SEPTEMBER 2024 wrapup!

Greetings, friends!

 

As I’m writing this, it’s a gray, chilly fall day and it’s pouring outside. PERFECT weather. I love it. *all the summer/sunshine lovers start throwing tomatoes at me so I catch them and turn them into tomato soup which is perfect for this perfect fall day* *thank you*

 

I can’t believe September is over?? The fall months I look forward to so excitedly always go by so quickly and it makes me sad. But it’s been quite a warm fall here so far, so I’m hoping with October will come some cooler temperatures. ANYWAY. I thought I’d do a little September wrapup. (My first monthly wrapup in… like two years, I think??) So, I’ll go ahead and proceed into that before I keep rambling about the weather. XD

 

you don’t get any cute section headers in this post because they’re all saved on my old laptop and I don’t feel like getting them right now XD plus my internet is really bad right now so no photos of the things I'm talking about either hahahaha

 

READING

 

So, uh… I kind of went reading-crazy this month. Like, every time I told my sister I’d started a new book she responded with “you already finished *insert title of whatever book I’d just been reading*????” I set a goal of reading 50 books this year, then when September came, I was very, very far behind. And I don’t know if it was that, or the reading bug randomly biting me again, or the fact that I was reading really good books, or what, but I read six books this month. Which is more than I’ve done in a whiiiile. (it’s almost as many as I read all last year. XD)

 

FROM DARKNESS WON by Jill Williamson // 5 stars // I read the first two books a while back and was kind of dreading this one just because of the SIZE of it and the fact that I’d been reading so slowly and didn’t want to get hung up again. But I think I read it in three days. XD I really enjoyed this final book of the Blood of Kings trilogy.

 

MORTAL QUEENS and LETHAL KINGS by Victoria McCombs // 4 stars // I received an eARC of Lethal Kings, so I read Mortal Queens to prepare. And I ended up loving these books!! They were the first I’ve read from this author, so I didn’t really know what to expect, but I really loved her writing style and all the characters. I genuinely enjoyed and got invested in these books more than any books I’d read in a while. (Book 2 broke my heart and shattered my soul, though, so. There’s that. I would have thrown it across the room if I hadn’t been reading on my Kindle*.) I had a few issues with some things toward the end, but overall I just really loved the world, the characters, the stakes, and I would definitely read these again.

 

LYDIA GREEN OF MULBERRY GLEN by Millie Florence // 3.5 stars // I’ve had this book on my shelf for a while, but what perfect timing to pick it up because it was a lovely fallish book! I actually didn’t know this was a fantasy until I started reading, so that was a pleasant little treat. I loved this book and so related to Lydia’s struggles with change. It was a very cute story, but also deeper than I expected it to be. Definitely recommend for a quick fall read!

 

LIGHTSHED by Crystal D. Grant // 5 stars // The FEELS. It’s always hard to top first books in a series, but I think this one beat book 1 for me. I wish I could tell you about a certain scene that just absolutely stole my heart, but alas… spoilers. (So… you need to read book 1 and then book 2 so we can talk about it. Okay? Okay.)

 

PRINCESS ACADEMY by Shannon Hale // 3.5 stars // This was another  cute, cozy story that was perfect for fall! Side note: have any of you guys seen the movie Courage Mountain? Because there were some uncanny similarities in this book that I’m curious if anyone else noticed. :P

 

*I got a Kindle!! I’ve been thinking about getting one for a while, mainly for the purpose of reading eARCS because trying to read on my laptop or my phone is really annoying. So, I did the thing and bought the Kindle, and though I haven’t used it much yet, I have no regrets. (I also found that I seemed to read much faster on it than I do with a physical book?? I’d read like 50 pages and it felt like nothing. Not sure of the science behind this. XD)

 

WRITING

 

In terms of writing, I did no writing. *whoops*

 

But honestly, I think this break was needed. I felt a little guilty at the beginning of the month for reading so ravenously and neglecting my own book, but I think my creative well needed filled back up. I was overwhelmed with some changes and different things in my WIP and kind of dreading getting back to it because of that (kinda still am, oopsies), so I just let myself forget about it for a while and fill myself with stories. And after reading so little for… well, heck, the past couple of years, it was really refreshing.

 

But now, I’m just about ready to get back to work, and I’m hoping to jump back into Look for the Flares full-force in October.* There’s still a looot of work to be done to tighten this story up, which became obvious in July when so many people at Realm Makers asked what I was working on and I realized that in terms of being able to describe it in a quick pitch, I really didn’t know what this book was about. XD (Flashback to when I was having a conversation with Sara Ella and she asked me about my book and I nervously laughed and rambled on for I don’t know how long while she just smiled and nodded… God bless you, Sara, because I know that was painful to listen to. XD)

 

*At least… I think I am. The other day I randomly started missing the craziness of writing a new book every November and kinda sorta considering putting aside my current WIP to write an idea that I’ve had for a couple years… so, yeah. We’ll see where I go from here. *smiles nervously*)

 

LIFE

 

So, this actually happened a few months ago, but I haven’t mentioned it here yet: I joined the Havok hive! AKA, the volunteer team behind the epic Havok Publishing. It’s been a little nerve-wracking and overwhelming at times—starting new things is not my strong point and I’ve definitely been tempted to throw in the towel already—but it feels good knowing I’m pushing myself outside of my comfort zone and getting some experience in different things.

~~

 

I saw for King & Country live, and it was AMAZING.

 

I’ve been to a few concerts now, and this one just MIGHT have been my favorite. Those guys put on a heck of a show, and they’re so talented, but my main takeaway was the HEART behind it. Their music is so uplifting and encouraging, and their love for people and Jesus is so clear. And being in a room with thousands of other believers, seeing people all around the venue with their hands raised to praise God, hearing the songs written to glorify Him… it was unmatched.

 

One of the absolutely best parts: I got to hear Fix My Eyes live. I talked a few years ago about how I fell in love with that song and how important it is to me, and I almost cried hearing it live. Oh, I’d love to go back and experience that moment again because it was just incredible.

 

I hope to see them in concert again in the future, because this was definitely one of my favorite memories ever. I was already feeling nostalgic for it the next morning. XD

 

 

I hit a full year of reading my Bible every day without missing. This is a little random, but it’s something I’m proud of. For years I’d been slacking off on my Bible reading. Like, REALLY slacking off. I’d go days, weeks, sometimes a month or more without opening it. So, last fall I decided that no matter what, I was going to read at least something every day, and write down what I read. Sometimes I’d fill up several pages with notes, and sometimes I’d just zombie-read a chapter before bed to get it in. But every day for a year, in some form or another, I picked it up and read it. Some days I didn’t retain a single word, but I was building a habit. And I’m glad I did.

 

I think a year I was in 2 Kings; currently I’m going through Ezekiel! Because I struggle to focus and comprehend, I’ve been using the commentaries on the Enduring Word website to help me soak in what I’m reading, and taking notes as I go. It’s really helped me to feel like I’m actually learning and not just skimming over chapters. (It’s crazy how you can read the same stories your whole life, maybe multiple times, and still not really know what you’re even reading until you take the time to study it.)

 

BLOGGING

 

Well, nothing happened (XD), except my blog turned five years old! I was going to do something to celebrate, but, alas, time got away from me once again so the anniversary passed quietly. But I still want to THANK YOU, my lovely readers, for being here, whether from day one or you just discovered my little corner of the Internet. The blogosphere truly changed my life (and writing that sentence really made me realize just how MUCH), and I’m forever grateful that God allowed me to stumble across it. Thank you for reading my thoughts and rambles, even when they’re few and far between. I love you all and this community so dearly. < 3

 

So… that’s it! I hope you all are having a lovely fall so far, and I look forward to catching up in the comments. (I have several ideas for posts that I really want to write, so hopefully it won’t be as long between posts this time!) Happy October!