Heyo Bookaholics!

Just the push I needed…

Here’s the thing…

I started Godsgrave but never finished it, putting it down at about one-third of the way in.

Godsgrave is the sequel to and second book in the Nevernight series. It is an adult novel written by Jay Kristoff, an Australian author also known for his collaborative work in writing the best-selling Illuminae Files with fellow Aussie, Amie Kaufman. The Nevernight series is a beefy one with a shit-ton of world-building, a cast of deeply complex characters and a storyline that you have to follow closely.

If you haven’t read my Nevernight review, it took me almost a full year to read the novel! Ridiculous? I know, trust me. This was mostly because I didn’t really have the time and mental effort to put into reading such a full-on and complex novel (due to school, etc.). Eventually, I had the time and finished it in December, a full year after my best friend had gifted it to me.

I had the same feeling that this would happen with Godsgrave and I wanted to dedicate a full month to read it. It was October of 2018 in which I posted a video and a TBR with the intention to read two Jay Kristoff novels – LIFEL1K3 and Godsgrave – in that month I think I only managed to read LIFEL1K3 and as I’d mentioned, one-third of Godsgrave.

It wasn’t until after the launch of Darkdawn, the third an final novel in the series, that I really wanted to (after many people being very confused at the fact I hadn’t read it) finish reading GodsGrave. So like a sane person, I had set aside this month to do so, not realising how well m reading progress was going and also forgetting I had 2 other novels I’d needed to finish too. Anyways I managed to fly through those and now here I am, halfway through my September TBR, an unusual occurrence and almost halfway through Godsgrave. My friends will be proud!

When is Peer Pressure “good”?

Let me clarify. I am using peer pressure in the correct context, i.e. being pressured to do something by people around you; although the phrase usually has a negative connotation there can be a good kind of peer pressure.

The “good kind” of peer pressure (in my eyes) is that which provides you with the encouragement or a sense of motivation to go out and do something. I see it as something of a small push. For example, if you are in line to climb a rock wall and you’re standing there, scared, psyching yourself out to the point of not doing it; your friends are behind you nudging you and saying “you can do it” and “you’ll regret it if you don’t”. Some encouraging words like that can push someone to do something they originally wanted to do but couldn’t muster up the courage.

What’s This Got To Do With Godsgrave?

Well, as I said, I went to the Darkdawn launch and had people freak out at the fact that I had started but not yet finished reading Godsgrave.

Usually, this would bother the hell out of me, but I was at the launch and I never actually had any real intention to not finish Godsgrave. Having people tell me and borderline shame me gave me the push and motivation I needed to really set aside the time to pick the novel back up. People at the launch had either already started or almost finished Darkdawn, raving about how awesome and heartbreaking it is that they wanted me to get into the novel asap!

It got me thinking that I really really liked reading Nevernight and because I didn’t actually want to DNF Godsgrave in the first place, I should continue reading it in September which is a less-hectic month for me. So that became my plan.
It was August when Jay was letting everyone know on Instagram and Twitter that Godsgrave was on sale on Kindle for $2.99 and of course I purchased it. I knew that September had to be the right time to read it.

Having people somewhat “shame” me into reading it and everything falling into place quite nicely – yes, I now own 3 copies of the novel in 3 separate formats – I had to pick it back up.

Throwing it your way!

So, to make this post really worth something, when have you felt pressured into reading or picking back up a novel that everyone else but you has read??

I want to hear your stories! Whether it be in regard to books or in general everyday life, let me know in the comments! I love reading other people’s stories 🙂

Also, do let me know if you like these book-related story style posts and please drop a comment if you have any suggestions for future posts xxx

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See you back here on Monday’s (book reviews), Wednesday’s (storytime/ writing updates) and Saturday’s (other bookish content).