact that I was in public kept the tears away. At the end of it though, I felt upright.

The Witch Doesn't Burn in this One

3 Stars

Like the first one it takes a while for me to "get into" poetry. You can't just fly through, but you need to ponder. And this book definitely made me think. It was packed with emotions and encouragements, and I highly encourage these to you even if you aren't a fan of poetry - yet.

> I would caution you when reading them, there are some trigger warnings.

“when someone offers to save you make it your mission to save yourself.” 

• ― Amanda Lovelace
• “your happiness

  comes before

  anyone else's

  happiness.

  -the real meaning of 'self respect'.”

Read on lovelies,

S

Read This Month

February

1. Frost Like Night (Series Finisher) audiobook
2. The ABC murders audiobook
3. Pallokala
4. Heart of Iron REVIEW ebook
5. Murder at the Vicarage audiobook
6. Jane Eyre (Classic-ftM)
7. A Murder is Announced audiobook

Data:

Male/Female author:
         86% female,
         14% male
Genre:
         57 % crime,

         14 % classsic,
         14 % retelling/sci-fi,
         14 % fantasy/magic
Pages:
       2 632 p
Format:
         14 % e-books,
         57 % audio books,
         29 % physical books
Average:
         3.64
Arcs:
          29 % sent to me (for honest reviews)

Read on lovelies,

S

Heart of Iron : review

Heart of Iron by Ashley Poston

*e-ARC kindly provided by the publisher HarperCollins in exchange for an honest review!*

SUMMARY
Seventeen-year-old Ana is a scoundrel by nurture and an outlaw by nature. Found as a child drifting through space with a sentient android called D09, Ana was saved by a fearsome space captain and the grizzled crew she now calls family. But D09 - one of the last remaining illegal Metals - has been glitching, and Ana will stop at nothing to find a way to fix him.

Goodreads' link to the book!

Publication: February 27th 2018
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Stars: ✦✦✦✦.25

So as usual, I'll tell 4.25 things I liked about the book and 0.75 thing I didn't like.

So what did I think?

First of all I loved Geekerella by Ashley Poston last year and secondly:

robots, space, royalty and battles? What's not to love?

Oh and also it's a retelling of Anastasia. Just throwing that out there - I was excited to dig in.

+1 | The idea. It's new yet old: there's the retelling aspect, but at the same time everything is totally new


+1 | The world: the sci-fi features were fascinating and refreshing

+1 | Characters: some feisty, funny and adorable. The main character goes for what she wants, and the romances were well plotted out even if predictable

+1 | Gripping: it started with a bang and the action just kept on going.
Also Poston cleverly gave us just enough answers to keep the ever growing questions at bay

-0.75  |  Along the lines of the first point: the retelling brought the problem of expected plot twists,
but the writing was beautiful | +0.25

Bonus tip: Droid Serif is a great font on kindle!

Read on lovelies,

S

This Or That Book TAG

Reading on the couch or reading on the bed?

Definitely the bed. It’s where all my late, right before sleeping reading happens. It’s my quiet place.

Main character: Male or Female?

Doesn’t matter, but I tend to gravitate towards female ones, maybe because I feel that I can relate better?

Sweet or salty snacks while reading?

Neither. I don't like eating when I'm reading, not even drinking. Sometimes I have a drink there and forget all about it.

Same goes for movies, depending on the movie though. But if I do have some it needs to be balanced with both. For example I love melting white chocolate on salted popcorn!

Trilogies or quartets?

I sometimes feel intimidated going into a series knowing it has 10 books in it, so I usually have difficulty starting them. Regarding trilogies and quartets, they are basically the same thing to me.

I tend to really love duologies and hate it when a series is supposed to have a certain amount of book and they add on more. It makes me feel like they are just stretching it out because it sold well.

First Person or Third Person POV?

I prefer first person because it's just that more personal. But both can be great, when done well.

Night or morning reader?

Night, right before I go to sleep. Though in the morning I do sometimes read on the bus when going to school.

Libraries or book stores?

I wouldn't say either is better than the other, but where I live it's easiest to find books from online. Before buying a book I haven't read I always do check the library if they have it first, in case I don't like it.

Books that make you laugh or books that make you cry?

I read both, all depending on my mood. Statistically though: laugh.

Black or White book covers?

White. They look so clean on the shelf and stunning in their simplicity and details.

Character driven or plot driven stories?

That's a really tough question. I'm going to go with character, because if they do something interesting out of a stupid decision I'm going to hang on too much to it being a stupid decision. If I don't like the character I'm more likely to dnf the book.

Not Finishing Book Series

This post is going to be a bit of a ramble on why I don't finish book series, and maybe some hints for getting through them...

For updated lists of these check my Goodreads shelves: link
Or semi-updated blog posts: finished series  &  won't continue

> < > <

I talk about my dilemma of not finishing book series and have come to some conclusions:

a) I really like it and...
    i) don't want it to end - thus prolonging the reading of the last volume
    ii) reading the books as they are released and not remembering how the previous one went since it         has been a year again
    iii) love it so much I think to myself that there will be a "better time" to read it, when I'm craving          the world, but alas that never comes (mood reading can be a struggle)

b) I feel indifferent towards it and though I keep the series in my TBR I:
    i) forget about it read all the other books I want
    ii) *answer for a) ii applies*

c) I don't like it - won't finish it
    i) but "what if" so I might keep it in my TBR

> < > <

Answers to this problem could be:
>Waiting to read a series after all of it is published and then binge reading them all
>Rereading the previous books
>Using ReCaptains for a summary (definitely my go-to!)
>Having a goal each month/year for series to finish (you can check my yearly anticipated reads and etc. for mine)

Problems:
-mood reading
-too many books in one world
-too long of a time, not being able to read other books
-not loving them as much as I would've if I would've had some sort of anticipation

Read on lovelies,

S

Running in the Dark by Sam Reaves : review

Running in the Dark by Sam Reaves

*ARC kindly provided from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review!*

> Caption:
The lone witness to [a] gruesome roadside slaying, Abby quickly learns that the quiet town conceals many secret. When another brutal murder takes place, she starts seeing signs that somebody is watching her. And this time, running will not help her hide.
-Goodreads


> Publication: February 6th 2018

Goodreads' link to the book!
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Stars: ✦✦.5✧✧

So as usual, I'll tell 2.5 things I liked about the book and 2.5 thing I didn't like.

So what did I think?

+/- 0.5 | The idea is great. That and the cover was definitely what drew me into it. It is quite a typical thriller regarding to what happens, but since the setting is completely new to the main character, it brought a new layer of mystery

+1 | Entertainment value. It started off really well and I did read it to the end, meaning I definitely wanted to know what happens - which is a great sign for me with thrillers and books in general

+/- 0.5 | I enjoyed the main character, but a lot of characters were introduced in a short span which made me confused heading to the end

-1  |  Like I mentioned in a previous point it started well, but I felt the pace decline

+/-0.5  | The writing I enjoyed, but the ending wasn't as shocking as I'd hoped

Read on lovelies,

S