So many words. So little time.
Tag: what I’ve been reading lately
This week was a good writing week. I wrote my June reading post, my best books I read in June post, and two book reviews, Pretty Dead Things, by Kelsey Cox and Rewrite the Stars, by Lindsay Hameroff.
And I think I have the beginnings of a fiction idea.
Happy writing!
In June, I read 17 books, bringing my total for the year to 84 books read. I also DNFed a handful, but we won’t talk about those. Of the 17 I finished, several were really good.
The Secret Thread, by Eve Chase. I really enjoyed this dual timeline/historical fiction/mystery mashup. The MC was very vivid in both timelines, and I loved seeing how she became who she was.
When Dealing with Dragons, by Dana Swift. This was a unique read for me. I loved the world and the culture, and I thought the characters were well done, too. I’d love to read more in this world!
Don’t Forget to Write, by Sara Goodman Confino. I absolutely loved this! The MC’s parents, particularly her dad, were horrible, but her aunt Ava was so inspiring! The voice was phenomenal and I just loved every page. Great ending, too.
Books Read in June: 17
Books Read for the Year: 84/225
Topical Books/Monthly Goal Books:
The Girl Who Stopped Swimming, by Joshilyn Jackson (audio): This did not turn out like I expected! I love Joshilyn Jackson’s Southern fiction.
Strange New World, by Rachel Vincent (TBR): This was a decent YA duology.
Don’t Forget to Write, by Sara Goodman Confino (TBR): I LOVED this!
The Road Towards Home, by Corinne Demas (TBR): I enjoyed this read, although I found the ending a little too quick and tidy.
Out of the Ashes, by Kara Thomas (TBR): I’m surprised I finished this. The MC was awful.
For Whom the Spell Tolls, by Devon Monk (TBR): This is a cute series.
Desiring God, by John Piper (spiritual): Very deep read.
For Review:
Scandal of the Summer, by Alexandra Vasti. This was a decent romance read.
The Secret Thread, by Eve Chase. I enjoyed this a lot–both timelines. Some mystery, family drama, cool fashion/historical stuff. A very solid read.
Cursed Ever After, by Andy C. Naranjo. This felt a bit like The Princess Bride. It was funny in places, a bit over-the-top, and just generally solid. A storybook type of fantasy.
When Dealing with Dragons, by Dana Swift. I thought the world/culture in this read was very unique. I enjoyed that very much, and I like all the characters. The hidden secret was also very cool.
Witch Season, by Julia Bianco. I finished this, but it felt pretty meh to me.
The River She Became, by Emily Varga. I really enjoyed this read. It felt unique and fresh and I liked the world a lot.
Pretty Dead Things, by Kelsey Cox. Man, pageant culture is real in Texas. And this was a pretty ugly look at the inside of it–with an unexpected (to me, anyway) twist at the end.
Rewrite the Stars, by Lindsay Hameroff. I really enjoyed this! I think the banter between the MC and her best friend was my favorite part, but this was a sweet, lovely read.
Just Because:
Anxious for Nothing, by Max Lucado (Audio): Anything by Max Lucado is good.
I’ll Start Again Monday, by Lysa TerKeurst. I really enjoyed this. Made me think.
Left Unfinished:
Leave and Come Back, by Lavanya Lakshmi. I had to put this down because I was busy, and never felt the urge to pick it back up.
La Vie, According to Rose, by Lauren Parvizi. I absolutely refuse to read about stupid people, and Rose is stupid. How many times can you lose your phone or keys or something else important while in a foreign country? How do you blatantly refuse to see the con man in front of you, when everyone else on the planet can see it? Ugh.
Most Ardently Yours, by Freya Sampson. I can’t believe I DNFed this, but the MC got on every single nerve I have and I couldn’t stand to read more.
Everything Was Beautiful and Nothing Hurt, by Ben Reeves. This started off slow and did not catch my attention. At all.
In May, I read 16 books, bringing my total for the year to 67. (I’m way behind). I also DNFed 12 other books (Yeah, lots of DNFs this year. No wonder I’m behind. But life’s too short to read bad books.). Of those, several were really excellent.
The Shippers, by Katherine Center. Katherine Center’s books are always so much fun, and this was no exception. I had a blast reading this!
The Valencia Expat Club, by June Patrick. If you liked Eat Pray Love, you’ll probably enjoy this) although there’s not so much navel-gazing in this one). I loved the travel aspect of this and learning to live in a different culture and seeing the MC grow and change and learn was great.
The Unicorn Hunters, by Katherine Arden. Another fantastic historical fiction/fantasy read from Katherine Arden! I truly loved this from the very beginning and was completely entranced for the entire read.
Books Read in May: 16
Books Read for the Year: 67/225
Topical Books/Monthly Goal Books:
Penelope in Retrograde, by Brooke Abrams (TBR): I really enjoyed this! Penelope was almost clueless, but the whole family was pretty entertaining.
Brave New Girl, by Rachel Vincent (TBR): I enjoyed this, although it felt pretty familiar, like I’d read something similar.
The Alchemary, by Rachel Vincent (TBR): I REALLY en joyed this read!
Escape to Honeysuckle Hall, by Rebecca Raisin (TBR): This was basically too cutesy to be believable, but it was a nice, light read.
A Parade of Horribles, by Matt Dinniman (audio): Still enjoying this.
Warp, by Meghan Ciana Doidge (TBR): I’m not sure I’m going to read more of these.
For Review:
Burnout Summer, by Jenna Ramirez. This was a decent read, although the MC blamed everyone but herself for pretty much everything, which got on my nerves.
Seconds to Spare, by Rachel Reiss. I enjoyed this YA mystery/thriller. not sure I’d ever step foot onto a plane again…
The Shippers, by Katherine Center. It’s a Katherine Center book. Of course I loved it. This was both funny and relatable.
Dungeons and Danger, by Elizabeth Penney. An enjoyable cozy mystery read.
The Valencia Expat Club, by June Patrick. Really enjoyed this read about growth, change, and travel.
The Heirs, by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé. I only liked one of the MCs, but this was a quick and interesting murder mystery.
My Roman Summer, by Bruna De Luca. This was a quick YA romance. Sweet, but not anything unexpected.
The Unicorn Hunters, by Katherine Arden. This was a great read! Historical fiction mixed with fantasy, with strong, fascinating characters. I found this deeply engrossing.
The Chateau on Sunset, by Natasha Lester. If you’re looking for a read about strong female characters fostering great friendships and learning to be strong, this is it.
The Stargazer of Nantucket, by Julie Gerstenblatt. This was a decent historical fiction read.
Left Unfinished:
The Night of Many Endings, by Melissa Payne: The MC seemed to be obsessed with her brother and his drug use, and I didn’t want to keep reading about ONLY that.
The Calamity Club, by Kathryn Stockett: I really, really wanted to read this. But I found it very slow going and I couldn’t continue reading with my attention wandering.
Enormous Wings, by Laurie Frankel: While I thought the writing was solid and the premise was great, I refuse to read anything that promotes abortion.
Only the Pretty Lies, by Rebekah Crane: Just nope.
Good Joy, Bad Joy, by Mikki Brammer: This just didn’t hold my attention.
The Cove, by Claire Rose: From the GOP-bashing, the let’s-portray-Chrsitians-as-evil-and-closed-minded rhetoric, and the glorifying the occult…this was a bad choice for me. And I find anything that sticks to surface level characterization to be poorly written.
Welcome to Fae Café, by Jennifer Kropf (audio): This was…bad. The characters were annoying at best, and ridiculous the rest of the time. And WHY did everything have to be “Faeborn”? Would the MMC really think about his “Faeborn days” to himself? Or just…his days?
The Cupid Dilemma, by April Asher. Just…why did the first five pages feel like a farce?
Deathbringer, by Sonia Tagliareni. I didn’t make it too far in this because I didn’t like either of the MCs.
A Sprinkle of Sweet Serendipity, by Rachel Linden. This just felt too predictable.
When the Forest Dreams, by Andrea Ezerins. I read almost half of this, but Emma…cannot POSSIBLY be this clueless about real life. This wasn’t remotely believable to me, and I quite at the part where Emma has narrowly escaped being assaulted, and Jake shows up and they hop into bed together. Jake, who knows she hasn’t even been kissed, and he takes advantage of her? No, thank you.
Road Trip, by Mary Kay Andrews. I read the first three chapters, but I didn’t like either of the FMC, so…I stopped reading.
I haven’t written anything this week. I’ve barely read anything. Work has been exhausting and stressful and all I’ve managed to do is survive. Hopefully next week will be better.
Happy writing!
I read 15 books in April. Still behind in my reading…Of those 15 books, several were really excellent reads.
First Witches Club, by Maisey Yates. i enjoyed this from the very first page! This was relatable, cathartic, and made me laugh out loud several times (And root for happy endings, of course!).
The Mountains We Call Home: The Book Woman’s Legacy, by Kim Michele Richardson. I’m so glad the book woman’s story continued! I’ve really enjoyed these books and seeing more about life in Appalachia. This was a wonderful read!
Cast in Blood, by Michelle Sagara. I can’t believe there are as many books in this series as there are…and I’ve enjoyed all of them. Kaylin and the gang are always a lot of fun to read and I find myself so immersed in the different cultures that it’s hard to put the book down. Same for this one!
Books Read in April: 15
Books Read for the Year: 51/225
Topical Books/Monthly Goal Books:
This Inevitable Ruin, by Matt Dinniman (TBR, Audio): Still can’t believe I’m so invested in this.
The Last Caretaker, by Jessica Strawser (TBR): This was a solid thriller.
Recipe for Second Chances, by Ali Rosen (TBR): This was a tiny step above meh for me, because Stella was ridiculous.
Gorgon with the Wind, by Devon Monk (TBR): This is going to be a great series!
First Witches Club, by Maisey Yates (TBR): This was SO GOOD!
Keeper of Enchanted Rooms, by Charlie N. Holmberg (TBR): I enjoyed this.
The Canopy Keepers, by Veronica G. Henry (TBR): Meh.
Snag, by Meghan Ciana Dodidge (TBR): Interesting world.
For Review:
The Book Witch, by Meg Shaffer. This is the perfect read for bookworms everywhere. For anyone who has ever fallen for a fictional character. For anyone who loves to read.
Deathly Fates, by Tesia Tsai. This was a solid fantasy read, even if it wasn’t very twisty. Does that make sense?
Metal Slinger, by Rachel Schneider. The twist in this completely surprised me! I enjoyed the world and the characters, and the cliffhanger has me eager to read more.
Thistlemarsh, by Moorea Corrigan. I really enjoyed this! It felt like a classical novel with magic thrown in.
The Mountains We Call Home: The Book Woman’s Legacy, by Kim Michele Richardson. I’ve really enjoyed the Book Woman books. This is such engrossing historical fiction, about something I had no idea about.
Cast in Blood, by Michelle Sagara. Another great read in this series!
The Ruins Beneath Us, by Sasha E. Sloan. The MC got on my nerves, not going to lie, but this was a decent read.
Left Unfinished:
While You Were Seething, by Charlotte Stein. It’s not that this was bad. But, I didn’t have time to read for 5 days, and I felt no urge to pick it back up.
Mad Mable, by Sally Hepworth. I just need to accept that this author writes characters I do not like, and stop trying to read her novels.
The Girl Upstairs, by Jessica R. Patch. The first 20% of this just gave me weird vibes, and I don’t care to read more.
The Island Club, by Nicola Harrison. This author is hit or miss for me. I found the characters boring.
Happy Easter!
This was a good writing week, although I didn’t get any fiction in. My Muse is…mulling over some things currently. I did write one book review, The Book Witch, by Meg Shaffer, my March reading post, and the best books I read in March.
Happy writing!
In March, I read 15 books, bringing my total for the year to 36 books read. I also only DNFed 5 books in March. Of the 15 books, I read, several were excellent reads.
Midnight on the Celestial, by Julia Alexandra. I really liked this book! My favorite of the month, by far.
The Geomagician, by Jennifer Mandula. Historical fiction, magic, and dinosaurs/archeology? How could I not love this? Also, I want a pterodactyl.
Honey in Her Veins, by Ruth McKell. I don’t think I’ve ever read any Appalachian fantasy, especially with nature magic, so this was a fun ride.
Tomorrow Is Another Day 