I’ve been thinking recently about how many characters my brain has automatically assigned celebrity look-alikes to. In my first read of The Hunger Games trilogy, Gale just WAS Taylor Lautner. The two are so synonymous in my mind that I STILL picture Taylor Lautner as Gale instead of Liam Hemsworth. It doesn’t happen with every character, but once in a while there will be a celebrity cameo going on. Another example is that, in Throne of Glass, I COULD NOT PICTURE DORIAN AS ANYONE OTHER THAN TIMOTHEE CHALAMET. MUCH to my dismay.

Perhaps the WORST example of this, and the first that I can remember, is that in seventh grade, I pictured GAVIN FROM DRAKE AND JOSH as Prince Po from Graceling. I couldn’t get it out of my head! It RUINED him! lol !

Does anyone else experience this? Who are some funny celebrity cameos your brain has put into your own reading? Has it ever kind of ruined a character for you?

This might just be me and my algorithms, but I've been seeing a lot of people (not just here!) DNFing or complaining in their reviews about "info dumping", specifically in fantasy books.

For those that aren't familiar: "Info dumping is when the author gives out excessive information to the reader all at once, leaving the story stagnant." This often leaves the readers bored, especially if the author goes off on a tangent and it's not relevant to what's happening right now.

I feel like I've noticed a trend (again this could just be me lol) where people are throwing the term around when they aren't entertained at all times. The author's job is to try and explain their fantasy world so that you can understand the story! Often that doesn't include action scenes, but lots of explaining (done in different ways). Maybe it's the MC explaining a situation to someone or some extra descriptions added to each chapter. Whatever it may be, those parts are important! I, as a reader, want to know about the world I was just thrown into. Tell me more even!

It could be the result of reading so many trendy romantasy books, where something is happening all the time, or maybe it's just people who are new to fantasy. Or something else entirely!

I'm curious to know what you guys are seeing! Are you noticing authors actually info dumping more or are people just not used to fantasy worlds? Or are we still just throwing terminology around without understanding it?

Fourth month of the year (if your calendar starts from jannuary) is almost done. So, how is it going for now? If you have a reading goal, how is it going (any reading goal, not just how many books to read)? What were the three best books of the year for now and why? Did you dnf any book? Are you excited for any upcoming release? Have you tried a new genre or new way to read? Any pagebound feature in program that you can't wait for? Plans on what to read in the next few months/over summer? I'll go first.

Reading goals: My first goal was to read 12 books, considering last year I had read 8 it seemed almost impossible for me at the beginning of the year. Instead, probably due to pagebound and its wounderful community as well, I already read 10. I changed the goal to 20, but if summer goes as well as I hope I might have to bump it up more. I'm afraid this month I won't be able to finish any book because of how busy I am (and I might not read much during may either), but that's how life goes.

Best books:

• First love by Lilly Dancyger (This has been phenomenal, my favourite read of the year so far. It almost made me cry, which for some people might not mean much, but I never cry for books/movies, I only cried while reading two books in my life, and this one came close to be the third, it's a big deal, believe me.)
• A thousand perfect notes by C G Drews (second book I read from them and they definitely are my favourite author. I preferred Don't let the forest in, but that's my favourite book ever, nothing could top that. A touching debut.)
• The decagon house murders by Yukito Ayatsuji (Not my style at all since it's very plot heavy. I would've preferred if the characters had been more developed, by it was so intriguing I couldn't stop reading. I'm surely going to get the other books.)

DNFs: I dnfed A little life by Yanagihara because I've been warned by a friend of mine it had grafic depictions of rape and that all the issues the protagonist goes through sound romanticised. It's definitely not for me. A bit sad and disappointed about it because everyone had recommended it. I also dnfed Dragonfall by L R Lam because it's not the time. I know I can enjoy it, but I'm going for something different. I want to start again another time.

Upcoming release: Can't wait for C G Drews to publish Scorpion deep. I fear I'll have to wait some months before reading it (like I did with You did nothing wrong, which came out in march and my mother gifted me recently) because preordering from my country is a hustle, but as soon as I can get my hands on it I'll devour it.

New genres: This year I tried romantasy for the first time. I read At the end of river Styx by Michelle Kulwicki (but I wouldn't say it's a romantasy, it doesn't focus on the romance almost at all and it feels pretty rushed), Where the dark stands still by A B Poranek (which was a nice surprise) and Tress of the emerald sea by Brandon Sanderson (my first ever Sanderson book). To be honest, aside from Where the dark stands still I don't think I would call the others romantasy, they rely on romance, but it isn't very central since there are few actually romantic scenes. I loved them, and, though I think I prefer fantasy with romance subplot, they really were good and had something to say. I don't get why so many people hate the genre.

Pagebound future features: I am patiently waiting for pagebound to drop monthly wrap ups. If there's something that apps do and I love is a wrap up. It gives me more motivation and I love to have a moment to watch back on what I accomplished/did during the month. This is why I'm doing this post to be honest.

Plans: I had planned to read some books this and the next month, but I fear school will stop me for a while, so let's go for summer. Now, these are the books I'd like to read, I may change my mind (I made a list of what I wanted to read from my tbr/buy at the start of the month and already changed three times a week my mind). I guess we'll know mid may, when I'll buy the books I don't have yet.

In june I'd like to read

• Hazelthorn by C G Drews
• Holy wrath by Victoria Mier
• Aristotle and Dante dive into the waters of the world by B A Saenz)
• The hunger games by Suzanne Collins

In july I'd like to read

• The sense of style by Steven Pinker
• The bermuda triangle by Charles Berlitz
• The way of kings by Brandon Sanderson
• A song of legends lost by M H Ayinde

In august I'd like to read

• Old wounds by Logan-Ashley Kisner
• Lagoon by Nnedi Okorafor
• Horrorstor by Grady Hendrix
• Legendborn by Tracy Deonn

In september (because yeah, i planned septemeber and october already, but I will stop at september for my keyboard's sake)

• The picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
• When among crows by Veronica Roth
• If we were villains by M L Rio

Some of these are so very famous and well loved, it's baffling I haven't read them yet.

So what about you?

Sorry for the very long post. I have a feeling, and a hope, the answers will be pretty long as well. Enjoy your reading!

This seems like such a rookie guess to make but i think the murderer would be one of guys. It's a shame I'm not reading the Japanese version cause then I wouldn't have read "he" as the pronoun for our mystery killer so the girs would also be under my radar. But, I'll be kind of disappointed if it does turn out to be one of the men. Though, I'll be equally disappointed if it's the shy girl cause that trope if equally over played.