Seven Deadly Sins Book Tag (June Book Wrap-Up)

I feel like I would have gotten a lot more reading done this month if I wasn't constantly being hounded about finding a job (people don't seem to understand that writing IS my job), but I feel like I got a lot done in terms of writing, so I suppose this month was one of give-and-take.

Writing
As I said, I actually got a lot done in the world of writing this past month. Just like I predicted in my last wrap-up, I was able to pick up the pace with updates on my fanfic over on Wattpad. I released five chapters in June, all of which were received well by my audience. I'm excited that the story is really getting under way now. My hope is to have the rest of it posted by late July / early August. My current stats for "Worlds Collide" are 2,523 reads; 205 votes; and 97 comments.

I'm also happy to announce that on June 20 I officially hit 1,000 votes for the story that started it all - "Everything." :D

As for legit writing, that's going to start in July, during Camp NaNo. I'm planning to use camp as a springboard to start editing/revising "Follow the Raven," a story I first wrote in high school and have posted about a couple of times here on this blog. Camp NaNoWriMo works differently from November's event; during camp one can write, edit, or work on other, non-novel projects such as graphic novels or scripts. Since I'm editing, one hour of active work on a project equals 1,000 words, so my goal for July is 30k. That's one hour of editing a day, with one day off. Something easily manageable for my first time utilizing the non-writing aspect of camp. I'm excited to start tomorrow. As I said before, this is the first year of the rest of my career!

Reading
This was such an up-and-down month of reading for me. Besides the fact that I didn't read as much as I wanted or as often as I wanted due to everyone on the planet constantly trying to push me into the standard workforce rather than leaving me the heck alone to do my REAL work, I found a book that I actually hate, which is about as rare as finding a book I will devour over and over without getting tired of it. Here's what I read during the month of June:

• A Daring Sacrifice by Jody Hedlund
• Carry On by Rainbow Rowell
• Macbeth by William Shakespeare
• The Black Cauldron by Lloyd Alexander

I was such a huge fan of Rowell's Fangirl that when I found out Carry On (the fanfic that Cath was writing in Fangirl) was going to become its own novel, I was instantly excited and determined to own it as soon as possible. Then during our town's annual Christmas Stroll (Black Friday) I found it on the shelf at our local bookstore and bought it without a second thought. Now, seven months later, I have finally finished it. Carry On was everything I dreamed it would be and much, much more. Oh my gosh, I loved it so much. 5/5 stars.

And then...there was The Black Cauldron. I have never seen the movie, never really known anything about this story until I read it. WHY I thought it was a good idea to buy it, I don't know. The characters were dull and annoying, without any real character growth. The author used far too much passive voice. The story dragged at a snail's pace until the last fifty pages or so, and then it built up and was over in the blink of an eye. Very unsatisfying. I do not wish to see the movie after having read the terrible book it was based on. I have not loathed a book this much since Divergent two years ago.

In addition to the real books I read, I also read Sonic Archives #17 and Sonic Select #4 in honor of Sonic the Hedgehog's 25th anniversary. I was glad to finally read the Zone Wars Saga, as I'd briefly encountered the Zone Cops before (in Sonic Universe when Scourge escaped from prison pre-SGWs) but never really known their significance until now. Reading this saga and learning about the workings of the Perpendicular Zone may have also opened some doors for possible future Sonic stories on Wattpad...

The Seven Deadly Sins Book Tag

1) Greed: What is your most/least expensive book?

• The most most expensive book I own is probably my textbook for the Creative Writing class I took during the Fall 2015 semester. It fell somewhere around $80-$100. My least expensive book is The Black Cauldron, as I got it at my church's garage sale along with a small printer and a dress and paid about $25 for the whole bundle. (So there really wasn't a price attached to the book - it was pay what you believe is fair.)

2) Wrath: What author do you have a love/hate relationship with?

• Julie Kagawa. I loved her Iron Fey series and now love her Talon series, but I am not a fan of her vampire novels. Also, it took her all eternity to get the last book of the Iron Fey series to us, but meanwhile she was cranking out such books as Talon and other vampire books. I was like, "Prioritize, woman! Don't start a new series when you haven't even finished the one you started!"

3) Gluttony: What book have you deliciously devoured over and over with no shame whatsoever?

• Skulduggery Pleasant. I LOVE Skulduggery Pleasant. I have read it once every year since I first read it back in 2011. I just love the story and, of course, Mr. Pleasant himself!

4) Sloth: What book have you neglected to read due to laziness?

• A Frozen Heart. And when my roommate finds out she is going to either laugh of facepalm, because this is the first book I bought when she and I started rooming together ten months ago. I was going insane over it and was obsessed with Frozen for a week solid after buying it. I had every intention to read it immediately...and I have not yet. But THIS is the summer, I swear! I will have it read before I go back to school this fall!

5) Pride: What book do you talk about to make you sound like a very intellectual reader?

• Pretty much anything Shakespeare, as a general rule of thumb. But now that I've graduated with my AA I think I will find myself using Maus and A Canticle for Lebowitz to help me sound more well-read and intelligent. They are both fantastic reads.

6) Lust: What attributes do you find most attractive in male or female characters?

• I would love to say that I find nerdy male characters attractive - and I do, to a point - but really, all of the literary crushes I've had have all been dark, mysterious types. Prince Ash from the Iron Fey series. Baz from Carry On. Raven from the Halflings trilogy. Etc.

7) Envy: What books would you most like to receive as a gift?

• The rest of the Skulduggery Pleasant series. There are currently nine books total, and I own the first one. I've read the first three but none beyond those, which is THE WORST because the third book leaves us on the biggest cliffhanger ever and it's been almost five years and I still don't know what happens next because none of our libraries have book four!! AGH!! So, yes, if anyone ever wanted to buy an actual book for me rather than a Barnes and Noble gift card or something, helping me complete my Skulduggery Pleasant experience would be fantastic.

And that's all I've got for June. Are you proud of me? I actually posted three times this month! Whaaaat? Anyway, you can plan on seeing at least three posts from me in July as well - including (finally) my final thoughts on my time at Sheridan College. See you next month!