Snowed In: A Book Review

Holiday Romance by Catherine Walsh was my favorite Christmas book last year, so I was SO excited to have Christian's story in Snowed In! I think Christmas family time sets up the perfect recipe for fake dating, and I love how Christian approaches it with Megan. I absolutely love their dynamic. The banter is fresh and hilarious, and I love their personalities and how they fit together. 

I think there is some good depth to this book too, with Christian's growth with his expectations for his life and his relationship with his dad, and Megan confronting her past and learning to stand up for herself. They both have strong individual growth that parallels nicely with their relationship growth. I'm so happy that there's no third-act breakup either. Their relationship is organic all the way through.

I'd recommend reading Holiday Romance before Snowed In, since there is significant page time and plot events surrounding Andrew and Molly from Holiday Romance. I loved seeing a lot more of them in this one, but I think people going in blind will either be annoyed or confused by how much page time they get. 

The title implies that the characters are "snowed in," and I was surprised that this plot point didn't happen for a looong time. At the same time, I think there was a good amount of time spent being snowed in, but I'm surprised that that's the title and the focus. Also, as a fellow knitter, the fact she made two colorwork sweaters, even with bulky yarn, in two days (even two weeks) is insanity. 

Overall, a fantastic Christmas romance! I'll be recommending this series for all my fellow romance lovers!

 Writing Aesthetic/Style: 5

Plot/Movement: 3.5
Character Development: 5
Overall: 4

Thank you, NetGalley, for the arc!

Trigger/Content Warnings: recounted controlling relationship, mild physical fight, multiple open door (3 I think?)

For more ratings and reviews and to see what I'm currently reading, visit my Goodreads page here! 

Perfectionism is the Villain

On the second day of creative writing class, sitting in a small, dim classroom on the outskirts of BYU, we were asked to give our name and reason for taking the class.

I gave my answer: “My name is Savannah and I’m taking this class because I have a complicated relationship with fiction writing.”

My professor laughed. “So you’re taking this class as a punishment for yourself.”

That is correct.

I love writing. But I also hate it. I believe if you ask any writer, they will say something similar. In a conversation with a creative writing graduate student a week ago, she highlighted the true binary in writing: it is work and it is play. But mostly work.

As a result of my creative writing class and involvement with BYU’s literary magazine Inscape, I’m forced to confront how I feel about writing. Do I really like it? Do I have potential to grow? Do I have the patience to grow? My saving grace in answering these questions was found in a book (as answers often are).

Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott. Perfectionism is the true villain.

In her (entire!) chapter about the evils of perfectionism, Anne Lamott makes a very striking point. “Perfectionism will ruin your writing, blocking inventiveness and playfulness and life force.” The matter of whether we want to write or not is irrelevant if we let perfectionism win.

The fact that I am a perfectionist in writing was made strikingly clear to me. After every paragraph, I rewrite like crazy, sometimes spending a half hour on a paragraph I’m going to delete later. Where is the logic in that? Maybe the reason for my complicated relationship with fiction writing is my perfectionism. It halts my exploration, expression, and growth as a writer.

So DOWN with perfectionism! The growth of myself as a fiction writer is much more important.

6 Things Learned from Freshman Year

Something I'm really looking forward to in the next year is starting my Sophomore year in college studying English. I am ecstatic to be almost done with my generals and I can't wait to finally be writing English essays, reading the classics, and becoming a part of the reading and writing culture. That being said, I've thought a lot about my first year of college, starting in June of 2016. Here are 6 things I've learned from my Freshman year.

1. Life doesn't always go how you plan it. Visit my posts 10 Reasons to Get Married Early and Why Plan to read more.

2. Taking notes with a laptop and wifi connection equals loss of attention in class and ultimately low test scores, in my opinion. I found I was most successful when I took notes the old fashioned way - notebook and pen. Rewording, drawing pictures, and not being distracted by Facebook, Pinterest, or Amazon really helped a lot.

3. Studying for tests takes a lot more time than you think. I started studying for “easy” classes a week before. The “hard” classes like Organic Chemistry and Anatomy I started at least two weeks before. When I didn't follow this formula, I got low test scores and lots of regret.

4. Exercise can improve mental capacity and helped me stay awake in my classes. I ran most mornings, and lifted with my friends at the school gym once a week.

5. Making friends in all your classes is an easy way to build a support group and learn about people from all over the country (or world!).

6. High quality breaks can save your studying. Laura, my freshman mentor, told me high quality breaks can help you feel productive even though you are taking a break from studying. She suggested reading, taking a walk, or getting a drink with friends instead of sitting on social media. I tried it, and found much more fulfillment in every minute of every day.

What did you learn from your freshman year? Leave it in the comments below!