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March 12, 2023March 12, 2023 wickedjr89 Uncategorized

Finally admitting retirement from the book community

Well that title sounds … I swear there isn’t anything wrong, I have nothing against anyone, and I still love to read.

I started becoming an avid reader, and a booktuber, back in 2015. I’ve taken breaks here and there. I’m finally realizing i’m done with making bookish content. No more things like hauls or tbrs/pops or wrap ups etc. Not because I have anything against them, I don’t. That’s not what this is. This is me having no more desire to make said content. That kind of stuff makes me feel obligated, and I don’t want that. I have other shit going on in my life, other shit I want to do, hell books i’d rather be reading.

If I decide I want to say, gush about a particular book or post about some random bookish topic or something like that, sure, maybe i’ll do that. If I really want to. Random shit like that I might do because then I shouldn’t feel any sense of obligation about it, in terms of having to keep making more of it.

I do think this will actually make me more excited to blog but at the same time i’m not promising anything. Why would it make me excited? Because then I can just post when/whatever I want to! No feeling like I have to do shit or like I owe anyone anything when I know I don’t.

If you want to know what books i’m reading i’ll still be on Goodreads and Storygraph.

I know there are so many other things i’d rather blog about. And this means i’ll have the energy sometimes to do that. Being chronically ill and in pain I don’t have a lot of energy. I want to put the energy I do have into stuff I want to do and … I no longer care to do that bookish content.

So here’s to the stuff I’ll be blogging about instead! What will it be? Who the fuck knows. Could be stuff related to me being trans and transitioning. Could be stuff related to disability. Could be related to other hobbies: Movies, TV, Video Games, Writing, Art, Puzzles… Could be other random topics as well. Feel free to make suggestions if you want. I don’t promise anything but who knows, I could really love a suggestion and decide to do it.

If you decide to stick with me, I appreciate it a lot. I understand if you do not though. Thank you for reading this.

https://linktr.ee/Wickedjr

Edited to add: I am really glad for what it’s given me, being a part of the bookish community and making content like that, it’s just not what I want to do anymore. Technically i’m still part of the bookish community because i’ll still read, log what I read, and occasionally watch and read book related content (booktube, tiktok, book blogs…).

January 11, 2023 wickedjr89 book review, book thoughts, Bookish

The Rise and Reign of the Mammals Book Review

I recently installed DuckDuckGo Privacy Essentials and it breaks some things, including this video. If you have that and want to see the video, please go to the DuckDuckGo Privacy Essentials extension in your browser, go to options, at the bottom will say unprotected sites, click “add unprotected site” and type in myqueerdisabledlife.com (or wordpress.com would probably work to but would do the entire website).

@literarystoner
#booktok #firstreadof2023 #firstreadoftheyear #nonfictionbooktok #nonfictionbooks #nonfictionreads #nonfiction #bookreview #bookrecommendations
♬ original sound – Tyler J

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November 30, 2022 wickedjr89 book review, book thoughts, Bookish, monthly wrap ups

How I did with Nonfiction November and manga

How did I do with Nonfiction November and 30 in 30 Manga Reading challenge?

In my opinion? Great! I read 4 nonfiction books, 1 for each of the prompts, and 6 volumes of Food Wars! … That’s it, 6 volumes. I know that’s no where near 30 but I do remember it being said that the point is just to read more manga than you usually do, and I succeeded in that. Sure, more woulda been nice but I didn’t fail either. And hopefully this time I won’t stop reading Food Wars and will actually finish it! I initially read the first 12 volumes, loved them, and then … well i’m bad at series ok? So I need to read 6 more and i’ll be where I was at before. There are 36 volumes. Wish me luck.

The Nonfiction Books I Read

I read Cleopatra by Stacy Schiff for the prompt Record. I gave it 3 stars. I listened to it on audio book and it was very interesting. I’m just bad at processing audio books and I know it didn’t really get into my brain, but that’s a me problem. I did like it.

I read The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs: A New History of a Lost World by Stephen Brusatte for the prompt Element. I loved this! It was so fascinating (and I have it physically) and understandable and there are pictures and DINOSAURS. I have a newfound love for dinosaurs now. I gave it 5 stars. My review on Goodreads states:

“Dinosaurs are fascinating! I learned so much. Very well written and accessible.
My favorite dinosaur, is penguin. Confused? Read the book. If you are remotely interested in Dinosaurs, read it.”

I read Entangled Life: How Fungi Make Our Worlds, Change Our Minds & Shape Our Futures by Merlin Sheldrake for the prompt Border. I gave this 4 stars. This was also very fascinating, and unexpectedly thought-provoking! I read it on kindle.

I read Cultish: The Language of Fanaticism by Amanda Montell for the prompt Secret. I gave this 4 stars. This both is and is not what you’d expect. Once you read it you’ll see it everywhere. But is that really terrifying? Yes and No. It depends. Read it if you want to understand what I mean. I listened to it and did really enjoy the narration and it kept my attention.

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November 7, 2022 wickedjr89 book thoughts, Bookish

2023 Reading Goals

So i’ve been thinking of goals for next year whether I like it or not. I can’t seem to help it. I am trying a new attitude though of no stressing out over reading as it’s just my hobby and life is really fucking hard. That said I can use these “goals” as a guideline to help me remember things I do actually *want* to read. I’ve also gotten obsessed with Storygraph (profile Here if you want to follow/friend me on there) and the reading challenges on there! I have joined so many lol. But first, onto my goals that are unrelated to Storygraph reading challenges! I would number them but then it goes all wonky and I can’t figure out how to fix it so i’ll just bold the goals.

24 Audio books

I have a couple hundred audio books yet rarely listen to them because processing audio books is REALLY HARD. It is for me at least. Different brains. I have aphantasia and am autistic. I also have auditory processing disorder. That’s why I have a bunch of nonfiction audio books and audio books I read with my eyeballs first so I can listen to them as a reread. Easier than trying to learn a whole new freaking world and characters and shit while struggling to process the audio book. I want to practice listening to audio books. 2 a month doesn’t sound like too much? But even 12 would be an improvement for me!

33% Nonfiction

This % is subject to change. I want to read more nonfiction. However, I also want to read more comics/manga/graphic novels, and I could read a few comics or manga in one day unlike nonfiction books so that might seriously skew the %. As long as I know i’m making an effort to read more nonfiction, i’m happy. That said previous years, now that I finally got all my read books logged into storygraph (I have “too many rows” to import from Goodreads) show I read more nonfiction than I thought I did. I’d like a minimum of 20% and a max of no more than 50%, so we’ll see what happens.

6 Classics

Sounds reasonable.

6 Mystery/Thrillers

I want to read more adult thrillers. There’s many I want to check out and I just … never do.

36 Graphic Novels/Comics/Manga

I’m shooting for more actually but 3 a month sounds reasonable. Again though as long as I make an effort i’ll be happy.

8 Frankenstein related books

Frankenstein is my favorite book (particularly the original uncensored 1818 version). Related books being like retellings for example (not limited to retellings).

6 Taboo books

I have many taboo books and I want to read them.

Finish Bingo Boards

My and my friend Georga made bingo boards at the beginning of the year. I have not finished them, and that’s ok. Maybe in 2023?

6 Pagan Books

I’m Pagan. I want to read 6 nonfiction Pagan books. I seriously need to work on my spirituality.

Focus on what I love: Horror and Nonfiction

I love to read all kinds of books, and I love that about myself, but I do say horror and nonfiction are my favorites, so I want to make sure I focus on them!

9 Anthologies

I have a bunch of anthologies I need to read!

Well Read Lie list books

I mentioned my “well read lie” list that I made in this post. It’ll take me so many years to finish it if I ever do lol. So, maybe a couple or a few books from it a month would be nice, but no stressing out over it.

Kindle and Comixology unlimited

I have both of these, I need to use them. A few books a month from each would be nice … lol.

Use my Libby and Hoopla

I should use my local libby and Hoopla sometimes.

6 Translated Works

Not counting manga! That’d make it way too easy lol.

6 Poetry

Poetry is hit or miss but when it’s a hit, it’s a hit. I need to read more poetry.

3 Stephen King Books

Self explanatory

R.L. Stine/Goosebumps

I have yet to finish the original Goosebumps books so I want to make progress on them! I don’t need to finish them next year but at least make progress.

8 books still on my 40 before 40 list

On my 30th birthday (i’ll be 34 in February lol) I made a “40 before 40” list of 40 books to read before I turn 40. I have 15 books left to go! I used blogger back then and made a post with the list here if you want to check it out, it is NOT updated though! I don’t go on there any more. The books are the same but i’m sure i’ve read more than it says I have now. So out of the 15 I have left I hope to read 8 next year. We shall see. I still have 6 years lol.

72 hours listened

Storygraph has a thing where you can set a goal for hours listened to audio books! So I figure 72 hours for an entire year sounds reasonable and low but also progress for me. We shall see. I am trying to keep this and the next 2 things low to avoid stress. I already love to read I don’t need to make it stressful.

2,500 pages read

Like I said, low. Storygraph also has a thing where you can set a goal for pages read.

Books to read: 25

I’ll probably read more than this, hence setting it low. I want to keep reading but again, it’s a hobby.

I’ll have to make a post about the storygraph reading challenges i’ve entered separately.

Have you begun thinking of your reading next year yet? What are your goals if you have? Comment down below 🙂

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September 28, 2022 wickedjr89 book review, book thoughts, Bookish

Bi-weekly Wednesday Wrap Up Sept 28th, 2022

What I am currently reading

Well at the moment I don’t think i’ve been able to read in a few days, however I am still working on the 2nd Norton Critical Edition of Frankenstein and the Cannabis Pharmacy books that I mentioned 2 weeks ago in that Bi-weekly Wednesday Wrap Up.

What I’ve recently finished

Slewfoot: A Tale of Bewitchery by Brom – 5 stars! I am so glad I loved this one just as much as I did Krampus: The Yule Lord! I saw the same things in it that made me love Krampus enough to read it 3 times already. Maybe i’ll revist Slewfoot later to.

I’m not entirely sure what else to say. I loved Abitha. She’s a strong woman who goes through so much shit. I loved Samson as well. I loved the messages in the story. I just want everyone to experience it for themselves and it’s perfect for spooky season!

What do I think i’ll read next?

I don’t know. Still working on Frankenstein and Cannabis Pharmacy like I said above. I got a huge list of potential stuff for October so, we’ll see.

Other Stuff

I’m still recovering from my hernia surgery in July and it looks like I might already have another causing serious problems. I am so fucking tired. I can’t do this. I struggle so much just to survive let alone have hope for a better future as everything, every hope i’ve ever had, is always taken from me. I don’t want to go into all right now. It’s a lot. And I doubt anyone cares. I lost my husband, my grandma, 2 people who actually supported me being transgender. My health issues and body are a mess and I was born this way and can’t fix it. I’m super scared for my future. I battle so much I don’t speak on the internet, and since i’m so open about so much, I doubt anyone would think that, but it’s true. I’m sure it’s true for a lot of people.

I still have the cold to.

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September 17, 2022September 15, 2022 wickedjr89 Uncategorized

September Book Haul Part 1

Kindle Books

Token Black Girl: A Memoir by Danielle Prescod

The Last Vampire: Complete Series, Books 1-6 by R.A. Steffan

Human Compatible: Artificial Intelligence and the Problem of Control by Stuart Russell

Physical Books

Year of the Tiger: An Activist’s Life by Alice Wong

Stinetinglers: All New Stories by the Master of Scary Tales by R.L. Stine

Audio Books

This Is Your Brain on Music: The Science of a Human Obsession by Daniel J. Levitin

Nordic Tales: Folktales from Norway, Sweden, Finland, Iceland, and Denmark by Chronicle Books

Epubs

The Bands of Mourning by Brandon Sanderson

September 14, 2022 wickedjr89 book review, book thoughts, Bookish

Bi-weekly Wednesday Wrap Up Sept 14th, 2022

What I am currently reading

Frankenstein by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley – I’m making progress on the extras.

Cannabis Pharmacy: The Practical Guide to Medical Marijuana by Michael Backes – Making progress on this to.

Slewfoot: A Tale of Bewitchery by Brom – I’ve read one chapter so far. I need to continue it.

What I’ve recently finished

Lagoon by Nnedi Okorafor – 4 stars

Thought provoking and interesting. Not sure what to say though, but glad I read it.

Dracula by Bram Stoker – DNF

I give up. I read Dracula (all of it) a few years ago. I didn’t like it. I thought maybe i’d appreciate it more now, but I don’t. I listened to 2 chapters. The narrators are great, if you love Dracula check it out (you can find it on audible.com – has Tim Curry and a whole cast). I’m bored. I hate that I don’t like it, I LOVE vampires … generally. But this just doesn’t work for me. I really thought i’d be able to get into it but I can’t, I just can’t. I’ve loved (years ago, I need to rewatch it) the Dracula movie with Gary Oldman. I should just rewatch it.

What do I think i’ll read next?

I don’t know.

Other Stuff

I’m still recovering, from the surgery and I have a cold. My stomach is in all sorts of pain. My normal medical issues, fluid build up, still recovering from the surgery .. I have started making YouTube videos again, being more relaxed about it. The link below links to my linktree which has links to all my social media.

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September 10, 2022 wickedjr89 book review, book thoughts, Bookish, monthly wrap ups

August Wrap Up

What I Read

BBC Wildlife Magazine – May 2022 by Immediate Media Company London Ltd – 4 stars

Haben: The Deafblind Woman Who Conquered Harvard Law by Haban Girma – 5 stars

This is a wonderful autobiography! I loved how stories from her life was told in the pretense tense, it felt so much more personal. It’s also infused with humor. You can learn so much from this, in an accessible way and having a nice time while doing it. Please read the discussion questions at the end, they give food for thought.

I have also been disabled my entire life but for entirely different reasons. I am neither deaf nor blind. I do have auditory processing disorder though so when she mentions there was too much noise to make anything out, I relate to that. I can’t make anything out in those situations either.

She’s the first deafblind student to graduate Harvard, and she’s barely 6 months older than me. We still have so far to go, but that’s not meant to take away from how far we’ve come.

BBC Science Focus Magazine by Immediate Media Company London Ltd – 4 stars

Me and My Dysphoria Monster: An Empowering Story to Help Children Cope with Gender Dysphoria by Laura Kate Dale and Hui Qing Ang – 5 stars

I wish i’d had this as a child. I would’ve had the words and known I wasn’t alone so much sooner.

There are some draft errors (like on one page it says missing words and later some sentences just stop in the middle) but I got this from Netgalley and it is an e-arc draft so i’m not holding that against it.

Nisha is a trans girl. She has a dysphoria monster that keeps getting bigger as she’s misgendered but then she comes out and has support and her monster gets smaller. At first she wanted her monster to just go away but with the help of an adult trans man learns what her monster was trying to tell her, and living as who she is makes her so much happier and confident. It’s a beautiful story and has information for adults wanting to support trans kids after the story. I highly recommend this book!

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the e-arc.

Stinetinglers: All New Stories by the Master of Scary Tales by R.L. Stine – 3.65 stars

I really enjoyed this collection over-all! It has 10 stories. I didn’t care for 2 of them personally (but I didn’t hate them or anything) and I really enjoyed the other 8! 3.65 average rounded up to 4
Welcome to the in-between 3.5
Our Little Monsters 2
Skin 3
The Ghost in the car 4
The boy who heard screams 5
Bugs 3.5
How to change your life 4
The bad side 4.5
The hole in the ground 5
The monster maker 2
These are obviously just my opinions, nothing more.
These stories are perfect for kids I think and they are certainly fun to read as an adult to. If you enjoy Goosebumps (or Goosebumps like books) definitely check this collection out. A few of them gave my spine a tingle!

Philosophy Now – Issue 150 by Anja Publications – 3 stars

Other Stuff

I think i’m on the way to healing but not there yet. My body has been through a lot with the surgery and the sickness.

I did update my “about me” page a bit since I plan to talk about cannabis as well now. The books aren’t going anywhere though, still love to read!

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September 6, 2022September 1, 2022 wickedjr89 Uncategorized

August Book Haul Part 2

Physical Books

Clifford Collection: The Original 6 Stories! by Norman Bridwell

The Devil Takes You Home by Gabino Iglesias

Killers of a Certain Age by Deanna Raybourn

Kindle Books

Into the Dread Void: A Cosmic Horror Thriller by Abe Moss

Simply Connected: A Lesbian/Nonbinary Sports Romance by Alex Washoe

Death on Paradise Island by B.M. Allsopp

The Sweet Baked Mystery Series – Books 1-6 by Katherine Hayton

Beauty and the Goblin King by Lidiya Foxglove

Before I Had the Words: On Being a Transgender Young Adult by Skylar Kergil

Different, Not Less: A neurodivergent’s guide to embracing your true self and finding your happily ever after by Chloé Hayden

Energy Vampires: An Empaths Guide on How to Deal With Negative People by Jennifer O’Neill

The Witch’s Awakening by Leigh Ann Edwards

Love Where You Work: An Office Romance by Anna Pulley

Epubs

Secondhand Origin Stories by Lee Brontide

Audio Books

Them: Adventures with Extremists by Jon Ronson

Coast to Coast Ghosts: True Stories of Hauntings Across America by Leslie Rule

August 31, 2022 wickedjr89 book review, book thoughts

Two weeks Wednesday Wrap Up August 31st, 2022

What I Am Currently Reading

Frankenstein by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley, Cannabis Pharmacy: The Practical Guide to Medical Marijuana by Michael Backes

Frankenstein by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley – I finished the actual story last October but there’s extras I still need to read. And I love Frankenstein! It’s my favorite book <3.

Cannabis Pharmacy: The Practical Guide to Medical Marijuana by Michael Backes – I have recently gotten a medical marijuana card! So yea, I wanna learn things. I use it for chronic pain and stomach problems mostly. I also have anxiety, depression, ptsd, trouble sleeping .. Seriously, i’m a mess of issues. But cannabis is here to help.

What I’ve Recently Finished

BBC Science Focus Magazine by Immediate Media Company London Ltd – I gave it 4 stars. Science magazine. Had nothing to say.

Me and My Dysphoria Monster: An Empowering Story to Help Children Cope with Gender Dysphoria by Laura Kate Dale – I gave this 5 stars. I read it thanks to Netgalley and here was my review for it.

I wish i’d had this as a child. I would’ve had the words and known I wasn’t alone so much sooner.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the e-arc.

Stinetinglers: All New Stories by the Master of Scary Tales by R.L. Stine – This is a collection of 10 stories and I also read it for Netgalley, here was my review.

Philosophy Now – Issue 150 by Anja Publications – Philosophy magazine. I gave it 3 stars. Didn’t care for parts of it, had some issues.

What Do I Think I’ll Read Next?

Lagoon by Nnedi Okorafor -A Science Fiction, going to read this as it’s my book club pick for The eclecticist of eclectic book club. It’s set in Africa and has something to do with aliens. It sounds awesome!

Dracula by Bram Stoker – I read Dracula once years ago and didn’t like it but I think i’ll like it more now and have been wanting to give it another chance and it’s Georga’s pick for our book club, The eclecticist of eclectic book club. I also have borrowed this audible plus book that has a big cast of narrators, including Tim Curry, so I think that’ll help to!

Other Stuff – I don’t even know where to start, struggling to recover from surgery, i’m sick, Antibiotics don’t seem to be helping, my mom had/has the same cold crap but now has some sort of other bug. It’s my husband’s, who passed away Feb 16th 2021, birthday today so that’s making me sad and my period just started today (i’m a nonbinary trans guy btw) and it was a bit late so it’s like it waited for this day in particular and also I had a huge spider (daddy long legger) crawling on my arm earlier! Made me drop my switch (seems to be fine) and scream. And a Dr’s appointment keeps getting pushed back because I don’t drive and my mom’s been too sick to take me. I’m terrified i’m going to get this new bug on top of everything else and I can’t recover from what i’ve got and the surgery as it is!

Sorry it’s all over the place and might not make sense. It’s been a lot, still a lot. So much. I’m exhausted. Please make it stop, I need a break.

Sorry for complaining.

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