October In Hindsight: Bookish Conquests and Other Things
Happy First Day of November Everybody!
Can you believe how fast this year has gone? It’s almost Christmas time! Crazy, right?
I’m still in shock honestly, but love the fall and winter, so I’m hoping these days drag out a bit.
This month has honestly been a bit trying for me. I was dealing with some serious work issues, and have had to come to terms with some tough revelations in that time.
While I wish I could achieve better happiness during the 9 to 5, for the time being I may just have to meditate on it and try to stay as calm as possible despite my serious reservations about the way I’ve been treated unfairly and targeted(yep, I’m finally okay with saying it. It sucks, but there it is).
Despite all that, the other side of my life (writing, reading, and everything else) has been pretty great, so I’m really grateful that I was able to find some form of peace this month.
All right, so let’s get into October!
Writing Conquests
On the writing side of things this month, I have some big news. In the past, the most I’ve ever written in a month (while recording the numbers of course) was 10,000 words when I did Camp Nano three years ago.
My original goal was 2,000 words a week, and with October being nearly five weeks, let’s say that’s about 10,000 words to be written.
I am pleased to announce that this month I wrote a total of 12,250 words! That’s nearly 50 pages, people!
I completed Chapters 12 through 15 of my Reaper sequel, and have begun writing Chapter 16.
I won’t lie and say I didn’t go through some tough days where I didn’t want to write or felt stressed on time, but ultimately I set a realizable goal and not only reached it but surpassed it. You can do it too!
So far my sequel stands at just under 44,000 words, or around 175 pages.
I hope I can keep up this pace and get a first draft done of my second act by sometime this year if possible. I’ve got probably ten more chapters to go in my second act, so fingers crossed!
Bookish Conquests
On the bookish side of things this month, I read a total of five books. Not bad, considering my experiences this month were a bit here and there.
I didn’t care much for Dark Places and was disappointed in The Institute, but the other three were really great.
If I had to pick a favorite, it would be City of Ghosts (Sarah coming in at a VERY close second). I never claimed Victoria Schwab to be one of my favorite authors, but after reading this book, I have seen the light! This book was great for younger audiences, and yet had plenty of great spooks and thrills along the way.
To see my review of City of Ghosts, click here.
For my full review of the rest of this month’s reads, check them out on my blog or on GoodReads.
Movie & Series Conquests
On the watching side of things, I was super busy this month with the approach of Halloween. Many great horror movies, and a wonderful season of AHS accounted for probably one of the greatest months in quite some time.
The only movie I was disappointed in was Hell House III, but all the rest were really great!
Obviously, the best series of the month is AHS: Apocalypse. You can find my review here if you’re interested.
As far as movies go, I’m going to have to go with Brightburn. I was totally captivated and horrified the entire time. Definitely worth a watch! Check out my review here if you’d like.
For my full review of the rest of this month’s watches, check them out on my blog.
What’s To Come
Since Halloween is my favorite time of year, I bet you’re just dying to know what’s to come for Jaunts & Haunts.
Well, truth be told, I would like to slow things down a bit.
I wanted to share as much of myself as possible during my favorite time of year, and while I have enjoyed the experience I have a serious time deficit going on.
After this post, I’ll still be participating in WWW Wednesday, my Weekly Progress Updates, as well as posting book reviews, but I won’t be posting something every day, and I have come to terms with that.
I have my first writer’s retreat planned out 11/10/19-11/14/19 in Branson and am super excited to relax and get some writing and reading done at the same time.
Also, I will begin to re-diversify my reads once my immediate TBR calms down a little bit. I realize there’s been a lot of scary stuff, but hey, tis the season, right? I am definitely on the lookout for some wintry reads if anyone has any recommendations!
That’s a Wrap!
All right, there goes the month of October. How was your month? Did you read or see something in my conquests? Do you have any recommendations for books, tv, or movies? Have a great Halloween? As always, feel free to comment!
Happy Reading and Watching, everyone!
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