Monthly Wrap-Up: July 2022

Hello, y’all! I’m back!! How’s everyone doing?

July’s monthly wrap-up is quite a bit late because I was on a trip visiting family and I decided to take a short blogging break while I was there. Now, I’m getting caught up and doing my monthly wrap-up!

Check out this post, where I asked y’all to ask me questions, and I’ll answer them sometime next week!

Books I Read:

Wait For Me by Caroline Leech was the first book I finished this month. It was a pretty good historical fiction novel. My sister had recommended it to me after she finished it, and I enjoyed it as much as her. It’s a historical fiction book set during World War Two. Some historical fiction that I’ve read has been quite action-packed, with lots of stuff going on. This book, however, wasn’t. It was slower, but not boring. I rated it 4.5 out of 5 stars!

Waking Rose: A Fairytale Retold by Regina Doman is the only other book I read in July. Regina Doman writes amazing books. I have read two of her previous books in the fairytale retold series, The Shadow of the Bear and Black as Night. They are all good books for Catholic teens especially because Doman incorporated a lot of Catholicism into these books. It was a 5/5!

Writing updates

I wrote a good amount in “Old Hopes and New Beginnings” my contemporary novel, though not as much as I would have wanted. I was hoping to finish the book this month, but it feels like I’m not even very close. I am at a little over 57,000 words, and I was aiming for 60,000 words for the first draft, but I am pretty sure it’s going to be longer than that.

Crochet

Not a lot of crochet, but I did finish a crochet top which I am really excited about! I have pics down below!

Running

I got a lot of running done, though!! I am so proud of my running last month! I followed my 10k training plan, and I ran seven miles as well! When I started running a few years back, I couldn’t even run a whole mile without stopping. I never would have imagined going seven miles. But, here I am!

Posts

My One Year Blogiversary 🥳// Comment Some Assumptions // Blog Redesign

Monthly Wrap-Up: June 2022

Summer Aesthetic

The Music Loving Writer’s Tag (Original)

Reacting to and Answering Your Assumptions About Me

Taking a Short Break + Ask Me Some Questions

Reviewing my July goals

• Exercise every day I think I did! At least most days. There was one day where we went to the store, and I didn’t get to exercise, but we did walk around quite a bit, so I guess that sort of counts. I think I did pretty good with this one!
• Get caught up (at least a little bit) on tags, awards, and nominations on my blog Uhhh…not really 😅
• Write for 20 minutes each day Nope, but I did end up writing pretty consistently!
• Make a schedule I did! I made a morning schedule, because I felt like I needed to be more organized!
• Hydrate more, because it’s getting super hot Yes! I am working more on that! It had definitely been very hot here, so hydration is important!
• Do a 10k run Yup! Like I said earlier, I followed and completed my 10k training program!
• Post a book review No, I didn’t.
• Take more walks, and enjoy nature I feel like I really did this in July more! I tried to get outside, and take more walks and bike rides this month!

Important events in July

• In July, I didn’t have a lot going on. There was a lot of time with family, walks and runs, and finishing up my schoolwork for the year.

Pictures from July

The crochet top I made!

Constructing the top!

Chocolate chip cookies 😋

A picture from one of my walks

My cat, Luna

I love taking the dogs on my walks with me!

Fireworks from the 4th of July

Thank you for reading! I hope everyone is having a good start to their week! What’s been going on in your life lately? What posts would you like to see in the future on my blog? I’d love to chat in the comments! I hope that you have an amazing day, and a good week! I’ll be posting on Thursday (probably an August monthly wrap-up). Bye! 💕

~ Rebekah

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Ten Of My Favorite Books I Read In 2021 📚❤

Hi, happy Wednesday!

If you’ve been following me for a while (or if you just saw my blog name, lol) you probably know that I like books! I’ve read 92 books this year, even though I only set out to read 52!

Anyways, I thought that, because it’s almost the end of the year, I’d tell you my favorite books I read this year.

When I first had this idea, I quickly thought better of it. How would I pick only my favorites?! I loved so many of the books I’ve read this year!!!

And because of that, I decided to only choose 10! This is going to be such a challenge, but it’s going to be fun to look through all the books I’ve read! I’m also going to count each series as one book, because I couldn’t just pick one book in that series!!!

My favorite books of 2021!

The Nightingale by Kristen Hannah

Genre: historical fiction

This book!!!! There are so many words to describe it: awesome, amazing, lovely, shocking, heartbreaking…so many! I absolutely LOVED this historical fiction book set during WW2! It was so amazing and heartbreaking…I would definitely recommend it. (There are so many great quotes too.)

“Some stories don’t have happy endings. Even love stories. Maybe especially love stories.”

— Kristen Hannah, The Nightingale

By Your Side by Kasie West

Genre: contemporary/romance/YA

This was the first Kasie West book I read, and now, she’s one of my favorite authors! This was a sweet, cute contemporary romance, with also some drama! It’s probably one of my favorites of her’s! Love it!

“It was hard to remember what I’d been so scared of. Being treated differently? Lack of acceptance? I was the one who hadn’t accepted myself for who I was. I was the one who needed to be comfortable in my own skin. I hoped I could do that moving forward.”

— Kasie West, By Your Side

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

Genre: historical fiction/YA

I took so long to read this book, but I don’t know why! It’s absolutely amazing, not to mention sad and heartbreaking! I really loved the narrating of this book; it was really different and unusual, but I liked it! It’s another WW2 historical fiction, and there’s also a movie about it!

“The only thing worse than a boy who hates you: a boy that loves you.”

— Markus Zusak, The Book Thief

Lovely War by Julie Berry

Genre: historical fiction/YA

This is another historical fiction, this one set during WW1 and WW2. It’s an amazing story following two sweet romances! My sister and I even got my mom to read it, and she loved it! You should definitely read it!

“If music stops, and art ceases, and beauty fades, what have we then?”

— Julie Berry, Lovely War

To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before, P.S. I Still Love You, and Always and Forever, Lara Jean by Jenny Han

Genre: contemporary/ romance/YA

This series is soooo great! I loved them so much, that I stayed up until four one night reading one of them! They were all three amazing! I think that because it was a series and not just a standalone novel, I liked them even more, because I went through a lot with all of the characters!

You might have heard of the movies, which are on Netflix, too! I haven’t watched them (because my family doesn’t have Netflix), but I hope to watch them sometime!

“Love is scary: it changes; it can go away. That’s the part of the risk. I don’t want to be scared anymore.”

— Jenny Han, To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before

“People come in and out of your life. For a time they are your world; they are everything. And then one day they’re not.”

— Jenny Han, P.S. I Still Love You

“I guess that’s part of growing up, too–saying goodbye to the things you used to love.”

— Jenny Han, Always and Forever, Lara Jean

The Shadow of the Bear and Black as Night by Regina Doman

Genre: YA/ Christian fiction/fairy tale retellings

I really liked these ones! The first was a really good retelling of the fairy tale “Snow White and Rose Red”, and the second is “Snow White” I think. I found the characters really relatable and the story very compelling. They’re also both great Catholic books.

“Every once in a while you just have to decide to do something very crazy and very right–just to dare yourself to live. I don’t mean doing something stupid and destructive–just something fun and good and beautiful.”

— Regina Doman, The Shadow of the Bear

“Skin white as snow, hair black as night.”

— Regina Doman, Black as Night

P.S. I Like You by Kasie West

Genre: YA/contemporary/romance

Another Kasie West book! (I just love her books!) This one was definitely one of my favorites of hers. It’s just so sweet and nice!!! Loved it!

“People easily accept things that they want to be true.”

— Kasie West, P.S. I Like You

A Curse so Dark and Lonely, A Heart So Fierce and Broken, and A Vow So Bold and Deadly by Brigid Kemmerer

Genre: YA/romance/fantasy

I loved this fantasy series! (Even though my sister hyped it up so much!) They were all three amazing, full of realistic and flawed characters, a story that makes you want to continue reading, and plot twists! I have a book review for the first one here!

“I am always surprised to discover that when the world seems darkest, there exists the greatest opportunity for light.”

— Brigid Kemmerer, A Curse So Dark and Lonely

“Ah, yes, the most dangerous person at the party is the girl sitting alone with a book.”

— Brigid Kemmerer, A Heart So Fierce and Broken

“I will come back to you.”

— Brigid Kemmerer, A Vow So Bold and Deadly

Instructions for Dancing by Nicola Yoon

Genre: contemporary/ romance/ YA

This was such good book, although the ending…….😢😢😢 I like when a book has a meaning, and this one definitely does, although I can’t really say because it’ll spoil the end! I read Nicola Yoon’s other books, and I loved them too, although they didn’t quiet make it to the top!

“Given enough time, all love stories turn into heartbreak stories.”

— Nicola Yoon, Instructions for Dancing

All this Time by Mikki Daughtry and Rachael Lippincott 

Genre: contemporary/YA

THIS BOOK! I had so many different feeling while reading this: happiness, confusion, sadness, more happiness, DEFINITELY more confusion, HEARTBREAK!!! It was an emotional ride! But I ended up loving this book! I got my sister to read it, and she likes it too!

“Everything’s the same. It’s me that’s different.”

— All this Time by Mikki Daughtry and Rachael Lippincott, All This Time

📚 📚 📚

Okay, I hope you liked this little mini review for each little book! I definitely read a lot of great books during 2021, but these are the ten that made it to the top! I would (definitely) recommend any of these books!!!

See you on my next post on Saturday!!!

Christmas Joy Tag

Hello everyone! I know it’s Monday, and I usually post on Wednesdays and Saturdays, but I thought I would do an extra Monday post, because so many people hate Mondays, and I thought this would give some people some…joy!!! Hope you like it! ♡

Since it’s almost Christmas, I decided to create a Christmas tag/nomination! I hope you like it! Also, this is my first time making one of these, so I don’t know if it’s that good or if anyone else will really do it, but I thought it would be fun!

Rules

• Thank whoever nominated you and add links to their blog and the creator’s blog
• Answer the questions and you can add a few of your own if you want
• Nominate anyone, or leave it at an open nomination
• Spread the Christmas joy! ❤

Questions

• Do you have any holiday traditions?
• What’s your favorite part of Christmas?
• What’s your favorite Christmas cookie?
• What’s your favorite Christmas song?
• What’s your favorite Christmas film?
• What’s your favorite Christmas memory?

My answers!

1: Do you have any holiday traditions? My siblings and I get up really early (usually around four) and just go to the living room and talk about Christmas and stuff. Our parents made a rule that we couldn’t wake them up until five, so we always have to wait for a while before opening presents and everything.

2: What’s your favorite part of Christmas? I like spending time with family, and the whole story of the first Christmas.

3: What’s your favorite Christmas cookie? I don’t know if I can choose!! Gingerbread are always the classic cookies, but I also really love those snowball cookies and the peppermint ones!

4: What’s your favorite Christmas song?

I really like Silent Night, as well as The First Noel! They’re both such beautiful songs.

5: What’s your favorite Christmas film?

There are a lot, and I know I can’t pick only one! I like It’s a Wonderful Life, and even though I used to think it was boring, I like it now! I also like The Christmas Project, Christmas Carol, and Elf.

6: What’s your favorite Christmas memory?

I don’t really know if there is just one. I have so many! Every Christmas is such an beautiful time!

🎄 ⭐ 🎄 ⭐ 🎄 ⭐ 🎄 ⭐ 🎄 ⭐ 🎄 ⭐ 🎄 ⭐ 🎄 ⭐ 🎄 ⭐ 🎄

So, if you want to do this, you can. This is my first time making one of these nomination things, so I don’t know if it’s good or not. But, I hope you have a good day!! Just less than three weeks until Christmas!!! 😁

2021-12-25T05:00:00

  days

  hours  minutes  seconds

until

Christmas!!!

Crochet Christmas Tree Ornament Pattern: Heart

Here’s my second post for the day! It’s a heart Christmas tree ornament! I hope you like it! It is a very simple project!

Materials

• Worsted weight yarn in any color
• 5 mm crochet hook
• Darning needle

Notes

• This is a beginner pattern
• The number in between the parentheses are the number of stitches you should have at the end of the row
• The chains at the beginning of the rounds do not count as stitches
• This pattern does not have a specific gauge

Stitches & Abbreviations

• Ch — Chain
• Sc — Single Crochet
• St — Stitch
• Sk — Skip
• Sl st — Slip Stitch
• Rep — Repeat
• Tr — Treble Crochet
• Dc — Double Crochet
• Mc — Magic Circle

Instructions

Round one: Make a mc. Ch 2. Do 10 dc in the ring. Sl st to first st to join. Pull mc tight. (10)

Round two: Ch 2. Do 2 tr in each of the next 2 stitches. Do 2 dc in the next st. Do 2 sc in each of the next two sts. Ch 3. In each of the next two sts, do 2 sc. Do 2 dc in the next st. Do two tr in each of the next two sts. Sl st to the first st to join. (20)

Round three: Ch 1. * Do 2 sc in the next st. Do 1 in the next. Rep * around. (When you get to the ch 3 at the bottom, do 3 sc in that loop.) Sl st to the first st to join. Sl st in the mc, creating the top of the heart. Ch 10. Sl st back in the center. (33, excluding the ch 10 at the end.)

Fasten off. Weave in all ends, and you’re done!

It’s very simple. It just has three rounds, with basic stitches! I hope you liked it! Have a great weekend!

Crochet Christmas Tree Ornament Pattern: Christmas Tree

Hi everyone, welcome (or welcome back!) to Books and Hooks! How are you doing today? My post today is going to be a Christmas tree ornament!

I made this pattern up on November 25, just because I was bored, and it was my first time creating my own ornament pattern! Okay, I hope you like it!!

Also, I re-decorated my blog for winter/Christmas! It’s mostly just the snowflakes though.

Materials

• Green, yellow, and brown worsted weight yarn
• 3.5 mm crochet hook
• Darning needle

Notes

• This is a beginner pattern, but there are a few parts that can be a little tricky
• The number in between the parentheses are the number of stitches you should have at the end of the row
• The chain ones at the beginning of the rows do not count as stitches
• This pattern does not have a specific gauge

Stitches & Abbreviations

• Ch — Chain
• Sc — Single Crochet
• St — Stitch
• Sk — Skip
• Sl st — Slip Stitch
• Rep — Repeat

Instructions

Make two

Ch 2.

Row 1: In the second stitch from the hook, do 3 sc. (3)

Row 2: Ch 1, turn. Sc in each st. (3)

Row 3: Ch 1, turn. Do 2 sc in in the first st. Sc in each stitch until only one remains. Do 2 sc in the last st. (5)

Row 4: Ch 1, turn. Sc in each st. (5)

Row 5-10: Rep rows 3 and 4. You should end on a row 4. You should have 11 stitches at the end of row 10.

Row 11: Rep row 3. (13)

Row 12 & 13: Rep row 4. (13)

Row 14: Rep row 3. (15)

Row 15 & 16: Rep row 4. (15)

Fasten off.

Take your brown yarn, and counting from the edge you just fastened off at, attach the yarn in the seventh st. Ch 1. Sc in that stitch and the next two. (3)

Row 2: Ch 1, turn. Sc in each of the three stitches. (3)

Row 3: Rep row 2. (3)

Fasten off.

Attaching the two trees at the very top st, sl st into the top st with the yellow yarn. (Make sure you are going through both trees). Ch 15. Sl st back into the same st and then fasten off.

Getting your green yarn again, sl st into the same st you just did for the yellow yarn. Make sure you are going through both trees.

Sc down along both trees. Make sure you do one sc per row. When you get to the corner, do three sc. Keep single crocheting around the tree.

When you get to the trunk, change to brown yarn. Sc around the trunk, doing two sc in each edge.

Change back to the green yarn when you finish the trunk. Keep single crocheting around the tree. When you get back to the top, fasten off.

Weave in all the ends, and you’re done!

I hope you liked the pattern! I can’t believe it’s only three weeks until Christmas! I hope you are doing well! Bye! (I’ll be posting another pattern today as well!!)

Monthly Wrap-Up: November 2021

Helloooooo!!! I can’t believe that it’s already December!!! Almost Christmas!!! I am excited for the Christmas season and getting ready for Christmas!!

Books

1. All this Time by Mikki Daughtry and Rachael Lippincott. I loved this book! It is about Kyle who gets in a car accident, and his girlfriend dies. He has to find out how to re-build his life after a lot of things are changed. Then, he meets Marley, and they are really sweet together. This book is amazing. Great writing. Awesome plot twists. 5/5 stars!
2. A Heart so Fierce and Broken by Brigid Kemmerer is the second book in the cursebreaker series. It was an amazing book. It was narrated by Grey, Lia Mara, Rhen, and Harper. I really liked the story and the plot twist (which I kinda saw coming). 5/5 stars!
3. A Vow so Bold and Deadly by Brigid Kemmerer. This is the last book in the series, and it was a great ending to the trilogy! It’s still narrated by the four people I mentioned above. I loved it! 5/5 stars!
4. Legend by Marie Lu was a re-read for me. I really enjoyed it the first time, and it was still pretty good as a re-read. It’s about Day, the most wanted criminal, and June, the fifteen year old prodigy. After June’s brother dies, she goes to find the criminal who killed him, which is Day. Day is trying to keep his family safe. Even though it is a little far fetched (with them both just being 15) I liked it. 5/5 stars!
5. Love, Life, and the List by Kasie West. This was one I really liked. It’s about Abby Turner, who loves art. But when she tries to enter an art showcase, they say her work has “no heart”. So she makes a list of things to do that summer to hopefully give her paintings more depth. I have a review for it here! 5/5 stars!
6. A Torch Against the Night by Sabaa Tahir is the second book in a series. It follows Elias, who has escaped and is fleeing the martial empire, Laia, who is going with Elias to break her brother out of prison, and Helene, who is empire’s new blood shrike, trying to keep her family safe. It was a re-read and I loved it just as much as I remember! Definitely 5/5 stars!!!
7. The Rose and the Dagger by Renée Ahdieh is the second and final book in this series. I liked it, even though my sister hyped it up a lot. It’s about Shahrzad who thought she was on the right side of the war until she found out about the powerful curse plaguing the prince. Now, this fantasy world is on the brink of war. 5/5 stars!
8. The Fill-In Boyfriend by Kasie West. I loved this book (just like I do all of Kasie West’s books I’ve read) and I thought it was just a light, sweet contemporary romance. When Gia’s boyfriend dumps her in the parking lot of prom, she quickly finds another person to pretend to be him, to prove to her friends he really exists. In the days after prom though, it’s the fill in Bradley that she’s thinking about and not the regular one. I loved it! 5/5 stars!!

Writing

I feel like I got soooo much writing done this month! I didn’t work that much on my dystopian book, but I worked on the fantasy novel my sister and I are writing quite a bit. I also started writing a contemporary book, but I’m just on the second chapter.

Crochet

I have been working on a lot of Christmas presents this month, and also designing some Christmas tree ornament patterns, which I will hopefully have time to post in December.

Running

I didn’t get much running done this month, mostly because my knee has been hurting a bit. Hopefully in December, I’ll be able to begin again.

Other stuff

I was really busy in November, with getting prepared for Christmas, everything with Thanksgiving, and just a lot of school and stuff. Nothing too important to say in this part.

Posts

Single Line Story Challenge (part two)

The Aesthetic for my Book

Autumn Aesthetic

Love, Life, and the List by Kasie West Book Review (Spoilers!!)

10 Random Things I Love ❤

Books I Want to Finish Before the New Year

Pictures

My sister got a new dog!!! She’s so cute!

Some of the pies and the sweet potatoes from Thanksgiving!

We went on a walk the other day and saw a big spider inside a hollow tree. I think my brother took this photo.

Okay, so I hope you had a good November!! I’ll be posting a few Christmas-y posts this month! Okay, byeeeee!!!