May: the lilacs are in bloom. Forget yourself.

– Marty Rubin

But seriously, how has so much of the year gone by already? I feel like I’ve barely had a chance to get my shit together or catch my breath, yet at the same time individual days and weeks can drag on forever.

I’m also accepting that I have no idea what to expect from this month, so I guess we’ll just have to see how things shake out.

Goals

Reading & Blogging

• Read 10 books (or half of total read count) for #StartOnYourShelfathon.
• Read 8 books by/about Asian people for #YARC2020 and Asian Readathon (and, of course, for Asian Heritage Month*).
  • I read a lot of East Asian characters/authors (in part because I identify as East Asian-American, but also because they often get more publicity), so I’ll be actively diversifying this list — recommendations for non-East Asian reads are welcome!
• Bloghop at least once but preferably 2-3 times per week.
• Update static pages on blog: About, Review Policy, Disclaimers, Privacy Policy, etc.
• Catch up on ARC reviews (11).

Academic/Career

• Submit thesis/capstone proposals.
• Research post-graduation opportunities.
• Update LinkedIn and master resume.

Personal

• Journal daily — or at least 5 times per week.
• Work out a daily/weekly routine that balances productivity and self-care.
• Spring clean (declutter + reorganize) my childhood bedroom.

Anticipated Releases

I’m not totally up-to-date on all the changed release dates, so apologies if any of these are wrong!

ARCs I Have

• May 5 – The Mermaid, the Witch, and the Sea by Maggie Tokuda-Hall | ★★★✯☆
• May 12 – Private Lessons by Cynthia Salaysay | ★★✯☆☆

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Waiting for Release Day

• May 5 – Clap When You Land by Elizabeth Acevedo
• May 19 – Breath Like Water by Anna Jarzab
• May 19 – The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes [aka Hunger Games prequel] by Suzanne Collins
• May 19 – We Are Not From Here by Jenny Torres Sanchez
• May 26 – Parachutes by Kelly Yang

Upcoming IRL

My semester will be wrapping up this first week and a half (or so) of May, which means I’ve got a couple of projects and exams to submit. But I’m lucky to have the resources to complete them, as well as professors who have been very accommodating, so I’m not all that stressed about it. 

You may or may not know that May is Asian Heritage Month*. It’s often referred to as Asian Pacific Islander American Heritage Month (and variations thereof), but Pasifika activists have spoken out about erasure related to this grouping. Plus, it’s not exclusively for Asian-Americans — all Asians are valid and should be included! 

May is also Mental Health Awareness Month. Current events are rough on everyone, so please do take care of yourself: make time to unwind, whatever that looks like for you, and remember that your best is good enough. Also, if you’d like, you can submit a 100 word rant or two (or however many you want, though I can’t guarantee I’ll publish them all) for an upcoming post! 😉

• Do you have a favorite quote about this month or time of year?
• What goals and plans do you have for this month?
• Which upcoming releases are you most excited to read?