Saturday 10 February 2018

January Wrap-Up

In no way, shape or form is this post late. Shush.

Hey guys!

So this week I'm doing my January Wrapup - a week late. I'm sorry, okay! We've covered that I'm bad at deadlines and I need to get back into the rhythm of writing posts. But it's here now.

My plans for the next few months aren't completely set in stone, but next week, I'm going to start a new series dedicated to explaining genres and giving a few examples of each one. I'm planning to start with magical realism - which I myself had trouble fully understanding for ages!

I'm also considering starting a series called 'Writer's Reviews'. This would be reviewing books and films with the goal of seeing what we as writers can take from it, whether that be through what the author did right or through what they did wrong. Would anyone be interested in that? I'm going to try one and see how it goes, see if it works alright as a format.

But that's my current plans for the blog, so hopefully I won't miss any more weeks. Sorry again!

But onto the Wrap-Up we go!

Music

I got massively into Ruelle this month. She's similar to AURORA who I recommended back in November. More creepy, atmospheric songs. I've been compiling some playlists that require that sort of song so I've been listening to her a lot. 

I also started listening to Jonathan Young who does a lot of rock/pop punk covers of different songs - I particularly like his Disney covers. He did an amazing cover of The Bells of Notre Dame from The Hunchback of Notre Dame with Caleb Hyles which I adore. 

My song recommendations for this month are:

Mr. Blue Sky by Electric Light Orchestra: So cheerful and upbeat! I love it. 
On My Way Home by Pentatonix - Another happy one that I love. It's great for family playlists.
Hustler by Zayde Wolf - Zayde Wolf is another one I've gotten really into this month and Hustler is one of my favourites. I don't even know why, I just love it. 

And my artist's recommendation for this month is: Jonathan Young.

His covers are amazing. Seriously, go listen to them. My favourites are The Bells of Notre Dame (The Hunchback of Notre Dame), The Trail We Blaze (The Road to El Dorado) and Peace Sign (Boku No Hero Academia).

Films

I watched IT this month! And it was great. I loved it. And I cried, but that's not a surprise to anyone who knows me - since I cry incredibly easily. 

My film recommendation for this month is:

 The Prince Of Egypt - This is an adaption of the first part of Exodus, for those who didn't know. It's the story of Moses. But it has stunning animation and amazing songs. My favourite is Deliver Us.

So prettyyyyy.


TV

I watched Brooklyn Nine-Nine this month. It's a comedy about police officers in Brooklyn, New York. It's actually hilarious. I love it. I also watched some of The Shannara Chronicles which is a fantasy series. Another good one, at least so far. 

I also watched some Power Rangers. Because I enjoy cheesy superhero shows, okay? Don't judge me. 

My TV recommendation for this month is: 

White Collar - This is an US show about a con-man who gets caught and makes a deal to help the FBI catch other white collar criminals. It's nowhere near as serious as it sounds. It's ridiculous and funny and Neal Caffrey and Peter Burke are my ultimate BrOTP. 

Neal is really very polite.

Writing

I reached 70000 words on Asteria! I mean, I'm still only just two-thirds of the way through my outline, but still! Achievement. I'm slightly concerned about how long this story is going to end up, but eh. It'll be fine. 

I've been working a lot on world-building for my different stories, particularly Asteria but also my Narafire epic fantasy series and The Memory Weaver - an alternate-historical fantasy set in Victorian Britain. 

The only post I wrote on my blog this month was - Ten Types of Writers.

But! I did guest-post over on Deborah Kelty's blog, writing about editing here.

Reading

This month I started Game of Thrones by G.R.R. Martin finally! I've also been reading a few books for my module. I've been reading Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift, The Country Wife and Arabian Nights' Entertainment. 

My recommendation for this month is:

The Smell of Other People's Houses by Bonnie-Sue Hitchcock - I love this book so much. It's set in Alaska in 1970. It follows four different characters living different stories right until they meet at the climax. It was such a fascinating read, particularly since I don't know much about life in Alaska. The writing is so amazing and lyrical. Really sensory as well, the author does an incredible job of describing scents and sounds and so on. Definitely a good one to pick up. 

And that's it for January!

I didn't get as much done as I wish I had, but I was ill for all of it, so I think I did okay. As I mentioned at the top, next week I'm going to be talking about magical realism, so look out for that. 

What did you read or watch during January? Let me know, down in the comments.

4 comments:

  1. Excellent film rec. My favorite from that one is the Plague Song (I think that's what it's called).

    I do the same thing on my blog as the 'Writer's Reviews'- I'm looking forward to see what someone else finds from books! I think it's a fun format :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I love The Plagues too. I think the music and the animation comes together stunningly for that whole scene in particular. That film as a whole is just gorgeous though. I just...I have a weakness for pretty things, okay?

      Oooh, cool! I've seen it on, I think, one other blog that I follow. Although I'm hoping to make it a little bit different, in how I format it and how I go about it.

      Thanks for commenting.

      Delete
  2. Ahhh so much awesomeness! I love Brooklyn 99 (it's so ridiculous but also so endearing?!) and that reminds me I should watch S2 of Night Collar! I don't know how I left it at that cliffhanger but somehow I did.😂And I loved The Smell of Other People's Houses too! (That book made me crave pie so bad omg.) Also congrats on hitting 70K!! THAT IS A GREAT ACHIEVEMENT AND I HOPE YOU GOT CAKE FOR THAT.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Brooklyn 99 is a gift, honestly. Season 2 is so good! I loved it.
      Thank you, yes I definitely got cake for that. Cake is always the answer.
      Thanks for commenting.

      Delete

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