I think I’m stuck in a Donkey Kong game.
You know, where he hops into a barrel cannon, and it shoots him into the next cannon, and that shoots him into the next? That is Donkey Kong, right? (Correct me if I’m wrong.) This whole year has been a series of cannons–all very good ones, though not necessarily all easy–and despite feeling full to the brim, 2017 is only two-thirds done.*
*Pshh, “only.” I feel like it should still be April, thank you very much.
But for the most part, August gave me a chance to catch my breath. The day after I returned from Realm Makers, my family and I packed up and headed south of the border again for a week of much-needed vacation at a cabin! It was so, so good to not have anywhere to be, anything to write, or any deadlines to meet. Just wide open hours to swim and kayak in the lake, soak in the sunshine, devour books, eat too much food, stay up too late, and sleep in every morning. Just amazing. And I loved spending all that time with my family!
The next couple weeks were the steady as she goes kind, during which I:
- tried (and failed) to clean my room
- took my youngest sister out for fun stuff like riding a tandem bike for the first time ever (we didn’t die! and it was so much fun!)
- had a video chat with a dear friend who lives miles away
- went to orientation day for college
- had a campfire with another friend who lives a lot closer but is leaving for university
- ate fresh corn on the cob from the garden
- met yet another friend for root beer and a catching up
And now summer feels like it’s officially easing into autumn. The days are getting a little cooler already and parts of the garden are being harvested, but the biggest indication that summer is over is this:
I started college this week!
Which is kind of a big deal. I’m adjusting to a new schedule, figuring out how to stuff as much homework as possible into the nooks and crannies of my days, getting to know my teachers, and finally experiencing a public school classroom.*
*Some classes are great. Others feel like a waste of time because hi, I was homeschooled, and I’m used to just reading textbooks for myself, no need to read it to me, thank you, good-bye. Okay, it’s not all that bad. Besides, it means less school reading at home later.
Oh, yes, I suppose I should mention this is for a two-year business admin diploma! I sincerely hope to keep up with Adventure Awaits in the meantime. That may mean shorter posts sometimes, or even some Sunday posts instead of Saturdays, but I’ll try to keep things as normal and scheduled here as possible.
Subplots on Screen
Mostly rewatches this month!
The Flash season 2 – rewatched three episodes
My family was watching it while at the cabin, so hey, why not join them? I was missing Barry Allen and Co.
Once Upon a Time – rewatched some of season 2 + 3 and finished season 5
My siblings and I are almost through season 2, and with my parents we’re well into season 3. But my two sisters and I FINISHED SEASON 5. IT BASICALLY BROKE MY HEART AND PUT IT BACK TOGETHER.
Avatar: The Last Airbender
My sisters pulled me into it, and so far I’m only three or so episodes in. Aang is cute and the episodes are nice and short.
The Maze Runner – rewatch
Also a holiday movie. My sisters had never seen it before, so it was super fun to see it with them and my brother.
Storylines on the Page
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| books read on holidays |
August was a great reading month for me, thanks to vacation!
Ink and Bone is . . . how to describe it? Aesthetic. Rich. Colorful. Raw. It feels like dusty old books and hot Alexandrian sun and rattling trains and bloody, muddy war. It wasn’t the fastest read, but that was okay because I wanted to be immersed like that!
I loved the vaguely steampunk setting, the school aspect, and the way Jess is the son of a black market book smuggler. Instant cool points! Wolfe, the ruthless teacher, was someone I hated at first, then slowly grew to love. I also loved the premise of the library of Alexandria still being around!
Unfortunately, there was a bit of language and one homosexual subplot off to the side that I didn’t care for.
Still, I gave the book 4.5 stars! Read my full review on Goodreads HERE.
This book came highly recommended by several friends, and it did not disappoint!
Think back to your fondest childhood summer, sprinkle it with imagination and adventure, and mix it with a dash of humor and buckets of warm fuzzies. That’s pretty much The Penderwicks. Like Peter Pan did for me last summer, it transported me back to childhood in a way that made me smile and want to live at Arundel with these kids just a little longer. Seriously, if you haven’t read this yet, GO DO IT.
5 stars! Read my full review on Goodreads HERE.
The Fatal Tree ended the Bright Empires series differently than I expected, but it was still really, really good. I can say very little without plunging straight into spoiler territory, but suffice it to say that:
a) I love the crew, especially Kit, Cass, Mina, Etzel (dear, dear Etzel!), and Gianni.
b) I am endlessly fascinated by this multiverse of ley lines and by the topics this series has examined, such as time, the humongous effect everything and everybody has on everything and everybody else, redemption, human will, and WHAT HAPPENS WHEN THE UNIVERSE STARTS TO SHRINK.
c) That beautiful cover.
5 stars! Read my full review on Goodreads HERE.
I bought this on a whim, and by the time I finished I was a small mess of feelings. Which may have been the point of the whole story. Despite it’s title, Some Kind of Happiness deals with a lot of sad topics: depression, cancer, broken families, secrets. (It’s labeled MG, but I probably wouldn’t give it to a reader that young.) However, it was a powerful, beautifully written story packed with my favorite kind of imagery and grand adventures shared by a pack of rambunctious cousins and their friends.
But to back up a little–the whole premise of this book is amazing. 11-year-old Finley deals with her sadness by writing stories about a place called the Everwood, stories that mirror her own struggles. So it was cathartic and affirming to see how her life inspired her writing, and how her writing, in turn, helped her real life!
4 stars! Read my full review (including my favorite quote from the book) on Goodreads HERE.
I actually met Jim Rubart at Realm Makers, and he is one of the kindest, most encouraging authors I’ve talked to!
The Five Times I Met Myself is a trippy, introspective book dealing with regret and second (and third and fourth and fifth) chances. At first, the concept of Brock’s lucid dreaming and actually talking to his younger self was a bit hard to believe, but the concept was so interesting that pretty soon I didn’t care. Especially when Brock’s attempts to improve his life by getting his younger self to make different decisions start making everything worse.
4.5 stars! Read my full review on Goodreads HERE.
Another author I met at Realm Makers. You might recognize his name from the Silmarillion Awards this summer, because he hosted the award for Most Incompetent Henchman!
I’d heard great things about The Beast of Talesend as well, the highlight of my friends’ reviews definitely being the humor. And it was quite an amusing tale! The dialogue is one of this novella’s greatest strengths for sure. I also really liked the 1920’s alternate history setting, where fairy tales actually happened long ago, but magic has since faded into obscurity. Except for instances like this one, where Detective Nick Beasley happens to turn into a beast . . . despite the fact he’s spent his whole career disproving magic! His brother, Crispin, and the unstoppable Lady Cordelia prove to be entertaining sidekicks on their little quest.
My only quibble would be the writing. It wasn’t awful, but it wasn’t particularly arresting either, and I found the sentence structure repetitive now and then. Nevertheless, this was a good, quick read! Kind of a fluffy cupcake sort of thing, and–oddly enough–something that reminded me of Adventures in Odyssey radio dramas (even though the two aren’t related in the slightest).
3.5 stars! (As of right now, I haven’t reviewed this on Goodreads yet.)
Subplots on the Writing Desk
After the intensity of May-July, followed by no writing during vacation, I’ve been taking it easy in this department. I received an amazing, thought-provoking critique of The Brightest Thread’s first chapter at Realm Makers, so I spent my writing time this month brainstorming ways to incorporate that feedback.
I ended up experimenting with chapter one and trying different approaches. My first attempt flopped halfway through. With tea and prayer, I tried again, and it went a lot better . . . though that version of chapter one is really long. Then I wrote yet another version, which was much shorter. I haven’t yet decided which approach is best.
But TBT is currently in the hands of betas, so I’ll see what they say!
Oh, and I updated my Writings page here on the blog! That was a long overdue change.
I had planned to brainstorm a novella for Five Poisoned Apples in August, but that didn’t happen. Hopefully this month! There are only four months left of the contest–yikes.
You're starting college! Good luck, Tracey. I know you can do it.
And I MUST READ SOME KIND OF HAPPINESS. Good grief. I've checked that thing out from the library about four times but run out of time to read it. Grrr.
Thank you, Faith! The first week was a little rough, but I'm confident week two will be better. ^_^
YES YOU MUST. IT'S A PRECIOUS BOOK. LOL, I guess maybe fifth time's the charm?
I really enjoy reading about you and your family. Thank you for the update. And for the book reviews. I don't have time for reading at this point in my life (I know, that is terrible!) because my job is overwhelming, but I appreciate the book summaries and recommendations – for the future. =)
I'm glad! <3 And you're sure welcome for the little reviews. Not having time to read is a sad thing, but I've been there too–though maybe not to the same degree. 🙂 I hope your job settles down enough to fit in a book or two!
Looks like you had a great vacation!
My sister and I just finished the Flash, can't wait for season 4.
All of those books look good.
I just finished The Brightest Thread, I am putting comments in the word doc and answering your questions.
It was in a word, amazing!
<3
I did, and it was soooo good to relax.
Oh my goodness, you finished season 3! :O My brother pre-ordered it on DVD, so it should be coming any day now. *is on pins and needles*
Aww, I can't wait to read them!! 😀 Thank you, Skye!
Your Donkey Kong analogy is perfection. XD (And yes, it is Donkey Kong, you got it right! I always loved that part of the games. Lol.)
I loved seeing the pics of your vacation. Especially the one of all of you in the water (I assume that's you and the siblings?). What a treasure! ^_^
YOU STARTED COLLEGE!!!!!!!!!! :O :O :O SO EXCITING. When this semester is over I demand to hear allll the details and how you like this new experience!
OH. You started Avatar: The Last Airbender??? I LOVE THAT SHOW!!!!! I actually thought it was ridiculous at first and figured I'd hate it. But it actually gets SO deep and even dark and the story is epic and the CHARACTERSSSS and just…yes. (Also, it has my favorite antihero in it, so, yeah. o.o)
I literally want to read ALL the books you mentioned! I think they're all on my TBR. (Except "The Five Times I Met Myself". I've never heard of that one, but it sound cool!) I hate Ink and Bone has some meh stuff in it because I've been REALLY wanting to read that one. But I guess it's to be expected with a secular book. *siiiiiigh* I also MUST get me a copy of The Penderwicks. ONE DAY!!!
It's funny, you're not the first to mention the writing in The Beast of Talesend, but oddly I didn't even notice. Which is very strange because, ya know, I have the Writer's Brain Disease and always nitpick these things. XD But I think with that story I was enjoying the plot and characters so very much, the writing style somehow slipped me by. I just…forgot I was reading for the most part. But anyways, I'm glad you mostly enjoyed it. ^_^
I cannot waaaaaaait to start The Brightest Thread! I'm headed out of town as we speak, but once I return I have every intention of diving in. AND I'M SO EXCITED! And I also can't wait to see what you come up with for the Rooglewood contest. Just ALL the wonderful Tracey writing! 😀
I so hope your September is amazing and your new college endeavors go wonderfully! <3333
LOL, it's a little TOO accurate sometimes. XD
Yes, that is me and my siblings! And you're so right, it's a treasure to have this time all together. <3
I DIIIIID AND IT'S KIND OF CRAZY BUT YES, I'LL SHARE ALL THE DETAILS! I know course outlines and stuff always look intimidating at the beginning, but by the time I'm done, it'll feel like nothing. 🙂
Yeah, I'm watching it super slowly–like, I haven't even seen any more episodes since coming back home from vacation–but I've heard good things about it. Ooh, hearing that it gets deep/dark/epic and has an antihero (I think I know who you're referring to >:)) makes me excited!
Read them alllll! Seriously, I would recommend all of them to you. Even Ink and Bone, unless the meh stuff I mentioned bothers you too much (which I'd understand). But it has so much delicious writing and BOOKS and stuff that I overlooked it. *sighs* It was sooo close to being a perfect book, though. Oh, oh, oh, you would ADORE The Penderwicks!!!! ^____^
It's weird, because I'd go a whole chapter without thinking about the writing mechanics at all, but then one little thing would pique the attention of my Writer's Brain, and then I'd be hyperaware for a while again. 😛 But yes, the plot and characters are so FUN so I don't mind too much! Very snappy and witty and quirky and all that good stuff. 😀
Eeeeek, I can't wait either! But ENJOY your time out of town, okay? Thanks for all the excitement, dear! I hope you have an incredible September as well! <333
GOOD LUCK ON COLLEGE!
All the yummy booooks! Penderwicks and Fatal Treee! <3 I loved everything about The Beast of Talesend. XD
Oh dear… good luck on your brainstorming and writing and things! You'll do awesome! <3
THANK YOOOUUU!
Yassss, Penderwicks, Fatal Tree, The Beast of Talesend… SO many great books this month! I'm sated and happy, reading-wise. ^_^
Heheh, thanks! <3 I'm making some headway with my Snow White planning. Just on a hunt for that elusive thing called a…what was it again? Oh, right, a PLOT. XD
Sounds like a good time. College is hitting me hard already, but I'll trudge forward. I'm taking 18 credits this semester, and I'm EIC of our lit mag. My August was spent being very ready to go back to school after three prior months of break, haha.
Oh dear, sounds like a really full semester for you! I'm pretty new to the whole credits system, since homeschooling didn't work that way, so 18 credits = how many classes? I've got a full load of six. 😛 Hope you have a great semester, though!
Six classes, each at three credits (standard for Humanities courses). The baseline is fifteen credits for semester, and that's what I did my first four semesters. Hope you have a great semester too! What are your classes, if I may ask?
Whew–busy, busy! I've got six classes as well, at four credits apiece: accounting, business math, business communications, microeconomics, business computing, and intro to Canadian business. Lots to learn! 🙂
Wow! I hope your credits are different from mine. 24 credits would be next to impossible to manage here. I'm not even sure if they'd let you do more than 20. Those look like good classes to have. I'm a Humanities guy, so I get super fun names for my classes: Rhetorical Criticism, Visual Communication, Science Fiction & Virtual Worlds, Minds & Machines, Intro to Translation Studies (French), and Advanced Writing Seminar.
They might be? I don't know how credits work in US schools. For me, I get 4 credits per course, and each course is about 4-5 hours a week.
Your classes sound a bit more interesting than mine! XD
Each credit represents one hour per week of class time, with an expected two hours of homework per credit (though that's by no means hard and fast). So with 18 credits, I should, in theory, have 54-hour weeks. With the pace at which I read, I might actually hit that. How are your classes for out-of-class work?
Oh, okay. I'm told to expect two hours of homework a night, which, so far, is more or less accurate.
Good luck at college! And don't forget to intersperse fun among your studies 😀
I'm so glad you enjoyed The Penderwicks. And I'm off to read your review of Ink and Bone after I finish typing this comment. It caught my interest a while ago, but I never looked into it further.
I hope that your fall is filled with learning, leaves, and light.
Thanks for the timely reminder! 😉 I'll do my best.
Oh my word, The Penderwicks was just AMAZING. I wish I had read it a long time ago. Yes, I'd definitely recommend at least looking into Ink and Bone! Aside from that one thing, it was perfection.
How poetic–I hope the same for you! <3
It was so nice to hear about your month ^.^ AND THE PENDERWICKS love those <3 I can't wait to see what happens with your Rooglewoods press story, so many friends and people I know around the blogosphere are doing it eep!
Thanks, Anna! Ahhhh, the Penderwicks! *hugs all the children* So precious. Yes, it's so fun seeing how many other people are entering the contest! It's sure to be a gorgeous collection. Are you planning to enter too?
Lovely post!
The holidays were a blast!! 😀 I'm so glad we all got to hang out together and have fun. 😉
Yay for Avatar!!! You're right, Aang is so cute. I love all the characters in that show. XD (Except, for the general dude… I don't know how to spell his name. XD)
Cool photos of the books you read. ^.^
Good luck with your story!! 😀 I hope you can come up with a fabulous idea for the contest. 🙂
(By the way, nice Donkey Kong reference. XD)
Thanks! <3
They werrrrre! I wish we could rewind time already. XD
Heehee, Aang is such a kid. But we love him for it. 😉 (The general dude… *squints and tries to remember* Nope, don't recall either.)
Why, thank you!
The idea is slowly coming. Thanks for being around to bounce it off of! ;D
(LOL! *bows regally*)
AGH FATAL TREEEEEE. I LOVED IT. 😀
Oh, pretty new updated Writings page! I love it! ^_^ I hope you can come up with a great novella idea for the contest! Best of luck! <3
YESSSSS OH MY WORD. Stephen Lawhead is a genius, I tell you. (And now we can start our own Zetetic Society, right? XD)
Thank you! It was high time for an update. The Prophet's Quest and co. weren't even referred to by name. 😛 Thanks, Madeline–Snow White is slooowly coming together! <3 Are you entering?
Yes, we should totally start our own society! XD
I would really love to enter, and I have a vague idea, but it really depends on how busy I am these coming months. 😀
XD
I totally understand that! I hope you do end up finding time for it. These contests are such fun. 😀 And hey, if you aren't able to enter, and the idea persists…you could always write it just for fun!
The Penderwicks is one of my favorite books of all time!! Are you going to continue with the series? (You must! It only gets better.)
It's such a precious story! I am DEFINITELY going to continue. It's wonderful to find a story you love and know there are more of them. ^_^
Lovely pictures! They have that perfect vacation feel to them.
I keep hearing about the Penderwicks, I should read it sometime- but first I must finish the Bright Empire series. I've only read the first and second book so far, but they're awesome!
Thanks Blue! I'm already missing the sunshine and relaxation.
Oh yes, I'll bet you'd love The Penderwicks! It has that perfect summer feel to it. WAIT–YOU'RE READING BRIGHT EMPIRES??? *squeals* That's so exciting! I looooove those books! And each one keeps getting better, though if pressed, I might say book 4 is my favorite. 😀
The Penderwicks sounds like a wonderful book. I should read it but when is that going to happen? *faint cackling* My poor TBR.
Loved all the pictures from your vacation!
Good luck with college AND your Snow White retelling. I'm editing mine this month so that'll be fun. *sarcasm*
-Zane
It's absolutely delightful! But yes…I well know the dangers of towering TBRs. 😉
Thanks, Zane! Woohoo, you're writing a Snow White story too! I get so happy to see all these blogging buddies entering the contest. Best of luck with that editing!
"Hi, I was homeschooled, and I'm used to just reading textbooks for myself, no need to read it to me, thank you, good-bye." Ugh, yes! So the first year I was at a community college, which is known for its low quality of teaching, so I sort of expected that. . . but now I'm at a "university" (though it doesn't teach on everything, so it's not quite) which mostly has higher standards — but I'm a senior and still getting that kind of class. (And I still say "I'm home-schooled", because once home-schooled, always home-schooled.) How's the second week going? I tend to find that the first week goes one way and the second week another.
Thanks for the reminder that time's running out on the contest. . . I really need to stop procrastinating and face the thing.
https://ofdreamsandswords.wordpress.com
LOL, very true: once homeschooled, always homeschooled! (For whatever reason, the quote, "Once a king or queen of Narnia, always a king or queen of Narnia" popped into my head. XD) I'm not all that familiar with the distinction between community college and university, as it's a little different here in Canada, but that "textbook reading" kind of class is unfortunate…
Second week is going better than the first, I think! I'm starting to get the hang of that lovely thing called accounting. *insert eye roll*
YOU CAN DO IT! *sends motivating cookies*
The cover of 'Some Kind of Happiness' caught my eye recently in a book store. I'm not usually swayed by covers, but there's something about it.
I haven't read it, but the story reminds me a bit of a movie I watched called 'A Monster Calls'. It was very interesting artistically.
I could stare at that cover for hours! It's so simplistic, but so beautiful and detailed at the same time. (And who are we kidding? People judge books by their covers allll the time.)
I've been wanting to read A Monster Calls too, actually! And watch the movie. I just know I'll have to steel myself for the sadness.
Haha – I can really relate to your college experience. I'm taking a combination of online and on campus courses, and some of the work is so repetitive or mundane. But it's only the first few weeks, so maybe it will get harder? Maybe?
I really want to read "Some Kind of Happiness" now. Add that to my reading list. But it looks so good! And The Penderwicks is one of my favorite series – it feels so safe, if you get my meaning. You should definitely read the other three books, if you haven't already.
Sounds like taking a combination of online and campus classes would be great! Except for the repetitive part. 😛 A part of me WANTS some of my classes to dive deeper and get more challenging, but the other part of me is more than happy to be able to coast through a couple of my classes. There's plenty of homework reading to keep me busy. XD
It's such a thought-provoking book! And the Penderwicks are amazing–I am most certainly planning to get my hands on the rest of the books.
Thanks for stopping by, Vera! It's great to meet you! ^_^
I'm glad you had a relaxing vacation. ATLA IS MY FAVORITE CARTOON. WATCH IT AND LOVE IT SO WE MAY FANGIRL OVER IT!!! Hang in there with the first season. It picks up! Once it does it only gets better!
storitorigrace.blogspot.com
Haha, I know you've mentioned it on your blog many times! And plenty of people I know have also enjoyed it, so… it must be good! Hearing y'all talk about the show getting better/darker is making me eager to continue. ^_^
Relaxing vacations are the best! I feel like I barely had a chance to recuperate from July before September and the new school year was upon us! AAACK!
But school has started off more smoothly than I expected. So that is good. We've even had fun with math and spelling… always an achievement worth celebrating!
I am SO excited to start reading The Brightest Thread. As soon as I finish my library book (which I'm 9/10ths of the way done with) I'm diving in!
Good luck with all the homework (and YASSSS… what is up with college professors just reading the textbook as their lecture?) I was always like, "Um… can I just read this in my room? I can read silently faster than you can read out loud, and I have other things I could be doing right now…. LOL
Of course, then there was the time I was taking a Literature class over J-Term (BAD BAD BAD idea!) and the prof assigned us 500 pages (I KID YOU NOT!) to read by the next class (which was the next day, because J-Term was where you would take just one or two classes for a month, so classes were every day and lasted for 2-3 hours – good way to get through "filler" classes fast). I counted up all the pages she had assigned and was aghast! I mean… I could finish that before the next morning, but I read REALLY fast. Not everybody does.
Come to find out, she'd made a mistake on the syllabus and the next morning she apologized profusely for making us think she'd assigned so many pages and admitted that it was a completely unrealistic expectation. (Personally, I always wondered later if she'd done it on purpose so that nobody would complain about 50-page reading assignments… now that would be brilliant!)
I love The Last Airbender!!!!! Such a great show!!!
Ack, going from the busyness of the SilmAwards (and everything else going on in your life, I'm sure) almost straight into school–wow! I'm glad you and your kiddos have started off on the right foot. ^_^ Although I'm always sad to leave summer behind, there is something fresh and crisp about cracking open those workbooks…
Awww, I'm so excited to see what you think! <3
Thank you! *pants* I'm staying on top of it so far. Haha, that's exactly my thought process. Thankfully, it's only a couple of my classes that feel that basic right now. And considering that my brain is having to work harder in one or two others, it balances out in the end. 😛
FIVE HUNDRED PAGES. WHAT. O.O I was freaking out over 100+ last week (which turned out to be the length of the entire module, not the one required chapter–whew). Ay yi yi, if that looked doable for you, I need to borrow some of your speed! Wait…are you secretly the Flash?? XD
(Haha, that WOULD be a brilliant technique! "Well, at least we're not talking in three digits… 50 pages isn't so bad!")
That's what I hear! I'm looking forward to watching more.
Hope you have a wonderful September, Jenelle! <3
If I ever teach in an actual school again, I'm totally going to use that technique… if I feel like fielding dozens of concerned/panicky calls from parents.
On second thought, that might not work so well for high school students.
I am secretly the Flash of reading. 🙂 😀 Don't let my secret identity get out! Unfortunately, I don't get to read as fast lately because I only get 15-minute increments to read in, and that slows me down a LOT.
Hope you have a great September too!
Heheh, you should! XD In leadership college last year, my teacher did something similar: he taught for two hours straight on pitches, with very detailed slides and handouts. Everyone's eyes were glazing over but mine. My brain was racing in at least three different directions, applying the principles to books, business, and family!
The next morning, he gave said that was how NOT to do it, then gave us the condensed version of the material in 15 minutes, illustrating the value of being able to present an idea CONCISELY! It was hilarious. XD
Your secret is safe with me! Ugh, I know how that bite-sized reading life goes. 🙁 Sometimes you just want to have a full hour or two to lose yourself in a book!
…or six….. 😀
What lovely photos! OK, you have finally convinced me that I really should read Ink and Bone. I've been resisting, but … !
I feel like I'm so late to this post that I already knew the important stuff, but still it was lovely to read. I'm so glad you had a nice holiday! My recent family holiday (the uninhabited Highlands island one) was AMAZING. I miss it. So much.
Thank you! And hooray! I'm eager to see what you think of it.
Haha, it's all good! Glad to hear your holiday went so well. I'm still jealous of the whole uninhabited Highlands island setting!