Tag: Art Matters

Posted in Books

The Bookish Mutant’s 5-Star Reads of 2022

Posted on by madeline @ The Bookish Mutant

Happy Monday, bibliophiles!

2022 was a strange, messy, and transitional year for me—graduating high school, starting college, and all of the chaos in between. It’s been an unusual reading year for me too—I haven’t been able to read as much, what with college and finals throwing me off of my reading rhythm for most of the second half of the year. I didn’t have as many 5-star reads as I have in previous years (not counting re-reads, for which there were many), and that might be a consequence of how weird this year has been, but that maybe the more I read, the more selective I get with my 5-star ratings. It’s not every day that a book changes your life, rocks your world, or shifts you in some other way. But there were still several books that deserved that rating this year, and I’d be remiss if I didn’t give these truly wonderful books all my love as the year reaches its end.

(NOTE: re-reads that I previously rated 5 stars will not appear on this list.)

Let’s begin, shall we?

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️THE BOOKISH MUTANT’S 5-STAR READS OF 2022⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Wide Starlight – Nicole Lesperance

My first 5-star read of the year, and an unexpected one as well; a beautiful story of northern lights, fairytales, and family.

Read my review here!

Art Matters – Neil Gaiman and Chris Riddell

An essential read for anyone with creative aspirations of any kind. Neil Gaiman never misses.

Alone in Space: A Collection – Tillie Walden

A beautiful collection of vignettes and short comics from one of my favorite creators in recent years!

The Reckless Kind – Carly Heath

Another 5-star read from a new-to-me author, The Reckless Kind captured my heart with its tale of queer love and disabled identity.

Read my review here!

The Amazing Screw-On Head and Other Curious Objects – Mike Mignola

Another beautiful anthology from one of my favorite artists and storytellers. The Magician and the Snake always gets me choked up.

Call Us What We Carry – Amanda Gorman

At this point, Amanda Gorman is incapable of writing anything that doesn’t immediately awe me; Call Us What We Carry is filled to the brim with creativity, wisdom, and timely insight that will surely stand the test of time.

Honorable Mentions (4.5 stars):

Today’s song:

probably the last album I’ll listen to in 2022, and it was a great one!! this definitely my favorite track

That’s it for my favorite books of 2022! Have a wonderful rest of your day, and take care of yourselves!

Posted in Monthly Wrap-Ups

May 2022 Wrap-Up 🎓

Posted on by madeline @ The Bookish Mutant

Happy Tuesday, bibliophiles!

We’re almost halfway through 2022 already (!), but I’d definitely say that this month was the most momentous one of this year.

GENERAL THOUGHTS:

Wow. So I really am done with high school.

I got distracted from all that with my AP tests at the beginning of the month (ecstatic that I’ll never have to take them again), but once the middle of the month hit, the realization started to sink in. Then I graduated—in freezing spring snow at an outdoor venue, no less. Certainly a day to remember. But it’s over now—strange to think that those four (very weird) years have come to a close. And now college is on the horizon…

With all that going on, I didn’t have as much time to read. It wasn’t quite as good of a bunch, either—I still had a few gems, but I had a lot more 2-3 star books and a DNF too. Haven’t had much writing time either—I did a little more outlining for the WIP sequel, but I’m turning my attention to something new—I figured that since my brother and friends are starting to suggest edits, it’s probably too soon to start the sequel.

Other than that, I’ve just been drawing, watching Heartstopper and sobbing at the coming-out scene, going to see Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (mixed bag, but it was fun) and Everything Everywhere All at Once (TEARS), seeing Spoon live (AMAZING), and listening to the new Wilco, Smile, and Arcade Fire.

READING AND BLOGGING:

I read 17 books this month! Less than usual, but it was a lot like April in terms of reading—I was super busy with AP tests, graduation, and all that jazz this month, but I was still able to read some good books here and there.

1 – 1.75 stars:

Forget This Ever Happened

2 – 2.75 stars:

The Chosen and the Beautiful

3 – 3.75 stars:

A Magic Steeped in Poison

4 – 4.75 stars:

The Final Revival of Opal & Nev

5 stars:

Art Matters

FAVORITE BOOK OF THE MONTH: Art Matters – 5 stars

SOME POSTS I’M PROUD OF:

POSTS FROM OTHER WONDERFUL PEOPLE THAT I ENJOYED:

SONGS/ALBUMS THAT I ENJOYED:

I’ve had this on repeat for almost a month straight not gonna lie
love this album but this song is my favorite
another great album, although I haven’t been able to let this one quite sink in yet
more soccer mommy!!!!
lovely album!
CAN’T BELIEVE I HAVE TICKETS TO SEE THEM IN SEPTEMBER AAAAAAA
not a perfect album, but when it’s good, it’s FANTASTIC—case in point


DID I FOLLOW THROUGH ON MY MAY GOALS?

  • Get through the AP tests: made it! sucked to have two in one day, but I made it.
  • Finish high school strong! (aAAA STILL CAN’T BELIEVE I’M GRADUATING—): got straight A’s, so I’ll say I finished strong! and now I’m done with high school! would you look at that…

GOALS FOR JUNE:

  • Read at least 20 books
  • Enjoy the first month of summer/pride month!

Today’s song:

That’s it for this month in blogging! Have a wonderful rest of your day, and take care of yourselves!

Posted in Weekly Updates

Weekly Update: May 23-29, 2022

Posted on by madeline @ The Bookish Mutant

Happy Sunday, bibliophiles!

My sense of time has been w a y off this week; I’m still recovering from all the chaos and festivities from graduation last week, so this week has all been coming down from all that. The weather’s warmed up after that big snowstorm we had on the day of graduation, and I’ve been trying to get some stuff done for college and get some more reading done.

I haven’t been able to read or write much this month, so I’ve been trying to remedy the reading part, at least. I’ve had more time to read this week, and it’s been a hit or miss batch this week, but I found some great ones (one of which was a graduation present from my parents—thank you! 💗) I have some Fantastic Four comics that I want to read next week (from my dad and my brother, after realizing that I hadn’t read any while we were discussing the new Doctor Strange), so that’ll be fun.

As far as writing goes, I haven’t written much lately—more outlining, but I’m not sure if I should go on editing the WIP, fine-tuning its sequel, or just starting something new. I’m leaning towards the latter, but I’m not sure what I’ll write…we’ll see.

Other than that, I’ve just been drawing when I can, playing guitar, seeing Spoon live (amazing, as they always are), listening to the new Wilco, and watching Everything Everywhere All At Once (tears were shed).

WHAT I READ THIS WEEK:

A Magic Steeped in Poison (The Book of Tea, #1) – Judy I. Lin (⭐️⭐️⭐️.75, rounded up to ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️)

Dreams Bigger Than Heartbreak (Unstoppable, #2) – Charlie Jane Anders (⭐️⭐️⭐️.5)

The Chosen and the Beautiful – Nghi Vo (⭐️⭐️.75, rounded up to ⭐️⭐️⭐️)

Art Matters – Neil Gaiman, illustrated by Chris Riddell (⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️)

POSTS AND SUCH:

SONGS:

CURRENTLY READING/TO READ NEXT WEEK:

“Wait, it’s all Fantastic Four?”

“Always has been.”

Marvel Masterworks: Fantastic Four, vol. 1 – Stan Lee and Jack Kirby

Fantastic Four, vol. 1 – Jonathan Hickman and Dale Eaglesham

Fantastic Four, vol. 2 – Jonathan Hickman and Dale Eaglesham

Fantastic Four, vol. 3 – Jonathan Hickman and Dale Eaglesham

Fantastic Four, vol. 4 – Jonathan Hickman and Dale Eaglesham

Today’s song:

one of my absolute favorites from this album—and a serendipitous play while we were driving home after seeing Everything Everywhere All At Once

That’s it for this week in blogging! Have a wonderful rest of your day, and take care of yourselves!