As promised in July I’m ready to return to posting and I have plans to update the format of this blog and site. There’s always been something about Fall for me, I was that kid that couldn’t wait to shop for school supplies, get a new calendar and go back to school. My favorite thing about summer was swimming but I loved to read year round and the weather felt just right around the time school started. Cool enough for hot tea or hot cocoa. This year the timing with my move was perfect for thinking about new beginnings and the big thing I want to do is to change how and what I’m blogging.

First off, if you are here because of my book reviews then you’ll continue to see reviews because I’m still very active on NetGalley (albeit I’ve been on hiatus during the move and during my post-move cold). But I want to expand a bit to involve more in depth updates about writing, reading and some art related posts. An example of a post I’m working on and will be posting in September is a response to this article about Tumbler users teaching mean how to write “real” women. I’ll talk about Walter Mosley’s writing and address the issue from my perspective with hopes that you’ll give me feedback as well.

It has taken me awhile to figure out what I want to blog about. In part because creatively I’ve been in a transitional place. I have been an artist and a writer since childhood but much of what I wrote early on felt too personal or too impersonal and I struggled to accept the type of writing I wanted to do because the financial instability of pursuing writing was terrifying. Visual art was something that seemed entirely in my perfectionist father’s wheelhouse so I always denied having much skill or interest because frankly I didn’t want to learn how to be an artist from him. My take home point isn’t that art or writing is hard but that as expressive mediums of life both are like cobwebs waiting to catch truth and beauty but fragile against great gusts and change.

Over the last year I have gotten a clearer picture of what I want to express and share in this medium. Reviewing books brings me joy because I think there is something delightful about the moment you find a book that shifts your perspective and lights up your mind. Even books that are not amazing have a capacity to stimulate and engage because there’s something within that has resonance. But, I also want to begin to share more about my own writing and art and hopefully provide topics for you to engage with directly.

The new apartment is wonderful, I have more space to work and so much light and quiet! It means a lot to me that my cat is loving the view and that I have a nice spot to drink tea or coffee in the mornings and evenings. I’m still unpacking, settling in and recovering from a moving cold but I am very excited about upcoming projects in September and October. I can’t wait to share and I’m looking forward to sharing a bunch of reviews of some really great creative, soulful and entertaining books that have come out recently or will be published very soon!