Day: November 3, 2025

November Writing Challenge Day 3

/ Kristi / Leave a comment

The Words: 1900 words total for the day, which felt like a miracle. I did a 15-minute sprint that was a little more distraction-filled than usual and ended with around 750 words. It was getting late, and I considered leaving it at that, eating up a lot of my first-day lead. But I pushed myself to start another sprint, figuring I’d at least get another 700. Fortunately, I got onto a roll and wrote over 1100 words in that 15 minutes, which put me past the 1667 daily goal!

The Story: Garend is beginning to weaken, not because he actually wants anything to do with the stranger that he’s at least starting to get to know, but because he’s finding himself more and more intrigued by the idea of being able to visit Newland. But he can’t just visit Newland—it will require a commitment that he isn’t yet willing to make.

I definitely feel like I’m stalling, but then I remember that it’s only day 3, so I have plenty of time to flounder through writing about Newland.

Total word count: 7041

October in Review

/ Kristi / Leave a comment

I read 15 books last month, another higher-than-average month, with a page count only barely lower than last month. It’s been a good stretch of reading for the last 3 months, but that will come to end in here in November, as I spend more time writing and less time reading. With my current rate of listening to audiobooks, though, the number for November might not dip as low as it has when I did NaNoWriMo in the past.

Here are the books I read in October:

Edgeland
Carpenter 20
HTTYD 2
Poirot 20
Maze Cutter
Pennypickle
gambit
Castle in the air
Bleak Creek
7 Things
not-if-i-save-you-first
Lemoncello 2 GN
lost-lt
Sunrise

Edgeland by Jake Halpern & Peter Kujawinski (2.5 / 5)
Dachshund Through the Snow by David Rosenfelt (4 / 5)
How to Be a Pirate by Cressida Cowell (3 / 5)
The Maze Cutter by James Dashner (2 / 5)
Hercule Poirot’s Christmas by Agatha Christie (3.5 / 5)
The Final Gambit by Jennifer Lynn Barnes (4 / 5)
Ms. Pennypickle’s Puzzle Quest by Chris Grabenstein (5 / 5)
Castle in the Air by Diana Wynne Jones (2 / 5)
The Lost Causes of Bleak Creek by Rhett McLaughlin & Link Neal (4.5 / 5)
Seven Things I Wish Christians Knew About the Bible by Michael F. Bird (3 / 5)
And to All a Good Bite by David Rosenfelt (5 / 5)
Not If I Save You First by Ally Carter (1.5 / 5)
Mr. Lemoncello’s Library Olympics: The Graphic Novel by Chris Grabenstein (4.5 / 5)
The Lost Lieutenant by Erica Vetsch (5 / 5)
Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins (5 / 5)

This list includes 3 ARCs and 3 re-reads. My favorite book from October was Sunrise on the Reaping. I started 2 series, continued 4 series, and finished 2 series. My ever-changing short list of to-be-reads, as well as a flag for the book I’m currently reading and an ongoing list of those I’ve read and posted about can be found here.

I’m also keeping my Goodreads page updated with a more extensive list of to-be-reads. Despite my almost too-long TBR list, I’m always looking for more to add. Feel free to offer suggestions of your favorites or just recent reads you enjoyed.