Currently [Vol. 24]

We are just about 11/12 through 2018! Which means that it’s time for another Currently post. I didn’t do one last month because I was sick at the end of October, so there’s lots to cover in this one. That being said, let’s get to it.

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Currently, I’m …

feeling … happy about my life at the moment but impatient with my surgery healing – At Thanksgiving last week, I felt like I could go on and on about what in my life I was thankful for (and I will get to that in a bit). It’s just so hard to believe that this is my life, that things have actually worked out by and large. Even if it is taking forever for my ankle to heal. My surgeon actually told me that given the type of surgery and my other health problems, I’m healing on track and not slowly, to which I wanted to say, “Let’s see how you like it to get two 4″ screws put in your foot and also get a bone graft during the same surgery.” It has been 8 months as of yesterday and I’m not even able to wear shoes that aren’t sneakers yet, so I’ve still got a while to go.

All about my ankle surgery

reading … Hamlet; Bluebird, Bluebird; I’d Rather Be Reading; The Witch of Willow Hall; Crime and Punishment; and Children of Blood and Bone – I FINALLY read Hamlet! I never read it in high school because we did Julius Caesar in 11th grade instead, and it felt like I was a failure of an Early Modern scholar, so I finally read it. I really enjoyed it! And it was the first Early Modern play I’ve read since I left grad school, and I enjoyed reading it for fun. I definitely don’t consider it Shakespeare’s best play ever, like many do, but I agree that it’s a good one. Also, no one told me that Hamlet got captured by pirates? There’s so many happening in this play that no one talks about the main character GETTING CAPTURED BY PIRATES! I also listened to Bluebird, Bluebird on Audible, and it was sooo good. It’s about a suspended black Texas Ranger who goes to investigate some shady deaths in eastern Texas, which definitely appear to be racially motivated. I don’t want to give a way much more than that, but I will say that if you don’t want to read about potential hate crimes in modern America, don’t read this book. I also finally got around to reading I’d Rather Be Reading by the one and only Modern Mrs. Darcy, who is my favorite book blogger. This is a collection of essays about the reading life, and it felt like talking to a good friend about books. I highly recommend it.

Backing it up a bit, in October, I read The Witch of Willow Hall. (FYI, I received an ARC of this, but I always share my honest opinion.) It’s set in 19th century New England, and a family rocked by scandal leaves Boston for the New England countryside. It features a ghost or two, drama, love, and, of course, a witch. I really loved it! But let’s to turn to one I didn’t love: Crime and Punishment. This Russian classic features a young man who dreams of committing a murder and then unravels after actually committing it. I tried sticking it out, but I just couldn’t do it. The problem is that his criminal action is tied to his mental (and physical) instability and as a disabled person, I just couldn’t do it. I didn’t have to read it for school, so nothing meant that I had to keep reading, so I stopped.

But let’s finish this with a good one: over the Thanksgiving weekend, I finished Children of Blood and Bone and I adored it. There were some parts that lagged around 2/3 of the way in, but it picked WAY back up. I probably won’t pre-order the sequel, but I’ll definitely be reading it, and I’m going to be real mad if the movie doesn’t do it justice.

Follow my reading Instagram – aka bookstagram – Readers of Boston 

2018 Recent Reads: July-September

hoping … that the holiday season is stress-free and enjoyable, that my ankle is nice to me, and that I get through Christmas with limited health problems – I’m very excited for Christmas and the holiday season overall, but I would be lying if I said that I’m not worried about it. My infusion is running out, which means that the next 6 weeks could be difficult until my next one kicks in. So I hope that I get to enjoy this holiday season with limited health problems, including limited ankle problems. My ankle is healing slowly but surely, so it could give me zero problems this holiday season or it could give me tons of problems. We’ll see!

watching … Bones, Victoria, Outlander, and The Sopranos – I watched all of Bones for about the fourth time, which was enjoyable, but then I was left wondering what to watch next! I went with The Sopranos, but after the first season I’ve struggled to get back into it, so I turned to Victoria, the show about Queen Victoria. I might go back to The Sopranos later, but the second season wasn’t clicking for me. And I’ve also been watching Outlander! It came back at the beginning of November and I’m loving it. Especially because the Outlander book this season is based (Drums of Autumn) on is my favorite.

Why you should read and watch Outlander

looking forward to … Christmas-related things, Christmas itself, my infusion after Christmas, and my friend’s wedding in January – I’m very fortunate in that I have so many exciting things coming up. This weekend, I’m decorating my Christmas tree. Next weekend, I’m going to NYC to do Christmas things. A few weeks later, it’s Christmas itself. Then, two days after Christmas, I’m getting my infusion. My last infusion is just about out of my system, and I’m already looking forward to my next one, even if I have to wait a week longer than normal. (The other option was getting in a few days before Christmas and let me tell you, that was one of my worst life choices ever.) And finally, at the beginning of January, I’m going to North Carolina for my friend’s wedding. So many things to look forward to!

This picture is from last Christmas, when we got Harley a few days after Christmas:

listening to … Christmas music, my M3 playlist, the new Little Mix album, and my Working playlist – I started listening to Christmas music the Friday before Thanksgiving and it was an excellent choice. I’ve also been listening to the new Little Mix album, which is awesome, and my 2 favorite playlists: M3 (the playlist for my third novel, which I’ve nicknamed M3 until I have a title) and my Working playlist, which has over 11 hours of music.

thankful for … my job, my family, my friends, this corner of the Internet, and my medical team – I just can’t get over how amazing things have turned out to be in my life. Yes, my health is still not what I want it to be, but I have the job perfect for my skillset and I’m blessed with my family and friends. And I have a little corner of the Internet that’s all my own filled with the best people out there (that’s you guys). And I have an absolutely fantastic medical team.

wearing … my favorite new maroon sweater and my favorite highlighter palette – I wear very similar things, so I decided to highlight some of my current favorites. 1) I signed up for Trunk Club (more on that in a different post) and my stylist sent me this awesome maroon sweater. As a very pale person, dark colors look v good on me, and this sweater is sooo comfortable. 2) A few months ago, I bought this highlighter palette from ColourPop and it is AMAZING. It has 6 shades, they’re so smooth, and they’re beautiful.

What have you been up to?

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All currently posts, Fun Things To Do in Boston: A Three-Day Guide, My Workwear, 20+ Dystopian, Science Fiction, and Fantasy Books To Escape With