Down the Rabbit Hole

Aria @ Book Nook Bits will be the new host for Let’s Talk Bookish! If you aren’t following her yet, good check out her blog and give her a follow!

August 26: Balancing blogging and life (Aria)

Prompts: How do you manage balancing blogging and life? In what ways do school and work get in the way of blogging? Are there any ways that blogging can help with everyday life? Are there certain times of year when blogging becomes harder or more overwhelming?

Welcome to a late LTB here at DTRH everyone! Today’s topic is particularly appropriate, since it may be exactly the balance between blogging and life that leaves me late to the party in the first place. Actually, I am blogging from the opposite side of the world that I’m usually on (vacation!) so that could explain it. Still, if I commit to it, I should really do so. But I digress. I want to hear all about you all too!

Balancing blogging and life is honestly pretty difficult. It’s not like you just sit down whenever and churn out a blog post (though that is certainly one way). Especially with the two of us here, at least a bit more planning and forethought has to go into it, and we also of course want to produce quality content for our readers (and ourselves, of course). And as both of us get older, responsibilities pile up, as I’m sure you can all relate. So first and foremost, it’s definitely hard! The main tool that we use here is scheduling though. Just generally knowing what we’re going to post really helps to narrow down decision paralysis, and helps keeps things easier to organize. Time management will always be the biggest asset here, but I know for me personally life can just be so crazy sometimes that even scheduling only accomplishes so much.

If blogging were only jotting down some thoughts, I think I could manage it without a sweat. But when you’re creating content or doing book reviews, we all know here in the community it’s not just the post that takes time. Books have to be read, ideas have to be spun, and if my blog post only takes 15 minutes it’s honestly a miracle (who can relate?). Work and school both just take up blocks of time, and it can be hard to read in small 15-30 min breaks that present themselves. Not to mention that my eyes are usually tired already from the work/school, and that just makes me want to rest just for a bit before getting back into it.

I think the fact that blogging forces me to think a little bit more about my schedule is really helpful for me. AND it helps me read more too! I really enjoy the part of me that has developed every since blogging. Therefore it’s definitely not a regret, and is certainly something I want to continue doing for as long as I can, life shenanigans be damned. I think just being in better connection with books is an improvement or value-add to my life, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Exam season for school is the first thing that comes to mind for hard periods. Same with work, if there’s a particularly busy time. Time is one of those things which you only have so much of, and when things pile up, sometimes it really just is impossible to do all that you want to do even with perfect planning, and it falls to you to re-prioritize. It’s not that I find blogging unimportant, but I do find that it often tends to take the first fall in priority if I don’t personally hold myself more accountable. Not sure if any of you feel that way too! It’s balancing that “hobby” which should be able to be put on hold, versus the fact that if you just let everything trump it in priority, you’ll literally never do your hobby.

How do you all manage blogging when the going gets tough? Let me know in the comments below!

musings, recommendations

Life Update: Andge in Wonderland – The Alice Experience

August 25, 2022August 24, 2022 Andge @ Down the Rabbit Hole

Wherein I, Andge, lover of all things Alice and Wonderland-esque will chronicle in picture and words the insane experience that is The Alice Cocktail Party Experience.

Please note this blog is not affiliated in any way with The Alice Experience and I do not get compensated for any promotional reviews I leave below. I’m just a girl who has a shared love for Lewis Carroll and his fantastical world.

We start off at the door, which is a beautiful key-shaped entrance that’s oddly reminiscent of Kerstin Gier’s book covers.

Back to that door. Of course it wouldn’t be to Wonderland without the tagline: Down the Rabbit Hole. You know I’m partial to it. So shall we head on down the rabbit hole together?

Upon entering, this is the wondrous view. Colours! Odd shapes. Random knickknacks. You name it, it’s here. Separately they may be less overwhelming but together? Just brilliant.

Everything is completely on theme, from the wondrous tea party table spread to that GIANT Cheshire grinning down at us.

Not to mention, Wonderland wouldn’t be complete without our very own Mad Hatter guiding us through whatever wacky tea party he’s about to throw. Talk about getting into costume and character! This guy was absolutely marvelous.

The sets around the room really got us into the theme – who wouldn’t feel like they’re somehow in a wacky Wonderland universe?

I loved all the creativity and thought put into the smallest things, from the teacups on our table to the many suits decorating the walls and objects. (And by that I do mean the cards.)

The atmosphere was set and the party itself was interactive and loads of fun! From solving riddles to making tea (the alcoholic kind), it was a one of a kind experience that’s for sure.

This may *look* like ordinary tea – I can assure you, it’s got some special ingredients 😉

I must applaud the workers who make this party so lively and entertaining. Just look at that wondrous Queen of Hearts gown! I haven’t had that much of a surprising good time since before the pandemic.

Overall, I never thought I’d get to experience any Alice in Wonderland themed anything but it goes to show there are fellow lovers of Wonderland out there like me. So here’s to going down the rabbit hole (outside of a book for once) and loving every moment of it.

2.5 star, YA

ARC Review: The Weight of Blood by Tiffany D. Jackson

August 24, 2022August 23, 2022 Andge @ Down the Rabbit Hole

New York Times bestselling author Tiffany D. Jackson ramps up the horror and tackles America’s history and legacy of racism in this suspenseful YA novel following a biracial teenager as her Georgia high school hosts its first integrated prom.

When Springville residents—at least the ones still alive—are questioned about what happened on prom night, they all have the same explanation . . . Maddy did it.

An outcast at her small-town Georgia high school, Madison Washington has always been a teasing target for bullies. And she’s dealt with it because she has more pressing problems to manage. Until the morning a surprise rainstorm reveals her most closely kept secret: Maddy is biracial. She has been passing for white her entire life at the behest of her fanatical white father, Thomas Washington.

After a viral bullying video pulls back the curtain on Springville High’s racist roots, student leaders come up with a plan to change their image: host the school’s first integrated prom as a show of unity. The popular white class president convinces her Black superstar quarterback boyfriend to ask Maddy to be his date, leaving Maddy wondering if it’s possible to have a normal life.

But some of her classmates aren’t done with her just yet. And what they don’t know is that Maddy still has another secret . . . one that will cost them all their lives.

**The Weight of Blood comes out September 6, 2022**

Thank you Edelweiss and the publisher for this copy in exchange for an honest review.

While The Weight of Blood was every bit the strong contender about race and the continued challenges the Black community faces in certain small towns with a history of segregation and racism, the execution of the mystery fell flat on so many levels. I know this is an unpopular opinion, but I’ll explain why I can’t give it a higher rating no matter how much I want to.

The premise of the story from the synopsis makes it sound like we follow Maddy, a girl who is half-Black but has been “lying” to the whole town and passing off as white her whole life. Unfortunately, her POV is only one of many that we follow and it dilutes the focus between too many people to thoroughly invest and enjoy any one of them. We follow Kenny, the love interest, who also happens be dating a popular white girl who is part of the group that bullied Maddy. But not only his POV, we get his girlfriend’s POV which was a rather interesting take as it made it harder to yearn for the main romance when I empathized with her situation the more I got to know her.

For the parts where we do get to see the situations Maddy lives through which we know somehow leads up to a Bloody Prom Night that left over a hundred dead in their small town, I was utterly enthralled in half amazement and disgust. Amazement at how she was raised and her fanatical father who put this narrative in her mind that being Black was wrong, but definite disgust at the treatment of her peers and the town overall towards her. I mean, they still had separate proms, like other ethnicities weren’t seen as equals to dance and celebrate together? Just disgusting behaviour, and I really hope not reflective of small towns in America.

I did think the social commentary on racism was a great place to launch much-needed discussions on this topic. In particular, I also liked the focus on her peers who didn’t throw any insults or directly did anything but nevertheless just stood by and allowed the ones who did get a free pass. Aren’t they as much at fault for what led up to the tragic Night?

Another interesting take was how the small Black community at school didn’t necessarily welcome her into their arms either. Was it because they thought she was ashamed of her Blackness and thus extends to those in the community? Was she not Black enough for them to at least acknowledge her as one of them? It was something that Kenny had to reflect on too as he had integrated well into the popular groups at school by, in a sense, pretending he was colour blind to the little “jokes” by his friends that really were microaggressions or harmful stereotypes.

I would’ve liked to have seen more focus on this topic but I suppose the point of the main premise is a thriller – the big Why everyone (or rather, the survivors) is trying to answer.

Don’t get me wrong, I love a good thriller, but the pacing was super off here. First, reminiscent to the popular book Sadie, there’s a present day podcast in interview style narrating what had happened a decade ago that is Maddy’s story. So the timeline is actually split with the present day parts looking to explain what led to the tragedy. While I like having the podcast style and making us feel just as confused and intrigued by Maddy’s story as the podcaster, it slows things down by cutting into any buildup. The multiple POVs with changing tensions (or different kinds of tension) doesn’t allow for extended buildup either. It’s just getting good – and then it cuts to present day or another person.

The romance was also marketed for this book in some ways, but I never felt any real chemistry between Kenny and Maddy. Yes, they both had to come to terms with their Blackness and what that means in who they want to be and how others may see them. But a connection on that struggle that doesn’t equate to instant attraction and undying love. Kenny did a complete 180 as he was still technically in a relationship with his girlfriend Wendy (whom we also get to really know) for most of the book. I honestly felt bad for Wendy at times even though she missed some cues that the relationship was not going where she hoped it would.

But, the one thing I think everyone loved given the strong Carrie vibes (is this considered a retelling?) but didn’t quite settle with me is the supernatural element to the story. I never read Carrie so I didn’t immediately make that connection with the synopsis so I most definitely wasn’t anticipating this supernatural narrative. In a way, it makes the premise less mysterious and therefore exciting for me. Now there’s a very plausible way that Bloody Prom Night ends up happening and there’s definitely plenty of motive for why on Maddy’s part. The only unknown is the exact sequence of events that led up to it. And the execution of that, as mentioned above, was at times convoluted and all over the place.

I wanted to love this book so badly. I haven’t been reading the reviews for it so I had no high expectations either beyond the premise. Unfortunately, however unpopular this is, The Weight of Blood was less thriller and more of a paranormal story with commentary on race and segregation in small town America.

Overall Recommendation:

The Weight of Blood doesn’t quite hit the nail as a thriller but it at least provides thoughtful reflection on Black identity in predominantly white small towns with a legacy of racism. I thoroughly enjoyed this aspect although it sickened me in places at the abuse our protagonist, Maddy, faced. However, the romance felt forced and the supernatural elements came as a surprise. If you enjoy social commentary on race with a huge sprinkling of paranormal activity, then this is for you! But otherwise, this isn’t what I’d say is a typical thriller and unfortunately not what I anticipated for my first Tiffany D. Jackson novel. It’s probably a case of “it’s me, not the book” so take what you will from this review.