First off, I cannot believe it is the last day of October! I just started this blog in September, and successfully have posted every day of blogtober! Thank you for all of your support and likes, comments, subscriptions, and feedback, I appreciate it all beyond words! For the last blog of October, I am going to talk about the books I read for leisure this month. This means the books I handpicked from my already owned shelf, aside from the reviews I posted which were all collaborative with authors. Next month is going to be bust with NaNoWriMo, so apologies ahead of time for not posting as much during November! Anyways, here are the books I read!
These are in no particular order. Rather than giving a synopsis of the books, I am just going to talk about my feelings towards each.
Interview With The Vampire – Anne Rice (3 Stars)
This book was really good. It's a classic, so of course, I had to read it. I am insanely in love with vampires and the idea of escapism that they bring to the table, so I was really excited to dig into this story. That is also why I am upset that I have to give it a lower rating. I love vampires and I had high expectations for this book, unfortunately, which ultimately ruined it. It was an amazing story itself, the plotline and characters throughout were fascinating, but it was just too slow. It was definitely a good inspiration for my own writing, but it just was not the book I expected it to be. So the rating would be higher if it weren’t for my own judgment and assumptions.
The Midnight Library - Matt Haig (4 Stars)
This book was full of both surprises and predictions. I loved the plot drive, it was a concept I have never read in a fictional story before. The real-life scenarios mixed with the fantasy-filled library gave the book a youthfulness that made me want to keep reading. However, as much as I loved each of the scenarios and how juicy each of them got, it started to bore me as it went along. I was stuck wondering when is this, or when is that going to happen, which ultimately led me to continue reading. But I wish I continued reading for other reasons, such as because I loved the book.
November 9 – Colleen Hoover (5 Stars)
I loved this book with my whole heart. I am a hopeless romantic and this was a cure to my needs. The concept was also something I have never witnessed before and I appreciate all of the works of this author, this one just in particular stuck out to me. I loved the introduction, the year long splits, the obstacles faced, the destructive ending, it all was so unexpected and well thought out that I never wanted to put the book down.
How To Love – Thich Nhat Hanh (4 Stars)
This was a very sentimental and warm book to read. I love when I can use that description about a book and mean it. It was so short and sweet, with amazing word choice and subtitles. The little illustrations throughout made it even better, but overall the insight to love that this book have was outstanding and everlasting.
Where Do You Get Your Ideas – Fred White (5 Stars)
I cannot explain the pure knowledge I gained from this book. The cover is what intrigued me, and then as I got to know what it was actually about, I was so excited to dive in. Since I am planning on writing a novel next month, this was a perfect timing book. I loved the insights as to how to develop the story in a complete and complex structure. This book digs through developing a simple story idea all the way to writing the actual book. I loved it and got so many tips that I am still using!
Self-Editing For Fiction Writers – Renni Brown & Dave King (3 Stars)
This was another helpful book for writing and editing on your own. I found many of the tips useful and will implement them in different ways, but overall there were no tips that stuck out or came as a surprise to me. In terms of what I already know, I did not learn anything new when it comes to this book compared to the high school and college English/Writing courses I have completed. That being said, they are accurate tips and I did still enjoy getting the refreshment of them.
Writing The Breakout Novel – Donald Mass (4 Stars)
This book had really great tips for writing a novel, as the title promises. I breezed through it, picking parts to analyze more thoroughly than others as I saw fit, and I took many mental notes. I liked the section that spoke more deeply about themes and connecting your story to one both by the conflict and internal conflict. I am definitely going to be using that idea in my work.
Those are the books I read for leisure this month. It was such a hectic month with blogging, book plotting, book reviewing, I am so glad I got to fit these in. Not of course with some late nights. But I enjoyed each of these and cannot wait for my next reads! I am going to try and post an excerpt like this at the end of each month, so stay tuned!
