#Michaela blathers

[halliewriteshockey]

@iwritesometimes asked - Belatedly: how’d you even get sucked into this clown car full of Very Large Men??

(Replies are disabled on my work computer and I don’t have my laptop in front of me, sorry for the formatting)

So back in early 2017 I was desperate for good new romance to read. I wanted something well-written, with interesting plots and good character arcs, and I wan’t finding anything in the recommended section on Amazon. So I turned to Twitter, which promptly recced me the Scoring Chances series, starting with Breakaway.

To say I was dubious was putting it mildly. It was hockey. Not that I had anything against hockey, mind, but hockey was sports, and sports I definitely have something against. I’d never seen the point. All that sweating and pain and exertion---gross. 

But everyone on Twitter kept telling me how good this series was, and like I said, I was desperate. So I bought the first one.

And... it was funny? And hot? And... the hockey bits weren’t too hard to follow, it focused more on the characters, which were fully-developed and interesting, and also the main character is absolutely on the spectrum (although that’s only my headcanon, but seriously, read it and tell me that kid’s neurotypical, YOU CAN’T)

Oh, this is gonna get long

So I read the second one. And the third. And fourth and fifth. And then the rest of the stuff Avon Gale and Piper Vaughn have written (we beta each other’s stuff now sometimes, they’re both super cool). And then I reread the entire series (like, uh... five times each but who’s counting) but then I was stuck again because shit, I’d suddenly realized just how homoerotic sports can BE, what the fuck had I been thinking all my life, and I started paying attention to actual real life hockey.

I mentioned offhand to my friend that I’d been reading hockey books and he said “oh, you’re going to love the Knights, they’re literally everything you’re all about. Underdogs, made up of castoffs from other teams and the throwaways no one wanted, and they’re poised to win the Stanley Cup.”

After Googling what the Stanley Cup was, I was like WELL SHIT I GUESS I’M A KNIGHTS FAN. 

I didn’t actually watch any of the games because I literally didn’t know how to pirate sports games back then, that’s how bad I was at being a hockey fan. But I read everything I could, and then the Knights lost but it was too late for me because I’d already found out Marc Andre Fleury existed.

Fun fact: the first hockey rpf I ever read was by @detroitredwingsnbcsn, a non-complete guide to homeostasis in desert environments, which basically read like original fiction for me except Flower was there. It made me fall even more in love with Flower and also a little bit with Seb.

And then when hockey came back that year, I was there in the metaphorical front row, ready with the popcorn and armed with How to Hockey books so I could figure out what was going on.

And me being me, I can’t love something and not write about it, so... that’s when the books started happening. And are still happening. (Jesus, I have like five concepts in various stages of beginning that need to be written)

So there you have it. Basically it’s the fault of three people---Avon Gale, Piper Vaughn, and Marc Andre Fleury. (And also a little bit Seb.)

[readingwithrendz]

Greetings readers!

When I was young, we didn’t have internet in our home. Trust me, I’m not that old, it’s just that my parents didn’t think the internet was essential until my sisters got older and needed it for school and such. That being said, I didn’t play video games growing up. No Nintendo or Wii for me. The most I got was a hand-me down Tamagotchi from my eldest sister.

All this to say that I still am not that into video games and I haven’t played the famous Animal Crossing that has taken over the world.

Am I still doing the tag? Absolutely! Because we are here for books.

Many thanks to the lovely blogger Michaela @ Journey into Books for tagging me!

Past Villager – Who is a character you found when you were younger that still has a place in your heart?

I wasn’t much of a reader as a kid-kid and to say one of the Pevensie siblings would be cheating because I was more into the movies. I guess the first book character that really stuck with me would be Amy Flowers from the Accidentally series by Lisa Papademetriou.

I think it was the fact that she blushed so easily was super relatable to me hahaha

via Goodreads

Blather’s Blatherings – Recommend a historical fiction book that you think everybody should read.

The Sisters of the Winter Wood by Rena Rossner

This is an amazing story set in the early 20th century (possibly late 19th century) that follows the adventures of two sisters. It is infused with Jewish folklore and tradition in the historic context. The writing is gorgeous and the plot is absolutely riveting! I cannot recommend this book enough! READ IT!

Celeste’s Wish – What is a future book release you wish you could read now?

via Goodreads

A Sky Beyond the Storm by Sabaa Tahir

I have waited long and patiently for this book, but given the chance I would read this book right now and tune out the rest of the world just to be destroyed by this book!

Timmy and Tommy – What is your favourite sibling relationship in a book?

The Penderwicks.

I adore my sisters, but is there ever a time I wish we could be more like these siblings? The answer is yes. They are just so loving and messy and funnt. My sisters are as well, but there is just something so quintessentially honourable and endearing about these siblings that I would love to be a part of their family.

The Easter Bunny – A popular book character that you’re not a big fan of.

My oh my what could be my answer….Aelin Galanthinyus or however the hell you spell her name. I hate her.

And her Rowan Whitehorn. Bleh. Trash trash trash.

Nook’s Loans – An author you’d give all your money to.

I would? I already do give my money to the following authors:

Marissa Meyer Marie Lu Silvia Moreno-Garcia

I own very large collections for all of these authors and I hope to keep growing them!

The Sisters Able – What is your favourite fictional family (found or otherwise)?

The Rampion Crew!

I love this group of children so much! I think they are the first found family I encountered in my reading journeys and I am still so in love with them! Having recently reread the books, I enjoyed going back and re-falling in love with these personalities.

It’s a C+ – What is a book trope that you don’t like that keeps popping up?

There were golden specks in [their] eyes

I used to be a sucker for this trope, but now it is just plain annoying to me. Especially since this is how authors make brown eyes “sexier.” If there is not that glitter than they’re just plain brown and that is so unfair to the majority brown-eyes population that deserve their eye-colour to be romanticized too without the over-used gold glimmers.

Super obvious secret identities

If the characters are looking for lost royalty obviously the main character is said lost royal!!!!!!!!!! I’m being a little hypocritical here because hello the Lunar Chronicles is exactly that plot for the first book, but still this trope is so obvious can we just not in new books! Or at least make it harder to decipher!!!!!!

The Wedding Camel – What is your favourite book set in a land far away from yours?

The Wolf of Oren-Yaro by K.S. Villoso is the most recent book I read that is set in a world far different from my own! It is so cutthroat and intriguing at the same time! I loved the world so much and I bought the companion series for the sole joy of re-immersing myself into that world!

What Would Dodos Do? – A fictional land you wish you could fly away to at any moment?

Narnia. No doubt about it. I always tell my family that given the opportunity to go to Narnia, I wouldn’t even hesitate to take the chance. It makes my mom a little sad…but it’s the truth XD

I Tag…

Anyone who is interested in playing! Especially the Animal Crossings fans out there!

Let me know what you think! Have you played Animal Crossing? Do you play a lot of video games? What book would you love to become a video game?

Happy reading!

~ Rendz

Animal Crossing New Horizons Book Tag Greetings readers! When I was young, we didn't have internet in our home. Trust me, I'm not that old, it's just that my parents didn't think the internet was essential until my sisters got older and needed it for school and such.

[suileye]

Got to tell more people in class today about hosting for the lgbtq+ youth action conference.  My mouth felt like a tense desert, and I kept asking people if I did a good job explaining, but I did it.  Well done me.

[suileye]

So many things to finish drawings, so many papers to write

[suileye]

I need to finish my incubus oc with the does- not- want roommate drawings, but I have so much to do before the cultural appropriation speaker comes to campus.