So I've received a lot of questions from people asking me how I remember certain details to review on my blog reviews and I decided to write a Jess' Book Advice for it.

Perhaps.. if you call it advice.

If you're like me, you read a lot. And once you read five or six books a month, its hard to keep track of what books included what, and what scenes made you feel a certain way.

I know so many people who use a variety of ways to write their reviews and remember specific details but I'll only be talking about my own tactics.

During my early days of book blogging, I used my notebook to write down specific details. For those who didn't know, I love notebooks and journaling -- I have a journal for basically everything. 

This was a really fun and easy idea to jot down notes, although it was quite an annoyance where I'd have to pull out my notebook and my book every time I was reading or had an idea or a reaction about certain scenes and characters. 

I wanted something portable and quick where I can read, write my reaction, then continue to read without worrying about the pile of things on my lap. Literally.

That is when I started using GoodReads. 

Throughout the years, I've always used GoodReads to track the books I read and how many books I've read throughout the year which I think is a great tool. 

But GoodReads does have this tool where you can track your pages along the way; I believe it's called Update Progress. It's much easier to find on the GoodReads app but online is fine as well!

This basically allows you to fill in what page you're reading or what percentage if you're reading on a Kindle or listening to the audiobook and if you would like, write a comment.

In the comments section of the Update Progress, I like to write a comment on my reaction to things, the writing, how I feel about characters, etc. And that also allows you to look back on your comments whenever you would like. I find this tool to be very easy and convenient as I don't have to open up so many things in order to jot down reading reactions.

If you follow me on GoodReads, which you definitely should -- link is here, you will find myself writing very broad reviews for the books I've read. This also helps me gather the key elements of the book that I can write in my review.

As for the rating aspect, I usually rate books by plot execution, writing style and characters then somehow find a medium between the three.

Some key aspects to think about when rating books is to remember what genre they are in. I see so many people put all book genres and age groups under one rating system forgetting that certain books are aimed to certain ages.

For example, I've see so many people rate Middle Grade books as the same standard as adult fiction: "This book was okay. I feel like it wasn't as complex as I was hoping for."

Remembering that certain books are in certain genres and aimed towards certain age groups is crucial when writing your reviews.

Once I have gathered all my key opinions and find an appropriate rating, I start piecing my review.

Writing a review, for myself, doesn't take me very long since I've already gathered my pieces I need to write them. On average, it takes me about one hour to write a review although everyone is different.

Of course, what works for me, may not work for you. I've seen people use other tactics like writing in their books (annotating), using sticky notes etc. it's just a matter of what works best for the reader!

I'd love to know how you review your books! Let me know in the comments section or on my Instagram!

The Tommyknockers by Stephen King 

The Tommyknockers is about our main character Bobbi Anderson who stumbles across this box in the ground and decides to dig it up. With help from her friend Jim, they decide to dig up what they realize is an alien spaceship, uncovering the mysteries of the town and how the ship got there.

It was.. okay.

Originally on my GoodReads, my review for this book was 3.5 stars. But after thinking about it, long and hard, there isn't much I really enjoyed, so I'm changing it to a 2.5 stars instead. So far, the lowest I've rated a King book.

Personally, I don't think The Tommyknockers was one of King's best books. Just like Christine, I felt like this book ran on for a long while. 

There was a base to the plot that I understood and could grasp onto, yes. But there were so many elements in the plot that I feel like were adding side stories to the novel that weren't really necessary or ran on for more than what was needed. 

This book is about 700 pages (I believe) long and I feel like if King condensed this novel, it would have been amazing. 

The beginning was very slow for me. Up until about the end of the first book, the novel was so slow and hard to get into. It starts to pick up a little after then goes slow again. Honestly, the book was a rollercoaster between great plot delivery and pretty boring. 

Character-wise, none of the characters really stuck to me. That is quite a bummer for myself because characters are one of the first things I look into while reading but with the novel, I can't really say if I love them or not. 

One of the coolest aspects of this novel is the connections with Pennywise from Stephen's well-known novel IT. 

If you don't know or aren't a "Constant Reader," Stephen King likes to somehow connect all his novels together, making minor references to his other books in the books you are currently reading. 

With the Tommyknockers, there were many instances where there was Pennywise references included in the novel. For example, at one point whilst the family is in Derry (where IT is based), one of the kid's is placed in the hospital. From there, while laying in his hospital bed, he admits he hears laughter coming from the sewer and although he wishes he were dreaming, he wasn't. 

I think that was one of my favourite elements in not just this book but in all of King's book as well. 

In an interview with Rolling Stones, Stephen King says this:

And I agree. I see a lot of potential in this novel, but I feel like it's a little too lengthy and added too much detail that shouldn't have been added. 

Overall, it was more of a fun read because of the reference aspect. But I don't think this would be the type of book I'd recommend to readers who are new to King and want to get into it or are looking for King's best work.

The Assassin's Blade is a collection of five novellas all occurring before the Throne of Glass series starts. 

I was told to read this collection of novellas after the second book in the Throne of Glass series, Crown of Midnight. And honestly, after actually reading this collection of novellas, I disagree.

In this collection of novellas, you meet Sam Cortland and get to see the evolution of his relationship with Celaena throughout the book.

A spoiler to this novel that you probably wouldn't know unless you've read the series is that before Throne of Glass takes place and Celaena ends up in Endovier, she has a companion, Sam, whom she falls deeply in love with, but we find out in Throne of Glass that he dies during a quest they did together. 

It was spoken briefly in the first Throne of Glass book and since, to my understanding, isn't really brought up. 

I feel like I wasn't the only one questioning what, in depth, happened in Sam and how their relationship really was as the was brushed off until this novella was released. 

Although this is formatted as a novella, it does explain a lot about what leads Celaena to Endovier alongside everything occurring with Sam. You also get to meet Celaena's aggressive trainer Arobynn. 

In my honest opinion, if you want the full reading experience, I recommend you read this book first; before you touch Throne of Glass because the end of this book occurs a little after Throne of Glass begins. It all makes sense and will hit you in the feels even more.

The ending is obviously heart-wrenching as I've seen it coming since I've read Throne of Glass first but again, I would highly recommend this before.

Story-wise, I'd say all the novellas were perfectly executed but in my opinion, each story gets better and better. The further you get into the book, the better they stories get.

I really enjoyed reading Celaena's growth throughout the novel as well as the growth with her relationship with Sam. I think, because I read Throne of Glass first, I cared more of Sam's story than anything.

My favourite story was the "The Assassin and the Healer" because you see a softer side of Celaena which I liked. I also really liked Yrene as a character and am very excited to read Tower of Dawn; although I have a long ways to go, because I hear she is finally a prominent character in the Throne of Glass series.

Overall, I really enjoyed this collection of novellas, although if you want the best reading experience with the Throne of Glass series, read the novellas first.

Every Last Word follows our main character Samantha or "Sam" who is well known as one of the popular girls in school. Truth is, under all things girly, she has a secret none of her friends know: she has Purely Obsessional OCD. Desperate to find people she can relate to, she finds Caroline who introduces her to Poet's Corner; a hidden room filled with misfit kids who all have one thing in common. Poetry. 

If I could give this book a million stars, I really would.

Tamara Ireland Stone really thought through the plot of this novel as it all worked out so well. Beginning to end, the plot was phenomenal. 

This book was the very first book I read when I was diagnosed with OCD because well, at that time I didn't know anyone who also had it. I didn't know what was normal and what was just anxiety. So I was very happy to read this and realize I related to the main character so much. 

What I really loved and I think is very important is how Tamara worked with psychologists in order to make this book as real as possible. I feel like a lot of books relating to mental illness are written by authors that just don't understand or get it. 

In my honest opinion, I'd prefer to read a book about mental health by an author who has very good knowledge on it, rather than someone who uses very broad symptoms per say. 

I also really liked how this book was not romanticizing mental illnesses, again, unlike most contemporary novels involving mental illnesses. 

There is a romantic relationship that begins to emerge during this novel, but isn't based by the whole mental illness ideal. For most of the book, Sam tries to hide her OCD -- not only from her group of popular girl friends but with her love interest as well, which I think is very key when it comes to mental illness in literature.

I know a handful of people who are very vocal about what they are suffering, but for the most part, a lot of people including myself, not necessarily hide it, but choose not to be vocal about it very often and I think that is very relatable.

Character-wise, I really loved the group from the Poet Corner. Especially Caroline. I feel like this was the main aspect of the novel that really drew me in and wanted me begging for more. It's a very interesting concept that I honestly enjoyed.

Sam is also a very genuine character whom you don't see very often, but is very vital to the plot and makes it more enjoyable.

One of my ultimate favourite things was the ending. That was a huge plot twist that I honestly didn't see it coming. But once I read it, I couldn't put my book down. If you've read Every Last Word, you'd know what I am talking about.

Overall, the writing drew me in at first chapter. The book is phenomenal, not just with the mental illness factor, but because the plot was so well executed and this book will always be my go-to recommendation.

On Writing by Stephen King

On Writing is a memoir and writing guidebook written by King which exposes his personal life and how he's gotten to the point he is now and how he writes his brilliant New York Times Bestsellers!

Another 5-stars from King!

I picked up this book because I have a large fascination with King's writing. You see, when you read his "Dear Constant Readers.." segments before short stories and novellas or even watch interviews of King, you can really tell the man is intelligent. 

The way he talks, his passion for his writing, the ideas he discovers for his work is absolutely fascinating. 

Honestly, I genuinely adore King as a writer and a human himself so I was very excited to dive into this book. 

The first half of this book is a memoir of King's life. Believe it or not, before the writing fame, King was below middle class. Was raised by a single mother with his older brother, sent to multiple babysitters whilst his mom worked many jobs and was very poor. Stephen King is the portrayal of "started from the bottom and now we're here." 

You get a good look into his writing progress and his passion for it. What I truly adored was how King never gave up on his writing. He was passionate and hungry for it: which makes him a very successful writer himself. 

I also love how genuinely humble the man is. During his first huge big selling book, he bought his dream car but was too humble about driving it around his hometown so he traded it for an old car. 

The second part of the book is tips King gives writers to become successful.

I found this very useful and eye catching. I loved reading each of these tips and how he goes in depth in them. 

There are two pieces of advice from this book that I love and haven't forgotten since I've read them: the more you read, the better writer you become and write every day. Even it what you've written down isn't amazing, at least you have words down. 

Both of these pieces of advice have stuck to me and I've used them every day. 

I mean, reading, of course I do every day. But for writing, I'm usually a perfectionist. I was to get the best words and best scenes down in my first trial. But after reading this, I've accepted that a lot of my writing the first draft will not be amazing. And I need to edit and grow my writing from there.

Personally, I loved this book. I found it very insightful in not only this amazing writer's life but as writing ideas as well.

And perhaps you are not a writer or have no interests in writing, if you love King's Dear Constant Readers segments, I'm sure you'll love On Writing as well!

Since many of you love reading my reflection posts and a lot of you have been very supportive and eager with my writing process, I promised I would do writing updates on Instagram and writing reflections on my blog.

I felt like this was an outlet for myself to get down my writing memories for the future and even let you all in on my journey: the good and the bad. 

I've decided to write a new series on my blog, similar to Jess' Book Advice but with writing called: Writing With Jess.

Here I'll share all my writing reflections, little updates and much more!

With my first week of writing coming to an end, I decided to write a post on an little update and reflection! 

 At the beginning of the week, I had a base idea: I wanted to write horror, and needed to figure out what I wanted to write about, the setting, characters etc. and branch off from there.

And that point I was pretty lost as I didn't know what I wanted to include in my novel and how to make it as terrifying as possible and honestly, the first day was kind of a slump. 

Throughout the day, I would think of different ideas but none really stuck to me. I felt like ideas were approaching me but not sticking. These ideas almost felt like I thought they were cool, but not good enough to be in a debut novel. 

The next day, I woke up extra early, unintentionally which typically doesn't usually happen. But that morning I was motivated. I made myself a cup of coffee -- something I also don't typically do and I sat down and jot down ideas.

That morning I remember reading news articles which I tend to do and was inspired by an article I read. (I don't want to go in detail with the plot of my book until my book is published due to copyright reasons.)

After I read that article, ideas were bouncing off my head and the ideas were never ending: what if I add this, or this. What if this becomes this.

It was a phenomenal feeling. That day I believe I had my ideas on paper, an outline discovered, and a bit of the actual manuscript written down as well.

Since then, I've been waking up at the wee-early times, before the sun even rises and I write. I see so many authors state that you should write down anything, even if you aren't proud of it because you can edit them out later. And so I did.

I set myself a limit to write at least 2,500 words per day and so far I've been doing a pretty good job. Some days I miss the goal, some days I do exceptionally well.

I also noticed that since I've been very motivated lately, I've been waking up early and spending most of my days working and reading. Whether it was at my retail job, writing my book, on bookstagram or blogging.

Before this, I was depressed and unmotivated. I spent my days working my retail job and sleeping with the occasional blogging and bookstagram.

I also found myself to read a lot more than I usually do which is incredible. Because I've decided to limit my time on social media, I've spent a lot more time around books which I am loving.

So far, I think my writing journey is going swell and I'm very excited for the journey! My new goal for next week and further on in my journey is to explore the world a little more: go on walks, talk to people who know the history of certain towns a little more. Perhaps it will give me more inspirations.

The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon follows our 9 year-old main character Trisha whose parents recently split and her older brother is no longer getting along with their mother -- whom they currently have custody to. One day, Trisha's mother plans a hiking trip for herself, Trisha and Trisha's brother. As Trisha's mother and brother always do, they decided to argue during their hike, leaving the youngest daughter behind. Determined to get a few seconds of peace, Trisha takes a separate route, hoping to meet her brother and mother at the other side. But.. she doesn't. Trisha must find a way to escape the woods an find her way back to the road to safety.

As we're four months into 2018, I've realized I haven't really expressed any of my goals for 2018. And honestly, most of it was because I really wasn't sure if I was going to go through with it.

But as 2018 goes on and I'm starting to grow more as a person, I've realized what I really want and what I really need.

I love doing these reflection posts and all of my lovely readers seem to love reading them as well!

Growing up, I've always been on social media; I've based all my teenage years on the internet and on social media accounts such as Twitter, Instagram, Facebook etc. and perhaps growing up this way really mentally drains you.

I'll admit that social media isn't something I hate as it brought and continues to bring so many opportunities for me; I've just come to the conclusion that I shouldn't be spending all my time on it.

To me, social media is almost like a void to another world -- it can bring good and bad. But when you're in this void for so long, it drains you and at some points eliminates your existence in reality.

I've noticed so many people on their phones for many hours of the day, ignoring the world around them.

I'll admit, I spend a fair amount of time on my phone as well but once someone tries to make conversation or wants to spend time with myself, my phone is away; when you're trying to talk to someone or even in public and you're unable to have a conversation with someone it can be quite irritating.

I recently watched a Joe Hill interview (yes, of course I have to bring the King family in my post like always) and he had discussed how being on social media for extended amounts of time makes him depressed and I agree. It feels as if you're disconnected from the world when you spend so much time on your devices.

My main goal for 2018 and perhaps for the rest of my life is the ability to not depend on my phone so much. I want to be able to leave my house and not worry about what other people are posting about.

I want to replace writing instead of social media. Meaning, instead of having an itch to check my phone, I want an itch to grab a note pad and write.

In Joe Hill's interview, he mentioned that he really enjoys this idea and would write excessively everywhere and that is my main goal.

He expressed how once he ditched the option of consistently checking his phone and pick up a pen and note pad realized how much he could write; the first time he brought a pen and notepad around with him instead of his phone, he filled up a whole notepad quickly. And once the notepad was finished, he used a placemat at a diner he was eating at.

I prefer to be more intuitive with literature than electronic devices. And perhaps if you've already been living this lifestyle for quite some time now, kudos to you! 

Like I said, I'm not giving up social media because honestly in this day and age, it's impossible to do so. I'll still be posting avidly on my blog and Instagram and perhaps Twitter as well. But I'd much rather prefer to spend most of my time writing and reading than spending most of my time on my phone.

For me, this might be a tough stretch of a goal but I'm willing and committed in doing so!