Gilmore Girls Reading List

Some months ago, my 15-year-old daughter discovered Gilmore Girls. We recently finished watching not only the original seven seasons, but the Year in the Life reunion series as well. While I didn't care for all of them (mainly the seventh season and reunion series) I was glad to see it rekindle my daughters love for (almost) all things literary.

Out of curiosity, we googled to see if anyone had typed up a list of all of the books mentioned in the series. Not only are there dozens of lists, but they also range in numbers from approximately fifty to more than 500 titles.

Some of the smaller lists don't seem to have caught all of the titles. Some of the longer ones mention not only the titles the main character discusses, but also the ones she is seen silently reading, or they can be seen on the shelves in her room(s) throughout the series.

The most comprehensive list we have found so far is this one by Jules Buono. There are 518 titles listed. My daughter was dismayed to find she has only read 18 of the titles so far, and now she is digging through my personal library to see how many more of the titles she can find to consume. I have not yet checked to see how many I have read. A quick perusal showed I may not care to read them all, but I have read quite a few.

Regardless of whether or not either of us ever reads them all, it's great to see her reinspired to pursue a love of reading. It's also been great to have discussions about not only the show, but so many of these books as well.

How about you? Have you ever seen the show? Did you like it? How many of these 518 titles have you read?

Happy Thanksgiving!

 Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good.

                                                          -Psalm 107:1 NIV

We are heading toward the week of Thanksgiving in the United States. I’ll be spending time with family, and hopefully doing very little actual work :-). I also plan to enjoy some of my favorite foods, reading, and writing time! 

I feel so very blessed. Despite the craziness of this year (working full time, attending college full time, and running my kids to all of their activities) I have so much for which to be thankful. Just as many of you probably do, this is the time of year I enter a particularly reflective mood. My heart is full of gratitude for so many things: I still have a job I enjoy, a home I love, and a family I adore. 

For some fun reading, here are ten reasons I'm thankful to be a writer.

I'm also extremely thankful for my online family. As a thank-you to my readers and fellow bloggers, I wanted to share a short Thanksgiving romantic fiction piece I wrote a few years ago (it's about 800 words long). I hope you enjoy! http://writinginwonderland.blogspot.com/2017/11/thankful-every-day.html

Want to impress your dinner guests? Try: https://parade.com/1072705/jessicasager/thanksgiving-trivia/

I pray you all enjoy a wonderful week full of what you need. Happy Thanksgiving!

What are you thankful for having in your life?

Veteran Writing: Submissions Open

Happy Veterans Day (Week)!

Thank-you to all veterans and active military. We may not show it enough, but you are so very appreciated!

Ten years ago, my interview of Vietnam War Veteran and author Tim O’Brien appeared in Proud to Be: Writing by American Warriors, Volume 2.  

The publishers have since continued the tradition of supporting our troops. 

This yearly anthology presents essays, fiction, poetry, interviews, and photography by military-service personnel, veterans, and their families. It is an annual series published by Southeast Missouri State University Press in cooperation with the Missouri Humanities Council's Veterans Projects and the Warriors Arts Alliance.

"The stories and poems of service and sacrifice are essential in understanding what has so broadly been termed 'the American experience.' For me, Proud to Be: Writing by American Warriors is required reading and worthy of a thousand tears."     ―St. Leger Monty Joynes, veteran, Vietnam

Books can now be ordered from the Southeast Missouri State University Press and Amazon.

Interested in submitting to Volume 12? They are already accepting submissions which are due by April 21, 2023. Contests and prizes will be awarded in each of the five categories. To learn more, please visit:  http://www.semopress.com/events/proud-to-be-writing-by-american-warriors/

Want to check out more "support America" reads? Chicken Soup for the Soul publishers have several books honoring veterans and their families as well. Try some of their titles such as: Military Families and The Spirit of America.

How about reading more veteran related material? Try Noir and Returning War Vet Sub-Genre, or Being a Veteran.

Have you thanked a Veteran for their service? Have you written with our military in mind? What military reads would you recommend?

IWSG: NaNoWriMo

It’s time for another group posting of the Insecure Writer’s Support Group! founded by Alex J. Cavanaugh. Time to release our fears to the world – or offer encouragement to those who are feeling neurotic. If you’d like to join us, click on the tab above and sign up. We post the first Wednesday of every month. Your words might be the encouragement someone needs. You can also join us on twitter using the hashtag #IWSG, or on the Facebook page.

Now, IWSG hosts have changed up the format in an effort to make it more fun and interactive. Every month, they will announce a question that members can answer in their IWSG Day post. These questions may prompt you to share advice, insight, a personal experience or story. Include your answer to the question in your IWSG post or let it inspire your post if you are struggling with something to say. 

Don’t forget to visit others that day to see their answers. Want to join, or learn more? Visit our - Sign-up List.

NOVEMBER QUESTION - November is National Novel Writing Month. Have you ever participated? If not, why not?

MY ANSWER - I participated a couple of times several years ago. While the process is interesting and I believe it's beneficial to some, the process just never worked out for me. I always seem to have a family emergency in November. Three years in a row an immediate family member ended up in the hospital in November. So, NaNoWriMo fell by the wayside each time. Right now, it's not feasible for me to try again. I'm working full-time and I'm a full-time college student again so I cannot dedicate the time this month.

How about you? Have you ever participated. Are you this year? Why?