Oh, hello! How are you? I hope you're well and safe and doing as okay as
you currently can in this current hellfire at the moment. This year I
really wanted to start posting more personal 'lifey' posts on here so
I'd like to introduce you to 'Lately Life'. A four-monthly update
of my year so far, taking you from my monthly updates to the highs and
low of my reading life and beyond. Hope you enjoy!
What have I been doing?
I don't even know! 2020 has been such a weird blur so far. January was spent job hunting (fml), enjoying summer and the last of the uni holiday freedom. February was spent getting reluctantly ready to start my second year of uni, trying to get my shit together for both uni and my holiday to Australia for my sister's wedding (!!!). I then spent the last few days of February in Australia and it was AMAZINGGG. Oh, and I got a copywriting job in February as well which is exciting as I've never been paid to write before!
I spent the first few days of March in Australia as well before coming back home to catch up on a ton of uni and the beginning of the world as we know it changing forever. AKA Covid19 starting to get really serious in New Zealand and the rest of the world. Fast forward a few weeks and NZ was put into lockdown which has been an experience that's hard to explain but a lot of you probably can relate to although unless you live in NZ it might not have been as strict and intense (for good reasons!). April was spent in lockdown, obsessing over news and trudging my way through SO many awful uni assignments skskskskskskskkk. Honestly, my two brain cells so done, please send any spare my way.
What I have been reading?
A lot! I've read 79 books so far this year! Unfortunately a lot of them were crappy reads but I think it's mostly my fault as I've been in a bit of a reading slump since January. Some favourites: A Murderous Relation by Deanna Raybourn (!!!my heart!!!), the Lady Darby series by Anna Lee Huber, The Foxhole Court trilogy by Nora Sakavic, and Magic For Liars by Sarah Gailey. Some disappointments: The Queen of Nothing by Holly Black, Faker by Sarah Smith, The Widow of Rose House by Diana Biller and In An Absent Dream by Seanan McGuire.
What I have been writing?
Oh, only thousands of words of painful uni assignments that made me question how or when I will ever will see the end of them. I've neglected the poor blog because I have just no energy to write anything else but uni work. I was also hoping to start rewriting my novel AND start writing another new one this year but uni + Covid has eaten all my energy or motivation.
Media consumed?
So. Much. News. Especially from The Spinoff (my absolute fav, I want to work for them one day) and RNZ. Trying to keep my news to a healthy minimum now as at the beginning of the lockdown I was just refreshing dozens of news sites all day every day and that shit is NOT HEALTHY.
TV Love: Miss Scarlet and the Duke is giving me LIFE right now as its the most ridiculous fun to watch. I just finished season 6 of Friday night Dinner AND MY HEARTTTT. Killing Eve season 3 is currently not impressing me which I'm GUTTED about but surely it's going to improve? Surely??
On my mind?
I appreciate the lengths my uni is trying to go to make online uni as smooth as possible but should I really be paying full fees when I'm having to do uni from home?? Also while I'm appreciative of the fact that I have the opportunity to carry on my university education, I am so fucking not in the mindspace or mood to do uni right now. Counting down the minutes until this semester is overrrrr.
I've been tossing up the move to Wordpress for years and Lara's move to Wordpress is definitely tempting me! I'm only worried about losing content in the move.
What's been on the blog?
Um, hello empty silence since February. I talked about my 2020 readings goals, my favourite books of 2019 and discussed Headliners by Lucy Parker with Lara from Words With Lara in February and apart from that it's been radio silence on here. Hopefully it can only get better from here?
What's been going on on Instagram and Twitter?
I BLOODY LOVE BOOKSTAGRAM!!! Come and say hello! I'm barely existent on Twitter as usual but that's because I always feel shy on there (on a constant cycle of trying to get better and always failing lmao) but I LOVE bookstagram and I'm waaaaay more active on there! Although saying that, I haven't posted since last week as uni assignments are eating my brain.
Books I'm looking forward to reading?
I started reading the Lady Darby series last week and I AM SO OBSESSED. The series is the best thing my brain could ask for at the moment and I'm so thrilled that I've got books 4--8 in the series to work my way through in the next few weeks! What will I do to fill the gaping hole in my life after I'm finished?? Tune in to find out...
What's coming up on the blog, socials, life, etc?
My birthday is coming up! I'm turning 21! Oh my god! At this point I don't know how I'm going to be spending it because no one knows what the level of restriction NZ will be under by then but I've decided to live it up and take the day completely off anything to do with uni. Hold me back, guys, hold me back!
On the blog: Um, anything I can dredge up from the sludge that is my brain. Have got a '21 bookish things' post coming your way after my birthday, I can promise that! Who knew how bloody long it would take to think of 21 slightly interesting bookish things about myself??
On the socials: start posting actual proper reviews on Goodreads. Y'know, actual words strung together to create sentences and not just "omgggg loved this!!!", "this was shit", "never getting back the hours of my life i wasted on this book". Also posting at least 3 times per week on Instagram because it makes me so happy! Twitter? We don't know her.
tell me about your year so far! what's the best book you read and of course i need to hear the worst book you've read as well!
Labels: lately life, life
