What I Like to Read Besides Books

You know how WordPress has a spot for you to add a tagline to your blog? Well, if your life was a WordPress blog, what do you think your tagline would be? Here’s mine:

It’s a pretty straightforward subtitle to a pretty complex thing (AKA: my life), but I honestly think that if more people understood just how much of my identity is connected to reading, then they might also come to better understand my soft Ginger soul (yes, I do have one, thank you very much).

Reading is like my second heart – it pumps letters and words and stories and magic all throughout my body, and because of it, I’m alive. Not just living, but truly alive. That being said, reading doesn’t ONLY involve books. There are things I love to read besides pages and tomes, if you can believe it. So let me channel my inner-Aladdin and take you on a magical carpet ride; I’ll show you some of my favorite non-books and it will be a whole new world.

Webtoons

I like love ABSOLUTELY ADORE reading Line Webtoons, which is a free digital comic service where you can read stories created by artists all over the world. I discovered this beautiful, beautiful app a few years back when I accidentally stumbled across Siren’s Lament by instantmiso. Honestly, Siren’s Lament was like my gateway drug; it got me instantly hooked on webcomics (haha it’s funny for two reasons. First because INSTANTLY…Like the creator’s name, INSTANTmiso? And two, because like…sirens…mermaids…fish…hooks? Get it? Hahahasobs. I break my own heart sometimes with all my very horrible puns).

Anyways major-organ-splitting jokes aside, here are some of my waffley-loved Webtoons that you all should 10000000% check out … like, right now. This very moment.

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Are you still reading this post? WHY???? GO READ THESE WEBTOONS SO WE CAN SQUEAL ABOUT THEM TOGETHER.

Siren’s Lament by Instantmiso

I already mentioned this one, but gosh, it deserves so much more than a brief mention, so here we are. Talking about it. Again. BECAUSE THIS IS ART AT IT’S FINEST, PEOPLE. Don’t believe me? Well then, take a gander at this beaut:

I think I’ve made my point. And not only is the art amazing, but the story deserves an A+ as well. It’s got attractive siren/mermen (a major plus), a curse gone hopelessly awol, and a love triangle that I actually enjoy (*GASP* What is this madness???? Who would have thought this day would come? Not I, friends. Not I).

Here’s the official blurb from Webtoons:

Content with her ordinary life, Lyra is somewhat of a wallflower. However, her comfortable lifestyle suddenly goes astray when she accidentally plunges into the world of sirens. Entangled in a curse, Lyra will learn that her world may be a lot bigger than she had ever imagined.

Official Trailer // Read on Webtoons // Artist’s Instagram

I Love Yoo by Quimchee

This webtoon never fails to make me laugh. And I’m not talking about the soft, under-your-breath sort of chuckles here. I mean the so-loud-you-wake-the-baby kind of belly laughs (True story. The hubbie wasn’t very pleased with me that night). Also, the main character,  Shin-Ae, is my spirit animal. Like, I connect with her on a very emotional level.

If those two screenshots weren’t enough to convince you to read this amazing work of literature, then here’s the official Webtoons blurb:

Dogged by pain and misfortune from the very beginning, Shin-Ae decides she wants nothing to do with people nor anything to do with romance. Although content with her unsocial, boring, loveless existence, her lifestyle is challenged after she ruins an unsuspecting strangers’ clothes.

Official Trailer // Read on Webtoons // Artist’s Instagram

A Good Day To Be A Dog by Lee Hey

As somebody who is deathly allergic to cats, I’m a dog person by default (which is really too bad because have you ever SEEN a kitten? CUTEST THINGS ON THE PLANET EARTH. POSSIBLY IN THE UNIVERSE. IN ALL THE UNIVERSES…but nbd. I’m totally not bitter). However, the mere existence of this dog-centered webtoon makes me less sad about my uncooperative nose. I mean, just look at this adorably innocent pupper:

Basically, this webtoon is one big ball of cute fluff and it gives me new life. Every time a new chapter comes out, my skin is clear. My grades are up. The sun is shining. I have 20/20 vision (which is a big deal for me ‘cause I’m pretty much blind without my glasses). In all seriousness though, this comic is so adorable and stress-free, it makes my Scrooge-like heart feel a bit lighter whenever I read it.

Official Trailer // Read on Webtoons

Book Blogs

I think we’ve sufficiently established that I love to read books and now webtoons, so let’s move onto the next segment of this scheduled program: BOOK BLOGGGSSS. Oh yesh, not only do I spend hours reading books that then I review on my blog, but I also spend hours reading about books that other people have read and then reviewed on their blog. (I’m being sucked into the endless book vortex and I have absolutely no regrets.)

In case you didn’t already know, there are a lot of blogs out there. Like, more than two. And for that reason, it can be pretty overwhelming to figure out which ones you want to read and follow, and which ones you don’t. Be that as it may, there are a few blogs that I would cross all of the Underworld to read. Like, if it was one of these blogger’s scheduled posting days and I somehow found myself stranded in the depths of Hades (as one does), I would single-handedly fight the three-headed Cerberus, brave the Furies, and then doggy-paddle across the River Styx, all just so that I could read these people’s blogs. They are that good.

Marie is an angel – I’m not even exaggerating here. I’m pretty sure she has the halo and the wings and everything. Not only is she one of the sweetest, most uplifting, and genuinely sincere people I have met in the book community, but her content is always on point. She and her lovely sister, Nyx, are Contemporary Goddesses, so if you’re ever in the mood for a YA Contemporary book, their word is basically law.

Some of my favorite posts from Marie & Nyx:

• How to Stop Comparing Yourself to Other Book Bloggers
• The Truth About Book Blogging Statistics
• How to Support International Book Bloggers

If Nyx and Marie are Contemporary Goddesses, then Kaleena is the Spreadsheet Queen. Her Book Blogger Spreadsheets are a work of art that rival the Mona Lisa, and her tutorial posts are like stained glass – beautiful, clear, and completely transparent. When I first started blogging I felt like I was drowning in all the stuff that I didn’t know, but Kaleena’s blog was the liferaft that saved me. Now instead of drowning, I’m just floundering (because who really knows what the heck they are doing?…Certainly not I).

Some of my favorite posts from Kaleena:

• The Ultimate Social Media Guide for Bloggers
• Edelweiss 101: Tips & Tricks
• 2019 Book Blogger Spreadsheet Template

You know how at the end of a long day, when you get home from school/work/whatever and you just want to curl up on your couch and eat a big carton of ice cream (preferably of the gallon variety)? Melanie’s blog is like that ice cream – it’s comforting and happy and it always makes me feel better. Plus, she’s just plain hilarious, and who doesn’t need more laughs in their lives? I know I do; I don’t laugh nearly enough.

Some of my favorite posts from Melanie:

• Hufflepuff Book Recs! When Only the Friendliest Books Will Do
• 8 Stress-Free Books // For Anxious Readers Like Me Who Cannot Take One More Second of Angst
• Beginner’s Guide to the Contemporary Genre!!!! Ft. Recs to Help You Become Contemporary Trash

Gosh, there are so many others I could mention, but since this post is already as long as Rapunzel’s hair, I’m going to cut it off here.

What do you like to read besides books?

Do you read any Webtoons? Which ones are your favorite?

What are some of your favorite blogs to read?