It is the last Monday in September! I’m excited for October and the arrival of baby Asher. We are hoping to meet him sometime in the next week, but I guess it’s really up to him. My due date is this Friday, October 2nd. I have a few posts scheduled, so hopefully you won’t notice my absence, but, if you do, that is why!
Anyway, it’s Monday and I want to know what you’re reading! This meme began on J Kaye’s blog and then was hosted by Sheila at Book Journey, who then passed it on to Kathryn at The Book Date. It’s a chance to check out what others are reading and maybe (who are we kidding? probably) add to your tbr. All you have to do to participate is let us know what you finished reading recently, what you’re reading now, and what you plan to read next.
Recently Finished:
Ladies of the House: A Modern Retelling of Sense and Sensibility by Lauren Edmondson is set to release March 9, 2020. I read this ARC as a potential selection for Once Upon A Book Club Box and, let me just say, I absolutely adored it. We’ve still got a while before this one comes out, especially with all the publication dates getting pushed back, BUT I highly recommend you consider pre-ordering this one. I’ll have my review posted sometime in February, but you can check my Goodreads for a sneak peak coming this week.
I finished The Princess and the Fangirl by Ashley Poston on audio. It is the second book in the Once Upon a Con series of modern-day retellings. This one was just as cute as the first and it’s included with Audible Plus, so check it out if you can.
Ever the Brave, book 2 in the Clash of Kingdoms series by Erin Summerill was a bit underwhelming after the thrill of the first one. Toward the end, it was more exciting, but there seemed to be little substance to the book as a whole. I recommend just reading the first book, which wraps-up nicely enough to be a standalone.
Currently Reading:
Despite my lukewarm reaction to the second book, I am continuing the Clash of Kingdoms series with the final book, Once a King. This book appears to also read as a standalone since we have seemingly abandoned the main characters from books 1 and 2. This book focuses on two secondary characters of the second book, which is funny because it is actually two characters that I shipped together after the failed love triangle. I’m interested to see how this trilogy concludes. Hopefully, it’s better than the second book.
I am reading The Bone Witch on audio, which is also available free as part of Audible Plus. The storytelling set-up is giving me Name of the Wind vibes, but, for whatever reason, this book is falling far short of that mark. I only have a little over 3 hours remaining and I am just not connecting with the characters or the story. I think the narrator is doing a decent job, but the content is just not there. I do think a lot of people would enjoy this story, but it’s not for me. I would have DNF’d if it wasn’t on audio, but I definitely won’t be picking up the sequels.
I’m also still reading To Sleep in a Sea of Stars by Christopher Paolini. I had to take a break from it to finish my OUABC read, but, now that it is released, I might get some help from the audiobook to finish this beast.
Reading Next:
The average person makes 35,000 decisions every single day. That’s about 34,999 too many for Paige Collins, who lives in debilitating fear of making the wrong choice. The simple act of picking an art elective is enough to send her into a spiral of what-ifs. What if she’s destined to be a famous ceramicist but wastes her talent in drama club? What if there’s a carbon monoxide leak in the ceramics studio and everyone drops dead? (Grim, but possible!)
That’s why when Paige is presented with two last-minute options for Christmas vacation, she’s paralyzed by indecision. Should she go with her best friend (and longtime crush) Fitz to his family’s romantic mountain cabin? Or should she accompany her mom to New York, a city Paige has spent her whole life dreaming about?
Just when it seems like Paige will crack from the pressure of choosing, fate steps in — in the form of a slippery grocery store floor — and Paige’s life splits into two very different parallel paths. One path leads to New York where Paige falls for the city . . . and the charms of her unexpected tour guide. The other leads to the mountains where Paige might finally get her chance with Fitz . . . until her anxiety threatens to ruin everything.
However, before Paige gets her happy ending in either destiny, she’ll have to face the truth about her struggle with anxiety — and learn that you don’t have to be “perfect” to deserve true love.
I was lucky enough to receive an ARC of One Way or Another from author Kara McDowell. I look forward to reading and reviewing it in the coming weeks. Expected publication is October 6, 2020.
Ride on the backs of fire breathing dragons with the Dark Fae and watch the Light Fae play in the shadows of primitive humanity as they build their magical world. Abandoned by their creator, two factions of powerful angels remain on earth after the Great War with Lucifer. They struggle to comprehend their Creator’s plan while their angel wings, a symbol of their angelic lineage, slowly and painfully decay. With no hope of returning to the Shining Kingdom, two groups of angels denounce their angelic lineage and develop into separate factions – the Court of Light, led by Queen Aurora, a former Virtue Angel, and the Court of Dark, ruled by King Jarvok, a former Power Brigade Angel. The two monarchs have opposing views on how to govern their kin, but the one belief they agree on is that human worship equals power.
I will also be participating in a book tour for Birth of the Fae: Locked Out of Heaven by Danielle M. Orsino. I’ll be reading and reviewing this one for my stop on October 6, so keep an eye out for that!
That’s all for me. Have you read any of these? What are you currently reading this Monday? Let me know in the comments.