New Years Wrap Up

 

Hello Readers!

I can't believe this year is over. This year has been difficult for me, one of learning and growing. And both of those things aren't always the most enjoyable. A lot of fun things happened this year, a lot of not-so-fun things happened as well. I didn't write much, compared to some, but I'm learning that comparing myself to others isn't a great habit. I had a lot of firsts this year; I entered my first poetry contest; I went to Kauai; I went on scary rollercoasters; I won the 100-for-100 challenge... 

Reading

As of writing this, I've read 42 1/2 books as I write this. A highlights from my reading were....

Rescue in the Rockies, by C.R. Hedgecock. This was the 8th book in her series, The Baker Family Adventures and as usual it was amazing and I'd highly recommend the whole series!

I reread most of the Chosen Daughter Series. If you ever can get your hands on any of those books, read them, and your life will be better for it. 

You're Not Enough (And that's Okay), by Allie Beth Stuckey. My sisters have been listening to Allie's podcast, called Relatable. It was an excellent book, and I really enjoyed her points. We can't ever be enough for ourselves and other people. But that's okay, because God is. 

The White Rose Resists, by Amanda Barret. The book should be a must read on your list. I don't care what you read, what genres you like or don't. You will love this book to bits and pieces. And if you do read it, please share your thoughts with me and let's fangirl together! 

A Tale of Two Cities, by Charles Dickens. I don't think I've ever read anything by Dickens before and this was a treat. I remember watching the movie adaptation of this and was intrigued, and I was not dissapointed by the book. 

The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, by Robert Louis Stevenson. I didn't think I'd enjoy this book as much as I did. I honestly really enjoyed it. It had a lot of interesting points that I'd like to pull out in a blog post or review at some point. 

To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee. This is a classic, I've seen the movie with Gregory Peck and I was excited to see the characters come to life on the pages. I enjoyed the story very much. 

The Lamentation of a Sinner, by Queen Katherine Parr. This is a short book that'd I'd recommend. Her humility was inspiring, and it was neat to read something written so long ago. I think this book wins the oldest book I read this year it was originally published in 1547. 

A fun read was Bible in Pocket, Gun in Hand, by Ross Phares. It was rather entertaining. My dad originally bought the book for me while I researching Everlasting Gold. I'd recommend it if you love historical books with the kind of stories that make history come alive! 

Dear Author, by Laura A. Grace. If you're a writer, read this. Especially if you're discouraged and wondering why you even thought writing was a good idea. 

Echoes, by Miranda Marie. I love this book. I love the story. I love the characters. I love everything about this book. Please read it and fall in love with it with me. (Technically, I haven't finished it... but as of writing this I have about 10 chapters left and I've already read it once.I'll likely finish it later tonight...) 

So those were the highlights of my reading this year. 

Writing

I didn't do NaNo this year, but I did do the 100-for-100 challenge this summer. It was really fun, and it felt good to write again. 

I wrote about 500 words on my WWI project

I edited the Christmas Truce scene

I wrote and entered the Story Embers poetry contest. You can read that poem on my Writing Page. 

In total, I wrote 18,399 in the year 2021.

In the next year, I'm planning on editing and working through my WWI project. 

Podcast

I started my podcast in June and published 13 episodes, two episodes a month. So far, it's been a success for the amount of effort I've put into marketing... which isn't much. 

Life

We got snow! Quite a bit for the area that I live in. We got two decent snows. It was lovely. I love the snow so much. Here are a few *pictures...

Something I really love about the snow is the day after the storm. Usually the sky is bright blue and there are only a few scattered fluffy white clouds. It's like a lot like life; after the darkest storms, there is light. 

I pray this next year is your light at end of the storms of the past two years. 

Blessings in 2022,

Mattie May, The Blossoming Writer

*These pictures are mine and I kindly ask that you don't use them without asking like a decent human. ;)