New Year, New Semester: A Brief Update

A New Years post at the end of January?  Amelia, shouldn’t you have posted this weeks ago?  Yes, yes I should have.  However, life, school, and laziness has kept me away from my blog.  Better late than never, right?

My second semester of graduate school is underway and I’m sitting here wondering, WHERE did my winter break go?!  And why didn’t I do any writing during my time off?!

Since I’ve been hard-core neglecting my blog, here’s a brief recap of things in Amelia land:

• I finished my first semester of grad school just before the holidays and managed straight A’s!
• The holidays were a busy, but wonderful time with family
• I applied and interviewed for a librarian position within my current system that is much closer to where I live, but didn’t get it.  When the choice is between you and a former library director with 30 years of experience, there’s not much of a choice.  But, since breaking the bad news to me, my supervisor has asked me to be on a number of new committees, which is exciting!
• I read a ridiculous amount of books
• I spent a wonderful weekend at a friend’s cabin in northern Wisconsin

Reverse Culture Shock & Moving Forward

Everyone always says that the hardest part about going abroad is coming home.

Slowly, I’ve been getting used to being back in America.  At first, it was WEIRD.  It’s the little things about your own culture that are the oddest, the things you only notice when you’ve been away for a long time.  Used to everyone speaking different languages and a wide variety of accents, I found myself wondering why everyone sounded the same.  American accents are so bland!  Also, accustomed to the reserve of most Europeans, I found the open friendliness of Americans strange.  “Why are all of these people being so nice?” I wondered.  “I don’t even know them!”

100+ Books in Less than a Year

Back in high school, I got an account on Goodreads and started keeping track of the things I was reading.  Curious about how many books I read each year, I began organizing my collection into shelves.

In 2011, I read 75 books.  In 2012, the count went up to 87.  Things shifted when I went to college–only 55 and 57 reads in 2013 and 2014 respectively.

This year, though, is the highest total yet.

Some people set reading goals.  I don’t.  I just read.  I read and read and read and read and… well… can’t really stop.

As of right now, I’ve read 104 books in the past twelve months.  This includes audiobooks, assigned reading, and Kindle e-books.  It does NOT include books I’ve read twice–because, yes, I managed to listen through Harry Potter twice in the past six months.

Originally, I planned on making a big list of all 104 titles.  But then I realized that the amount of YA chick-lit I’ve been consuming lately is borderline embarrassing.  You really don’t need to know how fast I can read Stephanie Perkins and Kierra Cass novels.  (In case you were dying of curiosity, it’s less than 24 hours per book)

Instead, I’m going to list the best books.  The books that reached into my heart and found a home; the ones that made me feel; the stories that, months later, still have me thinking.

Here we go…

• Pastrix by Nadia Bolz-Weber

• His Grave Assassins trilogy by Robin LaFevers

• Bad Feminist by Roxanne Gay

• Mistborn Trilogy by Brandon Sanderson

• Persuasion by Jane Austen

• The Silmarillion by J.R.R. Tolkien

• Written on the Body by Jeanette Winterson

• The Danish Girl by David Ebershoff

• Paper Towns by John Green

• The Tempest by William Shakespeare

• The Secret Life of Emily Dickinson by Jerome Charyn

• Who is This Man? by John Ortberg

• Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

• Coming Up for Air by George Orwell

• Bleak House by Charles Dickins

• The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis

• Symphony of Ages trilogy by Elizabeth Haydon

• Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine

I recommend anything on this list.

However, if I could get you to read any of these books, I’d point you to The Danish Girl.  It’s been getting attention lately due to the recent biopic starring Eddie Redmayne.  I haven’t seen the film yet, but the book is incredible.  I used it to write my senior seminar paper this spring and fell in love with it.  It helped me better understand the transgender experience–a perspective on which I’ve been woefully ignorant my entire life.  The novel is about courage, love, and an exploration of self-creation.

I also highly recommend The Silmarillion by Tolkien, which was insanely hard to get through, but SO worth it.  It gives Middle Earth so much more depth and meaning.

For non-fiction, I LOVED Who is This Man? by John Ortberg.  The book is a collection of essays examining the figure of Jesus from multiple perspectives.  It looks at the impact Jesus had on different areas like science, history, forgiveness, the treatment of women, etc.  I got a lot out of this book and loved thinking about Jesus on an intellectual front, rather than a spiritual one.

My to-read list is endless, but I’m always open for recommendations for things to read in 2016!  What are some of the best books you’ve read in the past year?  Tell me about them in the comments!

300 & Counting

I’ve hit a landmark.  Recently, I reached 300 followers.  For many blogs, this number may seem small, tiny, inconsequential.  For me, though, it means the world.

When blogging, it’s always a challenge to straddle the line between creating quality content for the sake of your readers and quality content for sake of pleasing yourself.  I do my best to write posts that readers will enjoy.  I love you guys and want you to stick around.  At the end of the day, though, my ultimate goal is to remain true to myself.

I’m a selfish writer.  I really am.  I do this because it brings me life and I can’t imagine ever stopping.  I know that everyone who follows Keep Your Feet isn’t necessarily a reader.  That’s okay.  Although I try to follow only sites I will actually read, there is a tendency to follow others just for the follow-back.  I get that.

But for those of you who DO read, thank you.  For those of you who have not just hit “Follow”,  but take time to come along side me and spend time with my words, thank you.  By reading, liking, and commenting, you inspire me to keep going.  I’ve got a universe of words within me and there are days when I just want to throw them in a bucket and let them rot.  When this happens, the thought of you is what motivates me cherish my words and lovingly string them into coherent thoughts.  I’ve learned a great deal about myself and my identity as a writer over the past few months, and that would not have been possible without you.  Your words and encouragement mean the world to me.

I don’t know where Keep Your Feet is going.  I don’t know if it’ll stay at is it is or grow or shrink into obscurity.  Frankly, I don’t care.  I’m just thankful to be where I am today.

In Review: September, 2015

Another month has come and gone and it’s time to look back.  Welcome to another…

Part I. Blogging

It’s been a FANTASTIC month on Keep Your Feet!  At the beginning of September, I made the following goals:

• Stick to my revamped posting schedule
• Participate in Blogging University’s Writing 101 challenge
• Follow at least five new blogs
• Comment on at least three new blogs

For the most part, I more than met these goals.  Participating in Writing 101 made it easy.  I couldn’t help scrolling through my classmates’ posts, seeing all the interesting ways they interpreted the daily assignments.  Following and commenting came naturally and I’ve really enjoyed getting to know more of my fellow bloggers.

I’m incredibly proud of the work I’ve been doing in Writing 101.  Some of the posts over the past month have meant more to me than anything I’ve written in a long time. Here’s a list of my favorites, in case you missed them.  I’d really appreciate if you checked them out and would love to hear your responses!

• I Don’t Know How to Stop (Writing 101, Day 1)
• Love is All You Need… Or is It? (Writing 101, Day 3)
• Imagination and Empathy: Tapping Humanity’s Greatest Strengths (Writing 101, Day 7)
• To a Rainy Day (Writing 101, Day 9)

I freely admit that I’ve fudged my posting schedule… AGAIN.  But coming up with features on top of daily assignments is a tall order.  I don’t feel bad for not meeting it.  Last weekend, though, I pulled together several new On the Shelf reviews of books I’ve been reading lately.  Those will be posted over the next few weeks.

As for my attempts to blog about life on an apple orchard… I’m pretty sure that feature is never going to happen.  I work 50+ hours a week at the orchard and, when I’m off duty, don’t want to write about it.

Part II. Books

September was an unusually slow reading month.  I attribute this to the fact that I spent most of my time in non-fiction, which is a bit uncharacteristic.  This was supplemented by listening to the Harry Potter books on audiobook for the second time in three months.  No regrets there!

The main books I have read include:

• Live, Love, Lead by Brian Houston
• Love Does by Bob Geoff
• Bad Feminist by Roxanne Gay
• Elantris by Brandon Sanderson

I plan doing informal reviews on Gay, Sanderson, and Geoff’s books in the upcoming weeks.  Keep an eye out for those!

Part III. Life

This month was BUSY, to say the least!  My family’s apple orchard opened on September 3 and, ever since, we’ve all become workaholics.  I’m at the orchard six days a week.  Some days, I only have to be over there for a few hours.  Others, especially when we’re gearing up for a busy weekend, I pull multiple 10-hour-days in a row.  On Saturday night, after working in the store handling an endless stream of customers and transactions, my parents and I go to a local bar for burgers, beer (or, in my case, hard cider), and a rest from toil.

Nevertheless, I have been doing fun things!  With friends in my area, I’ve had a steady stream of movie marathons, bonfires, and girls nights.  I’ve been to my local Applebee’s more times in the past month than I have in my entire life.  A few weeks ago, I met up with one of my study abroad friends who recently moved to Minneapolis.  We went to see Ivan & Alyosha and Noah Gundersen.  My older brother and I also went to a Twins baseball game, which was a blast.  I also went to the Renaissance Festival with an old roommate.  I haven’t been since high school and loved it!  It was so fun exploring the different vendors and watching the jousting.

On the job front, I have a possible job opportunity when orchard season ends!  Nothing is official, but once my resume is approved, I’ll have a part-time job from mid-October through early January.  I’ll tell you all about what the job is once it’s official.  It’s perfect because it’s a job I’m very much interested in, but am hesitant to make a full 2-year commitment.  I love my home community, but don’t really want to put down roots and stay here.  If things work out, I’ll gain professional experience, have a source of income for the next few months, and still have wiggle-room to figure out where the next big adventure lies.

October Blogging Goals:

• Comment on 3 blogs per week
• Post at least 3 times per week
• Clean up and revamp menus and pages
• Continue using Writing 101 assignments as inspiration for non-feature posts

Photos From This Month:

Ivan & Alyosha

Our kittens are growing up and becoming more adorable every day!

My family’s apple orchard, taken at sunset last Saturday.

Jousting at the Minnesota Renaissance Festival

At the concert with Maddie

In Review: August 2015

In order to help me reflect as a blogger, I’ve been thinking a lot about adopting monthly reviews.  I’ve seen other bloggers pull off the feature effectively.  I feel like it’s a good step towards regularity–it’s a way to look back on my blogging habits and find ways of improving.  It’s also a good way to help me position myself in life.  By reflecting on where I’ve been, I can figure out where I’m going.  Which is one of my primary reasons for blogging.

Each month, I plan on discussing three primary subjects: Blogging, Books, and Life.  At the end of each post, I hope to make some kind of goal for the next month.  So, here we go…

I. Blogging

Regarding posting, August was a decent month.  My registration for Writing 101 must not have processed, because I never recieved any emails.  Instead of making inquiries, I shrugged it off and went on with life.  I’ve registered for the class this next month instead.  Hopefully, September will bring a new wave of inspiration.

One thing I’m still terrible at is engaging with other bloggers.  I follow many sites that I really enjoy, but only comment on a few of them.  I’ve always been a fairly reserved person in the company of strangers and acquaintances–if I don’t have something to say that contributes something substantial, I usually opt for silence.  This inclination doesn’t do me many favors regarding getting to know the WordPress community.  Hopefully, this month’s Blogging University class will help push me in a more chatty direction.

Something I’m incredibly proud of is that I managed to publish regular On the Shelf reviews!  Over the past few weeks, I covered Fairest by Marissa Meyer, The Silmarillion by Tolkien, and Wildlife by Fiona Wood.  I worked hard to pour thought and substance into these posts–something I hope to continue into next month.

I also started participating in the weekly #WeekedCoffeeShare feature sponsored by Part Time Monster.  These are fun ways to chat about life and generate conversation.  I posted one yesterday about my trip to the Minnesota State Fair and a wedding I attended this past weekend, so definitely check that out.

Slowly, I’m becoming a more organized blogger.  Instead of relying purely on inspired, spur-of-the-moment posts, I’ve been planning ahead, drafting, and keeping a notebook.  I’m reworking my posting schedule for the next few months, which will help me produce the content I want at a pace that will work well with my schedule.  But more on that tomorrow!

II. Books

Some things never change… like my reading habits.  Here are some of the titles I’ve delved into over the past month:

Sense & Sensibility, Emma, and Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen, The Silmarilion by J.R.R. Tolkien, Fairest by Marissa Meyer, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling, and the Mistborn Trilogy by Brandon Sanderson.  Several of these, such as the Austen novels, were consumed via audiobook.  The rest I read in physical copies.

III. Life

A lot of good things happened this month.  I attended the Global Leadership Summit, a two day conference where some of the world’s best leaders share their wisdom, with my family.  Unexpectedly, I got to see my Austrian friends again before they flew back to Europe.  My older brother and I saw Brandi Carlile live in Minneapolis, which I posted about.  My mom and I took a short vacation on the North Shore of Lake Superior.  We spent some relaxing days wandering the town of Grand Marais and hiking to waterfalls.

I also started attending a Bible study for twenty-somethings in my community.  It’s been a challenging summer for my faith.  For the first time in years, I’m not surrounded by a group of Christians to grow and learn with.  It’s still a bit awkward attending The Calling (that’s the name of the Bible study) since I don’t know anyone well, but with time, I hope to forge friendships.

For the first time in sixteen years, I didn’t go back to school.  I thought this was going to be weird.  I thought I’d get sad and miss it.  My heart still flutters when I pass the school supply section at Target, but I think that’s just because I have a deep love of office products.  I know that in time, I’ll miss classroom learning, assigned reading, and paper writing because I’m a nerd like that.  I’ll definitely miss the thrill of academia and being surrounded by intelligent people who think critically about the world.  Right now, though, I’m still glorying in the freedom of reading whatever I want.  I really enjoy working during the day and not having to deal with assignments and deadlines.

September blogging goals:

• Stick to my revamped posting schedule
• Participate in Blogging University’s Writing 101 challenge
• Follow at least five new blogs
• Comment on at least three new blogs

How was your August?

Brandi Carlile in August

Hiking on the North Shore

With my Austrian friends

Summer reads

Something about summer always compels me to read.  Being an English major, required reading pretty much consumes my life.  Occasionally I’m able to slip in a few fun reads, but because my school books consist of dense literature, the books I turn to for fun are usually pretty low grade.  (Seriously–I read all three Divergent books during the last week of classes.  Gosh, they were awful.  Don’t read them.)  So once classes are over, finals taken, and essays are submitted… there’s nothing standing between me and three months of reading whatever I want.  What a glorious prospect.

One of the first things I did upon moving home was to make  a list of all the books that I have been itching to read, but have never gotten the chance to.  They are as follows:

1. Into Thin Air -John Krakauer

2. Atonement -Ian McEwan

3. Peter Pan -J.M. Barrie

4. Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince -J.K. Rowling

5. Poems -W.B. Yeats

6. The Cukoo’s Calling -Robert Galbraith

7. Who is this Man? (The Unpredictable Impact of the Inescapable Jesus) -John Ortberg

8. Blackveil -Kristen Britain

 

Granted, some of the books on this list are substitutes.  Do I really want to read Into Thin Air?  Well, sure, if I get to it… but what I really want to read is Into the Wild, but have yet to get my hands on a copy.  And I only included Blackveil because Britain’s highly anticipated next novel, Mirror Sight, was significantly cheaper on my Kindle, but I wanted to represent the length of the book in the photo.

*Update: Less than a week after making the above list, I can say that I have successfully completed half the books on this list.  I forget how much I love this.  I now have Krakauer, Britain, and Barrie under my belt.  Tomorrow will bring the completion of Rowling, and Ortberg is well underway.  (I always have to take religious nonfiction slowly.)

It looks like I’m going to have to make a new list sometime soon.

Any suggestions?