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lizziestudieshistory · 4 years

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Books of 2020 - April

April was a strange reading month for me, on the one hand I read 10 books which is double my average 5-6 books a month! On the other I completely failed to read my OWLs Magical Readathon tbr... I did manage to read books that worked for the prompts but they weren’t the books I meant to read. Oops!

(Once again I haven’t proof read this and I’ll just apologise in advance for any mistakes, I’m lazy...)

OWLS Magical Reathon: Hogwarts Professor (what subject I specialise in will depend on the NEWTS...)

Wyrd Sisters - Terry Pratchett (Discworld #6, Witches #1)

OWLS: History of Magic

I loved reading Wyrd Sisters, it was so much fun! Pratchett retold Shakespeare’s Macbeth from the witches view point, but with his usual satirical twist. Granny Weatherwax, Nanny Ogg, and Magrat Garlick shine through the narrative, offering a no nonsense, ridiculous, and lovable take on witchcraft (or headology) as worked to protect Lancre from Duke and Duchess Felmet after they assassinated King Verence.

The Shakespeare references, puns, and reworkings in this book was sublime! I had a great time picking them out and watching as the acting company performed the most ridiculous versions of Shakespeare’s greatest works. I adored the witches - which was a bit surprising. I’d gone into this thinking I’d dislike the Witches sub-series after reading Equal Rites a couple of years ago (to this day it is my least favourite Discworld book...) However, Granny Weatherwax is a very different character here and the story is so separate from the narrative in Equal Rites that I refuse to see this book as the second installment in the Wtiches sub-series. I’d highly recommed reading Wyrd Sisters, and it would be a fantastic place to start with Pratchett if you like retellings and/or Shakespeare!

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight - Anon, trans. by J.R.R. Tolkien

OWLS: Potions

I enjoyed this translation of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Tolkien’s style and tone suits this style of poetry (would you call it epic? It’s more of a romance...) Tolkien brought the story in Sir Gawain to life for me, in a way I’ve never experienced in other versions I’ve read. I fell in love with this simple tale from Arthurian Legend, which I’ve never done before... It’s beautiful, simple, and captivating. I would highly recommend reading this edition if you’re interested in Sir Gawain.

The Last Hero - Terry Pratchett (Discworld #27, Rincewind and the Wizards #7)

OWLs: Astronomy

This is a book of two halves for me. The story itself is a bit too simple for my tastes... We see Cohen the Barbarian (the only Discworld character I actually hate) heading towards the Hub to return fire to the gods, however, Ankh-Morpork sends a party afte him to prevent him from destroying the Disc. This party was hilarious: Rincewind, the Librarian, Leonard of Quirrm, and Captain Carrot Ironfounderson all confined to a tiny ‘spaceship’... This was not a combination of characters I ever expected to see and their personalities, particularly Carrot and Rincewind, created several spectacularly ridiculous moments I loved! But the plot itself wasn’t great, I was expecting a bit more from Pratchett at this stage in in the Discworld.

However, the artwork in this book was stunning! It worked so well to elevate the story, I couldn’t help but love it... If the artwork hadn’t been included this book would have been a lot weaker... It’s hard to rate the book because of this, but I did really enjoy it (and hopefully this will be the last time I have to read about Cohen the Barbarian and the Silver Horde.) Also, look up Rincewind as The Scream, it’s brilliant!

We Should All Be Feminists - Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

OWLs: Arithmancy

I usually don’t read essays for pleasure, nonfiction has been relegated to academic pursuits for the last 5ish years... Yet, this classic (I’m calling it a classic, everyone should read it) essay from Adichie was incredibly powerful. It emphasised the importance of feminism to non-western/European women and highlighted how important and beneficial feminism is for everyone. It’s a really important piece for people to read and I’d highly recommend finding the audiobook, or a reading, done by Adichie as her passion for the subject shines through her words.

Beren and Luthien - J.R.R. Tolkien (Middle Earth)

OWLs: Transfiguration

I ADORED Beren and Luthien, it was the best book I’ve read all month. I was expecting to dislike this book because of it’s formatting. It’s told through several fragmentary versions of Beren’ and Luthien’s romance that at Tolkien wrote throughout his life. Christopher Tolkien edited together 5 or 6 (maybe?) manuscripts along with his own commentary, introduction, and parts of the Earendil story to give us a fleshed out picture of Tolkien’s greatest romance. Unlike The Fall of Gondolin, which I read earlier this year, the format worked beautifully for Beren and Luthien, probably because the different versions that have survived were incredibly different and more complete.

I was feeling a bit so-so about this collection until we started seeing the Lay of Leithian (sp?) woven in between a few prose versions of the tale. The verse in the Lay of Leithian was gorgeous, it was beautiful, etherial, and passionate. I actually cried reading a few sections from it, such as the end of Felagund’s part in the tale. It was such a shame Tolkien never finished the Lay as it probably would have been his best work within the Middle Earth legend. It was captivating and the poetry suited the tone and style of Beren and Luthien’s story. The verse would have made the final acts of Luthien in the Halls of Mados exquisite, poignant, and heartbreakingly tragic.

I cannot love this book more - it might be my favourite in Middle Earth, knocking The Silmarillion off the top spot... But, I wouldn’t necessarily recommend this book for everyone. If you’re a Tolkien fanatic then I’d consider this a must read, it contains Tolkien’s most beautiful writing along with his most tragic romance! If you’re only mildly interested in Middle Earth then I don’t think you’re going to enjoy it.

The Children of Earth and Sky - Guy Gavriel Kay

OWLs: Charms

The Children of Earth and Sky was an incredibly read, it’s a powerful but understated historical fantasy set in a world based on (I presume) renaissance Italy and the Ottoman Empire at its height. There’s not a vast amount of story here, however, the character work, world building, and thematic discussion around history, religion, the ability of an individual to change the fate of nations, corruption of power, and so much more, was stunning. It was a beautiful study of characters and cultures, which was complimented by Kay’s sumptuous writing style. This was a gorgeous read!

My biggest criticism is for the romances, Kay had 4 main characters - two men and two women - and rather predictably they ended up in relationships by the end of the novel... The relationship between Danica and Marin did make more sense to me by the end of the book than the relationship between Leonora and Pero. However, both were a bit instalove-y and could have done with more development.

Nevertheless, I’d highly recommend this book! It would be an excellent read for people who aren’t fantasy fans as the fantastical elements are minor. The focus is on the historical influences, themes, and character development. It’s an excellent standalone fantasy book and I’m excited to read more of Kay’s work in the future.

The Merchant of Venice - William Shakespeare

OWLs: Divination

Most of what I could say about The Merchant of Venice has already been said before. Shakespeare’s portrayal of Shylock is incredibly problematic (I haven’t got the time or energy to go into why, but there are literally thousands of books, essays and blogposts about this, go forth and read if you want more details), the relationship between Portia and Bassanio makes NO sense, and I cannot believe that ending means anyone is going to be happy...

However, this play has a certain charm that I loved. I couldn’t help but like the relationship between Antonio and Bassanio, Portia and Nerissa are darlings, and I had fun reading the wacky plotline and (yet more) crossdressing shenanigans going on in here! I think most of my enjoyment came from the RSC version I watch alongside the play (currently availbale on Marquee TV). Either way, I’m happy to have read the play AT LAST and be one play closer to my goal of reading every Shakespeare play!

Assassin’s Apprentice - Robin Hobb (Farseer #1, Realm of the Elderlings #1)

OWLs: Defence Against the Dark Arts

We all know how I feel about Robin Hobb and the Realm of the Elderlings. I adore this world, Fitz and the Fool are (probably) the best written characters in fantasy and two of my all time favourites! I reread this for the Elderlingalong (that I somehow missed...), which gave me the perfect excuse to pick up the new 25th Anniversary edition with the GORGEOUS illustrations from Magali Villeneuve. I had a wonderful time rereading this and if you’re a fan of Hobb and you haven’t seen the work this book already you MUST get your hands on it ASAP.

Non-OWLs books

The Gathering Storm - Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson (Wheel of Time #12)

I wrote WAY to much to include it on this long list of books... I’ll post my thoughts on The Gathering Storm separately.

Conclusion of my ramblings: I really liked it, there were flaws in Sanderson’s writing and treatment of some characters (Mat in particular), however, it was a really good installment in the series! Sanderson really impressed me and I’m slightly nervous and very excited to read the last two books in the series!

The Fellowship of the Ring - J.R.R. Tolkien (Lord of the Rings #1)

I’ve already put up a lot of my thoughts on my latest read of The Fellowship of the Ring here. I really loved rereading this book (as I always do), I had a lot of new thoughts, and I gained a new appreciation of Boromir and Tolkien’s poetry. My annotation reread will continue in the near future with The Two Towers - I just need to clear a few urgent reads off my shelves first!

Currently Reading

Nevermore: The Trials of Morrigan Crow - Jessica Townsend

Buddy read book! I’ve actually finished this at time of posting but I’m trying to give an accurate view of my April reading!

The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet - Becky Chambers

I was supposed to read this for Arithmancy, but I didn’t get round to it... I’ve also finished this one early this month.

Words of Radiance - Brandon Sanderson

Another buddy read with @towerofleeza! We’re not the best at reading this at the same time (sorry dear!) but I think we’re both loving it, I certainly am!

Witches Abroad - Terry Pratchett

I couldn’t help myself I needed more of the Witches! I’ve also finished this one at time of posting this and enjoyed it.

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violetiris-ak · 5 years

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I got tagged by @weirdnproudofit. Guess you all get to learn a little bit more about me than my obsession with Dragon Age, Reylo, Realm of the Elderlings and writing.

Rules: Tag 9 people you want to get to know better and answer the questions. I’ll probably won’t tag as many though cause I don’t wanna spam half my followers.

Relationship status: Single.

Favorite Color: Purple usually, though I can be swayed by pretty shade of just about anything.

Top 3 ships: Oh, now this is going to be hard. Like, super, super hard. So I’m gonna cheat again.

I guess I’ll start with one of the easiest: Ereri/Riren, Eren/Levi from Attack on Titan. I know canonically it’ll never be thing and I’m totally fine with that. Romance of any kind isn’t really much of a thing in the anime and manga, besides the sort of hinted at relationship between Ymir and Christa which I also ship, but the fanfic, fan art, and just fandom related content around this ship has just been incredible. I came to it during the early days of the anime’s airing in 2013 and never left. I am so blown away and moved by it to this day. So much laughter and smiles and delicious angst and swoon worthy content. Seriously, some of the fanfics for this pairing were so addictive and impressive and also just warm and comforting. And from some of them, I even learned about myself like in the way the best of books do. I’m not as immersed in the community as I used to, but I still follow it and was only reading a fanfic for this pairing a month ago and it was like coming home.

Pre Eren/Levi the last big ship of mine was Dramione aka Draco/Hermione from Harry Potter. I never expected them to get together canonically. I actually came to the series after it was finished, and it wasn’t until after I was finished when I browsing the internet that I came across my first Dramione fic. Intrigued I gave it a go and was hooked. It was like an innocent, PG rated one where Draco and Hermione have a spell go wrong and must stick close together until the spell wears off, and in the meantime, learn to first tolerate each other and then eventually like each other. I was done for and consume such an incredible amount of fanfic it was unreal.

One of the things that actually made 2016 bearable was my discovering the Dragon Age series and then mass playing them 2x through (still slowly working on my third). By the end of my first playthrough, I just wasn’t ready to leave the world. I couldn’t let go. So I Googled the top fanfics for it and read Zute’s “A Californian in King Cailan’s Court” and sequel “Post Blight Management for Dummies,” which is hysterical by the way. And I binge read so much DA fanfic after that. Seriously, some of my fellow DA fanfic writers are amazing. And as I was looking through one fic where Zevran tries to broker a truce between Fenris and Anders, I became curious about Fenders. And so I looked to see what was out there and got hooked. Now this is another ship that isn’t canon, but these fics showed something I longed for in the game: for these two to realize that despite all their arguments and differences that they both long for the same thing: freedom and justice for those like them that are oppressed. Both have had their freedom denied, both traumatized by their past, Anders by the Chantry and the Templars and the Circle and Fenris by the slavers and magisters of Tevinter. What so many of the fics handled so gracefully was having these two broken people find healing and understanding through one another to a beautiful effect. I recommend giving @nikki-66 fics a go for great examples of this.

And I said I was gonna cheat, right? Okay, so here are two other ships I’m fully sailing on that I didn’t put in my top three. The first being Reylo because anyone who follows my blog will have probably noticed that I totally ship this. I shipped it from The Force Awakens and was ecstatic when The Last Jedi came out. I went on such a fanfic reading binge for this in late 2017/early to mid 2018. It was the only thing that toned down DA fanfic reading to reasonable levels. All I can is if Ben Solo dies in the next movie and/or if Reylo doesn’t happen in some way I’m going to be so pissed lol

Finally, to one of the most complicated and moving and hard to define relationships I’ve ever read in fantasy fiction: Fitz and the Fool from Robin Hobb’s the Realm of the Elderlings. Fitz is the bastard of the crown prince of the Six Duchies turned assassin for the king and the Fool is the court jester and also someone he refers to as the White Prophet. Their relationship in the books spans a lifetime, and it grows and evolves. Are they friends? Or are they more? But they’re not lovers, not in the way most of us would think of them but also something more. All I knew was that in some way the two of them needed to end up together in some way, and I just couldn’t bear the thought that they wouldn’t be. I put off reading the last trilogy for months because of it. And when I did... I won’t say because you really need to read these books. All sixteen of them and in order. Please.

lipstick or chapstick: I always have a chapstick in my pocket. Always. I can’t stand having dry lips. And while I do love lipstick for all the pretty colors and also the way it brightens my face, I hate when a lipstick can just settle on your lips and look super bad. But in recent years there’s been more lip butters and other hydrating formulas that I can regularly use, so that’s nice.

Last song: Don’t Stop Me Now by Queen. I’ve been on a Queen kick after watching Bohemian Rhapsody.

Last movie: I was hanging out with my mom post her knee surgery and got her to finally watch Mulan. Before that it was Outlaw King on Netflix (with a friend) and then Bohemian Rhapsody (with a sister). I don’t watch a whole lot of movies. And if we’re talking TV shows then Outlander (with a friend). I’m more likely to be found reading, writing or gaming than I am to be watching something.

currently reading: Ummmmm where do I begin? Ha. Like I just read a Reylo oneshot this morning. The other day I just finished Kingdom of Ash by Sarah J. Maas (which was so good!) and because I was in such a Maas kick I decided to make my 100th book read of the year her Catwoman Soulstealer one (good so far!). Also, I just started reading the novella Neutral by Jane Washington and Jaymin Eve which is part of the Curse of the Gods series (the protagonist Willa is the funniest main character I’ve read in years; the most recent one being the Warden in Zute’s Dragon Age fanfic).

And yes, I did say 100 books. I am counting novel lengths fanfics, books of poetry and plays along with any novels and books of nonfiction. In 2017, I wanted to see how much I was actually reading and challenged myself to get to at 50 (I ended up somewhere in the 80s) and write them all down in a notebook. I gave myself the 50 challenge again this year at the bare minimum with the ultimate goal of 100 books read. So unless I lose all access to the written word for the rest of the year, I’ll be meeting my goal in the next day or so, which is super exciting.

So here I’m going to tag four of my followers! If you’ve already done this or find the whole thing annoying feel free to ignore it. @orkindofamazing @amervalk @latebuthere @nekoamamori

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hollywayblog · 6 years

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Inspiration and Absorption: The Elusive Input-Output Balance

Ever since I learned how to work, I’ve been a workaholic. Oh how I love the feeling of getting under the covers at night and knowing in your bones that you have earned that good night’s sleep. But beyond that, I love my work. Because I love art. I love stories.

The thing is, that love of stories can sometimes get in the way of writing them, because if there’s anything that can steal my passion for the book I’m writing, it’s the book I’m reading.

Anyone who has ever lost themselves to a book knows what I’m talking about. Every so often we come across a story that just captures our imagination and holds on for dear life. It’s all you can think about, and it’s all you want to talk about. The characters take on a life of their own. You want to inhale the entire story but simultaneously dread getting to the end. And when it does end, you feel like you’ve left a chunk of your soul in those tear-stained pages.

This is, to me, one of the most precious experiences we have as humans. And to be honest, the miracle of reading itself never ceases to amaze me. You understand these symbols I’m typing and that’s fucking insane. So the fact that they can do so much more than be understood... The fact that they can make one think or laugh or cry... The fact that ink on paper can make one’s heart race... I don’t ever want to take that for granted.

But here’s the dilemma: as a writer, it is important to read. And it is important to read things that interest you, inspire you and excite you. Reading good writing is one of the best ways to become a better writer yourself. But sometimes a book comes along that is so good it pushes the stories you’re trying to tell clear out of your brain.

I’ve been working on draft two of my novel Baby Teeth for a couple months now. It’s only draft two, so my characters are still forming and my story is still in the process of revealing itself to me. I’ll have to go through several more drafts before I can see it all clearly. And that doesn’t mean I don’t love it, but it’s delicate. It’s a tender lil sprout that I’m gently guiding in the knowledge that one day I’ll be able to see all it’s branches in full. Couple that with the legendary novel fatigue (becoming bored with the story you’re telling, usually exacerbated by becoming excited by a fresh idea) that almost all novelists experience and I was ripe for distraction. All I needed was a good book... Perhaps a trilogy?

Late last year I read The Farseer Trilogy. Actually no, I devoured it. At the time I wasn’t working on a novel but on various smaller projects. It was the period between publishing my book of poems Crying on My Birthday and beginning NaNoWriMo, during which I would write draft one of Baby Teeth. So there was no harm in spending a good amount of time reading. And I did.

I thoroughly enjoyed book one, and by book two I was completely obsessed. But once I was finished the trilogy I made the - honestly wise - decision not to read the next one (there are three separate Fitz trilogies) yet as I was about to start writing my own novel and didn’t want my attention divided. It wasn’t too painful to wait since each trilogy is essentially self-contained and there were no cliffhangers left to resolve.

So I got to work on my novel, finished draft one and read a bunch of standalone books in the meantime, and to be honest most of them were mediocre. And I think because a few months and a few books had passed since I had finished Assassin’s Quest, I had forgotten just how addictive those books were. I didn’t think about the fact that I was working on draft two of my book. I didn’t think about the fact that I was about to start my 1kADay Challenge. I didn’t think about the whole reason I didn’t continue the series back then. I honestly was just fed up with ‘meh’ books and wanted to read something that I just knew I would enjoy.

But I don’t think enjoy is the right word for my experience of these books.

The second I opened Fool’s Errand (Book One of the Tawny Man Trilogy), I was overwhelmed by this feeling of comfort and familiarity. All the feelings the original trilogy had brought out in me came rushing back in, and this time they were even more intense. And soon that sense of comfort was overtaken by the tension of a new and exciting plot. There were times reading these books when I actually felt like I was going to have a damn heart attack - and those weren’t even the action scenes. The characters became so real to me that the interpersonal dramatics were more significant to me than any fight scene.

None of this is new to me. I had a Nimbus 2000, man; I’m no stranger to the heady magic of fiction.

But the last time I was this immersed in a series must have been 2015 or so, when I finished A Song of Ice and Fire. I’ve always written, but I’ve only been working full time as a writer since the end of 2016. I’ve never had to balance this overwhelming addiction to a fictional world while simultaneously trying to create my own.

At least, not to this extent. I have had tastes of it while reading magnificent standalone novels. I have known the struggle of wanting only to read. And also the struggle of being so inspired by a piece of work while simultaneously feeling dwarfed by its greatness. How could I ever make my cult-centred novel as profoundly terrifying as Orwell’s 1984? How could my prose ever reach the realm of dizzying beauty that Nabokov achieves in Lolita? And how can I tear myself away from these sickening, incredible stories for long enough to even try?

Let me say now that I do manage. It’s not that I give up on life and stay in bed all day reading when this strikes me. Life goes on. I get my 1,000 word minimum done every day. And when it’s a standalone novel it’s not such a big deal. You can spend the few days to a week it takes you to finish it feeling less thrilled than usual about your own work and it won’t hurt you. But there are nine huge novels in Fitz’s story. That’s weeks of absorption, if not months. And while I can still get my writing done in the meantime, a story that consuming can make you feel almost as if it’s the only story worth telling. Which is stupid. Which is why I keep writing regardless. But the fact is I just don’t think it’s possible to maintain an obsession with a story you’re consuming and a story you’re writing.

And maybe it doesn’t matter when all is said and done. As long as you can focus on your writing while you’re doing it, does it matter if you spend the rest of your time obsessing over someone else’s?

I think perhaps it’s not so important in the early drafts. But when I am in the process of actually writing the story as it is finally, forever meant to be, then I may have to go on a book fast until it’s done.

And as someone who creates in many mediums, I know this is a common problem. You can fall so hard for a piece of art that for a time it almost feels like... This is The Perfect Thing. Why would anyone bother to make anything else? Or maybe there’s the feeling of, Why am I writing a sci-fi novel? Clearly I should be writing a fantasy series!

It’s times like these when I understand fan fiction very well. That temptation to create within the confines of somebody else’s world is not so damaging to some. If you’re not interested in making worlds of your own then it is just a fun, indulgent creative exercise. But when you’re an artist with your own stories to tell, that obsession can be a slippery slope.

And yet, we artists also need that. How can I write a story that captures people’s imaginations in such a way if I’ve never experienced it? How can I tell a page-turning story if I’ve never read one? And how can I create compelling characters - something dearly important to me - if I don’t know how it feels for a character to climb out of the page and into your life?

To be honest, I don’t have the answers. Like all things in life, there is a balance to this, both necessary and elusive. I’d like to hope one day I’ll find it.

I’m extremely curious to hear your thoughts on this! Have you read a series lately that held you prisoner until you finished it? Or maybe even a TV series (I haven’t watched a good series in a very long time so I’m safe from this at the moment)? How has it interfered with your writing? Do you have a strategy or are you as lost as I am? Let me know!

Psst! Did you know I have a writing group that not only hosts the 1kADay Challenge throughout April but also runs throughout the year to provide support, inspiration and motivation for all kinds of writers? Request to join here!

#writing #blogger #writers of tumblr #creative writing #fandom

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