“The End” is a good thing

Is it quiet at your house? It’s quiet here…for now. This is the calm before the storm, because March will usher in Little League. So for now I can pretend life with kids isn’t as chaotic as it seems, and I can actually check things off on my to do list. 

Speaking of to do lists, last month I got to check off a very big item on my list by writing two of my favorite words: 

I always try to let a book rest for at least a month between drafts so I can come back at it with fresh eyes, so I’m back to drafting my fantasy while I let this one marinate. 

I also did a fair amount of reading this last month (I told you this was the calm before the storm)!

Crown of Coral and Pearl by Mara Rutherford: This is my favorite book for the month. This hit my fantasy wish list for YA in so many ways – a unique water village, royalty, twins, magic, mystery. I highly recommend it and I’m eager to read the second in the series (which is already out and available)! The Hawthorne Legacy by Jennifer Lynn Barnes: I’ve been waiting to read this book for FOREVER because I read the first one last year without realizing it wasn’t a standalone, and I hate reading a series before it’s finished because I’m not patient (and I have a terrible memory). Only I was fooled again because it’s not a duology, it’s a trilogy! So I still recommend it (mystery, puzzles, crazy families, love triangles etc), but you might want to wait until the third one comes out in August.  A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson: I can’t even remember why I got this one from the library – probably a post I saw from someone else on IG. I would describe it as a modern day Nancy Drew, with a high school senior trying to prove a murderer innocent in a local crime from five years ago. There’s lots of twists and turns and it makes me equally excited and nervous for the next book in the series. I hope it lives up to the first!  You’ve Reached Sam by Dustin Thao: This is a hard one to recommend because I think it might be depressing for some, but I also think there’s a lot of hope to balance it out. It deals with grief and a girl’s inability to move on from her boyfriend’s death because she’s still able to talk to him on her phone. I love the speculative aspect, and I love the emphasis on making sure your loved ones always know how much you love them.  A Darker Shade of Magic by VE Schwab: I spent a lot of last month listening to this one on audiobook, and the narrator is fantastic! Such a wide range of accents and voices – I always find that impressive. If any of you are behind the ball on books like me and haven’t read this yet, it’s a great book with parallel Londons, magic with hefty prices, and flawed but likable characters.   The Final Six by Alexandra Monir: This book surprised me because I let it sit on my shelf for ages before I read it, and now I’m desperate to read book two. It had some Europa vibes and some Hunger Games vibes with a group of 24 kids all vying for the 6 spots on a mission to colonize Europa.   On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness : This was a fun and fast audiobook. If you’re a fan of MG adventure/fantasy, you’ll want to read this one (and I’m assuming the whole series is just as good). I love that it’s been set up as a unique world that clearly has lots more secrets to reveal in the coming books with strong family bonds and creepy creatures and mysteries. Also, the author did his own narration, and I’m SO impressed! Have any recommendations for me? I actually read most of these books at the beginning of the month and spent the rest of the month trying to find something I could really get into. Hasn’t happened yet… Until next time,

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