My friend Robin did a book tag which I thought was fun, so I decided to do one too! Here is hers if you want to read it too.
Name five books that you didn’t get to in 2022 but want to make a priority in 2023.
- Elatsoe by Darcie Little Badger
This was her debut novel which went on to win awards. I think every book she has written won awards. She is a member of the Lipan Tribe. The book is about a girl names Elatsoe. She can raise animals from the dead. When her cousin is murdered, she investigates, uncovering secrets hidden by her picture perfect village. - Fated Sky by Mary Robinette Kowal
I read The Calculating Stars (book 1 in the series) when these first came out. I loved it so much I bought Fated Sky to read right away. Well… Life happened and I didn’t get around to it yet. But this will be the year! - The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by VE Schwab
I can’t believe I haven’t read this yet! Imagine being given the gift of immortality, but the cost is to never be remembered. Until one day, someone recognizes her. That’s all I know of the story, but it’s all I need to know. I’m dying to read it! - The Orphan Witch by Paige Crutcher
Persephone has been alone all her life, migrating from town to town trying to appear normal, but after an accidental and very public display of power, Persephone knows it’s time to move on once again. She receives an email from the one friend she’s managed to keep, inviting her to the elusive Wile Isle. Upon arrival, Persephone discovers that Wile is no ordinary island. It holds what she’s been searching for her entire life. Answers. And some things she did not want. Like 100-year-old curses and an even older family feud. - Toil & Trouble: 15 Tales of Women & Witchcraft Edited by Jessica Spotswood & Tess Sharpe
I can’t remember where I heard about this one or why I simply had to have it. I just know it was an instant buy. I’ve been on a bit of a witch book binge lately.
Basically all physical books on my shelf! I’m bad about reading paper books because the books on my kindle are so easy to grab and read at night when everyone else is asleep. I need to create a habit of reading a paperback book every evening for half an hour or so before the lights turn out so I don’t have to fiddle with the book light.
Name favorite book you read last year.
I normally buy books for their cover, but this one was because of the title. Each title in the series has the name Myrtle to replace an M word. The story did not disappoint!
Myrtle is the daughter of a lawyer in the victorian era and she is rather bright and precocious. Her nanny is an enabler. The old lady across the street died from a fall in the bathtub, but Myrtle is convinced this is actually murder and she is going to prove it because no one take this seriously.
I love this series! Imagine a librarian but like James Bond and
This book was Amazing!! It was strange and wonderful. If you get this book, buy the physical copy for the artwork inside it.
Everything has a shadow, even houses.
An orphan girl, Olivia, has only a journal to connect her with family. The journal was written by her mother who appears to devolve into madness. One day, she gets an invitation home to Gallant. She knows immediately upon arriving that something is very wrong. She is not sure she will resist the fate of madness that took her mother.
An author you discovered last year.
It was hard to choose because I found several last year. These are my favorites. Plus, I discovered a whole New Genre last year!! Cozy Fantasy! Sounds delightful right?! …It is!
Apparently Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree is the definition of Cozy Fantasy. I listened to the audiobook of it as read by Travis Baldree himself. Y’all get it! It is not a high action battles and fights type of book. It is about an orc who is tired of the blood, guts, and gore as a mercenary. She has saved up her gold and finally has what she needs to build a coffee shop in a town she carefully researched as a nice quiet place ready to be introduced to espresso. She has some luck along the way and makes some friends. But her past also haunts her, trying to entice her back to the old life she had. Tragedies befall her and she questions her choices. It really is a very cozy story!
The Haunting of Ashburn House is one I read early last year. I’m on Craven Manor now. Each story has a different main character and a different haunted house. These books are Creepy!! If you are an avid reader of Stephen King, maybe not. For me…let’s just say this wimp lost sleep! I couldn’t sleep the other night so I started Craven Manor thinking, “The first couple chapters can’t be all that scary, right?!” Wrong! I lost more sleep that night and went to work on only 3 hours.
Ashburn is about a woman who inherits an old musty mansion, luckily so, as she has no place else to live. Creepy paintings. Rumors of the whole family being murdered. Power outages. But the best part about this book is the closing image! That’s all I’ll say about that.
What genre do you want to read more of?
Mystery
Name three goals that are not book related for 2023.
This was HARD to do because my whole life seems to involve books or writing books or marketing books. I may need to rebalance my life.
- travel to Maine to see friends and hike the beginning of the Appalachian Trail.
- Create better library displays to entice students to explore more.
- Meditate more frequently
What is a book that has been on your shelf forever that you need to read?
This one! I’ve heard good things about it, but, again, I bought a physical copy so there it sits–looking pretty.
This is a Beauty and the Beast retelling. Rhen keeps repeating the autumn of his 18th year.
Harper, a girl with Cerebral Palsy, is transported from DC to a magical world and she doesn’t know what to believe.
What’s one word that you’re hoping 2023 will be?
Successful
If I had 2 words, it would be: Goal Crushing!
I have a kickstarter release coming up as soon as I edit the book. Probably in a few months.
On that note! The blog post for next month is already written! It’s about Kickstarter and explains what it is and what it’s not. Most importantly it explains exactly how to back authors and why you should support authors using this platform.
Please comment to tell me one of your favorite books from last year or tell me a book you are going to read this year.
Quill and Books 