Being in South Korea right in the midst of the Coronavirus outbreak, I'm mostly staying inside and only going out to get groceries, coffee, and the occasional doctor appointment for the baby. I've lost count of how many weeks we have been staying inside and I'm starting to get a bit stir-crazy. Don't get me … Continue reading Stir-crazy
As I am on maternity leave now from work, I have a whole lot of time on my hands to plan for the baby and the birth as well as take very long naps because I AM EXHAUSTED ALL THE TIME. When I am not doing these things, I honestly wish I could work on … Continue reading The Fluff Genre
Because I am a researcher by nature and book lover at heart, I have been eating up pregnancy books like no one's business. Also, because South Korean doctors seem to have this mentality of "we will tell you what to do the day of delivery," and I'm not about that life. Knowledge is power and … Continue reading Pregnancy Books
I told myself I wasn't going to make this blog about Korea or my experiences here. But if I just talk about moments here and there it won't be so bad, right? Something that has been eating at me is habits of young mothers here. #1 - The Maternity Diet Since I found out I'm … Continue reading Having a Korea Moment – Motherhood
Do you have a favorite book or series that you can't help but reread once every year or so? To me it's kind of like seeing an old friend, visiting my hometown, reliving good memories. It's cozy. It's a comfort. It's familiar. Recently, while I was in my book slump and felt depressed by the … Continue reading Top Five Books to Reread
It's definitely been a while since my last blog post, but don't worry...I'm not dead! Far from it actually. I've had a lot of things going on in the past few months. None the least of which is finding out I'm pregnant! That's right! So, now that I'm in my second trimester and feel pretty … Continue reading Been a while
Have you ever read a book that was so terrible, that you thought to yourself "How did this book get published? It even has two more books in the series! I could write WAY better than this garbage..." I've read a couple of books that made me feel that way in the past and just … Continue reading Strangely Motivational
My story prompts and inspirations for this month!
Let me preface this post by saying: I love to read. You probably couldn't tell, could you? What with all of the book reviews so far... Unfortunately, the problem that I face as a writer stems from reading books. The problem being: I stumble upon a published book that has incredibly similar features (plot points, … Continue reading A Writer’s Problem
I've had a devil of a time starting this review since I have too many thoughts about this story and I just love it so much! The premise of it is pretty simple: it's about a girl and her sister who are invited to this place called Caraval, which is this kind of game/carnival/murder-mystery/puzzle island. … Continue reading Book Review: Caraval by Stephanie Garber
I have never read a book so much like a Korean Drama as this one was. It's not about Koreans but it has the same sort of premise as a lot of Korean Dramas these days. A poor girl meets a rich boyfriend (sometimes unaware of his wealth) and eventually the mom of the rich … Continue reading Book Review: Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan
I'm honestly in awe of this book. I'm not exactly sure how to begin my ode to it but I will do my best. I went into this book blind. I didn't even read the summary for it before I began reading. I'm one of those "judge a book by its cover" kind of people. … Continue reading Book Review: Queen of the Tearling by Erika Johansen
TGIF everybody! It's time to celebrate the end of the week and what better way then to have a drink or two and get some writing done! In South Korea, they call their TGIF celebration "Fire Friday" or "Burning Friday" in Korean the word is 불금 (bul-geum). 불 (bul) means fire and 금 (geum) is the abbreviation … Continue reading 1st Fire Friday Writing
As I mentioned in my last blog post, I like to use music videos/music to help me with my writing. Whether it is to get me out of my writer's block, or to write a short blurb, or even to catch a feeling in an intense moment in my story, I look to music for … Continue reading February 2018 Playlist
Tori Bird 