Tag Archives: Recap

February 5, 2021 · 10:00 am

Personal: January Recap + New reading habits


Last year, between the New York shut down and the reduced in person hours at work places, there was a lot of time to read. During this time, I joined Alexandra Bracken’s Brackfast Book Club (link in currently reading), and the books we read were voted on by everyone in the group. This led to us reading things that I wouldn’t normally have read on my own and it was an interesting way to analyze how I read different types of books. It was fascinating to see how my brain tackled series verses standalones, and how tracking my reading differently changed the way I was reading.

Most trackers focus on the number of books finished in the month but for me, I have trouble focusing on just one book at a time. So, I decided to start using my Happy Planner as a way to track pages and books read in a day.

This way of tracking and reading came about because of the book club. Specifically, with standalones and binging series, I kept getting bogged down with all of the information going into my brain at once. So, I started reading side books to break up the reading for the book club. But that also put me behind the book club’s pace and made me feel like I couldn’t keep up. Tracking the books differently wasn’t going to make me read faster, or help me keep up, but it made me reevaluate my goals and expectations for myself and experience less burn out. This is how it worked out for January’s tracker:

This month I was trying to finish We Hunt the Flame from the book club, but it’s just too much world building for me to speed read. So, I focused on a couple of other books that I had been meaning to read instead and got pretty far in all of them. Tracking this way had not only given me a more visual representation of my accomplishments, but also a way to make time to slow down and process what I was reading. I even wrote notes on the books for reviews.

In the end of the month I had made it 25% of the way through We Hunt the Flame, 15% of the way through The Naming, 15% of the way through This Time by Azaa Davis, and 17% of the way through Cuckoo’s Calling by Robert Galbraith.

This wouldn’t be a recap without a brief description of the books I read so:

We Hunt the Flame by Hafsah Faizal follows Zafira and Nasir in the kingdom of Arawiya. Zafira is a woman in a society that doesn’t value their contributions beyond being in the home and working under men. But she desires more, and has lost much to get it. Nasir is deadly, but his actions are not his own. They are sent on a mission, both to seek, one to kill, one to survive. This book has the feel of The Hunger Games.

The Naming by Alison Croggon follows Maerad from her life in slavery, to her daring escape with her rescuer Cadvan. Along this journey she discovers that she is from a line of very powerful Bards, and her destiny may be more important than that of a simple slave. This book has the feel of Tamora Pierce’s Immortals Quartet.

This Time by Azaaa Davis (free copy for review) follows Nadira, a demon hunter who wakes up in a strange place and is unsure of how she got there or how long she had been there and once she escapes is shocked to find the answers she’s looking for. This book has the feel of Supernatural and Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

So that was my January 2021, I didn’t finish any of the books but that’s okay, I’m sure I’ll finish some eventually and it’s the reading that’s important not the pace.

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September 1, 2019 · 7:22 pm

Personal: August Recap


So after writing up my July recaps I decided to also write up an August TBR list and an August To Try Out List. However, life caught up to me and so I’m still going to post it, but I’m going to edit it into a recap of sorts instead. So let’s kick things off with my TBR.

TBR

These first books on the list were the books that I had started in a previous month and just wanted to finish this month if I had the time.

TBFinished:

  1. Windwitch By Susan Dennard
    1. I had started this book last month immediately after finishing Truthwitch by Susan Dennard. By the end of July, I was just about halfway through the book so it wasn’t hard to finish this one. I am now so invested in this world that I don’t think I’ll ever get bored of reading about it. Since finishing this book, I have also started Sightwitch which is the short story in between Windwitch and Bloodwitch. Sightwithch was not initially on this TBR list because I didn’t at the time have the book since it was an ebook only.
      1. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29939390-windwitch?ac=1&from_search=true
  2. Dune by Frank Herbert
    1. This book is really big so I’m just sort of reading it in pieces. As much as I can get through in each month. I didn’t read any of it for this month so it will definitely be on the September TBR list that I post on the 1st.
      1. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/39970217-dune
  3. An Absolutely Remarkable Thing by Hank Green
    1. I started reading this as soon as it came out and before the Barnes & Noble Book Club night. But I never quite absorbed the full ending of the book because of how fast I was reading it. I was forcing myself to rush for the Book Club and I wanted to finish the book quickly. But now I went back and restarted and started reading it slowly this time. But then I started reading The Witchlands series. So this also did not get finished this time.
      1. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/24233708-an-absolutely-remarkable-thing?ac=1&from_search=true

TBStarted:

  1. Bloodwitch by Susan Dennard
    1. I did actually end up starting this towards the end of this month. So this is going to move up to my September TBF list.
      1. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/39863277-bloodwitch
  2. Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi
    1. I had seen this on a BUNCH of Bookstagram account pages and I thought I’d check it out. I purchased it but didn’t start it yet.
      1. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34728667-children-of-blood-and-bone?from_search=true
  3. Sorcery of Thorns by Margaret Rogerson
    1. This was another one that is on EVERY Bookstagram account I follow. So I thought I’d see what all the fuss was about.
      1. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/42201395-sorcery-of-thorns?from_search=true

TBReRead:

  1. Stalking Jack the Ripper by Kerri Maniscalco
    1.  Kerri Maniscalco’s new book comes out in September I believe and so I am super excited to start reading the series from the beginning again.
      1. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28962906-stalking-jack-the-ripper

That was my short list for August, and the progress that I made on them. Obviously, my To Read List is much bigger and will continue to grow. So September’s will build off of that. Here are some things I had wanted to try out in August:

TTO:

  1. You-ology Exfoliating Mask: I had hear that exfoliating masks are really good for your face and getting rid of gunk that has seeped into your pores. Now, my day job is really dirty. Boxes are disgusting. So I really need something to take care of my face. The Bioclarity that I use is very good at keeping my face clean and hydrated but I needed something a little more aggressive to combat all of the layers of gunk on my face. I’ve only used this product three times so far and it has helped make my face softer and smoother. But I’ll keep you posted as I keep using the product.
    1. https://www.youniqueproducts.com/AmyZukas/products/view/US-16204-06#.XWxfdChKiUk
  2. Relics and Rarities: This is a show by Geek & Sundry, and it’s another RPG campaign stream. It is a fascinating concept. It basically arcs the story around what artifacts they choose at the beginning of the episode, and there’s a new guest star every week. They are still trying to complete an overall goal, but it’s not the same set up as Critical Role is. It’s very quirky. I like it.
    1. https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL7atuZxmT954B-AtfJsw_YbULHL_L7J8z
  3. Webtoon: This is an app that allows you to read online comics. An author I follow on Instagram (Alexandra Bracken), had mentioned that a webcomic called Lore Olympus existed that might mean her latest novel title might have to change. When she mentioned it, I immediately googled it to see what she was talking about because the description sounded like something I had seen pictures of online. So I signed up for the Webtoon app and I was not disappointed! Lore Olympus is SO GOOD! I would definitely recommend this webcomic if you haven’t read it yet.
    1. https://www.webtoons.com/en/
  4. Chokers by Paparazzi Accessories: Paparazzi came out with some pretty cute chokers recently and I really want to get some. I’m just not sure which one to get. I sort of want the cute silver ones, but I also want the corded ones. So I’m not sure which one I’m going to get. But I definitely want one.
    1. https://paparazziaccessories.com/314428/
  5. Calisto6: This is another RPG stream that I wanted to start watching but I never got fully into it. It’s set in a futuristic sci-fi version of L.A. It’s a very different concept, from the description. So it will go on into my September TTO list.
    1. https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL7atuZxmT957wz-a95ESEGW7de6SgR9is

So those were all of the things that I had wanted to try out for last month. Now that classes have started, we’ll see how September’s goals will get accomplished.

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August 11, 2019 · 3:03 pm

Personal: July Recap Part 1


So I always see people online talking about their favorites for the month. So I thought I’d take the time to write out a few of mine. I think at the end of this post I will also make an August To Try list and an August TBR. But maybe that will be a separate post. I haven’t decided yet. This might just be a summary of what I’ve used the most. It’ll be broken up into different parts.

Part 1: Books

  1. Dune by Frank Herbert
    1. The first one I started reading back in June, but continued reading in July, is Dune by Frank Herbert. I know that everyone is going to say that I’m only reading it because of the movie and that I’m not a real fan. But this book came out 31 years before I was born so I would say the fact that it has still captured my interest after all this time is quite a feat. If we’re being honest though, this book as been on my “To Read” list since I saw it on the shelves in my bookstore a few years back. But it was the movie that finally got me to read the book. It’s not that I didn’t want to read it before, I just was reading other things that my friends wanted to discuss at the time and that is really what drives me to read something or see something. I need someone to discuss things with. So that’s why Dune was book number 1 of the month.
    2. Goodreads Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/39970217-dune
  2. Truthwitch by Susan Dennard
    1. This book is the first book in the Witchlands series by Susan Dennard. While reading this book I achieved one of the fastest read times I’ve had in a really long time. If I had read this straight through, I could have finished it in less than 1 day. It’s also such a cool concept for a book. It’s got its own cool lore and plays off of the environmental witch type of magic set up but with a twist. It’s really quite interesting and I can’t wait to write a review for it. It also relates to book 3 of the month.
    2. Goodreads Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25187640
  3. Windwitch by Susan Dennard
    1. This is the second book in the Witchlands series by Susan Dennard and I had only just started this book towards the end of July so it definitely is the first on my August TBR. So far it is a little slower than Truthwitch was. But it’s still keeping me captivated.
    2. Goodreads Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29939390-windwitch

Part 2: Internet Shows/Adventures

  1. “A Hole in the Plan” Critical Role |Campaign 2, Episode 42: Geek and Sundry
    1. I have finally made it to episode 42 of Critical Role Campaign 2. This series is so good. You don’t really have to watch Campaign 1 in order to be invested in Campaign 2 but I would highly recommend both.  This is an online D&D Campaign that is live streamed. It features Matthew Mercer, Travis Willingham, Marisha Ray, Liam O’Brien, Sam Riegel, Laura Bailey, and Taliesin Jaffe. All of their characters are so easy to get attached to. They’re funny and interesting, moody and heartfelt. You grow with them as they go through each new task. It’s basically just like listening to an audio book but with the characters acting in real time. SPOILERS AHEAD:  In this current episode, they are with a band of pirates on a quest for a magical orb that grants special powers to its owner. It’s really interesting, it has spurred most of my other recent interests. From getting me hooked on Loot Crate, to introducing me to Tor Books, and even rekindling my interest in writing, reading, and blog posting. It’s really been a good creative boost for me.
    2. Link: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL1tiwbzkOjQxD0jjAE7PsWoaCrs0EkBH2
  2. #TheLuminaries by Susan Dennard
    1. So this is a new thing for me at least, and I think for most of the internet. Susan Dennard is the author of the Witchlands series, and the Something Strange and Deadly series, and she has started a Twitter “Choose Your Own Adventure” for one of her books that she was going to publish. It is amazing. It’s such a good story, I’m invested. This story has me going back to Twitter everyday to check this thread. It’s so fun to see where it’s going to turn, to see what is going to divide our decisions. It’s so fun to interact with other fans, other participants, to read their comments and join discussions. It’s really such a good community. I love it so much.
    2. Link: https://twitter.com/stdennard/status/1135346704142819328

So this is Part 1 of my July recap. The rest will be in part 2 it’s just less organized and more of a Miscellaneous Stuff kind of post. So that will be Part 2. Then will come the August TBR/TTO List with products I want to try in August or things I’m going to read in August. This took way longer to write than I thought it would so everything’s behind. September’s will be much more put together. You can also expect more reviews from me in the near future assuming that the classes I’m taking again won’t interfere. See you soon for Part 2.

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