My poor neglected book blog, how are you?
I never meant to abandon you for over three months, but I've just had a very busy summer. I did an internship, I went on holiday, and got a job among other things, and my book blog (and makeup blog too, at least I'm consistent) just slid further and further down my list of priorities. I've been wanting to make my comeback for awhile now though and today seemed like the perfect day to do it. Because if you can't tell by the title, today I got my hands on a copy of Queen of Shadows by Sarah J Maas!
Queen of Shadows is the fourth book of in the Throne of Glass series, for those of you who might not know. I stumbled across the first two books in my local library, read them on holidays last summer, and instantly fell in love. I read Heir of Fire (book three) shortly after its release last September and have been waiting for the next book ever since.
The book actually came out last week, but unfortunately I had to work, so today was the first day I could actually go out and get it. I figured this would work in my favour, because sometimes in Ireland books its very difficult to get books on their actual release date (when Mockingjay came out I spent the three days after its release date visiting almost every book shop in Dublin to find it). However, the first bookshop I tried actually didn't have it, so I ended up, once again, on a hunt through the bookshops of Dublin City Centre.
I eventually found a lone copy in WHS Smith, but the whole process of looking for it made me think about the many times I've gone searching for books before. I read and have read a lot of book series, so getting the next book, particularly when you've had to wait a year/ years for it, was always a big deal. Harry Potter was my first experience of it, but the fact that the whole world was waiting on the next Harry Potter book meant that it was a slightly different experience to traipsing round the book shops of Dublin in search of that one lonely copy wedged behind another book (that is actually how I found Catching Fire). But, release party or not, the feeling is the same. In my opinion finding, finally getting 'the next book' is one of the best feelings in the world. It feels like a victory. It feels triumphant. And it is so, so exciting. I had that feeling today and it made me think of all the other books and all the other times I've experienced it before.
Now that my nerdiness is on full display, I may as well tell you that in such instances when I find a book that I've been waiting for, I often take a picture of it before I start reading. It sounds more nuts than it actually is, I promise. You see, when I'm reading a book and carrying it around with me in my handbag, it tends to get a bit battered. I might get a stain on the cover or the pages might get bent or I might even crack the spine (something my sister gives me an endless amount of crap for). It's not that I'm deliberately careless, its just that accidents happen, and my handbag is a dangerous place to be.
So, by taking a picture, I have an image of the book in its original, pristine state. On a more philosophical (for which read 'pretentious') level, I also thinks it captures again that sense of excitement that surrounds the book. When you finally have it, but haven't started reading yet, when you have no sense of what's coming and no feelings at all towards the book except anticipation and pure excitement. It's a feeling I've had many times, and today, before I go and devour Queen of Shadows, I wanted to capture it, and share it with you.
...And with that, I'm off to start reading!
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| Queen of Shadows and all its book siblings :) |
