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Showing posts with label 2018. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 2018. Show all posts
Saturday, December 1
Thursday, November 1
Monday, October 1
Saturday, September 1
Wednesday, August 1
Sunday, July 1
Friday, June 1
Tuesday, May 1
Monday, April 30
Recently Read | January + February 2018
Monday, April 30
2018 has been flying by. I honestly don't know where the first four months went!
What did I read during the months of January and February?
Top Read
Alex, Approximately by Jenn Bennett
The one guy Bailey Rydell can’t stand is actually the boy of her dreams—she just doesn’t know it yet.
Classic movie fan Bailey “Mink” Rydell has spent months crushing on a witty film geek she only knows online as Alex. Two coasts separate the teens until Bailey moves in with her dad, who lives in the same California surfing town as her online crush.
Faced with doubts (what if he’s a creep in real life—or worse?), Bailey doesn’t tell Alex she’s moved to his hometown. Or that she’s landed a job at the local tourist-trap museum. Or that she’s being heckled daily by the irritatingly hot museum security guard, Porter Roth—a.k.a. her new archnemesis. But life is a whole lot messier than the movies, especially when Bailey discovers that tricky fine line between hate, love, and whatever it is she’s starting to feel for Porter.
And as the summer months go by, Bailey must choose whether to cling to a dreamy online fantasy in Alex or take a risk on an imperfect reality with Porter. The choice is both simpler and more complicated than she realizes, because Porter Roth is hiding a secret of his own: Porter is Alex … Approximately.
Jenn Bennett is a treasure of the YA contemporary romance world. Her books are filled with sweet moments and characters who feel like real people. But Bennett's books aren't totally fluffy; they include some serious moments and issues that ground them in the realm of reality.
Also, I didn't realize until right now that this was a You've Got Mail retelling, but it totally is! So if you're a fan of that movie, or adorably sweet, swoony romances, I'd definitely pick this one up. Or any of Bennett's other books.
Honorable mentions
Annihilation (The Southern Reach Trilogy #1) by Jeff VanderMeer
Area X has been cut off from the rest of the continent for decades. Nature has reclaimed the last vestiges of human civilization. The first expedition returned with reports of a pristine, Edenic landscape; all the members of the second expedition committed suicide; the third expedition died in a hail of gunfire as its members turned on one another; the members of the eleventh expedition returned as shadows of their former selves, and within months of their return, all had died of aggressive cancer.
This is the twelfth expedition.
Their group is made up of four women: an anthropologist; a surveyor; a psychologist, the de facto leader; and our narrator, a biologist. Their mission is to map the terrain and collect specimens; to record all their observations, scientific and otherwise, of their surroundings and of one another; and, above all, to avoid being contaminated by Area X itself.
They arrive expecting the unexpected, and Area X delivers—they discover a massive topographic anomaly and life forms that surpass understanding—but it’s the surprises that came across the border with them, and the secrets the expedition members are keeping from one another, that change everything.
This is the twelfth expedition.
Their group is made up of four women: an anthropologist; a surveyor; a psychologist, the de facto leader; and our narrator, a biologist. Their mission is to map the terrain and collect specimens; to record all their observations, scientific and otherwise, of their surroundings and of one another; and, above all, to avoid being contaminated by Area X itself.
They arrive expecting the unexpected, and Area X delivers—they discover a massive topographic anomaly and life forms that surpass understanding—but it’s the surprises that came across the border with them, and the secrets the expedition members are keeping from one another, that change everything.
I picked up this book after a recommendation from a friend, and seeing the trailer for the movie. Although I didn't love the movie—and I wouldn't recommend reading this book too close to seeing it—I really enjoyed this book.
It's a very unique read that is both hopeful and disquieting. It's not full-out horror, but it's certainly suspenseful. I haven't read the latter two books in the trilogy, but from reading the synopses, I'm not sure they'll be as unique, but I hope they reveal more of the mystery. There's so much to uncover!
Thunderhead (Arc of a Scythe #2) by Neal Shusterman
Rowan and Citra take opposite stances on the morality of the Scythedom, putting them at odds, in the second novel of the chilling New York Times bestselling series from Neal Shusterman, author of the Unwind dystology.
Rowan has gone rogue, and has taken it upon himself to put the Scythedom through a trial by fire. Literally. In the year since Winter Conclave, he has gone off-grid, and has been striking out against corrupt scythes—not only in MidMerica, but across the entire continent. He is a dark folk hero now—“Scythe Lucifer”—a vigilante taking down corrupt scythes in flames.
Citra, now a junior scythe under Scythe Curie, sees the corruption and wants to help change it from the inside out, but is thwarted at every turn, and threatened by the “new order” scythes. Realizing she cannot do this alone—or even with the help of Scythe Curie and Faraday, she does the unthinkable, and risks being “deadish” so she can communicate with the Thunderhead—the only being on earth wise enough to solve the dire problems of a perfect world. But will it help solve those problems, or simply watch as perfection goes into decline?
Rowan has gone rogue, and has taken it upon himself to put the Scythedom through a trial by fire. Literally. In the year since Winter Conclave, he has gone off-grid, and has been striking out against corrupt scythes—not only in MidMerica, but across the entire continent. He is a dark folk hero now—“Scythe Lucifer”—a vigilante taking down corrupt scythes in flames.
Citra, now a junior scythe under Scythe Curie, sees the corruption and wants to help change it from the inside out, but is thwarted at every turn, and threatened by the “new order” scythes. Realizing she cannot do this alone—or even with the help of Scythe Curie and Faraday, she does the unthinkable, and risks being “deadish” so she can communicate with the Thunderhead—the only being on earth wise enough to solve the dire problems of a perfect world. But will it help solve those problems, or simply watch as perfection goes into decline?
The first book in the Arc of the Scythe series, Scythe, was a top pick the year I read it, so I had high hopes for this sequel. It's honestly not what I expected, but it really packs a punch. Shusterman's created a near-future society that feels all too real, but is fascinating because of how scary it is.
And for a science fiction novel about the dangers of immortality, Thunderhead makes some poignant and important connections to modern-day issues that are impressive in their subtlety (or not, as the case may be.)
Pitch Dark by Courtney Alameda
Set against a future of marauding space scavengers and deadly aliens who kill with sound, here is a frightening, fast-paced YA adventure from the author of the acclaimed horror novel, Shutter.
Tuck has been in stasis on the USS John Muir, a ship that houses Earth’s most valued artifacts—its natural resources. Parks and mountains are preserved in space.
Laura belongs to a shipraiding family, who are funded by a group used to getting what they want. And they want what’s on the Muir.
Tuck and Laura didn’t bargain on working together, or battling mutant aliens who use sound to kill. But their plan is the only hope for their crews, their families, and themselves.
In space, nobody can hear you scream ... but on the John Muir, the screams are the last thing you'll hear.
I'm not a big horror fan, and Pitch Dark isn't exactly horror-horror, but it's a spooky, creepy read that I made sure not to read in the dark.
I enjoyed Alameda's debut novel, Shutter, in large part because of the way she wove disturbing and down-right-gross elements into the story. Pitch Dark is equally disturbing, but in a fun way? (Maybe I should read more horror.)
Other reads
★★★★
Bloodline by Claudia Gray | Gone Rogue: Wires and Nerve (Wires and Nerve #2) by Marissa Meyer | Markswoman (Asiana #1) by Rati Mehrotra | Speak Easy, Speak Love by McKelle George
★★★
Genuine Fraud by E. Lockhart | Ink, Iron, and Glass (Ink, Iron, and Glass #1) by Gwendolyn Clare | Into the Bright Unknown (The Gold Seer Trilogy #3) by Rae Carson | The Lost Plot (The Invisible Library #4) by Genevieve Cogman
★★
Shadowsong (Wintersong #2) by S. Jae Jones
Have you read any of these books? If not, what have you read lately that you'd recommend?
Sunday, April 1
Thursday, March 1
Friday, February 23
Begin as you mean to go | Advice from Leigh Bardugo
Friday, February 23
I know I'm not alone when I complain that 2018 has been a rough year.
Around my house, we rang in the new year with a nasty case of flu, followed by sinus/respiratory infections and a cough that will not quit. Add to that some home issues that involved taking a jackhammer to a bathroom floor, and—you know—the general crap state of affairs in our country at the moment, and I'm ready to write the first two months of 2018 off completely.
Mind you, things really aren't bad. A cough is annoying, but not life-threatening. We get to tackle an unexpected bathroom mini-renovation that was on our to-do list (albeit much lower than other more pressing items, but ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ ). We have exciting plans for vacations later this year. We get to watch movies like Black Panther.
But it can be hard to focus on the positives when situations compound and make you feel like curling up in the fetal position in a dark room.
Just before Christmas, I got an email newsletter from one of my favorite authors, Leigh Bardugo. I've had the privilege of hearing Leigh speak at book festivals, and have talked with her personally. Every time, I'm reminded of just how cool she is. In the newsletter, she offered some advice that really resonated, and I've revisited it frequently over the past 55-ish days.
After the mess that was January, I wanted to start 2018 over in February. But then this month wasn't much better, so I started thinking about starting over in March. There's always a possibility that March will continue the trend, however ... Before I know it, I could have spent all of 2018 trying to hit reset and looking for the "right" time to begin.
That's no way to live. And even though Leigh sent this advice as a new year's suggestion, I think it can be applied to any sort of restart. (Besides, the Gregorian calendar is a kind of arbitrary thing.)
I'm not quite sure where to start, but you can be darn sure that I'm going to begin as I mean to go once I figure it out.
On March 1.
Around my house, we rang in the new year with a nasty case of flu, followed by sinus/respiratory infections and a cough that will not quit. Add to that some home issues that involved taking a jackhammer to a bathroom floor, and—you know—the general crap state of affairs in our country at the moment, and I'm ready to write the first two months of 2018 off completely.
Mind you, things really aren't bad. A cough is annoying, but not life-threatening. We get to tackle an unexpected bathroom mini-renovation that was on our to-do list (albeit much lower than other more pressing items, but ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ ). We have exciting plans for vacations later this year. We get to watch movies like Black Panther.
But it can be hard to focus on the positives when situations compound and make you feel like curling up in the fetal position in a dark room.
Just before Christmas, I got an email newsletter from one of my favorite authors, Leigh Bardugo. I've had the privilege of hearing Leigh speak at book festivals, and have talked with her personally. Every time, I'm reminded of just how cool she is. In the newsletter, she offered some advice that really resonated, and I've revisited it frequently over the past 55-ish days.
1. This is the time of year when people start to think about transforming themselves. Goals, resolutions, and grand ambition are all lovely things and I want to encourage you to think big. But I also want to encourage you to embrace all of the great things about yourself and all of your victories of the past year—no matter how quiet or small. You do not have to go on a diet in the New Year, or write 100,000 words, or eat only kale and horseradish, or hit the gym every day, or post something new on Instagram every week, or follow a 22-step skincare regimen. Your job is to take care of yourself. Period. Advertisers prey on our insecurities and anxieties at holiday time, so be gentle and generous with your heart and remember that you are effing spectacular.
2. Begin as you mean to go on! Every January 1st, I like to make sure I spend a little bit of time working on something I care about or want to pursue in the New Year. Maybe you want to cook at home or learn a new language or make progress on a novel or reach out to your friends more regularly. On New Year's Day, commit to devoting a small amount of time to that thing. Begin as you mean to go on—make that promise to yourself. (And if you do it, tag it #BAYMTGO so I can see!) I'll be doing some writing sprints on my IG stories and you're very welcome to join me whether you're cleaning your apartment or revising a new story or baking me a pie. Bonus points if you're baking me a pie.
After the mess that was January, I wanted to start 2018 over in February. But then this month wasn't much better, so I started thinking about starting over in March. There's always a possibility that March will continue the trend, however ... Before I know it, I could have spent all of 2018 trying to hit reset and looking for the "right" time to begin.
That's no way to live. And even though Leigh sent this advice as a new year's suggestion, I think it can be applied to any sort of restart. (Besides, the Gregorian calendar is a kind of arbitrary thing.)
I'm not quite sure where to start, but you can be darn sure that I'm going to begin as I mean to go once I figure it out.
On March 1.
Thursday, February 1
Friday, January 12
The 2018 Man Calendar
Before we get to the good stuff, I wanted to apologize for not getting this out in a more timely manner. Colt and I both came down with the flu right after the new year, and it's been a rough road to recovery.
But now, without further ado (and excuses), I'd like to present:
The 2018 Man Calendar: Pattern Play
The 2018 Man Calendar:
Mr. January: Taika Waititi
Mr. February: Tom Hiddleston
Mr. March: Ryan Reynolds
Mr. April: Oscar Isaac
Mr. May: Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson
Mr. June: Chris Evans
Mr. July: Chris Pine
Mr. August: Chris Hemsworth
Mr. September: Idris Elba
Mr. October: Dan Stevens
Mr. November: Bob Morley
Mr. December: Jake Gyllenhaal
The 2018 version of the Man Calendar is the 14th edition1 of this silly little project. Each year has a loose theme, and this year's came from the various photos I found of the guys I wanted to include wearing patterned tops/jackets.
As my gift to you, here's the whole year in a ZIP file that you can download for your own personal use. (And here's a ZIP of the desktop versions, too.)
If you want a physical version of the calendar, here's what I do: Print each month on white cardstock, then trim the sheets to 6"x9". (The files are 150 dpi, which means they'll look larger than 6"x9" when you open them, but they should print fine.) I then punch a hole in the top and hang them from a jump ring. I keep mine in my cubicle at work.
What do you think of this year's calendar? Thanks for all of the ideas you offered up last month! For anyone who's curious, there are four new gentlemen included for 2018—Misters January, March, July, and October. I was sad to kick the previous years' inclusions to the curb, but I gotta be ruthless to get the number down to 12!
Here's wishing you a happy 2018 full of nice scenery!
1 You can see many of the previous Man Calendars at the following links: 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011, 2010, 2009; 2008–2005 are, sadly, in Word Docs.
Wednesday, December 20
Call for Ideas | The 2018 Man Calendar
Wednesday, December 20
2017 was hard, y'all. (And here we all thought 2016 was the dumpster fire to end all dumpster fires. We were so young and naive.)
But Christmas is almost here, and that means 2018 isn't far behind. Regardless of where we're at right now, the start of a new year brings with it hope and a chance for a fresh start. And what better way to celebrate such an occasion than introduce a new edition of the Man Calendar?
I've been making a list of worthy contenders for the new version, but am always open to suggestions, and you all have impeccable taste.
As a refresher, here's what 2017 looked like:
Is there someone you think I should absolutely include? Leave their name in the comments. Photographic evidence to back up your claim isn't required, but it is appreciated.
Look for the whole shebang in January!
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