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Hi.

Welcome to my happy little corner of the internet where I write about fun, books, travels, and mis-adventures. Hope you have a nice stay!

Marco on your polo

Marco on your polo

For the past fortnight the book braintrust has been feverishly reading and re-reading (or listening to) Stephanie Garber’s Caraval series, and let me tell you... the conspiracy theory messages have been fast and furious.

Screenshots of passages have been shared and highlighted. So many questions have been asked. Flow charts to track character movements and timelines have been discussed. I’m especially excited about the prospect of the flow charts. I’ve started an unpublished page here for us to store spoiler questions that we can pick up when the third book drops in 2019.

I recognize I have a problem, but I seem to be in good company. I love how technology (and the good humor of my friends) is allowing me to relive all of the best parts of doing my English degree. If you’ve never done an English degree, I heartily suggest you stop what you’re doing and go do one right now. I loved it so much I constantly think about doing another. But then I remember that I like also having money to support my ridiculous book habit, which I probably wouldn’t have if I did an advanced course. I seem to be the only English major who ever lived who hates borrowing books from the library, so continuing to work for moneybags tech corp is definitely the best move for me and my habit  

Because all I really want to do is:

  1. Read the things
  2. Pick them apart
  3. Compare things to other things  
  4. Talk about the things
  5. Write about the things

Hey! I’m doing that now! I should have a PhD in YA literature now. And if I don’t, it’s only because that program didn’t exist until this very moment when I created it and immediately graduated with honors.

{Goes off to change her email signature...}

If I weren’t on a busy Caltrain to San Francisco, I’d definitely be book clubbing right now. (Incidentally, this is the only type of clubbing I’m interested in doing anymore.) 21st century is here, birches. I can book club from anywhere! But I’m not, because I’m not a hypocrite so far today, so I won’t be book clubbing until I start my walk to the office.  I hate people who talk on the train. But as soon as I’m off this tin can of transport I’m definitely book clubbing for a minute or five. I have things to say and none of us have time to meet in person or even to set aside a precious hour on a Tuesday night to do a group Skype or hangout. What I do have is this walk to the office and maybe 30 seconds while I’m walking down to switch out the laundry. And I know that Kristina walks her dog multiple times a day so she can Marco Polo us without annoying child cameos. The video apps, the texts, the tech is the thing that makes it possible and it’s glorious. 

Dude. It’s like Sarah knew I was having this thought because she just hit up another channel for book talk and I’m loving it so hard! 

Pauses to answer a hawt text about the Maltese Falcon, which isn’t even our book club book, and I lurve it. Hold please.  

 

Important morning texts

Important morning texts

Maltese Falcon aside: I know Dashiel Hammet was the pioneer in the seedy detective genre but Raymond Chandler was the best of all time! /kanyemoment

Anyway,  point is, I’m ideally suited to perform all sorts of English major functions with people who have less time than me and we can make it fun because we hold this game-changing piece of plastic and silicon in our hands! And I can start Ministry of Curiosities book 10 with a double click on home button, and write this post, and be keeping notes on which series we should read next, all while trying hard not to stare at this dude with fucking crazy hair across from me!

So. Good.  

I'm curious about this ministry

I'm curious about this ministry

Not last night but several nights before

Not last night but several nights before