Ohhhhhhhh this Middle-Earth fangirl was THRILLED to be nominated for this book tag! Nandini at Unputdownable Books created it back in September as part of her Tolkien Reading Month. (Thank you, Nandini!) So it’s taken me a little while to get around to it… But better late than never, right? 🙂
Like with any book tag, let’s establish the “ground rules” – or, rather, points to keep in mind – before we get too far.
Another year has passed, which means another year’s worth of reading to celebrate! Yes, it’s time to share my favorite fiction reads of 2018. And let me tell you: Even though I had a pretty good idea which of the 53 fiction books I finished last year would end up on this list, I’m glad I didn’t share my list right away – because there was a last-minute shake-up!
Like with past best-of reading lists I’ve posted, this year’s showcases my 10 favorite brand new books of 2018 and 10 favorite previously published books. Unlike past years, though, I’ve made two notable changes. First, goodness, there were too many close calls when I tried ranking the books from #1 to #10! So I opted for alphabetical listing by title instead. Second, and sadly, no giveaway this year. As fun as giveaways can be, I can’t give one the attention it needs right now. So I hope you understand my need for keeping things simple, and you still enjoy reading this post regardless.
Ready to dive into the first list? 😉
Is it really the last week of 2018?? How crazy is that? I could swear that not too long ago, I started reading my first book of the year. And now, 51 weeks and 53 fiction reads later, Christmas has come and gone and 2019 is around the corner. I hope you’ve enjoyed your December holidays so far, and any New Year’s plans you have are fun, warm, and safe. ❤
Out of the 11 books I finished reading over the fall, I’m highlighting my nine favorites in today’s post. The funny thing is, I’m also working on my Favorite Fiction Reads of 2018 post, which will go live in mid-January… and you’ll hear about some of these books again then. No spoilers, though – you’ll have to wait a few more weeks to find out which books made that list. Until then, enjoy these reviews! And feel free to visit each book’s Goodreads page by clicking on its title. Continue reading
It’s been a while since I’ve done a seasonal write-up on what I’ve read recently – and boy, it feels good to do one again. Maybe it’s because I read some FANTASTIC books over the past couple months, including a few that might end up near the top of my year-end favorites list. But I’m getting ahead of myself, aren’t I? We still have three months left in 2018. Who knows how the rest of the year will play out reading-wise, for all of us? 😉
Anyway. Over the summer, I read 13 books, bringing my year-to-date total to 41. Out of those 13, the eight I’m highlighting today are ones I rated 4 stars or higher on Goodreads. (You might be able to guess a few of them from the banner image above. *wink*) If you’d like to check out my complete review of any of these books on Goodreads, click the link in each book’s title.
So… in terms of writing, this summer turned out much differently than I’d expected it to. If you read last week’s post on losing the passion for a writing project, then you know part of the story. (More on that shortly.) Yet it wasn’t an unproductive or disappointing season. In fact, some good things happened, like continued excitement about A Literary Tea Party, the cookbook I recently wrote an introduction for. And who knows, there may be more news to share in the future. 😉
I know, I’m being a tease. But one thing that’s clear? The second part of the blog post title. I might be making some changes to this series, and I’d appreciate any input that you, the reader, may have.
Let’s dive in so I can explain things in more detail.
How about a fun post today? As much as I’m grateful for writing last week’s tribute to the late Ursula K. Le Guin, I feel the need to do something lighter this week. Oddly enough, I know which topic to choose. Three of my book-blogger friends (Mogsy @ Bibliosanctum, Nandini @ Unputdownable Books, and Zezee @ Zezee With Books) recently posted Top Ten Tuesday posts featuring ten books that have been in their TBR piles for a while. I enjoyed reading their lists so much that I decided to do my own – and go figure, I came up with twelve books instead. 😉
So, in alphabetical order, here are the twelve books that have been waiting longest for me to read them. Let’s start with…
Ohhhhhhhhhhhhh I’m SO EXCITED about this!!! 😀
Today I’m over at WriteOnSisters, one of my favorite writing craft blogs, to talk about the literary genre I love most: FANTASY. (Bet that doesn’t surprise you, right?) This isn’t an episode of me fangirling, though. Instead, I explain the differences between high fantasy and epic fantasy, as well as the common ground they share in some stories.
Click here to read “When Wands and Swords Collide: Distinguishing High Fantasy from Epic Fantasy.”
Feel free to comment directly on the post at WriteOnSisters. I’ll be over there periodically to respond! 😉
Stacking The Shelves is a weekly event hosted by Tynga’s Reviews that shares the books (both physical and virtual) that you recently purchased, borrowed from a fellow reader or the library, won from a giveaway, or received as gifts. Stacking The Shelves will post on Saturdays as new books are added to my shelves.
Some of you know my birthday was last weekend; and apart from other presents I was happy to receive (bed linens, an indoor-outdoor thermometer, a beach umbrella), I got MORE BOOKS. 😀 A couple more arrived after I finished preparing this post, so that’s why this is Part 1. (Part 2 could be up as early as next Saturday.) In the meantime, here’s what I’ve got so far:
Stacking The Shelves is a weekly event hosted by Tynga’s Reviews that shares the books (both physical and virtual) that you recently purchased, borrowed from a fellow reader or the library, won from a giveaway, or received as gifts. Stacking The Shelves will post on Saturdays as new books are added to my shelves.
Round #1 of #WDC15 coverage begins today! In addition to my articles-in-progress for DIY MFA, I knew I was going to do a Stacking The Shelves piece here. I mean, how can a writer go to a literary conference and not come home with more books? That would have been shameful, wouldn’t it? *lol*
So, here’s my haul from the event:
On the fifth day of each month, 5 on the 5th shares five of something that I like or recommend to readers. Whether it’s five items that share a common theme, or five reasons why I like the topic at hand, this monthly meme gives you and me an opportunity to bond over other subjects that I don’t normally blog about. If you have suggestions about future 5 on the 5th topics, feel free to suggest them in the Comments section at the end of this article.
This month, I’m featuring Five Fantastic Speculative Fiction Blogs. Like last month’s writing websites, these five blogs are places I regularly visit, and each has a unique twist on their genre coverage. While I love “big-name” sites like Tor.com or TheOneRing.net, I wanted to showcase a few other favorites that readers might not have heard of before. So, if you’re a fan of science fiction, fantasy, and horror, this list is for you!
Visit any of these sites by clicking on their respective logos or on any of the article links provided.
Sara Letourneau 