November Wrap-Up
A bit of a quiet month, but in the end I’m happy with the work I turned out and the stories I consumed. I know December is likely to be busy with baby prep, and that once baby is born my reading will probably go on a bit of a backburner, so I’m trying to just take my time and enjoy some quiet reading moments when I can.
What I’ve Enjoyed
Books
Girl Squads by Sam Maggs.
I looooved this book. It was a gift from a friend, and a very apt one at that. I knew about almost none of the amazing groups explored in this book, and every single one of them was super awesome – for their bravery, for their friendship, for their unabashed womanhood. Definitely a recommended read if you want to see more women in your history.
Articles
The Long Linguistic Journey of Dagnabbit
Language is so flipping weird and I absolutely love it. Also, knowing about taboo deformations and how words get restructured offers a lot of potential inspiration for world-building.
As If the Platypus Couldn’t Get Any Weirder
Sometimes I think the platypus was deliberately placed on Earth to make us question reality and all our taxonomic classifications.
10 Inventors Who Came to Regret Their Creations
The atomic bomb I expected – it’s a weapon of mass destruction, and I learned enough about it in school to know that at least some of the people involved in its creation were horrified by what they had done. But Comic Sans? Double slash? That’s kind of funny.
8 Facts About the Animals of Chernobyl
Chernobyl is unquestionably a tragic and terrifying story about human innovation gone horribly, horribly wrong. Learning about nature recovering from that devastation, and especially about animals thriving in what was thought to be a forever uninhabitable region, is pretty heartwarming.
What I’ve Created
Books/Short Stories
She Who Rises – Now in Paperback!
That’s right: Paperback copies of the first book in my A New Age of Magic series are now available! You can order them through Amazon (as linked above), but since I set up printing through Ingram Spark, you should also be able to ask physical bookstores and libraries to order in copies. It’s so weird and exciting to be able to hold my book in my hands! If you get a copy yourself, don’t hesitate to snap a photo and tag me on Instagram so I can see my little book in the wild: @rachaellawrites
Articles
9 Tips for Self-Publishing
A relative recently asked me for some advice on how to go about self-publishing for the first time, and that gave me the idea to turn those quick bullet points into this full article. After all, if I can help more people get started on this journey, why not?
Top Videos I’ll Miss After The Inevitable Death of Unus Annus
By the time I post this wrap-up, the Unus Annus YouTube channel has long since been deleted, and the videos I’ve discussed here are no longer accessible. But if you’re interested in some out-of-context reminiscing and my own personal written time capsule, then definitely check this out!
”I don’t really think he counts as a guy.” Queerness in the House of Night Series
I actually started working on this way back in 2018, but I’ve taken several long breaks from it. Having a project go on for so long and then finally finishing it feels strange, but I’m super proud of how it all came together in the end. This has definitely been a passion project, and I hope to do more long essays like this in the future.
And that’s it for November! What did you read this month? And what are you looking forward to in December? I bet there are a lot of holiday book purchases on the horizon – whether you’re receiving them from a loved one or buying them as a gift for yourself. ;D
What I’ve Enjoyed
Books
Girl Squads by Sam Maggs.
I looooved this book. It was a gift from a friend, and a very apt one at that. I knew about almost none of the amazing groups explored in this book, and every single one of them was super awesome – for their bravery, for their friendship, for their unabashed womanhood. Definitely a recommended read if you want to see more women in your history.
Articles
The Long Linguistic Journey of Dagnabbit
Language is so flipping weird and I absolutely love it. Also, knowing about taboo deformations and how words get restructured offers a lot of potential inspiration for world-building.
As If the Platypus Couldn’t Get Any Weirder
Sometimes I think the platypus was deliberately placed on Earth to make us question reality and all our taxonomic classifications.
10 Inventors Who Came to Regret Their Creations
The atomic bomb I expected – it’s a weapon of mass destruction, and I learned enough about it in school to know that at least some of the people involved in its creation were horrified by what they had done. But Comic Sans? Double slash? That’s kind of funny.
8 Facts About the Animals of Chernobyl
Chernobyl is unquestionably a tragic and terrifying story about human innovation gone horribly, horribly wrong. Learning about nature recovering from that devastation, and especially about animals thriving in what was thought to be a forever uninhabitable region, is pretty heartwarming.
What I’ve Created
Books/Short Stories
She Who Rises – Now in Paperback!
That’s right: Paperback copies of the first book in my A New Age of Magic series are now available! You can order them through Amazon (as linked above), but since I set up printing through Ingram Spark, you should also be able to ask physical bookstores and libraries to order in copies. It’s so weird and exciting to be able to hold my book in my hands! If you get a copy yourself, don’t hesitate to snap a photo and tag me on Instagram so I can see my little book in the wild: @rachaellawrites
Articles
9 Tips for Self-Publishing
A relative recently asked me for some advice on how to go about self-publishing for the first time, and that gave me the idea to turn those quick bullet points into this full article. After all, if I can help more people get started on this journey, why not?
Top Videos I’ll Miss After The Inevitable Death of Unus Annus
By the time I post this wrap-up, the Unus Annus YouTube channel has long since been deleted, and the videos I’ve discussed here are no longer accessible. But if you’re interested in some out-of-context reminiscing and my own personal written time capsule, then definitely check this out!
”I don’t really think he counts as a guy.” Queerness in the House of Night Series
I actually started working on this way back in 2018, but I’ve taken several long breaks from it. Having a project go on for so long and then finally finishing it feels strange, but I’m super proud of how it all came together in the end. This has definitely been a passion project, and I hope to do more long essays like this in the future.
And that’s it for November! What did you read this month? And what are you looking forward to in December? I bet there are a lot of holiday book purchases on the horizon – whether you’re receiving them from a loved one or buying them as a gift for yourself. ;D
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