Hey everyone!!
Guess what I’m going to say? Wow, how can it be that it is the end of August (aka. the end of summer) already!? And it’s almost September!? And, there are only four more months in 2018?*
*This also means that I have 4 more months to reach my Goodreads goal. Gulp. More on that.
Overall, it has been a crazy, hectic but fun-filled month. What did I actually do? Let me sit down and think on that a bit lol 🙂
Reading
I read 4 books, which I am proud of since it was really all I could manage this month. (How did I used to read 6+ books a month? How!?) I am giving myself a pat on the back that I read books from diverse genres (YA contemporary, fantasy, and yes, even historical fiction.) I am also glad to have enjoyed the books that I’ve read overall. All in all, this was a great reading month!
Night of Cake & Puppets was a super cute novella about the beginning of Zuzana and Mik’s relationship! I loved that it was light-hearted, funny and so easy to read. It helped me out of my reading slump and also sparked my interest in finishing the rest of the Daughter of Smoke & Bone series. Check out my review here.
I wasn’t planning on reading Dreams of Gods & Monsters, but after Cake & Puppets, how could I not? I fell back in love with Karou and Akiva’s story and the breathtaking world in this book. The plot twists took me completely by surprise, and I couldn’t be more satisfied with the ending. Check out my review here.
Anna and the French Kiss was the fun and light summer romance that I needed! I loved reading about Anna and her crew of friends (including her love interest) who were entertaining and relatable. The story was a bit predictable and cheesy, but I was addicted and couldn’t wait to read what happens next.
Among the Red Stars was outside of my usual bookish comfort zone so I was excited but a bit nervous starting it. This book is about a group of female bomber pilots in Russia during World War II. I loved the main characters. I was also impressed by the depth of research and glad to learn about this slice of history that I didn’t know much about before. And wow, those last 50 pages!
September Goals:
This upcoming month will be a bit calmer for me work-wise, so I am hoping that I will be able to make more time to read. I am also quite behind on my Goodreads goal:
It seems like I have to read 6-7 books a month to meet my 2018 goal… Yikes! I will keep this goal for one month, see how it goes and I might end up revising my goal to be more realistic.
I will put 4 books on my September TBR for now and play it by ear!
I wanted to choose books from a variety of genres (fantasy, contemporary, mystery/thriller and classic). I just started reading Six of Crows and already can’t put it down! I’ve been wanting to read another Morgan Matson book for a while, and The Unexpected Everything just might be what I need. And since I’ve been told that mystery/thriller is my genre (for writing), I figure that I should read The Kind Worth Killing which I’ve heard is a gripping book. I am excited to read Flowers for Algernon as well.
Writing
My goal for August was 17.5K words, and to be honest for a moment there I thought I couldn’t do it: It was crazy busy the first 10 days of the month, and the most I’ve written was 380 words a day. However I had a bit more time the last few weeks to catch up! Right now I am at 17K words, but I think I can make it since there are two more days left in August 🙂
As you can see, my writing is pretty erratic. On some days I write nothing (literally zero words), on the average day I write about 500 words, and on a few blessed days when I have time and inspiration, the count skyrockets to 1000-2000 words.
September Goals:
With this upcoming month being less crazy than July/August, and now that I am ~75% through my WIP, I am going to set an ambitious goal:
Finish Shapeshifter, however many words it takes. (Gulp.)
And also, thanks to everyone’s suggestions: Back up my current and past writing projects. LOL 🙂
Blogging
I was able to get back into my blog-hopping groove this month (yay!) Here are some posts that I enjoyed this month:
Beth @ Reading Every Night shares about her travels to Dubai and Mauritius! Warning: Lots of amazing pictures that will make you wish that you’re there right now!
Sieran Lane @ Wild and Stormy Mind discusses how elite or even world-class performance in a discipline may come about. Is it about talent or practice? Nature or nurture? Something in between? More importantly, how do our beliefs about outstanding achievement affect our attitudes and behavior?
Dominique @ 3C Style shares her take on the 7-day Black & White Photo Challenge. Her photos are beautiful (and will make you absolutely want to go to the beach!)
Haidan @ Haidan Writes shares her unique interpretation of the 7-day Black & White Photo Challenge, which made me appreciate the simple things in life.
Stefanie Crafts with Wool Paper Fabric is another fellow nominee for the 7-day Black & White Photo. Check out this photo which hints at one of her current craft projects!
Me & Ink tells us about the 10 things that books have taught her. I can’t agree more that I’ve learned so many things from reading!
Katie @ Never Not Reading discusses the things that she wants to see more in YA, which takes the words right out of my mouth!
Marie @ Drizzle & Hurricane Books talks about old books and why they are so awesome. (Can you tell yet that I love old books?!)
September Goals:
Keep it up with the blogging and blog-hopping.
Life
GUYS. So I’ve been working on this work-related project on-and-off for three years which sucked up a LOT of my time outside of work. And I am finally kind of done. WHAT? What is life about any more? (No worries I am okay, just really really happy.)
On a less nerdy note, I went back to Toronto to visit my family and friends! Because it was just a weekend trip, it was crazy hectic but I had lots of fun. I got a chance to attend a friend’s wedding and spend time with some of the important people in my life. Sorry, not too many photos to share here (I was too busy socializing!)
Oh yeah, and I made a dress from a thrift-store jacket (before & after photos below*). Check out this post here for more details 🙂
*And yes, that is the same person in the two photos! Amazing what a good camera & outfit can do lol :’)
September Goals:
Plan my wedding. Yup… there is a wedding. I completely forgive you if you have forgotten, because at one point I did too, LOL :’)
More sewing!? I bought a dress form and I’ve been anxiously sitting at the edge of my seat waiting for it to arrive!! Keep on the lookout for more DIY projects coming up 🙂
SOPHIE LI 
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