JANUARY HIGHLIGHTS // 2018

Saturday, January 27, 2018
Here is the first wrap-up post of the new year! January isn't quite over, but it will be in a few more days. (which means that we're 1/12 of the way through the year! yikes.) It felt so weird typing in 2018 for the post title. 'Tis insane.

I started off 2018 by celebrating Christmas. Yes, that sounds confusing, but we had to postpone our celebrations because of sickness. It's that time of year where everyone and their cousin's cat has come down with some cold/flu/sore throat/etc type of thing. I basically need to enter a quarantine center to stay away from it all. o.o 

One of my favorite presents for Christmas (Though I don't think I can actually narrow it down to one favorite, because each is special in it's own way. :P) was a daisy tote bag that I can use for lugging all of my writing stuff to and from the coffeeshop! Daisies are my favorite flower -- they're happy-looking, and I like happy things. :)


It's been a cold January. And to make things worse, during one of the coldest weeks (when we were experiencing temperatures in the -20s, brrr), our family's car lost heat. That was not a fun week of travel to and from work. xD BUT THANKFULLY IT'S FIXED! But it was strange seeing my breath in the car and losing feeling in my fingers. xD

Speaking of winter, I WATCHED THE WINTER SOLDIER THIS MONTH. Goodness, I adore that movie. So many feelings. and scenes that brought tears to my eyes. <3 <3 Also, the countdown for Infinity Wars continues. 96 DAYS! (I apologize, but I probably won't stop screaming about it until it comes out. :P)

I saw Darkest Hour in the theater which was pretty good! My favorite part about the whole experience was this nice, old dude who sat next to me. He started talking about how he lived through the history of the movie and fought in the Korean War. I think it's so cool to hear about a stranger's story. (and kind of sad, because you'll probably never see them again)

A random joke that I came across while procrastinating: Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana. (it took me a moment to get it, but when I did I couldn't stop laughing)



Fawkes [5/5] YOU GUYS. YOU NEED TO READ THIS WHEN IT COMES OUT. It's a beautiful historical/fantasy retelling of Thomas Fawkes and the gunpowder plot. Nadine's words are magical. :D

The Picture of Dorian Gray [3/5] I actually enjoyed this one! Usually classics aren't my cup of tea, but THAT ENDING. Oh my gosh it was great. o.o

Scythe [5/5] This was a reread in anticipation for the sequel coming out! It's been awhile since I've read this one so I forgot some of the twists that happened. xD 

Thunderhead [4/5] This was the sequel to Scythe! And... it wasn't as good as the first one. *sobs* It was still interesting... but... kind of long. And I didn't care for some of the characters. Sigh. I'm still excited for the third one, though!


After taking a couple months off, I'm back into the swing of edits! Right now I'm working on the third draft of Where Shadows Lie, and having a really fun time with it (me, having fun editing? whaaaaaat?). In February I plan to do a post explaining my process with third-drafting. I'm editing on paper for the first time (which means fun pens and notebooks!) and it's been so incredibly helpful.

As I finish up chapters of this third draft, I'm meeting with my friend Emma to exchange chapters with each other. I'm not going to lie: it was terrifying. This is the first time anyone's read past the first three pages, but she's already proven to be so helpful with her comments. And it's so good to meet in person so I can ask her questions and get an immediate, honest answer. 

I already have a page filled with things to change -- and that's just from her reading the first three chapters. The edits just never stop. xD

Here are the posts I published this month! If you missed any of them, clicking on the picture will lead you to the post. :)




That's all I've got for today (I feel like this was a shorter monthly highlights post?) -- I hope the last couple days of January are absolutely fabulous for all of you! These next few days are filled with work and school and writing for me (and a dentist appointment, ugh), but they should be good anyway. It's what you make of it, right?

I'd love to hear about your January! Did the first month of the year live up to your expectations? If this month was a bit chaotic and crazy, don't fear, because you're not alone in that. And February's coming up for a fresh, new start. *puts on cool sunglasses* Let's go and conquer.

<3,
katie grace

did you see any good movies this month?

42 comments :

  1. First comment!! *celebrates with pizza*

    I SAW MAZE RUNNER: THE DEATH CURE ON THURSDAY NIGHT AT THE PREMIERE AND I CRIED ALMOST NONSTOP FOR LIKE THE LAST HOUR AND NOW I'M EMOTIONALLY DEAD AND I DON'T KNOW HOW TO FEEL ANYMORE. *goes and cries for eternity*

    Sorry....um, it made me kind of emotional, in case that was unclear. 😐 Have you seen any of the Maze Runner movies? I think you've mentioned reading the books, but I can't remember.

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    1. YAY TAKE ALL THE PIZZA THAT YOU WANT!

      Oh my gosh, that sounds... terrifying. Amazing and yet awful. xD I haven't seen any of the Maze Runner movies and now I'm not sure if I want to. SHOULD I AVOID THE PAIN OR GREET IT OPENLY? :P

      And I read the first... two books? I never read past those.

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    2. *eats alllll the pizza*

      YES GO WATCH THEM THEY DEVIATE SO MUCH FROM THE BOOKS, BUT I DON'T EVEN CARE. THEY ARE FABULOUS AND WONDERFUL AND BASICALLY THE PERFECT DYSTOPIAN TRILOGY.

      Ah yeah. The Death Cure book is really unsatisfying cause you never get any answers. The Kill Order was too slow in pacing for me and The Fever Code was alright, but I'd been slung on that fandom for so long that I needed a break after that one lol.

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    3. Hehe, good to know! When the movie first came out my mom thought it was too violent, but I'm sure I'm able to watch it now. *nodnod* I've been wanting to for awhile!

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  2. Winter Solider is my favorite Marvel movie! I can't wait for Infinity Wars (But, they'll leave us on a cliff hanger because it's a two part movie. Nooooo!) I'm also working on editing one of novels this month. I didn't finish doing it, but it was a nice experience.
    -Rose
    https://apurposeofwingeddogs.wordpress.com/

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    1. *doesn't want to think about the cliffhanger* *remains in denial* Either that or it's going to end heartbreakingly sad. *sniff*

      Yay!! Go you for at least making progress on your novel! :D Just starting edits is a big task. :P

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  3. Ah, I love the Winter Soldier so much!! Bucky is most definitely one of my favorite Marvel characters. CANNOT WAIT FOR INFINITY WAR!
    Hmm, I’ve seen a lot of movies in the theater these past few months—Justice League, Murder on the Orient Express, The Last Jedi (AMAZING), and my friend and I saw The Death Cure last night. AWESOME BUT HEARTBREAKING.

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    1. YES THE DEATH CURE ALDBFKSOFNSBS IT WAS SO HEARTBREAKING OMW.

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    2. BUCKYYYY. Goodness he's the best. He makes every movie a whole lot better. xD

      EVERYONE IS SAYING THAT THE DEATH CURE IS HEARTBREAKING. I don't know why it is... but it makes me nervous to even start watching that series. xD

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    3. Haha yes, be scared Katie Grace. If you watch the movies, I promise your life will be officially ruined by The Death Cure. It was so painful and heartbreaking at the end, but it was also one of the best movies I have ever seen. So I definitely recommend wholeheartedly.

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  4. This month was honestly the fastest xD Reminds me to actually make a february bullet journal spread. I have read two books so far this year and I think I'll be able to read even more in the next month.

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    1. Right?? Ooh, and have you written a post about your bullet journal? Because I'd love to take a "look inside." :)

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  5. Well I’m finally back to writing again, and this ones about shadow and light manipulators and unrest and its exciting! Plus work is going great since I’ve gotten into 2018. Overall blessings there.
    Lol ok I procrastinated the question long enough. *whispers* I saw Starwars twice in theatres because I loved it. ITS SO AMAZING THO.

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    1. Whoahh, that sounds cool! My current WIP is about shadows so our novels can be "sisters" in that way. :) Ooh, and where do you work?

      YAY STAR WARS! I really enjoyed the movie as well. :D

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  6. I really like The Picture of Dorian Grey. It's a classic that actually has things happening in the book. XD

    Oh no! Sad to hear that Thunderhead wasn't as good as Scythe, but then again, what could be? Oh well, we can't win em all.

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    1. Heh, right? I don't normally enjoy classics, so rating this book a "three" is pretty good. (like I despised Pride and Prejudice. I WAS SO BORED. :P)

      Ha, that is the ultimate question. I'm excited there's going to be a third one, though! For some reason I thought it was only a duology so that was a nice surprise.

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  7. WINTER SOLIDER THO *cries* and ooooohhhh myyyyy worrddddd. INFINITY WAR IS GOING. TO BE. THE BEST. Like, ever. I’m SO EXCITED!

    Yay for exciting, haha! Glad you’re enjoying it!
    ~ riley aline

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  8. The Winter Soldier is probably my favorite Marvel movie... it's a tie between that one and Civil War! As for movies I watched this month, I rewatched Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl and it was as amazing as ever. :D

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    1. Yes!! I adore that one as well. I think Spiderman: Homecoming is one of my favorites as well. They're all so good. xD

      I've only seen the first one of Pirates of the Caribbean, I think?

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  9. I've been waiting and waiting for my library to get Thunderhead... but I was nervous that, like you said, it wouldn't live up to my expectations. *sighs* Oh well. My January was pretty great! Busy and chaotic and crazy, but lots of good things happened.

    Hailey
    www.haileyhudson.wordpress.com

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    1. I'd still go ahead and check it out! I feel like the last one is going to be really good with how it ended. :D

      I'm glad your January was great!

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  10. Can't believe January is almost over! You always seem to have such good books. I really want to read Scythe!

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    1. YES YOU SHOULD REALLY READ SCYTHE. It was fantastic and one of my favorite books to this day. :D

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  11. I watched Remember the Titans this month, and it was SO GOOD. Winter Soldier is amazing too! =D My favorite Captain America movie is Civil War for sure. I'm really looking forward to Black Panther!

    Micaiah @ Notebooks and Novels

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    1. Eep, Black Panther is coming out so soon! I cannot wait. :D

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  12. The Winter Soldier is one of my favorite Marvel films ever, but it also gets so emotional at the end with Cap and Bucky. I saw the Darkest Hour and loved the hope that the movie displayed even though they were British. I hope to see The Greatest Showman before the month ends.

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    1. I knowww. *sobs* It nearly broke my heart.

      YES YOU SHOULD TOTALLY SEE THE GREATEST SHOWMAN. I thought it was really well done. :D

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  13. LESS THAN ONE HUNDRED DAYS TILL INFINITY WAR! *freaks out again. I'm going to make one of those paper chains so I can tear one off every day and savor the countdown. XD

    I saw the Greatest Showman on New Years Eve and it is probably in my top five favorite movies of all time. The music, the acting, the cinematography! SOO good.

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    1. Oh my goodness are you actually? That's the best idea ever. You're my hero. xD

      YES IT WAS SO GOOD! I think I liked La La Land a little bit better musical-wise... but this was definitely epic. :D

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  14. I had big plans to read a lot of books this month, but that didn't happen, lol. January was pretty hectic, but let's see:
    - started a bullet journal
    - wrote a lot of nonfiction
    - took a lot of photos

    As for movies, my siblings and I really want to go see The Greatest Showman. We've been listening to the soundtrack, and we're hooked.

    best,
    k.

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    1. Ooh how is the bullet journaling going? I did that all throughout last year, but ultimately decided to go with a simple planner for 2018.

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    2. It's a little hard to keep up with, honestly (considering like, today, I have to finish out Jan. and start Feb. ha). But I think it'll get easier with practice. : )

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  15. DAISIES. FAWKES. COOL PENS AND EDITING.
    Aaaaah yes yes.
    That method of editing looks so fun though. o-o *may borrow that* xP

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    1. DO IT. I'm actually doing a post on editing on Saturday, so yay! :P

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  16. I actually haven't watched any movies in forEVER, but I've been reading a lot!! The past two books I read were both five-stars, so that's been great! (Cinder by Marissa Meyer and A Study in Charlotte by Brittany Cavallero if you're interested XD) I also really REALLY want to go see The Greatest Showman because I've literally not seen a negative review so far.

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    1. Okay, I keep hearing good things about A Study in Charlotte! Maybe I keep hearing it from you over different social medias... but I need to check it out. xD

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  17. It's okay to scream about Infinity War. I'll be here, screaming with you. XD

    Editing on paper is sooooo fun!! It somehow feels more professional? I don't know, maybe that's just me. XD

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    1. GOOD. xD

      I think it maybe does a bit? xD I don't know -- there's something nice about it. :P

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  18. Oh dear... my comment disappeared. Here it is again:
    Fawkes looks like an amazing book! I'd love to read it sometime.
    I have never seen any Marvel movies, but I'd like to see Doctor Strange after I watched the trailer the other day, and since its starring one of my favorite actors. :) Have you seen it?

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  19. EEP EDITING!!! Goshdarnit now I really want to go edit my novel. Could school please go away for a bit??

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  20. Oooooh! Editing!! I AM NOT ALONE! Your notes looks so pretty and nice and ACK, I'M ALL THE JEALOUS! I'm editing on my laptop, but I'm also completely rewriting a lot of scenes, so it's easier that way, I guess. XD Still, YOUR NOTES LOOK SO PRETTYYYYY!!!

    And that joke is absolute perfection, by the way. XD I am 100% in love with it, hahahaha!!! XD

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don't be shy to hang out in the comment section!
make frens, check back for my replies, keep things clean, shout about pizza, squeal about books, moan about editing... all that cool stuff.