Forward and Backward: Goodbye 2018

I've seen so many "best of 2018" posts in December, and every December, I wonder how do people already know? How do you know which book was your favourite? Which movie? 2018 isn't over until December 31. So, I wait. I'm glad I waited too, because one of the best things I saw in 2018 was Charlie and the Chocolate Factory: The Musical. It was fantastic. Hubby and I took the kids to see it on the 28th, a gift from his dad. The songs were great, the acting was great, it was fun and funny. The kids loved it. After seeing The Little Mermaid earlier this month, my son is totally a fan of musicals. My daughter loves going to the theatre. It's so much fun dressing up a little and taking them.

What were the other "bests" of 2018?

The movie that made me the happiest was probably To All The Boys I've Loved Before. I loved it. It put a smile on my face, warmed my heart and was just so full of happiness, with a good dose of teenage angst.

My favourite movie of the year was Black Panther. It was just straight-up amazing. It makes me excited just to think about it.

But what do I do more than anything else? I read. So here are some thoughts on the books I read in 2018:

I only read one book of poetry this year, but the sun and her flowers was amazing. I picked up milk and honey and will read it in 2019.

I also did not read a lot of non-fiction this year, but I have to say, Dear Ijeawele,or A Feminist Manifesto in Fifteen Suggestions was a great book and I really recommend it to everyone.

Looking back, I thought I read more classics. I usually do. From the few I read, The Murder of Roger Ackroyd was the best of the year for me. It’s a lesson in unreliable narrators.

The best mystery was easily The Surgeon. I need more Rizzoli &Isles in my life.

In literary fiction, the best book I read was one of those few classics. Fahrenheit 451 should be on everyone’s to-read lists.

I read a lot of fantasy this year. I guess it was all about living in another world in 2018. But the one that was probably my favourite was the urban fantasy, Visions, by Kelley Armstrong. It might be a sequel, but it definitely sucked me in more than Omens.

Romance made a surprising surge this year. I’ve just needed the feel-good nature of romance novels. The collection of short stories I recently finished, My True Love Gave to Me was probably the best, but Geekerella might make it a tie, since Geekerella was also pretty funny. Since those are both Young Adult, I’ll say my favourite “Adult Romance” of the year was Bursting with Love.

Choosing a favourite graphic novel is hard though. I read quite a few this year, especially in March (apparently). Wonder Woman: Bones really stands out for me. Though I am currently reading The UnbeatableSquirrel Girl Beats Up The Marvel Universe! and assuming I finish it before midnight, December 31, it might be my favourite of the year.

I have to say I was really surprised by how much I loved The Scorpio Races. I still think about Puck and Sean. I really hope they are living happily-ever-after.

I’ve been trying not to start new series, since I have SO MANY unfinished ones to read. I couldn’t resist Omens though. I had been wanting to read Kelley Armstrong for a while and when I got the first couple Cainsville books, I couldn’t stop myself.

I’m glad to have discovered Kelley Armstrong’s writing, as well as Karen Marie Moning and Ernst Cline. I’m looking forward to reading more by all these great writers.

Based on my Goodreads stats, the shortest book I read was Unlocked (63pgs) and the longest was It (1090pgs).

I’ve been looking for books that make me happy this year and the most fun I had reading was with Geekerella and The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl Beats Up The Marvel Universe!.

I went for the fun and happy books, but I was also capable of other emotions. The book that made me the most mad, was The Murder of Roger Ackroyd. If you’ve read Agatha Christie’s classic, you know why. If you haven’t, you really should.

Those are a few thoughts on books for 2018. It was another year of great reading. I explored new genres, read new authors, but also came back to reliable friends. I feel kind of bad for not mentioning The Invasion of the Tearling and pretty much every graphic novel I read. There is just not enough space or enough categories (I used The Perpetual Page Turner as inspiration.)

This is much longer than I intended, so I'm going to stop here and maybe look back at my 2018 writing journey in the next post. Thanks for sticking with me through 2018!

I love this! From Avengers Assemble: The Forgeries of Jealousy

My True Love Gave To Me: Twelve Holiday Stories

With a great selection of authors, I was excited to read My True Love Gave to Me over the holidays. The stories promised to put me in that happy, holiday mood. I thought I write a sentence or two about each.

Midnights, by Rainbow Rowell - The cutest story. I love Mags! Rainbow Rowell is amazing.

The Lady and the Fox, by Kelly Link - Magical. Odd. I'm not sure if I am on board with the ending, but the story has an artistry about it.

Angels in the Snow, by Matt de la Peña - I want to know so much more about Shy and Haley. I could read a whole novel about them.

Polaris is Where You’ll Find Me, by Jenny Han - This story broke my heart a little. It was magical and beautiful and it feels like a prelude to something amazing or amazingly sad.

It’s A Yuletide Miracle, Charlie Brown, by Stephanie Perkins - This is one of the sweetest, most romantic stories I’ve read I ages. It just made me so happy.

Your Temporary Santa, by David Levithan - Sweet, but confused. Santa is so unsure of himself.

Krampuslauf, by Holly Black - Magic and inner strength. What more could you want?

What the Hell Have You Done, Sophie Roth?, by Gayle Forman - Another romantic, slice of coming-of-age story. You might not get what you want, but sometimes, you get what you need.

Beer Buckets and Baby Jesus, by Myra McEntire - A bad-boy using his powers for good? So sweet and emotional. I could read a whole novel about Gracie and Vaughn.

Welcome to Christmas, CA, by Kiersten White - This one almost had me crying. Maria learning about her mom and Rick’s real motivations was so heartwarming.

Star of Bethlehem, by Ally Carter - Another sweet story, but with a twist I didn’t expect.

The Girl Who Woke the Dreamer, by Laini Taylor - This story was magic. Not that I expected anything else from the author of the Smoke and Bone series. I loved Neve and the Dreamer. The reverend more than gave me the creeps and I think he got what he deserved.

My True Love Gave to Me was a great collection to read over the holidays. The stories allowed a peak into the lives of the characters at a time when magic seemed possible. I enjoyed every story, they were full of amazing characters. Stephanie Perkins' It's a Yuletide Miracle, Charlie Brown was my favourite of all the stories and it was the first thing I've ever read by Perkins. I'm going to have to read more of her work. My True Love Gave to Me also reminded me how much I love short story collections.

Visions

I don't think I could have loved Kelley Armstrong's Visions more. Visions had everything I wanted. I love Olivia. She's just amazing. Her attitude, personality, acceptance, fight, she is a strong character who is taking charge of her destiny. It is Owl versus Raven, with one side telling her to stay close to Gabriel and the other saying stay close to Ricky. Olivia has no plans to give up either. With both relationships, she is going in with eyes open. She knows who Ricky is, at least as much as he knows about himself. She knows who Gabriel is and has accepted a while ago that she is not going to be the woman to "change" Gabriel Walsh. She is happy with their friendship, they both are, and they both don't want to ruin it.

There were so many revelations in Visions. I wondered how both Olivia and Gabriel were going to handle it. Olivia did a very normal, human thing, which I appreciated. I don't want to say sensible, because that sounds boring, but sometimes I really do appreciate when a character makes a sensible decision. Olivia's decision at the end led to something lovely, and then something heartbreaking. It was a fantastic ending for the second book in the Cainsville series. It had me reaching for Deceptions, wanting to make sure that I had it available for when I was ready to read it.

I'm going to need a bit of a break. I had a lot of emotions and Visions sucked up a lot of my time. I could barely put it down. I had to re-read the end, just so I wouldn't be done, so I could spend a little more time with Olivia and Gabriel. Ricky is nice and everything, but I'm all about Gabriel. When  his exterior cracks he's fun and funny. Olivia has managed to get passed it.

I'm a little worried about  the ex-fiancé though. James seems like he's going to be a problem. Olivia is finding out who she really is. She is making new friends and forming new relationships. James is trying to pull her back to who she was. That's just not going to happen. He doesn't seem like he's going to accept that. 

Visions was a complete, wonderful, intriguing story. It has also left me wondering what crazy thing is going to happen to Olivia next.

The Christmas Chronicles

Another Netflix film that I thought was just so cute. Who could resist Kurt Russell as Santa? I didn't even mean to watch it. My daughter and her friend put it on over the weekend. I meant to keep going about my day, but then I saw that family. I saw their Christmases together. I saw how happy they all were together. When a movie starts that way, I get a sinking feeling. It's a feeling I always associate with the beginning of Up. If you've seen Up, you know what I'm talking about.

Maybe I could have walked away then, but nope. Santa bursts on the scene, or glitters, or something. Then BAM! All the highjinks starts and it's hilarious. It's funny, but heartwarming. It's magical, but also cynical. It's real, even when it's not. The Christmas Chronicles marries reality with childhood adventure and I couldn't resist it. Kurt Russell (and Mrs. Claus), put me in the holiday spirit.

NaNoWriMo Is Over

My first ever NaNoWriMo is completed. Did I get to 50,000 words? Yes! I actually got to just over 54,000. I must say, I'm pretty impressed with myself. However, is my novel done? No. I'd say it's about two-thirds to three-quarters done. I was wondering if I should take a break or just power through. Hubby thinks I should just power through, basically NaNoWriMo-Lite. 

Today being December 1st, I felt like I needed a little break. So, I haven't written anything today...yet. In the car coming home, I had a thought, something that I realized would help not only the battle scene in which it takes place, but also a thread running through the overall novel. I only have to add in a few sentences too, which makes it even better.

The most important thing for me about last month, besides the word count, is what I learned. I need to schedule my writing time and stick to that time. I have a supportive Hubby and if I say I'm going to write between 7pm to 9pm, he'll take care of all the house and child responsibilities. I also learned when my most productive time is during the day. I learned how to turn off, or at least turn down my inner editor, and that getting it on the page is more important than having a "perfect" first draft. All these things, I think will help me with my writing moving forward. That's part of what I was hoping for, I wanted the words, but I also wanted to learn.