Oh man I got a bit behind again! Here's what I've been up to these past couple of months!
MAY
Last to Leave by Teresa Richards: This was a Netgalley ARC read for an author I've meet at a conference. So that was fun! It's about an influencer gamer girl who ends up on a reality show where she and other influencers act out and have to solve a mystery game. The "last to leave" wins! But there's all sorts of mysteries going on, and she gets all mixed up in it all. Very fun mash up of genres and etc. I enjoyed it! ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Muse of Nightmares by Laini Taylor: I finally go to this one, the sequel of Strange the Dreamer and yeah. SOOOO good. What a great series this one is. So intense and so page-turney, swoony, and all the things. I loved this reading experience.⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman: This was the book club book for May. I was wary I would like it at all, but turned out I thought it was pretty funny in parts and ended up totally enjoying the story. I watched the movie just as I was finishing the book so that was fun too.⭐⭐⭐⭐
Wendy's Ever After by Julie Wright: This is a local author and I was intrigued by a Peter Pan inspired story, so I requested this one from Libby. A fun YA fantasy where Wendy is 17 and is trying to find her place in society and all she can think about is Peter. She ends up back in Neverland where things aren't good and falls for... someone else...!⭐⭐⭐
A Novel Chance by E.S. Rosalynn: This another ARC read, one I got from the author through Threads. It's a small town romance, with girl new in town and is setting up a bookstore and the guy is the handyman and also 5th grade teacher. I enjoyed it for the most part, but it was more spicy than I expected and I wanted less of that and more of the swoon. ⭐⭐⭐
Life Update for May:
- I published a book! On May 12 I put Always Best Buds up on Amazon. My friends threw me an amazing launch party and everything was so excited for about a week. It was even a "hot new release" in its category for about a month. But since that crazy week, it's done nothing.. no sales. Nothing. So I guess that's out these things go. I can't figure out how to market it. I feel like I figured out everything else, but keeping the momentum going it impossible.
- I went to Storymakers, the local very popular writers conference. It was fun to connect with and make new friends. I was said both Maggie Steifvatter and Axie Oh had to cancel, but Beth Brower did come and that was amazing.
- I hosted a reading retreat at the farm in Idaho for a weekend with a handful of friends. I didn't read much, but we had fun! Now I want to do it with my writing friends too!
-We also went to Idaho for to surprise my brother for his 50th birthday. That was fun family day.
- We got back into the routine of grandkid tending after having March and April off. I was glad the book launch timed perfectly with those days off because I don't think I could have done it all otherwise.
JUNE
Yesteryear by Caro Clair Burke: I heard so much buzz about this one, so when I saw it was available to listen to on Spotify, I clicked and listened. It was crazy! Not sure what to think actually. It's about a "trad wife" (a term I hate) influencer who pretty much went crazy. And one day she wakes up in the past and has to do all the things she posed and staged for social media FOR REAL. And she's trying to figure out what's up and how to get home. It's sad and depressing and frustrating and angry-inducing. Some people say it's funny, but I didn't see anything at all funny about it. It was VERY engaging though and very though provoking. And made me feel things, which as you know, means it was a good book.⭐⭐⭐⭐
They Both Die at the End by Adam Silvera: A YA fantasy-ish? magic realism? book I've been meaning to get to forever. It was a good one to read for Pride Month as the two boy characters fall in love by the end. Even though THEY BOTH DIE and it's heart wrenching. In this world, you get a call the day before you are going to die, so you can spend the day doing all the things you feel/want/need to do. So this is the story of these two boys doing just that.⭐⭐⭐⭐
The One With the Kiss Cam by Cindy Steel: My friend said I should read this one because it gave her vibes like the book I'm now writing, only she said my book does it better. So I was curious. Well. I ended up loving this one and I pretty much don't think I do it better, but I can LEARN from this book. Fun banter, lots of swoon, closed-door (clean but I guess we can't use that word....) and set right here at home! I thought it was awesome. This was also another audiobook, which is crazy.⭐⭐⭐⭐
Play It By Heart by Flick O'mara: An ARC read that I got from the author through Threads. It was closed door but not... um... clean... (that word I can't use but I don't know how else say what I want to say!) Friends to lovers romance where the friends own a wedding business together, the guy sings and the girl does photography and one day their mutual friend says... so hey,I think you are guys are into each other! And they go... Oh wow, we are! (I needed more work up to the coming together bit.) Basically, it was fine as romances go, but I was expecting it to be... I don't know... cuter, warmer... something. And less f bombs for sure.⭐⭐⭐
Write Fearless. Edit Smart. Get Published. by Lisa Mangum: This author is also an editor for a local publisher and well loved in the writer community here. I decided to listen to her narrate this one and ended up loving it. Great stories, great advice, lots and lots of things that I want/need to refer back to, so I'm hoping to get a hold of a physical copy. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Serial Killer by Brian Bruce: This was a beta read from a booktube friend who wrote this mystery with his wife. I accepted the call to read for him since he has read something for me, even though I'm not a huge mystery reader, but surprise! I ended up really getting into this and was so invested in the end and loved the conclusion. Very enjoyable read.⭐⭐⭐⭐
The House of my Mother by Shari Franke: I listened to this memoir in preparation for our book club's memoir month in July. (LISTENED... FOUR AUDIOBOOKS THIS MONTH!) It's a fascinating story, told by the daughter, of a family who had a big youtube channel and then everything went bad and crazy and the mom and her therapist were arrested for child abuse. It's a gripping story and has been in my mind constantly since I listened. I sort of need a mind cleanse I'm afraid.⭐⭐⭐⭐
Life Update for June:
-I've spent a lot of time writing.... finishing up my travel adventure romcom and now jumping into what I hope to be final revisions for the space opera. I guess I'll self publish these too? I don't know. This whole thing is so confusing and frustrating!
- We had a big celebration for a granddaughter turning 1. I can't believe it's been a year already!
- We attended local summer celebrations at the city. Parade, fireworks, and etc.
- Saw the Back to the Future musical and it was awesome.
-It's been hot and last week fires started and now the whole state is pretty much on fire. Today, at the time of this writing, things have cooled down and the air has cleared and it's been wonderful.
- Book club was The Odyssey, which I didn't finish, but lots of people did and we had a great discussion!
