Friday Wrap-Up

Thoughts

This past week, my blog hit 10,000 overall views since I started it back in September. I’m also nearing 1,000 subscribers, and my mind is absolutely blown by all of this. It’s surreal.

I started Read Yourself Happy because I was lonely and didn’t have any bookish friends to talk to in the city where I’m currently living. I wanted to share my love of reading and discuss books I read. A blog seemed like the perfect way to do that.

Since September, this website has become one of the most important parts of my life. While my day job is mind-numbingly boring and I spend my days getting screamed at by angry customers (I work in an insurance-related call center), my days off and nights are filled with writing, reading, and digitally connecting with so many new, wonderful people.

It’s hard for me to believe that there are people who enjoy my content and regularly read my blog. It’s wonderful but just doesn’t seem real sometimes. However, I am so, so, so thankful to every single person who has read a review, liked a post, or left a comment. It means the absolute world to me and has been a bright spot over the last few months when I’ve been struggling with job-related burnout and dealing with my bipolar diagnosis.

I love all of you guys so much. You’re all bringing so much joy to my life.

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Bookish Spotlight

I recently discovered the book blog Novel & Waffles, and everything about Kat’s blog is amazing. The aesthetic of the entire website is delightful, and her content is on point. For an example of what I mean, check out her review of Marie Lu’s Champion.

Here are a few articles from Novel & Waffles to get you started:

• A DNFed Book is Not a Bad Book
• Contemporary Recommendations for 2019
• An Interview with Book Cover Illustrator, gg

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Around the Web

• Jezebel put together a great article on emergency contraception, which everyone should read.
• Tea tree oil is one of the most important essential oils you can have in your home. Here are ten uses for it you might not be aware of, from the website Hello Glow.
• Fast Company has an article about Atlanta’s new urban forest/community garden. It’s a wonderful project that I hope other cities around the country embrace.
• NovelKnight has guest post from Kat Cho, author of Wicked Fox. 
• Emily at Cupcakes & Cashmere has a great article on experiencing work-related burnout and how she dealt with it. This is something that I wrote about recently on the blog as well.
• The Mary Sue has a really insightful article on consumerism in fandom culture. From the article:
  

  At cons like Star Wars Celebration and ACE Comic Con, stars from major franchises sign autographs for prices in the triple digits. Big-name cons feature exclusives that people will line up for hours to get their hands on, and that’s after the price of a ticket. Fans purchase toys and merchandise to build elaborate collections. Star Warseven prides itself on having a celebratory “Force Friday” when all the new merchandise drops. Fans on TV are portrayed has having massive comic book or action figure collections, which makes it seem like being a fan requires spending all your money on merch and experiences.

   

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Things I Love

• While it’s definitely not the type of music I listen to, this video from Herve Pagez, Diplo, and Carli XCX is a delightful, absurd tribute to the Spice Girls’ “Wannabe.“
• I’m stoked that The Boondocks is returning for a fifth season!
• My local library’s used book store is incredible. Earlier in the week, I walked out of there with six wonderful books for $6! Be mindful of your library’s book sales, as you can score some seriously awesome books there!

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On the Blog

(Note: I apparently forgot to post a Friday Wrap-up last week, so this will be a little longer than usual.)

• Hanna Jameson, author of The Last – Friday Favorites
• May 2019 Wrap-Up
• June Plans & TBR
• Daredevil: Back in Black, Volume 8: The Death of Daredevil by Charles Soule – A Review
• Full Tilt by Neal Shusterman – A Review
• Down the TBR Hole – #2
• Kathy Kimbray, author of A Shifting of Stars – Friday Favorites
• Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen – A Review
• The Best (and Worst) Books I’ve Read so Far in 2019 – Mid-Year Wrap-up
• Furthermore by Tahereh Mafi
• Why You Should Declutter Your Digital Life
• Death of Wolverine by Charles Soule – A Review

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