Not book related. But pretty. We've had
a warm September in Michigan!
a warm September in Michigan!
Emily of New Moon by L.M. Montgomery
I never read Anne or Emily when I was young, so I picked up Anne as part of the YA Book Club in late 2014. I didn't continue the series, but enjoyed it well enough. Then in early September the Emily series came up in a few different places (like Anne Bogel's Autumn Reads post from a few years ago that was re-shared), so I decided to give it a try.
In general I'm not a fan of character-driven plots (The Storied Life of AJ Fikry was one of my least favorite books this year). I like to read about action, a problem to be solved, character development within activity. So ultimately I would think that I wouldn't enjoy books like Emily or Anne, which are just the story of the girls' lives.
But since I know it's beneficial to break out of my "usual" reads, I've discovered I can appreciate books like this simply because I consider them classics. I don't know that I'll ever continue the rest of the series, but I can at least say I've read the first one and enjoyed it well enough and know the basic storyline!
The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater
This series has been raved about by a handful of bloggers I follow. I picked it up once this summer and read a little bit, but then put it down. I decided to give it one more try when I saw it available at my library and didn't have any better ideas for what to read next!
I'm really torn about this book/series. It's everything I enjoy in a YA novel - lots of action, fantasy/magic, plot twists, and character development while the activity progresses. Stiefvater is an excellent writer!
But my hesitation comes with the content. I don't mind a story that includes magic or fantasy (think Harry Potter, Eragon, Lunar Chronicles), but the fantasy in this series revolves around things like psychics, ghosts, and rituals. It's very dark. And so I don't think I'll be continuing the series after all. :(
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I feel stuck in a reading rut now. I've started and put down two more books since finishing these two. I can't seem to find anything that captures my attention! I'm publishing this post a few days before the end of the month, because I don't think I'll be finishing anything else before October 1... Although the next few days are going to be rainy and fall-like, so I might surprise myself...
How do you get out of a reading rut??
Linking up with Anne Bogel's Quick Lit on October 15.
This post does contain Amazon Affiliate links. Purchases you make after clicking through will help support The Lion is a Bookworm, without changing the cost to you! :)
I hear you on the reading rut. I usually try to find something by one of my favorite that I haven't read before, because I'm pretty sure I'll like it. Or I look for books that are described as "fast paced" or "had me hooked from the first page." When I'm in a rut, I need something that's going to suck me in right away or I'll just give up on it.
ReplyDeleteThat's exactly what I need! I think the books I've picked up and put down recently have been highly recommended but take awhile to get into. So they might be better for another time...
DeleteI like your idea of looking for something by an author I like. I looked to see if Lynn Austin has anything new, and she has a new book releasing next week, yay! AND I found out she's doing a book signing of it in Grandville on Friday. I've never been to a book signing, and the introvert in me is a bit intimidated by the idea, but maybe I'll give it a try anyway...
I have been wanting to read Emily of New Moon ever since Anne Bogle raved about it on a previous episode of WSIRN. Haven't gotten to it yet. I need to still read Anne book 6 before I will switch over to Emily.
ReplyDeleteHere are my Sept reads: https://elle-alice.blogspot.ca/2016/09/september-book-reviews.html
That episode is what pushed me to read it too!
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