august 2021 updates!

it’s a blazing fireball cannon of summer here, but books and coffee are helping. :)

here’s what you may have missed in our monthly colourful email newsletter… be sure to subscribe so you don’t miss any etsy sales and coupons, event announcements, and more! :D

wanna try my patreon for FREE?

you can see what it's like being a member of my patreon for FREE for the rest of august! your card won't be charged until september 1, so go ahead! jump on board and see what it's like!

try my patreon FREE for august!

you can cancel anytime! but if you decide to stick around, i'll mail you your artsy goodies in september! sure hope you'll join me! :D

recent reading recs:

here are four books i recently read & loved!

  • xoxo, by axie oh. an american cello student transfers to a seoul performing arts high school so her mom can take care of her grandma in korea. she meets a famous k-pop star and romance (& drama) ensue! it was swoony and happy and full of travel and good food: just what i needed!

  • serpent & dove, by shelby mahurin. this for fans of shadow & boneby leigh bardugo and anything fast-paced and funny and magic by tricia levenseller. the lines between good and evil get muddled when a (secret) witch and a do-gooder witch-hunter (trés handsome) soldier have to get married... (i avoided it for a while because there's a snake on the cover, but man, it was good! and no snakes inside, so yay!)

  • six crimson cranes, by elizabeth lim. a retelling of the grimm faerie tale, mixed in with asian mythology. slow burn enemies-to-lovers romance, a river dragon, magic, curses, one of those stepmothers, and hello: a STUnnER of a cover! i even made my own fan art for it already.

  • 100 essays i don't have time to write, by sarah ruhl. a (short! yay!) essay collection by playwright and mother sarah ruhl. it was thoughtful and accessible. i loved every page and underlined most of it.

check out my book recs + support indie bookstores by shopping online at bookshop.org

coming up next on my tbr*:

i've started and stopped a few, but i'm quite confident these three shall get me flipping the pages in no time!

  • waiting for tom hanks, by kerry winfrey. i recently listened to her on the first draft podcast and this book just sounds delightful.

  • if the shoe fits, by julie murphy. i heard her interviewed on marissa meyers' the happy writer podcast. it's a new series of grown-up romcoms from DISNEY (!!) inspired by the classic princesses! they gave julie first dibs on choosing a princess, and she chose cindy! yay! (also, 'cuz it's disney, they kept it clean, so i'm excited!)

  • eva evergreen and the cursed witch, by julie abe. this was my august indie pre*order, so my beautiful copy is signed! it's the sequel to eva evergreen, semi*magical witch, and a young readers title perfect for miyazaki fans!

*tbr means "to be read," mom. ;)
but i'm also a mood reader, so what i actually pick up next is anybody's best guess. :)

link to my monday morning weekly reading book reviews on instagram

none of this is sponsored, just book*nerd me telling you about books i enjoy and am looking forward to! feel free to email me with suggestions or new books to review!

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see you soon?!

i have two in-person art events left for 2021
(if all continues as planned! eep! *insert mask emoji here*)

september 10-12, 2021: northern virginia fine arts festival, reston, va

october 2-3, 2021: an occasion for the arts, williamsburg, va
i'm keeping my events page updated, so until you can collect art in person, shop for all things colourful and bookish on the halthegal etsy page! (or if you don't need stuff, you can support me on patreon for lots of digital content!)

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until next month, enjoy your summer/early fall reading and back*to*school adventures!
let me know how you're doing and what you'd like to hear more about next time! :D
with peace, love, and many colourful reads to you,
*hallie :)
as always:

hallie bertling