my recent book haul <3

Our used bookstore had a Star Wars Day deal going last weekend, so I snagged a few books. 😉

I jokingly asked J to pose with my stack and he obliged, so that’s the picture you’re getting. XD

First up we have Uglies by Scott Westerfield, a book I’ve been looking to buy for forrrreeeeever. It looks like an interesting concept and I’ve heard there’s less body horror elements that I was expecting, so I’m excited to try it.

Next, we have Towards Zero and Three Blind Mice (a short story collection) both by Agatha Christie. They match the editions I’m collecting, and I’m always in the mood for a good mystery. 😉 Also, I haven’t read any Miss Marple yet, so that’s a compelling reason to give these a shot.

Then there’s Happily Ever Afters by Elise Bryant. I used to have a paperback copy I gave to a friend since I didn’t like the story that much, but since then it’s grown on me and I decided I needed the hardcover to match my copy of Reggie and Delilah. ❤

And last but not least is Cog by Greg Van Eekhout. It just looked really cute, so I decided it was coming home with me. 😉

I can’t wait until my bookshelves are all unpacked again to give these books their new home!

Have you bought/borrowed/received any cool books lately?

off the top of your head book tag

I stole this tag from JessetheReader’s YouTube channel (you can view his video here) because it looked like so much fun. 😉

The goal of this tag is to share the first answer that pops into your mind, so this will be rather rapid-fire. 😉

What was your favorite picture book as a child? Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown is one I’m not sure was my favorite but it’s the one I remember the best and still enjoy. 😉

What book series did you love as a child? The Viking Quest series by Lois Walfrid Johnson. *hides* *reemerges from behind the couch* I recognize now the issues with the romance, but these books legitimately helped me in my walk with God.

What is the worst book you’ve read or tried to read? For reasons, I won’t be answering this one, but I can only think of a couple. So that’s good. 😉

What is your favorite reading or book memory? My younger sisters bought me a huge leatherbound copy of all the Sherlock Holmes books, and I got to read through them in the best possible format. (They also got me a huge maroon mug that same Christmas.)

What is a book you loved as a movie? The Book Thief by Markus Zusak is one I actually saw as a movie first and fell in love with. I’ve written post upon post about this, but it’s just so beautiful and the casting was on point. ❤

What is a book you wish that they would make into a movie? A Thousand Heartbeats by Kiera Cass would just be so dramatic and gorgeous.

What is a place you want to visit because of a book you’ve read? The entire UK, please and thank you. Or were we supposed to say fictional places?

What is a nonfiction book you’d recommend? Quiet Power by Susan Cain rocked my world in the best way.

If you could hang out with an author for a day, who would it be and why? I’d love to hang out with some of my indie author friends. I often feel like a little island so it’d be encouraging and quite fun. (And I could get my books signed too!)

You’re welcome to grab this tag, just be sure to link back to JessetheReader. 😉

i’m in therapy

I’ve been doing therapy this year. For the past 3+ months, actually. It’s been terrifying and tear-inducing and good and growing and delightful all at once.

We talk about a lot of stuff.

How to deal with negative thoughts, how to live my own life and not others’ for them, what has happened and is happening to me, and so on.

I get worksheets and book recommendations and encouraging messages. I get to ask all the questions that are too embarrassing to ask anyone else, get to voice the thoughts that scare me most, get to learn to be brave and it’s okay to cry.

I didn’t think I needed therapy. After all, my “trauma” is with a little “t”, and it’s just the normal stuff most people go through, right?

I didn’t think I wanted therapy, especially if it wouldn’t fit with my Christian worldview.

I’m so grateful I’m in therapy. I realize it’s a privilege not everyone gets to have, but right now it’s for me. I’m doing better, I’m freer to love well, and I’m able to engage again with spiritual issues.

If you’re considering therapy even for the most minor-feeling of issues, be brave.

And it’s okay to cry.

what have i been doing?

I’ve been…

Reading In Search of a Prince by Toni Shiloh (it’s pretty cool) and Creating Character Arcs by K.M. Weiland (learning so much!).

Writing this blog post. 😛

Processing beta-reader feedback for “Letters for Victory” and for “A Dream of Home” (love my teams!).

Crying over the Bluey special.

Playing with covers for “Letters for Victory”.

Sitting on the porch while I work (still good weather!).

Waiting for my Amazon package.

Checking out library books (including an Enclave Escape book!).

Dancing to clean pop music for exercise.

Meditating on entries from a George MacDonald anthology by C.S. Lewis.

Talking to my therapist about life.

What have you been doing?

a happy book haul ;)

With my book-buying ban over, I treated myself to some books. Then my husband took me to Barnes and Noble for my birthday and bought me a couple more and I snagged a couple while I was there, and basically, I had an epic book haul I thought I’d share with you all. 😉

First up was Last Day on Mars by Kevin Emerson. I’m often in the mood for a good sci-fi, and this book promised to be interesting and clever. I read this one almost immediately, and it garnered a four-star rating from me. 😉

Then there was The Wild Robot Escapes by Peter Brown. This is one of the books J bought for me, and he was so delighted when he found it since I’d just read and loved the first book. I’m excited to read this one. ❤

Onyeka and the Academy of the Sun by Tọlá Okogwu was a complete impulse buy. It was on sale for only $5 and the superhero concept looked super cool. Thanks for buying it for me, J!

A Tangle of Knots by Lisa Graff was paired with Last Day on Mars for the buy one, get one 50% deal. All I really knew about it was that there were magical baking powers?!! And that’s enough to get me interested. 😀

Hey, Jude Carpenter by Storm Shultz is my favorite ARC I’ve read this year, and I though I had my ARC and an ebook copy, I also needed it in paperback ASAP. XD It’s that good. You can find my review here.

Dear Mouse Princess by Candice Pedraza Yamnitz looked like a really cute concept (especially since I used to have an imaginary penpal) and I love the author’s work. I’m excited to read this one.

Not pictured is Road Trip Rescue by Becca Wierwille because I bought it on Kindle. It was really wholesome and cute, but ultimately not a favorite. You can read my review here.

the birthday book tag

It’s my birthday month, and what better way to celebrate than a tag! I found this one on Confessions of a Serial Reader, and it looked like a ton of fun. 😁🙌

(It’s different from the Birthday Book Tag I’ve done before, but I can still use the featured image, mwaha.)

Count your birthday along your bookshelf and then subtract your birth month.

I got Skylark by Patricia MacLachlan. I own the version with the older cover, I believe, but this one is cute too.

If you could spend your birthday with any fictional character who would it be and why?

I’d love to spend it with Lucy Pevensie. I feel like we’d have a great tea and she’d teach me a lot about faith. 🤍

Find a book that takes place in the season you were born in.

This feels like a bit of a cheat, but since A Very Bookish Celebration has a few stories set in spring, I thought it’d be fun to include.

Find a book the color of your birthstone.

My birthstone is Aquamarine, so naturally I had to choose the Shallows trilogy by Denver Evans (Perry Kirkpatrick).

Pick a book set in a time period, world, or country you would like to have been born in.

I’m pretty content being me, but if I had to be born anywhere else, I’d take England. I feel like an accent would cover up my speech issues well, and I love sheep and old books, so… 😉

What book or bookish thing do you want for your birthday?

I’m on a book buying ban so there’s actually quite a few new releases I want. 😂🥲 (Including Jonah by Rachel Newhouse) We’ll see what I get. 😉

Happy birthday to everyone else who shares this month with me! 🤍🤍

it’s my favorite month

Besides December, this has to be my favorite month. Not only is it the start of spring, but it also holds my birthday, a new book release, an in-person event where I’m selling my books and cupcakes, and most of all… it’s Middle-Grade March!

I gathered up my middle-grade TBR stack (except one book I forgot), and it’s astounding and delightful how many I have to look forward to!

I picked up Shuri by Nic Stone because I love all things Black Panther, Eight Keys by Suzanne LeFleur because Beautiful Blue World is life, Train I Ride by Paul Mosier cause it looked cute, The Wild Robot by Peter Brown because there’s a movie coming out, The Secret of the Old Clock by Carolyn Keene because I need to try Nancy Drew, The Witch of Woodland by Laurel Snyder (my favorite) because the MC is Jewish, and Glitch by Laura Martin because an Instagram friend mentioned it.

(I also have two new favorite series I need to get from the library, but I should probably pace myself.) 😉

Which middle-grade book should I read next? Do you have any favorites to recommend?

the We Love Sibling Stories Week tag!

I found this tag through Rachel Kovaciny’s blog party, and it looked like fun so here we are! 😉

1. Do you have any siblings?

Yes! I have six sisters and one brother. I’m number 3 of 8. 😉

2. Who are some of your favorite fictional sibling groups?

I love the Vanderbeeker siblings (by Karina Yan Glaser) in the two books I’ve read about them. They’re so close-knit, resourceful, and loving. ❤

3. Are there any fictional families you wish you could belong to yourself?

I’d have to go with the All-of-a-Kind Family (by Sydney Taylor). If you haven’t read any of their stories, they’re a Jewish family of five girls and later one brother. Reminds me quite a lot of my own family. 😉

4. Have you ever watched or read a book that reminded you of your own family?

The creative, loving, and rather messy family in You Can’t Take It With You reminds me so much of my own. Down to everyone who meets us wants to join the family.

5. What fictional sibling would you NOT want for your own sibling?

Amy March. I still haven’t forgiven that little book-burner.

6. Are you more drawn to stories about brothers or sisters?

Definitely sisters or a mix of brothers and sisters. Whatever is closest to my own life. 😉

7. What makes a story involving siblings interesting to you?

Seeing how their different personalities interact, the fierce loyalty between them, and the inside jokes and traditions they share.

5 reasons you’ll love my books (+ a bonus 6th)

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about what makes my books unique in a sea of other indie works. 😉

Here are my reasons you might love my books in particular…

1. You love faith content…

All my works, big and small, have some measure of faith content. Whether that’s just a Christian worldview or a full-on allegory, I try to bring this aspect of my life into everything that I write. I believe, as a Christian, I’m called to share the hope that is within me.

My most faith-filled books: Kiera, If the Stars Awaken, The Book of Dreams, and the Arrows and Archers series

2. You love the ordinary…

There’s a G.K. Chesterton quote that goes “The most extraordinary thing in the world is an ordinary man and an ordinary woman and their ordinary children.” I tend to agree, and while some of my stories don’t *stay* ordinary, they always start with ordinary, relatable, could-be-your-neighbors people. (Fun fact: that’s why this blog has the name it does. ❤ )

My most ordinary books: Sincerely, Jem, Addie’s Mountain, The Treasure Hunt, and Kiera

3. You love thoughtful characters…

I tend to write observant, introverted, and caring characters. They’re not without their faults, of course, but these are the main personalities and values I write.

My most thoughtful characters: Kiera, Addie’s Mountain, Sincerely, Jem, and The Night Archers

4. You love family life…

I also tend to write stories centered around families of all sizes (and most often large ones). It’s how I grew up, and I enjoy the dynamics. 😉 Each of my characters have at least one sibling, and they’re often very close.

My most family-centric books: Kiera, The Treasure Hunt, Enjoy the Poodle Skirt, and Sincerely, Jem

5. You love wholesome love stories…

I love love, and my favorite is the sweet, friendship-based, wholesome kind. My love stories tend to be very appropriate but still swoony enough to get you shipping. 😉

My love stories: Kiera, If the Stars Awaken, and Lore in Love (currently part of A Very Bookish Romance)

And you love perma-free short stories…

Enjoy the Poodle Skirt, Red Boots, and The Least of These (a Kiera prequel short story) are always free to US readers (and deeply discounted for others). If you’re looking to check out my writing, I suggest you start with these. 😉

my wip is fighting me

Project Elia.

My supposed to be sci-fi novel…

The one I was hoping to finish drafting soon…

That one.

Except it doesn’t want to be sci-fi and instead wants to be coming of age?

Despite my very best efforts, argh.

Oh, and the whole last section of the plot is missing and refuses to solidify.

And there are two boys and there’s only supposed to be one. O.o.

I haven’t written a new word on it yet this year.

I guess that’s the update, lol.

Send help.