Hey, fam! Look at me adding a whole new series component to my blog while I’m still on mini-hiatus (clearly this was written before I was off hiatus but whatever. I tried). Go Leelynn, Go Leelynn. LOL. But really, I don’t know if you have been following me from the beginning of my revamped blog journey or even before then, but I have always wanted my family to be involved in my blog and reading journey.

The only problem was, I didn’t know how to get them in it without necessarily having them read the same books I was reading.

It’s difficult to get stagnant readers to get into the groove of reading that you are in, you know? But I think it’s safe to say that we came up with something that I think will be so much fun, and will make sure that we always have something to talk about even though we talk to each other almost every single day.

Thus: Just Another Day on the Island was born.

Yes, the name is pretty long, but I think that just matches our personalities. Well, at least me. I can be pretty long winded, as you probably noticed on a few of my posts. Then we have our island home involved, with my mom and brother still in beautiful Hawaii while I’m stuck in cold Virginia. Plus we are islanders as well, being Chamorro and proud, among our other ethnicities. I think this title best fits our family dynamic, and it can be like our little talk show segment.

So of course, and I know that I say “so” a lot, but apparently that’s my filler word or something, but anyway I wanted our first post to be a little Q&A with us! This will be a great way for you to get to know the three of us and the different ways we think about books. Trust me when I say, I think I’m the more avid booklover in this family, but it’s okay. We all end up reading at some point or another, and I did get my love of reading from my mom, so it does run in the family.

But here you go! Let’s meet the Untalan family.

(1) What is your Hogwarts House?

Roxy: My Hogwarts House is Gryffindor

RayGil: My Hogwarts House is Hufflepuff

Me: RAVENCLAW BITCHESSSSS. I mean *ahem* Ravenclaw.

(2) What types of books do you enjoy reading?

Roxy: I enjoy reading books about triumph, family and women as the main character.

RayGil: I enjoy reading books that represent and normalize people in different communities, have a fun sense of humor, and take place in wacky worlds.

Me: Books where I can’t help but root for the main character and hoping that they end up kicking some major booty. Also where I can explore a new world or culture, even if it is a fantasy world. Something that I can escape reality with.

(3) If you could have any mythical pet, what would you choose and what would you name it?

Roxy: My mythical pet would be a Seraph because she is part human and looks like an angel.

RayGil: If I could have any mythical pet I would have a Flying Boar from Avatar: The Last Airbender

Me: I mean… dragons?!?! Of course it would have to be dragons. And it can’t be just one. I need at least four dragons. The same amount of dogs so that we can have a whole pack. Or… whatever a group of dragons is called.

(4) What bookish world would you love to live in?

Roxy: I would live in a Fantasy World.

RayGil: I would love to live in the world of Pokemon.

Me: Seriously who wouldn’t want to live in the Avatar: The Last Airbender (ATLA) world, but also be a bender? I’d be a Firebender I think, or a Kyoshi Warrior – which yes, I know they don’t have powers but they come from Avatar Kyoshi and she was a bossssssss. So yeah, I’d probably go with that answer too.

(5) What was the last book you read and what did you think of it?

Roxy: The last book I read was Nell and Lady by Ashley Farley.  I loved it. It pulled at the heartstrings, was filled with family drama, the ups and downs of and the reality of how different ethnicities lived down south.

RayGil: The last book I read was The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini. I liked the book and had an understanding of the weight that came with the book, however I was young — or rather younger when I read it so it is probably due for a reread for me to really understand the book.

Me: Well I’m still in between books right now so I’ll say that the last book that I read fully by the time I posted this – which may be wrong now – was The Queen’s Assassin by Melissa de la Cruz. Oh man I remember reading her Blue Bloods series when I was younger so it was really cool to be able to read something from her again as I was older. I think she grew as a writer too and I loved how she wrote Shadow and Cal.

(6) If a genie were to grant you three wishes (knowing they were likely to backfire), what would you wish for?

*** so my mom didn’t read the question right so we’re just gonna stick with the three wishes without backfiring.

Roxy: My first wish is that no harm comes to children ever in their lifetime, my second wish is that my mother can live her final days on earth painfree, no financial worries and to take her to travel (she always loved traveling) and my final wish would be that my agency gains secured funding for a lifetime where all my employees will have a retirement fund, can be paid very well and that we continue to make a difference in people’s lives and become an agency that will be looked at as a successful, thriving and model agency.

RayGil: So because I knew that these wishes would most likely backfire–knowing myself I probably wouldn’t ask for anything. I would drive myself crazy trying to come up with extremely specific descriptions of what I want eliminating any possibility of being cursed or the like, ultimately realizing it is impossible to avoid any loophole or technicality that the genie could exploit.

Me: Oh man this is difficult. Since the question changed after seeing my mom’s answer (couldn’t have any of those backfire, now could I?) would be the following: (1) Infinite time to read and review books without a hard deadline; (2) The ability to travel in a book that I’m reading – without there being any consequences or issues getting back to the real world when I pleased; (3) To be able to buy my mom and brother a house without them having to pay for the mortgage.

(7) Describe yourself in a snappy tagline.

Roxy: I am a hardworking, no nonsense, fun loving mommy of two.

RayGil: A walking rainbow afro raised by two wonderful females

Me: She asked for the world. She wasn’t expecting it to crowd her kitchen table.

And that’s the Untalan clan! I don’t know which I like better, the Clan, the Ohana, the Familia? Not sure. But that’s the three of us, and I’m so glad to be able to bring this segment to you all. I hope you like it, and please feel free to say hi to my mom and brother in the comments below!