january inked on paper || the perfect bookworm life would be one where all we did was eat books and sleep. WITH CERTAIN CHOCOLATE-FLAVORED OVERLOADS because chocolate is important for survival DARN YOU. (welcome to my world)

i shall forever begrudge the simple fact that we don’t currently live in a world ruled by chocolate.

because then we wouldn’t forever be insearch of incredible stuff since it’d technically be handed out on a silver chocolate-made platter. LIFE WOULD BE PERFECT.

(except maybe for the time when we’d wish said universe would have been better off ruled by me instead, BUT SHH. we’re talking about chocolate currently)

january was a slightly ridiculous month wherein the world didn’t allow me to conquer it and the dragons in my backyard decided to burn it down as revenge.

except they’re still smol creatures and we therefore ended up with merely a grassy patch that came out charred and smoking. ALTHOUGH I APPRECIATE THE SENTIMENT.

january was also the month i stole chocolates hidden in dragon lairs and raised them as my own before eating them whole. because that’s a scientifically proven mechanism to cope with school and the world being busy. and the world was busy this january.

once upon a time when i was smol and still believed the lies of the world about stories being real and that there existed a universe parallel to ours where authors were granted free entry to document all its stories, i wanted to be charlie bucket.

every time i opened chocolate wrappers, i kept my fingers crossed that i’d finally get my golden ticket too and live in a factory where we survived off all things sweet and fabulous. not taking into account that the golden tickets were never announced and so i technically never ever had even the vaguest idea what chocolate brands they might be hidden in. or that there wasn’t a chocolate factory outside my window that had been secretly abandoned for so many years.

kids are smol and they don’t have to worry about such worldly details yet.

but i wasn’t even that desperate to be granted the role of charlie. i’d deem my life perfect even if i were, say, augustus gloop or violet beauregarde or veruca salt. because the poster of so many years ago that the people forgot to put up in the world i inhabit also announced that they’d all get lifelong chocolate supply no matter who the eventual heir to the chocolate factory would have been.

and that’s actually a pretty tempting offer.

(CLICK ON THE COVERS TO JUMP INTO GOODREADS. ALTHOUGH, FOR NOW, I SUGGEST YOU STAY. I’M HANDING OUT OLIVES) (DON’T WORRY NAEMI, THERE’S CHOCOLATE FOR YOU)

to all the boys i’ve loved before by jenny han ★★★★ SO THIS WAS UNCHARACTERISTICALLY FUN. it’s also deeply humiliating because i went into this merely to 1) binge-read within the course of a single night because I WASN’T READING ENOUGH LATELY which made me sad 2) help with my reading goal because QUICK READS and 3) was also convinced all the way that i’d hate this just as much as the summer i turned pretty AND THEN COME ON HERE THE NEXT DAY TO DO MY USUAL AND RANT ABOUT IT.

it’s a little globe-changing when books defy all your expectations and pre-concieved notions of them and accidentally make the biggest grump on the planet (me) who hates most books (also me) fall in love with the works of an author they’d claimed they hated.

BECAUSE RIDICULOUSNESS, AM I RIGHT.

p.s. i still love you by jenny han ★★★ P.S. I STILL LOVE THIS SERIES

always and forever, lara jean by jenny han ★★★ a little-known truth about the jenny han books because i’ve never heard anyone declare it: THEY’RE THE MOST BINGE-ABLE WORDS IN EXISTENCE. you also don’t need braincells for comprehension and such SO WOULD 100% RECOMMEND LIKE THAT. this was fun okay.

(ALSO AM OBSESSED WITH HOW MUCH ALL THE JENNY HAN CHARACTERS LOVE CHOCOLATE. I’M GLAD I DON’T HAVE TO BE THE UNIVERSE’S LONE CHOCOLATE-LOVER ANYMORE)

six crimson cranes by elizabeth lim ★★★ look i’m pretty convinced this is severely overhyped. i sometimes think back and wonder if i might have loved this more if i’d maybe gone in without the expectations to be completely mindblown. and i usually think that’d be a yes. am firmly convinced i’d have liked this even better if i’d gone in solely seeking fun instead of wanting to fall in love with all the characters and come out the other side shouting about new favorites. SHIORI’S A BADASS AND I KIND OF REALLY LOVE HER but this was more FUN than something-i’d-remember-forever.

the deal of a lifetime by fredrik backman (no rating) WELCOME TO MY NEWEST MOST RECENT ACCOMPLISHMENT IN LIFE (NO it’s not building a chocolate factory. I kind of do not have the time* AND WE’D NEED WONKA FOR THAT. SOMEONE FIND ME WONKA) hello to the time i read a 65-page book in the smol duration of a mere 45 minutes. WHICH IS FAST FOR ME OKAY.

but i also have zero semblances of an idea on how to feel about this. EXCUSE YOU.

daddy by emma cline ★★ hello to the second book of the day (OR MAYBE MONTH WE DO NOT KNOW THE WORKINGS OF TIME HERE) i have no idea how to feel about.

no, but i actually don’t.

all the stories are sort of magical although they’re also purely realistic fiction but we like to pretend. and we also float entirely on vibes here. (AND THEY HAVE MAGICAL VIBES OKAY) too many have ridiculously abrupt endings AND CAN YOU NOT GET THE FACT THAT I’M JUST RIDICULOUSLY CONFUSED HERE? THANK. YOU.

up all night by laura silverman ★★ welcome to the second time anoushka reads an anthology. THIS WAS ENTERTAINING AND THAT’S USUALLY WHAT BOOKS ARE SUPPOSED TO BE. i’m not mad as i expected to be**. look am actually smol bits of surprised at just how much i loved some of the stories. YOU, TIFFANY JACKSON, WRITE THE BEST STORIES. also zappia rules. also i have thoughts coming AND EVERYTHING’S IN BULLET POINTS so be excited, people.

* I’M TOO DUMB FOR IT, BASICALLY
** THE NEGATIVE REVIEWS FOR THIS ONE ARE INTENSE, DUDES.

i’ve finally taken to being a good little olive fiend again and therefore collecting instagram snippets of interesting stuff that happened.

which is to say, i saved all the posts that anyone said were important and was thus overall just characteristically lazy again. BUT IT ALSO MEANS I CURRENTLY HAVE STUFF TO WRITE IN THIS SECTION. and they tell you to focus on the positives, don’t they??

SO FOCUS ON THE POSITIVES, OLIVE.

• THE WORLD GOING WILD ON JANUARY THE THIRD OVER HOLLY BLACK’S NEWEST EVER RELEASE. FEATURING OAK. i should probably get to the rest of the folk of the air series before suhani murders me in my sleep AND THE WORLD MOVES ON WITHOUT ME. (we’re working on it) [the details]
• which is to say. I WANT TO JOIN IN THE EXCITEMENT TOO OKAY.
• WELCOME ALSO TO THE MOST RECENT BOOK BY LEIGH BARDUGO (AKA THE BEST PERSON ALIVE) and follow up to ninth house: HELL BENT. they say there’s this one darlington i must know about. [the details]
• lynn painter announces a follow-up to her famous ‘better than the movies’ titled: nothing like the movies. [the details]
• look am slightly confused over how this ended up here too since 1) i haven’t yet read ANYTHING by the author and 2) i’m also perhaps not the biggest fan of romance contemporaries.
• BUT SHHH HER COVERS ARE ALWAYS PRETTY.

one of my favorite things in life: creating plans that i know there’s no earthly possibility i can stick to, for the simple reason THAT THE IMPOSSIBLE IS FUN LIKE THAT.

plan in question for the month in current conversation: me keeping up my reputation of being a fabulous little olive who one day takes over the universe by posting on bookstagram once every 24 hours.

BECAUSE WHAT COULD POSSIBLY GO WRONG.

(a lot, apparently)

i missed on the first of january.*

but shh. it’s okay. we play games of being flexible and imagine living halfway across the world in hopes of changing the time zones someday. THE SECOND OF JANUARY WAS THE FIRST DAY.

so that’s when i posted 23’s first post and debated other such ambitious goals for the new year.

i was perhaps in the middle of mind-numbing finals at the time, but i was also a determined little olive who forever dreams of bringing unimaginable amounts of price to said olive race of mine and therefore spent every spare minute writing up posts and wayward stories that accidentally found their way into the damaged little universe, thus abandoning all semblances of a life and reading for a whole week and lived off of five hours of sleep per night.

welcome to success that lasted for an exact three number of days after which i was too tired to continue on anymore and filled up my days with more studying BECAUSE THAT IS THE WAY OF THE WORLD.

currently my last post dates at 30th january promising more on its way except we all know how this wrap up is approximately somewhere nearing a month late and i’ve lied once again.

NO ONE TALK ABOUT IT.

* SEE THIS IS WHAT WE CALL RIDICULOUSLY REBELLIOUS RULE-BREAKING BE PROUD OF ME.

one of my biggest and most periodical achievements in life is never ever sticking to plans, which is kind of what this whole post is about. I LIKE TO BRAG.

in the whole thirty one days of january, i posted a grand total of two times and we’re still calling that a hard-earned success because the ancient ancient aliens still remember every single month of 2021 when i disappeared completely and without explanation and then came back with bribes of chocolate.

THIS IS PROGRESS.

• the amazing sumedha talks about her best books of 2022 AND LOOK I KIND OF THINK THAT I’M TRASH FOR ANYTHING THAT SHE POSTS BECAUSE I SHALL DEVOUR IT ALL || i’m hopeless and also wildly obsessed like that EXCUSE MY LIFE [the post]
• people look!! amaya returned after THE LONGEST EVER break and her wrap-ups are world-class amazingness || i again proceed to be hopelessly obsessed. [the post]
• naemi is once again fabulous and judges her viewer’s taste in content (HER WORDS NOT MINE) || and it’s actually ridiculous amounts of entertaining. I LIKE. [the post]
• suhani-the-secondary-leader-of-the-witch-coven- because-i’m-the-self-appointed-true-one talks about her GOALS FOR THE NEW YEAR || AND IT’S ALL EXCITING STUFF. [the post]
• bianca writes the most fabulous review of ever featuring leech: a deliciously-creepy-sounding mix of dystopian horror revolving around parasites and ghosts and monsters and WRITING SHE DESCRIBES AS HYPNOTIC. i must read || except it’s also very infuriating BECAUSE MY TBR’S ALREADY IMPOSSIBLE AMOUNTS OF HUGE, BIANCA. [the post]
• liesl shares some of her favorite writing resources AND LOOK I LOVE IT || it’s so entertaining to read WHILE ALSO BEING HUGE AMOUNTS OF HELPFUL THANK YOU. [the post]

happy end-of-your-reading-challenge to all those celebrating BUT I STILL HAVE FOUR BOOKS LEFT and thus am not one of the celebrating parties || wherein i accidentally forget to sleep and read for 24 hours straight. and then inflict upon you all the details of my nightly escapades. YOU’RE WELCOME.

basically, i did the impossible and read for a total of 20 hours and 4 novels, while simultaneously hijacking my sister’s room to store all my bookpiles in because my floor is covered with stray paper stacks that look too sad to be thrown out*. I’M KIND LIKE THAT.

conclusion of said experiment is such: WHAT THE HELL BOB I’M SO TIRED NEVER DO THIS AGAIN. yes, well. it didn’t live completely up to plan and was overall exhausting. 1000/10 DO NOT RECOMMEND. but shh. IGNORE THAT BOB. there was slight amounts of sprinkled fun AND DRAFTING THIS POST WAS CACKLING LEVELS OF AMAZING. hence decreed FUN STUFF. it’s a nice life sometimes.

click here for the fun version.

* IT’S ABSOLUTE AND UTTER MASTERY OF THE PUPPY EYES, BASICALLY.

welcome to 23 || wherein we create goals for the new year and casually proceed to forget all about them (BECAUSE WE MUST KEEP UP #HABITS DARNIT) ft. becoming queen of the dragons and other goals for 2023

PLEASE PUT ALL YOUR TWENTY SEVEN HANDS TOGETHER BECAUSE WE’RE NOW ANNOUNCING THE WINNER OF THE JANUARY OLIVE-EXTRAORDINAIRE COMPETITION FOR THE BIGGEST EVER FAILING ACCOMPLISHMENT ON THE DIPPED IN INK BOOK BLOG!!!! welcome to the time anoushka casually offered grand promises of an un-asked-for personality change (she’s since then discovered that that is the ONLY way she shall ever be able to emerge out of 2023 still an olive and completely successful) and then habitually proceeded to FORGET AGAIN. WHERE’S THE TIMETABLE BOB.

smash HERE for all the olive-shaped details.

(SHHH stop staring at me like that, YOU GREEN ALIEN YOU. I SEE THE TENTACLES POKING OUT. STOP DOING THAT)

life was good to me this january. (i think??) (HONESTLY THE MEMORIES ARE ALL BLURRED TOGETHER AND I REMEMBER NOTHING) (so let’s go with the ‘looking at positives again’ trash AND CONCLUDE THAT IT WAS NICE) (good olive)

• i slept over at a friend’s AFTER THE LONGEST TIME AND IT WAS THE MOST FUN I’VE HAD IN ABOUT THE PAST THREE HUNDRED DECADES
• also she has a dog. WHICH JUST MAKES THE WHOLE ENTIRE WORLD A BETTER PLACE.
• i’m maybe in love with her dog. BUT SAID FRIEND’S THE BEST AND SENDS ME PHOTOS EVERYDAY although am still contemplating whether it’s to make me jealous OR JUST BECAUSE I LOVE THE DOG AND SHE’S KIND.
• but shh. WE TAKE WHAT WE GET AND THOSE DOG PHOTOS ARE CURRENTLY KEEPING ME ALIVE. ALL IS RIGHT WITH THE WORLD AND MY DOG-LESS LIFE.
• also photos BECAUSE I MUST KEEP YOU DISLOYAL MINIONS ENTERTAINED:
• (courtesy of my dear old dog-owner fiend)

• HER NAME’S SEMBA AND SHE’S CURRENTLY MY MOST FAVORITE BEING ON EARTH.
• only after my cats though. I STILL LOVE YOU, CATS-OUTSIDE-MY-HOME.

• OH and then photos of stray cats i may have secretly adopted (NO ONE TELL MY MUM) because becca demanded. I PROVIDE BECAUSE THE CATS ARE CUTE OKAY. AND ALSO BECCA’S AMAZING. SHE BASICALLY HAS FULL CONTROL OVER MY LIFE DECISIONS CURRENTLY.
• but it’s partly also because THE CATS MUSTN’T FEEL LEFT OUT, YOU.

• I LOVE THEM, MY SMOL LITTLE CAT-CHILDREN.
• although we’ve also come to the conclusion that i’m officially incapable of clear photography EVERYONE IGNORE THAT

• things i’ve learnt since adopting all the street cats and creating imaginary homes for them in broken-down dishwashers:
• they can be lured right into kidnapping territory with the simple promise of food. IT’S ACTUALLY KIND OF UNNERVING, THE THINGS THEY’RE READY TO DO FOR MILK.
• they’re also jealous creatures and take great pride in slapping each other across the face. LOOK IT’S SCARY.
• and they also sometimes like to surprise you with gifts of broken bird feathers.
• BUT THEY’RE CUTE OKAY. THE CUTEST EVER. and they sleep on my lap sometimes AND I LOVE THEM.

AND THAT’S IT.

WELCOME TO THE END OF YOUR DOSE OF MONTHLY TORTURE, FOLKS.

tell me about january. YOUR VERSION. do cats roam outside your home at night?? DO YOU HAVE A DOG?? BECAUSE I’M KIDNAPPING IF YOU DO. (shhh don’t freak. I’M TAKING THE DOG, NOT YOU) plans for february although it’s technically over already?? WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THE NEW YEAR?? i need details, folks. I NEED DETAILS.