tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7395332342501817292024-03-05T08:31:11.342-05:00The Magic ViolinistBoquinhahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02365252326911270689noreply@blogger.comBlogger586125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-739533234250181729.post-8685368131317765242022-01-02T16:10:00.005-05:002022-01-02T16:10:59.098-05:00December/End-of-the-Year Wrap-UpDECEMBERBOOKS I READ4/5One-sentence review: Laugh-out-loud funny, clever, and touching; you don't have to know anything about D&D to understand the plot, but diehard fans will get even more of the jokes.4/5One (or two)-sentence review: I would happily read Rainbow Rowell's grocery list, so of course I ate up this short story. It was cozy and sweet and a little taste of what a pandemic-themed The Magic Violinisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08889060820055920735noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-739533234250181729.post-37157687657977581962021-12-21T00:27:00.000-05:002021-12-21T00:27:00.766-05:00July/August/September/October/November Wrap-UpJULYBOOKS I READ3.5/5One-sentence review: Decent productivity tips, but definitely geared towards somebody who works a typical 9-to-5 office job. 4/5One-sentence review: Bisexual "Grease" retelling, but the love triangle wasn't that compelling. 2/5One-sentence review: Mediocre advice delivered in a boring way.MOVIES I WATCHED5/5One-sentence review: AMAZING musical adaptation with a The Magic Violinisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08889060820055920735noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-739533234250181729.post-63007622457612307652021-06-30T15:50:00.000-04:002021-06-30T15:50:12.579-04:00June Wrap-UpMe?? Doing a wrap-up on time??? Unthinkable.BOOKS I READDidn't finish any pleasure books this month, but I read a couple for my internship with Ki Book Club.3.5/5Three words to describe it: Psychological, therapeutic, simple1/5Three eighteen words to describe it: Pretentious white man complains that nothing original has been created since the stories of other older white men.MOVIES I The Magic Violinisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08889060820055920735noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-739533234250181729.post-45914863845888959442021-06-22T23:19:00.000-04:002021-06-22T23:19:49.550-04:00April/May Wrap-UpAprilBooks I Read3/5Three words to describe it: Dense, historical, disease3/5Three words to describe it: Surreal, HIV/AIDS, psychological4/5Three words to describe it: Historical, groundbreaking, lesbians4/5Three words to describe it: Smart, biographical, trans4/5Three words to describe it: Timely, fascinating, COVID-194/5Three words to describe it: Funny, creative, vignettesMovies I Watched4/The Magic Violinisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08889060820055920735noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-739533234250181729.post-4241830191252484692021-06-13T08:00:00.001-04:002021-06-13T08:00:00.241-04:00We Interrupt this Unintentional Hiatus for a Few Brief PoemsApril/May wrap-ups are coming--I promise--but while I'm procrastinating, please join me in reading a few short poems that came about thanks to my most recent Camp NaNoWriMo adventure. My poem-a-day April challenge has turned into an annual event, which is nice, because I end each year with at least thirty new poems to polish!The ones below definitely need a little more polishing, but they're someThe Magic Violinisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08889060820055920735noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-739533234250181729.post-57396165254101018852021-04-05T14:41:00.002-04:002021-04-05T14:43:32.804-04:00January/February/March Wrap-Up (Speed Round)You might have noticed that I am not one, not two, but three wrap-ups behind. I miss blogging and I've been so swamped with school and other life stuff that catching up on monthly wrap-ups feels more overwhelming than it should, so to get these done so I can move on to other blog posts, we're going to do these wrap-ups "speed round" style.JANUARYBooks I Read5/5Three words to describe it: Dark, The Magic Violinisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08889060820055920735noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-739533234250181729.post-49121556264967919142021-01-29T10:00:00.011-05:002021-01-29T10:00:00.942-05:00Meet Camilla Crim - Guest Post and Giveaway From Author Emily FortneyPlease give a warm welcome back to author Emily Fortney! I'm one of her blog tour stops for the release of her book The Dark Ruler and I couldn't be more thrilled to be able to hype her series up. Emily is a longtime writer friend of mine ever since I joined her writers' group in 2015, and having read multiple drafts of her work over the years, I can vouch firsthand for how much this series has The Magic Violinisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08889060820055920735noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-739533234250181729.post-10621762408269913752021-01-12T14:58:00.002-05:002021-01-12T14:58:10.780-05:003 Reasons Why Every Writer Should Try Poetry (Guest Post)My lovely friend Hannah from "Ivyclad Ideas" hosted me on her blog today! I talked about three reasons why every writer (and non-writer) should try poetry. I also talked about Ghost Light and shared some writing snippets.Here's a little sneak peek from the post (but you should definitely read the whole thing):The Magic Violinisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08889060820055920735noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-739533234250181729.post-1833637674469087442021-01-04T10:32:00.001-05:002021-01-18T09:31:45.754-05:00December Wrap-Up/End of the Year Wrap-UpI look forward to writing this post every year and, inevitably, I got so busy around the 31st that I'm publishing it late. Again. Better late than never?December December was . . . weird. I felt Christmas-y half the time, depressed and unmotivated the other half. It was both busy and relaxing, happy and sad. A lot about Christmas didn't change for us since that holiday is usually reserved for ourThe Magic Violinisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08889060820055920735noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-739533234250181729.post-51943783129226227202020-12-10T09:05:00.000-05:002020-12-10T09:05:02.595-05:00I Published My Second Book of Poetry! Ghost light shine, ghost light flicker . . .
An open journal of mixed and complicated emotions, Ghost
Light is a reminder that even in the darkest of times, there is art. Written
entirely during quarantine in 2020, Kate I. Foley’s second collection of poetry
is angry, joyful, wistful, and whimsical. The ghost light burns to keep the
demons at bay, to watch over the artists and dreamers andThe Magic Violinisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08889060820055920735noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-739533234250181729.post-3175716031509513402020-12-09T15:27:00.002-05:002021-01-03T17:45:17.967-05:00October/November Wrap-UpOctoberSince it's December and we're ready to get in the holiday spirit, let's talk about Halloween! Yay, candy! Yay, spooky vibes!So, uh . . . needless to say, I've gotten very behind in my wrap-up posts, for a mix of reasons that will become clear as you read. All because of good things, though!Anyways, as I watch big fat snowflakes float past my window, let's talk about spooky books and horrorThe Magic Violinisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08889060820055920735noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-739533234250181729.post-34952799710646128402020-11-05T11:03:00.000-05:002020-11-05T11:03:40.842-05:005 Tips for Writing a Book Review That Readers Will Love - Guest PostI'm so excited to welcome the lovely Savannah Cordova to The Magic Violinist today! She's written an excellent and comprehensive guide to writing enticing book reviews. It's the perfect how-to for new book bloggers and a great refresher for those who have been at it for years.So take a look at the post below and be sure to leave Savannah a comment about what you enjoyed, as well as any extraThe Magic Violinisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08889060820055920735noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-739533234250181729.post-66679070423774432672020-10-05T11:37:00.004-04:002020-10-05T11:37:41.769-04:00September Wrap-UpMy reading this month looks a little sparse, but in addition to the books below, I also impulsively reread the Ellie Sweet series by Stephanie Morrill. I was so worried I wouldn't enjoy it as much as I did when I was a wee baby writer and reader, but I thoroughly enjoyed both books! Of course there were some aspects I was able to notice and criticize with a more mature eye, but I still lovedThe Magic Violinisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08889060820055920735noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-739533234250181729.post-60908317621426091452020-09-14T09:58:00.002-04:002020-09-14T09:58:44.847-04:00What's Kate Doing This Semester?With all of the COVID-19 chaos, I decided it was best for me and my health (both mental and physical) to take a leave of absence this semester. Luckily, with all of my dual enrollment credits, I won't fall behind and I should be good to return (most likely remotely) to school in the spring. But I still wanted to make sure I spent this time at home doing something meaningful. I'm taking time to The Magic Violinisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08889060820055920735noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-739533234250181729.post-41048781921594530442020-09-03T09:38:00.005-04:002020-09-03T09:42:40.967-04:00August Wrap-UpBooks I Read3.5/5First off, I want to say that this story is HUGELY important for all of the representation it has and the topics it deals with: Asian culture, what it's like to be Asian in the United States, socioeconomic issues, sexual assault and the #MeToo movement, etc. So many important things were talked about in a really great way (and this is an #OwnVoices story!). But the way that The Magic Violinisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08889060820055920735noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-739533234250181729.post-87301491182620390402020-08-20T23:22:00.018-04:002020-10-01T09:49:04.035-04:00July Wrap-UpWhew, I'm almost caught up!*guzzles tea*Let's go!Books I Read4/5This entire book was like adorable Love, Simon fan-fiction. If you want something full of fluff and sugary-sweet romance that'll rot your teeth right out of your mouth, here it is. I devoured the book within a couple hours since it's less than 200 pages and written entirely in e-mails, but it boosted my spirits so much. I think The Magic Violinisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08889060820055920735noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-739533234250181729.post-90809456557940109272020-08-17T16:57:00.008-04:002020-08-17T17:02:55.634-04:00June Wrap-UpJUNE
Yep, it's me again, still catching up on old wrap-ups! I have nothing to blame but my own procrastination (and finishing the third draft of my YA fantasy witch book, which is a slightly more impressive excuse, so maybe I should've gone with that).*sips coffee*Let's do this!Books I Read
4/5This was a breathtaking read! Emily Fortney has the same knack for cliffhanger chapter endings as The Magic Violinisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08889060820055920735noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-739533234250181729.post-73953741250639846472020-08-01T20:53:00.003-04:002020-08-01T20:53:33.737-04:00May Wrap-Up"May Wrap-Up, you say? But Kate, it's August . . ."Yes, I'm very aware of the fact that it's August and I'm only now posting my May Wrap-Up. Bear with me, it's been a looooooong few months.So now that you have a sense of where my mental state has been at these past weeks, how are you all doing? How are you holding up during the end of the world pandemic? What new skills have you learned? How muchThe Magic Violinisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08889060820055920735noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-739533234250181729.post-11237984845948491732020-06-17T10:00:00.000-04:002020-06-19T09:47:16.688-04:00THE SACRIFICE OF ONE by Emily Fortney - Author Guest Post and Giveaway
I'm so excited to be one of the blog tour stops for the re-release of The Sacrifice of One by Emily Fortney! Emily is a longtime writer friend of mine ever since I joined her writers' group in 2015 and having read multiple drafts of her work over the years, I can vouch firsthand for how much this book (and series) has grown. I can't wait to see it in the hands of other readers who will see how The Magic Violinisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08889060820055920735noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-739533234250181729.post-47909769954969597872020-06-02T15:54:00.001-04:002020-06-02T15:54:57.552-04:00Help the #BlackLivesMatter Movement From HomeMake sure you're educating yourself and reading articles/books/posts from black authors. Keep posting your support and calls to action. Sign petitions. Donate, if you can.
Here's one easy way to financially contribute to the campaigns, even if you can't afford to donate: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bCgLa25fDHM&feature=youtu.be Keep this video streaming and don't skip ads; the ad revenue The Magic Violinisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08889060820055920735noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-739533234250181729.post-60305533706548055662020-05-13T12:57:00.001-04:002020-08-05T13:28:20.294-04:00A Simple List of Comforting Things
I love lists. Lists are one of the things that comfort me, especially when I'm stressed out and overwhelmed and don't know where to start when I have a thousand things to do. Since I'm sad more often than not given the current state of our world (I think I'm going on week 10 of self-isolation soon?), I figured I'd share a list of various comforting things that help me find cozy vibes when I'm The Magic Violinisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08889060820055920735noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-739533234250181729.post-40511920492385261382020-05-02T18:26:00.001-04:002020-05-02T19:46:01.268-04:00April Wrap-UpBooks I Read
3.5/5
I wasn't expecting this book to break my heart, so imagine my surprise when I picked up a "fluffy contemporary" and ended up absolutely devastated, but it was a pretty good book! Not my favorite, there were definitely some flaws--Matt was kind of a dick a lot of the time, which made it really hard to sympathize with him for parts of the book--but it packed a big punch in The Magic Violinisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08889060820055920735noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-739533234250181729.post-28654006300322688642020-04-13T10:54:00.001-04:002020-04-13T10:54:17.041-04:0020 Bucket List Items for the Next 20 YearsI turned 20 on the 11th and even though I had to stay at home, I still had a wonderful day. My dad made tons of good food (homemade mac and cheese, quiche, poke bowls, Portuguese codfish fritters, etc.), we played board games and virtual escape rooms, made s'mores in lieu of a traditional birthday cake, watched a half-hour long surprise video of virtual birthday messages from friends and family The Magic Violinisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08889060820055920735noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-739533234250181729.post-53142257275297543172020-04-05T00:08:00.003-04:002020-04-05T00:08:40.109-04:00March Wrap-UpBooks I Read
3.5/5
This would be a really fun show to put on with a student theatre group. It's simple and pure fluff, but it could be hilarious if played by the right people. Some things were so over-the-top or stilted that it lost the humor for me, and it's no great work of art or anything, but it's a lot of fun.
3.5/5
So I was super dumb and thought this was the sequel to One of Us The Magic Violinisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08889060820055920735noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-739533234250181729.post-70181145183836135122020-03-04T22:46:00.003-05:002020-03-04T22:51:52.713-05:00February Wrap-UpBooks I Read
3.5/5
I liked this play better than the last one I read for my monologue research. The characters were all distinct and interacted in a realistic way, so it was easy to read without getting too lost. I was able to predict where things were headed a lot of the time, but overall, I liked it! Lots of female representation.
4/5
I enjoyed this play a lot. It kept me engaged the The Magic Violinisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08889060820055920735noreply@blogger.com5