November Wrap-Up and December Goals

Hello everyone! Happy December (even though we’re already nearly a week into it), which means we’re one week closer to Christmas (yes, I’m a Christmas b*tch, just like I’m a Halloween b*tch), BUT, more importantly, we’re that much closer to being done with 2020, and while 2021 definitely isn’t going to magically solve all of our problems, I am still ready to be done with this god-forsaken year.

If I’ve been a little quiet recently (I say as if I haven’t been quiet since coming back), it’s because I am currently in the middle of exams and that has been pretty much the center of my life for the past couple of weeks and will continue to be for another 3 days by the time you read this. (I took my very first law school exam earlier today (Thursday) and it was not a fun time, not least because my computer froze in the middle of it 🎉 we love zoom university.) Anyway this is my little fun break because I have some fun reading updates (aka I ACTUALLY read things), and because I wanted to make sure I actually set out some goals for December, since I’ll be done with school this week! So let’s get into it!

Infinity Son by Adam Silvera | the urban fantasy I didn’t know I needed

OVERALL: ★★★★/5

(GoodReads summary here.)

What’s this? Me, writing a review? Which implies that I actually finished a book???

That’s right, folks! I managed to find time to finish not one, but TWO books in the past two weeks. A slight caveat, though: I started both over the summer (oops). But that’s not the point!

This was an interesting one for me in terms of the circumstances in which I read it. When I started Infinity Son, it was via audiobook and listened to probably a little over half, not quite 3/4 before I called it quits with audiobooks for the time being. Then I missed my window to claim an eBook through my library, so I had to wait even longer for my next hold to go through. I finally got my second try a couple of weeks ago and panicked because I wasn’t sure I would actually have time to finish it in the 3 weeks I had it. Fortunately, I was actually in a reading mood for once last week, and since I didn’t have that much left and I found it was a quick read, I managed the last 35-40% or so in one sitting.

All that being said, the odds were kind of stacked against me liking it since that’s a bit of a wild ride, especially compared to my usual reading habits. And yet I really, genuinely enjoyed just about everything in this book, which kind of surprised me. I don’t really know why I expected to not like it, since I generally really love Silvera’s books, but I thought that between my half-listening, half-reading and just how long of a break I took in the middle, I wouldn’t be to shift to reading or be able to get into it again. But that was not the case!

Alright, enough rambling about my sad reading circumstances and onto the review, where I will continue to opine about listening vs. reading but to a lesser extent. There will be a pretty big spoiler towards the end that I’ll do my best to keep vague, but as per usual, there will be a warning before we get there!

October Wrap-Up and November Goals

So we now have two months left of 2020 and that seems absolutely absurd, but the sooner this godforsaken year is over, the better. I am very upset that Halloween wasn’t a “real” Halloween, but we do what we have to right now and public health is more important than holidays. Anyway, I am currently a ball of stress about school (I have approximately 4 weeks of class left and I feel like I am wildly unprepared for finals, plus I’m currently working on a couple of them), and then there’s the election in two days that I just don’t want to even think about (US folx, PLEASE go vote if you haven’t already, I am literally begging. Vote411 has ballot guides and 866OurVote has amazing resources, including voter protection hotlines if you need help, plus I am more than happy to connect you with any individualized info if you need it! Just send me an email or DM, and I’ll do what I can!)

But for now, let’s talk about books and things.

What Books Made It Onto My Apartment Shelf?

Hey, hi, hello! It’s been a while (again). Who would’ve thought law school would be such a time suck? (*insert eye roll here*)

As I mentioned way back in July, I moved to a new city to start law school (which ended up being entirely online, but I’m glad I’m here anyways.) A necessary consequence of this is that I have limited shelf space (read: one small shelf that needs to hold other things, like law books), and I left a great many books at my parents’ house. While said house isn’t too far away, I wanted to be sure I was maximizing space and acknowledging that I probably wouldn’t have too much spare time to read (I was right.) So the tough question became: what to bring?

My initial move-in involved only about 5. I was then home the next week and decided I could fit quite a few more, so I brought some more with me which put me at just 12 (although I have since added a couple). Now that it’s been a couple months, I thought I would share what I have with me and why!

September Wrap-Up and October Goals

I’m sure y’all are sick of hearing it, but HAPPY SPOOKY SEASON!!!

Part of me wishes I wasn’t as obsessed with autumn/Halloween as everyone else, but I objectively think it’s the best season and second-best holiday (I am a big Christmas fan), so I don’t really care that I’m in the same camp as everyone else.

Seasons aside, I am so ready for the fall. I’ve been impatiently waiting for the weather to turn, and it FINALLY has. I’m definitely going to miss the trees turning on my old campus, but I’m hoping the city will have at least some places that get really pretty. October means that I’m also approaching the halfway point of my first semester of law school, which feels really surreal. Somehow I lucked out and don’t have any midterms, but that also lowkey stresses me out because it means I don’t have any ways to indicate that I’m actually learning. I do have a writing assignment due tomorrow (well, today, if you’re reading it the day I post this) that I’m freaking out about (am I writing this in part to procrastinate on that? . . . maybe.) ANYWAY. Let’s get to the wrap-up!

Skyhunter by Marie Lu | a prescient story of resilience

OVERALL: ★★★★½/5

(Goodreads summary here.)

When I first got the email telling me I was on the street team for Skyhunter, I nearly lost it. (I had to really school my expression because I was in class and all I wanted to do was grin from ear to ear.) I don’t think it’s much of a secret that I absolutely adore everything Marie Lu writes, and this was no exception.

From the get-go, all I wanted to do was sit down and read it all in one sitting. Unfortunately, that was not an option, nor was reading it over the course of just a couple of days. While I think that would’ve been a better experience for me personally (less disruption of flow because my goodness, this book flows like a masterpiece), it still absolutely astounded me.

July Wrap-Up and August Goals

Well, it’s already August. When the heck did that happen? I’ve got a lot of things creeping up on me this month, but this post is mostly to talk about July! This last month was a bit of a whirlwind for me, but I still managed to get some good reading done, so let’s get into that!

What Literary Classics Have I Read?

Over the years, I’ve seen so many people talk about the classics they want to read or having goals for reading one classic a month or something along those lines. And recently, that got me thinking about which ones I’ve read already. Considering I just graduated with a degree in English Literature (I just got my diploma in the mail yesterday so it’s ~official~), my list of read classics is longer than I’d ever thought it’d be.

Now, before I start or list my qualifications for a “classic,” I want to give a very English-majory disclaimer: literary classics are a very exclusive academic category that are typically used as a means of gatekeeping literature and defining what is worthy of praise and attention and reputation. The general public typically has no say in what is considered a literary classic, with historically white and male academic circles existing as the sole deciding group in determining a “classic” label. This means that the category, in general, does not reflect the wider population and their experiences. This is not to say that we should just brush off classics; they are (generally) considered classics for a reason, and their place in the literary canon is a result of their impact on the broader literary world. So, yes, we should absolutely read them, but perhaps we should be reading from a place of critique and skepticism, reading them because we want to understand their place in the literary canon, not so we can act superior because we’ve read them.

Mini Reviews: Ninth House + The Beautiful

Well guys, it’s been a minute since I’ve written a review. I don’t feel quite ready to do a deep dive into a full length review for either of these (I also waited a little too long since I read them before sitting down to do this and didn’t take good reading notes, so I’m a little blurry on the details.) Still, I really thought both of these were phenomenal for entirely different reasons; I fully expected to love Ninth House because I love Leigh Bardugo and everything she does, and I was really pleasantly surprised by The Beautiful. Without further ado, let’s get into what I thought about these books! Just a note: the last paragraph of my thoughts on The Beautiful contains some spoiler-y stuff, although I keep it really vague. Just be aware it’s there!

June Wrap-Up and July Goals

Hi everyone! June has finally come to its end, even though I certainly feel like summer has just begun. I’m lucky enough that my one of my summer jobs has opened back up, so I’ve been busier the past week than I have been in months, but it’s also so nice to have something to do and a way to make some money. Anyway, June wasn’t a great reading month for me, but again, now that I’m at work more regularly, I actually have more incentive to read because it’s one of the only things that I can do easily in my downtime. But let’s get to this wrap-up!