fantasy books – Alyssa Lost in Space

Book Chat: The Last Wish by Andrzej Sapkowski

February 29, 2020March 5, 2020Alyssa Flynn

I love to over-analyze the heck out of a good story, whether it’s a movie, a video game, or of course, a novel. It might be because I’m an English major, or because I’m myself a writer, or because I’m such a huge nerd, but there is something deeply satisfying about unpacking the events of a novel and peeling back those layers to understand the narrative on a deeper level.

I’ve posted lengthy, rambly analyses before for trailers and movies, and in 2020, I really want to write some word nerdy analyses for amazing books, but I’ve also mentioned that I don’t like ‘reviewing’ books. I can only give my thoughts and impressions, and I certainly don’t like assigning them a rank. So if you were looking for a review, this might not be quite what you’re looking for. Still, I hope that I can find and discuss great books, and maybe you’ll want to read them too.

We’re starting the bookish fun with The Last Wish by Andrzej Sapkowski.

19 Favourites of 2019

December 30, 2019December 30, 2019Alyssa Flynn

I love these posts. I love seeing people narrow down the best of the best and attempt to distil their favourite content from everything they’ve seen, read or played throughout the year. It’s fun to look back at, and it’s great if your looking for more recommended reads or games. It’s that sort of end-of-the-year staple content that I always look forward to. And I also enjoy taking the time to go through my own year of content consumption to see what I would consider a favourite.

But I’m also a lazy woman. I could have broken this up into a few posts – one focused on my favourite books, one about my favourite games, and another for any other random favourites I’d found throughout the year. But honestly, I didn’t consume as much as I have in previous years to make for very large lists, and I thought it sounded catchier if I wrapped up 2019 with 19 favourites. So I’ve lumped ’em all together.

Anyway, enough about my process. It’s been a weird and busy year, but there were still some gems that I want to talk about. Here are 19 of my favourites from 2019.

7 Amazing Reads for Autumn

October 14, 2019December 10, 2019Alyssa Flynn

It’s that wonderful time of year – the leaves are changing colours and its time for warm sweaters and boots. I just want to cozy up on a couch with a blanket and a good book, and there are definitely a few things I look for when I’m reading at this time of year.

Murder, mystery, magical forests and witches. I love creepy atmospheric reads and classic mystery stories. I love magic and witches and urban fantasy. And with that in mind, I decided I’d give a handful of recommendations that satiate that need for a mysterious, atmospheric read.

Spin-Offs & Adaptations: What Video Game Worlds Would Make for Good Books?

July 5, 2019December 10, 2019Alyssa Flynn

I’m not sure if it’s the nostalgia or the fact that having pre-made material makes the production process that much faster, but adaptations are currently the entertainment industry’s bread and butter.

We’ve seen books adapted into games, movies and tv shows. But what about the other way around? Star Wars, for instance, has a whole canon of novels that flesh out events and characters not present in the movies. As a series or franchise gains popularity, it makes sense to fill out an entertainment line-up with complementary books. And it’s good for the fans too – we get more of what we love, though the form factor might be a little different.

5 Fantasy Series I’m Ashamed I Haven’t Read

April 5, 2019December 10, 2019Alyssa Flynn

I’m not as prolific a reader as some people, but I like to think I’m pretty well read. The more I seriously I’ve taken my writing, the more seriously I’ve read, and I’ve tried to read a lot more of the genres I write. Which includes fantasy. I read a lot of fantasy. In fact I’d say it makes up the bulk of what I read, but there are quite a few really big fantasy series that I just haven’t got around to. Yet.