January Wrap-Up and February TBR

So we're already a month into 2017



... well, actually, I'm just in my normal bedroom, but the panic is real.

Are you proud that it's only the *cough* seventh of the month and look! here I am!

What I Read:

Moon Over Manifest ~ Clare Vanderpool

(I read Navigating Early in October, so I decided to pick this one up and I'm so glad I did.)
Overview: The daughter of a drifter during the Great Depression, Abilene Tucker feels abandoned when her father sends her to his hometown for the summer. When she meets the town diviner, though, she is told the story of Jinx, a boy who came to town much like Abilene did, and changed the lives of the townspeople forever.
Rating: 5 out of 5 (READ THIS BOOK RIGHT NOW)

The Hotel Valhalla Guide to the Norse Worlds ~ Rick Riordan

Overview: In this companion to Riordan's "Magnus Chase" series, every new resident of Hotel Valhalla is sure to never be confused as to the deities, worlds, and creatures that make up the norse worlds.
Rating: 5 out of 5 (a fun, quick read and an amusing companion to the books)

The Secret of Shadow Ranch ~ Carolyn Keene

Overview: Nancy, Bess, and George head to Shadow Ranch, a farm that has been experiencing some rather strange occurrences.
Rating: 3.5 out of 5 (this was the first original Nancy Drew book I've read, and... it was as cheesy as I expected. But it was fun to read a Nancy Drew.)

The Isle of the Lost ~ Melissa De La Cruz

Overview: In this prequel to the Disney Channel Original Movie, the children of Disney's greatest villains find themselves unexpectedly teamed up to find Maleficent's staff and possibly return magic to their island of banishment.
Rating: 4 out of 5 (it was fun. I enjoyed the film, so it was really cool to read the book)

How to Break a Dragon's Heart ~ Cressida Cowell

Overview: Facing Berserks, haunted beaches, and a very scary witch, Hiccup must brave the Beast to save Camicazi.
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 (I'm just so happy to be getting back into these, I've missed them)

How to Steal a Dragon's Sword ~ Cressida Cowell

Overview: While travelling to the camp where they will prove their place in the clans, the young Vikings are attacked by renegade Dragons.  The Dragon Rebellion is coming, and Hiccup may be the only one to stop it.
Rating: 5 out of 5 (holy cannoli, that ending was craaaaazy)


What I Watched:

Bull:
 
 
This show is really amazing, okay? It's got the ensemble feel of Leverage with the legal informative-ness of Matlock and Cable is my fave.

Timeless:

This line! #iconic  My babies are back and breaking my heart and I don't know how I'm going to live through this hiatus guys agh.

Liv and Maddie:
 
In the absence of Girl Meets World (season three comes to Netflix this month yayyyyy), I picked up this other Disney Channel series that's also on Netflix. While I expected it to be stupid (and at times, admittedly, it is), the acting quality is amazing. I have so much more respect for Dove Cameron after watching this show, like wow.


What I Listened To:

My Disney on Broadway obsession came back in full force this month, as I discovered The Lion King on Broadway soundtrack *flail*. I also saw Moana (finally) and it was so good! And "Every Captive Free" is a song that I performed a dance to, along with several of my friends, for the "Florida Abolitionists" annual... meeting... thing. I was never actually told what the event was actually called so... anyway it's working toward ending human trafficking, and it's super cool and the group I was with is called Set Free and you can find more info here. I highly recommend checking it out. ^.^


What I Posted:
I took part in the Martin Hospitality cover reveal!


What I Plan to Read:

How to Sieze a Dragon's Jewel ~ Cressida Cowell
(yay for more Hiccup)

The Hypnotists ~ Gordon Korman
(sounds coolio)

Ring of Fire ~ P.D. Baccalario
(this one also sounds cool)


In other news, lately here it's been cool-ish outside, but the sun has been battering the earth like nobody's business.

But anyway...

How was your first month of 2017?  What do you plan to read next month?

Martin Hospitality Cover Reveal!!

Today is a very exciting day.

"Why?", you ask?

Well today is a very exciting day because THE MARTIN HOSPITALITY COVER DROPS TODAY.

And because Abigayle let me be a part of this blog tour YOU ALL GET TO SEE IT RIGHT NOW EEEEEK.

ISN'T IT BEAUTIFUL????

I haven't gotten a chance to read the book yet, but I am super excited to when it releases on Amazon February 4!!

If you'd like more information, and to add it to your Goodreads shelves, you can find the Goodreads page for this novel here

Congrats, Abigayle! I'm so excited for you!!!

~ Mia

November / December Wrap-Up and January TBR

As I write this, the year two thousand and sixteen A.D. comes to a close. 

Where the heck did it go?

If you find it, do let me know.



And yes, I was going to write a November wrap-up, but when December 15th rolled around and I still hadn't posted it, I figured, why not just do both November and December at the end of the latter?  And so here we are.

Let's begin with November, shall we?

Because I'm so tech-savvy (hahaha, good joke, right?) you can find Goodreads links to every one of these. Just click the title if you want to learn more. ;)

What I Read:

The Beautiful Pretender ~ Melanie Dickerson

I DID IT I FINISHED IT YAY
Overview: Avelina is put in a difficult situation when the proper lady she serves runs away with a knight. Desperate to gain help from Thornbeck, the Earl of Plimmwald sends Avelina in his daughter's place. She must gain the margrave's help... but can she keep her heart in one piece to do so?
My Rating: 4.5 out of 5

The Book of Shepherd ~ The Scribe/Joann Davis

Overview: A shepherd named Joshua, a woman named Elizabeth, and a child named David seek to find a better way.
My Rating: 5 out of 5

The Hammer of Thor ~ Rick Riordan

Overview: Magnus Chase and his friends are on the hunt for Thor's hammer before Loki can use it to free himself.
Rating: 5 OUT OF 5 IT WAS SO FANTASTIC

Mission Atomic ~ Sarwat Chadda

Overview: Dan, Amy, and all the faves are all grown up and kicking butt and I almost cried at the end because they're so grown up ouch
Rating: 4.5 out of 5


What I Watched:

The Librarians:

MY BABIES ARE BACK. So much sass is going on in this season, I love it.


Timeless:


Two gifs for this one because this line made me laugh. This show has stolen my heart and smashed it into a million pieces I love these precious beans.


What I Listened To:

So much Christmas music ahhhhh. Both "Behold the Savior" and "God With Us" I got to sing in our church's Christmas musical.  The former being with my little brother and several of my youth group friends, which was super fun.


What I Posted:
I did, not one, but TWO updates as I attempted NaNoWriMo!



Now let's take a look at December!


Christmas lights, for your enjoyment ^.^

What I Read:

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince ~ J.K. Rowling

Overview: The sixth Harry Potter book finds Harry as Dumbledore's right-hand man, of sorts. Between learning all about Horcruxes, captaining the Quidditch team, and dealing with the new teacher Horace Slughorn, Harry has another full year at Hogwarts.
Rating: 5 out of 5 (I feel like that's a given on HP books xD)

The Roar ~ Emma Clayton

Overview: Mika's twin sister Ellie disappeared a year ago, but when he enters a contest in order to find her, he discovers that his world is much more than he ever imagined.
Rating: 5 out of 5 (it was so gooooooood)

Disney After Dark ~ Ridley Pearson

Overview: Five teens discover they've been given the gift to visit the Magic Kingdom after hours, except... they aren't exactly human.
Rating: 3 out of 5 (still magical, but not as great as I remember)

Don't You Know There's a War On? ~ Avi

Overview: A boy is convinced that his principal is a Nazi spy when his favorite teacher is fired.
Rating: 4 out of 5 (pretty good, if not a bit slow)


What I Watched:

The Librarians:



(pfft, no, I totally didn't put this twice because I wanted to use both gifsets pfffft)
Seriously I think this might be my favorite season so far.

Gilmore Girls:

I've watched a grand total of four (four!!!) episodes but I'm hooked.

Mech-X4:

This is a new DisneyXD show that is actually pretty fantastic and follows the story of four friends who find that one of them can control a giant robot. Harris is me, okay.


Now, normally I'd have a list of what I listened to this month to put here... but I forgot to make it as I was going and then of course I forgot what I listened to so... yeah...
but I can say I WENT TO A FOR KING & COUNTRY CONCERT THIS MONTH IT WAS SO GREAT THEY'RE SO GREAT seriously if you get the opportunity to see them in concert, DO IT. These boys can put on a show, let me tell you.

What I Posted:
I love talking about Christmas movies, don't you?


And now let's talk about What I Plan to Read:

Moon Over Manifest ~ Clare Vanderpool
(already finished this one but guys. read this book. please.)

The Hotel Valhalla Guide to the Norse Worlds ~ Rick Riordan
(Magnus Chase companion I got for Christmas yayyy)

Disney At Dawn ~ Ridley Pearson
(Kingdom Keepers book 2 yesss)

The Silent Songbird ~ Melanie Dickerson
(retelling of The Little Mermaid yesss)

Secrets of the Book ~ Erin Fry
(magical book brings dead celebrities back to life? yesss)



And so, we bid 2016 farewell.

I'm honestly not upset to see it go.

But I am at peace with whatever God has planned for me in this new year.

What do you want to read in the new year?

~ Mia

Christmas Time is Here!

IT'S CHRISTMAS TIME

HOORAY

HAVE SOME CHRISTMAS TUNES



Yes, this post was supposed to be up like two weeks ago.  But somehow this year's December has been even more busy and chaotic than most Decembers before.

So I thought I'd best pop in now that we're three days 'til Christmas (?!?!?!) and actually write a blog post. Yay.

Because I'm getting in the holiday spirit, I thought I would give you some things to watch that will bring you into it with me.  That's right.  I'm talking CHRISTMAS MOVIES. and CHRISTMAS EPISODES. and CHRISTMAS IN GENERAL YAYYY.

Let's begin with some Christmas Movies shall we?

1. White Christmas

Plot: Two famous radio actors and a pair of sisters go to Vermont for Christmas, only to find that the general they served under in WWII is down on his luck and needing a little Christmas cheer.  Much hilarity, sweet romance, and fabulous dance numbers ensue.

2. The Nativity Story

Plot: (if you didn't know this already...) Mary, a young woman from a small town, is visited by an angel and told that she will give birth to the Messiah.  Featuring Oscar Isaac as a much younger than was probably accurate Joseph but is still one of my favorite portrayals of him *cough* Also, the wise men are hilarious.

3. The Mistletoe Promise

(I couldn't find a gif *sadness*)
Plot: A divorced business owner teams up with a lawyer to convince everyone that they do, in fact, have someone to spend the holidays with, and end up, of course, falling in love with each other.
(random note: yes, this is a Hallmark movie. but my mom and sister and I have been watching so many Hallmark movies this season, and this has by far been my favorite)

4. It's a Wonderful Life

(can you have a list of favorite Christmas movies and this not be on it? I think not.)
Plot: A depressed man is guided by an angel to find out what would have happened if he had never been born. This leads him to the fact that despite all the hardships, he does, indeed, have a wonderful life.

5. Saint Nicholas

(couldn't find a gif for this one either *cries*)
Plot: When Junior has a bit of trouble giving away Christmas, Bob and Larry teach him about "Nick" and how he learned to give with a joyful heart.
(random note: I almost went with "The Toy That Saved Christmas" or "The Star of Christmas", as those are my childhood, but this one has so many puns I couldn't resist)


And now we move to what has become my personal favorite, Christmas-themed Episodes.

1. "The Ho, Ho, Ho Job" ~ Leverage (season 3)

(c'mon, you knew this was gonna be first)
Plot: While trying to take down a corrupt mall owner, the team goes undercover, making Parker a very happy elf and Eliot a very grumpy Santa.  And also confirming the status of Sophie and Nate as the team parents.

2. "Gus' Dad May Have Killed an Old Guy" ~ Psych (season 2)

Plot: Shawn is invited to spend Christmas with the Guster family, but ends up having to solve the murder of their neighbor, who has been known to argue with Mr. Guster.

3. "Santa's Midnight Run" ~ The Librarians (season 1)

Plot: Santa seeks the help of the Librarians when he is stranded without his sleigh, and Ezekiel keeps his magic hat safe, which means he is filled with Christmas spirit, which is absolutely hilarious.

4. "Girl Meets Home For the Holidays" ~ Girl Meets World (season 1)

Plot: It's Christmas in the Matthews household, which brings many family and friends back together, while Riley tries to figure out why Cory's best friend Shawn doesn't seem to like her.

5. "A Christmas Secret" ~ Murder, She Wrote (season 9)

(couldn't find a gif for the actual episode, so you just get Jessica's sassy face)
Plot: When a young Cabot Cove resident's fiancée is found to be more than he originally said, it's up to Jess to find out what he's hiding.  Also featuring Seth being a sarcastic grouch about Christmas.


That's all from me... no, wait, there's something else!  I have to extend an invitation!

Every year (for 20 years now, whaaaat???), my church puts on a drive-through nativity.  We all refer to it as "the drive-thru", but as many don't know what that even is, I shall endeavor to explain.  Basically, all over the church grounds, we set up 10 scenes, vignettes, if you will, that tell part of the Christmas story.  We furnish with costumed actors and live animals, set up a path of luminaries, and invite people from literally around the world to drive their cars through and see and hear the story unfold.  It is literally so hard to explain, wow.  I've been doing it all 18 years of my life, as my parents founded the ministry, so I like to call it my first lead role as a 3-month-old, playing baby Jesus. 

So if you live or will be visiting the Orlando area this Christmas, I encourage you to stop by one of the three nights!  And here's a link to the church's website if you need more information... plus teeny tiny pictures of what we do xD

And if you aren't going to be in the Orlando area, I have a favor to ask.  Pray?  Please?  It takes a lot to put this thing on, and more than normal as we had to completely rebuild the Inn scene this year.  God has blessed us in so many ways with this ministry, and we've seen so many people come to Jesus, and come to the church, because of it.  Boy, do I have stories I could tell!  But prayers are always appreciated, and then you can, in some small way, be part of what we do.  And that's always fun.



And so, we enter/exit another Christmas season.  I will leave you with a fantastic Christmas tune by the fantastic acapella group Pentatonix (if you haven't listened to their new Christmas album, I highly recommend it)

 

 

MERRY CHRISTMAS. OR NOT. IF YOU DON'T CELEBRATE CHRISTMAS :D CHRIST IS COME! GO AND TELL!

 

~ Mia

NaNoWriMo Week Two Update

So it's been a week since my last NaNo update.

...not much has happened.

And yet, here we are.

Unfortunately, school takes priority over writing in Mom's mind, and thus not much writing has taken place as I've been working on a massive project for one subject.

But I still need to update y'all on what has happened.

Because big stuff happened this past week.

First, here is my novel playlist. In case you're curious. (slight language warning on "Wait For It")



Basically the soundtrack for the 2011 film adaptation of Jane Eyre is the soundtrack of this novel. Seriously.

This week, I've only added just under 1000 words to my word count. But I shall not be discouraged! (...ish)

As far as the big news goes... I PASSED THE TEST TO GET MY LEARNER'S PERMIT. SO I'M LEARNING HOW TO DRIVE, Y'ALL.

Now you may ask yourself, wait, I thought you were 18... why aren't you already driving?

That is a long and convoluted story for another time, but let's just say that now it's kinda important that I drive. So I go for my road test on my brother's birthday (weird, huh?), and hopefully will walk out of the DMV with an official driver's license in hand. I'M SO EXCITED.

I also got to vote for the first time which was pretty cool.



But back to my story.

I finished chapter 3 (if you're on OYAN, you should go check it out *winks*).

Whitney is understandably freaked out by the giant black bear.

Mrs. Mills the housekeeper is probably my favorite adult character I've written.

THE LIBRARY IS GORGEOUS IN MY MIND'S EYE, Y'ALL.



Would you like a sneak peek at chapter 4?

I think you would.

     “Th- th- I… what?”  I couldn’t even form a sentence, just pointed in disbelief at the bear, which stood and lumbered toward us.  Mrs. Mills was acting like this was a totally normal occurrence, and even cast the creature a scowl.

     “Now look what you’ve done, you’ve frightened the poor thing.”
     “You let the thing into my house.” Its voice was rough and gravelly, like you’d expect a bear to sound, I suppose.  Somehow that comment snapped me out of my stupor.
     “I’m not a thing.  I’m a person.”
     It looked me over with what was almost a disdained expression.
     “Indeed.” It turned back to the housekeeper. “Why did you let it in?”
     “Because it was cold and wet and I took pity.  And I won’t have you saying anything against having her here.” She wagged a finger at it as if it were a misbehaving dog.  “She was looking for you, anyhow.”
     That was when it clicked.
     “That’s… that’s the Musta Hirvia.”


And now I think I'd best finish this up so I can get back to writing.



How's your NaNo going?

NaNoWriMo Week One Update

It's that time of year...

The air turns cooler (or not, if you live in Florida like me),

Cinnamon scented things appear in stores with a vengeance,

And writers world-wide start tearing their hair out.

That's right, it's NaNo!

Like so many of my OYAN brethren, I too am attempting to, if not complete, then at least make progress on my current novel.  Though this is not the first year I have tried NaNo, if I when ('scuse me, when I win... I'm thinking positive...) it will be the first one I've completed.  I did conquer Camp NaNo last July, so that gives me a boost of confidence. 

So Grace, you may be asking, what novel are you writing this month?

I'm glad you asked.

Title: Bear
Genre: Fantasy/Fairytale Retelling
Synopsis:
     Whitney and her twin sister Rose are best friends who couldn't be more different.  Rose loves nature, and is often sought out for help with the hunt; while Whitney prefers to spend her days by the fire, keeping their blind adopted mother Katherine comfortable.  The day after they turn 19, Rose decides to seek work in the capitol city.  But months later, she returns, speaking of a curse she must suffer.
     Legend says that the Musta Hirvia, a bear with ebony fur and dagger-like teeth, lives deep in the wood, hunting any Ardenian that ventures past its borders.  Believing it truly to be a duke vanished mysteriously years ago, Whitney takes her sister's place.  But can she free the man behind the beast?



So if you couldn't tell, it's a retelling of Beauty and the Beast mixed with Snow White and Rose Red.  I've been working on it for over a year now and it's probably my favorite project (don't tell the others).

So far this week, I have 9,288 words (but, I will be honest, only about 400 of those have been written this past week, I was working on the story before that point xD)

This week has been crazy, so I haven't written all that much, but I'm hoping and planning for this week to go better.

What about y'all? Are you doing NaNo? And if so, how's it going?



(also if you would like to be my buddy on the website my profile is here)

~ Mia

October Wrap-Up and September TBR

Welp. It's November.



October just whizzed by like nobody's business

Let's just jump right into this, okay?

What I Read:

I read four out of the five books on my TBR for this month so hey, there's something. And the only one I missed was because it had to go back to the library. Poo.

Navigating Early ~ Clare Vanderpool

Overview: When Jack's father sends him to a military boarding school at the end of World War II, he meets a strange boy named Early who reads the number pi as a story and chases a mythical bear.
Rating: 5 out of 5 (OH MY GOSH, IT WAS SO GREAT)

Violet Eyes ~ Debbie Vigue

Overview: When a storm brings the prince to her doorstep, Violet finds herself falling for him.  He is to marry soon, but she isn't a princess... or is she?
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 (a bit cheesy, perhaps, but a quick read)

Masterminds: Criminal Destiny ~ Gordon Korman

Overview: The sequel to "Masterminds", finds our heroes on the run from Serenity, off to find the few who may be able to help them.
Rating: 5 out of 5 (I need book 3 NOOOOOOWWWWW)

Fridays With The Wizards ~ Jessica Day George

Overview: In the fourth book about the Castle Glower, the evil Wizard Arkwright has escaped! It's up to Celie and her family (with some help from their griffins, of course) to stop him.
Rating: 5 out of 5 (I can't wait for book 5!)
Random Thought: Okay, technically, I finished this one on November 1st, but it was the first thing I did, and I read most of the book in October and this is my blog I can do what I want.



What I Watched:

Girl Meets World

Yes, okay, I don't watch a ton of Disney Channel shows, but I had watched some of the few first episodes and related on a personal level to Riley Matthews. So when I found the first two seasons on Netflix, I pretty much marathoned the whole thing.  What I found was magical.  It's just a feel-good show, but there were still parts that made me cry.  Riley is a ray of sunshine that must be protected and Farkle is my precious child and Maya is so sassy and Lucas is wonderful and the CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT and the FRIENDSHIP and AAAAHHHHH.  It's so great.

Timeless

So this is NBC's new time travel show and if you haven't gotten into it yet, I highly recommend it.  I mean, they've already met Lincoln, Ian Fleming, and Davy Crockett.  What more could you want?



What I Listened To:



To be completely honest, I've been mostly listening to my novel playlist, but these are the songs I was listening to otherwise.  (and "We Need a Little Christmas" is what my dance class is doing for our Christmas performance... so yes, I now have all the words memorized... what else would you expect? xD)


What I Did:

I spent another week at Walt Disney World for my little sister's 16th (!!!) birthday.  When did she get this old?  This is not allowed.

I started working on a new story idea (super-heroes, anyone?) and kept working on my Beauty and the Beast retelling (NaNoWriMo, here we come!).


What I Posted:

Well... ouch. The only thing I posted is about why you should watch Leverage.
Please don't kill me.


What I Plan to Read:

The Book of the Shepherd ~ The Scribe
(just started this one and it's pretty great so far.)

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince ~ J.K. Rowling
(I will finish this book this month JUST YOU WAIT)

The Beautiful Pretender ~ Melanie Dickerson
(for realz this time, guys.)

Kingdom Keepers: Disney After Dark ~ Ridley Pearson
(I need to reread this for the 2016 reading challenge, plus I just got book 2 and I don't remember like anything that happened in this first one... so yeah)


I'm more than a little disturbed that there are only two months left in 2016.

Big things are happening this month, which I will let y'all know about as they happen.

But overall, November looks promising, and I look forward to what God has in store for this next month.



Any plans for November? What was your favorite book you read this month?

(also, happy Halloween/Thanksgiving/CHRISTMAS in case I forget to tell you later)

~ Mia