Weekly Wrap Up 4-16-21 — Read & Wright

Before we get into today’s Weekly Wrap Up, I want to share some action items in light of the difficult news this week regarding the murders of Daunte Wright and Adam Toledo, the Derek Chauvin trial, and the incredibly horrifying news that one of Breonna Taylor’s murders was offered a book deal from Post Hill Press, which is distributed by Simon and Schuster.

Bystander Intervention Training —This is something I am personally doing.

Donate to Daunte Wright’s Family

Donate Supplies to the Brooklyn Center Mutual Aid

If you prefer to donate to national bail funds, I found this article from Women’s Health helpful. Links are provided!

There’s no good way to transition here so, read on for today’s Weekly Wrap Up.

When I sat down to start writing this week’s Weekly Wrap Up…I realized today is Read & Wright’s birthday! Three years ago, I started this blog as a creative outlet and escape after a very long audition season. Usually I plan something elaborate but with everything we have going on this month, it totally slipped my mind.

But part of me thinks that’s even more special. In the last year, Read & Wright has come to mean more to me than ever before. It’s my creative outlet but it’s also become a business that has sustained me emotionally and financially while live theatre has been closed. It’s brought me friends I can’t imagine my life without, confidence in myself and my words, and a community of people who make me smile daily.

My first year blogging was inconsistent and messy, but year two and three brought so much more once I believed in myself a little more and took the full leap.

On top of all those things, I finally starting writing my own book in the last year. A lifelong dream of mine to be an author is just in the beginning stages and I’m so grateful that writing for myself has given me the confidence to write for others.

I’ll be sharing a fun surprise on IG to say thank you! Now, here’s what I up to this week.

What I Read:

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz—I highly recommend this one on audio! Lin-Manuel Miranda reads it and I loved it. He brings the charm of the characters, especially Dante, to life so well!

Legendborn by Tracy Deonn—THIS. BOOK. I’m so glad I saved it for when I was in the right headspace for fantasy because it is SO GOOD! One of my favorite books of all time is Avalon High by Meg Cabot, which is a King Arthur retelling as a YA book. Legendborn took what I loved about the King Arthur legend and filled it with even more magic than I could have imagined. It’s an urban fantasy and I highly recommend it!

Sing Me Forgotten by Jessica Olson—This is a gender bent retelling of The Phantom of the Opera set in a YA book. The magic system is so cool and complex and I enjoyed reading it! Not a new favorite, but definitely creative.

Currently Reading:

The Deal by Elle Kennedy—This is a romance Ashley has been begging me to read for months so it’s finally happening! I’m excited to read only one book at a time for a bit and a contemporary romance is always something that can suck me in!