Taylor Fenner's Blog, page 32

Top Ten Tuesday: 10 Water Themed Books

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme created by The Broke and The Bookish and currently hosted by Jana @ That Artsy Reader Girl.

Top Ten Tuesday: 10 Books That Take Place on the Water

This week’s TTT was a broad theme of water and I decided to choose books that take place on the water with pirates, sirens, and mermaids!

1. The Ghost Ship by Kate Mosse2. A Ship of Bones and Teeth by Karina Halle3. To Kill A Kingdom by Alexandra Christo4. & 5. Daughter of the Pirate King and Daughter of the Siren Queen by Tricia Levenseller6. On These Black Sands by Vanessa Rasanen7. Rhapsodic by Laura Thalassa8. Monsters & Mist by Taylor Fenner9. A Duet with the Siren Duke10. Dark Shores by Danielle L. Jensen

Have you read any of these? What did you pick for the water theme?

First Chapter, First Paragraph, Tuesday Intros: Vampires of El Norte

First Chapter, First Paragraph, Tuesday Intros is a weekly meme hosted by Socrates Book Reviews where you share the first paragraph of one of the books that you are currently reading. Each week bloggers will choose a book or books of the week (which will be one of the books that you are currently reading) and that book will take part in this book blog meme.

This week I’m participating with: Vampires of El Norte by Isabel Cañas

First Chapter, First Paragraph:

It was often said that a strange kind of magic ran in the waters of Rancho Los Ojuelos, the kind that made the Spanish explorer Cabeza de Vaca go mad, the kind that made mustangs swift and the land rich.

Blurb:

Vampires and vaqueros face off on the Texas-Mexico border in this supernatural western from the author of The Hacienda.

As the daughter of a rancher in 1840s Mexico, Nena knows a thing or two about monsters—her home has long been threatened by tensions with Anglo settlers from the north. But something more sinister lurks near the ranch at night, something that drains men of their blood and leaves them for dead.

Something that once attacked Nena nine years ago.

Believing Nena dead, Néstor has been on the run from his grief ever since, moving from ranch to ranch working as a vaquero. But no amount of drink can dispel the night terrors of sharp teeth; no woman can erase his childhood sweetheart from his mind.

When the United States invades Mexico in 1846, the two are brought abruptly together on the road to war: Nena as a curandera, a healer striving to prove her worth to her father so that he does not marry her off to a stranger, and Néstor as a member of the auxiliary cavalry of ranchers and vaqueros. But the shock of their reunion—and Nena’s rage at Néstor for seemingly abandoning her long ago—is quickly overshadowed by the appearance of a nightmare made flesh.

And unless Nena and Néstor work through their past and face the future together, neither will survive to see the dawn.

What do you think? Would you keep reading? This is the September pick for the Big Bad Booty B*tches Book Club I just joined and I can’t wait to start it later this week!

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? – 28 August 2023

#IMWAYR is a weekly meme started on J Kaye’s blog and then was hosted by Sheila from Book Journey. Sheila then passed it on to Kathryn at The Book Date.

Hey Bookdragons! It was another slow reading week. I set aside the book I was reading last Monday and started and set aside two other books before coming back to the original book. Do you ever have a week where nothing you’re reading is capturing your attention?

What I Read Last Week:Psyche and Eros by Luna McNamara

The cover of Psyche and Eros is gorgeous and I was about 70 pages in when I set it down but it was such a slow, boring read and I was really tired this past week so I couldn’t really enjoy it.

Smokeshow by Abbi Glines

I set this one down after less than a page. I just was not in the mood for another one of Abbi Glines’s dumb virginal heroines who falls for some possessive a-hole especially since this is her “southern mafia” series she’s been cranking out about one book every two weeks all summer. Not sure why I bought this book.

Currently/Still Reading: Always Mine by Laura Pavlov

Like I said, I was reading Always Mine but set it down because the male MC’s sister was being a total brat and if she was going to be like that the whole book I wasn’t going to get into that. So I tried Psyche and Eros and Smokeshow… and ended coming right back and once I got past that section I got back into the book. I’m still less than 30% in but hoping to finish it this week.

Next Read & On the Horizon:

I’m still planning on listening to the audiobook of Hallowe’en Party next as I mentioned. I can even start it when I have time to listen to an audiobook but not read a physical book/eBook this week.

Vampires of El Norte is the September book for the Big Bad Booty B*tches Book Club I recently joined and I’m actually chomping at the bit to start it.

What are you reading and loving this week? Have you read any of these? How do you pull yourself out of a book rut?

The Sunday Post: Fatigue, Getting Help, and Writing

The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted by Kimberly @ Caffeinated Reviewer. It’s a chance to share news~ A post to recap the past week on your blog and showcase books and things we have received. Share news about what is coming up on our blog for the week ahead. See rules here: Sunday Post Meme.

The Sunday Post: Fatigue, Getting Help, and Writing

Hey Bookdragons! Happy Sunday! How was your week? Mine was long and exhausting. I’ve mostly been taking it easy all weekend to recover before another long week starts.

This week I worked 60 hours in 6 days. By Friday morning I was so tired I couldn’t see straight and my vision was going in and out of focus.

With work being overwhelming and everything else that’s been going on this summer with my mom and my feelings about that, I finally gathered the courage to schedule an appointment with a therapist. I’m hoping talking things out with someone will help me feel better, because it’s been rough.

On a better note I finished the character timelines I was working on for the novel I’m writing and was actually inspired to write. I’m still trying to achieve fitting writing in with the rest of my daily schedule but I wrote 3.417 words this week, which is more than I’ve written in 6 months if not more. Since my current project takes aspects from a historical fire that happened here in Wisconsin in 1871 today I’m heading up to Peshtigo to visit the Peshtigo Fire Museum to learn all that I can. I’m excited and I hope to get a lot of pictures for visual inspiration.

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? – 21 August 2023]

First Chapter, First Paragraph, Tuesday Intros: Always Mine

Top Ten Tuesday: Genre Freebie – Cozy Mysteries I Loved and Ones on my TBR

Can’t Wait Wednesday: A Multitude of Dreams

Taylor Fenner’s Spooky Season 2023 Week 3 Check-In

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? – 28 August 2023

First Chapter, First Paragraph, Tuesday Intros: Book TBD

Top Ten Tuesday: Water (I might do pirate/mermaid/sea adventure themed books)

Can’t Wait Wednesday: A Fragile Enchantment

The Friday 56: Book TBD

Taylor Fenner’s Spooky Season 2023 Week 4 Check-In

eBooks:

Vampires of El Norte is the September pick for the Big Bad Booty B*tches Book Club I just joined and I’m excited to read it.

I saw a fellow blogger talking about the sequel to The Agathas the other day and it sounded good but I better start with book 1.

Another book I picked up after reading a review. Thank you to whoever posted the review of this one, it sounds so interesting! I would have mentioned you in the Around the Blogosphere below but I can’t remember where I saw the review

Free eBook:

I’ve read and enjoyed a few of Melissa’s book and this one looked good and was free in her newsletter.

Kindle Unlimited:

Lindsey and I follow each other on Instagram and I’ve been meaning to read this one for a while, even more so now that the second book is out.

A Taste of Darkness Anthology – Book I Want to Buy

Taylor Fenner’s Spooky Season 2023 Week 3 Check-In

Hey Spooky Season Fiends! Welcome back for our week 3 check-in! If you’re just joining us, Taylor Fenner’s Spooky Season 2023 is a 92-day celebration of all things spooky, cozy, and halloween vibes from August 1-October 31st, hosted by me, Taylor Fenner: author, book blogger, and all around spooky season lover. We have Spooky Season Bookish Bingo all season long and a readathon and Instagram photo challenge coming up in October. Link up on the original post here.

Week Three

This week I watched a few different horror movies, mostly old favorites. I moved away from spooky season reads because I experienced a book rut but my current read is set in fall and is a small town romance.

Reading:

Nothing to report this week. If you’re curious about my current read, I’m reading Always Mine by Laura Pavlov which is perfect if you like Hallmark movies about small town friends-to-lovers with a healthy dose of spice.

Watching:

I’m almost finished with Season 5 of True Blood. For me this is where the series starts to go downhill. But I’m powering on!

I also finished First Kill this week. I wish the show hadn’t have been canceled because the last few seconds leave you in such a cliff-hanger that you want to know what would have happened next.

Keeping with the vampire theme, I’m also rewatching Buffy the Vampire Slayer. This is my 3rd viewing and watching it again you can definitely tell how old this show is.

I’ll probably watch Halloween more than once this season as it’s a favorite comfort horror movie and I was trying to wait longer before I did watch it, but I was having a bad day the day I watched it.

This week I also watched Friday the 13th (2009… which is nothing like the original) and Terror Train (1980).

Creating:

I did a little writing this week after I finished my character sketches for It Rose From the Ashes. The scene I wrote was a bit of a jump scare, but a minor one. There and then gone. More will come in the next scene. I’m planning to head up to Peshtigo, where my story is set tomorrow and visit the Fire Museum for more writing inspiration.

Tell me all about how you’ve been celebrating Taylor Fenner’s Spooky Season 2023 and remember to tag me on socials so I can see your posts and use hashtag: #taylorfennersspookyseason2023

Can’t Wait Wednesday: A Multitude of Dreams

Can’t-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Wishful Endings, to spotlight and discuss the books we’re excited about that we have yet to read. Generally they’re books that have yet to be released.

A Multitude of Dreams by Mara Rutherford

Standalone, YA, Retelling

eBook, Hardcover, Audiobook, 384 Pages

August 29, 2023 by Inkyard Press

Blurb:

The bloody plague is finally past, but what fresh horror lies in its wake?

Princess Imogen of Goslind has lived a sheltered life for three years at the boarded-up castle—she and the rest of its inhabitants safe from the bloody mori roja plague that’s ravaged the kingdom. But Princess Imogen has a secret, and as King Stuart descends further into madness, it’s at great risk of being revealed. Rations dwindle each day, and unhappy murmurings threaten to crack the facade of the years-long charade being played within the castle walls.

Nico Mott once enjoyed a comfortable life of status, but the plague took everyone and everything from him. If not for the generosity of a nearby lord, Nico may not have survived the mori roja’s aftermath. But does owing Lord Crane his life mean he owes him his silence?

When Lord Crane sends Nico to search for more plague survivors in the castle, Nico collides with a princess who wants to break out. They will each have to navigate the web of lies they’ve woven if they’re going to survive the nightmares that lie ahead.

Why I Want to Read This Book:

This is a retelling of Edgar Allan Poe’s The Masque of the Red Death which immediately interests me not to mention the gorgeous cover. It looks like a great fall read!

Will you be checking this one out? What upcoming releases are you looking forward to?

Top Ten Tuesday: Genre Freebie – Cozy Mysteries

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme created by The Broke and The Bookish and currently hosted by Jana @ That Artsy Reader Girl.

Top Ten Tuesday: Genre Freebie – Cozy Mysteries

This week’s TTT is a genre freebie and I chose Cozy Mysteries because I’ve kind of been in that mood lately. Here are some of read and some on my TBR…

1. A Death in Door County by Annelise Ryan

I loved this one and can’t wait for book 2!

2 & 3. Fresh Brewed Murder and Double Shot Death by Emmeline Duncan

A cozy mystery about one of my favorite things: coffee! (Or at least a female MC who runs a coffee cart) If you’re not craving a coffee after reading this book and watching Sage solve murders there is something wrong with you.

4. 15 Minutes of Flame by Christin Brecher

This book screamed fall when I picked it up and though I haven’t read the first two books I really enjoyed this one.

5. Dead Wrong by Leighann Dobbs

I haven’t finished this series yet but I really liked the small town vibes (as most cozy mysteries have) and the close relationship between the sisters and the witchy tones.

6. Trick or Treachery (Murder, She Wrote #14) by Jessica Fletcher and Donald Bain

Of course Murder, She Wrote was going to make it on this list! It’s a fun read for Halloween!

On My TBR:The Sunset Years of Agnes Sharp by Leonie SwannOn Spine of Death by Tamara BerryVera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers by Jesse Q. SutantoArsenic and Adobo by Mia P. ManansalaThe Quiche of Death by M.C. Beaton

Have you read any of these? Do you like cozy mysteries? What genre did you pick for the genre freebie this week.

First Chapter, First Paragraph, Tuesday Intros: Always Mine

First Chapter, First Paragraph, Tuesday Intros is a weekly meme hosted by Socrates Book Reviews where you share the first paragraph of one of the books that you are currently reading. Each week bloggers will choose a book or books of the week (which will be one of the books that you are currently reading) and that book will take part in this book blog meme.

This Week I’m Participating With: Always Mine by Laura Pavlov

First Chapter, First Paragraph:

I made my way up the path of my childhood home. On Sunday nights, no matter where we were, if we were in Honey Mountain, we attended family dinner. The crisp fall air surrounded me, and I was thankful that I’d pulled out my warmest down jacket this morning.

Blurb:

He fights fires for a living, but the flames building between us may be too big to extinguish.

Niko West is the most beautiful man I’ve ever laid eyes on.
Six feet, four inches of broody, chiseled Greek god in a firefighter suit.
He’s also been my best friend since kindergarten.
He always says the only solid thing in his life is our friendship.
He’s Honey Mountain’s favorite player and I’m what you’d call a relationship girl.
But when I find myself single for the first time in more than a decade, I make Niko an offer he can’t refuse.
Who better to show me what I’ve been missing?
But now that we’ve crossed that line, I don’t know if friendship is enough for me.

**This is book 1 in the Honey Mountain Series. Each one can be read as a complete standalone. A HEA is guaranteed!**

What do you think? Would you keep reading? I just started this one over the weekend and I like it so far!

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? – 21 August 2023

#IMWAYR is a weekly meme started on J Kaye’s blog and then was hosted by Sheila from Book Journey. Sheila then passed it on to Kathryn at The Book Date.

Hey Bookdragons! It was another slow reading week for me but I did manage to finish one book, set aside another, and start a third. How was your reading week last week?

Last Week I Read:Happily Haunted Afters by Brittany Kelly

It took me a while to get into the reading groove last week but once I did I really liked Happily Haunted Afters. My one drawback was the annoying miscommunication trope but I was able to look past it. It was a nice cozy read for the upcoming fall season.

Dead Eleven by Jimmy Juliano

I tried with this one, I mean it wasn’t bad.. not really. But the characters bored me and I felt like the story was a take off on something else. I ended up setting it aside to see if I can finish later.

Currently Reading:Always Mine by Laura Pavlov

I’m less than 10% into this one so far but I’m enjoying it. It has the small town vibe I’ve been enjoying lately and is the friends-to-lovers trope I believe.

Next Read:Hallowe’en Party by Agatha Christie

I know it may seem too early to read this one, but I’ve been wanting to borrow the audiobook from the library for a while and with A Haunting in Venice coming out next month I want to check this one out even if the movie is vastly different.

What are you reading and loving this week? Have you read any of these?

The Sunday Post: Cool Days, Baking, and Getting Organized

The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted by Kimberly @ Caffeinated Reviewer. It’s a chance to share news~ A post to recap the past week on your blog and showcase books and things we have received. Share news about what is coming up on our blog for the week ahead. See rules here: Sunday Post Meme.

Cool Days, Baking, and Getting Organized

Hey Bookdragons! How was your week? I’ve been taking things day by day and sticking to to-do lists to get me through. I had a short work week which was good… but now I’m on forced mandatory overtime.

This week had a few cool days here in Wisconsin which made sleeping nice but had me pulling out hoodies during the day. Well I guess it goes to show, start making a big deal of the spooky season in August and the weather will follow suit.

I’ve planned out meals for the next week and a half because I’m so eager to get back into home cooking instead of eating out so much and Friday I made cranberry orange muffins which turned out so good!

As I mentioned I’ve basically been existing by sticking to daily to-do lists. Wednesday I made a few calls and had a nice lunch at my favorite summer restaurant then Thursday I rearranged the living room (which looks so much bigger now), wrote a few letters, and put a few things in order, and Friday I stocked up on groceries so I can make some of the recipes I’ve planned out. I feel really accomplished.

Can’t Wait Wednesday: Hopeless

The Friday 56: Happily Haunted Afters

Taylor Fenner’s Spooky Season 2023 Week 1-2 Check-In

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? – 21 August 2023

First Chapter, First Paragraph, Tuesday Intros: Always Mine

Top Ten Tuesday: Genre Freebie – Cozy Mysteries I Loved and Ones on my TBR

Can’t Wait Wednesday: A Multitude of Dreams

Friday 56: Always Mine

Taylor Fenner’s Spooky Season 2023 Week 3 Check-In

None This Week

How to Solve a Crime Like Jessica Fletcher