Tag: LordofShadows

Reading + Writing Update!

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Happy Sunday!

Once again, sorry for no blog post on Friday! I promise this coming week there will be though because I’ve written and scheduled it already. Haha, look at me kind of being ahead of everything for once! Sitting down at the end of the week to write this blog post has been kind of difficult for me because it’s been hard to remember what I’ve gotten done writing-wise. With reading, I have been good at updating my Goodreads page every few days, but I have been lacking with my sticker tracker in my planner! This week I’m going to try and get back on top of that but these weeks have just been so jammed pack that it keeps slipping my mind. Anyways, onto what I read and wrote this week!

I wrapped up reading Lady Midnight by Cassandra Clare on Tuesday which was bittersweet because I was so excited to get to Lord of Shadows for my first re-read, but I do think Lady Midnight is my favourite in the trilogy…however, I am 250 pages in Lord of Shadows and LOVING it, so I’m not THAT sad about finishing Lady Midnight, to be honest. Re-reading these books is getting me so pumped for Queen of Air and Darkness’s release which is only in 9 freaking days, and ugh, I’m so excited. Apart from Lord of Shadows I have not made much progress in any other books…I’m still on page 50 in Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky, but since it’s so short I’ll probably try to bring it with me to school this week and hopefully squeeze in some reading time. I was also listening to the audiobook for Emerald Green by Kerstin Gier but I forgot to renew it so I had to wait a few days before getting it back, but I have it now and only have about 3 1/2 hours left to listen to so hopefully I will also get that finished this week as well. Apart from that though, I am just enjoying Lord of Shadows and getting ready for Queen of Air and Darkness! (Let me know if you’re as obsessed with The Dark Artifices trilogy as me…it’s definitely Cassandra Clare’s best series, right?)

Writing definitely happened this week…I’m just trying to remember exactly what. I know I did a re-write of my short story for my high school’s writing contest, as well as a LOT of editing because it was due Thursday. I also had to write an entire 8-page essay for English in one night because yep, I put it off to the last minute as one does. We only had to have it ready for a peer edit session but I did get it done luckily. It was complete trash but I still have a few more days to edit it before handing it in for marks. I’ve also been working on two short articles because I am applying to be the student writer for my local newspaper which is super exciting and nerve-wracking! Working at a newspaper or somewhere like Buzzfeed has been something I’ve always considered, along with writing books and short stories of course, because I do love writing articles and essays. I’m also to extroverted (and introverted…I am definitely an ambivert) not to work with other people so apart from writing my own books, I need to have some sort of day job to keep me a part of society. It also would be AMAZING to get paid for writing an article every month so fingers crossed I get the job! Since we only 5 days left of November (where did this month even go?!? I’m not complaining though ’cause I think we can all agree November is not an easy month), I want to squeeze a lot of writing into this week. I need to edit the four short stories/essays/articles in my portfolio and finish writing a few more for a portfolio scholarship I am submitting to which has a deadline of December 4th…so yeah that is coming up and I am NOT ready. Lots of writing needs to get done so I’m going to end this blog post and hop to it.

Anyways, that is all for this reading and writing update and I hope you enjoyed! Don’t forget to check out my last blog post, as well as my social media accounts below. Thanks 🙂

P.S. I know my Instagram pic below has been acting up but to be honest, I’m too lazy to fix it. Hopefully, it will fix itself!

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Reading + Writing Update!

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Happy Sunday!

Sorry for not having a blog post up on Friday. I wasn’t inspired to write anything and thought a short break would be nice as well since November is a pretty stressful month for me. However, I love writing these reading and writing updates so I am back for that as well as for three new blog posts coming this week that I just finished pre-writing! Anyways, I hope you had a great weekend and here is everything reading and writing related I got done this week 🙂

This week was a fantastic reading week, and I am so happy with what I got read. Currently, I am focusing on re-reading Lady Midnight by Cassandra Clare in preparation for the third and final book in The Dark Artifices trilogy being released on December 4th. This is my favourite series of all time because I love everything about it: the characters, the plot, the writing, the world…everything is just amazing!!! I’m currently on page 500ish right now, meaning I’ve read like 400 pages this week which is crazy. This is my third (I think) re-read of this MASSIVE 720 paged book and of course, I am loving it just as much if not more than the first and second time. I cannot wait to finish it hopefully in the next two days or so, because I really want to get to the next book, Lord of Shadows since I have only ever read it once…and that was a year ago too! Hopefully, I can start that by Wednesday and get it all read before December 4th comes around but like the first book, it’s a big one. Apart from Lady Midnight, I’m also still listening to the audiobook for Emerald Green by Kerstin Gier. I got in the habit of listening to music while walking instead of my audiobook, but I did listen to quite a few hours still this week and only have about 3ish hours left. I’m trying to figure out what audiobook to listen to next, and while I was listening to The Mortal Instruments series before starting the Ruby Red trilogy, I think I’m going to pick up a fun, easy contemporary audiobook instead. But yes, it’s been a good week for reading and hopefully, next week will be too!

As for writing, I’ve been writing a few hundred words every day towards a few short stories I’ve been working on and today was a big editing day because of all those words I wrote this week. Deadlines are looming and stories are unfinished so I need to step it up and get some polished and ready for contests, literary magazines, scholarships, etc. For my writing class, we recently submitted our first writing assignment which was a fiction piece and while I was decently proud of my story, I didn’t get the mark I wanted. My story was by no means amazing or some of my best work I will admit, and the comments my TA made were very helpful…but a few comments kind of caught me by surprise at how she misinterpreted some parts in the weirdest of ways, but I mean that’s writing for you. I don’t really take my writing marks to heart (which is something I LEARNED to do, but believe me, it did not come naturally) but it’s always nice to get a good mark, right? Marking writing is hard though because it’s creative…there is no right or wrong answer. If another TA marked my writing, I would have gotten a completely different mark for better or for worse so. Anywayssss, I am hoping next week will be a bit more focused on writing since November and December are busy writing months (and I’m glad one of those months is coming to an end finally), and stuff needs to get done!

That is all for my reading and writing update, and I hope you enjoyed! Don’t forget to check out my last blog post, as well as my social media accounts which are linked down below. Thanks, and have a great day 🙂

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2018 Biannual Bibliothon Day 6: Favourite/Most Memorable Read of 2017

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Happy day 6 of the Biannual Bibliothon! I cannot believe tomorrow is the last day, which means it is time to get reading done!

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Today’s challenge is hosted by @beabookishgal and is to talk about our favourite and most memorable read of 2017. This was so easy for me because it was my most anticipated release of 2017 and to no surprise, it became my favourite read of the year as well. And that book is hands down Lord of Shadows by Cassandra Clare! Make sure you comment what your most memorable read of 2017 was, or consider participating in this blogging challenge as well.

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Lord of Shadows is the second book in the Dark Artifices series by Cassandra Clare, which follows a group of Shadowhunters who try to uncover the mysterious death of Emma Carstairs’ parents, but in a world of demons and angels, there is more to their deaths than they thought. This book is full of action, adventure, strong characters, swoony romance, betrayal, and basically anything you would want in a book. When I first read Cassandra Clare’s “The Mortal Instrument” series, I was in love with this world which also meant I would love every other book she put out in the future, however, to my surprise, I ended up loving Lady Midnight (the first book in the Dark Artifices trilogy) more than the original series, and than Lord of Shadows more as well. Lord of Shadows is filled with my favourite characters, Julian, Emma, Christina, Mark, Ty, etc, etc, which is why I loved this book so much. Reading this book makes you feel as if you are a part of their family, their world. And that is a really comforting feeling!

That is all for my most memorable book of 2017 and I hope you enjoyed. I cannot believe tomorrow is the last day of the Biannual Bibliothon, which means I need to pick up the pace and read, read, read. Don’t forget to check out my last blog post: 2018 Biannual Bibliothon Day 5: Rewrite A Scene From A Book + my Reading Update!

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Favourite Books of 2017! (So Far)

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I have read some pretty fantastic books this year so far, and since the month is half over I decided to share them with all of you. Listed below are the top 3 books that I read for the first time this year and really enjoyed so here they are!

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A Torch Against the Night by Sabaa Tahir – I absolutely adored her first book, An Ember in the Ashes so I was so excited to pick up the second one. This is a series that mainly followed two main characters, Laia and Elias, but now also follows a few others which I thought brought a good view on the world to the readers. It is set in a kind of Roman Empire and is action packed and filled with incredible world building. A must read and I was happily pleased by this read. 4.5/5 stars

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Always and Forever, Lara Jean by Jenny Han – This is a series that you cannot help but love. It is quirky and cute, and was everything I hoped for in the final book of this trilogy. This series follows a girl named Lara Jean who writes love letters to all the boys she has loved before, but one day those letters are mysteriously sent out to them and she finds her life flipped upside down. I love, love, love this series and read this book in two days because all I wanted to do was finish it and see how it ended. 4.5/5 stars

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Lord of Shadows by Cassandra Clare – This is probably no surprise because I had been anticipating this book ever since I read Lady Midnight. I don’t really like explaining what the book is about, because my explanations suck considering I don’t want to spoil anything from the previous books. You do have to read most of her other books to understand some things in this story, but it is so worth it and you will be glad you did! This was definitely my favourite book of the year so far, but probably will be my favourite over all because it was that good. 5/5 stars

That is all for my favourite books of the year so far, and I hope you enjoyed. Don’t forget to check out my last blog post: Reading/Writing Update!

 

 

June 2017 Wrap Up!

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June was a kind of slow reading month for me, but I still really enjoyed all the books I read so to me it was a good reading month. Anyways, here are the three books that I managed to read in the month of June.

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Saint Anything by Sarah Dessen – This is a feel-good contemporary following a girl named Sydney, who lives in a family where she feels invisible next to her shining star of a brother, Peyton. That is, until Peyton does something that puts the entire family in an unwanted spotlight and Sydney can’t escape it. It leads her to a new school where she meets a new group of friends that she connects with, and discovers that maybe she isn’t meant to stay invisible. This was a re read and it was what I needed to read for my last month of school, and as  always, I loved it! 4.5/5 stars

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Lord of Shadows by Cassandra Clare – This was my most anticipated release of 2017, and let me tell you, I was not disappointed. The first book in this to-be trilogy, Lady Midnight, follows a group of Shadowhunters in a world of demons and angels, and that’s really all I want to say because I really recommend you read all of Cassandra Clare’s books before diving into this trilogy otherwise a lot of it won’t make sense! This book focuses more on the plot and characters rather than the world building because this world has already been introduced to fans in Cassandra Clare’s other series. But anyways, this exceeded my expectations and made me fall in LOVE with Christina and Mark’s relationship which I cannot wait to see more of! 5/5 stars

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City of Bones by Cassandra Clare – It has been great jumping back into The Mortal Instruments series and I am excited to continue re reading the rest of the series. This is the first book of six, and it follows fifteen year old Clary Fray whose mother is mysteriously kidnapped one day, and she sets off on a journey to find her along with a few new companions. Along the way, she realizes she lives in a world of demons and angels, and that she has more of connection to it than she realized. If you haven’t read this series I highly recommend it because it is such a fun, gripping read!

Those are all of the books I read during the month of June and I hope you enjoyed. Don’t forget to check out my last blog post: Reading/Writing Update!

Reading/Writing Update!

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I have finally finished Lord of Shadows by Cassandra Clare, and it was absolutely fantastic! It was everything I could have hoped for in this book, but that ending shook me and broke me…but it was still amazing. Since I have finished Lord of Shadows, I got the urge to re read The Mortal Instruments series which is on my summer TBR and its summer so yeah, I am re reading the amazing series! I am also reading Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen which I am also enjoying and am excited to get more into it.

I have been very busy with writing, and for the past nine or so days, I have gotten into the habit of writing 1000+ words a day! I am working on a project I have been wanting to start for a really long time but had only done the planning for it, and now I am finally writing it! Even though I have been writing for a few years, I had always thought of myself as an outliner, but I realize now I am definitely a panster. I like to just write up a detailed three paragraph outline and then list twelve major plot points I want to hit. I also come up with detailed characters and go into depth on my world, but plot wise, I kind of just go for it and that’s what works for me! Question: Are you a outliner or a panster?

That is all for my reading/writing update and I hope you enjoyed!

Reading/Writing Update!

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Yesterday, I finished re reading Saint Anything by Sarah Dessen, and I didn’t realize how much I needed to read that book! I was in desperate need of light hearted, easy contemporary that I could just fly through. School has been a nightmare recently since I only have a few days left, and I needed a contemporary to read rather than a fantasy or sci fi book. I am, however, continuing on with Lord of Shadows by Cassandra Clare. I am loving it so far, I am just no able to find the time to read it for hours upon hours. Anyways, I have about three hundred pages of Lord of Shadows left and I am excited to continue on with it!

For writing, I think I have written ten thousand words or so…not really sure but I have been keeping up with it! I have not written since yesterday, and I don’t plan to today because I am physically and mentally exhausted, but I am hoping to get a thousand or so words written tomorrow!

That is all for my reading/writing update and I hope you enjoyed. Don’t forget to check out my last blog post: Camp NaNoWriMo 2017 Prep #1: Characters!

Reading/Writing Update!

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Currently, I am still making my way through Lord of Shadows, and while I was hoping to be done by now, I am glad that I am taking my time. Lord of Shadows is the sequel to Lady Midnight by Cassandra Clare, which follows a large cast of diverse characters who try to solve the mystery of Emma Carstairs’ parents’ death. As they dive deeper into the case, they realize that their was more to the murder than they thought. Lord of Shadows is pretty epic so far, and I am enjoying reading it immensely.

This past week, I have written a short story three times and can feel myself getting closer and closer to the end product. I have condensed it, and made it cleaner and more exciting so hopefully, it won’t require much more rewriting. I do plan on entering it in some writing contests and I guess we will see how it does!

That is all for my reading/writing update and I hope you enjoyed. Don’t forget to check out my last blog post: Book to Keep You OUT of a Reading Slump!

Reading/Writing Update!

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This week I have been working on reading Lord of Shadows by Cassandra Clare, and I have been loving it! I wish I had more energy and time to read it, but I have had to make due with what time I have. I am almost half way through it, and I have already felt so many feelings, which Cassandra Clare does very well. I have no idea when I am going to be able to finish it, but once I do, I plan on diving into Saint Anything by Sarah Dessen. I love reading this book in the summertime, and since summer is basically here, I am dying to give it a re read!

I actually wrote a story this week, and it was about three thousand words so I was pretty proud of that. It has to do with assassins which is something I have been very into writing lately, and I don’t know what I am going to do with it yet. I do need to do some rewriting and revising desperately, but once that is done I definitely want to get it out there somehow.

That is all for my reading/writing update and I hope you enjoyed. Don’t forget to check out my last blog post: May 2017 Wrap Up!

May 2017 Haul!

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I bought quite a few books this month because there were so many fantastic releases that I just couldn’t help myself! Here are all the books that I hauled this month:

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Always and Forever, Lara Jean by Jenny Han – This was a book I was highly anticipating for the year of 2017, and I was so excited to finally get it in my hands on May 2nd. Always and Forever, Lara Jean is the third and final book in the To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before trilogy, and it follows teenage Lara Jean who writes letters to all the boys she has loved before, as a way to say goodbye to them. But when those letters mysteriously get sent out, she finds herself digging a hole in order to avoid the embarrassment. I love this trilogy and I highly recommend it if you love cute, quirky and fluffy contemporaries!

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The Dark Prophecy by Rick Riordan – I enjoyed the first book in this series, The Hidden Oracle, so I was definitely looking forward to reading the sequel. The first book follows the god Apollo, as he is sent down to earth as mortal and goes off to complete a quest in order to get back his immortality. This is a very humorous and fast paced story that will keep you entertained like all of Rick Riordan’s books!

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Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow – This is the book that inspired Lin-Manuel Miranda to write the amazing musical, Hamilton, and being a huge fan I was ecstatic to find this book. This book tells Alexander Hamilton’s life story and follows his journey to becoming an important figure in American history. Even though I am not American, and do not learn about American history in school, I am really fascinated by the story of Alexander Hamilton!

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Poison Study by Maria V Snyder – I have heard fantastic things about this book, so I am incredibly excited to jump into it. Poison Study is about a girl who has to choose between being executed or becoming the king’s poison tester, and while that is all I really know, that is enough to capture my attention! Lots of people have recommended this book to me, and I have a feeling I am going to love it.

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Lord of Shadows by Cassandra Clare – Of course I was going to buy my most anticipated release of 2017, and it is also my current read. Lord of Shadows is the sequel to Lady Midnight, which follows a group of Shadowhunter’s who try to uncover the mysterious murder of Emma Carstair’s parents. This is a story that leaves you wanting more, has a fantastic cast of diverse characters, and is magical!

Those are all the books I bought this month and I hope you enjoyed. Don’t forget to check out my last blog posts: June 2017 TBR!