Monthly Wrap || May 2019

Monthly Wrap

This month has been absolutely JAM PACKED, which means this wrap has to cover a lot more ground than usual! Let’s take a look at how things have gone, shall we?

Life Beyond the Blog

Well, the biggest thing is I’VE GRADUATED. I’m no longer a college student, and it’s such a relief to have that heavy academic weight off my back. I’m done with essays and tests and everything else about academics that brought me so much stress, and now I get to prove that I can actually handle some things like an adult. Not all things, not yet, but some things!

… Listen, just let me dip my toes in slowly instead of diving in headfirst, okay?

Anyways, like I said, college is done. Everything is turned in, I’ve moved back home, and I have a degree and a grad cap to show for it. I also learned the day of graduation that I was officially magna cum laude, and I passed my senior exercises with distinction! After all the stress that went into this year, I’m really proud of that.

On the not as fun front, I did get rejected from the program I was excited about being waitlisted for, but that’s not even that bad. I can apply next year if I really want to, and now, I at least know for sure that I won’t have to keep biting my nails and wondering if I got in or not. It’s kind of a relief just to know, really, even if it isn’t the response I was hoping for.

And back to fun stuff, I saw Detective Pikachu (I WANT TO HUG HIM BECAUSE HE LOOKS SO SOFT OMG also seeing all the Pokémon broke my heart because I love them all so much and also know they’ll never be REAL 😭), plus a few more movies, because I went to Seattle!

That was my first plane flight, my first vacation without my family, and my first time really properly experiencing a city. You can read my recap (linked below in my favorite posts section!), but what you need to know is this: that trip is one of the best things I’ve ever done in my life, and I’m so glad I was able to go. The euphoria is wearing off, but it’s still trying to hang on all the same, and I’m okay with that. The longer it lasts, the happier I’ll be.

 

Books Read and Reviewed

I’ve managed to get through a total of 12 books this month! I think that’s my record for this year. Six of those are the books of the Eli Monpress series, which I’ve already finished reviewing on the blog, and the other six include The Lost CoastThe Near Witch, Caraval, the Prosper Redding duology, and two graphic novels, Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up With Me and The Prince and the Dressmaker! Only the last two haven’t been reviewed properly yet, but I’m hoping to squeeze them between other posts in June.

 

Next Month’s Reads

Well, for starters, I’m going to finish the Caraval series, since I keep hearing great things about Legendary and since I went ahead and just committed to buying Finale. I also want to read The Priory of the Orange TreeOnce and Future, Children of Blood and BoneThe Devouring Gray, and The Brilliant Death. All but one of these I know FOR SURE are queer, which is perfect for Pride month!

I’m also slated for a buddy read of Spin the Dawn this coming month, and should get around to a few more arcs, like Soul of the SwordHouse of Salt and Sorrows, and Gravemaidens!

And who knows. Maybe I’ll get extra ambitious and read even more than that!

 

My Top Three Posts

Far be it from me to break tradition now, so let’s stay on schedule with my personal favorite posts from the month! I hope you guys enjoyed reading these posts as much as I liked writing them!

The Lost Coast Review

Spirit’s End Review

So Long, Seattle!

 

Favorites From Around the Blogging World

And honestly, it’s time for the real stars of the month: these posts! The ones I’ve listed below are some of my favorites that I’ve seen this May. Forgive me, though, if the list is shorter than usual; between finals week and a week in Seattle, I wasn’t reading quite as thoroughly as I wanted to.

Kal @ Reader Voracious delivers a double dose of good posts with a guide to requesting ARCs and formatting your request site profiles, and the brand new #backlistboost initiative!

CW @ The Quiet Pond, by way of the lovely hedgehog bard Amina, offers tips on how to diversify your reading!

Kelly @ Another Book in the Wall discusses whether engagement equals success in blogging, as well as matters of authenticity and connection!

Vicky @ Vicky Who Reads boosts some underrated queer novels in her latest If You Liked… post, just in time for Pride!

Kat @ Novels and Waffles interviews Mirelle Ortega, a book cover illustrator for the Love Sugar Magic series, about what goes into a book cover and what her artistic process looks like!

 

All in all, it looks like May was just loaded with all kinds of great things! I hope your month has been as kind to you as it’s been to me, and that you’re all ready to go for June! See you around!

0 thoughts on “Monthly Wrap || May 2019

  1. Congrats on officially graduating (and magna cum laude!!). Sad about the program you were waitlisted for. But also yay that now you have a definitive answer. Waiting can be the hardest part sometimes.
    Looking forward to your reviews for all those books!!

    1. Thanks, Meeghan! And yeah, I’m a little bummed, but that definitive answer is such a weigh off my chest. I’d rather have that than still be waiting.

      Hopefully you don’t have to wait long! 😁

  2. Congrats on graduating and with all them honors to boot!!! I am sorry you didn’t get into the program you wanted, but you have the right attitude that you can always reapply. I hope your next step is a positive one!

    I can’t wait for you to finish Caraval so we can talk about things, please feel free to scream at me! and lastly thanks for linking to my posts!

    1. Thank you so much, Kal!! I’m bummed about the program, but I definitely have my head up. There’s so much that could be ahead and I just have to keep looking for it!

      I’ve actually finished the whole trilogy and reviewed it!! So if you wanna chat… 👀

      And you’re welcome!

  3. Aww thank you so much for sharing my post, Meaghan! <3 And a huge congrats on graduating! That is so amazing! And your Seattle trips sounds like it was a wonderful experience! I'm so glad it was a huge hit for you!

    I hope June is treating you nicely! 🙂

    1. You’re welcome, Kelly!! And thank you so much! It’s still surreal, even a month later, but I’m really pleased that I managed to pull it off. School is done! Forever! Yay!!

      Seattle really was amazing. Life-changing, really. I’m so glad I had the chance to go, and I’d fly back out in a heartbeat if I could.

      June is being pretty darn good to me. I hope it’s the same for you! (And so sorry for the late reply! My spam filter is being really finicky lately. 😰)

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