Monthly Wrap-Up: May 2023

On May 29, 2023 By RebekahIn Monthly Wrap-Ups1 Comment

Hello and welcome back to my blog! How was everyone’s weekend?

Today, I’m here with a wrap-up of my month! I will talk about what I’ve been up to, the books I’ve been reading, and any updates in my life. Let’s get right into it!

Books I Read

The Time Machine by H.G. Wells – This is one I read for school, and it wasn’t my favorite, but it wasn’t the worst either. Just not my favorite genre in general, so I didn’t care for the story very much.

A Story of a Soul: The Autobiography of St. Thérèse of Lisieux by St. Thèrése of Lisieux – This was an amazing read. I had heard this book talked about a lot and decided to finally get to it. Saint Thérèse is a saint I admire greatly, so it was very lovely to read the words that she herself wrote. I would really recommend it to anyone!

Fame, Fate, and the First Kiss by Kasie West – This one was pretty good. If you’ve been around this blog for a while, you probably have read that I love Kasie West’s books because they are sweet contemporary romance books, but are also very clean. This one wasn’t my favorite book of hers, but I still loved it a lot.

I am also currently reading Dance of Thieves by Mary E. Pearson, which I think I will finish before the month is over. I am enjoying it a lot so far, and haven’t really been able to put it down since I started it. 😄

Writing Updates

I barely got any writing done this month, so there’s not much to update y’all on. I wrote a bit in each book, but just not a lot.

Crochet Projects

I finished a few projects this month. One was a flower pot I made for my mom for Mother’s Day! (Photo below.) I also got some more crochet books, so I’ll be picking out some patterns from those to make soon!

Blog Posts on Books and Hooks

I took a Blogging break through most of this month, so only two posts were published in May.

Monthly Wrap-Up: April 2023

I’m Back!

Reviewing May’s Goals

Continue being consistent with keyboard playing – I feel like I was good about this! I have been practicing quite a bit, but still more at the beginning of the month.

Write every day – No, not at all, lol.

Start running/biking again – I didn’t get around to this this month.

Work on my schedule – I did a bit! I’ve been waking up a bit earlier, and focusing on finishing my school earlier.

Read at least six books – Nope, just three. (Maybe four by the end of the month.)

Goals for June

Stay hydrated.
Focus on only writing my fantasy book.
Hit 200 followers on this blog!
Start running/biking/walking again, and enjoying nature more.
Make bread at least once a week.
Post at least once on my other blog.

Photos from May

What Happened in May?

May was quite busy, it seemed, yet I don’t know what quite contributed to this feeling of business.
There was a lot of driving around, from soccer, our homeschool group, and shopping.
Spring has begun transitioning into summer, it feels, with its 80-degree weather. I’m so excited for the summer, which is my favorite season! 😁
With spring/summer comes gardening, and my family has a fairly sizeable strawberry patch which has been producing a lot this month. So, of course, there was picking strawberries, and processing them for baking and other such things.
Besides these, I also went to a festival-type thing with friends, and have been visiting family here.

Okay, that’s all for today’s post! How was your May? What do you have planned for June? I’d love to hear from you in the comments! I hope you all have a lovely week; I will be back next Monday. Bye until then!

~ Rebekah

Monthly Wrap-Up: April 2023

On May 1, 2023 By RebekahIn Monthly Wrap-Ups9 Comments

Hello everybody, and happy May! I hope you are having a wonderful day today! ❤️

Today, I’m posting a monthly wrap-up; I will just talk about what my April looked like, and I’ll share what I’ve been up to, what books I’ve read, and any pictures I took! Let’s just dive right in!

Books I Read

A Walk With Christ to the Cross by Dawson McAllister – This was a good book to read before Easter, during Lent. It was good, in my opinion, and gave me more insight and thoughts into what Jesus went through before being crucified. It was written quite conversationally, though, which wasn’t my absolute favorite, but wasn’t the worst either.

Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babitt – Despite being a children’s book, I found that I enjoyed this one quite a bit. It was a fun read, with some deeper undertones. I’ve watched the movie before, and liked it, and the book was pretty good as well!

Joan of Arc by Mark Twain – I read this one for my English class, and again, this was a pretty good book! I think it was my favorite Mark Twain book I’ve read so far.

Amy and Roger’s Epic Detour by Morgan Matson – I liked this one, though not as much as I expected to. I thought that I’d really enjoy it, because YA contemporary books are probably my favorite genre, but this wasn’t the best I’ve read. There were still a lot of things in it I liked, but there were also some things I didn’t, and I feel as if the ending is a bit rushed.

Writing Updates

I did not write as much as expected this month. After my big writing spurt at the end of March, I expected to get a lot of writing done this month, but I just didn’t. I did get a bit of writing done in the fantasy book I’m working on with my sister, as well as some of A Songwriter’s Summer, but not a whole lot.

Crochet Projects

I did not crochet much this month. I started a few new projects, such as a bunny and a pot of flowers, but I haven’t gotten a lot done with them. Hopefully, May will be better!

Blog Posts on Books and Hooks

Monthly Wrap-Up: March 2023

Happy Easter!

ThriftBooks Book Haul

The Day Tag

Reviewing April’s Goals

Practice piano. I did start practicing again this past month! I am using Simply Piano, which works very well.

Post a springy crochet pattern. I did not get around to this.

Start getting up earlier. Uhhh…I’m still working on this one. 😅

Hydrate more. Yeah, I guess!

Keep running at least three times a week. I did for the begining of the month, and then stopped. I have to try to get back to it soon, I guess.

Goals for May

Continue being consistent with piano playing.
Write every day.
Start running/biking again.
Work on my schedule.
Read at least six books.

Photos from April

What Happened in April?

One of the main things that happened was Easter! I had a lovely Easter with my family, and I would love to hear how your Easter went in the comments!
I also went to the zoo with my family and some of our friends. It was so much fun, despite being a bit chaotic!
Some family visited at the end of the month, and it was super fun!
Spring has finally begun, I feel like, and I’ve been spending a lot of time outside, enjoying the lovely sun and warmer weather!

Thank you so much for reading! What did you do in April? How was your Easter? What do you have planned for May? I’d love to chat in the comments!

I hope you all have a lovely week, and I’ll be back next Monday with a brand new post! Bye until then!

~ Rebekah

Monthly Wrap-Up: March 2023

On April 3, 2023 By RebekahIn Monthly Wrap-Ups13 Comments

Happy Monday everybody!! I hope that you had a good past week and weekend, and I hope that you are having a good start to this new week!

Am I the only one who can’t understand how we are in April already? How are we already a fourth of the way into 2023? (Honestly, I still sometimes think that it’s 2021, lol. 😄) But, seriously, this year is going by so fast!

Anyways, today I will be wrapping up March. I feel like March was a very busy month for me, especially compared to how chill February was. I got a good amount of blogging done, wrote quite a bit in my book, and overall, I felt like this was just a busy month. Let’s get into the wrap-up!

Books I Read

I got to exactly four books this month (my goal). I didn’t read a lot, but I think that that was partly due to how much writing I did at the end of the month.

Wolf by Wolf by Ryan Graudin – After all of her nagging, my sister finally got me to read this alternate historical fiction novel. I loved it, and found it so interesting! It was quite gripping, and I wrote a whole book review for it here, so you can check that out to read more of my thoughts concerning the book.

Blood for Blood by Ryan Graudin – I was going to take a break before starting the sequel to Wolf by Wolf , but I just had to continue and finish the duology! I found this book just as amazing, surprising, and gripping as the first! I would totally recommend this series.

The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry – I decided to read this book because it was a short read, and something I’d been meaning to get around to reading for a long while, due to how popular it is. I liked it, found it quite interesting and imaginative, and I liked picking apart the themes and messages.

Dare to Be More: The Witness of Blessed Carlo Acutis by Colleen and Matt Swaim – I loved this booklet. Although it was short, it really gave me some good insight into Blessed Carlo Acutis’s life. I really recommend this to anyone wanting to learn more about this amazing, modern saint.

Writing Updates

I haven’t been the best at writing consistently this year, but at the end of March, I had a big writing spurt, and wrote a lot of A Songwriter’s Summer! I was just getting so much into the story, listening to music (I really should create some playlists for this book, though), and writing some amazing scenes!

Crochet Projects

I didn’t crochet much this month. I just haven’t felt very inspired lately, and haven’t found any good patterns recently it seems. If you have any good pattern recommendations, leave the link in the comments, please! I am working on a few Easter things, though, and a spring-themed pattern to post on here, so keep an eye out for that!

Blog Posts on Books and Hooks

I am glad that I kept to consistently posting every Monday this month! Three of these were tags (that I wrote the day I published them 😅) but I still had lots of fun with posting!

The Once Upon a Time Book Tag

Wolf by Wolf by Ryan Graudin Book Review

The Spring Joy Photography Tag

The In Or Out Book Tag

Reviewing March’s Goals

Organize my closet shelving – Yep! One afternoon I just did a big organization…getting everything out, going through it all, and organizing it back onto the shelf. I wish I took before and after pics, because it honestly looks way better now, and I’m so relieved I got it done after procrastinating it for so long!

Design and post a spring-themed crochet pattern – No, I didn’t get around to this. I started designing one, but I didn’t write it out or post it yet. Look out, because I will (hopefully) have it up in April!

Continue with my running plan, and add biking in as cross-training – Yes and no. I really didn’t do any running until about a week before March ended, but since then, I’ve been consistently running and biking, following the plan I have!

Try out some new recipes – Not really. I probably did, but not to a notable degree.

Start practicing piano again – Nope, not at all! I totally forgot that this was on here.

Spend more time outside – Yes, I have! The weather is turning nice and springy, and I love just sitting out in the sun and reading, writing, or working on school. Getting back into running has also given me an excuse to get outside during the day, so I love that.

Buy some books on ThriftBooks and do a haul – No, I didn’t get around to this. I promise that I will do a haul, though, when I do order the books!

Goals for April

Practice piano.
Post a springy crochet pattern.
Start getting up earlier.
Hydrate more.
Keep running at least three times a week.

Pictures from March

I went to a coffee shop with my mom, sisters, and nana, and got a caramel frappe. It was so good!

What Happened in March?

My grandparents came to visit for a weekend, and I enjoyed the visit very much. We went thrift shopping, got coffee, and just spent some good time visiting!
Soccer started! I’ve been to only one practice so far, but I think that this season will be great. My brother will be on my same team this year, which should be fun. We haven’t had any actual games yet, but those will begin in April, and I’m excited!
I got sick, which wasn’t fun. I feel like I get sick so much, but I guess that that’s prone to happen in a larger family.
I got a whole lot of writing done in A Songwriter’s Summer, as I mentioned earlier in this post. I was in a bit of a writing slump, so this sudden burst of inspiration was sort of unexpected, but completely welcome! I wrote a whole lot, got to introduce some new amazing characters, and had a few new ideas on where the story will go!
Our homeschool group started up again after the long winter break, so those meetings are starting up again!

That’s all about my month! What happened in March for you? What books did you read? Did you complete your goals? What do you have planned for April? As always, I’d love to chat in the comments!

I hope you enjoyed today’s post! Thanks for reading! I will see y’all back here next week. Have a nice rest of your day!

Monthly Wrap-Up: February 2023

On February 27, 2023 By RebekahIn Monthly Wrap-Ups9 Comments

Hello everybody! As the second and shortest month of the year draws to an end, I figured that this week’s post could be a wrap-up, consisting of all that happened this month. I had a pretty good (but busy) month, and hope you did as well!

Books I Read

Love and Luck by Jenna Evans Welch was a sweet, yet meaningful contemporary novel. I love the sibling aspects of it, and it made me want to visit Ireland as well! I don’t know if I enjoyed it as much as its companion novel, Love and Gelato, but it was still really good!

The Beauty of Darkness by Mary E. Pearson was a very wild ride of different emotions and surprises! I think that it was a good ending for the series, yet the final book of a series is always a bit sad to read, knowing it’s the end.

Holy Moments by Matthew Kelly was a very good book! It was one of those books to me that really made me think a lot, and I would definitely recommend it to you!

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee was a book I was assigned to read for my English class. I liked it quite a bit, and I enjoyed the overall meaning and message of the novel.

Lovely War by Julie Berry was a reread, and it is one of my all-time favorite books, something I realized even further as I read through this amazingly well-written, sweet historical fiction novel. I love almost all of the aspects of this book, from the characters and relationships, to the writing, and the themes. Definitely check it out if you haven’t yet!

Crochet Projects

I am starting on some Easter and spring-themed projects (and, hopefully, the patterns will be released soon). I also finished a few smaller projects.

Blog Posts on Books and Hooks

The Seven Word Story Tag

My Favorite Book Couples

What’s Your WIP? Writing Tag #2

Reviewing February’s Goals

Go through clothes and get rid of stuff. I did go through all of my clothes, and I have lots of things to get rid of. I haven’t gotten rid of anything yet, but they’re all ready to go!

Keep consistent with running and run at least 20 miles. My consistency was sort of nonexistent throughout the beginning of the month, but toward the end, I found a training plan and have been following that. I did not run 20 miles.

Start biking again. I did not. 😕

Start making a playlist for my book. Again, I did not get around to this one.

Read at least four books. Yup!

Post at least once on my other blog. I did! Check it out here if you want. It was a collab I did with my sister covering a few ideas for Lent, if you’re interested!

Post once a week on here. I did stay consistent with this!

March’s Goals

Organize my closet shelving. 😬 It’s very messy! The shelf I’m speaking of is basically just the place I store anything random without a specific home: coloring books, old notebooks, games and puzzles, etc. It definitely needs to be cleaned up, and it’s a spot I’ve been dreading for a while now.
Design and post a spring-themed crochet pattern. I sort of have one designed, but I’ve yet to write down the pattern and share it with y’all. Keep an eye out for that!
Continue with my running plan, and add biking in as cross-training. The new running plan I’m using is one I found online to improve 5k time, because I hope to do a race in the spring. I’m liking it so far, but sometimes, creating the consistency is difficult. I also want to start biking more this month!
Try out some new recipes. I’ve been baking a lot lately, and I’ve saved a few really yummy-looking recipes, so I’m going to try them out soon!
Start practicing piano again. Because I haven’t in…a while.
Spend more time outside. I’ve been trying to do this more lately, and the lovely upcoming weather is for sure helping me to get outdoors more often!
Buy some books on ThriftBooks and do a haul. I have a gift card for ThriftBooks from Christmas, and I haven’t used it yet. In March, I hope to buy a few books from their website, and do book haul post.

Photos from February

What Happened in February?

February seemed to pass by very quickly! That’s probably partly due to the fact that it was a few days shorter than most months, but I feel like in general, I was pretty busy throughout the month.
I signed up for soccer again this spring! Practices haven’t started yet, but I am excited to start playing again in March!
I spent a lot of time outside and started trying to run consistently again. It’s always hard after taking a break like I did during the majority of winter, but I’m starting to get back into it!
I started experimenting and baking a lot more this month, especially bread!
What have you been up to this month?

That’s it! How was your February? What plans do you have for March? I’d love to hear from you in the comments!

I hope that you enjoyed today’s post! I also hope that you are having an amazing Monday, and I’ll see y’all back here next week!

Monthly Wrap-Up: January 2023

On January 30, 2023 By RebekahIn Monthly Wrap-Ups8 Comments

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!

Monthly Wrap-Up: December 2022

On December 31, 2022 By RebekahIn Monthly Wrap-Ups6 Comments

Hello, welcome back to my blog! I hope you are having a wonderful day today! ☺️ Am I the only one who can’t believe it’s the final day of 2022?

In this post, I’ll be wrapping up December: talking about what I did, the books I read, which goals I accomplished, and sharing photos from my month! Let’s dive right in!

Books I Read

I feel like I had a really good reading month! This was probably due to the fact that I was trying to hit my 2022 reading goal.

By Your Side by Kasie West was a reread for me. I listened to the audiobook while I helped clean my little sibling’s room. This was the first Kasie West book I read, last year, and maybe my favorite, although it’s hard to rank her books! They are such cute, quick contemporary books that are easy to read, yet are still wholesome.

Far From the Tree by Robin Benway was my second book of the month, borrowed from the library. Although there were some aspects I did not like, I was able to overlook that and appreciate other points of the story. I liked it fairly well, although I was a bit disappointed with the ending for some reason.

I Must Betray You by Ruta Sepetys was just…amazing. Her books are always very good, informational, historical fiction novels, but they still are interesting and easier to read than a history textbook. This Ruta Sepetys book was no different; I learned a lot about a time in history I rarely hear of, 1989 Romania. I really hope she writes more amazing YA historical fiction novels!

The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary E. Pearson was very interesting. It’s not a genre I would normally be picking up, but my sister and I read it together so we could discuss it afterward, and I thought that it was a very thought-provoking book. I feel like the story didn’t really revolve around the characters, but more the question of how far is too far in medical science. It definitely made me think of things I’d never considered before, and I like that.

Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen was the third Jane Austen book I’ve read, and I really enjoyed it! Although it is an older book, I was able to follow along pretty well, and may be one of my favorite Jane Austen books so far.

Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain was a book I was assigned to read for school, but I actually enjoyed it a bit. I found it very fun at points, yet I didn’t see a very clear storyline in it.

To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before by Jenny Han was another reread of the month. I remember really liking these when I read them last year, but this time, I feel as if I don’t as much. I was getting fairly annoyed by Peter Kavinsky, and just some things in the story.

P.S. I Still Love You by Jenny Han is the second book in the series. Again, it wasn’t as good as I remember it being the first time. One thing I do enjoy from these books, though, is the sister relationships!

Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens was the perfect Christmas read! This was actually my first time reading it, though I’ve watched the movie multiple times. I really liked it! I like the story overall, and many of the descriptions throughout the book.

Stranger Things: The Other Side by Jody Houser is a comic book about the tv show, Stranger Things. I enjoyed it, although I don’t usually read comics. This is one of my favorite shows, and I read through this graphic novel in one sitting!

Today, on the last day of 2022, I am reading The Librarian of Auschwitz by Antonio Iturbe. I am probably going to finish it today, as I have only about 150 pages left in it as I am posting this. I think that it’s very well so far, and contains many good quotes.

Crochet Projects

This month, I got a few Christmas decorations finished, as well as many of my Christmas presents, despite my resolutions to get presents finished early this year! 😅

Blog Posts on “Books and Hooks”

DIY Book Tree: BetsyJane’s Blog Tour

The Christmas Tag

Five Last-Minute Gift Ideas: Collab With Diamond!

Merry Christmas // A Christmas Poem

Reviewing December’s Goals

Go to bed by ten each night. Not every night, but I do feel like I’ve improved my sleep schedule this month.
Bake some Christmas cookies. Yes! My family and I made many Christmas cookies and treats this year! I’ll add pictures of some of them at the bottom of the post!
Complete my reading goal. Yes, this year’s goal was 52 books, and I finished with 55 books read this year. (If I finish the book I’m currently reading today.)
Practice the piano every day and learn some Christmas songs. Nope!
Make a Christmas music playlist. I added some new songs to a playlist my sister made last year, so kind of, I guess.
Go thrift shopping. I did go thrift shopping a couple times this month, mostly to buy Christmas gifts and decorations!
Get some more yarn. I did! I mostly needed to get some to make some presents, but I also bought some Christmas colored yarn and made myself a hat!
Decorate for Christmas. Yup!

Goals for January

Get into a new running routine.
Post weekly on both of my blogs.
Create a new schedule.
Drink eight cups of water a day.
Write every day.
Get new glasses.
Go through my clothes and get rid of stuff.
Read a classic.
Journal every day.

Pictures From My Month

What Happened in December?

The main thing in December was Christmas! Although I didn’t get to go visit relatives due to some sickness going around, I had a fun Christmas with my family!
My mom graduated from nursing school as well this month.
I did a lot of baking, decorating, and crocheting this month!
For Christmas, I got a notebook from my sister, and I have started to write another book! It is a contemporary novel, and maybe I will write a post about it soon.
Now, I’ve started planning out my January and 2023.

That’s all for today! How was your December? Do you have anything exciting going on in January? I’d love to chat in the comments!

Check out for a post next week for a yearly wrap-up and an overview of my 2023!

Monthly Wrap-Up: November 2022

On November 28, 2022 By RebekahIn Monthly Wrap-Ups10 Comments

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!

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!

Monthly Wrap-Up: October 2022

On October 31, 2022November 9, 2022 By RebekahIn Monthly Wrap-Ups5 Comments

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!

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!

Monthly Wrap-Up: September 2022

On September 29, 2022October 7, 2022 By RebekahIn Monthly Wrap-Ups11 Comments

Hello and welcome back to my blog, Books and Hooks, where I post a lot about my various hobbies! Today, I’m here with a monthly wrap-up for September. Is it just me, or did this month go by really fast?

Books

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins was a re-read for me. It is one of my favorite books, and it’s one of the books that got me into reading! I loved the book just as much this time around as I did all the other times. I just feel like it’s such a well-written and thought-provoking book. Also, are you team Peeta or team Gale? (Really, though, there is only one true answer.)

Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins, the second book in the Hunger Games series was the second book I finished in September. This series is just the best!

Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins was the third book I read this month. And, the ending always hits so hard. 😭 I’d you’ve never read this series, definitely do! This whole series, in my opinion, is a five-star read!

Then, I read Frankenstein by Mary Shelley. It was an assignment for my English, but I think that it was actually pretty good. It really shows how going too far with science can become a risk. I thought that it was also just pretty sad. I gave it four stars.

The Fountains of Silence by Ruta Sepetys was a great book. I previously read both Salt to the Sea and Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys, and they were both amazing. So, I had high hopes for The Fountains of Silence. Thankfully, my expectations were not too high! I gave this book five stars! I am working on a full book review for it, so keep an eye out for that!

Crochet projects

This month, I got a good amount of crocheting done! The main projects I’ve been working on have been crocheting these pumpkins! I’ve made about ten by now! XD

Posts

Monthly Wrap-Up: August 2022

Answering Y’all’s Questions

I Need Some Post Ideas!

Crochet Flower Chain: Beginner Pattern

Never Have I Ever: Writer’s Edition

My Favorite Book to Movie Adaptions

Strike-Out Challenge

How to Start Crocheting: A Collab With BetsyJane

Reviewing September’s goals

Write 1,000 words every day. I did not get as much writing done this month as I hoped, so no.

Practice Spanish lessons every day. Yes, I did! 😃

No phone on Mondays and Fridays (except for texting friends and doing Spanish lessons) Uh…no.

Follow schedule. Here’s the thing: I got sick at the beginning of September, so everything with my schedule got kind of messed up. So, I didn’t really do this at the beginning of the month, but during the latter part, I’ve been trying to get into more of a rhythm with school and everything.

Get up early & go to bed early. As I said, my schedules have been weird, so not a lot.

Read five books. Yes, exactly!

Post a crochet pattern. Yes, I did! Click here to see it if you haven’t!

Drink more water. Kind of.

Post twice a week. Yes! I kept up a pretty good posting schedule throughout the month!

Goals for October

Write a total of 30,000 words

Start practicing piano again

Finish The Return of the King book

Make some fallish posts

Find a running plan, and start it

Try out a new recipe

Pictures from September

What happened in September?

I feel like September was a pretty chill month.
I got sick at the beginning of the month, so that was not the funnest, but I’m practically better now!
We got started with school again. I’m having a lot of fun with my courses this year!
A lot of things were starting up again, such as our homeschool co op, which has been really fun so far!

Thanks, everyone, for reading! I’ll be back on Monday with a fallish (is that a word?) post! See y’all then!

How was your September? What are your plans for October? I’d love to chat in the comments!

Edit: Guys, after I posted this, I got a notification that this is my 100th post! I can’t believe it!

~ Rebekah

Monthly Wrap-Up: August 2022

On September 1, 2022 By RebekahIn Monthly Wrap-Ups14 Comments

Hello! Welcome or welcome back to my blog! How are you doing?

Today I’ll be wrapping up my August, considering the month is over. Now is your last chance to ask me any questions on this post, because I’ll post the answers on Monday, probably!

Books

The only book I finished this month was We’ll Always Have Summer by Jenny Han. It is the third book in the summer I turned pretty series. Despite my higher ratings for the other two books, I did not enjoy this book. I just found it very annoying, and I didn’t like the ending.

Writing updates

Considering the fact that I was traveling during the first half of the month, and I was in sort of a writing slump, I didn’t get a lot of writing done. I worked on Old Hopes and New Beginnings a bit and picked up the second draft of my dystopian book, and I’ve started writing it again! And…guess what? I’ve come up with (yet another) book idea. Now, I really want to write it, but I have to finish one of my other books first. 😣

Crochet

I have started working on some fall projects!! Yay! I made some decorative pumpkins (here’s my pattern) and some other autumn decor!

Running

Again, I was traveling, so I didn’t run during that time. I did get quite a bit done in the latter part of the month, which was great. I also did a 5k race, which was lots of fun!! My time was a little under 30 minutes, which I think was a pretty good time for me!

Posts

Monthly Wrap-Up: July 2022

I didn’t set any August goals, so I’ll just go right into listing my September goals. (I can’t believe it’s September already!!! 😮)

September goals

Write 1,000 words every day
Practice Spanish lessons every day
No phone on Mondays and Fridays (except for texting friends and doing Spanish lessons)
Follow schedule
Get up early & go to bed early
Read five books
Post a crochet pattern
Drink more water
Post twice a week

Important events in August

As I have mentioned a lot, I was visiting family during the first half of the month, so that was quite fun!
One weekend, my dad and brothers traveled a bit, so my sisters, my mom, and I had such a fun time! We did some shopping, got snacks, and had chick flick movie nights!
Our fair happened, which was lots of fun!

My little brother did this puzzle while on our trip, and he wanted me to take a pic!

Thanks for reading! How was your August? What books did you read? What are your September goals? I’d love to chat in the comments! Everyone take care, and have a good rest of your week and weekend!! Also, please comment if you have any post ideas you’d like to see on my blog!

~ Rebekah

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