It’s been one of those weeks where everything just feels like it’s been taking really long to pass by, but it’s not necessarily a bad thing? My week felt long, there’s no question about that. But it wasn’t long in the sense that I just wanted it to speed up or anything, but rather that I just got so much more done than usual. It sorta makes me wonder where the extra time came from, because surely I couldn’t have accomplished that much in one week?

The main accomplishment here, of course, is that I’ve been writing a lot more. And it’s been wonderful. And there’s nothing that deserves celebration more than getting a large amount of writing done. 🎉 It feels good.

My week also entailed a lot of reading, the sort that I actually managed to update on my Goodreads for once (I’m usually quite terrible at remembering to do that), so friends and anyone who scrolls down to the widget I’ve got at the bottom of this page can see where I’m at for each book.

I began this month’s Readalong which is  A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas, so feel free to join us if you’re interested in reading the book (or rereading!). I’m debating hosting a giveaway of the book itself for those who participate at the end of the month. I haven’t fully decided, of course, but I think it could be a fun way to give praise to the books we read together. I know I’ve only got small number of people participating thus far, so I might expand the qualifications, but we’ll see. What do you guys think?

I’ve managed to finish two wonderful books this week. Though I only got Wires and Nerve: Gone Rogue yesterday, I stayed up late last night to read through the whole thing. And it was SO worth it. I’m honestly thrilled to have the book settled in nicely on my shelf and a review will be coming on Friday, so keep an eye out for that! I also finished reading This Savage Song this morning, and boy is this book wonderful. I can say, hands down, that nothing beats a book with exceptional characters and thus This Savage Song shined brightly. I really am a sucker for well written characters. So many bonus points to Victoria Schwab for that one. And of course there will be a review coming for this book as well at some point in the future.

As a final note, I just wanted to address a few things:

The first is Rose McGowan and the rather discomforting situation that occurred at Barnes and Noble the other night. I’ve spent a lot of time reading and thinking about this situation, and admittedly I understand that I come from a place where I could never fully be 100% aware on certain matters like this as I’ve not lived through them, however…I just wanted to point everyone to this article by Ashley J. Cooper. I was fully aware of my lack of knowledge in this case and I feel like her response was not only exceptional, but informative.

I think McGowan’s problem, in part, stems from the fact that she’s been through a lot. And I understand that, I do. I support her for standing up and addressing the issues regarding what she has been through and I believe she’s brave (though I did not care for how she touted it off as an excuse for acting the way she did). And at the end of the day, I understand why she might find the situation at Barnes and Noble unfair after all she’s been through. But that doesn’t excuse ignorance, and it doesn’t excuse the silencing of voices on matters that need to be addressed.

I personally believe that women who have transitioned deal with much more in the way of abuse than anyone who was born with the gender they identified as. And when fighting for women’s rights, there are important facts that a person needs to be aware of. I in no way believe that I have learned all there is to know and understand about the subject and I hope that Rose, once she has taken the time to put some serious thought into her situation, will come to educate herself on those matters as well.

She has been through a lot, she reacted from a place of hurt and anger and I understand that. In such a case, I think it is acceptable for her to take time for herself. But once she has done that, she really does need to take a step back and consider what is being said to her. It doesn’t even come down to the woman who spoke up in Barnes and Noble (I’ve read conflicting reports about her and am unsure of my opinion). This comes down to what Rose said about transwomen in the first place. She needs to look at the criticism and make an effort to learn as much as she can about a situation she very clearly is ignorant on. She’s asked people to listen to her and other victims, now it’s time for her to listen, too.

Lastly, another big moment in my week involved watching the President’s State of the Union Address. I think the most egregious piece of his speech was the gross number of times he took credit for the work of other people (President Obama and Bernie Sanders to name a few) and the disgusting number of lies or half-truths he told. So, just in an attempt to ensure that there is transparency here, whenever you listen to Trump give a speech or write a tweet, remember to fact check the liar in the White House.

I hope you all had a lovely week! Happy reading, everyone! ❤️

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