Hello kind reader,

I am very late and I am terribly sorry about it. Just so you know, I made sure that the door of the café is shut tight. The wind and rain stay out of here.

An Autumny Walk For The Change Of Pace

I have a few minutes to spare before I continue my journey through this small town. May your beverage provide you with enough warmth as we proceed with this month’s blog:

An Honest Update On The Life Front of Things

Christmas Season is fully spreading in the bookshop and the days are getting more hectic as I am writing this. Honestly, I don’t know if I can make it in time to update in December because the stress, which is immensely pressing in now, is no comparison to the actual storm which is yet to come.

Due to that, I feel like a criminal, trying to pry out a bit of reassurance that I am actually good in what I am doing and not just faking it. However, it is only moments like these when I doubt my own abilities, my own lived and learned experience of being in this occupation for a bit now. But under stress, most of my emotions are just raw, bleeding and sore wounds, not really knowing how to close up or become subtle.

Other than work — I visited my parents before parting with November’s sibling, October. It was a quite short stay but a nice way to see each other before I will visit them by the end of the year again. At some point, it is weird for me to not visit them at least once a month, the way I did when I was still crammed between desk and bed for university. However, it is also a bit nicer and a little bit quieter because seeing them became a bit more significant as I get to see them less. I don’t know, a smart soul once said that things and people get more important to us the less we see them. It is not a statement which I fully agree with but I also won’t totally disagree. In my opinion, everything has its own significance and some things are only enjoyable the less you’re subjected to it while of others, it is less of a drainage to your social battery.

Anyway, this got a bit lengthy but yes, in short — life is still quite a lot but it is manageable. At least, I hope it is. Because at this point, I don’t know entirely if it is still true.

News From The Writer’s Front

To the end of October, I typed some bits and pieces on TWaTST. However, I could not show up to these characters because when I try to listen to them, they just assure me — There is too much anger lingering in my bones. And it is okay to let them exist in a bit of stillness as I entangle myself in a different project which helps me vent in one way and also manoeuvre my anger into a good, productive direction. This secret project is wild, it has teeth and it will bite any hand which comes close to it. And honestly, I understand that. And this is in too many directions. However, I have to tap into myself more now, understand that anger is okay but to let take control over me is not.

It’s somewhat funny. For once I am not going to speak in lengths what it is about, who the characters are and what this story is. Not until I can certainly verify that my little creature is turning into a living thing and nothing to add to phantoms I might accidentally abandon until my mood swings back to it. For now it is mine and mostly mine alone.

So yeah. I hope to get back to TWaTST too and to post about those chaotic beans again once I finally round up the first draft. But until the path leads me there, it is still quite a bit of time.

Anticipated and Ravished Reads

My mind is in a whirl of what it wants, what it needs and that entirely sends my reading mood in a bit of a spiral. It doesn’t mean that I did not get to eat up a few stories but most of them are books I have started or I am not entirely through.

Sunshine Court by Nora Sakavic

I had finished King’s Men in October and went right away to Sunshine Court. For me, it is difficult to part of this world. It scratched its way into my soul and I know that it will stay there.

Forever’s Gonna Start Tonight by Clara Blais

My hopes are to finish it Blais‘ book at the beginning of this coming year. The story is beautiful, holding you close as pieces of your broken soul gets mended and I’m optimistic that I will find myself curled up on my bed again to the end of the month. It just calls for chilly and cosy evenings.

The Resurrectionist by E. B. Hudspeth

It is rare that I finish a book in one sitting but this fictional biography had me enthralled in its somewhat macabre but mostly fascinating way. Dr. Spencer Black is a person who I cannot describe. However, he is a very interesting character as you watch how his passion gets slowly but surely the better of him.

Love Immortal by Kit Vincent (e-book ARC via Netgalley)

I know that I will rework my current review at some point to write it more coherently. However, it is such a fantastic book for someone like me who is not only a bit obsessed with literature but also has a fascination for the supernatural. Jonathan and Dacian are super interesting characters who just keep you on your toes. I seriously want a physical copy to not only mark up all the books Dacian quotes but also for the beautiful quotes you find here and there. (I started to reread it)

Dracula by Bram Stoker

Although I had taken quite the break of it, I continue reading about Jonathan and the count. Might be a bit influenced by the book above, might also be because I am a bit on a vampiric roll as I’m typing this.

Odd Spirits by S. T. Gibson (audiobook arc)

Joe Hempel has a very pleasant voice and listening to this narrator presenting such ab incredible book, made the entire thing a delightful piece for in between.

This is also my first time reading something by Gibson and I enjoyed it a lot. I can see myself reading a bit more of her writing.

Masters of Death – Olivie Blake

As a creature who enjoys longing, I found myself back with Fox and Brandt and how there is pain of a former love, pining for a hopeful (even possibly doomed?) new attempt at this and the air filled with “What if?”

Longing is something which is not entirely unfamiliar to me and so far, the agony peaking out between the almost comedic situations just makes my heart ache at least as much as the main characters.

When Mimi Went Missing by Suja Sukumar (audiobook arc from Netgalley)

I have trouble finding specific songs which titles I have forgotten and cannot seem to click at in the right second before my mood flips over again for something else. Therefore I am more than happy to be sinking into this little audiobook, especially on my way to work or back. It is mysterious in the tight corners and it’s been a bit since I’ve placed my hands on a mystery/thriller.

Cinematic and other Media Influence

Second Season of ARCANE

I don’t play League. But I do enjoy this series so freaking much because the people working on this got storytelling and presenting character arcs and changes down in an incredible beautiful way. My heart was wretched when I saw how some characters turned out to become a marionette in a bitter game while others became more and more likeable. It was a wonderful experience and I look forward to what the creators bring to the table next.

Oh? I suppose the cups are empty and the people are leaving slowly. Hopefully, I get to see you again next month. Stay safe and see you soon.

With love,

Skylar