Oh WOW look at that! Only 2 months left of the year and I need to squeeze about 23 years worth of books in!
HOW DID THIS HAPPEN.
Nothing motivates me to actually do things like it being November and me recalling a list of goals I made in January and how I’ve done 4% of them. Umm my bad. I got so industrious this month though that I wrote a pre-NaNo draft (which turned out about as well as a pile of crumbled bricks) and hit 180 for my Goodreads challenge!
I need !! to do !! so much before 2019 !!! how have I done nothing !!! ahhhhh
I’m also currently away from home right now!
I’m visiting my sister (which involves 1 plane flight to see 4 nieces and nephews and devour 2 shelves of library books in delirious delight). But this means I won’t have any photos of my book haul which is SAD. But we live on.
And YES my blog’s email subscription is still broken.
That puddle of weeping tears? It me. I’ve transferred sending emails manually via mailchimp — so if you haven’t been receiving them this last week, it’s a good idea to resubscribe! Just scroll to the far far end of this post and you’ll see this:
Anyway, I can’t even. I don’t know how to bloggggg.
But you should be fine if you’re subscribed via bloglovin or asking magical pigeons to bring you bound scrolls of my thrice weekly blog updates. Technology fails us. Pigeons do not.
Now is my (shameless) moment to mention that you can nominate A Thousand Perfect Notes for the Goodreads awards if you want!
You have to add it manually because obviously it isn’t famous and I am very unknown lmao. BUT I HAVE SLYTHERIN DREAMS! I CAN WISH! And yes shhh I nominated it myself. Even though bestsellers are what win these, but oh well!
I actually confess I’m a bit nervous because it’s That Time Of Year™ when “best books of the year” blog posts start coming up and Book Shimmy Awards are announced and gahhhhh. I know ATPN has done marvellously for being a little debut and your support has been extraordinary ( !! omg I love you all !!). But I’m still aware it’s small and didn’t explode the world, but rather slipped in to tell a quiet tale. And I do love it for that. But I can’t help but be a little anxious?! So definitely trying not to think about it! The day I learn to be a chill author and let whatever happens just happen will be a good day.
OTHER THINGS
✧ I’m sooo excited to say that A Thousand Perfect Notes is being translated into both Czech and Slovak!! Not sure of the release date yet, but probably next year! (It’s also going to be in Romanian and Polish!!!!!!)
✧ Never going to get over how surreal translation deals are?! AHHHHHH.
✧ I still don’t have news of a cover for The Boy Who Steals Houses, sorrrrry.
✧ But ARCs are mostly likely coming in December. Keep your eyes peeled.
✧ People continue to post stunning photos of it on #bookstagram and my life is made.
✧ Never underestimate what a simple sentence review, a quick word-of-mouth recommendation to a friend, a photo, or a tiny message of flails can impact an author. MY COLD HEART THRIVES AND I AM SO ENCOURAGED BY YOU ALL.
On bookstagram under #AThousandPerfectNotes!
I hit 180 books this month so only 20 more until I finish my reading goal!!
I also reread 6 books this month…which is probably why my TBR pile has drawn a knife at me and shrieked. But you know how comforting rereads are?! Also I want to enjoy my favourites multiple times so HERE I AM. The wild life.
Now reminder…I am away and can barely remember for the life of me what is new to my shelves.
Do I have a memory??? A brain???
NEVER HEARD OF THEM. NOT SURE THEY’RE REAL TBH.
But good news is, while I’m visiting my sister — I get to use her library!! I am so hungry for libraries since the town I live in has, um, nothing. (I donated a stack to them to try and help their pitiful shelves. But that’s still not helpful for me.) So I’m reading so much right now and it makes my soul happy.
BOOKS BOUGHT…
REVIEW COPIES…
LIBRARY BOOKS…!!!
I’M SO FREAKING EXCITED FOR THIS LOT!!!!
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FLIP TO SEE MINI REVIEWS!
so what’s been happening in my life?
- HEY SO IT’S NANOWRIMO!!!! Which always excites me a lot. Although unfortunately this year (since I’m staying at my sister’s) I won’t start till the 20th. And yes I won NaNo in 2 days last year (shh) but I’ve been writing a lot slower this year. But I have to join in still, even if I’m cutting it fine, because it’s my 5th year and I CAN’T MISS THIS.
- Dammit, NaNo, keeping a good streak is too fun.
- Hopefully I’ll be doing a Stranger Things x Jumunji story called The Misery Rules. Here’s my Pinterest board. And buddy me on NaNoWrimo.com if you want!
- But I wish everyone who is doing it now the best of best luck. (And desperately want to hear about your projects!)
- I also wrote a pre-NaNo draft in October. Because I’m awful. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ It was a contemporary genderbent Secret Garden retelling. I got to 75,000 words in 12 days and totally smooshed the ending because I know the whole thing needs a complete overhaul. LE SIGH.
- First drafts are like eating rocks, I swear.
- I’ve started plotting a monstery middle-grade novel though…I’m tentatively excited for this. (I’ve never done MG properly before!?) It’s about the monsters under your bed! Because OF COURSE IT’S DARK. I can’t help myself.
- Also Finn and I hosted a bookstagram Stiefvater challenge in October and #FinnFury was SO FUN and we consider it a marvellous success! Thanks to everyone who joined in!! We got over 1,800 posts! AHH.
- Staying at my sister’s is always BEST. I have 4 nieces and nephews here and they climb all over me and the smallest bites and eats chocolate cake off the floor. But they’re cute at least.
- This conversation happened:
- I MEAN, SHE HAS A POINT.
- And I also thoroughly maintain my 9month nephew looks like Sunny Baudelaire. Proof? I’ll give you proof.
- He bites me SO MUCH so it must be true.
- Anyway we have done much baking (there have been two birthdays so far so LOTS OF CAKE) and been op-shopping and library-going and made cake pops that are RUSTIC…not mauled. Although double-dipping happened and the floor was so covered in sprinkles it was like crunching through beach sand. Nice.
- Also my aesthetic cup of coffee in picture below is actually…hot chocolate. Because I am a child and coffee is a LIE. It smells good and tastes less interesting. (Also makes me sleepy!? So what’s the point!) But look at me taking real instagrammer photos aw.
- I’m definitely still blogging and trying to keep up with visiting blogs + answering all your comments!! And hopefully the email issue’s temporary fix will help to.
- THE BLOG SHALL NOT DESTROY ME. I SHALL PREVAIL.
- Now excuse me…I have soft books to read and monster stories to plan.
That Secret Garden retelling sounds incredibly awesome. I’m fairly certain I convinced a friend of mine to write her own retelling for NaNo basically because I just want all the Secret Garden retellings. Please work out all its life issues and get it published.
Your small nieces and nephews are very cute and that particular one should be prime minister so that she can make the world a much happier place for authors and bookworms. I’d vote for her.
And good gracious, you keep saying the cover will be out soon. But does it ever materialise? No. (Though that makeshift yellow cover, uninteresting as it is, wouldn’t be the worst cover I’ve ever seen)
Due to ill health, NaNo didn’t get off to the best start, but I’m going now and having so much fun playing with my Aussie inspired setting and reliving small childhood memories of picking wattle seedpods, which I’d completely forgotten about until this afternoon.
I’ve resubscribed, so hopefully that works.
omg that makes me so happy that you think so! Also we totally need more Secret Garden retellings?! Enough of Cinderella thanks.😂 (Ok says me who totally did a Cinderella too BUT I NEEDED TO START SOMEWHERE.)😂 And my niblings are just too adorable and also very wise with the bookstore logic. I approve tbh. I need to rethink my life.
And bahahha yeah I don’t even know what’s happening with the cover.😂I thought it was coming in September but OH WELL. Someday you will see it (and *I* will see it) and it will be worth it. :’)
Aw I’m sorry for your bad health for this November though *sends good well wishes* But I hope you’re feeling better soon. And may I just say I LOVE the sound of a Aussie inspired book?! omg that’s so exciting!!
Good luck on NaNo! I’m doing it too, but as a rebel going for hours, not words. I’m, like, on track for reading goals? Which is to say I set my goals low hoping I would rise above them, which I have. Mostly.
Your niblings are adorable. Just saying.
AHH REBEL LIFE! And hey as long as we’re creating something for NaNo and it has potential to be polished later…I think that’s what counts. :’)
My niblings are terribly adorable. It’s so bad. They have me doing anything for them.😂😂
Yay for the goodreads nomination. Totes voted for Thousand Perfect Notes <3
Your nephew & niece are adorable 🙂 Have fun, and hope he doesn't bite off anything important 😀
AWW NORRIE, THANK YOU!! WONDERFUL PERSON!! And I will try to survive the toothy nephew here. 😂
I read 4 books last month (which was great) but I’m not sure if I can read as much or even more this month. I can’t WAIT to see what NaNoWriMo holds in store for me, i.e., plot wise, as I know my outline changes like every second I even look at it. I’m pretty sure my wip is 80% dialogue, and that’s probably going to be HELL to edit so there’s that.
Your wip sounds super cool! The fantasticness (it’s a word… in a small world… created by me) of Stranger Things and then JUMANJI comes along with all its board game happenings (if you’re incorporating that).
I’m close to 16k and while I did say at the beginning of November that I wanted to write a 100k this month, and then lowered it into the average nanowrimo amount like 3 days into the month. I know I aimed high (for whatever reason) but then I realised what I did and made it easier for me (less chocolate to eat I guess).
But I am really enjoying creating and shaping the magic system. But also not really because I have to write EVERYTHING concerning the magic and even normal things in the world into another document so I can reference it. Another thing I’m really enjoy is writing references in? Like even small references – I LOVE IT!!!!!
AHHHH good luck with your NaNo project too!! Isn’t it always great when we finally release our very detailed and planned characters…and they just do whatever they want. :’) So lovely. My last wip’s outline was so intensely different from the book I just set everything on fire and calmly burned down.
JUMUNJI THO. I’M SO EXCITED. GAMES OF DEATH.😂
Hey overachiving is fun. 😂 So you go!! (Also creating whole worlds and magic and rules is like…intensely satisfying and exciting?!AHHH!)
I am not joining NaNo but my sister is so I’m just here to scream at her to stop Facebooking and actually start on her writing. I think she’s doing great on her Fantasy novel. I haven’t read it yet but I will soon. I’m her proofreader/critique. I’M SUCH A GREAT SISTER.
I’m also sooo behind my reading. I’ve surpassed my goodreads challenge already but I’m an over-achiever so I’m obviously wailing that I’ve read only one book last month. ONE BOOK. But it was The Poppy War and it was great so I feel a bit better.
I can’t say I’m ready for November but I WANT IT TO BE DECEMBER ALREADY. I need the Christmas vacation so bad. I NEED A BREAK FROM SCHOOL THANK YOU VERY MUCH. I also need the holidays because I’m planning to redesign my blog. SOME AMBITIOUS DECEMBER GOALS HERE. For November, my only goal is to stay sane and alive. School is slowly killing me. And of course I NEED TO READ MORE BOOKS THIS MONTH. Where are those 3 BD orders already??? I’m dying with impatience here.
GOOD LUCK ON YOUR NANO JOURNEY CAIT. SO EXCITED FOR TBWSH COVER REVEAL.
You ARE a great sister omg. We all need sisters like you. Screaming at us and throwing sticks when we procrastinate. :’) THE WORLD NEEDS MORE RAINS. 💖😂
Hey but you’re doing massive things with school and homework, so I think it’s fair if you can’t read all the books of ever, right?! But I do understand the overachiever feels and they kinda suck. One year I read nearly 300 books and now I always feel like a slacker gahh.😂But anyway YAY that Christmas is coming and holidays! And ooh new blog design is exciting. 👀 I can’t wait to see it!
NaNoWriMo has been… interesting so far. But then again, I’m not following the rules. Or technically writing a novel. I’m writing a webcomic. But it’s a romantically stabby science fiction story with aliens and a plague and all sorts of darkness once you dig deeper. It’s taking forever, but it’s the story of my heart. Oh! And by not writing traditionally for NaNo, I’m just shooting to write a chapter for every day of the month. Best of luck to you and everyone else doing NaNo!!! xx
AHH A WEBCOMIC. That’s amazing! Honestly I feel like NaNo should just be the encouragement to work on SOMETHING, even if it’s not a novel in the traditional sense. But comics are still writing!! And I feel like they’d be way harder to do than a novel *bows to your skills* Also I’m glad you’re writing the story of your heart. That’s so special. 💖
Each year I think I’ll do NaNo, and each year I fail (I know I just can’t do it this year because of the small human I made in April!) But I’m totally digging the Stranger Things x Jumanji mash-up idea. Your Pinterest boards are always so mysteriously beautiful. Enjoy the glomps from your nieces and nephews!
omg congrats on your small human 😍I LOVE small humans but I can imagine they’d be very hard to write with at times. And afjsla thank you for your kind words! I’m super excited for this wip and it’s going to be quite dark eeeeep.
I nominated your book for Best Young Adult Book! I think that you deserve the award (Incidentally, I also discovered that yours was the only book published in 2018 that I read… hard is the life of who often waits for translated copies :/)
Good luck for your NaNoWriMo, libraries are the best, and I have a question for you. I’ve been writing for a lot of time, and while I’ve been doing this for my personal enjoyment (no intention to publish) I’ve been missing the chance to talk to someone about writing and stuff related. Do you have any advice?
Awww THANK YOU!! *sends you all the cake of gratefulness* And aw that is disappointing that books take so long to get translated to your language. I would find that really frustrating too. Thank you for reading mine though. 😍😍
Ah finding people to talk about writing with is VERY helpful, I always find. It’s kind of lonely to do it alone?! I’m not really supposed to blog about my ideas anymore, but prior to being published, I used to blog about writing a lot and found other writers to chat with that way! There are some writer linkups too. Also twitter has a huge/fun writing community. And I always love chatting writing 😉 You might also want to try wattpad or getting a critique partner? I know you said you had no intention to publish, but a critique partner/beta reader can still help you improve + someone to flail softly with over your ideas!
Enjoy your time away! I liked An Absolutely Remarkable Thing a lot more than I thought I would. I’m not a huge scifi person, but Hank’s book was entertaining. I’m not doing NaNo because I can’t do ANYTHING that fast, but it’s fun to watch everybody else try.
I feel a little nervous for Hank’s book because I don’t really do sci-fi or adult 😂😂oops. But I have to try it!! And I’m hoping I love it!
Ahhh, November, the time of year where I have major school homework before winter, have a book to write, and would like to read everything *calmly falls into the sun*
This is actually my first year of NaNo and I actually started a little early because I’ve been working on my story for so long I just one day thought “NEED TO START IT!!!!!” Don’t worry though, I’m only 1500 words in. My book is a fantasy about two countries that recently declared peace after a very long hard war and in showing this one sends an exchange student . . .who’s secretly an assassin. It has soft stabby boys, sassy stabby sisters, stabby children, everyone’s stabby, and where a romance would be I have a m\f PLATONIC FRIENDship +own voices aromantic rep
I also am extremely behind on my 2018 releases so I have a bunch out from my library that I’d like to read such as Summer Bird Blue, Lifel1k3, Truly Devious, and Heart of Iron while also wanting to only read the Daughter of Smoke and Bone trilogy (I’m on book 2 but it’s big) as well as needing to finish Vengeful. I swear I’m sane
Also, I may have voted for ATPN in Best Young Adult Fiction 😏
Also the emails have been working for me, I just hit the ‘notify me of new post by email’ box in the comment section
Honestly falling into the sun seems the best coping strategy by this point. Because why does everything happen in November?!? Dear universe: I have questions.
Omg I LOVE your premise. Like I’m captivated straight away?! Also stabbbbbbby things are what every book needs and friendships. Omg. 😭💛I hope I can one day pick this book up from a bookstore shelf because NEED.
Also that’s an excellent upcoming TBR! People keep telling me to read Truly Devious and I’m very intrigued!
I VERY MUCH APPROVE OF YOUR VOTING. (Thank you!!)
OH MY GOSH, that pose of the littlest one next to the library bookshelf, MY HEART!!!!!!!!!
Yes, I am sorry to have to announce, I no longer get any email notifications from you about blog posts. It shows up without fail on my WP account, though! I know there are ways to fix it, because I’ve seen other blogs have this same problem, and conquer it. Maybe WP admin can give you some tips?
Despite my needing to bow out of NaNo this year, I’m kind of sad about it, too! Plus I truly need to be more focused on writing based on my own expectations, not that of NaNoWriMo. Hence, this is a good and healthy decision.
Will ARCs for Houses only be e-reader, or do we have a shot at hardcopy?
Isn’t he just a little model there?! SO CUTE I CAN’T EVEN. After that he started eating the books and then bit me when I took him away though. So pure angel face to hide the deviousness with that one.😂
Agh yeah I don’t know how to fix it and my relative doesn’t seem to be going to fix it either. 😒So it’s the mailchimp for now. If you want the emails (you don’t have to! but option is there!) you’ll have to resubscribe.
And I’m glad you’re happy with your NaNo decision! I nearly thought “eh I just won’t do it this year” but I want the shiny 5 year sticker streak on the site dammit. 😂
Oh the UK and Australia will have physical ARCs too for Houses!
My NaNo project is an idea I have been reworking since I was 12 or 13 and the exposition is killing me. :'( I can’t get it to work.
Omg that is frustrating! I sometimes get that way when I’ve had something in my head for so long. Like I’m a little nervous because I’ve been planning my NaNo book since February (which isn’t as long as yours) and I’m just HOPING I get it to resemble my vision?! ahhhh. *sends good luck cake to you*
CAIT YOU ARE CRAZY FAST AT WRITING. PRE-DRAFT??? THAT WORD IS NOT IN M VOCABULARY!! I’m literally so excited for your Stranger Things x Jumanji project THAT I COULD CRY. I’m VERY AHEAD of my goodreads reading challenge goal because I have set the bar incredibly low for me (uni stresses me out and steals my time and energy). I loved your tweet about that interaction with your niece – it 100% made my day and I would love to read a book about a girl living in a library (made with secret passages?? and lots of cats and she is acting as if she were a ghost through the walls so that the guy that wants to buy THE LIBRARY because its not making enough profit won’t give away her favourite place???) SOMEONE SHOULD WRITE THAT FOR ME. I already started my NaNoWriMo project so I can’t change it now (i COULD but i wont because commitment!!) and maybe I should write that down so I’ll write that next year. BY THE WAY I’M DOING NANO FOR THE FIRST TIME THIS YEAR AND I’VE JUST ADDED YOU AS A BUDDY. (its”janinanas”) The shot description of my book is this: “A girl tries to get back the wishes of used up shooting stars.”
I HOPE YOU HAVE SO MUCH FUN WITH YOUR SISTER AND NEPHEWS AND NIECES AND THAT THE EMAIL PROBLEM FIXES ITSELF SOON-ISH. Lots of love,
Janina x
OMG YOU ARE LOVELY AND I AM EXCITED AHHHHH. 😍 I am a bit ridiculous with my drafting haha, but I did write WAY more last year, so technically I’ve been a bit slack this year haha. And my niece is just the cutest and makes and excellent point….I need to live in a bookstore. 😂
Alsoooo congrats that you are doing NaNo this year too! (I will add you as a buddy back!) And omg your tagline?! Is freaking amazing. I’m wishing you all the best!!
GOD I WISH I WAS THAT FAST. Or half as fast as you. Or a quarter of your speed lol. I need to live in a library, too. I’m idolizing that image in my head so bad. AND THANK YOU. I’m at like 2500 words on my WIP (which is so very little) and I think I’ve just realized that I’m kinda blocked because I don’t like the direction that I’m going in. Maybe I’ll change it all over again and write a few starts to the story and then see which one I like the most. I’m super iffy about everything because I was going for more of a character study kinda book and now I want it to be more of an adventURE!! DECISIONS OVER DECISIONS.
WISHING YOU WELL AND LOTS OF LOVE! c: <3
It’s totally ok to not love the beginning of your story! I usually hate my books until about 20K 😂 then I get in a sort of rhythm and way prefer it. And then go back and rewrite that beginning later.😂 YOU’VE GOT THIS I BELIEVE IN YOU!!
I’m learning that NaNoWriMo and college don’t mix very well. XD Though I am determined to make it work.
Voted for ATPN. IT DESERVES ALL THE VOTES.
I can truly imagine ahhhh. GOOD LUCK FINDING A TIME MACHINE AND DOING IT ALL!! (And also afjdklsad thank you for the vote 😍😍😍)
Congratulations about your translation deals for your book, that’s so amazing ahhhh I’m so happy to see it making its way into the world. I also can’t wait for The Boy Who Steals Houses, because it sounds amazing. <3
So, voting for your next read was hard because I ADORED both An Absolutely Remarkable Thing and Emergency Contact. I hope you'll read both soon! <3
Happy writing for NaNo! Your idea sounds very cool and I hope you'll make it, though I have no doubt about it, you're such a quick drafter, especially for NaNo haha. Best of luck!! <3
Have an incredible November!! <3 <3
I want to read THEM AAAALL AT ONCE! AHH. It’s so hard to pick?! 😂 And aww thank you for your kind words about my books. I really am excited to talk more about TBWSH soon ahhhh. (And I probably will stress about NaNo but still get it done.😂)
OH WHAT IF ITS US WAS AWESOME! To put in the words of my friend who I lent it to: it broke my heart into a million pieces, stoped on it, then sewed it back together. I NEED TO GO RE-READ YOUR REVIEW NOW – WITH THE SPOILERS (cause I know what happens 😂)
I never knew you lived in Australia? I read it in your last post but couldn’t comment (that was an issue from my end, not yours!) Also, TBWSH is already going to be great a, I can feel it in my bones. I don’t have a goodreads, but I would vote a million times over for your book.
Rhi xxx
P.S. I did something book reviews a while back,,, would love if you checked them out!
https://marshmallowharmonies.wordpress.com/2018/10/20/first-book-review/
On Because You’ll Never Meet Me
https://marshmallowharmonies.wordpress.com/2018/10/24/fan-art-review/
On Fan Art
Omggg RHIANA THANK YOU. 💛💛I hope everyone loves TBWSH eeeep. I’m so nervous?! I feel like I’m always going to be super nervous before a book release lmao. And I’ll come see your posts too!!
YOU DESERVE IT CAIT! I plan on getting it asap- and will be def recommending to all my friends! You probably will, but think of the positive feedback you got on ATPN! Itll happen again, I’m sure of it. Thanks so much! xx
Your October sounds so fun??? I wish I could fly to see my sister and nieces because little children are ADORABLE. Also libraries are the best and I love being able to check out books and not pay lots of money.
And A Thousand Perfect Notes should be nominated, YAY, let’s all go vote for ATPN!!!
LITTLE KIDS ARE SO CUTE AND FUNNY FOR SURE.😂I love libraries so bad…it actually panics me not having one near?! I want to read so much.😂
Aww thank you about ATPN. *sends all the cake of gratitude*
I resubscribed and am getting emails,.so that’s good! Also I love opshopping and it’s good that your month featured a bit of that . Good luck with the niece’s and nephews and NaNo! Seeing family is so nice😊 I am doing nano, well kinda, I’m trying to edit something I wrote already. I have a bunch of other writing projects (trying to get articles published in different media, yikes, as well as paid copywriting and possibly editing and applying for a creative writing programme at uni and submitting things for literary journals) so, there’s that. My October has been a bit frantic and stressful but now I only have two more exams and I’ll be done with my first year of uni and free for almost 4 months! This month I want to go swimming ltoa and practice driving.
Aww thank you for rebsubscribing! I feel so so bad for mucking everyone around and feel like I lost so many connections just through this?! *flaps about sadly* But at least I have a tentative fix for now. 😭😂
And yes family is nice!! They are all growing up sO FAST and getting opinions, which is less great because now they don’t want to be bossed around. Sheesh.
Oh BEST OF LUCK getting your writing accepted and getting some payment for it! The writer dream! And I hope the exams go well too….eeep holidayyyyyys. I’m sure you have tons of things you want to catch up on?! FREEDOM.
I always love your Am Currentlys!!!! <3
Aaaanyways. Yeah, I'm doing NaNo. My project is in a superhero-ish world where the main villain comes to care for the little boy who is trying to become a hero (they both have similar backstories, yada yada yada). The aesthetic is yellow and bees and freckles because … well … why not? It's funny and sweet. I hope. Whatever. Hope that you continue to enjoy visiting family! (And the library – I seriously can't imagine being without a library…)
AWW THANK YOU!! This makes me very happy. *happy twirl* And ooooh superheroes are always fun and delightfully timeless. :’) And yellow/bees/freckles is like such a sweet aesthetic I ALREADY LOVE EVERYTHING ABOUT THIS.
(Being without a library is actual AGONY. There are so many books I just…can’t read? And like not having the option is horrible. 😭)
I’m not doing NaNo this year, because I mildly forgot… I sort of wanted to, but I didn’t prepare AT ALL, and then it was October 31, and it was just not happening. Maybe next year… Hopefully…. (That’s what I said last year too oops.)
Also hahahaha, I literally don’t have the slightest clue what books I hauled this month, so I can relate. I’m very impressed you can remember any of them while you’re away and can’t look at yours shelves, actually. (I can’t remember when I CAN look at my shelves… this is a bit of a problem…)
And your book was AMAZING, and one hundred percent DESERVES a Goodreads Choice award. Just saying. It was seriously so good! (Also I feel like right now is a good time to tell you that my Mum read your book and really liked it, and also spent the entire second half of the book BAWLING.)
I absolutely swear that November just sneaks up on us???? Like I knew my family was planning this trip away for ages, but it didn’t even occur to me that it was in NaNo time until…it was like October 29 and I’m like “WELL DARN.” 😂
It’s actually really hard to remember aaaall the way back to the 1st of the month.😂We bloggers should get an award for trying lmao. I actually just realised I forgot to mention Finding Yvonne bUT OH WELL.
ajfdkslad thank you though, about my book. That truly means the world to me 😍😍 AND AW THANK YOU TO YOUR MUM!!! (My mum also bawled. I am kind. 😂)
GOOD LUCK WITH NANO – YOU CAN DO IT!! Ah I’m still so happy that you’re a published author! Your ideas are so amazing – ALL YOUR BOOKS MUST BE PUBLISHED. *_*
Ahh I’m so happy you get to use a library again (even if it’s just for a little while). Libraries are the best, and I hope you get to read some amazing books. I’m SUPER happy you loved Satellite – IT WAS SUCH A GOOD BOOK. I think I cried 8 times. Oops.
THANK YOU, KYRA. I AM EXCITED. 😍And aww, making me blush *sends you all the cake* I’m a little sad I can’t tell everyone more about my WIPs now, but hopefully one day they’ll be actual books!? FINGERS CROSSED. (Dreaming, dreaming. 😂)
And libraries ARE the best and I may have, um, gotten too many loans. But like it’s so hard not to want everything?! Satellite broke me afjdksald how was it so adorable and so pure?!
Hahahaha I actually noticed you hadn’t started NaNo and my first thought was “Ohh, Cait must be waiting til later in the month to start BECAUSE SHE CAN.” xD
My NaNo novel involves thieves and magic and trees and prophecies and I’m really excited about it. Here’s the link to the post I wrote about it, if you want to read a little bit more: http://theonesthatreallymatter.blogspot.com/2018/10/know-novel-language-of-worlds.html
And I am wayyy BEHIND on my reading goals. Ha. This year has not been good for reading as far as quantity goes. But I’m working on making time (rather than finding time) to do the things I want to do, so hopefully I’ll be able to get back into reading a lot more.
Good luck with NaNo, Cait!! Hope your book doesn’t eat you like mine is threatening to do.
Yeessss I shall catch you all up RIGHT AT THE LAST MINUTE.😂I mean, I hope.😂 There is a huge chance I’ll fail this year and I don’t know how to feel about that so fingers crossed I’ll squeeze it in. And ooh I shall come read your full NaNo post then but MAGIC AND TREES those are amazing things and I am already a fan. 😍
Good luck for NaNo! I was planning to do it for the first time this year but I ended up doing no planning and now it’s November and I have no plans or outlines oops 🙈
I’m currently 6 books ahead on my Goodreads challenge and I don’t think I’ve been behind on it all year. I’ve actually got 3 books to go until I’ve finished my challenge. Yay! 😁
Ahhhh YAY for being ahead on the challenge!! I actually got behind earlier in the year which was wild for me 😂 but I’m still going to read the least amount of books I’ve read in 3 years I think whoops. Also if you did decide to do NaNo…I AM CHEERING FOR YOU!!
Ooh, a middle grade about monsters under the bed. That sounds fun! Enjoy your trip!!
I’m definitely going to have fun with this mwahha.😂😂
You must read the Hank Green so I can find out if I should read it! No, but really, I’m reading your book right now and I just started and I already just want to grab Beck and hug him… and shove Joey in my pocket! I’ve missed you! I hate not having regular computer access and not being able to read my favorite blogs! BUT I have a roof, a bed, and MY COMPUTER for at least the next 2 months, so I’ll get to catch back up with everyone. And wow, this is probably the craziest comment I have ever left on your blog… or anyone else’s for that matter!
I did end up reading the Hank Green but turned out it wasn’t really my style. 😂 But aww thANK YOU FOR READING MY BOOK. I’m so incredibly honoured *flails happily forever* Those kids deserve better though omg I am a mean author.
(Also gah not having a computer for 2 months is terrifying. 😱 But your comments are always lovely so thank you !!!!)
This post is crammed with so much info, Cait. SO MUCH GOOD NEWS!! Kudos to you. How surreal was it to see your name in Goodreads poll? And translations of your book. WOW! Get writing those stories for NanoWrimo. ALL THE BEST
Aww thank you, Resh!! 💛💛 I most definitely am very lucky right now *Flails* 😂
Uh, well…I’m KIND OF doing nano….meaning I haven’t even started yet. XD I’m planning to just work on a draft from last year I still haven’t finished and outline a couple more I really want to work on. But I have been busy with blogging a lot in October so I haven’t even had time to think about it really, but tomorrow I’m planning on spending the day regrouping and really thinking about all my projects I want to do and planning out my life. XD So hopefully I’ll be able to schedule time to write again soon.
One of my projects for nano I’m REALLY excited about though is my teenage pirate series I mentioned before a little bit. I decided it’s going to be a pirate Anastasia retelling, and the more I think about it the more it starts to fit and all connect together and I’m getting so excited about it cuz I haven’t felt this way about any of my writing in what feels like years! 😀 I NEED to make myself have time to start world building and outlining it soon or else I feel like I might burst! 😛 It’s basically combining 2 and 1/2 of my favorite fandoms: Anastasia the cartoon and Broadway musical, and Pirates of the Caribbean! I’m SO EXCITED ABOUT IT NOW I HOPE IT’S GOING TO BE AWESOME AHHH.
And YES I’m like 2 books behind schedule! D: I know the last two weeks of December I’m going to be doing NOTHING but reading. XD I’ve been reading Six of Crows since AUGUST and I’m still only like 30% through it. :/ It’s not that I don’t like it or anything it’s just that I don’t really know how I feel about it yet/it’s such a complex and intimidating book to get through/and I’ve been slumping since like June and I just haven’t been able to make time to read cuz I keep getting caught up in other things. D: But I can’t DNF it and come back to it later cuz not finishing what I start REALLY bothers me unless I REALLY hate the book I’m reading. BUT I PROMISE I WILL MAKE MYSELF FINISH IT SOON. I needed to make myself promise that I wouldn’t start another book until I was done with it. XD
I AM DEFINITELY NOT READY FOR FALL TO BE OVER. 3 days before Halloween it DUMPED 10 inches of snow on us!!!!!! 10 inches!!!!! It literally just started and then DIDN’T STOP for like 48 HOURS! O.o I saw it in the forecast the day before and since it was still like 40 degrees outside and felt more like spring cuz all the leaves were gone already I just thought: eh, it’ll probably snow a few flurries and then melt, then it’ll snow later and gradually turn into winter like seasons are SUPPOSED to do. BUT NO. BOOM. Winter just decided to hit us full force and all of a sudden we are in the middle of it! THERE WAS NO BEGINNING. JUST THE MIDDLE. CHRISTMAS CAME EARLY THIS YEAR APPARENTLY. XD
You know, I’ve never actually SEEN The Nightmare Before Christmas, but I feel like I’m living in it’s sequel: The Nightmare Before Christmas: SANTA’S REVENGE. XD Seriously, it was a totally sunny sparkly winter wonderland at my house on Halloween! It totally felt more like Christmas Eve. XD XD XD
OOOH I finally gave in and ordered Frost Like Night by Sarah Raasch because I wanted to read it around Christmastime, but I’m not sure I’m ready to be done with this series yet. D: I really loved Ice Like Fire! <3
And I got this GORGEOUS Barnes & Noble collectors edition of The Snow Queen and Other Winter Tales (https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-snow-queen-and-other-winter-tales-various-authors/1120744933?ean=9781435160699#/) to read up until Christmas! I'm really excited cuz I love Frozen and I wanted to know the original story behind it (even though I'll probably hate it XD) and I'm reading a Snow Queen Retelling in December so there's that too. And also I feel like I need to read more classic fairytales and I know most of them are weird and creepy but hopefully there will be a few I'll actually like and will inspire something in me. 🙂
OMG ANASTASIA BUT WITH PIRATES SOUNDS AMAZING!??! YOU GENIUS. Pls go write that immediately ahhhh 😂💛💛💛And I hope it’s super fun and the outlining goes well!
Also book slumps really suck, so I feel for you there. 😥😔Possibly Six of Crows isn’t a great one for while you’re slumping though? It’s better read fast, I think, to keep up with all the characters and plot twists. I hope you find a book that really captivates you soon!
Dude snow, wwoooah, do not be buried over there!! I’m a little freaked out because we’ve been having some 40 degree days (Celsius) and it’s WAY to early for that. Summer is going to roast us to death. 😂
Also omg to that edition of the Snow Queen. How purely GORGEOUS.
AHHHH hearing the one and only Cait freak out about my book idea is AMAZING and makes me want to write it so much more now!!! THANK YOU!!! <3 <3 <3 😀 I'm planning on working on naming the characters today! 😀
Yeah but I don't want to put it down, and up to the point I've gotten to so far I don't feel like I've gotten that lost yet so I don't think I've missed any twists. But now that I'm able to give it my full attention I'll be able to read it faster so hopefully I won't miss anything and I'll be more into it. 🙂
Oh no! Is that really warm for you? My friend is actually in New Zealand right now for a semester abroad program kind of thing and she told me she keeps wanting to wear hoodies cuz usually it's supposed to be winter for her right now but it's way too hot. XD
IKR?! It's AMAZING! I'm so glad I splurged. It'll be so fun to read around Christmas. It even has silver edges! <3 😀
Ohhhh Cait I’m so excited for The Boy Who Steals Houses! Good luck with Nano, I’m wayyy too scared to do it but your pinterest board looks gorgeous and I can’t wait for the updates on how it all goes!! And yayyy for the goodreads awards, I’ve voted for ATPN and I know it’s a debut novel but its done sooo well Hun!
(Also your nephew & niece are the cutest 🙂
Gorgeous post as always!
Grace Louise || http://www.gracelouiseofficial.blogspot.co.uk/
Aww thank you!! YOU ARE SO KIND. And I appreciate the ATPN vote!! 😜 I know only bestsellers really win there, but it’s still fun to dream haha!
I’m so happy I can vote your book (I didn’t know I could add books manually)! I signed up for NaNoWriMo, but I don’t think I’m going to do it because of school… Anyway at the beginning I wanted to write a poetry collection, but it’s difficult to reach 50000 goal with poetry and now I’m trying to figure out how to write a mystery!
Aww thank you for voting! YOU ARE LOVELY. I know it’s a bit silly because all the NYT bestsellers are going to win that haha, but it was fun to dream about! And I can imagine writing 50K of poetry would be quite tough. But I hope you have fun with whatever you choose to write!
How did you fix it?!? I can’t read the post 😭😭😭
What do you mean you can’t read the posts? 😱 As in there is no text? Can you explain lol lol I’m worried.
Will totally nominate you! I LOVED ATPN!!! Should I do it in the Debut Author or YA Fiction category?
ALISON YOU LOVELY QUEEN.💛💛💛And anything is fine 😂I have really got no footing against all the NYT bestsellers lamo but I can dream right?!😂
I went ahead and nominated you for both. Bummed you didn’t make it, though! 🙁 I’ll keep my fingers crossed for Boy Who Steals Houses to get a nomination when it’s out! ^.^
This would be my first time participating in NaNo and I haven’t started writing yet for two reasons. 1) I haven’t got a good fleshed out plan yet, and 2) I am super spooked. Why is it so scary?? It’s a whole month for writing and I’m like “RUN AWAY!!! COMMITMENT IS BAD AND SCARY AND YOU DON’T LIKE IT!!!” ….. but I’m going to start eventually (I hope). Better late than never??
I. am. so. far. behind. with. my. reading. goals.
It’s really bad. So bad. All I want to do is sleep and I can’t focus on anything for too long without drifting off into daydreams XD
*both hands shoot into the air* I’M NOT READY FOR NOVEMBER!!!! BUT I AM READY FOR CHRISTMAS!!!!
Commitment is kind of scary so I don’t blame you. 😂 And tbh sometimes I psych myself out of NaNo even though I write fast so it SHOULDN’T be an issue?! Gah. Brains are weird! And hey any reading is a good amount of reading so don’t feel bad!! (I actually keep blogging instead of reading 😂which isn’t helping my TBR but ohhhh well.)😂
Wow this was such a great post!! I’m glad that you’re reading lots of books (and writing new ones!!! Your Pinterest board for ur WIP looks fabulous!!!)
I hope that you have a great November and continue to enjoy your adorable nieces & nephews!!
Definitely I will nominate ATPN on goodreads too!! Good luck on that!!! 🤞
Aww thank you!! I’m so excited to write this month ajfdkslad although also chaffing that I can’t start till much later.😂 I’m enjoying the niblings though and their wildness!
I am not NaNoing this year! I’m really sad, but I have too many deadlines for Uni this year, I’m already falling into a stress induced spiral so adding NaNo to that was just going to be too much. I actually haven’t done any writing since I came back to Uni in September, which is sad, but at the moment pretty much any writing I’m doing is stuff that contributes towards my degree! I am keeping up, I was ahead, but I’ve fallen down to just on track with my Goodreads Challenge, though to be honest, that’s all I can really hope for in my November of hell. I was definitely not ready for it to be November, it just snuck up on me there and suddenly I have all these deadlines that I’m not remotely prepared for, so yay for that! I have been trying to keep the book buying to a minimum lately, which is hard because when I’m stressed I shop, but I have bought the Six of Crows collectors edition, and Jodi Picoult’s new book, A Spark of Light.
It does tend to come in a bad examy sort of season right!? eep. But I hope you get some writing time soon! (And wishing you all the best as you work on your uni things too.) I swear November sneaks up on us every year though….we need more warning, like, um, a month between October and November?!
(omg that Six of Crows collector’s edition though!! NEED.)
I’m doing Nano for the first time because I hate myself and feel like giving myself more work to do even though I HAVE EXAMS. I’m failing at just over 100 words and without any hint of a plan or plot but hey, failing exams is apparently important!!
Ahhh it is kind of a busy time of year right?! *sends you all the encouragement cake* BUT I AM CHEERING FOR YOU!! And I hope the exams all go well too! (Who needs sleep, right? :’)
Nano is always at the worst time (But then again, is there even ever a good time for these things?!) Thanks a lot for the encouragement cake, it’s really good!! My sleep-deprived self thanks you!
ooh I miss the library by my house SO much!! I didn’t realize its amazingness until I moved away and now Im like… what do I do with my life now?? I’m too broke to buy all the books I want to read *cries* Also looks like you read some amazing books this month which is good! I feel like I’m insanely behind the reading curve here. I am however in the midst of trying to survive SJM Kingdom of Ash (all INSANE 900 something pgs) Good luck with your reading goal *sends luck* Great post 🙂
OMG THIS IS ME EXACTLY.😭 I miss it so bad and like just that opportunity to come home every week with more books than I can carry?! Now I’m desperately trying to decide which books to prioritise. (I have like 100 on my saved list…which I can’t get through in 3 weeks unfortunately. 😂) My soul is dyyyying without a library.😂
Aww thank you!! And good luck surviving that brick of a fantasy book!!
I’VE WONDERED WHERE YOU’VE BEEN!! I’ve resubscribed now. I’m mentioning ATPN in my newsletter and came here to get your link, and that’s the only way I found out! THANK GOODNESS!
Omg I’m so so sorry 😭😭I’e been really upset by this whole thing happening and the widget breaking because I’ve lost SO many friends?! It’s really loooonely bleh. *gives you all the welcome back cake* Thank you for checking though!!
Good luck with NaNo, Cait 🙂 I am sure you would do great this time too. Aww, your nieces are so cute. I am sure you are having an incredible time with them. I wish to go on a vacation too *sighs* And wow, it always amazes me, how many books you actually read. 180! Well, good luck with your GR goal 😀
And good luck for GR choice awards.
And sorry about your blog subscriptions. I really hope it gets sorted out soon.
You have got some good books to read. An Absolutely Remarkable Thing is one of my most anticipated read of the year and I absolutely can’t wait to read it. I really hope you enjoy it. Have a lovely November 🙂
I’m not even sure if I’m having a vacation by this point 😂 I’m EXHAUSTED ah ahhah. But the kids are super fun and it’s nice being here! Aww thank you for the vote 😘 I can dream right?! 😂
Oh man this is SO EXCITING! I love all the extra adrenaline in the bookish, writerly community during NaNo.
Personally, I’m going for a 300k-month. Basically because my life is going to hell in a handbasket from mid-December through… sometime 2019 so I want to write all the things and get them off to beta readers so I don’t stagnate and die while the life is happening. So I’m up to my eyebrows in SO MANY DIFFERENT stories. Vixere, sword-and-sandal Gladiator-type story. No Wings to Fly, a snarky story about an orphan girl in a group of unwanted kids taken out of the streets and taught to steal/kill to survive. Gate of God, Biblical fiction surrounding the Tower of Babel. To Say Goodbye, which is essentially a memoir and hurts my soul to write.
So yeah. Best get off the blogosphere and back to writing before the month gets away with me! Loved this post, Cait! <3
YES YES It’s so exciting just know everyone is working hard ahh! And omg 300K?! You are a wizard. 😱 I can’t even imagine being torn around so many different projects so I’m just bowing to your skill right now 😂 Also your projects sounds AWESOME. Vixere omg. And good luck with the memoir too…those can be exhausting to write when they’re emotional. *sends you all the cake*
I definitely nominated ATPN on Goodreads and even though it’s a “quiet” debut, I hope somehow it’s able to get some Book Shimmy recognition??? Because that would be AWESOME.
I wondered if you were doing NaNo. xD I kept checking my writing buddies on the website and going “??? Cait hasn’t already written like 80,000 words??? Where is she???”
OMG your nephew does look like Sunny what is this witchcraft.
I am so, sooo behind on NaNo because I went and caught a cold on Halloween that refuses to let me go. *shakes fist* So my brain has been mush. I’m maybe 6,500 words in so far? I need to be way farther in, but that’s the sad reality right now.
It would be nice if it got nominated for the Epic Reads ones buuuut I doubt it. 🙈 Too many americans have outright told me they’re not going to read it until it’s published in the USA and since THAT’S not going to happen…😭
I KNOW OMG I FEEL SO LOST AND ALONE WITHOUT DOING NANO. !! By the time I start everyone will be done lmao. I also have another project warring for my attention so who KNOWS what I’ll end up going with. I’m hoping you catch up too though! Colds absolutely suck, bleh. And also it is an inconvenient time for them to attack us when we’re so busy?! *sends you get well soup*
ahh omg your nieces and nephews are adorable God bless them <3
always really enjoy learning about ppls nano projects so interesting. also all those books that you did mini reviews for look absolutely yummy!!!
your niece is right. why dON'T authors live in bookstores?? a question to keep me up at night.
ALSO YESS OMG GOOD LUCK FOR THE GOODREADS AWARDS!!!
AWW THANK YOU!! And fingers crossed but I know it’s just wishful thinking for this year.😂
afsjdkla my relatives are the absolutely most adorable things. And I’m so excited for everyone’s NaNo projects. SO much good things happening here tbh.
<3
Yay, your #amcurrently posts are my favourites! It’s so nice to read about what you’ve been up to, and congrats on all the first drafts you have been managing while also travelling! Wow!
I do have local libraries nearby (2 good ones ten minutes away from my house by car!) but I have only just super recently realised I can order stuff….. like order anything! They have so much cool YA and then they hold them for me! Now this may seem super obvious, but it was first time ever going to pick up books I ordered yesterday and I was sooooooooo excited! IT was the best!
I recently read The Gentlemen’s Guide to Vice and Virtue (from the library!) and it was freaking wonderful. So much fun and very cute. I also read a book called The Lightning Trail by Rebecca Roanhorse which is a recent debut, and I absolutely adored it. It is a post apocalyptic fantasy with myths and legends and I just really got excited about it. I thought it was wonderful!
Other news for me is that I am not doing NaNo (although I did think about doing it this year) because I have only about fifteen k words left of my current manuscript so the timing is weird, and I am currently spending time doing my final proof read of my debut…. which is sort of freaking me out. All the things I now want to tweak when it is totally too late! Oh noes!!! But maybe that is normal? I don’t know….
Anyway, thanks for the fun post update! 🙂
Aww thanks, Poppy! You always leave such lovely comments. 😘 And I’m glad you have a good library! And omg don’t you just love ordering books?! I adore going in and knowing I’m going to pick up a stack vs hoping what I want is on the shelves. Of course I also want everything on the shelves sooo…it gets a bit tricky trying to cram it all in, since I’m only visiting my sister for 2 more weeks. I WANT TO READ IT ALL.
And ajdksla I’m so glad you enjoyed TGGTVAV! It’s so good. 💕😍
Omg you’re up to final proof reads!!! SO EXCITED FOR YOU. And I swear I wanted to change a bunch of things by that point too…although I was also already sick of it. 😂I’d read it so many times it was like, “yep I’m done, just print it.”😂
I hope you are having fun with your family. <3
I definitely am!! EEEP.
AAAHHHH!!! So many bookish goodness here! I haven’t been to the library for awhile now (I know, it’s that one part that I need in my life right now….sniff…sniff), but glad you got to go to the library to get some bookish goodies!!! I’m also doing NaNo, although I only got in over 4,000 words (not bad, but I could do better)! Good luck with your NaNo Project! I can’t wait to see some more bookish treats coming from you!
I just have to tell you that I recommended ATPN to my younger sister and she LOVED it. She was really freaking out about it, it was awesome. Also August inspired her to make cupcakes, which was agreeable for me as well. 😉
HE DOES LOOK LIKE SUNNY OH MY GOSH. That is precious.
I am swamped in schoolishness and I haven’t been doing as much reading of books as I want to? Or reading of blogs for that matter. On the one hand I am not ready for the year to end, but on the other hand, season 3 of ASOUE comes out on January 1st. So. I am impatient.
I went to a library book sale and bought a beautiful copy of David Copperfield!
I am not doing NaNo, and I am not working on any major projects at the moment, but I have scraps of things happening. Most recently it has been a kind of psycho pen-pal story, and I have also been working on backstory for some previous projects.
Yessss loved this post as I always do for your am currentlys!! I have only read like 30 books this year and my goals was 50 and I’m not superhuman like you and can’t read like 20 books in a month and oof it’s making me sad haha. Also it’s so cool you’re at your sisters! All of those pics of the kiddos are so adorable. 🙂
Nabila | Hot Town Cool Girl
I WAS WONDERING WHAT HAPPENED TO YOUR POSTS in my email subscription feed! I mean of course I follow you in every single way possible, but here I am catching up. I’m so proud to hear about your translation deal, that is amazing! All I want to do at the moment is to re-read books that I loved as well! PLEASE LOVE GIRLS OF PAPER AND FIRE. Omg your nephew is SO ADORABLE!