Gift Guide 2015: My Mom and My Sisters

Holiday season truth: I LOVE gift guides! True, mainly it's so they can help me figure out what I want for Christmas, but I'm also the kind of person for whom the opportunity to give presents is just as grand as the joy of receiving them. There's nothing better than knowing you've bought someone just the right thing, so even though I've already perfected my gifts for my family back in November, I can't help but daydream what I'd buy them (if I had all the money in the world... maybe one day!). 

My Gift Guides I did a while back in 2014 for Mother's Day and Father's Day got quite a bit of traffic, which makes me think that it was only the perfect time to do another seasonal installment of a gift guide, but out of the five other members of my family, I decided to focus purely on the most important women in my life: my Mom, and two younger sisters! (Dad and baby bro, maybe you'll get your own gift guide some other time.)

THE MOMAGER

What she's like and what she likes:

A high-powered hospital administrator who actually graduated from UW with her undergrad in English, Mama loves books when she can actually get around to finding time to read them. She likes nonfiction and women's lit, especially the kind that makes you cry, and likes to pass off the books she enjoys on to me... so I've got to make sure they are titles I'll like, too!

Why I can't buy her any more presents: 

She's notoriously unyielding when it comes to the yearly edict that she really doesn't want anything, and a couple of costly family things have come up recently that has shrunk her list of acceptable gifts to a quite small margin. 

But if I could, I would buy her... 

A God in Ruins, Kate Atkinson
The companion novel to Atkinson's Life After Life - which I've already passed along to my mother, and is currently sitting on her bedside table - this would be the perfect period-set piece to have a good cry about.
10% Happier, Dan Harris 
A book about how little changes in your life and outlook, can result in tangible improvements to your happiness! Even if you don't have much time at all in your busy schedule, you can still find ways to improve your attitude.
The Royal We, Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan
There's no one in our family who quite understands my fascination with royalty like my mom... she loves Will and Kate almost as much as me! This fictional account of a whirlwind romance between an American and a future king of England would be perfect.
Inside the O'Briens, Lisa Genova
From the master of conveying the mental state, Lisa Genova - whose work, Still Alice, about a woman coming to terms with her Alzheimer's diagnosis, I've raved about before - comes this moving story about a doting father and police officer, who must face the onset of Huntington's Disease.
Work Rules! Insights from Inside Google, Lazlo Bock 
My mom is obsessed with books about efficiency, specifically in the workplace, so I'm sure she'd be interested as to what goes on at the headquarters of one of the world's biggest internet entities.

SORORITY SUPERSTAR

What she's like and what she likes: 

Primarily referred to on my blog as "The Cheerleader," Sister #1 recently was elected as president of her sorority for the coming year, even though she's only a sophomore! She's a total culture vulture across all forms of media, and has a fond regard for the paranormal (ie, she things her old room in her sorority house is haunted). 

Why I can't buy her any more presents: 

She's spoiled enough as is, and I already spent $25 on her - the most expensive gift I purchased for anyone this year! - so I really can't swing buying her the books I know she'd love. 

But if I could, I would buy her...

The Thousand Dollar Tan Line (Veronica Mars #1), Rob Thomas
When my sister left me for a job at Yellowstone National Park over the summer, I was moribund, but at least I knew she'd be thinking about me, thanks to the three seasons and movie DVD of Veronica Mars that I made her take with her! Thankfully, she loved it, and now I have someone to obsess over Logan Echolls with. They only think I need to do now is get her to read the novel continuations of the story, as well!
Dirty Rush, Taylor Bell
As a sorority women, I can definitely attest the dramatizations you've seen in contemporary media are completely crazy and have almost no foundation in reality whatsoever. However, every sorority girl I know followed the Rebecca Martinson email scandal with vigor... and if she provided the forward for this novel, it's sure to be a riot.
Simon vs. The Homosapiens Agenda, Becky Albertalli
I laughed and cried and died over this super-adorable book this summer, and I was texting her passages from it the entire time. Might as well make her read it!
Think Like a Freak, Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner 
Freakonomics is one of her favorite nonfiction books, and economics itself is a topic she has to study in the Foster Business School, so this is a real high-interest no-brainer.
A Dream Dictionary
So, every week, my sister and I try to plan out a tea date at our favorite tea store on the Ave, Tea Republik, and talk about what's going on in our lives. One of our favorite things we used to do with our tea, was make a big deal out of reading the dregs at the bottom of the cup, Trelawney-style, and sometimes we do the same thing with dreams! A dictionary would perfectly aid our endeavors.

DRAMA LADY-IN-WAITING

What she's like and what she likes:

The youngest of the daughters in our family, Sister #2 is a high school sophomore with a penchant for dramatics, both on and off the stage. After an early adolescence spent coming of age in the web-wilds of Tumblr, with an affinity for concerts and the rights of humankind (yay, we raised a music lover and a feminist!), this sister is super cute and super contrary: every instance of, "Ooh, you'd love this book!" releases a tirade on all of the reasons I'd be wrong. 

Why I can't buy her any more presents: 

Like I said, voicing my choice of books for her hasn't worked out very well for me in the past... even though with several of them, she's gone on to buy the book for herself. 

But if I could, I would buy her... 

Rookie, Yearbook 4, Tavi Gevinson
This sister has never been your typical, Seventeen-reading teenager (though she does read Seventeen as well). This Tumblr-child would absolutely be more in tune with the precocious hipster Weetzie Bat vibes of Rookie, an online magazine ran by wunderkind Tavi, whose top online content is printed here in book form!
Audrey, Wait!, Robin Benway
This novel, about a teenage girl who has to cope with the fallout when her ex-boyfriend's band gets famous with a song about her, would definitely appeal to my band-following baby sis.
The Glam Guide, Fleur de Force
She loves all things beauty and makeup - and is far better at applying both of those things than I was at her age! - and she's a fan of quite a couple of YouTubers, so I have a feeling she might like this book (and if not, I've been a follower of Fleur's for like a year now, so I'd take it, anyways!).
Lost Ocean coloring book, Johanna Basford 
Being a fifteen - almost sixteen - year old is a stressful time! Coloring books are a super-trendy way to unwind, and the coloring pages from Johanna Basford are almost pretty enough to frame when you're done.
We Should All Be Feminists, Chimamanda Ngozi Adiche 
Yeah, yeah, one of these things is not quite like the other. As you might have seen, Sweden recently chose to distribute a copy of this book to every 16 year old in their entire country, as a means of instigating conversation in the classrooms of one of the most gender-equal countries in the world. Like I mentioned before, she's turning sixteen soon enough, as well, and I feel like this would definitely appeal to her burgeoning social justice-y tendencies.

Who are the important women in your life, and what would you gift them with this holiday season? Let me know, in the comments below! 

Review: The Happiness Project (and Finals Week Tips!)

We've hit the part of the Seattle winter where it basically just keeps raining nonstop until February, with just a few gray days thrown in to keep holding on to hope. Similarly, it's also the first day of FINALS WEEK here at UW! Just the right time for me to read about a woman's quest to lead the ultimate happy life... 

Gretchen Rubin - a non-fiction writer and ex-lawyer living in New York with her husband and two young daughters - decided that she wanted to be happy. Not that she wasn't already... she just knew she wasn't getting as much out of life as she felt she should be. In an effort to prevent herself from watching her own life and her daughter's precious childhoods go by without her full attention, Rubin made the powerful decision to plan out a year of 11 Happiness resolutions, each with their own mini-goals attached. The Happiness Project is her documentation of her year of happy!

First of all, I liked the sentiment behind The Happiness Project a lot. I would bet dollars to donuts that there are a lot of people out there who aren't living their "happiest lives," and that even those who might already feel like they are happy people, might have something to benefit from little tweaks to their daily lifestyle, schedule, and attitude, that Rubin suggests. And it also appeals to my need for structured improvement in my own life: I'm a super goals-oriented person, and will flock to anything about being more happy and productive, so this was a concept I bought into pretty completely.

Which might explain why I wish there was more delineation within the book as to how a reader might be able to implement this program for themselves. Thankfully, there is plenty of information available elsewhere - for starters, Rubin's blog and Your Happiness Project starter tips on her website -  but yet, it all pales in comparison to the amount of work she says she did gearing up for it. If there had been more concrete, replicable work displayed in her own book, I think it would have been easier to grasp the breadth of what kind of effort she put in.

However, I realize that's potentially a matter of personal taste. Of the problems I had with the book, the ones that I did have were mainly matters of personal choosing; for instance, the resolutions she chose to develop and the manner in which they were discussed. Parts of the discussion within the book were also a little gratuitous and self-indulgent, and a little like bragging.

The biggest problem I had, in terms of "buying in" to The Happiness Project, was her treatment of the topics of depression. She acknowledged that the lack of depression in her life, versus those else who might follow her plan, would provide a notable difference, but didn't attempt to explore the topic at all. She also didn't attempt to apply or describe the application of her Project plan to any alternative lifestyles other than her upper middle class, straight, white, pretty one. I felt like a lot of her experiences just weren't translatable to a large amount of people, and she didn't acknowledge those areas of difference, nor does she make any motions to explore them further. That isn't exactly what she set out to do with the book, but it would have provided additional context and interest to the results of her project.

Final Verdict: The Happiness Project was an optimistic and friendly look at ways to improve your happiness, but  didn't address areas in the lives of readers that might serve to prevent it. While the topic was fun, the application and method wasn't terribly clear.


And how about this Final(s) Verdict: If there's anything in the deep, dark, gloomy days of winter that might make your life even more of a downer, it's Finals Week. Here are some tips from me, as to how you can knock out those last few obstacles between you and the golden days of Winter Break!

• Don't get overwhelmed. As much as you may feel like you're being crushed by looming projects and exams, and as much as you think that all of your roomies and friends are getting done before you, there are still people on campus who are in the same situation. Everything you have to do is doable. You just need to get it done. 
• Accept where you are now, and only go up from there. It's easy enough to send yourself into a massive shame-spiral when prepping for Finals: oh, if only you had just made study guides earlier / gone to the review sessions / reviewed the class lecture slides / etc! The fact is, you're where you're at right now, and the only thing you can do is go forward. 
• Know your knowledge style. For me, that means making expansive handwritten review notes with lots of color-coordinated post-its and having all of my books within arm's reach. For you, that might mean listening to lecture audio while writing out a million flashcards and brainstorming essay topics with friends. Learn what methods work best for you, and employ them to your advantage. 
• Take fun breaks! The only thing you're going to get from keeping your nose to the grindstone for long periods of time is a very messed up nose. Besides, it's the holiday season, and there are way too many bright, glittery things to check out to just sit inside all day! Even if it's a 10-minute Pinterest-palooza, give yourself time to sit back in the midst of a heavy study crunch. 

Are you done with your Finals yet? What are some of your favorite study tips? Let me know, in the comments below! 

Review: The Queen of the Tearling

This book had come recommended by so many, and was on the list of books I was most excited to pick up for my Blogoversary in July. However, I didn't get the chance to really devote myself to its political intrigue and high fantasy world until I was finished with some of the busiest parts of my Fall... but after that, I was completely committed.

The Queen of the Tearling, by Erika Johansen, follows the journey of Kelsea, a young girl raised in secret, with the knowledge that she would become Queen some day. As she battles skillful assassins and treacherous court life in her quest to reclaim her throne and title, she finds that the realities of life in the kingdom she was raised to reign are even more terrifying than those who try to keep her from it. She'll be the one to change everything... whether or not her enemies are ready to keep up.  

This book is addicting: frenetic pace, quiet power, strong and driven characters... and, of course, high fantasy, which I love. Lots of twists and turns, and secrets-to-be-revealed. However, like I also said, it took me a while to get around to finishing this book. I wanted to read it, but I wanted to take the time to really read it fully, and in the end, I wasn't disappointed that I took it slow. When I did get the chance to commit to a page count, I soared through it, that kind of effortlessly enjoyable reading where you happen to glance up at the page number, and think, Wow, am I on Page Whatever already? Still, I had to set out to deliberately make the time for it. 

When it comes to the world-building, it was a pretty unique high fantasy novel, in background... yes, I'm talking about the 24th century slant. Yeah, this book has a setting that contains recognizable elements of the past, while also being set in the future! As it turns out, modern medicine and technology have died in a post-apocalyptic crossing voyage, a kind of utopian Noah's Ark event, that has plunged the world into a magic-laced Dark Ages. So... beat that. 

Another interesting angle to the novel, was that it has a deeply feminist slant, especially in the opinions of  Kelsea, our main character. I was actually a little surprised to hear people be skeptical about it for those kinds of reasons: they had heard it was very political. When I think of politics in high fantasy, I think of the court intrigue in Game of Thrones, and while there is quite a bit of that, what my friend was talking about was actually the strong political statements being made in the context of the narrative. 

Keslea is passionately feminist (yay!), but that passion is also matched with expressed strongly atheistic sentiments (enabled a little bit by some strong ecclesiastical subterfuge and corruption), and there's also commentary on issues of slavery, pedophilia (especially in terms of men in positions of power), extreme poverty, and more. Phew! That's quite a laundry list of issues represented in the context of one work. 

However, none of these political opinions are shoehorned into the story itself... they all make sense within the context of what's happening in the world at the heart of the story. Still, yes, it does feel a little political at times, but not needlessly. 

One thing I don't necessarily agree with is the classification of the novel as YA - which I've seen done in a couple of different places - as opposed to just regular Fantasy, mainly because of that kind of political nature, but also the brutality of the violence and overt nature of some sexual themes of the book. I just think it found more themes in common with Game of Thrones than Throne of Glass, but then again, members of both those audiences might enjoy this novel as well. 

Still, this book might be one of my favorite reads of the whole year, and it definitely wasn't a quick one. If I waited half a year to get my hands on the first installment of the franchise for my bloggoversary, you can bet one of the first things I'm doing after 2015 is over is getting my hands on its sequel.

Final Verdict: The Queen of the Tearling, though thick with detail and tough topics, is also a fierce adrenaline rush kind of read. You can't read it in one afternoon, but that doesn't mean you won't want to try. Definitely pick up a copy! 

Review: The Wrath and the Dawn

I've been motivated to finally getting around to writing this post, primarily because it's been a couple months since I've finished the novel, and my friend Callie - the same friend who enabled my LAST complete review, of Victoria Aveyard's Red Queen - has actually managed to finish it by this point as well, so what excuse do I have, really? 

The Wrath and the Dawn, by Renee Ahdieh, follows the story of Shahrzad, a new bride to a brutal king, who faces a dangerous reality in marrying this sadistic ruler: though he takes a new wife every night, she never lives to see the morning. However, avenging the death of her murdered friend - one of his previous brides - is not as easy as she hoped, as there is more to the Caliph of Khorasan than the rumors say, and soon Shazi finds herself falling in love with the last person she'd ever expect.

When perusing the notes I'd made in my book note book - where I write down my book nerd ramblings in real time while speeding through the novel at hand - I actually made a note that I should have been writing about the first 50 pages, but I didn't actually even remember to, because I had been so sucked in by the immediacy of the plot. (In other notes I didn't jot down, I also might have benefited from a glossary of names at some point. There's a lot of characters.)

Another bookish note: "Gaaahh, I'm so invested!" Also, "Holy ish, these stakes are real. The danger is palpable." It's hard to match high stakes with fully fleshed-out characters, especially with the limited time range of YA and an especially fast-moving plot with a lot of action, but by goodness this book managed it.

I also really did like the main character. Shazi was pretty cool, a legitimately tough and loyal girl among a sea of sarcastic, wilting redheads in current YA. She reminded me of what was attempted  with the characterization of Nyx from Cruel Beauty, by Rosamund Hodge - which would make sense, because both girls kind of go through similar circumstances - though I would argue that Shazi was done more effectively. She reminded me of one of Tamora Pierce's Tortallan heroines, someone who might have gotten along well with Alianne, you know?

There were a couple of characters I got a little annoyed by, and friends of mine have expressed similar sentiments. I think it has less to do with the characters or plot points themselves, but how much quickly some story lines moved rather  than others. My heart was primarily with Shazi the whole time, and I was just more invested in what was going on in that section of the story.

Here's what makes me happiest, in retrospect: it was a great book, but by no means a complete one. A lot of groundwork was laid, and yes, in true YA fashion, we can tell this is going to be a series, but there's a lot of room still left for backstory, for character growth, without leaving this first installment feeling anemic. This was a little frustrating to Callie - she thought it was going to be a standalone, though by the end of the novel, you can tell that's not the case - but still, the "cliffhanger" ending wasn't just the only unresolved point: there's still a lot of questions that need to be answered, but the book still feels like fairly filled out. The stage is set for a killer continuation with The Rose and the Dagger in May, and I can't wait to see what comes next!

Final Verdict: This was one of summer's most-hyped releases, with very good reason: with a grand stakes story line that sweeps you along from start to finish, with plenty of danger and distress to keep you on your toes and swoony romance to keep you turning pages, The Wrath and the Dawn shapes up to be a pretty great start to what is sure to be a thrilling saga.

Top Ten Tuesday: Book-to-Movie Adaptations I Want to Watch (and One I Don't!)

Top Ten Tuesday is a bookish meme, hosted by The Broke and the Bookish!

My family's always been a big ol' pack of culture vultures - voraciously consuming any and all new media that's making news and seems like a good time - but there's a pretty nice matchup that's developed through our teen years, between my sister, The Cheerleader and me: while I've always cornered bookish news, she's got a special kind of enthusiasm for movies. Therefore, whenever there's a new movie that happens to be based on a book, well, there's a high chance we're freaking out about it.

Here's a list of some new, old, and everywhere-in-between titles we're excited have gotten - or are going to get! - the big screen treatment... plus one that's we're not really feeling so much.

TODAY, IN NOT-NEW NEWS...

1. Still Alice, Lisa Genova
You'd think I'd never shut up about this gripping contemporary novel, about a woman facing early-onset Alzheimer's written by an actual neuroscientist, but I have yet to see the movie, no matter how many times I have to beg we make it a Sigma Kappa sisterhood event for my chapter (really, I just need people to watch it with who'll hold me and refrain from judgement while I sob).

2. Gone Girl, Gillian Flynn
Despite the fact that I have touted this title as one of my most favorite recent reads of the past couple of years for a little while now - I even did a College Fashion post on it! - I haven't been able to bring myself to set aside some time to really enjoy this thriller. I'm just naturally a very anxious person, and it's a lot easier to set down a book and take a breather than try to distract yourself from the crazy with a pause button.

3. Me and Earl and the Dying Girl, Jesse Andrews
I don't know, The Cheerleader is especially obsessed with the cinematography of this tragically-fated teenage love story, but I've heard that the movie has a different vibe than the book. Thoughts?

MOVIE THEATERS ARE REALLY EXPENSIVE

4. The Martian, Andy Weir
My obligatorily nerdy father had been dying to get his hands on this novel since the first trailer came out, but while both he and The Cheerleader have seen it, I'm holding off until I can read the book. (The Cheerleader's still in the middle of reading it!)

5. Brooklyn, Colm Toibin
It actually took me a good couple instances of looking into the plot of this movie, about a young Irish girl's immigration to America in the '40s, to realize that it was based off of a book by the same name. On the other hand, it took me about 20 seconds of the trailer for me to realize that I really, really want to see this movie. 

6. Room, Emma Donoghue
I also had no idea that this movie was based off of a book the first couple of times I saw the trailer, but I definitely wasn't drawn to it as strongly... I mean, the story of a young mother and her five-year-old son, held captive in a room, isn't exactly the kind of stuff I usually fill my free time with. However, I've heard amazing things about this movie from my best friend, and it's been garnering quite a lot of early Oscar attention, too, so maybe I'll have to give it a try!

DON'T CARE HOW, I WANT IT NOW!

7. Alice Through the Looking Glass, Lewis Carroll 
I actually debated leaving this one off of the list, being that movie adaptations of any of the Alice in Wonderland books maintain a pretty tenuous hold on any and all organization of plot or characterizations of the children's stories. Still, this sequel is pure wonder and whimsy from top to bottom, and I like Sacha Baron Cohen too much to leave it off. 

(And I swear to goodness that if I hear one more person use the phrase "Alice in Wonderland 2" it's OFF WITH THEIR HEADS.) 

8. Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith
Okay, okay, I'm fully expecting this film adaptation to go the route of Grahame-Smith's other notable novel-turned-movie - Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter - but I actually really, really like the look of this one. 

9. The Little Prince, Antoine de Saint-Exupery 
Aaaanndd I cried ugly Savannah tears when I first saw the trailer for this one... even though, at the time, the only trailer was available in French. Still, I love this book - yet again, a great source of inspiration for College Fashion! - and I can't wait to introduce some of my friends to it with the movie, too.

(and... I'd prefer not to) 

10. The Jungle Book, Rudyard Kipling
I'm not so sure about this one, folks... I'm all for creative license and new interpretations of old stories and everything, but I think that even if the trailer didn't tell me that it was directed by the same guy who did Iron Man, I probably could have guessed. No thank you.

What were your Top Ten? Let me know, in the comments below! 

What I Did this Weekend: Shopping Antique, and Library Time

No need for Low Fi or Valencia when you've got these kinds of old-school filters... right, Instagram?

Yesterday, I had the chance to visit the Puyallup Fairgrounds back home, for the Annual Antique show my mother, sister and I attend every year. I have this bookseller who specializes in antiques that I like to visit there, and we can usually find a bunch of old things to gawk at and marvel over along the way to her booth. For instance, I'm partial to vintage bake ware and dining sets, the Cheerleader likes looking at pinup girl calendars and vintage Disney memorabilia, and my mom's always trying to amp up her collection of sparkly brooches.

We also buy a new bug gem for my sister every year for Christmas - you'd be surprised how beautiful (and popular!) brooches shaped like insects are!

In terms of books, unfortunately, there wasn't that great of a selection this year. I've got a pretty particular type I'm looking for, in terms of taste, and lean towards old copies of Nancy Drews, pre-1950s homemaking and manner instructionals, and cookbooks. In terms of things that did stumble across my path, I found a secondary edition of The Whispering Statue (Nancy Drew #14) that still had its book jacket in really good condition, all the way from 1944... but I couldn't justify spending $25 on it when it wasn't one of my favorites, and I already have a copy sans dust jacket from the '40s, too.

I also realized, somewhat belatedly, that I am still on my 2015 Resolution, and thusly, wouldn't have been allowed to buy new books this year, anyways! Darnit! 

Tumblr aesthetic as hell, amirite? 

Chilling out with the bro's hedgie after.

Deep, deep regrets that I didn't spend $1.50 on this. 

Though all was not for naught: I do think I developed a new favorite antique find this past weekend, as some of my personal favorites from this time 'round included suitcases filled with old photos - like pictured at the top of this post! - and autograph books, filled with celebrity and schoolmate signatures alike.

It's amazing looking at such old pictures, and seeing what's passed out of fashion, but what's still the same: beautiful brides with their parents, family photos that have fallen to shenanigans as they were being taken, couples holding hands and best friends laughing. Not to mention the school "autograph books" that stood in the place of yearbooks, back when they would have been too expensive to print... rhymes that stood as the old-school equivalent to "H.A.G.S.," to heartfelt pleas to "Remember that time we fought..." or "I hope we're still friends in high school."

To be honest, I can totally see why Ransom Riggs was inspired by these old kinds of visual memories for his Ms. Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children series, because there's still a lot of interesting stories to be gleaned from people who aren't necessarily around to tell them anymore! 

Best way to ease the lack of great old books I was walking away with? FAIR SCONES. 

Afterwards, I insisted on a trip to the library, because if I couldn't pick up anything old, then I wanted to make sure I got my hands on something new! Still, I am in the thick of the Quarter - and shout out to my fellow Quarter systems school chums - so I drew the line at four, from various genres:

• YA Fiction: Lair of Dreams (The Diviners #2), Libba Bray 
• (And it was right next to The Diviners, with its original cover, instead of the redesign... my mom agreed that the original was much better!) 
• Non-Fiction: Between You & Me: Confessions of a Comma Queen, Mary Norris 
• Fiction: Hostile Takeover (The Intern's Handbook #2), Shane Kuhn
• Cookbook: Milk Bar Life, Christina Tosi

So I was able to head back up to Seattle with some exciting new reads, after all.

What bookish things did you do this weekend? Let me know, in the comments below!

No, No NaNo : Why I'm Not Taking Part in NaNoWriMo this Year

(Alternatively titled, "I Hate Everything: Senior Year is a Trap.")



So, at the stroke of midnight this past evening, with all of the witches and sexy cats and pun-based, indecipherable costumes making their ways back home - all of the freshman Cinderellas looking for the shoes they kicked off when they found it was nearly impossible to dance in heels on a sticky fraternity basement's floor - it no longer was Halloween, but the First of November. 

And y'all know what that means.

Most NaNo devotees were clearing their desks of candy wrappers and rogue costume props, to settle down at their word processors for a bout of writing that would lead their yearly National Novel Writing Month challenge on a preemptive spree. But alas, I did not.

I am, tragically, too busy for living right now: between a work-heavy class load, the ending of my Panhellenic experience, working three and four shifts a week, sorority events and obligations, and trying to find time to even write for this blog, I will be left as a shell of a human being by Winter Break as is! Besides, I've recently fallen behind on my Goodreads Reading Challenge again - after an 8 book lead this past August! - and I can't risk leaving a month of dead reading time in my wake when I honestly need it most.

Originally, I had toyed with the idea of taking part again, anyways. I mean, I was busy last year, too, but I still found the time, right? It's hard to come off of a win in the challenge, and then just not do anything the following year. I crushed #NaNo14, and I wanted the chance to prove my mettle at the hands of the writing gods again! I want another tee shirt, dammit!

However, after considering all possible outcomes of participating this year - on one hand, I'd lose, because I just wouldn't have enough time, and on the other, unlikelier hand, I might win, and thereby allow my other obligations to fall to the wayside and still come out a loser - I've decided I officially can't do it. 

And thusly, I am rendered moribund. *deep sigh*

My NaNoWriMo track from last year:

• Update #1: My Dad is the Best, My Brain Hurts, and We're Just Getting Started
• Update #2: Holy Setback, Batman, and I'm on Top of the World
• Final Update: I've Written Over 50,000 Words and Probably 30,000 Were Run-On Sentences

Anyone else out there with a huge case of NaNo FOMO? Let's talk about it!