“It begins, as most things begin, with a song. “
First line in Anansi Boys
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?
Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman which I gave 3.5 stars. The book was weird in a way only a Neil Gaiman book can be, and if you haven’t read a book by him, I highly recommend you do so, at least just to get that experience.
He is a brilliant writer, but I think Anansi Boys helped me figure out why I’m not totally in love with his books, and that’s his characters. Not that they are badly written, but I don’t truly connect with any of them. I don’t feel what they feel, but I don’t think that’s Gaiman’s intention either. That is just very hard for a character-driven reader like me to accept. So I enjoyed Anansi Boys but nothing more.
What are you currently reading?
The biggest problem with reading multiple books at once is that situation where you love the books so much you want to be reading them at the same time. Yes, that is this week’s (awesome) predicament.
I’ve started The Archive of the Forgotten by A. J. Hackwith, the sequel to The Library of the Unwritten, and oh my god! I’m 44% in, and I can’t get over how good a sequel this already is, although it’s difficult for me to say why without going into spoiler-territory. The characters are still the driving force of the story, and they keep developing and showing new sides to themselves. It’s such a joy to follow. The adventurous plot also practically began from page 1, so there hasn’t been a dull moment. One of the things I really loved about the first book was how it was able to have a fast-paced plot alongside the detailed and brilliant character development, and the sequel just seems to continue that trend.
I’m also going through my reread of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, which surprisingly has been quite emotional for me. I haven’t cried over this book since I read it the first time, but if you’ve read it, you know that there are two deaths that hurt just a little bit more than the rest of them, and yeah, I couldn’t keep it together for those scenes this time around. I’m blaming it on the rough January I’ve had. But well, I’m almost done with the book with around 80 pages to go.
What do you think you’ll read next?
The first book I’m going to start is finally going to be Call of the Bone Ships by R. J. Barker, the sequel to The Bone Ships. I’m incredibly excited to see where to story goes.
I’m expecting to start a second book as well, and I think it’s time I began my Robin Hobb adventure with Assassin’s Apprentice. I just can’t wait any longer.
First Line Reader 
Enjoy your reading! I hope you will love Assassin’s Apprentice!
I’m currently rereading The Winter of the Witch!
(www.evelynreads.com)
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Oh The Winter of the Witch is sooo good! I really need to reread that trilogy as well.
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I’m hoping to start The Bone Ships soon! Hope you enjoy the sequel π
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Thank you! Hope you love The Bone Ships too π
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Your “predicament” does sound pretty awesome π I am so intrigued by The Library of the Unwritten now, and I’m very much debating if I should stick to my resolution of reading all my unread books (and Winterkeep) before buying any new ones π
Also, I feel you on those Harry Potter deaths! I still remember how shocked I was when reading Deathly Hallows for the first time, and the first death occurred almost immediately. I was not prepared! But the Deathly Hallows moment that always has me sobbing the most actually isn’t any of the deaths, but Kreacher’s tale… For whatever reason, that chapter always makes me bawl my eyes out π
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Oh I highly recommend The Library of the Unwritten! Like, I’m 99% sure you’re going to love it, but I understand wanting to read the books you own first.
There were so many deaths in Deathly Hallows that she had to start early, I remember being shocked about that too! I’ll admit that I never cried at Kreacher’s tale, but it is a moving story. I think I’ve always been more focused on the major implications that came out of it. The first time I read the book, I remember crying most during The Forest Again chapter at the end. Every reread since has just confirmed that that is the best chapter of the entire series in my opinion.
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Well, I’d say it’s not so much wanting to read them first as having an intense anxiety about there being so many of them when I’m used to not really having a physical TBR at all. I just feel so guilty spending money when I already have books I’m excited for at home π But then again, The Library of the Unwritten sounds amazing, and I do also want to get the rest of the Farseer trilogy! So maybe I’ll splurge as a reward when I’ve understood the first five pages of the paper my master’s thesis is based off of π Which probably doesn’t sound like that much, but I’ve been struggling since November π
And I couldn’t even choose a favorite Harry Potter chapter… There are just so many great moments! I just reread Order of the Phoenix yet again, and started cackling over Ron’s divination OWL, for example π But The Forest Again is definitely wonderful π
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Neil Gaiman is indeed a brilliant writer, but I totally see what you mean about his characters. I think what’s great about his books is the overall story and atmosphere he creates around them; we’re not meant to connect with the characters as much as we are to connect with the story. That said, I love his style and it’s one of my goals to pick up more of his books since I’ve only read two of them.
I hope you enjoy both the books you’re currently reading and the ones you plan to pick up next!
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I’m glad you can recognize my point about Gaiman and his characters. And I think your point about story and atmosphere is why I loved Neverwhere by him so much. I really loved those aspects of that book, so I could partly ignore that I didn’t connect with the characters in that one either.
I hope you love his books when you get to them π
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