Tag: writing

What I Read in November (2023)

Books Read in November: 17
Books Read for the Year:  188/200

Topical Books/Monthly Goal Books:

Echo Island, by Jared C. Wilson (TBR). I wasn’t too impressed with this, honestly. An okay read, but that’s it.
The Dead Don’t Dance, by Charles Martin (audio, TBR). Awesome, just like everything else by this author.
The Iron Queen, by Julie Kagawa (re-read). Loved it, again.
Need, by Carrie Jones (re-read). This was an underwhelming re-read, but I think I’ll give the second one a try and see if it gets better.
Shiver, by Maggie Stiefvater (re-read). This re-read was as good as I remembered it.
Dancing on the Head of a Pin, by Robert Benson (TBR). This was an interesting glimpse into a writer’s life.
English Lessons, by Andrea Lucado (TBR). I really enjoyed this narrative nonfiction read!
Till We Have Faces, by C.S. Lewis (TBR). I really enjoyed this re-telling of a myth!

For Review:

The Fiction Writer, by Jillian Cantor. This was a little too meta for me, and the MC kept doing phenomenally stupid things.

Shards of Glass, by Michelle Sagara. I love this series of books, and I was excited to read this one, even if it wasn’t about Kaylin. Another excellent adventure that kept me glued to the page!

The Curse of Penryth Hall, by Jess Armstrong (review forthcoming). I enjoyed this quite a bit. Ruby was a lot of fun to read, and I liked the setting and everything going on in the novel at all times. I never figured out who the killer was, either.

This Cursed Light, by Emily Thiede (review forthcoming). I loved this! Alessa and Dante! They have the best relationship, and I loved how they both grow and change during this story.

Our Cursed Love, by Julie Abe (review forthcoming). I really enjoyed this romance/fantasy/hidden-world-of-magic read.

Just Because:
Spirit of the Wood, by Kristen Britain (TBR). I really enjoy everything in this series.
On Writing, by Stephen King (re-read). I’m not sure how many times I’ve read this, but I still love it.
Dirty Thirty, by Janet Evanovich. Man. Talk about a cliffhanger ending!
gods in Alabama, by Joshilyn Jackson. this is probably one of my top ten favorite books of all time… and it was just as good on this read. This is the book in which I discovered Southern fiction was a thing.

Left Unfinished:

Plot Twist, by Erin LaRosa. I’m not into frivolous and obsessed-with-what-people-think-of-them main characters. This is the second one of LaRosa’s books I’ve DNFed, so I probably should just accept that no matter how appealing her books sound, they’re just not a good fit for me.

Artifacts of an Ex, by Jennifer Chen. I completely appreciated the MC’s obsession with planning, but wasn’t a fan of her careless and juvenile behavior.

Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Lord, by Celeste Connally. Look, if I’ve read a third of the book and the MC says she doesn’t care about the ton and societal expectations but that’s all she can think about, and if all the male characters seem to be either foolish, demeaning, or borderline evil, well, I have no interest in finishing reading

This Spells Love, by Kat Robb. I liked the idea of this, but Gemma moping around and feeling sorry for herself—and repeatedly getting drunk—just didn’t do it for me. People like that annoy me, so I didn’t want to spend any more time with her.

Sundays Are for Writing #253

This wasn’t a good writing week: I wrote one book review, The Fiction Writer, by Jillian Cantor. Between the holiday and working almost every day, there just wasn’t much time. Hopefully next week will be better!

Happy writing!

Sundays Are for Writing #252

I’m happy with this writing week! I was on vacation the first half, and the second half was…pretty horrible (working in health care is not for the faint of heart), so it all evened out. I wrote one book review, Shards of Glass, by Michelle Sagara, and did some behind-the-scenes stuff on the new fiction piece.

Happy writing!

Sundays Are for Writing #251

This wasn’t a great writing week, but I did get two book reviews written: Plot Twist, by Erin La Rosa, which I DNFed, and The Fiction Writer, by Jillian Cantor (up in a couple of weeks). I also started my vacation, so that accounts for (some) of my unproductive week.

Happy writing

Sundays Are for Writing #250

I got a lot less writing done this week than I did last week, but still, I wrote. One book review, Never Wager with a Wallflower, by Virginia Heath, up Tuesday, and two fiction writing sessions. One of those was the cozy mystery, and one was…something else. I don’t know what, yet. Just something that popped into my head.

I also DNFed three books, Plot Twist (because I’m not into frivolous and obsessed-with-what-people-think-of-them main characters), Artifacts of an Ex (I completely appreciated the MC’s obsession with planning, but wasn’t a fan of her careless and juvenile behavior), and Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Lord (Look, if I’ve read a third of the book and the MC says she doesn’t care about the ton and societal expectations but that’s all she can think about, and if all the male characters seem to be either foolish, demeaning, or borderline evil, well, I have no interest in finishing reading).

How was your writing week?

Happy writing!

Sundays Are for Writing #249

This was a GREAT writing week! I wrote four book reviews: Highlands Christmas – Wishes Come True, by Amy Quick Parrish, The Predictable Heartbreaks of Imogen Finch, by Jacqueline Firkins, When I’m Dead, by Hannah Morrissey (will be up tomorrow), and Swarm, by Jennifer Lyle (up on Friday). Even better, I got in FIVE fiction writing sessions! This is the most writing I’ve done in a long, long time, and I’m very happy with it. How’s your writing week going?

Happy writing!

Sundays Are for Writing #248

This was a decent writing week: I wrote one book review, Unholy Terrors, by Lyndall Clipstone, and I got in two fiction-writing sessions on the cozy mystery/fantasy, so I’m happy with that. My goal for this next week is five fiction writing sessions and three book reviews (Yeah, pretty audacious, I know. Go big or go home, right? Right?). How was your writing week?

Happy writing!

Sundays Are for Writing #247

This was not a good writing week: I got in one fiction session…and that’s it. Better than nothing, I suppose, but life was just so busy this week! Work was super crazy and I worked around 50 hours. My dad had surgery on Tuesday, and instead of getting out of the hospital Wednesday as planned, he was in until yesterday. I ended up doing a 15k trail race yesterday that I hadn’t planned on, because my best friend’s mom had signed up and couldn’t go, and I had family and friends in town this weekend. I. Am. Tired. So, yeah. That’s it for me.

Happy writing!

Sundays Are for Writing #246

This has been a busy week, writing and life. I wrote one book review, The Hurricane Wars by Thea Guanzon, and one fiction session. I also wrote my September reading post and my best books I read in September post. I also DNFed four books (Man, that really sounds like a lot!): The Mis-Arrangement of Sara Saeed, Love Interest, Snow Place Like Home, and Silent City.

This next week will be even busier, but I hope to get two fiction writing sessions in and at least one book review.

Happy writing!

Sundays Are for Writing #245

It’s been an excellent writing week! I wrote two book reviews, Starter Villain, by John Scalzi, and Night of the Witch, by Sara Raasch and Beth Revis (review forthcoming). I also got in two fiction-writing sessions! Only 500 words each, but that’s more fiction than I’ve written in a loooong time, so I’m thrilled.

Happy writing!