Playing in the Pages Turns Thirteen! Bring on the Tween Angst.

About a month ago - in fact, almost exactly a month ago - this corner of the Internet turned thirteen years old. 

When I was thirteen years old, I was heading into the eighth grade, had a major obsession with the Sci-Fi-for-Teens show Kyle XY on ABC Family, and was relatively confident that this was the year I was finally going to have my first kiss (I did not). Only four years later, when I was seventeen years old, I started this blog. 

Had I given birth to a baby - that stale and boring summer between Junior and Senior years of high school, when I would reliably boot up the shared computer in my parents' room every afternoon, to check the handwritten list of URLs I had curated in the back of a notebook - instead of a blog, I would have a middle schooler on my hands. If the Disney Channel Original Movies of my youth are to be believed, this would have been the year they found out they were secretly a mermaid. 

Thankfully, instead of back-to-school shopping for training bras and awkward conversations around a well-worn copy of American Girl's The Care and Keeping of You, I get to spend my days pursuing such self-directed insanity as sending 40+ slide PowerPoint decks dedicated to sections of Shakespeare's The Tempest to my brother, compulsively reading backlist mass market paperbacks about vampires and aliens and psychics falling in love, developing a dangerously dependent relationship and pseudo-retail-addiction with my local secondhand store bookshelves, and occasionally remembering to actually talk about it all on this blog. 

Again, I celebrated this anniversary a month ago, and this is the first time you're hearing about it. Clearly, if anything has managed to develop in the space between my ears within the last twelve months, feeling some kind of obligation to regularly update my blog on my various daily goings-on is certainly not one of them. 

(In the spirit of transparency: I've been doing a mind-warpingly awful amount of travel, have been dedicating quite a lot of time and attention to my OTHER internet project, and most recently, in the spirit of "seasonal transitions give me depression," decided to read five-and-counting Romance novels off of my Kindle within the space of a week. Just in case you were feeling left out.) 

So, you might be wondering, how did I spend my bloggoversary this year?

I listened to a bookish podcast while getting ready in the morning, before I realized that I have an extremely limited amount of mental capacity to listen to just about anything while I'm cooking. Certain playlists on my Spotify have the ability to make getting out of bed a minutes-long affair, rather than a nearly hour-long one, but I don't think that I'll ever be able to effectively navigate my morning to the sound of people talking. And then there's the other issue: the difference between a podcast about books, and conversations with friends, is that you can't interrupt the other person when they unleash a blisteringly bad take.

I read for an hour while my zucchini bread was baking in the oven. While there absolutely - at least, in my experience - is a documented and significant correlation between those who enjoy reading and those who enjoy baked goods, no one ever really talks about how great of an excuse having something in the oven is when you just want a little bit of time to yourself. The ten-minute bouts between batches of cookies are especially good for delegating some attention to other kitchen chores - you can unload a dishwasher in ten minutes, spend another ten clearing off countertops, and then another organizing the fridge - and at the end of it, you are rewarded with not only fresh cookies but a clean kitchen, which generates the kind of euphoria in my brain that others might find only accessible through hard drug use. Zucchini bread, on the other hand, requires over an uninterrupted hour of baking, which makes for a great reason to sit on my couch and pick up a novel, while the entire floor of the house begins to smell of delicious things. 

I went to Barnes and Noble. Shocker! I do this every year for my bloggoversary, for the celebratory purpose of picking up some of the books I've specifically saved for that occasion. Thanks to the traditions of years past, my bloggoversary had become one of the only times a year I can justify paying full price for hardcovers, and thanks to choices made during my Fifth Bloggoversary, I typically pick up five titles each year. However, much to my chagrin, arriving at this well-known establishment quickly revealed to me that they had, once again, decided to reorganize all of the shelves and store layout. This, coupled with some pretty dramatically bad shelving mistakes, means I only ended up purchasing three books: 

Emily Wilde's Encylopaedia of Faeries: A Novel, Heather Fawcett

The Way Home: Two Novellas from the World of The Last Unicorn, Peter S. Beagle

The Best American Food Writing 2022, ed. Sohla El-Wayly

At only three titles, that still ended up setting me back $80. How on earth are some people only buying books new? I maintain that reading is one of the most cost-effective past times you can pursue as a general hobby - thanks to things like The Library, secondhand and discount retailers, ebook sales, and lending books with friends - but damn, aren't these publishers and bookstores making it difficult? 

I bought myself some reading snacks from Trader Joes. I had originally restricted myself to a short list: at the age of 29 years old, I know myself well enough that to roam untethered in a Trader Joes is to suffer a short blackout and emerge from the mental fog back in the car with multiple bags of groceries in the backseat, so I knew that some kind of structure was necessary. I had optimistically thought that tags like "something bubbly," "something spicy," and "something creamy" would direct my focus a little more intentionally, but I ended up scrapping it completely and just picking things up that looked good. Meringues, s'mores bars, strawberry beverages, buffalo almonds, pickle cheese curds, and more... 

I scooted over to my local library to pick up a hold of mine that had just come in: The Fourth Wing, by Rebecca Yarros. It has undoubtably become one of the buzziest books of the year, thanks to BookTok reviewers, and what seems to be a universal penchant for books about dragons and love triangles. Billed to me as "Horny How to Train Your Dragons," I had originally placed a hold after a handful of confused conversations with my brother about how seemingly everyone on the Internet was talking about this book, then dedicatedly waited over two months for the hold to come in. (Naturally, the other 44 people waiting for their own holds after me ended up weighing far too much on my conscious, and I ended up returning it early.)

I worked on the final slide deck for my Sibling Book Club I have with my brother, where we spent the month of July reading The Tempest together. It was a tremendously rewarding experience, one I'm still debating on dedicating a higher word count to on this blog later, so all I'll say at this point that one of the most beneficial things I think you can do for yourself before 2024 hits in about four months, is picking one of the funniest people you know and deciding to read Shakespeare with them. 

And while that was the extent of my actual Bloggoversary Day celebrations, it didn't end quite yet. Because I had only picked out those three books from Barnes and Noble, I made myself the promise that if I was able to locate any of the other titles on my list while on vacation, I would be allowed to purchase one or two more at an independent bookstore of my choice. Thankfully, while in Sunriver, Oregon, with my family, I was able to track down Lost in the Moment and Found by Seanan McGuire, much to my immense relief.  

And how do I feel about it?

Maybe it's because I've been doing this all for so long... maybe because I've been checking out a lot of library books this year, during my Book Buying Ban of 2023, so picking things up new doesn't hold a lot of shine for me... maybe it's because we're so busy, that my brain is already more subsumed under a million other focuses... I don't know. 

At certain points, it felt like less of a special occasion, and more of an obligation, which is a bummer of a way to feel about a happy anniversary. 

It doesn't help that I'd been massively trapped in a Summer Slump since the very beginning of July, and  had barely gotten through three books in total that month. I'd only managed to publish once on the blog, which meant that it didn't feel like there was a ton to celebrate in that arena, either.

That all being said, it is so important to me to reflect on the person I was when I first started writing this blog, how much I have managed to write through - the end of high school, all of college, and heading into my 30's this Fall - and what this changing hobby of mine has shown me about myself in these past thirteen years. I would never think of letting this kind of a moment go by unremarked. 

Yeah, I celebrated my thirteenth bloggoversary a month ago. It's pretty cool that I've had something to call solely my own for that long, and that I've kept it going while so many other hobbies have still managed to fall by the wayside as I've gotten older. Whether I'll ever be the maintainer of the "perfect" blog I desired - the kind I'd painstakingly stalk through that summer before I started Senior year - it's a space that has just as much to say about me and how I've grown up, as the stacks of journals I've been keeping in notebooks since I was in middle school. It's telling a whole story on its own, beyond the ones I talk about in its text. 

Happy Thirteenth Year, Playing in the Pages. 

Summer Reading Challenge Pt. 2: What I Read in July!

Yes, I know that today is the eighth of August, and that July ended over a week ago. And yes, I know that there are only three book reviews included in this post, when my June Wrap Up had six! 

But what YOU should know is that I'm currently on vacation, sharing an incredibly noisy cabin with multiple family members that have coerced me into doing things like wake up at 6:30am to go on morning walks and engage in a variety of social environments, and generally keep me so busy that it's not like I've been able to read anything else anyways (not to mention they've consumed nearly half of the candy I bought for myself). All told, it really doesn't matter that I'm late, just that I'm finally full enough of an adequate amount of caffeine to finally upload this post! 

No, I haven't read anything in August yet, either. 

I think that this Summer Slump has really taken me out at the ankles, and I'm still trying to toddle around while regrowing my new feet, as uncertain and ungainly as a baby deer. It's hard to actually sit down and invest time in reading when you're currently being overwhelmed by celebrations for multiple family weddings and engagements, being dragged along on camping trips hobbled by vicious bug bites and a statewide burn ban, and are so, so busy planning on what you're going to do with the money you win when the Mega Millions drawing happens tonight (I'll give you a hint: never go camping again).

Hopefully, August shapes up to be a little more effective at growing my Summer Book Bingo footprint than July was. Or at the very least, I hope that the noise level of this cabin goes down enough in the next few days so that I can actually manage to read anything at all. 

Bingo Square: "Joyful"

Half a Soul, Olivia Atwater

After a confrontation with a member of the fae as a child leaves her missing part of her soul, Dora has found it difficult to interact with others the way her domineering aunt would like her to. However, now that her cousin has decided a trip to London for the marriage season would be in both of their best interests, she finds herself having to navigate an entirely different world of social expectations - including interactions with a certain handsome, badly-behaved wizard - while also doing her part not to hinder her cousin's prospects.

As soon as I read a selection from this novel on a whim, I knew that I could easily finish in less than twenty-four hours. The following afternoon, I proved it, by wrapping up in around 3 hours, and that's WITH a snack break in the middle. 

It's a fluffy meringue of a book, that's for sure. It is light and fun and keeps you entertained, but doesn't have a ton of substance behind it, for all it tries very hard to encourage its reader to be more compassionate... as well as remedy some of the pains that Historical Regency Romances inherently carry, by virtue of their existence during a particular time period in a particular country. 

I think its popularity comes from a combination of factors, like Jane Austen's social comedy, Bridgerton's aesthetic appeal, and Faerie Romances, all popular in their own right. However, for me, it missed a certain something that made each of those concepts so special in the exchange: it lacks the history and authority of Jane Austen, the sex appeal of Bridgerton, and the faerie-ness of a magical environment. One of the reasons I was originally sold on picking up this romance, was its comparison to Howl's Moving Castle by a reviewer... which only really came up in the way that the male main character is a high-strung blonde and a powerful wizard, who has a tendency to reject authority and be strangely-behaved in public. 

I feel that there were enough things slightly off-kilter as to get my attention. For instance, there seemed to be a lot of unevenness when it came to Dora's understandings of social impropriety... which varied from being unable to parse out people's meanings or intentions in conversation, to literally stripping down and washing her punch-soaked gown in an outdoor fountain in the middle of an evening ball, but still managing to catch Elias' verbal missteps in social settings, or subtlety divine the affections of her friends.

I didn't love that last arc of the action, especially because it felt so disconnected from the remainder of the relevant plotting, and kind of like the author forgot to resolve several loose ends before the finale, and didn't want to make it too depressing. 

Additionally, it felt like there was a concerted intention to include some autism representation in the main character... after all, when you have a character that has a demonstratable difficulty in understanding social situations, get frustrated with being unable to express her "larger" emotions, and is reprimanded for her flat demeanor in interactions with others, it is no surprise when people divine such conclusions. But to have these characteristics be the result of her having HALF A SOUL, I am not so sure how positive this kind of rep can be. 

Three stars. 

Bingo Square: "Read with a Friend"

The Tempest, William Shakespeare

Shakespeare's final solo-written play, The Tempest follows the wizard Prospero, as he embarks on a plot of revenge against the nobles who wronged him over a decade prior. When a mysterious storm leaves them stranded on an island in the Mediterranean, we are introduced to a cast of classic characters, including his daughter, Miranda, the handsome prince, Ferdinand, the air spirit, Ariel, and Prospero's hunched and abused servant, Caliban. Carrying themes of colonialism and a heavy focus on music, this is - in my opinion - one of Shakespeare's most notable works. 

I think that by the end of this summer, when I look back at things I've achieved in this time period, I am going to say that choosing to buddy read The Tempest with my younger brother was one of the absolute highlights. Our weekly meetings throughout July might have been a little time consuming - as we usually spent three to four hours or so on each call - but they were absolutely worth it. The project both gave me a chance to reread a favorite at an in-depth level like I've been missing since my collegiate days as an English Major, and gave my brother an outlet for his compulsive need to do homework during a Summer quarter where he's not taking any classes.

It was all of the fun of regulated coursework and hanging out with your sibling that you could ask for. 

The Tempest is my favorite Shakespearean work for so many reasons:

• It is unique within his canon for its status as a completely "original" story, not inspired by any previously existing mythology or folklore, and not drawn from history
• It's something like a Fantasy novel, complete with a magical island, a wizard, strange creatures, and revenge
• Spoiler alert: nobody dies!
• Choosing to alter elements of staging - like various casting, costuming, or set piece choices - can completely alter your perspective of elements of the narrative
• It is clearly reflective of Shakespeare's life as an actor and playwright, with direct references to the Globe theater, his previous work, and the act of creation

Being able to read The Tempest again in this format allowed me to really flex my nerd pedigree and Shakespeare-lovin' background, while also learning some new things myself (and watch about a billion clips of various productions on YouTube).

Five stars. 

Bingo Square: "Worker's Rights" 

There's No Such Thing As An Easy Job, Kikuko Tsumura

After suffering from extreme burnout after dedicating herself to her previous job for over a decade, the time has come for a young woman to find something a little less... difficult. With her only request to her employment agency to find something "easy," she embarks on a series of jobs which subsequently prove that for her, nothing will ever be as uncomplicated as she'd hoped. 

Talk about a book just really finding you when you need it to. I honestly half wish I had read this book years ago, but I'm also incredibly happy I've read it now. Like with How Far the Light Reaches, I knew fairly quickly into this particular journey that it was going to be one of my favorite reads of the year. 

Our heroine takes five jobs, each seemingly less effort than the last.

 She monitors security cameras, writes bus advertisements and trivia for rice cracker wrappers, hangs up public posters, and mans an outpost station in a public park... and yet despite the fact that each of these temp jobs is ostensibly pedestrian, it ends up leading her on another adventure. Surreally spinning outwards, led by dreamlike qualities and unexpected twists, it becomes clear as she follows her heart - and demonstrates a remarkable mind, dedication, and care for the job - that there will never be an "easy job" that appeases her appetite for curiosity and sincere empathy. When the time comes for her previous career to be revealed, it makes sense to what we know of her strength of character, and furthermore, we know she is capable in succeeding in it, with the same confidence that she now carries. 

I found this book incredibly funny, compelling, and emotional. Its dedication to representing Japanese culture and customs makes a lot more sense when you come to the translator's section on the "About the Author" page. It was definitely its own kind of moral tale, with something akin to a thesis statement presented in the form of a conversation that occurs in the final chapter. 

I honestly think this should be required reading for Millennials, or at least anyone who feels like the need a bit of a break. 

Five stars. 

How has your summer been going so far? Where's your favorite book-reading destination you've traveled this year? Let me know, in the comments below?