Tag: fiction

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What I’m Reading – July 14th

What I’m Reading Now:

Erak’s Ransom by John Flanagan – Book Seven in the Ranger’s Apprentice series. This one actually goes back in time a bit to fill in a gap that he felt was left in the series. It’s a good read so far.

Molly Fyde and the Parsona Rescue by Hugh Howey – Book One of the Bern Saga, this is his first novel. I have only read the first chapter, but it seems good. I absolutely loved Wool and its related stories, so I wanted to check out some of his other writings.

To See the Moon Again by Jamie Langston Turner – Still in pending mode, but I will read it once the library books slow down.

What I Recently Finished:

Fierce, Free, and Full of Fire: The Guide to Being Glorious You by Jen Hatmaker – I have to be honest, I mostly skimmed this book. I need to be more realistic about what I choose to read – I am just not that into nonfiction anymore.

The Siege of Macindaw by John Flanagan – Book Six of the Ranger’s Apprentice series. Very enjoyable!

The Case of the Spellbound Child by Mercedes Lackey – Book Fourteen in the Elemental Masters series. Combines fairy tales with Sherlock Holmes and magicians – what could be better!

What I’ve Added to my TBR list:

The Kings of Clonmel by John Flanagan – Book Eight of the Ranger’s Apprentice series.

If you’re on Goodreads, feel free to add me as a friend. I’m always looking for new recommendations!

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What I’m Reading – July 7th

What I’m Reading Now:

Fierce, Free, and Full of Fire: The Guide to Being Glorious You by Jen Hatmaker – I’m not sure what to expect from this book. It makes me a bit nervous, to be honest, but I’m going to read it with an open mind and evaluate what she has to say as objectively as possible.

To See the Moon Again by Jamie Langston Turner – Still in pending mode, but I will read it once the library books slow down.

What I Recently Finished:

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins – The story of Coriolanus Snow from The Hunger Games. I loved this book! Highly recommended!!

Joy at Work: Organizing Your Professional Life by Marie Kondo and Scott Sonenshein – This was a good book, but nothing earth shattering. My job is pretty routine, and I am pretty organized already, so there wasn’t much here that I found helpful. The only area I think I need to work on is going through my files and purging excess paper. But my files fit comfortably in two drawers, so I’m not really motivated right now to do it.

The Sorcerer of the North by John Flanagan – Book Five in the Ranger’s Apprentice series. This was one of my favorites so far. I really enjoyed it and am looking forward to the next book.

What I’ve Added to my TBR list:

Midnight Sun by Stephenie Meyer – the story of Twilight told from Edward’s point of view

The Siege of Macindaw by John Flanagan – Book Six in the Ranger’s Apprentice series.

Did Not Finish:

The Winemaker’s Wife by Kristin Harmel – My foray back into the world of WWII novels. I had to stop reading this one. I didn’t enjoy the characters or the story, and I just didn’t want to read anymore.

If you’re on Goodreads, feel free to add me as a friend. I’m always looking for new recommendations!

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What I’m Reading – June 30th

What I’m Reading Now:

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins – The story of Coriolanus Snow from The Hunger Games. I’m about a third of the way through and I am loving it!

Joy at Work: Organizing Your Professional Life by Marie Kondo and Scott Sonenshein – I enjoyed Kondo’s books on decluttering and used them to go through my whole house and get it organized. I need to do some touch ups here and there, but I am interested in what she has to say about work. I feel pretty organized there, but she may have some good ideas that will make it even better.

The Winemaker’s Wife by Kristin Harmel – My foray back into the world of WWII novels.

To See the Moon Again by Jamie Langston Turner – This is her eighth book and the last one she has published so far. It has gotten pushed to the side by the influx of library books coming off hold.

What I Recently Finished:

A Week at the Shore by Barbara Delinsky – I have always enjoyed this author’s books, and this one was pretty good.

The Battle for Skandia by John Flanagan – Book Four in the Ranger’s Apprentice series. It was action-packed and very satisfying to read.

Spy, Spy Again by Mercedes Lackey – Book Three in the Family Spies series and who knows how many in the entire Valdemaran world. I have read her books since I was a teenager and still enjoy them. I loved this one!

What I’ve Added to my TBR list:

The Sorcerer of the North by John Flanagan – Book Five in the Ranger’s Apprentice series.

If you’re on Goodreads, feel free to add me as a friend. I’m always looking for new recommendations!

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What I’m Reading – June 23rd

What I’m Reading Now:

To See the Moon Again by Jamie Langston Turner – This is her eighth book and the last one she has published so far.

What I Recently Finished:

When We Were Young by Karen Kingsbury – One of the Baxter Family books that I missed somehow. It was cute – sort of Fireproof meets A Christmas Carol. A quick read.

Masked Prey by John Sandford – This is book 30 in his Prey series featuring Lucas Davenport.

Sometimes a Light Surprises by Jamie Langston Turner – I’m rereading her books in the order they were published, and this is the seventh one.

The Lending Library by Aliza Fogelson – Light hearted novel about a woman who opens a small library in her home when her local library closes for repairs. Kind of cute, but there’s something about it that’s a little too cheesy.

What I’ve Added to my TBR list:

Shadows in Death by J.D. Robb – Book #51 in the In Death series, this is due out in September.

The Christmas Swap by Melody Carlson – Also due out in September, this should be a cute holiday read.

If you’re on Goodreads, feel free to add me as a friend. I’m always looking for new recommendations!

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What I’m Reading – June 16th

What I’m Reading Now:

The Jane Austen Society by Natalie Jenner – My library only has this in audiobook, so I’m trying to listen to it. I’m not very far into it. I have trouble finding time when I can really focus on listening to the story. I may have to put this back on my TBR list until I can find a print copy.

Sometimes a Light Surprises by Jamie Langston Turner – I’m rereading her books in the order they were published, and this is the seventh one.

When We Were Young by Karen Kingsbury – One of the Baxter Family books that I missed somehow.

What I Recently Finished:

No Dark Valley by Jamie Langston Turner – I’m rereading her books in the order they were published, and this is number five.

Winter Birds by Jamie Langston Turner – Her sixth book. It actually is set in Mississippi instead of South Carolina, although there are a few characters from her other books who show up in this one a little bit.

What I’ve Added to my TBR list:

Molly Fyde and the Parsona Rescue by Hugh Howey – I absolutely loved his Wool series and am going to give the Bern Saga a try – this is book one.

If you’re on Goodreads, feel free to add me as a friend. I’m always looking for new recommendations!

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What I’m Reading – June 9th

What I’m Reading Now:

No Dark Valley by Jamie Langston Turner – I’m rereading her books in the order they were published, and this is number five.

The Jane Austen Society by Natalie Jenner – My library only has this in audiobook, so I’m trying to listen to it. We’ll see how it goes.

What I Recently Finished:

A Garden to Keep by Jamie Langston Turner – Her fourth book, this is an extremely thought-provoking story.

What I’ve Added to my TBR list:

The Lending Library by Aliza Fogelson – This was one of the Amazon Prime First Reads for June, and it sounded good.

The Winemaker’s Wife by Kristin Harmel – I know I said I didn’t like books set in WWII, but this one just sounded interesting and I thought I would give it a try.

If you’re on Goodreads, feel free to add me as a friend. I’m always looking for new recommendations!

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What I’m Reading – June 2nd

What I’m Reading Now:

A Garden to Keep by Jamie Langston Turner – I’m rereading her books in the order they were published, and this is book four.

What I Recently Finished:

The Burning Bridge by John Flanagan – Book 2 in the Ranger’s Apprentice series. I am enjoying this series. It’s not totally realistic because the 15 year olds save the day on more than one occasion, but they are still a lot of fun to read.

The Icebound Land by John Flanagan – Book 3 in the Ranger’s Apprentice series. Another good book, although the way it shifted between the two storylines every other chapter was disconcerting. I would just be getting into it and the chapter would end, and I would have to switch gears to the other characters.

Someone Like You by Karen Kingsbury – This novel is part of her Baxter Family series. It was a sweet story and a quick afternoon read.

By the Light of a Thousand Stars by Jamie Langston Turner – I’m rereading her books in the order they were published, and this is her third one. I got so engrossed in it that I finished it in one day.

What I’ve Added to my TBR list:

The Jane Austen Society by Natalie Jenner – A few weeks ago, I shared a blog post about things that make me not want to read a book, and one of those things was a WWII setting. Well, this book is set just after WWII plus it’s about one of my favorite authors, so I am going to take a chance on it. My library only has it available as an audiobook. I have enjoyed audiobooks in the past, so I think that will be okay.

The Battle for Skandia by John Flanagan – Book 4 in the Ranger’s Apprentice series

Truly, Madly, Deeply by Karen Kingsbury – the next book in the Baxter Family series due out in October (no image available yet)

If you’re on Goodreads, feel free to add me as a friend. I’m always looking for new recommendations!

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Jane Austen (Author Spotlight)

Another of my all-time favorite writers is Jane Austen. I tend to be the kind of person who perversely avoids things that everyone is raving about, but in this case, I don’t mind being part of the crowd of admirers. Here is a list of her books with their publication date:

She also had two unfinished works, The Watsons and Sanditon (included with Lady Susan in the book I linked to above). Although Pride and Prejudice is probably her best known book (who doesn’t love Mr. Darcy?), my favorite of her novels is Persuasion. I have always identified with the personality of Anne Elliot and love the way the romance unfolds between her and Frederick Wentworth. I especially enjoyed the 1995 movie version of Persuasion with Amanda Root.

Her novels have been retold and added onto by countless writers and filmmakers over the years with varying amounts of success. I have read (and viewed) lots of these and enjoyed many of them, although sometimes they are overwhelmingly bad.

Do you like Jane Austen? Do you have a favorite novel of hers?

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What I’m Reading – May 26th

What I’m Reading Now:

The Burning Bridge by John Flanagan – Book 2 in the Ranger’s Apprentice series I started a couple of weeks ago.

What I Recently Finished:

Some Wildflower in My Heart by Jamie Langston Turner – I’m rereading her books in the order they were published, and this is her second book. I have read this one several times, so I knew the story details pretty well, but I still enjoyed the writing and the characters.

What I’ve Added to my TBR list:

I Miss You When I Blink by Mary Laura Philpott – A memoir in essay form, this was recommended by Nick & Hanna True from Mapped Out Money.  They read sections from the book on a recent podcast, and I was intrigued to read more of it.

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins – Just released prequel to The Hunger Games series. The wait on my library app is more than 6 months, so it will be a while before I get to read this one!

Added to DNF list:

The Truth About Us by Brant Hansen – Fairly recent arrival by the author of Blessed Are the Misfits, which I enjoyed. The book has a good message and prompted me to recognize times I think I am better than other people in some way. I enjoyed the social science aspect of it as well as how he integrates Biblical wisdom on the topic of self-righteousness, but I just felt like he made his point pretty early on and was just restating it in different ways, so I didn’t finish this one.

If you’re on Goodreads, feel free to add me as a friend. I’m always looking for new recommendations!

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Laura Ingalls Wilder (Author Spotlight)

My absolute favorite children’s writer is Laura Ingalls Wilder.  I have read her Little House series dozens of times starting in childhood and continuing on through the present.  I know that her books aren’t 100% true to her life, but I think they are an amazing story – told in a way that is appropriate for children – of what life was like growing up during pioneer times in America.

Here are the titles of the series in order:

  1. Little House in the Big Woods
  2. Farmer Boy
  3. Little House on the Prairie
  4. On the Banks of Plum Creek
  5. By the Shores of Silver Lake
  6. The Long Winter
  7. Little Town on the Prairie
  8. These Happy Golden Years
  9. The First Four Years

I have read a number of other books related to Little House over the years, including the series that were written in the same style about her daughter Rose, her mother Caroline, her grandmother Charlotte, and her great-grandmother Martha.  I loved all of those.

Two books I have read recently which were inspired by the Little House series are Laura Ingalls Is Ruining My Life by Shelley Tougas and Caroline: Little House, Revisited by Sarah Miller.  The first one is a middle grade book about a girl whose mother moves them to Walnut Grove, where Laura Ingalls lived as a child, and her experiences there.  The second is a retelling of Little House on the Prairie from the perspective of Caroline, Laura’s mother.  Both were very good.