Last year, I remember January taking an eternity. This year, it’s already over, and I’m wondering what that means for everything ahead.
First, though, let’s actually look back!
Life Beyond the Blog
This was a month of A LOT. For starters, it kicked off the final semester of my senior year of college, which is terrifying in about eighty thousand different ways. It also marked the beginning of a new job, so two to three times a week, I now make very nice sandwiches (chicken, pesto, and mozzarella on ciabatta is your friend, just saying)!
In addition, I did a little writing and some rereading of my older stuff, which was weird in a way, but also a great confidence boost. I can see how I’ve grown in my work, especially over the last four years or so, and it’s nice to have some pride in my writing again after going through something of a post-NaNo slump! Now, if I can get in gear and get editing some projects and tidying up others, that would be awesome, but one thing at a time.
And slightly related to blogging, I’ve been on theΒ Gravemaidens street team, and just a few days ago, I posted a neat aesthetic for the Boatman on Twitter! If you want more of this kind of thing, you should make sure to follow both Kelly Coon’s Twitter and my own for maximum Sumerian-inspired sisterly tangles with death. It’s gonna be SO GREAT.
"the river is wide
the river is deep
i take their souls to earn my keep"
an aes for the boatman from @KellyCoon106's GRAVEMAIDENS, coming this december. get ready to get spooky, folks… pic.twitter.com/2Km6pHqfFx
— Meaghan π (@hailandwellread) January 25, 2019
AND, looping back around to not related to blogging things, THIS COLD IS THE WORST. I’m from the Midwest. I know what winter can be like. This is not winter. This is ADVANCED WINTER. For real, though, if you’re caught in this, I hope you’re able to stay in doors and stay warm. Temperatures like this are NOT to be messed with. My area is looking at -30 or so, if not colder, and I keep seeing that Chicago in particular is getting put on blast, with -50 on some forecasts (-34 and -45 C for those of you wisely not using the fun system that is Fahrenheit). Stay inside, stay cozy, and just don’t leave the house if you can help it at all.
I guess it makes a good excuse to read?
Books Read and Reviewed
Somehow, I managed to meet my goal of ten books around school and around NOT reading over break like I’d planned to. It was a bit of a sprint, and, uh, some stuff got delayed (don’t look at those projects I meant to start way sooner, okay?), but I made it! Ten books! You can read my reviews of The Way of Kings, The Devil’s Thief, White Stag, and For a Muse of Fire now, and reviews will be coming for The Vanishing Stair, The Waking Forest, Spectacle, Descendant of the Crane, and Smoke and Key! I also read Truly Devious, but that was a reread, so there’s nothing new on that front.
Next Month’s Reads
Well, if all goes well, I’ll be doing a Witchlands complete reread here in early February to prep for the release of Bloodwitch! Additionally, I’m aiming to get toΒ Words of Radiance, Sadie,Β andΒ Seafire! It’s ambitious given the amount of school work and work work I have on my plate, but I’m EAGER. As I usually am. Character flaw or strength? Who knows?
My Top Three Posts
As always, it’s hard to narrow it down to just three, but these were the posts I most enjoyed sharing this month!
Favorites From Around the Blogging World
I hope you all know that you knocked it OUT OF THE PARK this month!! I didn’t have a ton of time to comment like I thought I would (you can probably blame the new job for that), but oh my goodness, I did go through and like a ton of posts. These are some of the ones I most liked this month!
Aentee @ Read at Midnight created some STUNNING graphics based onΒ The Gilded Wolves!
Kaleena @ Reader Voracious was attacked by seagulls and lived to tell the harrowing tale…
And that’s it for January! Stay warm, folks, and I’ll see you around in the month ahead!
Thank you so so much for featuring my post!! and AHHH Final semester of college sounds exciting yet so scary?? Your sandwiches sound so amazing, and I’m hungry alreadyyyy and YESS I’M FREEZING IN THE MIDWEST COLD RIGHT NOW!! It’s around -3 with wind chill being around -15 around where I am so I definitely understand your feelings :O Stay warm and happy reading <3
You’re so welcome, Tiffany! And haha, yeah it’s definitely both of those things. I’m freaking out a little tbh.
GAH, IT’S THE SAME WHERE I’M AT you stay warm too! This cold nonsense will pass eventually. I think. π
Hope you’ve managed to stay safe in the cold! I’m in New England and it got to probably around -15F here. Not the worst, but definitely scary for anyone spending a lot of time outside!
Everything ended up okay! I stayed indoors, and as far as I know, the campus didn’t have any incidents. Survived that fun -30! Hope you’ve stayed warm too!
Good! I mostly stayed inside too, and luckily it was easy to get back and forth from work!
congrats on the new job; “chicken, pesto, and mozzarella on ciabatta” sounds delicious … now I’m craving a sandwich even though I just ate! π
“Sumerian-inspired sisterly tangles with death” sound fascinating! and best of luck for your February reads π
See, that sandwich really does the trick! Magic!
YES I’m very excited for it and hope a lot of other people will be too. And thanks, Isabelle!
Thank you for featuring my post — that ones’ actually my favorite post so far probably, haha. It sounds like you had a fantastic month, too!
Not a problem! It was an excellent post. π And yes, I did have a pretty good month!!
I am legit cracking up at your mention of my storytime with Kal post, thanks for linking it and happy reading!
It was an excellent post, I had to make sure others saw the tale! π