Stories 4 Children blog

Wednesday, 1 November 2023

That's my...

...first reward of the competition earnt, so I'm gonna go and grab a bottle and hopefully find the bottle opener to celebrate then I'll start on my 6th chapter of the day. This is definitely a better way for me to write... I can still function and get my rewards but I get rewarded at the end of each chapter and a bigger reward after 5 chapters rather than rushing through it to try and beat the speed of the previous year.

Assuming I finish this year, I reckon this'll be my new-normal for NaNo and JanNo 'cos it's a lot more relaxed and enjoyable instead of feeling guilty for every wasted minute of the day.

So far...

...I'm really enjoying my new NaNo system and I've already written 8% of the total word count as well as being able to get washed, dressed, eat breakfast and have a reward for each chapter so I've only got 1 more chapter to write today to get my first big reward of the competition. I'd like to write as much as I can this afternoon 'cos I've got a busy Friday, Sunday, Tuesday and Wednesday ahead of me, so I wanna get as much written as possible during my free days. I'm not rushing it, but I'd like to get it finished around the 10th if I possibly can. Enjoyment is the word I'm focussing on this year, rather than speed.

Tuesday, 31 October 2023

NaNo starts tomorrow and...

...this time I'm not challenging myself to finish it in the fastest time/faster than the year before - I'm gonna aim to write 5k a day so that I'll be finished on the 10th and I'm gonna have a can of J2O just as I start, which'll be interesting 'cos it could be at 3am if it's like this morning lol I'm also gonna reward myself with a bottle of J2O for every 5,000 words that I write in a day and also reward myself with a treat-sized chocolate at the end of each chapter.

Lunches will be a mug of instant soup and breakfast will be my only solid meal each day.

I'm gonna relax and enjoy it rather than powering through it then feel lost for the rest of November.

This'll be my first NaNo as a young Yule widow so I hope there won't be too many tears and that I can get through it like I've been forced to with everything else for the last 10 months.

This'll be for you, Steve.

Saturday, 7 October 2023

Book Review: "My Mom's a Witch" by Debbie Aubrey

Kindle:
Paperback:
⭐⭐⭐ out of 5

If you've read any of my other recent-ish book reviews, you'll already know that each book I read an review starts off with the full shedload of stars and I'm always hopeful that they'll still be stuck in concrete by the time I close the back cover. You'll also know that I'm not shy about knocking stars off, but I always give my reasons for doing so.

The Kindle version promises that this book is "Funny magical fantasy fiction that's ever so slightly bonkers" which is a huuuuge statement to have to live up to when it comes to me and my sense of humour lol If I even raise a smile, I'll consider it achieved, otherwise it's a nope from me.

Oh dear. The second paragraph of the entire book and the first star is already wobbly because of the use of a well-known singer... will it plop off before the end of the first chapter?

There's another famous name, this time of a cartoon/film character so after only 2 paragraphs the first star has already plopped to the floor.

And a third famous name at the start of the second page... I'm already wondering if I'll make it to the end of the book with even a single star left!

Page 4 and a fourth famous name is dropped in without permission from the appropriate Trademark holder too, I bet.

And a fifth famous name on the fourth page, along with a well-known telly programme, so the second star comes off after only 4 pages... this isn't looking good unfortunately.

It was incredibly hard work, but I've finally got to the end of the first chapter... just a pity that it's already lost two stars.

Chaper two was OK... nothing to write home about, but I'm starting to understand the so-called humour now - it's just a pity that it's taken 17% of the book to get there!

The third and fourth chapters were good... the author is really getting into her stride now. There were occasional typos but I could still understand what she was trying to get across.

I'm 51% of the way through the book now, so it feels like a good place to stop for the night... will I have nightmares about those descriptions of what happened in Scotland though? I seriously hope not, but there's only one way to find out!

Nope, no nightmares, thankfully, so lets keep reading and reviewing the book shall we?

Chapter 7 was good, but I don't recommend reading it around the time you're gonna eat, like I have ;-)

Oh dear... they didn't plan that very well, did they? No spoilers, but with 31% to go and it being a children's book, I hope it'll be a happily ever after story!

I wasn't expecting any of *that*! Could the end of chapter 9 be a hint of a potential sequel?

And we're back to using big brand names again, but I've already taken a star off for that, so the three stars are still safe.

I wasn't expecting the last chapter, but it was fun and I can see children loving it!

Wednesday, 13 September 2023

Book Review: "The Self-Sufficient Princess" by Sanguine Addams

Kindle Unlimited:

Audiobook:

Hardcover:

Paperback:

⭐⭐⭐⭐ out of 5

Every book I read and review starts off with the full shed-load of stars and I'm always hopefull that they will all be stuck firmly in place by the time I close the back cover. Saying that though, I should also be completely honest with you about my removal of stars... they are usually for copyright or trademark infringement which always breaks my heart when I feel I have to make an otherwise very much 5 star book a 4 star instead. I always give my reasons for dropping each star - they don't just suddenly disappear into thin air. I've also replaced a star once due to a magic little sentence at the very back of the book and I'm more than happy to do it again if I read that magic sentence in a future book too.

I'm making a late start on this book so doubt I'll get more than a couple of chapters read before I head to bed, but at 370 pages, it's my longest one for a veeery long time so I'm in it for the long haul with my free week this week.

Let's get going and see how much I can read in the next couple of hours before I head to bed.

My Kindle is telling me that it'll take me 7 hours and 24 minutes to read so, in theory, I'll get it finished by bedtime tomorrow, but we shall see.

The first page was a completely different way to start a story! I hope it'll continue like that so that each page isn't torture to read!

An awesome first chapter but the measurements of feet and inches rather than centimeters and metres might confuse non-American readers as this is definitely an American author who spells it "mom" instead of the British way. The star stays purely because of where it was written and the author may never have dreamed that it'd leave America so to knock a star off purely because they couldn't see the future.

There have been a few opportunities to use brand names and book titles but the author has skillfully dodged getting the usual star knocked off which is a huuuuge relief.

I'm up to page 12 of the first chapter so they are going to be looong chapters, but it's a mid-teens novel that has been well-written so far so the star stays on for that reason too.

Wowsers. What an end to the first chapter. The first chapter was 13 pages long and I loved every word. There's gentle humour threaded through the authors carefully chosen words so it's got me wanting to keep reading until bedtime, safe in the knowledge that there prolly won't be any pleas of being better the next day or the threat of nightmares or not being able to sleep soundly because of what I've read (which is incredibly easy to do and the main reason that I don't read horror or thrillers). So far, this book is definitely 10/10 from me.

Oh dear. On page 23 the author has used the name of a very famous person who was offered the chance of royal life before she and her hubby rejected it... know who I mean without me naming her? The author has named her so they had better tread even more carefully than normal unless they want serious trouble from the Royal Family!

And another couple of celebrity names means the first star is coming off unfortunately.

Up to chapter 3 now and I'm seriously loving this book so far... definitely one of those "should've been 5 stars" books.

And now the name of a well-known search engine. In less than a chapter the second star is wobbly too... one more mention of a brand name or trademark or use of copyrighted material and the second star plops off already. I had such high hopes for this book, but it's heading the way of so many others unfortunately!

Up to page 54 and it's almost my bedtime, but 54 pages in about an hour and a half ain't too bad and I'm on track for finishing a around this time tomorrow, but for tonight and with the image of Sir Chad and Mittens making me smile, it's time to stop reading for the night now.

Back for another day's reading and reviewing now... how far will I get today?

Do search engine names come under Trademark infringement laws? I'm assuming that they do, so the fourth star starts off the day safely.

Chapter 4 was 19 pages long and I enjoyed that one too. This review is already faaaar too long, so like with my other reviews I'll just comment on the big things from now on in this review.

So proud of Mittens, but one character with three names is a bit too much... I can't even remember what the third name is now lol

Up to page 221 now, so I've managed to put in a decent amount of reading today.

There haven't been any more reasons to knock off a star and bits and pieces have made my heart beat faster and even get reasonably close to tears of pride - the author has an amazing way with words, but I'm stopping reading for the night again now and I'll prolly finish reading and reviewing this incredible book tomorrow.

A third day of reading is about to start and, like yesterday, I won't comment on absolutely everything, just the noteworthy stuff. How will the novel end... will I be laughing, groaning, shaking my head or sobbing?

Up to chapter 14 and the author is starting to raise my hopes with Gale and the newest suitor... will Gale get scared and shoo him away or will she gulp down her nerves and live happily ever after?

There's a second potential suitor in the next chapter... will Gale have the guts to be honest with him about who she is?

Judging by chapter 16 it'll be a tear-jerker ending so I'm gonna temporarily stop reading there, so that I don't have to answer the door with a tear-stained face... I'm up to page 308 so I haven't got a clue how many pages are left considering my subscription said that it was 300 pages long... it's a long read but sooo worth it.

Ah, sod it... I *will* keep reading and if I have to answer the door mid crying session then so be it! I *have* to know what happens next and this book has got me pulled right into it, hook, line and sinker!

I was wrong about potentially bursting into tears... it rapidly went from emotional at the end of the previous chapter to joyful throughout chapter 17! I'm up to page 331 so far and I'm gonna risk another chapter before I have my lunch - will this be a tear-jerking chapter or another upbeat one?

Wowsers! I wasn't expecting *anything* that happened in that chapter!

What an ending... it's a warm, fuzzy ending with appropriate humour and the potential for tears, but none from me. A definite must-read book that's one of those "shoulda been 5 stars" ones that gets a hearty recommendation from me.