January 17, 2024

J24-BP2

Mid-Month Catch Up

Loving the chilly winter air, the grey mist that filters the world this time of year. The warm blankets and snuggles. The mugs of coffee and tea.

Life had been busy and good. It’s a month full of birthdays in our family which means lots of meals with family and celebrations.

My favorite place was Vaga a San Diego restaurant located in Encinitas, Ca. Such good food and service all with a perfect view of the sea, I couldn’t ask for anything better. My husband and I went there for my birthday and enjoyed every minute of our dinning experience which started with complimentary champagne to celebrate and ended with a pastry sampler on the house. If you are in San Diego and looking for a good place to eat, I definitely recommend this spot.

Amid all the life things I have also been working hard to carve out time and space for my personal pursuits of reading and writing.

Writing Progress

My hopes at the start of the year, like always were high. I wanted to hit the ground running and pretty much start on the first with writing goals and schedule. Granted, it’s fair to say I had been winding up to this moment since about September – so, so ready to hit the reset button then.

I’ve noticed this happens every year to me around the fall. I want to start again.

Anyway, this is what I wanted, but I quickly recalibrated. I decided to do things a bit differently this year. To slow down and take my time. I am after all here for a marathon, so-to-speak, not a sprint. I pushed my start date back a few weeks and decided to consider January 14th my true start date. (I’m a Sunday starter, what can I say).

To my pleasant surprise I found that I exceeded my more realistic expectations right away, nice! By January 5th I was able to post my first blog post of the year which made me very happy. Then, the following week (1.7-1.13) I was able to do three writing sessions, which is exactly what my writing goal is for the year – minimum 3 writing sessions a week.

In a perfect world I would be writing every day, blah blah blah, but for me this is my starting point – 3 days a week. Anything beyond that an I can consider myself a superhero.

Anyway, I have been able to hit this goal for the past two weeks which for me feels great! I’m working really hard at building a sustainable writing practice. making sure I am building a habit that I can maintain and build on.

Overall, I’m feeling pleased about the work I am doing. I added a page here to keep track of my writing progress. I think it helps to see how far I’ve come in a given time period. I know at least last year, it was really rewarding to look back and see how many books I had read all year. Seeing those metrics feels like an accomplishment. It’s the little things that keep us going.

Book Life

•Finished Reads•

On the reading front there has also been some movement. I’m excited to share that I finally finished One Dark Window by Rachel Gillig. I’m not going to lie, this book took me a minute (or two) to finish. I started this book back in October of 2023 and managed to finish it just the other day. That’s ok. I’ve learned this is just how it goes. Sometimes I swallow a book whole in a matter of days, other times it takes me forever!

Nothing wrong with the book, I think it just took me a little while to get into. The first half went a little slow, I think because there was some set up to get through (the book is part of a duology) but after the midpoint things picked up speed and became more interesting. The mystery of who the Shepherd King’s identity and his connection to the characters really pulls you in.

One reviewer on the Barnes and Noble site described it as follows:

Kind of wild considering how massively popular Fourth Wing has been. Personally I have yet to get through the Fourth Wing books. I purchased both this December but I haven’t managed to squeeze them into the rotation yet. Soon enough! For now I have started the second book in the series because…well, why not! I’ve come this far, too late to turn back now. I must find out how it ends!

If you are interested in picking up a copy of One Dark Window I have added some links below, not that finding a place to buy books from is a mystery, but you know, if this makes it easier, why not 😉

Appropriately, I have noted One Dark Window as the first finished book of 2024. You can find my new reading list here and the one for 2023 here. I also forgot to mention this in my last post but I found this cute little reading tracker that I thought might be fun for some of you. I’ll add the link for it here. It’s intended audience is children, but who’s keeping score. I for one intend to use it myself just for fun lol. No judgement here!

•Currently Reading•

Fairy Tale – Stephen King

Yes, I am still reading this with my husband. We read it together, out loud to each other before bedtime. I love it! He had the physical book, I have it on Kindle. It’s like our adult story time 🖤

Two Twisted Crown – Rachel Gillig

This is book two of The Shepherd King Series by Rachel Gillig. So far I’m about 12 chapters in, still a good ways to go. Hoping to finish this one much quicker than the last one.

•On the TBR Shelf•

Other books I can’t wait to read include:

My Wild Garden: Notes from a Writer’s Eden by Meir Shalev

There’s something about writers and their gardens that really draws me in. I think likely because writing and gardening are two interests I also have but also because I think gardening has a lot to teach. I am sure this book will be filled with little treasures everywhere.

Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar

I feel like I’ve been seeing this book everywhere. Maybe it’s all in my mind, I don’t know but regardless I’m intrigued. I’m excited to dig in to this one soon!

I’m not 100% sure what this book is about and this is on purpose as I don’t like to know too much before digging in. What I do know is that the author is a poet turned novelist…? I believe this is his first novel.

From the website of Penguin Random House:

ABOUT MARTYR!

A TIME MOST ANTICIPATED BOOK • A newly sober, orphaned son of Iranian immigrants, guided by the voices of artists, poets, and kings, embarks on a remarkable search for a family secret that leads him to a terminally ill painter living out her final days in the Brooklyn Museum. Electrifying, funny, and wholly original, Martyr! heralds the arrival of an essential new voice in contemporary fiction.

-Penguin Random House

Ok that is plenty for now! Until next time!

🖤 Angelica Sophia