Just a Little Life Update

Update on Life Things

Hey guys! I hope everyone is enjoying this chilly fall weather like I have been! Not a whole lot has been going on that's new or different for me, but I have a couple small things to update all of you on. 

1. I'm still loving my job. I work with some really great people and have such a positive working environment. My bosses have allowed me to creatively express myself by continuing my annual tradition of wearing Halloween shirts for the whole month of October, and have just sort of let me learn-while-doing. It's a super hands-on job and I love that if I get tired from staring at one thing for too long, I can set it aside and move on to something else for awhile.

2. I got to attend my first "professional-development" workshop this week and it was awesome! Gawain Weaver, a conservator from California, hosted a care and identification of photographs workshop for four days in Little Rock. We learned so much useful information and the tools I learned are going to be extremely beneficial for my current work project. A lot of the information was geared more toward other conservators or museum curators and registrars, but all of it was interesting to learn. I'm thrilled to go back to work and put my new skills to the test on some of the photos we have in our archives. 

3. Grad school is still trucking along. It hasn't been any more difficult than my undergrad was, however keeping up with online school is harder to do. Also, working full time and doing grad school full time is exhausting! I feel like a zombie when I get home from work and then I still have to do homework before I can go to sleep so it can be trying. I will persevere and hopefully have my Masters in 2020! I'm excited to get to classes that are more geared toward my specific field, Young Adult librarianship, and learn more about how to succeed in the world of libraries!

That's honestly about it! I haven't been able to read as much because I've been crazy busy, which is a bummer because I've been wanting to read spooky books, but I'll talk about that more in my wrap-up at the end of the month. I hope y'all are getting to go to pumpkin patches and haunted houses and are getting so excited for Halloween festivities and let me know if you know of any fun things going on on Halloween! ~Em 

September Reading Wrap-Up

September Wrap-Up!

Hi friends! I didn't write a single blog post in September because I'm a busy woman and didn't really feel like I had anything to update you guys on. So for a small update before I get into the books I read this month, I will highlight the four things that are going on in my life right now.

1. Still loving my job a whole lot! 

2. Still doing grad school and learning lots about becoming a librarian!

3. On the hunt for an apartment! 

4. October has arrived and that means my month of Halloween shirts/outfits is here! 

Now for the books! I read nine books this month and in an odd turn of events I mostly read books that are out of my comfort zone and for the most part really enjoyed them! October is officially official spooky month so I will definitely be participating in at least one Halloween-related read-a-thon. I have several spooky books I have been saving for October and I am excited to be able to get to them! ~ Em

I kicked off this month with a non-fiction memoir. I listened to Tell Me More on Scribd and it was narrated by Kelly Corrigan herself. The book is about learning hard lessons, like how to say no when you really don't want to do something, being okay with how you are at any point in time, and much more. I loved this book. Many of the lessons resonated with me and I think if/when I become a mother I will re-read this book because it has a lot of thought-provoking lessons about motherhood. It's hilarious and heart-breaking in the same vein. I would highly recommend this. Rating: 5/5

I think I mentioned this before, but I am working through a list of 45 short novels, that are mostly classics, that are supposed to make me "well-read." I have struggled with reading classics in the past and I think that is just because I wasn't picking up ones that I was interested in. I really enjoyed Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. I loved the wit and snarky humor that has certainly stood the test of time in my opinion. I'm so happy that I finally read this! Rating: 4/5

This was my second audiobook for the month. Most of you guys know that I love mermaids and wish I was a mermaid, so I was super stoked about this book. However, I ended up quite disappointed by it. When I went into it, I forgot that it was pitched as a retelling or an imagined story of Ursula from The Little Mermaid. Once I remembered that, I was guessing some of the twists and turns and just saw what was coming. I also didn't like the voice of the narrator and wonder if I would have liked it more if I read it physically. Overall it was just a middle of the road book fro me. Rating: 3/5

 Earlier this year I talked about not wanting to read Ellen Hopkins books anymore and this was a lot like an Ellen Hopkins book. It was told in verse and is about a guy who feels like he would be happier in a female body. I think this book could have been really important, but it just wasn't done very well and the topic of trans people was not talked about in a way that was helpful. Rating: 2/5

Another genre that is out of my comfort zone but that I am starting to enjoy more is graphic novels! I Hate Fairyland is about a little girl who gets to go to Fairyland and in order to get back home she has to find a key. Fast forward 27 years and she is still stuck in Fairyland. She becomes an angry 30+ year old who will do anything to get back home. WARNING: This is GRAPHIC! It was funny, had beautiful art, and I will definitely continue on to the next volume. Rating: 4/5

This is by far the best graphic novel I have ever read. Lumberjanes is about a group of girls at camp who run into some weird creatures and have to solve mysteries and problems. I loved the art style, I loved the representation, and it was incredibly funny as well. Thank goodness there are a bunch of volumes out so I can continue reading for a while. This graphic novel was full of whimsy and adorableness and I just loved it a whole lot. Rating: 5/5

Dear Ijeawele is a letter written by Chimamanda Ngozi Adiche to one of her friends that asked her for suggestions on how to raise her daughter as a feminist. As someone who would describe herself as a feminist, I will admit that I don't know a whole lot about feminism and wanted to learn more. This book was great for someone who is just beginning to read about feminism. I don't think that it would be as powerful and impactful to someone who has read a lot on feminism, but I thought it was a wonderful starting place. The audiobook was only an hour long, I believe, and I learned many lessons from this letter. Rating: 4/5

I also listened to the audiobook for Awakening Your Ikigai, after seeing a few things about this concept of "ikigai." Ikigai means "a reason for being," and the book tells you how to find what gives you purpose in life and doing what makes life worthwhile. This book was just okay for me. It didn't really resonate with me. I did enjoy hearing about different aspects of Japanese culture, like the fish market, sushi making, sumo wrestling, and much more. Rating: 3/5

I listened to the audiobook for TSPOLAFS on a whim and I enjoyed it a lot. It was a cute, contemporary romance about Hadley, who misses her flight to London, where she is supposed to be going for her father's wedding to a woman she has never met. At the airport, she meets a guy named Oliver and they just start talking, mostly because of Hadley's claustrophobia, but also because Oliver is also heading to London. Over the long flight from the states to London, the two get to know each other better and then get separated at customs. It's not by much more than fate that they are eventually brought back together. Rating: 4/5