Alanna McFall's Blog - Posts Tagged "reading-resolution"
Monthly Update- January!
I feel like trying something this year: after the end of the month, I’d love to give folks a little wrap-up post on how the month has been going for my writing, my general stuff, and anything else I have going on. I hope you all enjoy!
Writing:
It’s been a big script-writing month for me. I finished the first draft of my play “This Time Last Year”, which I am thrilled to have worked on. This piece is a commission from PlayGround, in conjunction with my winning the June Anne Baker Award this past season. This piece will be getting a table read at the PlayGround PlaySpace on March 7th, and I invite anyone who would like to stop by to join me.
I am also currently hard at work on my submission for this month’s Monday Night PlayGround. I haven’t been able to participate much this season, as I’ve been deep in work on the full-length, but my fingers are crossed that I can put together something fun this season.
Events:
It has been a planning month for me! In March, I will be attending FOGcon in Walnut Creek, and hopefully speaking on some of the panels there (still TBA). And in May, you will find me with my own book at the Bay Area Book Festival! There’s a lot more to come there, so keep your eyes peeled.
Reading and Watching Resolutions:
I have been positively eating books and movies this month. My favorite has probably been the Order of the Stick prequel book, because I love getting back to my nerdy fandom side.
General:
It’s 2020 and a whole new year where you can read my debut novel The Traveling Triple-C Incorporeal Circus. As award season approaches, please consider Triple-C for any nominations you contribute to, as I would love to bring these ghosts and mimes to a wider audience. And thank you to everyone who made 2019 a great year for me to achieve an important milestone in my professional and creative life.
Writing:
It’s been a big script-writing month for me. I finished the first draft of my play “This Time Last Year”, which I am thrilled to have worked on. This piece is a commission from PlayGround, in conjunction with my winning the June Anne Baker Award this past season. This piece will be getting a table read at the PlayGround PlaySpace on March 7th, and I invite anyone who would like to stop by to join me.
I am also currently hard at work on my submission for this month’s Monday Night PlayGround. I haven’t been able to participate much this season, as I’ve been deep in work on the full-length, but my fingers are crossed that I can put together something fun this season.
Events:
It has been a planning month for me! In March, I will be attending FOGcon in Walnut Creek, and hopefully speaking on some of the panels there (still TBA). And in May, you will find me with my own book at the Bay Area Book Festival! There’s a lot more to come there, so keep your eyes peeled.
Reading and Watching Resolutions:
I have been positively eating books and movies this month. My favorite has probably been the Order of the Stick prequel book, because I love getting back to my nerdy fandom side.
General:
It’s 2020 and a whole new year where you can read my debut novel The Traveling Triple-C Incorporeal Circus. As award season approaches, please consider Triple-C for any nominations you contribute to, as I would love to bring these ghosts and mimes to a wider audience. And thank you to everyone who made 2019 a great year for me to achieve an important milestone in my professional and creative life.
Monthly Update- February!
This wasn't as much of a busy month, but February definitely had a fair amount of things in progress.
Writing:
February has seen a couple new projects for me, as I submitted a ten-minute play for this month's Monday Night PlayGround, and have a new novel project that I'm in the early stages of. I have been editing my full-length play "This Time Last Year", which will see its first full table reading this upcoming Saturday, and I cannot wait to see what that brings for the project.
Events:
FOGcon is in less than a week! I am participating in a reading, speaking on two panels, and will be thrilled to see anyone else who is around and wants to say hello! Get your tickets now!
Reading and Watching Resolutions:
Bit of a slighter month for reading. I finished Interview with the Vampire, which I was lukewarm on, and am nearly done with The Book of Memory, which I am unfortunately feeling the same about. But I have seen some great movies and was delighted by Birds of Prey.
General:
Atthis Arts, the publisher of The Traveling Triple-C Incorporeal Circus, has a lot of new works and collections that you should check out. Support your indie publishers!
Writing:
February has seen a couple new projects for me, as I submitted a ten-minute play for this month's Monday Night PlayGround, and have a new novel project that I'm in the early stages of. I have been editing my full-length play "This Time Last Year", which will see its first full table reading this upcoming Saturday, and I cannot wait to see what that brings for the project.
Events:
FOGcon is in less than a week! I am participating in a reading, speaking on two panels, and will be thrilled to see anyone else who is around and wants to say hello! Get your tickets now!
Reading and Watching Resolutions:
Bit of a slighter month for reading. I finished Interview with the Vampire, which I was lukewarm on, and am nearly done with The Book of Memory, which I am unfortunately feeling the same about. But I have seen some great movies and was delighted by Birds of Prey.
General:
Atthis Arts, the publisher of The Traveling Triple-C Incorporeal Circus, has a lot of new works and collections that you should check out. Support your indie publishers!
2021 Reading Resolution Year in Review
2021 is about to finish out and I am looking back at the books I’ve read this year and what they meant to me. While you can read my full thoughts in each book’s review, here are the standouts of my reading year!
Best Book:
Tipping the Velvet by Sarah Waters
I read a lot of books that I would put firmly in the middle of my rankings this year, but Tipping the Velvet wins out by being some of the most crafted and polished. And I will always have a soft spot for period dramas about queer ladies.
Most Enjoyable Book:
The Sugared Game by KJ Charles
The entire trilogy of The Will Darling Adventures belongs here, but the second installment, The Sugared Game, was my favorite. Maybe not the most honed books (KJ Charles could use a copy editor with a sharper eye), but I adored the characters and the adventures they went on, and was sad to finish it out.
Worst Book:
I Am a Hero Omnibus, Volume 1 by Kengo Hanazawa
This zombie apocalypse manga is just squishy and gross on many different metrics. If it was just the body horror, I could possibly get past it, but the characters are just as foul.
Most Frustrating Book:
Die, Vol. 2: Split the Partyby Kieron Gillen, Illustrated by Stephanie Hans
Despite containing a lot of ingredients that would usually appeal to me, this comic just left me wanting to smack all of the characters in their smarmy, egotistical faces.
Biggest Surprise:
I'll Never Get Out of This World Alive by Steve Earle
Maybe I just have low expectations for artists working outside their usual mediums, but I was swept away by this thoughtful novel by a country music artist I grew up on.
So there it is, my year in books! I am jumping back in with another list for 2022, so if you have any book recommendations of things I absolutely must read this year, send them my way.
Best Book:
Tipping the Velvet by Sarah Waters
I read a lot of books that I would put firmly in the middle of my rankings this year, but Tipping the Velvet wins out by being some of the most crafted and polished. And I will always have a soft spot for period dramas about queer ladies.
Most Enjoyable Book:
The Sugared Game by KJ Charles
The entire trilogy of The Will Darling Adventures belongs here, but the second installment, The Sugared Game, was my favorite. Maybe not the most honed books (KJ Charles could use a copy editor with a sharper eye), but I adored the characters and the adventures they went on, and was sad to finish it out.
Worst Book:
I Am a Hero Omnibus, Volume 1 by Kengo Hanazawa
This zombie apocalypse manga is just squishy and gross on many different metrics. If it was just the body horror, I could possibly get past it, but the characters are just as foul.
Most Frustrating Book:
Die, Vol. 2: Split the Partyby Kieron Gillen, Illustrated by Stephanie Hans
Despite containing a lot of ingredients that would usually appeal to me, this comic just left me wanting to smack all of the characters in their smarmy, egotistical faces.
Biggest Surprise:
I'll Never Get Out of This World Alive by Steve Earle
Maybe I just have low expectations for artists working outside their usual mediums, but I was swept away by this thoughtful novel by a country music artist I grew up on.
So there it is, my year in books! I am jumping back in with another list for 2022, so if you have any book recommendations of things I absolutely must read this year, send them my way.
