Category: Life Updates

Reading Update: January-March 2023

Published on by Solace in ReadingLeave a comment

I always seem to read less in winter, which is not surprising because second semester always seems like more work. I have read around the same amount of books for college that I have for fun. For college, I have read Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen, part of A Vindication of the Rights of Woman by Wollstonecraft, Sor Juana’s poems and Response, and Niccolo Machiavelli’s The Prince.

Here is what I have read for fun this year:

  1. The Fortunes of Jaded Women by Carolyn Huynh:
  2. The First Binding by R.R. Virdi
  3. Rosewood by Sayantani DasGupta
  4. As Long As The Lemon Trees Grow by Zoulfa Katouh
  5. Against White Feminism by Rafia Zakaria
  6. Send Her Back by Munashe Kaseke
  7. Everyone Hates Kelsie Miller by Meredith Ireland
  8. Meet Me in Mumbai by Sabina Khan
  9. She’s Nice Though by Mia Mercado
  10. She Memes Well by Quinta Brunson
  11. I Was Their American Dream by Malaka Gharib

And here is what I am currently reading:

  1. Everyone Hates Kelsie Miller by Meredith Ireland
  2. Babel by R.F. Kuang
  3. Noli Me Tangere by Jose Rizal
  4. Of Light and Shadow by Tanaz Bhathena
  5. Immortal Longings by Chloe Gong

Reviews

The First Binding by R.R. Virdi – For being over 500 pages, The First Binding is captivating, emotional, and well-woven. I like how TFB is structured a lot differently from other novels I’ve read – there are stories interwoven throughout and a frame narrative. I never felt confused about the timelines of the novel. The two main timelines are between the main character’s childhood and his present time. I wanted to know more about the main character’s journey right before the present story, but I think we will get that in sequels to TFB. Overall, TFB is a promising start to an immersive epic fantasy series.

She’s Nice Though by Mia Mercado – This is the third memoir I have read this year. There were a few sections I skimmed, but I related to the various stories about growing up Filipino and a woman. I appreciated Mercado’s humor throughout, and I am hoping to read her books in the future. I decided to read this book because of the cake on the cover, and I was very excited when I found out that Mercado is a writer and is Filipino.

She Memes Well by Quinta Brunson – This is something different from what I usually read, but I really enjoyed Quinta Brunson’s memoir. I love Abbott Elementary, so when I read this, I was thinking about how Brunson mentions that she sold a show at the end of the novel. That show is Abbott Elementary!! I remember watching Brunson on Buzzfeed when I was still in middle school, so it is exciting to see her story from her childhood through 2021. I appreciated the sections about her life in college because Brunson affirmed for me that it is ok to not have everything figured out during this time in my life, and that having goals and going after them even if the road to your endgame is long is natural. I highly recommend SMW to my fellow college students.

The Future. . .

I would love to blog more consistently, so I am thinking of setting aside time in the morning each day to write. Even if I do not publish whatever I write, I think it’ll be helpful for me to improve my writing skills and to dedicate more time to this blog. My Bookstagram @solaceinreading_ will always be my first love, but I am finding that being on Instagram and social media so much is not conducive to me doing what I actually want to do, which is read, write, and other things.

How is your 2023 going? What would you like to see from my blog?

August Wrap-Up: A Long but Good Month

Published on by Solace in ReadingLeave a comment

Books

This month, I read 25-28 books. August is the first month where I have decided not to finish books – there were three that weren’t for me, but that others may like.

My favorite books were The Final Strife, The City of Dusk, and Siren Queen. I also re-read a few books, including the These Violent Delights duology which was just as amazing as the first time I read it.

College

I started university on August 29! I am so surprised because I like all of my professors, which is very lucky. My favorite class so far is Global Studies 101. I was worried that I wouldn’t like the readings, but I love them. I feel affirmed in my decision to have already declared my major. I don’t have a least favorite class; however, I do not like my ENVS 101 class because it is at 8:30 AM.

I need to give credit to students at my uni for following my #Bookstagram and getting me to 1.4k followers!! I have been hovering around 1400 for so long.

Life

Life is pretty good. I am excited for my birthday in September, and I am glad I get to celebrate with my family.

Yesterday, I went to WorldCon for the first time. I cannot believe that I just found out about it a week ago! I met N.E. Davenport, Xiran Jay Zhao, Gene Ha, and Apara Verma. Later this week, I will hopefully have a post up about my first WorldCon experience (it was amazing and I really hope to go to the Hugo Awards the next time!).

I also took a lot of photos for my ##Bookstagram account before I left for university, and I hope I have enough to last me the semester.

The An Ember in the Ashes Quartet by Sabaa Tahir.

September

My only goal for September is to get through my first month of college: go to every class, not get covid, read for fun, and make time for my own hobbies. I also have a few books I need to read and review from NetGalley: I am reading Study Break right now and I LOVE IT!! Being a first year college student, SB came at the perfect time.

How was your August?

Summer 2022 Wrap Up: Books, Internship, and College

Published on by Solace in ReadingLeave a comment
I bought a copy of The Dragon Republic by R.F. Kuang this month and am so happy to finally have the complete trilogy!!

Yes, I know summer isn’t over yet; however, I move in to college this month. . .omg. Therefore, I am posting this wrap-up now because I don’t think I’ll have a lot of time for personal reading during the last couple of months of this year. Here is my Summer 2022 wrap-up!

Books

This summer I read 63 books (including the months of June, July, and August as of August 19). Of those books, 16 were re-reads and 27 were published this year. Overall, I have read 135 books this year (including re-reads). My top six favorite books were:

  1. The Stardust Thief by Chelsea Abdullah: Chelsea Abdullah’s world building is INCREDIBLE. This multi POV fantasy swept me away to a magical and deadly world.
  2. The Gilded Wolves by Roshani Chokshi: One of the 16 re-reads! This remains one of my favorite series of all time. I love the cast of characters and I hope Roshani Chokshi returns to this world someday.
  3. Siren Queen and The Chosen and the Beautiful by Nghi Vo: these are both amazing historical fiction novels with a touch of magic.
  4. The Final Strife by Saara El-Arifi: another new fantasy novel, also with multiple POVs. I could not put this book down, although I’ll have to re-read it because there is so much detail.
  5. We Free the Stars by Hafsah Faizal: very long, dense, and intense – I loved it! I cannot wait for A Tempest of Tea to expand this world.

Other books I enjoyed: The City of Dusk by Tara Sim, An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir, The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang, Dauntless by Elisa A. Bonnin, and Portrait of a Thief by Grace D. Li.

Life and College

I finished my first internship with a book publishing company! It was from November until the end of July. I had a decent experience, although for my next internship I hope to be in person because virtual internships can be a bit lonely.

There has been a three week period between the end of my internship and when I’ll move into college. I am super excited and there’s a book club at my uni that I already know I want to join. Packing wasn’t as challenging as I thought it would be – I am only bringing three of my personal books because I have 13 for my classes. Also, I only have one 8:30 A.M. class (yay!) and all of my classes end before 4:00 P.M.

Looking Forward

I don’t set numerical reading goals anymore; however, there are some books I’m really excited for:

  1. Bloodmarked by Tracy Deonn: this was one of my favorite books of 2020. I love the Fairyloot editions of this trilogy!
  2. Foul Lady Fortune by Chloe Gong: I am super excited for my preorder to come!
  3. Babel by R.F. Kuang: I have also preordered this one!! I have heard so many great things about it.
  4. Strike the Zither by Joan He: I have preordered this one as well : )

How was your June-August? What books are you looking forward to?

September Wrap Up ft. I’ve read 120 books this year?!

Published on by Solace in Reading6 Comments
I was on the tour for Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao for Caffeine Tours!!

https://www.instagram.com/p/CUCtf-ZrFb4/

I am 6 followers away from 1.4k!!! I really love how nice and inviting the bookstagram community has been, and I am so happy with my schedule of having no posting schedule – doing what I want, when I want to is so freeing. For some reason, WordPress is not allowing me to insert images, so here are links to a few of my September posts I love.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CUPmMrWLENQ/

I also turned 18!! It was a great day and I got to go to a bookstore and have a slice of 17 layer chocolate cake. Chocolate cake is my favorite. Furthermore, I spent the day with both sides of my family (had to wear a mask because 1. COVID, and 2. personal health reasons).

https://www.instagram.com/p/CT7WCuzLHkY/

School is honestly taking up a lot of my energy, but I’ve read nearly 120 books this year!! I’m really excited for these October-December releases: When Night Breaks, Jade Fire Gold, Our Violent Ends, Girls of Fate and Fury, and The Holiday Switch.

What books are you hoping to read before the end of 2021?

September – December 2021: Thoughts, Aspirations

Published on by Solace in Reading3 Comments

I love fall and winter. My birthday is in September, my family has birthdays, there’s Halloween, fall weather, Christmas. It’s basically a time of food and and fun in my house. . .and also a time of great book releases!! However, I am a senior, so I have college applications. Here’s what my blog and bookstagram will (tentatively) look like this fall.

Blog

There’s a few ARCs I need to review:

  • Our Violent Ends
  • Fools in Love
  • The Bronzed Beasts
  • A Clash of Steel – for Colored Pages Book Tours – look out for my post September 10th!
  • The Red Palace
  • Within These Wicked Walls

Tbh, I DNF-ed OVE, FIL, and WTWW just because I was in a reading slump in August, but I really need to get those reviews done. I highly recommend all of the books btw!

I also want to make more lists of books with certain tropes/genres, maybe an article on why I don’t use online book tracker apps, my third year bookstagram anniversary post. I have a lot of ideas and hopefully can use my free time to work on something other than applying to college.

Bookstagram

Ah, my main platform! Time to pull out the fairy lights and wayyyyyy more props. Another fun activity that calms me during the school year.

The main post I want to have up in October is a cosplay of Kallia from When Night Breaks – I cosplayed a modern version of her in 2020, and it’s one of my favorite posts ever.

And of course, 2022 has many great book releases in store (All My Rage by Sabaa Tahir comes to mind), so I will definitely be promoting those.

Additionally, I think J. Elle may have another street team for Wings of Ebony’s sequel, so I want to sign up for that. The cover for Ashes of Gold is out!!

Shopping

Recently, I’ve gotten into online shopping. I am looking for clothes that I don’t have in colors I don’t have. As a shorter person, I fit in clothes from middle school, but then grow out of others, and I recently got some money, so that’s really fun.

I also am limiting myself to buying five books this fall, however, it depends on if I get anything for my birthday (September 25). I am grateful to have parents who support my book lovingness.

Wishlist

I am really hoping to buy more contemporary, fun books. I own a lot of fantasy series/first books in fantasy series, and I am realizing that I cannot own every single one because I am already having to double stack my books, which is not great. I actually got rid of a lot of books, or not got rid of because they are still where I live, but it feels good because I have friends who love books, so they are going to good homes. I also want to start a book collecting project at my school, but as a senior, I think I’m going to wait for myself to get into a routine before jumping into another project.

As for things other than books, I am looking to add a few new pieces to my fall and winter wardrobes that can work for both seasons AND for every occasion. There’s so many fancy pieces of clothes I have, so I’d like to add some casual clothes as well.

School

I am a high school senior. My first app is due November 1, and then I have an interview really soon.

I am taking two APs, Bio and Stats, and both go together, so I feel good about my AP classes. Stats is involved in Bio, and I love math, so I am excited to use math in bio!! I am also in Graphic Arts where we’ll get to use paper AND iPads. Art used to be something I wanted to do in college, and I want to take it as an elective because while I love talking, debating, and writing, art lets me use my thoughts in a different way!

Life

Honestly, I have such great friends both offline and online, so I am grateful to have support! August wasn’t a good month for me except for Santa Monica and LA which I am glad to say were bright spots. I am doing better now and am so grateful for the support I received in August, not only from my family, but also from my friends and school.

Do I have any goals? One of my CA’s is due Nov 1, I want to be done with my apps by December 17, and I want to find some clothes I do not have – I’m getting into experimenting with my outfits, which is a lot of fun.

Anything you want to do in Sep-Dec? Book recs for me?

July 2021 Wrap Up

Published on by Solace in Reading8 Comments

Hey everyone!! This month, I read 24 new books. 6 less than last month and the same amount I read in May, which is a pretty good accomplishment because I had my academic summer program for four weeks in July. (I hope I did well because it was my last summer.) So far, I’ve read 107 books.Here’s what I read in July and my goals for August, as well as some of my favorite IG posts.

A black and white plaid blazer and skirt set along with a red shirt and an ARC of How We Fall Apart by Katie Zhao (only 17 days away!!) and a sword necklace.

Favorite Quote

CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR: We Hunt the Flame by Hafsah Faizal

“Beneath the beat of the sun, all he saw was the starkness of her skin and the sharp cut of her lips. But last night, beneath the glow of the moon, that skin had coaxed and those lips had beckoned. They still do.” – Nasir’s thoughts, pgs 294 to 295

Books I Read (bold = author is new to me, italisized = re-read)

  1. Everthing that Burns by Gita Trelease – started in June
  2. Blackout by Angie Thomas, Dhonielle Clayton, Ashley Woodfolk, Nicola Yoon, Nic Stone, and Tiffany D. Jackson – FAVORITE
  3. Hurricane Summer by Asha Bromfield – FAVORITE
  4. Witchshadow by Susan Dennard – Least favorite
  5. The Archer at Dawn by Swati Teerdhala – FAVORITE
  6. We Hunt the Flame by Hafsah Faizal – FAVORITE
  7. She Who Became the Sun by Shelley Parker-Chan – FAVORITE
  8. Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao – FAVORITE
  9. Dial A For Aunties by Jesse Q. Sutanto – FAVORITE
  10. A Chorus Rises by  Bethany C. Morrow – FAVORITE
  11. Every Body Shines edited by Cassandra Newbould
  12. What’s Not to Love by Emily Wibberly and Austin Siegemund-Broka – Least favorite
  13. The Chariot at Dusk by Swati Teerdhala – FAVORITE
  14. Blood Like Magic by Liselle Sambury – FAVORITE
  15. The Marvelous by Claire Kann
  16. A Universe of Wishes edited by Dhonielle Clayton
  17. Take Me Home Tonight by Morgan Matson – Least favorite
  18. Excuse Me While I Ugly Cry by Joya Goffney – FAVORITE
  19. Gearbreakers by Zoe Hana Mikuta – an almost 100% new FAVORITE but some things could be improved
  20. Rise to the Sun by Leah Johnson – FAVORITE
  21. Darling by K. Ancrum
  22. Jay’s Gay Agenda by Jason June
  23. Radha and Jai’s Recipe for Romance by Nisha Sharma – FAVORITE
  24. XOXO by Axie Oh – FAVORITE
  25. Off the Record by Camryn Garrett – FAVORITE
  26. The Right Side of Reckless by Whitney D. Grandison

Overall, 14/24 books I read were new favorites!! That’s about 60%. I didn’t like Witchshadow because the plot was all over the place and some parts seemed unecessary/there were a lot of POVs. I know this series is very popular, but it just didn’t land for me. And What’s Not to Love seemed so interesting, but I really feel like I want to read more rom-coms with people of color. Xoxo and Radha and Jai’s Recipe for Romance made up for What’s Not to Love.

I also did a buddy read with @sagarific and @yourlocalbookreader!! It was super fun and you all should definitely follow both of them. We read Iron Widow and it was super engaging and the ending. Oh my gosh.

Finally, if you read five books from this list (cries in I can’t choose but I will for now), read Blood Like Magic, Dial A For Aunties, and The Tiger at Midnight trilogy, and Off the Record, and Rise to the Sun.

August Goals

I hope to read seven books and have my TBR! I also am hoping to finish my e-ARCs of Our Violent Ends by Chloe Gong and When Night Breaks by Janella Angeles!! I also got an e-ARC of The Red Palace by June Hur. Furthermore, I hope to post more reels this month.

As for non bookish/slightly bookish goals. . .

  1. I want to finish my commonapp essay. I have a second draft. If anyone else is applying, please message me and I’d love to talk about college. Also, narrow my college list/do more research.
  2. Rewatch some shows.
  3. Relax!!! My academic program was super fun but I also like having unstructured time.
  4. Hangout with friends. Hanging out in person is different than seeing someone through a screen.
  5. Start planning for Model United Nations. It’s my last year and I really hope in person conferences will happen.
  6. Get 10 people to read How We Fall Apart by Katie Zhao – it’s one of my favorites of this year!!

My Favorite Posts of July

What did you do in July?

Life Update: 3.27.2021

Published on by Solace in ReadingLeave a comment
The Gilded Ones by Namina Forna.

Hi everyone! I haven’t posted since the beginning of this month. Although I’ve had time, I also haven’t felt like my mind has been in the right place to post. Here’s what’s been happening so far:

School

I am finally on Spring Break!!! This last week was pretty overwhelming and stressful. However, I think one thing that will help me as a I go into the college application process will be keeping a list of my accomplishments. I think some schools no longer need the SAT at all, so I will definitely be looking for some schools like that.

Honestly, the college application process is challenging. There’s applying for the FAFSA, getting letters of recommendation (although I’ve already talked to teachers about this, so that’s set), making sure my college credits are seen (I don’t know if any will be accepted, but getting to experience college level work has been helpful), writing essays, and talking about myself in a meaningful way.

Furthermore, it’s getting challenging to focus in class because I’ve been doing online learning for over a year now. I hope we’ll be back in fourth quarter, but not many students are returning, which makes sense because in where I live, the vaccine isn’t open to people my age yet.

Life

I want to start meditating five to ten minutes a day. Another characteristic of myself that I struggle with is comparing myself to others. I know that there will always be people with more than me, and I have to recognize that I am enough for myself.

Recently, I’ve found out about a really amazing opportunity this summer through the local library, so I am looking into that. In May, I’m going to be a part of a really cool event. It takes place after my exams, so it’s happening at the perfect time.

What I’m Reading – No spoilers

I recently finished The Gilded Ones by Namina Forna. It’s definitely one of my favorite books of 2021 because I love the fact that Deka is a part of a group of warrior girls and women. I finished it in two sittings. The commentary on knowing the true history and embracing who you are is my favorite part of this book. I look forward to seeing how Deka’s journey continues in the sequel.

Right now, I’m reading Kingdom of Souls by Rena Barron. I sped read this book in 2019, and am now reading it slowly. I love the world building and the relationship between Arrah and Rudjek. In Kingdom of Souls, Arrah is trying to find her magic, as she is the only one in her family of witchdoctors who doesn’t have her own. It’s interesting to see how Arrah begins to question the world and her family, and the way Barron combines her own mythology she’s written with the actions of Arrah’s family is so interesting.

What are you reading right now?