The Helmet reading challenge: choosing the books...

 Good morning everyone!

Yesterday I did the laborious task of writing down each prompt in my reading journal, in Finnish. I am only starting to choose books for each prompt. I think I will update my blog and tell you all what I read, once I have finished the book(s). I might update about a few books at a time or only one. I don't know yet. It will come to me. LOL.

Here are the prompts again, straight up:

1. The book title has a subordinating conjunction (for example: after, although, as if, as much as, because, before, if, once, since, than, unless, until, whenever, while)

2. Fantasy book

3. The main character of the book is younger than you

4. The characters of the book stay up at night

5. A book someone else has chosen for you

6. The book has a prologue, i.e. a preface

7. A book that brings you joy

8. The main colour of the book cover is green or the book title has the word green in it

9. There is a conflict in the book

10. The characters of the book go to the movies

11. A non-fiction book published in the 2020s

12. The book has a mean or evil female character

13. The author has worked in the library

14. The translator of the book has won the Mikael Agricola Prize or some other translation award

15. The characters are shipwrecked

16. A book with a family tree or character list

17. The main character of the book has a cat or a dog as a pet

18. The author’s name has more than two parts

19. The book is on Keltainen kirjasto’s list of books

20. You think the book would make a good movie or TV series

21. There is a musician in the book

22. The characters are on holiday

23. You like the book’s name

24. The characters do something illegal

25. There is a snake on the cover or in the title of the book

26. The book includes a chosen family

27. A book that is banned in some country and published in the 21st century

28. The book takes place on a lake

29. The author’s latest book

30. There is a wedding or a funeral in the book

31. Career is important to the main character

32. The book has something to do with Tove Jansson (Moomins 80 years)

33. The characters ride horses

34. There is a famous building in the book (The Year of Built Heritage 2025)

35. The title of the book has the word “man” or “boy” or their conjugation

36. The characters study at a boarding school

37. The author is from a country you would like to visit

38. Biographical novel

39. The characters are solving a mystery

40. In the book, time or a clock/watch plays an important role

41. The book takes place in an era you would not want to live in

42. The main character of the book makes bad choices

43. There is a spice in the title, cover or description of the book

44. The characters take care of a person (Finnish Nurses 100 years)

45. The characters include a father and daughter

46. A popular book that everyone else seems to have read

47. Two books in which the main characters have the same name

48. Two books in which the main characters have the same name

49. The book was published in 2025

50. The book was recommended by a library employee

There are some errors in the grammar at least, as far as I know, but it's OK. Nobody is perfect. I shouldn't maybe be pointing that out but if you are good at English, you might notice the errors... Sorry! 

Anyway, I am soon starting to find books for each prompt from my already owned books. I will (probably not) be buying books for some of the prompts. I have never succeeded in this challenge and I don't expect it this time either. I am excited and happy that I can try to complete it though...

I here is my goodreads goal for this year:

https://www.goodreads.com/readingchallenges/annual

Do you guys have goodreads? You may add me there, if you would like.

More later! 

The Helmet reading challenge 2025

 Dear reader(s),

Each and every year, the past few years, I have wanted to participate in the Helmet reading challenge... 

https://helmet-tukisivusto.hel.fi/en/recommendations/helmet-reading-challenge-2025/

It consists of 50 prompts, that you will read a book for. I already asked the librarian here in Jakobstad for a rec and I haven't yet read her recommendation, she gave me five suggestions. One I have read before, one that did not interest me in the slightest and one that is so awful I donated it after I read one page (last year in Tampere). She also recommended a few others, if I remember correctly. But I only want to read the one I have read before and maybe the one that's new, that she said is a kind of sci fi and very different:

"Axiom's end" by Lindsay Ellis...

I will borrow it or buy it in Tampere, I can't take it with me to Tampere.

The one I would like to reread is:

"The world according to Garp" by John Irving...

That used to be my favorite book.

Anyway. :) My goal is to read 100 books this year. So far I am already one book behind schedule. That is awful I know. It's difficult for me to get back into reading with my eyeballs, I have been listening to so many audiobooks :( But they have been pretty good. At home in Tampere I have a huge pile of new books that I bought last year, I only took one book with me to Jakobstad hahhah! I know, very unusual for me LOL.

My parents are napping. I am "sprinting" i.e. reading and writing. 

We have sprints with Gavin in the evening. Here is Gavin's channel:

https://www.youtube.com/@GavinReadsItAll

He is so awesome. I admire people like him. Really fun to sprint with him and the other Patreons.

I experienced some booktube drama for the first time last year when a booktuber thought I was either really obsessed with becoming her friend or that I imagined myself being her friend. That was really a different kind of experience. I have never been through that before. I am still a bit flabbergasted to be honest. But it's okay. Not everyone can understand me. And I was in a weird mood back then, I was maybe having some hyper active behavioral problems or something. Thank goodness it's over!

I read 50 books last year! :) I am starting soon planning my TBR for Helmet. 

See ya!

My reading wrap up from 2024 and goals for 2025! :)

 Reader, I am back! 

So. Another year has gone by. Time to start a new reading year. I am 204ish pages into Marissa Meyer's "Heartless" and it's slowly getting better in my opinion. I will finish the book. I also have it on audible but I really only wanna read with my eyeballs now. I listened so much last year, now I need to work on my eyeball reading capabilities and train my concentration capacity to the way it used to be: Long, good and brilliant! LOL.

I made a pledge on Goodreads as usual, I wanna read 100 books this year! 

https://www.goodreads.com/readingchallenges/annual

I know, it is very ambitious... last year I only read 50 books!

I am happy with my goal though. It makes me wanna reach for the stars! I mean, I gotta dream BIG. I love books. I love big books. I love big books and I cannot lie! :) That's my motto... It rhymes with Otto hahhah! :D

Which reminds me, I want to read more of my owned books in Swedish and Finnish. Also listen to more audiobooks in Swedish and Finnish... I read like 4+ books as audiobooks in November alone, all non-fiction in Finnish! I loved them so much, I got a few of them as physical copies too! I love non fiction as audiobooks, especially in Swedish and Finnish! (English is also really fine.

Here are the results from my reading challenge last year:

https://www.goodreads.com/readingchallenges/gr/annual/2024

I was pretty satisfied with my list. Too many rereads though...

Now I need to get back to reading lol. 

Later! 

My reading history and recent books I have read and am reading. Update.

 Good morning everybody! 

I am happy today, as I am most mornings. I have read a little, but mostly with my ears, i.e. I have been listening to audiobooks. Which is no shame, no less of a way to read. My eyeballs sometimes follow along the page, if I am reading along in the physical book. I own a lot of books that I also own the audiobook of. Double the pleasure. LOL.

I am currently relistening and reading Jari Tervo's book about one of my favorite artists: LOIRI. It is in Finnish and it's actually OK but too many swear words and sexy stuff. I don't like that, so I zone out sometimes for a while :D  Í don't let the smut stick to my brain, so to speak lol. But it's not like smut smut, it's more like jovial and jokingly written. Which honestly, is not a lot better than it being actual smut. Just saying... I have lifted my standards a bit.

I liked to read as a young girl but I had a friend who tried to shame me for not reading as much as her. Yeah, I just realized that it wasn't that nice. LOL. I don't want to compare myself to other people's reading habits. Besides, I had other things to do, like all the stuff at church. She didn't have that...

The first books I read were like Sweet valley twins by Francine Pascal, in Swedish usually. I also bought the first four books in the series as an omnibus in English when I visited London with my dad in 1992-1993 sometime. So I started reading in English "for fun" from an early age. Like 12-13 years old... Other books I enjoyed as a kid were The Nancy Drew -books by Carolyn Keene. Those two are a series I used to read a lot when I was a teenager and I read them almost always in Swedish. It is my native language so...

When I was 11, I got the Anne of Green gables -series in Swedish (by LM Montgomery. My mom gave them to me at Christmas 1991 so I was indeed 11 years old back then lol. I have read the first book so much, it is nearly falling apart :( It has achieved a respectable age! 

I hate it when someone tries to shame me for what I read or tries to shame me for not reading enough.

It has happened regrettably often....

I am in a semi-reading slump but I have listened to a few non-fiction books lately that have been really good. About trans history, mental health issues and about ADHD. The one about trans history and rights is in English, the two others are in Finnish. I am blessed to know several languages. I read fluently in three languages. I think I still read the fastest in Swedish. Then in Finnish, the slowest in English...

I love reading.

I hope to overcome my slump. It is so difficult for me to choose what to read. That is why I often start a lot of different books, also read a lot of favorites from earlier. I love rereading really old favorites, like Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton, I read it in Swedish because I got it in Swedish when I was like 13 years old, maybe.

I need to read Quo Vadis, it is written by a Polish author. I got it from my aunt and cousins for Christmas 1993! I have started it a few times, but got stuck somewhere... I am so sorry. I want to read it. It is a little intimidating, big book. So it's difficult for me. It is in Swedish though...

Today I am going to try to read as much as I possibly can. I need the escape from reality. I have been having challenges in my life... I listen to music, read and watch series, movies and YouTube a lot. I also enjoy blogging, journaling and knitting.

More later! :)

Getting back into reading and bookish purchases in the USA

 Dear readers,

Last month I traveled for the first time in my life to Utah, USA. One of the more important things I wanted to do there was visit Barnes and Noble. It is such an awesome bookstore! I love it so much... Also, the staff was pretty nice! 

The first B&N I visited was very new. There I found three blue books I liked: 

Banned books published by Penguin Random House

My reading life (a book journal) published by Spruce books

and

The fault in our stars by John Green (I have read it before but lost my copy of it)

My suitcase was really full... And I needed to bring a whole new suitcase too because of gifts and other purchases. I bought my friend two Monster High dolls and myself a few Barbies and other fashion dolls. I also wrote my journal to the end on my trip so I needed a new journal.

Later I got a few more books. I can add pictures here too. I got:

The secret garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett

The 1619 Project by Nikole Hannah Jones

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

Then I got a self-care journal. a few scriptures ( my old ones were falling apart )... Also a few pens and stationary. Stickers are so cool in the USA! :) lol I bought candy too, some are still left for later. I did not find root beer barrel candies even though I know they exist.

I am almost out of my reading slump now...

I have relistened to the Harry Potter series (I have yet to read The cursed child, I don't know if I want to... lol) and I am currently relistening to the Twilight books (I am on the first part now), both are very familiar series so I can basically fall asleep anytime and when I wake up, I know exactly what has happened while I napped :D LOL!  I have many issues with the author of Harry Potter and the whole Twilight (the toxic guy etc.) series but I still listen to them every year, because of nostalgia...

I have been kinda collecting many bookmarks and I can post pictures of some of them.

Have a great weekend! 

Summer is here! :) and my slump is gone! (?) hopefully!

 

Good morning dear readers! 

(Like readers in general, not just the ones reading this! lol)

How are you all doing? Reading something nice?

Here is a picture of my "reading pillow"! :) Isn't it cool, yet a little creepy? lol. I love it though... I don't use it so much while reading but sometimes as a thing my Barbies can lean against when I am having a fashion photo shoot with them. HAHHA! No, I am serious! 

Anyway...

I have been in a reading slump for a few months. I often have a really good start of the reading year and read a lot in January and February each year, then a slump hits usually in March and I get stuck for weeks, if not months.

BUT! (and it's a big butt, and it's mine) hah! 

Now I have been reading a little, which is a lot more than before, I didn't read anything for several weeks! It was horrible. I think a few audiobooks put me in a slump. Now I am rereading the hunger games by Suzanne Collins, it is still SO good! I love it lots...It's helping me get out of my reading slump! I will continue the series and then go on to the prequel, which I haven't read yet at all!

I love big books and I cannot lie. But I also love and appreciate "quick reads" like the hunger games and some Young adult with big font etc. YA books often have larger font. Thus, they are easier to finish fast.

Have a great reading weekend! 

Good (very early) morning! :)

 Hello! 

I have been in a reading slump for some months. I have read a little more than usual lately though and I started rereading The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins a few days ago and I am 86 (!) pages into it... That is some kind of record for me, the way I have been reading lately. I usually get stuck pretty early on. The paralysis sets in: I can't choose what to read. Or if I want to read,.

I have finished like 25-26 books so far this year... That is not a bad thing, it's just a little underwhelming.

I have decided to take a break from audiobooks because they often make me sleepy lol :D Unless I am reading along... I need to reread ninth house by Leigh Bardugo and a few other books. Rereading old favorites helps often. Ninth house is not an absolute favorite but it's ok and I need to reread it before reading the sequel: Hell bent.

Booktube has put me in a slump. Only booktuber that helps me feel better about my reading is "Gavin reads it all" :

@GavinReadsItAll

He is so awesome! 

More later! :)