Breinthewild

Mug lore: This mug is one of a trio gifted to me this past Christmas. Several years ago when I was a broke college student, I had exactly two mugs, both from World Market: one with a black flower mosaic and one with pink swirled marble similar to the picture above. The mugs, along with plenty of tea, brought me through many a late-night essay session. Last year while I was moving, the pink one cracked down the side and had to be thrown out. Instead of one replacement (which I requested) I ended up with three in a variety of colors. The swirly green one is what I went with.

What I’m drinking: More gifts (which I’m trying to finish up lest they go stale) also from World Market. I’m a sucker for delicious hot chocolate as well as chocolate mixed with sea salt, so this was an easy choice. My area has also dipped to near freezing temperatures in the last week, so a cup of cozy chocolate sounded delicious. At 70% cocoa, the drink avoids the trap of over-sweetness, and a snowflake-shaped marshmallow compliments it perfectly. The only thing that would have made it more cozy would have been actual snow outside.

What I just finished reading: Enshittification, by Cory Doctorow. It was a solid, enjoyable, highly informative read on how the internet (and the companies that run it) are making everything crappier and crappier, not just for users but also for business owners trying to get their products into the hands of people who want to buy them. As someone who grew up with a much less crappy internet experience (not to sound ancient but I remember when YouTube had no ads. None!) this book was a fascinating read into why everything got worse, and how, and what we can do about it.

What I’m reading now: Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil by V.E. Schwab. I went into this book cold, with only a glancing read through the jacket copy and passing knowledge of the author (I loved Vicious and Vengeful, found The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue to be well written but ultimately not for me). *Mild spoilers* ahead so jump to the next section if you don’t want to know this but I had no idea this was a vampire novel. It seems obvious in hindsight with the jacket copy hinting at “hunger” and “girls growing teeth” but true to the style of the writing, that could have easily been a metaphor. The book jumps between the present-day POV of a young girl at college and the POV of a young woman several centuries past who escapes her peasant life by marrying a rich man who doesn’t really care about her. The style of writing is beautiful to read but I haven’t quite been pulled in by the plot yet. There’s plenty of pretty prose and dramatic imagery and themes but part of me can’t help but wonder if it’s actually leading somewhere. I’ll definitely keep reading though.

What I’m writing now: Still on the same old, same old, though progress has slowed to a crawl with me getting sick twice in the last three weeks (sigh). This week I’m hoping to support a couple of local authors in their projects as well. I can’t wait.