Officially don‘t think LitRPGs are for me. I‘m pretty sure this is a me problem. I find it boring listening to in-game stats and it feels like it‘s interrupting the story. When you actually play RPGs you‘re more immersed in it, and the character has always been a part of the world they‘re inhabiting. I appreciate the concept of us normal people being thrown into a video game, but it‘s not as exciting as I thought it would be.

Finally learned how to use Libby to borrow e-books on my Kindle lol. I have a couple of books on hold but this one was available now 😁

Sunday with Lady Trent, her dragons, and my Luna Bear 🥰
#DogsOfLitsy

“…now, with the hindsight brought by greater age, I see myself for the naive and inexperienced young woman I was. We all begin in such a manner, though. There is no quick route to experience.”

I‘m in one of those moods where I don‘t know what I want to read so I just picked one up that‘s been in my TBR pile for a while… but this looks intriguing.

This is a soft pick. It‘s not a very serious read but it is extremely whimsical, cozy, and comforting. It was just the palate cleanser I needed after reading two darker stories in a row. The romance is cute and the setting is magical. The story shows us that even with all the bad life throws our way, we can lean into the good in the way of friendship, love, and the little things like a good book, a pastry and a cup of tea (coffee in my case).

So far, the two LitRPGs I‘ve tried were a bust. Hopefully this latest listen can redeem the genre for me. You would think a gamer who loves playing RPGs and reading fantasy would take to it immediately, but so far it hasn‘t worked for me.

While the plot is good, I had a love/hate relationship with these characters. The MC could be funny/“edgy” but she could also be incredibly bratty. Her family seemed great at the beginning but as more of their dynamic is revealed, you start realizing how manipulative everyone is. But ultimately, that‘s the point of this story: every family has its drama and its demons. In the end, the MC has a great arc and I like how the story wrapped up for her.

Next up… a magical palate cleanser lol

TW: obviously there‘s violence, that includes themes of incest and SA. But in terms of a murder mystery, this was a page turner for sure. It was well written, so many twist and turns, with the murderer always a step ahead of our MC (a private investigator) and detectives. Every piece of the puzzle comes together in the end, and while you start to get hints about whodunnit, it‘s still surprising and shocking. There are 77 books in this series ⬇️

Up next… and look at my new bookmark 🎃❤️😁

*sigh* First, none of these were scary. But the main reason I bailed were two stories that just didn‘t sit right with me. One depicted an enslaved person as the narrator and she acted like it was perfectly fine between her and the family that enslaved her, and another enslaved person made the ghost angry so they sold her. Then another seemed to sympathize with the confederates during the Civil War. So yeah, no thanks. 🤢

My next listen, I‘m definitely all in for spooky season this year lol…

TW: SA and abuse. This book tells the story of three Weyward women from three different eras. The Weywards are a long line of witchy women, connected to nature in such a magical way. And these women have had to endure such horrible things at the hands of men. It might be fiction, but knowing the truth in that for so many women made those scenes difficult to get through. Ultimately, the book reminds us that women are magic and they are survivors.

A bit under the weather so I‘ve spent most of the day resting… loving my new mug, and these spooky tales aren‘t scary at all so far but still fun.

I think it‘s a perfect time to read this one. I got it during our trip to the DMV area in the summer.

This eerie tale starts off with a floor plan, which at first glance, seems like any other house. But a closer look hints at something bizarre. The MC is a writer who focuses on dark mysteries and the macabre, and this floor plan caught his interest. Soon he manages to unravel an incredibly creepy reason for the strange house, and he makes a bigger discovery than he could have ever imagined. A great read that kept me on edge and turning the page.

A creepy one in honor of spooky season…

Uzumaki means spiral in Japanese, and Junji Ito is incredibly creative to find so many different ways to make a simple spiral so horrifying. Each chapter introduces a new method for the spiral to terrorize this small town on the coast of Japan. The story kept my interest and the art was captivating. I usually read manga/graphic novels fairly quickly, but I was mesmerized and carefully analyzed every stroke of Ito‘s pen. I really enjoyed this one.

As a kid I collected stickers and Beanie Babies. Now I still collect stickers, but instead of putting them in a dedicated album I use them to decorate the covers of my journals. My family and I collect anime figurines as well.

And of course, I collect books… always have, always will.

#majicmonday @Eggs

My daughter has been wanting me to read this one. I‘m not big on horror but I‘ll dabble occasionally, especially during spooky season. Plus, the art in this one is amazing.

This one was a very quick read, a story that reads like a long poem. Our protagonist is heartbroken over a betrayal by his father, and at the same time growing into a man himself. Such a short novella, with all the impacts of life woven into it: heartbreak, laughter, coming of age, and in the end; making the right decisions for the ones we love.

“Whatever you do, there‘ll always be someone trying to impose limits on you. Don‘t go looking for them on your own.”

This was a soft pick. This felt like a colossal read for me, not just in its size but in its complexity. The main thing I absolutely loathed were the “casual” instances of misogyny, racism, and classism that was rarely ever called out during this era. But this was mostly a scholarly read for me, and I studied the writing carefully. Tolstoy delved so deeply into his characters, everything from their appearance, their body language… continued ⬇️

“…But that had been grief and this was joy. But that grief and this joy were equally outside all ordinary circumstances of life, were like holes in this ordinary life, through which something higher showed.”

“Energy, you say. Energy is based on love. And love can‘t be drawn from just anywhere, it can‘t be ordered.”

Library haul! The cover for the one on the right is what caught my attention, but the blurb sounds interesting too. The tagged caught my attention because of the title. I have an absentee father so I guess it resonated.

My next listen has been sitting in my Audible library for a while, but with October just around the corner I‘m in the mood for something witchy.

St. James has yet to fail me, even though I‘m used to physically reading her work. This was a fantastic listen and the narrators kept my interest. The story was intriguing from start to finish. A creepy, haunted motel is the starting point for a few mysteries in this sleepy town, and the mysteries are unraveled as we go back and forth between present day with Carly and the early 80‘s with Carly‘s aunt Viv, who mysteriously disappeared back then ⬇️

I realized I haven‘t read many books with pirates, but the tagged is so good. Still excitedly awaiting the sequel…

#sundayfunday @BookmarkTavern

This just arrived, can‘t wait to finish my current read and get to this one 😁

Didn‘t take many pics… you don‘t really need them to be grateful.

1. Went biking with the fam for the 1st time (haven‘t biked since I was a kid, other than those tandem bike/cart things you ride in a group). I enjoyed it so much, can‘t wait to go again.
2. Made a point to notice the sky every chance I got.
3. Pumpkin spice coffee creamer!
4. Got caught up with my studies/admin stuff.
5. Going to a ⚽️ game with hubs 😍

#5JoysFriday @DebinHawaii

“…he knew his own soul, it was dear to him, he protected it as the eyelid protects the eye, and did not let anyone into his soul without the key of love.”

I usually read the physical books by Simone St. James but as I‘m trying to tackle my TBR pile, I decided to give this one a listen instead.

While this wasn‘t my favorite from this author, it was still very good. There were slower parts in the middle but it picked up again. This story follows three MCs and goes back and forth to their different times, with the “present day” being 1998. There‘s an eerie, witchy feel to it and plenty of mysterious events. Each MC has a mystery to solve with the three connecting in the end. The characters were well written and there was so much intrigue.

“He suddenly felt that the very thing that had once been the source of his suffering had become the source of his spiritual joy, that what had seemed insoluble when he condemned, reproached and hated, became simple and clear when he forgave and loved.”

“He had just partly clarified the question of how to live, when he was presented with a new, insoluble problem - death.”

“These joys were so small that they could not be seen, like gold in the sand, and in her bad moments she saw only griefs, only sand; but there were also good moments, when she saw only joys, only gold.”

My Luna Bear keeping me company. She‘s not usually allowed on the couch, but as she begins getting more grey hair I seem to be spoiling her more. 🐾🖤

#DogsOfLitsy

I can‘t fully express how helpful this book has been. I had been feeling stuck for a long time, not knowing even where to begin when it came to building my portfolio. This book is like a roadmap, it doesn‘t do the work for you but it shows you the way. Cespedes discusses everything from the type of site you should use, to the kinds of portfolio projects you should work on when you lack experience, and even how to present your work during… ⬇️

Saturday morning ☀️☕️

New listen while I hop on the treadmill and cook dinner. It‘s been way too hot to walk outside lately but a good audiobook helps make the treadmill less dull.

“Confidence doesn‘t come first—action does…Start where you are, show your process, and keep improving. The confidence will follow.”

Time to stop thinking about my portfolio and actually build it…

“‘You have a wholesome character, and you want all of life to be made up of wholesome phenomena, but that doesn't happen…You also want the activity of the individual man always to have an aim, that love and family life always be one. And that doesn't happen. All the variety, all the charm, all the beauty of life are made up of light and shade.'”

“The place where she stood seemed to him unapproachably holy, and there was a moment when he almost went away - he was so filled with awe...He stepped down, trying not to look long at her, as if she were the sun, yet he saw her, like the sun, even without looking.”

Been running around all morning, had to take my son to urgent care for an ear infection. He‘s relaxing now after his first dose of meds, and I have a quiet moment to myself.

Up next… working on my goal to read more Russian classics.

If you love reading and learning about nature/science, and especially if you care about the environment, this is a wonderful read. In fact, I think it‘s an important read for everyone. I got this one out of my curiosity for nature in general, and also for my childhood love of mushrooms (I always believed fairies used them for housing, bowls, cute hats, etc.). But I don‘t think I was fully prepared for the mystical ride I was about to embark on… ⬇️

“Metaphors and analogies, in turn, come laced with human stories and values, meaning that no discussion of scientific ideas—this one included—can be free of cultural bias.”