Wreck This Journal Review!

Heard all about Wreck This Journal and wondered what's the big deal? I thought that too, now here I am writing a review about it!

When I first heard about Wreck This Journal, I didn't know what to think. Buying a book just to wreck it sounded so bizarre. So I looked up some videos on YouTube of people basically wrecking their Wreck This Journal and I knew straight away that I had to have it!

This books does come with a warning: 'During the process of this book you will get dirty. You may find yourself covered in paint, or any other number of foreign substances. You will get wet. You may be asked to do things you question. You may grieve for the perfect state that you found the book in. You may begin to see creative destruction everywhere. You may begin to live more recklessly.'
At the bottom of the comical warning sign is this sentence - 'Dedicated to perfectionists all over the world.' Until I read that sentence I didn't realize that I am a perfectionist, when it comes to books anyway! The first instruction broke my heart...'Crack the spine'. I could hear my wee heart just tearing in two. I HATE cracked spines in books, when I read a book I try my very best not to ruin the appearance in any way, so you can imagine how I felt as i twisted, folded and spread the book apart to crack that spine. The funny thing is, it was one of the the most satisfying things I've ever done.

As I worked through the pages in random order, I soaked, froze, tore, cut, glued and even burned some pages, and it was so relaxing. Seriously though, this book is great therapy, especially if you are stressed. You can work through the pages in your own time, whenever you feel like it. Some pages can be finished as you start them while others will take time as you collect used stamps and stickers from fruit. So, your Wreck This Journal soon becomes your very own project.

There are some very random instructions throughout the book, such as:
'Rub this page on a dirty car'
'Hide this page in your neighbor's yard'
and
'Roll the journal down a large hill'
These are only a few examples, and not even the most bizarre ones! Each page instructs you to wreck the book/page in some way, so your it slowly becomes a tattered book that looks like it's been through the wars. But that's why I like it. It's my own personal 'journal' and I can do as I please with it. 

On the instruction page it does state that 'instructions are open to interpretation', so be creative, be yourself. Wreck This Journal is a great insight to YOU. 

It's slowly becoming a tattered mess

- Nymph

Should I read: A Song Of Ice And Fire series?

First of all, the big question is, 'Why haven't you already?!'.

In the following top 10 reasons, I'll try my very best to convince you to read these books! I began reading the books soon after I discovered the show and from the beginning I was hooked. Today I'm still reading them (almost finished up to the most recent books!) and I still find it hard to put these books down.
If you have no idea what these books are about, then you may want to look up a synopsis, but do try and avoid spoilers, the Internet is full of them!
But now without further ado, my top 10 reasons why you should read the A Song Of Ice And Fire series:

1) It still hasn't been finished yet!

The series, so far, has got 5 books, (some of which are split into Part One and Part Two, so in some cases/countries, there are now currently 7 books!) so if you love long series, that just seem to go on and on then ASOIAF is the next series for you!

2) Getting to know the characters!

The ASOIAF books are split into chapters, each chapter contains a POV for a certain character. So, not only do you get to know one or two main characters, you get to know half of Westeros (the land in which the series is set)! The main families the books focus on are the Starks, Lannisters and Targaryens, but they do contain other families!

3) Perfect for fans of Medieval fantasy!

I love anything and everything medieval, so these books are perfect, if like me, you love medieval stories, then you really should consider reading them. George RR Martin has definitely done his homework, the detail into medieval life is amazing!

4) Plot twists!

These books are so full of plot twists that reading them has you on edge about 90% of the time. I love a good plot twist and this is one of the reasons I love the series. Just when you think everything is fine and that they're going to live happily ever after...BAM plot twist!

5) Grab some tissues!

Seriously though, these books will leave you feeling like the emotional part of your brain has been put through a blender. I've come to the conclusion that George RR Martin is a puppeteer who likes to take control of our feelings. I have warned you, now go buy some more tissues!

6) Oh so much detail!

One of my favourite things about the series is the amount of detail put into these books! Within a page or even a few short paragraphs, your mind will be constructing beautiful scenery within your head. You can almost taste the food your favourite character is about to eat and in some cases maybe even relate to how the characters are feeling. Who needs TV when you can almost 'watch' the book in your head eh?

7) We love to hate the villains!

This is definitely the case in this series! You may hate the 'baddies' but once you start to read more of the books, you'll discover that there are very complex and interesting characters, who are indeed villains. So when you start reading, keep an open mind, your opinions will change throughout the series.

8) Cliff hangers!

Some people love them, some hate them, but nothing beats a good cliff hanger, and these books are FULL of them. In my opinion a good author leaves us wanting more, and cliff hangers are the perfect way to pull us back into the pages. George RR Martin does a great job of keeping his readers wanting more. Almost each chapter ends with a cliff hanger, and they are beautifully constructed in a way that has your emotions swimming around your head. You can't just read one chapter at a time!

9) Location, location, location! 

The characters are based throughout Westeros and even across the Narrow Sea, so we can almost see how different parts of Westeros is affected by the war and other key events. There are many different towns, cities, castles and other areas mentioned, and if you are confused of their locations, the books have maps at the front to help you put it all into perspective!

Westeros!

10) Magic!

My favourite thing about the series is the mythological aspect. Not only is this a medieval world, with wars, castles and death, there are new and old threats approaching fast. Things are changing and the people of Westeros are too busy fighting wars to realise the dead are walking and killing the living, dragons are rumoured and wolves, large enough to kill a kill a man with one snap of its jaw, are prowling the kingdom. The magical aspect mixes it up a bit from the average medieval fantasy!

Those are my top 10 favourite things about the series, and I hope they have encouraged you to go and read them. They truly are brilliant!