That is just a silly title not to have to say I will be writing down the story of how I got into the wild, wicked pleasure that is reading as your primary hobby. The thing is that I could talk about it for hours; the merits of reading, all the ways it makes us better and more understanding people, all the interesting little things that you would not necessarily notice if you stood on the outside... But no, I feel like I have to start at the beginning.
So, the beginning is this: a very quiet, shy girl. She was also quite smart, and so during the first years of elementary school she would be finished with her tasks much faster than others, and her teachers would give her books to read to pass the time. They were very short, inconsequential books, but important in their own right, because they were a gateway to something much bigger.
Because that is where the girl caught the reading bug and suddenly living a block away from the library became the most wondrous thing in the world where before she had not really cared about that boring-looking building at all. She got her first library card and visited the library every few days and read voraciously, anything that caught her eye.
I am going to stop talking in the third person now, because that girl is me. And that girl being too fast in class means I now spend all my money and most of my time on books, that girl who spent all her time in the library means I am now a well-read, better-understanding person. Thank you, six years old me.
The topic for this week's Top Ten Tuesday (an original feature from fellow book bloggers at The Broke and the Bookish) is "Books on my Autumn TBR list" (TBR means To Be Read).
I do not often make extensive lists of things I want to read in the next month/season/year, so a top ten is quite impossible for me. However, a top five is more than doable. Four books I have been looking forward to will be released in the next three months, which makes the top five even rather easy.
Without further ado, I present you the top five books I am most excited to be reading this Autumn and why.
5. Bad Boy by Elliot Wake
I love Elliot Wake's writing. It is poetic, enchanting, beautiful, and oftentimes also painful at the same time. He knows like no other how to write the most terrible scenes with the most wonderful words and his writing is truly addictive. I have read all of his previous books and enjoyed them all tremendously, so whenever a new one of his is released buying it is a no-brainer. There are not that many authors that I 'auto-buy' (buy as soon as possible, without thinking), but he is one of them.
4. A Song of Ice and Fire #4: A Feast for Crows by George R.R. Martin
A Feast for Crows is the fourth installment of a very popular, very amazing high fantasy novel series, currently garnering a lot of attention because of HBO's Game of Thrones, one of the most-watched drama television series of all time. I started watching the show first, then decided in season four that I would much rather read the books. I started reading the series last year in October, but it was very slow-going at first, which means that I am still not finished almost a year later. I am finally on book four though and I am really excited to be reading more about the characters I have grown to love, admire, and fear.
3. Of Fire and Stars by Audrey Coulthurst
The prime reason I want to read this book is because the synopsis promises me it will be about two princesses falling in love, despite one being betrothed to the other's brother. I love fantasy. I am always looking for representation of my sexuality in books. To find one that combines the both feels too good to be true, but it is true. Or will be true, rather, once the book is released on November 22.
2. Rebel Genius by Michael Dante DiMartino
The author's name might not mean much to a lot of people, but to me he was an important part of my childhood. He created the animation television series Avatar: the Last Airbender and for as long as I can remember that show was one of my all-time favourites to watch. When I found out he was writing and illustrating a book, I knew immediately I had to both pre-order it and painstakingly count down the days until its release. It promises to be everything a good Middle Grade story should be: fun, adventurous and wonderful. I can't wait.
1. Dishonored: the Corroded Man by Adam Christopher This book is not only my most anticipated read of the Fall - it is my most anticipated read of 2016. From the moment the team behind Dishonored, a video game that I thoroughly enjoyed playing, announced they would be releasing both a series of comic books and a saga of novels, I was ecstatic. I have been looking forward to this book for months and so it will take precendence over everything else I will read this Autumn.
Ferenwood is a country of vibrant, incandescent colours and of wonderful magic. In it, however, lives Alexis Queensmeadow, a girl completely devoid of all colour. She is mostly ignored by the people of her town, as how colourful you are is thought to be in direct correlation to how much magic you possess; in fact, the only person that truly cared for her was Father... who disappeared almost three years ago.
Alexis sets out on a journey to Furthermore, a chaotic and lawless country she thought to be a myth until she discovered otherwise, to find Father. She is accompanied by Oliver Newbanks, a boy from her class and the person she hates most in the world, on an adventure through a land where it is a crime to waste time and making sense is infinitely less desirable than making magic.
Furthermore is a story about friendship, love, adventure and magic. Although it is aimed at children in middle school it can be enjoyed by all.
Thoughts
At first, I did not like this book very much. It felt like it was trying too hard to be quirky and whimsical and the kind of cute, odd story you would read aloud to your children. The descriptions were on-point from the very beginning though; sparkling and poetic descriptions of the weird, wonderful world surrounding Alexis carried the first part of the story until I got to a point where I found myself genuinely enjoying this book.
It has its flaws, but it is a children's book and so it requires some leniency on my part. I should not be too criticizing.
Instead, I should focus on how funny some parts of this story were, how thoughtful and touching and beautiful this sometimes became, how many beautiful quotes I could highlight in this. It truly was a magical story. The characters and the world came alive, the descriptions made them feel so real.
The ending was deeply satisfying, in a way some adult novels will never be.
Verdict
I would recommend it to everyone who wants a bit of magic in their lives!
For my course of Business English, I have made my very own weblog. On it I will be posting reviews of some of the books that I will be reading. This is merely an introduction of who I am and what I do, so let's get to it.
My name is Kayley, I'm twenty-three years old, and my favorite hobby is reading. I can talk about it all day, or write lengthy blog posts about it, probably. I enjoy fantasy and science-fiction most of all genres, though I dabble in contemporary fiction and historical fiction sometimes too. Because I find adult novels to be too hefty, stuffy or boring most of the time I have stuck with Young Adult and New Adult, even though I've become too old to be a true part of the target audience.
Which books I will be reviewing on my blog... I'm not sure yet, but I invite you to take a plunge into the unknown with me.
