A Year’s Worth of Books

Happy Memorial Day everyone!

Today is a quiet and lazy day. I am worn out from the last few days, and so I am relaxing in front of the fan in my office and thinking about what to write. I was able to have lunch today with a friend, and she gave me this little book where you can record the books you’ve read and what you think of them.

img_20160530_151420369.jpgIt reminded me of what I did last year around this time. In the post I listed all the books I was able to read in five months and what I thought of them. This time its been longer, though. This is really for my benefit, mostly, as I have a terrible memory.

What could I have possibly read in a year??

Here we go, and in no particular order…

Audio Books I’ve listened to:

American Sniper, by Chris Kyle

Call the Midwife, by Jennifer Worth

I Was Here, Gayle Forman

Matched, by Ally Condie

Beautiful Creatures, by Kami Garcia, Margaret Stohl

The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel: The Alchemyst, The Magician, The Sorceress, The Necromancer, by Michael Scott

The Maze Runner, The Scorch Trials, by James Dashner

The Color Magic, by Terry Pratchett

The Long Earth, The Long War, The Long Mars, by Terry Pratchett & Stephen Baxter

The House of Hades, by Rick Riordan

The Ocean at the End of the Lane, by Neil Gaiman

The Wind in the Willows, by Kenneth Grahame

Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear, by Elizabeth Gilbert

A Curious Mind: The Secret to a Bigger Life, by Brian Grazer

Whatever You Do, Don’t Run: True Tales of a Botswana Safari Guide, by Peter Allison

img_20160426_163707562_hdr.jpgAnd other books, not on audio:

The Raven King, by Maggie Stiefvater

The Iron Warrior, by Julie Kagawa

Winter, Fairest, by Marissa Meyer

Hmm…not a bad list, although its clear I need to read more books that aren’t on audio. I think its time to focus on reading some more adult fiction, non-fiction and science fiction and fantasy. And this doesn’t include the Harry Potter series that a listened to again this year on audio. (I think I have an obsession!)

What do you guys like to read? Read anything new recently?

Happy writing (and reading)!

The Liebster Award Nomination!

Thank you to Dainelle Hunter for nominating me for the Liebster Award! It means a lot to me that you thought of me. 🙂 I hope this gives readers more of an insight into my writing and what this blog is about.

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The rules are as follows:

1: Thank the blog who nominated you and link back to them.
2: Make a blog post telling 11 facts about you.
3: Answer the 11 questions from the blog who nominated you.
4: Prepare 11 questions for those you will nominate.
5: Nominate 11 new bloggers (those who have less than 200 followers) by commenting in one of their blog posts.

11 Facts About Me:

~My favorite TV Show of all time is Firefly. (FireflyThe fact that it only had one season is an atrocity.

~I only write with one with kind of pen. (Gel pen, black ink, pilot G-2 07.)

~I hate memes where the sentences are deliberately spelled wrong, drives me nuts! (Like: ‘he’s doin me a hurtin’….grrrraaggh)

~I like to write movie and TV show reviews.wpid-img_20140602_185717984.jpg

~I love libraries and books stores.

~I am a tea drinker, love tea.

~I love being outdoors; the trees, the quietness.

~I have an obsession with nicknames. A lot of my characters have nicknames. I think its interesting how people/characters are much more than the names they are given, and the ones they’ve grown into.

~I am a dog person. I like cats, too. But if I were to have one pet it’d be a golden retriever, lab, or a mix.

~My favorite color is now purple. (It used to be blue but my grandma passed recently and that was also her color.)

~I own about five different Star Wars t-shirts.

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Answering 11 Questions for being Nominated:

1. Why did you start blogging?

  • I started blogging to get myself to write an least something a day. I wasn’t writing anymore and it worried me. I would go weeks without writing anything. I started blogging just to get back into writing.

2. What do you love/ hate about blogging?

  • I love how freeing blogging is. It really is like writing in a diary, you can feel free to be yourself and that’s that.  I hate that I don’t have the time to write daily or more quality posts.

3.What is your philosophy?

  • I’d say…Live life to the fullest, no regrets.

4.What career are you pursuing/ What is your occupation and why?

  • I still don’t know what I want to be when I grow up. Ideally a writer, who actually makes money. 😛 Right now I’m in data entry.

5.Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

  • Hopefully published! And working on other projects.

6.Who is your favorite fictional character?

  • I’ve always loved Spike from Buffy the Vampire Slayer. He is supposed to be the bad guy, but by the end of the show you can’t help but love him. He’s so pathetic and amusing.

7. What is your favorite movie?

  • I have a lot. Inception, Star Wars (of course), Princess Bride, Guardians of the Galaxy are probably the top faves though.

8.What is your favorite book/ quote?

  • I am a big fan of Maggie Steifvater. All of her words are great. But I really loved this one from The Dream Theives:

“There are three kinds of secrets. One is the sort everyone knows about, the sort you need at least two people for. One to keep it. One to never know. The second is a harder kind of secret: one you keep from yourself. Every day, thousands of confessions are kept from their would-be confessors, none of these people knowing that their never-admitted secrets all boil down to the same three words: I am afraid.”

9.  What is your zodiac sign?

  • Gemini.

10. What is your biggest fear?

  • Fear of failure is a big one for me.

11. Describe the strangest dream you’ve ever had.

  • I had a dream I was a dolphin once. I was leaping in and out of waves, it was so much fun and exhilarating…and then I woke up.

Questions for Nominees:

  1. What is your favorite book of all time?
  2. Why did you start blogging?
  3. What is your biggest fear?
  4. If you could have a super power, what would it be and why?
  5. What is your favorite kind of food?
  6. What is your favorite movie?
  7. What is your favorite thing to do during the Summer?
  8. What is your Zodiac sign?
  9. Do you believe in the supernatural? (Vampires, werewolves, ghosts?)
  10. Describe your strangest dream.
  11. What would you say is the best thing about you?

And that’s that! I can’t wait to read what you guys come up with!

Hope everyone has a great weekend! 🙂

Ever Tried an Excercise Ball for a Desk Chair?

Just wanted to give a shout out to Dainelle Hunter as a quick thank you for the Liebster Award Nomination! Will follow-up with a blog post this weekend when I’ll be able to take the time and write something clever for it. So look for that this Saturday!


img_20160525_185048557.jpgTonight I treated myself to a little shop therapy. I’ve been trying to get healthier this spring and summer, and along that line is being able to sit at my desk for longer periods at a time without being in agony.

After hurting my shoulder/upper back region at work, I’m always sore and achy after sitting down at a desk for eight hours everyday. And thus, I don’t want to sit at my desk at home and write. (Which is a big problem!)

img_20160525_185058155.jpgMy solution: an exercise ball! I didn’t realize until after doing some research, that some employers let you use an exercise ball at work instead of a chair. As the chances of me getting one at work are very unlikely, I thought I’d try it at home.

The idea is that the ball forces you to balance, thus automatically making you sit up straight which strengthens core muscles and your back, (which is everything that I need strengthened.)

It’s not easy to get used to sitting on a ball instead of a chair, so figured I would alternate between the two for a while until I get used to it.

What do you guys think? Ever tried this before?

Poem: Uninspired

Want to write a poem
And not sure what to say
Feeling uninspired
Exhausted from the day

Should I tell a story?
Should I make it sad?
Lies and disappointments
That’s all I ever had

At least for today with
Work and fewer smiles
Don’t do this you slaves!
Yeah, I’ll think on that awhile

Good to know I matter
I love to see the praise
Yeah and guess what?
Where’s my f**king raise?

Ah, but I digress
Not the point of this poem
Writing relieves the stress
With the comforts of home

So go forth and write!
Be lovely, fun and crazy!
(But don’t be like me,
I’m so f**king lazy!)

Bahaha…I miss rhyming, it’s so silly and fun! Hope everyone has a great night!

Happy writing!

Game of Thrones Season 6 Episode 3 & 4 Recap: What’s Going to Happen Next?

***Spoilers ahead! You have been warned!

Davis-Melisandre-Jon-Snow-Game-of-Thrones-Season-6

***All photo credits to HBO.

Are you as crazy about Game of Thrones as I am this season??

I can’t seem to get enough of it and repeatedly wish it came out all at once like the Netflix series do! Now wouldn’t that be just fantastic?! Anyway…

Episode 3, ‘Oathbreaker’ recap:

Jon Snow is rather shaken by his return from death. The red woman asks him, “What did you see?”

“Nothing,” Snow says, and he looks horrified. “There was nothing at all.” He hangs the people who murdered him, even young Olly, and then Jon hands his cloak over to Dolorous Edd and says, “My watch is ended!”

Sam and Gilly are taking a detour on their way to Old Town by way of Sam’s parents house. The Citadel doesn’t allow women (which is so freaking typical,) so Sam is hoping that his family will keep Gilly and baby Sam safe.

Bran+Three+Eyed+RavenIn Bran’s flashbacks with the Three-eyed raven, we see a younger Ned Stark try to save his sister in the Tower of Joy. There is a great battle, but Bran learns that what actually happened and what is told through history is actually quite different.

We hear a woman’s cry from the tower…was it Lyanna Stark in distress? Giving birth to Jon Snow?

Daenerys is predictably taken to Vaes Dothrak, Tyrion tries to engage Grey Worm and Missandei in conversation, and Varys discovers that Volantis, Yunkai and Astapor are all backing the Sons of the Harpy.

From Maester Qyburn, we learn that Varys’ little birds are really children bribed with sweets in return for secrets. Jaime and Cersei crash a high council meeting, which doesn’t really go as planned. And in Braavos, Arya finally gets her eyes back after she beats the waif in a fight.

Meanwhile in Winterfell, Lord Umber has a gift for Ramsay Bolton: Osha and Rickon Stark.

(I find it’s nearly impossibly to write a small recap for Game of Thrones, there are so many freaking story-lines!)

sansaEpisode 4, ‘Book of the Stranger’ recap:

Jon Snow and Sansa stark reunite! Sansa, Brienne and Pod arrive at castle black and there is a bit of amusement when Tormund makes eyes at Lady Brienne. After receiving a threatening letter from Ramsay, Sansa convinces Jon that they must fight for Winterfell and take it back.

In the Vale, Littlefinger convinces Lord Robyn Arryn to help Sansa take back Winterfell and defeat the Boltons. We never truly know what Littlefinger is up to…but its becoming more clear how much these ‘lesser’ type characters are really the ones pulling the strings.

Queen Margaery is rewarded by the High Sparrow and is allowed to see her brother. The High Sparrow tells Margaery about his past. For a man who claims to want nothing, why does he have so much power?

In Meereen, Tyrion has a meeting with the leaders of the other cities and suggests some new terms:  they have seven years to get rid of slavery. Missandei and Grey Worm disagree with these terms and believe that the slavers will just take advantage of them all.

Cersei, Jaime and Olenna Tyrell form an alliance and agree that the High Sparrow must be taken down. Theon Greyjoy reaches the Iron Islands and wants to support Yara in being leader, and in Winterfell, Osha is killed by Ramsay Bolton.

danyMeanwhile, Daario and Jorah have reached Vaes Dothrak and Daario teases Jorah for being old and says that the old man could never handle the dragon in bed. He also discovers that Jorah has greyscale.

Daenerys meets with the council of Dothraki Khals, who will decide what to do with her  since she did not go to Vaes Dothhrak after Drogo’s death. Dany tells them that she would make a better Khal than all of them. “You are not going to serve,” she says, “You are going to die.” She dumps the fire pits on them all and the temple goes up in flames.

Dany emerges from the flames and over one-hundred thousand Dothraki all bow to the mother of dragons.

wwndrqmze6jjucq4jtl8mrthcatfyt2y-largeBut what’s going to happen next?

I’ve heard it mention a few times: last week was definitely an episode of Fire and Ice.

Both very important characters to this world made some very game-changing decisions. Daenerys now has one-hundred thousand Dothraki willing to obey her every command, and Jon Snow is taking the next step to becoming Warden of the North, and a possible threat to the Iron Throne.

Well, what does that mean for everyone else?

It’s becoming clear that the future of Westeros is never going to be the same. There’s a new game afoot and characters that were once at the head of the throne, are now falling to the wayside. (Aka, the Lannisters.)

Also, according to the brief glimpse of the white walkers we got in this week’s preview, Winter is definitely coming. The white walkers are coming and iron throne or not, the rest of this world is going to suffer for it.

What do you guys think is going to happen in tonight’s episode?

Happy Mother’s Day, Grandma…I Miss You

I’ve been sitting here for the last half an hour on Wikipedia reading about Reba McEntire, about her recent divorce, her relationship with Kelly Clarkson, and the plot to Reba’s show, Malibu Country, which got cancelled about three years ago.

I haven’t suddenly become obsessed with Reba McEntire, (although I’ve always liked country music,) I’m stalling.

grandma roseA year ago today, May 8th, we lost someone special to us in our family. My grandmother, Dorothy, passed away from cancer. Today is Mother’s Day, but I’ll never get to say hello to her again.

Which is why…the stalling. I know I want to write something to honor her, but I don’t know where to begin. With all the poems I wrote about her in the past year? With our last conversation? The words of Reba McEntire’s song, “What Do You Say” keeps repeating itself in my head.

What do you say in a moment like this? When you can’t find the words to tell it like it is?”

My heart breaks a little. What do you say?

Dear Grandma,

I miss you.

Love, Amanda

There really isn’t much more to say. I said it all before in the poems I wrote for her: For Grandma, Not Goodbye, Baseball Memories, Up and Up, and Big Picture.

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My sister, Anna, me and Grandma in the back seat of the car on some road trip, over ten years ago; laughing and being goofy.

P.S.  I remember the last time we spoke, Grandma, I made you laugh. I told you something that Lilly had said, and I made you laugh. You were in pain, but my last moment with you…I made you laugh. One day, I’ll type out that conversation. I’ll put it in a memoir and tell everyone how much your house smelled like you, how it felt so quiet, and cold with you down for the count, and everyone wondering, “Is it time?”

But no, one spring afternoon at the end of April, while you were lying on the couch, too weak to get up, I made you laugh. And it warms my heart like nothing else.

I love you, Grandma.  Happy Mother’s Day.

Poem: Saturday Night

Pirated Deadpool
Ate pasta
Bread and sauce
And goodness
Broke the fourth wall
And eachother’s
Energy
Dead like Deadpool
But still got limbs
And hearts
And loneliness
Crawl into bed
With a good book
A book friend
Waiting to be held

:p This one is silliness! In case you didn’t catch it, we watched some Deadpool tonight. I love Ryan Reynolds, so great. The movie was awesome… Totally inappropriate for young ones, but still great.

Hope you guys are having a great night!

Game of Thrones Season 6 episode 1 Review: The Red Woman

***Obviously, spoilers ahead! You have been warned!

game-of-thrones-season-6-melisandre-750x522-1456178589Well, that was kind of anti-climatic. I thought with all the hype about Jon Snow’s death, the writers would cut to the chase – now we will finally know the fate of Jon Snow – well, not so much in this episode!

Arya is still blind and struggling to cope with her new affliction, especially when the waif comes to beat her up, expecting Arya to fight her blind. She leaves with the threat that she will be there again the next day.

aryaOne story line that did bring us some satisfaction was Sansa’s. Her and Theon struggle to escape Ramsay’s hounds, and are captured by his men; only to be rescued, (thankfully) by Brienne of Tarth and Pod. Finally something good to happen for the two!

After her shameful walk through the streets, Cersei is excited when she hears of Myrcella’s return, but the expression on Jaime’s face tells all: the young princess is dead. They grieve together, and Jaime convinces her that its only up to them now, who cares about anybody else.

Tyrion looks comfortable in a role that is familiar to him. He and Varys walk the streets of Meereen, trying to see what needs to be done for the city. They both notice that the attitude towards Dany has changed somewhat towards the negative, and there is a bit of humor when Tyrion’s poor Valyrian makes some lady think that he wants to eat her baby.

Jorah and Daario muse over how they both love Dany, and we get another glimpse at Jorah’s greyscale afflicted arm. They find the token she dropped in the grass and conclude (obviously) that she has been taken.

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Meanwhile, Dany is brought before the Khal of the Dothraki horde. They make jokes at her expense, most of them wanting to sleep with her, until she can’t take it anymore. In Dothraki, she tells them who she is, and after learning that she is a widow of a Khal, she is reassured that no one will bring her harm. However, she should be in Vaes Dothrak with the other widows and they seem intent on making sure she gets there.

Margaery is still imprisoned until she confesses her sins. She tells the high sparrow that she has nothing to confess, who says that she is getting there but still has a long way to go.

In Dorne, Ellaria Sand, and the Sandsnakes murder Doran Martell and his son, Trystane, and are determined that Dorne will no longer be ruled by “weak men.” Finally, we get to see more of these strong, sexy women!

Although, the first episode wasn’t lacking in action; there wasn’t much done to the story line that has been keeping everyone hyped up for most of the year. Jon Snow is still very much dead. Davos and a few of the men who are loyal to Snow, barricade themselves in a room away from the traitors.

Meanwhile, in the next room Melisandre is stripping naked. Does she never miss an opportunity to get naked? Anyway, one minute she is looking into the mirror and then flash, there is an old woman in her place. And she is ancient; white-haired, pale and droopy all over. At first, I thought a white-walker had taken her place, but it seems the big secret is that the Red Woman is very, very old.

My Thoughts?

It seems like they are setting up the next episode to be some kind of rising…although she seems to have lost some confidence in herself, I do believe that Melisandre does have the power to bring Jon Snow back.

I was a bit frustrated with this episode. I wanted to see him wake right away, but they are going to make us wait some more, apparently! Other that, I thought it was a pretty solid episode.

It will be nice to finally see Bran’s story, again, and I love the hopeful note in Sansa’s story now. Will we finally get to see Ramsay Bolton’s death in this season? God, I hope so!

What were your thoughts on last Sunday’s episode? Did you like it? What do you think will happen next?

Game of Thrones Season 5 finale Recap and Season 6 Predictions

If you haven’t watched Season 5 finale, spoilers ahead!

game-of-thrones-logoAs some of you know, Game of Thrones Season 6 premieres tonight and I am so excited that we will finally know the fate of Jon Snow!

Thought I’d write up a quick recap of where the characters were at the end of last season and what we might expect in this first episode that premieres tonight.

Last we saw them…

Arya Stark – Has defied the Many-Faced God by killing someone she was not supposed to. The last we see her, she has lost her eyesight as punishment.

Sansa Stark – Escapes with Theon Greyjoy, jumps over the wall of Winterfell and into the snow away from Ramsay.

Ramsay Bolton – Slaughters Stannis’s army in the snow.

Stannis Baratheon- Wife and daughter dead, and then he is Killed by Brienne of Tarth as revenge for Renly Baratheon’s death. (Good Riddance!)

Jaime Lannister – On their journey home from Dorne, he tells Myrcella she is his daughter. Myrcella is poisoned to death by Ellaria Sand as revenge for Prince Oberyn’s death.

Melisandre – Aka, The Red Woman, steals a horse and abandons Stannis when he is on the brink of war and rides to the wall. She arrives to give Davos Seaworth the bad news of Shireen’s death, and everyone else.

Cersei Lannister – After her walk of shame through the streets of King’s Landing, she finds herself somewhat broken. She finds comfort in the arms of a giant Knight, (who we can assume is Gregor Clegane, The Mountain, in Zombie form.)

Tyrion Lannister – Left to help rule Meereen in Dany’s absence along with Grey Worm, Missandei, and Varys.

Daenerys Targaryen – Ends up in the middle of no where when she takes off on her dragon Drogon. She gets captured by a Dothraki horde.

Daario and Jorah – Ride off in search of Dany.

Sam and Gilly – Ride off to old town, so Sam can become a Maester.

Jon Snow – Is betrayed by men of the Night’s Watch and killed. The last we see is Jon’s blood seeping into the snow.

Bran Stark – the last we saw of Bran was in season four, very north of the wall with the three-eyed raven.

What might we see in tonight’s episode? Will Jon Snow come back?

Is Jon Snow truly dead? The dead may walk in Game of Thrones and the Lord of Light might spare our handsome leader.

I think the Red Woman has arrived at the wall to bring Jon Snow back to life. And then Jon Snow will reappear as Jon Stark to kick some Bolton ass!

Sansa might have some of the same ideas in mind…to take back Winterfell and find her brothers.

We will also finally get to see Bran Stark in this season! In truth, I have no idea what his plans are, and can’t even guess.

Winter is Coming!!!

 

 

 

 

 

Well, I’ve Finally Killed My Darlings

You guys were so helpful when it came to my confusion when it came to killing characters. I loved the insight you gave me, and I meant to get back to my story right away, but then I got injured and I haven’t felt well to sit at my computer lately.

Well, this morning I woke up inspired and full of new ideas for my story and I’ve gone and done it: I’ve killed off my character, and boy, am I happier for doing so! (I did cry, but well, it was bound to happen.)

My story finally has a purpose, it has the meat that it was missing before! It needs a few more re-writes and scenes fleshed out, but it feels more complete than it ever did before.

Never thought I would say that I was happy about killing off a character, but I am! Poor thing! But she served her purpose, and now she is a hero and the story has a lot more sacrifice and heart because of it.

I’ve got to finally get around for the day, and get some other stuff done, but I’m proud that I got some good two hours of story writing in today!

Hope you guys are also having a productive Saturday!

Happy Writing!