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Tag: Subplots and Storylines

Subplots and Storylines – August and September 2018

Hey friends, it’s been a while! My blogging schedule laughed at me and took a plane to Antarctica, I think. What with the fantastic Silmaril Awards taking place, I haven’t written a “normal” post since July. And since I missed the August edition of S&S, we’ve got a double feature today!

Life Subplots

August:

  • Relaxing
  • Editing The Brightest Thread
  • Preparing for college year 2
  • Picking apples
  • Enjoying fresh corn on the cob
  • College started on the last week of the month

September:

  • The Silmaril Awards 2018 was a smashing success
  • Nature had the nerve to snow on the very first day of autumn (thank goodness it didn’t stick around)
  • I got a cold
  • Other than that, my days revolved around school. Because I switched campuses, I now spend 2-3 hours driving back and forth every day.
  • There’s been a ton of homework and group work. No solitary Batman gig for me. But that’s okay. I’m learning all sorts of cool things about business and marketing.
  • My biggest school project involves building a business with my team–coming up with an idea, validating it with input from real businesspeople, completing a feasibility study . . . and there’s lots more to come. So if things are a little quiet here at Adventure Awaits, you know why.

Screen Storylines

August


Avatar: The Last Airbender Season 1 (two episodes)
It’s been so long, I honestly don’t remember what exactly I saw. It was probably fun, though!

Once Upon a Time Season 6 (two episodes)
Some good bits . . . but also a lot that fell flat. The new villainess (SPOILER: The Black Fairy) just isn’t scary. She’s hyped up as this dark, twisted being who’s behind all sorts of other darkness, but when you meet her . . . eh. I didn’t even flinch. Kind of disappointing.

Stay Here (two episodes)
This is a Netflix show about people who renovate short-term rentals like cottages and B&Bs, and also totally transform the owners’ marketing strategies. I had to watch one episode for a school assignment, but enjoyed it enough to watch two!

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The Lone Ranger
I’ve been meaning to see this one ever since it came out. With a generous helping of embellishment and comedy, this wild west story was a lot of fun from start to finish. Johnny Depp is hilarious as Tonto. (And come on, that soundtrack is glorious.)

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Now You See Me
While not kid-friendly, this was surprisingly engaging! The cast was spot-on, the magic tricks were fascinating, the plot kept me guessing, and I didn’t see that twist coming. Definitely need to see the sequel.

Related imageInfinity War (rewatch)
You all know how I feel about this one. *proceeds to curl into a ball and sob in a corner*

September


Once Upon a Time Season 4 (just one episode)
Boy, my siblings and I are rewatching OUAT very s l o w l y. We started the season a couple months ago, and we’re only on episode four. But Hook is as awesome as ever, and I’d forgotten how much I like Will (as stupid as he is sometimes).
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The Fellowship of the Ring (rewatch)
A friend and I needed a fantasy fix, so we started watching LotR. We were both exhausted though, so we only made it through the first half.

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AREN’T THEY CUTE?

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
The wizarding world is so much fun! Already Harry, Ron, and Hermione look and act a bit older than in the first movie, and I loved watching their shenanigans. Aragog was genuinely creepy. *shudders*

Page Subplots

There’s surprisingly quite a few books to talk about, so let’s do these reviews blitzkrieg style!*


*lightning war . . . short and to the point? I dunno, does that make sense?


August

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Embers // Ronie Kendig
Loved the concept! A fire-wielding princess trades places with her crippled brother, and he must go on a quest to save her from his own paralyzed fate. Prince Haegan was a well-rounded protagonist whom I quite liked. Definitely some Avatar: The Last Airbender vibes with the fire abilities too. The only snags? The book took a little while to get going, slowed down by lots of points of view. Still, things were being set up for some epicness! 4 stars. (See my full review on Goodreads for more details.)

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The Bones of Makaidos // Bryan Davis
One of my absolute favorite Bryan Davis books ever! Lots of tension as the full cast of characters gathers for war and so many people get hurt. Beautiful themes of sacrificial love are woven throughout. All the plot threads are brought to a graceful, stirring finale. 5 stars!

Fairest Son // H.S.J. Williams
I reviewed this lovely little Snow White novella in August! 5 stars!

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Quiet // Susan Cain
A fascinating (nonfiction) book on the power of introverts in a world that can’t stop talking. I appreciated that the author didn’t really do any extrovert-bashing in the process of affirming introverts’ strengths. I now feel a bit more aware of why I think the way I do, why busy social settings tire me out, how I can create space for myself to recharge, and how I can bring quiet strength into any situation. 4 stars.

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Hacker // Ted Dekker
While it may not be my top favorite Dekker novel ever, it was still a great ride. I’ve found that the Outlaw series reads more like allegories or extended metaphors than anything else. Hacker took a surprising look at the reality of the unseen world. Hacking the human conscience was a nifty way to go about it. 4 stars.


September

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The Story of With // Allen Arnold
This unique book is part allegorical fiction, part inspiring nonfiction–and its message is life-changing. I had the pleasure of meeting the author at Realm Makers and attending his classes on the very topic written about in his book. (Scroll to the end of the linked post to see how amazing that was!) There were a few typos I wish had been cleaned up, but this is still a book I’ll want to reread in the future. And I actually–gasp–attacked it with a pencil and underlined things! 5 stars!

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All seven Chronicles of Narnia audio dramas // C.S. Lewis
On my long commutes, I took to listening to Focus on the Family’s radio theater version of this beloved series! Bless my heart, it was so, so good to return to Narnia. I found tears coming to my eyes multiple times as I followed the characters on their wild adventures, encountering Aslan in the most unexpected places. 5 stars for all of them!

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Song of the Ovulum // Bryan Davis
This tale picks up fifteen years after The Bones of Makaidos, with a new generation of characters. The world is now fraught with danger for dragonkind. I really enjoyed rereading Matt and Lauren’s adventure, and I love how strong their sibling bond becomes over such a short span of time. Joren and Selah’s storyline, too, was really good. “What color is mercy?” is a question that haunts both Joren and the reader, and it is answered beautifully by the end. 5 stars!

Written Storylines

August

I surpassed my editing goals for the month by working through The Brightest Thread chapters 6-11. I’m still not 100% happy with the beginning (#recoveringperfectionist) but I have ideas for how to strengthen it later. The important thing is that I made forward progress.

September

Nothing. Zilch. Nada.

I’ve relinquished my writing goals during college, so I suppose you could say I accomplished everything I set out to write in September–which was nothing! Yay me! That has actually been one of the more difficult things about school, but I’m consoling myself with the truth that I’m living life right now, and that will mean more life to pour into my stories later.

Thanks for sticking around, fellow questers! I hope to get back to a biweekly posting schedule as promised, but in case all goes silent here, don’t panic–probably just doing battle with the Beast of Homework. I still love you guys, and I’m positively brimming with ideas for how to shake things up around here next spring. In the meantime, tell me how your autumn is going. Happy October!

Subplots and Storylines – July 2018 // ANNOUNCEMENT

The month of July, in its swirl of humidity and heat, seemed to orbit around the gravitational pull of the Realm Makers conference I attended. The first three weeks were full of preparation for the trip, then the conference actually took place, and then I spent the final week recovering!

Life Subplots

Preparation

Filmed and posted a vlog, because why not put off one’s blogoversary celebration until the busiest month of the year, right? (Here’s part one and part two.)

Put together my Cinder cosplay, which involved attacking a t-shirt with scissors and genuine mechanic grease and testing out silver face paint on my “cyborg” hand.

Also revamped my one sheet for The Brightest Thread in order to have material on hand for pitch appointments at the conference.

Most importantly, I stuffed myself with as many fresh strawberries and sugar snap peas as possible, because their growing season doesn’t last long.

The (In)famous Realm Makers

You might be sick and tired of me and all the attendees raving by now, so I’ll spare you a regurgitation of the details and will instead point you back to the link in the first paragraph of this post, in case you missed my recap!

Recovery

Because yes, an introvert needs to crash after two days of travel and three days of non-stop people. And a lover of words and worlds must somehow step back into real life after being to Narnia and back. Recovery involved sleeping . . . and more sleeping . . . and typing up all my Realm Makers notes* . . . and also watching The Fellowship of the Ring.

*Thirty typed pages of notes, people. THIRTY.

I also just enjoyed summer and played water balloon volleyball and took my siblings to the city for a ride on a surrey bike. It’s like a tandem bike, except built for four people and shaped like a golf cart with pedals. Lots of fun! Pedaling uphill is not for the faint of heart. Or faint of legs.

P.S. I had a blast participating in Nadine Brandes’s Instagram challenge for the month of July! If you’re on Insta, I’d love to connect with you there!

Screen Storylines

Avatar: The Last Airbender season 1
I actually watched five episodes of this with my sisters, which is more than we’ve seen in a while. We just got to some good backstory for Zuko!

Once Upon a Time season 6
Two episodes of this with my sisters. One of the episodes was deep and interesting and involved Prince Charming. It felt like the Once that I’ve always loved. But the other episode . . . blegh. A certain person acted very out of character, plus he was played by a different actor. This whole season has been a bit of a mixed bag.

The Fellowship of the Ring
Can you believe this was only my second time watching it? I still get emotional at . . . well, pretty much every part. The Shire, the little hobbits at the start of their adventure, the forming and the breaking of the fellowship, Gandalf and the Balrog, Boromir, Sam swimming after Frodo. MY HEART IS SO FULL. This was my sisters’ introduction to Middle Earth on the big screen, so that was even more fun!

Page Subplots

My reading accomplishments were pretty pitiful this month, especially after devouring nine books in June. I read just one book in July. Sniffle. I did start a second, but it’s still not finished.

Last of the Nephilim // Bryan Davis

War is coming. In this, the seventh instalment in a story world that started with Raising Dragons, all the heroes gather in Second Eden to face the coming storm. Dragons, giants, prophets, oracles, warriors, healers, the old, the young–all are desperately needed.

What I loved:

  • Elam got lots of time on the page
  • Sapphira had to face the darkness yet again
  • All the action scenes with the plane were great! (Merlin II, is it?)
  • Dikaois–he ranks right up there with horses like Bree from C.S. Lewis’s The Horse and His Boy
  • Second Eden is such a cool setting!
  • Angel’s choice near the climax–I get shivers every time I read that scene

What I didn’t like:

  • A very minor complaint. The identity reveal of someone’s grandfather didn’t seem quite as important as the characters were making it out to be, but maybe I missed a detail, what with my reading time being spread so thin.

Overall, Last of the Nephilim is an epic book that sets the stage for my one of my favorite series conclusions ever: The Bones of Makaidos. 5 stars for this reread!


(Speaking of Bryan Davis, he has a fantastic discount on his books going on until August 5th!)

Writing Storylines

As I mentioned, I did rework my one sheet, so that kind of counts toward writing. Right?

I also edited chapters 3-5 of The Brightest Thread. It’s still slow going, but that’s all right with me. Some of the editing is dealing with deep-seated story elements, particularly around the beginning, and that always takes longer. This month, I hope to ease into the early/middle chunk of the story, which should be a bit easier to work on.

Almost forgot–I wrote and edited a super short flash fiction called Blackened Shell. I submitted it to Splickety for consideration in a live critique session they did at Realm Makers. While I wasn’t selected as one of the ten stories they critiqued, I did learn plenty of tips and tricks for improving my flash fic next time!

Announcement

(You probably scrolled right to the bottom to see what this is all about, didn’t you? Come on, be honest now!)

Life is always busy. I’m not a fan of that term, busy, although I use it all the time. Truthfully, every day is composed of the exact same twenty-four hours, and we choose how they are filled. But they are always filled with something. Therefore, life is always busy full.

I choose to fill several hours each week with blogging because I love it. I love writing new posts to share with you here, whether they’re life updates like this or book reviews or jolts of inspiration to wake your heart. I love reading all of your comments and having conversations with you.

But there are also other things I love, and on top of that, there are some “have-to’s” filling my hours–just like your life, I imagine. Balance is key, and different seasons demand we shift our balance from time to time. So I’m shifting some things around right now.

Not to worry! I am not quitting the blog! I REPEAT: ADVENTURE AWAITS IS STILL ALIVE. Neither am I leaving on hiatus. Rather, I am adjusting my posting schedule for a while. With college beginning in less than four weeks, I have a few boring affairs to get in order. I’d like to edit more of TBT before classes start too, and it’d be nice to read a few novels before the textbooks come down in a landslide. So here’s how it’s going to be.

Old posting schedule: Every Saturday, including a
Subplots and Storylines recap every month.

New posting schedule: Every other Saturday, including the
same Subplots and Storylines recap every month.



This means that instead of four or five posts a month, you’ll be getting two or three. It may feel weird to keep such frequent S&S posts with the new schedule, so I may slow those down too. We’ll see! This new schedule will go into effect starting now (so don’t be alarmed when there’s no new post next Saturday) and it will run until I graduate college at the end of April 2019.

See, I’ve been ruminating on ways to make Adventure Awaits an even better place to visit, and I know that pushing out sub-par content simply for the sake of a schedule would have the opposite effect. I’d rather give you better posts, even if they come less frequently.

How does that sound, questers? Thoughts? How was your July? And your summer in general so far? Let’s chat!

Subplots and Storylines – June 2018

Hello, hello, everyone! I’m back! Thanks for all the great vlog questions you left me. I hope to film a coherent video answering them all very soon. In the meantime, how was your month? Sit down and grab a cup of lemonade (because coffee is much too hot for this weather) and let’s chat!

My June was about as full as all my months seem to be, and yet it was a lot more relaxing because . . . I took a holiday! More on that in a minute. This could become a long post, so I’ll try to keep each section of the recap brief and under control. (Yeah, right.)

A few notable life happenings:

  • I took my sisters to a Maze Runner-themed escape room! Kind of a homemade one put on by their youth group, but it was super well done. (And I got to sneak in and go through it too, even though I’m too old. Ha.)
  • A couple more friend get-togethers
  • My sister, Chloe @ Faeries and Folklore, graduated high school and we threw a party!
  • One of my best friends had a baby shower
  • Aaaaand holidays!

It was wonderful to spend a week at a cabin with my family, doing absolutely nothing. I devoured five books, watched a bunch of movies, ate delicious food, swam in the river, and played an ongoing game of Phase 10.

We also went to see the ruins of the old Pinawa Dam. I’m a sucker for ruins of any kind, but to find some in my home province of Manitoba was super cool! Can’t you just see this old wall being used as the setting for a dystopian story? Or even a fantasy?

Screen Subplots

Once Upon a Time season 6
I only watched two more episodes this month, but the season is still making a slow upward climb, so that’s good.

Avatar: The Last Airbender
Just one episode this month. Still a fun show!

Spider-Man 3
At last my siblings and I are finished the Tobey Maguire trilogy! I’m sorry to insult a classic, but these movies just didn’t hold up like I’d hoped. (I did love them years ago.) At least Harry Osborne was better in this one.

The Greatest Showman
This has got to be the most hyped-up movie I’ve seen in a long time. I was rather worried it wouldn’t live up to my expectations, and while pretty much the whole plot came as no surprise at this point, I LOVED IT. I loved the music, the visuals, the characters, the charm of it all. I loved the emphasis on family. It was beautiful. Truly. And if you’ll pardon me a moment, I’m going to go buy the soundtrack!

Captain America: The First Avenger
My siblings and have started rewatching the Marvel movies (it’s our youngest sister’s first time!), and we skipped the Iron Man movies to watch this one. It gets me every time. I love Cap. And Bucky. And everything.

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas
Another rewatch. So heartrending, I cried again.

Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone
Look at that, I’m really jumping on the HP bandwagon now! But this movie was so enjoyable. Faithful to the book, with an adorable young cast, it brought Hogwarts to life in such a charming way.

Coco
This one was better than I expected! If you don’t mind the Day of the Dead stuff, it’s a cute little film about family and remembering those who have passed away. The visuals are brilliant, and I didn’t see one of the twists coming.

Page Storylines

Guys. I read nine books this month. NINE. I can’t remember the last time that happened! (Thank you, vacation, for all the reading time.)

Capital Gaines: Smart Things I Learned Doing Stupid Stuff // Chip Gaines

I’ve never watched Fixer Upper or read Chip and Joanna’s previous book, but I still enjoyed getting to know them through this quick nonfiction read. They seem down-to-earth and have an approach to business I could get behind. Lots of anecdotes here, with some good advice for living fearlessly, taking risks, and prioritizing family. The book did feel a bit scattered, but that could be my own expectations interfering. 4 stars.

Steal Like an Artist // Austin Kleon


This little book is a pithy pep talk. Inspiring, quotable, whittled down to a few quick scrawls and snippets to catapult your own thoughts. It’s a starting point, and I like where it leads. The biggest thing I took away is that our work is a sum of our influences–and that’s okay. For any creative worried about originality or feeling short on ideas, this is a great pick-me-up. 5 stars!

Enoch’s Ghost // Bryan Davis

(Continuing my reread of Dragons in Our Midst / Oracles of Fire / Children of the Bard series) Oh goodness, I’d forgotten how much I love this one. Themes of sacrifice run like a scarlet thread through the narrative, characters grow and develop through excruciating circumstances, and the threat facing our heroes is cataclysmic.

Ashley, struggling to relinquish control, has never been more relatable to me than right now. And I love her relationship with Walter! I’m also a huge fan of Second Eden, the infinite staircase, Dikaios, Elam, and Timothy. (That Timothy . . . he breaks my heart.) Everything wrapped up so incredibly well, with just enough hope amidst the disaster to last me until the next book! 5 stars!

Siren’s Song // Mary Weber

Whew, this was quite the trilogy! There were a few things overall that I wasn’t too keen on, but my love for Nym’s journey and the powerful themes eclipse those minor annoyances. In this book, it’s evident that Nym has come so far since the beginning. There were many characters to love, and even the dastardly Myles garnered my approval. (It helped that he reminded me of Loki.) The pace left my heart pounding, and the ending was thematically magnificent. 5 stars!

Unblemished // Sara Ella

I was a bit worried it wouldn’t live up to the hype, but it was surprisingly good! It had some Once Upon a Time vibes, which made me happy. At first, the mysteries were easy to see through, and the beginnings of a love triangle seemed predictable. But then the plot twists started happening, and I actually grew to like the love triangle. (Gasp!) Life-or-death stakes have a way of breathing fresh life on that old trope. And in case you’re wondering, I’m Team Ky. 4.5 stars.

The Minish Cap // Akira Himekawa

I don’t read many graphic novels, just as I don’t play many Legend of Zelda games, but this was a fun, quick read with an adorable drawing style. Link, Zelda, and the Picori were super cute. It was rather fast-paced–just the nature of graphic novels, I guess–but the ending was satisfying. 4 stars.

Paper and Fire // Rachel Caine

I read the first book on vacation last year, so it seemed fitting to continue while on another holiday! This one consisted of an intense rescue plot, an alternate-universe Rome, creepy automatons, much sneaking around, brilliant details, forbidden books, and serious squad goals. These crusty munchkins are becoming a family and I love it. The only things I didn’t love? The continuation of a romance that goes against my beliefs, a small smattering of language, and the fact the main love interest seemed to be the only person lacking personality. But overall, I adore this series and can’t wait to get my hands on the third book! 4.5 stars.

All the Crooked Saints // Maggie Stiefvater

With the lyricism of The Raven Cycle and none of its objectionable content, THIS was the kind of Stiefvater book I’ve been looking for! It was lovely, atmospheric, and somehow managed to be a feel-good story without the inherent cheesiness. The omniscient point-of-view worked beautifully, the very setting seemed alive, and the lovable cast was quirky as all get-out. What really got me is the message of hope: healing is found through opening yourself up to help others, and this eclectic crew of pilgrims on a Colorado ranch in the 1960s proved that better than anyone. 5 stars!

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets // J.K. Rowling

More rollicking adventures in Hogwarts! The plot felt at times like a replica of the first book (until the plot twist happened), but I was having too much fun to care. A few things you must know: a) I am going to visit the Weasely’s Burrow if it’s the last thing I do, b) Mandrakes are hilarious, c) the duel scene was the best, d) Lockhart is annoying 95% of the time, e) Draco–just Draco, and f) somebody get me book 3 pronto. 5 stars!

Subplots of My Own Making

Not a ton to report on the writing front this month, unfortunately. Going away for a week may have had something to do with that. But! I did accomplish a few things.

I listened to episode 13 of The Creative Way, a writing course by Ted Dekker that has been taking me forever to finish. (But it’s still excellent.)

I did a short critique for a critique partner. Her story is awesome.

I wrote a 300 word flash fiction and submitted it to Splickety.

I rewrote chapters one and two of The Brightest Thread AGAIN and finally moved into chapter 3. I hope I’ve stopped spinning my wheels on this opening, because I’d really like to make some progress before Realm Makers (which is two and a half weeks away!!!). It may be too soon to say, but I think, perhaps, maybe, this new opening is “The One.” It stays true to the original version more than my other rewriting attempts, but I think it’s mechanically stronger.

Whew! If you made it this far, here’s a refill on that lemonade. What were your June highlights? Have you read/watched anything mentioned here? What’s your ideal holiday? I hope you have a fantastic July! And to my Canadian friends–happy Canada Day!

Subplots and Storylines – May 2018

Happy Saturday, everyone! By the time this post goes up, it’ll be almost Sunday. Oops. It actually feels like I just wrote my last S&S post a week ago, but May is over already. Who on earth gave it permission to go so fast? It’s been a really good month. For one thing, it was unseasonably warm, and the days were full of gardening, ice cream, and peppermint tans.*

*This is when a bookworm sits out in the sun to read and ends up with limbs that are pink on top and still winter-white on the bottom.

For another, May was also full of friend-stuff. Confession: although I love all my friends dearly, I am also an introvert who guards her alone time and likes her social life to have . . . gaps in between. But this month I decided that my introversion, while valid, does not have to mean I’m stingy with my time! So I ended up face-timing a writer friend, shopping with a college friend, inviting another friend over for dinner, and then taking a six-hour road trip to another pal’s place for a weekend. (All of you extroverts may take this moment to laugh at me making a big deal over only four social events.)

Anyway, ’twas all very fun! I’d never road-tripped anywhere by myself before, so it was like a mini-vacation. The friend I visited (whom I haven’t seen in a year) lives on a farm with horses and bees and the most affectionate, slobbery, big dogs I’ve ever met.

And now on to the story-related happenings of May: the ones I watched, read, and wrote.

Screen Subplots

Justice League

Recommendation: do not watch this half a week after seeing Infinity War, because it will pale in comparison. It seems like Justice League was trying to be a DC version of Avengers and it just . . . didn’t work for me at all. The plot wasn’t cohesive, none of the major characters had any personal stakes in their cause, the villain was a negative number on the Scariness Scale, and Clark Kent’s face was botched by poor CGI. The best part of the movie was the presence of Wonder Woman and the introduction of the Flash. (Except Grant Gustin brought the character to life so, so much better in the TV show than Ezra Miller does in this flick.)

My brother reviewed the movie over on The Steadfast Pen a while back, and he went into more detail about some of the things that didn’t quite work.

Spider-Man 2

Watched this with my siblings and ahhh, the cringe! The nostalgia! Sadly, it was far less cool this time around than it was the first time I saw it. But it’s one of those movies that’s still fun to see, if only for the fact that my siblings and I had way too much fun joking about it.

The Death Cure

Still every bit as good as when I saw it in theaters! I might even go so far as to say it was the strongest movie in the trilogy. More thoughts were shared in February’s Subplots and Storylines post!

Emma (BBC 2009 version)

I LOVED IT SO MUCH. This is only the second Jane Austen movie I’ve seen–the first being Pride and Prejudice, the one with Kiera Knightley–and I thoroughly enjoyed all four hours of it. So much that I want to go buy it right now.

Emma is the sort of person who believes she is always right, and it was rewarding to see the crumbling of her matchmaking plans force her to grow in humility. And Mr. Knightley . . . I didn’t think anyone could top Mr. Darcy, but Knightley might have just done it for me. He and Emma have the sort of bantering/bickering sort of friendship that grows between two stubborn people who aren’t afraid to speak their minds. His loyalty and honesty was fantastic.

There was a plethora of other vibrant characters gracing the screen too: the worrisome Mr. Woodhouse (“They might do something reprehensible–like open the windows!”), kind governess Anne Taylor, empty-headed Harriet Smith, snobbish Mr. Elton, charismatic Frank Churchill, incessantly talkative Mrs. Bates, and reserved Jane Fairfax. Speaking of Mrs. Bates, I found the picnic scene surprisingly convicting–if you’ve watched it, you might know why.

But seriously. Mr. Knightley. Excellent character right there. I must read the book.
Period Drama Confessions! gif

Page Storylines

Eye of the Oracle // Bryan Davis

Well, I’ve finished rereading the Dragons in Our Midst series this year, so it was time to kick off the Oracles of Fire series! Returning to this huge story was really enjoyable. I’m in awe of Bryan Davis’s ability to weave a single story through millennia–literally, because the book starts just before the Great Flood and ends in the modern day.

Sapphira and Elam remain some of my favorite characters; so do Makaidos* and Thigocia! It was neat to refresh my memory on all the connections between the dragons and other important characters–both heroes and villains–throughout history. But lest you think this tome is boring, oh no! Battles with demonic Watchers, the toils of underground slaves, portal jumping, the growth of a Nephilim army, and so much more jumps off the page.

*Makaidos is probably one of my favorite dragons ever.

Plus the foreshadowing is spectacular. New readers could pick this up without much trouble, but readers of Dragons in Our Midst will catch dozens of hints.

5 stars!

The Sea of Monsters // Rick Riordan

I read primarily YA, so whenever I dip my toes in MG (middle grade), I’m fascinated and amused by the different approach. But before I go all writer nerd on you, here’s what I noticed as a reader.

I loved the humor, the taxi of death, Tyson, Percy’s water navigation skills, the sirens, the man-eating sheep, and the shouted conversation about Nobody.* The villain’s plan, although revealed a little late, was great too. On the negative side, the plot matched that of the first book almost beat for beat, and there could have been some more introspection at certain moments that needed a reaction.

*”I REMEMBER YOU!”

Thankfully, Percy didn’t suffer the fate of the unchanged-protagonist-who-learned-nothing-in-the-previous-book. He was stronger, braver, and more at ease with his gifts, even if he was simultaneously more upset with his father. I’m looking forward to finally continuing the Percy Jackson series.

4.5 stars!

Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone // J.K. Rowling

Hello, my name is Tracey Dyck, I’m 22 years old, and this was my first foray into the world of Harry Potter.

Yes. You may all gasp.

But guess what? I’m utterly enchanted! This made me laugh out loud multiple times, and made me want to visit Hogwarts for myself. Harry is a wonderful hero–sympathetic, clever, relatable, and unexpectedly brave. Ron and Hermione make for brilliant friends. The whole cast of characters, in fact, was distinct and charming.

I did have some quibbles. There were times when the lying and sneaking around actually weren’t necessary–and it did seem that Harry and his pals could have faced more consequences for their frequent breaches. Hagrid, though I love him, was revealed to be a bit less worthy of respect than I thought, which was too bad. And I still can’t figure out how Harry and Ron chucked pipes and bathroom taps at the troll–did they rip them right out of the wall or what? (Seriously, someone please enlighten me.)

But the deft writing style, magical wonder, and pop-off-the-page characters make this a book I’ll probably buy. It may have taken me two decades to get to Hogwarts, but I’ll be visiting again real soon.

4.5 stars!

Gravestone (audiobook) // Travis Thrasher

What better way to make a road trip pass by quickly than to listen to an audiobook? Although I did briefly question the wisdom of listening to a creepy story whilst driving through remote countryside. Heh.

This sequel to Solitary is a dark and winding road, much like the mountain path leading up to the Crag’s Inn where Chris works. It’s gloomy. It’s sad at times, intense in others, but just like the inn, there are rays of light beginning to penetrate Chris’s messed-up world.

The plot kept me on my toes as I tried to figure out who to trust. Even though I’ve read this book before, that was five years ago, and I forgot some of the twists. There were genuinely creepy moments standing in stark contrast to several sweet interactions and thought-provoking conversations. Chris’s emotions are very real–the grief, the anger, the confusion, the weariness, the fear.

Looking forward to revisiting the rest of the series. 5 stars!

Written Subplots

Despite the fact that I am so behind on my writing goals, this was actually a pretty productive month. (More on those goals in an upcoming post, I think.)

During the first half of May, I finished compiling beta reader feedback on The Brightest Thread. This covered chapters 20 through 31. I also reviewed the feedback forms I had sent them, which resulted in a document almost fifty pages long.

Because my head was swirling with all the helpful reactions and advice from about a dozen different people, I cracked open a fresh, new notebook to scribble in while I edit. This will be the place I nail down the biggest issues to fix in each chapter and brainstorm how to patch them up.

And then . . . in the second half of May, I dove into ACTUAL EDITING. I love this stage of the writing process! But it’s also challenging right now. In the past couple of weeks, I’ve rewritten my opening several times (bringing me up to about six different versions of chapter one, including one that was split into two chapters because it got so long). Just when I thought I might be on the right track, some sage feedback from a mentor opened my eyes to several blunders I’d made while trying to correct the original chapter’s mistakes. Sometimes you have to make a mess in order to clean up, you know?

So as June unfolds, I’ll keep hammering away at chapter one. It’s a tricky beast, for some reason, but I just know there’s a smashing good opening to be found somewhere!

By the by, once editing is really in full swing this summer, I plan to put together a walk-through post of my editing process, since some of you writerly types have shown interest.

On another writing note, Realm Makers is less than 50 days away now! Say what?! This month I scheduled my mentor appointment and two agent appointments, which makes the conference feel incredibly real and incredibly close. I also submitted the first ten pages of The Brightest Thread for a paid critique appointment . . . which now feels a bit silly, since I’m reworking those pages entirely anyway. But perhaps I’ll still glean something valuable from the feedback?

Yet another writing thingamajig that went down this May was a brainstorming/planning session for a Very Secret Project. I shall not breathe a word of it yet, but it’s coming along. Simmering busily in the back of my mind while I go about my work and editing and other such things. I have tentatively planned to reveal this project sometime this summer, so keep your eyes peeled!*

*Is this not just the weirdest phrase? The thought of putting a potato peeler anywhere near my eyeballs is horrendous.

So yes! That was May!

I hung out with actual people, went on a road trip, got a peppermint tan, hopped back on the Percy Jackson train, and at very long last caught the Harry Potter train too. (Speaking of trains, I’m so happy to finally understand what platform nine and three-quarters means.) I’ve not had this much writing news to share in a long time, and it feels good. Also I seem to be footnote-happy today. So there you have it. My summer break is off to a lovely start.

Now tell me, how are you? Do you like road trips? Harry Potter: yay or nay? Any guesses as to the nature of the Very Secret Project? What are your summer plans, folks?