#IMWAYR: Running behind!
Update (Monday morning): I added a sentence I forgot to add!
I meant to save an hour at the end of the day to get my book finished and my blog posted, but then things ran late (as they love to do) and my plans went awry! So while I don't have any images or fancy formatting to share with you all, I do have some random tidbits and observations to send your way:
- After my delightful time reading The Tea Dragon Festival (second in the series) by K. O'Neill last week, I have since started the third and final book, The Tea Dragon Tapestry! I'm loving it so far, and it's reminding me of a funny quirk of reading series (which I rarely do): it's helpful when you can remember the books beforehand! I have completely forgotten book 1, The Tea Dragon Society, so maybe a re-read is in my near future. (Or a re-read of The Moth Keeper too!)
- Honestly, if I had the energy or initiative, I'd love to do a longer post dissecting themes of O'Neill's work across multiple books, because I think there's things they do as an author (disability representation, loneliness vs. community, characters finding purpose) that I never see done this well.
- On the note of K. O'Neill, please be informed that they have a NEW BOOK coming out in March 2025, called A Song for You and I! I have no doubt that it will be as beautiful and meaningful and affecting as everything else they've written. Between this in March, and Raina Telgemeier and Aliza Layne's new books in April, spring is shaping up to have all the cool graphic novel releases! I'm so ready.
- Also on the note of K. O'Neill, check out this really cool AMA they did on Reddit, where they answered audience questions and talked about their creative process!
- Now for things unrelated to books: I'm not much of a video gamer, since I like leisure activities that are less of a challenge. (I feel like life is a challenge enough!) That said, there are a few video games I love, and three of them, Monument Valley, Monument Valley 2, and Assemble with Care, are all made by the same small studio, Ustwo Games. The Monument Valley series is a beloved series of visually stunning puzzle games, where you pilot a character (Ida, Ro, or the Child) through strange monuments full of passageways and optical illusions. The games are really peaceful, and particularly in the second one, the story is really emotionally meaningful too. And so I was VERY excited to discover that Monument Valley 3 is coming out on December 10! That's less than three months away! This is the trailer. I'm not sure if I'll love it as much as the second game, which lent me a series of screenshots that became my phone wallpaper—but I'm excited either way.
- While dusting today, I was listening to the album Hit Me Hard and Soft by Billie Eilish, and it's so good. (Not a particularly child-friendly album, but so good.) That is all.
- Can I just say, I was so productive today (Sunday)? I finished a school project that I started yesterday, and it's finished a week early—I feel so responsible. (And I get to worry about it for one less week!) I also worked on two different extracurriculars, and dusted and vacuumed the whole house, and prepared for a hangout with a friend! It was more a work-work-work weekend and less a relaxing weekend, but at least it was the kind of work-work-work weekend where work actually gets done, not the kind where you procrastinate like crazy and feel guilty afterward. So I'm proud of that!!
And as always, I'd be remiss if I forgot to mention...
The Kidlit Lovers' Meetup!
The fourth Kidlit Lovers' Meetup, a chance for us book bloggers to hang out and connect over a Zoom call, is scheduled for:
Saturday, September 28, 2024
4-5 PM Pacific / 5-6 PM Mountain / 6-7 PM Central / 7-8 PM Eastern
We'll be talking about books, blogging, reading, and more, and I'll have discussion questions prepared to keep the conversation going. The whole thing is designed to be very low-stress—even if you're as chronically introverted as I am, my goal is for you to still feel welcome and enjoy yourself!
You can RSVP for the meetup here, or learn more about the meetups here. Feel free to email me at completelyfullbookshelf [at] gmail [dot] com with any questions.
I'm glad you had a productive Sunday and are enjoying this series. Sometimes I totally forget book 1 in a series if too much time has passed too.
ReplyDeleteWow, your Sunday was filled to the brim, and now all those things checked off start the week well! Hurrah! I have finally found a copy of the first one in the 'Tea Dragon' series, looking forward to it! Have a great week ahead, Max!
ReplyDeleteI'm super jealous of the productive Sunday you had. Yet going to use it to motive me to get some cleaning done too today. Looking forward to our next meetup.
ReplyDeleteA productive weekend can feel sooo good even if it isn't relaxing so good on you!
ReplyDeleteI am a fan of putting things on a list and checking them off! The only thing more satisfying is holding a finished project in your hands, of admiring it on the shelves. We finished canning tomatoes this morning and they are resting and cooling down before I put them on the shelves.
ReplyDeleteAs soon as I saw A Song for You and I, I went to add it to my list. As you know I am a huge huge fan of K. O’Neill. If they write it, I will read it. I adored the entire Tree Dragon series so much. The Moth Keeper was equally stunning. I think her work is worthy of a master's thesis!