I usually start these posts by just jumping right into what I have read, but it wouldn’t sit right with me to do that amidst everything that’s happening. If you follow me on Twitter, the social media platform I’m probably most active on, I hope I’ve made it clear and obvious where I stand. I stand with Black Lives Matter and all intersecting identities and I beg of you to educate yourself and support Black people during this time. We are now entering Pride month, which obviously also deserves attention, but you can do both! You can show up for the LGBTQ+ community as well as people of colour!
Also, please, don’t add to the exhaustion and pain by demanding more emotional labour from them, but instead look up resources yourself. Staying silent in the face of oppression is complicity. There are so many links and threads all over the internet for you to get information from. Click here for ways to help right now and here for tips on allyship! (This is by no means all there is out there, but it’s a start.)
No one can do everything, but everyone can do something!
Having said all that, I’m now not so smoothly transitioning to the books I read. It wasn’t the most productive month in terms of reading, but my mind was really occupied with other things. For the first time since June 2017, I’ve actually reviewed an ARC though, so I don’t know if you want to count that as a win or not?
- Lore Olympus (Season 1) by Rachel Smythe (5 stars)
Lore Olympus is a web comic about the story of Hades and Persephone. It’s stylish, modern and drama-filled, but also cute. I loved it! You can check it out here. - Again Again by E. Lockhart (3.5 stars)
- Normal People by Sally Rooney (4 stars)
As per usual, click on the covers to get re-directed to Goodreads, where you are always welcome to add me as a reading buddy! My own reviews you’re able to find by clicking on the titles in the list above.
I’m not going to lie to you, May was a tough month. I felt like there was blowback after blowback on a personal as well as global level. My country is actually reopening pretty much everything mid-June though and I’d like to think we are ready for that step. Still, I feel like this year will stay with a lot of people and no one will be able to escape it unscathed entirely.
Wow, I’ve rarely sounded this glum, but I’ve tried to stay as busy as possible, just finding activities for myself to do since I didn’t have a job to bury myself in. Like the month before, I’ve continued writing my Football WIP and am currently at 21.5K words. It’s not exactly double what I had last month, but’s progress and I’m very proud of it.
I actually did a thread of aesthetics for all my characters, even the ones that hadn’t been mentioned at the time. You can check it out here:
And then, on top of that, I also started drawing my own characters from the Football WIP. Some looked better than others, but I’m generally really pleased. It’s only three so far, but I think I’m going to continue with the rest of the Football team and other side characters.
I did some more drawings of various actors and actresses. You can check them out on my instagram account here. I am not too happy with the quality of the photos I take sometimes, as the colors often look washed out and less vibrant or clear than in real life, but I’m learning and maybe going to share close ups or random shots of my notebooks in the future, instead of a head on photo.
MY FAVOURITE THINGS
I’ve unfortunately not been as active as I would have liked to be on everyone else’s blog. If you are up for it, feel free to share one of your own posts that you consider one of your faves from this past month in the comments below! I’d love to check it out!! But here are a couple I liked:
- The Orang-utan Librarian wondered if reviews can truly be unbiased (spoiler alert: no)
- Marie @Drizzle and Hurricane Books is one of my oldest blogging buddies and she took a look at how much this community and platform of book blogging as changed in the past 5 years. (Yep, we are blogosauruses over here)
- Lois @My Midnight Musings talked about SciFi and Fantasy books she would like to see adapted to the small and big screen and I couldn’t agree more with … ALL of it!!!
- Trang @Bookidote clarified what it is a blogger actually does and how much work goes into it.
MY OTHER POSTS
VARIOUS POSTS AND TAGS
TV SHOW/MOVIE RELATED
- Normal People: Book vs. TV Show
- What I’ve Been (Binge-)Watching #32
- What I’ve Been (Binge-)Watching #33
TRAILER POSTS
I hope you are all taking care of yourselves and allow yourselves to take a step back when things become too overwhelming! Whatever June will be (let’s hope it’s good), we’re going to get through it!
May was a ruff month for sure. So many things happening in the world right now. I’m so happy you got to read Lore Olympus tho!! That comic has been a ray of sunshine as of late! I love hades and persephone so much! Great wrap up 🙂
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I was so foolish as to consume quite a lot of sad media, so that didn’t help, but as you said, Lore of Olympus was really a ray of sunshine in all of it ❤ such great art and storytelling and characters and just all around joy!
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You know, I’ve been trying to think of a way to do the story of Persephone and Hades from my genre, but I haven’t been able to come up with anything. Think that Lore Olympus would be up my alley?
Also, congratulations on making progress on your Football WIP. I hope you make further progress this month. Stay safe!
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Hmm .. I don’t know, it’s hard to tell. Sometimes you like the same stuff as me, sometimes you don’t. Lore Olympus is definitely a light-hearted approach to the topic, but it’s free, so you can just check out the first episode and see how you like it.
Stay safe as well!
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Will do.
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First of all, I continue to love your artwork! And I also love how you keep at it and continue to get better every time!!!! 😛
And yes, it is indeed such a dark time since the incident in Minneapolis (if we exclude the whole covid business). I hope this opens the eyes for some and doesn’t actually aggravate differences and heat more hate unnecessarily.
I think reviewing an ARC is a HUGE win. 😉 As long as you’re reading for yourself and for the mere pleasure of it! Hope June is kind with you, Kat! 😀
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Thanks so much, Lashaan! I never had as much time as I do now to work on my art, so that definitely helps.
The Minneapolis incident was really just the last straw that broke the camel’s back. It’s terrible how long this has been going on and with Covid, things were escalating already. It’s tough when people just don’t care about others, how are we supposed to make them realise that they should?
I really didn’t expect to get any ARCs and it wasn’t a physical one (that still hasn’t happened to this day), but I was really happy! I have read so many books by Lockhart, so I felt I actually knew her style and had something to say about this new project.
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Those drawings are so lovely, wow!
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Thank you, I’m always working to get better!
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I definitely need to check out Lore Olympus!
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It’s great AND free!
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Love your drawings! It’s nice to really actualize your imagination when writing 😉 Glad you liked Normal People, have you watched the TV show yet? I’m in the middle of it and really liking it so far.
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Thank you and yes, if you look at my review for Normal People, it’s a comparison of the book and TV show. 🙂 I enjoyed both a lot.
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“No one can do everything, but everyone can do something!” – could not have said it better.
Finishing an ARC is a definite win in my book!
You know I love anything and everything related to your Football WIP. Those aesthetics and character sketches are to die for and make my precious darlings feel all the more real.
Thank you so much for sharing my post. 💕
Here’s hoping June will have some brighter memories for the world.
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I wish those were my own words, but I’m pretty sure someone on Twitter said them first. They still ring very true though!
Thank you for always being such a supportive friend in everything I do, I appreciate it so much! ❤
We can always hope for June haha I just wouldn't even be surprised if aliens emerged from the sea Pacific Rim style or something.
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May was really strange, I feel like all time perception has escaped me! I’m sorry to hear that it has been a tough month for you, I’m also quite worried about so much reopening going on, as already people are being careless again 😅 I’m happy to see you working so much on your new WIP though, good luck with that! Your aesthetics and arts look amazing!! 🥰
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Since I live in Vienna, I am in Austria’s city with the most cases. It’s strange, but I think most people don’t care for the measures at this point anymore. My mum always says I’ve become strange and don’t know how to interact with people anymore, just because I try to follow the rules outside haha
Thanks for all your encouragement! ❤
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May was nothing like anything I’ve experienced before. I love the advice you give here.
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I sure don’t know all the answers and am still listening and learning as much as I can, but I thought this was something I had to share 🙂 thank you!
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You’re so right that everyone can do something. ❤
I'm so happy and proud of your writing progress in the past month and I hope that inspiration will be there this June because I can't WAIT to continue this story. Your aesthetics are on point and I am very much in LOVE with this Ivy drawing, it's perfection. ❤ ❤
Thank you for sharing my post, Kat. Wow we really are dinosaurs haha.
I hope June will be kind to you ❤
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Awe, thank you so much Marie!!! It really meant a lot to me that you talked through the story with me a bit. Hearing your take on it was important to me and I am glad you enjoyed it so much ❤ the next chapter is taking shape in my brain, I'll hopefully get to it soon!
I hope June will be kind to you as well and that you take care of yourself ❤
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I really want to read Lore Olympus! I have heard nothing but great things about it. Hopefully I’ll be able to read it soon! 😀 May was a tough month for a lot of people. Hopefully June will be better for all of us! 🙂 Your art is always sooo pretty! ❤
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Lore Olympus is one of my favourite online graphic novels (I say like I read a lot of them, but I really adore the art style and the storytelling).
Thanks so much for everything, Anna! ❤ Hope June treats you well
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Once again, I LOVE your art!! And thank you for sharing my post!! ❤
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thank you, thank you, thank you ❤
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you’re welcome ❤
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