Hey friends!
It’s the tiny woodchip lodged in the treads of your sneaker, Sam Cote, finally getting around to Weekly Favorites #20! Took the last two weeks off to pack before leaving for Thanksgiving and celebrate Thanksgiving– before I knew it December began! Glad to be back. Choosing favorites might be hard (covering three weeks!) so I might use this to fill you in on all of it 🙂
What I’m Reading: Since the last entry, I finished The Battle Of The Labyrinth and The Last Olympian, which means I’ve officially completed the Percy Jackson series! I really liked it, and I also could tell that I was far outside of the target audience. If I had read them as a kid, I would have been hooked and obsessed– I still really liked them as an adult though. I listened to What I Talk About When I Talk About Running by Haruki Murakami. I enjoyed it because I am personally interested in both distance running and writing, which are nearly the entire focus of the book. It is a memoir that knows its scope and sticks to it, which was much appreciated. It’s really easy to get preachy about running and writing, and Murakami does a pretty good job avoiding that– he speaks from his own experience and discusses his takeaways from a life spent running and writing. It sits at about four hours, so it was a fairly quick one! I finished Mort by Terry Pratchett as well. It took me a lot longer than I extected (I hoped it would be a quick read to fit between my longer ones) and I loved every word of it. Pratchett’s prose is infused with humor, and the characters feel distinctly real and whole despite living in a riduculous fantasy world. It makes Death (the character and the concept) accessible and tangible. If you’re someone who’s a bit down about the indifference of the universe and the meaninglessness of reality, this is likely to make you feel a lot better. I started the audiobook of Amanda Montell’s Wordslut on the drive back to school– as someone who is endlessly fascinated by language and its usage, I am really enjoying it. If I wasn’t already predisposed to agree with the book’s content I don’t know if I would be convinced by it– since I am, I can say that it’s really interesting and engaging! Finally, I’m physically reading Last Argument of Kings by Joe Abercrombie and Writers [on Writing], an essay collection from the New York Times. Whew, that was a lot!
What I’m Listening To: I am listening to Astronomy, Vol. 1 by Sleeping At Last. I rediscovered it via Spotify Wrapped, and spent all day listening to it. I forgot how great it is as a backdrop while I read science fiction. I spent a good chunk of my freetime yesterday listening to this while staring out a rainy window wishing I was adrift in space on a cozy spaceship with a great crew and a lovely view of the cosmos.
What I’m Watching: Lots of videos about writing on YouTube. I’ve been sifting for the right advice phrased in the right way that is able to burrow into the flaps of my brain and stick there. Open to suggestions.
What I’m Making: Very little progress on my book. I reached 30,000 words for NaNoWriMo, and lost the writing habit over Thanksgiving break. The rhythm of life is a lot different at home, and I quickly realized that the methods I used at school wouldn’t hold up at home. Taking a break from the project has given me more perspective on it and a different view of the words I’ve written so far. I’m glad to know that I can accomplish a lot of writing in a little time, and I’m also learning how weak some of my skills really are. For example, most of the dialogue is barely salvageable– I’d like to practice writing some really strong short stories before I revisit my WIP. The Dunning-Krueger effect is definitely at play here.
How I Slow Down & Unplug: The tried and true method– reading and drinking tea before bed. My sleep schedule is in utter shambles. There have been a few nights that I had to get out of bed, make tea, and read before my brain decided it agreed with my body and became sleepy. If it works, it works.
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