May Reading Challenge: Book List

I have decided that I definitely want to do a book-reading challenge during the month of May-- to read ten books during that month, as soon as I'm finished with April's Camp NaNoWriMo! It will be difficult, but it'll be productive enough to be worth it.

Why am I doing this? Because it's almost the end of the school year, and I'm way behind on American History, which involves reading three civil war novels. Also, I'll have just finished my own science-fiction/steampunk novel for NaNoWriMo, and what better way is there to celebrate than by reading books like mine that have come before me? They will help influence my editing process a lot! In addition to History class and NaNoWriMo research, I firgured I should read some of the books that have been sitting on my shelf for a long time.

Book List: "Rifles for Watie"

Written by Harold Keith in 1957, this book has become my favorite Civil War novel. It's about a young Kansas boy who joins the Union army after his family's farm is raided by bushwhackers. He enlists with several of his friends, looking for glory and action in battle. He gets everything he wanted, and so much more. Throughout the book, he served in the infantry, cavalry, artillery, and as a scout in the Rebel army. He falls in love with a Rebel gal, and although she heartily disagrees with him, she loves him back. He endures hunger, fatigue, and nightmares as every soldier does.

For my American History class, I've had to read several Civil War novels, like Uncle Tom's Cabin, Across Five Aprils, and Harriet Beecher Stowe's biography. Soon, I'll be reading Up From Slavery, Red Badge of Courage, and Around the World in 80 Days as part of the same class. So far, Rifles for Watie is my personal favorite!

Coming Soon to Wrandom Writer

The past few months have been really crazy! I haven't been reading like I should, which is why there haven't been many Book List posts up here. Instead, I've been blogging on my year-long challenge blog! The 2013-Challenge has been going extremely well. I've only missed 2 days of writing since January 1st, which is amazing for me!

Next month, I'll be doing another round of Camp NaNoWriMo, on top of my every-weekday blogging. I've decided to spend the entire month of March preparing myself-- outlining, scheduling, creating characters, creating plot lines, and generally brainstorming and researching for the project. April's NaNo event will be spent writing a first draft!