Tag Archives: books

What I Read in January

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I’ve decided to try a new feature this year, where each month I recap what I read. (I was inspired by by Chelsea at The Girl Who Loved to Write.)

You would think I made a New Year’s resolution to read a bunch of audiobooks, but it honestly just sort of happened as I started running low on my podcast queue. So while I only read three books with my eyeballs from start to finish in January, I’ve read eight additional books thanks to the wonders of the audiobook.

The Audiobook Reads:

Goodbye Stranger by Rebecca Stead (Middle grade contemporary)

Salt to the Sea by Ruta Septys (reread) (Young adult historical fiction)

The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo (Non-fiction/self-help)

Pip Bartlett’s Guide to Magical Creatures by Jackson Pearce and Maggie Stiefvater (Middle grade fantasy contemporary) – The narrators were absolutely perfect for bringing this story to life!

Dad Is Fat by Jim Gaffigan (Humor)

Fantastic Beasts And Where to Find Them by J.K. Rowling (reread) – I listened to this solely because it was narrated by Eddie Redmayne, ha ha… (Fiction)

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins (reread) (Young adult fiction)

Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins (reread) (Young adult fiction) – I actually can’t remember if I finished this in January or early February but let’s just say January…

Read With my Eyeballs:

Before She Ignites by Jodi Meadows (Young adult fantasy)

Rilla of Ingleside by L.M. Montgomery (Classic literature)

(DNF at page 146) Jane, Unlimited by Kristin Cashore (Young adult fiction)

Girl Against the Universe by Paula Stokes (Young adult contemporary)

Favorites?

I have to say that rereading Salt to the Sea was such a good life decision, holy cow. Read it if you haven’t already! The audiobook of it was pretty good too. I also still love The Hunger Games. As far as new reads, I really enjoyed Goodbye Stranger, Rilla of Ingleside, and Girl Against the Universe. Time will tell which is my real favorite of the month.

DNF Already?

I can’t believe this. I purposely set aside about one book a year without the intention of ever picking it back up. Most years it’s late in the year, last year it was March, and this year it was freaking January. And it was a book I bought in hardcover. Disappointed is such an understatement. The concept was so cool, but I just didn’t like any of the characters.

Next month I hope to format this in a way that’s a little more interesting and in a more timely fashion. Let me know what you would like to know about my reads each month!

What did you read in January? Which was your favorite? 

Monthly Recap: December

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My slacker self is finally getting around to my last monthly recap for 2017! I have to be honest, December was a bit of a blur, as the Christmas season tends to be. So this recap will be pretty brief.

Books I Read

What Light by Jay Asher

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling (reread)

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling (reread)

I Am Pusheen the Cat by Claire Belton

#bookstagram Images of the Month


Watched

Some Christmas movies, Star Wars: The Last Jedi (I shared my brief thoughts here), and we finished up our rewatch of Star Trek Voyager (top episodes posts coming soon) and started Enterprise.

Looking Forward to in 2018

A fresh start! Some things I’ve got planned: a concert in April in nearby Chattanooga, vacation to Florida in May… That’s all for now. And March Madness will be here before you know it and I’m hoping for another appearance and stellar performance by my Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders! Fingers crossed!

What was your favorite memory of 2017? Mine is visiting Savannah in September. 

My Top 10 Books of 2017

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I have to admit that 2017 was not my favorite reading year with only two true five-star reads that still don’t quite live up to last year’s five-star reads. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed all 10 of these books very much (all but one are at least 4.5 stars for me), and I enjoyed other books that didn’t make the list, but it was just not a WOW year for books. Of course, last year was the Anne of Green Gables year so of course it rocked. But here are my top 10 books of the year…

10. A Wrinkle in Time

This was my first time to read this classic and I can see why it’s endured. While I didn’t get around to read the second book in 2017, I would like to in 2018. I found the resolution a little predictable, but it was probably not as much of a trope back then as it is now.

9. Rose Under Fire

This book was a tough read but so, so good. It took me a while to get into Code Name Verity but I ultimately appreciated what it did, but I felt like I connected with Rose Under Fire pretty quickly. Would recommend for anyone looking for a compelling WWII story.

8. Take A Bow

Take a Bow follows four students at a performing arts school, and the storyline of two of the four I really adored. Another one I liked and the other was awful, though that was the point, but it did hinder the book from being 5 stars.

7. Love & Gelato

This book was just a lot of fun! Italy! Gelato! Cute romance! Yes, please!

6. All In

While I did really enjoy the conclusion to the Naturals series, it didn’t quite make my Top 10 and it didn’t pack quite as much punch for me as the third book, All In. Just holy cow, JLB.

5. Anne’s House of Dreams

This book was incredibly sweet as we see Anne settle into married life (though I would have liked more Gilbert!). There was also a really sad storyline that took me by surprise, but it was beautifully handled by Montgomery as Anne continues to learn and grow through grief.

4. Shades of Milk and Honey

I devoured this book filled with Jane Austen-esque society, magic, intrigue, and romance.

3. A Dash of DragonOnce upon a time, the authors of this middle grade gem were book bloggers, who occasionally talked about their writing of this book. I was thrilled when I heard it sold and was happy to buy it once released, even if I’m not usually one to read middle grade. This book is just so much fun (though it does have some moments that get a little scary for the main character too)! I’m so excited for the sequel coming out next year!

2. Finish: Give Yourself the Gift of Done

I’ve been a fan of Jon Acuff’s books for a while, and his latest is no exception. He explains the secret rules and lies we feel bound by that prevent us from finishing our goals. This would be a great read for anyone wanting to knock out some things in the new year!

1. Better Off Friends

I became an Elizabeth Eulberg fan this year through Better Off Friends. It’s hard for me to find contemporaries that I really connect with, but I have a lot of love for this one. I still don’t love it quite as much as The Start of Me and You, but I think it will remain a favorite YA contemporary for me for a while.

Faves by genre: 5 YA (1 historical, 3 contemporary, 1 thriller), 2 classic/classic children’s, 1 adult, 1 middle-grade, and 1 non-fiction.

What were your favorite reads of 2017?

 

Monthly Recap: October

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I’m embarrassed that I waited even longer on this recap than I did last month. In fairness, I am pretty busy with NaNoWriMo this month, and have been about 65% successful in not letting the Internet distract me too much, which is quite an accomplishment! But enough about today, let’s look back at October…

Books I Read

The Distance Between Lost and Found by Kathryn Holmes

Finish: Give Yourself the Gift of Done by Jon Acuff

The Knowing by Sharon Cameron

Turtles All the Way Down by John Green

#bookstagram Images of the Month

Watched

The Orville, some Discovery but we gave up when our free trial ended, and Designated Survivor. And The World Series because my Astros were in it! OK, I haven’t really followed them much since I moved to TN, but I was a big fan when I lived in Houston and was so excited for them!

October Happenings

I saw Needtobreathe at the Ryman in Nashville! It was great as usual! They’re coming back in December but the show sold out so fast I couldn’t get tickets. *tears* I’m really glad I was able to make it to this show though!

The Friday before Halloween we were allowed to dress up at work, so I kept my costume simple but appropriate by going as Hermione.

Music

Listened a good bit to Echosmith’s new EP Inside A Dream (well, it doesn’t seem new now that they just released a Christmas EP I’m gonna have to check out) and Needtobreathe’s EP Hard Cuts: Songs from the Hard Love Sessions.

I won’t pretend I’m going to post again this month, because one again, I’m trying to get a first draft written. But I’ll leave you with a visual image of my WIP and say that I fully intend to post more than once next month, especially as it will be time to reflect on the best books I read this year!

How was your October? Did you do anything fun for Halloween?

Monthly Recap: September

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I hate how late this recap is! I’ll try to do better next month…

Books I Read

Finished my reread of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling

A Dash of Dragon by Heidi Lang and Kat Bartkowski

#bookstagram Images of the Month

Watched

Sing (cute), The Secret Life of Pets (forgettable), and Wonder Woman (finally, I know – I really enjoyed it but maybe not quite as much as everyone else).

September Happenings

I went on vacation in Savannah (the week after Irma hit)! I still want to talk more about this in a future post, but you can read my thoughts on two of the city’s bookstores here and just know that I really enjoyed my time there! It’s such a beautiful city.

My birthday! I turned 31 and it wasn’t even too painful, ha ha. It was a good one, with several celebratory dinners around it.

I attended the SCBWI Midsouth Conference for the fourth (I think?) year in a row, and it was such an enriching experience, as usual. But it didn’t start out roses and rainbows.

For the first time, I paid for a critique from an editor. You can do face-to-face or written, and I chose the latter. I submitted the first ten pages of the WIP I have been pouring into pretty much since my first SCBWI conference, and had recently revised due to feedback from various CPs. I thought it was in pretty good shape and was hoping for some constructive criticism. While the feedback I got back from the editor wasn’t flat out negative, it wasn’t very positive either. I understood some of what she was saying, but some of it was clear she just wasn’t getting the story. Whether that was my fault or not, I don’t know, but that was the reality.

But I immersed myself in the conference and didn’t worry too much about the critique. Then came time for our optional critique group, which is where you’re assigned to a group to critique a few pages of each other’s work. Between getting the paid critique and just already getting a lot of feedback on Earthbound, I decided to share the beginnings of a new story I just recently started working on and haven’t even completed a draft of yet. The response from those in my group was so positive that it really kind of blew me away, and definitely encouraged me. I could feel in my soul what my next course of action was – shelve Earthbound for now, give it time to simmer, and focus all my efforts on my new project.

So I’m excited! It can be hard to move on from something you’ve spent so much time on, but I honestly feel really liberated. Earthbound would be a hard sell for a debut author; this new contemporary is much easier to grasp onto. If I can write it as well as I believe I can, I believe getting an agent with it will be very possible. And here’s hoping that I can bring Earthbound back out one day, once I have that trust in place. My goal is to have my first draft of Love and Sax finished by the end of the year.

Also, these ladies are my writing lifeline!

Looking forward to in October…

Needtobreathe concert! I get to see my other favorite band this month and I cannot wait!

How was your September? 

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