Kate Willis's Blog, page 103

10 Books to Discover at Your Library

Does the library ever depress you? Not the library itself exactly (a room full of books is one of the best things in the world!), but the selection. I usually come home slightly frustrated, carrying books supposedly for a younger age group but adult enough for me, and ready to write a book of my own to combat the junkitude.

Since I discovered Homeschooled Authors three years ago, my fiction choices have shifted more toward books by independent Christian authors. But that often means buying them brand new (or being a reviewer *big grin*), and I fall back on the library when my pockets are empty .

Believe it or not, I have found a few treasures!

Book Review: The Reluctant Godfather

[image error]“Burndee is a young and cantankerous fairy godfather, who would rather bake cakes than help humans. A disgrace to the fairy order, Burndee has only two wards entrusted to his care…a cinder girl and a charming prince.

A royal ball presents Burndee with the brilliant solution of how to make his wards happy with the least amount of effort. He’ll arrange a meeting and hope the two fall in love.

A humorous and magical re-telling of Cinderella from a unique perspective.” (from Goodreads)

Warning: Drooling over the cover is inevitable, so all readers are advised to have paper towels nearby so they don’t ruin their paperback or Kindle.

Another warning: Readers will end up loving a grumpy, sarcastic character nearly against their will.

Also be warned that you will find yourself first hungry then amused, frustrated, and maybe even a little bit surprised.

Don’t say I didn’t warn you.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book by Allison Tebo! There was just enough of the same old charming tale to keep it recognizable with a ton of twists throw in to freshen things up.

Happy Birthday to a Best Buddy

Today I want to thank the Lord for my brother, buddy, and fellow author/blogger Paul! I enjoy what you write, bro, and it’s fun to have just one more thing in common with you.

Plate Update: “Camping”, Em Dashes, and Castles

April was a whirlwind! Is it really over already?

Here’s a quick update on what I did last month. This full plate was a delightful mixture of Easter ham and Camp NaNoWriMo snacks.

Book Review: Palace of Stone

[image error] “Coming down from the mountain to a new life in the city is a thrill to Miri. She and her princess academy friends have come to Asland to help the future princess Britta prepare for her wedding. There, Miri also has a chance to attend school – at the prestigious Queen’s Castle.

But as Miri befriends sophisticated and exciting students, she also learns that they have some frightening plans for a revolution. Torn between loyalty to the princess and her new friends’ ideas, between an old love and a new crush, and between her small mountain home and the bustling city, Miri looks to find her own way in this new place.” (from Goodreads)

What is there to say about his book by Shannon Hale except “Wow!” and *heart squeeze*?!! Frankly, it surprised me. Second books are usually the boring filler one–not so this time around. Although this is set far from the charming Mount Eskel, the strong value of friendship and the rules of diplomacy were taken to a whole new level. I loved reading about all of the academy girls again, and it’s exciting to see the possible future laid out for each of them. Frid is so funny! I especially loved Britta in this book. She was such a noble and brave dear! SPOILER ALERT! And the explanation of Steffan’s stiffness was actually really logical and kinda cute. He’s a good egg, that one. END OF SPOILER! The more I read this series, the more I love how real the author made Miri. Her fears of forgetting home…her weakness to be SPOILER ALERT! drawn into the revolution END OF SPOILER!…and even her hilarious letters home were some of the reasons I connected with her. I loved how she went to Peder’s house when she needed help. Even though there was the small detour of Timon, I knew that all along MAJOR SPOILER ALERT! she loved her old friend. All the conversations (and goat jokes) between them were just darling, and I even liked a dead-tired Peder. END OF SPOILER! I’m really happy with how that turned out.

Camp NaNoWriMo Update #4

In my WIP “The Twin Arrows”, Drewin and his sister go on a long journey. This April I went with them!

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As of last Tuesday–I won Camp NaNoWriMo!!! *happy dance* I made my goal of revising 10k words in one month.

The Beta-Reading Tips at the End of the Universe

Beta-reading is so much fun! I love helping authors improve their stories any way I can and seeing the finished product is always heart happy.

Book Review: Danger Goes Berserk

[image error]“It’s a routine case…

     …or at least as routine as a cases get when you’re a twelve-year-old private detective who’s been sleuthing for just a few months: Steve Brixton must don a neon wetsuit and work undercover to retrieve a stolen surfboard.

     But when the assignment goes all wrong, Steve finds himself caught inside mysteries involving wild surfers, pirate smugglers, thick-necked goons, and a sixth-grader who can’t find his gym shorts.” (from Goodreads)

This is the fourth (and currently final book) in the Brixton Brothers series by Mac Barnett, one I’ve been enjoying immensely for the last few months. I was excited to read this one, especially since I heard it was connected to a case in the previous book. First off, Steve’s dogho–er, office was hilarious. Talk about cramped quarters! The mystery was actually quite complicated, and it was neat to see that fascinating loose thread from the previous book picked up. I enjoyed having Dana on his own side case. Some of his ideas were pretty clever even if Steve solved the case in the end.

Camp NaNoWriMo Update #3

“The Twin Arrows” is progressing nicely, and I’ve gotten to make the arrows themselves play a major part in the story! *rubs hands together* But that would be spoilers, so…

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I’m so happy to have my word goal back on track with only 1,975 words left to go! (And we’ll see how it is after I work on it some today.)

Ten Random Questions & The Blue Sky Tags

I’ve been keeping two blog tags in my back pocket for a day exactly like today when I’m ready to do something random and fun.