Faery Fantasy : MyReads2016

I've been on a Faerie book kick recently.  Midway through February I found some great series in this new popular world that so many authors have created for us readers.  Seemed fitting for the month of March to be focusing on the world of faery what with St. Patrick's Day.  I can get into most stories, but it's not often that I rate them a 5. And this month I had MANY!Already know some of these will be re-reads for me, they were that good!

ACOTAR Series - Sarah Maas  ( 5 / 5 )
* 1 : A Court of Thorns and Roses
   2 : A Court of Mist and Fury (May 2016)

Sarah Maas is one of my favorite YA authors! Her Throne of Glass Series is addictive and a favorite of many readers.  It's no surprise I LOVED this book, since it has many similarities to the familiar story of Beauty and the Beast.  This was a stay up all night until I finished it book, I truly didn't have another choice when I had read the first few chapters. 

Summary: Feyre hates faeries.  Behind the wall the humans live impoverished, but in relative safety from the dangerous immortal faeries.  That is until Feyre is accused of killing a faerie.  In retribution she must live with a deadly faery, Tamlin, to pay off the life debt.  Faeries are irrestible, but Feyre refuses to fall for her captor.  She waits, learning about the faeries and their weaknesses, and yet it's hard to fight her growing concern for Tamlin and those on the estate.  Searching for the truth about the fae and the well being of the humans, Feyre finds herself in the middle of a dangerous world.

Winterspell - Claire Legrand ( 5 / 5 )

A re-telling of the Nutcracker made this one of my favorites.  I love when stories are reshaped, but stay true enough to the primary story to see the connection.  Honestly before reading this I never was able to get into the story of the Nutcracker, partly because I don't think I truly understood all the characters and world of the fae.  Needless to say it exceeded expectations.

It's not often that I read stand alone novels. This book though, it's fabulous. It's a little dark. I've realized books that take place in faery tend to be on a spectrum of darkness. Always was scared of the rat king in the play, and this novel brings us into the magical world of the Nutcracker.  

The Iron Fey - Julie Kagawa ( 5 / 5 )

* 1 : The Iron King
* 1.5 : Winters Passage
* 2 : The Iron Daughter
* 3 : The Iron Queen
* 3.5 : Summer's Crossing
* 4 : The Iron Knight
* 4.5 : Iron's Prophecy
* 5 :  The Lost Prince
* 6 :  The Iron Traitor

One of my favorite series I read last year! This iron fey series had me on the lookout for other faery fantasy books.  The main character Meghan Chase, is the daughter of a mythical faery king, and one of the reasons I love the books.  The other characters in the book will make you laugh out loud, and have you falling in love right along with them.  And of course there's a young prince, and just like any "faery" tale you find yourself wrapped up in this dangerous love story. Lighter reading, it's appropriate for many audiences, and more lightheartedness than other faery stories.

Fever Series - Karen Marie Moning ( 4.5 / 5 )

* 1 : Darkfever
* 2 : Bloodfever
* 3 : Faefever
* 4 : Dream fever
* 5 : Shadowfever
* 5.5 : Fevermoon
* 6 : Iced
* 7 : Burned
* 8 : Feverborn
   9 : (coming soon)

This series took me completely by surprise. Definitely not a read for teens.  Books 1-3 were relatively tame, but by the end of 3 and from then on the books turn even darker (hadn't thought it was possible) and more graphic in detail or R rated.  And yet I still found myself unable to stop halfway through the series, I just had to know how everything would work out.  It's one of those things that once the characters go through so much, you just need that ending for some closure. Whelp I'm still waiting, since the series just keeps going.  What I like is the empowerment and transformation of the main character as she comes into her own. And the challenges faced along the way, wow!  Everytime I think I know what's going to happen I'm wrong! Or suddenly BAM! something unexpected happens. Can't tell you how often I dropped my book in shock just absorbing what transpired.

Wicked Lovely Series - Melissa Marr ( 4 / 5 )

* 1 : Wicked Lovely
* 2 : Ink Exchange
* 3 :  Fragile Eternity
* 4 : Radiant Shadows
*  5 : Darkest Mercy 

 If you can guess it was the covers that aught my attention for this series. And then once I found out it was about the magical world of faery, I knew I had to put it on my to read list for March. After finishing this series, thought it was going to be good reads for teens.

Summary: Aislinn has always seen faeries.  She  hides her sight so well they have no idea she can see them.  But now one is following her.  Keenan, the devastatingly handsome Summer king is searching for his queen, and he thinks Aislinn is it. At least he hopes she is. Otherwise, like every other girl that has come before her, if she's not her fate will be sealed as a faery forever succumbed to winters cold. Will she take the risk to save the summer kingdom? Or is there another way to protect her best friend Seth and everyone else she holds dear?


Kanin Chronicles - Amanda Hocking ( 3 / 5 )


* 1 : Frostfire
* 2 : Ice Kissed
* 3: Crystal Kingdom


This series might not be about fairies but there were a lot of similarities.  The Kanin Chronicles is about trolls, good looking trolls apparently. There are different kingdoms beyond the human world, and yet the trolls will sometimes plant themselves among the humans.  Important royal mystical children are planted in place of a "normal" baby so that they might be brought up safe, until their families reclaim them when they come of age.  You've probably heard the term changeling before, it's not a new idea.  Good series for a teen audience!

Summary: Bryn Aven stands out with her blond hair blue eyes among the darker Kanins.  She wants to be a part of the elite royal guard, which sets her on the path of tailing a traitor to the King and Queen.  It's too bad the traitor used to be her biggest crush, but that won't stop her from doing whatever she must to achieve a ranking within the guard. But when the decision comes is she willing to risk everything to protect a kingdom that truly doesn't even accept her?

 

 

My running total since the start of the new year is now  25 / 100 !

A Year of Books 2016

I love to read.
I love to read A LOT!
And so this year I decided that I would keep track of my books in monthly posts.  On average I'd say I read anywheres between 50 and 75 books a year.  So my ambitious goal is to read 100 books in a year! That's right, 100 books!

You can probably guess that I'd be broke if I bought that many books every year.  So unless I win the lottery I won't be planning on any big personal library anytime soon.  As much as I love the physical copy of the book with its cover art and page smell, I've really depended on borrowing books from the library on my kindle and in person when I get that itch to hold a book.

Since I read so many it's been hard to share them on the blog and this way I can list them all, but really feature those worth reading.  If you have any recommendations for reads I always make a TBR (to be read) list and am continually adding to it.  When I took job placement surveys back in high school they always came back that I should be a librarian, no surprise since I love books, discussing books and organization.  This is my way to satisfy that desire of mine to bring books to the forefront of my life.  Listed in order by favorites here is my book tally for January and half February.

Orphan Queen Series - Jodi Meadows

* 1 : The Orphan Queen
  1.5 : Novellas: 1) The Hidden Prince 2) The Glowing Knight 3) The Burning Hand 4) The Black Knife
  2 : The Mirror King

A fantasy world of intrigue, magic, romance, and dangerous liaisons I was hooked from the start.  Wilhelmina is an escaped princess hiding amongst her enemies, and she's become the perfect spy.  Determined to regain her kingdom she must tread carefully and hide her identity, but there are many key people in play, the Prince,  the vigilante Black Knife, her fellow fallen nobility named the Ospreys, and of course a growing threat of wraith.

Young Elites Series - Marie Lu

* 1 : Young Elites
* 2 : Rose Society

This newest series by Marie Lu is being commonly disputed against her well known Legend trilogy.  I read the Legend series last year, and in my opinion the Young Elites shows great growth and character development in her writing.  Reminded me of X-men, where the children all have a variety of powers and of course are perceived as threats to the general good of society. 

Jewel Series - Amy Ewing

* 1 : The Jewel
   1.5 : The House of the Stone
* 2 : The White Rose

If you enjoyed the Selection Series, haven't heard of anyone yet who read it that didn't like it, this has some similarities.  The Jewel is the wealthy inner circle, of whom the elite are dependent on the poor to bear their children due to a genetic rarity they offer.  Violet is sold into the hands of a duchess and ends up in the middle of political intrigue and a play for power.  Subjected to a life of servitude she falls for the one boy she cannot, and must make the decision about whether he is worth risking everything. 

The Darkest Minds Series : Alexandra Bracken

* 1 : The Darkest Minds
   1.5 : In Time
   2: Never Fade
   2.5 : Sparks Rise
   3 : In the After Light
   3.5 : Through the Dark ( In Time, Sparks Rise, Beyond the Night)

Another series on genetic mutations, the darkest minds tells the tale of a society that underwent severe losses in children lives after a epidemic wipes out portions of the U.S. population.  Those children who survived are rounded up, as their powers are a threat.  Given a color based on their skill, they're either killed or forced to work in camps, the truth of it all hidden from society.  Ruby has kept herself alive by flying under the radar, but eventually must escape in order to live, and along the way meets a group of misfits also with frightening abilities.

After Series :  Anna Todd  (4/5)

* 1 : After
* 2 : After We Collided
* 3 : After We Fell
   4 : After Ever Happy
   5 :  Before

A series about a college romance, it's gained lots of attention and remains a popular read amongst young adult females, especially fangirls.  Due to the graphic descriptions and situations the characters find themselves in, especially those regarding drinking, sexual acts and language, readers should minimally be college aged.  It may be a realistic telling of college experiences for some students, but the drama and rollercoaster of this volatile story relationship is definitely not for everyone.

Newsoul Series - Jodi Meadows (3/5)

* 1 :  Incarnate
* 2 : Asunder
   2.5 : Phoenix Overture
* 3 : Infinite

 This series is based on the premise of reincarnation.  For thousands of years the same souls have continued to be always be reborn, able to keep their previous lives memories intact even when starting a new life.  Everyone knows everyone.   Until one day a new soul appeared, Ana.  She replaced another one, and no one knows the reason.  Was she a mistake?  Would new souls continue to replace the old ones? And if so, how, and why? On the search to figure out her life's meaning Ana meets Sam, he's different, and for the first time maybe someone actually sees Ana for who she is and who she could be. 

Leigh Bardugo (2 / 5)

* 1 : Six of Crows
   2 : Crooked Kingdom (Sept 2016)

Gaining huge momentum amongst readers lately, I thought this was one book worth skipping.  I fought the entire way through to finish it.  I enjoy a little more focus on character relationships and their development, which was extremely lacking. Also, the book didn't have any "surprises", it was pretty easy to see where it was going next.  The premise had potential, 6 outcasts with their only purpose being to survive in a world of magic, but unlike the Young Elites or Darkest Minds series this rag tag group just didn't work.

TOTAL BOOKS READ : 13 / 100

Chicken Taco Salad

Me encanta tacos! Tacos are the best! But to make it "seem" healthier I love me some tacos....on a salad. Halfway through the winter months I'm getting that appetite for salads, and fewer heavy meals. Specifically I've been craving a taco salad. And my go to taco salad is a Pioneer Woman recipe, no surprise there.

I made it previous to her cookbook release, but after receiving it as a Christmas gift I knew this was the opportunity to make it again.  If this sounds like something you'd appreciate too for dinnertime, I'd suggest Ree Drummond's Dinnertime Cookbook, which is chalk full of good dinner recipes.

Whether you're like me and want a taco salad in the dead of winter, or want to store it away for the summer months, keep this!

Ingredients:
Chicken
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 tbsp taco seasoning
1/4 cup vegetable oil
Dressing
3/4 cup ranch dressing
1/4 cup salsa
3 tbsp chopped cilantro
Salad
2 ears fresh corn, cleaned
1 large head lettuce, shredded
3 roma tomatoes diced
1/2 cup grated pepper jack cheese
2 avocados, peeled, pitted and diced
1/2 cup cilantro leaves
tortilla chips, crushed
3 green onions, sliced

Directions:

1) First make the dressing by combining the three ingredients together, and store in refrigerator.

2) For the chicken, season the breasts, heat the oil and butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook on both sides until brown, which is approximately 4 minutes per side. Remove and cool for 10 minutes, then cut into pieces for salad.

3) Grill the corn cobs in the still heated skillet, then slice off kernels. Can also use freezer corn and grill it in the skillet, I thought it was still incredibly tasty.

4) Assemble the salad: on a bed of shredded lettuce add the chicken, tomatoes, cheese, corn, avocado, green onions, cilantro and chips. Drizzle the dressing on top, reserving some for additional use.

Other great salads to whet your salad appetite on the blog:
Strawberry Chicken Salad
Watermelon Arugula Salad 
Broccoli Salad 
Pioneer Pasta Salad
Buffalo Chicken Salad
Avocado Corn Salad

Holiday Read: Chronicles of Narnia

The writings of C.S. Lewis are always enjoyable this time of year.  His messages of faith, and what it means to be a Christian serve as valuable reminders in this holiday season.  Below are a few of my favorite quotes:

"To be a Christian means to forgive the inexcusable because God has forgiven the inexcusable in you."

"The Son of God became a man to enable men to become sons of God."

"You don't have a soul. You are a soul. You have a body." 

 "I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else."

"There are far better things ahead than any we leave behind."

"In your world I have another name... you must learn to know me by that name.  This is the very reason why you were brought to Narnia, that knowing me here for a little, you may know me better there." -Aslan

His series, The Chronicles of Narnia, I thought were definitely worth mentioning as a must read series.  Consider them when gift giving this December.  You could also pair the books with the few movies that are out, so that after the children read the books they can also watch them!  What makes these books great is younger children can read them with their parents, and can prompt good discussions.  Of course, more avid elementary and middle school readers wouldn't need parent involvement, therefore watching the movies would allow the family to make connections together between C.S. Lewis's stories and his faith.

So this holiday season consider grabbing a copy, or the whole series of The Chronicles of Narnia, and share the experience of being transported into another world.

Outlander Series

Read this series! And if you don't want to tackle the whole series read the first book titled Outlander.  The first novel appears on best to read romance lists, so you know you gotta check it out if you're into romance.  But I have a feeling once you begin, your curiosity won't be sated until you've read the series.

These books are lengthy compared to the typical book, it was for this reason (and the fact that I had to borrow from libraries before I got a kindle) that it took me a couple years to finish the series.  And her most recent book came out last year, so I'll be back at it. 

Why read this?  One, she's a good writer - take my opinion and the other thousands who've read the books.  Two, it's historical fiction, and who doesn't love historical fiction?  No on better be raising their hand.  Three, leading off of my second point, the setting throughout the series takes place across the Ocean in Europe and throughout America.  And what makes it more juicy, the books occur during big historical change and yet also in our time period.

Did I mention these have a splash of time travel adventures.  Now who isn't intrigued?  Love, war, betrayal, family, survival, and playing with history, are all the good makings of a memorable series.  And the Outlander series is certainly that.

Books in the Series:

1. Outlander

2. Dragonfly In Amber

3. Voyager

4. Drums of Autumn

5. Fiery Cross

6. A Breath of Snow and Ashes

7. An Echo In The Bone

8. Written In My Own Hearts Blood

Author:
Diana Gabaldon
 

Find the Good

Unexpected Life Lessons from a Small Town Obituary Writer

A gem, and a real joy to read! This book is full of relatable stories of real people living in a small town.  It's an authentic sharing of intimate experiences and realizations, that lead us readers inspired to find the good.

Makes a great book club read by inspiring discussion and thought provoking questions.  If you read it on your own like I did, you can't help but bring it up to others. It's one of those books that just has to be delved into further.  It's a light read, quick, and fulfilling.

After reading this book I made a decision to start taking a look at the obituary section. Always thought it was too morbid. That it's something that older people do.  I always thought it was due to the extra time on their hands, and the fact that the likelihood they know someone who may appear in the obituary section increases as you get older.   But there's more to it.  I've never had to think about how hard it would be to sum up a person's life in just a few sentences.  What's worth saying? How do you want to be remembered? Heather Lende did a dynamite job of explaining what life lessons can be obtained from simply looking closer at someone's life and finding the good in everyone, because it's there, you just have to find it.

Some of the Chapter Titles that might intrigue you like they did me:

*Pretty Good is Better Than Perfect

*Draw Lines in the Sand So You Can Move Them

*Hold on Tight

*Take the Kind of Happiness that Comes Your Way

*Give Yourself to Love

*Listen to Your Mother

*Tell Them You'll Miss Them When They're Gone

*Make Your Own Good Weather

Highly Happy Marriages

Tomorrow marks my 3 year wedding anniversary, WOW! We've been together 7 years, and it seems so cliche, but time sure is flying. In honor of our anniversary tomorrow, and for all those other married couples out there I had to share this book I just finished.  Titled, The Surprising Secrets of Highly Happy Marriages by Shaunti Feldhahn. 

Coincidentally it coincided with my anniversary, giving me the perfect opportunity to share some ideas from this book, and prompt you to take the time to read it yourself.  Always willing to read about self-improvement and learn more about myself in the process, I gave this a go.  Even if I consider myself in a highly happy marriage, I'm very receptive of learning more about how to maintain and grow our marriage. This book is all about those little things that make a big difference in a marriage.  Some of it's obvious, other parts I caught myself going "huh, we do that, but I never really grasped how important it was" or "we could improve in this area, that is so easy, we just got to start trying that."

I'd say a lot of these highly happy marriage techniques (comprised from her studies of those couples that both say "YES!" I'm happy in my marriage) are also applicable to improving a variety of relationships.  I really recommend this book to anyone, even if you're just a dating couple. 

The author takes a religious perspective throughout, which I personally enjoyed, but for those that don't incorporate faithful practice into their marriage, she makes sure to do so in a way that isn't in your face.  The psychology/sociology teacher in me appreciates the studies and research she uses to back these techniques, and although filled with surveys, it's well put together to be an easy read. 

Here are some of my favorite highlights from the book!

*Happy spouses keep track of what their mate is giving and what they need as a result, and deliberately try to give back.

*Highly happy couples quickly stop a negative train of thought or action, replacing unhappy or angry thoughts or actions with positive ones, in order to change their feelings. 

*When highly happy spouses are legitimately hurt, they refuse to believe that their mate intended to hurt them, and they look for the most generous explanation instead. 

*The happiest spouses often mentioned that faith in God was vitally important to their marriages.

*Highly happy couples tend to put God at the center of their marriage and focus on Him, rather than on their marriage or spouse, for fulfillment and happiness.

*If I treat you the way God wants me to, then you'll be happy. And then I'll be happy. Wow - that's a great deal!
 
*We can choose to not hold our displeasure over our spouse's head when they do try to reconnect with us. 

*If you wouldn't say it that way to a close friend, don't say it that way to your spouse. 

*A happy spouse looks at the other person as their best and closest friend - a friend they want to stay close to no matter what.

*Song of Soloman 5:16 "This is my beloved and this is my friend."

Rose Harbor

Debbie Macomber is most recognized for her Cedar Cove book series, which was also made into a TV series. Check more here.   Her Rose Harbor Series relates back to Cedar Cove if you're interested in finding out how they're all doing since the last book in the series.

I love this new spinoff series because the setting is a Bed and Breakfast  in Cedar Cove and all the characters you meet are guests staying at the inn. I love bed and breakfasts, my husband and I stayed in one for part of our honeymoon out in Cape Cod and it was the best. I love dreaming about owning my own B&B. What breakfast treats would I serve? Theme options for different guest rooms and creating a garden getaway are only the start of my imaginations.   Easy to see why with a B&B at the forefront I fell in love with this series.
 

Rose Harbor Series

When First They Met

The Inn at Rose Harbor

Lost and Found in Cedar Cove

Rose Harbor in Bloom
Love Letters

 
Another Debbie Macomber series to check out is Blossom Street and all the action happening surrounding a yarn store.

Fools Gold Series

Susan Mallery has created the town of Fools Gold.  It's amazing how this idea has grown from just the setting it started off as in the books into a place that people truly wish they could visit.  So much so that it led into the creation of a website focused on everything happening in Fools Gold. If you link to this site, http://foolsgoldca.susanmallery.com/ , it tells you all about the big events happening in the town.  Characters you have gotten to know in the first set of books routinely pop up throughout the other books.  And as Mallery adds more books to the selection you stay up to date on the relationships you've seen develop, the benefits of a small town. 

Personally I just liked reading the saga as I felt I was peering into the lives of people that make up the charming community of Fools Gold. But if you did get more invested, since she has a LOT of fans out there, you could check out the who's who, a map of the city, current events, and of course the books that started it all. She has some unique characters with interesting careers that take you outside the realm of your normal day and knowledge of the current job scene.

In need of a summer getaway? A little romance? Check out Fools Gold, you're sure to be captivated and charmed by this small town community.

1. Chasing Perfect         2. Almost Perfect       3. Summer Brides (Novella)        4. Finding Perfect          5. Only Mine           6. Only Yours       
7. Only His        8. A Christmas Bride         9. Only Us (Novella)     10. Almost Summer (Novella)        11. Summer Days         12. Summer Nights     
13. All Summer Long     14. A Fools Gold Christmas        15. Halfway There (Novella)        16. Fools Gold Cookbook        17. Just One Kiss      
18. Two of a Kind          19. Three Little Words          20. Christmas on 4th Street        21. When We Met        22. Before We Kiss    
23. Until We Touch       24. Yours for Christmas (Novella)      25. Hold Me        26. Kiss Me          27. Thrill Me          28. Marry Me at Christmas

Book Images

Similar series of modern day romances featured on the Blog:

Debbie Macomber : Cedar Cove & Blossom Street

Nora Roberts: Bride Quartet

Sherryl Woods: Chesapeake Shore

Blossom Street Bundle

It's SUMMERTIME! Lisa and I are finally back from our blog hiatus, and it feels great. Bogged down with my first year of teaching, picking up a book for an enjoyable read was undeniably satisfying! And I gotta say that I definitely plan on knocking out some book series this summer.  So here's one to start with that I just finished.

If you're looking for some nice clean summer romance reads, here's a great list to consider! They're quick, inspirational and the perfect book to bring along for a relaxing read on a beach or a summer porch.

Something to know about the author Debbie Macomber is she's a knitter.  It was this love of knitting that inspired the series.  Although not a knitter myself, even if I'd like to posses the talent one day, it was enjoyable to read.  Some of the books in the series are fun because they are based on four or so individuals joining a knitting group.  The book bounces around to each of the knitters and shares their stories.  As the series progress the books are intertwined, so there are references back to those original characters you first had interest in. 

The Shop on Blossom Street

A Good Yarn

What Amanda Wants

Susannah's Garden

Christmas Letters

Back on Blossom Street

Twenty Wishes

Summer on Blossom Street

Hannah's List

A Turn in the Road

Starting Now

Blossom Street Brides

Check out my post on the Cedar Cove Series that first made me addicted to her books.