Monthly Wrap-Up: November 2022

Hello everybody!

Today, I’m here with a wrap-up for the lovely month of November. Let’s just get right into it!

The Books I Read

The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien was my first book of the month. I took a bit of time to read it, as with the Lord of the Rings series, but I liked it very much.

The Kiss of Deception by Mary Pearson was my second read. This one was amazing! My sister read it before me, and she loved it. I thought she was hyping it up too much, but she was not! I loved the mystery elements a lot, so this one is easily a five-star read for me.

The Midnight Dancers by Regina Doman was my final book of the month. I previously read Doman’s other books in the Fairytale Retold series and loved them, and I liked this one a lot. It might be my favorite of the series, but it’s hard to tell. They are great Catholic fiction. Five stars!

Crochet Projects

This month, my main crochet projects have been little things, such as keychains, hats, and other small projects! I’ve also started on some Christmas gifts! 😁

Blog Posts on “Books and Hooks”

The Reader Problems Book Tag

Sunflower Crochet Keychain Pattern

A Random Saturday In My Life

I Finished Draft Two of my Novel + New Posting Schedule

What’s Your WIP Writing Tag: Dystopian Novel

Reviewing November’s Goals

Finish the second draft of my dystopian book. (Write 2,000 words a day.) As y’all probably know, if you’ve read my past couple of posts, yes, I did finish it! I’m super happy about that! I wrote every day for the first…maybe half of the month? Then, I took a small break before going back through it for a third time. I’m probably going to put this project aside for a little while, while I take a small break from writing. I’ll also be planning out the second book in this duology soon, too!

Run 10 miles. No, I didn’t get around to this. I think I went on two or three runs. For some reason, I find it harder to run in the cool weather, so getting out there in the winter is a bit of a struggle. I still love running, though! I might go on a run tomorrow, too, and it’s still not the end of November, so…

Go on a walk every day. I did this successfully for about the first half of the month, and then I started missing some days. Overall, though, I think this was pretty successful!

Re-decorate the walls around my bed. Yup! I just took down some pictures and put up new ones, and my sister and I put up some hanging fairy lights!

Start getting up early and make a schedule. Umm…😅 Not really.

Less screen time. I don’t feel like I went on screens any less, but also not really any more than before.

Drink more water. I think so!

Plan and schedule posts for the month in advance. I feel like I wrote more posts in advance this month, which I’m happy about, so yes!

Try out a new bread recipe each week. I did this for the first three weeks, and I made some Italian bread the first week, whole wheat bread the second, and for the third week, I made some French bread! I didn’t make any for the final week with Thanksgiving and all, because I had a lot of baking as it was. I did make rolls for our Thanksgiving dinner so I think that that almost counts.

Goals for December

Go to bed by ten each night.

Bake some Christmas cookies.

Complete my reading goal.

Practice the piano every day and learn some Christmas songs.

Make a Christmas music playlist.

Go thrift shopping.

Get some more yarn.

Decorate for Christmas.

Pictures From my Month

I like how the lighting in this one turned out!

Italian bread! 😋 I didn’t get photos of the other ones, because my siblings devoured them to quickly!

I love this book! It did annoy me not knowing who was who, but it was also great, and I loved finding everything out!

I made some cheesy bread sticks twice this month, and they were amazing! Recipe here. (Definitely recommend!!!)

Reading + rainy days are the best!

Broccoli from our Thanksgiving! It was so good!

And, our pumpkin and cherry pies!

Here’s the cherry pie! My brother made it, and I did the lattice topping. It turned out super yummy.

My dessert plate! I should have also taken a pic of my dinner plate, but everything was too good!

Peppermint mocha. ☕ Yum!

And last, but certainly not least, my sister’s and my book tree! I love how it turned out!

What happened in November?

• November was a pretty good month, but I don’t feel like a lot happened!
• I got sick. Mostly just an annoying cough, though, which wasn’t fun, but not too bad either.
• I mostly got a lot of walks in and wrote a lot, at least in the begining of November. I loved going on a walk, and thinking about the book a lot, then coming back to write.
• We also had a great Thanksgiving, with a lot of yummy food.
• On Friday (Nov 25) we got a Christmas tree! My family always goes and hunts for one, which is actually pretty fun.

That will be all for my November wrap-up!

How was your November? What fun plans do you have for the upcoming month? Did you have a good Thanksgiving?

Thank you so much for reading! I hope you are all having a good start to your week, and I hope you have a good week until I’m back on Monday!

See you later! Bye!

~ Rebekah

P.S. Please comment with any winter/Christmas related posts you’d like to see on my blog!

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What’s Your WIP Writing Tag: Dystopian Novel

Hello everyone! Welcome back to my blog if you’ve been here before, or welcome if this is my first post of mine that you are seeing. I am so glad you’re here!

I recently finished the second draft of my dystopian novel, and I thought that I’d share a bit about it! (Thank you so much for all of y’all’s kind and encouraging comments on my last post!!)

So far, I’ve just given off some small details for this book, as well as made an aesthetic for the whole novel, and two aesthetics for the narrators, Elizabeth and Flora. I guess it’s time to give y’all more info!

I saw this tag on Diamond’s blog a little while ago, and I thought that it would be a good way to introduce everyone to my dystopian novel.

The rules:

• Thank the person who tagged you & link to their blog.
• Link back to the creator, Katja @ Little Blossoms for Jesus, & add the tag graphic. 
• List the rules. 
• Answer the questions. 
• Feel free to add snippets!
• Tag as many or as few people as you wish & let them know they’re tagged. 
• Add a clean copy of the questions at the end of your post for the “tagged.”

Has your WIP a working title? If so, tell us! If not, have you any idea of what it might be?

It does not yet (that’s why I have just been calling it “the dystopian novel” when I talk about it on here.) I want the title to be something relating to hope, or seeing the best in various situations because those are both main themes in this book.

Have you a synopsis for your WIP? If so, give it to us! If not, can you give us a blurb on what your WIP is about?

Elizabeth will do anything to save her niece after tragedy has struck her family. Flora’s life seems perfect from the outside. In a world destroyed by disease and war, these two teenagers live completely separate lives, but they both long for something: the truth. After Elizabeth’s niece shows signs of having the dreaded disease, and Flora’s sister goes mysteriously missing, they are thrust into an adventure that unites them, while they both follow their own paths.

Lol, I know that this isn’t that good (I made it up just now) but I hope that it gives y’all some insight into the story!

Have you a working/mock cover for your WIP? If so, show us! If not, have you an idea in mind?

I don’t yet. I think that I’ll maybe work on Canva to create one because they have some good templates.

How did you get the idea for this story?

I started writing this book years ago, and I honestly forgot where the original idea came from. I had the idea a long time ago, and it has morphed a lot into what it is now.

How long do you think it will be? Is it longer or shorter than you thought it would be?

After finishing the second draft, the word count is about 50,000, so it’s a bit shorter than I expected. I am planning to make this a duology, as I have an idea for the second book already. I think that this second book will be slightly longer than the first one.

Who’s your favourite character so far?

I really love my two main characters, but all of the characters are interesting in their own ways. I love the way that Bridget (Elizabeth’s niece) seems to find the good in every situation, and I like another character (who will stay unnamed) for their caringness.

What’s your favourite memory related to this WIP?

Maybe finishing the first draft! Finishing this second draft was great, but I was anticipating it so much and expecting it. However, when I was approaching the end of my first draft, I didn’t realize that it was almost done, and I was so surprised and amazed when I finished it!

Any special person(s) who helped create it?

Not really, but of course, all of my blog’s follower’s support and comments really help! I appreciate it so much!

What’s your favourite scene so far (if you can tell about it without spoilers!)?

There are a lot of scenes between Elizabeth and her niece that I really love writing. Their conversations are interesting to write. I also loved writing the ending scene.

Can you give us a snippet? 

Not yet. 😄

Is the story still what you thought it would be or has it thrown you a couple curveballs?

A lot has changed while I have been writing this novel, and it’s totally not the same as I first envisioned it. The first idea I had was nothing like the current novel, but I really like all of the changes that have taken place.

Is there a Bible verse, poem, hymn, picture, or quote that helped shape this story?

No, I don’t think so. I do like this Sabaa Tahir quote that says, “Half of writing is dreaming. Let yourself dream.” I don’t think that it has really helped shape the story, but it is something that I like to keep in mind.

When and where have you done most of the writing so far?

I normally write on one of my family’s computers at our table…nothing crazy. Or, I’ll write on my phone.

Where do you get inspiration for this story?

There are many different things that I draw inspiration from, especially my daily life and conversations. I like to just observe things around me and I have gotten a lot of inspo from that.

Are you a plotter or a pantser?

I am a very big plotter! I like to have the novel all planned out before writing it, with a detailed outline, and I like to make all of my character profiles before starting on it.

Do you have a little ritual before you start writing?

Not really. I will usually put on some music, and then just sit down and write! Sometimes I’ll make some tea or get a drink or snack while I write, as well.

Are you thinking of publishing this story?

I probably won’t end up publishing it at all.

What things have you learned while writing this story?

I’ve learned that taking breaks is not a bad thing and that they are crucial for a good book. There were a few times that I was just really not having the motivation to write, but I also didn’t want to take a break. I have learned that sometimes it’s good to just step away for a while and then come back a little bit later with some new motivation.

The questions:

1. Has your WIP a working title? If so, tell us! If not, have you any idea of what it might be?
2. Have you a synopsis for your WIP? If so, give it to us! If not, can you give us a blurb on what your WIP is about?
3. Have you a working/mock cover for your WIP? If so, show us! If not, have you an idea in mind?
4. How did you get the idea for this story?
5. How long do you think it will be? Is it longer or shorter than you thought it would be?
6. Who’s your favourite character so far?
7. What’s your favourite memory related to this WIP?
8. Any special person(s) who helped create it?
9. What’s your favourite scene so far (if you can tell about it without spoilers!)?
10. Can you give us a snippet? 
11. Is the story still what you thought it would be or has it thrown you a couple curveballs?
12. Is there a Bible verse, poem, hymn, picture, or quote that helped shape this story?
13. When and where have you done most of the writing so far?
14. Where do you get inspiration for this story?
15. Are you a plotter or a pantser?
16. Do you have a little ritual before you start writing?
17. Are you thinking of publishing this story?
18. What things have you learned while writing this story?

I won’t nominate any specific people, but if anyone’s working on a book, I’d love to see this tag on your blog!

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Thank you so much for reading! How did you like this post? Would you like to see more writing-related posts on my blog? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments!

That will be all for today. I’ll be back with another post on Monday! Bye until then!

I Finished Draft Two of my Novel + New Posting Schedule

Hello and happy Monday! How is the start of your week going? 😃

Soo…I didn’t really have a post planned for today, so I thought that I’d just notify y’all of my new posting schedule. I’m going to go back to posting once a week, on Mondays, because I’ve just been busy lately. I have been posting twice a week, but I feel like it’s starting to take up too much time considering my school, and other things I have going on.

Also, I finished draft two of my dystopian novel! I am very excited and will take a break before going into draft three, with editing and revisions. I will also be outlining and drafting the second book in that series (it’ll be a duology, I think) and that will be taking up some time, hence the change in my posting schedule. Would you guys like for me to share some things about this book? I already have an aesthetic up for it that I made at the start of my blogging journey, but would you like some other information about it, such as quotes, or something? Let me know in the comments.

That’s all for today. I will have a fun post for next Monday that will be much more interesting than this one. 😆 I hope you all have an amazing week, and I’ll be back later! Bye!

~ Rebekah

A Random Saturday In My Life

Hello everyone! Welcome or welcome back to my blog, Books and Hooks. I hope you are having an amazing week!

So, last Saturday, I had the idea of just documenting my day, and sharing it with y’all on here. I always love reading other people’s “Day in the Life” type posts, so I thought that I’d do one! I hope you enjoy it! 😁

I got up around six when my alarm went off. After reading my Bible for the day, and saying some prayers, I got ready for my day! (Got dressed, brushed my teeth and hair, washed my face, etc.)

I love to make to-do lists each day, so here’s what mine looked like for Saturday.

Around seven, I went out to do my animal chores. On Saturday, I had to feed the chickens. It was quite rainy and wet outside, so it was pretty muddy in the coop.

Then, I tried to practice guitar! I’ve been sort of interested in learning guitar lately, so I picked up my brother’s guitar and tried (big emphasis on tried, lol 😄) to play some different chords. It was fun, and I love that YouTube is a thing!

As I said, it was very cloudy and gray outside, as shown in this photo.

I ate a breakfast of oatmeal, which I don’t particularly like. Chocolate chips definitely make it better!

Then, I just had some free time. One of my monthly resolutions was to try out a new bread recipe every week, so I decided to bake some bread. It took a little while to find a recipe, but I ended up using this recipe for Italian bread, and it turned out really good!

I made the bread dough, then left it to rise.

While the bread was rising, I just tidied up my room a bit. After that, I started to write down the instructions for my sunflower keychain pattern, which I posted earlier this week!

Then, the bread was finished rising.

I shaped them into loaves and let them rise for the second time.

After that, I finished up an English reading I had from Friday and did my Spanish lesson.

Look at this cute mug I found at the thrift store a little while ago. I drank some apple cider in it, and then, I put the bread in the oven to bake!

Here are the loaves of bread after they were done! I’d definitely recommend using the recipe I used; it was very simple to make, and yummy to eat!

After the bread finished baking, it was about lunchtime. Most of my family had shrimp, but I didn’t particularly like that, so I had some of the freshly baked bread with butter and apple butter!

Then, I went out to do my animal jobs for the second time.

After this, I decided to write some more of my book for the day. This month, I’m trying to get down about 2,000 words a day, and I’ve been successful so far! I’m hoping to finish it by December.

Here was the total word count at the beginning of the day.

About halfway through my writing for the day, I got up and made myself some peppermint tea!

I wrote the 2,000 words for the day!

Then, I went on a nice walk with a few of my siblings. It was still pretty cloudy outside, but it wasn’t raining anymore, at least.

After my walk, I just hung out with my family a bit and had some free time. I helped my sister bake a pie that we brought to our church the next day. (We were having a Thanksgiving potluck!) And, I took a shower after that.

For dinner, we had salmon and potatoes! It was very good.

And, here are the finished pies.

After dinner, I just had some free time, and I went to bed around ten!

That’s it! Thank you for checking out this post of mine today. I hope you enjoyed it!

Would you like to see more posts like this? What does your Saturday usually look like? I’d love to hear from you in the comments!

I’ll be back with a new post on Monday! Bye until then!

Sunflower Keychain Crochet Pattern

Hello and happy Monday! Welcome to my blog if this is your first time, or welcome back if you’ve been here before! Thanks for checking out this post today. 😃

As you likely read in the title, today, I’m here with a pattern for crochet sunflower keychains! It’s very beginner friendly, so if you’re new to crocheting, you’ll likely still be able to make this! The stitches and techniques I’ll use in this pattern are a magic ring, half double crochet, chains, double crochet, and slip stitches.

Materials

• Worsted weight yarn. I used Peaches & Creme yarn in the colors Gold and Dark Taupe, but you can use any type of yarn that you like, or that you have on hand. You’ll need two colors: yellow and brown. You could also make this pattern, but use different colors to make a different flower.
• You’ll also need a 4 mm crochet hook. I’ve made this using a 3.5 mm hook as well, and this works.
• You’ll need a pair of scissors.
• And, a yarn needle.
• You will need a keychain if you want to make this sunflower into a keychain. If you don’t want to, you can just make the sunflower part, and sew it to a hat or a purse, which I think would look so cute!

Instructions

Start out with your brown ring and make a magic ring.

Into your magic ring, make fourteen half double crochets. It may get a bit tight, but you should be able to fit them all in. When you’ve made all of your fourteen stitches, pull the loose end of your magic ring to close the center. While making a slip stitch in your first half double crochet, change the color to yellow.

Now, we’re going to make the petals! In the first stitch, *chain one, double crochet, chain one.* Slip stitch into the next stitch. Continue the pattern of doing the stitches between * in one stitch, and slip stitching into the next.

Here are two completed petals.

Continue around until you’ve finished your flower with seven petals. Slip stitch into the stitch you began in and fasten off, leaving a long tail. If you don’t have a keychain, and you wish to just use your flower as it is now, weave in the ends, and you’re good to go.

If you have a keychain, stick around.

Take the long tail which you cut, and put it through the last ring on your keychain.

Take the yarn back through the stitch you’re at.

Pull tight. You may repeat this a few times to secure. When you’re done securing the keychain onto your sunflower, weave in all the ends.

And, you’re done! You have a cute sunflower keychain!

This is the end of the pattern! I hope you enjoyed it, and thank you for reading! Do you like this pattern? Will you try it out? Tell me how it goes in the comments!

I hope everyone is having a great Monday! I’ll be back on Thursday with another fun post! Bye until then!

The Reader Problems Book Tag

Hello and welcome back! I’m glad you’re here! ❤

Today, I’ll be doing the “Reader’s Problem Book Tag” which I saw on Rab’s Bookish Planet a little while ago. I thought it would be fun, so let’s do it!

1. You have 20,000 books on your TBR. How in the world do you decide what to read next?

I am really a mood reader, so I usually just read what I feel like reading at the moment. So, I’ll just pick up a book in the genre I feel like reading!

2. You’re halfway through a book and you’re just not loving it. Do you quit or are you committed?

I usually try to finish it. I don’t know why, but I don’t like to DNF books! Sometimes, if I’m not liking the book, I’ll take a short break, maybe read a different book, then come back to it.

3. The end of the year is coming and you’re so close, but so far away on your Goodreads reading challenge. Do you try to catch up and how?

I don’t have Goodreads, but I do set a yearly reading goal for myself. Last year, I had no problem hitting that goal. (I planned to read 52 books, and I almost doubled that number.) I am a little behind right now, I think, because my goal is 60 books and I’ve only read about 41 books. I don’t know what I’d do…maybe just try to catch up.

4. The covers of a series you love do. not. match. How do you cope?

Aaah! This annoys me so much! There’s not really much I can do about it, though, except to rant about it, lol.

5. Everyone loves a book you really don’t like. Who do you bond with over shared feelings?

I think that everybody has a different taste in books, and different opinions. I like to share my thoughts on books with different people, but I like to listen to their thoughts about why they love the books I don’t like, as well.

6. You’re reading a book and you are about to start crying in public. How do you deal?

This has never happened to me, but if it did, I’d probably stop reading, and just wait until I get home to finish it so I can cry.

7. A sequel of a book you loved just came out, but you’ve forgotten a lot from the prior novel. Will you re-read the book? Skip the sequel? Try to find a synopsis on Goodreads? Cry in frustration?!?!?!?

I like to re-read the other books in a series before a new book comes out! But, if I don’t feel like reading the whole book, I’ll probably try to find a summary of the book.

8. You do not want anyone. ANYONE. borrowing your books. How do you politely tell people nope when they ask?

Nobody has ever really asked me to borrow a book, but I’d probably just tell them that I didn’t feel comfortable with them taking my book.

9. You’ve picked up and put down 5 books in the last month. How do you get over your reading slump?

Maybe just take a reading break. Sometimes, that helps when I’m in a reading slump. Re-reading one of my favorite books usually helps, as well.

10. There are so many new books coming out that you’re dying to read! How many do you actually buy?

I don’t buy a lot of books, mostly because I don’t have a lot of money. If I did, I’d definitely buy more, but I’m also fine with borrowing books from the library.

11. After you’ve bought the new books you can’t wait to get to, how long do they sit on your shelf before you get to them?

If it’s a book I really want to read, I usually try to get to it fairly quickly! I’ll probably finish the book I’m currently reading, then start that book if I’m in the mood for it.

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Thank you all for reading! Do you like reading? How would you have answered the questions? I’d love to chat in the comments!

I hope everybody has a good weekend! Bye for now!

~Rebekah