August Favorite Things
Just a Ramble
She Wore Black Podcast
I’ve devoured so many episodes of the She Wore Black Podcast that it’s infected my personality, left me with stacks of new books, and shuffled my TBR. What I didn’t expect to find in this book podcast was an interesting discussion on anti-intellectualism that has made me think. I also love the talks about genre from guests. Some recent faves:
E138: Dark Academia w/ Alexis Henderson
Cozy Books
Cozy isn’t my normal go-to, but this month was practically a cozy celebration. House in the Cerulean Sea, Dead Romantics, and The Spellshop were delightful. Reading The Spellshop specifically made me crave slow sensory details that bring a smile to my face. The smell, texture, and taste of good food. The appreciation of an impressive view. It inspired me. With that in mind, I thought about the next horror romance I’m writing, and I’ve made some changes to the setting—which had been in a murky state. I’m really pleased to see the horror romance plot settle into its setting of creaky floorboards, flicking warm candles, and flaky pastries. There’s going to be a lot of passion in this book—for the characters, yes … but also my passion for writing. It’s also going to be (hopefully) just as creepy as it is romantic. There’s nothing like fear to inspire a pumping heart, after all.
Crochet
As I’ve limited my use of social media, I’ve been falling back in love with some old hobbies of mine. This month, I threw myself into several crochet projects. Two fall leaf doilies and pulling out an unfinished blanket I started 8 years ago. It’s almost finished now. I’ve already spent money I don’t have on yarn for my next blanket. Doilies are fun because they can be finished in a day. However, blankets are satisfying in how you can sit down to binge shows or chat with family, and, somewhat mindlessly, let your fingers move in subconscious creation.
Pumpkin Cream Alani
I love it, and I’m distraught that I’ve only found the 12-packs that include a whopping three pumpkin creams. It was so strange the first time I tasted it. Also, it wasn’t cold enough, bleh. Then I drank another … and another … and then I went to grab another, only to rip the box from the fridge in dismay, realizing that was it, they were done! Now when Witch’s Brew (my previous favorite) hits my throat, it feels assaulted by the sour apple when my throat NEEDS smooth spiced pumpkin.
‘Ber Month Used Book Shopping
Please see “1.” for why I have a new stack of books at the top of my TBR cart. Dark academia, gothic romance, and witchy reads are stacked and waiting to be devoured. ThriftBooks is a perfect binge-buy website, as long as I pick a price point that I won’t go over for any single book. Plain Bad Heriones, to uh -squints at cart- Night Circus to An Academy of Liars, and who knows how many. ‘Tis the Season. This has also inspired me to cancel my Kindle Unlimited subscription for the first time in … 10 years? I’ve got so many used books and boughten ebooks, it’s time I set aside the distracting subscription and tackle the library I have on hand.
