On My Bookshelf

Hemlock Grove by Brian McGreevy

You know, I think I’ve only written about books in passing here on the blog, but in case you didn’t know, I’m secretly a bookworm. When I was a kid, I lived for the days that the Scholastic Book Fair came to my school. I never went anywhere (even on a 2-minute car drive) without a book a tow. I made my mom take me to the library weekly so I would have a constant stream of books to read and the first thing I packed whenever we were going on a trip was my stack of books. My parents used to joke that they would go broke trying to keep up with my book habit and a quick trip to the bookstore always turned into an hours-long visit, with my mom having to practically drag me out of the store.

By the time I made it to college however, my free time to read for fun was pretty much cut down to zero. 90% of what I read during those years was for class and I only had time for personal reading on vacations. One of the things I was looking forward to most about finishing school was having the time to read for myself again. I missed that girl who constantly had her nose stuck between the pages of a book.

Fast forward to the end of 2011- several months out of college. To my great surprise, when I did a quick tally of what I had read since graduating, the grand total was like 2 books. I couldn’t figure out what happened- I had all this free time now, why wasn’t I reading more?

What I realized is that I was out of practice! I had gotten used to getting home from work and just vegging out with my computer on watching TV. I decided that I need to make time for reading again and what better way to put this plan into action than by setting a tangible goal? Thanks to Casee‘s recommendation, I joined Goodreads (which is a great way to keep track of books you’ve read or want to read) and my aim is to read 25 books this year. So far I’ve read 16/25, which is not bad, but I slacked off the last couple months when other things got in the way.

Finally, we get to the picture in this post! I recently started Hemlock Grove, a fairly new novel by Brian McGreevy. I’m not too far into the book, but I can already tell you that there’s a mysterious death, a werewolf, and a 7 foot tall teenage girl. The mix of mystery and horror makes this the perfect read for October, I think! I’ll make sure to share more thoughts once I finish the whole book. Also, this book got picked up by Netflix and they’re making a television series due to be released early next year. I probably will at least give it a try, as I always love to compare how they translate a book to the big screen.

Wow, if you guys made it through all that, kudos! I know my last two posts have been rather word-heavy- guess I’ve got a lot on my mind! Also, I’m always looking for book recommendations, so let’s hear them in the comments!

Tell me: What are you currently reading or planning to read soon? 

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I’m Nnenna and this is my online journal where I write about the books I can’t put down, my personal style, the places I’ve traveled to, the products I love, my favorite spots in NYC, and more!

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10 Comments

  1. Heather wrote:

    Yes! I totally remember those book fairs and the book it club where you can get an individual pan pizza :) Sadly the only thing I read now is magazines!

    XO
    http://www.pearlsandpaws.blogspot.com

    Posted 10.5.12 Reply
    • Nnenna wrote:

      Haha, glad I’m not the only one who remembers! :)

      Posted 10.8.12 Reply
  2. sartorialsidelines wrote:

    I’ve also been trying to carve out more time to do some free reading — I also like I’m woefully out of practice. That book sounds really interesting though…maybe I’ll give it a whirl.

    Courtney ~ http://sartorialsidelines.com

    Posted 10.5.12 Reply
    • Nnenna wrote:

      Yeah, I really have to consciously make an effort to read more- an ongoing goal this year!

      Posted 10.8.12 Reply
  3. laura wrote:

    I used to be a hardcore bookworm when I was a kid. Like, I would prefer reading to playing or being outside. I actually read a lot during undergrad and grad school because I’m an English person, but after that, and especially with the Etsy shop, it’s hard to find time to sit down and enjoy a book. My tactic now is to read out loud to my husband so we at least get to read something together. At the moment, I’m in the middle of rereading LOTR 2 and a few graphic novels.

    Posted 10.5.12 Reply
    • Nnenna wrote:

      Ha, you mentioning reading out loud reminds me of when I would read out loud to myself because I had a lot of homework/reading to do and was trying not to fall asleep!

      Posted 10.8.12 Reply
  4. Tracy wrote:

    As a child and teenager I was a certified bookworm too. I was reading books like Little Women and Great Expectations when I was in 4th grade. And before I had graduated high school I’m certain that I had read Gone with the Wind a half dozen times. But like you after high school my free time to read vanished. I’ve also made it a goal to read more books and I have improved but it still needs some work. I went to 1/2 priced books a few weeks ago and left with about a dozen books.

    Tracy @ Sunny Days and Starry Nights

    Posted 10.5.12 Reply
    • Nnenna wrote:

      Ahh, discount bookstores are the best! Books can get really expensive and sometimes there’s not enough room in the budget for a $25 hardcover of a new book. I also have an awesome bookstore near me with a $1 and $2 section, which is great.

      Posted 10.8.12 Reply
  5. m wrote:

    im currently tackling anna kerenina! love reading!

    xx.Mwww.bellesandrebelles.blogspot.com

    Posted 10.6.12 Reply
    • Nnenna wrote:

      Sadly I’ve never read that classic- but it’s on my list! :)

      Posted 10.8.12 Reply