Back in February, I challenged myself to complete a Book Bingo Card. I’ve been so busy devouring books and studying this year, that I completely forgot to update you on my bingo progress, so welcome to my VERY overdue book bingo update!
Looking at this list, I think I might be almost able to complete this bingo card twice over. Alas, I’m only doing it once, so here are my picks for each category so far:
Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted at Breaking the Spine. The purpose is to spotlight upcoming releases that we are excited for.
Alongside Queen of Nothing by Holly Black, Up On The Horsehoe Hill by Penelope Janu is tied for my most anticipated release of the second half of 2019. I was fortunate enough to get an e-arc from NetGalley for this one already, but I can’t wait to get my hands on a physical copy the day it releases!
A kiss can change your life …
Jemima Kincaid loves her home, her horses and her job as a farrier. Life has not been kind to her, but Jemima is happy in the close-knit rural community of Horseshoe Hill, which rallied around in her hour of need. Even so, she is fiercely independent and will never rely on anyone again.
Particularly a man like Finn Blackwood.
An infuriatingly attractive geneticist and wild animal vet, Finn threatens not only the serenity of Jemima’s present, but that of the future she has so carefully mapped out. But as their paths continue to cross, she finds her attraction to Finn impossible to counter, even as the trauma of her past threatens to undo her. Finn is fascinated by Jemima’s solitary nature and unique vulnerabilities but Jemima knows all about loss and how to avoid it. Don’t let anyone get close in the first place …
As the past begins to cast long shadows, Jemima and Finn discover that a kiss can bring worlds together-or tear them apart. Will they finally face their fears and find love on Horseshoe Hill?
Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted at Breaking the Spine. The purpose is to spotlight upcoming releases that we are excited for.
In this charming, feel-good debut novel, a cynical assistant at a screenwriting agency must reenact the meet-cute scenes from classic romantic comedy movies in order to help her #1 client get his scriptwriting mojo back–but can a real-life meet-cute be in store for someone who doesn’t believe in happily ever after?
After seven years as an assistant, 29-year-old Evie Summers is ready to finally get the promotion she deserves. But now the TV and film agency she’s been running behind the scenes is in trouble, and Evie will lose her job unless she can convince the agency’s biggest and most arrogant client, Ezra Chester, to finish writing the script for a Hollywood romantic comedy.
The catch? Ezra is suffering from writer’s block–and he’ll only put pen to paper if singleton Evie can prove to him that you can fall in love like they do in the movies. With the future of the agency in jeopardy, Evie embarks on a mission to meet a man the way Sally met Harry or Hugh Grant met Julia Roberts.
But in the course of testing out the meet-cute scenes from classic romantic comedies IRL, not only will Evie encounter one humiliating situation after another, but she’ll have to confront the romantic past that soured her on love. In a novel as hilarious as it is heartwarming, debut author Rachel Winters proves that sometimes real life is better than the movies–and that the best kind of meet-cutes happen when you least expect them.
Welcome to my first official NaNoWriMo update.
So for those unaware, I’ve challenged myself to write 50 000 words of a novel over the course of November as part of the National Novel Writing Month challenge.
My plan was originally to update you on how I’m going so far in this 50 000 words writing adventure, but as we’re only at day four, not a great deal has happened yet.
My word count for NANO 2019 so far: 0 … I have yet to start. One more day of uni assignments left.
Total suggested word count for NANO 2019 so far: 6668
Because this journey is only just beginning for the month, I thought I might share two of the most valuable websites to me during the month of November.
Across November, I will spend the majority of my time on NaNoWriMo’s official website. Not only do they have a word count updater (which I become oddly obsessed with each year and which can be very critical when you fall behind!), but the website hosts a range of forums to connect with other writers and solve various plot holes etc. The organisers also compile a range of guest posts from famous writers across a myriad of genres that help to spark imagination, get you writing and keep your enthusiasm for the story going even when your energy and motivation start to inevitably wane.
I’ll also spend a lot of time using the aptly named site, Write or Die. Write or Die is a fantastic website that allows you to set controls – time controls, violence controls and consequence controls – to PUSH you into writing more, and faster. Over the years, there have been a variety of updates done to this site, but I prefer version 2 of Write or Die. I just find it cleaner and easier to use than the more complicated and distracting Write or Die v3. Note, at the time of writing this, Write or Die V3 appears to be undergoing lengthy updates making that version of the site unusable.
Whenever I find myself struggling to write, or lacking motivation, I quickly hit up Write or Die and instantly find myself scrambling for words (not necessarily great ones, but every word counts in NaNoWriMo) in next to no time. Sometimes I even surprise myself by spitting out some real gems that aren’t discarded in edits during January of the following year.
Are you participating in NaNoWriMo this month? Or do you have any creative/writing based websites that I should be aware of? Leave a comment below and let me know if you do as I’m always looking for more craft-based websites etc.
Published: 28th September 2016
Publisher: Allen & Unwin
Pages: 32
Format: Hardcover Picture book (borrowed from the Library)
RRP: $19.99
4/5 Stars 
“I’m zippy! I’m snappy! I’m raring to go-” “You’re NAUGHTY,” said Rudolf, “the answer is NO.”
If only Mrs Claus had listened! Letting Ruby lead the sleigh is a recipe for disaster. Ruby’s wild ride lands her in a world of trouble, and very far from home. Poor Ruby is stranded, the presents are scattered… and the local penguins are very, very grumpy. How can the naughtiest reindeer avert a Christmas disaster this time?
Another hilarious adventure featuring everyone’s favourite irrepressible reindeer.’
The first thing that drew me to this particular book was the cover. It’s bright, colourful and so inviting that I simply had to stop and borrow it from the library to feature in the 2019’s Christmas picture books.
One Christmas, Ruby, Rudolph’s younger sister wants to lead Santa’s Sleigh. After getting into a physical fight with her brother, she is reluctantly invited along on the condition that she behaves, for Ruby is the naughtiest reindeer the North Pole has ever seen. Together the Reindeer and Santa set out on a long night of deliveries only for everything to go drastically wrong when Ruby sends the sleigh into a capsize dive. With presents, and Ruby herself lost and stranded in the South Pole, how will Santa manage to deliver presents to children all over the world in time?
There is no doubt in mind that Australian author and illustrator Nicki Greenberg has one of the most imaginative and creative minds there is. She has taken the traditional night before Christmas story (and Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer) and turned it on its head with the addition of Ruby the Reindeer and her hairbrained schemes.
The Naughtiest Reindeer is quirky and a whole lot of fun. While the text will soothe little ones worry about what happens if Santa has an accident or if a Reindeer takes a wrong turn, the images will keep them occupied until the very last page. Greenberg’s story is also uniquely educational as she seeks to inform young children about the differences between the North and South Pole and the various animals you would encounter at both.
All in all, The Naughtiest Reindeer is sure to be a fan-favourite come Christmas time. With bright and imaginative full-page illustrations, and a catchy rhyme, readers of all ages will be quickly drawn into the world Nicki Greenberg has presented.
Today marks the first official day of Nano, otherwise known as National Novel Writing Month. Throughout the course of November, participants challenge themselves to write 50 000 words over the course of thirty days.
For many people, this means stick to a strick 1667 daily word count in order to achieve the 50 000 word goal on time. For others, it means smashing out as many words as you possibly can, as early in the month as you can in order to not fall behind!
Personally, my NaNoWriMo history puts me somewhere smack dab in the middle of those two attempts, as past years I’ve religiously stuck to the 1667 daily word count and both succeeded and failed, and memorably in 2017, I wrote more than 50 000 words in the first two weeks!
Unfortunately, I was unable to take part in the challenge last year due to travelling overseas, so this year I am even more determined to win.
I’m not going to tell you too much about what I’m writing over the course of this month, as despite my prep work throughout October, anything could really happen. But I’m going to try and keep you updated on my progress throughout the month. This will most likely be a short post once a week to keep me accountable and hopefully smashing the daily goal!
Are you participating in NaNoWriMo this year? Leave your user name in the comments below, and I’ll add you on the Nano website as a buddy!
Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted at Breaking the Spine. The purpose is to spotlight upcoming releases that we are excited for.
Beard Necessities’ is book #6 in the Winston Brothers Series and centers around the romantic escapades of Billy Winston. It is a full-length contemporary romantic comedy and can be read as a stand-alone, but is probably best read after books 0.5, 2, 3, 5, and 5.5 of the Winston Brothers series.
