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Give me Fantasy puh-leez

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In the interest of providing a basic intro – Hi! I’m Chelsea. I have an amazing bestie/hubby named Nick and we have two beautiful little girls. We live a life of adventure and move every few years with his job. We absolutely love it, but it is not an east life.

This is where the books come in. When I was a kid, I learned to read at around the same age as every other average American kid, but I progressed quickly. In elementary school I was obsessed with Ancient Egypt and Goosebumps so those took up most of 1st – 5th grade. In 6th grade I tested at a college reading level and dove into pretty much anything and everything I could get my hands on. At 17 I got incredibly distracted by boys and went about 5 years without picking up a book. It wasnt intentional, I was just too busy being an idiot in my fresh adulthood.

After having my second child I realized it had been years since I read anything. I started with Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone because it was my favorite when I was little. Ever since, I have been using books to escape from the intensity and stress of parenting/straight up adulting. The majority of what I read is Fantasy for that reason. I adore magic, science fiction, and even a lil romance. On any average day I am expected to be a typical “grownup”, but adulting is no fun. 😉

So that’s why I made this blog. I need to be able to rant and rave about all the amazing worlds that I end up in!!

Review: The Gunslinger

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(Book 1 in The Dark Tower series)

By Stephen King

I read this book in early high school and I remember liking it, but I dont think I absorbed any of it. Upon finishing it now, I can see that back then it definitely just went right over my head due to lack of life experience. I have been itching to reread it and hopefully the whole series for around 5 years now.

I have to start by saying that as much as I love Stephen King’s ideas and I do believe he is an absolute genius, I have been struggling with his work for awhile. I always want to read something and then I just cant get through it or even really enjoy most of it. I struggle to focus once he starts rambling. I had that issue through the first half of this book, but I discovered that the secret is I need complete quiet while reading his work or else I get lost.

Halfway through, I almost gave up on this, but I pushed through. It wasnt until the story of Jake’s original death that I was like “Oh?!” And then I got pretty well sucked in.

The final chapter was mind-blowing. I always struggle with dystopian-esque literature because it gives me anxiety, but the scene where he is being shown the universe had me so gripped that I thought I was seeing it too. (Which is why the mug I was already using for coffee was so perfect!) And the final 5 pages took me completely by surprise. What now, right?

In conclusion, I am so confused, but I am intrigued as well. I want to know more. I want to see more and there are like 7 more books!! So, yes, I will be continuing with the story and I probably will not share another review until the very end of the series. (Unless of course one is so incredible that I have to rant and rave about it 😂)

Review: “And Every Morning the Way Home Gets Longer and Longer”

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by Fredrik Backman

This book is only 76 pages, an extremely quick read, but so emotionally charged. I related to this on so many levels, mostly because Grandpa is all science. My husband and I are also all about space and mathematics.

The hardest thing to swallow, however, is the realness. I have to admit that I am terrified of forgetting. I always have been. Starting at around age 13, I have kept meticulously detailed journals. When I grow old, I want to be able to look back and remember the small things. I think maybe I will feel less alone. Like Grandpa in the story.

The ending was beautiful. The closeness of his family and the loving support of his son and grandson are everything I hope to have in my old age. For a person who is dealing with memory loss, that is what you need most. You need people who love you through your struggle and help you stay grounded.