Zombies and cinnamon rolls
February 2022 update
This email might look a little bit different from the ones you have received from me in the past. That’s because I have moved my newsletter platform over to Substack. This is part of my new strategy to send better content more consistently.
From now on, you will receive this newsletter every other Friday (Saturday for AU and NZ readers). Each issue will be an in-depth article (usually reading or book related) or a personal update from me. Now and then, I will also send promotions and new release alerts in addition to the regular biweekly email. All past newsletters will be archived here, so you can easily go back and find old issues.
Without further ado, here’s my update for February:
1. I have discovered the BEST recipe for cinnamon rolls. Check out these bad boiz:
I used this recipe for the rolls, and this recipe for the icing (since I don’t really like cream cheese icing). Tip 1: If your oven is anything like mine (uneven heat), cover the baking dish with foil to stop the top of the rolls from getting too brown too quickly. Tip 2: Aim to underbake them slightly, so they come out super soft and moist.
2. I recently attended a board game night with some new friends. We played a game called Zombicide, which was pretty intense! It’s a cooperative game and the objective is for at least one player to escape the zombie apocalypse. It felt like I was inside a horror movie when I played this! We managed to get one player to the exit, and technically won at that point, but we decided to keep going and try to get everyone to safety. Then the Abomination spawned right by the exit! Well, someone had the bright idea to take an alternate route through a building in order to bypass him. Big mistake! It triggered a massive zombie hoard to spawn. Most of our characters died at that point, though mine still managed to escape thanks to his special ability of being able to sneak past enemies. Overall, I’d definitely recommend this game, but there is a steep learning curve that bogs down the first playthrough. Zombie genre fans will love it.
3. A BDSM-themed movie that’s light and fluffy rather than dark and edgy? Introducing, Love and Leashes!
Looking for some light entertainment a few nights ago, I stumbled across this wee gem on Netflix. This rom-com focuses on colleagues Jihoo and Jiwoo. With their similar-sounding names, Jiwoo receives a package that’s meant for Jihoo and finds a spiky collar inside! To Jihoo’s surprise, Jiwoo is cool about it, and he ends up asking her to be his master. This movie is cute, sexy, and oh so fresh. Nothing sordid here!
4. Now for a writing update. In her book, The Right to Write, Julia Cameron says that writing should feel like slipping into silk pyjamas. I try to keep this in mind when I sit down with my manuscript, but lately, writing has felt far from silky. I’m still in love with the story and where it’s going, but the actual process of writing has felt tedious. I have to remind myself this is a part of the natural ebb and flow. Last month, I wrote a lot. This month, not so much. Word count progress: 31,958/80,000.
Link roundup
East Loves West: Harlequin-Style Romance Manga [Anime News Network]
Romance category, manga or otherwise, has more than its fair share of tropes and trends, but one of the most enduring and simultaneously baffling is what is politely called “desert romance.” That's code for “a story where a white woman (usually English) is romanced (or captured) by a culturally suspect Arabian nobleman.”
Reading is a Competition Now [The Cut]
I look at my friend’s reading numbers and compare them to mine, like it’s some bizarre literary Miss Universe pageant. If I miss the reading goal I arbitrarily set myself at the start of the year, I feel like a total failure.
Books and Reading are Two Different Hobbies [Book Riot]
My life is built on a foundation of books. But reading? Mm…I could take it or leave it. This is a ridiculous statement, I know.
The Most Anticipated Romance Novels of 2022 [Paste Magainze]
It’s February, so of course, I’m thinking about romance—not just the genre itself, but the romance of curling up with a book that promises to charm you.
What I read
Still Life by Louise Penny
This is a cosy mystery following Inspector Gamache and the kooky residents of Three Pines, Quebec. One day a kind old lady gets killed in the forest while taking a morning walk. A hunting accident? Or murder? What’s strange is that she got killed right after showing a piece of her artwork for the first time.
The prose is slightly more literary than I would expect from the typical cosy. At first, I found it difficult to connect with the large cast of characters and the omniscient, head-hopping narration—not to mention a distinct lack of commas. But by about thirty per cent in, I was hooked. I fell in love with this book. It’s gentle and intriguing. I knew this was part of a series, but was surprised to find that there are seventeen, SEVENTEEN, books out so far. And you know what? I want to read every single one of them. But I will space them out so I have other books to talk about in this newsletter!
Those cinnamon rolls look yummy. I keep thinking that I must be the only reader in the world that hasn't read the Three Pines books by Louise Penny. I want to start reading them but another book always gets in my way.