August 2022 - Stephanie Cooke

It’s been a minute since I posted about the books I’ve been reading. I’ve had some deadlines to hit and I’ve been enjoying my summer…and subsequently neglecting my blog and updates. So without further ado, let’s just get into everything I’ve been reading:

The Atlas Six by Olivie Blake – Compelling and exciting! Excellent worldbuilding and magic system within a story that kept me turning the pages. I will say though, the final act really felt like a bit of a letdown. I was super on board with everything being sold to me…until the reveal. So take that as you will. But overall, very cool concept and writing.
The Sunbearer Trials (The Sunbearer Duology #1) by Aiden Thomas – A new fantasy series perfect for fans of Percy Jackson and The Hunger Games. Aiden Thomas writes another page-turning adventure filled with Mexican folklore and mythology. An exciting journey from start to finish with a diverse and delightful cast of characters. You won’t be able to put this book down – OUT SEPT. 6, 2022
Year of the Dog by Irma Kniivila – Laugh out loud, pitch-perfect pet perfection! Relatable, delightful, and amazing. If you enjoy the works of Kate Beaton, you’ll absolutely enjoy these short dogventure comics.
Burnout: The Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle by Emily Nagoski and Amelia Nagoski – An absolutely incredible, must-read book!
Stages of Rot by Linnea Sterte – Hands down one of the most beautiful comics that I have ever read. It kind of feels like Moebius doing Nausicaa all while feeling entirely original and breathtakingly fresh.
Eniale & Dewiela Vol. 1 by Kamome Shirahama – Not bad but didn’t really grip me. It’s kind of like if Good Omens was about Aziraphale and Crowley looking after a baby.
Cat’s Cradle: The Golden Twine (Cat’s Cradle #1) by Jo Rioux – Cat’s Cradle is a stunning and delightful story for readers of all ages. Beautiful illustrations and colours make everything pop off the page, and the world-building within the story—everything from the characters to the magic to the monsters—is so fun and captivating. It feels like an origin story for Tony Cliff’s Delilah Dirk series, if Delilah was a monster hunter. So with that, I think it’s also safe to say that if you’ve enjoyed those books, Cat’s Cradle will be up your alley. Similarly, if you enjoyed Tim Probert’s LightFall books, this is in a similar vein.
The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller – “I am made of memories.” My HEART! What a beautiful book that expertly breathes new life into old myths and legends. I loved every moment of it, even the parts that made me tear up.
Firekeeper’s Daughter by Angeline Boulley – A compelling and complex read. Started out a bit slow but after a few chapters, I was fully invested and couldn’t put it down. A book worthy of the hype surrounding it.
The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels (Dangerous Damsels #1) by India Holton – Very, very fun. Kind of like if Bridgerton was written by Terry Pratchett. A light, delightful adventure with scoundrels aplenty!
We Could Be Heroes by Mike Chen – A fun and exhilarating exploration into a world where people with superpowers exist and how being a hero or villain isn’t always black and white. Mike Chen has an exception gift for taking extraordinary story concepts and making them feel grounded in reality. His characters feel fully realized and you’re able to connect with them. In this case, getting two characters in a platonic friend relationship together was a breath of fresh air! I kept expecting a romance to pop up but the fact that it didn’t come and they just remained friends was a *chefs kiss* choice. Worth checking out!
Verity by Colleen Hoover – I devoured this in one day, broken up into two long sittings during the hottest day of the summer so far and I…I don’t even know what to say or think yet. I just know I’ll be processing this story and thinking about it for a long time to come. Wow…just…wow. Creepy, edge-of-your-seat stuff that kept me turning the pages until I was done.
The Girl from Everywhere (The Girl from Everywhere #1) by Heidi Heilig – A book with truly wonderful world-building and a unique magic system. It somehow feels part Night Circus and part Peter Pan in some way. There are some other comps on the tip of my tongue that I can’t quite reach but it’s got fantasy and mythology mixed with historical fiction that helps to ground the story in reality. A fantastic debut novel.

Other books that I read but don’t really have reviews for:

A frog in the fall (and later on) by Linnea Sterte
Space Trash Vol. 1 (Space Trash #1) by Jenn Woodall
The Good Fight by Ted Staunton and Josh Rosen
Coming Back by Jessi Zabarsky

What have you been reading and enjoying?

I’ve neglected my lists for a little bit, but mostly because I’ve been watching movies and rewatching TV shows or misc. episodes of reality TV. Like, a lot of random eps of 90 Day Fiancée. But since there’s a few months worth of backlog, I figured I’d share some of what I’ve been checking out. As per usual, if you’re interested in the films I’ve been watching, you can visit my Letterboxd profile. Otherwise, let’s dive in:

Moon Knight S1 – This was fine? Though, for a show called Moon Knight, there really wasn’t a lot going on with the actual superhero persona of Moon Knight himself. That being said, it was an interesting origin and I think opened up the superhero world outside of the US, exploring cool places and lore. However, the most interesting character by far was Layla El-Faouly and there wasn’t nearly enough exploration done for her character.
Bob’s Burgers S12 – You can’t go wrong with Bob’s Burgers. It is consistently hilarious and delightful and the music numbers are A+ perfection. I’m excited to watch the movie soon too.
Russian Doll S2 – Natasha Lyonne is great and I love the weird nature of the show…but this season was a bit of a miss for me. I finished it mostly to be able to say that I did.
Ghosts S3 – I adore the heck out of this show and it is so charmingly quirky and fun. I love the concept so much. Two well-meaning millennials trying to make their dreams happen…but anything and everything that could possibly go wrong does.
Boo Bitch – I loved the concept for this show! And the cast members are so charming. I think it falters a little bit though in leaning on its tropes of popularity and mortality. It subsequently becomes a little meh towards the middle as the cringe overpowers everything else. But overall, I still think this was a really fun idea and delightful (hopefully) mini-series.
Ms. Marvel S1 – What can I say about this show that hasn’t already been said? I loved it and Iman Vellani must be protected at all costs. It falters a bit in the middle in its exploration of the Clandestines as the series antagonists but I think it just needed more room to breathe. And by that, I mean that a lot was crammed into the 6-episodes of Season 1. It needed one primary focus in either Kamala vs. the DODC or the Clandestines but it wants it all. I hope that we get to see more of everything in the show though and I’m curious about where the MCU goes from here.
RuPaul All-Stars S7 – All winners competing to be the ultimate winner? Heck yes! This was really well done and I loved the format in not eliminating any queen but creating a way for them to all stay in the competition until the end. Plus my chosen queen wound up reigning supreme…so win-win!
The Bear S1 – Everyone is saying that this is their show of the year and…it’s fine. The performances are great, the story is well done, and I understand the hype. But the anxiety that this series gave me firmly put it in a category where I’d never want to revisit it again. Compelling for sure and extremely good. Def not up there in my faves of 2022 though…but worth checking out!

And then, as mentioned, I watched a lot of reality TV and then did a big rewatch of What We Do in the Shadows in anticipation of the newest season.

What have you been watching and enjoying?

For over a year now, I’ve been working with Epic Originals to launch a line of short stories for Animal Rescue Friends. It’s a delightful series that revolves around a group of kids who volunteer at an animal rescue and learn all about what it takes, as well as the animals they look after.

And the first that I edited is here. It’s called Rats Are Good Pets Too by Katie Longua. The art is by Ellen T. Crenshaw with colours by Whitney Cogar.

“A rescued rodent might be more than Bell can handle! Can she overcome her fear and learn that rats deserve as much love as any other animal?”

SCRIPT: Katie Longua
ART: Ellen T. Crenshaw
COLOURS: Whitney Cogar
EDITS: Stephanie Cooke
PUBLISHER: Epic Originals

It’s such a wonderful story and if you the Epic app, it’s available to read right now. You can visit here to check it out.

More to come soon!

It’s been a hot (literally) minute since I did an update. There’s both been a lot and also nothing going on. An enigma! But let’s dive in:

For anyone excited about the upcoming release of Racc Pack, I finished writing the first draft of BOOK TWO. Whitney Gardner and I outlined it heavily together and then I went in and scripted the whole thing. It’s in the hands of our editor now.
Speaking of Racc Pack, it’s been pushed back to Spring 2024 (boo) but with the intent of releasing Book Two even sooner, right on its heels (yay)!
I’m working on a secret non-fiction project that is so ridiculously on-brand for me…I can’t wait to share that!
My writing on Pekoe continues as well. I’m working on cutscenes for each of the cats right now and I can’t wait to be able to show you more.

There’s not much else to report back on right now though! I’m trying to enjoy my summer, be outdoors, spend quality time with my partner and my friends, and live my life. Gotta have a solid work/life balance, even when you love what you do.

So I’ll be sure to update y’all when there’s exciting stuff afoot, but in the meantime, be good to each other out there.