Monthly Wrap-Up: October 2022

Hey! How is everyone’s week going? I’m here today with a short recap of October! I hope you enjoy it! 😊

Books I read

The Return of the King by J.R.R. Tolkien. I’ve been working on this series for a while (since last fall, actually) and I’ve finally finished it. It’s an amazing series, and I’d definitely recommend reading it. It is a bit long and hard to get through, but I still think that it’s worth reading. I love it!

Letters to the Lost by Brigid Kemmerer. This book was very good! I think that it was very sad (I did cry many times). I feel like it doesn’t have much of a story, though. I think that it’s more about the characters: their grief and feelings, but I didn’t really mind that. I’d give it a 4/5 stars! Would y’all like a full book review?

Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens. I was assigned to read this for my school. It was a bit difficult to get through, considering the old way it was written, but I think that the story was pretty interesting. I gave it 4/5 stars!

Crochet projects

This month, I made a whole lot of pumpkins, and fall decor! I also bought some yellow and brown yarn, and I’m working on designing a crochet sunflower keychain pattern to post on this blog! I’m also starting on some Christmas gifts for family! 😁

Blog Posts on “Books and Hooks”

Things I Want To Do This Fall

The Fountains of Silence by Ruta Sepetys: Book Review

Crochet Projects I’m Working On

The 20 Questions Book Tag

DIY Fall-ish Pumpkins // Pearl’s Blog Tour!

“Dare to Design” Contest: My Entry

The Autumn Lover Blog Tag {Original} 🍂🍁

A Fall Poem

Reviewing October’s Goals

Write a total of 30,000 words Nope. I didn’t get a lot of writing done this month. I worked a bit on my dystopian book, but not a lot.

Start practicing piano again I did a little bit, but not as much as I would have liked.

Finish The Return of the King book Yep! It was amazing, and I loved it!

Make some fallish posts I did! I posted Things I Want To Do This Fall, DIY Fall-ish Pumpkins // Pearl’s Blog Tour!, The Autumn Lover Blog Tag {Original} 🍂🍁, and A Fall Poem.

Find a running plan, and start it I found one and started it, but I didn’t like it a lot, so I stopped using it. Then, I tried making one of my own, but I never really started it. I’m going to try to get back to running jin November!

Try out a new recipe I checked this one off, but I don’t remember what I made…

Goals for November

Finish the second draft of my dystopian book. (Write 2,000 words a day.)

Run 10 miles.

Go on a walk every day.

Re-decorate the walls around my bed.

Start getting up early and make a schedule.

Less screen time.

Drink more water.

Plan and schedule posts for the month in advance.

Try out a new bread recipe each week.

Photos from my month

Reading LOTR on the way to the train ride!

It was so lovely there!

I kinda like how this one turned out.

My first knit project: a pumpkin!

More LOTR.

Reading by the lake!

I like how this one focuses on the land in the distance and not the book.

Practicing different stitches while crocheting rectangles for Warm Up America.

I like how my nails turned out!

My cat, Luna! 🥰

Iced coffee!

Iced coffee or hot coffee?

Crochet pumpkins…of course.

Working on my crochet while camping!

And, a blueberry smoothie.

What happened in October?

• I feel like October was quite a busy month!
• We had a few different things at our church, including a church picnic which was really fun, and some things with my youth group.
• I got to go on a train! This was my first time riding on an actual train, and it was so fun. I felt like I was living in the olden days! Plus, it was a very scenic route, and very pretty with all of the leaves changing color.
• My family and I went to the lake a few times, and we went camping. I had a lot of fun!
• I caught my first fish when we went camping! I’ve always thought fishing was boring, but I think that if I can have a good book while I’m doing it, it’s actually quite fun! With lots of my brother’s help (thanks!) I caught two small fish.
• I went to a fun trick-or-treating thing with my siblings and some of our friends. It was fun, except that (for some reason) I chose to wear heels with my outfit, and my feet hurt quite a bit while walking around.
• For Halloween, I dressed up as a person from the 1950’s with my sister! I didn’t really get any photos, though.
• Taylor Swifts new album, Midnights, came out. I’m liking a lot of the songs so far!
• I reached 150 followers! Thank you so much, guys! This is a really big milestone, and I never thought I’d come this far! ❤

Thank you so much for reading! How did your October go? What are some of your plans for November? I’d love to chat with you in the comments! I hope that everyone has a good rest of the week! I’ll be back on Thursday with a new post. Bye for now!

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A Fall Poem

Hello everybody! I hope your day is going well so far! 😃

So, I wrote my monthly wrap-up yesterday, and I thought I was supposed to post it today. But, when I looked at my calendar, I’d written that that post would go live on the 31st of October, so I didn’t have a post for today.

No worries, though! I was looking through some old posts from when I first started my blog, and I stumbled upon a fallish poem. And, what better time to re-share it than now, in the middle of autumn?

Just be aware that I wrote this poem when I was about nine, and I don’t know a lot about poem writing, so it’s not the best. But, I do like it, and I thought I’d share it! Enjoy!

Fall Poem by Rebekah

Leaves are falling all around,

Leaves are falling on the ground,

The leaves turn yellow, red, and brown,

As they all tumble down.

The trees are pretty with their colorful leaves,

Such a beautiful picture to receive.

The firs and pines are lovely too,

Next to the maples with their golden hue.

Fall looks like a picture from a book;

It’s so pretty you just have to look.

The most gorgeous time of the year is fall,

When the leaves dance up and down like they’re having a ball.

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How did you like it? How is your fall going so far? I’d love to chat in the comments!

Thank you for reading! I’ll see y’all next week with a monthly wrap-up for October! Bye for now!

~ Rebekah

The Autumn Lover Blog Tag {Original} 🍂🍁

Hello everyone! I hope your Monday is going well! 😀 I’m here today with a brand new blog tag: The Autumn Lover Blog Tag! This is a tag to highlight your favorite things about the beautiful autumn months, and to spread the love of fall! Here it is!

Rules

• Thank and mention whoever tagged you, or whose blog you found this on.
• Mention the creator of this tag – Rebekah @Books and Hooks
• Include these rules in your post.
• Use the tag ‘autumnlovertag’ on your post so I can find and read it.
• Answer the 10 autumn-themed questions.
• Answer the 10 autumn-themed “this or that” questions.
• Make and share an autumn aesthetic or share some fallish photos you’ve taken.
• Share a few things you want to do this fall.
• Nominate a few people, or leave an open nomination.
• Have fun and enjoy the season of autumn!

Autumn Themed Questions

• What is your favorite thing about fall?
• What is your least favorite thing about fall?
• What is your favorite fall scent?
• What is your favorite fall food?
• What is your favorite fall movie/book?
• What is your favorite fall song?
• What is your favorite fall tradition?
• What is your favorite fall activity?
• What is your favorite fall quote?
• What is your favorite fall outfit?

This or That Questions

• Hot cocoa or apple cider?
• Flannel or sweater?
• Apple pie or pumpkin pie?
• Rainy days or sunny days?
• Watch a movie or read a book?
• Sunflower or pumpkin decor?
• Thanksgiving or Halloween?
• Pumpkin patch or apple picking?
• Spooky autumn or cozy autumn?
• Pumpkin spice or apple cinnamon?

My Answers

What is your favorite thing about fall? Why did I include this question!? There are soo many! The cooler weather, cozy sweaters, more baking, the death of annoying bugs, the beautiful autumn leaves…I cannot choose!

What is your least favorite thing about fall? At least this question is a little bit easier to answer than the previous one. 😄 Maybe the fact that it’s getting dark out so early! It’s just six o’clock, and it’s already so dark outside. I guess this isn’t all bad though. When it gets dark early, you can spend a nice cozy evening inside reading. Still, it can be annoying if I’m wanting to do something outside, and I don’t get a chance to do it during the day.

What is your favorite fall scent? I love all of the apple cinnamon-type candles! We have one called “apple cinnamon bun” and it smells so good!

What is your favorite fall food? I like pies, they seem very fallish. Or, basically anything apple cinnamon or pumpkin spice! 🥧🍎

What is your favorite fall movie/book? I don’t know why, but I always think of Little Women as a movie to watch in the fall. I guess it’s not really an autumn movie, but it’s a nice movie to watch on a fall evening, with a nice warm cup of tea, and a crochet project sitting on my lap. As for a book…maybe the LOTR (Lord of the Rings) series! Again, they’re not really “fallish” books, but I sort of think of them in the fall. Maybe because I started the series last autumn, and I just finished it this month.

What’s your favorite fall song? All Too Well (10 minute version, of course) gives me fall vibes! “Autumn leaves falling down like pieces into place, and I can picture it after all these days.” Such fallish lyrics. 🍂 Also, the short film is so autumny!

What is your favorite fall tradition? I don’t feel like my family has many traditions, but something we’ve done for the past few years, and which we plan to do this year, is to watch the Lord of the Rings movies on Thanksgiving (or the day before, depending on when we do the most baking.) We just have the movies on while we’re cooking, and it’s really fun.

What is your favorite autumn activity? We don’t do a lot of things in the fall (like apple picking, or going to a pumpkin patch) but I do love baking in the fall! In the summer, it’s kind of annoying baking, because it warms the whole house up, but it’s so nice in the fall when the weather’s starting to cool down!

What is your favorite fall quote? I don’t know who said this; I just saw it and thought it was so nice. “Autumn is the season that teaches us that change can be beautiful.”

What is your favorite fall outfit? I love sweaters and flannels, dresses, skirts, and comfy jeans. I really like the outfit I’m wearing now: a black skirt, an orangish brown sweater (which I borrowed from my sister), and some platform sandals.

My “This or That” Answers

Hot cocoa or apple cider? Hot cocoa usually gives me a stomach ache, so I’d go with apple cider.

Flannel or sweater? I love both, and I’ve been more into flannels this year, but I’d still choose sweaters. They’re so cozy.

Apple pie or pumpkin pie? I like both, but apple is delicious!

Rainy days or sunny days? I think that a mix of both is best, but there’s just something about rainy fall days. 🌧

Watch a movie or read a book? I like movies, but sometimes I find it hard to concentrate on them. That’s why I usually have a crochet project I’m working on while watching anything.

Sunflower or pumpkin decor? Despite all of my crochet pumpkins, sunflowers are still my favorite flower! They are so bright and cheerful looking! Keep an eye out for a crochet sunflower keychain pattern that’ll come out soon! 🌻

Thanksgiving or Halloween? I don’t get the big hype that is associated with Halloween. I think it’s fun and all, but I’d choose Thanksgiving over it. I like the meaning of Thanksgiving, thinking about all of my blessings and the things to be thankful for in my life, and I also like spending time with my family, baking and cooking.

Pumpkin patch or apple picking? I haven’t gone to either, but I think that apple picking sounds really fun!

Spooky autumn or cozy autumn? I just love to curl up with a nice book and some tea, with a fluffy blanket.

Pumpkin spice or apple cinnamon? I feel like in a lot of the “pumpkin spice” recipes, you can’t taste the pumpkin a lot, and it’s more the spices. I love apple cinnamon!

An Aesthetic

Here’s a little aesthetic sort of collage of autumn photos! I used Canva to make it!

Fall To-Do

I already have a post up of my fall to-do list, so if you want to, check that out here! 😃

Nominations

I will nominate…

Maggie

Heidi

Selina

Sateja

…and anyone else who wishes to do this!

Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed this post. How’s your fall going? What is your favorite thing about this season? How would you have answered some of the questions? I’d love to chat in the comments!

I hope everyone has a lovely week! I’ll be back on Thursday with a new post! Bye for now!

“Dare to Design” Contest: My Entry

Hello everybody! How’s your week going? 😃

Today, I am going to be posting my entry for Selina’s “Dare to Design” blogging contest! I think that it looked like lots of fun, so I thought that I’d enter! My entry is a photo I just took a few days ago!

This is a photo of my cat, Luna. I got up early to feed the chickens, and she followed me.

I like how this photo turned out, with the focus and everything. I normally find it hard to take photos of animals because of how much they move around, so I was surprised with how this one turned out when I went to look at it!

If you want to enter this blogging contest, be sure to check out Selina’s post with all of the details and rules, here. The entry deadline is November fifth, so be sure to keep that in mind.

That’s all for today’s post! Are you going to be entering Selina’s contest? Do you like photography? I’d love to hear from you in the comments! Have an amazing rest of your week and a great weekend! Bye!

~ Rebekah

DIY Fall-ish Pumpkins // Pearl’s Blog Tour!

Today, I’m here with a fun DIY post! This post is my stop on Pearl’s blog tour! I’m so happy to be participating in this tour, spreading the word about Pearl’s new blog!

Pearl Christine is a Jesus-loving historical and contemporary fiction writer who writes to glorify and serve her King. When she’s not writing, you can find her lost in the woods with her camera, in the middle of another creative project, spending time with her seven siblings, running, or writing and decorating letters. You can find her at her website, pearlchristine.com, where she talks about all things creative.

Pearl’s blog posts consist of various topics related to DIY projects and inspo, photography, and writing; I really enjoy reading all of them!

With all of that being said, let’s dive into the DIY tutorial! 😃

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This project is very fall-ish: cute pumpkins, perfect for decor around the house! And, one of the best things about these pumpkins is that they are customizable! Let’s get into it!

Basics on the pumpkin design

These pumpkins are just made by sewing a rectangular piece of fabric into a cylinder, sewing up one end, stuffing it, and then creating wedges along the pumpkin with your thread on the pumpkin. All you have to do after this is sew/glue the stem on and tie off the thread!

Materials

These pumpkins can be made with a piece of fabric, a crocheted or knitted rectangle, or even a sock. If you’re using fabric, you can make it any size, but just make sure that one side is about 2.5 times as long as the other side. Same with the crochet/knit fabric: one side should be about 2.5 times as long as the shorter side.

You’ll also need a needle and thread (yarn needle and yarn if crocheting the pumpkin.) Stuffing, as well! The last thing you will need is something to use as a stem! I like the look of a crocheted i-cord, but you can also use a twig or cinnamon stick! If you’re going with any of the last two options, though, you’ll need a hot glue gun and hot glue.

Fabric pumpkin

If you love sewing, you’ll probably go with the plain fabric pumpkin! Firstly, cut out a piece of rectangular fabric. It can be any size, just be sure to make one side 2.5 times as long as the other side. It doesn’t have to be exact, but just try to get it pretty close.

Next, take your needle and thread, and (with the right sides of your fabric together) sew up the short sides of the rectangle together, making a cylinder shape. I used a running stitch. Shown in the photo below.

Sorry about the pictures. They’re not the best. I did take them during a rainy and cloudy day, so I understand the lighting’s not the best. Also, I didn’t have any fall themed fabric, so this butterfly one will have to do! 😄

Now, you’ll want to sew up one end of the cylinder, as shown in the below photo. I just used a running stitch, pulling tight to cinch up the end.

Now, turn the fabric right side out. Stuff, and then, sew up the other end, which will be the top of your pumpkin. Now, you’re going to take the needle and thread, and take it down to the bottom, coming back through the pumpkin to the top. This step is a bit difficult to explain, but I hope you understand. You’re creating wedges in your pumpkin, and you can sort of see what I’m talking about in the photo below.

Now, you can sew (or glue) your stem into the pumpkin, tie off your thread, and you’re done! ❤

Crochet pumpkin

Making a crochet pumpkin is fairly simple, basically the same as the fabric pumpkin. First, crochet a rectangular piece of fabric with one side about 2.5 times as long as the other. (Shown below.) You can use any stitch you like, but I would recommend alternating rows of single crochet and back loop single crochet because I like how the ridges look! Make sure it’s a tighter stitch to ensure no stuffing comes through.

Once you’re finished crocheting your rectangle, fasten off your yarn, leaving a long tail. Turn the right sides together, and sew the shorter ends together to make a cylinder. Sew up one end, like you did with the fabric pumpkin. This step is shown in the picture below.

When you’re done, turn the pumpkin right side out, stuff it, then begin to close off the top by weaving the yarn needle in and out of your rows. Photo below.

Now, you are going to make the “wedges” by taking the yarn across the pumpkin, and going horizontally up through the pumpkin, as shown in the photo below.

Add the stem, weave in your yarn’s ends, and you are done with your crochet pumpkin! You could also make a knit pumpkin by following these same instructions!

Sock pumpkin

Last, but not least, is the sock pumpkin! You can follow the same instructions for the other two pumpkins, the only difference being that the fabric is already in a cylindrical shape. Basically, you just get a sock, cut out part of it into a cylinder, and follow the same instructions from the other two pumpkins: sew up one end, turn the pumpkin right side out, stuff it, sew up the other end, make the wedges in the pumpkin, and secure the stem to the pumpkin!

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That’s all for today’s post! I hope you liked it, and please go check out Pearl’s new blog! She’s also currently hosting a giveaway, which will end on the 21st. Go check out this post for more info and details. It looks really fun!

Be sure to go read the post on Rosie’s blog which will go live tomorrow, the next stop on this blog tour! Also, here is the complete schedule for the fun posts ahead!

I’d love to hear your thoughts on Pearl’s new blog and these DIY pumpkins in the comments! I hope you all have a blessed week, and I’ll be back on Thursday! ☺

~ Rebekah

The 20 Questions Book Tag

Hi everybody! I hope you’re having a lovely week so far! 😊

As you most likely saw from the title of this post, I’m here with the 20 Questions Book Tag! I found this on Suhani’s blog, Random Reader’s Rambles, a while ago. She left an open nomination, and I thought it looked fun, so I’m finally here doing this tag! 😄

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1: How many books is too many for a series?

I think that if an author writes more than four or five books in a series, the series can get kind of boring as they run out of ideas. I’m not saying that that’s how it is with every longer series, but I think that that’s how it goes with a lot of the books I’ve read that are longer than four books.

2: How do you feel about cliffhangers?

I love them…but I also don’t! 😆

3: Hardcover or paperback?

I like both, but generally, I enjoy reading hardcover books better, because they are more durable, and they look prettier!

4: Favorite book?

What! How does anybody expect a reader to answer that?? There are so many…I’ll have to choose one from each genre! 🤣 Contemporary: uhhh…(this is already too hard!) probably one of Kasie West’s books! My favorite is either P.S. I Like You or By Your Side! Dystopian: no other dystopian can compare to The Hunger Games. Fantasy: probably An Ember in the Ashes series, or the Lord of the Rings series, which I just finished, after working on the series for a year. Both of those series are amazing! Historical fiction: Lovely War by Julie Berry, or any Ruta Sepetys book I’ve read!

5: Least favorite book?

I don’t really have a least favorite book. Most of my reads are pretty good!

6: Love triangles, yes or no?

Only if they are well-written. A lot of the love triangles I read are so annoying!

7: The most recent book you couldn’t finish?

I haven’t DNF’d any books recently. I always try to finish them once I start.

8: A book you’re currently reading?

I’m reading The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien! My brother and I are both reading it at the same time!

9: Last book you recommended to someone?

Uhh…I don’t really remember. I guess The Fountains of Silence by Ruta Sepetys, which I finished very recently! I recommended it to my sister, and to all of you guys in my spoiler-free book review I posted!

10: Oldest book you’ve read by publication date?

I’m not sure, but some of the Jane Austen books are pretty old. I really like her books! I’ve read Pride and Prejudice and Emma.

11: Newest book you’ve read by publication date?

I’m not really sure. I don’t feel like going through the books I’ve read and researching their publication dates right now, lol. 😄

12: Favorite author?

As I mentioned, Kasie West’s books are amazing! I think that they are such cute, fluffy, quick, contemporary novels! They are also really clean, which I appreciate! Ruta Sepetys is also an author whose books I love! I’ve read Between Shades of Gray, Salt to the Sea, and The Fountain of Silence. I am hoping to get her newest book, I Must Betray You, next time I go to the library!

13: Buying books or borrowing books?

I like to buy them better! When I borrow books, I always worry I’m going to ruin them somehow.

14: A book you dislike that everyone seems to love?

Maybe Sarah Dessen’s novels. They’re just not my faves. The Truth About Forever was okay, but I found the main character kind of annoying. The other books of hers I didn’t enjoy a lot either.

15: Bookmarks or dogears?

I usually use bookmarks, however (unlike my sister) I’m not totally against dogearing pages in books, and I occasionally do dogear pages in the book I’m reading if it’s my book!

16: A book you can always re-read?

The Hunger Games is a book that I can re-read over and over again (I actually just recently re-read it). I feel like I get something new out of it each time. What’s your favorite book in the series?

17: Can you read while listening to music?

I can, but I just don’t like it too much. I do have a lot of noisy siblings, and, I’m usually surrounded by noise when reading, so I’ve kind of adapted to reading with noise around.

18: One POV or multiple?

Like with the love triangle question, I like multiple points of view if they’re done well. A lot of the time, I forget who’s narrating with multiple points of view.

19: Do you read a book in one sitting or over multiple days?

Multiple days. (Unless it’s a Kasie West book! 😁)

20: Who do you tag?

I’ll tag BetsyJane, Diamond, Isabelle, and Victoria! If any of y’all have already done this tag, or if you don’t want to do it, sorry! I just think that this is a really fun tag!

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Thanks for reading, everyone! How would you have answered these questions? What’s your favorite book? (If you can choose one, lol!) Who’s your favorite author? What are your thoughts on bookmarks and dogears? I’d love to chat in the comments!

I’ll see all of you on Monday! Have a good rest of your week and a fun weekend! ❤

~ Rebekah

Crochet Projects I’m Working On

Hey, everybody! Welcome, or welcome back, to my blog! I’m here with a crochet-related post today! I’ll be going through my crochet WIPs (works in progress) because they were a little unorganized, and I haven’t gone through them in a while! 😄 I’m sure I’ll find some things I totally forgot about!

So, let’s dive right in!

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Here is the bin on the shelf. It doesn’t look too unorganized, but when I looked inside, it was pretty messy!

Yeah. You can see some of the projects, and the yarn tangles, too! 😬

Here’s the first thing I pulled out of the bin. It’s just a necklace-type thing I made. The only thing I had left to do was weave in the ends!

Here’s a hat I just made recently! It just needs the ends to be weaved in, now! (I have a feeling that that will be what the majority of these projects will be like!)

I don’t even remember what this was going to be…I might just unravel it and use the yarn for something else! 😄

Next, a little pouch! I just have to weave in the ends and maybe sew a little button on the front!

A cute little baby bonnet! I think it’s so cute! I just have to weave in the ends!

This isn’t really a project, but it is a Tunisian crochet swatch I was working on!

I kinda forgot about this one! It’s the blanket to a lovey I was working on! I’ll be going to the store soon to find yarn to finish the head! (My yarn stash is actually surprisingly low!)

I’ll be working on this one more, soon! It’s a blanket I started last winter (which I kinda forgot about), but then spring and summer came, and I didn’t really want to crochet it, because the yarn’s very warm and I wanted to work on some more summery projects! I’m going to try to find the pattern I was following (I can’t quite remember what stitch I used for it) and finish it this winter!

Here’s a headband I was working on. I just need to sew this little heart onto it, and weave in all the ends! I think that this yarn looks so fallish!

This is a cute little shawl I was working on, but I don’t remember the pattern, so I’ll probably unravel this and re-use the yarn.

A baby shoe! I don’t think I have any more of this yarn, though, and I only made one shoe, sooo…I’ll most likely be unraveling it to reuse the yarn.

Another Tunisian swatch!

This was a veil I was working on to wear to Mass, but I don’t like how the top is looking, so I might unravel it and try to redo it!

I don’t remember what this was going to be, lol. I will probably unravel this as well, and use the yarn! It’s a nice soft, velvety yarn!

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That’s all for this post! Would you like to see more crochet-related posts? How many crochet projects are you working on right now? I’d love to chat in the comments! I’ll see everyone on Thursday! I hope you have an awesome week!

~ Rebekah

The Fountains of Silence by Ruta Sepetys: Book Review

Hello everybody! Welcome, or welcome back to my blog!

Today, I’m sharing a book review from the amazing Ruta Sepetys who has, once again, blown me away with her novel. The Fountains of Silence is an interesting and moving story set in a time I seldom hear about: Spain in the 1950s.

I enjoyed two other books by this author: Salt to the Sea and Between Shades of Gray. I find this book very similar, in the writing and the progression of the story, especially to Salt to the Sea. I hope to read her latest release soon, I Must Betray You.

Without further ado, here’s the spoiler free book review.

The Fountains of Silence by Ruta Sepetys

Summary from Goodreads

A portrait of love, silence, and secrets under a Spanish dictatorship.

Madrid, 1957. Under the fascist dictatorship of General Francisco Franco, Spain is hiding a dark secret. Meanwhile, tourists and foreign businessmen flood into Spain under the welcoming promise of sunshine and wine. Among them is eighteen-year-old Daniel Matheson, the son of an oil tycoon, who arrives in Madrid with his parents hoping to connect with the country of his mother’s birth through the lens of his camera. Photography–and fate–introduce him to Ana, whose family’s interweaving obstacles reveal the lingering grasp of the Spanish Civil War–as well as chilling definitions of fortune and fear. Daniel’s photographs leave him with uncomfortable questions amidst shadows of danger. He is backed into a corner of difficult decisions to protect those he loves. Lives and hearts collide, revealing an incredibly dark side to the sunny Spanish city.

My thoughts on the book

Characters

I love the characters that Ruta Sepetys writes. They feel so real, with their own hopes and dream, fears and stories.

Ana and Daniel are the two main characters, and I loved them both. Ana’s courageousness and her devotion to her family, and Daniel’s caring attitude and dedication were some of my favorite traits of theirs. I also loved reading about the friendship and romance blooming between these two characters.

There is a long string of other characters, including Rafa, Ana’s brother, Julia, Ana’s protective older sister, Fuga, Rafa’s friend who won’t put up with injustice in Spain, Puri, Ana’s inquisitive cousin, and other characters, who shape this story into a powerful and heartbreaking tale about silence, love, family, and secrets, as the Goodreads summary states.

One thing that I didn’t like at the beginning was the number of characters the book follows. It’s told in the third person, but each chapter skips around to include the whole cast of characters in the narrative. At the beginning of the novel, I found it difficult to keep track of who was who, but after the first few chapters, I got to know who the characters were, and who the chapter was following.

Plot and setting

The plot and setting of this book were very interesting. The book slowly weaves together into an unforgettable story, which is driven by the amazing characters.

One thing I like about all the Ruta Sepetys books I’ve read so far is that she writes very well-researched books about little-known times in history. I knew almost nothing about 1950s Spain under Franco’s dictatorship before reading this book, which gave me a lot of insight into this historical time.

Throughout the story, the reader learns more. This book, similar to Sepetys’ other books, slowly tells the story in a secretive way, giving off tidbits of information throughout the book, until we have a full understanding of the story at the end. What I’m trying to say is that you don’t know all of the facts as the books go on. There will be some parts where you’re wondering: What is that character keeping from me? This aspect, I find very similar to Salt to the Sea.

Another thing about the plot is that it’s very character-driven, which I’m totally fine with. Sepetys researched this historical period so well, too, that as you’re reading her book, you get a feel for what that time was really like. While reading about Ana’s family’s struggles, Daniel’s time in Madrid, and Puri’s descriptions of the orphanage, the reader really understands what life was like for people living in 1957 Spain.

Writing

Ruta Sepety’s writing style is very…I don’t know how to describe it. It’s not choppy, but I feel like her writing has shorter sentences, that really draws the reader in. This writing may not be for everyone, but I really enjoyed it.

Something that I found a little strange at first was the way the book was written. It was told in the third person and was present tense. This, I don’t find in many books and it took a little while to get used to, but it wasn’t too big of a problem.

Similar books, and who should read this book

This book is very similar to the other two Ruta Sepetys books I’ve read, which were Salt to the Sea and Between Shades of Gray. If you haven’t read either of those, and you loved this book, I’d recommend them to you. Or, if you’ve read these two books, but haven’t gotten around to The Fountains of Silence, I’d recommend you read this beautiful historical fiction.

One thing I’ll say is that this book is not for everyone. She has a certain writing style that not everyone enjoys. She doesn’t have choppy writing, but it’s written similarly to that: shorter, to-the-point sentences, like I mentioned earlier. I personally enjoy that narrative, but as I said, it’s not for everyone.

If you read this book, and you’re wanting to read a similar book, I’d first recommend any other Ruta Sepetys books. Lovely War by Julie Berry is another book I find similar to this one. It’s narrated very uniquely, and it tells the lovely story of two different romance stories during World War One. I was unsure about this book at first, but it was amazing and I really enjoyed it.

If you normally like historical fiction or mystery type stories, I’d recommend this book to you. It has a mysterious element to it, though it’s not a mystery, it has a bit of that, with a few plot twists, and twists at the ending. Besides that, it is an amazingly researched historical fiction.

Final thoughts

I loved this book if it isn’t clear from reading my review. There are a few things I didn’t enjoy about the novel, such as the many narrators, because it was hard to keep track of all of them at first, or the first person, present tense writing. Both of those, though, I eventually got used to. They aren’t real problems. I don’t have any real complaints about this book, which I found amazing. Despite being about five hundred pages, this book flew by quickly, because of the short two to three page chapters. It was, no doubt, a five star read for me!

Thank you for reading! Have you read this book, or any other Ruta Sepetys books? What were your thoughts about them? Or, is it on your TBR? Do you have any other historical fiction recs for me? I’d love to chat in the comments!

Bye, everyone! I’ll see you on Monday, next week! Please comment with your thoughts on this book review, or on the book, because I love chatting with y’all!

~ Rebekah

Things I Want To Do This Fall

Hello, hello, hello! Happy October, and welcome back to my blog! ☺️

As you read from the title of this post, today I’ll be sharing some things I want to do this fall! It’s going to be sort of like a fall bucket list!

Here we go!

🍂 Drink a pumpkin spice latte

I’ve never had one, because I didn’t used to like coffee, but I’ve been drinking more coffee lately! (Especially iced coffee!) Pumpkin spice lattes sound so good! My mom also said that it’s similar to chai, and I really love that, so I definitely want to try one!

🍂 Thrift some cute fall sweaters, and dresses

Thrift shopping is so fun, and I need some more sweaters and dresses for the cooler weather! Do you guys enjoy thrift shopping?

🍂 Go on a hike

I really enjoy hiking, but I feel like my family is just so busy in the summer, plus it’s very hot! I hope to go on some hikes this autumn.

🍂 Make these pumpkin bars

They look so yummy and fallish! I hope that I can make them sometime soon! I am excited to try a new recipe out!

🍂 Bake some fall themed cupcakes

I used to bake a lot of cupcakes (mostly during the quarantine, I think, because we were stuck at home) but I haven’t made a lot recently. I want to make some fall themed cupcakes, though. I would love it if you guys could give me some ideas of what flavor they should be in the comments!

🍂 Make caramel apples

I love how so many of these are about food! 😄 But, yes, I really want to make caramel apples this year! I’ve wanted to make them for the past year or two, but just never got around to it. Hopefully, I can this year!

🍂 Finish “The Return of the King” by J.R.R. Tolkien

I’ve been working on this series for a long time, and I’m now about halfway through “The Return of the King.” I’m really getting into it, which makes my sister happy, because she is a massive LOTR fan. I think I’ll finish it in October.

🍂 Take some pictures outside

Some beautiful fall photography!! 🍁 The leaves are starting to change colors, and it just looks so lovely.

🍂 Donate to Warm Up America

I heard about their organization a while ago, and I’m always thinking “I should donate some crocheted things sometime” but I never really get around to it. I think that autumn is a good time to donate to them, because winter’s coming up, and people will need warm blankets, hats and scarves for those colder months. Autumn’s also a time I think about all the things I’m grateful for in my life, which leads me to think about those people that don’t have all the things I do.

🍂 Finish a knit project

I actually made a knit pumpkin a few days ago, which I’m really proud of, because it was my first knit project! I want to practice knitting more this fall and winter, and I hope to find and make a cute pattern! Check out this post of BetsyJane’s if you are thinking about learning to knitting!

🍂 Start on Christmas gifts early

I usually crochet a lot of gifts for my family and friends. But, most times, I wait until the last minute, then I’m trying to finish crocheting gifts the night before Christmas. I want to plan my gifts more in advance, and start on them earlier.

🍂 Start a gratitude jar

I think that this sounds like a really nice idea! I feel like, sometimes, we focus too much on all the negativity in life. A gratitude jar sounds like a good idea to think about and acknowledge all of the blessing in my life!

🍂 Post weekly on my other blog

I Have not been very consistent on there, and I’m going to resolve to post once a week!

How’s your autumn going so far? What do you want to do this fall? I’d love to chat in the comments!

That’s it for today’s post! I hope everyone’s having an amazing Monday!

See y’all on Thursday!

~ Rebekah