the return of autumn and corona, i guess | Bi-Weekly Update

New book posts:

• Short reviews: graphic novels – dark fairytale, dystopian & fluffy gay romance (Through the Woods by Emily Carrol, Chilling Adventures of Sabrina vol. 1, Paper Girls vol. 1 & 2, Heartstopper vol. 2 & 3 by Alice Oseman)

Other books I’ve been reading:

• The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel A. van der Kolk
• Paper Girls vol. 1 – 6 by Brian K. Vaughan
• The Shadows Between Us by Tricia Levenseller
• Through the Woods by Emily Carroll
• When I Arrived at the Castle by Emily Carroll

Added to TBR:

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• Trail of Lightning by Rebecca Roanhorse (urban fantasy with anti-heroine)
• Into the Drowning Deep by Mira Grant (horror with mermaids, f/f)
• Merchants of Doubt by Oreskes and Conway (science, climate change)

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• Enchantée by Gita Trelease (set in Paris 1789, historical, witches)
• Plain Bad Heroines by emily m. danforth, same as the author of “The Miseducation of Cameron Post” (horror, boarding all girls school, sapphic dark academia)
• Toil & Trouble: 15 Tales of Women & Witchcraft (short stories, witches, queer characters)

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• Kingdom of Wicked by Kerri Maniscalco (young adult fantasy with witches)
• Certain Dark Things by Silvia Moreno-Garcia, same author as Mexican Gothic which I would like to read as well (horror with vampires, set in Mexico City)

Three things on my mind:

• Maybe rewatching two seasons of Hannibal in two days are not what you should do when you’ve been sick (with a sinus infection, not corona, I’ve done two tests) the whole week and only just gotten good enough to walk out of the house for food, but it did feel worth it at the time. I’m going to have to reconnect with the outside world and actual people again now, so wish me luck there.

• I have since starting writing this rejoined society and I wasn’t aware of how much I was missing (of course my friends but more specifically) older students and the motivation they bring by just existing and being passionate about their degree or certain physics fields. This semester I’ve found myself constantly questioning why I’m doing this and not just taking a year off, because the constant struggle between hospital visits, bad health and trying to complete my second year during a pandemic is tearing me down. I feel I’ve reached some kind of personal conclusion now, but I do think we need to remind each other than no matter what one person is going through right now they’re also going through a pandemic. It’s difficult to support one another when we’re not supposed to socialize outside of friendgroups, but I think it’s something we need to find creative solutions for fast.

• Speaking of it; Corona has made a comeback here this week. I’m so deeply tired of it, as we all are of course. We’re again stuck in the middle of not knowing how bad this outbreak is right now before it’s been another ten days or so. Motivation is sinking among the student body, or at least my friends. I have a whole lot of hospital appointments for chronic illness this fall and I’m worried that they’re going to be postponed, but at the same time I’m passed the point of worry for much of this. I’ve lived in such a heightened state of awareness as a young person in the risk group that I don’t know how I’m going to react this time around if (at least partly) lockdown happens, but it will definitely be different, because it’s become our new normal to such a degree.