The In Or Out Book Tag

Hello y’all, and happy Monday! I hope that all of you are having a good start to the week. ☺

Today, I’ll be participating in the In Or Out Book Tag, which I saw over on Anna’s blog. It looked like so much fun, and she left an open nomination, so I thought I’d do this tag on my blog today!

This book tag is very simple: I will basically just respond to each reading-related thing with ‘in’ or ‘out’, depending on if I like it or not. As I said, very simple! Let’s just get right into it!

Reading the last page first.

Out, definitely. There are so many potential spoilers to be read. I used to read the last sentence first, but I won’t even do that now, because I absolutely hate spoiling myself!

Enemies to lovers.

In, but only if it is done well. I don’t love this trope, and I prefer rivals to lovers, but enemies to lovers can work if it is written well.

Dream sequences.

In, I guess.

Love triangles.

In. I like reading love triangles, as long as they’re done well, like I said about the enemies to lovers trope.

Cracked spines.

Out. I hate it when my book spines are cracked! I mean, I’ll still read books with cracked spines, but I won’t purposely crack the spines on my books.

Back to my small town.

I haven’t read any books with this aspect in them, but I would love to. In!

Monsters are regular people.

I’m not sure what this really means. I guess I am out with this one.

No paragraph breaks.

Out. I hate it when there are long sequences of text without paragraph breaks, and I often get lost when this happens. I feel like I also read more when there are breaks between some of the paragraphs.

Multi-generational sagas.

I haven’t read any books like this, but that sounds like it’d be interesting to read, so I’m in!

Re-reading.

In! I love to re-read my favorite books, just as long as it’s been a good length of time since the first read.

Artificial intelligence.

Usually out; I just don’t find myself very interested in those types of stories.

Drop caps.

I’m in for this one. They look especially cool in fantasy!

Happy endings.

I’m in and out on this one. I like when a story ends happily, but there does need to be some sadness and drama beforehand. I feel like I’m more of a fan of bittersweet endings.

Plot points that only converge at the end.

In. I love when everything converges at the end, or when everything lines up and makes sense.

Detailed magic systems.

Overall, I’d say I’m in. I don’t like it when they’re too detailed and complex to keep track of, but I don’t like when they’re just meh, either. As long as I can understand it, then I am in!

Classic fantasy races.

In, I guess.

Unreliable narrators.

Uhhh…probably out. Unreliable narrators usually annoy me.

Evil protagonists.

Out. I don’t think I’d like to read a book with an evil protagonist.

The chosen one.

In, but only if it’s well written, and the character isn’t annoying (which I find many of the chosen one characters tend to be.)

When the protagonist dies.

Out. I just hate this!

Really long chapters.

Out. I prefer shorter chapters and find them easier to read. I also finish the book much quicker when the chapters are shorter.

French flaps.

Out, because these annoy me quite a bit.

Deckled edges.

Out. I don’t very much like deckled edges.

Signed copies by author.

In! I don’t think I have any, but it would be so cool to own a signed book.

Dog-earing pages.

I guess I’d say out, although I’m not one of those readers that is totally against dog-earing pages. I just don’t personally do it anymore.

Chapter titles instead of numbers.

In and out. I like being able to check and see what chapter I’m on and how many more chapters I have, but chapter titles are interesting as well!

That’s all for my post today. Thank you so much for reading! I won’t be tagging anyone, but if you want to, definitely take this tag and do it on your blog! I’d love to see y’all’s opinions and answers to these reading-related topics.

How would you have answered these? Do you disagree with any of my opinions? I’d love to chat in the comments!

I will see you all next week with a monthly wrap-up (I can’t believe that March is almost over!) I hope that everyone’s week goes well, and bye for now!

~ Rebekah

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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.

A picture from one of my walks.

And another! The sky’s sunset was so pretty on this walk!

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!

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

The 20 Questions Book Tag

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

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

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

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

2: How do you feel about cliffhangers?

I love them…but I also don’t! 😆

3: Hardcover or paperback?

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

4: Favorite book?

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

5: Least favorite book?

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

6: Love triangles, yes or no?

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

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

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

8: A book you’re currently reading?

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

9: Last book you recommended to someone?

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

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

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

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

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

12: Favorite author?

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

13: Buying books or borrowing books?

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

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

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

15: Bookmarks or dogears?

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

16: A book you can always re-read?

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

17: Can you read while listening to music?

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

18: One POV or multiple?

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

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

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

20: Who do you tag?

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

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

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

~ Rebekah

The Fountains of Silence by Ruta Sepetys: Book Review

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

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

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

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

The Fountains of Silence by Ruta Sepetys

Summary from Goodreads

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

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

My thoughts on the book

Characters

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

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

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

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

Plot and setting

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

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

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

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

Writing

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

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

Similar books, and who should read this book

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

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

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

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

Final thoughts

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

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

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

~ Rebekah

My Favorite Book to Movie Adaptions

Hello everybody! Welcome (or welcome back) to my blog, Books and Hooks! I hope you are having a good Monday!

Today, I’ll be listing and talking about my favorite book-to-movie adaptions! Now, there are a lot of book-to-movie adaptions that are just horrible, or at least not that good. If you ask anyone I know, they’ll tell you that I’m that annoying person who points out everything in the movie that isn’t supposed to be there, or that’s different in the books. 😅 Even so, there are a few movies that have really stood out to me, and that’s what I’ll be covering in this post!

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The Book Thief

There were a few things that were cut out of the movies, and some things they did differently, but I understand that you cannot include everything in the movie. I think that they portrayed the book really well, and I really recommend reading or watching this historical fiction.

To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before

I loved the books, and I think that they made the movies very good as well! I don’t know if I’d say I like the films more than the books, but I think I like them just as much! There are a lot of good changes they made to the movie. For example, I think I like Peter better in the movies because I feel like he’s less dramatic and he is more caring.

The Hunger Games

Nothing can compare to the books, however, I think that they did a good job with the movies. They didn’t differ from the books a whole lot, and there are a few added parts in the movies that make them really good and worth watching.

The Lord of the Rings

Okay, if you’ve followed for a while you probably know that I’ve been trying to get through the Lord of the Rings book series for a while. It’s not that I don’t like the series. I think that it’s great and Tolkien was an amazing writer. But I just have a hard time getting through the books for some reason. I do plan to finish the series. I’m on the last book. I think that the movies are well made, and they really portray the books well, I think.

The Giver

When I was younger, my sister really liked this movie, and she’d watch it a lot. However, I just thought it was boring. A few years ago, though, I started getting more into it and understanding more about the themes and messages of the movie. Last year, I read the books, which were really good. I’d definitely recommend reading them. The movie was made really well, I think. It’s kind of weird having watched the movie first, then read the book, though. Also, I think that some of the other books in the series would make good movies.

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That’s it! Thanks to Lydia who gave me this idea! Definitely go check out her blog, which she recently started! She shares some amazing content!

Do you like watching the movie adaptions of books? What’s your favorite on this list? Are there any more you’d add? Are there any adaptions that have really disappointed you? I’d love to chat in the comments!

Also, can anyone recommend a good Pride and Prejudice movie? I know that they made a few, but I don’t know which one is the best. Please recommend one to me in the comments!

Thank you so much for reading! I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments! ❤️ Okay, well, have a good day and week! See y’all on Thursday! Bye!!

~ Rebekah

Never Have I Ever: Writer Edition

Hello and happy Thursday! How’s everyone doing? I hope your week is going well!

I’m here today with a fun post! I saw this on Isabelle’s and Victoria’s blog, Bookworm Hollow! They nominated any writers who see it, so I’m doing it now because it looks like fun! Thanks!!

Rules:

• Link and thank the blogger who tagged you.
• Include the graphic somewhere in the post (or make your own!) 
• Answer the questions truthfully and honestly.  
• Tag 3 bloggers. 

Never have I ever:

Started a novel I didn’t finish.

Yes…many! Especially when I was younger, because I’d start on different books and then have new ideas, and I’d stop writing the current one I was working on.

Written a story completely by hand.

I did when I was younger. It was a short book about a girl whose town gets attacked, so she has to live on this island by herself. I gave it to my mom…I wonder if she still has it. 🤔

Changed tenses midway through a story.

I don’t think so. I normally just write books in the present tense, so I don’t have a problem with changing tenses! I just feel like writing in the present tense is more normal for me.

Not researched before starting a story.

Yes, I think so. Then, when I was writing, I’d have to stop and research. 😄 I’m better at researching before now, though!

Changed my protagonist’s name halfway through a draft.

How about changing the name when starting on the second draft? Because that’s just what I did. In my dystopian novel, one of the narrator’s names has changed…😅

Written a story in a month or less.

I’ve written some short stories in less than a month, but not a novel or anything. I think that this novella for my English was written in about a month.

Fallen asleep while writing.

I don’t think I’ve done this one. I don’t normally write a night.

Corrected someone’s grammar irl/online.

Yes. I’m that annoying person who will correct grammar a lot.

Yelled in all-caps at myself in the middle of my novel.

I don’t think so! Sometimes, though, I’ll write notes to myself in my book.

Used “I’m writing” as an excuse.

Guilty. 😅

Killed a character that was based on someone I know in real life.

No, I haven’t, lol. I don’t really base my characters off of real people in life. Sometimes, I’ll take inspiration, though, from people. But, I have no real enemies, so I haven’t killed anyone based on a person in real life. Do be warned that you could be incorporated in my novel, though, everybody. 😄

Used pop culture references in a story.

Yeah, I think so, but not a lot. I have used some specific brands and people (actors, bands, etc.) in my writing.

Written between the hours of 1:00 am and 6:00 am.

I’m not one of those crazy writers who are up in the middle of the night writing, but I do get up sort of early. I usually get up at five, but I don’t always write when I first wake up. I probably have written before six, though.

Drank an entire pot of coffee while writing.

I don’t really drink coffee.

Written down dreams to use in a potential novel.

I don’t think I’ve written them down, but I have remembered some to use in a novel.

Published an unedited story on the internet/blog/wattpad.

Last year, I wrote a short novel for my English class and published that on my school blog, chapter by chapter. I think that I published them unedited. I went back and edited them afterward, though.

Procrastinated schoolwork because I wanted to write.

I’m not one to procrastinate a lot. I usually like to get my school done first, so I don’t have it hanging over my head while I write.

Typed so long my wrists hurt.

Yes.

Spilled a drink on my laptop while writing.

Nope! I share the computer with my family, so I would probably get in a lot of trouble. That’s why I’m not allowed to have drinks by the laptop while I’m using it.

Forgotten to save my work/draft.

I use Google Docs, so I think it automatically saves. That would be horrible if I lost all of my writing! 😢

Finished a novel.

The first draft. I am currently working on the second draft of my dystopian novel. I don’t think I’ve ever fully finished a novel. (I did the historical fiction for my English, but that was a novella, so I don’t know if it counts.)

Laughed like an evil villain while writing a scene.

Yes…

Created maps of my fictional world.

Yes, but it was no work of art. I just used a pen to draw a simple map.

Researched something shady for a novel.

I don’t think so, but I have researched a lot for my writing. I don’t know about shady but definitely some weird and random things…

I nominate any writers who read this post!

Thanks for reading! Are you a writer? How would you have answered these questions? I’d love to chat in the comments! Hope you have a good day, and see y’all on Monday!

Answering Y’all’s Questions

Hello! I’m back with a new post this week! I’m going to be answering the questions you guys have asked in this post!

Thanks so much to Addie and Maggie for asking some questions! Be sure to look at both of their blogs, because they share some great posts!

Let’s get into the questions, now!

Addie’s questions:

1. Have you ever been out of the U.S.? If so where did you go?

I actually haven’t ever. I think it would be really fun to travel sometime, though! I just don’t like plane rides.

2. Do you have any pets? (you may have answered this question before I just can’t remember lol)

I think I did before, but I don’t mind answering it again!! I have a cat named Luna! 🥰 Here is a pic!

3. What’s your favorite hobby?

Uhhhh…this is a hard one, considering the fact I have so many hobbies! 😅 Writing, crochet, and running have to be my top three. I don’t think I can choose just one!

4. If you could live anywhere you wanted in the world where would you go and why?

I would really like to visit Italy or France! If I had to choose one, though, it would probably be Italy! I’d love to go there for many reasons, one being the food! Pasta, pizza, gelato…yum! I don’t know if I’d like to live there, but just for a visit would be fun! To live…I’m not sure! I don’t have a very good understanding of different places, because I haven’t traveled a lot, so I don’t know if I would be able to answer that!

5. Any college/future plans?!

It’s funny you ask this because it’s something I’ve been thinking a lot about lately. I plan to become a doula when I’m out of high school, and then maybe go to college to become a midwife if I like that career area!

Maggie’s questions:

1. Would you rather visit a library or a bookstore?

I like them both for different reasons! I love bookstores because I can actually buy the books, whereas at a library I’d have to return them in a few weeks. I also really like the library, especially if I don’t have any money to spend on books. Overall, though, I’d have to go with a bookstore!

2. What’s your favorite savannah animal?

Elephants! For some reason, I’ve just always loved them, and I don’t know why, but that’s definitely what I’d choose for this question!

3. What are a few countries you’d love to visit?

Like I said earlier, Italy and France are two countries I’d love to visit! I also really like Ireland!

4. Do you prefer lemonade or tea?

I like both, but lemonade is my favorite!

5. What were some of your favorite games to play when you were little?

When I was little, I really loved to play Monopoly and Risk! I love the games that rely heavily on strategy, instead of just luck. These games sort of combine the two, so I really enjoyed them! I also liked Scattegorites, I think, though that was a bit later.

6. How would you describe your art/decorating style?

I like really simple and cute decorations that are bright and cheerful! 😊

7. Do you prefer drawing or painting?

I don’t do much of either, because I’m not the best at it, but I do like drawing better.

Thank you all for reading! And, thanks again to Addie and Maggie for asking some questions! I had so much fun answering them! See y’all Thursday!

Bye!

~ Rebekah

Monthly Wrap-Up: August 2022

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!

We got frosties on the way back from our trip! I loved the strawberry kind! It was nice and refreshing for the hot summer day!

Yummy dinner!

Just some flowers! 🌼

You won’t understand how hard I was gripping my phone while taking this photo. 😅

My younger brother found this praying mantis. It was really cool, actually!

Crocheting with lace weight yarn is tedious, but I really love it!

Post run m&m snack!

Going on a walk!

I really like how this photo turned out, with the setting sun!

Foggy morning runs!

I started rereading one of my favorite books, “The Hunger Games!”

Fall projects!

Smoothies!

I love this homemade artisan bread! Recipe here.

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

Monthly Wrap-Up: June 2022

Hello everybody! I know that this is my second post today, but I wanted to get my monthly wrap-up posted before we get too far into July! June was a pretty good month for me, but I did feel like it went by really fast!

Books I read

I got three books read in June.

The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han. This was a sweet, fun, quick contemporary read! It definitely gave me some summer vibes! I read Jenny Han’s other series, To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before, and loved it, so I thought that I’d read this series! I loved it, and gave it 4.75 out of 5 stars!

The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano by Olaudah Equiano. This was one that I read for my English class. I didn’t like it much, but there were some interesting descriptions and scenes. I rated it 2 out of 5 stars.

Emma by Jane Austen was the last book I read. I was assigned to read Pride and Prejudice last year for my English, and I enjoyed it a lot, so I thought that I would read another Jane Austen book! Emma was a really fun book! I liked it a lot and I rated it a 4.75 out of 5!

Writing updates

I barely wrote at all this month! I know that I was trying to finish the whole novel in June, which definitely did not happen, but I think that taking a break was good for me because now I really want to write it. I am planning to share a bit more about it once I finish the first draft!

Crochet

I got some crocheting done this month, including a summer top, and some smaller projects, like washcloths. I am currently working on another top, but I ran out of yarn, so I have to wait and get some more!

Running

I am really proud of my running this month! I stuck with the 10k training plan, and only have a few more weeks left! It’s getting so hot here, so I have been getting up earlier and getting my runs in early when it’s still cooler out, or going in the evening. Running in the middle of the day in summer is brutal. I’ve also been focusing on warming up before my runs, which I’m bad about, and cross-training, which I have done more of this month!

Posts

Monthly Wrap-Up: May 2022

Some Bookish Phone Wallpapers

The Blogger Recommendations Tag

Definitely not a lot of posts in June, but in July, I’m going to be posting twice a week again, because school is settling down for the summer and I’m not as busy!

Reviewing my June goals

• Read a Kasie West book Sadly, I did not get around to it. I couldn’t buy one, and I couldn’t find any at my library
• Follow the 10k training plan Yes, I did this!
• Run 20 miles (at least) 39 miles! 😃
• This might be too ambitious, but I want to finish my contemporary novel Yeah, definitely not…😅
• Post once a week I only missed one week this month.
• Read five books Nope!
• Make a summer bucket list Yes, I did!

Goals for July

• Exercise every day
• Get caught up (at least a little bit) on tags, awards, and nominations on my blog
• Write for 20 minutes each day
• Make a schedule
• Hydrate more, because it’s getting super hot
• Do a 10k run
• Post a book review
• Take more walks, and enjoy nature

Important events in June

• I visited some family and relatives, which was fun!
• VBS happened one week at our church, and I helped! My siblings all had fun, too!
• Awaiting season 4 vol. 2 of Stranger Things!!! It finally came out today, and I’m going to be watching the first episode tonight! (I’m so scared!) Do any of y’all watch Stranger Things?
• I made a new blog in May, which I posted about in my last monthly wrap-up, but I recently changed the name and the link, so here is the new one: Rambles With the Saints Please check it out, and follow if you want!

Pictures from June

We went on a little car ride, and I got Subway for the first time! (At least that I remember. There might have been a time I had it when I was younger.) It was so good!

My crochet project in the car. It was a washcloth! I usually get pretty carsick when I crochet or read in the car, so I didn’t get that much of either done on the trip.

Messing around with the macro photography on my phone! I kind of like how this picture turned out!

Watermelon is the perfect summer snack!

Yum!

We got this Stranger Things Surfer Boy pizza one day, and it was actually really good!!

Reading Emma on the porch on a nice cool day. ☺

Another macro shot! I was working on a puzzle, and I think this picture is pretty cool!

My puzzle of the Eiffel Tower! ❤ Almost done!

Strawberry smoothies made with strawberries from our own garden! Smoothies are one of my favorite summer foods, especially for after I go on a run!

Crocheting outside with some of my favorite yarn, Lion Brand’s Coboo! It’s the perfect yarn for crocheting summer patterns, especially tops! 💕

My sister’s dog is adorable!!

The theme for this month’s bookshelf display was “Comfort reads”. This includes nostalgic reads or ones that my sister and I read when we were younger…books that feel like home. She made this sign, and it’s amazing!

Here are the books! Lovely War by Julie Berry, To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before by Jenny Han, The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins, An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir, and The Lord of the Rings series by J.R.R. Tolkien. My sister also made the eye of Sauron (on the right) from The Lord of the Rings series! She’s so artistic and creative!

That’s all! Thanks for reading today’s post! How was your month? Which books did you read in June? What are your goals for July? I’d love to chat in the comments! 😊 Have an amazing day!

~ Rebekah