Just Thoughts

I'm thinking of moving this blog to WordPress. It just seems like 90% of all the blogs I follow are WordPress... and also I can follow them easily via WordPress.. I haven't messed around on there in years and Blogger was just so easy to set up with Google. But I feel like it's maybe unprofessional or something? I mean, do people use Blogger anymore?

I have the WordPress page set up but it's a logistic thing at this point as I've got so many things saved for future posts here that would need to be transferred. WordPress is kinda clunky on my phone, so I'd need to pull my laptop out at some point to look that over.

Seven Books in Seven Days #7

This is the last entry in this series I've been running on weekends over the past month or so, where I talk a bit about the seven books (or series) that most influenced me growing up. See previous entries in this series here: day one, day two, day three, day four, day five, day six. This will not be in any particular order, as it's hard to put these seven in any sort of favorite to least favorite order.

Yes, Pokémon. Yes, fanfiction.

My obsession with Pokémon runs deep. It's ingrained there, pretty much forever. Though, I rarely watch the show or movies anymore or read the books.. the games, the cards? They still take up more space than they should in my little apartment. (In fact, I own at least one version from each of the game's generations since the very beginning.)

May Wrap-Up 2020 + June Goals

I meant to post this on Monday, but got so caught up in everything going on that I forgot. Tuesday was #blackouttuesday and I only posted links to help/donate/petitions on all my social media. Wednesday I was just drained and honestly, I still am. If you want info on the police killings and protests and resources to help out/donate, check out my pinned tweet and scroll on down. I've been retweeting like mad anything that's useful. Also, if you want to become a better ally, join me in participating in a buddy read created and led by @bookswithshae that's starting tomorrow, the 5th. She's picked for everyone to read White Fragility by Robin DiAngelo and White Rage by Carol Anderson. You can get the books free on Scribd (2 month free trial, it's her code) here. Check out Shae 🦄✨ (@bookswithshae): twitter and Youtube. There's a website set up for the buddy read here.

I ended up reading five Tor shorts this month, two graphic novels I got off Netgalley, one physical book (review here), one ebook from Netgalley, one ebook from the library, and three audiobooks. I bailed on two that just could not keep my interest (and one especially I kept trying, but would pick it up and just never actually open it to read). I feel bad about these bails as they were both in a reading swap I was doing. Slowly, I'm clawing myself out of this slump, but looking down the road... there are pitfalls, especially if things continue on in lockdown as they have. I'm hoping I'll be able to keep my spirits up and keep focused on the things I need and want to do.

Random Quote, Random Day

From my spring NaNoWriMo project (that I'm still, slowly, working on):

"Technically, he's right, but when you're hunted it's hard to think that the things that stalk you in the night for the pure spite of it are nothing less than monsters."

I think, I like the intention of the quote more than the quote itself. The more I look at it, the more it feel grammatically... wrong? I typically throw a good chunk of grammar/punctuation rules out the window while writing, but even still this seems off.

What do you think??

April Wrap-Up 2020 + May Goals

I finished The Girl and the Stars by Mark Lawrence (review here), listened to the audiobook of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban for my HP reread, and two new books:  The Only Harmless Great Thing by Brooke Bolander (read for unshelving project, also gifted - review here) and An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir (audiobook was fantastic). There's been a few false starts with various audiobooks. May go back to them, we'll see.

I joined this movie community called Letterboxd the later half of this month where I've been logging my quest to catch up on all the horror flicks I've missed. Still catching up on some reviews there, but if you watch a lot of movies and wanna join, here's my profile - add me!

Won some more books, received some gifts (see pic above) - thus the unshelving project never ends. Tried to do the Dewey 24-hr redaction, but only managed to read an hour. Spent a lot of time playing Sims 4 (since I don't have a Switch for Animal Crossing). Still laid off.

Quarantine Update

The boredom is real.

We've reorganized our bedroom, deep cleaned the bathroom and kitchen, reorganized/cleaned the back patio and front space. Even attempted to organize the board/video game shelf (in progress project with that). I fixed up my little writing area.

Using old filing cabinet for writing space

The TV is getting a workout. Caught up to everything I give a shit about catching up on. It's been endless B-rate horror or YouTube nonsense anytime I'm actually watching anything now.

I've managed to actually keep up with writing daily for camp NaNoWriMo (with the exception of one day). Which for me is a goddamn miracle I'm pretty proud of.

I restarted Fallout 4. We're still playing Borderlands 3. We bought The Outer World. It's fun, would recommend.

I shaved half my head. 😬

Going on family walks way more than usual (social distancing of course) which has been nice.

Big old tree from a walk

Everyone's going a little stir crazy, but we'll be OK I think. Just you know, work on your projects or binge watch the shows or clean that junk you've been avoiding or if you just can't even... napping is fine. It's ok to nap or just sit on your couch and read or whatever. And if you have to work, be careful out there. 💚

Camp Nanowrimo

Posting my intentions to try this year. I figure, I have time and I have an idea, so why not? Not liking the new layout of the website, but whatever.

Always a pantster, but this year I did make a page in my bullet journal to try and keep track of this. 

bullet journal page with calendar

I haven't done nano in a while and haven't actually completed it since being a teenager when I had way more time (I'm bad at managing my "free" time). That story is actually on a final draft? Maybe? Everytime I look it over, I find issues and want to rewrite or ditch all together. It's been in progress for over a decade. It's a YA fantasy and I've pretty much left behind YA so I don't know.

The idea I have for camp is primarily going to be a roadtrip to scatter some remains. Fantasy, always. Social issues, always. I'm toying with multiple POVs, which typically isn't how I do it but I've got a lot of personal issues with a lot of the characters I want to explore. I may be terrible at it as sorta karmic retribution for hating on many of the multiple POV books I've read.

Anyway, are you doing camp this year?

February 2020 Wrap Up + March Goals

To start, have you seen the picture of that hospital nursery where they put all the babies into little frog hats for the leap day? Very cute. Highlight of my month considering it wasn't a great reading month, I didn't get much done with my other goals, and the news has been an absolute shitshow. So here's some cute frog babies.

I finished one book I started in January, Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson (review here). And only actually started and finished two other books. The Princess Beard by Delilah S. Dawson and Kevin Hearne, a very funny audiobook borrow (I'm working on a review of the trilogy now and some commentary not strictly review related) and Twelve Nights at Rotter House by J.W. Ocker, a physical book for horror bookclub at my local bookstore. I didn't finish it in time for the meet and didn't want to spoil the ending by going anyway, but there longer I have mulled on it, the more I wish I'd let it be spoiled. The ending honestly ruined the book for me and I'll likely post a spoiler-y review in a day or so.

As much as I was looking forward to Dead Astronauts by Jeff VanderMeer, I just could not get into it and returned it to the library. I'll have to pick it up again when I think I can focus. I bailed on Highfire by Eoin Colfer, which is a shame as I dug Artemis Fowl, but just could not get into this adult fare. Didn't read any Way of Kings.

I'm slowly chugging along with American Sherlock: Murder, Forensics, and the Birth of American CSI by Kate Winkler Dawson (it feels a bit disjointed with lots of facts thrown at you and also, wtf was original CSI. Insane.), The Book of Koli by M. R. Carey (which I'm not feeling so far, but I got it for review), and just started Oona Out of Order by Margarita Montimore on audio the last day of February (it's good so far).

On Litsy, I joined a group of gals who are going to be swapping books for four months. The 4 books we're going to cycle among ourselves sound interesting and I'm especially excited to get my choice back in the mail at the end. I'm reading my proof copy of The Girl and The Stars by Mark Lawrence, which I was SO stoked to receive a copy of. I've heard the author's other stuff has just been great.

I also set myself up for a bookswap, which I may end up regretting as I may spend too much on my match. The host hasn't matched everyone up yet, won't be until March 11th, I think? It's like spring/Easter themed. I'll probably post what I get on here (or if it messes up - which is why I stopped with the swaps originally - I'll complain about that instead).

Not much TV watched last month. I think I watched a single movie? Idk. Lots of YouTube. Just playing Dragon Age: Inquisition on hard and getting my ass handed to me. Bioshock and restarted Skyrim with a warrior, necromancer orc.


March Goals:

• Finally use the giant magnet to go magnet fishing.
• Finish The Girl and The Stars, primary, but also the others I'm currently reading (3, with the exception of Way of Kings since there's just no way)
• Get one book for one of the bookclubs (I'm leaning towards The Exorcist for horror bookclub)
• Once I get the match for the swap, get everything for it ASAP
• Write a short story (or anything, seriously)
• Get review for Rotter House posted here and two other posts (I have one solid idea and the other is a maybe)

Anyway, how was your February? 

2020 Book Goals

I'm not making a total book goal for this next year as I'm going to be trying for more quality over quantity, you know? But I do want to hit on some points and definitely get some specific books read.

• Book Riot's Read Harder Challenge (here)
• Booked 2020 on Litsy (here)
• Read all my gifted/won books from the last few years (it's about 40, which is what I set my GR total to just as a reminder to try and get those read first)
• Go to bookclubs at my local bookstore (probably just the horror and scifi/fantasy ones, w/the exception of the nonfic one in January - reading Will My Cat Eat My Eyeballs? now)
• I've signed up on netgalley and bookishfirst and will maybe fart around on those. Learning curve, definitely, but I figure if I wanna try and do a review blog it might be good to try and get arcs and stuff, right?
• Mentioned local bookstore also has a monthly writer's meetup thing and I've been toying w/the idea of going to one of those or maybe one of the local NaNo ones that continue throughout the year.
• Chunksters: A Little Life, It, The Way of Kings
• Reading w/family.. audiobooks w/the husband.. graphic novels and manga w/the oldest (and possibly some audiobooks if I can swing that w/her).. picture books w/the youngest.. random reads w/my mother. Not sure how this idea will play out. We'll see!

This is all for now, I guess?

Laters!