The Bookish Panel of My Dreams

Imagine a literary conference is taking place in your area, where authors would gather and discuss their works with their readers, but the organizers are in a frenzy because… they don’t know who they should invite! Knowing you are, obviously, an avid bookworm, they turn to you for suggestions on who to invite for this conference. And here is the chance you’ve been waiting for : to select any author you would want, to create your perfect author panel!!!!

Eventbrite, the largest self-service ticketing platform in the world that helps people find and plan events, is working on a really cool project that invites readers, just like you and me, to dream up a fantasy panel of authors that they would like to meet and hear speak at a conference! 🙂 Considering how awesome this idea is, I was so excited to jump in the train!

What I need now is magic to raise some people from the dead………..

LET’S GET INTO THE MAGIC, SHALL WE?

For the world they created

• J. R. R. Tolkien. First and foremost, I need to put the author of my favorite series on my list. Middle Earth is… groundbreaking. I have no words to express my love of Tolkien’s creation. I wouldn’t be a dreamer without him.
• C. S. Lewis. For the same reasons as Tolkien, with less passion but no less admiration. Narnia would be the perfect world for my childhood.

For their own growth and still-growing influence

• J. K. Rowling. She’s still alive and still has our young hearts sleeping at Hogwarts. By what I can see of her public activities (and tweets), she seems like a wise and kind woman, and so I would love to hear her speak.
• Khaled Hosseini. His novels struck me deeply by what I think must be first-hand experience, or otherwise a deep, detailed knowledge and empathy towards the people in his stories.

For the way their words flow like honey

• Anna-Marie McLemore. Her writing is simply gorgeous and surreal.
• Erin Morgenstern. The circus still unfolds in my dreams, the tricks still mesmerize my mind, and the wonder still tugs at my heart.
• Charles Baudelaire. Mainly for his beautiful poems, which were the subject of my admiration since high school. So beautifully written and evocative, they struck a chord in me.

For the ideas they awaken

• Ursula K. Le Guin. Omelas is an intense and deeply affecting short story, and I’m still trying to find anything that is similar because I can’t get enough.
• Mitch Albom. All his stories feel profoundly personal and yet universal. You can’t get out of this unscathed.
• L.M. Montgomery. Oh, Anne. How you coloured my youthful mind! How free-spirited I aspired to be!

For their impeccable stories

• Christopher Paolini. Eragon was a thrilling and incredible fantasy read that I would recommend to anyone!
• Markus Zusak. From the narrator to the protagonist, Zusak intrigued me to the last page.
• Erika Johansen. I wasn’t even at half her novel that I knew it would be one of my favorite series.
• Leigh Bardugo. Bardugo managed to get my heart beating for her refreshing and yet grim story of badass criminals.
• Kelley Armstrong. Armstrong succeeded in both YA fantasy and Fantasy, and in both times I was in love.

For their prestige and impact on literature

• Charles Dickens.
• William Shakespeare.
• Oscar Wilde.

For their personal stories and thought process

• Agatha Christie. Her mysteries… how…….???…..
• Ian Fleming. Did you know the rumour about him having had a spy training? Yes I’d like to know more about that as well.
• Homer. Come on. We all want to know where he got his ideas.

For the fangirling

• Sarah J. Maas.
• Marie Lu.
• Julie Kagawa.
• Suzanne Collins.
• Cassandra Clare.

Alriiiiiight. I counted 26. Is that toooo much? No it’s not, because it’s my DREAM PANEL. Please bear in mind that I put them in categories that are relevant to ME. It doesn’t mean that, for example, Charles Baudelaire doesn’t have prestige, okay? It’s just that I, personally, would like to meet him because of his writing style.

Now I know I’m probably missing some people, and I will probably un-invite some authors here in a few years, but right now, those are the ones I can think about.

WOW, SUCH A COOL ACTIVITY, EVENTBRITE. THANK YOU!!

As for now, guys, I would like YOU to think up some authors! Who would you invite to your dream panel?

Thanks for reading this! If you ever want to organize a conference in your local area, here’s a great place to start, at Eventbrite’s online registration. Have a great day, guys xx

TV Show Rambling: 13 Reasons Why

Hey, everyone! Welcome back to my TV Show Rambling, where I just ramble about TV shows that I watch or that I plan on watching someday. Today’s spotlight will be on 13 Reasons Why.

Credit

Summary (from IMDB) :

Follows teenager Clay Jensen, in his quest to uncover the story behind his classmate and crush, Hannah, and her decision to end her life.

Produced by several producers including Selena Gomez, 13 Reasons Why started off as a novel by Jay Asher, published in 2007. At the time, it was my favorite book, and (hehe) I’m proud to say that my passion spread to my classmates! But, as I grew older, and became more interested and aware of psychology, I came to realize that 13 Reasons Why wasn’t a good depiction of a suicide-inclined teenage girl. Actually, some of the things happening in the book didn’t even add up together. And all of these points, plus many others, can come down to one simple sentence.

This novel glorifies suicide.

You know all those memes of “Welcome to your tape”? Yeah, that’s how ridiculous, and easy-sounding, it was, for Hannah.

Knowing the storyline didn’t change from the book, I started watching the show just because I was curious. It’s actually pretty entertaining, you know, in the sense of a drama-teenage show. I actually like Hannah better in the show than in the book. She’s cleverer, funnier. She’s so pretty also! Clay is just as erased as I remember him to be, so I really don’t mind him. Actually, I think the acting is pretty good, the screenplay adaptation as well. It’s well done!

But if you’re looking for a real, good series, 13 Reasons Why wouldn’t be my recommendation. It’s unrealistic, it’s popcorn TV. I admit there are some pretty strong messages about bullying and slut-shaming and etc., and I totally support them. But the whole synopsis is about “why” she committed suicide, so that’s what I’m focusing on.

I think it’s pretty sad that someone, somewhere, accepted to spread this nonsense. I think 13 lowkey encourages suicide. But hey, as long as you’re just here for the entertainment, and aren’t gullible, naive, then I guess you could watch it!

Thank you for reading this! Feel free to comment 🙂

Quote of the Day

I trust you to find the good in me, but the bad I must be sure you don’t overlook.

– Gail Carson Levine, Ella Enchanted

 

Book Review: A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas

Title: A Court of Mist and Fury

Author : Sarah J. Maas

Publisher : Bloomsbury USA Childrens

Release date : May 3rd, 2016

Rating : 5/5

Synopsis (from Goodreads) :

Feyre survived Amarantha’s clutches to return to the Spring Court—but at a steep cost. Though she now has the powers of the High Fae, her heart remains human, and it can’t forget the terrible deeds she performed to save Tamlin’s people.

Nor has Feyre forgotten her bargain with Rhysand, High Lord of the feared Night Court. As Feyre navigates its dark web of politics, passion, and dazzling power, a greater evil looms—and she might be key to stopping it. But only if she can harness her harrowing gifts, heal her fractured soul, and decide how she wishes to shape her future—and the future of a world cleaved in two.

Review :

When has a sequel ever been better than the first book? Seriously, WHEN?!

ACOMAF blew my mind away in a way I never would’ve guessed… Utterly, and completely. This book is GOLD.

The writing is so, so good. Among all the YA novels I’ve read, I can easily say Sarah J. Maas has one of the most impeccable writing styles. She pens down all the right intonations, has great timing in her prose, and successfully conveys everything she wants to, thanks to her way to manipulate the language. The author knows just what to say to convey the importance of something, whether it be a fact or an event. Therefore, the reader immediately understands what she wants them to understand: feelings, thoughts, mental conflicts.

The journeys to other Courts are magical! My biggest wish throughout my reading was to go visit those places, and see them with my own eyes because wow. Instead, I made another post where I show you how I see them. The imagery is really evocative and I think Maas really used her own fantasies to create such dream-like settings. We also encounter all kinds of creatures, and the story never stalls, as adventures or relevant scenes are abundant in this sequel.

For a YA fantasy book writer, Maas isn’t afraid to go deep into her characters, as it is shown in her very realistic portrayal of depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). If you’ve been following my reviews, you would know that I always highlight mental disorders in my readings. It’s a subject to which I’m sensitive, because I’m interested in how the mind works. In my (very amateur-ish) opinion, I believe Maas did a great job at describing PTSD and depression (not in their full spectrum, but at least some symptoms of it), and thus how Feyre felt after her ordeal with Amarantha. I felt really bad for her, I sympathized a lot, and I understand her mistrust and repulsion at certain things. However, I was a bit disappointed: I thought Feyre would have been stronger, maybe? I would’ve thought a girl like her would have taken more to break, but oh well. Once I got far enough in my reading, I got over it and just chose to sympathize with her.

A new thing that completely amazed me, and that I seriously consider adding to my criteria for books, is that Maas literally fixes every issue I could find in the book. As soon as I found a problem, an inconsistency or a doubt, she would patch things up, offer something to fix that problem, explain the why’s and the how’s. Like… WOW. That was seriously awesome. Although it’s not an issue, exactly, I still found that the timeframe is a bit short. If I’m correct, Feyre has been in Prythian for around a year? So I think, with all the events and twists and turns, it does seem a bit nonsensical?… Also, some things were just too convenient. I really thought that Maas pushed it a bit too much on some occasions. But these are not big minuses, as I still adored the book, so… meh!

In ACOMAF, we meet again Feyre, Tamlin, Rhysand & Co. And here there will be a few (kinda) spoilers.

Borrow, Buy, Burn!

Welcome again to my bookish edition of F*ck, Marry, Kill!

Please suggest me other books to play with!

I hope you enjoyed the last round, and will put your own choices in the comments 🙂 All these books are YA, so if you’re looking for a YA read, pick one (or all!) of them, and you won’t regret it, I’m telling ya 😉

What would YOU choose between

1. Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo
2. Crimson Bound by Rosamund Hodge
3. A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas

Borrow

A Court of Mist and Fury. It was an amazing and super well-written book!! However, something didn’t sit well with me.

Buy

Six of Crows. One of my favorite series, so of course I’d buy it (and I did). Everything was perfect.

Burn

Crimson Bound. I’ll post a review on this book soon, but it was nowhere near as good as the 2 other books. For real, it seems so bland next to them, this choice is a certainty.

.

Thank you for reading this! Feel free to comment your own choices!

Book Scenery: ACOMAF | Sarah J. Maas

Have you ever read descriptions in a book and thought to yourself, “Man, this book would have been perfect on film”? I have.

I am one who loves to look up beautiful scenery and breath-taking landscapes on Google. They just look incredible and I know they exist in our mundane world, and I’m planning one day to go visit them all! However, another way to have a glimpse at those otherworldly locations is… to read them on paper.

When there’s a description in a book, it can go two ways: horribly wrong, or beautifully well. Whenever I stumble upon a perfect one, I am taken away! I wish to live there, I wish to visit this place, I wish I could see it with my own eyes.

This is how I picture book settings to look like.

I’m going to start with A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas, since the 3rd one is coming soon!

Spring Court

 

Night Court (Court of Dreams)

Summer Court

Hybern

It was quite hard to find pictures on Google that would represent how I imagine ACOTAR’s locations to look like.

For the Night Court, we mainly see Velaris. So I asked my friend how she views it, and one thing she said struck me: “Basically, I based Velaris on my fantasy dream city”. So I tried incorporating her standards to the court’s name, as well as my own opinion.

For Hybern, I know Maas intended it to look like Ireland, and I thought it was somewhat how I viewed it myself.

I hope you enjoyed this post! If you want me to do the book scenery of a particular book, feel free to ask and to comment! Have a nice day, guys xx