Rachael Arsenault's Blog - Posts Tagged "a-song-of-wraiths-and-ruin"
March Wrap-up
This month brought the first signs of spring and weather warm enough for me to open all the windows in my house (though who knows how long that’ll last here in Canada). It also brought a ton of amazing reads, a little progress on writing, and tons of inspiration for more.
What I’ve Enjoyed
Books
Invisible Women: Data Bias in a World Designed for Men by Caroline Criado-Perez
I looooved this book! I’ve been trying to get back into reading non-fiction – I definitely fell out of academic reading after I completed my BA – and this was the perfect book to settle back in with. It’s deeply informative and incredibly well-researched, but the language used and the way the information is presented is super accessible, so I never felt lost or drowned in facts and figures. The book also really stuck with me. I would finish reading a section and step away to go about my day, and phrases or data would linger in my mind.
I will say, as a fair warning, that one of the early sections involves a lot of discussion of sexual assault and rape, including descriptions of a couple incidents, which I know will be hard to stomach for some readers.
A Song of Wraiths and Ruin by Roseanne A. Brown
If you follow me on Instagram (@rachaellawrites), then you know I've gushed over several quotes from this book. It's amazingly well-written, the plot is well-crafted and executed, and the characters are complex and grey. I was rooting for both Malik and Karina, even when their plans were counter to each other, which just made the whole experience super intense and engaging. Highly recommend you give this one a shot.
Articles
Want to Make Objects Float in Your Photos? Here’s What You Need to Do!
This one might be a bit niche or uninteresting to anyone who doesn’t dabble in photo manipulation or graphic design, but it showed me a few tricks that I’m hoping I might be able to apply to future books covers. So… This is kind of here for me to reference back to in the future. Sorry, not sorry.
What Do Booze and Washing Machines Have in Common?
A great examination of how overlapping developments and historical movements influenced/drove forward the fight for women’s suffrage. It’s also a pretty quick and simple read, so it’s very accessible to anyone who doesn’t typically read history or academic stuff.
Love and War: The Gay Army Who Destroyed the Spartans
I'm not a stranger to queer erasure in history and media, nor am I oblivious to the relative acceptance of homosexuality in Ancient Greece. But this piece still managed to surprise me. If you like Greek history, queer history, and the intersection between, definitely give this a read.
Dickless and Alone, They Die After Spreading Their Seed
Absurd and hilarious and surprisingly educational. Great if you like crass humour alongside your weird trivia.
The Gardens of Bomarzo
I 100% have a new place I want to visit on my bucket list now. So much potential for photography and writing inspiration!
What I’ve Created
Articles
Books I’ve Loved by Authors of Colour
In the past few years, I’ve been trying to make a more concerted effort to read books by authors of colour and, in turn, support a more diverse reading and writing community. I still have a long way to go, but I thought it might be helpful to others looking to similarly expand their reading habits if I offered some recommendations. If you have any of your own recommendations (especially ones based on the books I’ve listed here), then please share them in the comments below!
Everyday Oddities on Prince Edward Island
Everyone thinks their hometown is the weirdest, but PEI definitely has some really odd quirks. I thought that would be fun to write about, and I think it will make for an interesting read – especially if you’re from away!
How to Write Your Way Out of a Difficult Scene
I’m honestly really proud of how this one came out. I’m intimately familiar with the struggle of getting stuck on a scene when writing, and being able to (hopefully) help people get themselves unstuck using advice built from my own experience feels pretty great.
All in all, a pretty great month for reading and writing! And it doesn’t even include the stuff I’ve been working on in the background…
What have you been reading lately?
What I’ve Enjoyed
Books
Invisible Women: Data Bias in a World Designed for Men by Caroline Criado-Perez
I looooved this book! I’ve been trying to get back into reading non-fiction – I definitely fell out of academic reading after I completed my BA – and this was the perfect book to settle back in with. It’s deeply informative and incredibly well-researched, but the language used and the way the information is presented is super accessible, so I never felt lost or drowned in facts and figures. The book also really stuck with me. I would finish reading a section and step away to go about my day, and phrases or data would linger in my mind.
I will say, as a fair warning, that one of the early sections involves a lot of discussion of sexual assault and rape, including descriptions of a couple incidents, which I know will be hard to stomach for some readers.
A Song of Wraiths and Ruin by Roseanne A. Brown
If you follow me on Instagram (@rachaellawrites), then you know I've gushed over several quotes from this book. It's amazingly well-written, the plot is well-crafted and executed, and the characters are complex and grey. I was rooting for both Malik and Karina, even when their plans were counter to each other, which just made the whole experience super intense and engaging. Highly recommend you give this one a shot.
Articles
Want to Make Objects Float in Your Photos? Here’s What You Need to Do!
This one might be a bit niche or uninteresting to anyone who doesn’t dabble in photo manipulation or graphic design, but it showed me a few tricks that I’m hoping I might be able to apply to future books covers. So… This is kind of here for me to reference back to in the future. Sorry, not sorry.
What Do Booze and Washing Machines Have in Common?
A great examination of how overlapping developments and historical movements influenced/drove forward the fight for women’s suffrage. It’s also a pretty quick and simple read, so it’s very accessible to anyone who doesn’t typically read history or academic stuff.
Love and War: The Gay Army Who Destroyed the Spartans
I'm not a stranger to queer erasure in history and media, nor am I oblivious to the relative acceptance of homosexuality in Ancient Greece. But this piece still managed to surprise me. If you like Greek history, queer history, and the intersection between, definitely give this a read.
Dickless and Alone, They Die After Spreading Their Seed
Absurd and hilarious and surprisingly educational. Great if you like crass humour alongside your weird trivia.
The Gardens of Bomarzo
I 100% have a new place I want to visit on my bucket list now. So much potential for photography and writing inspiration!
What I’ve Created
Articles
Books I’ve Loved by Authors of Colour
In the past few years, I’ve been trying to make a more concerted effort to read books by authors of colour and, in turn, support a more diverse reading and writing community. I still have a long way to go, but I thought it might be helpful to others looking to similarly expand their reading habits if I offered some recommendations. If you have any of your own recommendations (especially ones based on the books I’ve listed here), then please share them in the comments below!
Everyday Oddities on Prince Edward Island
Everyone thinks their hometown is the weirdest, but PEI definitely has some really odd quirks. I thought that would be fun to write about, and I think it will make for an interesting read – especially if you’re from away!
How to Write Your Way Out of a Difficult Scene
I’m honestly really proud of how this one came out. I’m intimately familiar with the struggle of getting stuck on a scene when writing, and being able to (hopefully) help people get themselves unstuck using advice built from my own experience feels pretty great.
All in all, a pretty great month for reading and writing! And it doesn’t even include the stuff I’ve been working on in the background…
What have you been reading lately?
