Hello, lovelies! Welcome to another Bookish Breakdown post, my monthly wrap-up where I talk about last month’s reading, as well as life musings, blog hopping links and intention updates!
I think this personal post from Friday perfectly sums up any and all updates. Life is still throwing plenty of punches, but I am DETERMINED to survive them!!
Let’s check in and see how I did creatively this month (spoiler: once again, not much, but! This will change! I am manifesting!!).
Reading Breakdown
What I Read
I only read one book this month, but holy shit was it a great book to read!!!!
Reading Challenges Update
What: A yearly challenge tracked via StoryGraph of how many books I want to read this year.
Goal: 50 Books
Status: 29/50 Books
(not pictured: the books I read for my poetry graduate class and my craft books)
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 Posts (Chatty Kathy Level)
Status: 18/24 Posts
Posts:
- Let’s Talk Bookish: Blogging Insecurity
- Let’s Talk Bookish: Posting Process
- Social Media: Or, the Lack of Boundaries, Safety and Nuance
- Let’s Talk Bookish: Content Ratings
- Let’s Talk Bookish: Cover Versus Plot
- Let’s Talk Bookish: Book Blogger Appreciation
- Let’s Talk Bookish: Creating Bookish Content
- Book Changes I Want to See
- Let’s Talk Bookish: Reading Affecting Mental Health
- Let’s Talk Bookish: How To Make Me Read Your Book
- Let’s Talk Bookish: Diversity in Publishing (And What Book Bloggers Can Do About It)
- Let’s Talk Bookish: Diversity in Books
- Let’s Talk Bookish: Why BookTube Isn’t For Me
- Let’s Talk Bookish: How Book Blogging Changed My Relationship with Reading
- Genres: The Avoided, The Committed and The Obsessed
- Let’s Talk Bookish: Romance as a Subplot
- Let’s Talk Bookish: Protagonists and Gender
- Let’s Talk Bookish: Book Blogging Masterminds
What: A personal challenge I’ve put upon myself to read at least one ARC a month (or, 12 a year), to attempt to keep my ARC pile under a bit of control.
Goal: 12 Books
Status: 9/12 Books
What: A personal challenge where I read a book a month (or, 12 total) that I currently own that I haven’t a) purchased this year and b) aren’t ARCs.
Goal: 12 Books
Status: 4/12 Books
What: A personal challenge where I want to do a better job that of reading books written by and featuring protagonist 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 read this year that break away from that “standard” than books that do.
Status: 13 of 28
(not pictured: books read for poetry class)
Blogging Breakdown
What I Posted
This is the least I’ve posted in…gods, I don’t even know how long. I *did* manage to reformat some series, though, so I am proud of that!
Posts Published October 2021
- Banebringer: my first DNF book review of the year
- What I Want to Change: some personal musings of Life
- When Life Hands You Lemons…: even more musings
Read Around the Blogosphere
Guess who still hasn’t blogged hopped? 😭😭😭 I seriously can’t wait to get to it again. Truly truly.
Other Bloggers’ Posts I Loved
- SOON
Intentions Breakdown
I’m one of those people who loves to write out intentions at the beginning of each year. I’m also one of those people who doesn’t do the best job of keeping them. Here, I check in each month and see how I’m doing!
Intentions:
- Develop a writing routine
- Edit and query BLOOD PRICE
- Write first draft of UNTITLED adult fantasy romance
Past Month:
HA. Ha ha. Hahahaha. *collapses into sobbing*
Intentions:
- Develop a reading routine
- Read one-two books a week
Past Month:
Still don’t have a reading routine, but I did FINALLY read Fonda Lee’s incredible book, Jade City, and it’s just as amazing as everyone told me it would be.
Intentions:
- Work with at least one client each month
- Continue to self study and level up my editing skills
- Get better at marketing these services
- Work with a romance client!?
Past Month:
Nothing this month, but honestly, with how hectic life and health have been, this is a blessing in disguise. I miss it, though!
Intentions:
- Reach 1,000 followers
- Start: 878
- Update all older posts with new feature images
Past Month:
Will November be the month I return to blogging on the regular? I sure hope so!
Intentions:
- Find movement I enjoy and make a routine
- Read and learn about body positivity
- Continue therapy
Past Month:
This is a very needed recommitment.
Intentions:
- Learn more about the systemic racism in America
- Learn how to better have difficult conversations to help combat systemic racism, racial injustice, and fight for LGBTQIA+ rights
- Continue to move away from performative to actual allyship
Past Month:
I did fall quite behind there for a moment, in reading Anti-Racist Daily’s newsletter, but I got caught up. Need to get reengaged in reading a nonfiction book once a month and doing my own research on particular issues that I’m passionate about, especially locally. <<– Wrote this for September and it was the same for October.
List of smaller intentions I’d love to complete:
- Work on home projects
- Take better care of my hair and learn new ways to style it
- Lessen my social media intake
- Stay connected to friends better
- Write more letters and have penpals again!
- Adopt a more sustainable lifestyle
- Survive another year of grad school
- Pay off some debt?
- Explore our local nature spot more
- Visit friends in America (pandemic pending)
- New tattoo(s)?
- Get more nerdy clothes
- Cook more new recipes
- Manage my finances better
- Complete some day job work projects for my students
- Learn how to be a wonderful auntie to my new niece
Past Month:
- SURVIVED, and for now, that’s enough
Looking Forward
October followed the trend of 2021 for me. Will the power of my birthday and the start of the last year until I’m 30 prove triumphant!? I’m excited to see.
![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
[Image description in alt text.]
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I mean if you’re only able to read one book and it’s Jade City, you DEFINITELY came out ahead.
Okay, but where is the lie in that statement, though? Jade City is just…wow. Legendary.