artsy musings of a bibliophile

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Monthly Recap: September

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Well, what do you know. I completely spaced out on writing a monthly recap for September so it’s a day late. September started with a bang but then I got ill and it wasn’t fun anymore.

LIST OF NEWSWORTHY

No, there were no birthdays in my family in September but I had to include a photo of the cake that I had in August because it was so damn good.


Failed Attempts
I totally failed at reading contemporaries during the summer like I planned. I blame Anna and the French Kiss because I was totally in a summer vibe and it just took it all away. Guess I’m not much for planning my reads, after all.

Reading Nooks and a Cold
I was on track for my reading goal but then a caught a cold and it’s still not over. Nothing like getting sick to suck the energy out of you.

Wiki Loves Monuments
So there was this worldwide photography contest going on and I decided to just go for it. I chose to shoot some photos of the Railway Station. It’s pretty vintage and I liked how the photos turned out.

Etsy-ing
I’d been planning to open an Etsy shop for minimal Blogger templates since July and I just launched it today. It took so much work. I hope it’s a success, though. So excited!

TV WATCH

I’m just so happy that The Big Bang Theory and Brooklyn Nine-Nine are back!
Awkward was okay in a thank-goodness-that-stupidity-is-over way.
Faking It is still going nowhere.
Revenge is better than ever.

MOVIE WATCH

I’ve only watched thirty movies so far this year. Hardly ever in the mood to sit still for more than an hour.

Robot & Frank (7/10) – It’s set in the near future really liked

Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter (7/10) – Well, that ending took my by a hell of a surprise.
That Awkward Moment (2/10) – Why do I even bother?
How to Train Your Dragon 2 (9/10) – Love, love, love.
The Wolf of Wall Street (7/10) – This movie is obscene but I liked it because Leonardo DiCaprio is a damn fine actor.

LIST OF READS

I barely read five books this month. Barely because I still have about a hundred pages left of Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas to reread. Damn you, cold.

Illusions of Fate by Kiersten White
Wildlife by Fiona Wood
Falling into Place by Amy Zhang
Stormdancer by Jay Kristoff

LIST OF BLOGPOSTS

I was blogging fine but then I got busy in the middle of the month and barely managed to post much after that.

I posted my review of The Jewel by Amy Ewing.
I posted my review of Wildlife by Fiona Wood.
I posted an alternative summer playlist.
I posted  about how flawed (isn’t) necessarily bad when it comes to characters.
I posted my review of Falling into Place by Amy Ewing.
I posted my review of Stormdancer by Jay Kristoff.

LIST OF BOOK BUYS

Six is not a bad number but hopefully I will buy a few that I’ve my eyes on next month.

Requiem by Lauren Oliver
Hold Still by Nina LaCour
The Visibles by Sara Shepard
Heir of Fire by Sarah J. Maas
The Half Life of Molly Pierce by Katrina Leno
Storm by Brigid Kemmerer

PLAYLIST

I was pretty much addicted to every song in my playlist and mostly to these three:

Marlene is fucking awesome! // Centuries give me chills. // Blame is a gem of a song, that beat.

How was your September?

Playlist: Alternative Summer

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Okay, not strictly alternative, but the vibe is pretty much alternative. Like, always. Or a mixture of alternative, electronic, and pop. For me, summer days are pretty relaxing and so I’m usually listening to songs during the late afternoons and while strolling in the garden late at nights.

I. CENTURIES  || FALL OUT BOY
This song give me chills. CHILLS. C. H. I. L. L. S.

II. FREE THE ANIMAL || SIA
Sia never fails to shock me with her music. Love how unrefined and nonconformist Free the Animal sounds.

III. TOY SOLDIERS || MARIANAS TRENCH
Man, summer or not, I’m never getting tired of this song.

IV. ANIMALS || MAROON 5
I just really like this song despite the slightly weird lyrics. It’s okay because it’s Adam Levine ha ha.

V. TOMORROW NEVER DIES || 5 SECONDS OF SUMMER
Sandra not-so-casually mentioned that this is her favorite 5SOS song and I agree with her which never hardly ever happens. I

VI. RIOT || S V Ē
Basically, Riot is could-totally-have-been-my-2014-summer-jam that I discovered too late. ‘Tis sad.


VII. BON VOYAGE || MARLENE
I basically love all of Marlene’s Indian Summer EP but man, this song is so upbeat and awesome.

VIII. WOLF BITE || OWL CITY
*solo dances*

XI. SUPERHEROES || THE SCRIPT
This song goes from a soft melody to an epic chorus and that is all.

X. UNCONSOLABLE || X AMBASSADORS
The kind of gritty song that I find irresistible.

XI. FIREPROOF || ONE DIRECTION
I just really, really like this song. You might say I have a thing for words sung-stretched too long in songs.

XII. WE’RE THE KIDS || PARADE OF LIGHTS
A road-trip-in-summer vibe alert.

XIII. DISPARATE YOUTH || SANTIGOLD
A lazy I-so-don’t-care-right-now kinda song.

XIV. INDIAN SUMMER || MARLENE
Perfect for everything summer.

Alternative Summer by Sana on Grooveshark

Monthly Recap: August

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Personally, August turned out to be pretty low key. Just the way I like my life. Also, I bought a lot of books which felt great but right now I’m almost broke which ha ha.

LIST OF NEWSWORTHY


Summer Days and Unrest
It truly felt like it was summer because we went on a weekend getaway in the beginning of the month, there were days where all I did was listen to tons of music, or read, and blogged. Life is good, yo despite all the terrible happenings in the world. It took 51 days for long-term ceasefire to be declared in Gaza then the Ferguson incident happened and now things in my country aren’t so well politically which is pretty sad. And oh, we celebrated its Independence Day on August 14th.

Yes, mountains are truly exquisite.

Books Make Me Wanna Die
Waiting for books to release is so hard because half the time I don’t know what to do with myself and half the time I feel like a zombie because damn, I want to eat that flesh err I mean read ’em books. Mainly Sarah J. Maas’ Heir of Fire and Maggie Stiefvater’s Blue Lily, Lily Blue. Susan Ee’s Angelfall #3. AC Gaughen’s Lion Heart.

wordmark.it
This is such a cool find! Basically, you type on some test and load all the fonts saved on your hard drive and wordmark.it displays how each font looks.

TV WATCH

Still didn’t watch all that much TV this month except Teen Wolf which is still going great. Need to catch up, though.

MOVIE WATCH

I managed to watch 25 movies this year which is a feat considering I haven’t been in the mood for them for a good part of the year.

The Lego Movie (7/10) – It was good but not as good as I was expecting it to be.

Captain America: The First Avenger (7/10) – Well, that ending took my by a hell of a surprise.
Captain America: The Winter Soldier (8/10) – *sobs quietly*

LIST OF READS

Wow, I read only five books but it seems like I read more. I blame The Assassin’s Blade and World After because so, so good.

The Assassin’s Blade by Sarah J. Maas
World After by Susan Ee
Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins
Boomerang by Noelle August
The Jewel by Amy Ewing

LIST OF BLOGPOSTS

So I don’t think I’ve posted this much in a month since err, 2012? Feeling pretty good, though so can’t complain.

I interviewed Amy Zhang whose debut Falling into Place is releasing on September 9th.
I posted my review of The Assassin’s Blade by Sarah J. Maas.
I posted my review of The Murder Complex by Lindsay Cummings.
I posted a top ten Tuesday lists of 2014 series I’m not sure I want to read and books I’ve been pushed (and pushed) to read.
I posted  about popular Pakistani authors in celebration of my country’s independence day.
I posted my review of Talker 25 by Joshua McCune.
I posted my review of Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins.
I posted about how struggle is pointless when it comes to books. Nemi agreed with me.
Meg tagged me to do the emoji book tag. I had much fun.
I posted my review of On the Fence by Kasie West.

LIST OF BOOK BUYS

I bought a lot of books this month mainly because I was in a mood to buy all the books.

World After by Susan Ee
Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan
The Luminaries by Eleanor Catton
Sabriel by Garth Nix
Stormdancer by Jay Kristoff
Stolen Songbird by Danielle L. Jensen
Boomerang by Noelle August

I can’t believe 2015 ARCs are already out. I’m crazy excited for Red Queen, though but I’m really hoping to cut down on ARCs next year because I wanna read what I wanna read.
Wildlife by Fiona Wood (this was a Read Now on NetGalley and I just got weak for a second there)
Req Queen by Victoria Aveyard
A Wicked Thing by Rhiannon Thomas
The Walls Around Us by Nova Ren Suma

I won Cynthia Hand’s Unearthly trilogy over at Lizzy’s blog sometime ago and they finally arrived!
Unearthly by Cynthia Hand
Hallowed by Cynthia Hand
Boundless by Cynthia Hand

PLAYLIST

I didn’t listen to new music as much as I listened to favorites particularly Fall Out Boy and Lana Del Rey.

Hilary Duff is back! // Broods finally have an album out and it’s really good. // Nick Jonas can sing and I’m still in shock.


How was your August? Do you like the inclusion of photos? Heee.

Monthly Recap: July

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Ah, July, what a busy month!

LIST OF NEWSWORTHY


First you Ramadan
The whole family was here for the summer and then Ramadan began so in between trying to finish reciting The Holy Qur’an and the fasting and the constant state of sleep-deprivation, I had little to no time to read or blog or tweet. The only books I did manage to read were at the beginning of July. I promise I’m gonna blog more and it’s gonna be awesome.

Then you Eid
Currently, it’s the third day of Eid and my bones hurt. But tomorrow’s gonna be busy with my Mother’s dialysis in the morning and hi-tea with a few of my high school friends. My tired self is tired just thinking about it. But yes, Eid was fun and I already ordered a book because Eidi. Still deciding what else to buy.

#30DaysofBookstagrams
I finally managed to finish a month long challenge and I’m glad it was book-related. I got so much better at book photography and hell yeah, practice makes perfect.

Podcasting It Up
I clearly see myself as a future podcast addict and it’s all because of Lillian since she introduced me to Welcome to Night Vale. I downloaded the Podcast Addict app for Android and discovered tons of interesting podcast channels.

Of Cancelled Sequels
Cristin Terrill’s All Our Yesterdays totally ruined me and I’d been looking forward to the sequel ever since. Sadly, there’s not going to be one. Terrill did publish a short story on her tumblr and plans to release an e-novella in fall 2014 along with a few more short stories. I’m sad but I was kind of expecting this since there has been little to no update about the supposed duology. I’m just happy that we get to see more of Em and Finn however short that more is going to be.

TV WATCH

I didn’t watch all that much TV this month except Teen Wolf which is going asdfghjkl-y awesome.

MOVIE WATCH

None because so busy err.

LIST OF READS

I’m glad I read an adult paranormal after so many years and it was a pretty good reading month. Also, I’m still in the middle of The Assassin’s Blade by Sarah J. Maas and it’s perfect.

Reckoning by Jeaniene Frost
Halfway to the Grave by Jeaniene Frost
The Half Life of Molly Pierce by Katrina Leno
On the Fence by Kasie West
Before You by Amber Hart

LIST OF BLOGPOSTS

I couldn’t blog much so here’s what I managed to post:

I posted my review of The Half Life of Molly Pierce by Katrina Leno.
I posted my review of Before You by Amber Hart.

I also wrote a guest post about mood vs systematic reading on Miranda’s blog for her feature: She Said-She Said.

LIST OF BOOK BUYS

I got some very awesome ARCs I still need to finish reading so I didn’t buy all that many books.

Angelfall by Susan Ee
Cress by Marissa Meyer
Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell
Obsidian by Jennifer L. Armentrout

PLAYLIST

I didn’t listen to any music but I did listen to 6 episodes of Night Vale radio. It’s so addictive and creepy and yes.


How was your July?

Monthly Recap: June

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Personally, June was one of the hardest months ever in my life. I’m grateful that the bad days are over.

LIST OF NEWSWORTHY

DIY Project
So I started repainting a work desk just so I can have a proper workspace and not just lounge around on my bed with my laptop all day. I applied the glossy paint and although it looks good, I don’t like the texture all that much. Now I’ve got to go out and buy the matte one to coat once and then do the stencil pattern I’ve chosen which is taking time because I’m lazy and gah. However, the desk if off white and looks really good which means I’ll finish it soon-ish.

#BookCoverPalette
I don’t know what happened but suddenly so many fun book photo tags started popping up around Instagram. I did a few of them and introduced my #bookcoverpalatte tag only yesterday. It became very popular and I’m so happy because so many perspectives on book cover palettess! If you want to keep track of book tag challenges, Sasha is introducing a #booktagchallenge soon (probably tomorrow) and Mahima takes such pretty photos of all the tags.

TV WATCH

I watched TV pretty sporadically but I’m caught up on most of them so that’s good.

Faking It was o-kay and predictable.
Awkward is still stupid but it makes me laugh, so there.
I love the direction Suits took this season. Mike and Harvey at odds? More, please.
I’m slowly catching up on Orphan Black and it just gets better and better.
TEEN WOLF IS BACK, ASDFGHJKL.

MOVIE WATCH


Anastasia (7/10) – Once Upon a December gave me chills and I loved it and Cee made me watch so thanks, Cee.
Final Destination 3 (5/10) – Man, I’ve outgrown these movies. It was really bad but then not-so-bad, y’know?
21 & Over (5/10) – Mehh. Also, can I punch Jeff Chang because stupid?
Elysium (4/10) – This movie just didn’t work for me and I think it needs to be edited a few more times.
Aurangzeb (1/10) – Stupid Bollywood movie, ew.
Thor (7/10) – Marvel does it again!
Thor: The Dark World (8/10) – So much better and I loved the thing that happened with Loki at the end.

LIST OF READS

I’m back on track for my 2014 Series Challenge as I’ve completed out five of the seven I’m hoping to finish. Other than that, it was a good reading month.

The Murder Complex by Lindsay Cummings
Wicked Games by Sean Olin
Just One Night by Gayle Forman
(Don’t You) Forget About Me by Kate Karyus Quinn
Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo
Ruin and Rising by Leigh Bardugo
The Too-Clever Fox by Leigh Bardugo
Little Knife by Leigh Bardugo

LIST OF BLOGPOSTS

I’m finally starting to be okay with my erratic blogging pattern. Heh.

I posted a top ten Tuesday lists of best books of 2014 (so far) and artsy YA covers.
I posted my review of Wicked Games by Sean Olin.
I posted my review of Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo.
I posted about my summer reading project, (93) days of summer.
I posted my review of Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo.

LIST OF BOOK BUYS

I only bought one book because I really, really wanted to and I was not disappointed.

Ruin and Rising by Leigh Bardugo

PLAYLIST

So my music taste is a-changing.

Never Be by 5 Seconds of Summer is my summer jam.
Sandra is teaching me good music and it’s going well because I haven’t really listened to All Time Low and didn’t know Bring Me the Horizon existed before.


How was your June?