Last Updated on May 31, 2022 by ThoughtsStained
Hello, lovelies! Welcome to another Bookish Breakdown installment, my monthly wrap-up post. In these Bookish Breakdowns, I discuss life generally for the past month. Also, I share last month’s reading, as well as life musings, blog hopping links and intention updates!
This month was a bit all over the place, I feel. The semester ended and my day job received some news that it is being completely restructured. But, we won’t find out until August what exactly that looks like. 🙄 I wrapped up my second year in graduate school. The world itself is still a dumpster fire that just gets worse, so my mental health isn’t exactly great. But let’s not linger on that too much right now.
Instead, let’s check in how I did creatively this month.
Bookish Breakdown: Reading
What I Read
I read the gorgeous and intriguing Kaikeyi by Vaishnavi Patel! And I just finished up Butterfly Swords by Jennie Lin and plan to write that review soon.
What I Hauled
Many thanks to Orbit Books for ARCs of Half a Soul by Olivia Atwater and For the Throne by Hannah Whitten! For independent bookstore day, I purchased Hood Feminism by Mikki Kendall and A MAster of Djinn by P. Djèlí Clark from my local bookstore. I also ordered Northern Wrath by Thilde Kold Holdt for some BLOOD PRICE research. And I won Savage City by L. Penelope from April’s Discussion Challenge Giveaway!
Reading Challenges Update
What: A yearly challenge tracked via StoryGraph of how my books I want to read this year.
Goal: 50 Books
Status: 13/50 Books
What: A personal challenge I’ve put upon myself to read at least one antiracist book a month (or 12 a year).
Goal: 12 Books
Status: 3/12 Books
What: A personal challenge where I want to do a better job that of reading books written by (or featuring protagonists) that aren’t the publishing “standard”, i.e, white, male, able-bodied, straight and based on Western cultures or Christian/Catholic religions.
Goal: More books that break away from that “standard” than books that do.
Status: 9/25
What: A yearly challenge hosted by Nicole @ Feed Your Fiction Addiction and Shannon @ It Starts at Midnight where you write and share your bookish discussion posts!
Goal: 24 Discussion Post (Chatty Kathy Level)
Status: 14/24 Posts
Posts:
- Let’s Talk Bookish: 2022 Reading Goals
- Let’s Talk Bookish: Blogger and Audience Relationship
- Let’s Talk Bookish: Changing Book Ratings
- Book Bloggers, Why Aren’t We Kinder to Ourselves?
- Let’s Talk Bookish: Maintaining A Blog Aesthetic
- Let’s Talk Bookish: Updating Old Content
- When A Reader Fights Reading
- Let’s Talk Bookish: Evolution of Book Blogging
- Let’s Talk Bookish: Book Blogging Joys and Pet Peeves
- The Importance of Commenting on Book Blogs
- Reading and Mental Health
- Let’s Talk Bookish: Rapid Fire Book Blogging Takes
- Let’s Talk Bookish: Book Blogging Friendships
- Let’s Talk Bookish: Tracking Your Reading
Bookish Breakdown: Blogging
What I Posted
I am very, very thankful that blogging has continued to stay consistent in my life. Even when I don’t stick to my usual MWF posting schedule, I’m being more forgiving of myself than I “traditionally” would. Plus, I’m still publishing pretty regular content.
For reference, here’s a list of what I wrote this month:
Posts Published May 2022
- Wyrd and Wonder 2022: Let’s Adventure!
- Top Five Fantasies: a Wyrd and Wonder List
- Your Stories Matter, Especially Now
- Reading and Mental Health
- Let’s Talk Bookish: Book Blogging Friendships
- Top Five Subgenres: a Wyrd and Wonder List
- Kaikeyi
- Struggling to Write…While Actually Writing?
- Asking for Help: Or, Mental Gymnastics
- Promise of Darkness
- Let’s Talk Bookish: Tracking Your Reading
- Allyship Check-In No 26
- Novels and Narrations No 18
Read Around the Blogosphere
Check out some of the fantastic posts from this past month from other bloggers!
Other Bloggers’ Posts I Loved
- Kal @ Reader Voracious shares how to use tags as a blogger and wow, did I need this post.
- Check out Amber @ Literary Phoenix‘s list of recommended books to help celebrate AAPI month (and all year long).
- Sumedha @ The Wordy Habitat shares a fantastic discussion on quality versus quantity when it comes to blog posts.
- Lia @ An Ode to Fiction writes a wonderful list of lesbian rep.
- Erin Fulmer @ Erin Fulmer Writes shares a very important post about writing and rage, titled, “When Writing for Joy Doesn’t Cut it, Rage is All I Have”
- Marie @ Drizzle and Hurricane Books discusses 8 hard truths about book blogging, while also giving tips on how to continue to love it, regardless.
- Wanting some lists of book recs? Look no further than Fadwa @ Word and Wonders’ posts, featuring books by South Asian authors and books by East and South East Asian authors.
- Krysta @ Pages Unbound writes about accepting that publishers aren’t interested in book bloggers and is that a discussion post, my friends. 👀 I also enjoyed Briana’s post on the two main ways to increase traffic.
- Eleennae @ Inkhaven shares five things they learned while reading non-fiction books.
- Author Chuck Wendig @ Terrible Minds finds all the words I struggled to say here.
- Check out K.A. Doore’s 2022 queer reads list!
Intentions Check-In
As you saw from my intentions post, I tried to narrow in my focus this year. So, I check in each month below. Mostly, so I don’t lose sight of what I’m hoping to achieve, change and celebrate! Bookish Breakdown felt like a good place to do just that.
I am planning this out this weekend, so by god, hopefully the summer shows some progress.
No forward progress on organizing projects.
I did write quite a bit this month, even though I struggled with it. So that’s a win!
Looking Forward
Thanks for reading this month’s Bookish Breakdown. I hope you all are staying safe and healthy. Particularly in taking care of your mental health right now. It’s something I think is hard for all of us right now. That’s okay to admit! But it doesn’t make it any less hard, nor important.
Rooting for you always! 🖤
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![Not me needing to repost this announcement because my first post had a typo. I promise I can actually edit! 😅
REPOST of original message below:
I've been thinking a lot about publishing and the barriers it places, particularly on traditionally underrepresented and marginalized writers. As an editor, I wanted to try and break down those barriers a bit.
So, going forward from now and forevermore, if you identity as a queer, BIPOC or disabled writer, you'll receive 10% any full manuscript edit. No need to self-disclose how you qualify. I will trust you at your word!
Another stigma (that's being broken!) that still exists is that self-published authors write at less quality than trad--pubbed writers. We all know this is bullshit! But, to help support my indie badasses, your first edit with me for a novel you plan to self publish will be 10% off.
**Please note these discounts are for full manuscript edits, including: developmental edits, copy edits and proofreading.**
Curious? DM me or email me through my website, linked below!
Link here: https://thoughtsstainedwithink.com/editorial
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Oh you read Kaikeyi! It has been on my mind ever since I heard of it and all the praise is making me want to read the book more. I have to first get to my backlog haha. And you wrote quite a few posts this month, that’s awesome! Hope you have a great June! <3
It’s so, so good, Sumedha. I really enjoyed it. I hope you’re having a wonderful June! <3