Oh hello!! ehem well here goes nothing

The last time I made a blog post was maybe mid pandemic?? I did have a blog once upon a time. It was called A Little Bit of Everything because that is the type of content that has always called to me. I wrote about fashion, my time working for Disney Cruise Line, what it was like working away from home with mildly managed anxiety 😅. And now here we are again, in a new space and working on being perfectly imperfect.

I've been a Bindery tastemaker for...6 months?? is that real?? And for the last 6 months I have been telling myself to get back to the blog stuff and do some written posts, so. that's the background. Honestly since getting into video creation writing feels so foreign to me, but I do miss the blog days and I'm hoping to bring to back on this platform.

Okay enough of an intro you are probably not reading this for all of that. I have been in a S.L.U.M.P. capitalized and underlined. I started a new job at the beginning of the summer and since then all my energy has been focused on quite literally starting over. I finished 0 books in June which felt soooo weird. And then suddenly 2 days ago I have finally been bit by that book worm again and I can't get enough (thank god because how is a girl gonna have a book platform when she can't finish any books). So I thought we could do a little summer reading update and I'd share the books I read in July and what I'm currently reading. Cool? Cool.

July, I managed to read 4 books in July which made me want to throw a partyyyy 🎉

I am back in my Winter Sea era, H.M. Long's 3rd book in the series came out in July so I wanted to re-read Dark Water Daughter and Black Tide Son

H.M. Long is one of my favorite fantasy authors. She just gets it. The world building, the magic system, the sense of adventure and wonder, and a sprinkling of romance and tensions, her books have it all and I am totally immersed every time I open one of her books. This series follows Mary and Sam on a high seas chase of cat and mouse where pirates, and royalty appointed sea-man hunt for a long saught after treasure. Oh and Mary can control the weather and air with her songs and Sam can walk into the "other" a place where he can catch glimpses of what may come. I have read Dark Water Daughter 3 times now?? And I could read it 100 more.

Staying the world of series I listened to the audiobook for Holy Terrors the final book in Margaret Owens Little Thieves series.

I really don't gravitate towards YA as much anymore, I haven't stopped, I just find unless there is something really there to captivate me I am enjoying my adult centered novels more. There is something so special about this trilogy. It feels like a dark fairytale meets you get to actually see what happens along the way and Margaret had me from chapter 1 book 1. When we meet Vanya she is a little con artist, who also happens to be the goddaughter of Death and Fortune. She unfortunately cons the wrong person and ends up pissing of a Goddess who curses her. That structure along could have held me for 3 books, but the way Margaret brings us along 3 different mishaps of Vanya's all while expanding not just the world she built but Vanya's world, and don't even get me started on the romance. Giggling?? Gasping! Holding my breath all while managing to not feeling weird because I'm reading about teenagers??? It was so satisfying!!!! I am incredibly impressed by Margaret's ability to take very complex emotions, ones that we felt as teenagers and often continue to face into adulthood, and not make them feel contrived or over simplified. I could go on and on about how much I love these books.

The last book I read in July was an arc of one of my most anticipated releases this year. The Princess Knight by Cait Jacobs

I'm gonna try and not get too mushy because wow I'm so proud of Cait. Cait is one of the main reasons I started making book content, I was so inspired by their Tik Tok account and they have continued to inspire me as a creator for the last 5 years. And now I get to hold their book in my hand??? (and I'm hosting their NY book launch event 🥹) Pinch me or hand me a tissue.

So the book. wow. Absolutely charming. This is Legally Blonde meets medieval fantasy and I was hooked the whole time. I actually love reading adaptations, it's one of my favorite sub-categories, especially when authors can take a story and find a new story to tell while maintaining beats and callbacks to the original material without regurgitating the story just in a different font. Clia is our main character, of course she is a Princess, and she has been primed for her duty, to marry a Prince. But when that Prince decides she is not worthy of the betrothal, she not only needs to try and win him back she has to prove him wrong. Throw in a military academy, secret plots, incredible fashion sense, and a grumpy warrior?? How was I supposed to not fall in love.

And now we're in August. Where July was filled with books I can't stop gushing about unfortunately the two books I've finished so far this month are just...fine.

I really have been in a fantasy romance mood so I jumped into Behooved which felt like it was going to be My Lady Jane/Shrek meets magic gone wrong how do we fix it!

Off the bat, I did finish this book. I think I was just so determined to finish something that I didn't want to give up on it but...oof. I really was just bored for a good portion of the beginning, then I was intrigued and the banter was kind of engaging, and then the end totally fell apart for me. Like fully this is a SPOILER but there is noooo pay off for one of the villains. To the point that I was so confused. They essentially "had a reason" for doing the bad thing and the main character was like "well they really had no choice so I'll forgive them" WHAT ?? So this book will be leaving my collection expeditiously because I just don't want to think about it ever again

And then unfortunately I followed that up with another mid romance.

Give Me Butterflies, and Entomologist (someone who studies insects) and an Astrologist fall in love. Cute, they both work at a museum, she's up for a promotion at work, he's on the hiring committee, she crashes their cars. Fun. So where was the banter?? The book starts with Finn (the astrologist) being grump central, if the mayor of Grumpville wore a tie with planets on it. Millie, of course, is sunshine. So why does it take .2 seconds for the grump to un-grump. To the point that they don't actually address that maybe he was grumpy because his sister died 6 months before the book begins. It felt like all of the outlying factors for why these characters had their emotional motivations were constantly on display, but neither of them actually address it within themselves or with each other. And then there was a joke about wingspan and she totally lost me. Again, I did finish the book so I was entertained on some level, but I found myself constantly wishing something else was happening.

And now you're caught up. I'm currently reading Orange Wine by Esperanza Hope Snyder and I'm loving the narrative difference between this and everything else I've been reading lately. It's really reminding me of Isabel Cañas without the gothic horror.

I'm almost 100 pages in and I can't wait to pick it back up later today.

In non book things,

I'm loving Season 3 of the Gilded Age I can't believe the last episode of the season airs tonight.

I've been putting all my creative energy into my podcast Books on the Brain so if you enjoy bookish podcasts give it a listen we only have 3 more episodes left of the season.

And I am back in my superhero phase rewatching Justice League and Justice League Unlimited and I am so content with my cartoons.

Leave me a comment and let me know what you've been reading or watching this summer

xo