Oof, February has felt like a massive slump. This article hits on the probable why I’ve been feeling so blah lately, and I know it isn’t just me. I feel like there’s nothing short-term to work towards, and so I’ve sort of been hibernating a bit this month. Or maybe it’s that I need to refill the creative well? Or maybe it’s just winter… Still, I did accomplish some things!

Queries & Writing

• 8 queries/submissions sent (19 total for the year)
• 6 rejections
• Completed a short story
• Wrote a chapter or two of Into the Mist

Reading

I read a total of 17 books this month, bringing me up to 34 for the year so far. Click on the links to read my Goodreads reviews, since my star ratings don’t vary much! I also managed to read 2 of my OwlCrate books, since I just got The Gilded Ones in my OwlCrate after I already read it.

1. A Danger to Herself and Others by Alyssa B. Sheinmel (4 stars)
2. Mistwood by Leah Cypess (3 stars)
3. Odessa by Jonathan Hill (3 stars)
4. The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes (4 stars)
5. The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah (4 stars)
6. Lay Me Down (Scars #2) by Rachel Runnalls (4 stars)
7. Across the Green Grass Fields (Wayward Children #6) by Seanan McGuire (3 stars)
8. Lore by Alexandra Bracken (3 stars)
9. Our Dining Table by Mita Ori (4 stars)
10. Don’t Tell a Soul by Kirsten Miller (4 stars)
11. I Hear the Sunspot by Yuki Fumino (3 stars)
12. The Riverman by Aaron Starmer (3 stars)
13. A Curse So Dark and Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer (4 stars)
14. The Whisper (Riverman #2) by Aaron Starmer (3 stars)
15. Alone by Megan E. Freeman (3 stars)
16. The Infinite Noise by Lauren Shippen (3 stars)
17. The Gilded Ones by Namina Forna (4 stars)

My favorite reads of the month were A Curse So Dark and Lonely (already on book 2!) and The Gilded Ones. But I enjoyed all of these.

TV & Movies

Binge-watching:

• Tiny Pretty Things Season 1
• Dawson’s Creek Seasons 1-3
• Call Me Kat Season 1
• Snowpiercer Season 1

New Movies:

• The Dig
• To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before: Always and Forever
• Freaky
• Come Play (my favorite)
• Host
• The New Mutants
• The Village in the Woods
• Possessor
• The Kid Detective
• The Cleansing Hour

Given that there aren’t many new movies or TV series coming out, I’ve been doing a lot of movie marathons. Last month I did a Hugh Jackman marathon, and I decided to keep up the trend this month. The library makes it really easy to get all the movies in one place rather than hunt around various streaming services to get them all!

Timothy Olyphant marathon (you know, since I binged Justified & Santa Clarita Diet last month)

• This Is Where I Leave You
• Dreamcatcher
• The Crazies
• A Man Apart
• The Safety of Objects
• A Perfect Getaway (my favorite)

80s movies mentioned in Ready Player One (I also finally watched that movie)

• LadyHawke
• WarGames
• The Legend of Billie Jean
• Willow

Brad Pitt marathon (this was mostly movies of his that I either haven’t seen in a long time or have never seen – I own most of my favorites on DVD)

• The Assassination of Jesse James
• The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
• Mr. and Mrs. Smith
• The Counselor
• Moneyball
• Spy Game
• Killing Them Softly
• Inglourious Basterds
• Babel
• A River Runs Through It
• Seven Years in Tibet
• Kalifornia (my favorite)
• Meet Joe Black

Other Stuff

Aerials: I found a place that offers aerial silks classes nearby and took my first class in a year! I’ve been doing aerial hammock regularly since July, and I bought a set of silks for myself to use over the summer, but I still felt very rusty. I’m looking forward to getting back into the air!

February really felt like a hibernation month for me. Just watching TV and struggling to write and keeping up with working out – basically, taking care of myself despite having no motivation. But I do have some things to look forward to in March, including an SCBWI Agent/Editor Day, a Brendan Fraser marathon, and the weather getting warmer.

How was your February? What are you looking forward to in March?