My Bookish Resolutions For 2023
Hello readers and writerly friends!
Welcome back to my blog! If you haven’t read my latest two blog posts, they’re linked at the bottom of this page! This week, we’re discussing my 2023 bookish goals and resolutions. What are your goals for 2023? Leave me a comment below!
Some of these are repeat goals and some are new. Last year, my only goal was to read 22 books and I nailed it! This year, I decided I wanted to do more than just read, but I wanted to keep them simple and SMART —- specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound. I’ve given myself 5 goals to strive for in 2023
My bookshelf filled with more knick-knacks than actual books. Photo by Payton Hayes.
Read all of the TBR books on my shelf in 2023
In 2020, I went through a book purge and got rid of almost 200 books! As a result, my bookshelf seems to be filled more with rocks, figurines, and knick-knacks, than actual books, but oh well. This year, my primary goal is to read all of the books on that shelf. I started chipping away at it in 2022, and as I completed a book, I either kept it or donated it to the library. There’s 36 books to be read on my shelf. If I can read 34 books in 2022, then this year, I can clear the shelf!
Finish the Wingbound Trilogy by Heather Trim in 2023
As you can see from my #shelfie, the series is waiting patiently on my shelf. In 2023, I plan to finish this series, starting with Wingspan in January!
Set up a cozy reading space in Winter-Spring of 2023
My partner and I just moved into our apartment back in August 2022, and we don’t yet have our living room furnished. In 2023, I hope to get some big furniture pieces that are comfy, cozy, stylish, and together make for a great reading spot as well as watching our favorite films.
Get a new bookshelf in 2023
Part of the furniture plan for 2023, is to get a new bookshelf. I think we’re going with a mid-century modern or industrial themed living room with cozy accents, so this shelf has got to go. Besides, I want to use this shelf to store our towels in the bathroom. Our current shelf is flimsy at best.
Read a 2023 release early in 2023
This may be tricky to get my hands on, but I definitely want to try and read Yellowface by R.F. Kuang asap! I have never read an early release and it didn’t seem possible to get my hands on a copy at the end of 2022, so maybe once it’s out I can snag a copy and write a review on it as early as possible! Keep your eyes out for that!
That’s all for my 2023 Bookish Resolutions! I hope you enjoyed reading this post! I know this goal list was far shorter than 2020 and 2021. It’s been a crazy couple of years! But now that I’m back in the practice of reading and writing daily, I hope I can achieve these goals and I am certainly looking forward to trying! What are your 2023 bookish goals or resolutions? Did you complete or make progress towards your 2022 goals? Let me know in the comments below and as always, thanks for reading!
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2022 End of The Year Book Survey
All the books I read in 2022! Photo by Payton Hayes.
Hi readers and writerly friends!
I am once again completing the End of The Year Book Survey created by Jamie from PerpetualPageTurner.com! Make sure you check out her post here and share it if you do decide to complete it for yourself!
Note: The survey is for books you read throughout the year, no matter when they were published, and is not limited to just books that came out in 2022! Previous years and related topics have been included at the end of this post!
2022 Reading Statistics
Number of books Read:35
Number of Re-Reads:0
Genre read from the most: Nonfiction, Mental Health
Best in Books
1. Best Book You Read In 2022?
I couldn’t leave any of these out. If I had to choose just one, I’d pick Where the Crawdad’s Sing by Delia Owens. I couldn’t put it down!
Where the Crawdad’s Sing by Delia Owens
Gorilla and the Bird: A Memoir of Madness by Zack McDermott
The Drama of the Gifted Child by Alice Miller and Ruth Ward
Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery
2. Book You Were Excited About & Thought You Were Going To Love More But Didn’t?
A Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood
The Daily Stoic by Ryan Holiday
Laziness Does Not Exist by Devon Price
All of these books I had heard great things about, but personally didn’t enjoy as much as I thought I would based on the hype. I hoped they’d all be 5-star books, but was found a little wanting after closing their covers. The second two contained a lot of excellent information, but I just don’t think they lived up to the hype.
3. Most surprising (in a good way or bad way) book you read?
The Drama of the Gifted Child by Alice Miller and Ruth Ward
4. Book You “Pushed” The Most People To Read (And They Did)?
Where the Crawdad’s Sing by Delia Owens
The Drama of the Gifted Child by Alice Miller and Ruth Ward
I told everyone I know who reads to check out Where the Crawdad’s Sing by Delia Owens but I am not sure that they have just yet. I mentioned The Drama of the Gifted Child by Alice Miller and Ruth Ward and Gorilla and the Bird: A Memoir of Madness by Zack McDermott to my therapist and she wrote them down, so that’s something? A coworker and I got to talking about our most impactful reads this year and I recommended The Drama of the Gifted Child by Alice Miller to her and she recommended The Whole-Brain Child by Daniel J. Siegel and The Female Brain by Louann Brizendine. I then had coffee with an old friend from high school and to her I also recommended The Drama of the Gifted Child by Alice Miller and in turn, she recommended Mindset by Carol S. Dweck, Ph.D | Key Takeaways, Analysis & Review: The New Psychology of Success by Carol S. Dweck, all three of which, I have added to my Goodreads “Want To Read” shelf.
5. Best series you started in 2022? Best Sequel? Best Series Ender of 2022?
The Wingspan Trilogy by Heather Trim was the only series I read in 2022 and I only read two out of three of the books. I really enjoyed this series and I hope to finish it in 2023!
6. Favorite new author you discovered in 2022?
L.M. Montgomery
7. Best book from a genre you don’t typically read/was out of your comfort zone?
The Kid-Friendly ADHD and Autism Cookbook by Pamela J Compart and Dana GodBout Laake
I typically don’t read cookbooks as reading material, but I picked up and read several of them this year. I found this book the most informative and interesting because of the mental health information it contained as well as effective diets for neurodiverse people.
8. Most action-packed/thrilling/unputdownable book of the year?
Where the Crawdad’s Sing by Delia Owens
I just could not put this book down. The characters are just so interesting and the plot twist is fantastic!
9. Book You Read In 2022 That You Would Be MOST Likely To Re-Read Next Year?
The Daily Stoic by Ryan Holiday
Though this book disappointed me slightly, I think I’d pick it up again next year. I don’t have the best reading routine and with this book being a daily reader, I probably didn’t give it the best shot. I’d go days at a time forgetting to pick it up and then catch up later. 😅
10. Favorite cover of a book you read in 2022?
Wingbound by Heather Trim
11. Most memorable character of 2022?
Anne Shirley from Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery
12. Most beautifully written book read in 2022?
Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery
13. Most Thought-Provoking/ Life-Changing Book of 2022?
The Drama of the Gifted Child by Alice Miller and Ruth Ward
14. Book you can’t believe you waited UNTIL 2022 to finally read?
I think all of the books I read this year were picks from this year. I pretty much read whatever I felt like reading when I felt like reading it. I think that’s the main reason why I was able to read so many books this year compared to last year. In the past, I’ve put restrictions on my reading goals and this made it harder to motivate myself to read.
15. Favorite Passage/Quote From A Book You Read In 2022?
Page 305 from The Daily Stoic by Ryan Holiday
Virtue And Kindness
October 12th
ALWAYS LOVE
“Hecato says, ‘I can teach you a love potion made without drugs, herbs, or special spell —if you would be loved, love.”
—SENECA MORAL LETTERS, 9.6
In 1992, Barbara Jordan addressed the Democratic National Conventtion and railed against the greed and selfishness and divisiveness of the previous decade. People were ready for a change. “Change it to what?” she asked. “Change the environment of the 80’s to an environment which is characterized by a devotion to the public interest, public service, tolerance, and love. Love. Love. Love.”
Love. Love. Love. Why? Because, as the Beatles put it, “In the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make.” Not just in politics, not just in tolerance, but in our personal lives. There is almost no situation in which hatred helps. Yet almost every situation is made better by love —or empathy, understanding, and appreciation —-even situations in which you are in opposition to someone.
And who knows, you might just get some of that love back.
—Ryan Holiday, The Daily Stoic, page 305.
16. Shortest & Longest Book You Read In 2022?
Shortest: Oh Hell No!:And Other Ways To Set Some Damn Boundaries by Chronicle Books
Longest: The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) by the American Psychiatric Association
17. Book that shocked you the most
The Drama of the Gifted Child by Alice Miller and Ruth Ward
This book blew me away. It might have just been the most spot-on book of all the mental health books I read this year, and ever. I felt noticed, called out, and understood while reading this book. At times, it felt almost offensive that some of the concepts were staring me dead in the face, like an unsettling reflection you can’t shake. It resonated with me deeply and I felt as if the author was looking into my soul.
If you have PTSD, grew up with authoritarian parents, put the needs of others before your own needs for most of your life, and felt like you haven’t met your full potential, then this book may be for you. It gives an explanation for how readers are the way they are, helps the reader understand why they wittingly and unwittingly put their trauma back on others, and gives the reader hope for the future with a new perspective on their childhood and past.
18. OTP OF THE YEAR (You will go down with this ship!) (OTP = One true pairing if you aren’t familiar)
Kya Clark and Tate Walker from Where the Crawdad’s Sing by Delia Owens
19. Favorite Non-Romantic Relationship Of The Year
Anne Shirley and Marilla Cuthbert of Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery
20. Favorite Book You Read in 2022 From An Author You’ve Read From Previously
I did not read any books from authors I’ve read from previously this year.
21. Best Book You Read in 2022 That You Read Based SOLELY On A Recommendation From Somebody Else/Peer Pressure/ Bookstagram, etc.
Where the Crawdad’s Sing by Delia Owens - Recommended by Mollie Tubeville from MollieReads
22. Newest fictional crush from a book you read in 2022?
I did not have any fictional crushes from the books I read in 2022. I read mostly nonfiction.
23. Best 2022 debut you read?
I really enjoyed Jeanette McCurdy’s I’m Glad My Mom Died, and highly recommend you read it if you like reading memoirs.
24. Best Worldbuilding/Most Vivid Setting You Read This Year?
Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery
Anne Shirley’s imaginative, colorful descriptions of Avondale were so magical and reminded me of what it was like to play and imagine as a child. This book was so charming.
25. Book That Put A Smile On Your Face/Was The Most FUN To Read?
Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery
26. Book That Made You Cry Or Nearly Cry in 2022?
Gorilla and the Bird: A Memoir of Madness by Zack McDermott
27. Hidden Gem Of The Year?
The Drama of the Gifted Child by Alice Miller and Ruth Ward
28. Book That Crushed Your Soul?
Blood Orange by Harriet Tyce
None of the books I read this year really crushed my soul. However, this book was such a disappointment that I felt like I’d wasted time reading it altogether.
29. Most Unique Book You Read In 2022?
Drug Use for Grown-Ups: Chasing Liberty in the Land of Fear by Carl L. Hart
30. Book That Made You The Most Mad (doesn’t necessarily mean you didn’t like it)?
A Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood
My Blogging/Bookish Life
1. New favorite book blog/Bookstagram/Youtube channel you discovered in 2022?
I started following @authenticallyryan on Instagram and I enjoy her bookish content there.
2. Favorite post you wrote in 2022?
For Content Creators and CEOs with ADHD: Strategies to Succeed Despite Overwhelm and Distractions
This blog post was very near and dear to my heart. I worked really hard on it and wrote from a lot of personal experience. I hope that it reaches the audience it’s meant for and helps anyone who reads it. 😊
Sweetbitter by Stephanie Danler and a jar of hibiscus tea on a wood tabletop. Follow me on Instagram for more bookish photos! Photo by Payton Hayes.
3. Favorite bookish related photo you took in 2022?
My photo of Sweetbitter by Stephanie Danler and a jar of hibiscus tea on a wood tabletop. I took this photo after I finished the book. I think I liked the picture and cover better than I liked the book. I had high hopes for it but it left me wishing the character relationships had been a little more realistic and unique.
This photo is on my Instagram! Follow me for more bookish content!
4. Best bookish event that you participated in (author signings, festivals, virtual events, etc.)?
I haven’t attended any bookish events in 2022, but I’m planning attend at least two writing conventions, to attend a workshop or two with the Yukon Writer’s Society, and to host monthly workshops for the Oklahoma Writer’s Society next year!
5. Best moment of bookish/blogging life in 2022?
Surpassing my Goodreads Reading Challenge to read 22 books —I read 33!
6. Most challenging thing about blogging or your reading life this year?
It was really hard to get back into writing for my blog this year. 2020 and 2021 were rough years for me, like most everyone. My mental health declined and with it, my creativity and motivation to write. But I read a lot of books, went to therapy, did some soul searching, and fell in love with being creative again. It’s been a long, challenging journey, but I’m back and better than ever.
7. Most Popular Post This Year On Your Blog (whether it be by comments or views)?
How To Write Best Friends to Lovers Romance - That Feels Realistic
This post was written in 2020 but it’s gotten 1.5k views in the last year. Best friends to lovers is a popular trope in romance.
8. Post You Wished Got A Little More Love?
For Content Creators and CEOs with ADHD: Strategies to Succeed Despite Overwhelm and Distractions
9. Best bookish discover (book related sites, book stores, etc.)?
I don’t think I’ve discovered any great bookish, non-book items this year. I did at a lot of new books to my TBR on Goodreads, though!
10. Did you complete any reading challenges or goals that you had set for yourself at the beginning of this year?
Yes! I completed my 2022 goal of reading 22 books this year! This was my Goodreads Reading Challenge for 2022 and I actually ended up reading 33 books!
Looking ahead
1. One Book You Didn’t Get To In 2022 But Will Be Your Number 1 Priority in 2023?
Wingspan by Heather Trim
Next year, I hope to finish this series!
2. Book You Are Most Anticipating For 2023 (non-debut)?
I’m Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy, debuted in 2022.
3. 2023 Debut You Are Most Anticipating?
Yellowface by R.F. Kuang
4. Series Ending/A Sequel You Are Most Anticipating in 2023?
Winds of Winter by George R.R. Martin. He hasn’t said it’s going to be finished in 2023, but in a recent interview from The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, he mentioned that the book may be as long as 1500 pages and it's about three-quarters of the way complete.
Read more here.
5. One Thing You Hope To Accomplish Or Do In Your Reading/Blogging Life In 2023?
I hope to get more comments and engagement on my blog post. Every month, there’s hundreds and even thousands of views but no one leaves a comment. I’d love to get to know my readers and start some fun, bookish conversations!
6. A 2023 Release You’ve Already Read & Recommend To Everyone (if applicable):
I haven’t read any 2023 releases early, but I hope to read Yellowface by R.F. Kuang next year once it’s out!
And that’s it for my 2022 Bookish End Of The Year Survey! Make sure you check out Jamie at Perpetualpageturner.com and fill out the survey for yourself here! Leave me a comment answering one of these questions and if you do decide to fill out the survey, make sure to link it in the comments and share it with Jamie and myself so we can see your results!
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—Payton
2022 Book Wrap Up & Rating All The Books I Read This Year
Hi readers and writerly friends!
Welcome back to the blog! If you’re new, thanks for stopping by! Be sure to check out all of my Bookish Things posts if that’s your cup of tea! This post is my 2022 Book Wrap Up! Share your 2022 Book Wrap Up in the comments below!
It has been a crazy couple of years. I could say that again.
I had high hopes for 2020 and ended up completing 0 of my 20 Bookish Goals For 2020. In 2021, I set 21 goals, naturally. I should have dialed it back a bit to account for the unexpected. However, I stubbornly set 21 goals for myself and again, completed very few in comparison to the amount of goals I set. I didn’t read 52 books. I didn’t finish a single series.
The goals I completed in 2021 include:
Read the House of Night Series by P.C. and Kristin Cast. (I read four books from this series and decided to finally put it to rest. This was my second or third time trying to get through this series and it just wasn’t for me. The writing was inconsistent —you could tell where one author stopped and another began, and not in a good way —and the story’s premise was just all too familiar: YA vampire school romance, bleh. I think I’ve seen enough of that trope to last me a lifetime. So I added the series to my DNF (Did Not Finish) list on Goodreads and let myself off the hook.)
Read More Classics In 2022 (I read Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, so I think this one counts as completed!)
My other 19 goals for 2021 were left sitting on the shelf, covered in dust.
This year was different.
While many of my goals from 2020 and 2021 remained in the back of my mind, I set only one goal for myself in 2022.
Read 22 books.
That’s it! I set out to get less than two books a month for a year and I knocked that goal out of the park.
I knew I was capable of reading two books a month based on my track record for previous years — 16/52 books in 2021, 15/12 books in 2020, 22/20 books in 2019, and 2/12 books in 2018. But like I said, it's been a crazy couple of years. I learned my lesson the hard way, by setting unrealistic goals for myself, not completing them all, and feeling disappointed when the end of the year came and I had hardly anything to show for it.
My average rating of the 35 books I read in 2022 was 3.5 stars on a 5-Star Rating scale.
2022 Reading Statistics
Number of books Read:35
Number of Re-Reads:0
Average Rating: 3.5 stars
I’ve listed all the books I read this year in the order I read them below. Each book was given a 1-5-star rating for each book based on how much I enjoyed the book overall, how well I liked the writing style, and how useful the information contained within its pages was for me.
Rating the books I read in 2022
Sweet Bitter by Stephanie Danler ⭐⭐⭐
Smithsonian Makers Workshop:Unique AmericanCrafting, Cooking, Gardening, and Decorating Projects by The Smithsonian Institution ⭐⭐
Loving Someone with PTSD: A Practical Guide to Understanding and Connecting with your Partner After Trauma by Aphrodite Matsakis ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Never Use Futura by Douglas Thomas and Ellen Lupton ⭐⭐⭐
The CBD Beauty Book: Make Your Own Natural Beauty Products With The Goodness Extracted From Hemp by CICO Books⭐⭐
Where The Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
The Brain That Changes Itself by Norman Doidge ⭐⭐⭐
Blood Orange by Harriet Tyce ⭐⭐
Oh Hell No!:And Other Ways To Set Some Damn Boundaries by Chronicle Books ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Gorilla and the Bird: A Memoir of Madness by Zack McDermott ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Wild Edible Plants of Oklahoma by Charles W. Kane ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
A Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood ⭐⭐⭐
Pride: Celebrating Diversity & Community by Robin Stevenson ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Drug Use for Grown-Ups: Chasing Liberty in the Land of Fear by Carl L. Hart ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
The “I Love My Instant Pot” Free Holiday Menu by Michelle Fagone ⭐⭐
The Forager’s Feast: How to Identify and Prepare Wild Edibles by Leda Meredith ⭐⭐⭐
The Drama of the Gifted Child by Alice Miller and Ruth Ward ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
The Kid-Friendly ADHD and Autism Cookbook by Pamela J Compart and Dana GodBout Laake ⭐⭐⭐
Foraging Cookbook: 75 Recipes to Make the Most of Your Foraged Finds by Karen Stephenson⭐⭐
The Ultimate Vegan Cookbook for Your Instant Pot by Kathy Hester ⭐⭐
Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Wingbound by Heather Trim ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Laziness Does Not Exist by Devon Price ⭐⭐⭐⭐
The Courage To Be Disliked: How to Free Yourself, Change Your Life, and Achieve Real Happiness by Ichiro Kishimi and Fumitake Koga ⭐
Consumer Economics by Wendy Reiboldt ⭐⭐⭐
A Radical Guide for Women With ADHD: Embrace Neurodiversity, Live Boldly, and Break Through Barriers by Sari Solden, Michelle Frank, and Ellen Litman ⭐⭐
Mastering Your Adult ADHD: A Cognitive-Behavioral Treatment Program Client Workbook by Steven Safren ⭐⭐⭐⭐
How to Write One Song: Loving the Things We Create and How They Love Us Back by Jeff Tweedy ⭐⭐⭐⭐
The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) by the American Psychiatric Association ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Dracula by Brahm Stoker ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Learning About Dance: Dance As An Art Form And Entertainment by Nora Ambrosio ⭐⭐⭐
I’m Glad My Mom Died by Jeanette McCurdy ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Wingless by Heather Trim ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Buzzed: The Straight Facts About The Most Used And Abused Drugs From Alcohol To Ecstasy by Cynthia M. Kuhn, Scott Swartzwelder, and Wilkie Wilson ⭐⭐⭐⭐
The Daily Stoic by Ryan Holiday ⭐⭐⭐
All the books I read in 2022
Looking at this list, it's easy to say my reading interests have been aaaaall over the place. From cookbooks, to the DSM-5, to various mental health books, to classics, to textbooks, to fiction and everything in between, my reading habits this year have certainly been interesting and diverse.
I’m proud of myself for reaching my reading goal and expanding my reading horizons too. I even managed to get a new bookshelf (2021 goal 😂). Well, actually, I just repurposed another shelf for use as a bookshelf, so I still need to get a new one, but I digress.
All this to say, yes, life has been crazy for the last few years —it’s been hectic, full of ups and downs, and many learning curves — but it does get easier. The tide always goes back out and the sun always comes up. And it is possible, through some discipline, to break out of a reading slump and reach your bookish goals.
What were your bookish goals for 2022? How many goals did you achieve? What goals have you set for 2023? If you want to read more on this topic, check out the related topics and past blog posts below!
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Similar Blog Posts From Previous Years:
How to Read More Books in 2022
A stack of books I want to read in 2022. Photo by Payton Hayes.
Hi readers and writerly friends!
Welcome back and if you’re new thanks for popping in! This week in Bookish Things, I’m going to be sharing all of my tips and tricks for knocking out those reading lists and other bookish goals!
Just to give you guys a little bit of backstory and help remind you that despite all of my bookish content and strategizing I do here, I am still human and I also struggle with finding time to read and keeping up with my yearly reading goal. I also catch myself falling into reading slumps from time to time so don’t feel like you’re alone, because there’s millions of readers out there who have to actively work towards their reading goals!
In 2018 I did not meet my reading goal (2/12) 😬 but in 2019 (22/20) 🎉 and 2020 (15/12) 🥳 I did. In 2021, I fell way short of my extremely ambitious goal of reading 52 books, of which I only read 16. I look back at these recent years and my reading goals, and the life events I experienced stick out very clearly to me. This reflection serves as a great reminder that sometimes life does get in the way of reading and that’s okay. Don’t feel bad if you’ve been slacking in your reading goals. Let’s get back on track together!
Start by creating a reading plan
Why do you want to read more? Considering this question will help you firmly define your “why” and make it easier to keep on track with your reading throughout the year. Perhaps you’re reading for educational purposes or to better yourself? Maybe you want to read more novels to escape from stress and practice self-care. Maybe you want to be more well-read and explore the written word over modern media. No matter your reason, its always a good idea to read regularly as long as you’re doing it for you and you know why.
Additionally, you may want to ask yourself a few more questions to help clearly define your reading goals for 2022. How long will you read for each day? How many books do you have on your To-Be-Read (TBR) list? Is there a series you’ve been meaning to get into or a classic author you want to check out? How many books a month do you want to shoot for? What genres most interest you right now? What genres do you find yourself shying away from? Do you want to schedule your reading and plan out each months books? I personally prefer making an annual loose TBR list and choosing I can what to read as I go. Other readers enjoy making a reading schedule with specific books for each month or planning seasonal reads as the year goes on. I always try to read horror or spooky-themed books in October! Map out a book timeline that makes sense for your lifestyle, interests, and reading goals.
1. Keep track of your books by using Goodreads
This tip isn’t new, especially around the bookish community, but its worth mentioning to start, especially for anyone new to the reading scene or anyone just getting back into it! You might also be a reader who has never kept track of their reading habits before so this might be a great strategy for you to remember what you’ve read, keep your eyes out for new books, and stay focused on your yearly reading challenge.
Goodreads does a yearly reading challenge which can be a great resource for reading inspiration and motivation. Sign up, add a few books to your “Want To Read” shelf, set a reading goal for yourself, and get reading! You can also share your reviews and recommendations with other readers and authors on the app!
2. Make your reading goals public for external accountability
To make use of external accountability, consider joining a local book club or reading group, joining online reading communities, and sharing your reading goals, updates, and reading lists to your own social circles. Having a tight-knit group to share books with and discuss stories can be just the thing to get you back on track with your reading goals!
Kindles are also great for cutting down on book storage and readers can make use of the “Read Sample” prior to purchasing digital copies of books they’ve yet to read. Kindle Unlimited also offers access to millions of books every month.
4. Use a designated device solely for reading
I understand some bookworms here are still ballin’ on a budget, but if you can afford to, splurge on a tablet purposed only for reading. This separation of activities can be crucial in helping you rewire your brain for reading time. Avoid reading on your phone to eliminate distractions from social media and texts.
5. Multitask with audiobooks
You do not have to physically read a book to absorb the important and useful information contained within its pages. Many readers make use of audiobooks for the convenience, portability, and multitasking ability they have. Read a book while you cook, read a book while you walk, read a book while you clean or workout, read a book during your commute to and from work and on your lunch break —there’s a number of activities you can do while listening to an audiobook!
6. Read more than one book at any given time.
Now don’t let your “Current Reads” list get too full of unfinished books, but it can be refreshing to read more than one book at a time, especially if you alternate between fiction and non-fiction and read from different genres to avoid reading slumps! I personally enjoy having an e-book and audiobook, as well as a hard-copy on hand at any given time. This is especially useful in keeping concepts, themes, and characters separate across multiple novels.
7. Put down any books you’re not enjoying anymore.
If it’s no longer serving you or bringing you joy, feel free to let it go. Everyone can rant and rave about how good a book is but you don’t have to like it just because everyone else does. If you’re done with a book, feel free to move it to the “Read” shelf in Goodreads, leave a review if you’d like, and move on to the next read. Don’t let your disillusionment of a book you had high hopes for put you in a reading slump or worse, ruin your love of reading and learning.
8. Read for 15 minutes a day
Set a short timer to go off at the same time everyday and read for 15 minutes. This could be a really effective strategy for making regular reading a successful and sustainable habit.
9. Bring a book with you everywhere you go
Find yourself bored standing in line at the store or waiting on your oil to be changed? Bringing a book with you can help you avoid awkward queues and chip away at your TBR.
10. Get the main points of the book without having to read for 5+ hours
If you’re wanting to get into the reading scene but are feeling held back by your reading ability or lack of time for reading, consider getting the bare-bones content, main information, or essential ideas from an app like Blinkist. (If you’ve ever heard of Sparknotes, or Cliffs Notes, this app provides similar content.) Blinkist offers key ideas from nonfiction bestsellers in minutes, not hours. While its debatable how much material you’re actually absorbing via condensed methods such as this, its certainly a low-barrier-to-entry option and might work better for busier readers with less leisure time on their hands.
11. Enroll in a library membership
Much like joining book clubs and reading groups, signing up with your local library can be a great reading resource and method of external accountability, especially if you can find others to read and discuss books with. Library memberships are usually free to the public
12. Romanticize reading and make it a ritual
Not only should we be romanticizing reading, but we should also make it a ritual rather than a chore. If you enjoyed reading in the cozy chair by the window with a cup of coffee beside you, you might want to make that part of your reading ritual. Some daily readers will opt to get their 15 minutes in just before bed, making it a nighttime ritual that helps them wind down and relax, while other readers will avoid reading in the bedroom altogether. Designate a time and space for reading and it will be easier to get into the practice of reading daily. Ensure your reading environment, snacks, music, and other possible distractions or reading aids remain consistent throughout your reading practice to help further reinforce the habit in your daily life.
13. Organize a reading list that you will actually enjoy reading
As mentioned with the first step in this guide, it’s incredibly important to get a strong sense of what you enjoy reading, what your reading goals are, and what you want to read for 2022 to help you get started with your reading plan. Think about which authors and genres you’d like to read from. Consider diversifying your reading list so that its not all fiction, non-fiction, a single genre, or books from the same author.
14. Gather book recommendations influential people and other authors
Still not sure what to read? Follow your favorite authors and influencers on Goodreads and see what they’re reading each month for some inspiration. You can also check out BookTube and Bookstagram for thousands of book recommendations from other readers. Some of my favorite reads were recommended to me by the people I follow, so don’t limit your reading content to what you’ve heard of —take suggestions too! Whenever I am looking for recommendations, I ask my friends and Bookish Facebook groups what they’re reading and that usually gives me a pretty wide variety to pick from. You can also check out the New York Times Best Sellers List for the hottest reads.
15. Broaden your bookish horizons
Reading isn’t just good for intellectual growth; it can be a great avenue for personal enrichment in many areas of your life. You might not enjoy every book you read this year but you can learn at least one thing from them. Read from authors you normally don’t gravitate towards, explore genres you’ve never read from before, pick up a craft book, zoology book, a book about how to build a computer, or how to do your taxes yourself for practical reading, or read a hefty tome of a novel and lose yourself in the world-building —the options are endless!
16. Pick up a daily reader
While daily reading isn’t for everyone, its a surefire way to make steady, measurable progress towards your reading goals. Daily readers such as the Daily Stoic by Ryan Holiday, Meditations by Marcus Aurelius, or The Four Agreements by Miguel Ruiz are all great examples of popular books with a page-a-day reading pace. Check out more from the Daily Readers Goodreads shelf here.
17. Set up a rewards system
Yes, Bookish People, this is your permission slip to go buy more books. (But only if you’ll actually read them!) Set up monthly incentives to help motivate you to pick up your current read each day! This could include a new book for every book you complete, an afternoon at a local Bookish coffee shop, cute bookish socks for each completed read, or a new bookshelf at the end of the year if you complete your challenge! Whatever you decide to implement as a rewards system, ensure that it is sustainable and makes sense for your lifestyle, environment, and budget. I like to check out books from the library and for every 3 I read, I’ll get a new book. This helps me keep from overbuying new books and it helps me tailor my personal library to only the titles I truly love and will reach for again.
18. Don’t compare your reading progress to others
It can be fun to have a little friendly reading competition, but don’t let someone else’s reading challenge overshadow your own reading progress. Read for you, celebrate the completion of your goals, big and small, and make sure you’re reading for your own enjoyment and enrichment and not for the opinions of others. In the long run, the former is more fulfilling and the latter will leave you stuck in a reading slump.
19. Visualize your reading goals with a habit tracker app or printable reading tracker
If you’re not into Goodreads, that’s okay! You might find keeping a reading list in your planner or a cute printable reading tracker taped to your fridge is the way to go for you! You can download my free printable tracker by clicking the image on the right. Pintrest also has tons of printable reading trackers and book lists too!
20. Be flexible and leave room for more reading
Don’t overwhelm yourself with an overly-planned reading list if you’re just getting into reading or getting back into it after a while. Be gracious with yourself and remember that its okay if you don’t read every single book on your list cover-to-cover or if you miss some of your reading goals this year. If you manage to read one book a year, you’re still learning and growing, so try to take it one book at a time. Leave spaces open throughout the year for new books to join the rotation and be prepared to “Do-Not-Finish” (DNF) a book if its not meeting your expectations.
Those are my 20 tips for reading more in 2022! Are there any other bookish tips you have for reaching your reading goals? What books are you planning to read this year? Let me know in the comments below!
Bibliography:
Aurelius, Marcus. Meditations, London: Penguin Classics, 2006. Goodreads.
Cliffs Notes. “Homepage.” CliffsNotes.com, accessed April 6, 2022.
Goodreads. “2022 Reading Challenge.” Goodreads.com, accessed April 6, 2022.
Goodreads. “Daily Readers Books.” Goodreads.com, accessed April 6, 2022.
Holiday, Ryan. The Daily Stoic, London: Portfolio, 2016. Goodreads.
Sparknotes. “Homepage.” Sparknotes.com, accessed April 6, 2022.
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—Payton
Book Review: Lock Every Door by Riley Sager
Hi readers and writerly friends!
This is a spoiler-free review.
Lock Every Door by Riley Sager reminded me of American Horror Story’s Hotel season, where patrons of the hotel go suddenly missing under mysterious circumstances. The Bartholomew was an entity and character of its own and I couldn’t help feeling like I simultaneously wanted to visit the spooky hotel and stay a million miles away from it forever. The unsettling events that occurred behind closed doors were absolutely chilling to the bone. I found myself wishing I could shake the main character and tell her, run Jules, run!
This heart-pounding, breath-catching, page-turner of a thriller kept me hooked start to finish. I listened to the audiobook version of this novel and I was completely enthralled the entire time.
Lock Every Door by Riley Sager follows a young woman whose new job apartment sitting in one of New York’s oldest and most glamorous buildings may cost more than it pays
No visitors. No nights spent away from the apartment. No disturbing the other residents, all of whom are rich or famous or both. These are the only rules for Jules Larsen’s new job as an apartment sitter at the Bartholomew, one of Manhattan's most high-profile and mysterious buildings. Recently heartbroken and just plain broke, Jules is taken in by the splendor of her surroundings and accepts the terms, ready to leave her past life behind.
As she gets to know the residents and staff of the Bartholomew, Jules finds herself drawn to fellow apartment sitter Ingrid, who comfortingly reminds her of the sister she lost eight years ago. When Ingrid confides that the Bartholomew is not what it seems and the dark history hidden beneath its gleaming facade is starting to frighten her, Jules brushes it off as a harmless ghost story . . . until the next day, when Ingrid disappears.
Searching for the truth about Ingrid’s disappearance, Jules digs deeper into the Bartholomew's sordid past and into the secrets kept within its walls. What she discovers pits Jules against the clock as she races to unmask a killer, expose the building’s hidden past, and escape the Bartholomew before her temporary status becomes permanent (Sager 2019).
The entrance to the Dakota where John Lennon was shot. Photo by Encircle Photos.
The Dakota as seen from Central Park west. Photo by Michelle Young.
Something Riley Sager is known for in his books, is the central plot twist—a storytelling element he does very well. I didn’t see the major twist coming and when my original theory was flipped on its head, I was astonished. However, the twist made sense, once all the clues he laid out beforehand were explained.
Sager employs a history, both real and invented to weave a thrilling tale that feels equal part as urgent and realistic as present-day and equal part ancient and enchanting as The Dakota, the upscale apartment building in New York upon which the elegant Bartholomew is based! Lock Every Door is an intoxicating tapestry that is every bit as disquieting as the bizarre wallpaper in Jules’ apartment in the Bartholomew and the unsettling events it has witnessed.
“I wanted the building to be seductive yet sinister, elegant yet also creepy…I wanted people to really want to live there but at the same time, to be terrified while they’re living there.” —Riley Sager on Lock Every Door.
The Bartholomew, the setting of the story, a character as much as the people in the story, evolves as the story progresses, observed initially as sophisticated and whimsical, and eventually becoming increasingly more sinister and mysterious. From elegant, gilded cage elevators that carry patrons from the top floor to the bowels of the building, to watchful gargoyles perched on the exterior, elements of the setting grow more and more unsettling and oppressive as Jules uncovers one dark secret after another.
This story is a gripping read cover-to-cover that teeters precariously between thriller and horror and stupefies readers with a chilling plot twist that doesn’t come completely from left field.
“There’s plausibility in a thriller. No matter how weird they may get, it’s something that could potentially happen in real life… It never gets otherworldly, so to speak…it is always grounded in some sense of reality. With horror, it seems like there’s a tear in the fabric of reality and that inexplicable things are going on and that just makes it even more frightening...I like to walk that fine line between the two.” —Riley Sager on Lock Every Door.
The quotes from Riley Sager about his book is from the “Interview with Best-Selling Author of Lock Every Door: Riley Sager” on the No Thanks, We’re Booked Podcast Hosted by Mollie from Mollie Reads and Katie from Life Between Words. Check out the rest of the interview here.
“Move over Rosemary’s Baby, urban paranoia has a deliciously gothic new address.” —Ruth Ware
This book makes me want to a) read more of Riley Sager’s writing, b) read Rosemary’s Baby by Ira Levin, and c) get into more urban paranoia.
In July of 2019, Paramount Television, Sugar 23, and Anonymous Content announced plans to adapt Lock Every Door into a television series, and I am so stoked to see how it turns out. I cannot wait to draw comparisons between the film adaptation and AHS: Hotel.
And that’s it for my review of Riley Sager’s Lock Every Door. Have you read this book? What did you think of it? Have you read any of Sager’s other works? I cannot wait to check out Final Girls by Riley Sager to see more of Jules’ story and where it goes from here. Will you be watching the film adaptation? Let me know what you thought of this book and this review in the comments below!
Bibliography:
Hayes, Payton. “Lock Every Door Audiobook on Google Pixel.” (Thumbnail photo), September 19, 2021.
Sager, Riley. Lock Every Door. New York: Dutton, 2019. Amazon.
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Double Book Review: Before The Storm by Christie Golden and Shadows Rising by Madeline Roux
Book Review: Good Morning Good Life by Amy Schmittauer Landino
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—Payton
Book Review: Goodbye Again by Jonny Sun
Goodbye, Again is a profoundly sentimental, immensely reflective, and introspective read. It touches on sensitive subjects such as loneliness, the end of the world, the rat race and losing yourself by getting caught up in the working world, depression, self-care, and the like, but not just for the sake of discussing these difficult topics. Sun handles these subjects with care and grace and carves out a space for the reader to feel less alone in their experience with loneliness, belonging, and burnout.
Hi Readers and writerly friends!
This week in Bookish Things, we’re talking about Jonny Sun’s book, Goodbye, Again, which I read a couple of weeks ago and just loved!
I read this book after watching Katherout’s video on YouTube, “I no longer aspire to have a career” where she discussed the idea of a “dream job” and how she no longer dreams of labor —She is one of many speaking up on this greater discussion about laziness, productivity, burnout, mental health, and being overworked and I’d recommend giving her video a watch.
Goodbye, Again is a profoundly sentimental, immensely reflective, and introspective read. It touches on sensitive subjects such as loneliness, the end of the world, the rat race and losing yourself by getting caught up in the working world, depression, self-care, and the like, but not just for the sake of discussing these difficult topics. Sun handles these subjects with care and grace and carves out a space for the reader to feel less alone in their experience with loneliness, belonging, and burnout.
Goodbye, Again came into my life this spring, after I had failed three out of four of my senior college courses (not because of capability, but rather due to burnout and poor mental heath). I had gotten so caught up in school and producing content online at such a rate that it was unsustainable and quickly doomed to crash and burn. That’s exactly what happened. I lost sight of myself and what I wanted out of life and ended up being forced to take time off to focus on my mental health. All of this to say, that Goodbye, Again arrived just when I needed it to.
Goodbye, again by Jonny Sun. Photo by Jonny Sun.
Until I’d read this book, I never realized that I used productivity to cope with loneliness. Sun strives to "fill the blankness" of weekends in the city; but "instead of turning to people, or to hobbies, or to Going Places or Seeing Things, I find it easiest to turn to doing more work to try to fill, or perhaps keep at bay, that emptiness and that feeling I can't ever fill that emptiness enough," he writes. In a lighthearted tone, he confronts this learned response of coping with loneliness through productivity and invites the reader to do the same. This discussion was initiated through his alien character Jomny in his 2017 graphic novel, Everyone's a Aliebn When Ur a Aliebn Too — however this time around, he works through burnout in his own voice with his own personal experiences. In this way, his specificity actually gives way to reader relatability.
"Whenever I am in an unfamiliar place, it has become a coping mechanism for me to look for plants that I recognize from elsewhere, and to look for plants that I've never seen before anywhere else but that I can start recognizing as familiar," he writes —his words serving as a metaphor for feeling rooted in his communities and a reminder for what we can learn from them: rest is a necessity; growth takes time; some things don't change —paring these ideas with illustrations of succulents on the joining page.
The layout of the book is divided into six parts which allows the reader to take breaks between any of the stories, should they need to. It’s rare that a book will physically accommodate what the writer himself seeks to accomplish by writing the book —to create a space for the reader to sit with loneliness and burnout, even if it means you’re temporarily leaving his world to do this.
Without sharing too much, I’d like to show you a couple of my favorite sections of the book. In one titled “Playlist For A Funeral” Sun says “The playlist for my funeral is 252 songs long now, and I feel like it’s not done yet. I feel like it’s still missing pieces, or that I haven’t found the perfect single song that I love more than any of these other songs that would render my list obsolete. And I think that means I want to keep adding to it. And I think that mean, that this is some sure sign, that I want to be alive.”
This is a passage that really hit close to home for me, especially recently as I’ve been going through a major depression. Reading this section of the book made me feel validated in my thoughts and feelings and the book overall, made me feel like it was okay to feel lonely. Loneliness is neither a bad nor good emotion —it doesn’t have any particular connotation or denotation attached to it. However, people like to view loneliness as a bad emotion because it doesn’t exactly feel good to be lonely. Solitude on the other hand, is viewed as a good emotion, because it seems like the loneliness is intentional or self-imposed. Lastly, positive solitude is the state or situation of being happy or content to be alone. I’ve learned that the difference between all of these instances of loneliness is mindset. If you no longer look at loneliness as a bad emotion, but just an emotion, like any other that comes and goes, then it becomes easier to sit with it rather than trying to shove it down with substances, distractions, or toxic productivity.
If you’re dealing with depression, struggling to cope with loneliness, or just looking for a lovely book to read, I would highly recommend Goodbye, Again by Jonny Sun. Summer is here, bringing with it fun, sun, and warmer weather and the reminder that we should all slow down, take time to rest for the sake of resting, and practice taking care of ourselves. Even as the pandemic comes to a close, there’s no shame in taking a break from reading if you need it, but if you’re feeling ready for a new, meaningful but lighthearted summer read, I suggest starting out with Goodbye Again. Trust me, you won’t regret letting Jonny Sun into your life.
Have you read Goodbye, Again by Jonny Sun? What did you think of it? Do you have any recommendations based on this book? What did you think of this review? Let me know in the comments below!
Bibliography:
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—Payton
Book Review: Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
The circus arrives without warning.
No announcements precede it, no paper notices on downtown posts and billboards, no mentioned or advertisements in local newspapers. It is simply there, when yesterday it wasn’t.
All of the characters —from the circus itself, to the performers and circusgoers— are alluring, multidimensional, complex characters. These morally-grey, deeply flawed characters are relatable, realistic, and easily loveable—a rarity in books like this one, that have a very large cast of characters. The way Morgenstern seemingly effortlessly weaves so many intriguing character arcs into a single story is truly mystifying—every character has a part to play.
Hi readers and writerly friends!
The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern. Photo by Payton Hayes.
This week in Bookish Things, I’m sharing my thoughts on Erin Morgenstern’s dazzling novel, The Night Circus. I was wholly and completely enchanted with this stunning young adult fantasy, centered around a mysterious nocturnal, travelling circus.
Two starcrossed magicians engage in a deadly game of cunning in The Night Circus, the spellbinding New York Times bestseller that has captured the world's imagination.
The circus arrives without warning. No announcements precede it. It is simply there, when yesterday it was not. Within the black-and-white striped canvas tents is an utterly unique experience full of breathtaking amazements. It is called Le Cirque des Rêves, and it is only open at night.
But behind the scenes, a fierce competition is underway: a duel between two young magicians, Celia and Marco, who have been trained since childhood expressly for this purpose by their mercurial instructors. Unbeknownst to them both, this is a game in which only one can be left standing. Despite the high stakes, Celia and Marco soon tumble headfirst into love, setting off a domino effect of dangerous consequences, and leaving the lives of everyone, from the performers to the patrons, hanging in the balance.
—Erin Morgenstern, The Night Circus
The first page of The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern. Photo by Payton Hayes.
I cover this more in-depth in the Freelancing counterpart to this blog post, “Book Writing 101 - How To Chose The Right POV For Your Novel,” but this story is told from multiple points of view and from different story tenses as well. The narrative jumps from past to present to future seamlessly and seemingly magically to give readers a whimsical, realistic, yet ancient-feeling story. It bounces between second person and third person point of view, a storytelling method that makes reader feel like they are watching the character’s stories unfold one moment and walking through the caramel-and-vanilla-laden paths of the circus grounds the next.
While I do wish this book’s romance had been more prominent (because I just love romance and can’t get enough of it) I do appreciate that the romance present in the story both served to drive the plot in an organic, uncontrived way, and added to the whimsy of the circus itself while not taking place within the circus the entire time.
All of the characters—from the circus itself, to the performers and circusgoers—are alluring, multidimensional, complex characters. These morally-grey, deeply flawed characters are relatable, realistic, and easily loveable—a rarity in books like this one, that have a very large cast of characters. The way Morgenstern seemingly effortlessly weaves so many intriguing character arcs into a single story is truly mystifying—every character has a part to play.
The pacing of this novel is just superb. Some complain that it is a bit of a slower read, but I, charmed by the fantasy of the circus, could not devour this story faster! The way the skips through time are entwined with alternating points of view made for a remarkably interesting story structure and a pacing that never felt boring or dull. The Night Circus is a story of hope, wonder, magic, and love. If I had to pick one word to describe it, I would choose Dreamy, because the imagination and spirit of this story continues to leave me spellbound long after I’ve turned the last page.
That’s it for my review of The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern. Have you read this book? What did you think of it? Would you visit the Night Circus? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!
Check out my other book reviews!
—Payton
21 Bookish Resolutions for 2021
Setting reading goals can help you get more reading done and read more effectively. Last year, I hopped on the bandwagon and made 20 Bookish Resolutions for 2020, but this year I’m upping the anti by doing 21 Bookish Resolutions for 2021! I managed to knock out 6/20 of my bookish goals last year and this year, I am hoping to switch a few of those out for new goals while keeping a few I didn’t end up completing.
A stack of books I want to read in 2021 next to my vintage typewriter and a set of candles my sister gave me for Christmas. Photo by Payton Hayes.
Last year, I hopped on the bandwagon and made 20 Bookish Resolutions for 2020, but this year I’m upping the anti by doing 21 Bookish Resolutions for 2021! I managed to knock out 6/20 of my bookish goals last year and this year, I am hoping to switch a few of those out for new goals while keeping a few I didn’t end up completing.
1. Read 52 books.
Last year I set the goal for myself to read 30 books and I missed that goal by a long shot. I had to end up adjusting my Goodreads reading challenge to 12 books about halfway through the year because the pandemic struck and as a mood reader, I just could not bring myself to pick up a book with all the craziness happening in the world. I did end up completing the adjusted goal —I read 13 books by the end of 2020. However, towards the end of 2020, I picked up several books and finished them within a few days, and it reminded me, that I really can knock out some books. I want to challenge myself to read one book a week in 2021, if not to make up for the lost time in 2020, then to really get some of these books off my TBR and give myself a good reason to grab some new books next year!
2. Read the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling
This is the year. This is it—I can feel it in my bones. I am going to read the whole Harry Potter Series this year. I’ve spent my life avoiding spoilers but this year I am going to read it a joint the wizarding world once and for all! I think I might also watch the movies—you know, for good measure. —Me, 2020.
This quote aged well. I didn’t even pick up the first book in the Harry Potter series. I think I might have jinxed myself by being SO sure I’d read it. However, this year I am going to try even harder to get that one under my belt once and for all.
The House Of Night Series by Kristin and P.C. Cast on a bookshelf with dragon egg candles and an Artemis sculpture.
3. Read the House of Night Series by P.C. and Kristin Cast
Last year, I planned to knock out this series as well. I’ve only read three out of twelve books, but I heard two new books came out in 2020 and I’m excited once again to read this series. After reading the tame Angel series by L.A. Weatherly, I am dying to sink my teeth into a spicier paranormal romance this year. I’ve already started the first book, so fingers crossed I keep this momentum going all year!
The Starcrossed Trilogy by Josephine Angelini. Photo by Payton Hayes.
4. Read the Starcrossed Trilogy by Josephine Angelini
Here’s another uncompleted 2020 resolution. I definitely want to get this book read in 2021, especially since I am also craving some good ole mythological romance after devouring the Wildefire trilogy by Karsten Knight like it was candy.
5. Read more classics
This is another resolution I had for 2020, and while I did acquire more classic literature, I haven’t yet read any of my new acquisitions. Among the new finds are, Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Lereoux, Dracula by Bram Stoker, Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë, Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë, and Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen. I’d really love to dig into these classic reads in 2021.
The Grisha Saga by Leigh Bardugo. Photo by Payton Hayes.
6. Read The Shadow and Bone Trilogy by Leigh Bardugo
Yet another uncompleted 2020 resolution—we’ll get to some new resolutions soon, I promise! Last year, I called this the Siege and Storm trilogy in my 20 Bookish Resolutions for 2020 blog post, but it’s really called the Shadow and Bone Trilogy. I think I made this mistake because I had accidentally read the Siege and Storm book first (it’s actually the second book in the series, oops!) and it’s gotten me confused ever since. This year I hope to actually read the trilogy and to read it in order this time.
7. Read more entrepreneurial, financial, and business-related books
I did a fantastic job of reading books from this genre in 2019 and I read a few in 2020 as well, but I’d like to break up all the fantasy books with a few new entrepreneurial reads in 2021. I’d like to read some from Gary Vaynerchuck, Jen Sincero, and Napoleon hill.
8. Complete my incomplete series by acquiring the missing books
I have several books I snagged from Dollar Tree a few years back and I’d like to get the rest of their series so I can finally read them! I picked two of them up today and saw that they were the final books in their series and was disappointed I couldn’t actually read them without spoiling them for myself. This is where buying more books is actually a good thing!
9. Sarah J. Mass
Last year, I had planned to finally check out some of the books by Sarah J. Mass but never actually got around to it with the pandemic and all. I had a friend in college who did an entire presentation on her and have been exited to check out her writing ever since. Now that I’ve heard rumors that one of her books is getting a tv show, I absolutely have to see what all the hype is about!
10. Read Across the Universe by Beth Revis
I reeeeeally really want to read this series. I’ve been admiring it on other bookish people’s shelves for a couple of years now and I think it’s about time I not only picked up the series but read it. The covers are stunning, and the premise just gets me every time. I need to read this series now! —Me, 2020.
I still reeeeeally really want to read this series. Looks like its time to go on a book-buying spree (online of course!) because I also still don’t own this series yet!
11. Killer Unicorns by Diana Peterfreund
Here’s another 2020 book goal. I’ve mentioned this series in a recent Freelancing blog post— Book Writing 101: Coming Up with Book Ideas And What To Do With Them—and it reminded me that I really need to read this series. The short story, “Errant” that Peterfreund wrote for Kiss Me Deadly: 13 Tales of Paranormal Love was exceptional (and even better with the audiobook to accompany your tangible copy!) and I’m still looking forward to reading more about killer unicorns—a refreshing take on the overplayed, yet majestic mythical creatures.
12. Engage more with my online book club
Classic paperback books in a wire basket beside my vintage typewriter. Photo by Payton Hayes.
Last year I had goals of joining an IRL book club, but the pandemic really threw a monkey wrench in that one! Instead, I made a book blub channel in my discord server so my friends (whom I play World of Warcraft and other video games with) can converse about our favorite reads. As we roll into 2021, it doesn’t look like the pandemic is letting up anytime soon, so to keep myself safe and keep up the bookish conversation, I’d like to engage more with my friends in our book club channel and hopefully read more of their recommendations as well!
13. Get another bookshelf…later
Last year I planned to get my hands on another bookshelf, but truthfully, I don’t have the space for it and I expect I’ll be moving sometime in 2021, so I’ll be holding off on that goal for a little while longer. I hope to replace my current bookshelf situation with better quality shelves, but for now, the books just continue to pile up on every available surface—the warping bookshelf I bought secondhand in 2017, the wall shelf filled to the brim with books and other fun knickknacks, and the precariously balanced stack of books growing on my floor. Here’s hoping that I get a new place before I am swimming in books—although, that many books is really more of a good problem, right? Right.
14. Focus on my own reading goals as opposed to comparing myself to other readers
Last year I had the goal to stay current and read more books published in 2020 and read more books that were popular last year, but I’ve decided it might be better to just stay in-the-know about those kinds of books and instead try and catch up on my TBR! I’d really like to get a bunch of these bookish goals accomplished this year so I don’t have to worry about having the same goals for three years in a row!
15. Read from a genre I don’t enjoy, again!
This year I read Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel (The review came out for this book last week, so check it out here!) and while I typically don’t gravitate toward dystopian fiction, I really enjoyed that novel. It certainly had more impact on me than I think it would have had I not read it during the COVID-19 pandemic, because the entire premise hit very close to home for me in 2020. Since this read was so enjoyable, I’d like to read more of Mandel’s works to dip my toes in more dystopian fiction in 2021.
16. Take better reading notes
This is a new bookish goal for me, but I’d really like to get better about keeping notes from the books I read. I don’t really want to create a commonplace book just yet, but I have been jotting down quotes and new words I find in a little black journal and so far, that has been great! I save the page numbers so I can flip back to them anytime.
17. Read a book to buy a book
This was a goal I had last year and while I didn’t exactly complete it, I didn’t fully fail it either. I bought a few books last year but ended up reading several of them, so technically they cancel themselves out, right? Right. I’d like to read more books that I already own and use new books as a reward for myself, though. This might help me chip away more of my TBR pile rather than just keep adding to it. (I’ll keep adding new TBRs to my Goodread’s shelf though!)
18. Participate in a reading challenge
While I did participate in the Goodreads yearly reading challenge, I didn’t end up completing a secondary reading challenge like I had hoped. I would very much like to participate in Booktober or complete the Romance Reading Challenge for February 2021.
19. Start one book at a time and finish it
In 2020, I had the goal to give myself permission to leave a book unfinished because all of 2019 I beat myself up about not wanting to finish certain books even though I truly didn’t enjoy reading them. I decided if it’s a slog to get through a book and the first 100 pages haven’t hooked me, then it might be better to set that book down. However, I’d like to be better about only starting one book at a time and making sure to finish it before starting another. I plan to only have one fiction book and one non-fiction book that I’m currently reading, so I don’t get stuck in reading slump, but also so that I don’t end up starting a million different books and never finishing them. Chronological order is the key here.
20. Develop better reading habits
In 2020, my 20th bookish goal for the year was this one, and similar to goal number 18, I neither accomplished nor failed this goal because while I found it hard to get myself to read most of 2020, the pandemic was certainly a thing that happened and certainly a factor that contributed to my year-round reading slump. I’d like to get better about reading daily and carving out a space each day that I know is strictly for reading.
21. Make more bookish friends
While my best friend, partner, and father are all avid readers, I find none of them share interest in my favorite genres other than fantasy, so I’d like to make friends with more bookish people so I can branch out and have some fresh new conversations about books and get to know what other people are reading and enjoying. Initially, I’d have hoped to accomplish this by going to an IRL book club, but as mentioned with goal number 12, that’s kind of impossible for the foreseeable future. Instead, I’ll try and make online bookish friends via Goodreads, Bookstagram, and Facebook!
And there you have it! Those are my 21 Bookish Resolutions for 2021. What do you think? Do you have any bookish resolutions for the new year? Comment below and let me know what you thought of my list!
Related Topics:
Spring Cleaning for Writers: 10 Things Every Writer Should Do Before 2020
How To Organize Your Digital Life: 5 Tips For Staying Organized as a Writer or Freelancer
8 Ways To Level Up Your Workspace And Elevate Your Productivity
—Payton
Book Review: Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel
Hi readers and writerly friends!
This is a spoiler-free review.
This week, in Bookish Things, I’m doing an in-depth review of Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel, and boy, do I have so much to say about this book. So, with out further ado, let’s jump into the review!
[Insert satisfied, yet melancholic sigh here.]
Station Elven by Emily St. John Mandel with votive candles. Photo by Payton Hayes.
For starters, I must admit that reading this pandemic dystopian fiction in 2020 has absolutely influenced my opinion of it. The subject matter and premise felt more tangible and less like words on a page after existing during COVID-19. Station Eleven book will forever hold a special meaning for me because it represents a lot of my worst fears about how the pandemic could potentially spiral into a full-blown apocalypse scenario. This severity doesn’t seem so far-fetched. I think, if everyone read this book when the pandemic began, we’d be in a much better state right about now.
This is your friendly reminder to stay home and wear a mask if you have to go out. Trust me, we don’t want things to play out like they did in the story.
I’ll try and wrangle all my complicated feelings about this novel, but truly I feel awed and speechless. Reading Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel is a lot like slowly peeling back the layers of a yellow onion— tearing it away, bit by bit until you’ve reached the center. It’s a little savory, a little sweet and it lingers, but oh, it stings, that tiny sun in your palm. The layers of this story seem to unfold all at once, past and present interwoven together like the wedded roots of a great tree—the way the overlapping storylines finally, finally click into place with the final page.
Hell is the absence of the people you long for.
—Emily St. John Mandel, Station Eleven, 144, Para 3.
Station Eleven is a story thick with nostalgia both for what once was and for what could have been. It’s a painfully realistic image of what life might be like thirty years after a devastating pandemic, and an economic collapse, people all over the globe desperate to survive. It’s a story of longing, sorrow, isolation, remembrance, and grief, but it’s also a story of preservation and perseverance—hope buzzing like the spark of electricity humming to life in a city just over the horizon, like a well-kept secret unleashed after decades of silence. It’s a story about survival, resilience.
These taken for granted miracles that had persisted all around them.
—Emily St. John Mandel, Station Eleven, 233, para 1.
The most poignant theme in this story is who and what we take for granted. During COVID-19, I learned I take a lot of mundane people and things for granted—such as grocery stores and the overnight stockers and bag boys. I always hated going out to the store before we were confined to our homes, but nowadays, I find short, necessary outings to my local supermarket (when issues arise with delivery) have become a precious commodity. And with those outings, the backbone of America—the essential workers have, in putting their lives on the line for months, enabled this country’s economy to survive against overwhelming odds.
On silent afternoons in his brother’s apartment, Jeevan found himself thinking how human the city is, how human everything is. We bemoaned the personality of the modern world, but that was a lie it seemed to him; it had never been impersonal at all. There had always been a massive delicate infrastructure of people, all of them working around us, and when people stop going to work, the entire operation grinds to a halt. No one delivers fuel to the gas stations or airports. Cars are stranded. Airplanes cannot fly. Truck remain at their points of origin. Food never reaches the cities; grocery stores close. Businesses are locked and then looted. No one comes to work at the power plants or the substations, no one removes the fallen tress from electrical lines.
—Emily St. John Mandel, Station Eleven, 178, para 5.
The last line struck a particular chord with me because as I was reading this book, my power went out—a rogue tree limb had fallen on our powerlines submersing my street in complete darkness for the better part of a day. I felt like a forgotten dweller of the Undersea, longing for light and warmth where it seemed none was promised.
Station Elven cover art photo. Found on npr.org.
The scariest thing about this story overall is most certainly the way Mandel explains how the collapse happened— how the pandemic spread across the globe like wildfire, consuming entire cities, and leaving crumbling civilizations in its wake, how phones and the internet went down and then electricity, and finally how gasoline staled and left people with zero communication and zero transportation. But then again, where could they go? The entire world was affected. It’s a very real possibility— a horror story rooted more so in reality than in the fantastical.
It's a story about what we leave behind, what we carry with us—baggage from a life and world before, and new beginning and just what else this awakening world might contain.
And then there’s the unwillingness to comprehend the outbreak and the severity of it, even as it is presented by the news, the unwillingness to comprehend what it meant. The panic. After getting an alarming phone call from his nurse friend Hua, Jeevan rushes to the local store and fills seven shopping carts with groceries before pushing them miles through the snow to his brother’s apartment where they hole up there for weeks. Sound familiar?
He woke at 3:00 in the morning, shivering. The news had worsened. The fabric was unraveling. It will be hard to come back from this, the thought, because in those first days it was still inconceivable that civilization might not come back from this at all.
—Emily St. John Mandel, Station Eleven, 239, para 2.
Station Eleven is an impeccably cleverly written glimpse into the not-so-far-off future of modern society following a terrible pandemic. The way Mandel lays out the puzzle pieces before the reader so that as the pages turn, the parts fall into place is beyond exceptional. I can typically see plots like this from a mile away and usually have the story figured out by the time I reach the last page. Mandel kept me guessing and wondering what all the interconnecting pieces meant. When it all came together, I was astonished.
And that’s it for my in-depth review of Emily St. John Mandel’s Station Eleven! Have you read this book? What are your thoughts on it? How do you think it applies to our current circumstances with COVID-19 and 2020? Let me know in the comments below!
Check out my other book reviews!
—Payton
I Did The "Do I Have That Book Challenge?"
Hi readers and writerly friends!
This week in Reader Life, I decided I’d take it back a few years to the “Do I Have That Book?” challenge and try it for myself. I didn’t really use social media and I sure as heck didn’t have this blog when the challenge took the bookish community by storm but I’m not missing out, even now!
A quick disclaimer:
Before we get started, I didn’t put affiliate links in this blog post because there would be just SO MANY. You’re welcome! Instead, if you’re interested in any of these books, consider using this link to search them on Amazon! This will link to an amazon Wishlist with all of the books mentioned in this blog post.
Do you have a book with deckled edges?
I do! My first run-in with deckled edges consisted mostly of confusion because I thought it was just some overlooked print error, but no! They come like that! Now, I have a tender appreciation for the quaint, uneven edges.
The book I chose for this question is my hardback copy of Tell Me One Thing, by Deena Goldstone, a book that caught my eye in Dollar Tree with it’s unravelling orange on it’s front cover and charming deckled edges.
Tell Me One Thing, by Deena Goldstone. Photo by Payton Hayes.
World of Warcraft Mage Graphic Novel. Photo by Payton Hayes.
Do you have a book with three or more people on the cover?
Yes! This one was actually pretty tricky to find a book on my shelf with 3 or more people on the cover. At first I wondered, do statues count? And decided no—no they don’t. Then I wondered, do reflections count? And also decided no. Finally, I found a book with three characters on the cover—Mage, a World of Warcraft graphic novel written by Richard A Knaack and illustrated by Ryo Kawakami—which had two spellcasters and two dragons on the cover. I wondered, do dragons count? And decided yes—yes they do, because in the Warcraft universe, dragons have humanoid forms as well.
White Rabbit Chronicles by Gena Showalter. Photo by Payton Hayes.
Do you have a book based on another fictional story?
I do! Well, technically I don’t own them, but I’m borrowing the White Rabbit Chronicles by Gena Showalter from my good friend Gary. It’s inspired by Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass, and What Alice Found There by Lewis Carroll. It totally counts!
Do you have a book with a title 10 letters long?
I actually had to count titles for this one, how fun! As it turns out, Shadowland by Alyson Noël fits this criterion! Shadowland is exactly 10 letters long!
Do you have a book with a title that starts and ends with the same letter?
Hmm. Let me check. Nope! Not a single one! I tried to think of any I’d read that started and ended with the same letter and still nothing. The closest I got were The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame and The Slayer Chronicles by Heather Brewer coming up short only because of the articles in their titles.
My old bookshelf filled with books, trophies, and trinkets. Photo by Payton Hayes.
Do you have a mass market paperback book?
Do I ever? Absolutely. Most of my books are mass market paperbacks!
Do you have a book written by an author using a pen name?
Does the Angel Trilogy by L.A. Weatherly count? Technically her first name is Lee, but she publishes under L.A.
Do you have a book with a character’s name in the title?
I do! The entire Maximum Ride Series by James Patterson. All the books have a character’s, name in the title—Maximum Ride in the first, second, third, eighth and ninth books, Max in the fifth book, Fang in the sixth book, and Angel in the seventh book—except The Final Warning, which contains no name in it’s title. Man, why did it have to break the pattern?
Do you have a book with two maps in it?
Yep! The Mooncallers series by Leda C. Muir has at least three maps in each book!
Do you have a book that was turned into a TV show?
I have the City of Bones by Cassandra Clare which the rest of the series was not only turned into the movie, The Mortal Instruments, but also the Shadowhunters tv drama series.
Do you have a book written by someone who was originally famous for something else? i.e. celebrity, athlete, politician, TV personality, etc.
Yes, I have Channel Kindness: Stories of Kindness and Community by Lady Gaga, and both of Amy Landino’s books, Vlog Like A Boss and Good Morning Good Life! (Check out my GMGL book review here!) I used to have an autobiography written by Jennifer Lopez but I donated it to the Midwest City library a few years ago.
Do you have a book with a clock on the cover?
Nope! I have one with gears on it which is giving me some very steampunk vibes, but no clocks.
Do you have a poetry book?
Oooh, I’ve got this one! I have two poetry collections from the Poetry Foundation, four consecutive years of Pegasus from Rose State College (2016-2020—all of which I’m published in!) Milk and Honey by Rupi Kaur (If we can really call that a collection of poetry).
Do you have a book with an award stamp on it?
I have a couple actually. Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel, for one. Looking for Alaska by John Green, for two. I’m sure there are more but I cannot remember them all. (Check out my Station Eleven book review here!)
Do you have a book written by an author with the same initials as you?
P.H.? Nope.
Do you have a book of short stories?
Yes! I have a paperback copy of Kiss Me Deadly, a collection of 13 paranormal romance short stories from authors such as Diana Peterfreund, Becca Fitzpatrick, Maggie Stiefvater, and Michelle Zink, to name a few.
Do you have a book that is between 500 and 510 pages long?
Do I? I feel like I do, but looking at my shelves, I’m not sure which ones.
Do you have a book that was turned into a movie?
Yes, I have a ton of books that were adapted into films. Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling, Maximum Ride by James Patterson (possibly the worst adaptation ever), The World of Warcraft novels and graphic novels, Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux, The Great Gatsby by Scott F. Fitzgerald, Dracula by Bram Stoker, Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien (definitely the best adaptation ever), Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë, and Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë, Ulysses by James Joyce, Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad, Atonement by Ian McEwan, and Girl with a Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier.
As you can tell, most of my books that have been adapted for the screen are classics!
Do you have a graphic novel?
I do! Do comics count? I have various World of Warcraft comics and the first installment of the Haunted Youth comic, by Alister Dippner. I also have some stellar World of Warcraft graphic novels and some Maximum Ride graphic novels. Beyond that, the only other novels I own, that have any artwork are my many fantasy novels with their maps, the Dragonriders of Bresal by Salamanda Drake, which has illustrations scattered throughout the duology, and the Mooncallers series by Leda C. Muir which has intricately drawn chapter headers.
The upper shelves of my bookcase containing books on dragons, vampires, angels, elves, and more. Photo by Payton Hayes.
Do you have a book written by two or more authors?
Yes—The House of Night series by P.C. and Kristin Cast, Zenith by Sasha Alsberg and Lindsay Cummings.
And that’s it for my take on the “Do I Have That Book?” challenge! This was actually a really fun challenge! I had a lot of fun looking over my shelf and trying to answer the questions! I wish I could have said yes to all of them, but that just goes to show—I need more books! Let’s start a discussion below! What is your favorite book-to-film-adaptation? Which one is your least favorite? Do you have/enjoy reading graphic novels?
Thumbnail photo by Alexander Grey.
—Payton
7 Fun, Useful, Quirky, and Cute Non-Book Bookish Items
Here’s a bunch of fun, weird, non-book bookish things that you may not have heard of before!
Hi readers and writerly friends!
This week in Current Faves, I’m showing you a bunch of fun, weird, bookish things that you may or may not have heard of before! Some of these have been recommended to me time and time again while others I only recently discovered and now that I’ve got a pretty good stack of quirky bookish objects, I figured I should share them with you!
Bookly App
You might not have expected an app to make it onto a weird bookish things list but it was so good I couldn’t not put it on the list. If you don’t know, Bookly is a gorgeous app that helps you track your books, read more and improve your reading over time. You can scan your books or simply search for them online to add them to the app, from there you can track to whom you lend them, add favorite quotes and thoughts, and see insightful data that can help you improve or read even more.
Gorgeous book sleeves by Love You More Studio. Photo by @fablesandwren on Instagram.
I personally love this app because it really gets me motivated to read more books and it keeps me reading regularly because I don’t want to break my reading streak!
Book Sleeves
Does anyone remember using the paper book sleeves or the 99c spandex book sleeves to protect their textbooks back in middle school? No? Just me? Okay.
These book sleeves from Love You More Studio are absolutely stunning. They even come in holiday prints and everything! I’m going to have to snag myself a few of these!
Goodreads App
Okay, I promise this list isn’t all apps. But I had to put this one on the list too, because I recently discovered a surprising amount of my writerly friends had never heard of Goodreads even though its basically been around forever. Goodreads is an American social cataloging website that allows individuals to search its database of books, annotations, quotes, and reviews. Users can sign up and register books to generate library catalogs and reading lists. Similarly to Bookly, I really like tracking my reading progress, read, currently reading, and to-read book lists, and engaging with other readers on Goodreads.
Clear panel booklight from Shein. Photo by Payton Hayes.
Clear Panel Booklight
While this booklight is more of a necessity than a quirky object I had to include it as well because it’s amazing. If you read my Bookish Things blog post for this week, How I Read Books/ My Reading Routine, then you might remember this little gadget from that post. I raved about how awesome it was to have when the power went out last month during the Great Oklahoma Ice Storm of 2020. It was an absolute lifesaver. I found my light on Shein, but you can get them just about anywhere.
Home decor for book lovers.
Bookish Home Décor
I found these items on the ebookfriendly.com blog where Ola Kowalczyk put together a list of bookish home décor that was just too cute to ignore!
Kowalczyk says,
“In times when most of the books can be stored on a single e-reader or tablet, there comes a problem book lovers haven’t experienced before: how to express the love for books? Hundreds of books on the Kindle means you won’t need a classic floor-to-ceiling bookshelf, or, at least, you won’t need a bookshelf that large. But it’s good to have things at home that remind you of the evening you will spend with the book and a cup of delicious tea.”
—Ola Kowalczyk, Eboookfriendly.com
You can read the full blog post here.
While I personally enjoy physical copies of books, I can certainly see the appeal of keeping all of your favorite reads stored in the cloud. From book-shaped cutting boards to ceramic pencil-holders, these cute, practical, bookish home décor items are sure to serve as a warm reminder that your next read is only a swipe away.
Bookish Pillows
What’s cuter and cozier than a book sleeve or cuddling up with a good book, you ask? Book-shaped pillows! These adorable and surprisingly soft bookish throw pillows on Etsy make a wonderfully whimsical addition to every book lover’s reading nook.
Wood Book-Shaped Coasters
Not the cozy type? That’s alright! Maybe you’re into entertaining or you’re a craft brew aficionado? Next time your friends come over games and booze (post-pandemic of course!) whip out these beautifully made, handcrafted wooden book-shaped coasters. They have some hilariously witty twists combining the classics and alcohol which are sure to entertain.
I hope you liked my list! Please let me know in the comments what quirky and fun non-book bookish items you’ve been into lately and make sure to check out my other posts in Reader Life!
—Payton
20 Bookish Facts About Me
Hi readers and writerly friends!
This week I wanted to bring things in a little closer to home and share a bit about myself here on the blog. I thought sharing twenty bookish facts about me would be a fun, on-brand way to do that so without further ado, lets get into the list!
1. I am not an escapist reader but rather a mood reader. I am not the kind of person who reads to escape reality and especially not when I am stressed or busy. I don’t read to procrastinate or anything like that. I am what you’d call a mood reader because I have to be in the right headspace to sit down and become meaningfully engrossed in a book for any period of time.
2. Certain songs remind me of books and books remind me of certain songs. Like for instance, I think the Maximum Ride series by James Patterson pairs really nicely with any of Juliet Simms’ work from when she was in the band Automatic Loveletter, namely her song “Let It Ride.” I mean how on-brand is that? Likewise, in middle and high school I used to listen to music while I read (don’t ask me how I did it, I couldn’t do that now) and so now, some songs transport me back to that time when I listen to them and I can still vividly remember how whatever I was reading made me feel.
3. I’m a chronic book-starter and I’m typically reading about five books at any time. In 2021 I want to be better about this and hopefully try to read more than one genre at a time because it seems like I just keep starting fantasy books and slowly chipping away at them as my TBR pile grows in the background.
4. I’m better at finishing a series than finishing stand-alone books but its harder for me to get invested in a series because I know it will take longer to finish.
5. I cannot read horrors or thrillers before bed or I will not sleep. I save the scary stories for daylight reading.
6. My bookish beverage of choice is usually black tea, but sometimes I’ll spring for a coffee or if I’m feeling really fancy I will have a glass of rose’. I will also welcome the occasional Thai bubble tea.
7. I don’t like reading in public because someone always interrupts my reading by asking me what I’m reading and proceeding to have a conversation about it even though I try to make it quite obvious that I want to get back to my book.
8. I’ve never read Harry Potter. I know, I can hear the angry mob with their pitchforks coming for me as we speak. The thing is, as a kid I wasn’t a super strong reader and I also wasn’t into mainstream media. I just didn’t want to get into it because everyone I knew was obsessed and I wanted to be different. I know, I was a rebel from the start. I would like to read it sometime soon, though because I am almost done watching the movies and I’d like to see how the movies compare to the books.
9. I am a HUGE book crybaby. I cry during happy and sad scenes. I cry when characters die or when lovers break up or even when the book ends if it was particularly good.
10. I don’t like to know much about a book before I start it. I really love the idea of having a blind date with a book. (Not the actual book buying service, but that too!) If a book is spoiled for me, I will avoid reading it for years to try and forget whatever spoilers I read/heard.
The Hush, Hush Saga by Becca Fitzpatrick audiobook and paperback. Photo by Payton Hayes.
11. I love audiobooks. Some people will say they are hit or miss or that the narrator will make or break a book for them, but I personally have loved every audiobook I’ve ever listened to. I might just be lucky but still, I think I don’t really have a preference unlike most readers. I’m a really auditory person—I love music, nature sounds, ambient noise, ASMR, and podcasts so it makes sense that I’d love audiobooks as well. They’re so great for multitasking when you want to read and do menial tasks around the house or listen to a book while driving. However, if I am listening to a fantasy audiobook, I must be reading a hardcopy along with it or the story will just not stick in my brain.
12. I am not a car reader. The aforementioned audiobook is great because I cannot, for the life of me, read in the car. I get dizzy and carsick and it’s just not a fun time.
13. I am not a journal-keeper. Though I am planning to change that. I have never been one to keep a journal or diary. There was a brief stint in middle school when I wrote my heart out about your run of the mill angsty teenager stuff but other than that, I’ve really not done much chronicling of my life and I think I’d like to start doing that. I’d really love to be able to look back on more than just ticket stubs and photos.
14. I will read in the bathtub and in the pool. I ain’t scared! There’s something so relaxing sitting in the pool on a warm summer day with a good book and a mimosa or just chilling in the bubble bath with a nice rose’.
15. I have to put my phone away while reading because I will just get too distracted. Ironically enough, I usually just end up on bookstagram or booktube.
16. I primarily prefer reading adult/young adult fiction. Paranormal romance, romantic thrillers, horror, psychological thrillers, motivation/entrepreneurial advice, and fantasy are my favorite genres to read.
17. I love well-loved books. Granted that they’re still in good condition, I love books that have been dog-eared, written in, highlighted, etc. It’s so fascinating finding out what stuck out to other readers as they consumed a story. I actually paid the difference for one of my rental textbooks in college instead of returning it because there were so many interesting notes in the margins. It just fun seeing how books take on new lives and to be able to connect with other readers through the notes they’ve left behind.
18. I love reading at night or while its raining.
19. My bookshelf is a mess. I mean it might be due to the fact that I only have one bookshelf and over a hundred books, but still. There’s some organization going on, such as with series—I like to keep series together—but other than that, there’s no real rhyme or reason. Not even by genre or book cover color scheme. :/
20. I absolutely judge books by their covers. :D
And that’s it for my twenty bookish facts about me! What are your favorite genres to read? What’s your bookish beverage of choice? And do you judge books by their covers? Let me know a little bit about you and your bookish quirks in the comments below!
Related Topics:
Thumbnail photo by Kaye RD.
— Payton
I Visited The Full Circle Bookstore In OKC
I took my bestie on a bookish, friend date to the Full Circle Bookstore in OKC…
And we loved it.
Yeah, we’re hitting the ground running in Reader Life this week, because I just cannot wait to tell you all about it.
Neither me nor my best friend Allie have ever been to Full Circle before and needless to say, we a first-time FC converts, if there is such a thing. When we rolled up to the shop at the bottom of the 50 Penn Place building, we were greeted with a quaint little storefront, painted mint green and black with chalkboard signs and jazzy music playing softly from an outdoor speaker. We were already so excited, and we hadn’t even entered the building.
Full Circle Bookstore’s Storefront inside of the 50 Penn Place Mall. Courtesy of the Full Circle Bookstore Website. Click here to visit the site.
Hi readers and writerly friends!
I took my bestie on a bookish, friend date to the Full Circle Bookstore in OKC…
And we loved it.
Yeah, we’re hitting the ground running in Reader Life this week, because I just cannot wait to tell you all about it.
Disclaimer: Yes, we went while the pandemic is still going on, but we went early in the week during a time when hardly any people where there, we wore masks and we kept our distance from people while we were browsing the store. We tried our best to keep ourselves and others safe but it was a nice little treat for us to go and spend time together and enjoy a wonderful, bookish place we’ve never been before.
Okay, back to our regularly scheduled programming.
An inside peak into the Full Circle Bookstore where guests can get lost in the seemingly endless shelves of books. Courtesy of the Full Circle Bookstore Website. Click here to visit the site. Photo by Payton Hayes.
Neither me nor my best friend Allie have ever been to Full Circle before and needless to say, we a first-time FC converts, if there is such a thing. When we rolled up to the shop at the bottom of the 50 Penn Place building, we were greeted with a quaint little storefront, painted mint green and black with chalkboard signs and jazzy music playing softly from an outdoor speaker. We were already so excited, and we hadn’t even entered the building.
Then, when we did go inside, we were greeted for the second time, only this time it was by a very friendly employee named Brent who told us all about the bookstore—some of the events they have on weekends, the different types of books they had available and where to find them, and where to find the café in the back of the shop. Did I mention they had a café? Hello—book nerd/coffee addict heaven!
The inside of the store was much like a Tardis from the hit series, Doctor Who, in that it seemed much larger on the inside than it did on the outside. And on the other hand, it was also like a hobbit hole, in that it had all these wonderful little winding hallways and hidden alcoves tucked within one another. It was like and endless maze of books and I wanted to get lost in there forever. I was constantly enchanted by all of the books there were, all of the fun little bookish knick-knacks, and even the signed first edition copies and box sets of some books. It was everything I’d ever dreamed it would be.
And can we just take a moment to talk about the incredibly vaulted ceilings, the enormous floor-to-ceiling bookshelves filled to the brim with books of every size, shape, and color, and the ladders scattered all throughout the bookstore so a book can never be out of a guests reach? It was incredible. It reminded me so much of the Hogwarts library, only it was a little less dusty and a lot more modern. Also, there weren’t screaming faces coming from the pages of the books…
Bookshelf with a ladder at the Full Circle Bookstore. Photo by Payton Hayes.
So, we stopped for coffee first, and I must recommend the toasted marshmallow latte—get it hot or cold, either way will be scrumptious. Allie and I shared a chocolate mouse and a cheese danish, both of which were delicious. We would have stayed for lunch, but the kitchen officially closes at 2pm every day, so we’d just barely missed it when we arrived around 3pm.
Then we made off for the books.
Stack of the books I bought from the Full Circle Bookstore. Photo by Payton Hayes.
Like I mentioned, the shop was seemingly endless—I found myself drooling over the fantasy books one second and suddenly, I was in the classic literature drooling over the books there too. They had just about every book you could imagine, and we certainly snagged a few for ourselves. I think Allie ended up with a few classics— A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess, and The Call of The Wild by Jack London. I sort of went overboard and ended up with six books—Emily St. John Mandel’s Station Eleven, Bram Stoker’s Dracula, Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, Ghosted by Rosie Walsh, The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien, and The Languages of Tolkien’s Middle-earth by Ruth S. Noel. There were so many more books I wanted to buy but I was reminded by that little voice in my head—my TBR Conscience, if you will, who kept reminding me that I had over a hundred books at home, most of which I still have not read yet. So, I figured I’d take what I could carry and come back later, because I am absolutely coming back again later.
When we got to the checkout, the cashier gave us a bunch of bookmarks, a pamphlet that described upcoming events for October 2020, and stamped a couple of rewards cards for us to use when we inevitably returned (every $10 spent contributes to a total of $200 spent which rewards customers with a $30 off coupon to use in-store when they’ve met that goal).
Suffice it to say, we had a truly wonderful time, and hopefully we can go back again once things are back to normal. It would be really fun to attend a live reading from one of our local authors or stop in for a concert from one of the regular bands that play every couple of weekends or so. If you’ve never been to this book store before, be sure to check it out next time you’re in Oklahoma City and say hi to Pearl the Buffalo for me!
The Full Circle Bookstore is Located in 50 Penn Place, 1900 NW Expressway, Oklahoma City, OK 73118
Phone: 405.842.2900 or 800.683.
Visit the Full Circle Bookstore’s website here. Hours are located on their home page and events can be found here.
Neither this website, nor Payton Hayes are affiliated with The Full Circle Bookstore. I just really enjoyed my first trip there and wanted to share my experience with all of you. There are Amazon affiliate links present in this blog post.
Check out more posts in Reader Life!
Have you ever been to the Full Circle Bookstore in OKC? Where is your favorite bookstore? What bookstore should I visit next? Let me know below! Thanks for reading!
— Payton
Double Book Review - Before The Storm by Christie Golden and Shadows Rising by Madeline Roux
Hi readers and writerly friends!
This is a spoiler-free review!
This week in bookish things, I’m doing something a little different. I decided I wanted to cover two books in one review because I wanted to compare the writing style of the two authors, the way these stories set the tone for the two World of Warcraft expansions that followed them, and my thoughts on the way these authors wove virtual game lore into a palatable, fully fledged storyline. These books are part of the World of Warcraft canon. There will be links to everything mentioned throughout and at the end of this blog post for your convenience.
Shadows Rising by Madeline Roux and Before the Storm by Christie Golden. Photo by Payton Hayes.
I am so excited to finally discuss these books. I’ve read books from the Warcraft universe before and I’ve very much enjoyed them, but these books were different from the War of the Ancients trilogy or the Stormrage book and other novels by Richard A. Knaak. I unfortunately was out of the loop when previous Warcraft novels came out as storyline precursors to their following expansions such as Christie Golden’s Warcrimes that came before the Warlords of Draenor expansion. But this time around I was able to read the two most recent books that tie into the storyline and set the pace before the coming expansions.
My first run in with reading a book that precedes their video game counterpart was Christie Golden’s Before The Storm, which I absorbed via the audiobook while it was available for free on Blizzard’s YouTube channel. I really enjoyed reading this novel and it certainly amped up my own excitement for the following expansion, Battle for Azeroth to come out shortly after. While I wouldn’t say BFA was my favorite expansion by any means, it was really neat to get a look at the upcoming storylines and to get a better understanding of the overall tone and direction of the expansion in preparation for release.
Since I had such a great experience with reading previous Warcraft novels as well as Before the Storm, I thought why not read Madeline Roux’s Shadows Rising as well. I, as well as many of my friends and guildies were incredibly excited for this next expansion to come out, and while the news of the delay was not what many players wanted to hear, I can’t deny that I personally, was pleased to have more time to finish reading Shadows Rising before BFA is officially over. Now that I’ve finished reading it, I’d like to discuss my thoughts on the two books and how they compare.
Before The Storm by Christie Golden.
Before the Storm
As mentioned, this was my first time reading a Warcraft novel in preparation of an upcoming expansion and I very much enjoyed it. Even though I did read it via audiobook, Josh Keaton did a wonderful job narrating the story in a clear, enunciated way so I could easily digest what I was hearing. Personally, I think the novel was expertly written, the pacing was excellent and kept me hooked the entire time, and Golden aptly captured the essences of all our beloved fantasy characters. However, as someone who plays the game on both sides—Horde and Alliance—I can very clearly see why many readers complained about the Horde side of the story not being adequately portrayed or there at least not being enough page time for the Horde experience. I personally agree that the story overall leaned quite heavily into the Alliance perspective and that of the Horde experience that was depicted, was mostly negative and revolved around Sylvannas being a bad person. I am not sure how much of this was intentional since the game itself receives a lot of criticism from Alliance players who believe Blizzard favors the Horde and therefore typically tends to give them the better stories, but I can’t help but feel for Horde readers who were looking for more out of this book. Overall, I would give it a 4-star rating since the writing is excellent, there are many heart-felt relatable moments, and the story is very well crafted. But it is true that the story leans heavily in favor of the Alliance perspective.
Shadows Rising by Madeline Roux.
Shadows Rising
Can I just.
This book was phenomenal. The writing incredible, the characters believable and compelling, and the story felt very, VERY well balanced between the Horde and Alliance perspectives. I really enjoyed playing through the Horde story in BFA and getting to see all the characters I came to love throughout that story come to life again in the novel was really great. I read this book via the audiobook and the hardcover and although Susan Wokoma’s character voices took some getting used to, her narrating was spectacular. I would give this book a 5-star rating because everything—from compelling characters and enchanting settings, to expertly woven plotlines and pager-turner pacing—was on point and that Horde/Alliance balance was certainly there as well. While I don’t necessarily think this novel contained anything we particularly needed to know for the upcoming expansion, it served to revamp my own excitement for Shadowlands.
I really enjoyed both of these Warcraft novels and I will likely read more of them in the future. I don’t think either writer is better than the other—they simply had different writing styles and different stories to tell. I think it is important for video game lore like with the Warcraft novels, that if there are two sides to the story, readers from either side feel equally included and there is equal coverage of the Horde and Alliance perspective throughout. If I had to pick one over the other, I would say Shadows Rising would be my favorite of the two. Perhaps I am just biased towards our Zappy boy.
One thing is true for both of these novels and that’s that they got me really excited for the expansions following in their wake. Before the Storm sowed the seeds of Sylvannas’ treachery and established Anduin’s altruism and Shadows Rising shows how the Horde and Alliance tries to mend themselves after the fourth war and sets the stage for players and readers alike to venture into the Shadowlands. Both stories serve as a hype device, but they also tie up loose ends in the stories, lend insight into character motivations, and help establish the tone and direction for the coming expansion.
And that’s it for my double book review special covering Before the Storm by Christie Golden and Shadows Rising by Madeleine Roux. What did you think of these novels? If you haven’t reads them yet, please check them out at the links below. How did the make you feel about the expansions coming after them? Are you excited for Shadowlands? Let me know in the comments below!
Before the Storm and Shadows Rising amidst Warcraft comics and poetry books on my shelf. Photo by Payton Hayes.
Mentioned in this blog post:
Before The Storm by Christie Golden
Shadow’s Rising by Madeline Roux
War of the Ancients by Richard A. Knaak
World of Warcraft Shadowlands Expansion Delayed
BlizzardWatch’s list of all Warcraft Stories in Print (Not Mentioned, but useful)
—Payton
Book Review: Wildefire Trilogy by Karsten Knight
It’s been on my to-be-read list for quite some time now, and I fear I might not have seriously picked it up if it weren’t for COVID-19. But I am SO glad that I did, because once I got into it, I couldn’t stop. I binged the series in less than a week and found myself highlighting passages because the writing was JUST.THAT.GOOD.
This is a spoiler-free review!
Hi readers and writerly friends! Below is my review of Wildfire Trilogy by Karsten Knight! Check out my other book reviews here!
The Wildfire Trilogy by Karsten Knight. Photo by Payton Hayes.
Wildfire By Karsten Knight
This book review starts with my first-ever book hunt in my Midwest City Dollar-Tree. I was shopping for some containers and noticed the store had an awful lot of books and many of them I’d either seen before, heard of the authors before, or the covers were just so gorgeous that I couldn’t help myself. I think I left the store with 20+ books. And guess what book just happened to be amidst all those tomes I scurried out of the store with? That’s right—the aforementioned Wildefire by Karsten Knight. I had no clue what this book was about. I’d never heard of the author or the title and the only reason I bought it was because the lovely cover sucked me in, and the punchy writing kept me hooked. It’s true, I totally judge books by the cover.
It’s been on my to-be-read list for quite some time now, and I fear I might not have seriously picked it up if it weren’t for COVID-19. But I am SO glad that I did, because once I got into it, I couldn’t stop. I binged the series in less than a week and found myself highlighting passages because the writing was JUST.THAT.GOOD.
The Wildfire Trilogy by Karsten Knight. Photo by Payton Hayes.
As per the Wildefire Goodreads page:
Every flame begins with a spark.
Blackwood Academy was supposed to be a fresh start for Ashline Wilde. A secluded boarding school deep in the heart of California’s redwood forests, three thousand miles from her old life—it sounded like the new beginning she needed after an act of unspeakable violence left a girl in her hometown dead. But Blackwood is far from the peaceful haven Ashline was searching for. Because terrifying, supernatural beasts roam the forests around campus. Because the murderer from Ashline’s hometown—her own sister—has followed her across the country. Because a group of reincarnated gods and goddesses has been mysteriously summoned to Blackwood...and Ashline’s one of them.
—Karsten Knight, Wildefire, Goodreads.com
The Wildfire Trilogy by Karsten Knight. Photo by Payton Hayes.
The Wildfire Trilogy by Karsten Knight. Photo by Payton Hayes.
The Wildfire Trilogy by Karsten Knight. Photo by Payton Hayes.
I can confidently say, that if you enjoyed reading ANY of Rick Riordan’s mythological fiction, you would likely love this series. I would categorize it as a mythological thriller because it revolves around reincarnated gods and goddesses from all different kinds of mythologies including Norse, Greek, Roman, Polynesian, Japanese, Mayan, and Aztec, and it was an absolute page turner! Without spoiling, the YA fiction is centered around the main protagonist Ashline Wilde and her newfound friends at Blackwood Academy in Southern California. She and her friends find themselves face-to-face with some unsettling foes—the seemingly nefarious cloak, inky, black creatures with singular blue flames for eyes. They are all given unique quests to carry out as they familiarize themselves with their own newly realized god/goddess abilities and struggle to fit in with their mundane, human classmates. However, school life quickly becomes the least of their worries when Ashline’s treacherous older sister appears out of the blue, other gods force Ashline and her friends to go on the offensive, and schoolmates end up caught in the crossfire.
The Wildfire Trilogy by Karsten Knight. Photo by Payton Hayes.
I of course, don’t want to give too much away because I implore you, dear readers, to please give this series a try. The pacing was fantastic (and kept me turning pages into the wee hours of the night), the characters were compelling as all-get-out, and the prose was simply exquisite.
I can only describe Wildefire by Karsten Knight, through the title—a ruthless wildfire that swept through me, a ravenous hunger to breathe, sleep, eat, and drink in the entire story until I’ve had my fill. Unfortunately, now that I’ve actually finished it, I can’t help but want more. This story was a whirlwind of romance, mythos, angst, and a deep desire to belong. It was a wild ride and I enjoyed every second of it.
Every one of the characters are carefully constructed. You can clearly tell that Knight took his time fleshing out each character from the names down to their personality traits and compelling developments over the course of the trilogy. Everything was intentional. At times, I saw myself in Ashline Wilde, and at others, she felt like my best friend—as if we’d known each other forever and I was just now embarking on this insane journey with her. Books that achieve this level of relatability in the character-reader relationship can hard to find. Each and every character is meaningful and when some of them leave the story, it comes like a punch to the gut.
If you need more reasons why I LOVED this series, I’ve left a few below:
The writing—duh! Fantastic, believable, well-written prose laced within an excellent premise that upsets me for the sheer fact that I had not come up with it first.
Compelling, relatable characters that make you swoon, cry, and grit your teeth.
Knight’s expert ability to weave and interweave plots within plots to create a constantly enthralling and complex storyline that is guaranteed to keep you turning pages.
The mythology. Like I said, if you enjoyed Percy Jackson or any of Rick Riordan’s prose, you would likely enjoy this series simply for the employment of many different kinds of mythologies. The mythos used in Karsten Knight’s Wildefire is well-researched and expertly infused within believable character development. It doesn’t seem forced at all and where creative license is used, it is minimal and justified.
While it’s a paranormal YA fiction, set (initially) against the backdrop of a boarding school, Knight’s take on centuries’ old mythology and paranormal romance is new, interesting, and refreshing.
But don’t just take my word on it. Read it for yourself here.
And that’s it for my spoiler-free review of Karsten Knight’s Wildefire trilogy. As promised, there’s a personal life update just below here, but I wanted to thank all of you who took the time to read this review. It honestly means the world to me. If you enjoyed this post, please consider signing up for my newsletter here! Tweet me or comment below if you decide to read this book and let me know what you thought of it!
Read more of my book reviews!
—Payton
Fun Bookish Things to do at Home
Hi readers and writerly friends!
With everyone trapped at home and most fun activities deemed off-limits due to the pandemic and concern for public health, many people are going stir crazy. Not to worry, though! Us introverted book nerds have been waiting our entire lives for this moment. Oh to be locked indoors for weeks on end and amidst a sea of books to lose myself in…
Okay, that was nice about three months ago. I think even the most reclusive readers are starting to itch for even a little sunlight and the mildest social interaction. Okay, maybe things aren’t that bad here in Oklahoma. In any case, I can’t help but feel like its about time to set the books down and get into some bookish activities instead.
Attend a Virtual Book Event
Penguin Random House Virtual Book Convention Poster
If you’ve been around for a minute, then you might know that I am a big of a gamer *blush*. I prefer to play Blizzard games like World of Warcraft and Hearthstone. Now, you’re thinking, what does this have to do with books? Well, let me tell you, every year Blizzard puts on Blizzcon—a fun, fantastical nerd convention based around all the games Blizzard fans love. Too bad this year, it was completely canceled due to the pandemic. A lot of events were canceled due to the pandemic. But one this Blizzard has ALWAYS done is put on a virtual Blizzcon for the millions of fans who are unable to make it out to California for the 3-day convention. Much like Blizzard, many other bookish conventions have converted their conventions to online format for the safety and accessibility of their convention patrons.
Virtual book events come in many forms—it could be a book festival, book launch party, book reading, or even just a virtual gathering of virtual book lovers. Book events are fun ways to interact with fellow bookish people and authors. Although its because of terrible circumstances, many book events have been moved online, thus making such events more accessible to folks from all over the world. I hope once the pandemic is all over, convention planners can continue to find ways to keep events accessible.
Authors are also moving their book launches online and it’s a great way to gain access to your favorite authors and celebrate their launches with them. If your favorite author is publishing a book, check to see if they’re having an online launch party. Many publishing houses and organizations are coming together to create immersive virtual events to connect book lovers from all over the world. . And authors, this is a fantastic way to get closer to your readers and build meaningful connections with them while staying safe. Amy Landino, author of Vlog Like A Boss and Good Morning Good Life (Check out my in-depth book review here) had an in-person and online launch party, just before the pandemic started complete with a countdown timer and champagne. Author Alexa Donne, of Brightly Burning, and The Stars We Steal, has put on (and continues to put on) 1st page critique live streams on her YouTube Channel for her readers and aspiring writers. These are great ways to stay connected with your reader base and for readers to better get to know and engage with their favorite authors.
Here are some online book events you can join:
Author Kelly Yang’s writing workshops for teens on Instagram (July 1st and 3rd)
Books Connect Us Live, hosted by Penguin Random House Ongoing (Previous events videos are available.)
Lauren Jackson and Christina Orlando spotlighting sci-fi and fantasy media on Instagram (every Thursday.)
LeVar Burton goes live on Twitter to read books (every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.)
Middle Ground Book Fest (August 1st)
Virtual Thrillerfest 2020 (July 7-11)
Worldcon New Zealand (July 29-August 2)
You can find more book events in this list on Netgalley and this one on Book Riot.
Watch film adaptations of your favorite books.
Another bookish activity you can do within the safety of your own home is watching book-to-movie adaptations. While it’s true, most books are better than their on-screen counterparts, sometimes it can be fun and refreshing to see your favorite characters and stories come to live on the screen. You can watch the classics, rewatch your old favorites and check out the recent adaptations as well.
Here are some that I’m currently watching/planning to watch:
Pride and Prejudice (anyone else out there still need to watch this whirlwind romantic classis at least once a year?)
Heart of Darkness (Yes, another classic, but since I just read the book in one of my classes, I thought it might be fun to see how the movie adaptation compares)
Silence of the Lambs (I’m saving this one for spooky season!)
The Shining (I’ve never seen this adaptation, and I think its time to give it a go, once fall rolls around!)
Wuthering Heights (okay, so I’m into the classics, what gives? 😂)
Jenn from The Bibliofile compiled a list of book to film adaptations coming out this year.
Join a virtual book club.
I actually started a virtual book club with my guildies from WoW! If you’re looking for some bookish company while you’re stuck at home, joining a book club is a great way to go! You can chat about books with other members through Discord, Skype, Twitter, and Zoom! (We prefer to use Discord, but you can use just about any social media service to stay in touch with bookish friends!)
Here’s a screenie from my guild’s book club channel in Discord! I blocked out names and profile pictures for the privacy of my friends, but you get the idea! Our first book we’ll be reading is Shadows Rising by Madeline Roux, just in time for the Shadowlands expansion release in October 2020. 📚
Here’s a list of virtual book club lists from Time, the New York Times, Hugo House and The Nerd Daily:
Create a book journal/scrapbook.
Over the years, journaling has grown in popularity and for many is a relaxing and cathartic exercise. A book journal is a great place for you to scribble down all of your bookish thoughts, favorite quotes, bookish pet peeves, favorite authors, book lists, mini reviews, reading trackers, and any other bookish musings. It’s you own little bookish corner, so just have fun with it!
The creative possibilities are endless here. You can create one from scratch with any notebook or use free printables available online! It doesn’t have to be elaborate or fancy ad long as it works for you! Etsy is a great place to find beautiful reading journals.
If you need some inspiration or help starting a bookish journal, here are a few useful links:
“Tips and Tricks to Start a Reading Journal in 2018” from Page Flutter
“31 Bookish Journal Prompts to Inspire You For a Month” from Book Riot
“Bookish Bullet Journal Supplies for Readers” from Book Riot
Start a Bookish Youtube Channel.
Maybe all this extra time indoors is just the push you need to get you started with your new book-related hobby—making videos for your Bookish Youtube channel! If you’re anything like me, you hate being on camera, but don’t let that stop you from chatting about the books and authors you love. You can talk about books, do book reviews, record reading vlogs, do bookshelf tours, and tons of other fun, bookish activities for your internet friends to see. You can use a phone or laptop camera to record and free video editors such as Windows Movie Maker or DaVinci Resolve to edit the video. Audio editors such as Audacity work great as well, if needed. You can check out more of my favorite free content creation resources in my online course, How to Create A Stunning and Highly Marketable Website.)
Read an interactive novel.
Take your book adventures to the next level by reading an interactive novel or chose your own story book. Interactive books allow you to engage with the story in ways that regular books just can’t. They allow you to steer the plot in different directions and towards several possible endings. Check out Bustle’s list of interactive books for adults.
You Are A Cat! by Sherwin Tjia.
Lost In Austen by Emma Campbell Webster.
To Be or Not To Be by Ryan North.
I remember how I got into the Starcrossed trilogy by Josephine Angelini by playing through an interactive novel on Figment when it was still around. In the book, Helen wakes up night after night of being trapped in a maze. The interactive novel on the Figment website consisted of readers making their way through the maze. It was so interesting and engaging and certainly brought my reading experience to the next level. R.I.P. Figment. 😭
Match books with objects or create outfits based on your favorite book characters.
If you’re on book twitter or Bookstagram, you might have come across the #booksasoutfits trend where people match their clothes with books. It’s a fun way to play around with color schemes and dress up since most of us are stuck indoors lately. You can match books with anything, and you don’t have to share it online—just have fun with it! Likewise, you can dress up as your favorite character and see how you can bring their fictional styles to life with your own wardrobe.
Lauren Kiss’s YA book cover-inspired outfits.
Many bookish YouTubers have made videos following this trend. Lauren Kiss made one called “YA Books as Outfits.”
Create some awesome book art
This might be easier said than done if you don’t consider yourself artistic at all. But this is supposed to be fun so just dive in and don’t think about it! Book art can be almost anything—doodling in the margins of books, creating bookmarks, drawing your favorite characters, or making jewelry inspired by characters and elements in your favorite books.
It’s safe to say there’s something for everyone in the artsy/bookish world. You can paint the edges of your book’s pages to add in some colors and vibrancy. Or you can take an old book and make found poems out of the already-constructed sentences inside. You can make some amazing book sculptures with folded book art! If you’re into baking, you can make book-inspired cupcakes or try making a 3-tier cake inspired by your favorite trilogy. This totally counts as book art and it’s a yummy win-win!
This beautiful lakeside #wtj painting was done by @thepinkdoodler on Instagram. Check out the book-paintings all the artsy/bookish people are doing on Instagram with #wtj (stands for Wreck this Journal, created by @emma.wtj and friends.)
These lovely watercolor book paintings are were done by @rabiosa.art on Instagram. She says books hold up surprisingsletter-for-updatesly against watercolor. And the words make a lovely texture/pattern in the backdrop of any sheer watercolor painting. Likewise, she finds poems between the lines and couples them with her paintings which is such a fun idea! So, next time you want to bring some life to an old book, consider finding poems in the existing writing or making a beautiful landscape over the words.
And that’s it for my list of fun bookish things to do at home! These are just some of the things you can do, so if you think of some, comment below and let me know! I hope you enjoy this post and hopefully it gave you some ideas about how to spice up your reading life. What bookish things do you do at home? Thanks for reading! And if you liked this post, consider signing up for my newsletter for more bookish and writerly content.
Thumbnail photo by Lacie Slezak.
—Payton
Do We Really Need to Read the Classics?
Hi fellow readers and writerly friends!
This week in Bookish Things, we’re discussing something very near and dear to my heart and likely many other readers/writers’ hearts as well—do we really need to read the classics? I made the mistake of asking this to another editor early on in my freelance career and she hit me with “do you have to eat to stay alive?” Okay, got it, thanks. She was one of those nit-picky editors that new writers always fear at first. (You know the one—with the red pen, the beady eyes, and the too-tight turtleneck.) But she did have a point. And her comment reminded me of one of my favorite quotes.
“I cannot remember the books I’ve read any more than the meals I have eaten; even so, they have made me.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson
And what do you know? Emerson is regarded as a classic writer. (Albeit romantic, but yes, a classic)
And he had a point too. Writing and reading at it’s core is capturing the human existence and weaving it into the written word for all future generations to read. Reading is an integral part of the humanities and is one of the things that sets us apart from other mammals. Of course, we all know that reading is important, should be valued over many other mundane activities—and above all else—reading immortalizes our words.
Classics teach us to appreciate the evolution of modern literature
So, what does this have to do with the classics? To better understand and appreciate contemporary writing, we must read older writing as well.
Stack of classic books on my shelf. Photo by Payton Hayes.
Italo Calvino tackles this question in his collection of literary Criticism, Why Read The Classics, and Ginni Chen touches on this subject in a similar blog post on Barnes and Nobel Reads. I don’t claim to provide a more comprehensive answer than these two, but I thought I’d write my own blog post as well, because not only did I question the classics, but I think there is still a vast amount of people who don’t know why they should read them or don’t have any interest to do so. However, these few reasons to read the classics will make you want to rethink tossing your copy of Pride and Prejudice in the attic, and instead crack it open, dust off the pages, and see what you can learn from it.
Ginni explains that writing is a living, breathing entity that is immortalized in the way we tell stories and pass those techniques down from each generation:
“When you read the classics, you’re reading books that have had a pivotal role in shaping the way we read and write today. Books aren’t written or read in a vacuum. They’re woven by writers and consumed by readers with the influence of centuries of writing behind us. Whether we’re conscious of it or not, reading a book is never an isolated incident but part of a tradition.” -Ginni Chen, Para 2.
I agree with Ginni in that to better understand and appreciate writing, we must also read classic writing so that we understand fully what contemporary writing and reading began as and where it came from to become what we practice today.
Basket of classic books on my shelf. Photo by Payton Hayes.
Likewise, classic writing captures the essence of humanity from the time in which it was written. They act as literary milestones of our own literary traditions. Sometimes, classics reflect values, movements (realism or romanticism) or prominent genres (such as the rise in popularity of science-fiction and fantasy in contemporary writing). The classic writers sparked literary trends because they either a) did it first or b) did it best. Additionally, classics are often hailed for their challenging of societal constructs and values of the time. Take Kate Chopin’s writing, for example. Her works were lousy with feminist values and now she is known as one of the greatest American Feminist writers of all time.
How does this make you love reading more?
When we familiarize ourselves with the classics, we gain a better understanding of where other books fit in. You’ll start recognizing common themes, influences, references, structures, and many more elements in your reading that perhaps you hadn’t noticed before.
Ginni compares it to developing a sudden appreciation of wine:
“It’s like developing a sudden appreciation of wine—different notes open up to your palate, you detect hidden floral, fruity, or oaky elements, and you’re better able to articulate your tastes.” -Ginni Chen, Para 4.
Vintage typewriter and basket of classic books on my shelf. Photo by Payton Hayes.
When you learn to love the classics, you also learn to love your favorite stories even more. When you go back to your favorites, you begin to pick up on these elements you found in the classics and unearth depths you had never known existed prior. Elements of these books that may have initially seemed arbitrary or like attempts at attention-seeking, but now they seem intentional, calculated and clever. These elements help you to unpack the bigger picture parts of the story and allow you to begin to understand where other things come from such as the meaning in a character’s name, the use of certain words, or the presence of certain themes and their importance with regard to both the story and society at the time.
Another way the classics aid in your growth as both a reader and writer is that they also help you better identify your favorite writer’s literary influences. Often, writers borrow style, subject, and themes from the classics and as you become more familiar with classic literature, you begin to see your favorite writers as one writer paying homage to another by reinventing their storytelling elements in a new, refreshing, and exciting way. You’ll begin to understand how we’ve been telling the same handful of stories over and over again throughout the years, and how the use of the same few techniques, in combination with unique writer voice, has birthed millions of books that can all be traced back to the classics.
Ginni also compares reading the classics to travelling:
“Here’s another way of looking at it: Think about reading as traveling the world. In your travels, the classics are those must-see historical sites that you hear about and see in dozens of reproductions—the Great Wall, the Colosseum, the Taj Mahal, the pyramids. Like these historical sites, the classics have withstood the test of time, are part of an incredible heritage, and can change your worldview entirely.” -Ginni Chen, Para 7.
Basket of classic books on my shelf. Photo by Payton Hayes.
I love that comparison because its exactly right. We always hear that being “well-read” is a good thing and in the bookish world it’s a title we strive for, so that should include the classics, right? Of course! I could go on and on about worldview and how we have such a limited perception of things, but I’ll spare you that rant for another time. The biggest takeaway from this blog post is that to gain a better understanding of humanity, our own existence and experiences, and how they relate to the existence and experiences of others, we absolutely must read. And moreover, we must read the classics just as we must read extensively from any genre we wish to write in. I keep bringing up writing and reading, but in the creative world, the two are inextricably linked. And that link is part of an even bigger packaged deal—understanding
ourselves and others. At it’s core, reading is in essence, humanity.
What do you think about reading the classics? Which classics have you read? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below and be sure to check out Ginni’s blog post because I would have never thought to speak out on this topic without first stumbling upon her words.
Click here to read Ginni Chens post, “Why Read The Classics?” On Barnes and Nobel Reads
Click here to read Italo Calvino’s Book, “Why Read The Classics?”Pride and Prejudice
—Payton
Book Review: Good Morning Good Life by Amy Schmittauer Landino
Amy Landino Author Photo
Good Morning, Good Life, readers and writerly friends!
This is a spoiler-free review!
When life gives you lemons, you write a book review, right? No? Just me?
In any case, I hope you all are doing well and being safe during this COVID-19 mess and I hope things will start to brighten before long. If you’re new to this site, I encourage you to stick around and check out some of my other blog posts! (You’ll find out pretty quickly that I am part of the Amy-llion club too!) No need to be sour about this book—let’s get into the review! 🍋🍋🍋
If you’ve followed me for any considerable amount of time, then you know I RAVE about Amy Landino. Honestly, I can’t get enough of her and all of the wonderful, actionable advice she puts out into the world. And not to mention—she has SUCH an aesthetic. Like, wow, I’m living for the berry pink and lemon vibes.
Amy Landino is known for her incredibly useful lifestyle-type videos on YouTube—one of which, titled “*ACTUALLY* WAKE UP EARLY | my 7 tips” has garnered her a lot of attention from viewers and aspiring entrepreneurs around the world. She’s an award-winning YouTuber, bestselling author, lifestyle coach, entrepreneur and fabulous podcast host. She claims she’s obsessed with helping people go after the life they want and is also the founder of her own company dedicated to doing so—GATLUW House. She’s helped thousands of people (including myself) redesign their lives their way.
Click here to watch Amy’s video, *ACTUALLY* WAKE UP EARLY | my 7 tips
So, after reading her first book, Vlog Like A Boss, and becoming a lifelong fan/follower of hers, it’s safe to say I was definitely picking up her next book. Good Morning, Good Life released in December of 2019 and now that we’ve all had a few months (and not to mention extra time thanks to COVID-19) to pick up this book and sink our teeth into it, let’s get into the tea—or lemon water if you’re a true fan. 🍋💦
Good Morning Good Life by Amy Landino
Good Morning Good Life by Amy Landino
I am absolutely obsessed with everything to do with habits, habit-change, productivity, and routines, so when Amy said she was writing a book focused on helping people go after their perfect mornings, I was stoked! I pre-ordered my copy of GMGL, and when it arrived in the mail, I was ready to crack open the cover and get reading. Not only did I get the paperback version, but I also purchased the audiobook as well, so I could read them in tandem. (I have a whole blog post about immersion reading with audiobooks and you can check it out here!)
The book starts off with a behind-the-curtains look at what life was like for Amy before she became the thriving businesswoman, we all know from her YouTube channel. She talks about her experience working a 9-to-5 job, trying out for a marathon race, and the pivotal, aha-moments in her life that pushed her in the direction of her success. Layered on top of this insightful narrative, is Amy’s actionable advice for crafting a truly magical morning.
The book is broken up into five sections—Decide, Defy, Rise, Shine, and Thrive. Throughout these sections, she offers action steps that ask probing questions to get the reader thinking, “What’s a moment that you remember being truly excited about something?” or “On a scale of 1-to-10, how well do you sleep?”. She includes writing exercises to get readers truly motivated and ready to make a difference in their mornings and ultimately, their quality of life. Additionally, she includes “Good morning” stories from her colleagues, and fellow YouTubers to offer up extra insight into the mornings of successful people she’s come to know over the years.
3 Stars —⭐⭐⭐
The novel has been dubbed an Amazon bestseller and has garnered rave reviews from readers across the globe, both on Amazon and Goodreads. However, it isn’t all sunshine and rainbows in the comments. Many readers have come out saying that the book isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. Readers with children argue that Amy’s advice is not really applicable or useful for them since she doesn’t have children herself and doesn’t know what it is really like to try and design a morning around them. In the book, she acknowledges this fact and urges readers to hear her out and set aside any excuses they may have in order to give her advice an honest try.
I personally enjoyed the book on a surface level—knowing it was content that Amy created and by reading it, I was getting to know her better and I was able to support her. However, despite my love of Amy’s style and content, I found the book did not live up to the hype. But before you all come for me, I just want to clarify—if you’ve never seen any of Amy’s work and have never heard her advice, this book is EVERYTHING.
It really does give you a great look into how to design a morning that works best for you, that gives you time for yourself, and ultimately allows you to practice self-love in whatever form it comes. And as a woman in her twenties without children, I found this book to be extremely insightful and useful. But in reading this book, I quickly realized, it had no NEW information to lend readers. With that being said, aside from the actual advise, Amy gives us a little narrative and peek into her life before YouTube and being a business owner which I enjoyed.
My Goodreads review of Good Morning Good Life
You can find me on Goodreads here!
So, what did you think of Good Morning Good Life? Was it helpful to you? What did you think of this review? Do you agree or disagree with anything I said? Let me know in the comments below!
—Payton
3 Bookish Things Tag
The Hush, Hush Saga, Black Ice, and Dangerous Lies by Becca Fitzpatrick. Photo by Payton Hayes.
I didn’t come up with this and in fact, found it first on Instagram and then saw it on another bookish blog! It’s the perfect tag for those of use who love the perfect aesthetic of things that come in threes! (Or for those of us who can’t count very high, whichever applies, maybe both.) I’ve got books to read and review, manuscripts to edit, and stories to tell which means three items per category is perfect for me—the editorial do-it-all person that I am. Call me an editorial renaissance woman or jack of all (written word) trades, but all I’m getting at is that I’ve only got a little time to accomplish everything and if you’re the same way, then this tag is awesome for both of us! Let’s get on to the tag, already! Of course, I have some honorable mentions in this list because I just can’t pick favorites, apparently. What can I say? I love them all.
3 Favorite Authors
Richard A. Knaak. Of course, I adore everything he’s done in the World of Warcraft book universe —the game has such a special place in my heart and his incredible, fantasy writing does as well.
J.R.R. Tolkien. I don’t have to read a series more than once to know it will be a favorite. I’ve treasured the Peter Jackson films since I was a little girl and I always knew when I finally sat down and read the novels, I would love them just as much, if not more. 2019 was my first year reading the Lord of The Rings trilogy and while I am still working on it (yes, in 2020) it already is a favorite of mine and will be for years to come.
Becca Fitzpatrick. I love every.single.book. she writes—especially the Hush, Hush saga. Black Ice and Dangerous Lies a VERY close second and third. I just wish she’d write more because I absolutely adore her paranormal romantic thrillers!
The Maximum Ride Series by James Patterson. Photo by Payton Hayes.
Honorable mention: James Patterson. I knew this one would be swapped out for another author eventually, but before I discovered Fitzpatrick, Patterson was my all-time favorite author, with Maximum being my all-time favorite series. I’d read it several times, and while I do still enjoy the series, I don’t again see it being a forever favorite.
Zenith by Sasha Alsberg and Lindsay Cummings. Photo by Payton Hayes.
3 Weirdest Things You’ve Used As a Bookmark
Okay, seriously? An empty Kit-Kat wrapper. Or was it a Hershey’s? I don’t remember. All I know is that the book still smells of chocolate, even though I got zero candy in the pages.
A faux tortoise shell bracelet. Okay, maybe this isn’t an uncommon household item, and well, neither is chocolate, but it’s still a pretty strange bookmark, if you ask me. It was just laying on my desk, and when I needed a bookmark, it seemed a likely contender. Of course, that was until I put the book back and lost the bracelet until I reopened the book and it fell out. Oops!
Receipts. Yes I, like every other stylish, bookish girl out there, go shopping on occasion aaaand I may have a few receipts laying around at any given time. So, I just used one of those! It was likely a Taco Bell receipt though, let’s be real.
You think bookworms use actual bookmarks? Hahaha, you’re clearly joking. Right? I don’t even remember the last time I used a proper bookmark.
3 Series Binged
Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick. If you read the first part, then you already know what I am going to say. This is my absolute, indisputable, all-time favorite series and I devour it every. single. year. I love this series and it never gets old.
Maximum Ride by James Patterson. Although it’s been a few years since I’ve reread the series, every time I do, I burn through all nine books in about two weeks’ time. The books are so action-packed, and the pacing is so good, I can’t not get stuck in them and neglect my adult responsibilities until I’ve finished the novels and have nothing else to do with my life. It’s the obvious reaction.
Percy Jackson Series by Rick Riordan. I read this series around the same time I’d discovered Maximum Ride (in early high school) and I blew through them so fast, and somewhat out of order, oops! I hardly remember what happened and in what book. It’s about time to reread this series as well because everything is a sort of Percy-shaped blur.
3 Characters You Love
Patch Cipriano from Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick. Duhhh. Tall, dark, brooding, and handsome? Angsty angel of my dreams? Helloooo. of course, he’s my all-time favorite novel character. Truth be told, I wish he was real.
Ares Lavrenthea from Mooncallers by Leda C. Muir. I’m sensing a theme going on here, but I don’t even care. Ares is dragon daddy and honestly one of my favorite book characters. He’s such a dynamic fantasy character and when he’s not sipping tea or smoking roseleaf cigarettes, he’s out on an adventure with Luxea and I love both his personality and their relationship. Besides, his backstory is so good. If you haven’t read this book, you must.
Tom Bombadil from Lord of the Rings by J.R.R Tolkien. I absolutely adore this guy. He is such an enigma. Tom’s lighthearted, charismatic, and benign demeanor was so fun to read in the series. I love all of his little songs and dances and I just want to spend a day with him because he’s essentially the Bob Ross of Middle Earth. How can you have a bad day when you’ve got someone like that at your side?
Patch Cipriano from the cover of The Hush, Hush Saga by Becca Fitzpatrick, Tom Bombadil by Hildebrant from J.R.R. Tolkein’s Lord of The Rings Trilogy, and Ares Lavrenthea from The Mooncallers series by Leda C. Muir.
3 Unpopular Bookish Opinions
Divergent genuinely did want to like the Divergent series and can fully see why they’ve been so successful. I just wish it was done better. The first chapter seemed promisng, but it sort of went downhill from there and I just couldn’t get into the books.
Bookish Subscription Boxes. I just don’t understand these. Why would I subscribe to a book box subscription when I can just buy books I know I’ll love. And if this blog post has taught you anything, it’s that I definitely don’t need the subscription for the bookmarks. I wouldn’t use them anyway.
The Hunger Games. I had a hard time figuring out this once, primarily because I didn’t even have these books on my shelf anymore! I donated them to the local library last year, and while I am probably going to get some hate for saying this, I can’t say I miss them. I read the first novel, and it was alright, but I just didn’t think it warranted all the hype. I tried to get into the second book and didn’t. When I caved and watched the movies, I realized I probably wasn’t missing out on much. For the record, I am not really a fan of the dystopia genre anyways.
Click here to read more of my unpopular bookish opinions.
3 Popular Bookish Opinions
Hyped books. I love hyped books, just like the rest of us, and I tend to jump on the hype train along with everyone else. Sometimes the books suck, and I’ll be the first to point it out, but most of the time, hyped books are popular for good reason.
Hardcovers are better. In my 7 Unpopular Bookish Opinions blog post, I say I like both hardcovers and paperbacks, but I will concede that the hardbacks are the superior of the two. They’re durable and they stand on their own like strong, intelligent, independent, bookish creatures. The only problem is that they cost more. :/
Spin-off Series. I actually really love spin-offs. They’re awesome! My favorite spin-off is Rick Riordan’s Heroes of Olympus. Spin-offs are a delicate balancing act between overdoing a story and not doing enough to it, but the HoO series is an example of one that does this balancing act well. I think the Harry Potter series has had enough spin-offs though, just let it go, Rowling.
3 Favorite Book Covers
I won’t even pretend to behave here. These are all my favorites. It was so hard to even narrow them down to 14.
Fourteen of my favorite book covers. Collage by Payton Hayes. Cover art credits belong to their respective owners.
Do you see what I did there with the color scheme? Just because I don’t follow the tag rules doesn’t mean my graphic can’t still be pretty. Truthfully though, I do love all of these covers. Another truth? I haven’t read most of these—Gasp!
3 Bookish Goals for 2020
Okay, I already have an entire blog post about this, but I think I’ll put my top three here anyways.
Read 30 books. I truly do want to read 30 books and I think that goal will be easily surpassable this year. I figured out a way to get myself out of reading slumps quickly and I even beat my goal for 2019—23/20 books! I think I am ready to kick it up a notch.
Join an IRL Book club. I know there’s a psychology book club at my school but this might be the year I charter and star up the official book club there, or at least join a club if I can find one. I’ve always wanted to be part of a book club and be around like-minded individuals where we can just nerd out about books and reading.
Review more books. If you’ve been around this blog for any period of time, you can tell my book review section on the book blog is severely lacking. In 2020 not only do I want to read more books, but I want to review them as well. I think thinking critically about novels is important to understanding the bigger picture part of them and not getting completely wrapped up in the little parts of the story.
Click here to read my 20 Bookish Resolutions For 2020 blog post.
And those goals bring me to the end of the 3 Bookish Things Tag! I broke some of the rules, but can you really blame me? I think some of these are almost too hard to pair down to three and to those of you who can do it—I both applaud and envy you. I just have too much bookish love to give to all of my wordy babies. (Shhh, it can be a thing—like fur babies. It’ll catch on, right?)
Let me know your thoughts in the comments below and I’d also love it if you did this tag to let me know so I can check out your 3 bookish things!
Thumbnail photo by Marta Dzedyshko.
—Payton
The Top 10 Worst Romance Tropes EVER
Hi readers and other bookish creatures!
This week wraps up our romantic February 2020 and with such a wonderfully romantic month, I’d like to throw a monkey wrench in everything by bringing the romance down just a notch (or two, or three). This week, in Bookish Things, we’re discussing the 10 Worst Romance Tropes EVER! And you better buckle up because this is going to be a spicy take, I can assure you. We’re spending a little time with my reader brain today, so the opinions, sass, and spice are in full force and my kind, communicative, editor brain will have to take a backseat for today. (Also, I’m hoping the pretty heading text will soften the blow for some of these. (Good luck, readers.)
We’re going to cover, in my opinion, the top 10 worst romance tropes but for this rant (and for the sake of saving time,) I am going to avoid the most common tropes such as cringey insta-love, the overdone love-triangle, and alpha-douches because 1) you probably already know all about them since they’re so overplayed, and 2) they’re sort of implied and any reader worth their salt would likely dislike these tropes. (Of course, I am not speaking for EVERY book out there, and there are always exceptions to the rule.) These tropes came up in some of my recent reads from last year and I really wish they hadn’t. I won’t be naming names, but if you know, you know.
Trigger warning: This blog post discusses difficult topics such as sex slaves, abusive relationships, manipulation, graphic virgin sex, rape/non-consensual sex, age gaps, and other dark topics often present in mainstream adult romance. If you are offended by these topics, please understand I am in no way advocating for these topics or their presence in fiction. I am only highlighting their cringe-y nature and giving my own opinion as to why they should be removed from future works. Also, this post contains mature language. Typically, I air on the side of omitting swears from my writing, but since this work is satirical in nature and is not meant to be taken seriously, I figured I would keep the personal touch.
Lust that just needs to calm the F down
Of course, in any adult romance novel, you’re going to find lust, and some scenes can get really steamy, really quickly. However, some writers really just need to take a step back and calm down when it comes to lust in their writing. It’s not always the long, obnoxiously lusty descriptions either—sometimes it’s the little things that really take me out of the story. For instance, if a character has to physically restrain himself from mounting another character, maybe there’s more going on than physical attraction, and it’s definitely not self-control. Or another one is when character emit a sexual response to a non-sexual event, such as various body parts growing hard when one character gets close to another. What the heck is even going on?
Slave fics - Slaves falling in love with their masters. (Really?!)
Yeah, I had to write that line, and you had to read it and now we’re both in this ugly situation together. Hooray for mutual awkwardness.
Believe me when I say I REALLY don’t want to have to explain this. But here we go.
If Stockholm syndrome in fiction is romantic, then nails scraping a chalkboard, the act of licking spiders, and stepping barefoot on broken glass are romantic too. I’m sorry that this is an unpopular opinion, except that I not sorry—like not even a little bit.
I totally understand the appeal for BDSM fiction, but what I really don’t get is the prominence of romance stories where the main character starts the story out as a slave and ends up becoming the love interest of their master. This trop can often be observed in BDSM fiction, but miss the mark —by a landslide, I might add by forgetting one of the biggest elements of good BDSM love stories, both in real life and in fiction, and that’s that the overall relationship must be built on a foundation of love and trust.
Stories where the slave falls in love with his/her master is just wrong on so many levels and it one of the reasons the BDSM community get such a bad rep. I find it so uncomfortable and pretty gross, honestly, when a character is treated as property and then falls in love with the character that treats them as said property. I seriously don’t think that’s the most obvious course of action in any given slave story.
Next time you find yourself reading or writing a story with this trope, ask yourself, “Should I be contributing to the complete inaccurate depiction of an entire community by writing/reading this?” If the answer is no (and it is) then just don’t do it.
Condescending pet names
I just love pet names—between family, friends, and especially romantic partners. One of my all time favorites (you guessed it) is when Patch calls Nora Angel in Becca Fitzpatrick’s Hush, Hush Saga. It’s a name that has layers of meaning and initially incites annoyance in Nora before they’re an actual couple.
However, I just cannot stand it when the love interests gives the main character an annoying pet name, just to be a douche. (notice that I spelled out “cannot” and that’s how you know these are genuine, spicy emotions I’m feeling, here.) Even though Patch calls Nora Angel, the name isn’t particularly, annoying or offensive to her or the reader and she eventually grows to love the name. I know writers tend to taunt readers with this trope because it instills intimidation and an unbalanced power dynamic in their MC’s romantic relationships, but it comes off as annoying, condescending, and downright rude. Well-adjusted people just don’t go around giving pet names to strangers just to piss them off.
Omitting the first kiss altogether
I really don’t understand why some writers chose to omit the first kiss from their romances when it’s a really important moment to any relationship, real or fictional. Whether or not I have to trudge through two whole books to get to the first kiss between the love interest and the MC, I want that kiss. I don’t care if you include 1, 10, or 100 kisses throughout the course of your novel, but you better include the first kiss, because if you don’t, I will find you, and it won’t be pretty. (Unlike your lovely romance novel that HAS the first kiss scene present.) 😊
Bloody, painful, virgin sex
Newsflash, uneducated, male writers, that’s not how female genitalia works. Just sayin’. Anyone with a vagina will tell you this trope is old, overplayed, and absolutely inaccurate. I’ll spare you the inaccurate, gory details, but when you’re writing virgin sex, remember that it doesn’t need to be a horror show. A hymen is not a sheet of flesh that needs to be broken through, like a damn fortress wall, so can we all agree to stop writing it that way. Let’s all just get a better understanding of basic human anatomy, shall we? What’s more is if the MC’s love interest has any human decency and regard for their partner’s pleasure, bloody, painful virgin sex should be negligible. It’s not romantic, it’s not accurate, and it’s not fun for either party involved, so just leave it out.
The naïve girl (stupid girl)
Just imagine me scrubbing my hands down my face as I write this one, because I am.
The trope that seems to be present in every single badly-written romance I’ve ever read is the one that takes place between a heterosexual paring of a man (that typically fits at least three of the tropes on this list) along with a woman who somehow is always described as Naïve. For whatever reason, many writers like to use the word, “Naïve” to excuse or explain away idiotic decision making in order to drive the plot forward. (Of course, they have to find something to move the plot forward and that’s obviously where the alpha douche comes in to save our MC from the shit-show she’s gotten herself into. God forbid, a woman thinks for herself.)
Why do we keep calling characters like this, Naïve? The word Naïve refers to someone who lacks experience or wisdom and is not synonymous with being a fucking idiot. It’s absolutely possible to write a romance story with a woman who has at least half a brain. Additionally, we’ve been using the word Naïve for so long, we’ve forgotten the proper context of it and truthfully, at this point it seems like it would be a refreshing take on the whole trope if writers were to start using correctly.
The word, my reader friends, is STUPID. She is stupid. If she has screwed up her life so badly and requires the aid of a bumbling brute of a man to save her from her own actions, she is stupid. I’m not sorry, I don’t take it back, and I don’t care what you have to say in response, it’s just stupid.*Mic drop* 🎤
Okay, I’m picking the mic back up, because this list isn’t over. Oh no, far from it, in fact. Oof. Let’s just keep it moving, shall we?
Please go get help if you do this one
Piggybacking on the trope of slave fics (*shudders*) so many writers like to include sexy assaults in their writing. I am only going to say this once, so please listen up:
blurring the line of consent IS NOT OKAY AND NEVER SHOULD IT BE CONSIDERED SEXY.
Like ever. Some people think it’s okay, and I seriously worry for them. All the time in romance, I see sayings like “He’s the kind of guy who takes what he wants” or “He doesn’t take no for an answer.” You know what? These sayings sound exactly like the kind of thing a rapist would say.
I’ve heard that some writers excuse themselves for writing characters like this, by saying that they feel ashamed of their desires and by funneling them into their characters, they rid themselves of the shame and fault. However, this type of writing only further perpetuates toxic stereotypes and extends the cycle of shame for future generations. Let’s put it out of our misery already, okay?
Also, (and I am going to blow some of y’all’s minds right now by saying this) what if I told you it is in fact, possible to write a steamy, believable romance scene with an assertive partner, without them being a predator. Huh? Huh? I know it sounds tricky—that’s because it is. But any good writing is tricky and what any good writer will tell you is that cutting corners is not the way to go. If you want your writing to be good, don’t write shitty love scenes between a helpless protagonist and a predator. Just take the time to do it right. And if you’re a proponent of this trope, please just do us all a favor and see therapy instead.
Redeeming the abuser
Proponents: “Okay, look, I know he raped/ abused/ assaulted /manipulated her, but trust me it all works out in the end and he really makes up for it.”
Me and literally everyone else: “What the hell?”
I don’t understand people like this. I mean, you do hear what you’re saying, right? Like, the words coming out of your mouth aren’t an accident. I know when it comes to fiction, we’re allowed to give way to fantasy, but I genuinely want to know who is fantasizing about this. (On second thought, keep them far, far away. Thanks.)
Of course, I am all for abusers bettering themselves and becoming good people, but can they please get the help they need, away from their victims? Calling back to the previous item on this list, therapy works wonders and I totally support you, but please just work on yourself in a different city, zip code, and especially a different book than your victim.
I’m just really tired of this cliché and it makes my stomach turn when I continue to see it in 2020. The reason this, and most of the other tropes on this list are just awful and should be done away with is because they are sending really unhealthy messages to impressionable, young readers.
Age gaps in supernatural romances
I totally get having age gaps in romance—heck, it’s a part of real-life romances as well. YouTubers Jenna Marbles and Julien Solomita are like seven years apart. My own mother and father have like six years between them. And some age gaps (although a bit unwieldy) can span 10-20 years, as long as everyone is of age, then it’s all above board.
But what I don’t get and really don’t like are the age gaps that tend to happen in supernatural romances, where the love interest is hundreds of thousands of years older than the main character. Twilight much? I mean, I just don’t understand what an eighteen-year-old girl would have in common with a 60-thousand-year-old dude. Like, let him go, hon, you’re young, vibrant, and fresh, and he’s ancient.
I’m 23 and even I look at eighteen-year-olds like they’re babies. Eww. How does some old and crusty ancient dude look at a barely legal woman and think, “she gets me”? I think you mean, she get’s you hard. Besides, what would she want with the old dude anyways? What could the two possibly have in common together? Oh? None of that matters because he’s somehow super hot and super rich and common ground and personality have no meaning anyways? Well, why didn’t you say so? All good! 👍
No idea who the love interest actually is
Lightening things up for the end, here I’d like to talk about another bad romance trope and that’s when I have no clue who the love interest even is. If I am a hundred pages in and I don’t even know who the MC’s love interest is, and it’s a romance novel, we’re going to have some issues. Even harem romances give us some idea of who the MC’s got their eyes on. I just can’t get on board with a character who has been in love with this guy, and then has sudden, compelling sexual attraction to the next guy, and then realizes this girl is flirting with her, and then this other guy out of the blue, ends up proposing to her. Like, what???
Basically, what happens here is too many potential love interests are introduced and the lines become blurred. It’s okay to have love triangles (that’s a rant for another day so for now, let’s assume the love triangles are well-written) but we have to (going with the metaphor) clearly see the sides of the triangle. I want to be able to clearly and easily understand who is in love with who and what is happening, even when the characters don’t.
Additionally, if I don’t care who the love interest is, then you might as well just give up on writing romance. Readers care about ships because they pick up on chemistry between the characters, but if they’re not vibing then it means your characters are boring and one-dimensional, and not romantic (which if you asked me, sort of defeats the purpose!)
How are writers supposed to write chemistry, we all failed that class, yeah? Please believe me when I say good chemistry can be done, and I don’t mean the science-y kind (although that’s is pretty fun too!) It takes time to hone your writing skill and gain enough experience to effectively write compelling romance. Your first book will never be your best, but that doesn’t mean you can’t learn and grow throughout the writing process. All snark aside, I truly do think good writing is possible, and it can and should be done without these awful romance tropes.
Whew! *wipes forehead* Somehow, we made it through that list. Of course, this is all meant to poke fun at some of the cringiest romance tropes in all of fiction. (And highlight problematic ones too, obvi) and I mean no harm to anyone reading this. This is all meant to be light-hearted and funny and in jest. For most of these, if you do them, I don’t think you’re a bad person—just a bad writer! 😉 (Just kidding, calm down. Jeez.)
But all of these cringy romance tropes are the worst and are definitely overplayed. I think we should start ridding our writing of them in order to exterminate them forever. Trust me, we have enough to last us a lifetime (or two).
What did you think of this list? Do you agree with any of the items? What do you think is the absolute worst romance trope ever? Do you like any of these tropes—be careful admitting this because I’ll come for you in the comments! (Again kidding, maybe.) Let me know down below and as always, thanks for reading.