I’ve been reading a book that’s been actually making me want to read. Like, what?? When’s the last time that’s happened? The book is Katherine of Aragon by Alison Weir. This is part of her Six Tudor Queens series.
I’ve read some Tudor historical fiction in the past, but it’s never fully grabbed me like this book has. I am genuinely enjoying this book, and I can’t quite put my finger on what it is I love so much. I enjoy feeling like I’m learning a lot within the story, and ever since I watched the disaster that is The Other Boleyn Girl, I’ve been more interested in Katherine (she was the one good thing about that movie).
As the story continues, it’s going to be interesting to witness the downward spiral of Katherine and Henry’s relationship since at the moment that are very devoted to each other.
My other read has been Jane Austen’s Wardrobe by Hilary Davidson. This book examines Jane’s wardrobe through her letters. I love fashion history so this has been an interesting and informative read. The above picture is a painting featured in the book that I absolutely love. It’s Portrait of a Girl from the Burnaby Family by Thomas Beach.
I have a post from a while back all about my thoughts on Stephen King. Long story short – we simply do not get on. I find his books to be easy to get into, but his writing is – though good – just not a good fit for me. I tend to enjoy ‘cozier’ writing and stories, and that is simply not King’s style. I have read Pet Semetary, It, On Writing, The Long Walk, and some of his short stories. And now I can add The Institute to that list as well.
The Institute has been on my reading list for a few years now, ever since I bought it for my mom. However, I did not fully enjoy my time with it. It’s not that the story was bad or that there was anything wrong with the writing. I just felt disconnected from the story. Like, I didn’t really care all that much. And the things that happen in the book were dark and unsettling – very much the norm for Stephen King.
The story follows kids who are part of an institute that performs horrible tests on kids who are telepathic or have telekinesis. Truly the tests are upsetting to read about. I did read this book quicker than I ever expected, and I owe that to King’s easy writing style. But once I reached the half way point I was very ready for the book to just be over.
I do think King is great at unsettling the reader, and his writing is easy to get into, but I don’t find his books compelling enough for me. I don’t often care for his characters, and I do think that his stories tend to be more character-focused and slow paced. So if I’m not invested in the journeys of the characters than I’m not invested in the story. I do find it strange that I feel that way because King does include a lot of minor details to help create complex characters. Perhaps my problem is that I just don’t find many of them likeable enough. I want likeable characters I can root for – or I want characters that I love to hate.
With the Institute, the main characters fell flat for me. And the villains of the story were just so horrible that I couldn’t stand scenes that included them.
I give this book a 3-star rating, and honestly, I think this experience has solidified that King is just not for me. That being said, I did read something else by Stephen King this week. My mom had read Mile 81 by him and said if I wanted something short and quick to read then she’d recommend that.
Mile 81 is a short story. I’m not going to say what it’s about because it is so short and strange that I don’t want to give the plot away. I will, however, say that this story really helped me realize that I don’t enjoy reading the inner dialogue of kids within King’s stories. They often feel older than their ages, like in Mile 81 – there’s a 6-year girl and she uses a word I was not expecting her to use. That moment took me out of the story a bit. That seemed unnecessary to me. I think that’s a big part of why I didn’t enjoy The Institute as well.
I did have other King books that I’ve wanted to read, but now I’m unsure if I still do. Perhaps it’s time I give up in his books? I’m questioning what it is that’s making me want to read and enjoy Stephen King when I repeatedly don’t enjoy his books. I guess it comes down to his popularity and just feeling like I’m missing out on something. As a tentative horror fan, it does seem slightly wrong to not enjoy Stephen King, but what’s a girl to do? If I’m not a fan then I’m not a fan. And really, he doesn’t need me – he’s plenty popular enough without me.
I’m so happy that it’s October. It’s by far my favorite month, and while I intend to do my favorite cozy Halloween-themed activities I also really want to get serious about taking better care of myself. I’ve been letting myself fall to the wayside for too long. I keep telling myself that I’m going to start incorporating things into my day again, but I still haven’t done it. Usually writing things down keeps me more accountable than if I just leave things floating around my head. I’m writing this post to help propel me in the right direction.
Goals
Get more + better sleep – My number one goal is to develop a night routine that promotes sleep. My sleep has been terrible this year, and I think that’s been partly because I spend my evenings doing whatever and just staying up late. Like, I truly don’t know what’s happened to me. I’m not a natural night owl, but this year has been a whole other story. I’d really like to revamp my morning routine as well, but I’m focusing more on my night routine. Overall, I’d just really like to be more intentional with my time after work instead of just, say, watching Youtube. I’d really like to dedicate my evenings to reading, exercise, and working on something that I enjoy – like my blog. Also, it would be nice to finally start watching some of the series I keep wanting to start but haven’t yet.
30 Days of Yoga with Adrienne – This goal goes along with my top goal of developing a nighttime routine. I enjoy taking my dog for evening walks after work, but before too long it’s going to be dark when I get home – dark and cold, and so I’ll need other things to do to move my body after spending so much of the day sitting. I did 30 Days of Yoga with Adrienne last January, and honestly, it was great. I felt good and I felt very content and at peace. So why did I ever stop?? I want to stretch and do yoga before bed to help me relax and hopefully calm my mind.
Cook at least one meal a week – I’m still debating about this goal. Honestly, even once a week feels too ambitious right now. I always intend to cook more, but I never form the habit of looking for recipes. But I was just brainstorming how I could make this goal work for me and I think setting aside time on a specific day to find a recipe I want to try is a good starting point. That way it would be just another thing on my to-do list for that day instead of just telling myself I need to look up recipes whenever I get around to it. That seems like a solid plan right now – I like it. If you have have any recommendations for recipe apps or websites, I am all ears.
Reading Plans
I really want to enjoy reading again, so I want to focus on incorporating reading into my days and nights once more. To help with my sleep I want to start reading before bed instead of watching Youtube or messing around on my computer. I also just miss reading. Anymore, I pick other things over reading. There are so many books I want to read, and I’d like to actually read them.
I tend to like ‘seasonal’ reading. Since it’s fall, I’m in the mood for cozy, whimsical, gothic, and maybe some dark stories. I do have quite a few books I’d like to get to that are across a good range of genres. I’d like to pick up books that genuinely make me want to read. Hopefully some of the ones I’ve picked out will do just that.
If you don’t know, TudorTember is a month-long event created by a couple of people on Youtube that celebrates Tudor history during the month of September. I decided to participate this year, and it went about as I expected. I did complete a book (yay!) and I watched a movie.
The book I finished was Innocent Traitor by Alison Weir. This is a fictional account of the life of Lady Jane Grey. I did enjoy this book a lot. It was informative and I liked learning more about Lady Jane Grey – I felt for her. However, I find it very hard to get into books set during the Tudor period. I always seem to feel disconnected from the characters. I might enjoy the book, but I’m never fully emotionally invested in the story. That is exactly how I felt about Innocent Traitor. The ending made me sad, for sure, but I wasn’t attached to the characters or the story. Would I recommend it? Yes, especially if you enjoy slow-paced, character-driven stories with heavy political themes.
As for the other book I was reading this month, I made very little progress. Mary, Queen of Scots & the Murder of Lord Darnley by Alison Weir is a chunky book, and it’s going to take quite some time for me to get through it (if I ever do…). I love learning about Mary, Queen of Scots, so I’m enjoying this book, but it is nonfiction. I struggle with finishing nonfiction books.
Finally, the movie I watched was The Other Boleyn Girl. I have complicated feelings about this movie. On the one hand it was very compelling the entire way through. On the other hand it was aggravating. If this was a completely fictional story with made-up characters, I may have liked it more. But because it’s based on historical figures, I was often irritated by how they portrayed particular people – there were so many things I just did not find believable. Now usually I don’t have too much of a problem with suspending my disbelief when it comes to historical fiction – I mean, I love the show Reign – but for some reason this movie was just too much for me. I’m glad I finally watched it, but it’s not one I would recommend 😦
And that’s a wrap! This month I learned that maybe Tudor historical fiction is just not for me. I do have two other fictional Tudor books on my shelf (also by Alison Weir) that I want to try, but if I have the same experience with those books, that may solidify my opinion that I should stick to watching documentaries about Tudor history instead of trying to read books about it. But let me know if you have any other author recommendations.
2023 has been quite a year for me. It’s been both one of the worst years and one of the best. It’s definitely been the most stressful. And the summer was no exception. For this post, I’m sharing some highlights as well as discussing my summer reading (granted, not much to share in that area. Actually, not much to share in either area).
First off, we can’t discuss summer 2023 without discussing one of the biggest events of the summer: Barbie :P. Sorry if you are absolutely sick of hearing about it, but this movie was a highlight of my summer. I saw it twice and loved it each time. I definitely had Barbie Fever. My friend and I had been talking about this movie since we first heard it was being made and we were so excited to go see it. Neither of us was disappointed. We had so much fun, and we wore pink of course. I loved how many people embraced their inner Barbie when going to see the movie. My fingers are crossed for a Ken-focused sequel. He deserves it!
Second (and I truly feel this is going to expose how much of a bore I am but, oh well…), I finally ticked off a show on my ever-growing watch list. The show was Miss Scarlet and the Duke, which is still ongoing but I’ve watched all that is currently out. Now, why do I feel like this exposes me as a bore? Well, this post is a summer recap and all I can think to write about is Barbie and the fact that I finally watched a series. Thirty, flirty, and thriving, y’all!
As for said show, Miss Scarlett and the Duke has cozy vibes. It’s fun. There’s some romantic tension – all great things. However, the mysteries were a bit lackluster, and the characters did not have much or any character growth across three seasons. Overall, I enjoyed it, but not a new favorite.
Now onto the books!
Reading has been a struggle this year. Like I said, it has been a stressful year for me so that’s probably why I haven’t been able to focus on reading much. I finished 13 books from June to the beginning of September, and that is mostly because of audiobooks. Only 3 of those did I physically read with my eyeballs.
The best/most fun:
Daisy Darker by Alice Feeney – My first book by this author and it was a fun, twisty ride.
Dune by Frank Herbert – This was a pleasant surprise for me. I don’t usually reach for these types of stories, but this was a hit.
The Governess Game by Tessa Dare – This book made me laugh, as all her books do.
The worst/biggest disappointments:
Every Summer After by Carley Fortune – After seeing so many people posting about their summer reading lists, I gave in to this one. This was aggravating. I don’t know if it’s mostly the book or if it’s because I tend to not enjoy these types of stories as much anymore.
Rock Paper Scissors by Alice Feeney – After enjoying Daisy Darker so much I decided to read another book by this author. While the twist was really good and unexpected, the getting there dragged for me. I felt bored in the middle of the story.
So there you have it. I’m sure if I had more pictures maybe I’d have more to talk about, but honestly, I didn’t do much this summer, and I had some pet health issues going on. This really wasn’t the best summer ever, that’s for sure. I hope you had a good summer. I’m very excited for fall, as that is my favorite season. But let me know if you did anything fun. Or, if you’re like me, maybe you just did “boring” stuff, which can also be just as enjoyable.
You know what I just love about the internet? It’s such a nerdy place. I love that there are so many other people who are so passionate about books and history, hence TudorTember. I’m not surprised if you have no idea what I’m talking about. It seems to me to be a very niche thing, but here’s the gist:
TudorTember is a month-long celebration of Tudor history. It happens starting September 1st and continues the entire month. It’s a time to read Tudor books and just all-around gush and divulge in one’s nerdy love for Tudor history. I don’t know how popular it is among bloggers as it did originate on YouTube from one of my favorites, Lil’s Vintage World. I am really excited to see what videos Lil creates for the month, and I’m looking forward to participating this year just like I did last year (or possibly the year before, not sure).
Admittedly, I don’t see myself reading many Tudor-related books. Honestly I’ll probably complete one book while also still making progress through another. However, there are some things I’d like to watch that I’ve wanted to watch for a long time.
Here are my reading plans:
At the top of my list is Innocent Traitor by Alison Weir. I recently acquired my own copy of this book as I’ve been interested in it for a couple of years now. This book is about Lady Jane Grey, the ‘9-day Queen.’
The other book I hope to make more progress in is Mary, Queen of Scots & the Murder of Lord Darnley. I’ve recently started reading this and I’m very interested, but I don’t see myself finishing it any time soon.
As for what I’d like to watch, I have one movie that I hope to finally tick off the list. That is The Other Boleyn Girl. This has been on my watchlist for ages. I read half of the book before I lost interest and abandoned it years ago, but I’m still very interested in the movie.
As for other things I’d like to watch, I want to finish the series Walking Tudor England, and I may watch a few episodes of Reign here and there as that is one of my favorite shows.
Now that I’ve thoroughly proven myself to be a nerd, I’d love to know if you’re interested in Tudor History. Do you have any recommendations?
Do you ever buy things for the person you wish you were?
While I’ve gotten better over the years, I still fall into the trap of buying things that aren’t really for me but are instead for the ideal version of myself. Most often it’s books that I do this with. And it’s not that I’m always buying books for my fantasy self, it’s often that I just have the intention to read books that I know aren’t for me.
However, not too long ago I bought books that in my heart I do not see myself actually reading. Why did I buy them then? Because I wish I was the kind of person who did read these books. I’m not going to go into the specifics of these, but just know that these are all nonfiction books about Tudor history.
I do enjoy learning about the Tudor period. I enjoy learning a lot of history, but at the end of the day, nonfiction history books are just not my cup of tea. I’m more prone to buying nonfiction over fiction because I know it’ll take me longer to get through the nonfiction books, but I’ve purchased countless of these types of books over the years, and I don’t know that I’ve actually ever finished even one of them. I find them dense and slow, and sometimes boring. I’m much more likely to either read historical fiction or to watch a historical drama. And even if I do decide to read a nonfiction history book, chances are it’s going to be via audiobook. Audiobooks often feel like less of a commitment in my mind. Learning through audio or documentaries or dramatizations are less of a slog than nonfiction.
There are so many fiction books that I begin reading only to never finish it that nonfiction books stand an even greater chance of never being finished by me. I think it’s time to accept that I am just not a history book reader. And that’s okay. There are so many other ways to learn history. So many articles and documentaries. I want to stop clinging to the idea that reading history books is better than reading articles. It might feel like more of an accomplishment, but it doesn’t matter. I don’t want to force myself to read things just because I think it’s more impressive – that’s just silliness. Reading is supposed to be pleasurable, not some kind of weird competition.
Hopefully I will keep this all in mind the next time I’m tempted to buy a book I realistically know is not actually for me.
Do you ever buy things for your fantasy self? Or do you consistently try reading books that you know you don’t like but wish you did?
As someone who considers herself a ‘mood reader’, I don’t have much experience with adding structure to my reading life. The books I choose to read at any given time are greatly influenced by outside forces. Watching recommendation videos, watching movies, the changing seasons – these are all things that can get me to pick up a book on a whim.
This sometimes can be overwhelming when I suddenly want to read multiple things at once, or I’m not sure what I’m actually in the mood for. This lack of structure also causes me to abandon books all the time. If I’m reading a book but am suddenly in the mood for something else, there is a good chance I will put the book I’m currently reading to the side and possibly never return to it, even if I was enjoying it well enough.
And because I keep getting distracted from books that I really want to read, I wondered if it would be beneficial to start creating a list of books that I want to read instead of allowing myself to read based on mood alone. Perhaps then I would finally start making progress on my backlist of books, authors, and genres I want to read and explore. Maybe this structure would also help with my focus, which, honestly, has been severely lacking lately.
In the past I have tried creating to-be-read lists – and I’ve mostly succeeded at sticking to them (at least once…) So I think there is potential to make this work for myself.
The reason I’ve been thinking about this and am writing about it now is because my reading life has been so chaotic lately. Really, my life has been chaotic lately and I’m looking for some order and structure. I get overwhelmed easily by life in general, so I benefit from routines and order. I think this might be a good first step to try to realign my life a bit and help relieve some of that overwhelm.
The other reason I want to try this is because I get so tired of telling myself I’m going to read certain books, or genres, or authors and then veering completely off course into the opposite direction and never sticking to what I really want to explore. I don’t know if adding this kind of structure will work for me, but I’m ready to try it.
Are you a mood reader or do you create monthly/seasonal lists?
Reading has not been going well for me so far this year. I’ve only just finished reading a novel in the past week – my first novel that I read that I didn’t listen to on audio. I can’t seem to remain focused on any one book long enough. My reading has consisted of some really great graphic novels, though. Perhaps I will discuss those in a future post. For now I want to share what I’m currently reading this week.
Currently I am reading two books. The first is Circe by Madeline Miller. I’ve seen this book mentioned so many times since it came out in 2018. I was never sure if I wanted to read it, but recently I came across the book and read a few snippets of it and was instantly hooked. The writing is so beautiful, and I’m enjoying Circe’s narrative. I had originally started the audiobook, but found that I couldn’t keep up with who was who. Luckily my library hold for the ebook came through just in time.
What is Circe about? Good question. I am not very familiar with the story of Circe, or any Greek mythology really. What I do know is that Circe is the daughter of the god Helios, and unlike other gods and demigods, Circe is fascinated by mortals, which can be a dangerous thing to feel apparently. I think the story mostly follows Circe as she is banished to an island, but I haven’t gotten that far yet. I’m very interested in exploring the world of Greek myth retellings and I’d love to get any recommendations if you have some.
For the next book we are veering into a completely different world with Altered Carbon by Richard K. Morgan. I’ve only read the prologue so I don’t have anything to really say about this book except that I’m intrigued. I’d never heard of this series until my boyfriend mentioned it. He recommended it to me because I enjoy reading murder mysteries. This is apparently a mystery set in the future where people don’t have to worry about death because their brains can be downloaded and inserted into other bodies. This is what has just happened to our main character, but again, I don’t have much more information yet on the plot or characters. But I will say that the prologue did have a scene that really grossed me out…it was very violent and very graphically written.
There you have it, those are what I’m currently reading. I am considering starting an audiobook soon so I can have something else to listen to at work, but that’ll be shared on the next weekly reading post.
Reading has been going really well for me lately. I’ve been devouring books, which is great, but also not great because I have been neglecting other things (like writing). With it being October, I just have a strong pull to read gothic and creepy books. Today I am sharing a few of the dark and twisty books I’ve read recently.
Madam by Phoebe Wynne – If you want an atmospheric book, this is the one for you. It takes place in an all-girls boarding school on a Scottish cliff, and the author does a great job evoking the feeling of being there. The story’s a bit of a slow burn, but worth the buildup – there are some truly uncomfortable and dark things happening within these walls. I listened to this via audio and I think the narrator did a fantastic job at capturing the tone of the story.
The Craftsman by Sharon Bolton – I had come across this book once upon a time and thought it sounded interesting, but what made me read it recently is the fact that it has the same narrator as Madam. I was so impressed by her narration that I wanted to see what else she did. Alas, I picked The Craftsman as my next read, and oh was it good. This is another very atmospheric story. It’s creepy and unsettling. This one follows a detective investigating the disappearance and murder of teenagers in a small English town. When one of the teenagers is found inside a casket, apparently buried alive, the investigation takes a dark turn. I thought this story was cleverly told, and I am so glad to listened to it. I plan on reading other books by this author.
Ask No Questions by Claire Allen – As a Derry Girls fangirl, I picked this book up mostly because it’s set in Derry. But once I started reading it I quickly became engrossed in the story. This book involves the murder of a child and a journalist discovering that maybe there is more to the story than was originally thought. This takes place near Halloween, which I loved. The story is fast-paced and most of the characters seem suspicious. I will say that the protagonist did annoy me a bit toward the end of the book, but other than that this was a very solid read.
Final Girls by Riley Sager – I FINALLY read this book! Now I can say that I’ve read Riley Sager. This book follows Quincy, a ‘final girl’ who believes she has moved past the traumatic event of her past when her friends were murdered. But when she finally meets one of the other final girls, Quincy begins to question everything about herself and her past. Now this book I did enjoy, but I didn’t like it as much as I hoped I would. It felt a bit slow, and it lacked the atmosphere and creepiness I hoped for. When it comes to dark books I just love having a strong sense of place within the story. So with final Girls, it was more of a preference problem on my part. It did have quite a few twists that I was not expecting, but overall it fell a bit flat for me.
A Bookish Kat 