How To Deal: Book Buying Bans

I have come to the recent conclusion that I own too many books.

Actually, that isn't possible. Let me rephrase. I own too many books that I haven't read. With this conclusion comes the sad fact that my book buying habits have to change. So, with the support of my roommate (who acknowledged my book buying problem about three years ago), I have placed myself on a Book Buying Ban for the foreseeable future. This isn't my first rodeo with the Ban, and I've got it down to a science, now.

So, I thought I would walk you all through my 5 Steps to Book Buying Bans:

1) Accept That You Have a Problem

This can stem from the sudden realization that you're bookshelf is full of unread books. It could stem from an empty bank account and you wondering where all of your money has gone only to notice the stack of new books on your bedside table. If either of these have happened to you or if you return home from the bookstore with shame instead of joy, it is time to make the harsh decision to go on a Ban.

If you're still in denial, see the infograph to the right. If this is your bookshelf, accept the Ban.

2) Decide the Severity of Your Ban 

All of us have varying degrees of problems with our book buying habits, and so each and every Ban is different. You can decide the severity of your Ban in a number of ways. Some will quit cold-turkey. I do not suggest this. It makes it easier to fall off of the wagon if you have nothing to look forward to. I like the perhaps easier route of deciding that you are allowed one book every now and then. What is everyone now and then? Well, the first option is choosing to not buy any books for say a month, allowing yourself one book, then back to another month without books. The second option is to set a goal, so for every five books you read, you can buy one book. I usually prefer the second option. Currently, I can only buy one book every ten that I read. (Yes. I have that many books to get through.)

3) Decide How Long Your Ban Will Last

You also have a couple of options here. A) Set an amount of time to be on the Ban. How much time do you need to get through your TBR? Three months? A year? Go ahead and start small. This can always be reassessed if you feel like you still haven't gotten through much of your bookshelf. Then B) Decide as you go. Now, I know this can seem unrealistic to the Type A's out there, but sometimes you just got to go with your gut. You've been on your Ban for months and you feel like you have successfully lowered your TBR? Go ahead and end the Ban. Just be cautious with this option. You can not be weak, here. Your decision to end the Ban can not just be because you are tired of not buying books. It has to be legitimate.

4) Survive

Deep breaths. You can do it. I know it will be hard. It will suck, in all honesty. You're going to see all of the newest releases every time you go online. You're going to tear up every time you pass a library. Your friends may think you're insane, your parents may ask if they can buy a book for you, and worst of all, you may be offered a free book during this time. Do not allow them to change your mind. Stick with your Ban. Stay strong, readers, stay strong.

5) Keep Your New Habits

At one point or another, you will stop your Ban. This can feel like the greatest moment of your life. Forget your wedding day, forget graduation, forget all of that. From today on, you can go to the bookstore whenever you want and buy a book, heck you could buy two books! "Wait," your friends say, "won't your bookshelf just get packed again?" Do not ignore your friends when they ask you this. Consider it. Decide to limit yourself and not fall back into your old habits. You don't have to be on a Ban to show some will in a bookstore.

If you would like to go on a Ban, I wish you all the best. If not, carry on. I wish you all the happiness buying all the books I currently can't.

Your Pemberley Reader,
Acacia

Review: Go Set A Watchman by Harper Lee

       Go Set a Watchman by Harper Lee... Where do I begin? It made me laugh, it made me cry, it made me confused, and it made me question a lot of things.

       First of all, this book is incredibly different from To Kill A Mockingbird. If you're picking this book up expecting it to be a long awaited sequel, then take a minute to wipe those expectations from your mind. This is not a sequel. Though it has many of the same characters, it is actually an early draft of To Kill A Mockingbird. So, though there are some similarities (ex: some characters, entire paragraphs, the topic of race) there are also a number of things that vary in this novel that make it a very separate and distinct thing from To Kill A Mockingbird. I highly suggest going into this novel with an open-mind about this being its own piece of work and not getting hung up on how different it is from To Kill A Mockingbird.

       Overall, I enjoyed this novel. It had a number of components that I really appreciated. For one, it perfectly portrayed the transition from childhood to adulthood.  I just turned twenty a few weeks ago, and though I am in no means an actual adult (How exactly does one do their taxes? Can I bring my mommy to jury duty with me? What do you mean I have to make my own doctor's appointments?), there has been a lot of transition in the past few years that I allowed me to recognize and empathize with some of the things Scout goes through in this novel.

       Returning to Maycomb with Scout (now Jean Louise) and seeing all that had changed since her childhood, since even her last visit home, running into people not seen in years, reminiscing about how things used to seem so much simpler, it is something everyone who grows up and leaves home feels at a certain point. Things change slowly when you're home, but when you leave and come back after an extended amount of time, things seem to shift out of nowhere and it can leave you, much like Scout does, feeling sick. This was something I definitely related to and absolutely loved about the book.

       Just as Jean Louise thinks she is at the end of this transition period, she is thrown a curveball when she learns about Atticus's involvement in the County's Citizen's Council, a breeding ground for prejudice and racism hiding (poorly) behind a number of political stances.

       This makes Jean Louise realize that the man she has looked up to and idolized as the only true compass of right and wrong throughout her entire life is not, in fact, perfect. In all honesty, the chapter in which this is realized was probably my favorite chapter of the entire book. The entire plot line of Jean Louise coming to realize that she, not her father, is her own compass, gave me chills. I think this is also something, not always at this extreme of a level, that happens when transitioning to adulthood. I know in the past few years there have been things that I have come to be very passionate about and think are right (Whether from naivety or actual correctness is yet to be determined. Check back in ten years.) that my parents don't always agree with or are not as passionate about as I am. It is a part of growing up, and I think this change was portrayed so well by Lee.

       This also leads me to the way Jean Louise handles things. The novel builds up to one explosive argument with Atticus in which Jean Louise must make a choice of whether to stick around Maycomb with people she highly disagrees with or to get as far away as she possibly can. The way she comes to her conclusion, with some help from Uncle Jack, held a very important lesson that I think many have problems with when beginning to set their own watchman (or moral compass), and that is to remember that though one disagrees with someone else's belief, it doesn't mean the relationship has to be over. However, it also doesn't mean that you can't be vocal about your own beliefs.

       Though there was much done well in this novel, I can also see why this was an original draft and not the draft that first made it to publication. At time, there were random tangents and references that made little to no sense. They added very little to the novel and were something I imagine many skimming over. It was, however, very interesting to see how Lee got To Kill A Mockingbird from this novel. How I would love to see the edits and brainstorming that went into changing this into that. I mean, talk about some amazing editing and revising.

       There are also aspects of this novel I have mixed feelings about, such as Henry. I liked his character at first, but as the novel went on, I just couldn't stand him, though not for the reasons Jean Louise's family doesn't like him. Some of his comments in his and Jean Louise's fight made me angry, and I don't think I can simply go back to liking him after that.

       I also have a lot of mixed feelings about the topics of race and politics that came up in this novel. There was a lot to take in, and a lot of it I didn't agree with. I did love the fact that Jean Louise stood so strongly for her beliefs that racism and segregation were horribly wrong. I will also say that I think this novel showed, in a very intriguing way, the intricacies and complexities that played out in people's everyday lives during this time of change in America.

       Again, I did highly enjoy this novel, perhaps not as much as To Kill A Mockingbird, but it made its own distinct impression on me. I would recommend this book for those who have read To Kill A Mockingbird, those who are looking to read about tough subjects, and those who want an excellent, thought-provoking read.

Rating: 4 out of 5 Cups of Tea
 

       Your Pemberley Reader,
              Acacia

Author Spotlight: Ally Carter

    Today, I wanted to introduce a new section to my blog: Author Spotlights. I want to try and do these at least once a month. Basically, I'll be talking about specific authors that I love, whether recently discovered or having read their books for years.

    I will be starting off with one of my favorite authors in YA literature today, Ally Carter. 

    Carter is the author of three separate YA series: the Gallagher Girls series, the Heist Society series, and the Embassy Row series. I began reading Carter's books in late 2008 or so, and ever since I have loved each and every one. I was thirteen at the time and going through a CIA and FBI loving stage. I wanted anything having to do with spies or anyone undercover, and I found exactly that in Carter's books. 

    Her first series, Gallagher Girls, is all about a school that trains teenage girls to become the next generation of spies and world leaders. When I thought I couldn't love Carter's books anymore, she came out with Heist Society, which follows a team of teen thieves who, in Robin Hood-esque style, thieve for good. It's amazing. Then, this past year, she came out with the first in a new series, Embassy Row, which is about a young girl living on Embassy Row among ambassadors and children from all around the world. 

 

    The first books I read by Carter were the Gallagher Girl books. I read the first two quickly, and I remember waiting for the third to come out. Here's the thing about Carter's books, though: I binge read them. They are fairly short novels, and after waiting over a year for each new installment, I always manage to read through the new book within a day or two. This means waiting prolonged periods of time, reading for a day or two, and then waiting even more prolonged periods of times. For years I did this, as I followed the Gallagher Girls series. The Heist Society allowed for a bit less waiting, however, because even though it wasn't the same characters or story, it still meant more amazing characters and plots from Carter. 

    I love the Heist Society and Embassy Row books nearly as much as I love the Gallagher Girls series, but I don't think anything will ever replace the amazing feeling I get while reading the Gallagher Girls series. I grew up with them. I literally shared my junior high and high school experience with these characters. It was a heart-breaking moment when this series ended, especially since the last book, which chronicles the girls' last semester of senior year, came out just after I had graduated high school and was about to move to Seattle for my first year of college. It seemed fitting that their last chronicled adventure happened the same year I graduated. It felt like the perfect ending to the series and to my high school years. 

    These books are the perfect mix of light and dark, funny and serious, fun and dangerous. I highly recommend them for anyone who wants a book to fly through on a weekend off, for anyone who loves spies, thieves, or foreign affairs, and for anyone who loves books with widely diverse and eclectic groups of characters. 

    These books are also, in my opinion, the perfect books for those between the ages of 11-13 who are wanting to start reading outside of the kid's section. I know that these books made my transition from kid's book to YA books much easier, and they hold a very special place in my heart for that exact reason. 

    Have you read any of Ally Carter's books? Do you have a favorite? Let me know in the comments below! 

    If you haven't read any of her books, I highly recommend any of them. Read them all. Go splurge and buy yourselves one of these 10 amazing books. I promise you won't be disappointed. 

        Your Pemberley Reader,

              Acacia

An Introduction

    Welcome to The Pemberley Reader!

    My name is Acacia, and, like my profile says, I am a bibliophile. I have had a passion for books since before I could read. My parents still tease me about how I could recite my favorite Dr. Seuss books before being able to even read them. Since the age of four, I have been flying through books of all different sizes and genres on my own. I even began writing my own stories and books when I was a young child. Words are, and have always been, my passion.

    Currently, I attend college in Seattle, but home is the San Francisco Bay Area. I am studying English with concentrations in both Literature and Creative Writing. I’m about two months from wrapping up my second year. I’m not sure what I want to do with my degree yet, but the thought of not doing something with stories is too insane to even think about.

    This being the first quarter (Yes. I’m on the dreaded quarter system. *shudders*) in four quarters that I have not taken 18 credits, I have a bit of free time on my hands. I’ve been able to read a bit more than I usually do, and, not for the first time in my life, have wanted to pick up a book blog. A few years ago, this desire turned into a vlog in which I reviewed books, discussed favorite stories, met authors, and made some great friends in the booktube community. A vlog takes a lot of time that I simply do not have, however, and so I figured trying my hand at a good, old-fashioned blog would be fun.

    My plans include book reviews, author spotlights, monthly wrap-up and TBRs, and a whole bunch of miscellaneous book-related things. I might occasionally post about writing, but I have a feeling this will be mostly about reading. As the quarter progresses, I will be looking to post about once a week (Mondays), but once summer comes, I will be wanting to post twice a week (Mondays and Thursdays). Hopefully nothing gets in the way of this being a formula for pure awesome book fangirling (and fanboying) to take place.

    I will be reviewing mostly YA (young adult) novels, as this is where my current passion lies, but I will also be posting the occasional review of a classic or adult book. Yes, I’m turning 20 this summer, but the YA genre owns my heart for the foreseeable future. YA doesn’t have an age-limit, guys, so please, no matter what your age, feel free to read along and enjoy the reviews.

    Well, that’s all for now. I’m looking forward to posting my first book review in a week’s time. Until then, be sure to check out my Goodreads page, which is linked over there on the left. Hope you all have a good week!

        Your Pemberley Reader,
              Acacia