July Wrap-Up

If I were to summon up my reading habits this month the only way I would be able to describe it were: Weird.

Hey guys, how are you? Long-time no see. I am sorry, but my computer had to be repaired and it took longer than I thought it would. But at least I read a lot! Especially during my vacation, but after that things got strange. I fell into a reading slump, but only kind of. I wanted to read, but no book grabbed my attention so I started I think five different ones until I finally committed and finished a book. But since then the only thing I have read this month are graphic novels/comics. Nothing wrong with that, but it I would rather read novels. Anyway, moving on to what I actually read:

City of Lost Souls, by Cassandra Clare          4/5 Stars

Once again a great book by Cassandra Clare, really liked the plot (Review to come)

The Neverland Wars, by Audrey Greathouse           2.5/5 Stars

Got this one as an ARC, this one just kinda fell flat. Pretty forgettable

The Well of Ascension, by Brandon Sanderson       4.5/5 Stars

While not as good as the first book, this was a really great high fantasy book (Review to come)

Confessions of a Shopaholic, by Sophie Kinsella     5/5 Stars

ReadbyZoe on YouTube read these books a while ago so I wanted to pick them up as well. LOVED it. Really fun and fast read with loveable characters

Shopaholic Takes Manhattan, by Sophie Kinsella    4/5 Stars

This one repeated lots of things from the first book, so while still enjoyable, it just wasn´t as refreshing and fun

Shopaholic Ties the Knot, by Sophie Kinsella          4.5/5 Stars

The plot goes into a different direction and shopping takes the backseat, once again really great (I think I might review the series as a whole, or maybe in pairs, not sure yet)

My Life Next Door, by Huntley Fitzpatrick            2.5/5 Stars

This was the book that helped me start reading again, but it wasn´t pretty good to be honest. The characters were really cliché and the plot felt unnecessarily stretched out. (Review to come)

Graphic Novels:

Attack on Titan Vol 1, by Hajime Isayama    4/5 Stars

I started watching the anime again, so I knew what was going to happen; While really great, the art style was confusing at times

Attack on Titan Vol 2, by Hajime Isayama    4/5 Stars

I really appreciated the scene that was left out of the anime, it gave me a better understanding of Mikasa; I think I still prefer the anime though because the manga isn´t as suspenseful and emotionally gripping

East of West Vol 3: There Is No Us, by Jonathan Hickman         3.5/5 Stars

I took too much time off this series, so I was quite confused by what was going on, but I got back into it by one point; Finally, the threads are intertwining!

East of West Vol 4: Who Wants War? by Jonathan Hickman      4.5/5 Stars

Loved the information (maps, history etc.) at the beginning. Some of the story arcs are becoming understandable, but there is still lots of mystery around what´s really going on; Can´t wait for Volume 5!

Fables Vol 1: Legends in Exile, by Bill Willingham          5/5 Stars

Great first instalment, I can definitely see myself becoming obsessed with this series

Fables Volume 2: Animal Farm, by Bill Willingham         5/5 Stars

This volume was even better!

Seconds, by Bryan Lee O`Malley        4/5 Stars

A really quirky and cute graphic novel. The art style portrays the characters similar to chibis, which is sweet. The dynamic between Katie and the narrator is unlike anything I have read before. Recommend especially for people who want to get into graphic novels!!!

Sweet Tooth Vol 1: Out of the Deep Woods, by Jeff Lemire        3/5 Stars

Didn´t really like the artstyle, but it does fit the story well

Sweet Tooth Vol 2: In Captivity, by Jeff Lemire      3.5/5 Stars

I liked this one better; Also we got some backstory, which is always nice

Sweet Tooth Vol 3: Animal Armies, by Jeff Lemire          3/5 Stars

Didn´t like it as much as the second volume

Chew Vol 1: Taster´s Choice, by John Layman       3/5 Stars

This was a difficult one, I appreciate the plot and the characters, but I wasn´t a fan of the art and it is just a bit too gross for my taste (pun intented), I´ll probably read Vol 2 and then decide if I really want to continue on, I would still recommend it though, because it is by no means a “bad” comic

Y: The Last Man Vol 2: Cycles, by Brian K. Vaughan      4/5 Stars

Even though I didn´t like it as much as the first Volume, I still really liked it! It wasn´t as humorous and I can´t comprehend Hero´s actions. Also: Not cool Yorrick! What about Beth?

Y: The Last Man Vol 3: One Small Step, by Brian K. Vaughan   4/5 Stars

I think this is my least favourite volume in this series yet, it was great until that part with the theatre. That turned me off a bit, but apart from that: Great Volume, great series!

Y: The Last Man Vol 4: Safeword, by Brian K. Vaughan  4.5/5 Stars

The beginning was strange, but after they leave 711 this volume did everything right again.

As you can see, I was pretty busy this month. Do you want me to review any book/comic in particular? Let me know down below and we can discuss it together!

Read on xx

Lena

The Ultimate Battle: Books VS eBooks

As long as humanity can remember (or at least since eReaders were invented) there have been discussions which book format is better: The new and practical eBook or the traditional much beloved physical book.

In my opinion there are pros and cons to both of these formats, so what better way to discuss this topic than with a list?! Yaaay lists!

Pros of eBooks:

• You can literally take them everywhere.

In this day and age almost everybody has a smart phone, on which they can read an eBook. Only last week, while I was taking the train, I was reading this new book I received for review (Self promo, you can read more about my thoughts about it here) Also if you read it in class, nobody is going to notice. Whether if you read a physical book everybody suddenly seems to be interested in what you are reading, even the people who haven´t voluntarily touched a book in the last decade.

• Your book won´t get wet.

This is SO IMPORTANT! Have you ever taken a book to the beach or to the pool and left with it being a bit wet, so from now on your beloved book has a water stain on it? Of course you have! And you all know how horrible it is!

• ARCs

I know this doesn´t apply to everyone, but getting physical ARCs outside of Amerika, UK or OZ is hard. I don´t live in an English-speaking country so the only real way I am getting my English ARCs is through websites like Netgalley or Edelweiss (praise you for existing!)

• It´s cheaper

Don´t argue with me over this topic please. I know not all of them are cheaper, but most are, even though most often the difference is only a couple of dollars. But they truly are cheaper. Also there are lots of free eBooks out there, especially by self-published or even Indie-published authors. By now even libraries often have books in electronical Formats, which you can lend out online.

• The space

Don´t lie to me that you don´t struggle with having too many books and too little space on your shelves. We all do. And in a matter of fact eBooks just don´t take up any, except a few Gigabytes on your eReader or phone.

Cons of eBooks:

• You can´t show them off

Yes, it´s a vain reason, but a really important one none the less. I can´t help but feel really happy every time I see my book collection and just find joy in arranging them in a new order or putting new ones on my shelves.

• They are not the real deal

This is the most prominent reason, why I still, and forever will, buy printed books. I just find that I can read them much quicker and also just have a better reading experience. It is probably a bias thing to say, but lots of times I unconsciously give books, I read on my Kindle, a worse rating than I maybe would have, had I read them in a physical format.  You just can´t replace the smell and feel of a book in your hands, which is, in my opinion, one of the best things in reading. With eBooks you just don´t the satisfaction of actually seeing your progress and suddenly realizing how little, of this amazing book you´re currently reading, you have left.

Which of these formats do you prefer? And did I forget something? Let me know in the comments down below!

Read on xx

Lena