Blogging From A to Z Challenge

So years ago when I first started blogging I found out about this website that ran a challenge, in April post on your blog with a theme based on each letter of the alphabet.  Well, on the busiest month of the year for me I have decided to take the challenge again.  My theme?

"Hey Siri?" - Asking my phone for random words and seeing what I can write with them.

I realize there may be some confusion between 'Blogging A to Z' and my Reading A to Z challenges.  Hopefully it's not too confusing.

Anyone else up for a challenge?  Let me know if you'd like to join me or will be following along.

2025 Reading Challenge Update - February

A monthly update halfway into the next month.  I'm a teacher.  Don't come for me on late updates. I'm just trying to survive.

But it was another lovely month of reading.  A lot from Kiera Cass just as I had a double feature of Rainbow Rowell last month.  I tend to read like I eat.  If I have a taste for it I'm eating it for weeks straight and then one day just be done.  Kiara Cass is another reread for me.  Fun Fact: When I started reading the first of the series, The Selection, for the very first time I thought it was ridiculous.  It felt like a mash up of Hunger Games and the reality show 'The Bachelor' and I was laughing at it and cringing.  Then I found myself several books in later and invested.  I went to buy I believe The One at a book signing.  So glad I got into her series and her other stories.

I can officially scroll unworried on social media because yes, I have finished Onyx Storm. Please send me all of the theories that you have but respect spoiler bounderies for others.  I will not hold it against someone if they haven't read it yet.  I only got it as soon as I did because I have the greatest friends that know my little reader heart and heard my despair as I lemented how long I'd have to wait for it at the library and one of them bought it for me.  I almost cried.

As the other books this month are all rereads I think that I'd have to choose Onyx Storm as my favorite this month just purely because it brought new feelings rather than rekindled the old ones that I have for my rereads.  You know what I mean?  Just sounds fair.

Updated pictures below.  Little pictures are books I read last month and the big ones are this month.  For author and title, the red names are last month and the blue the new adds.  I honestly think I have my work cut out for my on the A-Z's.  Any recommendations?

Until next time!

2025 Reading Challenge Update - January

 I hope I can keep up with this because I think its going to look really cool by the end of the year.  I could probably tweak it a little but I like these.  I also decided to do author names for the A to Z because it sounded fun.  And I know Landline is not red but it's not orange either, ok.  I may have to add pink next year.

I think that my top ones would be with Lightlark by Alex Aster or One Way or Another by Kara McDowell.  Lightlark got the part of me that loves a good fantasy magic system.  One Way or Another was just a really cute read and I enjoyed it too. Saying Landline would be cheating because Rainbow Rowell is an old favorite author of mine and I just wanted to relisten to it on audio.  Three of these were listened to as audio if anyone likes to know that.

Also would like to suggest you look up books before picking them up, especially if your sensitive to certain themes or subjects.  Just a heads up.

My 2025 Reading Challenges

 I found someone on TikTok, Rusty Creek Designs, who makes book journals.  They put so many cool ways to organize books that you have read and books that you plan to read.  A TBR section, a place to describe your rating system, bookshelves to color in with the titles you've read, and so many challenge and tracker pages.  It's such a cute design and great idea.  I can't spend the money on the journal right now but thought a couple of the challenges would be fun to try regardless.

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CHALLENGES

A to Z - Read a book starting with the beginning of each letter of the alphabet.

'Read the Rainbow' - Read all the different colors in book covers.  Rusty Creek Designs has many shades of colors in their book.  I think I'm going to stick to Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Purple, Black, and White.

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Pretty straight forward.  A simple but fun way to keep track of what I read this year.  What challenges are you taking on this year?  Have a goal number of books for this year?

We Listen and We Dont Judge....

 We're not going to talk about the six year gap.  We're not going to talk about the lack of reading and writing that has been going on here.  Let's just agree to continue like nothing happened, mmkay? Great.

2025 is actually looking up for reading and writing productivity.  The writer's group I went to that closed during Covid is finally coming back! I'm going to be writing for them so I'm bringing the blog back too.  Why not?  BookTok has relit the reading fire for a lot of people, I think I'd include myself in that as well.  There are some reading challenges that I found there and I'll keep track of them here.

Do you have any challenges I should try?  Any books I should add to my TBR?  Let's swap ideas.

This blog isn’t the only thing collecting dust.

I haven’t been writing.

I’ve been reading though. More now that it’s summer and the library’s summer reading program kicked in. (Yes, summer reading program. That thing we use to do as kids we when turn in a log of books we’ve read and get to look in the prize box? They do it for adults. I can have a BOGO Chipotle coupon just for reading five books I would’ve read anyway? Yes, please!)

There are some really good books out there guys. Character growth galore and storylines that are just awesome. I read a book last night, a good chunk of it, all the way to the end and didn’t notice that it was four in the morning because I was so into it.

And I realized it’s been a long time since I’ve felt that way about one of my own stories.

I feel like plots slip through my fingers like trying to grip a handful of sand too hard. The idea is there but by the time I carry it anywhere it’s just a dusting of sand on my hands. The kind you brush off without a second thought. Not exciting. You can’t build a sandcastle with dust.

But I’m not going to even get the chance to build anything if I don’t even take myself to the beach.

Are you keeping up with me? I’m sorry. I went to bed at 4 this morning.

I’m doing two things next month. Camp NaNo, with a very vague idea with the goal of to just have fun, and Dungeons and Dragons. I’m am actually really excited about that one even though I have no idea how it’s going to go but more on that later.

The fun awaits, everyone. Go build your castles.

Brace yourselves, NaNo is coming...

In just a few short hours I will be embarking in the yearly month of caffeine driven brain farts and hand cramps, also known as National Novel Writing Month. For some (that’s me) 50000 words in one month can be stressful. It’s time to lay down some ground rules for myself.

My NaNoWriMo rules:

1. You do not have to stay up till midnight writing on the first day if you feel sleepy. Or any other day. You have to work the next day and unfortunately don’t have the privilege to stay home and write all day with nap breaks.
2. No writing at work. Multitasking to that degree stresses you out and you get so distracted even on slow days that you’d write like four words anyway. Relax. You can write when you clock out.
3. You must write every day. None of that ‘it’s been a long day’ or ‘I’ll make it up tomorrow’ nonsense. You know you’re lying. One page, one paragraph, one sentence. That’s all I’m asking.
4. Don’t make yourself get up early. You hate getting up early. You’ll stare at the page wishing you were sleep and write an amount of words that wasn’t worth it. Get your sleep.
5. Don’t make yourself stay up late. You love staying up late. But the less sleep you get the more likely you’ll stop to stare at the page and write an amount of words that wasn’t worth it. Sound familiar? Seriously, GET YOUR SLEEP.
6. You don’t have to be out of the house just to get stuff done. Except for write-ins, those are pretty productive. But if you can’t make it to one don’t use that as an excuse. You can write at home to.
7. Really though, just have fun. It’s not homework. No one is going to be mad or let down if you don’t make 50k. Just do the thing