Feeling accomplished and happy.
Archive for November, 2023
All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Now I can’t wait to see the movie! This was a good book! Anthony Doerr wrote beautifully, and Zach Appelman could do all the characters very well. In fact, when he did the female voices, I didn’t hear the belittling tone I usually hear when a male portrays a female.
This was a scary step to take after the heavy historical facts of Rachel’s book. I was so worried that I couldn’t handle what happened to the beloved characters in the book. It doesn’t end with a happily ever after, but it felt real yet enlightening and full of love.
To show how captivating this story was, I didn’t get to sleep until 4:30 this morning, and I had a long drive to stay awake for today. So far, the strength of the characters in the book sustained me. Maybe by this weekend, I can watch the show.
Prequel: An American Fight Against Fascism by Rachel Maddow
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I have been finished with this book for a few days. It is so heavy in history that I couldn’t bring it all in. I may have to buy it and reread it. Luckily, I could read it by Libby audio.
Rachel does her own narrating. That made it better. She can take you back in historical situations so that you know more than names and dates (the things taught to me in history classes of my youth). She can almost take you back to the time the first dinosaur thought of the inconvenience of that leaf and how it led to the conflict of World War II. Her deep research is evident.
There were far more people involved in that war than we were taught in school. And much of what we got had to be taught cleaned up in a way that not just kids but everyone could take it in. There was a reason most veterans of that war said nothing about what happened. They only knew the bit of the war they were in. It was truly a World War, and many people were involved in many aspects. This book covers a lot of them. And how people in many countries, even ours, were placated to or induced into beliefs they might not readily have fallen for otherwise.
I highly suggest everyone read this. I think it could be a textbook for a true history class. I know many won’t want to read it. That’s okay. For those open to try, please do so.
And Now:
But when this ends, I am going to have that loose ends feeling. What next? Suggestions?
After all these years of NaNo writing, I finally have a line I like (It’ll probably need to be edited out)
“Still, they all felt that uneasiness that comes from paranoia brought about by valid fears.” All mine!
Life is full of expectations and hope. I had wished that I would get 50K words this November, but life has gotten in the way. If I struggled against that goal, only getting 1100-1400 words a day, I would, by now, just give up. I know my psyche. I like my story. I think it holds some fun things that suddenly go with the last book, almost a part two but few of the same characters. They will possibly meet in the end, but I am not sure how. Still, the story itself overlaps. I don’t want to lose the story to the word goal. Does that make sense? So, as of today, I have a new goal of 35,000, giving me a daily goal of 730. It’s so much more doable. Especially when I need more world and character-building. I want a stronger story. This is how I will gain it. I am rarely at the words “the end” on November 30. I have been writing NaNo-way in that I like busting out 30-50k words in a month. It pushes on my creativity. I have done my best with a vague framework ready on the first of the month whenever I choose to do the writing.
Now I can spend unguilty time doing yarn things.
Darswords 
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