Currently Reading and Writing Update

Hey everyone!
I've never done a post like this before because I do not like to read more than one book at a time. However, I'm currently reading three!
For school, I'm reading Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck. It's a short book and we're only two chapters in.
I also started reading Unsouled by Neal Shusterman a little while ago, but I barely have time to read. So I was about 120 pages in when Allegiant by Veronica Roth came out.
I decided to put down Unsouled a day after Allegiant came out and started to read that. I'm currently at 88 pages.

As for writing, I wrote a short story called Cerebrum Lavacrum which is (of course) science fiction and takes place in the future. If you would like to read it, click here! It's five pages, so I would love if you could take a few minutes and check it out.

Thanks for reading, Kait

Something About September

Hey everyone!
Today I wanted to do a more of a rambling post. I've been thinking about this a lot lately, and wanted to share it with fellow readers. There's something about September for me that makes reading special. The weather is perfect (most of the time) for where I am. It's chilly, but not freezing. You can just sit outside and be comfortable. The leaves start to change and the sun is perfectly put to enjoy your day. There's just something about September that makes me want to read outside or in an imaginary place or somewhere so pretty and woodsy. Is this just me? Haha, sorry for this weirder post, but it was something I was just thinking about and wanted to share. Thanks for reading, Kait

How I Get Through Reading School Books

Hey everyone!
So I am sorry if you're already back in school and therefore, this blog may not be all that helpful, but you can still use these tips year round. As for all you procrastinators (including myself) here are a few things I'm doing to get through reading my school books.

1. Read 100 pages a day. Most of my books that I have to read are almost 300 pages long, so if I read 100 pages every day, I'm done with the book in three days. On the fourth day, I do all the work for that book.
2. Mark every 100 pages. If you do decide to read 100 pages every day, I find using a sticky note and marking every interval helps motivation. You can visually see your progress.
3. Set aside time. Sometimes, you have to tell yourself that for the next few hours, I'm going to read and sit down and do it.
4. Remove all distractions. Put whatever it is that distracts on the other side of the room, or at least not in reaching distance without getting up. If you get hungry, get a snack before you start reading.
5. Read in order of the work load. For instance, the first book I read had a good amount of work, but it wasn't overwhelming. So I did that first so I ease my way into things. Then read the hardest one, or the book that looks the least interesting or something. Lastly, finish it off with the most exciting book or the easiest. Especially if it's a book that seems interesting, hopefully that could motivate you to finish the others first so you can get to the last book.

Hope you enjoyed! Let me know your tips in the comments! Thanks for reading, Kait

Update: My Story

Hey everyone!
Today I'm doing a small update on my story which you can read on Wattpad by clicking the tab labeled, They Chose Me (My Story). I knew I needed to blog today, although I didn't know what to blog about! So I wanted to share my progress with you on my story.
I started chapter 16 recently, and admittedly, I haven't worked on it in a few days. The great news though is that I am almost done writing! I'm planning on having one more chapter after this one which is very exciting! It's a fairly short story- probably about 38K words, but once I'm finishing revising it with the help of a friend, it will probably be longer. I am planning on finishing the first draft before I go back to school! I might just keep the first draft on Wattpad and then I might upload the whole, final story a few drafts later.
I'm sorry for the short post! If you have any requests, feel free to leave them on any post. Thanks for reading! -Kait

(Updated) BOOKSHELF TOUR (July 20, 2013)

Hey everyone!
**For some reason, I saved this as a draft and didn't publish this earlier when I was planning to. So today you'll just get two posts!**

In March, I did a bookshelf tour, but since then, my book shelving has drastically changed. I even got a new bookshelf and probably 20 or so new books! So I thought it was time for a new one! I hope the pictures show up, I'll try to fix it if they don't! Here's my last (and first) bookshelf tour. (Sorry, pictures become blurry when I put them on here!)
 My bookcase is the Billy Bookcase from IKEA in white. I really like it!
My first shelf, I have my viola on display as well as a few orchestra binders (two are cut off) and a few yearbooks.
 
My next shelf is categorized by series that are all hardcover. But first I have a gray K from TJ Maxx and a few trinkets decorating it. Then I have the Caster Chronicles by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl: Beautiful Creatures, Beautiful Darkness, Beautiful Chaos, and Beautiful Redemption. Then I have The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer and The Evolution of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin. After that I have Legend and Prodigy by Marie Lu. I have the first book in a trilogy, Crewel by Gennifer Albin. Then The Fault in Our Stars by John Green. Lastly, The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken.
 

Then I have my "favorites shelf". First I have The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins: The Hunger Games, Catching Fire, and Mockingjay. I also have The World of The Hunger Games and The Girl Who Was on Fire (no specific author; other has various authors). Then I have Divergent and Insurgent by Veronica Roth. Next, I have my Rick Riordan collection of sorts. First I have the Kane Chronicles: The Red Pyramid, The Throne of Fire, and The Serpent's Shadow. After that I have my Percy Jackson and the Olympians stacked: The Lightning Thief, The Sea of Monsters, The Titan's Curse, The Battle of the Labyrinth, and The Last Olympian. On top of them I have the first book in the Heroes of Olympus: The Lost Hero with the other two standing beside the stack, The Son of Neptune and The Mark of Athena. I also have The Demigod Diaries and The Demigod Files as well as a replica of the Marauders Map and my two Mockingjay bracelets and pin.

The next shelf is my "other books that aren't even in height, a favorite (per say) or a tall book". Starting on the left, I have the Wolves of Mercy Falls series by Maggie Steifvater: Shiver, Linger, and Forever. Then I have The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak is next. After that I have Paper Towns by John Green and then the Hush, Hush series by Becca Fitzpatrick: Hush, Hush, Crescendo, Silence, and Finale. Next I have Shatter Me and Unravel Me by Taherah Mafi. Cinder and Scarlet by Marissa Meyer are after that. Then I have Unwind and Unwholly by Neal Shusterman. Continuing, I have the Eve trilogy by Anna Carey: Eve, Once, and Rise. Lastly, I have the Delirium series by Lauren Oliver: Delirium, Pandemonium, Requiem, and Delirium Stories. Next to them I have my bookmarks! (Four are THG ones!)

On the second to last bookshelf, I have my tall books. I also have my little container thing with a K on it and some shells. The first book I have is The Diviners by Libba Bray. Then I have The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey. After that I have my Matched trilogy by Ally Condie: Matched, Crossed, and Reached. Following that is my Across the Universe trilogy by Beth Revis (I know, my covers are completely messed up): Across the Universe, A Million Suns, and Shades of Earth. Last but not least I have The Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare: City of Bones, City of Ashes, City of Glass, City of Fallen Angels, and City of Lost Souls. I also have a little prism there, too!

My last shelf is not my favorite (but I do have a Harry Potter book on there). First I have two of my box sets' boxes: The Kane Chronicles and Beautiful Creatures. Next to that I have Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. (My brother owns 1-6.) I have the first Narnia book, but it's the movie tie in and my brother has a box set of the actually books so I'll probably just read those. By the way, my brother gave me this randomly. He also gave me the first two books in the Ranger's Apprentice series: The Ruins of Gorlan and the Burning Bridge (I believe that's their names). I also have a piggy bank and a teddy bear with a little Harry Potter journal on it!

 

That was my book shelf! Hope you enjoyed! -Kait

My Writing Progress and Tips

Hey everyone!
I haven't done a writing related post in a while, so I thought I better update you. To read my story, click here! The past month or two, I've been really into writing after taking a longer break in the winter. A surprising turn of events happened Sunday, which I'm really excited about. I haven't told many people about my story- I mentioned it to my mom and friend, but otherwise, that was all (besides the Internet :)). I mentioned it to my other friend who is a great writer herself. She's now editing my story! So far, she's finished with chapter one. She sent me a picture of it and I think I saw more red than ink. Although there will be many (and I mean many) changes, I'm really excited to watch They Chose Me evolve! So my recommendation to fellow writers: Find a critique partner! There are websites, like

this one that specialize in critiquing. If you do use someone you know, make sure they're not the kind of person to sugar coat things! My friend and I are going to have weekly meetings once summer starts and school is out of the way. This way, we can really go in depth about changes.
Chapter 9 will be posted soon! Most likely by Saturday or Sunday. If you ever want to know, look to the right at my "News" section, click the link above (or just go to They Chose Me (My Story) above), or follow me on Wattpad! -Kait

Joining a Fandom...

Hey everyone!
Guess what book I'm reading? .... I'm reading Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief! For those who have read my BBB post, I did not buy this. My mom got this for my brother a while ago, which he never read, and then recently I remembered we have it and decided to start it. So far, I really enjoy it. I will probably be doing a review soon! :) A better post will be coming soon, I have been very busy this past week! I am actually leaving for the doctor's in a little bit! Just wanted to update you all! Oh, and I haven't been able to right much. That is why there is a very big delay on Chapter 4. -Kait

Where to Find My Story (Last Update for a While!)

Hey everyone!
So you're probably getting annoyed with all my story updates, so therefore, I'm not going to tell you when I have a new chapter up. (Although Chapter 2 is up.) Anyways, above,I have a page entitled "They Chose Me (My Story) where you can find links that will lead you to each part of the story that you choose. So as of right now, I have Chapter 1, First Draft and Chapter 2, First Draft. You can place your feedback there too! If you have any ideas, recommendations, critiques, etc, let me know! :)
-Kait

Update on my Story and Reached!

Hey everyone!
First of all, I have less than 100 pages of Reached left, and oh my gosh..... Expect a book review up sometime this weekend! You can see my progress on Goodreads as well as all my other books!
Second, I have decided on a title. But I want to hear what you think! So still feel free to comment any other title names you may have in mind. I haven't come across any books with this name, but you never know! I thought of 'They Chose Me'. Which, if you read chapter, may not understand. I also added a section to the right where you can view all the work I've done so far on Wattpad. However, I still only have the first draft of chapter one. I hope you guys check it out, it would mean soo soo much!
As always,
Kait