latest reads – marginalia and such

loves & latest: April 8, 2019

monday musings

loves

reads

A Dangerous Collaboration by Deanna Raybourn

Veronica Speedwell is back! Deanna Raybourn is an instant read for me. The minute I learned A Dangerous Collaboration was being released, I placed it on hold at my local library. The only bad thing about loving this series is having to wait for the next book.

random

planner stickers

It was bound to happen. You can’t watch planning videos without being bitten by the sticker bug. However, I will exercise restraint, not matter how glittery the pack.

on the web

authortube

I’m a regular viewer of the #authortube community, but lately I’ve been making it part of my practice. So much to learn, so many writers to learn from. Lately, I’ve been deep-diving into Heart Breathings, iWriterly, and The Creative Penn.

Latest

podcast

bluestocking-circle Listen to the latest episode of The Bluestocking Circle Podcast – Episode 20: Pacific Rim… our second, unanimous 4-sock rating 🙂 .

If you want to hear three lady nerds talk about their favorite books and movies, give us a listen on Podomatic, Apple Podcasts, Google Play, or Spotify. Also available on YouTube.

Monday Musings: Loves & Latest

Loves

Reads

Howl’s Moving Castle

In preparation for the next episode of the Bluestocking Circle Podcast, I re-read and re-watched Howl’s Moving Castle and fell in love anew. It’s been some years since I consumed (hehe, Howl joke) either of these works and I adore them still.

Beauty

Ilia tinted lip conditioner in Pink Moon (Sephora)

I had some Sephora credit and decided to give this a try… it was well worth the impulse. The color is just the right amount of bright berry lip and it’s not too heavy or dramatic for a daytime/work look.

Latest

Podcast

The Bluestocking Circle Podcast Episode 6: Pushing Daisies

In which we discuss the right balance between fantasy and realism in romance, the rise and fall of the Manic Pixie Dream Girl, and the legal and ethical ramifications of drugged pies. All this and more as the Bluestockings discuss the TV series Pushing Daisies.

You can also listen and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, and Podomatic. Or follow us everywhere @bluesoxcircle

Videos

(so I like making weird faces…)

Moodboards

I made a board for the podcast and it is a thing of beauty 🙂

video: off the shelf – June reads

It’s been an emotional and physical roller coaster of a day, but that’s a story for another time. In the meantime, June reads 🙂

(sorry about the shaking, I think I kicked the tripod a few times)

off the shelf: The Queen of Blood by Sarah Beth Durst

I was a little lax on posting this weekend, but I did record two videos 🙂

This time, I’ve been reading and loving Sarah Beth Durst’s The Queen of Blood, first in the new Queens of Renthia series, an adult epic fantasy that takes place in a world where nature is deadly and only those who are chosen to be queen can keep it in check.

This review is based on an ARC that I picked up at ALA. The book is available for pre-order and will be published on September 20, 2016.

preorder: https://amzn.com/0062413341

Don’t miss Friday’s video, the first in my minimalism (my way) series.

2015 in books – a quarterly review of bookish adventures

I’ve read 15 books since January, so I’m well on my way to beating last year’s goal of 30. I’ve also been reviewing for a library-related publication, so my non-fiction reading has increased (and lead to some unlikely gems in the process). There’s a difference between the kind of reading I do for pleasure vs. reading to write a review, but here are some of the best I’ve read so far.

A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki

My first book of the new year and it was perfect. Thought-provoking, genre-bending, and a pleasure to read.

A Solemn Pleasure by Melissa Pritchard

Currently in prepub (out May 2015), this collection of essays on subjects as diverse as aging, writing, spirituality, death, dachshunds, and more was just what I needed to get over myself.

Sex Criminals, vol. 1 by Matt Fraction and Chip Zdarsky

If you choose to check this graphic novel out from the library (as I did), you will get funny looks. They’re worth it.

Meanwhile, I’m reading Twee by Marc Spitz and the final installment in Gail Carriger’s Finishing School series, Waistcoats & Weaponry, both from the library (which means my effort to get through the TBR pile is just as poor as it was in 2014). Twee is my downtime at work book (for those moments when I need to refresh), while W&W is keeping me sane between writing sessions.

For a complete list, visit my LibraryThing.