An Update About the Newsletter, Currently Reading, and a Poor Little Bookish Girl
I’ve been thinking a lot lately about how to better organize the newsletter. I’ve enjoyed the format I’ve used these past few years, but sometimes it gets long in the tooth. The format I tend to use (which you no doubt recognize) includes an introduction, sometimes links to currently reading, other updates, and then a topical piece that is longer. That’s the monthly free version that I’ve been doing since the beginning. But honestly, it can be cumbersome to sift through. Nat’s Letter which is for paid members is a much nicer format, I find, which includes only four paragraphs on one topic or personal story. I think it’s easier to digest and probably is more memorable. It’s certainly focused.
That said, moving forward I’m gonna divide the newsletter into two. I’ll do one with the usual updates, currently reading, and such. I may try to make these more interactive with polls as well, so be sure to engage. The second version will be the topical deep thought for the month. It will be nice to have it neatly organized without the introduction stuff, I think. This will mean two emails, but they will be shorter and easier to digest.
Quick shoutout to Victoria from the Deep Thoughts community!
Victoria just launched a modest book review blog called Poor Little Bookish Girl. Victoria and I actually go way back, high school to be exact. She’s good people — always has been. She’s doing book reviews in her own unique way, which I love, and you can read a bit about her thought process on reading and book reviews here. Be sure to check out her blog, if you love reading, and give her a follow. Here’s a little from her About page, used with her permission:
“My name is Victoria Sterling, and I read books. Like, a pretty decent amount of books. Don’t worry, I’m not one of those people who boasts about reading 150 books a year or anything like that. I just really enjoy reading… After going through high school, a Bachelor’s Degree, and a Master’s Degree, I slacked off on reading because it felt too much like an assignment… there’s a reason that this website is called “Poor Little Bookish Girl”: I can’t spend a metric ton of money on collecting books. Have you seen how expensive being alive is? The price of eggs, my dudes! I’ve made good friends with my local library for that very reason.”
Currently reading…
Trans woman swims topless in protest at being forced to swim with men. Got em.
The Most Up-To-Date Social Media Data From Buffer. I thought Buffer’s findings concerning the social media landscape to be fascinating. If you have to manage social media, you may find this interesting as well.
“The Son’s Veto” by Thomas Hardy. This term I had a Victorian literature course, which was perfect timing as I’m working on a Victorian era gothic horror story for my next novel. Hardy’s short story is a great example of drawing attention to social issues regarding women’s lack of rights during the Victorian era. I definitely wanted to slap the son by the end of the story. If you haven’t read it, I highly recommend it. I linked to the Project Gutenberg ebook of the collection that has the story. For those who don’t know, this is a free download.
Conclusion.
That’s it for this update! See, wasn’t that much shorter? Next time I’ll probably have more to share about my current writing project — currently titled The Affairs of Lady Blackwater. Stay tuned for the topical newsletter in the next week or so. I also have another free short story to add to the library soon. Now answer this really important poll below:
