Monthly Highlights - September 2016


September 29, 2016


   This year feels like it has been insane. Like ... where did it go? How is it the end of September already?!



   -We went to a harvest festival and watched the parade, which was tons of fun (albeit extremely sunny and incredibly crowded *shrugs*).   

   - I celebrated my sixteenth birthday on the eleventh, which was ah-mazing (I haven't spent all the money I received yet, but my awesome sisters bought me some books, a gazillion pens, and an Evenstar necklace. They knew me so well XD).

   - And (as you can plainly see) I started this blog - I'm super excited to see where this goes *nods*.

   - We went to an archery range with a group of friends and had an amazing time - I can't wait until we go again. I think I'm addicted XD.

   - I got new bookshelves! (yes, this totally deserves to be notated) I used to have one (which was nailed to the wall and was so full of books that we were a little worried that it would break and fall down on me in the night ...), and then my awesome dad built me two new ones. They are epic *nods*


   - IT'S FALL. Seriously, that's something of note for me. I love Autumn so much, you guys. Who cares that school has to start -  which other season has falling leaves, a cold scent in the air, and the distinct feel of adventure? (plus, the night falls early - good for making shadows out in the driveway or curling up with a book)


   - The 100-for-100 challenge ended, and it feels super weird not to be trying to force out a million words a day. It's just not right. Maybe I should have just kept going!

   - I worked on Killing Snow's sequel ... until 100-for-100 ended. I haven't touched it since :D.

   - I've also been working on random poems/writings on and off. They'll probably end on here soon enough.

   - I began studying a book, just for fun. WELL, I guess it's not quite studying it (because that would be so weird for me to choose to randomly do), it's more like reading it and scribbling notes everywhere in it with my gel pen. It feels so naughty, writing in a book like that XD. 


   - LOTS of trying to plot what I want to write for NaNoWriMo 2016. I'm considering just becoming a WriMo rebel and writing multiple stories at once. And, since we're on the topic ...

 The Game (I have more info on it on my 'Writings' page)

Unnamed (as of now)

   And those would be the two I'm deciding out of.


   OKAY so I did not keep track of the books I read this month. At all, really. It was probably about nine, but we'll just skip this section for this month *nods*. (I will say that I finished the Lunar Chronicles series this month and am starting on Stars Above. That just seems important)





   - 5 Things I Love About A Time To Die, in which I unleash my inner fangirl for this book that I should have discovered a long time ago.

   - The Pray For People And Country Tag, an epic tag that I made into a free-for-all, so go steal it. 

   - The Tolkien Tag - 2016, ALL the Tolkien things, people. All of them 

   - Book Review - A Time To Die by Nadine Brandes, which is my first book review I've posted. I plan to post more.

   - Hiding, one of my favorite poems I've written. 

   - Beautiful People - Ryan (2016), I fully intend to join in October's BP, because they're amazing.

   - The 100-for-100 Challenge - I Survived, in which I explain how I made it out alive (I think).

   - The Thing About Rules And Writing and how they don't always need to go together.

   - Let The Scribblings Begin, where I welcome you to my newly-founded blog

   I POSTED WAY TOO MUCH THIS MONTH. Oops XD.



   -Thirty followers. The meeting of this goal is up to you guys :D.

   - PLOTTING MY NANOWRIMO NOVEL(S). This seriously needs to happen. I mean, I don't fully plot out my novels (who even does that?) when I'm getting ready to write the first draft, I just like a vague idea of where things are going to go. And as of now ... well, let's just say that I don't really have much of an idea at all.

   - Turn one of my poems into a song. That would just be cool *nods*

     And that would be my September. Assuming I come out of October alive (I'm being crushed by schoolwork), I'll be back with another Highlights post in a month.

   *salutes*
   *exits*

~ Savannah Grace

How was your September? What books do you think I should read/review in October? Are you participating in NaNoWriMo?  

43 comments :

  1. Autumn. <3 It cooled of like THAT here. o.o It seriously only took one day, and I've gone from being in short sleeves and shorts to being in sweaters and jeans. I cozied up today with blankets while I did my schoolwork. FALL IS HERE! :D

    And there is no such thing as posting too much. *nodnod*

    Awesome new bookshelf! Aren't dad's amazing? Mine is super handy too, and he's been building my sisters and mother and I multiple bookshelves lately. <3

    NANO. ONE MONTH. AH. WAHT EVEN. O.o Plotting is eww right now. -.- I plot waaaay too intricately - basically fleshing out each. scene. - and I won't have time for that all. So I need to force myself to plan the OVERALL plot... making bullet points for the overall events, not each individual scene. :P

    Ooh, you've been writing more poetry! :D So have I. Most of it is raw and messy, but I guess that's what my goal was anyway. Poems just come straight from my heart, and I love that feeling. :)

    My September has been good, overall. We're still adjusting to being in a new place and all, which is always hard. Always has been. I just haven't had much peace about it, but when I step back, I can see how much I've learned from this move. I never thought it was possible that I could learn so much, but God's been teaching me so many things, for which I am so, so grateful.

    Also, major reading slump over here. -.- But after NaNo is over, I hope to buy some fabulous books and get back into reading. I miss being completely engulfed in a story. <3 (also, you mentioned the Lunar Chronicles. I've heard those are really good - did you like them? that would be a good series to review in October. *nods*)

    Anyway, I am ridiculously excited about fall and ridiculously excited about this blog. ^_^ So excited to see more posts! And more autumn colors. <3

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    1. Cool ALREADY?! Lucky XD. It's pretty chilly over here, but warm enough that I'm still in tee shirt and shorts. So really, it's perfect weather :D.

      ONE MONTH. I can't - just - *brain does not compute*. I CAN'T WAIT! Are you even a little prepared? I'm ... not really XD.

      I can't imagine moving as much as you do - I've lived in one place since I was six! It does sounds like it would be hard - I'm praying for you!

      That were super good! My sister and I read them together and loved them, I'll probably write a post about what I thought of them at some point *nods*.

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    2. Ahaha not so. xD I love autumn, but I started it out with a bang as I chased by puppy around the neighborhood for forty-five minutes and ran my lungs out in the cold. so then I had a bit of a cough that night. :P (seriously, though, this puppy is FAST.)

      My brain fails as well to understand. I'm so unprepared. Which I need to do something about, but I've just been so busyyy! *cries*

      Mmm, yes, it can be tough. Aww, thanks! God is slowly but surely giving me peace about it. And I just cannot with the lessons He's been teaching me! :O I never thought I would learn so much from one move.

      Ooh, good! :D I want to read them. *nods*

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    3. OOH I want a puppy so bad (even if it would mean getting a cough from chasing it in the cold XD)!

      And I just realized something. NaNo = less reading time. *wails* NO IDEA how I didn't realize that before. I suppose I can live with it ;(.

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    4. Yes, little Piper is your classic runaway puppy. I was SO relieved when I finally caught her - especially since she was running in the road. O.O (and yes, puppies are great fun, even if they are a lot of work. :D)

      Ah, yes. *cries with you* I have been in this ASLDFJSDFKL MAJOR READING SLUMP, and it just won't go away, + I don't have the time to work towards making it going away. :( After NaNo I hope to get a bunch of books and devour them.

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  2. There is no such thing as Savannah Grace posting too much! Absolutely out of the question!
    Ooh, you should read The Black Star of Kingston/The Green Ember! They're so good!

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    1. Well then ... *proceeds to write many more posts* :D
      With how much you've been telling me about them, I'm going to try and read one of the two in October! Can you read them out of order?

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    2. *thinking* Yeah, I think you could read them out of order. I can't think of anything that wouldn't make sense if you did.

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    3. Cool, because our library only has The Green Ember XD.

      Also, I'm joining in on a read-along of Emma that starts tomorrow, and I though I'd let you know in case you wanted to join in, too *nods* *gives you link*

      http://seasonsofhumility.blogspot.com/2016/09/youre-invited-to-emma-read-along.html

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  3. ACK Savvy, you've done SO MUCH in the last month. *confetti mushroom clouds*

    You've finished the Lunar Chronicles??? EEP. I loved them so much. Stars Above? Oooh I soooo want to read that. I've read the other novellas on wattpad but Stars Above has eluded me thus far.

    *tries not to be horrified at the writing-in-book-thing* Cool! I couldn't do it, but it's an interesting idea.

    THIS YEAR IS GOING WAY TO FAST AND I'VE ONLY GOT WEEKS LEFT TO PLOT THIS NANO THING AND AT THIS STAGE I HAVE NO CLUE WHAT THE STORY IS ACTUALLY ABOUT. Other than that it's the sequel to monsieur Scattlocke, it's about Agent Kit and there's several car chases and explosions. That's all I know. :D *tries not to panic* WE CAN DO THIS THING SAVVY!!!

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    1. Confetti mushroom clouds? That's certainly different - I like it! :D *confetti mushroom clouds*

      YES I did! I loved it! I'm not sure whether or not I should tell you to read Stars Above yet ... I'm only a few pages into it XD. But I'm hoping it will be as good as the others!

      The very idea of writing in a book would make me scream if it wasn't for the fact that I have two copies of that book - one super nice one that my sister got me for my birthday, one banged up copy from a thrift store. I'm writing in the banged up one XD.

      YES WE CAN!!! *sends you all the helpful writing dragons*

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    2. I always like to be creative. :P

      Ooh okay. Have you read Carswell's guide to being lucky? IT'S HILARIOUS. xD

      Well that's alright then. :)

      *takes all the dragons* *sends you a pizza oven* xD

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    3. Nope, but I saw the title and my brain went 'must read immediately!' But I'm not reading them out of order and Carswell's Guide To Being Lucky isn't until later in the book. Sadly. So I'll wait :D.

      *cooks lots of pizza in the oven* *sends oven back to the Fellowship of Keyboards* XD

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    4. (speaking of the Fellowship of the Keyboards, we're all missing you in your long absence :D)

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    5. (yeah, I really should have stopped by a long time ago ... *scampers away to do so* XD)

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  4. My September was great writing wise but pretty bad book wise. I did listen to the first book in the Princess Diaries series and LOVED it! It is narrated by Anne Hathaway which is super cool, and I actually liked the story line better in the book than the movie (even though I ADORE the movie!). I really started to work on my current book project and it seems like things are starting to work together, although I'm just in the planning faze so we will see. I love the picture of your annotated HP! I keep thinking of doing that to my copies but I'm scared. Good luck with planning your NaNo novel. I don't think I am going to participate this year, at least not in the traditional way. I'll probably just set a word goal for my current project and keep working away at it!

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    1. I watched the Princess Diaries movies with my sisters a couple years ago - I enjoyed them well enough, so I might give the books a shot at some point :). It's neat that Anne Hathaway narrated them!

      I think I'm addicted to writing notes in books (er - my second copies of the books I already own. I wouldn't write in my best ones!) :D.

      Good luck meeting your writing goal! *gives you motivational candy*

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  5. Monthly summary posts are too fun! I love seeing what all my dear peeps are up to. And it sounds like you had quite a full month!

    NEW BOOKSHELVES. Nearly as exciting as getting new books! ("Nearly" being the keyword here.) They look marvelous! :D And while we're on the subject of books, I'm gonna have to skip over to the fact that YOU FINISHED THE LUNAR CHRONICLES. *FLAILS* Only one of my favorite series EVER. THORNE AND CRESS FOREVERRR. Ahem. If you can't tell, I love that series. XD

    I love fall toooo! It's just so...adventuresome and exciting. And NANOWRIMO TIME. I'm ecstatic about NaNo this year! And SAVANNAH. Just by the collages alone, both your stories look so fascinating. o.o I'm especially intrigued by The Game. But also FAIRY THINGS? I want to know more about both of theeeese!

    I shall also be spending all of October plotting my NaNo. AND I CAN'T WAIT! :D But, um, HOOOOW is September practically over??? THIS IS NOT OKAY. You're right, this year has been insane!

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    1. YES NEW BOOKSHELVES! I loveth them to death - and I accidentally arranged my books on the bottom shelf in such a way that when I shine a flashlight, the books make a shadow of a castle on the wall. IT IS EPIC.

      The Lunar Chronicles was SO good! Marissa Meyer is a GENIUS - I can't wait until Heartless comes out, though it sounds like it has the potential to be really weird. I'm going to give it a try anyways XD.

      NANO. I have so much school to do in November that my family is unsure whether I can get to 50k or not BUT I WILL DO IT XD. *crosses fingers*

      Plotting month! I can't believe that we're only /this/ far from actually beginning all of that fabulous craziness! We shall survive *nods*.

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  6. Happy 16th!!

    Ooh, I also got an Evenstar necklace this month. :D It's so pretyyy, isn't it?

    I love your bookshelf! Harry Potter + Narnia= YESS.

    I really need to finish the Lunar Chronicles, if just to see Kai and Cinder finally together. :)

    Lovely post! :D

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    1. Thank you, Meredith!

      It is! I LOVE how shimmer-y the necklace gets in the light *nods*.

      OOH yes, you must finish! The ending is superb :D.

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  7. Happy Birthday! And all of those presents sound delightful. :)

    Wow! You've gathered quite the following in such a short time. That's impressive. :D

    LITERALLY YES. I AM SO HAPPY IT'S FALL. The leaves on the maple tree in our backyard is all crimson and yellow, and I loVE IT SO MUCH.

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    1. Thank you! Yes, they are quite delightful *nods*.

      ... yeah, I guess I have - didn't really think of it that way until you said something XD. Thanks!

      Yes, ALL the pretty leaves, and ALL the cute warm sweaters and scarves we can now wear! (other than I'll probably still be wearing a tee shirt and shorts until winter comes, I can PRETEND that maybe I'll get cold enough to wear a sweater :D)

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  8. I bought myself an Evenstar necklace just the other day and have been wearing it whenever I can since! I like the top photo there it is very pretty.

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  9. Happy late birthday!!! It looks like you've had a great month-archery, so fun! And Evenstar necklace- YESSSSSS. Oh, and your stories look AMAZING. The Game already looks interesting!!! I've loved aaaaaallllll your posts and can't wait to see more!

    My month was great! My family received our TA (travel approval) from China, and ironcially on the same day as Hanna's family. I posted two months too late about our LOA (letter of acceptance). And random: today, my family went shopping for things for Matthias and then we ate at a really good Chinese restaurant. We're thisclose!

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    1. Thank ya, Micaiah! I REALLY need to decide how I'm going to go about writing my NaNoWriMo story - but as of now it sounds like I'm going to become a WriMo rebel and just write EVERYTHING instead of a single story XD.

      I READ YOUR POST AND IT'S SO EXCITING! *tosses confetti* Whoa, you got it on the same day that the Rothfuss' did? That's so neat XD. Do you know when you'll be going to China to get Matthias?

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    2. You're welcome! =) Oh, rebel, yes! I'm not doing Nano this year, chickening out, especially since my month will be busy.

      Thank you! I know, it is so neat! My parents go to China at the end of the month. Ssssooooo excited!

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  10. Hi, Savannah! Just wanted to say a loud "Amen!" to what you said about fall!!! I DONT HAVE WORDS FOR HOW MUCH I LOVE FALL.

    Also, I am super jealous of your shelves!!! I've never had any but as soon as I move out it will be PRIORITY!!!

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    1. Hi, Kayla! FALL IS EPIC. Everything about it is epic *nods*.

      YES, priority. A home for books is always priority :D.

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  11. NEW BOOKSHELVES AND AN EVENSTAR PENDANT. I approve. *thumbs up* (Also, I reallllllly need to get a new bookshelf of my own. I have stacks of books just sitting in my room. XD I had a dream my mom bought me a new one so maybe it will happen?)

    FALLLLL. I love fall so much! *hugs self* It's such a beautiful season!

    NANO IS COMING. I haven't officially announced this on my blog yet, but I'M DOING IT. I'm doing NaNo! Honestly, I think I'm rather insane. Because how on EARTH will I write 50k whilst doing college classes? SOMEONE HELP ME, I'M ALREADY DYING.

    Loved this post, Savannah! (And how do you already have 26 followers??? I mean...I only have 24 through GFC, and I've been blogging for nine months. O.O)

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    1. *gives the bookshelves and Evenstar pendant the stamp of approval from Mary* XD YES, YOU NEED A BOOKSHELF! I loveth mine so much *nods*.

      YAY FOR YOU, MARY! We shall brave the horrendous-ness that is NaNo (... while doing school ...) together! *fistbump* *and gives you candy, because that always helps*

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  12. AHH I spot Princess Acadmemy!! That is one of my favorite books ever. <3 (ugh, but I won't mention the sequel. That just didn't click with me. -.-)

    SO EXCITED THAT YOUR BLOG IS UP AND RUNNING AND IT MAKES ME SO HAPPY. xD And dude. I just have to say -- you're everywhere. I am visiting all the blogs this evening, and you have commented on nearly every one of them. HOW MANY BLOGS DO YOU FOLLOW, GIRL? How do you keep track of them?!? Majorly impressed.

    // katie gravce
    a writer's faith

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    1. It's so good *nods*. Did you read the last book in that trilogy? I haven't read it in FOREVER so I can't remember if it was that good or not *shrugs*.

      THANK YOU, KATIE! I'M SUPER EXCITED TOO XD. And WELL, I follow a lot of blogs. ALL THE BLOGS XD.

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  13. Happy (late) birthday, Savannah! :)
    I enjoyed reading about the highlights from your month. =)

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  14. Oh my goodness I did that with a Harry Potter book too! I never actually got very far though...but it was really interesting.
    I'm halfway through the Lunar Chronicles, but I haven't been able to get the third book yet.

    https://annadeubell.blogspot.com/

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    1. Really? That's so cool! *highfive* I'm only three chapters in, so we'll see how it goes :D.
      I hope you're able to get Cress soon! Then you can finish the series - it's really good *nods*.

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  15. That's so cool that you got an Evenstar necklace!

    Going to an archery range sounds like so much fun.

    New bookshelves! I don't think I've seen that edition of the Narnia books before... Is that the Dawn Treader on the spine? Ooh, and Princess Academy! It's been way too long since I read that but it's one of my favorites. :) What do you think of Stars Above?

    Your NaNo collages look really cool! I really like the second one. :) It's kind of hard to believe NaNo is so close now!

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    1. Yup, that's the Dawn Treader - I got one version that had the White Witch (from the movie) on the cover and I didn't prefer that design, so I bought the Dawn Treader on instead. It's much prettier :D.

      Thank you! I'm super excited for NaNo to start. Are you participating this year (I almost feel like I should know this already ... *shrugs*)?

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    2. I am. :) I haven't done my "official" announcement blog post yet, though I've been posting about it elsewhere. I should have it posted this week though. :)

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  16. Oh happy belated birthday!! (An Evenstar?! THAT IS SO COOL!!) And good luck with the NaNo plotting! Honestly narrowing down projects is sooo hard sometimes.😂 People always say "go with what you love best" to me, but like what happens when I love all my projects the same amount?! hehe. Life is hard for we writers. ;) Also congrats on doing the 100x100!! You probably deserve a break after working that hard for so long! :D

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    1. Thank ya, Cait!
      I DECIDED TO QUIT ON PLOTTING. I'm going to pants my NaNo novels - no more work for me! XD AND I'm becoming a WriMo rebel and writing them both. BECAUSE I CAN *nods*. Good luck to you, too!

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