Wrap-Up: February 2019

• The Girl in the Tower by Katherine Arden (★★★★★)
• The Winter of the Witch by Katherine Arden (★★★★★)
• Hannah Mary Tabbs and the Disembodied Torso by Kali Nicole Gross
• Dreams of Gods and Monsters by Laini Taylor (★★★★☆)
• White Fragility by Robin Di Angelo (★★★☆☆)
• Why I’m No Longer Talking to White People About Race by Reni Eddo-Lodge (★★★★☆)
• A Ladder to the Sky by John Boyne (★★★★☆)
• How Long ’til Black Future Month by N.K. Jemisin (★★★★☆)

MONTHLY TOTAL: 8
YEARLY SO FAR: 16

I accomplished two things this month that I’m pleased about:

I finished TWO series that I’ve been meaning to finish for a very long time: the Daughter of Smoke and Bone trilogy and the Winternight trilogy. Enjoyed both very, very much, and am very glad to have finished them both.

I actually read 4/5 books out of my Black History Month TBR! I didn’t get to Ijeoma Uluo’s book, but perhaps next year…

I also finally read the latest John Boyne, A Ladder to the Sky, which I’ve been meaning to read since the day it came out and it was absolutely delightful, a wild ride from start to finish.

I’ve also totally dropped the ball with posting reviews to this blog, for some reason. I have no idea why. I’m still writing reviews and posting them on Goodreads, but I’ve just been too lazy to cross-post here. Eh.

I am currently reading The Tethered Mage by Melissa Caruso, getting started on #FemmeFanTale a bit early! So far I’m enjoying it very much. Looking forward to March being fantasy month.

Writing Update:

After spending a couple of months bouncing around between seven different ideas, I’ve finally settled into one, which is such a freaking relief. I’m referring to it as my Throne of Glass pastiche, since it’s inspired by Throne of Glass (I know, I know), mainly in the sense that it’s about an assassin. But that’s all the similarities the books share, I swear! It’s also adult fantasy, not YA, so there’s that. I’m about 10K words into it, but I have little to no outline, which is unusual for me. Even my worldbuilding is basic at best. But I’m just writing and hoping I’ll stumble my way onto something.

TV Update: 

I binged that Netflix show, Dating Around, and it was…fine? I couldn’t look away, but I also really didn’t like it and it made me so glad that I don’t date. Still working on season 3 of Salem, but it’s stressing me out, so I’m going slow. Then I watched all of Derry Girls (which isn’t saying much, as it’s only six episodes), which is a freaking hilarious sitcom set in 90s Northern Ireland. I’m also catching up on season 3 of One Day at a Time, another sitcom.

I also watched some random episodes of Escape to the Country after a coworker recommended it to me – apparently it’s about Brits who are moving to the British countryside and go look at houses there??? I’m not kidding – some episodes had me on the verge of tears because the views are so fucking gorgeous. I just. Why do I continue to suffer in gross NYC when places like this exist?