Some Books I Would Not Read

This week's Top Ten Tuesday is Bookish Memories (Share stories of your reading life as a child, events you’ve gone to, books that made an impression on you, noteworthy experiences with books, authors you’ve met, etc.). I have no book memories as all my reading memories are of the story and not where I was or what I was doing so here's a list of books I would not read instead. I'm not saying I would never read them, I'm just saying I don't want to read them now.

Some books I don't want to read or maybe will never read:

01 | Go Set a Watchman by Harper Lee
They said it's like a prequel or sequel or whatever to To kill a mocking bird but it sounds very much like a first draft. I wish not to ruin the original book by reading this so, nope.

02 | Marilla of Green Gables by Sarah McCoy
There seems to be some changes to characters/story that I don't think I'll like. Plus, this wasn't written by L.M. Montgomery. I've never liked when authors write other author's characters/books, it never seems right and most of the time, it seems like fan fiction.

03 | Romeo and Juliet retellings
I have no love for Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. I've always find Romeo's way of dying a bit cowardly and also, both of them dying is just stupid to me considering they are just teens and why are they being so dramatic? I guess I just don't get the book. Retellings of Romeo and Juliet are usually kind of annoying to me, I'm not sure why. It may be teenage love never appealed to me especially the kind that involves suicides or it could be that I just hate love stories that involves opposing families, I don't know, I just know whenever a book is said to be a Romeo and Juliet retelling, I immediately want to avoid it.

04 | Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
I'm not drawn to the story at all. I don't know why. Maybe seeing all those movie adaptations has sort of spoiled the book for me but I simply have no desire to read it. I might change my mind and read it some day but just not now. Nor would I like to read any Alice retellings either.

05 | The Wizard of Oz by Frank Baum
The movie really kind of spoils it for me. I doubt I would like the book. Like Alice in Wonderland, I find having watched the movie, I simply don't want to read the book.
   

06 | Peter Pan by J. M. Barrie and Retellings
I don't know why but I just don't like Peter Pan but maybe I just don't like how he seems a bit creepy because he's neither a child nor an adult, more like an overgrown man disguised as a young boy and luring young children out of their homes. It's one thing to be a child but it's another to be a child who seems perhaps to be a hundred years old, much like a vampire, someone who never matures to be an adult - it's just not appealing to me. Plus, I read samples of the book and the writing is just so oddly, unendearing, I just didn't like it. I think the Disney movie is really the one thing I can tolerate about that character but even then, he's just weirdly creepy for no reason.
    And Peter Pan retellings kind of annoys me as well. And whenever they try to make Wendy and Peter a couple, it creeps me out. Or when they make Tinkerbell and Peter a couple, that's just as bad.

07 | Beauty and the Beast Retellings
So maybe I'll probably still read some Beauty and the Beast retellings as the story appeals to me a lot. The many retellings that I read were quite disappointing with a few exceptions. I really wish people would stop referring to any books as a Beauty and the Beast retelling whenever the man is a bit beastly. It would only be a true retelling if the beast was a man that got turned into a beast and actually became a better person at the end. I guess the Disney movie (the animated version) sort of sets my standard for a Beauty and the Beast retellings minus the singing.

08 | Vera Stanhope Mysteries by Ann Cleeves
I really like Brenda Blethyn as Vera Stanhope in the tv series and somehow I can't see anyone else playing that character and if I read the books, I think that character will sort of get ruined. Maybe it's a silly reason not to read the books but I have read reviews and I'm pretty certain I would hate the books.

09 | Aurora Teagarden Mysteries by Charlaine Harris
The books aren't like the the movies. So maybe I prefer the movies. It's hard to see the characters in a different way after I have seen the movies. Plus I don't like that the books are written in first person - it's not a good way to get to know the other characters.

10 | Books that have fictional versions of authors
I have read some of these types of books and they weren't bad but I just don't like reading about authors doing things they would never do such as fighting zombies and vampires or solving murders or living a life that they never had - it's just not something I like anymore.

How about you? Are there any books or type of books you would not read?

For more Top Ten Tuesdays, visit That Artsy Reader Girl here.

Can You Blog Without Obligations?

winter pause

Maybe you have noticed, I've been posting less which is exactly what I didn't plan to do. I honestly was going to blog more this year but I guess my brain didn't want to. The joy of blogging is having what you posted be read by people, even just three people is still a joy. Maybe I like to have more readers but I think it's hard to have readers come back if you don't post.
    As bloggers, do we owe readers anything? When we don't post, we're not blogging and they're not reading so what does that mean? I do feel a slight obligation to post something at least once a week which wouldn't be a problem except for no reason, I just don't want to. Not to say I force myself to post but to say, it seems to be getting harder to have enthusiasm for something that I can easily ignore if I choose to. I guess, I'm a slow blogger who seesaw between posting a lot and barely posting and maybe that's not a bad thing, I don't think.
    Anyway, I just want to get this little thought out there. What do you think? Do you feel an obligation to post? Do you think posting once a week or even once a month is enough?

Fiction: Trudy Fine's Very Short Journey Through Space (4)

Fiction: Trudy Fine's Very Short Journey Through Space — Part 4 of 4  (Read part 1 here, part 2 here, part 3 here)

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 01 ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

"Hold on tight but don't fuss. It's going to get a little bumpy!" said Ben.
    Trudy turned about in her chair. Where was she to hold on to? Every surface of the ship was smooth and the chair she sat on didn't have seat belts nor was it bolted to the floor. She tucked the uneaten egg into her pants pocket and held onto the edge of her seat with death grips.
    Ben's eyes, full of shadows beneath them, were down at the control panel with his hands hovering over it. He wore the same black trenchcoat but his tshirt was dark blue with a yellow smily face and 'Have a nice day' in yellow around it. Had he slept? He didn't seem like he would like mindless conversations about one's well being much like Steven. Being alive was always enough for him. "We're going into hyperspeed in three, two, one!" said Ben.
    Trudy was jolted forward and then back, paused and began to shake violently. Everything she saw was doubled. A sudden realization that she was in a spaceship with a manic driver made her want to laugh and maybe freak out a little.
    "Don't worry. The chairs are magnetic, you won't be thrown about." Ben said without looking at her. "Did you have a weird dream? We did a few planet jumps while you were sleeping. I heard such travels even on a ship, make humans have strange dreams."
    Her dream was strange but very real, almost as if she was reliving it. It was a long forgotten memory or she had thought - the day her mother sold Trudy's eyes for drug money. But it was the memory of Steven that made her ached.
    "Like I said before, it's much easier to travel when you're unconscious," said Ben.
    "When did you said that?" Trudy had no memory of him telling her anything of the sort.
    "Oh. I guess I forgot. Hyperspeed travel can sort of be a little harsh on your brain. But it's not worse than time travel. Now time travel can really scramble your brain and it's not very enthusiastic in re-scrambling it back either."
    Trudy stared at the floor to steady her eyes. Her head ached. It could be because of hyperspeed or just hearing Ben talk science. Maybe her mind was a little too weak in absorbing information at the moment.
    They stopped shaking. "And we're out of hyperspeed. But we've got company," said Ben. His eyes were on the screen.
    Trudy looked up. There was something out there — a shiny, towering something. "What is that?" Trudy wasn't sure she wanted to know.
    "A Cimmerian ship. Rather too tall for my taste." Ben said. "Incoming." He pressed a spot on the right side on the control panel which lit up and then dimmed. There was a jolt. Then it was complete stillness.
    Trudy opened her eyes to the sight of a metal, two-prong instrument coming toward her. She tried to move away but she was held down by her arms. "Let me go!" But whomever was holding her had serious strength. The two-prong instrument was inches away. "I say, let me go!" she screamed.

Do authors actions impact your view of their work?

This week's Tell Me Something Tuesday is: Do authors/narrators actions, political beliefs, etc impact your view of their work?

I mostly read the little bio at the end of the book and that's really all I want to know about an author but with social media, it's so easy to know who did what so that it's a bit hard to avoid knowing. And in knowing, some of my favorite books got a little tainted. So, yes, an author's action and beliefs does impact my view of their work a little but mostly, it's a no because I don't bother to know authors. I think I would rather be reading books than trying to waste time and effort trying to judge people and then decide if I want to read their work.
    
How about you? Do authors/narrators actions, political beliefs, etc impact your view of their work?

[ Tell Me Something Tuesday was originally created by Heidi but is now hosted by Berls, Jen, Karen, Linda and Roberta. ]

Favorite Things Characters Have Said

This week's Top Ten Tuesday is Memorable Things Characters Have Said (quotes from book characters that have stuck with you). This list is in no particular order but number 9 and 10 are my ultimate favorites. Some of these are not direct quotes from characters, more like thoughts, which I think it's almost the same thing.

01 |

“My heart is too thoroughly dried to be broken in a hurry, and I mean to live as long as I can.”
— The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Bronte

02 |

“We had our breakfasts — whatever happens in a house, robbery or murder, it doesn't matter, you must have your breakfast.”
— The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins

03 |

"I did, as a child, think of New York as a kind of temporary station, and a temporary life where I never wanted anything, or pretended to not want anything, hiding that desire for a new bicycle or a comic book for that elsewhere we would most certainly end up in."
— The Mountain, from the story, Milner Field by Paul Yoon

04 |

"I'm too bookish for prison!"
— The Care and Feeding of a Pet Black Hole by Michelle Cuevas

05 |

“I don't know. I don't know anything, really. I just feel. And when the feeling is strong enough, then I just say I know. But I don't...” 

— A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith

06 |

"I'm a huge, hulking monster with anger management issues. I'm contractually obligated to encourage violence and anarchy on principle."
— Beast Charming by Jenniffer Wardell

07 |

"I trust you to find the good in me, but the bad I must be sure you don't overlook."
— Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine

08 |

“I have been tolerably well educated.”
— Nicholas Nickleby by Charles Dickens

09 |

"My life is spent in one long effort to escape from the commonplaces of existence."
— Sherlock Holmes, from the story, The Red-Headed League by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

10 |

"You see — I've never had any real life. I've just — breathed."
— The Blue Castle by L.M. Montgomery

What are you some of your favorite quotes, whether from characters from books or just things you remember from books?

For more Top Ten Tuesdays, visit That Artsy Reader Girl here.

Some ramblings about motivations

chill out

Just some ramblings that may or may not be about motivations. The art above (chill out) is a piece that I have re-done awhile ago and I thought it's time to share it plus it makes me happy to see it. And perhaps people can look at it instead of reading my ramblings.

01 | Is it habit or are we all prone to only talk about things we're interested? I find I now post mostly what interest me: books, art and fiction that I create, and sometimes meandering posts like this. It makes sense that I would post what interest me, right? But sometimes it does seems like I'm blogging about the same things over and over and it does feel a bit repetitive. But my interest rarely widen all that much. I guess I should get some new hobbies?

02 | Are you participating in NaNo (National November Writing Month) this month? I think NaNo is great if you need an excuse to write for a month along with other crazy people who thinks writing is something to enjoy with thousands of other people instead of doing it alone. I've not participated in any of the group writing gatherings so I've never truly benefit from doing NaNo. But mostly I'm not participating now because I have zero motivation to write a novel or even finish the twenty I have started.  (Go here if you're interested in National November Writing Month)

03 | I was going to post the last part to Trudy Fine's Very Short Journey Through Space but then I decided not to post it until later. I usually don't take too long in writing because I use writing prompts (mainly Words for Wednesday) and they have a schedule though I'm usually late in posting. I sometimes write a bit of the story and then finish it after I get the prompts or just write from scratch after I get the prompts. So often I write these fairy quickly, perhaps two days, so I'm wondering maybe I should spend more time on them because I find myself correcting what I had already posted. People probably don't realize it but I had make some corrections to the Trudy Fine posts because there were mistakes to the story, tiny mistakes but I corrected them. Even if there aren't people reading it, I still would correct it. It's one of my habits, probably a bad habit. I don't like seeing mistakes where they can be easily fixed. Does anyone know what I mean?  (Go here if you want to read the first three parts of Trudy Fine.)
    I like using writing prompts because it motivates me to write and finish a story instead of procrastinating on it. But maybe I should start participating in writing challenges like WEP (link) again. One should hone their craft even if they are never going to publish a book, right? Supposedly participating in writing challenges helps a writer to grow and get better but do they? I'm not really certain but it's still better to allow other people to read your writing than to keep it to yourself.
    
04 | It's November but it seems like it was January just yesterday. I don't feel I have accomplished anything this year. It's like I've been half-sleeping my way through the months. I can't even tell you a single thing I did that stood out aside from blogging.    
    I blog so that I can sort of say I've been doing something but in fact, having a blog is kind of showing me I haven't been doing much. I would like to have been doing more with my time other than staring at screens and eating meals and trying to remind focus at whatever I was doing but I don't know. Either I'm too lazy to do something or I'm too frustrated with everything to do anything. I'm more motivated to watch youtube videos than finishing any of my hundreds of unfinished projects. I've talked about this before, I lack motivations. I struggled to finish things but maybe I'm afraid to fail. One of the quotes I remember by Erica Jong: I went for years not finishing anything. Because, of course, when you finish something you can be judged. It might be that reason I don't finish things. Or maybe I'm just naturally lazy.

How about you? Do you wait until motivation hits you to do something or do you just start doing without a need for motivation?

Books I Read in October 2021

I didn't do much reading. I was a bit preoccupied by drawing but mostly, I just didn't feel like reading much. I've managed to finish reading a few books so here they are. You can just read the summary if you don't want to read my babbling.

01 | The Ghost of Midnight Lake (aka The Ghost of Gosswater) by Lucy Strange > link
There is a ghost but it wasn't that present and there is a mystery but I sort of guessed almost immediately and there is a villain but he seemed like, 'oh yes, I'm a bad guy and I have dogs that I use to attack people' but he doesn't seem to have much personality other than being the bad guy. I kind of pictured him with large eyes and a manic grin, like those cartoon villains that acts a little crazy because they are villains and they know it and they like it. It would be nice if the ghost had appeared more often and maybe actually talk to the main character. I didn't like this was told in first person present tense - it just seemed off somehow.
    Summary: The mystery was a little bland for me even though I did find the beginning kind of fun.

02 | Murder Most Unladylike: Book 1 (aka Murder is Bad Manners) by Robin Stevens > link 1, link 2
I really couldn't stand the relationship between Hazel Wong (the narrator) and Daisy Wells. The first thing Daisy did when Hazel arrived at the school is to talk Hazel into getting into a trunk and then locked her there - is this what you would call friendship? Hazel and Daisy are supposed to be best friends but Daisy is a bully and is often regard as the one who is smarter and better (mostly by Hazel) and she is worshipped by the younger students (and Hazel) while Hazel is basically a slave to Daisy. The fact that Daisy can lie so easily makes me wonder about her character and the constant mention of criminal knowledges in reference to finding them out from her uncle - what is that supposed to be mean, has Daisy got an uncle who is a criminal? I do think Daisy is bit Sherlock Holmes-like which I kind of like but I guess one has to question her behavior especially being 12 years old (I don't remember how old she is supposed to be exactly). As Hazel lets us know, "Guilt slides straight off Daisy like butter." So Daisy pretty much do whatever she wants and Hazel just follows her commands. (Even with Sherlock Holmes, Dr. Watson never seemed like he was put down by Holmes, at least, I've never had that impression.) I guess what I don't like is that Hazel herself kind of put herself down for being Asian, for being not skinny enough or pretty enough or English enough. Why does an Asian Sherlock not a realistic goal for Hazel? Hazel has some issues with herself and perhaps staying away from Daisy might be better for her.
    And the way the girls pretend to be dumb in their classes so the other children can like them? I don't get that. So maybe you don't want to be seen as too smart but to pretend that you're dumb is just odd and kind of dishonest. And how does the teacher grade students like them? Or how did Hazel and Daisy ever pass any class behaving this way?
    Summary: I simply just couldn't stand the relationship between Hazel and Daisy and how condescending Daisy is to Hazel and how Hazel seems to accept that she will always be second to Daisy. The murder mystery was a bit intriguing but it was also kind of lame how it ended. I doubt I'll read the other books in the series.
    Note: I like to refer to this book as Murder Most Unladylike because it's the original title. This series is known as A Murder Most Unladylike in the UK and as A Wells & Wong Mystery in the US. For some reason, some covers had A Wells & Wong Mystery above the titles and some do not. The title of this book 1 is also published as Murder is Bad Manners in the US. I think the confusion will continue just because some publisher thought it was a good idea to retitle a series for the US audience and let's not discuss how they Americanized the text.

03 | The Oddmire, Book 3: Deepest, Darkest by William Ritter > link
The third book in this series ended well but it reminded me of Ritter's other series (Jackaby) and how it kind of ended almost the same way but at least, this ended slightly better, I think. Although the multiple view points seems far too many and kind of distracting. My favorite character is still Fable but she seems like a side character here. So the main, main characters are the brothers Cole and Tinn but to make the other characters seems like side character seems a bit strange since we get their point of view but maybe it would have been nice just having Cole and Tinn's viewpoint instead of scattering around other people's heads but I suppose you would not get the whole story that way.
    Summary: I enjoyed this series and I really like how Ritter built the world but I doubt I would read a fourth book unless it's about Fable.

04 | The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: The Illustrated Edition by Douglas Adams, Illustrated by Chris Riddell  > link
This started out fun but then it sort of meanders and the bits with the guide text (with info that sort of give you some details/back stories that sort of relates to what is happening) seems almost useless. Some of the technical or science explanations for this or that sounds like nonsense to me but maybe I'm not intelligent enough to understand them but whenever some strange name for a species or a place is used, it just sounds so absurd and meaningless like the words were just put together for no reason other than to sound foolish or maybe to mock someone or some place or thing. Sometimes the text seems to repeat, not sure it was intentional but there were few instances in the beginning where I felt like I was re-reading something I had read in the previous paragraph - an error or intentional, I don't know. I guess I shouldn't have read this edition because I really didn't like the illustrations, they looked kind of weird and gross, though I saw them on my small kindle screen.
    Summary: It was a short book, a little over 200 pages but I took three weeks to read it (not the actual reading time) but I kept putting off finishing it somehow. I did enjoyed the first half of the book but then somehow, it just became dull to me. This really is like part one of a story as it seemed to end abruptly, there is an end but it didn't go anywhere but I don't know if I'll read the other books, I can't keep my attention on reading this first book.

05 | Greenglass House (Book 1) by Kate Milford > link
Someone wrote a review titled with the spoiler which I thought is kind of stupid because if you're telling people you're going to include a spoiler, should you really put it in your title? I'm pretty sure most people read the title of reviews (which are usually bolded text) because I certainly do. So I started reading the book knowing a character is a ghost. Somehow, there are no clear indications other than one instant which when you think about it, it's not really much an indiction at all unless you know beforehand that the character is a ghost. But it doesn't seem to make much difference whether you know or not before reading because the ghost is kind of a surprise that no one can see it coming. Was it a good surprise? Not to me.
    I actually find it refreshing that Milo is adopted but I didn't need more on that. In the beginning, they make it seems like it's not a big deal to be adopted but then they make it seem like it's the most important thing to Milo. But honestly, this isn't an adoption story so I prefer not to have this little bit in the story. I don't know how to explain it but it just seems like they put this bit in to make Milo interesting when he's really just kind of plain without it. I guess this isn't the kind of book for this kind of story, that's what I think I'm saying.
    I also like the stories from The Raconteur's Commonplace Book which Milo was reading which included a few tidbits that are quite amusing and fun. (The fifth book in this series is titled The Raconteur's Commonplace Book which has the full stories as far as I know and which I might read.)
    I really, really don't like the role playing game the main characters, Milo and Meddy, are doing. Milo and Meddy plays Negret and Sirin and their names keep getting switched. Like Milo is suddenly Negret just like that. The role playing is sort of related to the mystery but to have these two characters kept switching names, drove me nuts. Plus, I don't think it was necessary.
   With 13 characters, stories told by said characters and a mystery that is full of mini mysteries, it seems like it's going somewhere but in an extremely slow crawl. Either is the writing or just me, I find this book to be quite slow. I can't quite believe that Milo can solve a mystery in a few days while adults wasted years and didn't even get close but it's a kid's mystery book so I guess it's only fair the children solves the mystery.
    Summary: I did really enjoyed the beginning when the guests arrive at the inn but then it sort of became a very slow move toward toward the end even at 389 pages. I guess if you enjoy slow mysteries and don't mind having your characters role play other people, then you'll like this book.

How was your October? Read any good books?