Adventures of Andrea

Since I read so many books, it's sometimes easier to just combine most of them in one collective post. :D

Some are worth mentioning, some not, but here's a list of the sixteen books I read in October.

It's Not Summer Without You by Jenny Han
Mindwalker by A.J. Steiger
Something Strange and Deadly by Susan Dennard
Rebel Spring by Morgan Rhodes
The Devouring by Simon Holt
The Husband's Secret by Liane Moriarty 
The Falconer by Elizabeth May
Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo
Empire of Storms by Sarah J. Maas
The Forgetting by Sharon Cameron
The Thousandth Floor by Katharine McGee
The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater
Replica by Lauren Oliver 
Stalking Jack the Ripper by Kerri Maniscalco
A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness
Gathering Darkness by Morgan Rhodes

Now this was a month where I had a more than usual amount of free time due to job circumstances and such. I'm pretty impressed with myself, ha!

My favorite reads this month were probably Crooked Kingdom, Empire of Storms and The Husband's Secret. I really enjoy Liane Moriarty's writing and a mystery novel was perfect for the month of October.

A lot of these books were also relatively new releases including: Crooked Kingdom, Empire of Storms, Replica, The Thousandth Floor and The Forgetting. While Crooked Kingdom and Empire of Storms were continuations in two different series that I really like, I think Replica was probably the most interesting book I read.

Replica was about two girls; Gemma and Lyra, and each girl had their own part of the book. Lyra's part started at the back of the book, and Gemma started from the front. You would flip the book upside down to read Lyra and then flip it again to read Gemma. The concept of the book was all about clones or Replicas, as they prefer to be called. Lyra has only known life in an institution where other replicas are made and die. Gemma has a connection with this facility through her father's business and some family secrets. It was a really good read, and I recommend it!

Another large part of my reads this month were all based around a "spooky" theme. Something Strange and Deadly, A Monster Calls and The Devouring were all about monsters and creepy things. I have to say The Devouring probably creeped me out the most, which was interesting, because it was probably the closest to middle grade reading if anything. But the concept and the monster were pretty scary.

Anyway, I'm sure you'll hear me talk more about these books at some point, but that was a brief overview of my October books!

You know the posts where people reflect on they've learned in their XX amount of years on this planet. Well, in honor of my half birthday (23 and a half...how...), I've decided to join the trend and give you some pieces of advice/things that I've learned.


1. Your first job probably won't be perfect.

At least, mine wasn't. There's definitely a fantasy when you leave school of working in a perfect Google-type, amazing, relaxing office. And sure, some people have that, but most do not. You might not like your boss, you might not like your salary, you may not have some of the perks you really thought you would. It's okay. It's your first job, and there are lots more out there.

2. Take a deep breath.

Sounds pretty basic, right? I'm a pretty excitable, anxious person, and I can get wound up easily sometimes. There are so many moments where I remind myself to stop, breathe and then continue on with whatever I was doing or thinking. That deep breath can really serve as a moment of clarity.

3. Life is scary.

The faster you realize this, the better. But life can also be wonderful, exciting and terrifying. You are going to have bad times, and they will suck, but you're also going to have some amazing times that will make the crazy ride worth it.

4. Say yes.

I always used to hate this piece of advice. As an anxious person, this freaks me out. I don't want to say yes to everything. But the message behind this piece of advice is just to think about your answer before you say no. Maybe you will find or do something you really enjoy.

5. Sometimes you won't be the smartest in the room.

For a high achiever like me, this isn't a good feeling. I hate feeling ignorant or stupid. But sometimes other people have things to say that you might not know. Listen. It will make you all the better for it.

6. Try to ignore the pressure from society.

I talked about this a bit in my last post (go check it out! :)) I feel like my generation is the first in a long time to feel a lot of pressure to always feel creative, to have an amazing, perfect job, to travel the world, and have the cutest, coziest apartment. It's exhausting. I know it's hard, but try to ignore the expectations. If you don't want to travel, that's your decision. If you like your cubicle office job, then who cares?! I'm so tired of this pressure to live this perfect life in your 20s, it's just not realistic.

7. Don't sweat the small stuff.

My mom always tells me that if it's something I won't remember a month from now, or even a year from now. It's a good piece of advice that I use all the time. Sometimes it's hard to let go of anger, but it's really for the best.

8. Text your friends. 

This is especially true when you leave school. Your friends are readily available to you anymore, everyone has their own jobs, their own significant others and their own lives. It's up to you to keep in touch and make plans. You don't go to the same school anymore, so you won't see them. It's a tough transition, but the friends who you truly care about will stick by you.

9. Speak up.

You are the only who knows how you feel. If someone says something that hurt you, tell them. Maybe they didn't even realize it. Or maybe they did, and then they're just an asshole. Your friends are psychic, they aren't going to know every thought running through your head, and if someone did something that upset you, it's best to let them know.

10. Find something you enjoy.

I don't care what it is. Maybe it's blogging, writing, candle making, reading, yoga, running, anything under the sun. But find something. Find something that makes you happy, find something that you're passionate about. Life is too short to just worry about your job, your next paycheck...all that adult type stuff. You have to have your own hobbies and interests too.

11. College is awesome, but it's not everything.

I know so many people who, when we were in high school, were obsessed with finding the best college and everything they were going to do and join when they were there. For those of you who might not have gone through the process, yes, college is awesome. There's freedom, choices and lots of things to do. But where you go to college, and even what your major is, is not the only important thing in life. When you enter the workforce, you will learn that there are people who went to a great school and are terrible at their jobs, and there will be people who went to a school with a bad reputation, and they are awesome. It doesn't matter.

12. You will probably make a couple huge mistakes.

It might be during school, it might be money-wise, relationship-wise, or maybe you screwed up a project at work. It might feel like the end of the world, but it's not. Actually, that huge mistake might give you some courage because now you messed up and you know the world didn't end. The sun will still rise the next morning, and you will be a little smarter.

13. Don't keep negative people in your life.

It's not worth it. The people around you to affect you, and if someone is constantly negative, chances are you're going to be like that too.

14. Don't make everything about finding 'the one'.

This one is similar to number 11. You can't be obsessed with finding a relationship, finding a boyfriend or girlfriend and running off happily into the sunset together. It just doesn't happen that way. When you do find someone (and you will!) it will most likely be when you aren't looking for it at all. Life is funny that way.

15. Budget.

I know this sounds kind of silly. But the first few years out of college are crucial for budgeting purposes. Suddenly, you have money. And for some people, they might have a substantial amount of it. We all go through that phase when we get our first jobs and go kind of buy-crazy. Get past that, and make a budget and stick to it. You'll thank me later.

16. Respect other people.

I don't care what race, sexual orientation, ethnicity or gender they are. We all deserve respect. The end.

17. Keep learning.

Just because you're no longer a student, that's not an excuse to stop learning. Go to a community college, find a language course online, do something. Education should never end, and there is always more to learn.

18. Take your time with the big decisions.

I learned my lesson with this one recently. When you get out of college or maybe before, there is kind of a voice of what's next. Breathe. It's okay. Everyone feels this way. Before you accept a job you don't really like, or before you decide to go back to grad school, just pause. We're young. You have plenty of time for decisions (you really always do, throughout any point in your life).

19. Treat yourself.

I know this might seem like it goes against my budgeting tip, but it doesn't. Your mental health is so, so important. Set aside some time for yourself each week to do a face mask, take a bath, read a book, do something. Do something that is solely for you.

20. Be kind.

A hard one to follow. Everyone is struggling. Everyone has something they are going through. I'm not saying you have to always be this calm, zen person all the time, but a little kindness goes a long way. You complimenting someone, helping someone out, it might be the highlight of their whole day.

21. Time management is key.

The world of adulting is a stressful one. For the first time in your life, you're paying bills, possibly renting or buying a house, maybe taking care of a pet. There is going to be a lot thrown at you at once. Manage your time. Netflix is amazing, I know, but you should probably make sure you paid the Internet and walked the dog first.

22. Not everyone is going to like you.

Again, this one is a hard one for me. But some people, they just won't like you. If you were like me and grew up in a small-ish town, where everyone got along (for the most part), this will be an uncomfortable feeling. But when you get to college or the workforce, you will probably stumble upon someone who just doesn't mesh with you. It's okay. Move on.

23. The only one who is responsible for your happiness is you.
Your friends, your parents, your significant other are all going to want to see you happy, but you are the only one who can make that happen.

1/2. Here it is the most important piece of advice that I could possibly give...Ready? You should NEVER, ever, ever, ever --


;) There's half a piece of advice for you.

Sometimes the words get stuck. And sometimes it's so unbelievably easy to make them flow.

I write for a living. Not as an author, mind you, although maybe someday. As a journalist, sometimes (sadly) you don't have time for creativity. Creativity gets shoved under the bus, because deadlines need to happen.

There have been some positives and negatives about this for me. Some positives: I've learned how to write in every mood. Bored, sick, tired, sad, angry, happy, excited, you name it. Because writing is my job, and such a deadline-oriented one at that, I had to learn how to write through any possible mood.

Some negatives: this wears me out. I love writing. I wouldn't have chosen it as my career if I didn't. But sometimes, at the end of a week writing articles, or researching articles, there's just no room left in my brain for creative writing.



Sometimes I have ideas hit me, and I scramble for my laptop, my phone or a piece of paper. This happened to me, for the first time, in a while I had a story idea. I was so excited about this, I started writing notes on my phone, even though I was in the middle of a work event. (Oops!)

I wanted to talk about this process, because I know that so many people struggle with not feeling creative enough. In our millennial generation, creativity is key. What can you create? What can you write, draw, sing, paint, fill in the medium of your choice here... It's not a bad thing, but it does put pressure on all of us, but we feel the need to be creative all the time, and that's just not possible.

Now, all of this ties into NaNoWriMo. Don't worry, I didn't forget the title of the post.

NaNoWriMo, for those who don't know, stands for National Novel Writing Month, and it takes place next month in November. The goal of NaNoWriMo is to write 50,000 words in one month. A novel. In one month.

The reason this all ties together for me is because NaNoWriMo forces you to shove creativity aside, in a way. The goal, as I understand it, is just to write. There is no editing or rewriting that takes place during this month, that can come later. All this month is about is getting those words down on the paper.

Now I've done NaNoWriMo once before (and wrote a novel that will never, ever see the light of day) and it was good for me. Not easy, but good. It forced me to get out of my own head space, it forced me to stop feeling like I had to write the perfect creatively creative thing. It forced me to just write.

That's why, I'm going to do it again this year. I need to get out of my own way, and just write. We don't have to strive for perfection in our creativity, we just have to create. :)

Three Dark Crowns by Kendare Blake was the book sent out in the September Owlcrate box, and as soon as I read the description I was intrigued.

It's YA Fantasy, which is probably my favorite type of book to read, and the concept is this: There are triplet sisters, who each are equal heirs to the crown of this island that is full of different kinds of magic. One sister, Mirabella, is an elemental, and her powers range from controlling storms to summoning fire. Arsinoe is a naturalist, and they are known for being able to communicate with animals and grow flowers and plants. Katherine is a poisoner, known to withstand any poison without even a stomachache. When the sisters turn 16, one must claim the crown above the others by murdering her two other sisters.

The concept immediately gripped me, and I really enjoyed the flow of the story and the way we got to know the different characters and their worlds. One of my favorite things is that there seems to be a 'mainland' in the book that is pretty much exactly like our world and when the mainlanders interact with the magic of the island, it's funny to see the confusion.
I've seen some people say the beginning of the book was slow, and that was true, but I think it was necessary and I didn't hate it. Also, the twist at the end is what made a lot of people love this book. I'm usually pretty good at guessing twists and knowing what will happen, but I did not see this coming. It honestly changes your whole perspective, and that's all I'll say.

Another favorite part of this book for me was that while there was romance, it wasn't too overpowering. The focus of the book was on the sisters and how each of them had evolved and their ties to their powers and families.

I've been recommending this book non-stop to anyone who will listen, and the ending was what really made me decide how good this book was. So if you are hesitating to read it or if you are in the middle of the book and feeling like it's a little slow, just hang on, it will be worth it!

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars. 

I love the format of Nicole's monthly wrap-up posts, but I thought I would do mine in a direction of talking about the month ahead, instead of talking about the past month. (Also, go check out Nicole's blog, for real, she's my favorite.)

I love that I've been in such a writing mood lately, and I hope you guys are enjoying more frequent posts from me! I think part of the switch has been because of the change in seasons and temperature that has been happening! The last few days have really felt like fall, so it feels right that it's October now!

Reading: I just bought Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo and Empire of Storms by Sarah J. Maas. These are both books in series that I really love and have been looking forward to for a long time. I can't wait to start these this month, and you'll probably see a review post from me too. :)

What I'm Doing: On October 15, I'm participating in the Out of Darkness walk for the American Foundation of Suicide Prevention. While I don't know anyone who has committed suicide, suicide has impacted several people who I dearly love, so I am going to try to honor them and those they lost during this day!

Since it's October, this also means lots and lots of fall and Halloween activities. I know that I'm going to a haunted forest next weekend, which I am so excited for, and also planning lots of pumpkin farm visits. (When you've got little kids in the family, it's a guarantee you will go to a pumpkin farm.)

I think the other thing for October that may be happening is a possible Six Flags visit as well as a yoga event...if Nicole and I get our asses in gear and actually buy tickets!

Watching: The newest season of New Girl just got put on Netflix so I'm sure that I will finish that this month. I also would like to catch up on Jane the Virgin. Not too many TV plans this month, except I do have to remember to watch the Hamilton documentary at the end of the month. (Mostly because I'm going to see it this summer!!!)

I think that's about it for October...I'm excited for this month. October is probably one of my favorite months of the year, and I'm looking forward to it.