What I've Been Reading-August

So it's been such a long time since I've posted anything.  School has started up again and I've been caught in the river of assignments.  Plus, I'm busy with a few extracurricular activities and finally out of a book/writing/television slump.  And just in time, since the fall is my favorite season with all the new things coming out.  I've also found a lot of inspiration from music, and particularly Panic! at the Disco.  They've had such an impact on my recent writing, especially after I watched their music videos.

Since I'm on a book-buying-ban I don't have any new books to show off, just the ones I read last month.  And they are quite a few.  Hopefully by seeing what I'm reading you'll see what sort of things impact my writing.

First up was Green Arrow: Quiver by Kevin Smith.  I must say that this was a solid 5-star graphic novel.  Unfortunately, it's out of print.  Reading it on my kindle was pleasant, but I'm currently on a quest to get each issue in the original copy (I already have two of them!).  The art was gorgeous, the story was amazing and made me have so many feels just thinking about it now, almost a month after finishing it, brings them back.

Then I finally got to a graphic novel that has been sitting on my kindle for some time now.  This is the first few issues in the New 52 reboot of Justice League Geoff Johns (CCO of DC, I'm pretty sure).  He's a great guy and if you're looking to start reading comics or graphic novels, this is a pretty good place to start.  I only gave it four stars because I wished that there was a little more meat to the story.  It felt short, but there are actual, really good, reasons for that.

One of the many re-reads I did this month was Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas.  This is one of my favorite series ever and this is actually the second time I've re-read this book.  Last year I even got it signed.  This is one of those rare books that gets better every time I read it and I can't wait until I get to it again next year.

Finally, after exactly two months of reading this monster, I finished The Eye of the World by Robert Jordan.  And then, after giving it five stars, I had to stop myself from reading the sequel right away, which is a bigger beast than this one.  I can see why it's such a well-loved book and I'm still chomping at the bit to get to the rest of the series.  I don't like reading more than one epic fantasy at a time, though, and right now I'm busy with Clash of Kings.

Next came to re-reads: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban and Dragonspell.  Both are favorites from my child hood and I was feeling nostalgic.  I enjoyed journeying in to both of these worlds again.

Then I read If I Stay.  I must say, I enjoyed it quite a lot and gave it four stars.  I saw the movie, though, and thought that was better, if only because they played up the romance and I could hear the music from the bands.

My final re-read for this month was Crown of Midnight, also by Sarah J. Maas.  While I was iffy about this book the first time around because I wasn't a big fan of the ending, this time I loved it.  Since I knew what was coming small hints helped it become a much more beautiful mosaic.  Obviously, I love this series.

A book that I've known about for a while but really was a bit of a on-a-whim buy was Steelheart by Brandon Sanderson.  This is the first Brandon Sanderson book I've read even though I own quite a few of his works.  I wasn't disapointed- this was amazing.  I gave it five stars and I know for a fact that as soon as Firefight is released I'll be reading it.

Last but not least is another book that caused all my feels to happen: Death Masks by Jim Butcher, the fifth book in the Dresden Files.  So far I've liked this series but this book... I LOVED THIS BOOK.  It was like a bolt of lightening.  It put me on my toes and I was a wreck the whole time I was reading it.  While sports fans may talk to the players on the fields and the screens when they can't gear them, I talked to this book.  My family would walk in on me, take a look at what I was doing, and walk right out.

So all in all, I started the month with a great book and ended it with one that was just as good.  With no misses in between, it was a very good month.  I would recommend every single book on this list, and if you want more information, just leave a comment or visit Goodreads.

ACoN Chapter Six

Chapter Six: An Intermission

If you’ve ever had an out of body experience it might have felt something like this.

            Your body lies there on the floor and you reach out to touch it but your hand goes through.  Vaguely you think that you might be dying and that no one is coming for you.  Remembering what you were doing before you got up and fell down you continue down to the stairs to where the door is.  Someone rang the doorbell.  You can’t open the door because you’re little more than a wraith, but you can walk through.  It’s some solicitor but you can’t get worked up about it.  Who cares; you’re dying, maybe.

            You continue walking, maybe looking for a light to follow, maybe just walking to the end of the earth, maybe hoping you’ll find help.  But you’re so alone.

            Except now you’re not because you see a blue light that’s glowing in the distance and on your right.  The end of the road?  No, you don’t think so.  You think it’s more than that. 

            You go to the light and when you get to it you just stand in front of it.  In front of the house it’s in, actually, because you haven’t yet reached the light.  You stand there for so long not doing anything but hoping that the light will come out.  The day dies, too, and turns to night.  Maybe you should go back?

            But in the back of your head you know you can’t do that.  This changes everything.

            Something starts to tug at your waist.  Tugging up like it wants you to fly.  And there’s a sound in your head now.  Crying, maybe?  Numbers flash in front of your eyes and you wake up-

            -and I’m in the back of an ambulance with things hooked up to my arms and a dream fleeting past.  I try to catch it and then lose consciousness again, this time more naturally.