looking ahead

Spent the afternoon cutting out a bunch of snowflakes
and listening to bands I loved in high school.

With the New Year just a short ways away, I've started to think of resolutions for 2013. I didn't follow through with a few of the resolutions I made last year, so I thought I'd roll them over to this year and give it another shot.
01 Read 50 books (it's a scary thought, and I've never tried it, but I thought I'd give it a go this year. We'll see what happens!)
02 Learn a foreign language (for real this time)
03 Participate in Script Frenzy
04 Participate in and win NaNoWriMo (I was very disappointed I didn't win this year)
05 Enter in a horse show
06 Generally focus more on reading and writing
07 Possibly create and publish book reviews in a different media (possible details to come!)
But before I start the new year I'd like to enjoy the holidays and tie up the loose ends of things that have been hanging over my head over the past few days (ie writing a book review, and take out a loan to pay off my library fine...)

Review: 12 Days of Krista May Rose

The autumn semester is finally drawing to a close. The past few days have been ridiculously stressful as I've worked on my formal papers and essays. Tomorrow the last of my papers is due, and after that I'll be able to relax and enjoy the holiday season (and perhaps write a short story that's been buzzing around in my head)! This week, in between researching, outlining, and writing rough drafts, I was able to squeeze in a bit of leisure reading, and finished 12 Days of Krista May Rose by fellow NaNoWriMo writer Rebeccah Giltrow.

12 Days of Krista May Rose
Author: Rebeccah Giltrow
Rating: ★★★★

Like an Advent calendar surprise, each tale of Rebeccah Giltrow's "12 Days of Krista May Rose" is a bittersweet treat. Beginning with her in utero Christmas, readers catch a brief glimpse into the inviting life of Krista May Rose during twelve very different Christmases of her life. Throughout the collection of related tales, life becomes more complicated for Krista, and for some of her Christmases, the glitter is rubbed off and she's left with a memory perhaps more bitter than sweet.

Rebeccah Giltrow's 12 Days of Krista May Rose is a quick read -- perfect for the winter season to read between the business of holiday shopping and Yuletide festivities. Krista's experiences are sure to evoke nostalgic memories of readers' Christmases past. I easily fit 12 Days into my schedule; it was a much needed break from the chaos of the holiday season at work and end of the semester assignments.

Recommended for readers looking for a quick read and something to get in the mood for the winter holidays.

December

Today is the first of December and I regret to say that I am not basking in the glory of writing 50,000 words. I am, however, very happy that I participated in NaNoWriMo this year and am somewhat content with what I've written and plotted so far. My novel didn't end with November; I plan on picking it up again in January (or sometime this month, if I can find time between holiday festivities).

Today I enjoyed a delicious lunch and fika (that's Swedish for coffee break) to celebrate the end of NaNoWriMo and what I feel is the official beginning of the holiday season. It's exciting to see houses decked out with tacky holiday lights and shops alight with tinsel and white lights. Everything is white, glittering, and beautiful. My silver Christmas tree is up and I'm ready to burn holiday candles (Christmas cookie flavour).

Regardless of the overly-hyped and probably misinterpreted Mayan prediction of the end of the year, which is widely anticipated to end in an awful mess, I continue to have high hopes for December. Starting this month and continuing through the new year I'm going to start book reviews again. I took a hiatus of reading, reviewing, and blogging in November because of NaNoWriMo and end of semester work. Now that all that is wrapped up (semester ends next week!) I can focus on writing reviews and starting to work as a freelance copy editor.

Looking forward to in December:
// Writing more reviews
// Watching season two of BBC's The Hour (the first season was brilliant!)
// Seeing The Hobbit and Skyfall
// Christmas shopping