Recommendations from My Recent Reads by Charlie N. Holmberg

It’s been a little while since I last had a guest post on my blog, so here’s fellow 47North writer, and all round awesome person, Charlie N. Holmberg.

Take it away, Charlie.

 

 

 

 

I love a good book. Who doesn’t? So when Steve invited me to guest post on his blog, I thought I’d share some of my favorite books from the last few months and spread the reading love!

 

Cruel Beauty by Rosamund Hodge

 

Cruel Beauty is a retelling of Beauty and the Beast, with a bit of a Rumplestiltskin flare. I loved this upper-YA read because the protagonist has nursed a hateful streak in her heart over eight years, and she’s sent to marry a “hateful” demon with the intention of killing him and saving her country. There are some great twists and character developments in this novel, and the way Hodge pieces together the ending is perfect.

 

Dad is Fat by Jim Gaffigan

 

This is my first Audible.com book! I’m a huge Jim Gaffigan fan, though I admit this is more a satirical book on parenting then standup-on-paper. But it’s an enjoyable read/listen, especially if you’re a parent (actually, if you’re not a parent, you probably won’t enjoy it as much. Recommended for parents!). It’s clever and a dash sentimental, too.

 

Shadows Beneath by the Writing Excuses Podcast Team

 

Shadows Beneath is the new Writing Excuses Anthology, put together by Mary Robinette Kowal, Howard Tayler, Dan Wells, and Brandon Sanderson. The quirky thing about this book is that it includes a transcription of the brainstorming sessions for each short story, as well as the stories’ first drafts and edits. It’s interesting if you’re a writer, or even just an avid reader.

 

I really enjoyed three of the four short stories, with Kowal’s “A Fire in the Heavens” being my favorite (“Sixth of Dusk” by Sanderson is a close second). And the cover is fantastic to boot!

 

~*~

Homegrown in Salt Lake City, Charlie was raised a Trekkie with three sisters who also have boy names. She writes fantasy novels and does freelance editing on the side. She’s a proud BYU alumna, plays the ukulele, and owns too many pairs of glasses.

 

Links

 

Website: CharlieNHolmberg.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/CNHolmberg

Goodreads: http://bit.ly/1q2JDCC