So many words. So little time.
Tag: what I’ve been reading lately
This week, I only wrote one book review, Midnight on the Celestial, by Julia Alexandra. I thoroughly enjoyed this read! I also wrote my February reading post, and the best books I read in February.
I also outlined two scenes in the fiction project and wrote 1k.
Happy writing!
In February, I read 10 books, bringing my total for the year to 20.
I also DNFed nine books in February, bringing that total to 15 books. No wonder I’m so behind on my Goodreads goal.
Of the 10 books I read in February, several were really excellent reads.
Love Does, by Bob Goff. Not the first time I’ve read this. Goff’s voice is fantastic, so relatable and personable, that each chapter is a pleasure to read. And the lessons on how to love people can’t be beat.
The Lie You Don’t Know You Believe, by Jenni Allen. This really resonated with me. Again, very relatable. And this makes talking about some hard truths just a tiny bit easier. I believe we all have lies that we’ve believed about ourselves.
Dirty Work, by Devon Monk. I thoroughly enjoyed this final book in the Broken Magic series. It was good to see Allie and Zayvion (and their daughter) again, and I loved how the book was resolved with all of these familiar characters.
My reading goal for the year is 225 books. I did not do very well in January, only finishing eleven books and DNFing seven. Of those eleven, here are the three I enjoyed the most:
Back Lash, by Devon Monk. Because I love Shane and this world, and I recently discovered this short spinoff series existed. Only one more to read!
Strange Animals, by Jarod K. Anderson. Not going to lie, this was a weird book. Very…strange. It was also enthralling from the first page, and I loved the entire adventure and would happily read more.
Battlefield of the Mind, by Joyce Meyer. This is not the first time I’ve read this, but I needed a refresher, because life in general has been rough lately.
In December, I finished 20 books, bringing my total for the the year to 232 books read of my goal of 225. I have to be honest and say none of them completely blew me away, although most of them were solid reads. The three I liked the most were:
Secrets of the Octopus, by Sy Montgomery. The octopus is my favorite animal, and this was a fascinating read filled with gorgeous pictures.
Stone Cold, by Devon Monk. I’m enjoying this spinoff to the Allie Beckstrom books. Shane is a lot of fun to read.
Silver & Blood, by Jessie Mihalik. I liked these characters a lot, even if this wasn’t the most original thing I’ve ever read. (It also wasn’t the least original, so there’s that.)
Books Read in December: 20
Books Read for the Year: 232/225
Topical Books/Monthly Goal Books:
The Dungeon Anarchist’s Cookbook, by Matt Dinniman (audio): I have no idea why I’m enjoying this series so much.
Secrets You Can’t Keep, by Debra Webb (TBR): I enjoyed this.
Blueprint for a Book, by Jeanie Nash (TBR): I’m not sure I got anything out of this.
Secrets of the Octopus, by Sy Montgomery (TBR): This was a fascinating read, full of gorgeous pictures.
The Life Cycle of the Common Octopus, by Emma Knight (TBR): I think the title was a bit of a stretch, but this was a decent read.
The Moor Witch, by Jessica Khoury (TBR): I really enjoyed this read!
Stone Cold, by Devon Monk (TBR): Still loving these characters.
Someone Else’s Love Story, by Joshilyn Jackson (TBR): Apparently, I’d read this before, but I didn’t really remember it.
Transformed by the Messiah, by Rabbi Jason Sobel. I liked this read.
For Review:
Skylark, by Paula McClain. This was an intriguing dual-historical-timeline read…although I didn’t care for the ending(s).
Oxford Blood, by Rachael Davis-Featherstone. Social media isn’t my favorite, so that (rather large) part of the story low-key got on my nerves, but this was a decent YA murder mystery.
The Bookbinder’s Secret, by A.D. Bell. I like Lily, but she did a lot of stupid and underhanded stuff.
Anne of a Different Island, by Virginia Kantra. This was a solid read that felt like a comfort read, with the Anne of Green Gables connection and callbacks.
In Bloom, by Liz Allan. I didn’t really care for this. It felt way to jumbled an chaotic.
Silver & Blood, by Jessie Mihalik. I enjoyed this a lot! The world is cool and I liked all the main characters.
The Unwritten Rules of Magic, by Harper Ross. This was an okay read, but the MC was abit selfish.
Carnival Fantastico, by Angela Montoya. I really liked the dark carnival idea, but I thought the execution was a bit lacking.
Just Because:
Life Application Study Guide Bible
Radical Wisdom, by Regi Campbell. I didn’t connect with this very much.
Jesus You’re All I Need. I enjoyed this devotional.
Left Unfinished:
Pedro the Vast, by Simon Lopez Trujillo. The language felt overly pretentious, like the author was self-important and was more interested in that than in telling a good story.
Detour, by Jeff Rake and Rob Hart. I don’t mind an ensemble cast…but I didn’t care about any of these people.
Cross Your Heart and Hope He Dies, by Jenny Elder Moke. Vapid and superficial characters are a no for me.
The Society, by Karen Winn. Taylor’s obsessions with glitz and possessions was a major turn-off for me.I don’t want to read about someone like her. I don’t care what happens to her.
In November, I read 15 books, bringing my total for the year to 213 books read. Of those, three of them were excellent reads.
Hell Bent, by Devon Monk. This is the first book in a spinoff series to the Allie Beckstrom series and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I love Shamus from the original series, so I loved getting to spend so much time in his head.
The Rebel and the Rose, by Catherine Doyle. This is the second book in a series–and I haven’t read the first book-but I loved it from the first page! So much action and banter and sarcasm, and the world was well-drawn and intriguing. Can’t wait to read more!
Persephone’s Curse, by Katrina Leno. This had a very small setting–most of the book took place inside a single house–but it felt like a truly expansive read. The sisters were each such vivid characters, and I loved getting to know the entire family.
In October, I read 14 books, bringing my total for the year to 197 books read. Honestly, I don’t feel like I read very much–and most of what I did read was either meh or okay. But there were three books I read that were really good!
Falling Into a Sea of Stars, by Kristen Britain. I’ve loved this series all along, and I loved this, too. Karigan is such a great character, and I love the tension between her and the king. I binge-read this in a single weekend.
The Memory Gardener, by Meg Donohue. This was so good! The characters were great–vibrant and quirky–and the setting was fantastic. Oceanview Home became such a great setting! And the gardens. I loved the gardens. All of them.
Magic for a Price, by Devon Monk. How did I read this series over a decade ago, when they first came out, and somehow not read the final book in the series? I enjoyed this wrap-up! I listened to it on audio, and truly enjoyed that aspect of it. Shamus is my fave!
Books Read in October: 14
Books Read for the Year: 197/225
Topical Books/Monthly Goal Books:
The Night Window, by Dean Koontz (TBR): This was a good wrap-up to this series.
The Friends We Keep, by Jane Green (audio): I’m sorry, but Evvie was a terrible person.
Magic without Mercy, by Devon Monk (re-read): How did I read this series years ago…and somehow NOT read the last book?
Living as a a Christian, by A.W. Tozier (spiritual): A lot of deep ideas here.
The Last Phone Booth in Manhahttan, by Beth Merlin, Danielle Modafferi (TBR): I enjoyed this read.
The Little Venice Bookshop, by Rebecca Raisin (TBR): This was a little meh for me.
Falling in a Sea of Stars, by Kristen Britain (TBR): Loved this so much!
For Review:
An Academic Affair, by Jodi McAlister. At first, I really enjoyed this. Then it became monotonous.
The Cathedral of Lost Souls, by Paula Brackston. Another solid read by Brackston, although I enjoyed the first book in the series more.
Break Wide the Sea, by Sara Holland. This took me a bit to get into, but I ended up enjoying it a lot.
Evil Bones, by Kathy Reichs. This is usually a solid series, and for the most part, this book was. Temperance did a few things that seemed really stupid, and the ending seemed rushed and was more of a “this is what happened,” without showing the reader/letting them experience it for themselves.
The Memory Gardener, by Meg Donohue. Loved this so much! Loved the gardens, the residents of Oceanview Home, the characters, the dog…All of it.
Where He Left Me, by Nicole Baart. This was a solid thriller read–and ended up being not what I expected at all.
Just Because:
Magic for a Price, by Devon Monk (audio). I don’t know how I missed reading the last book in this series when they first came out, but I really enjoyed finally reading the complete series.
Left Unfinished:
Kingdom of Tomorrow, by Gena Showalter: I’ve always enjoyed Gena Showalter’s books, but this felt like cliched, poorly-written dross.
Family of Spies, by Christine Kuehn. This felt like a very distant POV, more of a tell, not show approach to the action.
The Last Vampire, by Romina Garber. This felt so cliched and predictable. I didn’t get very far, but the way Lorena kept mentioning (mentally) she was on her cycle felt like being bludgeoned with a big stick. Very clunky. Not a smooth narrative at all.
This was a fantastic writing week! I wrote three book reviews, Fallen City, by Adrienne Young, The Forget-Me-Not Library, by Heather Webber, and An Academic Affair, by Jodi McAlister as well as my September reading post and my post on the best books I read in September.
Happy writing!
In September, I read 17 books, bringing my total for the year to 183 books read. I also DNFed six books. Of the 17 books I finished, most were solid reads, a handful were meh, and three were really excellent.
The White Octopus Hotel, by Alexandra Bell. This was historical fiction mixed with a bit of magic, and it was truly a lovely read. Great characters, an enchanting setting, and enough magic to keep it interesting.
Introducing Mrs. Collins, by Rachel Parris. A Pride and Prejudice spinoff about Charlotte Lucas? I was immediately intrigued. And reading about this character, who I never really gave much thought to before, was just so enjoyable. Yes, we get to see a few P&P scenes from a different set of eyes, which was wonderful, but Charlotte was fascinating in her own right.
The Forget-Me-Not Library, by Heather Webber. Sweet Southern fiction with a touch of magic? Yes, please. Y’all, I don’t even like small towns, and I loved Forget-Me-Not. Every character in this was fantastic and believable, and I loved both Juliet’s and Tallulah’s (How’s that for a Southern name?) journeys.
Tomorrow Is Another Day 