The Constellation of Moon

End of year (and decade) Wrap-Up

Posted on December 31, 2019

Closing the year with lots of foxes, Vixy, my family, art and books.

2019 is coming to an end and to be fair, it doesn’t feel like anything so far. Today is just another day, the last one in the calendar and apparently the last one of the decade (we’re approaching the twenties, what fun crazy parties are there to come?!) but so far, the hype, the excitement is not there for me.

This year and decade have been dissonant and odd. And as much as I used to plan ahead like crazy and overplan and have everything “perfect”, that is one of the lessons learned this decade. Even the best laid plans can go awry and not turn out to be the best. You can plan and plan and plan, I had plan A to Z and still, somehow that wasn’t enough for some of the things that happened this decade.

And you know what? That is actually fine. I still plan and I am known to be that person who you approach when you need something. You need sewing supplies in the office, or different types of glue, or food, or whatever, I’ve got it. I am still very much a planner. But I am also aware I can’t cover everything and plans don’t always go the way you planned.

If the plans I had at the beginning of the decade had worked out I’d be married to a first husband, with kids, a successful research career and potentially a high level job as manager or close to CEO of something. And so far I have none of those things. (Yes, to those gracefully pointing out, I did get married this year, but this was not my first rodeo).

Instead, I on my second marriage, no kids (just Vixy and some chickens), on a job that was as far away from my dream job as I could consider that is turning out to be even better than my dream job, and in a country where I am a stranger, an immigrant and unwanted and at the same time, I am not.

Heck, during this decade, I got married twice, had a divorce (something I never expected to have to do, one of the few things I never planned for), became homeless, had all my money stolen away, fought a massive legal battle to be able to have a life and be my own person, survived mental illness, moved countries and moved so many times in a new country. Went from speaking my native language the most, to barely using it.

And relationships. I broke away from my biological family (and then we agreed to come back). Found a new family (where I fit a little better). Tested old friendships (in a few days I will be seeing a friend I have known since we were 13-14 years old, one of my oldest friendships), made new ones. Some of them broke, some never stuck, some have become a massive blessing and grown my network.

In this decade, I have been scared as I had never been before, but I have also exprienced joy and gratitude like never before. I have grown so much.

Even my looks have changed, and my confidence.

I have no big plans for 2020 or the full decade. I do have little (and big) things I’d like to accomplish, but we shall see how they come to fruition:

Complete writing a novel.
Publish it
Write the WBT comic and illustrate it.
Draw more
Read more

Things I plan to do this coming year is to draw almost everyday. I used to and then got out of the practice for many reasons, and now want to get back into it.

And I am going to be better at choosing books I spend my money on. I had been on a rampage to support as many authors as possible and I end up not reading them all (for example, Contemporary Romance is something I rarely read and yet I had preordered so many). So my intention is to think better what I purchase. In the end, all my efforts to support authors feel like they’ve been mostly wasted (I know in a way they haven’t) and I would rather do this with more care.

I also went on a rampage of bookboxes, but I am slowly culling that down as some are loosing the shine and spark. It is a tough world and there’s only so many *insert overused item in bookboxes here* you need. I just wish there were ways to customise or tailor it a bit better. And I would love a UK version of what PageHabit did (annotated books by the author, with post it notes).

A thing I won’t stop is the generosity and kindness I have. This has been used against me (I have been considered a threat or “evil” for being nice, or that I have an ulterior motive, or that my kindness is a way to mistreat people) but I still won’t stop. I like helping and being nice to others.

What are you musing on today? (If you are musing at all)

I am now off to finish working for the day, then have some pizza with my husband and watch a film and some documentaries.

Announcements

Happy Holidays!

Posted on December 25, 2019

If you followed the saga of “I just realised it is the 23rd and I urgently need to draw an elaborate holiday cheer thing for the 25th” on Twitter, you know I only finished this after midnight and well…

But I did finish it!

Merry Christmas if you celebrate it, if not, whatever you do celebrate, may it be good and peaceful and bring generosity and comfort to you.

Thanks for reading this blog and being part of it and interacting with me throughout that time. ~I truly appreciate it and I hope I managed to share of my love for books and book boxes with you all.

Books, Subscription Boxes

Through the Enchanted Forest Owlcrate Unboxing

Posted on December 23, 2019

Returning slowly from the hiatus that being ill caused (no energy to write or schedule or anything), with November’s Owlcrate. It was definitely a whimsical type of box, so starting from the book on the bottom left and going clockwise:

Winterwood by Shea Ernshaw. I LOVE this version of the cover, it gives me a much more wintery feel than the original.
The “star” of the box, a blanket licensed by Holly Black. I like the artwork and colours. I just wish the blankets in book boxes were a bit bigger (but it isn’t a specifically Owlcrate, any box that does).
A moth pin, also gorgeous.
A Reading Planner. Gosh I find this stunning and each year it is better but I am TERRIBLE at any kind of tracking/planning (I am a mood reader and very much a “this book is kinda coming out soon let’s read the proof”) for anything. Can’t keep a journal, can’t do even daily or weekly planners, they just don’t stick and I feel so sad about that because this is stunning and the best.
A wooden ornament. This is going on my Christmas tree. It is pretty, elegant and just nice.
Gorgeous stickers. I need more stickers that are cute and matching the theme in my life.
Metallic bookmark. Wasn’t terribly impressed with the design but like the metallic part of it.
Theme card. It is so pretty.
And quote print thing. As you all should know, I am not generally a “print” anything, and quotes are nice but I am not fussed unless it is something that was special to me and I doubt that’d go for everyone.

All in all it matches the theme, had gorgeous items and a wonderful cover. No complaints here.

Books, Subscription Boxes

Lost and Found Fox & Wit box

Posted on December 15, 2019

I really wanted the book in this box, so it was a great excuse to give it a try. It comes from the US, so I got hit by customs. The actual tax wasn’t bad but the fee was many times the actual tax, so not pleased (but it is not their fault). So starting from the bottom left theme card and going clockwise:

Theme card. This shows you the theme for the next month and MOST of the card actually talks about the next month. There’s a TINY part of it that actually says what the items are (and mine only said 2 out of them all). Fox & Wit insisted this was how they do it, but it is extremely confusing and panic inducing, and I have no clue about the mug, or much about the book or anything. This part I rate badly. I have tried over 30 different book boxes, none do this weird thing.
One of the things I did like is you can choose certain items to be “personalised” or at least, specific, for example, my zodiac is Cancer so I got a Cancer necklace instead of just random which I think is brilliant! Kudos on that part.
A pin, which I love the idea of, the execution is not too good (I’ve made pins, I made this mistake too, I get it) because the text is too small and not enough spacing to show well. Easy fix but sadly quality control didn’t fix it first.
The actual book, awesome, comes with a bookplate and author letter. Really pleased, and it came wrapped individually and all good.
A mug for “Air France” with constellations. Theme card said NOTHING about it, so no clue about fandom, or why or anything. It’s cool but I am just left with a lot of questions.
A set of bookmarks, one per Zodiac sign.For some random reason the Cancer one fell out as I was leafing through it, so it feels like fate. They’re cute.

All in all, I see potential in the box and good things, but that theme card really needs some hard work on how it is presented and delivered. And definitely need more data if tyou’re making the effort already to include one. Customs is another sad part, but that’s not fully their fault. All in all, good if you’re in the US and don’t mind confusion and not knowing what half of the stuff you’ve got is. I may still get some if the book is one I don’t have and no one else is doing and I have extra money but otherwise not for me.

Books, Subscription Boxes

In Search of Doors Illumicrate Unboxing

Posted on December 13, 2019

This is a punch of blue! Definitely matches the theme, so let’s unbox it as it had a naked hardcover. Starting on the bottom right corner and going clockwise:

Theme booklet.
Night Circus Ticket keyring, I love the concept, but it is freaking heavy so I won’t be using it, which is very sad. It weights so much I don’t really want that on my keys or anything. Sad, so very sad because it is gorgeous!
Magnetic coin, as you know by now, I don’t really care about them and to me they’re pretty much useless and meh.
Narnia wardrobe wooden pin, this is very cute and I like it.
The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern. I haven’t read it yet, I am curious as I enjoyed the Night Circus.
I had a sword bookmark, matching the book but apparently there were three different designs. (Downside is how flimsy it is).
The Naked book, it is pretty but it’s just that, nothing special for me.
Key necklace, inspired by the Archived.
My favourite item, a booksleeve with a Hogwarts theme, the sleeve is sturdy and beautiful.
Book ceramic pot. I am still unsure what to do with them. If I was good at plants, I’d fill them with cute plants but I mostly kill them so they’re wasting space at home. Sad. But gorgeous.

So I wasn’t particularly impressed with this box. There aren’t many “doors” in the things included. As much as Harry Potter is nice, I have a lot of booksleeves in tones of pink/purple of Hogwarts in some way or another (why is it so popular in those tones?!) so I am a bit tired of that particular item, not that I dislike booksleeves. Be original, there’s a LOT of fandoms to choose from other than Harry Potter.

I liked the key and sword matching the book but I won’t use either (“golden” anything jewelry is a potential not good for me so I tend to avoid and not wear) and the pot is just space taken. So I have a pin, a book and a book sleeve and it feels not very worth the price if that is all I keep. It is sad, because I have loved Illumicrate since the very first box I had from them back when they sent Nevernight hardcover and had no themes and always had a proof in the box (I LOVED discovering new books with those proofs and really really miss them) and a lot more unique items and less worry about “collections of things that won’t be used”.

So veredict, I liked the box, miss the old Illumicrate boxes and don’t feel very much a good value for money with this particular box. Let’s see what December brings!

Book Review, Books

Gideon the Ninth Review

Posted on December 11, 2019

Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir

Brought up by unfriendly, ossifying nuns, ancient retainers, and countless skeletons, Gideon is ready to abandon a life of servitude and an afterlife as a reanimated corpse. She packs up her sword, her shoes, and her dirty magazines, and prepares to launch her daring escape. But her childhood nemesis won’t set her free without a service.

Harrowhark Nonagesimus, Reverend Daughter of the Ninth House and bone witch extraordinaire, has been summoned into action. The Emperor has invited the heirs to each of his loyal Houses to a deadly trial of wits and skill. If Harrowhark succeeds she will become an immortal, all-powerful servant of the Resurrection, but no necromancer can ascend without their cavalier. Without Gideon’s sword, Harrow will fail, and the Ninth House will die.

Of course, some things are better left dead.

Rating:

There’s been a lot of rave for this book, but I am not sure I will fully rave about it. I enjoyed it a lot and it kept me hooked and reading it, but the way it had been pitched and talked about meant I was expecting something else.

If you’re looking for lesbian necromancer in space, you won’t really find that here. This is NOT a space opera, there’s very little “space” part in it, which was what made me unhappy the most. I was expecting some crazy space opera with necromancers and most of the space talk is them moving from their planet to another, which takes a few pages and that is it. There aren’t really any more space themed things going on beyond the fact that tehy are on a planet (I mean, in most stories you read, the characters are in a planet or something of the kind).

We get most of the story from Gideon’s point of view, so if you don’t like much her prickly/snarky want to be a hero and not super focused but rather emotional way of being, you won’t like the way this is narrated (which seems to be one of the main issues I see others found not great). I liked the snark and sarcasm and prickliness of her and her interactions and shenanigans made me like her a bit or at least be fond of her antics.

The story is mostly about them trying to solve a big puzzle in an abandoned building to become the best necromancer for the emperor. But it isn’t easy and it comes at a cost, plus being a necromancer doesn’t mean you are immune to death (one wishes, right?). I enjoyed the way necromancy is divided by houses and abilities, where each house has a focus on how they use necromancy and what they use it for. I also liked the whole mystery how are we going to solve this, do we try to work on our own or team up? thing.

There’s a lot of competition and lots of backstabbing (figurative and literal) and a lot of fighting and crazy stints and I enjoyed this a lot. One of the downsides is that there are a lot of characters and at times I couldn’t really remember which house they belong to, who they had come in with and what abilities they had. Nor could I fully remember they had or hadn’t achieved to a certain point in the story because we get a lot fo the story from Gideon’s point so we miss a lot or only what she cares about (which is fine, but can make the story confusing and I only really cared for a few characters rather than the whole set).

All in all, it was a crazy fun necromancy read. Just don’t expect the whole crazy space part because it wasn’t that.

Books, Subscription Boxes

Dangers of the Deep Book Box Club Unboxing

Posted on December 9, 2019

A well themed box with a book I wanted to read (it is so gorgeous!), so let’s go unboxing, starting on the theme card and going clockwise:

Theme Card, definitely matches book and thene.
Whale notebook, I like notebooks and the artwork is gorgeous
Socks, mermaid socks! I am a happy human and they’re cute.
Two publisher’s frebies
Clubhouse invite for a chat with the author
Octopus pin, this is very detailed and cute.
Another promo item
Dangers of the Deep Shampoo Bar. This caused a great conversation about them at work and I raved on how good they are, so I am looking forward to using it and think it is great we get alternative care items beyond lip balms and creams and scrubs. Love it!
A sturdy coaster, this is a really good one!
Deeplight by Frances Hardinge. It is a super gorgeous book and I can’t wait to read.
A signed map, since Waterstones had the exclusive rights to signed books so we get a signature on the map. A good way to get away with a signature, clever and crafty!

All in all, a box very well themed that gives an ocean and deep sea vibe and I can’t wait to start reading the book today with our reading group.

Book Review, Books

The Okay Witch Review

Posted on December 7, 2019

The Okay Witch by Emma Steinkellner

Magic is harder than it looks.

Thirteen-year-old Moth Hush loves all things witchy. But she’s about to discover that witches aren’t just the stuff of movies, books, and spooky stories. When some eighth-grade bullies try to ruin her Halloween, something really strange happens. It turns out that Founder’s Bluff, Massachusetts, has a centuries-old history of witch drama. And, surprise: Moth’s family is at the center of it all! When Moth’s new powers show up, things get totally out-of-control. She meets a talking cat, falls into an enchanted diary, and unlocks a hidden witch world. Secrets surface from generations past as Moth unravels the complicated legacy at the heart of her town, her family, and herself.

Rating:

This book that I sadly haven’t seen anyone raving about is a hidden gem. It’s a graphic novel with cute artwork, and lots of coming into your magic, plus small town vibes and school shenanigans!

Moth loves everything that is magical and witchy, but that means she’s a little out of the main circle in school. However as she makes a new friend because she is friendly, she accidentally comes into magic powers. And boy, they are interesting and scary and also, magic is hard!

Not to spoil anythign but Moth lives in a small town that was really against witches, there is a talking cat, and there is a school play, Moth’s friend trying to impress his father (mysterious character that the father is), and then Moth’s own mother is keeping some really interesting secrets of her own.

But none of that will stop Moth from trying to learn how to do magic and use it better than by accident! She is one determined girl and this is a fun read full of joy, adventure, crazy stuff and bucketfuls of magic and history.

Highly recommended if you like empowering books about preteens/teens coming of age and finding powers, if you like magic, and friendship and family. It’s a really lovely book.

Book Review, Books

Shadow Review

Posted on December 3, 2019

Shadow by Lucy Christopher and Anastasia Suvorova

In our old house, Ma told me there was nothing to be scared of. No monsters hiding behind doors, or in wardrobes, or under beds. She said there were no dark places at all. But, in the new house, under my new bed, that’s where I found Shadow.

Rating:

I like having a stack of illustrated books to go through when I am not feeling well enough or in the mood for a big read. That isn’t to say they aren’t as wrothy, but rather, this type of books are very powerful in a small number of pages, and Shadow is one of those. [This review contains “spoilers”]

Shadow takes us on a journey into depression and “shadows”. How grief and fear can stop the world and sometimes put the ones we love into the shadows and push them away. The little girl has a good life and then they move to a new place and Ma isn’t the same so she finds a new friend to play with, Shadow.

The book is quite powerful, the artwork is very fitting in a limited palette that hints at darkness and more, but it is a good book, with lots of detail in the artwork and the wording. Good for children who would read a fun story about an imaginary friend and a daughter and mother, or for older ones who know grief, anxiety and depression.

Book Review, Books

Black Canary Ignite Review

Posted on December 1, 2019

Black Canary: Ignite by Meg Cabot and Cara McGee

Thirteen-year-old Dinah Lance knows exactly what she wants, who she is, and where she’s going. First, she’ll win the battle of the bands with her two best friends, then she’ll join the Gotham City Junior Police Academy so she can solve crimes just like her dad. Who knows, her rock star group of friends may even save the world, but first they’ll need to agree on a band name.

When a mysterious figure keeps getting in the way of Dinah’s goals and threatens her friends and family, she’ll learn more about herself, her mother’s secret past, and navigating the various power chords of life.

Rating:

This was an impulse buy because the superhero name sounded familiar but I couldn’t remember much and it looked cute.

We meet Dinah as she is singing for a band rehearsal, she and her two friends know they want to win and are ready to rock the world! However there is this weirdo mysterious person who keeps appearing at ood moments and that seems very interested in Dinah.

Things progress quite fast in the story but it was easy to read, didn’t feel like I was missing much even if there was a lot of dumping of mum’s past (wish it had been done a bit better). The artwork felt very fitting to the story and like it captured Dinah and her family and Gotham’s feel well, there wasn’t a mismatch between art and story and it didn’t feel like one was carrying the other but rather complimenting each other nicely and to me that is always a really nice ting and sometimes missing in other graphic novels.

I enjoyed this graphic novel, had fun, wanted to know more about Dinah after the story ended (would read another one of them) and felt satisfied with it, which is a good thing and kinda what I want of this type of book. It only doesn’t get 5 stars because it didn’t blow me away. But definitely enjoyable and fun to read.