Monthly Wrap-Up: January 2023

Hello everybody! Welcome to today’s post, a review for the month of January! I hope that y’all had an amazing start to the year. I just can’t believe that we’re already a month into 2023!

Books I Read

Animal Farm by George Orwell. This was a book I had been assigned to read for my English class, and I found it quite interesting. Although it is written about animals, it was easy to understand that the author was portraying what happens at times in the human world. It had lots of political symbolism and meaning in it, without being daunting or boring in any way.

Little Women by Luisa May Alcott. I read this book several years ago, and I didn’t think about it much at the time. I remembered it being pretty good, yet I didn’t appreciate this amazing piece of literature as much as it deserved. After rereading it, I admire it very much. I love the sisters, the story, everything…it’s just such a good book. I think that it definitely makes it into one of the top spots in my favorite classic books!

The Woman with the Blue Star by Pam Jenoff. My sister and I both listened to this book, and I really liked it. It was very good. Not super amazing, but it was a good, solid read. The ending was quite bittersweet as well.

The Heart of Betrayal by Mary E. Pearson. After much nagging by my sister, I am now continuing this series. I liked this book quite a bit, although I got very annoyed at the different characters throughout the book, and it was a very crazy read! Such a cliffhanger, too! I will be continuing the series, and reading the final book soon!

Crochet Projects

I did not crochet a lot this month. Just a few smaller projects, like a mini octopus and a little bear that is almost finished. I do plan to release a pattern in February, so keep an eye out for that!

Blog Posts on Books and Hooks

I did not get much posted this month, but oh well! I’m back to my once-a-week posting schedule now.

Goodbye 2022, Hello 2023

New Year Q&A: Answering Y’all’s Questions!

Reviewing January’s Goals

  • Get into a new running routine. I sort of did, but still working on it.
  • Post weekly on both of my blogs. I did not accomplish this goal. I only posted on here twice, and I made one post on my other blog. (If you’d like to check that out, click here! 😊)
  • Create a new schedule. I did. If I followed it is another story…😄
  • Drink eight cups of water a day. Just about! Not every single day, but I made a lot of effort throughout the month.
  • Write every day. Again, just about! There were a few days that I did not get around to it, but overall, I was pretty successful!
  • Get new glasses. I did! I am so thankful that I have these new glasses because I now realize how much my prescription has changed. Things are so much clearer with my new glasses!
  • Go through my clothes and get rid of stuff. Nope. I kept putting it off, and somehow January slipped by. This one will go on to February’s list of to-do’s!
  • Read a classic. Yes!
  • Journal every day. This one, I did not accomplish, but I will say that I was more consistent than before.

Goals for February

  • Go through clothes and get rid of stuff.
  • Keep consistent with running, and run at least 20 miles.
  • Start biking again.
  • Start making a playlist for my book.
  • Read at least four books.
  • Post at least once on my other blog.
  • Post once a week on here.

Pictures from January

Not many pictures from January.

Important Events/things that Happened in January

  • In January, it was just a lot of getting back into the routine of things after the holidays, and getting into the new year!
  • I started running again!
  • I am also beginning to write a book! I technically started it in December, but only got a few pages written before 2023 came around. I wrote a lot more this month, and am really enjoying getting to know my characters!
  • I honestly don’t remember anything huge happening…it was a pretty chill month.

Thank you all for reading this post! How did your January go? What do you have coming up in February? I’d love to hear from you in the comments!

I hope you have an amazing week! I will see all of you back next Monday. Bye until then!

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New Year Q&A: Answering Y’all’s Questions!

Hello everybody! If you’re new here, welcome, I hope you enjoy today’s post! If you’re not new, thank you for coming back and reading this Q&A of mine! Let’s get straight into the post!

Anna asked:

What’s your favorite book series? I have so many, and it’s tough to choose just one! The Lord of the Rings series, set in a very intricate world with well-developed characters, has to be one of my favorites! The Hunger Games is another series that is at the top of my list!

How long have you been blogging? I started a blog to post school essays for my R.P.C. classes at the beginning of 2021. I don’t know if that would be considered blogging, as I was just posting school stuff. However, I loved the community and was interested in starting a blog to share posts about my hobbies, so I started this blog, Books and Hooks, during the summer of 2021! I have been blogging on here for approximately a year and a half, which is hard to believe!

BetsyJane asked:

What’s your favorite crochet project you’ve done? There are so many! I have been crocheting for a long time. There are some that I am very proud of, such as my first amigurumi doll, or the first pattern I followed, which was a baby blanket for my little cousin. It’s kind of difficult to come up with my favorite crochet project, considering there have been so many, but there have been a lot of cute amigurumi animals, dolls, and toys that I have made, and those are some of my favorites!

Who’s your favorite singer? I like listening to a lot of Christain artists and bands, such as Colton Dixon, Francesca Battistelli, Jeremy Camp, PJ Anderson, and For King and Country. Their songs are just so uplifting and inspirational! I also like listening to Taylor Swift, and I’ll often listen to instrumental pieces or movie soundtracks while I’m working on school.

Heidi asked:

What are the top three books you’ve read this past year? I feel like I didn’t read a lot of good books this past year, but there were some that stood out. My three favorites would have to be Fountains of Silence by Ruta Sepetys (check out my book review here to learn more about my thoughts concerning this amazing book), The Return of the King by J.R.R. Tolkien, and…maybe I Must Betray You by Ruta Sepetys. I do realize that two of these are by the same author, but she just writes really good books, and I would recommend them to anyone who wants to read something historical. I always learn more about history through Ruta Sepety’s books, and I love how she writes about little-known times in history, and events that I had almost no previous knowledge of before reading the book.

Top three movies you watched this past year? I am not a big movie person, and I don’t really keep track of the movies I watch, so this is a bit of a difficult question for me. I first watched the To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before series on Netflix this past year, and I think that it was well-made, and I probably like them better than the books. I also watched the second Enola Holmes when it came out, and I liked it better than the previous one. As for a third movie…I don’t know. I do a lot of rewatches, so I didn’t watch a lot of new movies this past year.

Top five memories from this past year? There were some pretty great things that happened this year! My siblings and I went to visit family for a couple of weeks in the summer, which would have to make it onto this list. I also made my Confirmation, which was a big memory for the year. I finished both the first and second drafts of my dystopian novel, which…really surprised me, considering I didn’t ever imagine completing both of those. I ran seven miles continuously, which I never thought possible either! A lot of good times with family, too!

Top five to ten pictures from this past year? This is difficult, because many of my favorite photos are of me or my family, and I don’t feel comfortable sharing those on here. But, I did go through my camera and pick out a few of my favorites that don’t contain faces or anything! ☺

Anoushka asked:

If you could choose only one book to read for the rest of time, which one would it be? This is such a difficult question to answer! I cannot imagine just reading one book over and over again, because I like variety in the genres and books I read. I might go with Little Women, but that answer may just be because I recently finished it and it’s still fresh in my mind.

Book/movie characters you see yourself most in? I’ve never really thought of this before…🤔 Basically any quiet or shy book-loving character. I cannot think of any at the moment, but I’m sure there are a lot. There are a few characters in the books I’m writing that are very similar to me, but I’m not sure that counts toward this question, because it was me who created the characters.

Five tv shows/movies that define you? This is another one I haven’t really contemplated before, and, to be honest, I don’t quite understand it. Movies or shows that define me?

Story ideas you’re most excited to write about? Okay, so there’s this story idea I have, and I don’t know how good it is, but I think it would be interesting to write. The basic idea is that there is one character who was in a house fire (Landon is the name I’ll give him for now) and lost almost everything. Another character (whose name will be Magnolia) donates a crochet blanket to the hospital, and the blanket ends up going to Landon who is at the hospital. The blanket is one of the only things he has in those dark times after losing his house and everything, and when he gets out of the hospital, he sets out to find who made the blanket. That’s the general concept, but I don’t really have any further ideas and I’m not sure where the story would go. I am not going to start writing it yet or anything, because I already have a couple of books I’m working on at the moment, but I will save the idea and maybe use it in a later novel! I also like the idea of writing a historical fiction novel, but I know how much research is required to write one accurately, and I do not particularly enjoy researching…maybe someday!

Favorite genre? I like reading a variety of YA genres and am always in the mood to read from different genres. My favorite, though, are between contemporary (like Kasie West’s books!) and historical fiction.

Pertsfarms asked:

What are some of your favorite memories of 2022? I listed a few of them earlier in this Q&A. Visiting relatives and meeting some of my newest cousins were definitely some of the happiest memories from this past year. I also feel like I completed a lot of goals, and got really far with blogging and my other hobbies, which is amazing and definitely produced some of my favorite memories of the year!

Lydia asked:

Do you think we owe Aragorn, son of Arathorn, our allegiance? Yes, I think we do! 😄

Polka dots or stripes? Polka dots!

Who do you look up to the most? I look up to both of my parents, and a lot of my older family members, such as my nana, aunts, and you, my older sister! There are a lot of saints that I look up to as well, drawing inspiration from their stories, and looking at their lives and the examples they’ve set.

What is one of the saddest deaths in a book or movie/tv show? I know that there are many, but I just can’t think of them right now. I guess that there were many deaths in A Sky Beyond the Storm by Sabaa Tahir, and they were heartbreaking. Also, (spoiler warning for anyone who has not read The Hunger Games series) Prim’s death in Mockingjay is just so tragic, especially considering all that Katniss did for her, and how Katniss responded. Finnick, too. I think that his death, unlike Prim’s, was sort of unnecessary. Salt to the Sea also had a lot of sadness. The Book Thief as well…there are just so many sad books! 😢

Least fav book of 2022? Probably the Summer I Turned Pretty series. The first one was okay…nothing great, but not horrible either. The second and third books were just awful, and I hated the ending!

Jan asked:

Who is your favorite author? I have read all of Ruta Sepety’s YA novels, and I’d have to say that she’s definitely one of my favorite authors. Her books are very well-researched and historical, yet contain interesting characters that drive the plot forward. As I said earlier in this post, one thing I like about Ruta Sepety’s books is that she chooses to write about occasions in history that I don’t hear about a lot, which makes them very interesting and educational. I like the characters, and…yes, she’s just an amazing author! I hope she writes another book soon!

What made you start blogging? I started a WordPress blog at first to just share school essays, but after following a few other blogs and interacting with other bloggers, I decided to start a blog to post crochet patterns and book reviews!

Who is your favorite fictional character? There are many different characters that I like, but one of the first people who comes to mind is Peeta from the Hunger Games series (preferably the books, but he’s not bad in the movies either.) I just really like his personality, and contrary to what the majority of my family believes, he is not a wimp! I also like Laia’s character in the Ember in the Ashes quartet and I like watching her character development throughout the series.

Diamond asked:

What is your favorite family memory? There are so many! I don’t think it’s possible to choose just one! 🥰

What made you start blogging? As I said earlier, I started this blog as a space to share patterns for crochet and book reviews! I have always been interested in talking about my hobbies, but it wasn’t until I started a blog to post school essays that I realized how simple it was to start a blog, and I created Books and Hooks!

Where do you see yourself in five years? I will likely be graduated by that time, and maybe be pursuing a career. I’m not sure what else. I don’t exactly know what I want to do when I am older, so this is a bit of a tricky question.

Mayim asked:

Favorite breakfast food? I love bagels with cream cheese, especially when the bagels are homemade! Smoothies are another favorite of mine!

Favorite store? I don’t do a lot of shopping, so…does a thrift store count? That’s the main type of shopping I do. Ooh, used bookstores as well! 😁

Cheese or supreme pizza? Supreme pizza!

Favorite song? There are so many! I am always listening to different types of music depending on my mood, and what I feel like listening to at the moment. I really like Taylor Swift’s lyricism in her songs, but I don’t know how I could decide on just one song. “Miracles” by Colton Dixon is one of my favorite upbeat Christain songs, and “Love Will Heal” by PJ Anderson is a calmer song that I find myself listening to a lot. So, my basic answer is that my music tastes are always changing and it is hard for me to choose just one song! These two, though, are some of my top picks.

Are you a Starbucks fan, and if so, what’s your usual order? I have actually never been to Starbucks because there is not one very near to my house. 🙁

Sophia asked:

Favorite movie? I am not a big movie person, because I often find it hard to sit still and concentrate on a whole movie. With that being said, there are some that I really do like. The Lord of the Rings films are amazing (as are the books). It’s a Wonderful Life, I’m Not Ashamed, Miracles from Heaven, the Hunger Games movies, and the To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before trilogy are some of my favorites!

Favorite show? I do not find myself watching a lot of tv shows, but my favorite is no doubt the Stranger Things tv series! I like many of the characters and a lot of the themes relating to friendship and courage. I am also going through The Chosen, which is really good! I am only on the first season, but I want to finish the series soon. I would definitely recommend it, based on what I’ve watched so far.

Favorite holiday? I love both Christmas and Thanksgiving! In the end, I’d probably go with Christmas, but Thanksgiving is an amazing holiday as well, with food, family and friends, and being reminded of all to be thankful for. However, on Christmas, we are celebrating Christ’s birth, which makes it my favorite holiday.

Where do you want to go on vacation? If I could go anywhere in the world, I’d probably choose somewhere in Europe, such as Italy or France. They seem like they have such good food, as well as many historical landmarks that would be interesting to see. Ireland would be another interesting visit!

That’s it! Thank you so much to the amazing bloggers who asked questions; I had lots of fun answering them and writing this post! How would you have answered these questions? Were you surprised by any of my answers? I’d love to hear from y’all in the comments!

I hope that you enjoyed this post! I also hope that you are having an amazing start to your week! I will probably be back next Monday, though I know I haven’t been the most consistent blogger lately, so we’ll have to see. 😄 Thanks for reading, and bye for now!

Goodbye 2022, Hello 2023

Hello everybody and happy 2023, nine days late! I am so amazed that we are already more than a week into the new year. It seems like 2022 went by in a blur, and now, we’re stepping into 2023. My 2022 was pretty good, and in today’s post, I’ll be looking back over 2022, reviewing my goals, looking up at 2023, and sharing my new year’s goals!

I made a few goals at the end of 2021, and I’ll go over them now, reviewing which ones I completed and which ones I didn’t do so well on. Honestly, I half forgot about these goals and didn’t follow them throughout the year a lot.

~ Blogging-related ~

• Get 100 followers.

Yes! Thank you, guys! My current total following count is 175 followers. I cannot believe that I made it this far, but I know that I wouldn’t be here without y’all. I am so happy to be here!

• Plan and schedule more posts.

I guess. I think that I did write more posts in advance this year.

• Do a few collabs.

I did, and they were so fun! You can check them out here.

• Have fun blogging!

Yes, I am! This year has been my third year of blogging, and it was very fun. I love blogging: sharing about the things I love, interacting with other bloggers, and reading other’s posts!

~ Writing-related ~

• Finish the first draft of my contemporary novel.

No. I just kind of scrapped that book, because I realized the lack of a plot. I might pick it up again, but probably not. I didn’t plan the novel much, and I kind of just didn’t enjoy writing it.

• Finish the first draft of my dystopian novel.

I did! Then, I wrote the second and third drafts. I feel like I got really far with this book this year!

• Write at least 1,000 words a day.

No, not really. Some months I wrote more, and other months I barely got any writing done.

~ Reading-related ~

• Read at least 60 52 books.

Starting out the year, I was aiming to read 60 books. About halfway through the year, I changed it to 52 books because I realized 60 wasn’t going to happen. I ended up reading 55 books, so about in between.

• Finish the LOTR series.

Yes, I finished the series this past fall. I loved it, and I don’t know why it took me so long to read it.

~ Running-related ~

• Enter another race.

I did! I entered a race in our local fair, and finished first for the females in my age group, although I was the only one, lol. It was a lot of fun, though!

• Run at least 200 miles.

I ran about 186, so I was soo close!

~ Life-related ~

Start waking up earlier.

This has changed throughout the months, but overall, I guess I completed the goal.

Make a better schedule.

Like with the previous goal, it’s changed throughout the year. I think that this is something I still have to work on this coming year.

• Write in my journal every day.

Nope. I didn’t do that a lot, definitely not every day.

Goals for 2023

  • Finish my new book’s first draft.
  • Improve my schedule.
  • Get 300 followers on Books and Hooks.
  • Read one classic a month.
  • Read one spiritual book a month.
  • Read at least four books a month.
  • Improve with piano.
  • Continue my Duolingo streak throughout the whole year.
  • Do a gratitude jar every day.
  • Run 223 miles (at least).

In 2022…

In 2023…

  • I plan to post consistently.
  • I will continue sharing the same types of content I’ve been sharing, although I will probably be doing more crochet-related posts, and book reviews as well.
  • I want to reach 300 followers, which may be a bit ambitious, but I guess we’ll see!
  • I will try to post once a week, although breaks will be taken.

That’s all for today! How was your 2022? Did you hit your goals? What are some of your goals and plans for 2023? I’d love to chat in the comments! Also, be sure to comment and ask me some questions on my latest post, and I will answer them soon! I hope everyone has a blessed week, and I’ll be back with the Q&A in a few days! Bye for now!