On the Booktuber newbie tag: Bookblog style, snap decisions and one week anniversaries.

A Conspiracy Unmasked

“It’s the job that’s never started as takes longest to finish.”
– J.R.R Tolkien, The Lord of The Rings

S’up internet?!
So, I thought I’d share a quick little anecdote before I get into this tag.

Before making this Blog, I actually seriously considered making a booktube channel.
That is, until I remembered I’m pitifully, painfully camera shy!
But the tags…
Ugh the booktube tags looked so fun.
But what kind of fun could I have if I was sick to my stomach from the thought of being in front of a camera?
After giving myself a serious talking to, I decided (obviously) that perhaps, youtube just wasn’t the platform for me.
After all, I’m a writer, not a performer.

Creating a blog, it’s something I’ve always wanted to do. For years now actually, but there was always some sort of excuse to not do it: the timing isn’t right; I should wait ’til the start of the week/month/year, I don’t have anything to post about; I should wait until I have a few things typed up to post right away.
In fact, it was in almost making a booktube channel that prompted me to just say ‘Screw it’, and write a blog in the first place.
Although the allure of the tags was horribly tempting, the negative of seeing myself stutter and stumble painfully through a video was enough to turn me away from the idea.

However, after spending a week reading through all your pages and posts and personal stories… Lo and Behold: Tags!

So without further adieu, on this, the one week anniversary of The Not So Secret Life Of A Fan Girl, I give you:
The Bookube Newbie Tag: Bookblog edition.

1. Why did you start this page?
   Basically, this page has been a long time in the making. As I said before, I always thought it was such a neat idea to have my own little space online to write about the things I love and eventually post my own dabbles into the writing world. But the two main driving factors for me were thus: I am the only one out of my friends and family who reads, and frankly, having a lack of people to fangirl with was getting a little depressing. The second reason, was working two jobs.
   I detest working in retail. The people are rude and the pay is pretty awful for the amount of work you do. I’m not dissing my place of work, or anyone who enjoys it, I’m just saying, it’s not for me.
   When I picked up a second job earlier this year and had even less time to be myself, I sort of lost it a little. I needed my own space and time to dedicate to something I love with others who share in those passions. And, one week on, here we are.
2. What are some fun and unique things you can bring to the book blog scene?
   I feel that I’m pretty diverse when it comes to my reading habits. Although I read a lot of popular YA like most people involved in the whole book community, I also read a lot of high fantasy and sci-fi which doesn’t seem to get as much love online.
   Something else I believe I bring to the table, is my vast knowledge, collection and history with Comics and Manga. While most in the community are just stepping into the illustrated world, I’ve already built a four story complex here. I grew up reading x-men, TMNT and Transformers. I also grew up with an older brother, so reading comics and manga has always been a part of my life and there isn’t a month that’s gone by where I haven’t bought at least one trade volume.
3.  What are you most excited for about this new page?
   Obviously, I am super excited to get to know all of you who visit my page. I did start this page to meet fellow literature lovers after all.
   I’m also excited to (hopefully) introduce some of you to my other passions. I would love if someone decided to try watching an anime, picking up a comic or playing a video game on my recommendation.
4. Why do you love reading?
   I love reading for the same reason I love playing games, to escape into epic adventures and expand my imagination. I love being able to experience a thousand different worlds and characters all from the comfort of my own cozy little flat.
5. What book or series got you into reading?
   As a child, my mum would read to me before bed. The earliest memory I have of this, was her reading to me from her own childhood copy of The Wishing Chair, which I still have to this day.
   What really hooked me though, was climbing into the hallway cupboard when I seven, and digging out my oldest brothers old copy of, you guessed it, The Hobbit. It had a freaking dragon on the cover, how was I NOT going to look at it.
   Most recently, a couple of years ago, in the midst of a three year reading slump, I picked up City of Bones by Cassandra Clare and I haven’t looked back since.
6. What question would you ask your favourite bookbloggers?
   Teach me how to bookstagram so prettily! Not a question, but still, y’all can take some beautiful photos of books!
7. What challenges do you think starting a blog page will be the hardest to overcome?
   Getting over how weird I am about anyone reading things I’ve written. It sort of feels like that dream where you’re standing in front of a bunch of people, butt naked, while they stare at and judge you.
8. When did you start reading?
   I’ve been reading for as long as I can remember. Between my mum reading too me and my dad taking me into the library to check out picture books of letters and numbers, I can’t remember a time where I didn’t read.
9. Where do you read?
   Anywhere I can. At home I tend to read either curled up in the corner of my sofa or on a chair I have beside my book shelves. I try to read in bed, but I just end up falling asleep with a book on my face.
   When I’m traveling to and from work I listen to Audiobooks. I used to read, but after wrecking covers of the the first two books in the Throne of Glass series, I switched to audio for travel.
10. What kind of books do you like to read?
    Mostly High Fantasy and YA, though I like to switch things up with other genres between the two.

So, there we have it. My first Tag.
I hope you enjoyed it, as I did 🙂
I’d just like to take this moment to thank all the lovely people who have read, liked and commented on my few posts thus far, and to those who have followed me. I’m a little overwhelmed by the amount of love after only one week ❤
Your an amazing bunch.
I pray you’ll come back for more and I hope to chat to more of you soon.

Peace out
xoxo

On long awaited sequels

Mission Start

“No matter where we go, it’s just battles, battles and battles. I get it already, humans are stupid.”
– Lavi, D.Gray-man

S’up internet?!
Did you hear the news?
No?
Then hold onto your butts…

2016 D.Gray-man #Anime Titled D.Gray-man Hallow – Airs This July #ディーグレイマン #dgrayman | https://t.co/4cq05MVQnE pic.twitter.com/hYjExhTkpP

— Otaku Tale (@OtakuTale) May 16, 2016

Pop the champagne anime fans, the hype is real!

Ten years after it’s initial release, fans of the ‘Heart’-wrenching, demon-destroying D.Gray-man were temporarily blinded by the blaring beacon of promise cast over the swirling void of nothingness in which we were abandoned.

Set to air on July, 2016, the series creator has stated the new series, titled D.Gray-man Hallow, will continue from where the last left off, and that, despite the change of voice cast, is definitely not a reboot.
Huzzah!
If you hadn’t already jumped on board (this show does seem to have slipped, somewhat, into mild obscurity) or have been thinking about giving this show a try, now’s the time.

A Brief (spoiler free) summary

Set in an alternate, fantasy-esque 19th century, D.Gray-man follows a group, known as The Black Order, in its attempt to track down and utilise Exorcists – or ‘Apostles of God’ – in their fight against the evil ‘Millennium Earl’ and his army of Akuma: abominable living demonic weapons created, by the Earl, by forcing the souls of deceased humans into the body of a living host who cursed God for the latter’s death, ultimately killing their loved one in the process. Pretty gruesome.
Utilising an ancient, divine substance known as ‘Innocence’, the Exorcists are humanities only defence against the Akuma and Earths only hope in putting a stop to the Evil Earl’s plans of Human annihilation.
Enter our protagonists.

Allen Walker: a kind-hearted, white haired, fifteen year old English Exorcist with a cursed eye that allows him to see Akuma even when they are hiding in human form. Imbedded with Innocence, Allens left arm transforms into a his weapon, taking the form a monstrous claw.
Voiced in English by Todd Haberkorn.

Yu Kanda: the ‘Yin’ to Allens ‘Yang’. A cold, quick tempered and stubborn nineteen year old Japanese Exorcist with a secret. He wields a Japanese style katana named ‘Mugen’ in his fight against the Akuma. Voiced in English by Travis Willingham.

Lenalee Lee: a sixteen year old Chinese Exorcist. Lenalee was forced to become an Exorcist at a very young age after her parents were killed by an Akuma. Her weapon, The Dark Boots, take the form of black, knee high boots.
Voiced in English by Luci Christian.

Lavi: a cheerful, carefree eighteen year old red-head of mixed race. Lavi is in training to become a Bookman, someone who record the hidden histories of the world. ‘Lavi’ is the 49th alias he has adopted. He carries a hammer capable of growing and shrinking in size to fight off Akuma.
Voiced in English by Jason Liebrecht episode 13-26 and 40 onward, and by Chris Patton episode 27-39.

I implore you, if you haven’t already, give this one a try. The story pulls you in with it’s mix of action, humour and drama and the characters are extremely likeable and fun.
With 103 episodes in the original run of the show, there is plenty to catch up on before July, but at 20 odd minutes per episode, it’s a pretty fast watch, and a danged good one at that.

What anime are you excited about this year?
Let me know.

Peace out
xoxo

On twenty-sixteen reading challenges, ‘soup’ for thought and overzealous TBR shelves.

Out of the frying-pan into the fire

“I don’t know half of you half as well as I should like; and I like less than half of you half as well as you deserve.”
― J.R.R Tolkien, The Fellowship of The Ring

S’up internet?!
So I looked at the calendar the other day; and it’s May!
Why didn’t anyone tell me?
If I had known time would pass me by so quickly, I would have gotten my butt off of netflix; I would have gotten my head out of World of Warcraft: but no. I just had to watch one more episode of American Horror Story – again-, I just had to get yet another mother-flipping alt character on Warcraft to level 50, only to decide “nah.”
*Delete.
We were meant to be bro’s twenty-sixteen. How could you betray me in such a brutal and demeaning way?

Reading wise, I came into twenty-sixteen with such pure intentions.
I had a list, you see. A beautiful, life changing 2016 reading challenge. It was perfect, love at first sight: fairy-tale retellings; classics; graphic novels; best sellers; sci-fi…
But alas, here I sit, mid may, and only eight books under my belt, only two of which were actually applicable to the traitorous trial in the first place.

Gingerbread latte in hand, I sat yesterday morning updating my most recent reads (or lack there of) onto Goodreads, and it was so kindly pointed out to me that, having only read eight books thus far, I currently sit eight behind my challenge of completing forty-five books by the end of the year. Eight books behind.
Excuse me Goodreads, I’ll be back in five: must apply lotion to burn.

So, I got to thinking about why I had read so little this year, which made me hungry, which lead to eating soup (slurping soup? Hmm) . And eating/slurping soup spurred the notion that, I could totally live off of soup for the rest of my life – it was really good soup. I mean, I know you’re thinking, “Really? Soup? Forever?”
But, think it over for a second. Even though it’s the same basic method and idea, there are just so many variations of flavour, ingredients and consistencies, that even if you did ingest liquid, broth-y heaven every meal for over a week, it would be a different experience every time.
Which leads me, finally, to the point in all this drabble, and relates back to my horrible mess of a reading challenge.
Why can’t I read an endless chain of Fantasy, Sci-fi and Young Adult?
Just because they follow the same basic recipe, it doesn’t mean I’m reading the same thing over and over and over again.
Why should I limit my reading choice to suit an ill tailored challenge?
Reading is supposed to fun and exciting and full of adventure and wonder!

I came to the conclusion that, although there were a good few challenges I was super psyched to get to, there were a lot I had no intention in completing what so ever.
And that, my friends, is the reason I am eight flippin’ books behind my target.
I just couldn’t get hyped to delve into something I was looking forward to, knowing that once I was done, I would be painfully clawing my way through a fudging political manifesto.
If you hadn’t already guessed, the challenge and I are splits-ville.
I’m a free agent. Flying solo.

It’s a great feeling, almost liberating, knowing I’m not obligated to read something I have no interest in. I’m free to explore my ever growing TBR shelf (that’s To Be Read books, for all you non-readers out there).
Out of the frying-pan into the fire.
A new adventure.
Eight books down and thirty-seven glorious titles to go.
To Goodreads to check my TBR! This shelf is going down!
“You currently have three-hundred and forty-one books to be read.”
…
Eff you Goodreads, you sassy, mother…!

So, hows your TBR shelf coming along?
Let me know below, and be a super cool and beautiful person and hit follow >>>

Peace out
xoxo

BookBlogger Newbie

An Unexpected Journey

“It’s a dangerous business, Frodo, going out your door. You step onto the road, and if you don’t keep your feet, there’s no knowing where you might be swept off to.”
― J.R.R Tolkien, The Lord of The Rings

S’up internet?!
As you may have guessed from the title of this post, and the rather ostentatious quote from my main man J.R.R (this will happen a lot, no apologies), this whole blogging thing is totally new to me. Some people say it’s a dying medium, I say it’s time it made a comeback.
In all honesty, this is going to be a strange and perilous journey getting over my weird little hang ups about, anyone really, reading anything I’ve ever written: ever. Even as I’m typing this, I have my mac turned completely away from my boyfriend as we sit on our teensy tiny two seater sofa, just so he can’t back seat blog me!

So, why am I here?
Well, love. My over encumbering love for books; comics; video games; anime; manga; movies and writing to name a few. And my lack of able bodied fan girls to share in my crazy, obsessive, 3am, coffee fuelled pintrest binge of fan art and OTPs.
And so, The Not So Secret Life Of a Fan Girl is born, a place for me to alleviate all of my pent up crazy in one place, so one day, I can look back and think, “why the fudge did I ship them? What was I thinking?!”

The plan, in theory, is that every Monday – at least – I’ll be uploading new content ranging from reviews, hauls, TBRs, wrap ups and, to my unshakeable horror, my own works of fiction that have been rolling around in my brain space for far too long and need to be purged into print. Or, you know, the internet, same diff.

If anyone out there in the blogosphere is reading this, it would truly mean the world to me if you would hit follow and join me on this Unexpected Journey, or even if you send a message to say hi, I’m not fussy.

Peace out
xoxo