Persuasion – Darkestwings Reads

October 2017 Wrap-Up (Part 1)

Lee — Thu, 02 Nov 2017 03:29:36 +0000

Sons from Afar by Cynthia Voigt
(The Tillerman Cycle, book 6)
Rating: ★★★★☆
Review: No
Reading Dates: October 2 – 5
Read Count: 3
Favorite Thing: The way James and Sammy both admire each other, with neither of them realizing it.
Least Favorite Thing: Not enough Dicey & Gram.

I was right in this post, to expect that I would like this book more now that I’m older. I even rated it higher than I had in the past.

My Posts About Sons from Afar

Seventeen Against the Dealer by Cynthia Voigt
(The Tillerman Cycle, book 7)
Rating: ★★★★☆
Review: No
Reading Dates: September 5 – 6
Read Count: 3
Favorite Thing: The way Dicey thinks about things.
Least Favorite Thing: Cisco. (Please read that name with your lip curled up in disgust, because that’s how I think it and how I typed it.)

Wow. I was right to expect it to be different to read when I was older. Not good different or bad different, but different.

The best way I can think to explain it is: When I was younger and I read it, I was reading it with the kind of optimism about the future that mostly only people under 18 have, even the ones who don’t think they really have it much. Because no matter what was going on I thought pretty much like I always had with all the other books, that everything would fall into place and work out because Dicey deserved for it to. And because that’s what I was reading it for, when Dicey feels satisfied with the way she’s moving forward at the end, I felt like everything had fallen into place and worked out.

Now though, I see it more realistically. Things don’t work out because you deserve for them to or because you want them, but even when things don’t work out the way you dreamed, there’s usually something you can still do to pick yourself up and keep going with your life, whichever way you go. Not that it’s all hunky-dory, of course, but if you look at things with an eye to solve problems and keep surviving, that’s almost always what you’ll do eventually, even if it doesn’t feel good the whole time and even if it isn’t the way you wanted it to be.

I feel like this book was trying to teach me something my whole life, and I got it, but I didn’t get it.

It’s a great book, but it’s a hard one too. Because you only want things to work out the way they ought to and be simpler, and you have to grow your thoughts up right alongside Dicey as you read. And the process doesn’t feel very good most of the time, though there are bright spots, but in the end you feel satisfied with yourself and with the book.

This bit got a lot longer than I usually have it, but I can’t see a single thing I’m willing to take out, so long it will have stay.

My Posts About Seventeen Against the Dealer

Empress of the World by Sara Ryan
(Battle Hall Davies, book 1)
Rating: ★★★☆☆
Review: No
Reading Dates: October 12
Read Count: 2
Favorite Thing: Nic’s insistence on “bisexual”.
Least Favorite Thing: It’s a tie between everyone else insisting on saying Nic was gay/lesbian and her straight friend Katrina making every single thing about Nic and Battle into something sexual as if queer relationships aren’t about anything except sex. (Note: I didn’t enjoy reading those things, but they are totally accurate so I wouldn’t want them removed from the book.)

I read this book once before when I was in middle school or early high school. I decided to reread it because there’s something about the cover art and title that constantly bring me back to it even though it’s not exactly a mind-blowing piece of writing. But I can actually remember clearly the exact moment I first saw this book on a shelf, and if you know anything about me and my terrible memory, you know that’s a huge deal.

I did have a couple of complaints, but they are small:

There was something off-putting about the way all Nic’s straight friends kept saying “dyke” all the time… Maybe Yankees use the word more than Southerners and that’s why I’m not used to it, but it practically made me flinch every time.
(It’s only used as an insult a couple times, the rest are it being used in place of the words “gay” or “lesbian”, but in my life I’ve only ever heard anyone use that specific word on tv, even my queer friends never used it.)
It didn’t feel like there was a plot? I’m sure there must have been, and I guess it was that the romance was the entire plot, but honestly it barely felt like it had a plot at all. I’m assuming that I am just not used to novels that are literally about romance and nothing else at all.

Overall it was a decent book and it was nice to see a portrayal of the different ways bisexuality is erased and dismissed by other people.

My Posts About Empress of the World

Persuasion by Jane Austen
Rating: ★★★☆☆
Review: No
Reading Dates: August 2 – October 13
Read Count: 1
Favorite Thing: THE LETTER!!!!!
Least Favorite Thing: Anne’s family…

I no longer hate Persuasion. I don’t love it, but I don’t hate it either. It’s just as well written as all Austen’s novels, even if I couldn’t get into it, and I’m so glad to have finally read it all the way through.

I finished this book for The Cookie Read-A-Thon

My Posts About Persuasion

I’d Tell You I Love You, But Then I’d Have to Kill You by Ally Carter
(Gallagher Girls, book 1)
Rating: ★★★☆☆
Review: No
Reading Dates: October 13 – 14
Read Count: 2
Favorite Thing: Mr. Moscowitz during the final!
Least Favorite Thing: D’Man.

I’m pretty glad I decided to reread this one and see if I wanted to finish the series (which I never did the first time I found this book, back in middle school.

I read this book for The Cookie Read-A-Thon

My Posts About I’d Tell You I Love You, But Then I’d Have to Kill You

Cross My Heart and Hope to Spy by Ally Carter
(Gallagher Girls, book 2)
Rating: ★★★☆☆
Review: No
Reading Dates: October 15
Read Count: 1
Favorite Thing: The suitemates’ friendship makes me happy.
Least Favorite Thing: Cammie doesn’t question things enough man… Or when she does she forgets them almost immediately.

I can’t believe someone actually debated who would make a better Gallagher Girl between Buffy and Veronica Mars when the answer is so clearly and unarguably Veronica. Buffy wouldn’t know stealth if it kicked her in the face…

Also I don’t actually remember reading this book before, but somehow I knew about Blackthorne? That is, I knew it was a boys school when Cammie overheard that first conversation and I knew it was specifically “Blackthorne Institute” so….???

I had a short feeling of Second Book Syndrome, but the book was engaging enough that I could just keep reading through it and luckily it didn’t last very long.

I read this book for The Cookie Read-A-Thon

My Posts About Cross My Heart and Hope to Spy

Part 2

Cookie Read-A-Thon: Day 1

Lee — Sat, 14 Oct 2017 00:48:41 +0000

I didn’t start until the afternoon, but I’m pretty proud of my marginal progress already. Why, you ask? I finished Persuasion! I even enjoyed it! And I am now officially 5 books away from my goal for the year that I set on Goodreads.

Books Read Today:

Persuasion by Jane Austen (111 pages; completed)
I’d Tell You I Love You, But Then I’d Have to Kill You by Ally Carter (52 pages)

Time Spent Reading: 3 H 26 M

Total Pages Read: 163

Total Time Spent Reading: 3 H 26 M

Books Completed: 1

Normally I would keep going, especially during a read-a-thon, but I’m weirdly sleepy and I’m going to try and take advantage of that since I don’t usually get much sleep at all.

My goal for tomorrow is to finish the first Gallagher Girl book that I started today and make some sort of start on a new book to be chosen when the time comes from the books I have checked out from the library (pictures can be seen in my Kind of Daily Challenge post for today if anyone would like to offer opinions on what I should read next).

I hope everyone else is having a great read-a-thon!

Persuasion Project Master Post

Lee — Fri, 13 Oct 2017 22:58:01 +0000

In August of this year I started a project with the goal of finally reading Jane Austen’s Persuasion. I have owned this book for over a decade and in that time have tried to read it with no success. The exact number of times I couldn’t say, but I know it was at least 7 or 8, and each time I would get only a few chapters in before I would get bored and give up.

I still don’t know exactly what it was that made it so hard for me to get into Persuasion, especially since I love all of Austen’s other work, and probably I never will know.

However, I set a New Year’s goal for finally reading Persuasion in 2017 and about halfway through the year decided it was time to make that happen. Thus, the Persuasion Project was started. I knew I couldn’t sit down and read it in one sitting, so I decided to only make myself read a single chapter a week, which I would then post something about. I figured even if I hated every single chapter, at least when it was done I’d have accomplished a long-time goal.

I actually finished much sooner than expected, taking only 11 weeks instead of 22! Hurray! I have now read all of Jane Austen’s novels.

Completed: Persuasion by Jane Austen

Lee — Fri, 13 Oct 2017 22:42:06 +0000

Persuasion by Jane Austen

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Having finished Persuasion finally after all these years of trying, I can say that I’m very glad I resolved to finish it this year and started my weekly chapter project. I didn’t enjoy the majority of it, for reasons still unknown to me, but I did enjoy some bits here and there, and especially the last quarter or so of the book.

I’m glad I read it and except for saying that I didn’t quite click with the book, I will no longer talk badly about it to people when discussing Austen’s works (which I mostly love). It’s never going to be my favorite, but it’s just as good as all the others for sure.

View all my ratings on Goodreads

Persuasion by Jane Austen: Week 11

Lee — Fri, 13 Oct 2017 22:20:08 +0000

Chapter V

I actually enjoyed that chapter! I think I might keep reading.

I totally agree with Anne about Mr. Elliot, too. He gives me a bad feeling.

Chapter VI

I think I’m as shocked as anyone else to find out Benwick and Louisa got together! Ha!

Chapter VII

*maniacal laughter* I don’t know who the ladies were in Wentworth’s party, but I like them and reading him being so thrown by seeing Anne and then her being spirited off by Mr. Elliot was so satisfying!

Chapter VIII

Wow! Wentworth’s mood swings faster even than mine… (And wow, smooth flirting there Mr. Elliot.)

Also, now that Anne is becoming sure that he must have feelings for her, it’s actually making me nervous. When she thought he didn’t like her, I could feel confident that he did, but now that she believes it too I’m starting to feel like something is going to happen to disappoint her!

Chapter XI

I KNEW HE WAS SHADY!!!! Mr. Elliot gave me a bad feeling every time he showed up, except once, and now I get the satisfaction of being proved right. Ha! But also, wow, what a dick.

Chapter X

Oh I like the Musgroves (except for Mary, who annoys me), I’m glad they are back.

I can’t believe Anne keeps putting off going and telling Lady Russell what she knows about Mr. Elliot, especially now that she’s seen him and Mrs. Clay (who he claims to hate and who has designs on the family just like he does) meeting in secret!

Come on, Anne, get with it!

And since I’m enjoying myself and have only two more chapters until the end of the book (and I’m doing a Read-A-Thon anyway), I think I might just finish it today instead of waiting!

Chapter XI

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Chapter XII

I’m glad no one can see me smirking in a very petty way over Elizabeth’s having no suitors. And also at the idea of Mrs. Clay possibly out-manipulating Mr. Elliot and winding up mistress of Kellynch exactly as she wanted, if not exactly as she planned. It would serve him right.

It’s so satisfying to see all the good things coming to all the people who really appreciated Anne, and none coming to the people who didn’t! Ha!

Fin!

In this post I explained my plan to finally work my way through Jane Austen’s Persuasion (the only book of hers I don’t like at all).

At the end of each week, either Friday or Saturday, I will post an update of my progress and any thoughts, should I have them.

Musing Monday: October 9, 2017

Lee — Mon, 09 Oct 2017 18:00:31 +0000

Musing Mondays is a weekly meme, hosted by Ambrosia at The Purple Booker, that asks you to choose one of the following prompts to answer:

I’m currently reading…
Up next I think I’ll read…
I bought the following book(s) in the past week…
I’m super excited to tell you about (book/author/bookish-news)…
I’m really upset by (book/author/bookish-news)…
I can’t wait to get a copy of…
I wish I could read ____, but…
I blogged about ____ this past week…

THIS WEEK’S RANDOM QUESTION: Have you ever read a book that changed your life?

I blogged about ____ this past week…

Monday, October 2 – Musing Monday this week talked about what we do with physical copies of books that we don’t want to keep. And I posted a Currently Reading bookstagram.
Tuesday, October 3 – Teaser Tuesday, using Sons from Afar by Cynthia Voigt.
Wednesday, October 4 – WWW Wednesday and a WAYRW, again using Sons from Afar.
Thursday, October 5 – I finished Sons from Afar and made a rating post for it, along with my usual Thursday Quotables, and then later a Currently Reading bookstagram and an update on Seventeen Against the Dealer by Cynthia Voigt.
Friday, October 6 – The usual First Lines Friday & Friday 56. And throughout the day a couple updates on my progress through Seventeen Against the Dealer, ending with a rating post for that book.
Saturday, October 7 – Just my weekly Persuasion progress post.

Have you ever read a book that changed your life?
To be honest I’m pretty sure every book I’ve read has changed my life in that the books we read shape the way we think and view the world in minute ways, but as for books that changed things significantly…

The Harry Potter series did, around middle school. I had always loved reading, even as a toddler, but around 6th grade my depression began to get overwhelmingly bad and I was struggling just to get through the days, with no energy left over for things like pleasure reading. Then in 7th grade I saw a chance to do something I wasn’t allowed to do and get away with it, which I always loved. (That thing being reading Harry Potter.) Thanks to those books I rediscovered my love of reading. In addition I discovered that reading could take me away from the struggle in my own life and mind, could give me an escape. I’ll always be grateful for that.

Cynthia Voigt’s books changed me too. Her writing changed the way I think. They taught me to look at problems differently, to face challenges differently. I think they helped me learn to be resilient. I learned from characters of hers how I could think to help me enjoy hard work, ways to appreciate small things and see beauty around me. Not that I couldn’t sometimes do those things already, but not as well. Her characters taught me how to arrange my thoughts to appreciate the things already around me. When I want to feel like my best self, I always reread a Cynthia Voigt book. It bothers me that more people don’t know about her books because they had such an impact on me.

Robert Fulghum is another that changed me I think. His books taught me an introspective way of thinking, taught me to look for meaning in my experiences. They also taught me to look at everything with a dose of humor, to laugh at myself, and to enjoy experiences in a more childlike way even as I became more mature. And on a lighter note, they were the first books I ever read that weren’t marketed specifically to children or teens, and I discovered I could like adult books.

I’m sure there have been others, but those are the ones that stand out in my mind. What books have changed you?

Persuasion by Jane Austen: Week 10

Lee — Sat, 07 Oct 2017 19:05:05 +0000

Lee is on page 149 of 260

Chapter IV

That was a long seven pages…. It barely held my attention at all. I want to care, but I just don’t. I don’t even like anyone in this book. If this had been my first Austen novel I’d have never read another or discovered how amazing she was.

In this post I explained my plan to finally work my way through Jane Austen’s Persuasion (the only book of hers I don’t like at all).

At the end of each week, either Friday or Saturday, I will post an update of my progress and any thoughts, should I have them.

Musing Monday: October 2, 2017

Lee — Mon, 02 Oct 2017 22:00:27 +0000

Musing Mondays is a weekly meme, hosted by Ambrosia at The Purple Booker, that asks you to choose one of the following prompts to answer:

THIS WEEK’S RANDOM QUESTION: What do you do with your non-keeper hard copy books?

I blogged about ____ this past week…

Monday, September 25 – Musing Monday, briefly talking about book clubs.
Tuesday, September 26 – Teaser Tuesday, using Dreams of Gods & Monsters by Laini Taylor.
Wednesday, September 27 – WWW Wednesday in the morning and Top 5 Wednesday, talking about books the online book community inspired me to read, in the afternoon. I finished Dreams of Gods & Monsters and posted a rating and a quote I liked. Then in the evening I had a post talking about a book I’m anticipating, Forest of a Thousand Lanterns by Julie C. Dao, and my usual WAYRW post. This was a pretty good blogging day for me!
Thursday, September 28 – Thursday Quotables, a Currently Reading bookstagram (using Unmade by Sarah Rees Brennan and Come A Stranger by Cynthia Voigt), and a progress update for Unmade. And I wrote a response to a discussion post on Pages Unbound about analyzing the books we read.
Friday, September 29 – I finished Come A Stranger and posted a rating for it, then of course my First Lines Friday and Friday 56 (using Come A Stranger).
Saturday, September 30 – I posted my weekly progress update for Persuasion by Jane Austen and because it’s the end of the month I posted my Monthly Wrap-Up Part 1 & Part 2 (11 books completed this month, 2 in progress!).
Sunday, October 1 – Tomes & Tea bookstagram.

What do you do with your non-keeper hard copy books?
Well, I know a lot of the online book community members are major e-reader people, but I am not. I don’t actually have anything against them, I’m not one of those people. I actually like them, I love how available they’ve made books to everybody and I have noticed I read faster on e-readers (or it feels that way because I can’t mark my progress the same as with a physical copy), but I have a little trouble with reading on screens and let’s face it, there is nothing like holding a book in your hands. The weight, the smell, the texture, everything about physical books appeals to me.

All of this is to say: I have lots of hard copy books. Not as many as some people, but considering I have so little money, I think 600 books is quite a stash.

I try to stick to the rule of only buying copies of books I already know I like. If it’s a book I haven’t read I like to just get it from the public library, and if I like it I’ll put it on my list of books to buy. That way I don’t spend my extremely limited book buying money on books I don’t like.

However, I am pretty terrible at following my own rule… I go to my favorite bookstore, Recycled Books, and I start off looking for books from my list and next thing I know it’s been 3 hours and my my husband (or mother) is standing over me where I’ve sat down on the floor with at least 2 stacks of books, probably more, and lost myself in some book or other. (Tip: If you tell yourself you’ll just read a page or two to see if you want to buy a book, don’t believe yourself. If you are anything like me you will read several chapters before you even realize it.)

AND NOW THAT I’VE TALKED ABOUT A TON OF STUFF LET ME ANSWER THE ACTUAL QUESTION: When I do wind up with physical books I don’t want to keep, either because I got distracted from my list or because I hit up some garage sale where they had books for a quarter and I couldn’t stop myself, what do I do with them?

I take them back to the aforementioned favorite used bookstore and trade them in for store credit! And then I get to go shopping for more books!! Hurray!

(I’m so sorry, I really didn’t stay on topic even a little bit today…)

September 2017 Wrap-Up (Part 2)

Lee — Sat, 30 Sep 2017 20:00:20 +0000

Untold by Sarah Rees Brennan
(The Lynburn Legacy, book 2)
Rating: ★★★★☆
Review: Yes
Reading Dates: September 15 – 17
Read Count: 1
Favorite Thing: Rusty. Perfect Rusty.
Least Favorite Thing: Rob Lynburn is so skeezy I need 10 showers every time he talks…

Welp, I’m not mad about the thing I was mad about at the end of the first book anymore because it was explained and resolved in a very satisfying manner. However! I am frustrated because I have made several connections based on information Kami has already that she has not made and I have no way of climbing into the book to tell her!

My Posts About Untold

Days of Blood & Starlight by Laini Taylor
(Daughter of Smoke & Bone, book 2)
Rating: ★★★★☆
Review: No
Reading Dates: September 17 – 20
Read Count: 2
Favorite Thing: That fucking fruit basket/note thing!
Least Favorite Thing: Thiago. Obviously.

The close second for favorite thing was the trio of Akiva, Liraz, and Hazael. Sweet murder siblings.

But it was deeply infuriating waiting for Karou to figure out that Thiago and Ten were playing her! It seemed so damn obvious!

One thing that bugged me about the book though, there was a mention when explaining the whole “Angel-lover” insult where it says “in all Karou’s human languages, there was no insult so loaded with disgust and contempt, no single word that cast such a pall of filth” and I actually had to stop for a minute because I was annoyed. I mean… It’s really obvious what real life insult it resembles and yet it’s supposedly worse than anything in any human language. Ok Laini. Sure. (To clarify, I by no means think this was some intentional slight intended by the author, it’s just something that really bothered me personally.)

My Posts About Days of Blood & Starlight

The Runner by Cynthia Voigt
(The Tillerman Cycle, book 4)
Rating: ★★★★☆
Review: No
Reading Dates: September 20 – 21
Read Count: 3 (Pretty sure I’ve read it more than that, but only 3 that I can be sure of.)
Favorite Thing: Reading him running, of course.
Least Favorite Thing: The Phone Call. I’m still crying even though I always know it’s coming.

I want to warn potential readers, for a good half of this book Bullet is a racist. Not a “death to all black people” kind of racist, you won’t have to read depictions of him committing violence against black people, but an “I don’t mix with them” sort of racist, and you will see his thoughts about it several times. Part of his journey in this book is him learning that he’s wrong to just arbitrarily dislike people who are black. I didn’t want anyone getting blindsided by that in the beginning of the book.

My Posts About The Runner

Dreams of Gods & Monsters by Laini Taylor
(Daughter of Smoke & Bone, book 3)
Rating: ★★★★★
Review: No
Reading Dates: September 23 – 27
Read Count: 2
Favorite Thing: We Haven’t Been Introduced
Seriously this is easily my favorite part of the whole book. I grin like an idiot and squeal internally just thinking about it. Like just now, I briefly recalled parts of the book I enjoyed to evaluate them for a favorite and when I came to this one I actually hid my face and giggled so I feel like it’s really no contest.
Least Favorite Thing: Morgan Toth’s pillowy lips…

I actually raised my rating of this book from 4 stars (from back in 2014) to 5 because it’s definitely the best of the trilogy for me.

My Posts About Dreams of Gods & Monsters

Come A Stranger by Cynthia Voigt
(The Tillerman Cycle, book 5)
Rating: ★★★★☆
Review: No
Reading Dates: September 28 – 29
Read Count: 3 (Pretty sure I’ve read it more than that, but only 3 that I can be sure of.)
Favorite Thing: Mina’s laughter.
Least Favorite Thing: Racist teachers, blech.

I learned so much from Mina back in middle school when I first read this book. So much was changing for me and reading a book where that was happening to a character who was dynamic and strong was so helpful at that time.

My Posts About Come A Stranger

In Progress

Persuasion by Jane Austen: Week 9

Lee — Sat, 30 Sep 2017 18:00:58 +0000

Lee is on page 142 of 260

Chapter III

Riddle: What has two thumbs and has a weird feeling that Mr. Elliot is totally not to be trusted?
Answer: This guy right here!

Seriously, he’s too perfect, something is not right here. Which is a shame because he’s basically the only person to immediately appreciate Anne…

In this post I explained my plan to finally work my way through Jane Austen’s Persuasion (the only book of hers I don’t like at all).

At the end of each week, either Friday or Saturday, I will post an update of my progress and any thoughts, should I have them.