Originally, this was going to be about how I always hit a point in my writing where I want to delete my book. Turns out, it was just a symptom of burning out. So, I’m talking about the necessity to take a break sometimes and common thought processes that can interrupt it.
(Photo by Ilham Rahmansyah on Unsplash)
Because I don’t believe in relaxing or free time, I took on a reading challenge inspired by “The 12 Days of Christmas” in which I wanted to read 12 books between December 25th and January 5th. I got pretty close to 12, reading nine.
Every November for me is completely occupied with either #NaNoWriMo or NaRevoMo (National Revisions Month). This year, I had graduate school projects, like a Batman-themed video on the finances of TJX and several papers. I finished two books and I cannot wait for winter break to get my reading time back.
I had such a cool concept for this month’s Reading Recap: I wanted to read only horror books and then do an exploration of why they were so scary. Graduate school felt like my own edition of survival horror at its finest, so I’ll simply be sharing the books I caught up on this month.
Epic Reads, as part of catching up to the Olympics buzz, started a swell idea for the #ReadingDecathlon. I didn’t quite make it to ten books in ten days, but I learned a few things along the way.
It’s International Women’s Day and I wanted to draw some attention to five women and girls that I met in recent reads. They’re pretty different from each other and I wanted to compile them into a helpful list for fellow female-lead story writers such as myself to draw inspiration from. From women who can rule the world to kids looking for companionship, this list has some of it all.
Goal setting is a thing I’m working on, especially since I have so many other projects going on (graduate school, what?). So here are some books I’m reading and the order of priority for Kindle.
Currently reading:
Radiance by Grace Draven (Kindle)
The Death and Life of Zebulon Finch, Vol. 1: At the Edge of Empire by Daniel Kraus (Hard-Copy)
The Time of Contempt by Andrzej Sapkowski (Hard-Copy)
The Pianist by Władysław Szpilman (Hard-Copy)
I’m a mess when it comes to my hard copies, so by mid-January, after grad applications, I want to be done with all those. So I can move onto the books with deadlines.
To Be Read:
Inked by Eric Smith (Next on Kindle)
Library at Mount Char by Scott Hawkins (Next on Kindle)
Last Song Before Night by Ilana C. Myer (Read before 1/25)
A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab (Read before 2/23)
Wiesza Jaskolki by Andrzej Sapkowski (Note: My project before going to Poland is to read this, so let’s see how that goes. The last most-difficult book I read in my native tongue was Harry Potter. Or was it Faerie Wars? Either way, NOT an adult dark fantasy)
What are y’all planning to read? Friend me on Goodreads because yay, recommendations.
Happy reading,
Jo
