Books

sarinalangerwriter

Instagram post 18042049225274006

Good morning, friends and bookworms! How was your weekend? 💛
.
It's been a while since I went into our garden for my first cup of tea, but today seemed good for it; I've missed that first crisp autumn breath and the chirping of birds over tea 🥰
.
Yesterday, I read 'The Nifty 15: Write Your Book In Just 15 Minutes a Day' and now I'm super motivated to try this - even on my busiest days when I'm at the day job and - in a first for me - at the weekends, which I usually take off completely. There's nothing quite like a book that leaves you feeling inspired and raring to go 😊
.
So, my goals this week are:
.
🎃 Write for 15 minutes EVERY day to make progress on BLOOD WISP. All being well, I'll be able to carry that energy into NaNoWriMo with me for BLOOD SONG 💪 I'll also keep a spreadsheet for stat purposes 😁
.
👻 Check a few more podcast transcripts to make sure they're ready when I need them.
.
🧙‍♀️ Approve the cover for BRIGHTENED SHADOWS. That was my goal last week, too, but it wasn't meant to be.
.
And that'll do 🙌
.
QOTD:
.
What are your goals this week? 🖤
.
(sorry for the shaky hand in the video - it IS early in the morning 😆)
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.

Instagram post 17874164374949833

This was my week - I've done a huge amount of walking, all thanks to being back at the day job and not wanting to pay for more bus tickets than necessary 😂 I'm exhausted, but I'm also starting to feel healthier and more productive on the days I'm working from home 🙌
.
(in case you were wondering, it takes roughly an hour to walk into work, which my FitBit says makes for just over 6k steps each way)
.
I'm learning what I need to do at home and what I can save for the moments I'm at a computer at work.
.
For example, I realised this week that I can't go over the transcripts for my podcast episodes - it's hard without sound - but I can write the episode descriptions.
.
I can't write my books, but I can do a bit of light editing here and there if it's quiet. I might be able to work on a short story or two as well - I'll have to try that next week.
.
I can't take new photos for Instagram, but I can reply to comments and chat on your images!
.
The balance is slowly coming together 💪
.
I've no idea how I'll make NaNo work next month, but I'm determined to try!
.
So, I've done some testing on what works where and what doesn't, but I've also made progress on BLOOD WISP, which is slowly coming together and looking a little less sorry for itself 👍
.
I'm also keeping an eye on my audiobook availability, but Audible doesn't seem to be in any rush 😅
.
QOTD:
.
What have you been up to this week? Any plans for today or this weekend? I'm planning on relaxing tomorrow and Sunday so I can do it all again next week 😁
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.

Instagram post 17941122007393959

Time for another #lastcurrentnext post! A week late, technically, but 🤫😳
.
I'll keep these posts shorter from now on to avoid small essays 😂 Instead, I'll post blurbs when I start new books, and I'm posting full reviews every Tuesday ☺️ I'll still include the ratings here since they don't take up much space.
.
LAST READ:
.
📱Lady of the Lake by Andrzej Sapkowski - 🖤🖤🖤
.
🎧 Mythos by Stephen Fry (I actually have a tiny bit left, but for the purpose of this post, I'll consider it finished) - 🖤🖤🖤🖤
.
📖 Descendant of the Crane by Joan He 🖤🖤🖤🖤
.
CURRENT READ:
.
📱 The Little Book of Philosophy by Rachel Poulton
.
📖 Iron Gold by Pierce Brown
.
.📱 Quantum Messenger by Caitlin Lynagh
.
NEXT READ:
.
📖 Dark Age by Pierce Brown
.
📖 The Picture of Dorian Grey by Oscar Wilde
.
🎧 To Sleep in A Sea of Stars by Christopher Paolini
.
QOTD:
.
What are you reading this month? Do you set and stick to lists, or do you read whatever takes your fancy?
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.

Instagram post 17848514384343991

I just realised how pale my hand looks 😳 I'm fine and alive, I swear! 😅
.
BOOK REVIEW: The Crowns of Croswald by DE Night - some light spoilers ahead, so beware 🖤
.
This was my first ever Netgalley book, and as such I wanted to love it and heap all my praises on it, but it wasn't meant to be.
.
I quite liked the idea that Scrivenists turn into tomes when they die. Instead of being buried in a graveyard, they are added to an archive in book form, which I thought sounds pretty neat!
.
The rest didn't work for me 😬
.
I had a few issues with various world-building things. For example, there are creatures SO RARE no one has named them, and yet there's this guy (a professor, I think? Could just be a shop owner) who sells them rather than preserve them and save their species from extinction.
.
I need to be able to root for the main character, and I didn't like Ivy Lovely. She's spent her whole life - 16 years - working as an unappreciated kitchen servant dreaming of magic and castles, and yet when she gets to go to a magic school in a castle, she's weirdly indifferent to everything 🤔 No sense of wonder in that girl 😆 I also didn't like that she treated her 'friends' like they were just along to help her, like their opinions didn't matter. Ivy takes what Ivy wants no matter the consequences.
.
I don't think it says anywhere, but it's pretty obvious that this was heavily influenced by Harry Potter. In itself, that's fine, but it borrowed a little too much for me instead of really becoming its own story.
.
I could see it being a great read for a younger audience - maybe someone's introduction to epic fantasy - but I'm afraid I'm too picky to really enjoy it 😅
.
RATING: 🖤🖤🖤
.
QOTD:
.
What's the last book you had high hopes for that didn't live up to expectations?
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.

Instagram post 17905331947549201

Aah, smoke is so hard to photograph 😩
.
Anyhoo, happy Monday! 🥰 How was your weekend? What have you got planned for this week? 🙌
.
My week is looking pretty light right now:
.
🕯️ keep rewriting BLOOD WISP
.
🎃 check the transcripts for the next four podcast episodes
.
👻 finish scheduling the next four podcast episodes
.
🕯️two appointments this week: one doctors appointment and one podcast interview
.
🎃 decide on my NaNo rewards while bearing in mind that I probably won't reach 50k this year.
.
👻 Approve the cover for BRIGHTENED SHADOWS
.
Why, it's looking pretty relaxed so far! 😁
.
Oh, and speaking of NaNo: this week's podcast episode is the first of two about NaNoWriMo, and it's now live 😁 My podcast is called The Writing Sparrow, and it's now on Spotify, Apple, Google, and Buzzsprout itself - do have a listen ☺️
.
QOTD:
.
What's on your to-do list this week? 🖤
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.

Instagram post 17877882877863989

Don't you just love that new bujo feeling? 😊
.
And guess who's starting to own her new routine? 💪 (it's me! 😁)
.
I'm still not quite as productive as I was, but I'm getting there. Just a scene to write, two podcast episodes to record and schedule, and I'll be able to enjoy my weekend 🙌
.
And of course, the threat/excitement of NaNo hangs over my head these days too 🥰 As it happens, the aforementioned podcast episodes are about NaNo, because I'm obsessed 🤗
.
QOTD:
.
How was your week? Will you be taking part in NaNoWriMo next month? If yes, what will you be working on?
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.

Instagram post 17901186031565544

Guess what I'll finally be reading for the first time this October 😉
.
(and YES, those are tiny pumpkin fairy lights 🥰)
.
QOTD:
.
What's your favourite classic novel?
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.

Instagram post 17889360016723025

BOOK REVIEW: Descendant of the Crane by Joan He
.
First up, thank you so much to @theconstantvoice for sending me her spare copy of this pretty book 🥰 I was very excited to dive in after she told me that it reminded her of my current WIP Blood Wisp!
.
I have mixed feelings about it, but overall, I liked it.
.
It felt a bit rushed to me at times, especially in the beginning when it jumped over a few important events, but that's my super critical author brain at work overthinking the structure. The main characters also seemed awfully young for some of their responsibilities.
.
BUT, I loved the focus on sibling relationships - including half-siblings from an affair - and I loved the intriguing magic system, which is unlike any I've read before.
.
I also loved the close ties to Chinese mythology and philosophy, like the way their sacred texts are presented. For me, it was the first time, and I really enjoyed that.
.
I saw a fair few of the twists coming, but others took me completely by surprise - and this book has some huge twists!
.
It's an easy YA epic fantasy recommendation, especially if you love a bit of philosophy in your fiction and an intriguing magic system!
.
Rating: 🖤🖤🖤🖤
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.

Instagram post 18164761426056156

HAPPY SPOOKTOBER, FRIENDS AND BOOKWORMS 🥰
.
This picture has everything I love about this month: tea, cosy clothes, grey, and ghosts! Although, all of those are also good in every other season 🤭
.
My goals for October are simple:
.
🎃 Finish my rewrites of Blood Wisp - doesn't sound like much, but damn, there's a lot left to write 😬
.
👻 PREPARE FOR NANO 😍 PREPARE FOR NANO 😍😍 and once more for the people at the back PREPARE FOR NANO 🥳
.
I don't technically have the time, but I love NaNoWriMo too much to resist its energy 🥰
.
I just need to decide on a WIP now.
.
🎃 Make a list of things I can/need to do on the days I work from home and things I can easily do while at the day job to balance my time 🙌
.
And just a note: I usually use a pen to bullet-point my goals, but this month, there'll be pumpkins and ghosts ☺️ BECAUSE IT'S AUTUMN *jumps into leaf pile*
.
(Confession: I've no idea what pumpkin tastes like 😳 it's not that big a deal here 🤷‍♀️)
.
QOTD:
.
What are you up to this month? ☺️
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.

Follow on Instagram

Sarina LangerFollow

Dark Epic Fantasy Author (RELICS OF AR’ZAC & DARKENED LIGHT). Gimme a fantasy book & tea & chocolate. Human to one cat. WIPs: BLOOD WISP & THE SILENCE OF MAGIC

Sarina Langer @sarina_langer·

October 19, 2020

‘Yua stared out of her window and wondered what it’d be like to be free.’

Villimey Mist 🦇 Fanged Pipsqueak 🦇@VillimeyS

Regale me, if you please, with the first sentence of your WIP.

I shall start.

“The unboxing of the black wrapped package, covered in yellow caution tape, gave me pleasant chills.”

Reply on Twitter 1318191553937084417 Retweet on Twitter 1318191553937084417 Like on Twitter 13181915539370844172 Twitter 1318191553937084417

Sarina Langer @sarina_langer·

October 19, 2020

Since it looks like #NaNoWriMo cabins will be open this November (*extremely excited high five*), let me know if you need/would like a cabin – I have room 🙌

Reply on Twitter 1318179072237834242 Retweet on Twitter 13181790722378342421 Like on Twitter 13181790722378342426 Twitter 1318179072237834242

Retweet on Twitter Sarina Langer Retweeted

Beverley Lee ~v~Mother of Vampires~v~@constantvoice·

October 19, 2020

If you have half an hour to spare, settle down and listen to me rambling about short stories with the lovely @sarina_langer 😃 https://twitter.com/sarina_langer/status/1318120332734140418

Sarina Langer@sarina_langer

I had the great pleasure of interviewing
@constantvoice about writing short stories for anthologies for my podcast & our episode is now live 💛Thanks for coming on The Writing Sparrow podcast, Bev! I’m gonna go plan my next short story now 🙌

https://www.buzzsprout.com/1356037/5817031-how-to-write-short-stories-for-anthologies-with-beverley-lee

Reply on Twitter 1318174509736824833 Retweet on Twitter 13181745097368248331 Like on Twitter 13181745097368248333 Twitter 1318174509736824833

Proudly powered by WordPress

Sarina Langer