Some anticipated new books and my craft life

I’m going to be honest: reading has been a bit difficult for me this year. (Great time to return to book blogging, Olivia!). Maybe I’ve just been choosing more difficult texts (less kidlit), or maybe it’s because this school year feels particularly stressful, but I’ve been pretty slow at reading this whole school year. I mean, since January I’ve been listening to a giant audiobook of The Name of this Band is R.E.M. and I’m still like 35% through. My momentum has slowed, even when I’m reading things I enjoy.

Maybe I can will some more book excitement into existence with this post? It can’t hurt to try. Plus, I have spring break coming up.

*Please note, this post includes affiliate links to Bookshop.

Upcoming releases I’m particularly excited about

• The Dad Rock that Made Me a Woman by Niko Stratis (May 6): I can’t get enough of Stratis’s writing on her newsletter Anxiety Shark, so I’m looking forward to a whole book by her! Looking at the table of contents, I’m excited to read about R.E.M., Fleetwood Mac, Bruce Springsteen, and (my favorite) Julien Baker!

• My Best Friend’s Honeymoon by Meryl Wilsner (April 29): I don’t read a whole lot of romance, but somehow I’ve read Wilsner’s two previous books and quite enjoyed them. And this one is a friends to lovers with a nonbinary character!

• Come Home to My Heart by Riley Redgate (May 6): This looks like a gorgeous sapphic YA. And the cover is by Tillie Walden!

• Leaving the Station by Jake Maia Arlow (August 19): I love Jake’s books, and who can resist a book that takes place on a train with a “coming of gender” storyline?

And of course…my partner Taylor Tracy’s next book comes out September 9th, and it’s dedicated to me! Pasta Girls is a neurodivegent lesbian love story about two young teens and the San Gennaro festival (no relation). It’s a Romeo and Juliet retelling with less poison, more pasta.

Meanwhile…

I had major car maintenance done so I’m going to plug my Patreon and Ko-Fi if you wanna buy a zine or tip me to support!

I am really close to printing zines! I learned how to format/impose it using Spectrolite (unfortunately just for Mac; thankfully we have Tay’s iMac) so it can print the right way, and apparently our printer DOES print double sided…but it might need new toner first. I learned about Spectrolite through this zine about zine-making which my friend from high school made! Highly recommended.

I bought a zine kit at the zine fest I went to and made this!

I’ve been getting back into crafts like crochet (which I never really have gotten into before, at least since I was like, 8 years old) and collaging. It’s keeping me sane. Maybe I’m avoiding writing a bit, but I need SOMETHING extra to do. I am still a perfectionist with it and keep losing track of counting stitches thanks to ADHD.

Thank goodness spring break is coming up! I am visiting my parents and am looking forward to a low-key week of reading and writing.

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