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  34. <title>Incomplete crochet projects of 2023</title>
  35. <link>https://www.brunchataudreys.com/2024/01/incomplete-crochet-projects-of-2023/</link>
  36. <comments>https://www.brunchataudreys.com/2024/01/incomplete-crochet-projects-of-2023/#respond</comments>
  38. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Audrey]]></dc:creator>
  39. <pubDate>Mon, 15 Jan 2024 02:30:07 +0000</pubDate>
  40. <category><![CDATA[crochet]]></category>
  41. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.brunchataudreys.com/?p=14535</guid>
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  43. <description><![CDATA[Time is an illusion! Annual goals are arbitrary! Incomplete projects are not failures! There is time yet! Crochet has been a lesson in living for the journey, not the destination. A testament to this is how compelled I am to share my incomplete crochet projects, not realising until now that I have yet to share my completed projects (this intro...
  44.        <div class="more-button"><a class="more-link" href="https://www.brunchataudreys.com/2024/01/incomplete-crochet-projects-of-2023/">Read More</a>
  45.        <span class="meta-divider"></span></div>]]></description>
  46. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Time is an illusion! Annual goals are arbitrary! Incomplete projects are not failures! There is time yet!</p>
  47. <p>Crochet has been a lesson in living for the journey, not the destination. A testament to this is how compelled I am to share my incomplete crochet projects, not realising until now that I have yet to share my completed projects (this intro is the last part I&#8217;m writing in this whole post, trippy). Maybe that post will come haha. Back to the point. I don&#8217;t need a million hats or bags or coasters or book sleeves, but I love making them! I&#8217;m happy to make the same things over and over, to make different things, to gift away things I&#8217;ve made. Frogging work isn&#8217;t so unbearable (mostly). Because as long as I&#8217;m crocheting, it doesn&#8217;t matter so much to me that it&#8217;s taking me ages or I&#8217;ve had to restart. This is the joy of a hobby, where the reward is in the doing, not some prize at the end.</p>
  48. <p>That said, the amount of Baby Baggus I have lying around with my half-finished projects is getting out of hand, so I&#8217;ve gathered my crochet works in progress as a way to take inventory, expound my mental (and technical) blocks, illuminate actionable steps forward, and get your feedback too! There are some projects I&#8217;ve simply not gotten around to finishing and some I&#8217;m genuinely stuck on.</p>
  49. <p><span id="more-14535"></span></p>
  50. <p><img fetchpriority="high" decoding="async" data-attachment-id="14536" data-permalink="https://www.brunchataudreys.com/2024/01/incomplete-crochet-projects-of-2023/crochet-incomplete-2023/" data-orig-file="https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/crochet-incomplete-2023-scaled.jpg?fit=1920%2C2560&amp;ssl=1" data-orig-size="1920,2560" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}" data-image-title="pile of incomplete crochet projects &#8211; incomplete crochet projects of 2023" data-image-description="&lt;p&gt;pile of incomplete crochet projects &#8211; incomplete crochet projects of 2023 | brunch at audrey&#8217;s&lt;/p&gt;
  51. " data-image-caption="" data-medium-file="https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/crochet-incomplete-2023-scaled.jpg?fit=225%2C300&amp;ssl=1" data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/crochet-incomplete-2023-scaled.jpg?fit=768%2C1024&amp;ssl=1" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-14536" src="https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/crochet-incomplete-2023-scaled.jpg?resize=830%2C1107&#038;ssl=1" alt="pile of incomplete crochet projects - incomplete crochet projects of 2023 | brunch at audrey's" width="830" height="1107" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/crochet-incomplete-2023-scaled.jpg?w=1920&amp;ssl=1 1920w, https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/crochet-incomplete-2023-scaled.jpg?resize=225%2C300&amp;ssl=1 225w, https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/crochet-incomplete-2023-scaled.jpg?resize=768%2C1024&amp;ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/crochet-incomplete-2023-scaled.jpg?resize=1152%2C1536&amp;ssl=1 1152w, https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/crochet-incomplete-2023-scaled.jpg?resize=1536%2C2048&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/crochet-incomplete-2023-scaled.jpg?resize=1080%2C1440&amp;ssl=1 1080w, https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/crochet-incomplete-2023-scaled.jpg?w=1660&amp;ssl=1 1660w" sizes="(max-width: 830px) 100vw, 830px" data-recalc-dims="1" /></p>
  52. <p><strong>Crochet cake tissue box cover</strong></p>
  53. <p>I have a tissue box by my bedside that&#8217;s a bit of an eyesore, so I decided to jazz it up with a cover. Plus, it was the perfect project to use up my acrylic yarn, which I don&#8217;t like using for bags/hats/wearables (my most common types of projects), and I already had all the colours I needed: pink, blue, white, red.</p>
  54. <p>My vision for the tissue box cover is a vintage style piping cake (or Lambeth cake). So far, I&#8217;ve got a minimum viable product that conveys a vague notion of a cake, consisting of a dusty pink rectangular prism with baby blue iced edges. I followed this free <a href="https://blog.twinkiechan.com/2014/04/30/free-crochet-pattern-cake-tissue-box-cozy-chiffon-cake-with-fruit-topping">fruit cake tissue box cover</a> tutorial, but instead of decorating the top with kiwis, strawberries, and blueberries, I want to decorate the top with whipped cream and cherries, then gradually build up the piping on the sides for that super extravagant look. Plastic pearls would also do the trick.</p>
  55. <p>This will be a great project to learn different techniques to create the dollops of whipped cream, amigurumi cherries (I&#8217;ve never tried amigurumi before!), piped ruffles, and perhaps other patterns too, if I haven&#8217;t run out of surface area. Actually, the same blog I got the fruit cake tissue box cover tutorial from also has a <a href="https://blog.twinkiechan.com/2021/02/08/heart-shaped-crochet-cake-pattern">heart-shaped cake</a> tutorial, which is pretty much exactly what I want my cake tissue box cover to be (just a differently shaped base), but it&#8217;s a paid pattern and the only new thing I can learn from it is the whipped cream dollops, so maybe I can find a free pattern or experiment myself (I think it&#8217;s just a circle with hella increases?).</p>
  56. <p><strong>Crochet multi-checker scarf</strong></p>
  57. <p>A year or two ago my mom impulsively bought out the Lion Brand Truboo yarn at Michael&#8217;s (the Michael&#8217;s was woefully stocked). It&#8217;s 100% rayon from bamboo and so so soft. At the time I was still pretty new to crochet, so I didn&#8217;t want to waste it on a lumpy project and stowed it away in my closet, forgotten until the end of 2023. When I rediscovered it, I realised there would be no better way to appreciate the ultra soft yarn than as a scarf to wrap my neck in. A scarf in my signature checker would be an easy, mindless project, and playing around with colour combinations would keep it interesting.</p>
  58. <p>The only reason the scarf isn&#8217;t further along is because there were additional colours I wanted and didn&#8217;t have. But don&#8217;t fret! I&#8217;ve just ordered some more colours! So much for this being a stash-busting project. Oh well. This scarf is going to be glorious!! And I can use the leftovers to make a vest! The yarn has the perfect weight for a vest! I&#8217;ll need to learn how to crochet ribbing though.</p>
  59. <p><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/Cpxl_V3LYXq"><strong>Crochet checker bag</strong></a></p>
  60. <p>I&#8217;ve been stuck with this teal and orange crochet checker bag for a year and a half. I ran out of orange, bought more orange, but the difference between dye lots was too obvious, and now I don&#8217;t know what to do. I could continue with a completely different colour combination (like I&#8217;m doing with my scarf) or do a colour combo with teal, but the issue is that the base teal and orange are so bright, and I feel like it would look awkward if the top half of the bag was darker/heavier, so that limits some options. I actually have a <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/Chn2LEVpuQE">checker Kindle sleeve</a> that&#8217;s half teal/orange and half teal/malachite that isn&#8217;t half bad, but the teal/orange is the top half. Anyways, I&#8217;ve been too lazy to puzzle out an ideal colour combination, so this project rests in limbo.</p>
  61. <p><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CoIQn1xPSL6"><strong>Crochet love letter book sleeve</strong></a></p>
  62. <p>Crochet love letter book sleeves are a versatile gift (as opposed to the trendy aesthetic of checker bags and scarves) and always in demand (mostly because they&#8217;re in short supply, aka I&#8217;m slow af), so I try to always keep one of these going. It&#8217;s my go-to easy, mindless project. Well&#8230; The cream granny square base and red heart are easy and mindless, but stitching together the envelope and the hearts is very not fun haha. Meticulous business.</p>
  63. <p>For this particular sleeve, I&#8217;m thinking of gifting it as a wedding gift for my friend (her wedding has already passed, oops) and maybe surface crocheting her initial on the heart. Or maybe bride initial + groom initial? I&#8217;ll have to experiment because the heart is kinda small and the stitches are kinda large, so it may be difficult to surface crochet precisely. Embroidery is also an option; I&#8217;d have to pull out the skills I learned in my middle school elective class. It may very well be that leaving the heart plain would be best. Anyways, after I finish this sleeve, I&#8217;ll be starting another one.</p>
  64. <p><strong>Crochet <em>Nightmare Before Christmas</em> granny square hat</strong></p>
  65. <p>This is my most ambitious project yet! I was hyperfixated on <em>The Nightmare Before Christmas</em> this past year and decided I wanted to freehand <em>Nightmare Before Christmas</em> granny squares, focusing on the more Christmassy motifs. I didn&#8217;t think I&#8217;d have the perseverance for a cardigan, so a hat it is!</p>
  66. <p>Note that my crochet experience mostly lies in checker bags, bucket hats, and granny square book sleeves, so these decorative squares have involved lots of trial and error. The pieces include Santa Jack, Man-Eating Wreath, Vampire Teddy, Undead Duck, Giant Snake, and a black and white spiral top. I redid the Santa Jack smile several times, wrangled the Man-Eating Wreath&#8217;s eyes into shape, repositioned the Undead Duck bullet holes and blood drips several times, redid the Giant Snake&#8217;s head several times, and have redone the spiral top once already but will need to give it another attempt in a smaller hook size, which would also give me the opportunity to fix the centre spiral. I&#8217;m also reconsidering the black and white striped borders between the granny squares, because although they look great, they jut out awkwardly when stretched around my head because they&#8217;re too bulky.</p>
  67. <p>I&#8217;m alsooo reconsidering whether I want this to be a hat at all, or perhaps it would be better as a pouch, tote, or cardigan. Then the bulky striped border wouldn&#8217;t be such a big deal. The issue would be that these granny squares are actually trapezoids, which make sense for a hat (narrower at the crown, wider at the brim), but less so for a pouch, tote, or cardigan. And given all the attached embellishments and woven ends, rejigging the trapezoids into squares would require an amount of patience I don&#8217;t have. Much to contemplate&#8230;</p>
  68. <p><img decoding="async" data-attachment-id="14537" data-permalink="https://www.brunchataudreys.com/2024/01/incomplete-crochet-projects-of-2023/crochet-cake-tissue-box/" data-orig-file="https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/crochet-cake-tissue-box.jpg?fit=1089%2C1452&amp;ssl=1" data-orig-size="1089,1452" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}" data-image-title="crochet cake tissue box cover &#8211; incomplete crochet projects of 2023" data-image-description="&lt;p&gt;crochet cake tissue box cover &#8211; incomplete crochet projects of 2023 | brunch at audrey&#8217;s&lt;/p&gt;
  69. " data-image-caption="" data-medium-file="https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/crochet-cake-tissue-box.jpg?fit=225%2C300&amp;ssl=1" data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/crochet-cake-tissue-box.jpg?fit=768%2C1024&amp;ssl=1" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-14537" src="https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/crochet-cake-tissue-box.jpg?resize=830%2C1107&#038;ssl=1" alt="crochet cake tissue box cover - incomplete crochet projects of 2023 | brunch at audrey's" width="830" height="1107" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/crochet-cake-tissue-box.jpg?w=1089&amp;ssl=1 1089w, https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/crochet-cake-tissue-box.jpg?resize=225%2C300&amp;ssl=1 225w, https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/crochet-cake-tissue-box.jpg?resize=768%2C1024&amp;ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/crochet-cake-tissue-box.jpg?resize=1080%2C1440&amp;ssl=1 1080w" sizes="(max-width: 830px) 100vw, 830px" data-recalc-dims="1" /></p>
  70. <p><img decoding="async" data-attachment-id="14539" data-permalink="https://www.brunchataudreys.com/2024/01/incomplete-crochet-projects-of-2023/crochet-checker-scarf/" data-orig-file="https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/crochet-checker-scarf.jpg?fit=1346%2C1795&amp;ssl=1" data-orig-size="1346,1795" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1705235305&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}" data-image-title="crochet checker scarf &#8211; incomplete crochet projects of 2023" data-image-description="&lt;p&gt;crochet checker scarf &#8211; incomplete crochet projects of 2023 | brunch at audrey&#8217;s&lt;/p&gt;
  71. " data-image-caption="" data-medium-file="https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/crochet-checker-scarf.jpg?fit=225%2C300&amp;ssl=1" data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/crochet-checker-scarf.jpg?fit=768%2C1024&amp;ssl=1" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-14539" src="https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/crochet-checker-scarf.jpg?resize=830%2C1107&#038;ssl=1" alt="crochet checker scarf - incomplete crochet projects of 2023 | brunch at audrey's" width="830" height="1107" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/crochet-checker-scarf.jpg?w=1346&amp;ssl=1 1346w, https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/crochet-checker-scarf.jpg?resize=225%2C300&amp;ssl=1 225w, https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/crochet-checker-scarf.jpg?resize=768%2C1024&amp;ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/crochet-checker-scarf.jpg?resize=1152%2C1536&amp;ssl=1 1152w, https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/crochet-checker-scarf.jpg?resize=1080%2C1440&amp;ssl=1 1080w" sizes="(max-width: 830px) 100vw, 830px" data-recalc-dims="1" /></p>
  72. <p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-attachment-id="14538" data-permalink="https://www.brunchataudreys.com/2024/01/incomplete-crochet-projects-of-2023/crochet-checker-bag/" data-orig-file="https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/crochet-checker-bag.jpg?fit=698%2C930&amp;ssl=1" data-orig-size="698,930" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}" data-image-title="crochet checker bag &#8211; incomplete crochet projects of 2023" data-image-description="&lt;p&gt;crochet checker bag &#8211; incomplete crochet projects of 2023 | brunch at audrey&#8217;s&lt;/p&gt;
  73. " data-image-caption="" data-medium-file="https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/crochet-checker-bag.jpg?fit=225%2C300&amp;ssl=1" data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/crochet-checker-bag.jpg?fit=698%2C930&amp;ssl=1" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-14538" src="https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/crochet-checker-bag.jpg?resize=830%2C1105&#038;ssl=1" alt="crochet checker bag - incomplete crochet projects of 2023 | brunch at audrey's" width="830" height="1105" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/crochet-checker-bag.jpg?w=698&amp;ssl=1 698w, https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/crochet-checker-bag.jpg?resize=225%2C300&amp;ssl=1 225w" sizes="(max-width: 830px) 100vw, 830px" data-recalc-dims="1" /></p>
  74. <p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-attachment-id="14540" data-permalink="https://www.brunchataudreys.com/2024/01/incomplete-crochet-projects-of-2023/crochet-love-letter-book-sleeve/" data-orig-file="https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/crochet-love-letter-book-sleeve.jpg?fit=1089%2C1452&amp;ssl=1" data-orig-size="1089,1452" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}" data-image-title="crochet love letter book sleeve &#8211; incomplete crochet projects of 2023" data-image-description="&lt;p&gt;crochet love letter book sleeve &#8211; incomplete crochet projects of 2023 | brunch at audrey&#8217;s&lt;/p&gt;
  75. " data-image-caption="" data-medium-file="https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/crochet-love-letter-book-sleeve.jpg?fit=225%2C300&amp;ssl=1" data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/crochet-love-letter-book-sleeve.jpg?fit=768%2C1024&amp;ssl=1" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-14540" src="https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/crochet-love-letter-book-sleeve.jpg?resize=830%2C1107&#038;ssl=1" alt="crochet love letter book sleeve - incomplete crochet projects of 2023 | brunch at audrey's" width="830" height="1107" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/crochet-love-letter-book-sleeve.jpg?w=1089&amp;ssl=1 1089w, https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/crochet-love-letter-book-sleeve.jpg?resize=225%2C300&amp;ssl=1 225w, https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/crochet-love-letter-book-sleeve.jpg?resize=768%2C1024&amp;ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/crochet-love-letter-book-sleeve.jpg?resize=1080%2C1440&amp;ssl=1 1080w" sizes="(max-width: 830px) 100vw, 830px" data-recalc-dims="1" /></p>
  76. <p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-attachment-id="14541" data-permalink="https://www.brunchataudreys.com/2024/01/incomplete-crochet-projects-of-2023/crochet-nbc-hat/" data-orig-file="https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/crochet-nbc-hat-scaled.jpg?fit=1920%2C2560&amp;ssl=1" data-orig-size="1920,2560" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}" data-image-title="crochet nightmare before christmas granny square hat &#8211; incomplete crochet projects of 2023" data-image-description="&lt;p&gt;crochet nightmare before christmas granny square hat &#8211; incomplete crochet projects of 2023 | brunch at audrey&#8217;s&lt;/p&gt;
  77. " data-image-caption="" data-medium-file="https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/crochet-nbc-hat-scaled.jpg?fit=225%2C300&amp;ssl=1" data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/crochet-nbc-hat-scaled.jpg?fit=768%2C1024&amp;ssl=1" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-14541" src="https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/crochet-nbc-hat-scaled.jpg?resize=830%2C1107&#038;ssl=1" alt="crochet nightmare before christmas granny square hat - incomplete crochet projects of 2023 | brunch at audrey's" width="830" height="1107" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/crochet-nbc-hat-scaled.jpg?w=1920&amp;ssl=1 1920w, https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/crochet-nbc-hat-scaled.jpg?resize=225%2C300&amp;ssl=1 225w, https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/crochet-nbc-hat-scaled.jpg?resize=768%2C1024&amp;ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/crochet-nbc-hat-scaled.jpg?resize=1152%2C1536&amp;ssl=1 1152w, https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/crochet-nbc-hat-scaled.jpg?resize=1536%2C2048&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/crochet-nbc-hat-scaled.jpg?resize=1080%2C1440&amp;ssl=1 1080w, https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/crochet-nbc-hat-scaled.jpg?w=1660&amp;ssl=1 1660w" sizes="(max-width: 830px) 100vw, 830px" data-recalc-dims="1" /></p>
  78. <p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full" src="https://i0.wp.com/icancrochetthat.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/the-hills-are-alive.jpg?resize=460%2C384&#038;ssl=1" width="460" height="384" data-recalc-dims="1" /></p>
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  86. <item>
  87. <title>All the books I read in the second half of 2023</title>
  88. <link>https://www.brunchataudreys.com/2024/01/all-the-books-i-read-in-the-second-half-of-2023/</link>
  89. <comments>https://www.brunchataudreys.com/2024/01/all-the-books-i-read-in-the-second-half-of-2023/#respond</comments>
  91. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Audrey]]></dc:creator>
  92. <pubDate>Mon, 08 Jan 2024 11:02:58 +0000</pubDate>
  93. <category><![CDATA[books]]></category>
  94. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.brunchataudreys.com/?p=14477</guid>
  95.  
  96. <description><![CDATA[I hit a reading slump mid-year and my reading never really picked back up. In the second half of 2023, I read 19 books or 5261 pages, bringing my 2023 total to 53 books or 16611 pages. I didn&#8217;t think I&#8217;d hit 52 book this year and had even gone back to readjust my Goodreads reading challenge in the last...
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  99. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>I hit a reading slump mid-year and my reading never really picked back up. In the second half of 2023, I read <strong>19 books</strong> or 5261 pages, bringing my 2023 total to 53 books or 16611 pages. I didn&#8217;t think I&#8217;d hit 52 book this year and had even gone back to readjust my Goodreads reading challenge in the last days of December, lowering it to 50, but I hit 52 books just in time and randomly came across a picture book that got rave reviews from Redditors, taking me to 53. The number doesn&#8217;t matter so much to me, but I still wanted to remember reading that book! (I promptly reverted my Goodreads reading challenge goal back to 52.)</p>
  100. <p>I&#8217;m a slow reader and turn to books to avoid responsibilities, so I spend more time than I should reading and have been telling myself to read less, or at least not get so caught up in reading the incredible number of books that it feels like so many other bookstagrammers do. Quality, not quantity! That said, I only have one new all-time favourite from the second half of the year and two honourable mentions. Anyways, I&#8217;m planning to share my 2023 reading wrap up in a separate post (including top reads), so look out for that!</p>
  101. <p><span id="more-14477"></span></p>
  102. <h3>Romance</h3>
  103. <p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/75665887-you-again"><em><strong>You, Again</strong></em></a> by Kate Goldbeck: Josh and Ari are instant enemies. Finding out you&#8217;re both sleeping with the same woman can do that to ya. Over the years they have more chance encounters that don&#8217;t go any better until one does, and an unlikely friendship develops. I admit that I was on the fence for the first fourth or third of the book, and it took me awhile to warm up to Josh and Ari as individuals. They felt like caricatures; Josh was too anal and kinda sus, and Ari was too &#8220;quirky.&#8221; Their encounters before their friendship started to develop did not endear them to me; if I were a participant in the encounters, they would be my enemies too. But I was on board once their friendship started, and I loved seeing their relationship progress over the years. As a gal in her 20s who is still trying to figure out what to do with her life, it was comforting to see Josh and Ari also still figuring it out, going through stages of life together and dealing with failures without the story harping too much about it. The third act conflict was annoying, but the fact that there were lots of time jumps in the book helped me not dwell on it too much (which also helped ease any other issues I had). This might be a bit of a spoiler but, [HOVER TO REVEAL SPOILER ON WEB BROWSER, avert your eyes otherwise lol] <span class="spoiler">&lt;SPOILER&gt; in the relationship, I really appreciated how Josh was always straight up with Ari and his feelings about her, and how he would notice when Ari would start pulling away/felt uncertain and would try to make her feel safe and bring her back in, but also had an awareness of when she needed space &lt;/SPOILER&gt;</span>.</p>
  104. <p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40189670-josh-and-hazel-s-guide-to-not-dating"><em><strong>Josh and Hazel&#8217;s Guide to Not Dating</strong></em></a> by Christina Lauren: Josh and Hazel get off on an awkward start, but seven years later they run into each other again and become unlikely friends. They would never date each other, but they <em>would</em> help set each other up on double blind dates! I thought the double blind dates would be a silly goofy time, but I was quickly bored by Josh and Hazel&#8217;s lack of commitment to setting up and being on the dates. The double blind dates got less and less interesting as Josh and Hazel ran through potential options and just started pairing each other up with random people, only to ignore their dates and make inside jokes with each other. Also, the way Hazel constantly called herself &#8220;undateable&#8221; got old, and the end was abrupt and unsatisfying. I wish [HOVER TO REVEAL SPOILER] <span class="spoiler">&lt;SPOILER&gt; one of the double blind dates worked and there was a love triangle &lt;/SPOILER&gt;</span> because dramaaa.</p>
  105. <p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/48715812-the-flatshare"><em><strong>The Flatshare</strong></em></a> by Beth O&#8217;Leary: Desperate for a place to stay after a bad breakup, Tiffy answers an ad to share a flat with a complete stranger. Tiffy takes the flat at night and on weekends, while Leon (a night-shift worker) takes it in the day, so they never meet but gradually get to know each other through the notes they leave each other. I was anticipating a feel-good romance, but Tiffy&#8217;s ex Justin absolutely ruined the book for me. He was so clearly a gaslighting POS and it was no fun at all. As for Leon, I get that his whole thing was supposed to be that he’s a man of few words, but the chapters from his POV were so affected, almost caveman-like. I did like the original take on the one bed trope, that Tiffy was an assistant editor at a small publisher that specialises in crafting and DIY books, that her eccentric author&#8217;s niche was in knitting and crochet, and I liked Mr. Prior.</p>
  106. <p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/75665914-this-spells-love"><em><strong>This Spells Love</strong></em></a>* by Kate Robb: Heartbroken over her breakup, Gemma drunkenly casts a love cleansing spell from one of her aunt’s books to undo the night she met Stuart. The only problem is, that was also the night she met her best friend Dax. Desperate to return to her timeline and carefully planned life, Gemma works to get her best friend back and undo the spell with his kiss. I was expecting a witchy friends-to-lovers romance, but this was neither witchy nor friends-to-lovers. Gemma was not a witch but simply followed some instructions from a random book from her aunt&#8217;s bookshop&#8217;s donation bin and made some guesses about how the spell would work and what conditions to perform them in, just for funsies, not actually believing anything would happen. There were lots of plot holes regarding the spell and alternate timelines. As for the friendship part, while Gemma and Dax were friends in the original timeline, they weren&#8217;t in the alternate timeline. Gemma&#8217;s approach to befriending him wasn&#8217;t convincing, and when they eventually got together, it didn&#8217;t feel rooted in friendship. All that said, I did enjoy the first half of the book. I also loved Aunt Livi, who toed the line between fairy godmother and eccentric aunt.</p>
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  108. <p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/178628557-punk-57"><em><strong>Punk 57</strong></em></a> by Penelope Douglas: Misha and Ryen have been pen pals for seven years. They tell each other everything, and although they&#8217;ve never met, no one knows the other better and they accept each other for who they are. To keep a good thing going, they agree to no social media, no phone numbers, and no pictures, but when Misha switches schools and accidentally discovers Ryen, his perfect image of her is shattered. I picked up this book because I was curious about the TikTok hype. All I knew about it was that it was a bully romance. I&#8217;ve never read a bully romance before and thought it might be something like enemies to lovers, but I was so wrong. First of all: Romance?? Where??? Do Misha and Ryen even like each other?? Ryen was a bully. Misha was disappointed that Ryen was a bully then bullied her. I don&#8217;t want to waste any more brain space on this book.</p>
  109. <h3>Fantasy</h3>
  110. <p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/77523.Harry_Potter_and_the_Sorcerer_s_Stone"><em><strong>Harry Potter and the Sorcerer&#8217;s Stone</strong></em></a> by JK Rowling (reread): I&#8217;d been in a reading slump and wanted to return to something cosy and familiar, so I decided to do my second reread. Unfortunately, my reading slump won over, so while I finished the reread, I wasn&#8217;t super immersed and I didn&#8217;t get around to rereading the rest of the series. I&#8217;m constantly playing the movies in the background though.</p>
  111. <p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/589836.Coraline"><em><strong>Coraline</strong></em></a> by Neil Gaiman (reread): Another attempted salve for my reading slump. After watching the film around Halloween, I decided to do my first reread since childhood. Again, my reading slump won over so I wasn&#8217;t that immersed or haunted, but it was fun to pick up on the differences between the book and film, and I felt it when Coraline&#8217;s mom said, &#8220;Well done, Coraline&#8221; (in the book). But the whimsicality of the film can&#8217;t be beat!</p>
  112. <p>♡ <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13546433-the-power-of-poppy-pendle"><em><strong>The Power of Poppy Pendle</strong></em></a> by Natasha Lowe: Poppy&#8217;s parents are proud to have a gifted witch in the family and send her off to magic school, but Poppy would rather pursue her passion for baking. An empowering story for children and a healing story for adults about following your passion. It sounds like such a basic message, but this cosy middle grade fantasy tells it masterfully. This is a story for anyone who has been told their passion is not important or has had their passion written off as a mere hobby or distraction. It is for anyone who has had to hide their joy to fit a mould. For anyone who has then felt anger, sadness, loss, lost. This story made me think of this quote from <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58784475-tomorrow-and-tomorrow-and-tomorrow"><em>Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow</em></a>: &#8220;To be good at something is not quite the same as loving it.&#8221; Also recommended for those who liked the cosy baking vibes of <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61219635-legends-lattes"><em>Legends &amp; Lattes</em></a>. A new favourite.</p>
  113. <p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/162409663-kappa"><em><strong>Kappa</strong></em></a> by Ryunosuke Akutagawa: A man spots a kappa monster and chases it, tumbling down a hole into the realm of kappas. I was intrigued by the fusion of an Alice in Wonderland concept with Japanese folklore and looked forward to the world building, but the satirical novella was mostly dialogue and philosophising (morality, legal justice, economics, sex). It didn&#8217;t really do much for me.</p>
  114. <h3>Literary fiction</h3>
  115. <p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40400269-a-ladder-to-the-sky"><em><strong>A Ladder to the Sky</strong></em></a> by John Boyne: An untalented writer who will do anything for fame, recommended for fans of <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/62047984-yellowface"><em>Yellowface</em></a>. The plot felt a bit slow and didn&#8217;t pick up for me until later, but the undercurrent of desire and ambition felt propulsive, and I was thoroughly invested. If you liked the exploration of &#8220;who gets to tell what stories&#8221; in <em>Yellowface</em> (or wanted more) and unlikeable, manipulative, opportunistic characters, I highly recommend this book.</p>
  116. <h3>Contemporary fiction</h3>
  117. <p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/62047992-days-at-the-morisaki-bookshop"><em><strong>Days at the Morisaki Bookshop</strong></em></a> by Satoshi Yagisawa: When Takako&#8217;s relationship with her coworker ends badly, she breaks it off, quits her job, and eventually takes up her uncle&#8217;s offer to work at his bookshop. Slowly, she learns the joys of reading, bookshops, cafes, and the community. One day, her uncle&#8217;s estranged wife shows up mysteriously. While I wasn&#8217;t that attached to Takako, I did enjoy reading about bookshops and cafes. I was less interested in her uncle&#8217;s wife. Overall, the story was a bit quiet for my taste, but could be for readers who enjoy quiet, cosy, slice of life stories and books about books.</p>
  118. <p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/62987063-let-s-go-let-s-go-let-s-go"><em><strong>Let&#8217;s Go Let&#8217;s Go Let&#8217;s Go</strong></em></a>* by Cleo Qian: &#8220;A short story collection exploring the alienated, technology-mediated lives of restless Asian and Asian-American women today.&#8221; I struggle to describe this collection as the stories felt like non-stories and didn&#8217;t go anywhere. I was anticipating some Black Mirror-type stories, but the technology wasn&#8217;t innovative, nor an important presence in the stories, and in fact, the stories didn&#8217;t feel modern at all. I didn&#8217;t get the point of them, except to convey an air of loneliness. My favourites (using the term loosely) were &#8220;Monitor World,&#8221; in which a woman hooks up with an older man she meets online but then feels uneasy and breaks it off but remains paranoid, and &#8220;We Were There,&#8221; in which a woman has a casual relationship with a clingy man while working on a friendship with a disinterested man.</p>
  119. <h3>Nonfiction</h3>
  120. <p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/44765586-orca"><em><strong>Orca: The Whale Called Killer</strong></em></a> (5th ed) by Eric Hoyt: A personal scientific memoir organised by journal entries detailing seven summers of orca research off northern Vancouver Island. The 5th edition (most recent as of 2023) has a new introduction, extended epilogue and afterword, and updated footnotes. The intro, prologue, and appendix were helpful primers on orca research and events. The journal entries began in July 1973 in Johnstone Straight, which separates northern Vancouver Island from mainland British Columbia, with Hoyt working hydrophones and eventually sighting his first orcas in the wild. We learn about orcas as sonic creatures, intelligent social mammals with matriarchal structures, threats to survival, captures, and more (but note that this isn&#8217;t a book that investigates the captive industry). I loved reading about the individual orcas Hoyt became familiar with, as well as the popularly known orcas. I find that some scientific memoirs can focus more on the scientist than I would like rather than the subject, but this is good one that is informative about the subject while also sharing the scientist&#8217;s personal research experience.</p>
  121. <p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/65215677-exit-interview"><em><strong>Exit Interview</strong></em></a> by Kristi Coulter: A memoir from ex-Amazon middle management. It isn&#8217;t news that Amazon has a toxic and relentless work environment, but this was still a grossly fascinating read. In her memoir, Coulter recounts her experience as an ambitious woman in corporate hell. It was impressive to see how her career path often involved diving headfirst into unknown territory, from merchandising to Amazon Crossing (Amazon Publishing&#8217;s translation imprint) to Amazon Go, though less heartening to know it was often forced by Amazon&#8217;s constant re-orgs. I will say that the storytelling isn&#8217;t super dynamic, so what you get at the beginning is pretty much what you get at the end, and the middle can feel pretty relentless, but I imagine that&#8217;s exactly how her time at Amazon was. Work, work, work. If you&#8217;re already interested in the topic (I was), you&#8217;ll enjoy this one, but if you&#8217;re not already interested, it doesn&#8217;t really get any &#8220;better&#8221;/more interesting (though general readers may find the Amazon Publishing part of her career in the middle of the memoir more interesting). If anything, I only got more frustrated as I read, not because of the writing, but because of Coulter&#8217;s situation at Amazon &#8212; getting passed up on promotions, working with incompetent men, and eventually leading to her exit&#8230; interview. This memoir reminded me of <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/62919394-ripe"><em>Ripe</em></a> and <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/45186565-uncanny-valley"><em>Uncanny Valley</em></a>. Note that it very much focuses on her personal office experience and doesn&#8217;t really delve into other aspects of Amazon like warehouse conditions.</p>
  122. <p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/96178188-the-loneliness-files"><em><strong>The Loneliness Files</strong></em></a>* by Athena Dixon: A memoir in essays exploring loneliness, though the first part of the collection felt more on theme than the latter two parts. I was anticipating some social commentary but it felt more like a diary of internal musings and speculation. It kinda gave Tumblr + WebMD self-diagnosis energy. The true crime essays probably could have been combined into one and explored further, going beyond speculation to examine the structures that perpetuate such conditions or supplementing with investigative journalism, and the other essays could have been built out as well. The idea of choosing loneliness was repeated, and I would have also been interested in interrogating that more. Nonetheless, when you’re lying awake at 2AM with your thought spirals, you may find this collection a comforting companion (if you’re in an ok mental space).</p>
  123. <p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/127008410-moonshot"><em><strong>Moonshot</strong></em></a>* by Mike Massimino: I&#8217;m not usually one for self-help books, but after loving his memoir <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28439264-spaceman"><em>Spaceman</em></a> so much, I wanted to give this one a try. In <em>Moonshot</em>, Massimino shares ten lessons to help you reach your own personal moon shot (goal) and fills each lesson with anecdotes. Many of the lessons were about perspective and already familiar to me from reading his memoir, but sometimes it’s helpful to hear it more explicitly. As it is with most self-help books, it&#8217;s often just about hearing the right thing at the right time and taking what you need. I would recommend his memoir.</p>
  124. <h3>Illustrated</h3>
  125. <p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/53344030-heartstopper"><em><strong>Heartstopper: Volume 5</strong></em></a> by Alice Oseman: Volume 5 is as charming as ever while grappling with challenges of teenhood. Charlie is in recovery from his eating disorder, Nick is preparing to leave for university, and both of them are looking forward to their first sleepover but also have anxieties about sex. The first two volumes are still my favourites because of how light and wholesome they are, but I look forward to the 6th and final volume!</p>
  126. <p>♡ <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/62109072-the-unfortunate-life-of-worms"><em><strong>The Unfortunate Life of Worms</strong></em></a> by Noemi Vola: A hefty 260 paged art book for both kids and adults that starts off as nonfiction then tells the story of a worm that gets zapped by lightning, losing half of itself and having an existential crisis. A perfect gift for your illustrator friend or anyone that would appreciate a cute book!</p>
  127. <p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20821299-the-book-with-no-pictures"><em><strong>The Book with No Pictures</strong></em></a> by BJ Novak: Well, not illustrated, but lots of silly words in various fonts! A playful book to read aloud to children.</p>
  128. <p><em>*e/ARC gifted from publisher</em></p>
  129. <p>PS: <a href="https://www.brunchataudreys.com/2023/07/2023-mid-year-book-freak-out-tag">all the books I read in the first half of 2023 + mid-year book freak out tag</a></p>
  130. <p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://instagram.com/brunchofbooks"><strong>BOOKSTAGRAM</strong></a> <strong>|</strong> <a href="http://goodreads.com/auderoy"><strong>GOODREADS</strong></a></p>
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  139. <title>2023 mid-year book freak out tag</title>
  140. <link>https://www.brunchataudreys.com/2023/07/2023-mid-year-book-freak-out-tag/</link>
  141. <comments>https://www.brunchataudreys.com/2023/07/2023-mid-year-book-freak-out-tag/#respond</comments>
  143. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Audrey]]></dc:creator>
  144. <pubDate>Sun, 16 Jul 2023 10:12:59 +0000</pubDate>
  145. <category><![CDATA[books]]></category>
  146. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.brunchataudreys.com/?p=14391</guid>
  147.  
  148. <description><![CDATA[It&#8217;s been a very lacklustre reading year so far! January started off strong, as I usually like to get ahead of the Goodreads reading challenge over winter break. February and March were steady. April was finals month, so I only managed to binge the Twisted series. I kicked off summer break in May with a super casual readathon and kept...
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  150.        <span class="meta-divider"></span></div>]]></description>
  151. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>It&#8217;s been a very lacklustre reading year so far! January started off strong, as I usually like to get ahead of the Goodreads reading challenge over winter break. February and March were steady. April was finals month, so I only managed to binge the <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/series/314410-twisted"><em>Twisted</em></a> series. I kicked off summer break in May with a super casual readathon and kept the momentum going, but it all fell apart in June haha. In the latter half of June, I was hyperfixated on James Cameron, maritime disasters, and Bakery Story, so I barely picked up a book. I&#8217;m still ahead of my Goodreads reading challenge though, thanks to the buffer I set up for myself in January. Across these past six months, I&#8217;ve read <strong>34 books</strong> or 11350 pages, of which 81% were by women authors and 55% by authors of colour. 5 were rereads, and I have 2 new all-time favourites, so all is not lost!</p>
  152. <p>Some bookish highlights include hosting <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CoIQn1xPSL6">my first ever bookstagram giveaway</a> where I gave away one of my crochet love letter book sleeves, receiving an ARC and signed final copy of <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59357120-yellowface"><em>Yellowface</em></a> by RF Kuang from the publisher, and receiving a <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58784475-tomorrow-and-tomorrow-and-tomorrow"><em>Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow</em></a> publisher tote bag and signed hardcover, which <a href="https://www.instagram.com/notcheryne">Cheryne</a> won in a giveaway then sent to me?? Speechless.</p>
  153. <p>The bookish lowlight was the end of Book Depository, rip. I&#8217;ve loved watching everyone&#8217;s final Book Depository hauls&#8230; but at what cost??? For those in the US looking for UK editions, <a href="https://blackwells.co.uk">Blackwell&#8217;s</a> is an affordable option, but unfortunately I don&#8217;t have any recs for those in the UK looking for US editions. Please share if you know any!</p>
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  155. <p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-attachment-id="14393" data-permalink="https://www.brunchataudreys.com/2023/07/2023-mid-year-book-freak-out-tag/painter-williams/" data-orig-file="https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Painter-Williams-scaled.jpg?fit=1920%2C2560&amp;ssl=1" data-orig-size="1920,2560" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}" data-image-title="better than the movies by lynn painter &#038; seven days in june by tia williams &#8211; 2023 mid-year freakout tag" data-image-description="&lt;p&gt;better than the movies by lynn painter &#038; seven days in june by tia williams &#8211; 2023 mid-year freakout tag | brunch at audrey&#8217;s&lt;/p&gt;
  156. " data-image-caption="" data-medium-file="https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Painter-Williams-scaled.jpg?fit=225%2C300&amp;ssl=1" data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Painter-Williams-scaled.jpg?fit=768%2C1024&amp;ssl=1" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-14393" src="https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Painter-Williams-scaled.jpg?resize=830%2C1107&#038;ssl=1" alt="better than the movies by lynn painter &amp; seven days in june by tia williams - 2023 mid-year freakout tag | brunch at audrey's" width="830" height="1107" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Painter-Williams-scaled.jpg?w=1920&amp;ssl=1 1920w, https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Painter-Williams-scaled.jpg?resize=225%2C300&amp;ssl=1 225w, https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Painter-Williams-scaled.jpg?resize=768%2C1024&amp;ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Painter-Williams-scaled.jpg?resize=1152%2C1536&amp;ssl=1 1152w, https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Painter-Williams-scaled.jpg?resize=1536%2C2048&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Painter-Williams-scaled.jpg?resize=1080%2C1440&amp;ssl=1 1080w, https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Painter-Williams-scaled.jpg?w=1660&amp;ssl=1 1660w" sizes="(max-width: 830px) 100vw, 830px" data-recalc-dims="1" /></p>
  157. <h2 style="text-align: center;">Mid-year book freak out tag</h2>
  158. <p>(Rereads excluded from tags)</p>
  159. <h3>Best book you’ve read so far this year</h3>
  160. <p>No more beating around the bush. My two new all-time favourites are <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59365218-better-than-the-movies"><em><strong>Better than the Movies</strong></em></a> by Lynn Painter and <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/55648820-seven-days-in-june"><em><strong>Seven Days in June</strong></em></a> by Tia Williams &#8212; a YA romance and an adult romance! If you love rom coms, you have to give <em>Better than the Movies</em> a try. Back in middle school and high school, I pretty much only watched rom coms and <em>Grey&#8217;s Anatomy</em>, so <em>Better than the Movies</em> was everything for me! Normally I&#8217;m very skeptical of YA romances, but this one was so cute and wholesome. The story follows Liz the hopeless romantic, who enlists the help of her obnoxious neighbour Wes to get noticed by his best friend, her crush Michael, in exchange for the parking spot they&#8217;ve been feuding over. I had a smile on my face the whole time reading this book. I even made a whole ass <a href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/CoAMQY_AWCZ">reel</a>.</p>
  161. <p><em>Seven Days in June</em> is a second chance romance following a literary writer and erotica writer who have been secretly writing about each other in their books ever since the end of their whirlwind week of teenage romance. I read this at the same time as my reread of <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58784475-tomorrow-and-tomorrow-and-tomorrow"><em>Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow</em></a> by Gabrielle Zevin, and oh gosh, these books got me all in my feels the way the characters were speaking to each other through their art!</p>
  162. <h3>Best sequel you’ve read so far this year</h3>
  163. <p>There isn&#8217;t too much competition in this category. I&#8217;ve only read two series so far this year, which have both been romance series. Amongst the romance series I&#8217;ve read so far this year, my favourite book was <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/27252717-the-score"><em><strong>The Score</strong></em></a> from Elle Kennedy&#8217;s <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/series/144827-off-campus"><em>Off-Campus</em></a> series. Most people&#8217;s favourite <em>Off-Campus</em> book is either <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/24920901-the-deal"><em>The Deal</em></a> (#1) or <em>The Score</em> (#3). <em>The Score</em> is a friends-with-benefits romance, which I wouldn&#8217;t think I&#8217;d care for, but there&#8217;s something to be said for a couple that&#8217;s just having fun with each other and on the same page about it. No unnecessary traumatic backstories, thank you very much. When the couple eventually developed feelings for each other, they didn&#8217;t pretend otherwise. There&#8217;s nothing more boring than a couple pretending to not be into each other when they&#8217;re obviously obsessed (*cough* enemies-to-lovers *cough* (when done wrong)). I didn&#8217;t like the third act conflict, but when do I ever?</p>
  164. <h3>New release you haven’t read yet but want to</h3>
  165. <p>Not to expose <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CsUJg9iRZKH">Cindy</a>, but both of us have been in a bit of a reading slump this year. <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/63880836-the-postcard"><em><strong>The Postcard</strong></em></a> by Anne Berest briefly pulled her out of it and she&#8217;s been singing its praises, so that one&#8217;s on my TBR. <em>The Postcard</em> is a work of autofiction translated from French about the Holocaust. The story begins when a postcard is delivered with four names scrawled on the back: family members who died at Auschwitz.</p>
  166. <p>On a lighter note, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/Ctma-xZPIoH">Cheryne</a> reminded me of Maurene Goo&#8217;s new YA novel <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59642596-throwback"><em><strong>Throwback</strong></em></a>, which I want to give a try, though YA has been a hit or miss for me lately. I&#8217;ve previously read Maurene Goo&#8217;s <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31145133-i-believe-in-a-thing-called-love"><em>I Believe in a Thing Called Love</em></a>, which follows a high school girl who tries to get a boyfriend by following the k-drama formula. <em>Throwback</em> follows a girl who is thrown back in time after a fight with her mom and meets the high school version of her mom.</p>
  167. <h3>Most anticipated release for the second half of the year</h3>
  168. <p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61884842-the-deep-sky"><em><strong>The Deep Sky</strong></em></a> by Yume Kitasei (Jul 18) is a sci-fi thriller about a space mission gone wrong. On the eve of earth&#8217;s environmental collapse, a ship carries the last of humanity, whose mission is to repopulate in space, but an explosion occurs halfway to their destination and the only surviving witness becomes the prime suspect. The top Goodreads review hilariously writes: &#8220;Among Us fanfiction???&#8221;</p>
  169. <p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/62987063-let-s-go-let-s-go-let-s-go"><em><strong>Let&#8217;s Go, Let&#8217;s Go, Let&#8217;s Go</strong></em></a> by Cleo Qian (Aug 15) is a short story collection exploring the alienated, technology-mediated lives of restless Asian and Asian-American women today. Say less!</p>
  170. <p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/75665914-this-spells-love"><em><strong>This Spells Love</strong></em></a> by Kate Robb (Dec 5) is a witchy romance &#8212; a growing sub-genre I&#8217;m loving more and more! When Gemma gets dumped, she and her best friend Dax perform a love-cleansing spell to forget about her ex involving a platonic kiss, but it doesn&#8217;t turn out as she expects. Gemma wants her old life back and needs Dax&#8217;s help to reverse the spell, but the only problem is, in this alternate reality, Dax has no idea who she is.</p>
  171. <h3>Biggest disappointment</h3>
  172. <p>No one is more disappointed than I am about DNF-ing <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/19161852-the-fifth-season"><em><strong>The Fifth Season</strong></em></a> by NK Jemisin. It&#8217;s blasphemy!! You know this is unexpected because I owned the whole trilogy before reading a single page. Luckily I got the books for free through a trade so I didn&#8217;t sink any money into it. This was supposed to be a buddy read with <a href="https://www.instagram.com/okinmybook">Kyra</a>, but neither of us got through it. I binged half of the book because I was thoroughly confused and just wanted to know what the heck was going on. I didn&#8217;t understand the magic system or the prejudices in this world, and I wasn&#8217;t interested in any of the characters except for Alabaster. In the end, I read the <a href="https://recaptains.co.uk/2019/03/the-fifth-season-by-n-k-jemisin">recap</a> and called it a day.</p>
  173. <p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26032825-the-cruel-prince"><em><strong>The Cruel Prince</strong></em></a> by Holly Black was another disappointment, but I didn&#8217;t have as high expectations as I did for <em>The Fifth Season</em>, so I&#8217;m not quite as heartbroken, but my hopes were still dashed. I don&#8217;t consider myself a very picky YA fantasy reader (I enjoyed <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/50659467-a-court-of-thorns-and-roses"><em>A Court of Thorns and Roses</em></a>!), but <em>The Cruel Prince</em> was so blah. The world building left me with some questions, lots of things didn&#8217;t make sense or were convenient, and I didn&#8217;t care about any of the characters except for the main girl&#8217;s older sister. I would have DNF-ed this one too, but it was an easy read to finish.</p>
  174. <h3>Biggest surprise</h3>
  175. <p>I didn&#8217;t expect to love <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59365218-better-than-the-movies"><em><strong>Better than the Movies</strong></em></a> as much as I did or that it&#8217;d make me so giddy &#8212; a booktok rec, no less! Another one that caught me by surprise was <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/63313300-boy-parts"><em><strong>Boy Parts</strong></em></a> by Eliza Clark. It&#8217;s not an all-time favourite or anything, but there were two points in the book that completely reframed what the story was about to me. It would be an interesting one to reread!</p>
  176. <h3>Favourite new author (debut or new to you)</h3>
  177. <p>This is tough! I usually hold off on bestowing this label until I&#8217;ve read and loved at least two books from an author, which hasn&#8217;t happened for me yet. I&#8217;m absolutely smitten with <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59365218-better-than-the-movies"><em>Better than the Movies</em></a> and romance authors are often reliable for giving more of the same, so Lynn Painter could be a contender (though I think it&#8217;s an even greater treat if an author can give more of something different that you love just as much). Her other books are quite popular too, but I think <em>Better than the Movies</em> is most people&#8217;s favourite so there&#8217;s nowhere to go but down, and I&#8217;m kind of afraid that reading her other books will retroactively taint my memory of <em>Better than the Movies</em>. I&#8217;m happy with just rereading <em>Better than the Movies</em> tbh!</p>
  178. <h3>Newest fictional crush</h3>
  179. <p>I don&#8217;t know if I&#8217;m the kind of reader that crushes on fictional characters? I love romances, but I more so love the couples with each other than want to be with any of them, if ya know what I mean. I haven&#8217;t had any &#8220;I want to be you&#8221; moments either. Everyone&#8217;s got issues.</p>
  180. <h3>Newest favourite character</h3>
  181. <p>Again, none really come to mind. Maybe Wes Bennett from <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59365218-better-than-the-movies"><em>Better than the Movies</em></a>? He&#8217;s a sweet boy.</p>
  182. <h3>Book that made you cry</h3>
  183. <p>None of the books I&#8217;ve read so far this year have made me cry, but the most depressing book I&#8217;ve read so far has been <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/62919394-ripe"><em><strong>Ripe</strong></em></a> by Sarah Rose Etter. It captures the futility of modern life, getting at everything that feels so discouraging and exhausting about the corporate world, tackling toxic workplace culture, socioeconomic inequality, and depression and anxiety. Capitalism bad lol.</p>
  184. <h3>Book that made you happy</h3>
  185. <p>I read sad books far more often than I read happy books, but this one&#8217;s easy. <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59365218-better-than-the-movies"><em><strong>Better than the Movies</strong></em></a> had me cheesin&#8217; the whole time :&#8217;) Ugh, I just love rom coms!</p>
  186. <h3>Most beautiful book you acquired this year</h3>
  187. <p>Besides books I&#8217;ve been gifted, I&#8217;ve also spent ~$30 on 9 books: 7 for $1 each from my library&#8217;s sale, 1 bought secondhand online, and 1 bought new in my final Book Depository haul, rip. My favourite aesthetic amongst the books I&#8217;ve acquired is <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/63313300-boy-parts"><em><strong>Boy Parts</strong></em></a> by Eliza Clark, but I also love the gold foiling on <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/44061900-the-stationery-shop"><em>The Stationery Shop</em></a> by Marjan Kamali and <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61269202-you-made-a-fool-of-death-with-your-beauty"><em>You Made a Fool of Death with Your Beauty</em></a> by Akwaeke Emezi. <em>YMAFODWYB</em> also has a gorgeous spine. Spine design is underrated!</p>
  188. <h3>Books you need to read before the end of the year</h3>
  189. <p>Ursula K Le Guin&#8217;s short story collection <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/77289.The_Wind_s_Twelve_Quarters"><em><strong>The Wind&#8217;s Twelve Quarters</strong></em></a> has been on my TBR ever since <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CX4WNjbpHlV">americanbaron</a> reviewed the story &#8220;The Ones Who Walked Away from Omelas,&#8221; and it&#8217;s been sitting on my shelf for a year already. Maybe this will be the year I finally read it? <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CsS2r-Oo4JX">Michelle</a>&#8216;s author study has also been inspiring me to start my Le Guin journey.</p>
  190. <p>In the spirit of reading off my shelf, I want to prioritise the books I bought this year. So far I&#8217;ve read 3 of the 9. Of the 6 remaining, 1 is a chunky poetry collection that I&#8217;m okay with not reading from start to finish but I&#8217;d like to at least start, 3 are classics, and 2 are contemporary. Classics are a challenge for me, but I definitely want to at least finish the contemporary books: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/243272.Mistborn"><em><strong>The Final Empire</strong></em></a> by Brandon Sanderson and <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9647295-the-way-of-kings"><em><strong>The Way of Kings</strong></em></a> by Brandon Sanderson. I&#8217;m intimidated though, since they&#8217;re separate series and they&#8217;re both chonkers.</p>
  191. <p>Some other books I want to get around to are <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58395049-true-biz"><em><strong>True Biz</strong></em></a> by Sara Novic, <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59900688-solito"><em><strong>Solito</strong></em></a> by Javier Zamora, <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58214328-what-my-bones-know"><em><strong>What My Bones Know</strong></em></a> by Stephanie Foo, and <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/52128695-ace"><em><strong>Ace</strong></em></a> by Angela Chen. A reread I want to get around to is <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25852828-a-little-life"><em><strong>A Little Life</strong></em></a> by Hanya Yanagihara, which I&#8217;ve been meaning to reread ever since I read <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58784475-tomorrow-and-tomorrow-and-tomorrow"><em>Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow</em></a> last year. I&#8217;ve now already read <em>tmrx3</em> a second time and still haven&#8217;t reread <em>A Little Life</em> haha. I&#8217;ve also wanted to reread <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35068705-the-poppy-war"><em><strong>The Poppy War</strong></em></a> trilogy by RF Kuang since finishing <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59357120-yellowface"><em>Yellowface</em></a>, and maybe <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/57945316-babel"><em><strong>Babel</strong></em></a> too, for good measure, but I&#8217;ve read these more recently, so they aren&#8217;t as high priority.</p>
  192. <h2 style="text-align: center;">All the books I&#8217;ve read so far this year</h2>
  193. <h3>Classics</h3>
  194. <p>The most effective way to get me to read a classic is to give me a pretty cover. I finally read these three classics off my shelf. You can see part of <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CM9xUD0rlV5">my vintage paperback collection here</a> and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CpQn2lQSasu">one of my favourite contemporary editions here</a>.</p>
  195. <p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9646992-and-then-there-were-none"><em><strong>And Then There Were None</strong></em></a> by Agatha Christie: This was my first non-Hercule Poirot Agatha Christie, my third Agatha Christie ever. She did it again. The best mysteries are the ones you didn’t see coming (or the ones with too many plausibilities to choose between), but once revealed, you realise couldn’t have been any other way… albeit I don’t read many mysteries, so maybe my skills of deduction are a bit rusty. The dwindling figurines really added to the suspense. This would be a fun one to read with friends and try to guess who’s killing everyone off, but it might be hard to find people who aren’t already familiar with the story haha.</p>
  196. <p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25716554-the-master-and-margarita"><em><strong>The Master and Margarita</strong></em></a> by Mikhail Bulgakov: The plot-driven chapters were wacky and adventurous, but the episodic feel didn&#8217;t give me the urge to pick the book back up between reads. Book 1 introduced lots of different characters but they all felt peripheral, and I kept wondering when we&#8217;d come back to them. The scenes with Homeless and Woland were fun, but the Pontius Pilate chapters were difficult for me to get through. Book 2 mostly focused on Margarita&#8217;s POV, but I wasn&#8217;t as concerned with her and the master as I was with enjoying Woland &amp; co.&#8217;s antics, especially any scene with Behemoth. This is a book that definitely requires a reread for me to fully appreciate, but I did notice themes of art and authenticity, bureaucracy, and housing.</p>
  197. <p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/45689208-the-phantom-of-the-opera"><em><strong>The Phantom of the Opera</strong></em></a> by Gaston Leroux: The book was an interesting experience because the author was trying to convince people that the Opera Ghost was real, not some fantastical story, so there was lots of information that tried to normalise/rationalise the Ghost, whereas the Broadway show felt so magical. The book wasn&#8217;t as glamorous or immersive as the show either, but to be fair, the show is tough competition armed with Andrew Lloyd Webber&#8217;s score. With the book, lots of the narrative was characters recounting what happened, such as Christine explaining her disappearance to Raoul, and the Persian explaining how he guided Raoul to the Opera Ghost’s lair to rescue Christine. A last note is that Christine wasn&#8217;t really the main character in the book, which focused more on the opera managers then Raoul and the Persian. The epilogue revealed more about Erik&#8217;s backstory.</p>
  198. <h3>Literary fiction</h3>
  199. <p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29044.The_Secret_History"><em><strong>The Secret History</strong></em></a> by Donna Tartt (reread): This was my first physical read through, as I only listened to the audiobook previously (I would not recommend the audiobook). This time around, I had fun picking up on all the foreshadowing. Reading along with a book club, I developed a new appreciation for how silly this book is and embraced not taking this pretentious read too seriously.</p>
  200. <p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59336344-sirens-muses"><em><strong>Sirens &amp; Muses</strong></em></a> by Antonia Angress: I would have preferred if this book focused on Louisa and Karina&#8217;s fraught relationship and just dropped Preston&#8217;s and Robert&#8217;s POVs completely. I think the intention of the four POVs was to explore their different relationships with art, but the artists were all so uninspired. There was so much that could have been done with four POVs, but it felt like as soon as any interesting conflict between characters were raised, the POV would switch, leaving the story on a cliffhanger, then time would pass without the characters interacting, the characters might wallow internally if they thought about it at all, and by the time they crossed each other again, they’d have found their peace or whatever and would pick up as if everything was fine. The conflicts were never addressed and almost never came to a head, the POVs felt disjoint, and there was no forward movement or build up of tension. In a word: anticlimatic.</p>
  201. <p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/63313300-boy-parts"><em><strong>Boy Parts</strong></em></a>* by Eliza Clark: Irina was narcissistic, manipulative, and fascinating. I couldn&#8217;t look away. She liked to make people feel bad in small ways, making them question if they were insecure and going crazy or if this bitch was really that petty haha. Then there were the big ways. There were two points in the book that completely reframed what the story was about to me, and that&#8217;s kind of cool? It started out as just another unhinged woman/sad girl book then almost turned into a horror novel, and I wasn’t expecting that! <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4195398014">One Goodreads review</a> aptly describes it as &#8220;american psycho but for hot girls.&#8221;</p>
  202. <p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/62919394-ripe"><em><strong>Ripe</strong></em></a>* by Sarah Rose Etter: A bleak read following a disillusioned woman one year into working her dream job at a Silicon Valley startup. It’s a story that feels like a haze, more conceptual than narrative-driven, capturing that futile sense of modern life, tackling toxic workplace culture, socioeconomic inequality, and depression and anxiety (which manifest as a literal black hole that has followed our protagonist around ever since she was born), getting at everything that feels so discouraging and exhausting about the corporate world — the job hunt, the workplace, the burnout — so it’s one you might want to save for when you’re in a good headspace. I was surprised by how 2020-coded the book got as it progressed, hinting at the pandemic and including anti-abortion protests. (<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/Ctj41wKv06A">See my full review here</a>)</p>
  203. <p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61105578-y-n"><em><strong>Y/N</strong></em></a>* by Esther Yi: A psychological satire you&#8217;ll either love or not get. I tried to get it haha. I thought the unnamed protagonist’s earnest online interactions with her idol were hilarious at first, but as the story became increasingly erratic, I was just trying to figure out what was going on in this fever dream. There were some interesting meditations on how maintaining the fantasy of intimacy is to maintain a distance, illusion and delusion to transcend the confines of your singular experience, and collective adoration.</p>
  204. <h3>Contemporary fiction</h3>
  205. <p>♡ <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58784475-tomorrow-and-tomorrow-and-tomorrow"><em><strong>Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow</strong></em></a>* by Gabrielle Zevin (reread): I’ve lost count of the number of reviews that start with “I’m not into gaming but…” But this is a book about so much more than gaming. It’s about the heart that artists and creators of all sorts put into their work, whether it’s a game, a book, a song, a painting, an Instagram post. It’s about finding someone to do that with, opening yourself to intimacy, pushing each other’s ambitions. It&#8217;s about creative collaboration, love and friendship, art and storytelling. It&#8217;s extraordinary how many different meanings this book has for people, and at the same time, how so many people have also said how this is one of the most personal-to-them books they&#8217;ve ever read, me included.</p>
  206. <p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/62047984-yellowface"><em><strong>Yellowface</strong></em></a>* by RF Kuang: I loved the discussion about exploitation of trauma and other people’s stories, but I found the middle a bit repetitive with June attempting to write her next novel, doing something problematic, getting cancelled, waiting it out, then rinse and repeat. I think it would have been more fun to forget about June’s attempts at writing for a bit and lean into more thriller vibes, do more detective work, maybe even build on the minor theme of ghosts, weave in some magical realism, and see June’s descent into madness. However, that is not this story, so this isn’t a critique so much as a personal preference. The end I found satisfying thematically, but not plot-wise. (<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CtS2JOGrSOe">See my full review here</a>)</p>
  207. <p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61021929-central-places"><em><strong>Central Places</strong></em></a>* by Delia Cai: Audrey was unlikeable, both self-centred and full of self-loathing, yearning for that white &#8220;all-American&#8221; family, embarrassed and dismissive of all the ways her parents show their love. There was too much love lost in this family. While I understand that Audrey&#8217;s actions and superficial complaints were indicative of deeper feelings, her character was underdeveloped, leaving this portrayal of an Asian American experience feeling rather generic. Her dynamic with her parents was interesting, but we didn’t get that discussion until the third-to-last chapter, when Audrey and her mom resolved everything between them in one conversation. It had potential. I liked how her mom’s pet name for her came full circle by the end, and I liked the one chapter with her dad.</p>
  208. <h3>YA fantasy</h3>
  209. <p>As I was sorting my 2023 reads by genre, I realised that although I&#8217;ve read a fair amount of fantasy so far this year, I haven&#8217;t read any adult fantasies yet. Perhaps I haven&#8217;t felt in the mind space to commit to one, but maybe an adult fantasy is just what I need to pick up the second half of the year. Anyways, I could probably give the same review for all three of the YA fantasies I read. They all read on the younger end of YA. The characters were juvenile and underdeveloped. There were gaps and inconsistencies in the character motivations and world building. The romances detracted from the story. Not for me, but maybe for younger YA readers. I still have hope that I haven&#8217;t outgrown the older end of YA though.</p>
  210. <p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56030267-the-keeper-of-night"><em><strong>The Keeper of Night</strong></em></a> by Kylie Lee Baker: The world building felt incomplete, and Ren the half-British reaper, half-Japanese shinigami had a uninspiringly human conception of death. I wanted this book to transport me the way <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28954189-scythe"><em>Scythe</em></a> by Neal Shusterman did (another book that plays with the idea of death). I did like learning about Japanese mythology through the yokai quests, albeit the quests were formulaic plot-wise.</p>
  211. <p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26032825-the-cruel-prince"><em><strong>The Cruel Prince</strong></em></a> by Holly Black: Cardan &amp; co. gave middle school bully energy, and you could tell he liked Jude from a mile away. That said, I&#8217;ll give it to him that he was the only faerie who got around the inability to lie in an interesting way. I didn&#8217;t get why Jude wanted to be part of this faerie world that disdains humans when she could just live in the human world like a normal person or why she&#8217;d be at all invested in faerie politics, which goes back to my critique about character motivations. Her schemes toward the end of the book were intriguing, but I don&#8217;t care enough about any of the characters or what happens to them to continue with the series.</p>
  212. <p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60188249-the-luminaries"><em><strong>The Luminaries</strong></em></a>* by Susan Dennard: This book felt like a set up for another book, and to be fair, it is the first book in a series, but it felt more like the first half of the first book in a series. The plot pretty much just consisted of Winnie participating in the hunter trials to become a Luminary (the people who protect the town from monsters) to restore her family&#8217;s honour, and telling the council that there&#8217;s a new monster on the loose and no one believing her (like Harry Potter trying to tell the Ministry that Voldemort is back lol). The trials were repetitive and Winnie didn&#8217;t have any skills. All she&#8217;d do was panic and revert to her tic of reciting the monster encyclopaedia from memory. As for the dealio about nobody believing there&#8217;s a new monster out there, Winnie never tried to investigate herself or come up with different ways to convince the council. She just kept telling them and hoped they&#8217;d eventually believe her. The whole mystery about her dad was completely unresolved, as well as the mystery about Jay and all the other little mysteries.</p>
  213. <h3>Cosy fantasy</h3>
  214. <p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61219635-legends-lattes"><em><strong>Legends &amp; Lattes</strong></em></a> by Travis Baldree: A high fantasy, low stakes story following Viv the orc who retires from a life of dangerous adventure to open a coffee shop. It was heartwarming to read about a retired monster easing into small town living, to make roots instead of chasing the next thrilling quest, to nurture people instead of battling them. I loved watching Viv’s coffee shop grow — the menu expanding drink by drink, pastry by pastry, each with the most enticing description — the community gathering to begrudgingly discover the pleasures of milky bean water. That said, the fantasy/world building and romance were underdeveloped. Okay, but not a story I&#8217;d think about again. I pretty much agree with <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CrfZ2VMLpvq">Maddie</a>&#8216;s review. A fine pick if you&#8217;re a big cosy reader.</p>
  215. <p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56755560-the-cat-who-saved-books"><em><strong>The Cat Who Saved Books</strong></em></a> by Sosuke Natsukawa: A boy closing his late grandfather&#8217;s tiny secondhand bookshop is called on an adventure to save books by a mysterious talking tabby cat. If you love books about books, you’re in for a treat. And if you’re on bookish social media, you might have even more fun with this one. There isn’t any social media commentary, but there are characters with tendencies that might remind you of some trends and characteristics we’ve all seen on bookish social media (like superhuman reading goals and glorious home libraries). I lovedd the first quarter of the book and it almost inspired me to throw out my book collection &#8212; almost! The rest was a little more cliche and less memorable, but it&#8217;s a short little book and worth the read for the first quarter.</p>
  216. <h3>Magical realism</h3>
  217. <p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60243188-bliss-montage"><em><strong>Bliss Montage</strong></em></a> by Ling Ma: My immediate reaction after reading each of the eight short stories was confusion about what I was supposed to get out of them, but I was able to gain an appreciation for a select few upon a reread. &#8220;Office Hours&#8221; was a thrilling read about a secret passage in a film professor’s office, appealing to my interests in sci-fi and parallel worlds and selves. &#8220;Peking Duck&#8221; gave me more to contemplate and is one I often find my mind wandering back to. It follows an Asian American writer who tells her mother&#8217;s experience working as a nanny, raising discussions about appropriating stories and experiences. The form was clever and thematically appropriate, blurring the boundaries between the story and the story within the story.</p>
  218. <h3>Sci fi/horror</h3>
  219. <p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61150781-walking-practice"><em><strong>Walking Practice</strong></em></a>* by Dolki Min (x2): A weird, violent, and grotesque but also unexpectedly vulnerable story about an alien stranded on earth, seducing humans to kill and feed on by transforming their body into their preys&#8217; sexually desirable form. This short little book isn’t one to read for the plot necessarily, which doesn’t really get into how the alien ended up on earth or plans to get home, but more for the alien’s inner monologues and sociological observations, particularly on the performance of gender and incidentally, the surveilled woman. The translator’s note puts it well: <em>Walking Practice</em> a profoundly queer novel about literal alienation. This was a book that I finished feeling confused, but grew on me as I sat on it afterward.</p>
  220. <h3>Thriller/mystery</h3>
  221. <p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25820446-the-kind-worth-killing"><em><strong>The Kind Worth Killing</strong></em></a> by Peter Swanson: I haven&#8217;t read a thriller in years because I find the misogyny exhausting and I don&#8217;t find unreliable narrators that compelling. I found Part 1 boring and almost DNF-ed, but Parts 2 and 3 had me hooked. Plot. Twists. Everyone was sus and I didn&#8217;t know who to trust. It was all a gamble. Sure, Ted was misogynistic but Lily literally murdered someone before?? If I were stuck in this situation and had to figure out who to trust, it&#8217;d be too much for me to handle. Just kill me at that point haha. Worth the read if you&#8217;re looking for a thriller.</p>
  222. <p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40121959-miracle-creek"><em><strong>Miracle Creek</strong></em></a>* by Angie Kim (reread): Reread in anticipation of <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/75495002-happiness-falls"><em>Happiness Falls</em></a>, which unfortunately isn&#8217;t going too well for me at the moment. Kim&#8217;s experience as a lawyer really added to this courtroom mystery, showing how facts can be framed and reframed with frightening dexterity. On my first read, I was really focused on the mystery and the moral question of: What are you willing to do for family? Upon a reread, the moral question that jumped out at me was: Is it okay to tell a lie in order to make the truth more clear? I did find the conclusion (to the story, not the question) less satisfying on the reread &#8212; too much explaining from one character, making the ending feel forced. But overall, enjoyable like the first time I read it and rec if you enjoy procedurals.</p>
  223. <h3>Romance</h3>
  224. <p>♡ <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59365218-better-than-the-movies"><em><strong>Better than the Movies</strong></em></a> by Lynn Painter: Liz the hopeless romantic enlists the help of her obnoxious neighbour Wes to get noticed by his best friend, her crush Michael, in exchange for the parking spot they’ve been feuding over. If you watched rom coms throughout middle school and high school, you have got to read this book! It is <em>the sweetest</em> YA romance, and I had a smile on my face the whole time reading it! :’) I even liked the third act conflict?? Unheard of! My only tiny, tiny complaint would be about how Liz treated Joss. It was the little niggling thing in what would have otherwise been a fun and sweet story all around, but anyways, it was 99.99% there already. (<a href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/CoAMQY_AWCZ">Check out my reel</a> for a preview of the cute vibes ;))</p>
  225. <p>♡ <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/55648820-seven-days-in-june"><em><strong>Seven Days in June</strong></em></a> by Tia Williams: A second chance romance following a literary writer and erotica writer who have been secretly writing about each other in their books ever since the end of their whirlwind week of teenage romance &#8212; swoon! Yes, it&#8217;s a bit unbelievable that this all started from seven days of knowing each other, but you still can&#8217;t help but feel that Shane and Eva are meant for each other. They&#8217;re soul mates! Even though they&#8217;re dealing with a lot individually, they&#8217;re not toxic toward each other. They understand each other&#8217;s darkness in a way beyond words. And there&#8217;s lots of joy and humour in this story too! Honestly a travesty that <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/54985743-people-we-meet-on-vacation"><em>People We Meet on Vacation</em></a> won for Best Romance for the 2021 Goodreads Choice Awards over <em>Seven Days in June</em>.</p>
  226. <p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/44061900-the-stationery-shop"><em><strong>The Stationery Shop</strong></em></a> by Marjan Kamali: I loved when Roya and Bahman were first getting to know each other and the stolen moments in the stationery shop, but I did feel the characters/relationship stagnate once they got together, giving way to the political turmoil of the 1953 Iranian coup. When we circled back to the love story, it was very wistful and I would have been interested in more about the greater political repercussions post-coup. However, the focus on Roya and Bahman is perfect for those seeking out historical romance. (<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CtZX9sIRYZU">See my full review here</a>)</p>
  227. <p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13153400-5-centimeters-per-second"><em><strong>5 Centimeters per Second</strong></em></a> by Makoto Shinkai: I wasn’t that invested in the romance or any individual character, but I could relate to the growing pains of changing relationships and growing up: writing letters back and forth trying to hang onto a relationship but only making the distance between each other even more apparent, feeling disassociated from your own life, feeling like you’ll never be as uninhibited or feel anything as deeply as when you were a kid.</p>
  228. <p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61269202-you-made-a-fool-of-death-with-your-beauty"><em><strong>You Made a Fool of Death with Your Beauty</strong></em></a> by Akwaeke Emezi: This book is so unserious. Wildly entertaining. A fun one to giggle with a friend about and judge all the characters&#8217; questionable decisions together. My review would just be a list of all the characters and their transgressions, but I don&#8217;t want to spoil the book for anyone. I&#8217;ll just say that Feyi was a train wreck I couldn&#8217;t tear my eyes from. Fast paced, addicting, opulent. Not good per se but very entertaining haha.</p>
  229. <h3>New adult romance (smut lol)</h3>
  230. <p>Blame it on TikTok (which I&#8217;m not on, but it&#8217;s infiltrated bookstagram haha). I just want to know what all the hype is about! Plus, new adult is so easy to read. It&#8217;s one of the genres I turn to to get out of a reading slump. The new adult novels I&#8217;ve read this year all happen to be part of a series, but these series are low commitment since the books are companion novels, so I can skip a book in the series if I&#8217;m not feeling it and still be able to follow the next one.</p>
  231. <p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/24920901-the-deal"><em><strong>The Deal</strong></em></a> (reread), (<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25381533-the-mistake"><em>The Mistake</em></a>), &amp; <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/27252717-the-score"><em><strong>The Score</strong></em></a> by Elle Kennedy: I remember really enjoying <em>The Deal</em> the first time I read it, but on this reread, I really didn&#8217;t like how Hannah thought she was broken and how Garrett tried to fix her. I DNF-ed <em>The Mistake</em> because I didn&#8217;t get why Logan was so obsessed with Grace, but the last straw was him still being hung up on his crush on Hannah, who was still with Garrett, by the way. <em>The Score</em> was a friends-with-benefits romance, and I liked how Allie and Dean were on the same page and just having fun with each other, and when they eventually developed feelings for each other, they didn&#8217;t pretend otherwise. Got burnt out from the series by this book though, so probably won&#8217;t continue on.</p>
  232. <p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/86121173-king-of-wrath"><em><strong>King of Wrath</strong></em></a> by Ana Huang: A solid pick if you&#8217;re looking for a billionaire romance. This isn&#8217;t a case of rich boy/poor girl. They&#8217;re both rich so there&#8217;s plenty of extravagance to go around. I liked Vivian and I thought her internal conflict and her complicated relationship with her parents was interesting. It was interesting to see how she was a strong independent woman but would defer to her family out of respect, how she easily adjusted herself to her environment in an empowered way. Despite whatever conflict Vivian had with her parents, it was clear she loved and respected them. As for Dante, his communication skills (or lack thereof) got old really quick &#8212; always going hot and cold with Vivian. Man child lol.</p>
  233. <p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/62057697-twisted-love"><em><strong>Twisted Love</strong></em></a>, <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/62056013-twisted-games"><em><strong>Twisted Games</strong></em></a>, <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/62056935-twisted-hate"><em><strong>Twisted Hate</strong></em></a>, &amp; (<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/62058385-twisted-lies"><em>Twisted Lies</em></a>) by Ana Huang: <em>Twisted Love</em>, <em>Twisted Games</em>, and <em>Twisted Lies</em> are all pretty much the same. All the male love interests were &#8220;protective&#8221;/controlling and obsessed with security, but since the love interest in <em>Twisted Games</em> was a literal bodyguard, that made more sense. The dynamics were all grumpy/sunshine. The guys were supposed to be these strong, cool, stoic men, but they were sooo bothered by the women. You could tell they were simping from a mile away. There was no chemistry in <em>Twisted Lies</em>, so I DNF-ed. <em>Twisted Hate</em> was an enemies-to-lovers, best friend&#8217;s brother romance and stepped away from that &#8220;protective&#8221;/controlling thing, so that was refreshing. Anyways, I think that&#8217;s enough Ana Huang for me.</p>
  234. <p>(<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58530994-the-fine-print"><em>The Fine Print</em></a>) &amp; (<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60476301-terms-and-conditions"><em>Terms and Conditions</em></a>) by Lauren Asher: Didn&#8217;t get very far into <em>The Fine Print</em> or <em>Terms and Conditions</em>. <em>The Fine Print</em> was too trope-y (grumpy/sunshine, to be exact), to the point where Rowan and Zahra didn&#8217;t feel like real people and they had no chemistry. The way Rowan kept Zahra&#8217;s number and texted her as &#8220;Scott&#8221; felt out of character, and the way Zahra texted back was too friendly to be believable &#8212; meaningless actions to advance what little plot there was. <em>Terms and Conditions</em> didn&#8217;t make sense either. Why would Declan&#8217;s assistant Iris volunteer to marry him to secure his inheritance? Why&#8217;s she so invested? Declan didn&#8217;t even ask! Didn&#8217;t bother trying <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61681786-final-offer"><em>Final Offer</em></a>.</p>
  235. <h3>Memoir</h3>
  236. <p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/50644618-tiny-moons"><em><strong>Tiny Moons: A Year of Eating in Shanghai</strong></em></a> by Nina Mingya Powles: A tiny and tender collection of essays that made me want to write and document my own anecdotes. While I’m not mixed like Powles, I relate to growing up outside of my heritage as a Taiwanese person who grew up half in the States, half in the expat community in China. I also relate to feeling the strongest connection to my heritage through food; everything I know about Taiwanese culture is taught, but my love for Taiwanese food feels innate. The first few essays were my favourite, and I enjoyed the discussions about understanding culture through food when language fails, the untranslatable language of food, the memories attached, the literal imprint of ourselves cooked into the food we make. Rec if you enjoyed <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/54814676-crying-in-h-mart"><em>Crying in H Mart</em></a> by Michelle Zauner.</p>
  237. <p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61173577-a-stone-is-most-precious-where-it-belongs"><em><strong>A Stone is Most Precious Where it Belongs</strong></em></a>* by Gulchehra Hoja: A memoir by Uyghur journalist and activist, following Hoja&#8217;s childhood growing up in East Turkestan, her rise as a successful TV personality, her growing discomfort with Chinese state media, immigrating to the States, and her activist work since. It was fascinating to learn about her family history, who were influential in shaping and preserving Uyghur culture. I&#8217;d say that this memoir is more about cultural history than internal introspection, and while it doesn&#8217;t discuss the ongoing Uyghur genocide that much, it&#8217;s an important read for context and to bear witness to a culture under threat.</p>
  238. <p>*<em>e/ARC gifted from publisher</em></p>
  239. <p>PS: <a href="https://www.brunchataudreys.com/2023/01/2022-in-books">2022 in books</a>, <a href="https://www.brunchataudreys.com/2022/07/2022-q2-reads">2022 Q2 reads</a>, <a href="https://www.brunchataudreys.com/2021/08/2021-mid-year-reading-check-in">2021 mid-year reading check-in</a></p>
  240. <p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://instagram.com/brunchofbooks"><strong>BOOKSTAGRAM</strong></a> <strong>|</strong> <a href="http://goodreads.com/auderoy"><strong>GOODREADS</strong></a></p>
  241. ]]></content:encoded>
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  248. <item>
  249. <title>The Super Mario Bros Movie &#038; Super Nintendo World</title>
  250. <link>https://www.brunchataudreys.com/2023/04/the-super-mario-bros-movie-super-nintendo-world/</link>
  251. <comments>https://www.brunchataudreys.com/2023/04/the-super-mario-bros-movie-super-nintendo-world/#respond</comments>
  253. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Audrey]]></dc:creator>
  254. <pubDate>Tue, 18 Apr 2023 04:00:31 +0000</pubDate>
  255. <category><![CDATA[travel]]></category>
  256. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.brunchataudreys.com/?p=14241</guid>
  257.  
  258. <description><![CDATA[Super Nintendo World is absolutely swarming right now, what with it being just over a month since opening, The Super Mario Bros Movie just coming out, spring break, and the first week of good weather LA has had in months! These marketers know what they’re doing! The Super Mario Bros Movie We watched The Super Mario Bros Movie the night before visiting...
  259.        <div class="more-button"><a class="more-link" href="https://www.brunchataudreys.com/2023/04/the-super-mario-bros-movie-super-nintendo-world/">Read More</a>
  260.        <span class="meta-divider"></span></div>]]></description>
  261. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Super Nintendo World is absolutely swarming right now, what with it being just over a month since opening, <em>The Super Mario Bros Movie</em> just coming out, spring break, and the first week of good weather LA has had in months! These marketers know what they’re doing!</p>
  262. <h3>The Super Mario Bros Movie</h3>
  263. <p>We watched <em>The Super Mario Bros Movie</em> the night before visiting Super Nintendo World as a pre-game. While I can’t personally speak to the movie’s nostalgia factor since I don’t play video games, I know that there are a ton of references that fans will enjoy. The movie is pretty much all references and no plot, but hey, sometimes you just need something that’s not that serious! My favourite sequence was towards the beginning of the movie when Mario and Luigi were running to their first client. It was a great adaptation of the game mechanics without being too literal, and it was a great scene for characterisation as well.</p>
  264. <h3>Super Nintendo World</h3>
  265. <p>The next day, we headed out to Universal Studios Hollywood bright and early, and made a beeline to Super Nintendo World. We only had two things on our itinerary: Mario Kart: Bowser’s Challenge and Toadstool Cafe. The only other things to do at Super Nintendo World are the four mini games, which you need to buy a power-up band to play (they’re kind of like the wands at Harry Potter World), but you can just buy one for your party and pass it around if you don’t want to shill out the bucks.</p>
  266. <p>Despite arriving only 30 minutes after the park opened, we snagged some of the last spots for Super Nintendo World’s virtual line. Luckily I found a link for Toadstool Cafe reservations the previous night, so we were able to book that on our drive over once the link went live for the day. Otherwise, we would have had to wait until we got into Super Nintendo World to scan the Toadstool Cafe reservation QR code, and they definitely would have been fully booked by the time we got in.</p>
  267. <p><span id="more-14241"></span></p>
  268. <h4>Mario Kart: Bowser&#8217;s Challenge</h4>
  269. <p>The wait time fluctuated between 2 and 3 hours all day. At the time we went, the estimate was 2 hours. I timed it: 2 hours and 20 minutes. I&#8217;m just glad that we made it on at all! I overheard an attendant saying how even right when the park opens, the wait times already run 1 to 2 hours &#8212; I assume because of the early access pass holders, who get to enter the park an hour early. But early access isn&#8217;t a sure bet to get on the ride either. I read online that the ride is frequently down for maintenance in the mornings. I chatted with a random lady in line and she told me she was at Super Nintendo World the previous day and lined up for Mario Kart: Bowser’s Challenge for ages, only for it to go down for maintenance so she never got the chance to ride it.</p>
  270. <p>The park designers do try to make the lines more bearable though. There are plenty of rooms to weave through and decor to ogle, and from the balcony of Bowser’s Castle you get a great view of Super Nintendo World. 2 or 3 hours worth of ogling? Mmm maybe not, but appreciated all the same. I know that some people like the wait even more than the ride, and they say that speeding through via the Single Riders line defeats the experience.</p>
  271. <p><a href="https://youtu.be/2ruAqduHXwc">Here&#8217;s a great video</a> of the queue design + the full ride without AR + the full ride with AR.</p>
  272. <h4>Toadstool Cafe</h4>
  273. <p>While waiting in line for Mario Kart: Bowser&#8217;s Challenge, we were betting whether or not we&#8217;d make it in time for our Toadstool Cafe reservation. Luckily we had 15 minutes to spare, which we spent walking around Super Nintendo World, taking it all in for the first time since entering the park.</p>
  274. <p>At Toadstool Cafe, we ordered:</p>
  275. <ul>
  276. <li>Super Mushroom Soup: creamy mushroom soup</li>
  277. <li>Luigi Burger: pesto grilled chicken with truffle fries</li>
  278. <li>Bowser’s Fireball Challenge: 1lb meatball with mozzarella and Bowser puff pastry</li>
  279. <li>? Block Tiramisu: tiramisu cube encased by ?-printed biscuits</li>
  280. <li>Princess Peach Cupcake: funfetti cupcake, raspberry jam, and buttercream frosting</li>
  281. </ul>
  282. <p>I also wanted to try the Toadstool Cheesy Garlic Knots, but they were sold out. The Luigi Burger and Bowser&#8217;s Fireball Challenge came with decorative plastic toothpicks, which we wiped down and took home. The Mario Burger also comes with a decorative plastic toothpick, but that was too much for us to order! The Luigi burger had raw green bell peppers, which tasted reallyyyy good and refreshing actually. And the truffle fries that came on the side were soooo good.</p>
  283. <p>The Super Mushroom Soup came in an adorable white ceramic bowl with a mushroom lid, but the servers whisk away the mushroom lids as soon as they serve the table. I think it&#8217;s because they don&#8217;t want anyone to steal them. I had to rush my mushroom lid pics. Anyways, the creamy mushroom soup was a bit too salty and one-note for my taste. Might be nicer with bread.</p>
  284. <p>Earlier in the day we had a Mario strawberry soda from a concession stand, as well as popcorn in a collectible light-up Super Star popcorn bucket.</p>
  285. <h3>The rest of the park</h3>
  286. <p>While waiting to get into Super Nintendo World via the virtual line, we killed time in the rest of the park. We weren’t in a rush to explore since we had visited only <a href="https://www.brunchataudreys.com/2022/12/universal-studios-christmas-2022">a few months ago</a>, so we just hit up our favourites &#8212; Jurassic World and The Mummy &#8212; and also tried The Secret Life of Pets for the first time. We were curious because it&#8217;s the only other attraction that has a virtual line, and we weren&#8217;t able to make it last time. It was okay. Not worth the wait, at least not for us older visitors haha, but we were just there to kill time anyway. Glad we tried it once.</p>
  287. <p>After Super Nintendo World, we were exhausted and ready to head home. We spent a whole day at Universal Studios Hollywood just to ride Mario Kart: Bowser’s Challenge and eat at Toadstool Cafe, but it’s what we had set out to do, and we were so lucky we got to do both! The rest was a bonus. I think Universal will be pretty crazy this summer, but hopefully the crowds will be more manageable after that.</p>
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  299. " data-image-caption="" data-medium-file="https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/snd9-scaled.jpg?fit=225%2C300&amp;ssl=1" data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/snd9-scaled.jpg?fit=768%2C1024&amp;ssl=1" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-14247" src="https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/snd9-scaled.jpg?resize=830%2C1107&#038;ssl=1" alt="bowser statue at bowser's castle, super nintendo world - universal studios hollywood | brunch at audrey's" width="830" height="1107" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/snd9-scaled.jpg?w=1920&amp;ssl=1 1920w, https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/snd9-scaled.jpg?resize=225%2C300&amp;ssl=1 225w, https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/snd9-scaled.jpg?resize=768%2C1024&amp;ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/snd9-scaled.jpg?resize=1152%2C1536&amp;ssl=1 1152w, https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/snd9-scaled.jpg?w=1660&amp;ssl=1 1660w" sizes="(max-width: 830px) 100vw, 830px" data-recalc-dims="1" /></p>
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  301. " data-image-caption="" data-medium-file="https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/snd14-scaled.jpg?fit=300%2C225&amp;ssl=1" data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/snd14-scaled.jpg?fit=830%2C623&amp;ssl=1" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-14286" src="https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/snd14-scaled.jpg?resize=830%2C623&#038;ssl=1" alt="locker room at mario kart bowser's challenge, super nintendo world - universal studios hollywood | brunch at audrey's" width="830" height="623" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/snd14-scaled.jpg?w=2560&amp;ssl=1 2560w, https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/snd14-scaled.jpg?resize=300%2C225&amp;ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/snd14-scaled.jpg?resize=1024%2C768&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/snd14-scaled.jpg?resize=768%2C576&amp;ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/snd14-scaled.jpg?resize=1536%2C1152&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/snd14-scaled.jpg?resize=2048%2C1536&amp;ssl=1 2048w, https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/snd14-scaled.jpg?resize=1080%2C810&amp;ssl=1 1080w, https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/snd14-scaled.jpg?w=1660&amp;ssl=1 1660w, https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/snd14-scaled.jpg?w=2490&amp;ssl=1 2490w" sizes="(max-width: 830px) 100vw, 830px" data-recalc-dims="1" /></p>
  302. <p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-attachment-id="14287" data-permalink="https://www.brunchataudreys.com/2023/04/the-super-mario-bros-movie-super-nintendo-world/snd15/" data-orig-file="https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/snd15-scaled.jpg?fit=1920%2C2560&amp;ssl=1" data-orig-size="1920,2560" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1681847172&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}" data-image-title="loading at mario kart bowser&#8217;s challenge, super nintendo world &#8211; universal studios hollywood" data-image-description="&lt;p&gt;loading at mario kart bowser&#8217;s challenge, super nintendo world &#8211; universal studios hollywood | brunch at audrey&#8217;s&lt;/p&gt;
  303. " data-image-caption="" data-medium-file="https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/snd15-scaled.jpg?fit=225%2C300&amp;ssl=1" data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/snd15-scaled.jpg?fit=768%2C1024&amp;ssl=1" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-14287" src="https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/snd15-scaled.jpg?resize=830%2C1107&#038;ssl=1" alt="loading at mario kart bowser's challenge, super nintendo world - universal studios hollywood | brunch at audrey's" width="830" height="1107" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/snd15-scaled.jpg?w=1920&amp;ssl=1 1920w, https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/snd15-scaled.jpg?resize=225%2C300&amp;ssl=1 225w, https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/snd15-scaled.jpg?resize=768%2C1024&amp;ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/snd15-scaled.jpg?resize=1152%2C1536&amp;ssl=1 1152w, https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/snd15-scaled.jpg?resize=1536%2C2048&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/snd15-scaled.jpg?resize=1080%2C1440&amp;ssl=1 1080w, https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/snd15-scaled.jpg?w=1660&amp;ssl=1 1660w" sizes="(max-width: 830px) 100vw, 830px" data-recalc-dims="1" /></p>
  304. <p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-attachment-id="14288" data-permalink="https://www.brunchataudreys.com/2023/04/the-super-mario-bros-movie-super-nintendo-world/snd16/" data-orig-file="https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/snd16-scaled.jpg?fit=2560%2C1920&amp;ssl=1" data-orig-size="2560,1920" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1681847117&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}" data-image-title="selfie at mario kart bowser&#8217;s challenge, super nintendo world &#8211; universal studios hollywood" data-image-description="&lt;p&gt;selfie at mario kart bowser&#8217;s challenge, super nintendo world &#8211; universal studios hollywood | brunch at audrey&#8217;s&lt;/p&gt;
  305. " data-image-caption="" data-medium-file="https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/snd16-scaled.jpg?fit=300%2C225&amp;ssl=1" data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/snd16-scaled.jpg?fit=830%2C623&amp;ssl=1" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-14288" src="https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/snd16-scaled.jpg?resize=830%2C623&#038;ssl=1" alt="selfie at mario kart bowser's challenge, super nintendo world - universal studios hollywood | brunch at audrey's" width="830" height="623" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/snd16-scaled.jpg?w=2560&amp;ssl=1 2560w, https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/snd16-scaled.jpg?resize=300%2C225&amp;ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/snd16-scaled.jpg?resize=1024%2C768&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/snd16-scaled.jpg?resize=768%2C576&amp;ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/snd16-scaled.jpg?resize=1536%2C1152&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/snd16-scaled.jpg?resize=2048%2C1536&amp;ssl=1 2048w, https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/snd16-scaled.jpg?resize=1080%2C810&amp;ssl=1 1080w, https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/snd16-scaled.jpg?w=1660&amp;ssl=1 1660w, https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/snd16-scaled.jpg?w=2490&amp;ssl=1 2490w" sizes="(max-width: 830px) 100vw, 830px" data-recalc-dims="1" /></p>
  306. <p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-attachment-id="14289" data-permalink="https://www.brunchataudreys.com/2023/04/the-super-mario-bros-movie-super-nintendo-world/snd10-1/" data-orig-file="https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/snd10-1-scaled.jpg?fit=2560%2C1920&amp;ssl=1" data-orig-size="2560,1920" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}" data-image-title="selfie at mario kart bowser&#8217;s challenge, super nintendo world &#8211; universal studios hollywood" data-image-description="&lt;p&gt;selfie at mario kart bowser&#8217;s challenge, super nintendo world &#8211; universal studios hollywood | brunch at audrey&#8217;s&lt;/p&gt;
  307. " data-image-caption="" data-medium-file="https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/snd10-1-scaled.jpg?fit=300%2C225&amp;ssl=1" data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/snd10-1-scaled.jpg?fit=830%2C623&amp;ssl=1" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-14289" src="https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/snd10-1-scaled.jpg?resize=830%2C623&#038;ssl=1" alt="selfie at mario kart bowser's challenge, super nintendo world - universal studios hollywood | brunch at audrey's" width="830" height="623" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/snd10-1-scaled.jpg?w=2560&amp;ssl=1 2560w, https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/snd10-1-scaled.jpg?resize=300%2C225&amp;ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/snd10-1-scaled.jpg?resize=1024%2C768&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/snd10-1-scaled.jpg?resize=768%2C576&amp;ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/snd10-1-scaled.jpg?resize=1536%2C1152&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/snd10-1-scaled.jpg?resize=2048%2C1536&amp;ssl=1 2048w, https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/snd10-1-scaled.jpg?resize=1080%2C810&amp;ssl=1 1080w, https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/snd10-1-scaled.jpg?w=1660&amp;ssl=1 1660w, https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/snd10-1-scaled.jpg?w=2490&amp;ssl=1 2490w" sizes="(max-width: 830px) 100vw, 830px" data-recalc-dims="1" /></p>
  308. <h3>Super Nintendo World, again!</h3>
  309. <p>I visited Super Nintendo World exactly a week later and it went so much smoother!</p>
  310. <p>When we arrived, we found a crowd gathered at the escalators to the Lower Lot &#8212; where Super Nintendo World, Jurassic World, The Mummy, and Transformers are &#8212; and we were so confused. Turns out that the park opened an hour later than the previous week, which meant we arrived 20 minutes before the park officially opened! (We were aiming for 40 minutes before our 20 minute-early arrival but we were running late haha) We assumed that the park would open at the same time as it did the previous week so not a single one of us bothered checking the park&#8217;s hours. Worked out in our favour though! I think the park opened an hour earlier the previous week because of the anticipated spring break crowd. Tickets were about $25 more expensive the previous week too, but luckily we weren&#8217;t affected because we have season passes.</p>
  311. <p>Super Nintendo World did not have a virtual line at any point in the day, so everyone was able to walk in. Once again, we had booked our Toadstool Cafe reservation on the drive over, so we were able to leisurely stroll over to Mario Kart: Bowser&#8217;s Challenge. It took less than an hour to get on the ride this time and I got the high score in my Kart <img src="https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/15.0.3/72x72/1f60e.png" alt="😎" class="wp-smiley" style="height: 1em; max-height: 1em;" /> I had no idea what was going on my first time haha. Maybe next time (yes! next time!) I&#8217;ll ride without the AR glasses so that I can better appreciate the theme design.</p>
  312. <p>After Mario Kart: Bowser&#8217;s Challenge, we went straight to Toadstool Cafe. This time we got:</p>
  313. <ul>
  314. <li>Mario Burger: beef patty, bacon, mushroom with truffle fries</li>
  315. <li>Bowser&#8217;s Fireball Challenge (again)</li>
  316. <li>Super Star Chicken Salad: pretty much a Caesar salad + star-shaped croutons and star-shaped parmesan crisp</li>
  317. <li>Super Star Lemon Squash soda: honey lemon soda with mango jelly stars and popping boba</li>
  318. </ul>
  319. <p>Once again, they were out of the Toadstool Cheesy Garlic Knots. Now having tried a variety of dishes at Toadstool Cafe, I&#8217;d say that my favourite is the Luigi Burger. Also, even though it comes with the same truffle fries as the Mario Burger does, the Luigi Burger&#8217;s truffle fries come with a superior pesto aioli, whereas the Mario Burger&#8217;s truffle fries come with ketchup. Glad we got to collect the Mario toothpick this time around though!</p>
  320. <h3>The rest of the park, again!</h3>
  321. <p>Walked on to Jurassic World. The Mummy had a little wait. We probably could have done Single Rider, but the wait was only 20 min max, so it was fine, and we got a photo together, which I snuck a picture of on my phone.</p>
  322. <p>Did the Single Rider for Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey, which was less than a 5 min wait. Somehow I got a whole vehicle to myself, so it was just me and three empty seats. There was some kind of malfunction in the middle of the ride. Where I was at, there was just a screen in front of me and it went black. When the ride finally started up again, I was led directly into the dementor&#8217;s cave. It was a very dramatic place to experience the malfunction haha. Excellent transition. When we got to the end of the ride to disembark, the ride operators were telling the riders that they could stay on and ride again. I would have, but since my friends and I were all on separate vehicles (since we went Single Rider), we each had figured it would be too complicated to coordinate. We were all feeling a bit woozy and stuffed from Toadstool Cafe anyway.</p>
  323. <p>With that, we headed out of the park and still had the better half of the afternoon ahead of us. I can&#8217;t believe how efficient the day was! Plenty of time to cram for finals&#8230;</p>
  324. <p>PS: <a href="https://www.brunchataudreys.com/2022/12/universal-studios-christmas-2022">Universal Studios Christmas 2022</a>, <a href="https://www.brunchataudreys.com/2022/12/disneyland-christmas-2022">Disneyland Christmas 2022</a>, <a href="https://www.brunchataudreys.com/2023/02/six-flags-magic-mountain">Six Flags Magic Mountain</a></p>
  325. ]]></content:encoded>
  327. <wfw:commentRss>https://www.brunchataudreys.com/2023/04/the-super-mario-bros-movie-super-nintendo-world/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
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  331. </item>
  332. <item>
  333. <title>Six Flags Magic Mountain</title>
  334. <link>https://www.brunchataudreys.com/2023/02/six-flags-magic-mountain/</link>
  335. <comments>https://www.brunchataudreys.com/2023/02/six-flags-magic-mountain/#respond</comments>
  337. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Audrey]]></dc:creator>
  338. <pubDate>Thu, 23 Feb 2023 21:47:16 +0000</pubDate>
  339. <category><![CDATA[travel]]></category>
  340. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.brunchataudreys.com/?p=14215</guid>
  341.  
  342. <description><![CDATA[Without thinking too much about it, I accepted my friend&#8217;s invite to Six Flags off the high from Disneyland and Universal Studios. I&#8217;m an amusement park girlie now, didn&#8217;t ya know? I went to bed binging POV videos on Youtube, slowly realising what I was getting myself into, wondering if I&#8217;d survive the day ahead. The first time I ever...
  343.        <div class="more-button"><a class="more-link" href="https://www.brunchataudreys.com/2023/02/six-flags-magic-mountain/">Read More</a>
  344.        <span class="meta-divider"></span></div>]]></description>
  345. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Without thinking too much about it, I accepted my friend&#8217;s invite to Six Flags off the high from <a href="https://www.brunchataudreys.com/2022/12/disneyland-christmas-2022/">Disneyland</a> and <a href="https://www.brunchataudreys.com/2022/12/universal-studios-christmas-2022/">Universal Studios</a>. I&#8217;m an amusement park girlie now, didn&#8217;t ya know? I went to bed binging POV videos on Youtube, slowly realising what I was getting myself into, wondering if I&#8217;d survive the day ahead.</p>
  346. <p>The first time I ever went on an extreme roller coaster was a trip to Six Flags Great Adventure (New Jersey) during summer camp in middle school. I have no idea what my friend and I spent our time doing, because we were too scared of the big kid roller coasters. We probably just ate a lot of food and browsed the merch shops, but at some point, we figured we should probably go on at least one. Working up the courage for Bizarro (now Medusa), we promised to hold each other&#8217;s hand through the whole ride. As soon as we tottered on the first crest, it was every woman for herself. We immediately released each other to grip our own restraints.</p>
  347. <p><span id="more-14215"></span></p>
  348. <p>It was time to put myself to the test again. I hoped my dear companion would have some limits to what she was willing to ride&#8230; But as luck would have it, it turns out she&#8217;s a roller coaster junkie AND she&#8217;s gone sky diving before, of course! Thank god Goliath was closed for maintenance.</p>
  349. <p>For once, I welcomed waiting in long lines. Without that buffer between rides, I might have gone lightheaded! In line, I was completely at ease&#8230; right up until it was time to strap ourselves in. Then I would start shaking uncontrollably! I tried to play it off as nervous excitement, bouncing my legs and shaking out my arms in exaggeration. To my friend, I deliriously loud whispered: I&#8217;m literally shaking!!!!! But as soon as we hit the first drop, I&#8217;d have the time of my life.</p>
  350. <p>Didn&#8217;t stop me from shaking before every ride though! My mantra of the day: Jesus, take the wheel. The trick is to relax your body and just let yourself flop around. From my own experience, that feeling in your stomach is stronger if your body is more rigid.</p>
  351. <p>We rode Full Throttle, The New Revolution, Tatzu, Wonder Woman: Flight of Courage, Scream!, and Superman: Escape from Krypton. While waiting in line for the next ride, I&#8217;d debrief with my friend and ask her what part of the previous ride she thought was most fun and what part was most scary. She didn&#8217;t understand the concept of &#8220;scary&#8221; &#8212; it was all fun for her <img src="https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/15.0.3/72x72/1f480.png" alt="💀" class="wp-smiley" style="height: 1em; max-height: 1em;" /> But her favourite ride was Superman, and mine was Wonder Woman. I liked all the loops!</p>
  352. <p>It got dark before the park closed so we headed out early because it was super cold and our Californian selves were unprepared, but not before nabbing a cookies and cream thrillshake! We couldn&#8217;t resist something called a &#8220;thrillshake,&#8221; and the line for funnel cakes was too long. Dumb decision? Good decision? Who&#8217;s to say?</p>
  353. <p>Next time, I&#8217;ll face Goliath. But Lex Luthor: Drop of Doom is a big no from me!! Never!!!</p>
  354. <p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-attachment-id="14219" data-permalink="https://www.brunchataudreys.com/2023/02/six-flags-magic-mountain/sixflags1/" data-orig-file="https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/sixflags1-scaled.jpg?fit=2560%2C1920&amp;ssl=1" data-orig-size="2560,1920" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}" data-image-title="roller coaster tracks &#8211; six flags magic mountain" data-image-description="&lt;p&gt;roller coaster tracks &#8211; six flags magic mountain | brunch at audrey&#8217;s&lt;/p&gt;
  355. " data-image-caption="" data-medium-file="https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/sixflags1-scaled.jpg?fit=300%2C225&amp;ssl=1" data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/sixflags1-scaled.jpg?fit=830%2C623&amp;ssl=1" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-14219" src="https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/sixflags1-scaled.jpg?resize=830%2C623&#038;ssl=1" alt="roller coaster tracks - six flags magic mountain | brunch at audrey's" width="830" height="623" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/sixflags1-scaled.jpg?w=2560&amp;ssl=1 2560w, https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/sixflags1-scaled.jpg?resize=300%2C225&amp;ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/sixflags1-scaled.jpg?resize=1024%2C768&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/sixflags1-scaled.jpg?resize=768%2C576&amp;ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/sixflags1-scaled.jpg?resize=1536%2C1152&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/sixflags1-scaled.jpg?resize=2048%2C1536&amp;ssl=1 2048w, https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/sixflags1-scaled.jpg?resize=1080%2C810&amp;ssl=1 1080w, https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/sixflags1-scaled.jpg?w=1660&amp;ssl=1 1660w, https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/sixflags1-scaled.jpg?w=2490&amp;ssl=1 2490w" sizes="(max-width: 830px) 100vw, 830px" data-recalc-dims="1" /></p>
  356. <p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-attachment-id="14218" data-permalink="https://www.brunchataudreys.com/2023/02/six-flags-magic-mountain/sixflags-food/" data-orig-file="https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/sixflags-food.png?fit=1840%2C1200&amp;ssl=1" data-orig-size="1840,1200" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}" data-image-title="garlic fries &#038; cookies and cream thrill shake &#8211; six flags magic mountain" data-image-description="&lt;p&gt;garlic fries &#038; cookies and cream thrill shake &#8211; six flags magic mountain | brunch at audrey&#8217;s&lt;/p&gt;
  357. " data-image-caption="" data-medium-file="https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/sixflags-food.png?fit=300%2C196&amp;ssl=1" data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/sixflags-food.png?fit=830%2C541&amp;ssl=1" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-14218" src="https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/sixflags-food.png?resize=830%2C541&#038;ssl=1" alt="garlic fries &amp; cookies and cream thrill shake - six flags magic mountain | brunch at audrey's" width="830" height="541" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/sixflags-food.png?w=1840&amp;ssl=1 1840w, https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/sixflags-food.png?resize=300%2C196&amp;ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/sixflags-food.png?resize=1024%2C668&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/sixflags-food.png?resize=768%2C501&amp;ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/sixflags-food.png?resize=1536%2C1002&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/sixflags-food.png?resize=1080%2C704&amp;ssl=1 1080w, https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/sixflags-food.png?w=1660&amp;ssl=1 1660w" sizes="(max-width: 830px) 100vw, 830px" data-recalc-dims="1" /></p>
  358. <p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-attachment-id="14220" data-permalink="https://www.brunchataudreys.com/2023/02/six-flags-magic-mountain/processed-with-vsco-with-b1-preset-18/" data-orig-file="https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/sixflags4.jpg?fit=855%2C641&amp;ssl=1" data-orig-size="855,641" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;iPhone&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;Processed with VSCO with b1 preset&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1676213234&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;Copyright 2023. All rights reserved.&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;Processed with VSCO with b1 preset&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}" data-image-title="black and white selfie &#8211; six flags magic mountain" data-image-description="&lt;p&gt;black and white selfie &#8211; six flags magic mountain | brunch at audrey&#8217;s&lt;/p&gt;
  359. " data-image-caption="" data-medium-file="https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/sixflags4.jpg?fit=300%2C225&amp;ssl=1" data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/sixflags4.jpg?fit=830%2C622&amp;ssl=1" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-14220" src="https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/sixflags4.jpg?resize=830%2C622&#038;ssl=1" alt="black and white selfie - six flags magic mountain | brunch at audrey's" width="830" height="622" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/sixflags4.jpg?w=855&amp;ssl=1 855w, https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/sixflags4.jpg?resize=300%2C225&amp;ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/sixflags4.jpg?resize=768%2C576&amp;ssl=1 768w" sizes="(max-width: 830px) 100vw, 830px" data-recalc-dims="1" /></p>
  360. <p>PS: <a href="https://www.brunchataudreys.com/2022/12/disneyland-christmas-2022/">Disneyland Christmas 2022</a>, <a href="https://www.brunchataudreys.com/2022/12/universal-studios-christmas-2022/">Universal Studios Christmas 2022</a></p>
  361. ]]></content:encoded>
  363. <wfw:commentRss>https://www.brunchataudreys.com/2023/02/six-flags-magic-mountain/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
  364. <slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
  367. </item>
  368. <item>
  369. <title>Journals I&#8217;m keeping in 2023</title>
  370. <link>https://www.brunchataudreys.com/2023/02/journals-im-keeping-in-2023/</link>
  371. <comments>https://www.brunchataudreys.com/2023/02/journals-im-keeping-in-2023/#respond</comments>
  373. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Audrey]]></dc:creator>
  374. <pubDate>Wed, 01 Feb 2023 07:47:27 +0000</pubDate>
  375. <category><![CDATA[lately]]></category>
  376. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.brunchataudreys.com/?p=14096</guid>
  377.  
  378. <description><![CDATA[Nothing like starting a fresh journal at the beginning of the year and forgetting about it three months in. Let&#8217;s hope the three I&#8217;m keeping this year stick around 😉 Weekly planner I&#8217;ve kept a planner since elementary school, and for the last few years I&#8217;ve settled on using 5 x 8.25&#8243; gridded Moleskines, keeping it simple with single-paged monthly...
  379.        <div class="more-button"><a class="more-link" href="https://www.brunchataudreys.com/2023/02/journals-im-keeping-in-2023/">Read More</a>
  380.        <span class="meta-divider"></span></div>]]></description>
  381. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Nothing like starting a fresh journal at the beginning of the year and forgetting about it three months in. Let&#8217;s hope the three I&#8217;m keeping this year stick around <img src="https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/15.0.3/72x72/1f609.png" alt="😉" class="wp-smiley" style="height: 1em; max-height: 1em;" /></p>
  382. <h3>Weekly planner</h3>
  383. <p>I&#8217;ve kept a planner since elementary school, and for the last few years I&#8217;ve settled on using 5 x 8.25&#8243; gridded Moleskines, keeping it simple with single-paged monthly layouts at the beginning of the notebook followed by single-paged two-columned weekly layouts: the first column divided into daily blocks for priority tasks and deadlines, the second column left empty for ongoing tasks and notes. No fancy typography or anything, completely utilitarian. (<a href="https://www.brunchataudreys.com/2019/02/no-fuss-bullet-journal-for-the-one-who-cant-bother">See my old planner system</a>)</p>
  384. <p>Then after all these years, I stumbled upon a Daiso planner laid out EXACTLY the same way (with the monthly layouts and weekly layouts) and I felt so validated. Yup, mhm, this design is <em>official</em>. So this year I&#8217;ve forgone the Moleskine for the Daiso planner. I love how it&#8217;s all laid out for me exactly as I would have done, how there are the exact number of pages needed for the year, how it&#8217;s thinner without the excess pages than the generic notebooks I usually use as planners, and it&#8217;s Daiso cheap! Daiso better continue manufacturing these planners every year, because I fully intend to continue using them!</p>
  385. <h3>Monthly booklet calendar for daily journaling</h3>
  386. <p>This journal was inspired by <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CZhfMdSpeFX">Amaris</a>. Rather than journal in a typical notebook, she uses a calendar booklet with full-spread monthly calendars and journals in the daily blocks. I love that the limited space takes the pressure off writing something long and impressive, like it&#8217;s giving me permission to be mundane &#8212; small notes for small spaces. As a matter of fact, so far my daily journaling has largely consisted of listing off the food and media I consume; school days with more social interaction sometimes inspire more emotive inventory haha. Riveting stuff.</p>
  387. <p>It&#8217;s super satisfying to be able to review a month at a glance, kind of like <a href="https://1se.co">1 Second Everyday</a> videos or BeReal&#8217;s Memories, but I find writing works a lot better for me because I get too caught up in aesthetics otherwise (leave it to me to figure out how to curate a BeReal haha) (jk I don&#8217;t have BeReal). Also, I always forget to take videos or pictures when I&#8217;m doing things, but with writing, I have the luxury of documenting after the fact.</p>
  388. <h3>Reading notebook</h3>
  389. <p>Just a plain lined A5 notebook with a page of thoughts and reviews of varying formality for each book I finish. None of that fancy habit tracking, goal setting, monthly TBR stuff. Since I switched to sharing quarterly highlights on the blog instead of monthly reading recaps, I&#8217;ve been much more irregular about reviewing books and reflecting in general. <a href="https://www.brunchataudreys.com/2023/01/2022-in-books/">I plowed through 111 books last year</a> &#8212; the most books I&#8217;ve ever read in a year &#8212; but I admit that it wasn&#8217;t the most thoughtful experience, so this year I want to challenge myself to review every book I read in my notebook &#8212; just for myself, so I don&#8217;t need to concern myself about scheduling reviews promptly, talking about books in a consistent format for others to easily interpret, or any of that unimportant stuff.</p>
  390. <p>However, at the same time, I&#8217;ve just up a Notion account, and I have a good flow going for tracking reads and for work (still figuring out a good flow for school). I&#8217;ve found myself doing all my note-taking on Notion (which works much better for detailed plot notes than a single A5 sheet) and drafting reviews, then transcribing a more succinct version in my physical reading journal. We&#8217;ll see whether a physical reading journal will continue to be a helpful tool for me, or if Notion will suffice. There&#8217;s something comforting about having a physical journal though, a reassurance that its contents won&#8217;t get lost in the ether.</p>
  391. <p><span id="more-14096"></span></p>
  392. <p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-attachment-id="14199" data-permalink="https://www.brunchataudreys.com/2023/02/journals-im-keeping-in-2023/journals-ext/" data-orig-file="https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/journals-ext.jpg?fit=1083%2C1444&amp;ssl=1" data-orig-size="1083,1444" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1675207543&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}" data-image-title="journal covers &#8211; journals i&#8217;m keeping in 2023" data-image-description="&lt;p&gt;journal covers &#8211; journals i&#8217;m keeping in 2023 | brunch at audrey&#8217;s&lt;/p&gt;
  393. " data-image-caption="" data-medium-file="https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/journals-ext.jpg?fit=225%2C300&amp;ssl=1" data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/journals-ext.jpg?fit=768%2C1024&amp;ssl=1" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-14199" src="https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/journals-ext.jpg?resize=830%2C1107&#038;ssl=1" alt="journal covers - journals i'm keeping in 2023 | brunch at audrey's" width="830" height="1107" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/journals-ext.jpg?w=1083&amp;ssl=1 1083w, https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/journals-ext.jpg?resize=225%2C300&amp;ssl=1 225w, https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/journals-ext.jpg?resize=768%2C1024&amp;ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/journals-ext.jpg?resize=1080%2C1440&amp;ssl=1 1080w" sizes="(max-width: 830px) 100vw, 830px" data-recalc-dims="1" /></p>
  394. <p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-attachment-id="14200" data-permalink="https://www.brunchataudreys.com/2023/02/journals-im-keeping-in-2023/journals-int/" data-orig-file="https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/journals-int.jpg?fit=1454%2C1938&amp;ssl=1" data-orig-size="1454,1938" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1675207525&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}" data-image-title="inside my journals &#8211; journals i&#8217;m keeping in 2023" data-image-description="&lt;p&gt;inside my journals &#8211; journals i&#8217;m keeping in 2023 | brunch at audrey&#8217;s&lt;/p&gt;
  395. " data-image-caption="" data-medium-file="https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/journals-int.jpg?fit=225%2C300&amp;ssl=1" data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/journals-int.jpg?fit=768%2C1024&amp;ssl=1" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-14200" src="https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/journals-int.jpg?resize=830%2C1106&#038;ssl=1" alt="inside my journals - journals i'm keeping in 2023 | brunch at audrey's" width="830" height="1106" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/journals-int.jpg?w=1454&amp;ssl=1 1454w, https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/journals-int.jpg?resize=225%2C300&amp;ssl=1 225w, https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/journals-int.jpg?resize=768%2C1024&amp;ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/journals-int.jpg?resize=1152%2C1536&amp;ssl=1 1152w, https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/journals-int.jpg?resize=1080%2C1440&amp;ssl=1 1080w" sizes="(max-width: 830px) 100vw, 830px" data-recalc-dims="1" /></p>
  396. <p>PS: <a href="https://www.brunchataudreys.com/2019/02/no-fuss-bullet-journal-for-the-one-who-cant-bother">my old planner system</a>, <a href="https://www.brunchataudreys.com/2018/03/how-to-start-your-own-bullet-journal">how to start your own bullet journal</a></p>
  397. ]]></content:encoded>
  399. <wfw:commentRss>https://www.brunchataudreys.com/2023/02/journals-im-keeping-in-2023/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
  400. <slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
  403. </item>
  404. <item>
  405. <title>2022 in books</title>
  406. <link>https://www.brunchataudreys.com/2023/01/2022-in-books/</link>
  407. <comments>https://www.brunchataudreys.com/2023/01/2022-in-books/#respond</comments>
  409. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Audrey]]></dc:creator>
  410. <pubDate>Fri, 27 Jan 2023 11:26:44 +0000</pubDate>
  411. <category><![CDATA[books]]></category>
  412. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.brunchataudreys.com/?p=13900</guid>
  413.  
  414. <description><![CDATA[This year I read 111 books or 34,036 pages, of which 83% were by women authors and 67% by authors of colour. I spent $116.49 and saved $1,459.61 from read books not bought. But all those stats and achievements pale in comparison to the fact that: I read my favourite book of my life!! No, not just of this year...
  415.        <div class="more-button"><a class="more-link" href="https://www.brunchataudreys.com/2023/01/2022-in-books/">Read More</a>
  416.        <span class="meta-divider"></span></div>]]></description>
  417. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>This year I read 111 books or 34,036 pages, of which 83% were by women authors and 67% by authors of colour. I spent $116.49 and saved $1,459.61 from read books not bought. But all those stats and achievements pale in comparison to the fact that: <strong>I read my favourite book of my life!!</strong> No, not just of this year or in a particular genre. It&#8217;s THEE one. If you follow me on <a href="https://www.instagram.com/brunchofbooks">bookstagram</a>, my favourite will come as no surprise at all: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58784475-tomorrow-and-tomorrow-and-tomorrow"><strong><em>Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow</em></strong></a> by Gabrielle Zevin.</p>
  418. <p>I was lucky enough to receive an ARC of tmrx3, which I binged the week I finished my Spring 2022 finals and left me in a book hangover for a month. Tbh I&#8217;m not sure I&#8217;ve gotten past it even now, half a year later! <a href="https://www.instagram.com/cindyheartsbooks">Cindy</a> gifted me the stunning iridescent UK edition in paperback, which is currently out of stock almost everywhere. Almost 20% of my bookstagram posts this year were for tmrx3, and all two of my Reels were for tmrx3 (<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CdawITIAt9q/">here</a> and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/ChfZehBJNNd/">here</a>). I made origami crane bookmarks with Hokusai printed origami paper (<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/ChfZehBJNNd/">here</a> and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/Ciqf1NqvNRC/">here</a>). I bought three custom pressed flower bookmarks with tmrx3 quotes from <a href="https://pagepetal.com/">Page Petal</a> (<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CmW6728vpWs/">here</a>) &#8212; shout out to <a href="https://brineandbooks.com">Macey</a> for introducing these bookmarks to me! I got back into Tamagotchi (<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/Chx_yETvdW7/">here</a>). I delved into Gabrielle Zevin&#8217;s backlist, revisiting <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/359410.Elsewhere"><em>Elsewhere</em></a> &#8212; one of my childhood favourites &#8212; and reading <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18293427-the-storied-life-of-a-j-fikry"><em>The Storied Life of AJ Fikry</em></a>, <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/317282.Memoirs_of_a_Teenage_Amnesiac"><em>Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac</em></a>, and <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33590214-young-jane-young"><em>Young Jane Young</em></a> for the first time. And the tmrx3 train doesn&#8217;t stop there. In 2023, I hope to reread tmrx3 as well as <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25852828-a-little-life"><em>A Little Life</em></a>, which I found some similarities with, and also dip into Emily Dickinson&#8217;s <a href="https://www.bookdepository.com/Complete-Poems-Emily-Dickinson/9780571336173"><em>Complete Poems</em></a> and <em>Macbeth</em>, both which are inspirations in tmrx3.</p>
  419. <p>Besides everything tmrx3, the other major bookish moment of 2022 was crocheting bookish accessories &#8212; all freehanded! <img src="https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/15.0.3/72x72/1f917.png" alt="🤗" class="wp-smiley" style="height: 1em; max-height: 1em;" /> I crocheted <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CeGmNOfrVfm/">this checkered tote</a>; perfectly sized to fit a few library books, a reading journal, and a stationary pouch; not too big for my petite self and not too small to hold everything I need. It&#8217;s probably in my top 2 most frequently used bags. I crocheted <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/Chn2LEVpuQE/">this checkered Kindle sleeve</a> with a cute fuzzy pink trim and perfectly sized to my Kindle Oasis. And I also crocheted a <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CoIQn1xPSL6/">love letter book sleeve</a>, which I&#8217;m doing an Instagram giveaway for next week &#8212; you heard it here first!</p>
  420. <p>Crocheting also meant dipping into the mysterious world of audiobooks. I&#8217;m an amateur crocheter after all and need to keep a close eye on my stitches, so audiobooks (and podcasts) are much better suited for crocheting for me than Netflix. At first I felt really accomplished for blazing through audiobooks while also making amazing progress with my crochet projects, but I soon realised that I&#8217;m not the most active listener and I&#8217;m much more of a visual learner. There were some books in my honourable mentions that I listened to on audio that I think could have made my top reads of 2022 if I had read a physical copy, like <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/52379389-braiding-sweetgrass"><em>Braiding Sweetgrass</em></a> by Robin Wall Kimmerer, which I intend to reread in 2023. But the best kinds of books for me to listen on audio were the books I didn&#8217;t really want to read and just wanted to get the gist of to understand what other people were talking about on bookstagram.</p>
  421. <p>And now, drumroll for my favourite reads of 2022!</p>
  422. <p><span id="more-13900"></span></p>
  423. <p style="text-align: center;"><img decoding="async" src="https://i0.wp.com/i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1636978687l/58784475.jpg?fit=830%2C365&#038;ssl=1" height="365" data-recalc-dims="1" /> <img decoding="async" src="https://i0.wp.com/m.media-amazon.com/images/W/WEBP_402378-T1/images/I/81v-2CsupXL.jpg?fit=830%2C365&#038;ssl=1" height="365" data-recalc-dims="1" /><br />
  424. <img decoding="async" src="https://i0.wp.com/images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1643062993i/60018635.jpg?fit=830%2C365&#038;ssl=1" height="365" data-recalc-dims="1" /> <img decoding="async" src="https://i0.wp.com/i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1498169036l/32620332._SY475_.jpg?fit=830%2C365&#038;ssl=1" height="365" data-recalc-dims="1" /> <img decoding="async" src="https://i0.wp.com/i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1616474197l/55338962.jpg?fit=830%2C365&#038;ssl=1" height="365" data-recalc-dims="1" /></p>
  425. <h3>Top reads</h3>
  426. <p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58784475-tomorrow-and-tomorrow-and-tomorrow"><em><strong>Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow</strong></em></a> by Gabrielle Zevin: An epic story of creative collaboration following Sam, Sadie, and Marx as they create their game design company. About love and friendship, art and storytelling.</p>
  427. <p>I&#8217;ve lost count of the number of reviews that start with &#8220;I&#8217;m not into gaming but&#8230;&#8221; But this is a book about so much more than gaming. It&#8217;s about the heart that artists and creators of all sorts put into their work, whether it&#8217;s a game, a book, a song, a painting, an Instagram post. It&#8217;s about finding someone to do that with, opening yourself to intimacy, pushing each other&#8217;s ambitions. This is not a perfect book, but somehow, things that would bother me in any other book just worked for me here. This was the story of friendship I wanted <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25852828"><em>A Little Life</em></a> to be, what <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/32620332-the-seven-husbands-of-evelyn-hugo"><em>The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo</em></a> is for love.</p>
  428. <p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/50892338-legendborn"><em><strong>Legendborn</strong></em></a> by Tracy Deonn: Bree Matthews joins a secret society of “Legendborn” students to hunt down magical monsters and figure out the mystery of her mother’s death — a King Arthur retelling.</p>
  429. <p>I was so invested in the characters, each of whom had their own things going for them and their own goals. Deonn did an amazing job building the relationships between the characters and didn’t rely on miscommunication or fake conflicts, and I was absolutely gripped by the plot even though I barely knew anything about King Arthur legend and probably missed so many references. I preferred <em>Legendborn</em> over <em>Bloodmarked</em>, but was glad to have completed the duology and followed Bree to the end.</p>
  430. <p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60018635-the-very-secret-society-of-irregular-witches"><em><strong>The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches</strong></em></a> by Sangu Mandanna: Mika Moon is supposed to keep her witchy powers secret, so in her Youtube videos she pretends to be a fake witch pretending to be a real witch, but perhaps her charade isn’t as convincing as she thought, because one day she receives a mysterious request to homeschool three young witches.</p>
  431. <p>This cute and cosy fantasy romance was everything I hoped it would be and more! It&#8217;s about kindness, being your true self, and changing the little bit of the world around you. The perfect comfort read without sacrificing personality, excitement, or intrigue. The end wrapped up a bit quick, but overall, highly recommended, especially if you enjoyed <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/45047384-the-house-in-the-cerulean-sea"><em>The House in the Cerulean Sea</em></a> &#8212; I liked <em>TVSSOIW</em> even more than <em>THITCS</em>!</p>
  432. <p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/32620332-the-seven-husbands-of-evelyn-hugo"><em><strong>The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo</strong></em></a> by Taylor Jenkins Reid: Unknown magazine reporter Monique is given the opportunity of a lifetime when reclusive Hollywood icon Evelyn Hugo seeks her out for an exclusive story.</p>
  433. <p>This one lived up to the hype. No one does fictional celebrity romance like TJR! I was fascinated by Evelyn Hugo’s career moves and relationships. The book had ambition, drama, glamour, and so many different kinds of love &#8212; the grand Hollywood love stories with the highest highs and lowest lows, the steady loves and friendships.</p>
  434. <p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/55338962-almond"><em><strong>Almond</strong></em></a> by Won-pyung Sohn: In the wake of a shocking act of random violence that disrupts his safe and contented life, a boy with a condition that makes it hard for him to feel emotions strikes an unlikely bond with a troubled teen.</p>
  435. <p>As someone who struggles with mental health and is constantly assessing my emotions and what sometimes feels like the lack thereof, this one resonated with me deeply. This tender story made me feel hopeful, a reminder that human connection is always worth striving for, even when things feel painful or pointless.</p>
  436. <h3>Honourable mentions</h3>
  437. <p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/57945316-babel-or-the-necessity-of-violence"><em><strong>Babel</strong></em></a> by RF Kuang, <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/57238523-fiona-and-jane"><em><strong>Fiona and Jane</strong></em></a> by Jean Chen Ho, <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56353777-the-cabinet"><em><strong>The Cabinet</strong></em></a> by Un-su Kim, <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/52379389-braiding-sweetgrass"><em><strong>Braiding Sweetgrass</strong></em></a> by Robin Wall Kimmerer, <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41880092-the-undocumented-americans"><em><strong>The Undocumented Americans</strong></em></a> by Karla Cornejo Villavicencio, <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/43868109-empire-of-pain"><em><strong>Empire of Pain</strong></em></a> by Patrick Radden Keefe</p>
  438. <p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-attachment-id="14147" data-permalink="https://www.brunchataudreys.com/2023/01/2022-in-books/img_8777/" data-orig-file="https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/IMG_8777.jpg?fit=1124%2C1499&amp;ssl=1" data-orig-size="1124,1499" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1673829774&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}" data-image-title="instagram.com/brunchofbooks 2022 feed" data-image-description="&lt;p&gt;instagram.com/brunchofbooks 2022 feed&lt;/p&gt;
  439. " data-image-caption="" data-medium-file="https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/IMG_8777.jpg?fit=225%2C300&amp;ssl=1" data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/IMG_8777.jpg?fit=768%2C1024&amp;ssl=1" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-14147" src="https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/IMG_8777.jpg?resize=830%2C1107&#038;ssl=1" alt="instagram.com/brunchofbooks 2022 feed" width="830" height="1107" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/IMG_8777.jpg?w=1124&amp;ssl=1 1124w, https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/IMG_8777.jpg?resize=225%2C300&amp;ssl=1 225w, https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/IMG_8777.jpg?resize=768%2C1024&amp;ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/IMG_8777.jpg?resize=1080%2C1440&amp;ssl=1 1080w" sizes="(max-width: 830px) 100vw, 830px" data-recalc-dims="1" /></p>
  440. <p style="text-align: center;">175 posts &#8211; 2500 followers &#8211; 167 following</p>
  441. <p><strong>What was your favourite read of 2022?</strong></p>
  442. <p>PS: <a href="https://www.brunchataudreys.com/2022/05/2022-q1-reads">2022 Q1 reads</a>, <a href="https://www.brunchataudreys.com/2022/07/2022-q2-reads">2022 Q2 reads</a>, <a href="https://www.brunchataudreys.com/2022/11/2022-q3-reads">2022 Q3 reads</a>, <a href="https://www.brunchataudreys.com/2023/01/2022-q4-reads">2022 Q4 reads</a></p>
  443. <p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://instagram.com/brunchofbooks"><strong>BOOKSTAGRAM</strong></a> <strong>|</strong> <a href="http://goodreads.com/auderoy"><strong>GOODREADS</strong></a></p>
  444. ]]></content:encoded>
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  450. </item>
  451. <item>
  452. <title>2022 Q4 reads</title>
  453. <link>https://www.brunchataudreys.com/2023/01/2022-q4-reads/</link>
  454. <comments>https://www.brunchataudreys.com/2023/01/2022-q4-reads/#respond</comments>
  456. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Audrey]]></dc:creator>
  457. <pubDate>Sun, 08 Jan 2023 11:30:08 +0000</pubDate>
  458. <category><![CDATA[books]]></category>
  459. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.brunchataudreys.com/?p=13891</guid>
  460.  
  461. <description><![CDATA[Closing out the year, I read 19 books or 6883 pages this final quarter, bringing my annual total to 111 books or 34036 pages, of which 83% were by women authors and 67% by authors of colour. Surprisingly, I didn&#8217;t read too much in December. I thought I might inhale books once I hit winter break like I did over...
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  463.        <span class="meta-divider"></span></div>]]></description>
  464. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Closing out the year, I read 19 books or 6883 pages this final quarter, bringing my annual total to <strong>111 books</strong> or 34036 pages, of which 83% were by women authors and 67% by authors of colour. Surprisingly, I didn&#8217;t read too much in December. I thought I might inhale books once I hit winter break <a href="https://www.brunchataudreys.com/2022/07/2022-q2-reads">like I did over summer break</a>, but nothing was sticking.</p>
  465. <p>Nevertheless, I joined two virtual book clubs because their picks just happened to align with my TBR. In December, I knocked <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22238158-vicious"><em>Vicious</em></a> by VE Schwab off my TBR with <a href="https://www.instagram.com/litulla"><strong>Litulla Book Club</strong></a> and revisited <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29044.The_Secret_History"><em>The Secret History</em></a> by Donna Tartt with <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@jaimeslibrary"><strong>Jaime&#8217;s Patreon Book Club</strong></a>. I won&#8217;t hold myself to participating every month, but January&#8217;s picks happened to align as well &#8212; <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60243188-bliss-montage"><em>Bliss Montage</em></a> by Ling Ma and <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61219635-legends-lattes"><em>Legends and Lattes</em></a> by Travis Baldree &#8212; and although February&#8217;s picks haven&#8217;t been officially chosen yet, the way the votes are going, it seems like they&#8217;ll be ones I&#8217;ve already read &#8212; <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58784475-tomorrow-and-tomorrow-and-tomorrow"><em>Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow</em></a> by Gabrielle Zevin and <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/57945316-babel-or-the-necessity-of-violence"><em>Babel</em></a> by RF Kuang &#8212; so that&#8217;ll be a chill month.</p>
  466. <p>I&#8217;ve really been enjoying <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@jaimeslibrary">Jaime</a>&#8216;s booktube content, so much so that I made a Patreon account just to subscribe to her Patreon. She&#8217;s been pumping out videos for both booktube and Patreon, is very engaged with her online community (though I&#8217;m more of a silent supporter), energetic, enthusiastic and thoughtful about reading, but also doesn&#8217;t take herself too seriously and won&#8217;t shy from a frivolous book. So that&#8217;s been good company over winter break.</p>
  467. <p>And a last word: <a href="https://twitter.com/popbase/status/1588614351308849152">RIP z-lib</a>. <a href="https://twitter.com/hafsahreads/status/1588569496994054144">Curse you Colleen Hoover fans</a>.</p>
  468. <p><span id="more-13891"></span></p>
  469. <p style="text-align: center;"><img decoding="async" src="https://i0.wp.com/m.media-amazon.com/images/W/WEBP_402378-T1/images/I/81v-2CsupXL.jpg?fit=830%2C375&#038;ssl=1" height="375" data-recalc-dims="1" /></p>
  470. <h3>Best reads</h3>
  471. <p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/50892338-legendborn"><em><strong>Legendborn</strong></em></a> by Tracy Deonn: Bree Matthews joins a secret society of &#8220;Legendborn&#8221; students to hunt down magical monsters and figure out the mystery of her mother&#8217;s death &#8212; a King Arthur retelling. I don&#8217;t know anything about King Arthur legend except for the sword in the stone &#8212; I didn&#8217;t even know this book was a King Arthur retelling when I started &#8212; so I found the magic system, families, and ranks a bit confusing at the beginning, but I&#8217;m the kind of reader that can just roll with it and have faith that it&#8217;ll all eventually make sense, so it was fine. I loved the characters, how they each had their own things going for them and their own purpose. Deonn did an amazing job building the relationships between the characters and didn&#8217;t rely on miscommunication or fake conflicts. I was absolutely gripped. I binged <em>Legendborn</em> in a day, took a day as a breather, then binged <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59365195-bloodmarked"><em>Bloodmarked</em></a> the day after. I preferred <em>Legendborn</em> over <em>Bloodmarked</em>. There were lots of new characters in <em>Bloodmarked</em>, but I wanted to spend more time with the characters I loved from <em>Legendborn</em>. <em>Bloodmarked</em> also felt more angsty than <em>Legendborn</em>, and maybe less mature for that reason.</p>
  472. <h3>Popular reads</h3>
  473. <p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/57190892-the-spanish-love-deception"><em><strong>The Spanish Love Deception</strong></em></a> by Elena Armas was an unconvincing enemies to lovers. There was no pretence of pretending to be a couple: Aaron Blackford literally confessed his love to Lina several times, and Lina was willfully ignorant.</p>
  474. <p>Didn&#8217;t have high expectations for <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59811245-daughter-of-the-moon-goddess"><em><strong>Daughter of the Moon Goddess</strong></em></a> by Sue Lynn Tan, so I was saved from disappointment. The beginning was all exposition and kind of painful to get through, but it got a little better once Xingyin was just training and going on quests. She was a bland character but all the named men in the book were obsessed with her &#8212; why tho??? The characters were unconvincing and always flip flopping. Later on the book kind of reminded me of <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16096824-a-court-of-thorns-and-roses"><em>A Court of Thorns and Roses</em></a> by Sarah J Maas, and while that book is far from a literary masterpiece, it was very enjoyable for me (many may disagree hahh), whereas <em>Daughter of the Moon Goddess</em> was more enjoyable to complain about. Afterward I was recommended <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56978100-the-girl-who-fell-beneath-the-sea"><em>The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea</em></a> by Axie Oh for something similar but better.</p>
  475. <p>After reading my second VE Schwab, <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22238158-vicious"><em><strong>Vicious</strong></em></a>, I&#8217;ve decided that she&#8217;s not the author for me (my first Schwab was <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/50623864-the-invisible-life-of-addie-larue"><em>The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue</em></a>). Her books are just fine to me &#8212; a bit slow, and I don&#8217;t really care that much about her characters. I think those who enjoy Schwab are those who love her writing style and its atmospheric quality. I did enjoy the end of <em>Vicious</em> and would be curious about the second book, but I saw some reviews saying there are a few too many new characters that are spread too thin, and I already barely cared about the main characters as it was.</p>
  476. <p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59838811-upgrade"><em><strong>Upgrade</strong></em></a> by Blake Crouch hasn&#8217;t reached the popularity of <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/27833670-dark-matter"><em>Dark Matter</em></a> or <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/42046112-recursion"><em>Recursion</em></a>, but since Blake Crouch is popular, my quick thoughts on <em>Upgrade</em> are that it read like a cheesy superhero movie. The upgraded superhumans were basically vampires a la <em>The Vampire Diaries</em> haha. The conflict of cold hard logic vs. emotion/humanity has been done; <em>Upgrade</em> didn&#8217;t add anything new and it was super obvious about it.</p>
  477. <p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59808426-i-want-to-die-but-i-want-to-eat-tteokbokki"><em><strong>I Want to Die but I Want to Eat Tteokbokki</strong></em></a> by Se-hee Baek was buzzy on Asian bookstagram. I wanted to love this one so badly, but unfortunately I was unimpressed. I think the transcript format was an unforgiving choice. While therapy should be a safe space to brain dump, emotion dump, and maybe even be self-obsessed, the book needed more synthesis and reflection. The author&#8217;s habit of self-surveillance was intriguing &#8212; resulting in the transcript that made up her book &#8212; but the psychiatrist never challenged the author to dig deep to understand herself and simply took whatever observations the author presented about herself as fact. The psychiatrist was questionably quick to diagnose and dispense advice and meds. Food was not a running theme in the book, as the title might lead you to believe. It was mostly about the author&#8217;s self-esteem issues, insecurities about beauty, jealousy of other women, and regrets about drinking. I do commend her for being so frank and laying it all out there though. She deserves a better psychiatrist lol.</p>
  478. <p style="text-align: center;"><img decoding="async" src="https://i0.wp.com/m.media-amazon.com/images/W/WEBP_402378-T1/images/I/915wDWUexBL.jpg?fit=830%2C275&#038;ssl=1" height="275" data-recalc-dims="1" /> <img decoding="async" src="https://i0.wp.com/m.media-amazon.com/images/W/WEBP_402378-T1/images/I/916O72KP6iL.jpg?fit=830%2C275&#038;ssl=1" height="275" data-recalc-dims="1" /> <img decoding="async" src="https://i0.wp.com/m.media-amazon.com/images/W/WEBP_402378-T1/images/I/71AnGDbxatL.jpg?fit=830%2C275&#038;ssl=1" height="275" data-recalc-dims="1" /><br />
  479. <img decoding="async" src="https://i0.wp.com/kbimages1-a.akamaihd.net/9587a590-6840-4817-acf4-12412811735e/1200/1200/False/the-fifth-season-11.jpg?fit=830%2C275&#038;ssl=1" height="275" data-recalc-dims="1" /> <img decoding="async" src="https://i0.wp.com/m.media-amazon.com/images/W/WEBP_402378-T1/images/I/A1Bzd6IOF+S.jpg?fit=830%2C275&#038;ssl=1" height="275" data-recalc-dims="1" /> <img decoding="async" src="https://i0.wp.com/m.media-amazon.com/images/W/WEBP_402378-T1/images/I/916klATi9zL.jpg?fit=830%2C275&#038;ssl=1" height="275" data-recalc-dims="1" /> <img decoding="async" src="https://i0.wp.com/m.media-amazon.com/images/W/WEBP_402378-T1/images/I/81v-2CsupXL.jpg?fit=830%2C275&#038;ssl=1" height="275" data-recalc-dims="1" /></p>
  480. <h3>Shelf additions</h3>
  481. <p>Added some special ARCs to my shelf this quarter! I love ARCs because I feel like they&#8217;re kind of like historical artefacts, and some even have special cover designs. Plus, they&#8217;re paperback. The ARCs I added to my shelf include: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22822858-a-little-life"><strong><em>A Little Life</em></strong></a> by Hanya Yanagihara through a book trade (one of my all-time favourites), <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56030267-the-keeper-of-night"><em><strong>The Keeper of the Night</strong></em></a> by Kylie Lee Baker generously gifted by <a href="https://www.instagram.com/elena.luo">Elena</a> (on my TBR), and <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40400269-a-ladder-to-the-sky"><strong><em>A Ladder to the Sky</em></strong></a> by John Boyne from the library sale for a dollar (Boyne&#8217;s <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33253215-the-heart-s-invisible-furies"><em>The Heart&#8217;s Invisible Furies</em></a> is one of my all-time favourites). I also collected the whole <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/series/112296-the-broken-earth"><strong><em>Broken Earth</em> trilogy</strong></a> by NK Jemisin through a book trade, which has been on my TBR for forever. And finally, I bought myself <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/50892338-legendborn"><strong><em>Legendborn</em></strong></a> by Tracy Deonn (not <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59365195-bloodmarked"><em>Bloodmarked</em></a> though haha &#8212; glad to have read it, but don&#8217;t really need to reread it) because it was <em>that</em> good. Will definitely be rereading that one in 2023 and annotating!</p>
  482. <h3>Wish list</h3>
  483. <p>The top book on my wish list is <a href="https://www.bookdepository.com/Complete-Poems-Emily-Dickinson/9780571336173"><strong><em>The Complete Poems</em></strong></a> by Emily Dickinson. It&#8217;s a satisfying brick of a book, I&#8217;m always trying to get myself into poetry, her poems seem short and approachable, I enjoy the snippets I&#8217;ve come across, and most importantly, Emily Dickinson is an inspiration in my favourite book of the year and of my life: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58784475-tomorrow-and-tomorrow-and-tomorrow"><em>Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow</em></a> by Gabrielle Zevin. Some other books on my wish list are ones I&#8217;ve already read, enjoyed, and want to revisit: <a href="https://www.bookdepository.com/Very-Secret-Society-Irregular-Witches-Sangu-Mandanna/9781399709866"><em><strong>The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches</strong></em></a> by Sangu Mandanna and <a href="https://www.bookdepository.com/Court-Mist-Fury-Sarah-J-Maas/9781526617163"><strong><em>A Court of Mist and Fury</em></strong></a> by Sarah J Maas.</p>
  484. <p>You can find my quarterly recaps on the blog, but I also plan to put together a 2022 reading recap, hopefully sooner rather than later! In the meantime, you can preview <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/Cm147HHJf04/">my favourite reads of 2022 here</a>.</p>
  485. <p>PS: <a href="https://www.brunchataudreys.com/2022/11/2022-q3-reads/">2022 Q3 reads</a>, <a href="https://www.brunchataudreys.com/2022/07/2022-q2-reads/">2022 Q2 reads</a>, <a href="https://www.brunchataudreys.com/2022/05/2022-q1-reads/">2022 Q1 reads</a></p>
  486. <p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://instagram.com/brunchofbooks"><strong>BOOKSTAGRAM</strong></a> <strong>|</strong> <a href="http://goodreads.com/auderoy"><strong>GOODREADS</strong></a></p>
  487. ]]></content:encoded>
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  495. <title>Hayao Miyazaki retrospective at the Academy Museum</title>
  496. <link>https://www.brunchataudreys.com/2022/12/hayao-miyazaki-retrospective-at-the-academy-museum/</link>
  497. <comments>https://www.brunchataudreys.com/2022/12/hayao-miyazaki-retrospective-at-the-academy-museum/#respond</comments>
  499. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Audrey]]></dc:creator>
  500. <pubDate>Sun, 01 Jan 2023 03:59:28 +0000</pubDate>
  501. <category><![CDATA[travel]]></category>
  502. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.brunchataudreys.com/?p=13912</guid>
  503.  
  504. <description><![CDATA[Entering the Hayao Miyazaki exhibit through Totoro&#8217;s tunnel with Joe Hisaishi playing overhead, I could have cried! When the tunnel opens up, you&#8217;re met by clips from Miyazaki films projected onto the walls. I had to remind myself that I could marathon the films once I got home (which I definitely did), and with great effort, pulled myself onward. My...
  505.        <div class="more-button"><a class="more-link" href="https://www.brunchataudreys.com/2022/12/hayao-miyazaki-retrospective-at-the-academy-museum/">Read More</a>
  506.        <span class="meta-divider"></span></div>]]></description>
  507. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Entering the Hayao Miyazaki exhibit through Totoro&#8217;s tunnel with Joe Hisaishi playing overhead, I could have cried! When the tunnel opens up, you&#8217;re met by clips from Miyazaki films projected onto the walls. I had to remind myself that I could marathon the films once I got home (which I definitely did), and with great effort, pulled myself onward.</p>
  508. <p>My favourite parts were the installations, anything related to <em>Princess Mononoke</em> (my favourite Studio Ghibli film), and the character design BTS. It was especially fun to see the various iterations of Kiki&#8217;s hair blonde, red, blue; long and flowing, tied down in pigtails; before settling on her brunette bob decorated with a red bow. Another cool thing I learned was that Miyazaki would write poems about his characters to convey their personalities to his animators, which were displayed on the walls of the exhibit.</p>
  509. <p>Before leaving the museum, I popped by the museum store to grab the Hayao Miyazaki art book as a keepsake. You&#8217;re not allowed to take photos inside the exhibit (only the hallway outside), but it&#8217;s all documented in the book except for the installations &#8212; so still worth a visit, but not the end of the world if you couldn&#8217;t make it. I&#8217;m so grateful I got to visit this temporary exhibit twice before it ended, and now I&#8217;ll have this art book to flip through whenever I want! One day I&#8217;ll have to make my way to the Ghibli Museum, Ghibli Park, and Jiufen.</p>
  510. <p><span id="more-13912"></span></p>
  511. <p><strong>What&#8217;s your favourite Studio Ghibli film?</strong></p>
  512. <p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full" src="https://i0.wp.com/media.tenor.com/x-phwRQ--DMAAAAC/hate-sad.gif?resize=830%2C443&#038;ssl=1" width="830" height="443" data-recalc-dims="1" /></p>
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  514. " data-image-caption="" data-medium-file="https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/lacma3-scaled.jpg?fit=225%2C300&amp;ssl=1" data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/lacma3-scaled.jpg?fit=768%2C1024&amp;ssl=1" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-13920" src="https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/lacma3-scaled.jpg?resize=830%2C1107&#038;ssl=1" alt="urban light - lacma | brunch at audrey's" width="830" height="1107" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/lacma3-scaled.jpg?w=1920&amp;ssl=1 1920w, https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/lacma3-scaled.jpg?resize=225%2C300&amp;ssl=1 225w, https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/lacma3-scaled.jpg?resize=768%2C1024&amp;ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/lacma3-scaled.jpg?resize=1152%2C1536&amp;ssl=1 1152w, https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/lacma3-scaled.jpg?resize=1536%2C2048&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/lacma3-scaled.jpg?resize=1080%2C1440&amp;ssl=1 1080w, https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/lacma3-scaled.jpg?w=1660&amp;ssl=1 1660w" sizes="(max-width: 830px) 100vw, 830px" data-recalc-dims="1" /></p>
  515. <p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-attachment-id="13921" data-permalink="https://www.brunchataudreys.com/2022/12/hayao-miyazaki-retrospective-at-the-academy-museum/processed-with-vsco-with-dog3-preset/" data-orig-file="https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/sootsprites-scaled.jpg?fit=1920%2C2560&amp;ssl=1" data-orig-size="1920,2560" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;1.8&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;iPhone XS&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;Processed with VSCO with dog3 preset&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1642155065&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;Copyright 2022. All rights reserved.&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;4.25&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;200&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.016666666666667&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;Processed with VSCO with dog3 preset&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}" data-image-title="soot sprites &#8211; the academy museum, hayao miyazaki retrospective" data-image-description="&lt;p&gt;soot sprites &#8211; the academy museum, hayao miyazaki retrospective | brunch at audrey&#8217;s&lt;/p&gt;
  516. " data-image-caption="" data-medium-file="https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/sootsprites-scaled.jpg?fit=225%2C300&amp;ssl=1" data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/sootsprites-scaled.jpg?fit=768%2C1024&amp;ssl=1" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-13921" src="https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/sootsprites-scaled.jpg?resize=830%2C1107&#038;ssl=1" alt="soot sprites - the academy museum, hayao miyazaki retrospective | brunch at audrey's" width="830" height="1107" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/sootsprites-scaled.jpg?w=1920&amp;ssl=1 1920w, https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/sootsprites-scaled.jpg?resize=225%2C300&amp;ssl=1 225w, https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/sootsprites-scaled.jpg?resize=768%2C1024&amp;ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/sootsprites-scaled.jpg?resize=1152%2C1536&amp;ssl=1 1152w, https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/sootsprites-scaled.jpg?resize=1536%2C2048&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/sootsprites-scaled.jpg?resize=1080%2C1440&amp;ssl=1 1080w, https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/sootsprites-scaled.jpg?w=1660&amp;ssl=1 1660w" sizes="(max-width: 830px) 100vw, 830px" data-recalc-dims="1" /></p>
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  518. " data-image-caption="" data-medium-file="https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/IMG_1206-scaled.jpg?fit=300%2C225&amp;ssl=1" data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/IMG_1206-scaled.jpg?fit=830%2C623&amp;ssl=1" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-13918" src="https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/IMG_1206-scaled.jpg?resize=830%2C623&#038;ssl=1" alt="gallery entrance - the academy museum, hayao miyazaki retrospective | brunch at audrey's" width="830" height="623" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/IMG_1206-scaled.jpg?w=2560&amp;ssl=1 2560w, https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/IMG_1206-scaled.jpg?resize=300%2C225&amp;ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/IMG_1206-scaled.jpg?resize=1024%2C768&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/IMG_1206-scaled.jpg?resize=768%2C576&amp;ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/IMG_1206-scaled.jpg?resize=1536%2C1152&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/IMG_1206-scaled.jpg?resize=2048%2C1536&amp;ssl=1 2048w, https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/IMG_1206-scaled.jpg?resize=1080%2C810&amp;ssl=1 1080w, https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/IMG_1206-scaled.jpg?w=1660&amp;ssl=1 1660w, https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/IMG_1206-scaled.jpg?w=2490&amp;ssl=1 2490w" sizes="(max-width: 830px) 100vw, 830px" data-recalc-dims="1" /></p>
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  520. " data-image-caption="" data-medium-file="https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/IMG_1181-scaled.jpg?fit=300%2C225&amp;ssl=1" data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/IMG_1181-scaled.jpg?fit=830%2C623&amp;ssl=1" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-13916" src="https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/IMG_1181-scaled.jpg?resize=830%2C623&#038;ssl=1" alt="princess mononoke - the academy museum, hayao miyazaki retrospective | brunch at audrey's" width="830" height="623" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/IMG_1181-scaled.jpg?w=2560&amp;ssl=1 2560w, https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/IMG_1181-scaled.jpg?resize=300%2C225&amp;ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/IMG_1181-scaled.jpg?resize=1024%2C768&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/IMG_1181-scaled.jpg?resize=768%2C576&amp;ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/IMG_1181-scaled.jpg?resize=1536%2C1152&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/IMG_1181-scaled.jpg?resize=2048%2C1536&amp;ssl=1 2048w, https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/IMG_1181-scaled.jpg?resize=1080%2C810&amp;ssl=1 1080w, https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/IMG_1181-scaled.jpg?w=1660&amp;ssl=1 1660w, https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/IMG_1181-scaled.jpg?w=2490&amp;ssl=1 2490w" sizes="(max-width: 830px) 100vw, 830px" data-recalc-dims="1" /></p>
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  522. " data-image-caption="" data-medium-file="https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/IMG_1183-scaled.jpg?fit=225%2C300&amp;ssl=1" data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/IMG_1183-scaled.jpg?fit=768%2C1024&amp;ssl=1" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-13917" src="https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/IMG_1183-scaled.jpg?resize=830%2C1107&#038;ssl=1" alt="me at the academy museum, hayao miyazaki retrospective | brunch at audrey's" width="830" height="1107" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/IMG_1183-scaled.jpg?w=1920&amp;ssl=1 1920w, https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/IMG_1183-scaled.jpg?resize=225%2C300&amp;ssl=1 225w, https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/IMG_1183-scaled.jpg?resize=768%2C1024&amp;ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/IMG_1183-scaled.jpg?resize=1152%2C1536&amp;ssl=1 1152w, https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/IMG_1183-scaled.jpg?w=1660&amp;ssl=1 1660w" sizes="(max-width: 830px) 100vw, 830px" data-recalc-dims="1" /></p>
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  524. " data-image-caption="" data-medium-file="https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/farmersmarket2-scaled.jpg?fit=225%2C300&amp;ssl=1" data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/farmersmarket2-scaled.jpg?fit=768%2C1024&amp;ssl=1" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-13919" src="https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/farmersmarket2-scaled.jpg?resize=830%2C1107&#038;ssl=1" alt="empanadas - the original farmers market, los angeles | brunch at audrey's" width="830" height="1107" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/farmersmarket2-scaled.jpg?w=1920&amp;ssl=1 1920w, https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/farmersmarket2-scaled.jpg?resize=225%2C300&amp;ssl=1 225w, https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/farmersmarket2-scaled.jpg?resize=768%2C1024&amp;ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/farmersmarket2-scaled.jpg?resize=1152%2C1536&amp;ssl=1 1152w, https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/farmersmarket2-scaled.jpg?resize=1536%2C2048&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/farmersmarket2-scaled.jpg?resize=1080%2C1440&amp;ssl=1 1080w, https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/farmersmarket2-scaled.jpg?w=1660&amp;ssl=1 1660w" sizes="(max-width: 830px) 100vw, 830px" data-recalc-dims="1" /></p>
  525. <p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-attachment-id="13925" data-permalink="https://www.brunchataudreys.com/2022/12/hayao-miyazaki-retrospective-at-the-academy-museum/kodama-earrings/" data-orig-file="https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/kodama-earrings-scaled.jpg?fit=1920%2C2560&amp;ssl=1" data-orig-size="1920,2560" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}" data-image-title="kodama earrings by acryli alchemy" data-image-description="&lt;p&gt;kodama earrings by acryli alchemy | brunch at audrey&#8217;s&lt;/p&gt;
  526. " data-image-caption="" data-medium-file="https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/kodama-earrings-scaled.jpg?fit=225%2C300&amp;ssl=1" data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/kodama-earrings-scaled.jpg?fit=768%2C1024&amp;ssl=1" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-13925" src="https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/kodama-earrings-scaled.jpg?resize=830%2C1107&#038;ssl=1" alt="kodama earrings by acryli alchemy | brunch at audrey's" width="830" height="1107" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/kodama-earrings-scaled.jpg?w=1920&amp;ssl=1 1920w, https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/kodama-earrings-scaled.jpg?resize=225%2C300&amp;ssl=1 225w, https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/kodama-earrings-scaled.jpg?resize=768%2C1024&amp;ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/kodama-earrings-scaled.jpg?resize=1152%2C1536&amp;ssl=1 1152w, https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/kodama-earrings-scaled.jpg?resize=1536%2C2048&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/kodama-earrings-scaled.jpg?resize=1080%2C1440&amp;ssl=1 1080w, https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/kodama-earrings-scaled.jpg?w=1660&amp;ssl=1 1660w" sizes="(max-width: 830px) 100vw, 830px" data-recalc-dims="1" /></p>
  527. <p style="text-align: center;"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://i0.wp.com/cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/1403/8979/products/Princess-Mononoke-Playing-Cards-Themed-Card-Deck-3_1024x1024.jpg?resize=190%2C190&#038;ssl=1" width="190" height="190" data-recalc-dims="1" /> <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://i0.wp.com/shop.bandai.com/media/catalog/product/0/6/06091135_5edef58bee97d.jpg?resize=190%2C190&#038;ssl=1" width="190" height="190" data-recalc-dims="1" /> <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://i0.wp.com/cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0409/4971/1001/products/the-other-side-of-the-tunnel-japanese-teacup-spirited-away-studio-ghibli-ceramic-mug-tea-cup_1080x.jpg?resize=190%2C190&#038;ssl=1" width="190" height="190" data-recalc-dims="1" /> <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/571abd61e3214001fb3b9966/1632429619029-E6XBM86VQ7SUB5YBC9JT/Hayao+Miyazaki+-+Artbook" width="152" height="190" /></p>
  528. <p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/1016122287/kodama-dangle-earrings-princess-mononoke"><em>Princess Mononoke</em> Acrylic Kodama Earrings</a><br />
  529. <em>Princess Mononoke</em> Glow in the Dark Kodama x Academy Museum T-Shirt (Youth)<br />
  530. <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Princess-Mononoke-Scene-Trump-Full/dp/B00IK86OF4"><em>Princess Mononoke</em> Scenes Playing Cards</a> &#8211; also available for other films<br />
  531. <a href="https://shop.bandai.com/calcifer-kitchen-tool-spatula-howl-s-moving-castle-box-6-benelic.html"><em>Howl&#8217;s Moving Castle</em> Calcifer Spatula</a><br />
  532. <a href="https://shop.bandai.com/calcifer-kitchen-tool-frying-pan-howl-s-moving-castle-benelic.html"><em>Howl&#8217;s Moving Castle</em> Calcifer Frying Pan</a><br />
  533. <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Benelic-Spirited-Tunnel-Japanese-Teacup/dp/B08VD91GBT"><em>Spirited Away</em> Teacup</a><br />
  534. <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Hayao-Miyazaki/dp/1942884818">Hayao Miyazaki Art Book</a></p>
  535. <p>Related: Hayao Miyazaki retrospective via <a href="https://www.itsnicethat.com/features/hayao-miyazaki-jessica-niebel-animation-240122">It&#8217;s Nice That</a>, Hayao Miyazaki Art Book flip through via <a href="https://halcyonrealms.com/books/hayao-miyazaki-academy-of-motion-pictures-exhibition-art-book-review/">Halcyon Realms</a></p>
  536. ]]></content:encoded>
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  539. <slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
  542. </item>
  543. <item>
  544. <title>Universal Studios Christmas 2022</title>
  545. <link>https://www.brunchataudreys.com/2022/12/universal-studios-christmas-2022/</link>
  546. <comments>https://www.brunchataudreys.com/2022/12/universal-studios-christmas-2022/#comments</comments>
  548. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Audrey]]></dc:creator>
  549. <pubDate>Sun, 25 Dec 2022 07:14:09 +0000</pubDate>
  550. <category><![CDATA[travel]]></category>
  551. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.brunchataudreys.com/?p=13997</guid>
  552.  
  553. <description><![CDATA[I was a bit apprehensive about making a trip to Universal Studios on the actual week of Christmas, but we had a friend to entertain! In the end, we had nothing to worry about, even without Express Passes. We arrived right when the park opened and hustled down to the Lower Level for Jurassic World, The Mummy, and Transformers rides...
  554.        <div class="more-button"><a class="more-link" href="https://www.brunchataudreys.com/2022/12/universal-studios-christmas-2022/">Read More</a>
  555.        <span class="meta-divider"></span></div>]]></description>
  556. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>I was a bit apprehensive about making a trip to Universal Studios on the actual week of Christmas, but we had a friend to entertain! In the end, we had nothing to worry about, even without Express Passes. We arrived right when the park opened and hustled down to the Lower Level for Jurassic World, The Mummy, and Transformers rides &#8212; we&#8217;ll have to come back in February for the opening of Super Nintendo World! As you can see, Jurassic World was pretty much empty, probably because nobody wanted to get drenched first thing in the morning. We didn&#8217;t think that far ahead, but the shivers really added to the thrill haha. The Mummy was sooo much fun; we rode it two times without having to line up. By the time we got to Transformers, the lines started forming.</p>
  557. <p>With the Lower Level complete, we journeyed up the escalators to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter on the Upper Level. I could have spent the rest of the day strolling around Harry Potter World &#8212; not even riding the rides (the Harry Potter rides are a bit tame and I&#8217;ve already done them in <a href="https://www.brunchataudreys.com/2015/09/japan-summer-break-15-universal-studios-japan-the-wizarding-world-of-harry-potter-and-more/">Japan</a> anyway), just enjoying the shops and ambience. Shout out to the Fizzing Whizzbees! They&#8217;re bee-shaped milk chocolates with strawberry pop rocks and they&#8217;re SO good. I wish they came in cute keepsake tins, but I&#8217;d stock up on them regardless.</p>
  558. <p>We probably walked in and out of Harry Potter World five different times, but we also went on other Upper Level rides (Kung Fu Panda) and saw some shows (Water World, Special Effects Show, Studio Tour). The park didn&#8217;t start feeling overwhelmingly chaotic until evening &#8212; maybe because of the evening light shows, plus the park started restricting the traffic to one-way only, so we had to walk in circles to get around &#8212; and that was our sign to turn in for the night.</p>
  559. <p>Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!</p>
  560. <p><span id="more-13997"></span></p>
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  564. " data-image-caption="" data-medium-file="https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/universal16-scaled.jpg?fit=300%2C225&amp;ssl=1" data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/universal16-scaled.jpg?fit=830%2C623&amp;ssl=1" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-13998" src="https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/universal16-scaled.jpg?resize=830%2C623&#038;ssl=1" alt="hogwarts castle - universal studios | brunch at audrey's" width="830" height="623" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/universal16-scaled.jpg?w=2560&amp;ssl=1 2560w, https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/universal16-scaled.jpg?resize=300%2C225&amp;ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/universal16-scaled.jpg?resize=1024%2C768&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/universal16-scaled.jpg?resize=768%2C576&amp;ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/universal16-scaled.jpg?resize=1536%2C1152&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/universal16-scaled.jpg?resize=2048%2C1536&amp;ssl=1 2048w, https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/universal16-scaled.jpg?resize=1080%2C810&amp;ssl=1 1080w, https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/universal16-scaled.jpg?w=1660&amp;ssl=1 1660w, https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/universal16-scaled.jpg?w=2490&amp;ssl=1 2490w" sizes="(max-width: 830px) 100vw, 830px" data-recalc-dims="1" /></p>
  565. <p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-attachment-id="14000" data-permalink="https://www.brunchataudreys.com/2022/12/universal-studios-christmas-2022/universal9-2/" data-orig-file="https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/universal9-2-scaled.jpg?fit=2560%2C1919&amp;ssl=1" data-orig-size="2560,1919" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1671910146&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}" data-image-title="hogsmeade &#8211; universal studios" data-image-description="&lt;p&gt;hogsmeade &#8211; universal studios | brunch at audrey&#8217;s&lt;/p&gt;
  566. " data-image-caption="" data-medium-file="https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/universal9-2-scaled.jpg?fit=300%2C225&amp;ssl=1" data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/universal9-2-scaled.jpg?fit=830%2C623&amp;ssl=1" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-14000" src="https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/universal9-2-scaled.jpg?resize=830%2C622&#038;ssl=1" alt="hogsmeade - universal studios | brunch at audrey's" width="830" height="622" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/universal9-2-scaled.jpg?w=2560&amp;ssl=1 2560w, https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/universal9-2-scaled.jpg?resize=300%2C225&amp;ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/universal9-2-scaled.jpg?resize=1024%2C768&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/universal9-2-scaled.jpg?resize=768%2C576&amp;ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/universal9-2-scaled.jpg?resize=1536%2C1152&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/universal9-2-scaled.jpg?resize=2048%2C1535&amp;ssl=1 2048w, https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/universal9-2-scaled.jpg?resize=1080%2C810&amp;ssl=1 1080w, https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/universal9-2-scaled.jpg?w=1660&amp;ssl=1 1660w, https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/universal9-2-scaled.jpg?w=2490&amp;ssl=1 2490w" sizes="(max-width: 830px) 100vw, 830px" data-recalc-dims="1" /></p>
  567. <p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-attachment-id="14005" data-permalink="https://www.brunchataudreys.com/2022/12/universal-studios-christmas-2022/img_8118/" data-orig-file="https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/IMG_8118-scaled.jpg?fit=2560%2C2048&amp;ssl=1" data-orig-size="2560,2048" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1671545390&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}" data-image-title="harry potter the forbidden journey &#8211; universal studios" data-image-description="&lt;p&gt;harry potter the forbidden journey &#8211; universal studios | brunch at audrey&#8217;s&lt;/p&gt;
  568. " data-image-caption="" data-medium-file="https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/IMG_8118-scaled.jpg?fit=300%2C240&amp;ssl=1" data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/IMG_8118-scaled.jpg?fit=830%2C664&amp;ssl=1" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-14005" src="https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/IMG_8118-scaled.jpg?resize=830%2C664&#038;ssl=1" alt="harry potter the forbidden journey - universal studios | brunch at audrey's" width="830" height="664" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/IMG_8118-scaled.jpg?w=2560&amp;ssl=1 2560w, https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/IMG_8118-scaled.jpg?resize=300%2C240&amp;ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/IMG_8118-scaled.jpg?resize=1024%2C819&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/IMG_8118-scaled.jpg?resize=768%2C614&amp;ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/IMG_8118-scaled.jpg?resize=1536%2C1229&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/IMG_8118-scaled.jpg?resize=2048%2C1638&amp;ssl=1 2048w, https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/IMG_8118-scaled.jpg?resize=1080%2C864&amp;ssl=1 1080w, https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/IMG_8118-scaled.jpg?w=1660&amp;ssl=1 1660w, https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/IMG_8118-scaled.jpg?w=2490&amp;ssl=1 2490w" sizes="(max-width: 830px) 100vw, 830px" data-recalc-dims="1" /></p>
  569. <p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-attachment-id="14004" data-permalink="https://www.brunchataudreys.com/2022/12/universal-studios-christmas-2022/rides-2/" data-orig-file="https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/rides.png?fit=1500%2C1029&amp;ssl=1" data-orig-size="1500,1029" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}" data-image-title="the mummy and jurassic park &#8211; universal studios" data-image-description="&lt;p&gt;the mummy and jurassic park &#8211; universal studios | brunch at audrey&#8217;s&lt;/p&gt;
  570. " data-image-caption="" data-medium-file="https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/rides.png?fit=300%2C206&amp;ssl=1" data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/rides.png?fit=830%2C569&amp;ssl=1" class="aligncenter wp-image-14004 size-full" src="https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/rides.png?resize=830%2C569&#038;ssl=1" alt="the mummy and jurassic world - universal studios | brunch at audrey's" width="830" height="569" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/rides.png?w=1500&amp;ssl=1 1500w, https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/rides.png?resize=300%2C206&amp;ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/rides.png?resize=1024%2C702&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/rides.png?resize=768%2C527&amp;ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/rides.png?resize=1080%2C741&amp;ssl=1 1080w" sizes="(max-width: 830px) 100vw, 830px" data-recalc-dims="1" /></p>
  571. <p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-attachment-id="13999" data-permalink="https://www.brunchataudreys.com/2022/12/universal-studios-christmas-2022/universal21/" data-orig-file="https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/universal21-scaled.jpg?fit=2560%2C1920&amp;ssl=1" data-orig-size="2560,1920" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1671905857&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}" data-image-title="whoville christmas tree &#8211; universal studios" data-image-description="&lt;p&gt;whoville christmas tree &#8211; universal studios | brunch at audrey&#8217;s&lt;/p&gt;
  572. " data-image-caption="" data-medium-file="https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/universal21-scaled.jpg?fit=300%2C225&amp;ssl=1" data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/universal21-scaled.jpg?fit=830%2C623&amp;ssl=1" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-13999" src="https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/universal21-scaled.jpg?resize=830%2C623&#038;ssl=1" alt="whoville christmas tree - universal studios | brunch at audrey's" width="830" height="623" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/universal21-scaled.jpg?w=2560&amp;ssl=1 2560w, https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/universal21-scaled.jpg?resize=300%2C225&amp;ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/universal21-scaled.jpg?resize=1024%2C768&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/universal21-scaled.jpg?resize=768%2C576&amp;ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/universal21-scaled.jpg?resize=1536%2C1152&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/universal21-scaled.jpg?resize=2048%2C1536&amp;ssl=1 2048w, https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/universal21-scaled.jpg?resize=1080%2C810&amp;ssl=1 1080w, https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/universal21-scaled.jpg?w=1660&amp;ssl=1 1660w, https://i0.wp.com/www.brunchataudreys.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/universal21-scaled.jpg?w=2490&amp;ssl=1 2490w" sizes="(max-width: 830px) 100vw, 830px" data-recalc-dims="1" /></p>
  573. <p style="text-align: center;"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://i0.wp.com/cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0472/4601/6670/products/1338924_1_800x.png?resize=175%2C175&#038;ssl=1" width="175" height="175" data-recalc-dims="1" /><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://i0.wp.com/cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0472/4601/6670/products/1338923_1_800x.png?resize=175%2C175&#038;ssl=1" width="175" height="175" data-recalc-dims="1" /><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://i0.wp.com/cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0472/4601/6670/products/1240227_1_329132c1-f794-413f-8c3b-deb99da4263b_800x.png?resize=165%2C175&#038;ssl=1" width="165" height="175" data-recalc-dims="1" /></p>
  574. <p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://harrypottershop.com/collections/sweets-and-treats/products/bertie-botts-keepsake">Bertie Bott&#8217;s Keepsake</a><br />
  575. <a href="https://harrypottershop.com/collections/sweets-and-treats/products/chocolate-frog-keepsake">Chocolate Frog Keepsake</a><br />
  576. <a href="https://harrypottershop.com/products/fizzing-whizzbees-chocolate">Fizzing Whizzbees</a></p>
  577. <p>PS: <a href="https://www.brunchataudreys.com/2022/12/disneyland-christmas-2022/">Disneyland Christmas 2022</a>, <a href="https://www.brunchataudreys.com/2015/09/japan-summer-break-15-universal-studios-japan-the-wizarding-world-of-harry-potter-and-more/">Universal Studios Japan Summer 2015</a></p>
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