Offbeat Offline: July 2023 (Trudging On, but With Books)

Welcome to Offbeat Offline, where I bring you up-to-date with what went on in my life during the month just gone, give you a sneak peek of my next shenanigans, and share my favourite posts of late!

What happened last month to yours truly? A new eye scare, more hair woes and a never-ending heatwave that felt more like a deathwave. I'm aware that all I do in these monthly recaps is complain about whatever, but this is my life, y'all. And this blog is the only outlet I have where to get stuff off my chest, so please bear with me...Every time I try to make it short (if not sweet), but HAHA NOPE WHAT DOES "SHORT" MEAN 😭.

📚 EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE. I read 6 books (5 novels and 1 novella) in July, 2 of them ARCs (and I was approved for 5 more!). Actually, my reading was all over the place - a mix of ARCs, older releases, rereads, as well of different genres and age ranges - hence the title of this section. Here's a rundown of my bookish activity for the month... 

Approvals:

• Under the Smokestrewn Sky (The Up-and-Under #4) by A. Deborah Baker (Seanan McGuire) (MG, portal fantasy - novella)

I can't believe I finally got approved for the fourth and final book in the series, while I had been rejected for the previous three! (I'll buy a copy anyway, but still). It's an October release.

• The Narrow by Kate Alice Marshall (YA, supernatural/contemporary/afterlife)

I realised I forgot about The Narrow coming out this month - which is why I didn't include it in my most anticipated summer books list. So this was a last-minute request (and approval).

• The Invocations by Krystal Sutherland (YA, supernatural)

This one was supposed to come out in June, but it got postponed to January. I loved Sutherland's House of Hollow, so I have great expectations!

• The Other Valley by Scott Alexander Howard (YA, magical realism)

I saw this one on NetGalley and requested it on impulse (YIKES), because the premise was SO exciting. I know there's romance in it, but at least it's not instalove LOL. It's a February release.

• Mislaid in Parts Half-Known (Wayward Children #9) by Seanan McGuire (YA, portal fantasy - novella)

I've been trying to snatch an early copy of a WC book for years now, to no avail...so, I mean...WHAT HAPPENED?!? (see Under the Smokestrewn Sky above). Though weirdly enough, I was approved on NG but rejected on EW....Anyhow, of course I'll buy a copy when it comes out, but now I can read it months in advance! 💃 (It comes out in January).

Reads:

• A Second Chance for Yesterday by R.A. Sinn (Adult, sci-fi)

ARC - review coming in a few days (spoiler: it was good!).

• The Narrow by Kate Alice Marshall (see above)

I have to admit that I liked it a tad less than Marshall's previous YA titles...Mini review coming later in the month.

• Smoke and Key by Kelsey Sutton (YA, afterlife)

A bit lacking...Mini review coming later in the month.

• Walking to Aldebaran by Adrian Tchaikovsky (Adult, sci-fi - novella)

This one is a novella, and for me it didn't live up to the other two I've read by the same author. Mini review on Goodreads for now.

• Indexing and Reflections by Seanan McGuire (Adult, urban fantasy)

This was a reread of a favourite series (duology, to be precise...unless Seanan gets the chance to write more books set in this universe). The link above will redirect you to my joint review for both installments.

Reviews:

• A Second Chance for Yesterday by R.A. Sinn (see above)

Scheduled for August 21st.

• The Narrow by Kate Alice Marshall (see above)

In a mini-review round scheduled for August 14th.

Here is my review plan for the month:

• The Never-Ending End of the World by Ann Christy (on Sun. 6th);
• Into the Windwracked Wilds by A. Deborah Baker, The Narrow by Kate Alice Marshall and Smoke and Key by Kelsey Sutton (in a mini-review round on Mon. 14th);
• A Second Chance for Yesterday by R.A. Sinn (on Mon. 21st).

Reviews aside, I'll participate in the Tell Me Something Tuesday meme on the 29th (question: Which books are you looking forward to reading this fall? (September-November)). After which I'm planning a new hiatus in September, so I hope to be able to make a proper (?) TMST comeback in October... 

🥵HELL OF A TIME. The heat has been BRUTAL in July. I know that practically every corner of the world has been in the same boat as me when it comes to the temperature thing, but keep in mind that 1) I don't have A/C; 2) I travel by foot (by bus if I have to cover more distance...and at least buses have A/C, but ten minutes or so aboard are too few to feel refreshed); 3) the heat is bad for my health and my sleep, and I'm already tired and stressed enough without its giving me the last blow...I don't even care about what I eat, as long as it's something that doesn't involve actual cooking - bonus points for cold cuts and cold anything. That's sad, but I'm beyond feeling sorry for myself for treating food as a mere means of survival. Talk to me about that in a month or two...

(P.S.: the heat eased up a little at the end of July, enough for me to stop sweating all the time - but that doesn't mean I ceased to suffer altogether...also, who knows what August will bring? 😧).

👁️ NEW ADVENTURES IN EYE-ROLLING. On July 4th, I started seeing flashes with my left eye again, so I went to the ER for the 3rd time in 5 months. This time though, the doctor (a new one) told me that I didn't have any new holes in my retina, and that I'd have to live with the flashes, given my vitreous degeneration. So I asked how I was supposed to tell "normal" flashes from the ones that accompany a retinal hole, and he basically said "if you see them more often or see a dark shadow, that's your cue". Why, thank you. I'm seeing the flashes all the time already if I turn my head abruptly to the left, and a dark shadow would mean a retinal detachment, so if I saw it, it would be a bit late to prevent real damage, don't you think, genius? I mean, I'm sure he told me the truth - I Googled the thing, too - but now I feel like I'm sitting on a time bomb without the timer in sight. Even if I do a couple of check-ups a year, what will prevent me from constantly worrying that the flashes signal a new hole? The only thing I can do in terms of prevention is drink more and take supplements...right, see how well it worked for me after my first laser 😬.

🤦‍♀️PULLING MY HAIR OUT. So I went to the hairdresser's and asked her to do a perm touch-up to a few loose strands, and while those on left side got better, the rest refused to comply. My sides still look different from each other, and it seems to me that the darned perm is coming undone already in places after 2 months and a half (except for the bangs), especially on the right side that never took properly to begin with (though it's been redone twice) and on the rear top, so I have to work on it every day to minimise the difference/define the "curls". I also have a few almost-straight locks here and there, mostly on the rear - for crying out loud, we found a couple that were COMPLETELY STRAIGHT from root to end after doing the touch-up, and we...simply cut them and buried them under the rest at that point 😖. I mean...if you saw me, you'd probably think I look fine, but this is FAR from the glorious, homogeneous afro I've had for more than 30 years. I blame the modern chemicals (or lack thereof) at this point, but whatever - I keep spending money and time on touch-ups to no avail, while I used to get a perm a year (except for the top/bangs patches of course) and love what I saw in the mirror. And just so you know, my MIL has been having the same problems as me for years now...her latest perm lasted little more than 2 months, for goodness' sake...

(Before you suggest it: no, I'm not going to give up on curls. Not even if you paid me millions. This is my identity, though it's started to require a lot of work and pain to maintain since a long time ago now...).

PUBLISHING NEWS/TIPS

• Kit lists 10 upcoming queer SFF books she's excited for.

THINK-PIECES, DISCUSSIONS, ORIGINAL FICTION

• After a long hiatus, Simone started to post again on her blog The Wheelchair Teen: I especially recommend her tips for dating with a disability, but seriously, all her posts are gold.
• Cee Arr shares her most recent depression-related experience.
• Emily reflects on leaving things to the "experts".

REVIEWS/RECOMMENDATIONS

I didn't take any notes, oops...😳

OTHER

• Kit recommends her 5 favourite games in 5 years of blogging.
• Molly celebrates 8 years of blogging.
• Lissa marks 2 years of blogging at her latest URL.

That's it for now. My next post will be up on August 6th, and it will be my review for The Never-Ending End of the World by Ann Christy I mentioned above.

So, what were your highs/lows in the past month?