“It was nearing midnight and the Prime Minister was sitting alone in his office, reading a long memo that was slipping through his brain without leaving the slightest trace of meaning behind. “
First line in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J. K. Rowling
Hi, guys. Hope you’re all doing well. WWW Wednesday a weekly meme hosted by Sam @ Taking on a World of Words, and it’s meant to give you all a little insight into my reading this week. I’ll answer the 3 questions:
- What are you currently reading?
- What did you recently finish?
- What do you think you’ll read next
What did you recently finish?
I finished my reread of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. It’s far from my favorite one in the series, but it still has some good and iconic moments. Nevertheless, my Lost in Translation post for it is already up if you’re interested in knowing why Slughorn is German in the Danish translation of the book.
What are you currently reading?
Well, I bet some of you can guess one of the books I’m reading because I’ve been reading it for so long now. Yes, The Wise Man’s Fear is still my commute book, and I’ve now made it to 78%. Since last week, I’ve read a very weird part that I very much wish I could forget. So still bored, but now I’m also somewhere between appalled and disgusted. Yeah, I’m sorry, I do not like this book, but I’m determined to finish it before Christmas!
I’m also reading The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V. E. Schwab, which I’m 45% into. Sad to say that it hasn’t been my kind of book so far. I didn’t know this was a book with such a heavy use of flashbacks because knowing that would have lowered my expectations significantly. They’re just lazy info-dumps, and I don’t like them. It breaks up the present-day storyline too much, which in itself is already incredibly slow because 90% of it is Addie walking aimlessly around thinking up metaphors. I’ve also been reminded how much Schwab loves the “not like other girls”-trope, which is the one trope I have a hard time ignoring. Really sorry to be this negative about this book. However, the last half could still turn it around for me if it’s really strong, so crossing my fingers.
What do you think you’ll read next?
I very much doubt I’ll start anything new within the next week, but if I do, it’s going to be Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman.
First Line Reader 
I’m sorry to hear you’re not enjoying these – but I guess we’ve agreed on so many books by now that it’s about time we have some differing opinions 😉😂 I loved all the aimless wandering, the flashbacks and the metaphoricalness in Addie LaRue (even though the same thing annoyed me to no end in Vengeful, so I guess I see where you’re coming from). And I even liked the kind of info-dumpy scenes because I loved how those tie back to the Faust myth! Which I’ve now read quite a few different versions of over the course of my studies 😊
And as to The Wise Man’s fear – I think I know exactly which part you’re talking about! Does it involve Felurian, by any chance? 😖 (I originally thought that happened at the beginning of the book, so sorry if I confused you with my earlier hints at something weird happening – the first time I read this series, I borrowed the German versions from a friend, and the translations are so long it is split into two books. With that lovely episode starting off part two 🙈🙈) But anyway, I also HATED that section. I did really love the rest of the book, though 😊 I guess I’m a sucker for slow stories where nothing happens 😅
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Yes, we were bound to hit some books we didn’t agree on, but I’m sorry to hate on TWO of your faves in the same post 😅
I don’t think I would mind these things about Addie LaRue if I just loved the characters (or character). I really don’t connect with Addie, and I wish we could have had more of Henry. I also don’t know anything about the Faust myth, so any references goes right over my head 😅 To me those flashbacks are just very similar in what they’re trying to tell. I also think it’s funny that I actually quite enjoyed Vengeful. Not a new favorite or anything but I found it better than Vicious, so I guess it all makes sense 😂
It DOES involve Felurian! So much Felurian! I was reading those scenes on the bus and just trying to act natural while my mind was going: “What the fuck am I reading?!?” And Kvothe keep thinking about it and referencing it even when it’s over so I’m just not allowed to forget about it 😂 Also, I really don’t like this post-Felurian Kvothe. I mean, he was an idiot before, but now he’s just insufferable.
I was actually sure I’d missed your mentioned weird scene because I find so many things in this book weird… but then Felurian happened and there wasn’t any doubt.
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Well, since you introduced me to my favorite books of the year, I think I can forgive you 😉
And it’s so interesting that you would have liked more Henry! I thought he was really bland and actually appreciated Addie way more than him 😊 And Luc, for that matter – he’s so interesting! But to each their own, I suppose… Because in my opinion, Vicious was a million times better than Vengeful 😂 That book was so disappointing! So yes, I guess our negative opinions even out 😁
And gosh, I couldn’t even imagine reading about Felurian in a public space!! What if someone read THAT over my shoulder? *shudders* And I wouldn’t have been able to act natural at all, so kudos to you for somehow managing 😂 And yes, post-Felurian Kvothe is the absolute definition of obnoxiousness. But I really hope he’ll get his comeuppance in book three, should Patrick Rothfuss ever decide to publish it 😅
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Enjoy your reading! I love both The Wise Man’s Fear and Addie LaRue!
I’m currently reading Empire of Gold and listening to Oathbringer!
(www.evelynreads.com)
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