WWW Wednesday (April 17, 2019)

Posted April 17, 2019 by Sammie in #amreading, chat with me, www wednesday / 28 Comments

It’s time again to ask ourselves the three W’s:
Who let the dogs out?
What’s my name again?
Where is the love?

Wait, no, that’s not right. We ask these three W’s:
What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?

WWW Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Sam @Taking on a World of Words.

Recently Finished
I Can't Date Jesus


I Can’t Date Jesus by Michael Arceneaux
★★★★✩ || Goodreads
I had no idea who Michael Arceneaux was going into this, but guys … he’s adorable. And funny. And has another book coming out soon! I really enjoyed this essay memoir, despite having basically nothing in common with the author. It was a nice peek into the experiences of someone very different than myself, yet still struggling with things I could totally relate to. The voice is very casual and easy to read, like a friend telling stories by a bonfire. I don’t always (or often?) enjoy memories, because they’re usually hard for me to get into, but I’d definitely recommend this one (as long as you can handle lots of cussing!)

Currently Reading
The Waking Forest

The Waking Forest by Alyssa Wees


The waking forest has secrets. To Rhea, it appears like a mirage, dark and dense, at the very edge of her backyard. But when she reaches out to touch it, the forest vanishes. She’s desperate to know more—until she finds a peculiar boy who offers to reveal its secrets. If she plays a game.

To the Witch, the forest is her home, where she sits on her throne of carved bone, waiting for dreaming children to beg her to grant their wishes. One night, a mysterious visitor arrives and asks her what she wishes for, but the Witch sends him away. And then the uninvited guest returns.

The strangers are just the beginning. Something is stirring in the forest, and when Rhea’s and the Witch’s paths collide, a truth more treacherous and deadly than either could ever imagine surfaces. But how much are they willing to risk to survive?


I was so sure I’d be done with this book by now, because it’s only 300 pages and should be super quick, right? Wrong. I don’t want to DNF it, but it is very hard for me to get through. For a few reasons.
1. All the character names begin with R, and my poor little brain keeps forgetting who is who, and I have to go back and remind myself.
2. The book is really dense with metaphors. Pretty much every other sentence has some lengthy figurative language. I mean … it’s sometimes pretty, but other times, it’s just … well, plum-colored.

Even worse, these metaphors don’t always make sense, so instead of flowing smoothly through the text, I keep getting stuck on trying to picture what the author is trying to say. Because I like picturing the story in my head. But … I honestly just don’t know half the time. It sounds pretty, but when you break down the metaphor, it just confuses me, and I’m left pondering what it means rather than reading the dang story. Case in point:

“Stop. Just stop talking, please.”
He obliges. But the silence seems to smirk. I can feel the bite of it, like steel teeth scything into the skin of my heart.

Starts off great. She’s talking to a shadow person, so the silence smirking? Golden description. Loving it. But then she feels the bite of … the smirk? Or the silence? Fine, I guess, even though it’s a weird change in tone from taunting to violent. But then … why steel teeth specifically? Because of the mention of a scythe, which is steel? But a scythe doesn’t have teeth. Nor does it bite. And teeth can’t scythe. Biting and scything are two different actions, so which is it? Also, there’s no skin on your heart. They’re two different organs. So I’m assuming it’s supposed to be skin as in the outer part of a fruit/veggie, which adds yet another confusing layer to the image. So in the middle of a dialogue exchange, I’m suddenly stopping to try to parse through this one really dense sentence that I just don’t understand. And this happens pretty much every few sentences.

Despite that, though, the plot? Fabulous. I’m dying to find out what happens next. The story is told with two stories in one, and I’m just at the point where I think they’re starting to merge, and I can’t wait.

Upcoming Reads

Nothing’s really changed from last week’s post, since The Waking Forest is taking much longer than I expected.

Illuminae is still on the top of my list, because of the fact that it’s due back soonest, and then Nevermoor. I’m really hoping to get through them this week, before they have to be returned and I end up on the wait list again.

Chat With Me

What are you reading this week? Anything you’d recommend? Link to your WWW posts below so I can visit you!

28 responses to “WWW Wednesday (April 17, 2019)

    • Thanks! Me, too. xD I’m still rooting for it. I know some people love this writing style, but it’s just not for me. So far, though, the story is everything I’d hoped it would be, so it pretty much evens out lol.

  1. Ooh waking forest sounds a challenge. But I hope you love Nevermoor as much as I do When you get onto it (and then want to read Wundersmith straight after!!)

    • Thanks! I’m looking forward to Nevermoor. Unfortunately, I’ll have to wait for Wundersmith for my hold. D: How dare other people read the books I want to read?! 😛

    • I’m glad I’m not the only one! It’s not so bad if there’s maybe two characters and their names sound different (like Amber and Austin or something like that). But this is Rhea (aka Ree), Rose, Renata (aka Ren), and Raisa. I don’t have trouble recognizing Rose, but I keep confusing the other names when they come up lol.

  2. I know what you mean about The Waking Forest – all the R names. For me, the book started off so great, but then around the halfway point, it lost me. Beautiful writing.

  3. I was super curious about The Waking Forest, but I see your points about why it has been hard to get through. I would probably struggle with that one as well. Hope your next read is a bit smoother and enjoyable. 🙂

    • Thanks! I’m still enjoying it. It’s just a bit harder to read. But I confess that I’m looking forward to moving onto something with an easier-to-read writing style!

  4. Ouch. I’m soooo very plot focused when I read. Patricia McKillip in on the border of being too descriptive for me to read, and she’s amazing.

    I hope if you make it through The Waking Forest that the pay off is worth it.

    • I’ve never heard of Patricia McKillip, but I just looked her up on Amazon, and oooh, her books sound good!

      I really like a balance of description and plot, but if I have to choose one over the other, I’d choose plot every time. I mean, I have no problem picturing things in my head however I want if there’s sparse description. But I can’t just come up with a plot if it isn’t there. xD

      Thanks! I’m almost done, and so far, it’s definitely been worth it. :3

    • I definitely agree with you about scything! There are several times I’ve come across instances like that, where I can’t help but feel that what she’s saying isn’t exactly what she means or like she isn’t quite sure just *what* she means. Like one that comes to mind is her describing picturing the voice in the darkness as a “gutted shadow supported by a black glass skeleton” with a “crystalline grin.” And all I can think is … well, that’s not a shadow, then, is it? It’s a black glass skeleton that lives in darkness. Which, by the way, also sounds awesome, and I totally prefer that image. xD

      On the one hand, I feel like I’m probably overthinking the descriptions more than the author intended. On the other hand … it’s what I do. 😛

      • I completely agree, a glass skeleton grinning in the dark is a fantastic image. Weirdly specific in the context of what the character is imagining though. Are we to assume there’s something about the voice that sounds like a skeleton–and a glass one, no less? What does that sound like?

        I don’t think you’re overthinking it; it sounds to me like a very appropriate about of thinking about it.

        • Ha, thanks! Glad I’m not the only weirdo who loves to dissect descriptions. 😀 I love writers who can challenge my thinking with a really well-placed description. But they have to make sense to me, or else I get stuck on it.

    • I love the cover, too! If you can hang in for the writing, the plot is pretty gripping (so far, at least). So it’s just a matter of personal preference on how much description you’re willing to wade through for an interesting plot. 🙂

    • If you love the purple prose, I say go for it! It’s a really good book so far, if that’s your style. It’s just not my personal taste. 🙂 But the plot so far has been really interesting.

  5. Emily Wrayburn

    I love the sound of I Can’t Date Jesus. I am also not the biggest fan of memoirs but accessible ones are good!

    • It was a fun read! Definitely nice getting to read about a different perspective, but kind of weird when I looked him up afterwards and putting a face/voice to it.

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