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Sally’s Year In Books

Sally’s 2024 Year in Books

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Sally Basmajian

Goodreads Author

Born

Toronto, Canada

Website

https://www.sallybasmajian.com/

Genre

Romance, Contemporary, Fantasy

Member Since

November 2015

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As a kid I was curly-haired (which only my dad admired) and musical (which won me the occasional award and sometimes even a photo in The Kingston Whig-Standard). I scaled my way upward through the Royal Conservatory system, continued pounding the faux-ivories at Queen’s University to get my BMus, and ultimately received a Master of Arts in Musicology at the University of Toronto.

Post-university, my transition to reality was rougher than rough. Eventually, having the desire to afford an occasional meal, I segued into advertising and marketing, ending up on the corporate side of broadcasting. In fact, I used to greenlight or turn down proposals for television series. Karma is having a lovely time now, as it tickles me with occasional publish As a kid I was curly-haired (which only my dad admired) and musical (which won me the occasional award and sometimes even a photo in The Kingston Whig-Standard). I scaled my way upward through the Royal Conservatory system, continued pounding the faux-ivories at Queen’s University to get my BMus, and ultimately received a Master of Arts in Musicology at the University of Toronto.

Post-university, my transition to reality was rougher than rough. Eventually, having the desire to afford an occasional meal, I segued into advertising and marketing, ending up on the corporate side of broadcasting. In fact, I used to greenlight or turn down proposals for television series. Karma is having a lovely time now, as it tickles me with occasional publishing contracts or prizes, but punches me with brutal rejections, too.

It doesn’t matter—I love to write, more so than I ever enjoyed practicing arpeggios or selling ad spots on network television. As a teenager, I filled stacks of diaries with angst-filled entries—although I didn’t win any academic prizes for writing, because I had a bad habit of killing off my characters when they became too annoying. Now, I like to keep my protagonists alive, and I’ve been improving my craft ever since winning a local contest in 2014 for my first-ever fantasy short story. In fact, I returned to school to earn a Graduate Certificate in Creative Writing from Humber in 2019. My writing group, made up of four other aspiring female authors, offers me ongoing moral support, inspiration and friendship. We meet weekly to spur each other on—and sometimes those spurs are extremely sharp, but they always boot me in the right direction!

My number one goal as an author is to entertain, and it warms my heart that you’re reading this. In January, 2023, my first novel, So Hard to Do, is scheduled for publication. It’s a bubbly romantic-comedy with Shakespearean twists; I hope you’ll enjoy it.

Meanwhile, if you’re curious about where you can find my other stories, you’ll find the info on my website, https://www.sallybasmajian.com/. I promise I’ll keep writing down the many tales that are stuffed in my head, and I’ll make them as engaging as I possibly can.

Thanks for being a reader—my reader. It means the world to me.

Sally B
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Sally Basmajian’s books

Average rating: 4.36 · 285 ratings · 185 reviews · 12 distinct works • Similar authors

	UnCommon Bodies: A Collection of Oddities, Survivors, and Other Impossibilities by Jessica West (Goodreads Author) (Editor), Michael Harris Cohen (Goodreads Author), Sessha Batto (Goodreads Author) 4.17 avg rating — 138 ratings — published 2015 — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	So Hard To Do 4.40 avg rating — 87 ratings — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Apprentices in Magic 4.88 avg rating — 33 ratings — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	A Wink and a Smile by Sally Basmajian (Goodreads Author) (Contributor), Dev Bentham (Goodreads Author) (Contributor), Michael Bracken (Goodreads Author) (Contributor) 4.38 avg rating — 8 ratings — published 2018 — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	FOUNTAIN OF EVIL it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 6 ratings — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Rabbit Hole Volume 5, Weird Stories: Just...Plain...Weird by Tom Wolosz (Editor), Lori M. Myers (Goodreads Author), Richard Zaric (Goodreads Author) 4.83 avg rating — 6 ratings — published 2022 — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Everything I Need to Know About Love I Learned From Pop Songs by Laura Roberts (Goodreads Author) (Editor), Susan Tepper, Sally Basmajian (Goodreads Author) 4.50 avg rating — 6 ratings — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Ultra-Short: Fourteenth Annual Competition 2017-2018 by Gerard NeCastro (Editor), Debbie Okun Hill (Goodreads Author) (Contributor), Debra Kirouac (Contributor) 3.67 avg rating — 3 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Gardens of Enchantment by Fanni Sütő (Goodreads Author), Damien Mckeating (Goodreads Author), Vonnie Winslow Crist (Goodreads Author) it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 1 rating — published 2019	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Year's Best Dog Stories 2021 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

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Sally Basmajian rated a book liked it Out of the Valley of Horses by Wendy Orr (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
This is a pleasant enough middle-grade novel. It features a likable family and a cast of spectacularly beautiful—and magical!—horses. That alone will make many a young reader's heart flutter. Does the plot make sense? Not really, but the story moves a ...more
Sep 23, 2025 03:23PM · like · see review
Sally Basmajian rated a book liked it The Names by Florence Knapp	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Original and well-paced, this book left me feeling ambivalent. Yes, it would be a good choice for a lively book club discussion, with its original structure, crisp prose, and relevant subject matter (although sensitive readers might flinch at the foc ...more
Sep 15, 2025 08:37AM · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Names by Florence Knapp. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Names by Florence Knapp <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Sally Basmajian rated a book really liked it The Garden of Evening Mists by Tan Twan Eng	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
My book club selected this novel. As an escapist sort of reader, it's the kind of book I'd never pick up of my own volition, and I do appreciate that sometimes I need a push to venture outside my romcom/fantasy comfort zone. I applaud the author for c ...more
Sep 02, 2025 08:31AM · like · see review
Sally Basmajian rated a book liked it The Castle of Tangled Magic by Sophie Anderson (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
I wanted to love this book. It has all the elements I crave: magic, girl-power, and the incorporation of themes from legends. I did enjoy it. The protagonist's love for her baby sister touched me deeply. The grandmother was a stellar character, fille ...more
Aug 30, 2025 11:32AM · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Castle of Tangled Magic by Sophie Anderson. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Castle of Tangled Magic by Sophie Anderson <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Sally Basmajian rated a book really liked it Leeva at Last by Sara Pennypacker	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
This absurd concoction of a middle-grade story will delight the minds of many middle-graders for years to come. I chuckled often. I liked the illustrations. I appreciated that the underlying messages were deftly delivered. Unlike some other reviewers, ...more
Aug 30, 2025 11:22AM · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Leeva at Last by Sara Pennypacker. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Leeva at Last by Sara Pennypacker <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Sally Basmajian rated a book really liked it The Midwatch Institute for Wayward Girls by Judith Rossell (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Who doesn't love a book about smart, feisty, adventurous girl orphans? Even better, one with such clever illustrations? I'm not a middle-grader, but I felt the charm that radiates throughout this novel. It cheered me up on a gloomy day. I will admit, ...more
Aug 30, 2025 11:09AM · like · see review
Sally Basmajian rated a book really liked it My Friends by Fredrik Backman (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
I really enjoyed this novel, with its cast of endearingly flawed characters and the strong bonds of love that unite them. Louisa is a marvelous powerhouse of a teenager, damaged by the trials of her life, yet still undaunted. Ted is angsty and someti ...more
Aug 30, 2025 10:52AM · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of My Friends by Fredrik Backman. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — My Friends by Fredrik Backman <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Sally Basmajian rated a book liked it King of Ashes by S.A. Cosby (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
I had heard rave reviews about this book on TikTok, but it just wasn't for me. Somehow, I expected to be blown away. I wasn't. In fact, I skipped the middle section of the novel and cut to the end, hoping I'd be amazed like other readers have been. I ...more
Jul 13, 2025 01:29PM · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of King of Ashes by S.A. Cosby. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — King of Ashes by S.A. Cosby <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Sally Basmajian rated a book really liked it Swimming Studies by Leanne Shapton (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
This meditative book is hard to classify. It's part autobiography, but in the most pared-down way, so that the act of swimming subsumes all other facets of a life. It's also part gallery, displaying the multi-talented author's swim-themed art. Writte ...more
Jul 11, 2025 01:36PM · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Swimming Studies by Leanne Shapton. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Swimming Studies by Leanne Shapton <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Sally Basmajian rated a book really liked it Onyx Storm (The Empyrean, #3) by Rebecca Yarros (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Candy for the mind? Yes! And please, give me more! Although the large cast of characters and their backstories muddled me at times, I had a rip-roaring good time reading Onyx Storm. There may be very little literary merit in this series, but Rebecca Y ...more
Jul 08, 2025 11:11AM · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">