Another month of reading wins down. I read five books again, and even though it’s too early to tell, I feel like this is setting a great trend of my reading for the entire year. If I can keep this rate up, I’ll surpass my reading goal again. But I will not get my hopes up too far, because I know sometimes life happens and I can’t read as much. But I marked off books on my reading list, so no matter what, I’m really proud of this month’s reading.
Blood Charged by Lindsay Buroker
Third book down, and this series is really growing on me. So many little things planted in the first two are poking through, and I’m very intrigued about the overall arc of the series.
Sardelle and Ridge don’t come across as an awkward couple like they did in the first one, so I’m happy with that. I love their playful banter and honest affection for each other.
As the group takes on their mission, the characters all have their strengths to help pull it off. They are all so individual and real and have great chemistry as a team.
The sword is still my favorite, though Duck has planted himself in second place. He’s adorable with his country bumpkin way of seeing things.
The book ends with so much left unanswered that I dove right into the next one…
Patterns in the Dark by Lindsay Buroker
Somehow, with all the action, revelations, saving the day and all that… this one might be my least favorite of the series so far. Not for anything actually pertinent to the story, just the gushy emotional stuff.
I felt like the book focused way too much on the doubts Tolemek and Cas have about their feelings. Part of me wonders if the big burly ex-pirate would dwell as much as she wrote him to do. Be concerned, sure, but it came across more like a teenage girl pining over the football star or something.
But I still enjoyed the book. The crew went on a wild adventure, nearly died, got closer to one another, and saved the day (temporarily). And then we were given another cliffhanger–of course–so on to the next one. Because I gotta know!
Greenlights by Matthew McConaughey
Marked this book off my reading list for the year and so happy I did.
Let me just say, if you like him even the tiniest bit, listen to this audiobook. He’s the narrator, if you didn’t know, which makes it that much more amazing.
His life is interesting and has so many lessons learned I feel like I see the world a little differently now. He’s grounded and puts his fame into perspective over and over again.
I’ve recommended it to everyone. It was deep, sad, happy, and hilarious. Just do it already.
The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin
I read this book for the DIY MFA Read Harder Challenge. I picked this book because I’ve heard rave reviews on more than one podcast I listen to and it sounded super interesting to me. Plus, it’s a first in a series and I want to write a series next, so I thought it would be a good one to study.
Essun, Syenite, and Demaya have very distinct character types of the outlaw, the warrior, and the innocent respectively. They are easily someone to root for, and I grew very attached through the book.
The book has brilliant world building, and nothing is over-explained, or info dumped. The reader is just set down in their land and it is what it is. But it wasn’t under explained either. I could clearly see the place where the story happened.
This book gave me chills, made me cry, and blew my mind. There were so many little things throughout that came together in the end for the big reveal/climax, and there was so much that I didn’t see coming. I literally cannot wait until I can get my hands on the next in the series.
**In my book journal, I did a much deeper dive into the questions from the challenge, but I don’t like to reveal spoilers on here just in case someone hasn’t read the book.
The Five-Day Novel by Scott King
My craft book for the month had some pretty insightful tips. Of course, I never intend to write a book in five days, haha, and the book actually advised people to not try it. But it revolved more around productivity tips to make sure you make the most out of your writing time, and the writing of the book in five days was more of a personal challenge King gave himself.
In the recent past, I’ve struggled with getting work done with the new child in the house, so I thought this book would help me get as much work done as I could whenever I sit down to write. Not only did it deliver on that, I also gained more tips on how to streamline the editing process.
And now we’re on to March and I’m really excited about the books I plan to read. I’ve had to stop myself from browsing books on Amazon for a bit until I can get caught up on my new book pile! It’s a very nice problem to have. What have you been reading?
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