What's Up Wednesday: Giving Thanks Edition
WHAT'S UP WEDNESDAY
What's Up Wednesday hails from the blogs of Jaime Morrow and Erin Funk.
Go to Jaime's blog to add your link - it's a great way to share what's
going on in your life and to make the rounds and get to know other
bloggers!
WHAT I'M READING
I finally finished ALLEGIANT by Veronica Roth. I believe I’d
gotten a bit stuck on it, trying to avoid the spoilers but getting the general
idea behind the vague, non-spoilery statements made by a number of others.
I also read UNTEACHABLE by Leah Raeder, a gritty NA, and am currently reading THE BEGINNING OF EVERYTHING by Robyn Schneider. However, it was due back at the library yesterday and I’ve maxed out on renewals, so I’m on a mission to finish it ASAP and return it. And, on the recommendation of Tracey and Katy and Rachel way back when, I’ve got Katie Cortugno’s HOW TO LOVE on order to arrive later this week!
WHAT I'M WRITING
I guess now’s as good a time as any to admit that I will not
reach my NaNoRevMo goal of a complete revision of BEAUTIFUL BIRD, SING ON
during the month of November. Life happened once again, not to mention the fact
that I have been drawn back to my WIP, KEYS. Alas and alack.
WHAT ELSE I'VE BEEN UP TO
See Monday’s post. Cub Scouts, PTO Book Fair, Thanksgiving
prep, etc. I'm making my two favorites for Thanksgiving dinner:
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| Sweet Potato Casserole |
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| Roasted Maple Syrup Glazed Brussels Sprouts |
WHAT INSPIRES ME RIGHT NOW
Tomorrow is Thanksgiving Day in the US, one of my favorite
holidays. I love the idea of expressing gratitude for our blessings. I love the
crisp autumn arctic air. I love the rich, autumnal color scheme. I love
the menu, so much in fact that we served Thanksgiving dinner at our wedding in
October of 2001. I love that I no longer work retail, which completely ruined the holiday for me for many, many years. And in case you're wondering, NO, I do NOT shop on Black Friday.
This month, the YA Buccaneers introduced a campaign to Give
Thanks to Writers. I’m blessed and inspired by a number of amazing writers and
writing mentors in my life, going as far back as elementary school, but to give
thanks to them all here would require too much space, too much time. I’ve read
so many books that have changed me, been inspired by so many authors.
So today I’ll pick just one.
Today I’ll say thanks to author Dana Reinhardt, who wrote a
book called A BRIEF CHAPTER IN MY IMPOSSIBLE LIFE.
I’d read a number of young adult books before this one
(including the classics from my own teenage years) but this one socked me. This
one made me nod my head and say, “You know what? This is the type of book I want to write.”
Thank you, Dana Reinhardt, for writing that book and helping
me make the leap to writing young adult fiction.
(and thanks to Terry
Davis, one of my wise fiction instructions at MSU, who planted the seed in the
first place.)
Those Brussels look good!
ReplyDeleteI also can't bring myself to shop on Black Friday, even though I haven't worked retail in years. I still remember the lines, the yelling, and the people stealing things out of each other's carts. What a nightmare!
Those brussel sprouts sound good! I just made brussel sprouts this week for the first time in about 10 years. I sauteed in chile-soaked olive oil with a little S+P, that's it.
ReplyDeleteI also worked retail once upon a time and had to quit one Christmas because the store decided to stay open until midnight every day in December. By then I had a full time job too (didn't pay that great, thus the second job) but there was no way I was going to 8 -6 and then 7 to midnight and then have to go back to my day job again the next day. I hate how greedy the retailers have gotten. I only occassionally do Black Friday, but usually later in the day. I saw online someone say to boycott BF sales was hurtful to employees who get extra hours and holiday pay, but if you've worked retail you know that holiday pay is a daydream, and you probably are still getting your hours cut other days so that they don't have to pay you benefits etc. It boils down again to a greedy system, and I often feel a bit torn on whether to shop that day or not.
I am encouraged by Small Business Saturday though, which is 11/30. So I may head to a few smaller shops that day :)
Happy Thanksgiving!
Happy Thanksgiving! Black Friday isn't a big deal here in Canada- stores are just getting into it- but it doesn't matter because Thanksgiving is long over for us.
ReplyDeleteI still haven't read Allegiant. I think I'm up to 80th on the list at my library. :/
Life has a pesky way of getting in the way of writing, doesn't it? I love that you say "Alas and alack" :)
ReplyDeleteThe pictures of the food look super nummy! We are making roasted brussels sprouts too, so now I'm super curious about your maple glaze.
I haven't read A BRIEF CHAPTER IN MY IMPOSSIBLE LIFE, but I must add it to the list now. I'm sold. :)
Happy Thanksgiving, hope you have a marvelous week!
I agree with Jen and Kate: Those Brussel sprouts look really tasty. They're not on my menu for tomorrow, but now I'm considering a quick run to the store to pick the ingredients up! I hope you love HOW TO LOVE as much as I do. I'll be interested to hear your thoughts on Sawyer. :-) Happy Thanksgiving, Sara!
ReplyDeleteI love that you served Thanksgiving dinner at your wedding! I'm also excited about this holiday, and all the food. Those Brussel sprouts look amazing!
ReplyDeleteI have a copy of HOW TO LOVE and I'm really excited to read it. I have so many books left to read this year!
Happy Thanksgiving. :)
Life does seem to get in the way! I won't be "winning" NaNo this year (too many other projects on the go!). I'll have to check out that book!
ReplyDeleteIt's funny, because DIVERGENT is the book that gave me the push I needed to get writing. It's just a shame that I'm among the few who didn't like the conclusion. Ah well. Such is life, right? I will always be grateful to VRoth for providing the inspiration I needed to take that first step, though. That sweet potato casserole looks SO delicious. I've never attempted cooking sweet potatoes, but I think I might have to try it sometime. Yum! I agree with you: Any holiday that encourages us to pause and be thankful is a good holiday, in my opinion. I think that's why I love Christmas so much. I love the giving aspect and how, as Dickens puts it, "men and women seem by one consent to open their shut-up hearts freely, and to think of people below them as if they really were fellow-passengers to the grave, and not another race of creatures bound on other journeys". I hope this Thanksgiving is an extra special time with your family, Sara. Have a wonderful week!
ReplyDeleteI don't do Black Friday either, and don't understand why anyone would go in for it. Who wants to get up super-early to battle massive crowds and lines just to get stuff you probably wouldn't have wanted if it weren't on sale? It also seems to encourage certain stores, like WalMart, to exploit their employees even more. The videos I've seen of packed mobs on Black Friday chillingly remind me of the final scene of my favorite film, The Inner Circle, depicting the crushing mob at Stalin's funeral. No thank you.
ReplyDeleteNovember hasn't been a good month for me. I'm ready to celebrate Thanksgiving and get to December. Have a very happy Thanksgiving.
ReplyDeleteThat food looks amaaaaaaaaazing! *sigh* I love Thanksgiving, but I've only been in the US for it once. It's such a wonderful holiday. Thankfully I have lovely friends who made me Thanksgiving dinner for my birthday last year XD
ReplyDeleteHave a fantastic day, followed by a wonderful week :D
I'm reading Allegiant at the moment too, and I totally understand what you mean about avoiding spoilers and stuff. I was so anxious to read it that first week because of all the spoilers and even non-spoilers going around, but now I'm like sort of unmotivated to read it. It's not bad, but I think I'm just in a reading funk. Hopefully, I'll get through it this weekend.
ReplyDeleteOh my, those brussels sprouts look soooo good! Happy Thanksgiving!
No Black Friday shopping for me. I hate crowds.
ReplyDeleteHappy Thanksgiving.
Happy Thanksgiving. I love the idea of giving thanks to writers - bravo to you!
ReplyDeleteWhat a great post! And I love all that you're thankful for!
ReplyDeleteAlso, while you may not have achieved your November goals (I didn't either), you made progress. And that's awesome!
Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!