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Bookish Discoveries 2019...and more.
1) I like my Harry Potter to be British!
I love all things Harry Potter but I was a bit disappointed by the Fantastic Beasts screenplay. I didn't like the Americanised version. I didn't want to learn new words for Muggles and other things, American versions of what we had in Harry's world...it just wasn't for me. I'll watch the film but I hate the sound of the plot for the second book and film.
2) I am a political animal!
Last year I really discovered my utter love for reading political memoirs and diaries and books that go behind the scenes of governments, the opposition parties, general elections and referendums! I have TONS more of them to read so this is looking like a good year to expand my political reading and watch more documentaries!
3) I love monsters, me!
Nothing excites me more than settling down to read a good creature feature and I read a few good ones last year-sharks, sea monsters, Sasquatches, cryptids, mutant beasties, dinosaurs and extinct things, jungle creatures, and of course zombies! Last year I read a few disappointing creature reads but it just made me want to go and grab more!
4) I have run out of shelf space again!
Despite having ten bookcases or twelve if you count the ones joined together by my dad's handiwork, I still ran out of book space. This is depressing as there is no way to change it until I read all the books I have and ditch what I won't re-read! A physical book cull is long overdue but it is a daunting job and I'm trying to avoid it at the moment!
5) It's too hard to catch up on very old reviews!
I have Goodreads books rated but not reviewed-books I didn't review at the time that I didn't like and I don't have a copy of it now or any review notes! There are reviews I did that Goodreads wiped out that can only be replaced if I skim through the books and take notes-so time consuming! It's hard enough writing current book reviews!
6) I'm out of love with urban fantasy!
I've fell out of love with it. The blurbs for new UF series read more like PNR with romance and love triangles mentioned frequently. Not all of us want to read that! That's why I loved UF-any romance was secondary to the plot but recent reads have been disappointing and I'm reluctant to try new series in the genre.
7) I have too many big buggers on my shelves!
I have a LOT of political memoirs which seem to be up at about 800 pages each and I'm very scared by that! I have a few GRRM to come of similar length, other big non fiction plus fiction books 500 pages and more! They are giving me nightmares because I know how long it will take to get through each one!
8) I have too much to do and not enough time!
This is not a new concept for Chuckles. I have books to read, films to watch, DVD box sets to catch up with, blogging, other computer clear ups, clean outs of stuff in my bedroom and other rooms, the usual housework, clothes to sort, statistics to write, scrapbooks to do and I'm getting nowhere with a lot of it!
9) Things I didn't know I had are lurking on my e-readers!
I've found a pile of things that I forgot I downloaded onto my e-readers-a lot of horror and zombies and non fiction on a range of subjects. While that is kind of exciting, it means trouble for my TBR. It also means that it'll take me way longer to read all of it. Gah! There are a few that I'm really looking forward to reading...
10) I have a shed-load of books on my computer/ereaders NOT on my TBR!
This was an unwelcome discovery last year. I found a lot of books that I haven't put on Goodreads so despite my Tackling The TBR success last year, my numbers for that are not accurate. It's bugging me and I'm planning a blog post about it shortly. I need to decide how to tackle the problem.
I think I might have fallen out of love with UF too! I hope it's not really the case though, but it does seem like I read much less UF last year. Maybe the genre just needs a shake up, because I have passed on a lot of titles lately just because they all seem like the same old same old.
ReplyDelete~Mogsy @ BiblioSanctum
UF used to be my second top genre behind horror but it has dropped down quite a bit over the last year or so. Most of my reads recently are old series I collected by Jaye Wells, DD Barant etc. Yes it all seems a bit samey especially MC has hot or obnoxious client, hates their attractive partner on the case or are police procedure type PI novels. Urgh!
Deletei have books all over the place, physically and electronically. i am determined to get more organized this year and get through the few piles of physical books...at least. i'll also be purging my emails, so any left over late reviews will be discovered. i read so much, i don't review all the books any more. life is too short, but i do rate them on goodreads, sometimes going back to review, sometimes not.
ReplyDeletesherry @ fundinmental
That's what I think too-my books all need a real sort out and stuff I won't read again must go to charity shops to clear space. It's vital that I get a handle on things! Why is so time consuming and hard though!!!
DeleteI have 4 large bookshelves and they are all way past filled. But I live in a 1 bedroom apartment and there's no room for more bookshelves. I need to move to a bigger place.
ReplyDeleteI'm with you-I'd like to move to a bigger house with four bedrooms where I can have one for my library and my dad can have a room to play his games and store his cds!
DeleteDoes anyone ever have enough shelf space???
ReplyDeleteGood point Lark! If I had a library room, I'd just buy more books to fill it!
DeleteI made a huge dent in my books last year and have actual free space on my bookshelves. It feels weird lol
ReplyDeleteI feel out of love with UF a few years ago. I love the worlds but the heroines and their actions feel so repetitive. Get involved in everyone's business then complain that you're involved in everyone's business lol
Karen @ For What It's worth
That would be weird! I actually feel it would be easier to move house than to tidy the pig's mess in my house right now! If I was moving I could clear out easily at the same time rather than falling over piles of stuff as I rearrange things!
DeleteI'm finding UF full of case partners going from hate to lurve, PI and detective books, paranormal adventures with too much romance...it's getting stale sonce Otherworld, Sookie Stackhouse and co ended!
I'm terrified to really see what is lurking on my Kindle! And I can definitely identify with having too much to do and not enough time. I need about 10 more hours in each day I think.
ReplyDeleteI know my uncatalogued pile is scary and I'm afraid to tackle it! But I do need to take back control!
DeleteMore monsters! I'm hoping to read more cryptids/ monster features in 2020, and I'll probably be coming here for recommendations :)
ReplyDeleteI think I'm the same with urban fantasy. I do occasionally find a series that works for me, but I have to work at it. :)
We must have more cryptids and monsters in our lives! There are lots of reviews on my Goodreads page too, segregated by monster type and there will be LOTS more monster reviews this year! I look forward to adding to your TBR!
DeleteI am there with you about too much to do, too little time, and making choices can be tough. Wow! You have a lot of shelves. Impressive. Every time I get a new eReader, it's my chance for a new start. I recently send a bunch of backlist books to my kindle, and am determined to read them.
ReplyDeleteTime is certainly not a bookworm's friend! Books just take so long to read sometimes, especially these monster sized political memoirs I have! I do need to get through the backlog over the next few years...good luck to us both!
DeleteI can relate to so many things on this list! There never is enough time. Never. I think that catching up old reviews would be too hard to even try - but I am a slacker:) I am forever running out of shelf space. I have threatened the kid that I might turn her room into a library while she is away at school (not really though).
ReplyDeleteThe thought of trying to write the old reviews is a living nightmare and I'll put that off for the moment! Shelf space is at a premium in our house when you add in all our dvds and cds!
DeleteI've never bothered with the HP screenplays but I like Fantastic Beasts movies. I liked number two much more than the first!
ReplyDeleteI also know how you feel with the books lurking on ereaders and big buggers stalking you from the bookshelves... I've got more than a few of those to read this year! 😣
Those big books just scare me and most of these political memoirs are 600-1000 pages and it looks so intimidating! Urgh I hope we can both get through some of the big books this year!
DeleteOh no! Running out of shelf space is the worst!! And I hear ya about falling out of love with a genre. I used to love YA, but I really struggle with it now :(
ReplyDeleteRunning out of shelf space is a disaster for getting safely from my room! There are piles of things everywhere! I fell out of love with YA in the aftermath of Twilight, with all the copies of it and the tropes!
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