Bookish And Not So Bookish Thoughts - 5 September 2019

Bookish (And Not So Bookish) Thoughts is a Weekly Meme hosted by Christine @ Bookishly  Boisterous.

Hey Bookdragons! Today I'm doing something a little different. As you may know I'm a member of the street team for Julie Eshbaugh's upcoming novel, Crown of Oblivion. I just finished reading it and it got me to thinking about the memories I'd never want to forget and the memories I'd gladly give up (since entering the race in the book means you must purge all of your personal memories). Here are 5 events in my life I'd never want to forget...

1. When I was four my mom, grandmother, and great uncle went to Disney World. We took the train from Milwaukee and the kitchen on the train had no power from Chicago to Washington, D.C. so the only food they could offer were frozen hot dogs. When we got to D.C. I dropped my beloved stuffed animal, Baby Bop (the green dinosaur from Barney) down the escalator and a very mean woman behind us who was in a hurry said someone should throw it out. I got Boppy (as I called her) back and we got on the train to Orlando. At Disney, my great-uncle who was an older gentleman took the top bunk of the bunk beds in our hotel room and got his boxers caught on the ladder then later misheard one of the Disney employees (a little person) who wanted him to come forward in line and told the little man off. I'll spare you the exact thing he said but it still cracks my mom and grandmother and I up. Later in our trip we went to visit one of my other great uncles who lived in Florida and there was a black swan outside a restaurant and my second great-uncle was afraid I'd get bitten.

2. When I was about 9 and my sister was 3 we went to the Wisconsin Dells in the month of March. My sister, who was prone to coming down with illnesses had an ear infection and screamed well into the night. We had to walk her up and down the hall to wear her out. When she got back to our hotel room she got in bed with my grandmother bringing along a copy of Cosmopolitan magazine which she opened up and began showing my grandmother, yelling, "girlfriend! make-up! nail polish!"    

3. In January 2014, I received an email from a publisher I had sent my first manuscript to offering me a publishing contract. I was so excited I couldn't believe it was real.

4. Shortly before Christmas 2017 I received a package from UPS. Thinking it was a Christmas package I was expecting but not seeing a return address I opened it... and found an ARC of The Heart Forger by Rin Chupeco. Sourcebooks Fire had granted my request and sent me an ARC! My grandmother thought I was insane as I jumped up and down and screeched in excitement.

5. In January 2018, only days after my book CurseBreaker released, I found out it had been shortlisted for a fantasy fiction award. 

Bookish and Not So Bookish Thoughts - 28 August 2019

Bookish (And Not So Bookish) Thoughts is a Weekly Meme hosted by Christine @ Bookishly  Boisterous.

1. As sad as I am to see the warm weather draw to an end for the year I am so excited that fall is just around the corner. I'm ready for fall colors, new fashions, cool nights reading under soft blankets with a cup of cider and the preparation for my favorite holiday, Halloween. There are also a ton of awesome books coming out this fall that I can't wait for!

2. I started out this month strong, reading-wise but that tapered off mid-month and now I'm not sure what I want to read. I've started at least four novels and a collection of stories but I've left off in varying degrees of completeness due to my writing schedule this month.     

3. Speaking of my writing, this month my goal was to add 6,000 words to my work in progress, Monsters & Mist which would bring my word count to just over 90,000 words (twenty thousand over my initial goal) and as of last night I just surpassed 91,000 words! There are about 3 more major plot points I need to hit yet then I need to add in a scene I feel is necessary to the plotting of the midsection of the book and the "History of Esternwhorl" sections that will fit in between each chapter. I figure I'll do most of that in September and add 5-10,000 more words to the project before I am finally, finally finished with the first draft.

4. One of the books I'm on a street team for released this week, and if you haven't already checked it out, I highly recommend adding Rage (Stormheart #2) by Cora Carmack to your TBR list! 

5. I'm so behind on writing my reviews it's embarrassing. As you might know I host "The Saturday Review" meme here on my blog but it's been notably absent all summer because of me being so backlogged with writing my reviews. I'm trying to get back on track this weekend but it will probably end up being two-three weeks of catching up with all the books I have to review yet. 

Bookish and Not So Bookish Thoughts - 1 August 2019

Bookish (And Not So Bookish) Thoughts is a Weekly Meme hosted by Christine @ Bookishly  Boisterous.

1. My 27th birthday is coming up this Sunday. I've been feeling a range of emotions - excitement, depression, sadness, guilt. I feel like I should be making a better deal out of my birthday than I am but I've been on such a low lately I don't want to. 

2. I've taken a much needed break from fantasy novels, which is not unusual this time of year, and have picked up Making Up by Helena Hunting. I've been wanting to read her books for a while and this one has been calling my name since I picked it up a couple weeks ago and wow... I AM LOVING IT! It's so funny and sexy! I'll definitely check out her backlist.    

3. It's the beginning of a new month which means new headings on my bullet journal! I'm going to check out Pinterest later to see how I want to do it this month. 

4. I didn't stick to my July spending ban. I feel terrible. Okay, I feel slightly guilty. In my defense most of the books I received this month were ARCs or books I'd preordered/got in a book box. My splurges were on clothes and wireless headphones. Clothes are a necessity, right?

5. I'm not making a iron-clad TBR schedule for next month. I don't have any blog tours to stick to deadlines for so I'm going to wing it and read what appeals to me when it appeals to me. 

Bookish and Not So Bookish Thoughts - 25 July 2019

Bookish (And Not So Bookish) Thoughts is a Weekly Meme hosted by Christine @ Bookishly  Boisterous.

1. I'm excited for tomorrow to get here because we're going to the Tall Ships Festival in Green Bay. I missed it the last time it was in town so it's been a while and I'm hoping to get some good pictures. 

2. Since I've been working on my novel more lately my reading has slowed down but I recently read and loved Remember Me by Chelsea Bobulski. She's describing it as The Shining meets the romance of Titanic which I think is an awesome descriptor. You should definitely check it out when it releases on August 6th!    

3. My 27th birthday is coming up on August 4th and I'm planning a makeover to bring me into my next year. I'm thinking of a sexy undercut and dyeing my hair a purplish-red. It's so unlike anything I've done with my hair before and I'm excited. 

Photo Credit: Glowsly / Pinterest

4. I didn't realize how many really awesome sounding books are coming out in August. It's a good thing it's my birthday month because I don't think I'd be able to keep to my spending ban. 

5. I was looking forward to the new season of Veronica Mars on Hulu but I've heard so many people talking about the horrible twist at the end of the season that now I don't think I can bear to watch it. It's a shame. I hate when people bring shows back then ruin them for all the diehard fans. 

Bookish (And Not So Bookish) Thoughts - 11 July 2019

Bookish (And Not So Bookish) Thoughts is a Weekly Meme hosted by Christine @ Bookishly  Boisterous.

Be Happy Bookdragons! Tomorrow is Friday!

1. I'm so thankful it's finally Thursday and tomorrow is Friday. It's been one thing after another this week, the most devastating of which being one of my cats, Houdini knocking books out of the bookcase in the middle of the night then shredding multiple pages in my (signed) copy of Gemina by Jay Kristoff and Amie Kaufman...

2. I'm halfway through my July TBR but I'm so tired lately I don't have the ambition to read more than a few pages in my current read. I'm hoping to get an energy boost soon.   

3. I've been on a spending ban since the beginning of the month and so far it's going well. I'm hoping to stick to my budget for the rest of the summer and start getting more books from the library instead of buying new ones all the time. 

4. I woke up this morning and there was a bird sitting on my windowsill (right next to my bed) chirping. It was so annoying. And my cats were terrified. 

5. It's been three months and I'm still on the apartment hunt. I'm hoping something pans out soon because I'm really starting to get discouraged. 

Bookish and Not So Bookish Thoughts - 13 June 2019

Bookish (And Not So Bookish) Thoughts is a Weekly Meme hosted by Christine @ Bookishly  Boisterous.

Happy Thursday Bookdragons! I hope you're having a good week.

1. I'm having another not-so-great week. I don't know what's wrong with me. I'm starting to think I've been misdiagnosed and the depression is just a small part of a bigger problem. I'm so angry all the time lately, just furious over small stupid stuff. Doing a little digging it looks like bipolar but I'm scared to go to the doctor because the last time I went my PA treated me like I was making things up for attention. I just wish I had some answers.

2. Have you ever read a book by an author you've read before and found that the book is essentially the same as another one of their books except with a different title and just a few different details? I read Escape from Asylum by Madeleine Roux earlier this week, which is a prequel to her Asylum trilogy but this one is set in the late 60s. Other than Brookline being in this book a working Asylum instead of converted into a college dorm I feel like this book and Asylum are basically the same plot. I ended up DNF'ing it which is disappointing because I love horror novels and movies set in asylums. 

3. I'm finding lately that I have more time to listen to audiobooks than reading actual books the normal way so I've been listening every night before bed. I tried while I was working out but I couldn't heard it so well over the exercise bike, my iPhone doesn't have a headphone jack anymore, and I'm not buying an adaptor. 

4. I finally tracked down a copy of the Dutch edition of Heartless by Marissa Meyer! I've been looking for this one since I first saw the cover and I finally found a copy on Amazon. It's even more gorgeous in person!

5. I got a new bookcase today! Right now it's still in the box but I'm planning to assemble it either tomorrow or this weekend and get my books transferred in! My cat won't be to wipe his damn butt on top of my books anymore! 

Bookish and Not So Bookish Thoughts - 6 June 2019

Bookish (And Not So Bookish) Thoughts is a Weekly Meme hosted by Christine @ Bookishly  Boisterous.

Happy Thursday Bookdragons! 

1. It's been a majorly hectic week. Nearly everyone I have had to deal with has been a total jerk (and that's putting it nicely). I'd say that people were going crazy because of a full moon but we're not there yet. I'm hoping things calm down this weekend, I desperately need some relaxation and a little happy time.

2. I never thought of myself as a mood reader but lately I cannot get enough of horror novels or thrillers. Most of the ARCs I've been reading or requesting lately have been falling into one of those two categories and can I just say that there are some amazing YA horror novels coming out this year? Thrillers too. I just got All Eyes on Us by Kit Frick which is a thriller compared to Pretty Little Liars and I am so excited to read it this weekend.   

3. It's mosquito season again here in Wisconsin. I hate the damn things and I already have a few bites and constantly feel itchy. I love summer but I could do without the insect life. 

4. I've decided one of my new year's resolutions for 2020 already: do not request any ARCs (eARC or physical) I've had so many to get through these past months I barely have time for new releases which makes me sad because a lot of them I've been really excited about.

5. It's Pride Month! Are you planning to read any books with a LGBTQ+ rep? I didn't plan on it being this way but I have a ton of books on my TBR cart that fit into that category. 

Bookish & Not So Bookish Thoughts - 9 May 2019

Bookish (And Not So Bookish) Thoughts is a Weekly Meme hosted by Christine @ Bookishly  Boisterous.

Happy Thursday Bookdragons! It's another Bookish and Not So Bookish Thoughts and today I'm trying to distract myself and keep my nerves down until tonight.

1. The ApollyCon 2020 Tickets go on sale tonight and I am really nervous. I definitely want to go, already have my hotel room booked, I just need my ticket. There are 600 tickets available for the tier I'm looking at and my fear is that they will sell out within seconds and I'll be fighting with my wifi to get a transaction through. Wish me luck!

2. I seem to be getting past my book rut. I started my ARC of Rage by Cora Carmack yesterday and read 111 pages in one day. It's been weeks since the last time I was able to do that. I've also been listening to a couple audiobooks that I'm enjoying.  

3. I did a guest post this week on BookCrushin's Blog talking about writing through depression. It just went live today so go check it out!

4. The apartment we looked at earlier this week didn't work out. We were told (no joke) that I made too much money to be eligible for the apartment. I've never heard that one before...

5. I mentioned last week that I was listening to the audiobook of We Set the Dark on Fire by Tehlor Kay Mejia and I finished it earlier this week. I definitely recommend it if you're a fan of The Handmaid's Tale (like I am). It definitely has those vibes as well as a latinex rep! 

Bookish (& Not so Bookish) Thoughts - 2 May 2019

Bookish (And Not So Bookish) Thoughts is a Weekly Meme hosted by Christine @ Bookishly  Boisterous.

Happy Thursday Bookdragons! It's another Bookish and Not So Bookish Thoughts and this week I've been contemplating a lot of things.

1. May is Mental Health Awareness month and I'm planning a few blog posts about my own struggles with depression and anxiety as well as some book recommendations that I think tackle the subject really well. This subject is really close to my heart and I've always tried to be totally transparent about my struggles in hopes of erasing the stigma of mental illness.

2. It's a new month and a new TBR list for me in the hopes of getting through my ARC pile and my purchased but unread books. I'm being a little ambitious this month, 4 Finished Copies, 4 ARCs, and 4 Audiobooks but honestly I've been in such a book rut lately that I'm hoping at least a few of the books I want to read appeal to me.  

3. I just got my FOR THE THRONE Box from Novelly Yours today! I loved everything in the box, especially the magnet and enamel pin and the candles smell so good! While on the subject of GoT.. I thought last weekend's episode was going to break me. I can't wait to see what else is in store for the last three episodes.

4. Next week we're going to look at new apartments in the next city over and I'm really hoping the first one we're looking at works out because I'd have a spare room to turn into my own personal library / home office. I can picture it now...

5. I'm currently reading not 1, not 2, not even 3 books right now... oh no, I'm reading 4! See my above comment about a book rut. The books I've been trying have been okay, but not enough to keep me wanting to continue reading so I keep jumping from one book to the next. My current reads are: Warrior of the Wild by Tricia Levenseller, Last Things by Jaqueline West, We Set the Dark on Fire by Tehlor Mejia, and I'm starting 8 Souls by Rachel Rust because I need to review it by Monday. What's the most books you've been in the middle of at one time?

Bookish (And Not So Bookish) Thoughts - 18 April 2019

Bookish (And Not So Bookish) Thoughts is a Weekly Meme hosted by Christine @ Bookishly  Boisterous.

Happy Thursday Bookdragons! It's another Bookish and Not So Bookish Thoughts and it has been one strange week. Let me tell you all about it...

1. One of my glamorous (ha) day jobs is an assistant to my grandmother for her paralegal business. This week we acquired an estate subcontracted from the law firm my mom works at. The woman died last Thursday and to start the process we need a death certificate to get the ball rolling. Simple enough, right? Well my grandmother called the funeral home who told us they contract with another funeral home in - get this - Okeechobee, Florida (we're in Wisconsin) and they handle all of their paperwork so we'd have to contact them. Weeeellllllll... a call to the nice lady at the funeral home in Okeechobee took a disturbing turn as the lady had no idea where the body went and had never heard of the woman. Oshkosh, WI didn't have her... Okeechobee, FL didn't have her... but they had recently shipped a body to Israel. They'd look into it and get back to us. When that's how your Tuesday morning starts off you just know it's going to be a long week. 

2. Last night I finished reading Repeat, Kylie Scott's newest book. I loved it! It's about a woman who wanders into her ex-boyfriend's tattoo parlor after a horrific attack leaves her with amnesia and no memory of their relationship or why they broke up. It made me think about how strange it would be to have amnesia and have to rely on others to fill in the gaps of your past. For me it would be next to impossible because I've always thought of myself as a Dr. Jeckle & Mr. Hyde personality. I show different sides of myself to different people and I don't think anyone has ever seen the full picture, not even my family. 

3. I've been getting a lot of great book recommendations on Instagram lately. I just picked up BB Easton's apocalyptic romance, Praying for Rain which I'm starting today and tomorrow I'm planning to order The Rules of Burken by Traci Finlay. Both authors are new to me. 

4. I've gone back and forth on this, but I think I'm going to try for a ticket to next year's ApollyCon event when the tickets go on sale in three weeks. I've always wanted to go and meet some of my favorite authors and I'm finally financially independent enough to swing it.

5. I hit my target word count for Monsters & Mist last weekend!!! I haven't had much writing time since then but I have managed to add an addition 2k words past my goal. Still not sure how close I am to finishing though.

Bookish (And Not So Bookish Thoughts) - 11 April 2019

Bookish (And Not So Bookish) Thoughts is a Weekly Meme hosted by Christine @ Bookishly  Boisterous.

Happy Thursday Bookdragons! 

1. I've taken a break from most of my weekly posts this week because I'm really trying to read 70,000 words in my writing project, Monsters & Mist. I'm about 2700 words from that goal now even if I still don't know how much more needs to go into this first draft. I need something that will sew the current point to the ending. 

2. I had a great time last week at the mall. It was a relaxing day out and I'm grateful for it because I've been buried under a pile of stuff at my day job since.

3. It snowed. Seriously. Like 6 inches of the white stuff today. At least it gives me the perfect excuse to kick back and read Rayne & Delilah's Midnite Matinee. So far it's a good read!

4. Game of Thrones the final season starts this weekend! Who else is excited??? I haven't had a chance to start the second book yet but right now we're caught up to the middle of season 4. 

5. I only bought one book this week. Repeat by Kylie Scott. I've read so much fantasy and sci-fi lately I need a break to read some contemporary books and Repeat just came out. I am thinking of buying Praying for Rain by BB Easton though. I saw it on #bookstagram  and read an excerpt on Amazon so I might have to one-click!

6. I am currently finishing my second cup of coffee but I am still tired. I wonder if there will ever be a time in the future when I am not dog-tired and wake up without a backache. #StillLivingtheFutonLife

Bookish (And Not So Bookish) Thoughts - 4 April 2019

Bookish (And Not So Bookish) Thoughts is a Weekly Meme hosted by Christine @ Bookishly  Boisterous.

Happy Thursday Bookdragons! 

1. April 1st marked the one-year anniversary of my last move. It's so strange to look back through old pictures taken in our old apartment, although there are things I still miss (like having a closet). I moved in with my mom one-year ago on April first and it was a very tumultuous time in the beginning. There are things I like about my new town, but it was an eye-opener. I did not believe people lived the way people do in this small town. The standard of living is so far below what I'm used to I tend to look at people like they're the Wildlings from Game of Thrones. 

2. Because I need a break from the strange people in this town and their ideals on how the best way to live is, I'm so excited to go to the mall in Appleton tomorrow. I can't wait to look at books at Target!

3. Today would have been my great-uncle's 96th birthday. He was a big part of my life growing up because he lived with my grandmother and I up until he got sick with cancer when I was 12. He passed away June 7, 2005 at the age of 82. 

4. I am really annoyed with my grandmother's apartment building and it's shoddy wifi. It never seems to work when you need it and it's awful when you're trying to stream movies/shows so I haven't been able to continue watching Game of Thrones. 

5. This month my book club book is Daisy Jones and the Six. I started it on Monday and I should be finishing it in the next day or so. 

Bookish (And Not So Bookish) Thoughts - 28 March 2019

Bookish (And Not So Bookish) Thoughts is a Weekly Meme hosted by Christine @ Bookishly  Boisterous.

Happy Thursday Bookdragons! 

1. Do you ever have just lazy weeks where you know there's stuff you have to do; housework, blogging, review books to read, etc.  but you're just tired of your routine and just need some time off? That was me last week. I read a lot but I didn't do much besides that. 

2. I bought way too many books this month. I just kind of went on a spree when I should be 
saving for my fall vacation. I decided against getting a ticket for next year's ApollyCon because
there weren't many authors attending that I'd actually like to meet so I figured I wouldn't have to
worry so much about May's paychecks and just sort of went for it with March's. I regret nothing.

3. I'm nearly caught up on my ARC reading. The only ones I have left are May-August releases so I have plenty of time. It feels like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders.

4. I watched Game of Thrones for the first time tonight and I loved it! I'm going to try to catch up before the final season, but it's going to take a lot of binging!

5. My grandmother and I started a two-woman book club this month. Our pick this month was All We Left Behind: Virginia Reed and the Donner Party. My grandmother just finished so I need to catch up so we can discuss. Next month we're doing Daisy Jones and the Six!

6. It's finally warm enough that I don't need to wear boots out! I'm so glad to be back to walking more and taking off a few of the pounds I put on over the winter.

7. I'm finally nearing the end of my current writing project. I'm about 7k words from hitting my project targets! 

Bookish & Not So Bookish Thoughts - 7 March 2019

Bookish (And Not So Bookish) Thoughts is a Weekly Meme hosted by Christine @ Bookishly  Boisterous.

Happy Thursday Bookdragons! 

1. Today is my younger sister's twentieth birthday. I can't believe she's no longer a teenager. It seems like just yesterday she was snotting everywhere and dragging Mr. Bear every place she went. Now she's 6'1" with a pierced nose and studying to be some sort of mechanic. Her attitude is the only thing that hasn't changed since we were kids. 

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2. I have been battling a cold for over a week now and I wish it would quit already!! It's already affected my writing schedule and put me way behind on the books and ARCs I've committed to read, not to mention sapped my strength and made me fairly concerned that I'd cracked a rib coughing.

3. Since I am a bit better I've finally picked up A Game of Thrones: The Illustrated Edition. This is one of those bucket list books I didn't think I would like because I can't for the life of me get into the show, but I'm loving it so far! It's one of those books I don't want to put down yet don't have enough time to read.

4. Last week I got my signed copy of Samantha Shannon's The Priory of the Orange Tree and it is seriously stunning! And really, really thick! 

5. Does anyone know if you're supposed to throw out your chapstick after you've been sick? I cracked this one open to deal with my "fever lips" (what I call my lips getting all slick and then cracking after my fever broke) but I'm not sure if I should continue using it after I feel better. I'm getting "reusing a used Kleenex" vibes at the thought.

Bookish and Not So Bookish Thoughts - 14 February 2019

Bookish (And Not So Bookish) Thoughts is a Weekly Meme hosted by Christine @ Bookishly  Boisterous.

Happy Thursday Bookdragons! 

1. Oh look! It's Valentine's Day. Barf. I hate this holiday and decided years ago to treat it as a second coming of my favorite holiday - Halloween. I'm going to make a fantastic dinner of lobster linguine and filet mignon paired with some red wine, queue up the horror movies, and ignore the nauseatingly "sweet" posts all over social media.

2. I realized the other day it's been probably a month since I slept in my own bed. This darn Wisconsin weather has to break so I can go back to coming and going from work as normal. When I've actually gotten used to sleeping on a futon we know it's been too long.

3. Since the mail has been screwed up with the bad weather, I just got a huge pile of packages on Monday with four amazing ARCs for me to review. Two of which come out next week. Yikes. I better get reading!

4. Speaking of reading, February has been a really awful reading month for me. It's taking me forever to get through anything. I just finished The Gilded Wolves this week and I started that one way back on January 29th! I hope things pick up in March.

5. A few years ago, 2015 I believe, I read Amy Lukavic's debut novel, Daughters Unto Devils. It's a YA horror novel reminiscent of Stephen King colliding with Little House on the Prairie. At the time, I was terrified. So terrified I got rid of the book because it creeped me out to have it in the same house as me, let alone the same room. But when I was looking through my library's Hoopla catalogue the other day guess what I came across in audiobook? So I checked it out. It's not so scary this time around and I'm loving the narration in the audiobook. But I haven't gotten to the scene toward the end that gives me nightmares...

Bookish And Not So Bookish Thoughts - 7 February 2019

Bookish (And Not So Bookish) Thoughts is a Weekly Meme hosted by Christine @ Bookishly  Boisterous.

Happy Thursday Bookdragons! 

1. I have way too many books open as once. I'm reading one mammoth (War and Peace), a YA Fantasy, and a YA Horror. I admit it's a strange combination. I'm used to one-book-at-a-time-reading but I have so many books to read this month I'm tripling up.

2. I haven't been feeling the best this week. I was tired and achy and it affected my interest in my daily tasks. I keep telling myself "I'll feel better tomorrow" but so far I'm still dealing with the aches, the depression, the congestion. I hate when people are sick around me and it rubs off on me.

3. Just a week after discussing my plan to save money, I've bought more books. I mean, it's not really hurting me this month because I can't really start saving for my Charleston trip until after my next paycheck but I'm still battling the urge to buy all of the fantastic releases out this month! 

4. I'm afraid of crawling back into my shell. Last month I was really social on Twitter talking to other writers but so far this month I'm really having to fight myself to say anything to anyone. I'm doing a bit better on Instagram but the people I talk to there I've interacted with for at least a year and I think I just feel more comfortable with them. To those new to my blog, I have a lot of trouble talking to other people. Most people think it's shyness - and maybe it is to a point - but sometimes I think it's a lack of knowing what to say or fearing that the other person will misunderstand what I'm saying or not get my joke and not want to talk to me anymore. It's a daily struggle.

5. My writing is going so well this week. I've set a low goal of 900 words per day and I've surpassed that goal two days in a row and I'm about to get to work again once I catch up on my post for tomorrow. Yesterday was a battle scene, I'm eager to see what today brings.

Bookish (And Not So Bookish) Thoughts - 31 January 2019

Bookish (And Not So Bookish) Thoughts is a Weekly Meme hosted by Christine @ Bookishly  Boisterous.

Happy Thursday Bookdragons! 

1. A couple weeks ago I got the results of my Ancestry DNA test and the results surprised me. After the expected majorities of German followed by Irish, I'm 17% French. I had no idea I was of French descent at all so I went on Ancestry to see where that particular part of my family comes from. As it turns out, I'm French on my father's side. His ancestors, my seventh great-grandparents immigrated from France to Montreal, Quebec in the 1700s. It was my second great-grandfather who immigrated to from Quebec to Wisconsin in or around 1866. I'm still going back on my mother's side, so far I'm still in the German part of my ancestry there. It's really fascinating research.

2. I started War & Peace. It's going to be slow going but I'm enjoying it so far.

3. I am determined to finish the first draft of my current writing project by tomorrow - Saturday at the very latest. After slacking for over a year, it's time to tie this one up.

4. I've devised a way to get a few of the new releases I want this year and be able to save for the vacation I want to take this year. It's a win-win and as long as the government stays open I should be able to go to Charleston, SC in September.