Failing Rereading Chamber of Secrets

STRAP IN LADIES, GENTLEMEN AND HOWEVER YOU IDENTIFY YOURSELVES! 

This blog post is gonna get messy (not sure if in a good way or a bad way, but we shall see!). Allow me to explain. As you all probably know, I am in a huge reading slump. Probably one of the worst I have been in since I started book blogging over ten years ago. This is due to anxiety and other outside forces that I won't get into at the moment, but you would know that, while I am audiobooking and slowly reading, it's become a struggle. 

Now, normally, when in a reading slump, I usually reread a book I love and know inside out. Normally, I reread Sabriel by Garth Nix. But seeing as I reread a few years back and I know it inside out (it's one of my fave fantasy reads), I wanted to reread something else. I was thinking of rereading either The Subtle Knife by Philip Pullman or Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by JK Rowling. I decided in the end to reread Chamber of Secrets as I relistened to a few podcasts that's rereading Harry Potter, chapter by chapter, and thought this would be a good idea as, while I know the story well, Chamber isn't my fave book in the series. 

So, I started to reread it. And I stopped as I started chapter eleven: the Duelling Club. 

I have reasons. Reading slump, the fact I disagree with JK Rowling, the fact the world is burning (UK and US politics - I mean, what the ACTUAL F**K?!). But the biggest reason is, while I know this story really well (how many times have I reread this since it was first published in 1999?), rereading this made me be more cynical. Not only that, I looked at certain things and went "If this character did [insert idea here] or just told [insert character name here], then NONE OF THIS WOULD HAPPENS! WHY ARE YOU ALL SO STUPID?!"

*cough*

Sorry. But rereading this made me a little angry and my adult, reading slump brain spotted things that my 12/13 brain didn't.

Reading Slump

I wrote this over the Bank Holiday weekend, but I decided to not to post it. Not then, but I feel more ok posting it now and happier to talk. 

If you've followed me on my socials - mainly Twitter or Goodreads - you might have noticed that I didn't read much over the course of May. I suffered/am suffering (I'm slowly crawling out of it) a HUGE reading slump in May. Things happened and, because of that, it affected my reading and my enjoyment. 

Yes, I know I had a blog break over the Easter break due to me feeling a little burnout with reading and blogging, but this slump is annoying as heck as I want to read. BADLY! This is affecting both my reading and my audiobooking so feeling very meh of late with stories (though I listen to podcasts of people reading, such as Goblet of Wine). Same with blogging and general life stuff. 

However, life has just... I don't really known how to describe it. Let's say the last few years have been hard with COVID and other issues. Yeah, shall we say that and move on? 

So, just giving you a tiny heads-up that reading and blogging over the next few months might be a little more hit and miss than normal (for example, I was trying to write this while podcast-listening to random episode of Her Dark Materials & Unbitten - oh, I'm thinking of rereading a book within His Dark Materials and the Twilight Saga. Not Twilight or Northern Lights, as I have reread them quite often, but am leaning towards New Moon [strangely, a fave of mine in the series] or The Amber Spyglass. Thoughts? - and I couldn't write this post and listen to podcast. Believe me, random lines would have popped up in this post). I need to ease self back into this and find the joy again - which might mean 

Hopefully, will be back to my reading self in a few weeks so stay with me! If not, I will be listening to random podcasts and TV shows so that should be fun! 

re3 - Wyrd Sisters

I have a feeling that I read this in my youth and I don't believe I liked it very much. I know I tried it and said I would try another Discworld novel, but it took over ten years or so for me to try going back into Discworld with Mort (meh), Reaper Man (which I loved and need to reread soon!) and Hogfather (which I would like to reread one day...)

So, Discworld. Big series with loads of lovers out there. A must for fantasy readers who like their stories to have humour, and Wyrd Sisters is the sixth book in the Discworld series and the second, I think, in the Witches collection.

Title and Author: Wyrd Sisters by Terry Pratchett

Publisher: Corgi/Transworld Books

Bought, Borrowed or Gifted: eProof gifted by UK publishers via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review/reaction, and bought audiobook. 

Granny Weatherwax, Nanny Ogg and Magrat are witches who, one night, as they meet round a cauldron, find themselves in the middle of a plot. A king is cruelly murdered by his ambitious cousin and his wife, and the true heir to the throne and the crown have vanished. 

Witches should not get involved, but they will and the three witches find out that get involved in royal politics is far more messy and complicated than what some well-known play writers would have you believed...

The Daughter Blog Tour

Whenever I read a novel, listening to a podcast or watch a TV show/film about serial killers, I always think about the family of the killer. Not "how did they not see it?" but "what happens to them after the truth comes out? How do their other halves and their children cope with this horrible truth?"

So, when this jumped on my radar (thanks Helen from Helen Richardson PR), I went "Ooooh" over it and felt this would tickle that sweet spot of domestic crime fiction I like. 

Title and Author: The Daughter by Liz Webb

Publisher: Allison and Busby

Bought, Borrowed or Gifted: Gifted by UK publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review/reaction. 

Hannah's life is beginning to spiral. Her father has dementia, she hasn't spoken to her estranged TV actor brother, Ryan, in years and her mother's, Jen,  death still haunts the family with no one knowing the truth about the night she died. 

Now the same age as her mother, Hannah is disturbed to realise how much she looks like her mother. Especially with her father thinking Hannah is Jen at times, and he's begging her to forgive him. And with this, Hannah finds herself wondering: is it the dementia talking, or is there something dark behind his words? Did he kill her mother? 

Determined to discover the truth before her father dies, Hannah begins to make herself look more like Jen and the lines between them begin to dangerously blur...

eBook Review - If This Gets Out

As you can probably guess, after watching series one and reading all Alice Oseman's Heartstopper over the early May Day Bank Holiday weekend, I craved more queer romance. I didn't expected to find anything close to the light, almost wholesome-ness of Heartstopper but I wanted to carry on riding that wave. So, when I remembered I had If This Gets Out on my kindle (gifted to me by publisher via NetGalley), I decided that it was time! And I was quite excited to dive in. 

Title and Author: If This Gets Out by Cale Dietrich & Sophie Gonzales

Publisher: Holder Children's Books

Bought, Borrowed or Gifted: Gifted by publisher via NetGalley inn exchange for an honest review/reaction

Ruben and Zach are two members of the boy-band Saturday, with Angel and Jon. The four are close in front and behind the camera, but cracks are appearing behind the scenes. The one easy banter between the four are strained and Ruben confides in Zach that he's feeling smothered about how management and their pressure to keep his sexual identity a secret. 

As the band go onto their European tour, Ruben and Zach begin to rely on each other more and more till, one night, the pair share a kiss. What will happen next to them after that night and how can they move forward with a relationship when they realise that the support they desperately need is never going to come?

Audiobook Mini-Review - River of Silver

I can already see you looking at this and going "err... Andrew... you do realise that this is a collection of short stories/extracts that are HUGELY spoilery for the Daevabad Trilogy, right?". And yes, I knew that going in, but there is a logic to my madness. 

I have always been curious over this series. You guys rave about this series and I feel that this would be completely up my street. But, I've been a little chicken to try it in case the series didn't live up to the hype so, when I saw the audiobook on NetGalley, I knew I had to try it out and maybe, this would be my In for the series and would help me decided whether I should give this series a try and, if so, whether to read this series or to audiobook it... 

Title and Author: The River of Silver: Tales from the Daevabad Trilogy by S. A. Chakraborty

Publisher: HarperVoyager

Bought, Borrowed or Gifted: Gifted by UK publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review/reaction. 

This is a collection of short stories taken before, during and after the events of the trilogy, giving voice to characters fans love, hate and some that never got the chance to talk...

Heartstopper

 

I think, by the time this goes live, we've all seen this show and, hopefully, have news on series two. However, at the time of writing this, Heartstopper has only been out for a week and I have binge-read Volumes 1 & 2 (and will be starting Volume 3 & 4 over the May Day Bank Holiday Weekend). And we are all raving about this adaption. At the time of writing this, Rotten Tomatoes has given this show of 100% (which is UNHEARD OF!) and it has an average audience score of 98% (again, unheard of). 

I have reread Volume One and then bought Volumes Two, Three and Four (though I did read the web-comic when it was coming out) and read Volume Two and, so far, am finding it an utterly joy. It's just lovely and is a wonderful feel-good read with positive LGBTQ+ themes. 

I think one of the reasons why most viewers adore this series is the characters matters. We care for them and we fall in love with them. Plus, the level of representation in both graphic novel and TV series is high. If this show came out when I was in my teens and figuring myself out, it would have been a lifeline. 

REPRESENTATION MATTERS, NOW MORE THAN EVER!

Sorry, I did have plans to write a long post about the show and have faithful it was to the first 2 volumes while expanding stories with other characters and hopes for series two (do we want a series two? I kinda do as I want to see more, but I don't at the same time as scared it will mess series one's happiness up!), but I can't really think of anything to say. I am reading the series, I've read the show and I have probably chatted too many times on social media about this. But yes, this is a lovely series and I am having a blast!

Did You Miss Me?

Well, that blog break was longer than I expected. I doubt you guys noticed, but I only wanted to be away for a few weeks, mainly over the Easter. But I think my slight book blogger/reader/being human burnout was a little worse than I thought and so, took longer off and it was only a few weekends ago that I felt like I could get back to blogging. 

Why, yes. Am writing this a few weeks in advance, just so am a little ahead of the game and to ease myself back in. 

Now, I guess you think am going to write about all the books/ebooks/audiobooks I read over my break. Well, no. Not really. I wrote little things on my Goodreads (goodreads.com/pewterwolf - like you didn't know) and I usually try and keep my Twitter Thread of my 2022 Reading up to date (or you can follow me in Twitter at twitter.com/pewterwolf as I normally chat/tweet-scream any reads. Whether good or bad or meh), but I don't really feel that need to write mini-reviews or posts on here at the moment. 

But I'm not gonna be cruel. I will put some book covers up so you know what I read. 

Oh, please note one of these was a reread on a different format to my first read. 

Now, at time of writing this, I should be hoovering the house, but I want to write two more posts (I think we all know what one of them is going to be... no? Really? Fine, I'll give you a hint in a moment...) and then I'm going to dip in and out of blogging for a while. I want to be more chill and enjoy myself with this again. Yes, this might be a sign that am ready to leave the book blog behind and be more... whatever I'm going to be next, but I think, with the world being as it is, we should have some fun.