NaNoWriMo

If you've never heard of NaNoWriMo, it is National Novel Writing Month. This happens in the month of November, and the goal is to write 50,000 words of a novel during the month. I've attempted to do this several times, and actually "won" once by writing just over 50,000 words before the end of November 30. I didn't actually ever go back and finish that novel because after writing 50,000 words or doing NaNo period, I'm usually quite wiped out with writing and feel like I need a major break.

I haven't done NaNo for a couple years just with my kids and teaching school things have always been too busy or I didn't have an idea. I wanted to do NaNo this year, but I was pretty sure it wasn't going to happen since I didn't have any idea what I would write.

I have several projects that I'm working on (or rather, not working on. I'm kind of stuck in all of them.) The technical rule for NaNo, however, is that it is supposed to be a new novel that hasn't been written or started before the month of November. Planning and research and outlining before November is allowed, even encouraged.

I was wishing I had an idea for NaNo, and then, on October 31, I suddenly thought of something I could write. So, on November 1, I logged onto the NaNo website - which can be found here - and entered my novel.

I'm terribly behind as my word count has been made up of just a couple word sprints a day (15 minute timed writing sprints) in between playing with my boys, making dinner, making things to open up an online craft store with my sister, cleaning up after sick kids, doing homework for my online class, and trying to get my house clean and organized to be ready for Thanksgiving dinner after our move. Word Sprints have actually worked quite well, considering I only did one each day for the first week and have only just started fitting in a few more here and there. I work well under pressure, so a timer does the trick for me to get out a lot of words in a short amount of time. But it's been fun so far. This story has taken on a life of its own, and I'm not sure where it's headed.

I noticed on others' NaNo profiles these fun widgets, that only caught my eye because my oldest son is obsessed with Pokemon right now, so I thought I'd give it a shot. I guess now I have a little more motivation to write more, so I can evolve this for my son.

If you want to make your own, just click on the widget above. You also have to have a NaNo profile and have a novel entered for this year for it to work.

For those of you who are doing NaNo this year:

Happy Writing! and Good Luck!

Case Closed Vol. 63 - 2017 Book #3

Case Closed Vol. 63 by Gosho Aoyama is the latest installment in a graphic novel series that follows the adventures of Jimmy Kudo, a teenage detective. In the first book, he follows some suspicious men but gets caught. They give him an untested poison and leave him for dead, but instead of dying, he is turned into a little boy. He goes by the name of Conan as he continues to solve cases, all while trying to keep his identity a secret and find the mysterious group known as the Syndicate to try and reverse the poison and get his old life back.

This book starts out finishing up a case started in the last book where they discovered a man who had been strangled in his car while driving. The time is ticking, because Jimmy has to solve it before Anita's mixture wears off and he changes back into Conan in front of everyone.

The next case happens when a food critic is poisoned at a revolving sushi restaurant where the Junior Detective League is eating. This is followed by a murder case at what was supposed to be a television quiz show as part of a final contest for a prize. I actually solved this one myself, which pretty much never happens, so I was pretty proud of myself for that one. 

The final case is about the Silver Witch who is known for racing people in the fog and leading them to their deaths. This one had a funny ending when the identity of the real Silver Witch is revealed.

I feel like this book of Case Closed had a much lighter feel to it. As always, it was a quick, easy read, with Conan showing off his amazing deducting skills and trying to guide the adults to the right answers, all while keeping his true identity a secret.

I've never really been interested in graphic novels, but I love a good mystery, and Case Closed never fails to deliver one.

The Hero of Third Grade - 2017 Book #2

The Hero of Third Grade by Alice de La Croix was illustrated by Cynthia Fisher. It is a really quick read, less than 100 pages with lots of space on the page and some pictures scattered throughout. This book was a cute story about a boy named Randall. His parents just separated, and he and his mom just moved to a new home. He hates his new school and doesn't know that he will ever fit in, since the school year is well on it's way and everyone already seems to have their own friends.

Randall watches a movie with his mom the first week of school and gets the idea to be the Scarlet Pimpernel at school - a hero who does things in secret. He begins writing secret notes to people signed with a red flower stamp. He still has no friends, but he starts to enjoy going to school, constantly looking for things he can do as the Scarlet Pimpernel.

This story includes all the things you might expect from an elementary school story including class bullies, group projects, and homework, as well as others to keep things interesting like pet trees, a monkey, a thief, and a runaway dog.

I really enjoyed the message of this book. When Randall stopped thinking about how terrible his life was and that he wasn't going to ever make friends and started looking for things that he could do to help people, he started enjoying school and it started looking like things were going to be okay.

Spirit Animals Book 6: Rise and Fall - 2017 Book #1

After a long break from blogging, I'm trying to get back into it. This blog is changing to add some other interests of mine, namely my three boys and teaching ideas, but I will continue posting about books I read. I have done a terrible job this year at keeping track of the books I've read so far this year, so I'm just going to pick it up with one of the more recent ones and go from there.

The first book for this year is Spirit Animals Book 6: Rise and Fall by Eliot Schrefer. This book follows Meilin, Abeke, Rollan, and Conor after they have been separated following a devastating betrayal at the end of book 6. This book is full of action. The story isn't complete without sacrifice, escape, cunning, a heart wrenching death, and yet another surprising act of betrayal as the Greencloaks race to retrieve another talisman before the Conquerors - this time from the Great Beast, Cabaro, a giant lion out in the middle of the desert in an oasis guarded by attacking ostriches, fierce lionesses, and other animals who have congregated to join the Great Beast in his sanctuary. I do have to say, the ending is quite terrible, leaving the group of kids wondering if they have any chance of succeeding.

I enjoyed this book. It flowed nicely, made me want to keep turning pages, and was a quick read. However, it didn't have as much of the light-hearted humor coming from Rollan, due to the events from the last several books weighing down on him. Things were a lot more tense as the whole group has been under pressure for the whole length of the series, and things are nearing an end that could be even more catastrophic than events that have happened so far. Because of this, everyone else is more serious as well.

2012 Book List

Well, I completely failed at my goal for books in 2012. I only reached 32 books, and I kind of slacked off toward the end of the list at writing reviews. But, it was a busy year, especially towards the end. I got a boyfriend, got engaged, planned a wedding, and subbed the beginning of the year in a Kindergarten class. Those are my excuses for slacking off, but I have made the same goal for myself of reading one hundred books again this year, and I'm doing much better so far. Updates on the books read so far will hopefully come soon. Here is the book list for 2012:

1. Stravaganza: City of Ships  by Mary Hoffman
2. The Last Girls of Pompeii  by Kathryn Lasky
3. Raider's Ransom  by Emily Diamand
4. Pendragon: Raven Rise  by D. J. MacHale
5. Dragon's Milk  by Susan Fletcher
6. Just Ella  by Margaret Peterson Haddix
7. Spartan Warrior #1: The Fire of Ares  by Michael Ford
8. Janitors  by Tyler Whitesides
9. Cahills Vs. Vespers #3: The Dead of Night   by Peter Lerangis
10. Dragon Slippers  by Jessica Day George
11. Obsession  by Traci Hunter Abramson
12. Beyonders: Seeds of Rebellion  by Brandon Mull
13. Flood and Fire   by Emily Diamand
14. Anastasia's Secret  by Susanne Emily Dunlap
15. The Education of Bet  by Lauren Baratz-Logsted
16. Jeremy Thatcher, Dragon Hatcher  by Bruce Coville
17. Al Capone Does My Shirts  by Gennifer Choldenko
18. Wicked Will  by Bailey Macdonald
19. The Book of Wonders  by Jasmine Richards
20. Murder by the Book  by Betsy Brannon Green
21. Al Capone Shines My Shoes  by Gennifer Choldenko
22. The Kane Chronicles: The Serpent's Shadow  by Rick Riordan
23. Spartan Warrior #2: Birth of a Warrior  by Michael Ford
24. Dragon Slippers #2: Dragon Flight  by Jessica Day George
25. The Letter Writer  by An Rinaldi
26. Nine Days a Queen: The Short Life and Reign of Lady Jane Grey  by Ann Rinaldi
27. Tales from the Odyssey #1: The One-Eyed Giant  by Mary Pope Osborne
28. Tales from the Odyssey #2: The Land of the Dead  by Mary Pope Osborne
29. Royal Secrets  by Traci Hunter Abramson
30. The 39 Clues: The Cahill Files #1: Operation Trinity
31. The Book of Mormon
32. The Doctrine and Covenants

2013 YA Mythology Challenge

I've decided to join this challenge. It should be pretty easy. All you have to do is read 10 books off of a list on Goodreads in 2013. It should be fun.

Al Capone Shines My Shoes - 2012 Book #21

Al Capone Shines My Shoes is the sequel to Gennifer Choldenko's Al Capone Does My Shirts. The story is once again told by Moose Flannagan about his life on Alcatraz Island. His sister Natalie goes off to school, and Moose finally learns what it feels like to have his mother's undivided attention. He's made friends both at school off the island and on the island. Life is good. But then, he receives a message that he thinks is from the convict Al Capone. It says, "Your turn." Moose thinks it's a message telling him that now it's his turn to do a favor for Al Capone in return for the favor Moose thinks Al Capone did for him. Moose's friend Annie finds out and gets mad when Moose refuses to tell his parents. Moose doesn't want his dad to get fired or anything, so he doesn't want to tell. It seems that everyone gets mad at Moose for something. Jimmy seems to be mad, because Moose's friend Scout makes fun of his baseball skills; Piper's mad because Theresa catches her and Moose about to kiss; Natalie's mad, because she's been away from Moose; Annie's mad, because Moose won't tell about Al Capone; and Scout's mad, because Moose tells him to stay away from Piper. Moose is just trying to please everyone, but it seems that trying to please everyone isn't as easy as it seems. On top of all that, it seems that someone off the island is trying to help the convicts escape, and it seems as though they are trying to pin the blame on Moose's family. He was just starting to like his life on Alcatraz Island and doesn't want his dad to lose his job, so he must do everything he can to stop that from happening.

This book is a great sequel to Al Capone Does My Shirts. It's fairly fast-paced, keeping the reader interested. It has real historical facts scattered throughout the book, and the story is based off of events that actually happened on Alcatraz Island during that time period. The author includes a section in the back of the book that explains all the historical details that the book was based off of. This was a great read.

Murder by the Book - 2012 Book #20

Murder by the Book was written by LDS author Betsy Brannon Green. The story is told by the main character, Kennedy Killingsworth, a young librarian in the small town of Midway. After an older man in the town comes in to the library and signs up for a library card, she hears of his supposed suicide that same day and doesn't really believe that he would do that. Why sign up for a library card if you're planning on killing yourself? She expresses her concern to the local sheriff who allows her to help with an investigation of his death as long as she works with the deputy Cade, her ex-husband. She agrees to this in her eagerness to find out what really happened. Cade takes this as a sign that she might want to get back together with him and tries to keep asking her out.

During her investigations, she also attracts the attention of some other young men in the town: Luke Scoggins, the nephew of the man who died; Drake Langston, the rich man who was waiting on the dead man for a land deal in his new development project; and Sloan, the head of Drake's construction team. The only problem is, she's not sure if she can trust any of them as they are all suspects. What starts out as something exiting that Kennedy's only read about in the books she loves, suddenly becomes very real when she finds out that her life could be in danger if she keeps digging to find the truth about what really happened to Luke's uncle.

This book is written very well, with lots of action and unpredictable events happening. I was a little disappointed with the ending. It wrapped up the story and answered all the questions of what happened with the mysterious death, but it leaves what happens in the future open to question, which is okay but makes me wish there was more. Overall, it was a very good read.

The Book of Wonders - 2012 Book #19

The Book of Wonders by Jasmine Richards is a fun, engaging read. It tells the story of Zardi, a young girl who just turned thirteen, the age of womanhood. She is now old enough to be taken by the sultan as his praisemaker. The praisemaker has to shout the sultan's praises from a tower for three months, and then they are hunted and killed by the sultan himself. The only way to escape the sultan is if she gets married. Her nonna tells her that she has a great destiny to fulfill. Zardi doesn't know what this is.

Zardi's sister is about to get married when she is taken by the sultan to be the new praisemaker. Her father stands up to the sultan, demanding that his daughter be released. Instead, the sultan takes him prisoner as well, promising that once he's through with Zardi's sister, Zubeyda, he's coming back for Zardi. Zardi decides that this is her destiny: to save her sister and father from the sultan.

Earlier that day, she and her friend Rhidan had seen the great sailor, Sinbad. She had heard that Sinbad was setting out for a nearby city where there where rumors of the rightful prince still being alive. She decides to disguise herself as a boy and go find Sinbad to help her. Her friend Rhidan comes along not only to help her but to find out more about who he is and where he's from. Earlier, Sinbad had made a comment about seeing other people like Rhidan, and Rhidan hopes that Sinbad can help him find his family.

So Zardi and Rhidan set off an adventure involving pirates, brass giants, sorcerers, fortune tellers, djinnis, magic amulets, and evil serpents.

This book is very engaging and keeps the reader wanting to know more right up to the last page. The story ends, making it very clear that the story is not over; there must be a sequel in mind for this book, because Zardi's and Rhidan's adventures are not finished. Unfortunately, that sequel has not been written yet.

Wicked Will - 2012 Book #18

Wicked Will by Bailey Macdonald was an interesting book to read. It's told in first person by a young actor called Tom who's traveling with a troup of actors with his uncle. Upon their arrival at a small town, they meet a boy named Will, who is the young William Shakespeare. He is really curious about everything the actors do and asks a million questions. Tom is worried about all Will's questions, because Tom is hiding a secret. But Will won't go away. He insists on showing Tom around the town the first day. Later that day, after the sun's gone down, the two boys find a dead body in the river. It's the body of an old man in town whom nobody really likes. Shortly before he was found dead, he had been seen in a bar fighting with Tom's uncle. From this knowledge, Tom's uncle was arrested. Tom, not having any place to stay, goes home with Will to stay at his house. Will is determined to find the real murderer and prove Tom's uncle innocent. He comes up with all sorts of crazy schemes to try to find the culprit. With town drunks, cranky actors, ghosts, twin sons of the victim, and Will's father, staying out of trouble seems to be difficult for Will, and Tom is unsure of whether or not Will is someone to be trusted.

This book is really fun, and it is interesting to read one example of how William Shakespeare might have been when he was younger. The ending of this book, however, doesn't seem to really match the almost lighthearted feel the rest of the book has. This book was engaging with a nice flow. Overall, it was a good read.