It’s late autumn here in New Zealand and the weather has turned cold (just one week ago I was sitting outside in the hot sun!).
I always thought they were naff, but suddenly I feel tempted to buy a blanket hoodie a.k.a Oodie (Are these a thing outside of Australia/New Zealand?). These days, since I work from home, I’m all about comfort over style. But are they as cosy as they look? I’m worried about the sheer amount of fabric and whether it will drown me and feel heavy on my small frame. Then again, so soft and warm…
In other news:
I have moved my contemporary YA novel, Ink and Ivy, out of Kindle Unlimited and Amazon exclusivity to go "wide" on all the major ebook retailers - Kobo, Apple, Barnes & Noble, and Google Play. I’m toying with the idea of releasing all my future books this way, mainly because I want to sell direct from my website. What do you think? Are you a KU reader, or do you buy ebooks from other sites?
Speaking of my website, I have given it a much needed refresh. It's still not finished, but I like it so much more than how it was before.
After a long hiatus from video games, I'm addicted again. I'm playing Shin Megami Tensei V and having a blast. This is my first mainline SMT game, though I have played Persona games before. Highly recommend!
It has been several months since I moved into my apartment, but I still haven't bought a washing machine. I've been going to the laundromat, and I don’t mind it. Last time, I found a $50 note in my (washed) laundry - not mine. Finders keepers! Talk about laundered money.
A word count update: 35,592. Yes, it has gone down! I posted about it a few weeks ago, but I'm currently making extensive changes to my manuscript, so I don’t expect the number to go up for a while. It’s all just part of the process. I still expect to release late this year. I also have something special coming out in October. Watch this space.
Link roundup
The Amazon Kindle will support EPUB in late 2022 [Good Ereader]
Amazon has announced that all of the modern Kindle e-readers will support the most popular ebook format in the world, EPUB.
No excuses: testing Tokyo’s anti-procrastination cafe [The Guardian]
Writers in Tokyo in search of an antidote to procrastination and unproductive work practices can now toil in the company of the similarly afflicted, united in their determination to confront the tyranny of the looming deadline.
In Defense of Single Point of View Romance Books [Book Riot]
For as long as I can remember, romance novels written from only one perspective have been my favorite. As I’ve read more widely in the romance genre though, I’ve come to realize dual POVs, or books that switch between the love interests, are more common.
When will Hollywood stop ignoring the financial power of romance novels? [Entertainment Weekly]
Over the last two weeks, two properties with romance novels at their cores have dominated the pop-culture landscape.
What I read
The Binding
by Bridget Collins
Where to start with this book? It’s beautifully written. The descriptions are gorgeous. I wanted to highlight so many passages, but I couldn't because I listened to the audiobook 😭
I didn't know much about the plot going in, just that it’s set in a world where bookbinding is a magical and mysterious art. That was enough to hook me in.
I heard about this book from a BookTuber I follow. She talked about the first act being slow, but the book being incredible after that.
Having read it now, I strongly disagree with that sentiment. The first act, where the main character is an apprentice binder in a workshop, was the best part for me. In the second act, the book becomes a relationship drama, with the binding stuff taking a back seat, which was disappointing because it was far less interesting.
I enjoyed the book overall, but it had so much more potential to explore this unique art of binding, instead we get a simple love story, which is not particularly compelling. The main character also does not experience much growth through the story.
If the romance in this book had been a subplot and not the main plot, I think this would have been a five-star read, but alas...
Also read: A couple of non-fiction author business related books.
Currently reading: Red Dragon by Thomas Harris