The Three Ws: Bookish Questions

WWW Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Taking On A World of Words.

And these three W’s that the title has so ambiguously referenced are three book related questions;

1. What are you currently reading?
2. What did you recently finish reading?
3. What do you think you’ll read next?

Currently Reading:

The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown. I’m not sure how I feel about it thus far, as I only started reading it last night. But it seems pretty gripping. It’s something I’ve had on my TBR pile for a long time so at least i’ve finally got round to it! My mum reckons it is something you definitely have to concentrate on whilst reading it, so I guess no reading it when i’m half asleep!

Recently Finished:

One Day by David Nicholls. I absolutely loved this book! So much so, I’m going as far as to say it’s one of my favourites! I completely fell in love with the two characters, Emma and Dexter who the story is centered around. The book is basically separated into yearly accounts spanning across twenty years on the same day of 15th July. If you haven’t already, I highly recommend you give this one a read!

Next read:

So i’ve got three books that I know I want to read in the near future and these include;  The Order of the Pheonix by J.K Rowling, Step Back Into Time by Ali McNamara and Van Gogh’s Ear: The True Story by Bernadette Murphy.  So it’ll be one of them that I will be reading next.

 

 

Thank you for reading! I do enjoy doing these smaller, question and answer style posts but I’ll certainly be writing more in-depth posts like in the style of my Conceptions of Freedom post again soon!

🙂

 

The Game of Thrones Tag

So, I have yet again not actually been tagged in this but i’m a GOT enthusiast to say the least, so I thought I’d give it a go.

Here’s the tag which I found originally: http://www.taniamichele.com/2015/06/a-game-of-thrones-tag.html?m=1 

1.How did you discover the series?

I think it’s actually my Dad who first mentioned it to me. But that was few years ago when I was way to young to watch the series, (I was probably about 13/14 i’m guessing). But it’s actually my sister, and two of my close friends who got me into the show really.

2.Who is your favourite house, other than the Starks and Lannisters?

House Mormont. One reason being Lyanna Mormont who is an absolute badass and a gem for female representation. But also because of Jorah Mormont. I’ve loved him from the start.

3.Who is your favourite character from House Stark?

This is quite a tricky one, as Stark is actually my favourite house. But probably Arya, she’s another good one for female representation, and she’s just a badass let’s face it, yes she’s murdered quite a lot of people but this is Game of Thrones were talking about, not Downton Abbey.

4.Who is your favourite character from House Lannister?

Tyrion! My love for his character has grown throughout the seasons. He has many admirable characteristics; he’s quick-witted, humorous, clever, and unlike the rest of the Lannisters, he has a strong moral compass.

5.Who is your favourite character?

Okay i’m simply not even going to try and pick one favourite, that’s just not going to happen. So here are my favourites; Jon Snow, Daenerys Targaryen, Arya Stark, Ned Stark,  Jorah Mormont, Davos Seaworth,  Brienne of Tarth and of course, Tyrion Lannister.

6.Who is your least favourite character?

I’m going to go for the standard answer here and say Joffrey Baratheon. Of course Ramsey Bolton was a horrible person too, but Ramsey was more love to hate, whereas Joffrey it’s just full blown hate with me.

7.What are your thoughts on the series?

I freaking LOVE IT! A couple of years ago I wouldn’t have imagined myself calling Game of Thrones my favourite TV show, let alone watching it. But I can’t personally think of anything else out there that consumes my brain so much. It’s just top of the game in my eyes.

8. If you could be one of the characters, who you would you be and why?

I’m not quite sure specifically, but I think I’d like to be a wildling for a bit, you know just try it out for a couple of days or so. Speak all broad Northern and wear fluffy clothing.

9.What is your favourite episode/season?

I’m going to go with the latest season, season seven. It’s the first season I’ve watched as it’s aired, week by week, and I think that’s actually added to the enjoyment of it. Not to forget the fact that this season has been consecutively outstanding!

10.What House would you be in?

I feel like I resonate with House Stark more than any others, and I’ve said this from watching the first season. I love the sigil of the grey direwolf and the fact that Winterfell is in the North, as I’m actually Northern myself, which makes me love the house even more.

11.What are you most looking forward to in the upcoming season?

~Spoiler alert! Stop reading now if you haven’t watched the newest season!!

• Jon Snow / Aegon Targaryen finding out his true identity
• Finding out where this leaves the relationship between Jon & Daenerys
• Watching Cersei (hopefully) get her comeuppance
• Seeing the aftermath of the destruction caused in the last episode by the army of the dead, they’ve destroyed the wall, so what happens now?
• And actually seeing who sits on the IRON THRONE at the end of it all!!

Thank you for reading!

Feel free to do this tag yourself! I therefore tag anyone who wants to do it!

🙂

Growing Up

“… And these children that you spit on

as they try to change their worlds

are immune to your consultations.

They’re quite aware

of what they’re going through…” ~ David Bowie

Being a teenager is challenging. The number of subliminal messages and expectancies placed upon young people are countless. Even though most of these ‘so -called’ messages don’t appear to be harmful at first glance, speaking from individual experience, they certainly are.

One of these messages which causes a lot of problems during teenage years, is the need to fit in. Follow the trends, use the same words as everyone else, dress the same, refrain from speaking up in class to avoid being labelled a ‘nerd’, undergo underage drinking just because everyone else is doing it. Peer pressure is something that we can get so caught up in, and it can be distracting from the precious years we have to be young and experiment with who we are. It’s all a part of growing up, it should be fun filled with wonderful experiences, good and bad. But I do however think retrospectively, that learning how you want to spend your time, (including saying no, and sometimes saying yes to things out of your comfort zone) is integral to discovering things about yourself as a person. It’s important to be aware of your limits.

I sometimes feel as though there’s this predetermined path set to follow in society. Go to school, and then onto University, get a job and then what, eternal happiness? But, of course life isn’t as linear as that. Life is like being on a never-ending roller coaster, it has its ups, it has its downs, and you often don’t know what the hell is going on.

Furthermore, individual expression isn’t something that you should hide away inside of you where no one else can see it. Because we’re all unique in our own way, and I believe you’re given a voice and mind for a reason, and to hide away and try to be something you’re not, well you’re only cheating yourself really. Life is beautiful. So go out and chase whatever it is you want and express your personality whether it be through your quirky choice of clothes or the words you use. We need to make a change and encourage others to start embracing who they are, and work towards the world being a more accepting place. After all, as Sean McCabe said,”You will never influence the world by trying to be like it.”

One thing i’ve also come to realise is that a way to feel free, is to be undeniably yourself. Whilst this is probably one of the hardest things to do, because I don’t know about anyone else but as much as you may want to be yourself at times, there’s always that voice is your head talking you out of it, telling you to act a certain way, say a certain thing to adapt to the person or situation you are around/in. But with the right mindset and persistence, and keeping focused on doing things you enjoy as well as surrounding yourself with the right people, it does get easier.

Lastly, a little bit of advice from me for those hard times when things are getting on top of you;

Think of yourself as an individual, and know that it is okay to prioritise yourself over others. Allow yourself time on your own to work on feeling comfortable in your own skin.

During anxious times view yourself as a single star in an endless cosmos, acknowledge the immensity of the universe, and know that you are merely a speck of dust within it.

This way of thinking often reminds me that my problems are not as big as I think they are, and that they will pass, much like day passes into night and sapling turns into tree. Life keeps going.

 

 

As always, thank you for taking the time to read this post!

🙂

 

Twenty Questions Booktag!

So, I’ve not actually been tagged in this but I love books and fancied doing a tag post so I thought why not just go for it!

The link to the original tag is here https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/18219846-twenty-questions-booktag 

1.How many books is too many books in a book series? 

I’d say more than six or seven, I’ve not really read an entire book series though so I don’t quite know what I’m basing that on!
2. How do you feel about cliffhangers?

They normally result in me shouting at the book because I’m just begging to know what happens! So many unanswered questions just fly around in my head! But as long as the story is going to be continued at some point after said cliffhanger I’m okay with them!
3. Hardcopy or paperback?

Paperback. Simply because they’re lighter to hold.
4. Favourite book?

Can I have four? 1984 by George Orwell, The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Perks of Being A Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky and Reasons To Stay Alive by Matt Haig.
5. Least favourite book?

A Midsummer Nights Dream by William Shakespeare. Purely because I did it as part of my English Literature AS level coursework and I could not even force myself to like it, or understand it. I now only associate AMSND with bad memories…
6. Love triangles, yes or no? 

They annoy me at times I must admit, I used to think that I couldn’t read a book without there being a love triangle in it. But the more I’ve read as I’ve grown up, the less I’ve noticed them.
7. The most recent book you just couldn’t finish?

The Noise of Time by Julian Barnes. I however did finish it, because I hate giving up, but I had to keep re-reading bits of the book multiple times because I got confused and struggled to follow the plot. Interesting concept though all the same.
8. A book you’re currently reading?

A Game of Thrones by George R.R Martin. I’ve nearly finished, 96 pages to go!
9. Last book you recommended to someone?

The Diary of Anne Frank. I recommend it to my sister, as I believe it’s something everyone should read.
10. Oldest book you’ve read? (Publication date)

Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare, published in 1597. I read it at school so I’m not sure if that counts. But the oldest book I’ve read for enjoyment is The Sign of the Four by Arthur Conan Doyle, published in 1890.
11. Newest book you’ve read? (Publication date)

Girl Online: Going Solo, by Zoe Sugg, published in November 2016.
12. Favorite author?

I’m torn. Part of me wants to say John Green, firstly due to the fact that I love metaphors and secondly because he is the only author I can claim to say that I’ve read all of the books of. But I also adore F. Scott Fitzgerald’s writing style. I’m not sure, ask me again in a year.
13. Buying books or borrowing books?

Definitely buying books, but second-hand as there’s something wonderful that I can’t quite pin-point about pre-loved books.
14. A book you dislike that everyone else seems to love?

Hmm, I can’t actually think of one!
15. Bookmarks or dog-ears?

I had to google what is meant by dog-ears! But if it means folding pages, I definitely opt for the dog-ear approach when saving my page.
16. A book you can always reread?

I don’t tend to re-read much, as I’m all about finding new stuff, but I’d have to say The Perks of Being A Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky. I absolutely love that book no matter how many times I’ve read it before, I re-read it a couple of months ago one afternoon actually.

17. Can you read while hearing music?

I can read to calming instrumental music, especially piano. I did this last week actually on the train to block out noisy passengers.
18. One POV or multiple POV’s? (POV’s = Point of views)

Multiple POV’s. A Game of Thrones, which I’m currently reading is told through alternating character viewpoints, and I love the way it works. As a series which has tons of characters, it can be easy to lose track on who’s who and what all the characters positioning’s are in the plot, so it’s great in this way.
19. Do you read a book in one sitting or over multiple days?

Multiple days normally. However, when I did English Literature at college and I got assigned books to read, I used to spend my Sunday mornings reading the books in one sitting.
20. Who do you tag? (You can invite them to the group to do the tag)

Anyone who wants to do this tag themselves!!

 

I hope you enjoyed this book tag, my mission for the next day is to finish reading A Game of Thrones! I’m really enjoying it but I’m pretty sure it’s the longest book I’ll have ever read!

🙂