WIP- 12 days of procrastination

I saw my friend Jenni's WIP update today and I realized I hadn't done mine yet.

I've been bad. I have not been taking any more time to plot out my storyline for kleos. I keep meaning to, but then life gets in the way and I get distracted. Isn't that always the way it is? The things we want to do get done get pushed out by the things that we have to get done.

On a positive note, I did manage to finally unpack my notebook that contains all of my ideas and characters that I have brainstormed. In reviewing, I have the overall story-arc created but I really want to fill in a few more gaps before I can feel prepared for NaNoWriMo.

I have 12 days until I will be glued to my computer during any and all free time I can find. In that time I know I should get the last of this brainstorming done. But I am going to be honest with myself, I probably won't do much more before November 1st.

Last year at this time I was just deciding to sign up for NaNoWriMo. When I finally came up with a story idea it was with a few days to spare and I had the roughest outline imaginable. The final product ended up being completely different from what I had anticipated, and yet I made it through and the final story was way better than what I had originally anticipated.

I'm hoping that will be the case with kleoS. I'm afraid if I overanalyze and over think, I will lose some of the heart of the story. I want the story to lead me, not the other way around. At this point, I almost think it will take more self control to not think about it anymore until the 1st of November.

It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

It's Monday again, and time for the weekly meme hosted by Book Journey.

Last week I made time to read which made me exceptionally happy. I hate when I go all week without reading much. I was able to finish the book Dragon Mound and my review will be posted on simplystacie.net, so keep your eyes peeled!

As for this week, I received another book to review in the mail which I started last week and I will most definitely finish in the next few days. The book is Merciful Law by Darby Rae.

Once I finish with this book I don't have any book I 'have' to read, or at least nothing has come in the mail yet, but how knows, it's only Monday. If no books do come, I will get the pick of my TBR stack and at this point, I'm not sure what I will choose. I will be sure to let you all know next Monday what I ended up reading. Happy reading!

Book Review - If I Stay

Title: If I Stay

Author: Gayle Forman

Synopsis from Goodreads: In a single moment, everything changes. Seventeen year- old Mia has no memory of the accident; she can only recall riding along the snow-wet Oregon road with her family. Then, in a blink, she finds herself watching as her own damaged body is taken from the wreck...

A sophisticated, layered, and heartachingly beautiful story about the power of family and friends, the choices we all make -and the ultimate choice Mia commands.

My Review: This book was fascinating. It takes place during a twenty-four hour period of time, beginning a few hours before the car accident and ending the next morning. It only covers a short time period, it's written in such a way that we learn all about Mia's life. The author takes the reader back in time with flashbacks as Mia is remembering her life. I loved this execution. It helped to build so many layers as Mia struggles with the decision that will impact the rest of her life, should she stay or should she let go?

The best part for me was the fact that, as the reader, you had no idea what Mia was going to choose until the very end, when she actually does. I was gripped right from the beginning and I couldn't let go until I knew how it ended. It almost didn't matter to me what she chose, I just needed to know what it the choice was. Though, I must say I really liked how it ended.

The only negative thing about the book was how liberal Mia's parents were. It wasn't even that they were liberal, I found that to be refreshing, but I felt it was unrealistic that Mia would have a boyfriend who would spend the night when she was still in high school. Especially since her Dad has transitioned from a rocker to a 'traditional' father figure over the past few years...and yet he lets his daughter's boyfriend spend the night in her bed? It just didn't sit well with me. For that reason, I can't give the book a 5 star, but it's a high 4 for me.

My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

It's Monday and time for the weekly meme hosted by One Person's Journey Through the World of Books!

Last week I didn't get any reading done like I hoped I would. It's been a crazy couple of weeks, but I'm hoping things will slow down a bit. In the meantime, I finally received a book to review so I will definitely be making time to read that it throughout the next week. It's been sad not having any books that I have to read, but the mail has been slow I guess.

This week I will be reading Dragon Mound by Richard A. Knaak.

I haven't read a good adult fantasy book in awhile so I am really excited to dig into this one. I've read the first few pages and I have a feeling I'm going to like what I read.

Until I get some more books to review in the mail I won't know what else I may read this week, but I'll be sure to post about them next week if I receive anything new! Happy reading!

Book Review - Pure

Title: Pure

Author: Terra Elan McVoy

Synposis from Goodreads: Promise. Betrayal. Confession. Revenge.

Tabitha and her four best friends all wear purity rings, symbols of the virginity-until-marriage pledge they made years ago. Now Tab is fifteen, and her ring has come to mean so much more. It's a symbol of who she is and what she believes—a reminder of her promises to herself, and her bond to her friends. But when Tab meets a boy whose kisses make her knees go weak, everything suddenly seems a lot more complicated. Tab's best friend, Morgan, is far from supportive, and for the first time, Tabitha is forced to keep secrets from the one person with whom she's always shared everything. When one of those secrets breaks to the surface, Tab finds herself at the center of an unthinkable betrayal that splits her friends apart. As Tab's entire world comes crashing down around her, she's forced to re-examine her friendships, her faith, and what exactly it means to be pure.

My Review: Based on the synopsis of Pure, I was expecting an intense religious message, and though the main character is a devout Christian and they do talk about their beliefs, it isn't thrown down your throats. Or at least it doesn't feel like it.

*Spoiler Alert*

Tabitha has made a promise with her four best friends that she will stay pure, a virgin, until marriage. But when she finds out that one of her best friends has broken that promise, without regrets, her world is turned upside down as the friends turn on each other. Tabitha is then forced to ask herself what it really means to be pure and what she truly believes.

I loved that Tabitha didn't sit back and let her friends dictate what she should believe, particularly her friend, Morgan. They were twelve when they made the promise and donned their rings for the first time, and though twelve year old is more than capable of understanding what they just did, Tabitha did it more because her friends were doing it and she wanted to be a part of it all. Now that she's fifteen, it would be easy to go with the flow still, but when Morgan and Naeomi turn their backs on Cara for a decision she made, it just doesn't settle with Tabitha. It feels wrong to her. To me, that makes perfect sense. Through Tabitha's own research, she is reminded of the greatest of all commandments which is to love others as thou would love thyself. You don't have to agree with a friend's decision, but you don't have to shun them either. When we love someone, we love them for who they are, not what they do/did.

For me, that was the greatest message of the book. I would definitely recommend this to teenagers and their parents, especially to parents who are finding it difficult to address this issue with their own teenagers. It can help break the ice and lead the way for discussions.

My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars.

WIP - Is it really October?

I keep telling myself there is plenty of time to plan for kleoS. That it's practically still summer and I have MONTHS until November when I will start pumping out the first draft.

Unfortunately, today it hit me. It's already the 5th of October. I have less than one month to get this plot to a point where I feel ready.

I thought I was almost there, but as I pulled out my little notebook with my notes on kleoS, I realized I'm not nearly as prepared as I want to be.

It doesn't help that I've been finding it difficult to feel inspired lately. I'm exhausted all the time, so in my downtime I just like to sleep or sit. When you add that to the fact I've been living in a house that I knew was just temporary so I haven't felt settled for two months, well, it makes focusing difficult.

There is good news in my future, though. I am moving tomorrow to my permanent house so I can finally achieve that permanent feeling I've been craving. I can create my perfect little writing nook and really get my head in the planning stages of writing. I will have a little over three weeks to fine tune my plans before I have to jump in to this next round of NaNoWriMo.

I hope all of you fellow participants are having better luck than I have. Happy Writing!

It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

It seems like I'm just getting busier and busier. This week I'll be spending most of my time packing or unpacking for a last minute move that we're doing, but I will find time to read at least one book.

Deadly Little Secrets by Laurie Faria Stolarz

I bought this book with a gift certificate that I won and I'm really excited to finally get to read it. It's been on my TBR shelf for a few months now!

I know I won't have time to read anything else this week, but I'm hoping to be mostly settled in our new place by next week so I can start devouring more books. Until then, happy reading!