#monthly.updates.dh

[hongyueg]

December 2024 Updates

Hi, all! I am starting up monthly updates so I can share news regarding my book reviews/fanfiction and my reading/fandom engagement.

For the first time in a while, I have been motivated to read. I am currently reading way too many books to list, but I am particularly enjoying L. L. McKinney’s A Blade So Black, Emily Wilson’s translation of The Iliad, Pat Barker’s The Silence of the Girls, and Eldritcher’s Fire and Blood fanfic series Ossuarium. There are so many more books I am reading that I’m enjoying, but I’ll stick to listing those for now.

In terms of my own writing, I am working on a short and fluffy ATLA fanfic about Roku and his friends inspired by The Reckoning of Roku. I’ve also been feeling some motivation to possibly continue my Eternals fanfic series, so we’ll see where that goes!

Anyway, thank you for reading my updates, and let me know if you are reading any good books or have been working on any cool fanfics in the comments! Until next time! Before you go, I urge you to educate yourself about, donate, and support these organizations who are doing important, although unfortunately needed work in and to support Palestine and the Democratic Republic of Congo: Operation Olive Branch’s mutual aid list, Friends of the Congo, Focus Congo. For more resources and organizations to support, please look here.

[hongyueg]

June 2026 Updates

Hi, all! I hope your June has been going well. My updates are below.

I actually wrote a book review this month for a novel I finished reading last year. I’d been meaning to write a review for it for a while since it’s a novel I had supported on Kickstarter, and I usually try to write reviews to support indie books I like, so I’m happy I finally got around to it. I’m also lightly reframing the way I write my book reviews to reflect better how I currently engage with reading, so keep an eye out for those changes.

Anyways, I did a little more work on my fanfic projects, and I managed to catch up on commenting on some fics I’ve been reading. If you’re a fan of the Dunk and Egg novellas and/or ASOIAF, I highly recommend Mithrigil’s “The Hall of Empty Sconces.” If you’re more into Fire and Blood, neeku’s “The Son of the Dragon” and the anonymously written “we don't have to talk about it” were both great deep dives into Aerea and Rhaena, respectively.

Thank you for stopping by! You are welcome to share any fic or book recs in the comments! This month, I urge you to support these two campaigns raising money for summer clothing for children displaced in Gaza and for fencing to protect Palestinian families in the West Bank from settlers. Additionally, please follow the Darfur Network for Human Rights, which tracks violations against civilians in Sudan. For more resources and organizations to support, please look here.

[hongyueg]

May 2026 Updates

Hi, all! I hope your May is going well! My updates for this month are below.

I worked a bit more on my longer fanfic projects, which has been nice to return to. I have been struggling for inspiration over the last few months, but I’m slowly starting to feel more and more motivated.

I’m still gradually making my way through all the books and fics I’m reading.

Anyways, thank you for reading my updates! Let me know what you have been working on or reading in the comments. This month, I encourage you to support AbCF, an organization working toward economic independence and self-determination for First Nation peoples through First Nation-led nature repair initiatives. Additionally, I once again encourage you to support the Basandja Coalition, which is working on the ground to support displaced people in the North Kivu province of the DR Congo. Finally, please support Pa'lante, a youth-led transformative justice organization in Massachusetts. For more resources and organizations to support, please look here.

[hongyueg]

April 2026 Updates

Hello! I hope you had a great April! My updates for this month are below.

I’ve slowly begun regaining some of my creative fanfic energy from last year, and I’m feeling more motivated to work more on the larger project I started in August. I did more outlining for it and talked about it with some friends, which was nice.

I’m still reading, which has been pleasant. I finished Awakening of Roku, which I thought was alright. There were some sweet moments and some intriguing arguments, but overall, I felt the book was struggling to decide whether or not it wanted to be a more complicated tragedy or your average YA fantasy action-adventure novel, making it hard for the story to pull off either.

Anyways, thanks for reading my updates! Let me know what you have been reading and/or writing in the comments. This month, I urge you to support Project Muhammad, which provides shelter, food, and other necessities for displaced children in Gaza. I also encourage you to follow and support Feminista, a feminist initiative in Kazakhstan supporting women and queer people. Their Instagram can be found here. Finally, I encourage you to support the Rosenberg Fund for Children, which provides aid for activist youth and the children of parents who have been attacked for their progressive activism in the US. For more resources and organizations to support, please look here.

[hongyueg]

March 2026 Updates

I hope your March has treated you well! My monthly updates are below.

I did more reading, which was nice, and went to two good book club discussions. 

I worked more on a fanfic story I started plotting last year, and that was nice. It’s definitely a bigger project than I’ve worked on before, but it’s a good challenge, and hopefully I’ll grow as a result.

Thank you for reading my updates! You are welcome to share any books you’re reading or fics you’re working on in the comments. This month, I encourage you to support the Let Cuba Live campaign and at least one of the organizations providing aid in Lebanon from riding-with-the-wild-hunt’s list here. I also encourage you to support the North American Indian Center of Boston, which is facing funding cuts. For more resources and organizations to support, please look here.

[hongyueg]

February 2026 Updates

Hi, everyone! I hope your February has been treating you kindly. My updates for this month are below.

I participated in the Silmarillion Writers’ Guild’s February instadrabbling session, which was a lot of fun. It took me back to high school when I participated in a teen writers workshop at my local library, and we worked on and shared prompt-based writing together. I wrote a few Silmarillion drabbles that you can find here.

I also have been doing a lot of reading, which has been nice. I mentioned in my January updates that I joined a couple of book clubs, and I went to both of their first meetings and had a pleasant time. 

Thank you for reading my updates! You are welcome to share your fanfic and reading updates in the comments. This month, I encourage you to support James Goebel and Ashley Phil’s fundraiser to support LGBTIQ refugees in Eastern Africa (vetted here). I also encourage you to support The Florence Project, which offers free legal and social services to detained immigrants in Arizona, and The Sameer Project’s Ramadan Campaign. For more resources and organizations to support, please look here.

[hongyueg]

January 2026 Updates

Hi, everyone! I hope you are having a good January. My monthly updates are below.

I published a couple more fics: one more Fire and Blood fic that I was randomly inspired to write about Rhaena and Elissa (“Memories on the Shore”) and one longer that I had started back in 2020 about Kyoshi and Rangi (“Love is Hard When You Are Young”). 

I joined a couple of book clubs as part of my New Year’s resolution to do more in-person activities, and it’s been fun reading books I probably wouldn’t have chosen to read on my own. It’s also forcing me to read faster than I’m used to. 😅

Thank you for checking out my updates! You are welcome to share what you have been reading and writing in the comments. This month, I encourage you to support the LUCE Immigrant Network of MA, which operates an ICE watch and hotline, and the Rohingya Community Partners’ emergency fundraising campaign to support families who lost their shelters in a fire in Bangladesh. I also encourage you to support Reviving Gaza, a mutual aid network providing aid to people in Gaza. For more resources and organizations to support, please look here.

[hongyueg]

December 2025 Updates

Happy December, everyone! I hope your year is ending well. I can’t believe we’re at the first anniversary of when I started these updates. Doing these updates has been super helpful in motivating me to actually read and write, or at least reflect on what I have done. This month’s updates are below.

I finished three books I have been reading for some time this month! First, I finished the middle-grade fantasy anthology Tales from the Otherworlds, which was a delightful read. I also completed my re-read of The Silmarillion, which was a lot of fun revisiting. To be honest, my reading comprehension hadn’t been great when I first read the book at eighteen, and re-reading it now that I’m older, I found I could understand and appreciate the story much more. I also finished reading Fire and Blood, which was very intriguing. I have never read or watched Game of Thrones, so it was definitely a journey reading Fire and Blood without that context, but I had a good time.

I also did more work on my own fanfics, which has been both fun and aggravating at times. I’m definitely learning how to be more patient with myself and my abilities as an amateur writer.

Well, thank you for sticking with me! I wish you a Happy New Year and, as always, feel free to leave your reading and fanfic updates in the comments. This month, I encourage you to support the Barana Hanabneiho Organisation, a youth-led Sudanese organization that provides food, shelter, and education in underprivileged areas of Sudan. I also encourage you to support the Uyghur Wellness Initiative, which provides safe spaces for Uyghur communities, and the “We Got This” program, which is a Milwaukee-based community garden. For more resources and organizations to support, please look here.