A bit late for this month, partially because I’ve been sick the last week or so! But I’m slowly feeling human again. 😅I had a fun month at work in July as Penguin Random House was celebrating its 90th anniversary! The entire year so far has been filled with numerous events for the occasion, but as July 30th was its official date, a lot was happening at work! I volunteered for the ‘Nothing Like A Book‘ event, which was held at the Truman Brewery on July 19th and 20th, 2025. I volunteered on the 19th at the Book Nook, giving out free books to anyone who stopped by. When I initially volunteered, I wasn’t expecting to be given such a front-facing role. The introvert in me was actually dying the entire time. 😅 But it was so lovely meeting everyone who came by the stall!
I know there isn’t much of an overlap between my audience here and on Twitch but I do like giving updates here when I can. I now officially have a new model that will be used for streams from now onwards. I commissioned a lovely artist called artsy_vii who creates these adorable pixel png models! I’ve been waiting since early this year for their commission list to open up so I could have a new model of my OC, Nara. I will miss the models I created myself but I’ve been wanted a new model for consistency for a while now and I love what I got from Vii!!!
Actually shame on me that I have no art to share with you this month. So I thought I would highlight some commissioned art instead! Here are two pieces from CarmenFFLV. The first one was actually a gift from my friend, Seth, who commissioned art of my OC (who I used as my png model when I’m streaming on Twitch.) I was so in love with the art that I commissioned the artist myself for a picture of myself! It’s SOO adorable and I just want to use it everywhere!
B O O K S
In June, I read 8 books!
For transparency, books marked with an asterisk (*) signify books I received through work at PRH.
While to the residents of Tuga – the world’s most remote island – Charlotte Walker looks like a temporary resident, a researcher ready to study the island’s turtle population. For Charlotte, Tuga holds the secret to a past she never knew and can she find it amongst the people of glorious Tuga?
I feel like this book is a quintessential beach read – the kind of book that is low stakes, low energy and some thing that you can finish in a couple summer days. I thought it was cute, something quick to read. Personally, for me, it just felt SO empty. Nothing really happens except in the last few chapters and I actually almost forgot Charlotte was at Tuga to research turtles. I don’t think she actually did anything the entire time she was there? There is a sequel out now which judging by the synopsis sounds to be much better, but I don’t think I cared enough about Charlotte to think about picking it up.
In May, I attended Penguin Presents, a full-day event for staff at Penguin Random House celebrating their work. This one was particularly special, as it highlighted the 90th Anniversary. It was a great show with a fantastic selection of authors and an opportunity to hear about upcoming releases from the company. To be honest, you can’t really have Dame Judi Dench as your first guest and not expect it to be a fantastic event. I was lucky enough to snag a meet & greet with Jacqueline Wilson, and she signed my copy of Double Act from my childhood! I was a bit cheeky and realised that as I finished my signing with Jacqueline, Malorie Blackman’s line had just finished, so I also jumped over to her table and had the chance to say hello! These two authors were such a stable in our household. Malorie, especially with her works such as ANTIDOTE, Hacker and Thief – three of my favourite childhood reads! I always say that there are three authors whose works were pivotal to my interest in reading and, later, working in publishing (the third author being Rachel Caine). To meet two of them in one day was honestly amazing!
B O O K S
In May, I read 13 books!
8 of those books were a part of my Morganville Vampires series re-read! I’ve been slowly going back into writing which made me feel really nostalgic for Rachel’s works as I began working on my own writing.
For transparency, books marked with an asterisk (*) signify books I received through work at PRH.
Nothing has made me question my memory more as I re-read this series. I thought I had a pretty good memory of the entire series. Still, re-reading it, I’m actually laughing at how much I’ve forgotten. Not even plot points – I somehow managed to forget the characters. (Not you, Sam Glass, my beloved. I like to think he was the beginning of my obsession with red-haired characters.)
Suppose you haven’t read or heard of this series. In that case, Morganville Vampires is a massive 15-book series about a girl named Claire who discovers that the town she attends college in is run by vampires. Each book presents a new challenge for her as she becomes more involved with the town’s increasingly undead residents.
I began reading this series when I was 9, maybe 12 for the later books, and now, at 27, I think, ‘Wow, these characters were all babies.’ I used to think Claire was so calm and mature, and now I’m reading this and thinking, ‘Claire, please relax.’ You are a child and don’t need to be doing all this. A side note, but I LOVE how dated this series feels now. Something about Shane having a PSP and them playing video games that were clearly inspired by old generations felt incredibly nostalgic – I used to be so jealous of Shane having a PSP because back then, only my brother had one. Is this series peak fiction? Probably only to 9-year-old me. But I’m having so much fun re-reading this because it still feels as entertaining as it was eighteen years ago
An insightful graphic memoir about the early years of parenthood! I heard about this book in a meeting and I was waiting for it to be released! So funny and candid!
So not much art this month! I’ve been working on some stuff for my work newsletter so that has been taking up a lot of my art time. But a big thing I’m working on is practising the Arcane art style! I’ve been obsessed with show for a while and with the ending of season 2, I’ve been obsessed with practising the style for fun. The character I’ve drawn is one of my OCs, if you watch me over on Twitch, then you’ll have seen her a lot as I use a PNG model of her for streaming!
B O O K S
In February, I read 10 books and 1 graphic novel. I am on a book reading sweep at the moment! Aside from one book this month – I’ve really enjoyed all the books I’ve read this month.
For transparency, books marked with an asterisk (*) signify books I received through work at PRH.
A small boy washes up on the shores of a Scottish fishing village, he bears a striking resemblance to Dorothy’s son who went missing years ago. With the village snowed in for the winter, Dorothy agrees to look after the child until he can be returned home. Soon buried secrets come to light and Dorothy finds herself face to face with the reclusive fisherman that she had once loved long ago.
This book made me a MESS. I heard of this book through work and I thought this would be a nice read for my train journey home. Boy was I so, so wrong…. The Fisherman’s Gift is a book seeped in sadness, each page turn bringing more misfortunes than the chapter before. I reached half way and was thinking surely this can’t get anymore sadder? It is beautifully written and heart-breaking. I would say it’s even deceptive in the way it’s described as a love story when the romance is briefly touched upon, and the depth of the story really comes from the community. Dorothy I would fight the entire village for the way they treated you!
Orbital follows the lives of six fictional astronauts over 24 hours on a space station as they collect data, conduct experiments and ponder on the lives of those below them. I had the pleasure of getting to celebrate its Booker Prize win in the office and it was such a lovely moment with everyone cheering for Samantha Harvey who dropped by briefly! I really enjoyed this, managed to read it all in my two hour train journey home. It’s definitely a dividing book and if you’re looking for a plot, you’ll be sorely disappointed. I read this at the same time I finished playing Mouthwashing and it has definitely set me on a space reading kick now.
Hi, this is a very delayed month rewind post because my wifi went out for a few days in early November, so enjoy a late post! Not much for October this year! I did attend the October MCM Comic Con, which was chaotic and fun! I will not be looking at my bank account for the next few days to see the devastating impact of Artist Alley. I also completely forgot to take pictures, so here is the one picture I have of a Wukong cosplayer!
I was hoping someone would cosplay as him, and I was not disappointed. It was hilarious that we spotted the top of his outfit before seeing him in the crowds. I know it’s hotly contested on whether Black Myth: Wu Kong is a soulslike game or not, but after watching my brother play parts of the game, I’m not so sure if someone like me – who has the reaction speed of a snail – would even be able to get 30 minutes into the game so I just stuck to watching a playthrough.😂
A R T
Consider this the corner of shame. I didn’t have time to work on any art this month. 😭😭😭😭
as told by zaheerah 