Writing my Own Story

Technically I started this mid-late December, but I'm going to use it for 2026.

Elijah bought me ( Its Not a Cult by Joey Batey ) for my birthday. A *signed copy* all the way from the UK because it isn't available here in the US. As in, the US isn't publishing it at all. I was busy trying to convince myself I didn't need it (it's only available in hardcover at the moment, so pricey, PLUS the shipping, PLUS coming from overseas) and he got it for me. <3 I am enjoying it so far, though it took a bit to get into, the writing style isn't one I'm used to and the characters take a bit to get used to. But it's progressed into the wtf of the story so it's flowing better for me now.

I finally got my hands on a copy of ( Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins ) I enjoyed this infinitely more than the last one (and still managed to hate Snow even more). It was heartbreaking and was the story Haymitch deserved. I also enjoyed the epilogue that wrapped everything together.

I am almost finished with ( The Well of Ascension by Brandon Sanderson ) Just as many twists as the first book in the series. I've been reading this with Elijah and it has been fun to read and discuss with him as we go.

While staying at my mom's I read two books.

( The Edge of Normal by Carla Norton ) I was not fully prepared for the content of this book (my fault for not reading the description beforehand), but I thought it was well done in the sense that the horrors of what happened to the girls was fully felt without going into minute detail and glorifying abuse against women.

( Chasing Shadows by Karen Harper ) This one felt a little unfocused at times. I'm not sure the story was successfully completed? I'm not really sure what happened at the end. The very end of the book sets up for book 2, which I will not be reading due to the content.

I completely fell off the wagon on this one. I thought I was updating, but I haven't posted anything in months. So here is the end of 2024 and what I have been reading. I really need to make myself a schedule or something. ::sigh::

The last books I read in 2024:

Gambit Classic, Vol 1 (after seeing Gambit in Deadpool & Wolverine, I decided I needed more. Was not disappointed, will be reading more)
A Witch's Guide to Fake Dating a Demon by Sarah Hawley (this was a fun fake dating trope)
Merlin by Zoey Indiana (this was a book 2 in a series that I started a few years ago, the series has been abandoned by the author, there were supposed to be 3 or 4 books)

And what I've been reading in 2025:

Mercy of the Vampire King by Rhiannon Futch (this was a good read, strong female character)
Not your Average Beauty by Michelle Helliwell (I loved this take on the classic beauty and the beast story)
Of Cinder and Bone by Kyoko M (they created a dragon! what more do you need to know?)
Good Girl by Anna Fitzpatrick (this was ok, it was an introspective story which isn't usually my thing. I thought it was humor going in and parts *are* funny, but its about a 25 year old trying to get her shit together)

I started Midas Legacy by Andy McDermott a while back, but it took I turn I didn't like/wasn't in the mood for at the time and I'm not a big fan of the FMC, so I've put it down. Not sure if I'll go back to it or not. The story was interesting, scientists/adventurers found the city of Atlantis in the ocean.

I am currently reading Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson and enjoying it.

I've been struggling to feel inspired/creative for quite a while. Nothing has really been grabbing my attention. But today I felt like playing around with some icons I had tried to make before from song lyrics. I'm pretty happy with how they turned out.



They're both inspired by song lyrics from The Amazing Devil.

"If you ask me for my fire, just watch me, just watch me, just watch me burn" ~Secret Worlds
"Cos she is so much more than all her scars" ~Inkpot Gods

Concrit always welcome!

As per usual, I haven't been properly updating my books, so here's what I've read recently. I haven't been reading as much lately. Struggling to find anything good and struggling to find the desire to read.

( Two Little Girls in Blue by Mary Higgins Clark ) This was your typical MHC story. There were a few twists I didn't see coming and overall it was an okay read. I'm starting to not enjoy books that have children being hurt. Not that I every really *enjoyed* them, but I'm at a point where I would rather not read them at all.

( Cold Fire by Dean Koontz ) Again, your typical Koontz story, though this one didn't have a golden retriever. This one also felt off with several things. The romance made zero sense, the characters had no chemistry. And the reveal of what was happening felt... wrong. I'm not sure how to explain without spoilers. Maybe it's because it was written/published in the 90s. I don't know, but I didn't really like this book.

( Batman: Damned by Brian Azzarello ) This I actually enjoyed. It veers a bit from the Batman storylines I've read before, but still holds the spirit. The biggest difference here is that it's narrated by Constantine. Their interactions are actually pretty minimal, but seeing Bruce through John's eyes was interesting. They did play with Batman's origins and I was not a fan of that, but overall I enjoyed the story.

( Constantine: Distorted Illusions by Kami Garcia ) Saw this at the store and found it at the library rather than pay $17 for it. It's not terrible, but it isn't Constantine. It's more love story than magic and they completely changed John's back story. It was a fun story, but not at all part of the Constantine story.

I felt a little lost reading this at first because it's book 2 in the series. I thought I had checked and saw it was book 1, but after finishing it, I learned it wasn't. Still a good story and interesting characters. There are several more books I might try to find at the library.

( Darkness Calls by Marjorie M. Liu )

I just finished ( Gone by Lisa Gardener ) on Thursday. It didn't end the way I thought it would, so that was nice. It was full of twists which kept it interesting. Overall I enjoyed it. I had read another book by this author that is apparently the book before this in the series. But they're only connected in that the main group of characters is in each book, the story itself is different for each book. I read the other one several years ago and didn't remember it at all. When I looked up my review I remembered disliking one of the characters, but I didn't mind him in this book so either he was better or I liked him more. ::shrug::

I finally started Catching Fire yesterday.

My library never got the paperback copy in, so I cancelled my hold. I found it on Hoopla and am reading the ebook version. I don't remember much from the movie outside of the Games, but it feels more violent and I haven't even gotten to the Games yet. I'm enjoying it so far.

I DNF'd two more books. I'm just struggling to find something that will hold my attention.

I *did* read a large fanfic that was really well done and held my attention for the entirety of the story. So there's that. It's Manacled by senlinyu if anyone is interested. It's a Harry Potter fic with elements of the Handmaid's Tale.