Writing my Own Story

book 1

Sat, 10 Jan 2026 01:17:18 GMT

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.

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books 11 & 12

Sat, 10 Jan 2026 01:02:55 GMT

I think 2025 has the fewest books read in a very long time. I struggled with what to read a LOT. And just with wanting to read in general.

Elijah and I finished the Mistborn trilogy. ( Hero of Ages by Brandon Sanderson ) Overall I really liked this book and the trilogy as a whole. There were some bits at the end that didn't fully make sense, but there are more books, so maybe it's explained later? Although Elijah said there is a massive time jump, so who knows.

I impulse bought ( Until the World Falls Down by Jordan Lynde ) I couldn't help myself, I saw Labyrinth + Beauty and the Beast and it just fell into my cart. I did actually really enjoy the story. It had a new and creative take on both stories and wove them together wonderfully. There were absolutely some awkward writing bits, but overall I really liked this book. There is also a sequel in the works that I may try to find.

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Books 9 & 10

Sun, 19 Oct 2025 00:36:31 GMT

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.

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Book 8

Sun, 22 Jun 2025 19:30:21 GMT

I read ( Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins ) a few weeks ago because I want to read the new one. I had avoided reading this one because I have a very strong dislike for Snow and this is his back story. However I was told there are events in this book that are referenced in the new one, so I had to read it. The story was well written and overall was a good book in the series. But I hate Snow even more.

I have a hold on the new one from the library.

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Books 6&7

Fri, 16 May 2025 01:02:48 GMT

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.

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Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson

Wed, 05 Mar 2025 01:26:43 GMT

I finished the book over the weekend. It was an enjoyable read and had some twists that I didn't see coming. Definitely one of the better reads I've had in a while. Now I just have to wait to get the second book from the library. It was only available in ebook and had a wait of 20 weeks when I requested the hold. I'm now down to 12 weeks and am 6th in line.

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Book Dump

Sat, 15 Feb 2025 21:49:42 GMT

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.

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Sat, 15 Feb 2025 21:10:10 GMT

Listening to music and heard a song that NEEDED an icon. Or maybe I just needed an icon of it. Either way, I made one!

It comes from the song Wicked Women by The Hound + The Fox. They are an amazing folk duo that everyone should listen to. Here is the song referenced, for a taste.

Wicked Women by The Hound + The Fox have a link since dreamwidth won't let me embed the video.

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Icons!

Sun, 26 Jan 2025 22:48:38 GMT

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!

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Books 12-14

Mon, 23 Sep 2024 00:21:42 GMT

( American Queen by Sierra Simone ) This book had so many problems for me. The promise of Camelot, but no magic, just names pulled from the lore. The MMC is awful and his obsession with the FMC is 100% grooming. I *did* like the other male MC and the romance between him and the FMC was good. Overall, I did not like this book.

( Dead at First Sight by Christie Marquess ) I enjoyed this one, though it was a bit confusing on some parts. It was an easy read with good characters.

( Haunted River by JT Bishop ) I enjoyed this story. There were a few twists that I didn't fully see coming and the camaraderie between the main characters was good.

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Books 8 - 11

Tue, 13 Aug 2024 02:28:30 GMT

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.

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Icons!

Mon, 20 May 2024 00:08:19 GMT

I finally got PaintShop on my laptop! I had tried using GIMP, but it just feels so clunky and I don't like it. I still have to re-download all my fonts and brushes and things, but I have the program itself, so I made a few icons I had made before that came out a little off.

Amazing Devil lyric icons:

Tori Amos lyric icons:

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Book #7

Sun, 12 May 2024 23:48:22 GMT

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 )

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Wed, 01 May 2024 23:48:38 GMT

Wrote this the other day. It reads:

Desire surrounds us
In an ocean of fire.
Exploring a fevered embrace.

Delicious dream
Broken by morning.
The ghost of your voice
Haunts me.

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Book #6

Sun, 21 Apr 2024 00:59:28 GMT

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::

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Book #5

Sat, 06 Apr 2024 15:18:51 GMT

It's weird to still be in single digits this far into the year. Hopefully I can get back into things now that I seem to have broken my rut.

I finished Mockingjay a few days ago. I did not remember much of that movie at all. I really enjoyed the book. Overall I liked that it stayed true to the character's age. I felt the books definitely give a better feel for Katniss and what she's going through.

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Book #4

Sat, 23 Mar 2024 23:07:30 GMT

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.

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Book 3

Mon, 04 Mar 2024 03:20:08 GMT

I finally found a book that I enjoyed! I finished The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins on Thursday. I had been thinking about reading the series for a while and finally decided to see if I could get it from the library. They had it, but it was checked out, so I put a hold on it and was told it would be three weeks. I got notice it was available two days later. XD

I really enjoyed it. It is very similar to the movie, but Katniss' relationship with Gale is VERY different. I also felt like I understood things better having Katniss' thoughts on everything.

Now I'm just waiting for the next book to be available.

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Sun, 11 Feb 2024 23:11:03 GMT

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.

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Book #2

Sun, 21 Jan 2024 22:46:39 GMT

I finished another book! Unfortunately it wasn't that great.

( Cruel Kiss by JA Linde ) It wasn't terrible, but it just felt very underdeveloped story-wise. My favorite part was the MC mentioning getting back at an ex for cheating on her. She put glitter on all his ceiling fans in the middle of summer so when he came home and turned them on... lol.

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Book #1

Thu, 11 Jan 2024 04:12:11 GMT

I finally finished a book! I haven't completed a book since October. I may have started this in December, I can't remember for sure, but I finished it last week, so I'm counting it for January.

( A Deadly Web by Kay Hooper )

I enjoyed it, but I feel like the story itself is mentioned in other books, but I couldn't find any references to it in the other books of hers I have. I don't *think* I've read anything of hers that I didn't keep, but it's possible.

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Book Wrap Up

Mon, 01 Jan 2024 01:49:18 GMT

I've been absolute garbage at posting what I've read this year. I've also been in a bit of a book slump lately. Everything I've picked up since October just hasn't been appealing. So here's the rest of the books I read this year plus my graph for the year.

Another Damned Darling by Myka Bound
This added an interesting twist to the stack of Peter Pan retellings that are currently out.

Third Eye by Felicia Day
This was a fun audio book. Felicia narrates the main character and has other celebrity friends as the other characters. The story is fun and engaging, highly recommend if you enjoy audio books as this is dealt not available in print form.

Fall of Wrath and Ruin by Jennifer Armentrout
This was ok, I felt like I had read parts of it before. This is honestly happening a lot recently and I'm getting worried. I think I'm going to start taking better notes when I read so I can pinpoint the books that overlap.

( Graph )

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Book Dump

Sun, 01 Oct 2023 01:05:40 GMT

Because I've been terrible about updating, I'm just going to do another book dump.

( April )

( July )

( August )

( September )

A graph for the year so far:

Can you tell when I started seeing someone? XD

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Book Dump

Mon, 03 Apr 2023 22:58:49 GMT

Since I haven't updated since October, I'm just going to dump everything here. I read close to 100 books in 2022. 0.0

( October )

( November )

( December )

So far in 2023, I've read 14 books.

( January )

( February )

( March )

Currently I'm trying to read Diary of an Oxygen Thief by Anonymous. So far it's terrible. I may just DNF it and move on.

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Sun, 22 Jan 2023 23:20:31 GMT

Did another prompt! This one was just a quick little story. More of a scene than a full story.

The prompt:
A witch cursed your name to be hated for all of eternity. So of course, the first thing you do is willingly give it to a fae.

My Story:
Days after being cursed by a witch for your trickery, you happen upon a powerful Fae. You ask the fae for a favor, something grand, but not too extravagant as to make them question the favor.

They narrow their eyes at you, taking you in. "And what shall you give me in return?"

You pause for dramatic effect, as if contemplating. "Oh, I don't know. I don't really have much."

You see a glint in the Fae's eye, their lips parting in a fiendish grin. "Your name then, it's such a small thing."

You close your eyes, silently calming your glee. "I don't know, my mother gave it to me, it's all I have left of her."

You suppose that's true, you never actually knew your mother. You watch the fae's reaction to this new information. Their pupils dilate, and you swear their nostrils flare just the tiniest bit. You fight back a laugh, covering your mouth as you clear your throat.

"I shall ensure my gift to you will last as long as you live. All you need to do is give me your name." You can hear the excitement in their voice.

You take a deep breath and let it out in a great burst as if in defeat, "Alright. It's a deal."

"Wonderful." The fae's eyes are nearly black and their face all teeth as they lean toward you, "Now, what is your name?"

"Um, my gift? Don't I get my gift first? And no harm to come to me by you after we finish the trade." You raise an eyebrow at the creature before you.

"Right, right. It is done," they waive their hand impatiently. "Once the deal is done no harm shall come to you from me. Now. Your. Name."

You quickly state your name and turn and flee, shouting over your shoulder, "No backsies! The deal is done!" Cackling, you run as far as you can, assuming a new name with the gifts given you by the fae.

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