Has anyone ever told you that fiction doesn’t matter?
the raven king
If You Cannot Be Unafraid
This week I learned:
If you cannot be unafraid, be afraid and happy.
Quote taken from this beautiful book.
It’s so simple, and goes along with what I want for my life, which is to worry less, be in the moment more, and yet it’s something I’ve never seen articulated so well until now.
I’m afraid all the time. Of disease, of growing old, of losing someone I love, of terrorism, of screwing up, of never becoming successful, of what other people think of me or say about me, of missing opportunities, of choosing the wrong thing, of choosing the right thing and then somehow squandering it. Of writing the wrong thing, of choosing the wrong life, of being the wrong person.
I worry too much. I know this. I try and stop. Sometimes I succeed. Sometimes I don’t.
But if I can’t not worry–and I can’t, not at all the time–I can worry and at the same time be happy about other things. Like a new blue chair in the corner of my living room, and the basil plant I just bought. How when watering it last night on my deck, I finally made friends with my neighbor, who is a delightfully sweet Russian girl who wants to become friends. How much I am really liking my work in progress at the moment. That there are bagels in the office today. Little things.
This week I am:
Reading This Is What Happy Looks Like by Jennifer E. Smith. I’ve read her other two books, and they were both super sweet, well-written YA romances, and this is proving to be much of the same. The only complaint I would have is that these books aren’t really ones that stay with you; I end up forgetting the characters’ names and a lot of the plot the moment I finish the book.
Writing The Play Story. 55K words in and somewhere between the first and second turning points. It’s going to be too long, but then my first drafts always are.
Watching I am hooked on this ridiculous, implausible, unrealistic television show. It is the perfect thing to have on when you want to be distracted or entertained, which is all I’m really looking for from TV these days.
Listening to The Spotify top 100 Punk Songs playlist is top-notch.
Cooking We figured out how to use our communal grills in our apartment’s courtyard and have been grilling chicken (him) and polenta (me) with asparagus, onions, peppers, and tomatoes, and it is the perfect simple nutritious delicious summer dinner.
Have a great weekend and I hope you can be afraid and happy too.
Image found here
MK’s Book Reviews: The Raven King
I finished this!
He was a book, and he was holding his final pages, and he wanted to get to the end to find out how it went, and he didn’t want it to be over.
Here is what I thought.
There were a lot of beautiful things in this novel, as there were in the previous three. Beautiful prose, bizarre magic, insane imagery, these characters I have come to know and love.
And yet ….
I was a little let down.
And I know that that’s partly because my expectations were sky-high.
I can’t get into why without getting spoiler-y, so SPOILERS below the jump.
Why Do You Read and/or Write Fiction?
Sometimes I get asked why I primarily read and write fiction, as opposed to nonfiction.
Starting the Last Book in a Favorite Series
Just a quick post to say I started this book today, which is the fourth book in The Raven Cycle, which is the LAST book in The Raven Cycle. I’m finding it quite difficult to concentrate at work as all I want to do is hole up in a magical forest and read this. Also, I’m going to need some emotional support when I’m finished. Anyone want to start a support group?
Things Making Me Think
Happy rainy Friday.
It’s a day in which I feel like being this cat. My (many-windowed) bedroom is at the top floor of our apartment building, so I woke to the howling and pounding of the rain. It would have been a lovely day to stay in bed, but alas, I have promises to keep, and miles to go before I sleep again.
This week was fills with lows, in the form of trying to organize a group housing situation for a wedding on Martha’s Vineyard (I’m about ready to bail on the group thing so if anyone has hotel recommendations, please let me know); and highs, in the form of a tiny baby girl born to my boyfriend’s sister, making me an aunt! (sort of!) I’m already looking forward to buying her all the children’s books (have you hear of these? they’re so cute!) and am currently taking suggestions!
Here are some other things that made my week:
Just discovered this site, and immediately became obsessed with it, particularly this article.
YES YES YES. (I wrote about this before.)
Also, I wrote this article; my new job is nothing if not interesting.
Reading: This, still. It’s long. But it has picked up, so there’s that. Meanwhile, this came in the mail and it’s taking all my willpower not to abandon everything else I have to do in life and hibernate with it. (I loved this series.)
Writing: Play story! I have figured out how to make my protagonist an actual human, so it’s full steam ahead. Until the next problem. Such is (a writer’s) life.
Watching: I’m constantly amazed by how deeply stupid the characters on this show are, but somehow I can’t look away.
Listening to: My brand’s SoundCloud.
Cooking: These sound weird, but were incredibly good and you should make them ASAP.
Have a wonderful (rainy) weekend!
MK Pagano 