In this episode, I talk about why I started this podcast and where I think this podcast is going.
Books mentioned in this episode:
So You Want to Start a Podcast: Finding Your Voice, Telling Your Story, and Building a Community That Will Listen by Kristen Meinzer Amazon | Audible | Kindle | Indigo.ca
If you enjoyed listening to this episode, feel free to subscribe, rate and review on a podcast platform of your choice. You can also follow and message me through Instagram, or through the comments sections here in my blog.
Books I’m currently reading (T-B): Hungry Hearts, Winter by Marissa Meyer, and The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt
I’m currently reading three books coming in to July:
Hungry Hearts – which I’m enjoying so far. It’s a collection of stories centred on food on Hungry Hearts Row.
Winter – Ah, the conclusion to The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer. I’m a little upset I haven’t finished the series already.
The Goldfinch – I have heard great and bad things mostly about writing preferences. So far it’s going ok.
Recently Finished
Under The Table by Stephanie Evanovich
Under The Table by Stephanie Evanovich was our June pick in our online book club. I didn’t particularly enjoy this book because it had certain characteristics I found to be inconsistent and unbelievable.
Reading Next
Me And White Supremacy by Layla F. Saad
I’m kind of glad our online book club simply announced we were reading Layla F. Saad’s Me And White Supremacy. The Black Lives Matter Movement is thriving during these times and I think it’s important, especially for future generations, that we educate ourselves. We can’t truly be an ally unless we have the foundation to help us stand firm for what we believe.
Let me just say I’m very excited to start this today, and for the coming discussion.
Have you read any of these books? Let me know your thoughts about them, or if they’re on your TBR list on the comments section.
Human and goblin brothers Cole and Tinn are finding their way back to normal after their journey to the heart of the Oddmire. Normal, unfortunately, wants nothing to do with them. Fable, the daughter of the Queen of the Deep Dark, has her first true friends in the brothers. The Queen allows Fable to visit Tinn and Cole as long as she promises to stay quiet and out of sight—concealing herself and her magic from the townspeople of Endsborough.
But when the trio discovers that humans are destroying the Wild Wood and the lives of its creatures for their own dark purposes, Fable cannot stay quiet. As the unspoken truce between the people of Endsborough and the inhabitants of the Wild Wood crumbles, violence escalates, threatening war and bringing Fable’s mother closer to the fulfillment of a deadly prophecy that could leave Fable a most Unready Queen.
In Book 2 of The Oddmire Series, we follow Fable as she learns how to control her powers while somewhat running on teen angst.
If you’ve read The Changeling, The Unready Queen picks up right where this left off. The Burtons are once again adjusting now that they know Tinn is a goblin. This makes certain aspects of their lives a challenge. Annie starts a new job, and Tinn has been spending time with his goblin family to learn his background and learn how to control his magic. Fable, on the other hand, is such a wild spirit. She’s so glad she has friends from town to hang out with. I especially love how she calls everything outside of the Wild Wood: people-this, people-that. It’s a different take on what we humans have, which also constantly reminds us that Fable is different from the rest of us.
This story also minimally touches on Tinn and Fable’s attitude regarding their magical abilities. Due to being raised by humans, Tinn longs for time spent in the goblin horde. It allows him to learn more about his powers, hone his abilities, and learn more about his goblin heritage. Despite being born with incredible magic, it doesn’t come naturally to him. He had to work with it, understand how to make it work with him, and constantly practice. He takes in all of his lessons with the understanding that he needed this; he needed to learn how to control it. This determination is clear when he pleaded he needs all the help he can get when his hand turned the color of the ink he accidentally got on his finger and he couldn’t transform it back to normal. Fable’s magic, however, comes naturally to her to a point where the Queen deemed magic lessons necessary and mandatory – something Fable isn’t a fan of.
I found this story to heavily lean on Fable being “The Unready Queen” because she’s about 13 or 14 years old, with basic magic knowledge. Imagine if something happened to her mother. It’s a situation no kid should be thrown into. At the same time, the term could’ve easily defined the Queen of the Deep Dark. The prophecy showed Fable, blood, and a gunshot / bullet. Imagine if something happened to Fable. It’s a situation no mother, no parent, should be thrown into. Until that prophecy is fulfilled, they’re both unready queens.
The Unready Queen is a story of friendship, family, and bravery. It’s understanding why things needed to get done a certain way. If The Changeling is Tinn and Cole’s story, Fable’s is The Unready Queen.
WILLIAM RITTER is an Oregon educator and author of the New York Times bestselling Jackaby series. He is the proud father of the two bravest boys in the Wild Wood, and husband to the indomitable Queen of the Deep Dark.
Thank you to Algonquin Books & Algonquin Young Readers, and Netgalley for providing a copy of The Unready Queen for review.
I remember randomly choosing Talking As Fast As I Can by Lauren Graham alongside Anna Kenrick’s Scrappy Little Nobody when I was looking for audiobooks for my commute to work. Our restaurant was closed for a week and I got to work on a different branch which was a half-an-hour drive each way.
Talking As Fast As I Can is about how she got started on her career. From odd jobs, to side gigs, memorable auditions, and relationships formed on and off set.
Since I’ve never watched Parenthood, the parts that hit me hard were when she talked about her time in Gilmore Girls. I LOVE GILMORE GIRLS. I love Lorelai and Rory’s mother-and-daughter relationship that I hoped to have the same kind of relationship with my daughter, if and when I am blessed with one.
Closer to the end of the audio, she rounded off her book with her experience on Gilmore Girls: A Year In The Life. From the uncertainty of the mini movies, to finally filming, to reminiscing Edward Herrmann, to finally knowing what the four final words were. Her reading of her journal entries while filming added a touch of nostalgia as I was getting it from her point of view, in addition to my flashbacks of watching the Year In The Life when it came out.
Listening to Graham’s audiobook is akin to listening to Lorelai do a monologue. There are times where she slows down when she talks, but most of the time it’s her signature Lorelai speed and I enjoyed it very much.
A few weeks ago, as I was scrolling through my Goodreads profile, I noticed how dull my bookshelves were. All I could see were a number of “read-in-insert year here” in addition to the default shelves. So I decided to fix it. I deleted my yearly shelves and changed them to something more specific. Listed below are the three things I learned in doing so.
Goodreads do count the number of books and pages you read per year.
I found this out as I was randomly clicking links around my profile. As much as I wanted to get rid of my yearly shelves, a little part of me was a little hesitant especially since I made a point of reading a certain number of books per year. However, Goodreads do keep track of them in three different ways: through your Year In Review which they release close to the end of the year; through your reading challenge (if you ever so decide to participate); and through that little “Stat” link at the bottom right of your shelves section.
I’m not doing as bad as I thought.
About 2 years ago, around the same time I started getting into bookish podcasts, I made it a point to read outside my comfort zone. My comfort zone is Young Adult and it’s a genre I will constantly go back to. I didn’t include this on my shelves to force me to look into other aspects of my reading that I wanted to better keep track of. I’m still fixing my shelves to reflect if I’ve read works by women, BIPOC authors, and to reflect representation.
Fixing my shelves made me realize which books I want to read more of.
Having my shelves keep track of specific things made me realize what I need to read more of. I’ve always wanted to be well read person and I can’t do that if I don’t proactively seek out books which will better my well being and reading habits.
Deleting my yearly goodreads bookshelves have been a great idea. Knowing what I’m lacking in my reading will help me be a better reader and a better person. It will also allow me to be more conscious in choosing what to read next.
For today’s episode, I would like to share my thoughts on the first book on William Ritter’s The Oddmire series: Changeling. This is in anticipation for the release of book two entitled The Unready Queen.
I did not expect to like this as much as I did.
PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS EPISODE CONTAINS SPOILERS SO IF YOU WANT TO READ CHANGELING SPOILER-FREE THEN I SUGGEST YOU SKIP THIS EPISODE.
Make sure to tune in on June 25th for my review and thoughts about The Unready Queen.
Thank you to Algonquin Books & Algonquin Young Readers for providing a copy of The Oddmire: Changeling.
If you enjoyed listening to this episode, feel free to subscribe, rate and review on a podcast platform of your choice. You can also follow and message me through Instagram, or through the comments sections here in my blog.
When I first heard of Simon vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda, I didn’t know then that it would end up as one of my favourite books. Like I-would-read-it-over-and-over-again favourite. It’s one of those books where loosing sleep is a given, and yet you won’t care because your heart strings will be pulled in so many directions that you will be in such a high and low all in a span of 10 minutes.
Then came Love, Simon, the movie adaptation that, in my opinion, we needed at the time. I remember celebrities posting about it in their social medias praising the film for its message. I immediately bought the DVD when it came out, and I asked two of my friends to come with me to watch it in theatres.
Now, we’re a few weeks away from having the sequel we were promised. In Love, Victor we follow Victor as he navigates through life, high school, his life at home, all while discovering his sexual orientation. I think the main thing I love about what the trailer offered besides the cultural difference is the stereotype defiance. Victor is a skinny brown dude, who appears to be a jock, and is also possibly gay.
Here’s to hoping it meets whatever expectations the fans of Simon vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda (and Love, Simon) have for it.
Love, Victor will premiere on June 19 over on Hulu.
The Very Last Leaf by Stef Wade is an adorable book. We watch Lance Cottonwood pass his classes with flying colours: from wind resistance, photosynthesis to pigment changing. He’s easily the best in his class. However, during his final exams we find out there is one thing he worries about.
This is such a great book not just for little kids, but also for adults. It teaches us a few things:
We can only be ourselves. We not need to compare us to others as we all have our own unique traits that make us who we are.
We are all capable of different things.
We all are afraid or worried of something.
Hardwork pays off.
I think I read this book in just the right time. We’re all in quarantine: we’re advised to social distance; to not make any store trips unless absolutely necessary. And I think the one that this story touches the most: our kids are currently home from school. Lance’s teacher knew he could do it. His teacher understood the reason for his hesitation to complete his final exam and assures him that he’s worked hard for what he’s about to accomplish without forcing him to jump.
So this is for the students and the teachers out there. You guys rock!
For the past months, majority of the world’s population have adapted to what we currently call as the new normal as COVID-19 hits us hard. Here in Saskatoon, certain establishments have been closed for a while. Malls have been closed for weeks. Grocery stores functioning at maybe 50% capacity, going as far as having a person at the door controlling how many gets in. Restaurants only serving through drive-thru and delivery service. Our kids have been out of school since March, thus sending us in a little frenzy (just a little, I promise) of finding home school resources while we wait on the possibility of online learning (my oldest is in Kindergarten). Public playgrounds are closed. Extra curricular activities such as ballet, swimming, soccer, summer camps and story time at the public library are currently cancelled with some requiring refunds. We’ve been cooped up in the house, but we’re fortunate because we have a backyard big enough for the girls to run and get tired in. And also because our neighbours are pretty good with social distancing.
I’m worried. I’m not comfortable with already slowly reopening the city. I understand it will be good for the economy, but I hope they have a plan once the number of COVID-19 cases go up.
Listening
I feel as if I’ve been so behind the Billie Eilish train. Ive first heard of her through the Everything, Everything (Amazon|Indigo.ca) soundtrack which I’ve seen about a couple of years ago. And my kids have been so into Bad Guy since last year. It’s only now that I’ve actively searched for her songs in Youtube, and I’m slowly falling in love with Lovely (video above).
I’m also knee deep into watching TikTok video compilations of people professing their feelings by kissing their bestfriends. Most of these videos have PUBLIC’s Make You Mine and a co-worker was nice enough to google the title of this song for me after I told her I love this song. I can’t get enough of the acoustic version.
Reading
I’ve finally started the last instalment to Marissa Meyer’s Lunar Chronicles: Winter (Amazon|Indigo). I’m three chapters in and so far I’m enjoying it. My husband gave me the entire series for Christmas two years ago and I’m glad I’m finally getting around to finishing it.
I’ve started reading Flying Lessons and Other Stories (Amazon|Indigo) this week. Overdrive has this listed in their Asian Heritage Month list so I thought why not give it a try. I will let you know my thoughts on it once I’m done reading (or once I’ve decided the book isn’t for me).
To end this all off, I’ve finished The Hating Game (Amazon|Indigo) a few days ago. I recently joined an online book club our public library hosts and this was May’s book pick. Needless to say, I can’t put it down. The book had it’s own pros and cons but I will get to that in a different post. Overall, I enjoyed it a lot and it helped get my head off of the current pandemic situation in our city.
Hope you all are having a great time this Mother’s Day weekend. Happy Mother’s Day to my mom, my mother-in-law, sister-in law, to my mom friends and co-workers, and to all other moms out there.
Hi everyone! I hope you’re all doing well amidst this pandemic. In this week’s episode, I share with you the books I’ve read from the first quarter of the year.
If you enjoyed listening to this episode, feel free to subscribe, rate and review on a podcast platform of your choice. You can also follow and message me through Instagram, or through the comments sections here in my blog.
