Good morning internet dwellers. Just a quick post today to get me back into the rhythm and practice of writing them and to remind everyone that I’m still here. Hi.
I started a new job at the end of June and it’s been quite the shake up for me. Those of you I speak to regularly know there’s a lot of other nonsense keeping me distracted at the moment too but we’ll leave that topic un-touched for the time being. Suffice it to say that I’ve been a very overwhelmed human for the past month and a bit and I’m just re-finding my feet. In the upheaval I have lost my pace and reading has not been my focus. I’ve listened to a few audio books (The Hobbit is my current listen) but I’ve not made big progress on my yearly goal so I’ve got some definite catching up to do. With that in mind, and to state it publicly (the idea being that this will help increase the likelihood of my goal’s fruition), these are my reading and writing goals for the month of August.
Reading
(1) The Hobbit
I’m currently listening to The Hobbit on audible on my morning commute. It’s a great way to squeeze in a little extra bookishness and I’m absolutely head-over-heels in love with the book. The story is glorious, the description is all consuming and the narration is so entertaining! I understand the Tolkien thing way better than I ever did before and I’m eager to keep listening.
Blurb (In case, bizzarely, you’ve not heard of The Hobbit):
(2) Legendary
My sister read Legendary right after it came out and I said I’d be done with it soon… that was a month ago. I think it’s going to be amazing – I loved reading about Tella and Scarlet in the first book and I can’t wait to find out what happens next. I’m hoping it’s a little darker personally.
Blurb for Book one (Caraval):
Scarlett has never left the tiny isle of Trisda, pining from afar for the wonder of Caraval, a once-a-year week-long performance where the audience participates in the show.
Caraval is Magic. Mystery. Adventure. And for Scarlett and her beloved sister Tella it represents freedom and an escape from their ruthless, abusive father.
When the sisters’ long-awaited invitations to Caraval finally arrive, it seems their dreams have come true. But no sooner have they arrived than Tella vanishes, kidnapped by the show’s mastermind organiser, Legend.
Scarlett has been told that everything that happens during Caraval is only an elaborate performance. But nonetheless she quickly becomes enmeshed in a dangerous game of love, magic and heartbreak. And real or not, she must find Tella before the game is over, and her sister disappears forever.
(3) An Ember in the Ashes
This book was a bit of an impulse buy but I feel like now is the right time to pick it up. I think it’s my underdog for this month’s list. It has the potential to be absolutely captivating but I’m not sure quite what to expect.
Laia is a slave. Elias is a soldier. Neither is free.
It is in this brutal world, inspired by ancient Rome, that Laia lives with her grandparents and older brother. The family ekes out an existence in the Empire’s impoverished backstreets. They do not challenge the Empire. They’ve seen what happens to those who do.
But when Laia’s brother is arrested for treason, Laia is forced to make a decision. In exchange for help from rebels who promise to rescue her brother, she will risk her life to spy for them from within the Empire’s greatest military academy.
There, Laia meets Elias, the school’s finest soldier–and secretly, its most unwilling. Elias wants only to be free of the tyranny he’s being trained to enforce. He and Laia will soon realize that their destinies are intertwined–and that their choices will change the fate of the Empire itself.
(4) Smoke & Iron by Rachel Caine
Blurb for book one:
Ruthless and supremely powerful, the Great Library is now a presence in every major city, governing the flow of knowledge to the masses. Alchemy allows the Library to deliver the content of the greatest works of history instantly—but the personal ownership of books is expressly forbidden.
Jess Brightwell believes in the value of the Library, but the majority of his knowledge comes from illegal books obtained by his family, who are involved in the thriving black market. Jess has been sent to be his family’s spy, but his loyalties are tested in the final months of his training to enter the Library’s service.
When his friend inadvertently commits heresy by creating a device that could change the world, Jess discovers that those who control the Great Library believe that knowledge is more valuable than any human life—and soon both heretics and books will burn…
(5) The Water Cure by Sophie Mackintosh
The Water Cure was recently announced as one of the longlist books for this years Man Booker Prize and after reading the blurb I was so drawn to reading it I couldn’t resist picking it up. It’s one I’m really looking forward to and I’m expecting great things.
Imagine a world very close to our own: where women are not safe in their bodies, where desperate measures are required to raise a daughter. This is the story of Grace, Lia and Sky, kept apart from the world for their own good and taught the terrible things that every woman must learn about love. And it is the story of the men who come to find them – three strangers washed up by the sea, their gazes hungry and insistent, trailing desire and destruction in their wake.
The Water Cure is a fever dream, a blazing vision of suffering, sisterhood and transformation. Sophie Mackintosh brings us face to face with the brutality of love, demanding to know the price of survival in a hostile world.
Writing
1000 words of the mysterious novel I sometimes mention as if it’s possible I will ever finish it…
I’m setting my target at an achievable level, it needs to be attainable to be motivational. I haven’t worked on this project since November so getting back into it may prove to be a slow burn. HOWEVER, it is something I’m really excited about so hopefully I can catch a wave on this and ride out past my tentative target.
Four Blog posts
I have been planning posts for weeks without writing them which is… well it’s kind of the most important part so I *will* be posting again this month. Girl’s got plans!
Bookstagram
Daily #TackFeature shoutouts on weekdays and daily posting
I recently did a little story survey on my insta-feed so I’ve got lots of wonderful theme feedback to work on – I’m hoping to have fully created my new theme by the end of the month so I can make my account something I’m really proud of.
Doing shout-outs adds good structure to my day, I get to support my favourite accounts and I get to discover new ones. What’s not to love. Feel free to suggest accounts to me too, I love discovering new #bookstagram heroes!
That’s it for my goals this month. I’ll likely pop back in at the end of the month to see how well I did. In the meantime let me know your bookish goals (long term or short) in the comments. Support systems are the way forward. (Plus I can send you cute motivational dog memes.)
CatInEsse 