I have an announcement. Actually, I have three — all starting with the letter b.

Bee #1
I’m doubling the number of promised posts I’m publishing in a week — from once a week to twice a week, or from just Tuesdays to Tuesdays & Thursdays —, starting this week. That’s twice the amount of rambling goodness — just what you’ve always wanted! XD

In case you were wondering, the b here is for biweekly, which, you’ll notice, I have thus far avoided using because of its obnoxious dual meaning: “twice a week” and “every other week”. Totally not confusing at all. -.- And, of course, the same horribleness happens with similar bi- words, such as bimonthly and biannually, etc. (Oh, English! *shakes head*)

Bee #2
Not only do I plan to write books, I also plan to write about books (how could I not, with a blog entitled Tsundoku Stacks??), and when I do, I’m going to write them in an unconnected series of sporadic posts that I am calling, with outrageous originality . . . (drum roll, please) . . . Bookmarks! XD

A Bookmark will be my remarks on a book — my book[-re]marks (get it? XD). You might call it a book review, since a book review is no more than someone’s thoughts on a book they’ve read. However, I’m a little hesitant to call Bookmarks book reviews because many book reviews give a summary and refrain from spoilers.

Bookmarks will not be that. I shall provide no synopses, and every Bookmark will be absolutely spoilerific! They will not be for people who have not read the book and are wondering whether they should, and so are hunting around for other people to tell them something about it that might help them make this important decision.

No, no, Bookmarks will be for people who have already read the book and are having perhaps a massive book hangover and so are hunting around for ways to either prolong that hangover or process it. In other words, if you don’t like spoilers — which I don’t, by the way —, Bookmarks will not be for you. If, on the other hand, you’re curious what someone might have to say (likely at length ^^’) about something you’ve read, then best bookmark every Bookmark! (I’m so, so sorry. They tell me compulsive punning is incurable. XD)

Bookmarks will also not be a place where I will either universally praise or universally pan a book. If something is worth remarks, it’s worth thoughtful remarks. Art should make a person pause and take in something that can’t be easily reduced to the simple summary of “it was amazing” or “it was terrible”. Bookmarks will be my space for commenting upon the art form known as books — commenting with nuance. (Maybe even some cogency. But no promises.)

Bee #3
In addition to Bookmarks, which is more of a whenever-I-feel-like-it kind of thing, I intend to start a special weekly “column” — in the way of an old-fashioned newspaper (I know, “what’s that?” XD) —, to appear every Tuesday (starting next Tuesday), that I shall call Banal Magic, as both a hat tip to and a play off of Elizabeth Gilbert’s Big Magic.

Gilbert’s book is thus named because she speaks of the “big magic” that happens when something ineffably awesome happens in the life of a creative. After all, said creative herself wrote a (different) book that has reportedly sold over 12 million copies worldwide — a book that was also turned into a movie starring no less of a headliner than Julia Roberts.

Big magic? I’ll say. (I’m not envious. Who’s envious? Not I! Not at all. XP)

I have no such lofty gifts to offer. I can offer only the banal magic of the ordinary, everyday working creative. And that is, in fact, what I shall offer. Banal Magic will be snippets of this creative’s life (including announcements about this creative’s creations), how I’m actually living my creative life, what I’m doing (and what I’m not doing), et cetera, et cetera, as well as — meta upon meta — this creative’s thoughts about the creative life itself.

TL;DR
Biweekly posts, Bookmarks, & Banal Magic — coming soon to a blog near you. (To this one!)