Happy New Year friends! Can’t believe the last blog post was back in early December with the November wrap up and then I forgot my blog existed.
Or rather, I forgot it existed, then probably got COVID or a terrible case of the flu and have been besties with my medicine stash and bed for the past week. I was kind of tempted to just skip December’s wrap up, honestly but I also kind of miss blogging screeching into the void a little.
Maybe I just wanted to pop up like a favorite annoying thorn cackling in evil laughter that I’m in fact, alive. (You can’t get rid of me just yet!)
I was also tempted (just a little) to post this right at 11:59 pm so I can nail the coffin on 2021 (this is kind of a sad wrap up) and go on my merry way into 2022. Yet here we are. Clown shoes squeak.
This Month’s Posts
Books Hoarded
Sophia
- The Iron Sword by Julie Kagawa (Netgalley ARC) – I honestly thought The Iron Fey: Evenfall series is going to be Puck’s POV all the way, but n o p e. The Iron Sword is Ash’s POV. (I’m so excited, eep.)
- A Forgery of Roses by Jessica S. Olson (Netgalley ARC) – A portrait artist who could resurrect the dead? I know I’m trying to clear my old ARCs here but I mean… (My excuse is that I submitted four reviews I’ve been hoarding and therefore I deserve this because I have 12 ARC reviews left to submit.)
- Tiger Honor by Yoon Ha Lee (from Publisher) – Dragon Pearl isn’t considered a favorite of mine, but I remember liking it enough to give the sequel a try.
- A Brilliant Night of Stars and Ice by Rebecca Connolly (ARC from Publisher) – I was obsessed with the Titanic (look, as a kid I was fascinated with tragedies like this) and this awakens and feeds that obsession.
- The Green Bone Saga by Fonda Lee (Illumicrate edition) – I love how I’ve gotten to the point of saying Asian inspired and that gets my mom’s interest right away. Anyways, I guess I won’t be seeing this set for awhile (It took her 3+ years to finish a barely 300 page novel and uh… these start at 500 going up to 700). They’ll be in excellent hands though!
- She was only supposed to get the plates lmao.
- I’ve got to wonder if my mom just gravitated to non-fiction because she never saw Asian characters in fictional books as a kid…
Books Devoured
Sophia
Reading pretty much went out the window for December since I haven’t touched an audiobook (kind of hard to during the holiday season honestly).
Or maybe I’ve hit a slump. But I did start reading a little near the end of the month because really, what else do I do when I’m stuck in my room?
Fandom Assemble
Media we’ve consumed and enjoyed, or what we’re looking forward to that’s been announced lately.
Sophia
Netflix and iQiYi, we meet again. I might not have started out with a movie/TV show a week, but I still managed to skirt over 52 movies and shows (mostly movies) this year ranging from excellent taste (Parasite) to watching trash because I feel like trash (a lot?).
- Green Snake – My dumb ass thought this was a stand alone. No, it’s a sequel to the animated White Snake. I didn’t even notice… but maybe it’s because I know the folklore already.
- White Snake – I don’t care if I’m going backwards at this point.
- After and After We Collided – Yeah… I don’t know why I watched these two.
- Supernatural Agents – The translation really should’ve stuck with Institute of Super Agents and not try to shorten it. Also, not the greatest.
Songs on My Mind Throughout the Month
- Anymore by Jean Somi
- Killing Me by Chung Ha
- Unthinkable by FTISLAND
- Right Now by Gaho
- Rocking Doll by Rocking Doll (debut)
- Pirate by Everglow
The Breakdown
What catastrophes have the universe handed us throughout the month? Let’s find out. 🧐
Sophia
I don’t know, friends. I think I’ve hit burnt out but not really because I never could afford to take a break when I hit that point, so it’s really just “Hi, I’m alive” and still going. I’m pretty sure it was starting to get obvious considering every few days during the past few weeks I’ll just go home and conk out except for waking periodically.
At least, until I found out I might have been exposed to COVID at work and also started getting sick… cool cool cool. The worst part in all this is Missouri doesn’t have hazard pay (“Missourians need to get back to work” and all that jazz) for those who have to quarantine and I feel like I’m getting punished for masking when it’s the others around me not masking. So I guess that’s one way to force me to take a break, but I’m not sure I like being besties with the medicine stash and bed. (Yes, I could work from home. Problem? I don’t have internet access at home. Hotspot only takes you so far.)
I also don’t know if it is just a bad case of the flu, but I’ll find out later this week…
Anyways, friendly reminder to wear your masks and get vaccinated. Don’t punish folks like me who have been masking because y’all want to be selfish. Thanks for coming to my TED Talk, see you next month. Waves and exits fake TED Talk stage.
Let’s talk, bookwyrms! What have you been up to in December?
Sophia started blogging in February 2012 for the hell of it and is surprisingly still around. She has a GIF for nearly everything, probably listens to too much K-Pop and is generally in an existential crisis of sorts (she's trying her best). More of her bookish reviews and K-Pop Roundups can be found at The Arts STL.
If you enjoy her posts or found them helpful, consider tipping on KoFi!
Sorry December was rough and I hope you’re at the tail end of your sickness! I had a struggle slump in early December but then read like 3 books in the last week of December. Slumps are weird.
“The worst part in all this is Missouri doesn’t have hazard pay (“Missourians need to get back to work” and all that jazz) for those who have to quarantine and I feel like I’m getting punished for masking when it’s the others around me not masking.”
UGH. SO unfair. I hope you get good news about it, but still…even if it’s a bad case of the flu…it sucks.
“A Forgery of Roses by Jessica S. Olson (Netgalley ARC) – A portrait artist who could resurrect the dead?”
It does sound like a great premise! I hope it lives up to it! Of course, you have to actually read it in order to tell 😂 😉.
Happy new year and GOOD MORNING SOPHIA!
HI ROBERTA!
It is! I do get there are people who can’t for medical reasons or who get bad anxiety from it (understandable), but I also don’t like that those who are doing it solely because they can choose not to (which I mean… that just puts those who can’t at risk???). Anyways, that’s just a conversation for another day.
I hope A Forgery of Roses will be amazing! I’ll keep you updated if I end up loving it (or hating it?)
Sophia, I’m so sorry you may have gotten Covid. I hope you feel better very soon. ❤️❤️❤️
Thank you! ❤ Thankfully it’s not, but gahhhh it was a horrible scare either way.
I am so sorry that you may have gotten COVID Soph, and hope you are on the mend. Your job is evil and should at minimum require masking indoors… and paid leave with positive tests should be a thing.
ILY and hope 2022 & January are better. January is my birthday month, so I think it will be amazing.
Manifesting a good year for you! Thankfully my department is small and we have our own cubicles (and of course with all the scares right now, I’m also at home mostly), so that’s a small step. Not sure how long it will last though. 😔
I hope you feel better soon, Sophia! I had to get tested for Covid twice before Christmas because I was sick but thankfully it wasn’t that. Unfortunately, I was pretty miserable for to weeks. UGH!
-Lauren
I’m sorry you were sick and I’m glad you’re on the mend now! I’m also glad it’s not COVID either, but two weeks being sick is never fun.
Not you already inadvertently slapping me in the face with the reminder that I need to start the Iron fey: Evenfall series and I wanted to finish rereading the Iron Fey series. Pirate by Everyglow is also still stuck on my mind, it’s such a bop and I love it so much. The pirate concept too was executed really well I thought. *wraps in blankets, passes snacks and more medicine* hopefully it is just a case of the flu, your work needs several sharp pineapples hurled at them 💜
Honestly, they do sometimes.
Also I definitely didn’t walk into the post intending to slap you with the reminder to read The Iron Fey, I promise! 🤣
wheeee happy new year, soph! definitely glad you’re still alive, NOT glad to hear you’ve been sick (the public freaking sucks, but you knew that already) and possibly a little book-slump-y. sending lots of good vibes for 2022 to chase out the flaming dumpster fire of 2021 ✨
Thank you! 🥺❤ Sending you good vibes for 2022 as well.