As you know, September was a difficult month for me. But because October was so incredibly busy (as you probably saw from the sudden burst of activity on the blog), September feels like… months ago. October was both very long and very short at the same time and I’m both ready and not-ready for the end of 2024.

October in Books

September turned out to be a great month for books because I had very, very long layovers that helped me to finish books (woohoo four books in four days? I’ve not read like that since school)! Likewise, October got off to a good start as I had a long trip back, and then my reading pace slowed down dramatically as I went back to work and a business trip.

I managed to finish eight books in October, over a variety of subjects. Two were on China, and they did make me want to read more about the country (reviews to come). One was about the kimono and I hope that I can write a more general post about my experience with the kimono in the future. Only two of the eight books were fiction, which I think accounts for the slower reading pace – I had to slow down to absorb the nonfiction. I think I wrote reviews for most of these books, so if they aren’t already posted, you will see them on the blog in the coming weeks.

October in Tea

This honestly does not need to be a section, because I’ve just been drinking down my stash but now that we’re in November, I will take tea advent calendar recommendations! Or maybe I will try to make my own advent this year, or perhaps take a break and skip it entirely? This year has been atypical for my blog, anyway, so I’m open to anything new! (But also, I would like some Christmas teas, I’m just a sucker that way).

Other Updates

I have been comparing my most recent trip(s) to my trip to Okinawa in January and I realised something. I didn’t blog about Okinawa right away but after sitting on the trip for months, managed to write a few more reflective pieces. This time, however, I was excited about the tour and the hotels and wrote more factual posts right away, and as a result I have not written anything more reflection! I did try to write a bit while on the go (like what I felt going back to Fukuoka as well as periodic updates from Morocco) on Substack and I’m quite happy with it as a travel/mobile blogging alternative. I’m just wondering if I should learn to sit with the experiences to produce something with even more thought, and I think I’d like to go back to working through the Writing Life Stories book in November and December (I’m only at Chapter 4, I think…?)

Before the year ends, I would also like to write a crochet post. But I’ve also got plans to try something a bit more creative so it may take until the new year. I’m actually really enjoying crochet as a hobby but I’m still trying to figure out how much to share.

Now that we’re firmly in the last quarter of the year, I’ve been thinking back on my time away from the blog and how it was like coming back. It’s strange that even after about half a year back, I’ve still not figured out how I would like to be present on the Internet (given my inability to resist Shiny New Things). I do miss the community but I also appreciate that I need a lot more time to myself now than I did before.

At the moment, I’m considering pausing all new reviews*, just posting the ones that are already written and then finishing the most pressing books on my TBR before diving back into rereading until the year ends while I continue thinking about what I want to do in this space.

*Except a podcast update. I feel like I’ve not done one for ages and I would like to share talk about podcasts! (There is always so much to talk about that I find it hard to stop and just think)