Books, Fiction

Siri, Who Am I? by Sam Tschida

Worth A Read Yes
Length 352
Quick Review A novel diving into the dichotomy between people’s lives on social media and their realties. Tapping into pop culture, the book explores identity in the modern era. 

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Siri, Who Am I? by Sam Tschida | Tiara | Dress | Earrings

I meant to post this last week on the fifth, which was supposed to be Sam Tschida and Siri, Who Am I?s publishing day, but that would have meant I would have had to write this. I read it weeks ago, but life has kept me away from my computer because puppies. The pandemic pushed the publishing date… so expect this one to hit shelves in January! If you pre-order now, you’re supporting publishers and authors during this hard time, and you’ll probably forget you ordered it, so it will be a surprise to yourself in eight months! 

Mia wakes up in a hospital with a bad case of amnesia. With absolutely no idea who she is, what she does, where she lives, or who she trusts, she leaves the hospital in a fancy expensive dress, her phone, and a pretty red lipstick. Through social media, she finds “her” house, which happens to be house-sat by a nerdy scientist. He becomes her right-hand man, helping her piece together her life story. 

Siri, Who Am I? is a crash course in pop culture. It’s quite something. I didn’t understand the vast majority or the references because I live under a rock. Hashtags pop up with alarming regularity; I would hate it, but it works in this novel because of the content and story being told. It bolsters the image of the shallow life that is being played out for an Instagram feed. Tschida relies on technology to help the story move; to the point it is more than a presence, it’s a character in it’s own right. Technology takes up the same amount of space in the novel as it does in most of our daily lives. 

The footnotes made the novel for me. It establishes passing thoughts, judgements, side comments, questions and more. The footnotes are the inner monologue of the novel. It was a great addition, and I loved them. 

It is a twenty-something creation story set in the modern era of Instagram “Thank God for Instagram. I’d already written a story for myself, and damn if it wasn’t pretty.” On the surface, it’s a fun novel and love story arriving just in time for summer. It’s actually far more interesting. Tschida explores the influence of social media on identity. Does personality affect what is put on social media or is social media influencing and changing identity? 

As the pandemic continues to rage on, I suggest picking this one up and reading it. Siri, Who Am I? can’t help being fun, but it’s also a probing look into my generations’ obsession with social media. 

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bisous und обьятий,
RaeAnna

Title: Siri, Who Am I?
Author: Sam Tschida
Publisher: Quirk Books
Copyright: 2020
ISBN: 9781683691686

11..., Lifestyle

11… Reasons I Take Sporadic Breaks from Social Media

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I’ve been hiding from the world for a week and a half. Beau hasn’t complained.

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If I can’t see the world, that means I’m successfully hiding. Beau is not convinced. | Pajamas | Sweater | Hat | Sheets | Bed Frame |

Every once in awhile I basically disappear from social media. I don’t consciously decide to take a break; it just happens. I won’t post for a week or two. It doesn’t mean I’ve quit, I’m just having an accidental social media detox. This is the first post in a week and a half; I was kinda done with life and needed to disentangle myself.

  1. I have a life, and I get busy. When life is happening, I don’t have time to post. 
  2. Being present with my loved ones and all the people I choose to spend time with will always be more important to me than posting at a certain time. 
  3. PTSD is a bitch. When I’m in the throws of a bad day or a bad week or a bad month, being a successful blogger is on the back burner. I’m just trying to hold it all together and not be a human puddle. 
  4. Traveling sucks up my time. When I’m behind the wheel, I’m obviously not going to post. 
  5. Sickness. I hate working when I’m sick, so I don’t. 
  6. BURN OUT!!! It’s real. I’ve been dealing with some burn out lately. Not necessarily because of Instagram or social media. Just burnt out in general on a lot of things. When the burn out hits, though, I’m gonna take a break. It can strike at any time.   
  7. Migraines are horrible. I refuse to stare at a bright screen when my head feels like home to a mutiny.
  8. I’m lazy. 
  9. Work takes up way more of my time than I would like it to. When I’m busy, I literally can’t stop the word flow to post. It can be hard to hold onto thought streams as a writer, so I refuse to interrupt it. 
  10. There are periods of time where I lose all brain activity and have zero original thoughts. At least, it feels like that is true. It’s hard to be an enthusiastic content creator when I don’t feel like I’m creative. 
  11. I’m not in the mood to deal with the fucking algorithm. The algorithm sucks, and I don’t want to deal with it. Instagram hates me, and I don’t want to deal with the shitty, shitty interaction percentages because NO ONE sees what I post because Instagram withholds them because Instagram hates me. 

I’m never going to feel bad about not posting because it is my life and my feed. Being present is more important to me than having a plugged in and constantly curated social media existence. I love my job. I love being a blogger. I love connecting with everyone. I love sharing my life with each and every one of you. Sometimes, I need a vacation or mental break from being present all the time.  

bisous und обьятий,
RaeAnna

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Hello, world. I’m blogging again after a small recess.
Lifestyle

I’m Not In It For the Free Stuff… BUT!

For this week’s Tuesday Truth, I want to talk about the one thing that is really starting to get on my last nerve about being a blogger. 

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I started Bookish Liaisons as a hobby and a passion project. A place I could take all my thoughts and opinions about the books I read. It still is. It has definitely grown larger than my wildest dreams. It accidentally turned into a small job and business. This place of mine transformed from a book blog into a bookish lifestyle blog because I’m a nerd with a life!

I never, not once, started this to get free stuff. Actually, the first time someone sent me a free book, I was thrilled and mostly shocked. “I should have started doing this a long time ago,” went through my mind because free books! A bookworm’s dream. I do not search out free books, and I do not search out free stuff. Sometimes, I get things in exchange for an honest review. Always honest. I’m never going to sell out for loot. Or try and sell my followers on things I don’t genuinely believe in.

Complete honesty: I’m pretty proud of the following I have on Instagram. I love all my followers because they are joining in on this great journey of mine. I’m no Selena Gomez, but I’m doing just fine!

Due to the number of followers I have, I get a lot of offers from companies and people wanting to send me their products. I turn down most because I am very picky about what I associate with. I am only ever going to talk about, post, and promote things I believe in and would spend my own money on. The books I have received from publishers are fabulous, but I only say “yes” to the books I’m actually interested in reading. I have turned down a ton of books, even if they are free. No matter what, I still review with honesty. (The books I have hated the most have been books sent to me for free. Oh man, I roasted a couple.) I’m not going to put my integrity on the line for a free book. No way. If I upset a publisher, editor, or author because of that, so be it.

What is starting to get on my last nerve as a blogger: companies soliciting. I’m a blogger. I’m a blogger on a limited budget. I freelance for a living. I like to spend my money on three things: travel, my dog, and food. I’m a bargain shopper when it comes to books because I’m a bargain shopper with e.v.e.r.y.thing. I ABSOLUTELY HATE WHEN COMPANIES, AUTHORS, ANYONE REACHES OUT ASKING ME TO BUY THEIR PRODUCT AND REVIEW IT. I get. We all have to hustle. It’s the way of the world. If you really want me to review your book, candle, bookmark, product, whatever, then send me an email, ask if I’d be interested, and then send it to me for free. I will never ever ever ask anyone to send me something for free. If I want it I will buy it. I am not going to spend the little money I have on something I do not want, need, or am looking for.

I have been contacted so many times because people want me to buy, review, and promote their product. Being a blogger, creating content, writing posts, and promoting takes A LOT of time. If you can’t pay for my time to market your product as the influencer I am, then at least offer to send it to me for free. I always politely say “thanks, but no thanks.” Sometimes, they even ask if I could shout them out or repost their pictures on my feed directing my followers their way. NO. Unless I can product test, I am not going to promote it. Integrity people. So many of the people who have approached me this way had products I would have totally accepted. Not now. Ya gotta spend some to make some.

I’m nothing special; I have a respectable following. I am an influencer and a blogger. I absolutely love doing this. I hate that people don’t take the work, my time, or my followers seriously. I’m not in this for free stuff. I am also not in this to spend all of my money.

End of rant!