I didn't make it

I didn't make it, but I got soooooooooooo close! I am ending tonight at 45,121. The only reason I'm stopping is that I have a test to study for tomorrow. But just because I didn't finish this month doesn't mean I'll stop working on my novel!

More Words...

I've only gotten to 34,006 words today. I have a lot of work to do tomorrow, so I'd better get a lot of sleep!

I've Topped 20,000!

I topped 20,000 tonight at 10:20 PM! Although I still have a LONG way to go, I think I've made considerable progress. I'm going to be spending a long time in the car tomorrow, so I hope I can get to 30,000 or more tomorrow. I'm not positive if my grandmother has the Internet, so I might not be posting for a few days, but I'm not sure.

More Words

I am now up to 18,093. I am absolutely positive I won't make it now, but I'm going to continue this novel because it is much better than the one from last year.

Picture Bride (book review)

Picture Bride, by Yoshiko Uchida,is the story of twenty-one-year-old Hana Omiya, a Japanese immigrant who has come to America to marry a man she has yet to meet. She is one of many picture brides coming in from Japan in the early twentieth century. At first, Hana finds herself unhappy and in love with another man, but over time, although her husband Taro Takeda may not be handsome, she discovers that he loves her more than anyone else. Together, Taro and Hana raise a child whom they love, but who disappoints them in the end. And together, after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, they are sent to the desert detention camps to wait out the war. Can both of them make it through the challenges of the influenza plague and having their daughter run away, or will this be the end of Taro and Hana's now-happy marriage for good?

I really enjoyed this book, although it was extremely sad and showed the prejudice that Americans had against foreigners in that time. I loved to watch Hana's feelings toward Taro gradually change from quiet acceptance to true love, and I enjoyed watching Hana's daughter grow up, although I was just as disappointed as they were when she ran away with her boyfriend. I thought this book was fantastic! Although it got off to a slow start, it picked up quickly and I was hooked throughout!

I give this book four out of five stars.

This book was for the A-Z Challenge.

Dream Saga (book review)

Dream Saga #2, by Megumi Tachikawa, is the story of 5th Grader Yuuki Wakasa, and her adventures in the dream world Takamagahara. She is the legendary Horizon Girl, one of the few people who can freely access both Takamagahara and Nakatsukuni (our world). Yuuki is on a quest to save Takamagahara, along with her four companions. But she may be too late...the balance between Takamagahara and Nakatsukuni is starting to fail, and soon it may not be possible to distinguish what is a dream and what is "real". Japan's municipal water has turned red, and Yuuki suspects that something in Takamagahara has caused it. Can she and her band of friends solve the mystery in time?

I really liked the plot of this story, but the drawings were slightly confusing. In some parts, the lines were very faint and in others they were almost bold. The illustrations seemed to almost flow together. But overall this story was very good.

I give it three out of five stars.

Fruits Basket Book One (book review)

Fruits Basket Book One, by Natsuki Takaya, is the tale of high school student Tohru Honda, an orphan who lives in a tent in the forest...until she discovers the household of the Sohmas, a family with an ancient curse. They are possessed by the vengeful spirits of the animals of the Zodiac, and occasionally they transform into those animals. Having given Tohru a home, the Sohmas expect her to keep their secret...and it isn't as easy as it sounds.

This story was spiced up with the perfect amount of romance and magic. I like the idea of the Zodiac spirits, and I'm eager to read the next book to find out more about the Sohmas!

I give this book 5 out of 5 stars.

This book was for the Graphic Novel Challenge.

Angelic Layer #1 (book review)

Angelic Layer #1, by Clamp, is the story of twelve-year-old Misaki Suzuhara. She has recently discovered a new sport, Angelic Layer, where players pit their angels against one another in a game of wit and strategy. Misaki is already captivated by the game, but she doesn't have the money or experience to build her own angel. So, with the help of a crazy scientist named Icchan, Misaki will give it all she's got to build a winning angel.

She's already showing incredible talent, but what will happen when Misaki goes against an Angelic Layer champion...who just happens to be a five-year-old? With Icchan and her school friends backing her 100%, can Misaki still win the Angelic Layer Crown?

This graphic novel was okay, but it wasn't as good as some of the other books I've read by Clamp. I don't think I'll be rushing out to get the next ones. Even though I was disappointed by this book, I'm not going to stop reading books by Clamp.

More Words, but not much more

I've only gotten to 13,002 today, since it was much busier than expected. Tomorrow, the whole night after 4:15 is off, which sucks. I'll probably only get to 14,000 tomorrow, which was my goal for today:(

Another Update

I'm now up to 12,168! Since I'll be busy tomorrow, too, I hope I can get up to 14,000 or 15,000.

The Next Update

I've now gotten to 10,108 words. I would write more, but I am soooo tired. I am going to be very busy the next day, so I only expect to get to maybe 12,000 then.

Next Update

I have now gotten up to 8,014 words. It's disappointing, but it's already late tonight and I should probably be stopping now.

More Words!

I've gotten up to 5,547 words! I probably won't (no, make that definitely won't) reach my goal by tomorrow, but I hope I can still finish my story by the end of November...

Starting Over

Since my previous story has been lost, I'm starting a new one. I know it's really late, but I'm going to try anyway. Today I've gotten to 2,270. My goal for the end of the weekend is 20,000. Who knows. Maybe I'll actually reach it for once!

P.S.--For some reason NaNoWriMo won't let me log in, so I guess I'll just be posting my word count here. Is anyone else experiencing the same problems?

Star in the Storm (book review)

Star in the Storm, by Joan Hiatt Harlow, takes place in the small Newfoundland village of Bonnie Bay. Twelve-year-old Maggie, her younger cousin Vera, and their Newfoundland dog Sirius have become targets of the wrath by Howard Rand, the richest man in the village, and his daughter Tamar. Tamar has never liked Sirius, and when one of her sheep is killed by a dog, she blames it on him. Maggie knows that Sirius would never do such a thing, but there is no way that she can convince Tamar of that. Soon, Howard Rand passes a law that forbids all dogs except sheepherding ones.

Maggie will never give up Sirius, so she hides him away in a secret cave which only she and Vera know about. But on the night of a dangerous storm, a steamer carrying more than 100 people crashes into the rocks near Bonnie Bay. No one will dare risk heading out into the wild waters to save the people. Maggie knows that Sirius can swim as well as a fish, but if she brings him out of hiding, she will be risking his life. Can Sirius find a way to save the passengers' lives...and his own?

I thought this book was very good for a first novel. It had a heroic dog, a witch of a girl, and lots of wild adventures! It took place in a unique location, and the author mixed in the legends and daily life of Newfoundlanders among the rest of the book.

I give this book 4 out of 5 stars.

I am using this book for the weather-event title in my What's In A Name Challenge.

Unofficially Joining Graphic Novel Challenge

I'm proud to announce that I'm unofficially joining the Graphic Novel Challenge hosted by Dewey. Here is my list so far:

Dream Saga #2 by Megumi Tachikiwa

Fruits Basket #1 by Natsuki Takaya

Angelic Layer #1 by Clamp

This challenge sounds fun! I'm excited to start it!

The Strand Prophecy (book review)

The Strand Prophecy, by J.B.B. Winner, was an epic science fiction tale about a reluctant superhero and his family. "Strand", as he is known, is also the wealthy technological genius Steve Cutter, who lives on an enormous boat named Gaia. He is the only one who can protect the innocent against rapidly evolving creatures whose first choice of prey is: us.

Soon, Steve (or Strand) is on a whirlwind journey around the world to stop the mutated creatures before they become out of hand. Along the way he and his eclectic crew made up of a robot, a super-monkey, an aquatic humanoid, and a veterinarian are trying their best to save the human race...while at the same time hiding Strand's true identity from his niece, Anna.

I absolutely loved this book! It was funny, scary, and packed with advanced technology that right now we can only dream about. The characters were believable, and you felt as if you really got to know and love them over time. I can't wait for the next installment in this series!

This book gets 5 out of 5 stars.

The Sweet Far Thing (book review)

The Sweet, Far Thing is the third installment in the Gemma Doyle Trilogy by Libba Bray. The book takes place in 1895, at Spence Academy for Young Ladies in England. Schoolgirl Gemma, and her friends, the spunky Felicity and the somewhat timid Ann, are struggling to return to the enchanted world they now know as the Realms. But when they finally manage to return, the girls find that things are not the same. The mythical creatures of the forest want their share of Gemma's magic--and they'll stop at nothing to get it. And the girls' friend Pippa, lost to the Realms forever, is not the same Pip that they know and love. She is becoming more and more like the evil creatures of the Winterlands each day.

Outside of the Realms, the girls are facing problems as well. Gemma's love, Kartik, plans to run away...without her. Ann's dream of being an actress is slowly slipping away, and Felicity may not receive her inheritance at all. Together, and with the help of some unlikely allies, can the girls save the Realms...and their futures?

This book was just as good as the first two, maybe even better. It was a perfect mix of humor, sadness, action, mystery, and magic. The characters were complex and realistic, and there was an eclectic mix of them. I was very sad when this book came to an end.

This book is a substitute for the Chunkster Challenge.

Four Challenges Finished!

After going through my list of books read and listing a bunch of alternatives, I am proud to announce that I have finished four challenges:

1st in a Series
Back To History
What An Animal
Young Adult

Now I get four free books:)

Disappointing News

Our computer (where I have my story) has a big problem, so I haven't been able to write at all today, and might not get to for a few days. I also didn't have a chance to post yesterday, so I'll do it now--I got up to a little more than 15,500 yesterday.

NaNoWriMo Day 6

Well, I passed my goal! I am now up to 12,547. I would have written more, but I have a lot of homework to do tonight. Tomorrow's goal is 15,500.

NaNoWriMo Day 5

Another disappointing day...I was very busy today, and I will be tomorrow. I only had about twenty-five minutes to write at the most, and my word count is now 10,585. Tomorrow I will set a more realistic goal--12,000. I know that is a lot less than my goal for today, but it is much more realistic!

NaNoWriMo Day 4

Well, I got to 10,027. I don't want to set my goal for tomorrow too high, but I'm really hoping I can get to 15,000 tomorrow, or more!

NaNoWriMo Day 3

I haven't gotten close to my goal AT ALL yet--I'm only up to 8,254 words!! And, since I have a very busy day tomorrow, I probably won't get much done then. My goal by the end of tomorrow is 10,000 words...

NaNoWriMo Day 2

I've been working on my story a lot more today, and have managed to get my word count up to 7,012. I didn't reach my goal for the weekend, but I hope I can get 11,000 by tomorrow!

NaNoWriMo Day 1

The first day of NaNoWriMo has ended! My word count so far is 3,268. I feel pretty good about my progress, but I have a lot of writing to do tomorrow to top 10,000, which is my goal for the weekend.