Every three months I give a quick update on my life and work from the previous season. Enjoy the Seasonal Rewind!

Through the Lens

I purchased and built new bookcases! This is one wall of my office/library/studio featuring these beauties. They replaced ones I’d had since I was maybe 5 years old, carted around when I moved as a kid, to college and grad school and back. I needed a change. Also also, NINA’S BOOK RELEASED in May!!! It was such an awesome release day too. Did you participate in #YellowforRosa? Finally, great coffee with a best friend. We would go out for coffee and work/study all through her med school years, and now she’s an ER doc in another state, so time together is precious.

Life Highlights

It has been a busy few months. April was all about designing wedding invitations, attending pre-marital counseling, and reading clients’ second novels or option materials. May was all about submitting the invitations to the printer, enjoying fun weekends out with friends (one weekend we went zip-lining!), and reading even more clients’ next novels or option materials. And June, gosh, was all about addressing and mailing the invitations, making appointments, and continuing to read even more clients’ next novels or option materials. (Seriously, it’s like they all conspired or something…)

These last few months I’ve been slammed with writing conferences, edits, and reads, with the hope that all that good, hard work and karma would lead to a very relaxing and enjoyable wedding by the fall. So do good, buy Nina Moreno’s Don’t Date Rosa Santos (released in May!), and make the world go round.

Bookmarked in the Community

Since I’m spending more time on IG than I am on blog posts, I’m going to include some discussion topics I really liked while scrolling through the feed.

1. “The Friend Zone and the story it inspired me to tell” @ GReadsBooks — Y’all, if you haven’t read The Friend Zone yet, you need to. Regardless of whether you are or want to be a mother, it’s the kind of book that really touches your soul. Ginger opens up about her experience in reading this book, and it is incredibly moving.
2. Genre overload and mood reading @mamajustwantstoread — I really liked Jen’s discussion on feeling burnt out at different times of the year, even in your favorite genres. I’m a season reader (summer always makes me want to read romcoms, fall and winter more heavier books like historical or fantasy), but even then you need to have a book once in a while outside of your genre streak so you don’t feel burn out!
3. Blogging in all its forms across the years @perpetualpageturner — Jamie is basically an icon in the book blogging world (at least I think so…love ya girl) and she has done amazing things across a variety of platforms. Book blogging, flailing, etc has changed, morphed, developed, and adapted across social media in just 10 years alone! Remember when Twitter was THE PLACE to be? In many ways it still is, but IG is where “blogging” is happening now. Jamie reflects on these changes, and what it means to adapt, grow, and learn to take time away too. (Bonus post: a discussion on how many books defines a reader/bookworm. LOVED THIS.)
4. How to pack for travel @soobsessedblog — I thoroughly enjoy the dynamic duo that is Hannah and Kelly, especially when it comes to posts about traveling as a bookworm. Here, Hannah talks about how she packs for travel: a filled ereader and one comfort/reread novel. It’s light, it travels well, what’s not to love?
5. Finding yourself (and staying true to yourself) in the age of social media @emilymaryslibrary — You just need to read it. Seriously. I was blown away. It’s an incredibly thought-provoking post.
6. Asking yourself “Why?” before setting the book aside @theardentbiblio — Calling all readers, writers, librarians, agents, and booksellers! This is such a great post especially when it comes to readers advisory questions and author intentions. What we enjoy as readers is defined by genre, character development, pacing, tone, atmosphere — but you can learn so much more about your reading preferences if you take a moment to pause and ask yourself “Why did the author write this passage? Why am I drawn to/stepping away from this scene/character/theme/book? Why is this here, and what is it’s purpose, and is it being served well?” You’ll learn so much more about yourself as a reader and your personal taste, more so than the books you rate five stars and the ones you DNF.

Popular Posts on Scribbles

Apart from my MSWL post, which will always have the most traction any month, these seemed to be some hits despite my low activity this season.

1. Book Review: The Silver Gate by Kristin Bailey — How random. A 2017 review of a MG historical fantasy…but you know what? I love this book. I’m glad people were searching for it!
2. Book Review: The Flatshare by Beth O’Leary — UH YES BECAUSE YOU SHOULD READ THIS BOOK
3. Over on IG, Is there a series on your TBR you’re taking ages to get to or finish? Cause if you haven’t forgotten, I’m reminding you below I’m still way behind on my Gabaldon and Marillier challenge *laughcrysobit’sfineit’sfineit’sonlybeenthreeyears*

Cherished Reads

In Another Time by Jillian Cantor ★★★★

The Library of Lost and Found by Phaedra Patrick ★★★★

The Friend Zone by Abby Jimenez ★★★★.5 (review coming soon!)

Ayesha at Last by Uzma Jalaluddin ★★★★★ (review coming soon!)

Reading Goals

In order to keep track of my 2019 resolutions, I’m keeping an updated roundup here each season of my progress.

Required Reading: 6/15

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close || A Gentleman in Moscow
An American Marriage || Is It All In Your Head? || To Helvetica and Back
Smoke Gets In Your Eyes

Library Books (For Fun): 10/10

The Light Over London || When You Read This || The Familiars
Meet Cute || The Lost Girls of Paris || In Another Time
The Firebird || The Library of Lost and Found || The Friend Zone 
Ayesha at Last

Marillier & Gabaldon: 0/2

TBR Pile: 4/10

The Kingdom of Copper || A Curious Beginning || Roomies
The Reluctant Queen

Genre Fiction: 11

MYSTERY || A Curious Beginning, To Helvetica and Back
HISTORICAL || The Light Over London, A Gentleman in Moscow, The Familiars, In Another Time, The Lost Girls of Paris, The Firebird
FANTASY || The Kingdom of Copper, His Majesty’s Dragon, The Reluctant Queen

Overall Challenge: 24/45

On the Radar . . .

Netflix / TV / Film: Oh boy, this was extensive. On Netflix I enjoyed “Wine Country” and I’m loving “Kim’s Convenience.” “Always Be My Maybe” was hysterical, and definitely a favorite. In theaters my heart stopped and my mind was blown by Endgame, and I laughed throughout Secret Life of Pets 2. On TV I finally saw all the way through for the very first time The Martian, which is still just a terrifying concept to me. And one weekend about a month ago I fell asleep on the couch, and woke up to Animal Planet’s “Dr Jeff: Rocky Mountain Vet.” Oh my gosh. Yes. So now every Saturday I’ll watch Dr. Jeff and Dodo Heroes, followed by Sunday’s The Aquarium. It gives me all the warm and fuzzy feels. PBS’s Endeavour is back too, but it’s so late that I’ve just been DVRing it to watch another time.

So if it’s not clear enough, my brain is fried at the end of a long work day and I’m turning to TV more than books. Oops.

Shopping Bag: Rothy’s! Among other wedding-related purchases (primarily my and my bridesmaids’ jewelry), my favorite by far has been my Rothy’s shoes for the wedding day. Flat, comfortable, navy, Earth-friendly, I’m set.

Miscellaneous: I feel like such an old lady saying this, but this season I discovered the benefits (and drawbacks, like a draining account) of DoorDash. In fact, I should probably delete the app and get my password changed on the computer or something, because it’s dangerous how much I like getting food delivered. It’s bringing me one step closer to the hermit life…

Looking Ahead . . .

It’s crunch time July through September. I have a dress fitting in July. August is full of walk-throughs, payments, appointments, and bridal showers. September will be those timeline discussions with the photographer, florist, DJ, venue coordinators, and caterers, and I just plain can’t wrap my head around it. And that’s just the wedding planning. There are things going on with work, yes––they’re written on the calendar and in my planner, I’ll remember what all those things are too. I’m not drowning. Nope. It’s all good. (No really! It is!)

~

What have you been up to this season / this month? Any new obsessions or good reads or great music? Share some of your favorites here, and let me know if I should check out any great blog posts!