After an enormous flop in my reading habits throughout 2015, I’m finally starting to get on top of things again! In 2016, I read 62 books (out of a 50-book goal). Disclaimer: A lot of these were children’s fiction (even picture books), but I’ll take what I can get. Below I’ve listed some of my favorite discoveries from 2014, along with publishers’ descriptions. Enjoy! Best Picture Books The Journey by Francesca Sanna (Illustrations) With haunting echoes of the current refugee crisis this beautifully illustrated book explores the unimaginable decisions made as a family leave their home and everything they know to escape...
A friend recently contacted me with this query: I need some book recommendations for my daughter. She is 15, an avid reader and enjoys historical fiction or fantasy books. She also loves classics like Pride and Prejudice and light humorous stories like Anne of Green Gables. Preferably long and in a series. Little did she know what she was getting into! By the end of the evening, I had scoured my shelves and my Goodreads lists to come up with 25 books for her daughter. Then I thought, “Hey, there are other teens out there who like fantasy and history and might appreciate this list....
After consuming the Mark of Athena in a matter of days, I approached my writing professor to rave about my reading experience. Since I kept talking about character voice and the beginnings/endings of chapters, she recommended I have a look at the book and think about ways Riordan wrote these elements, so that I might glean something for my own novel. She probably didn’t expect me to go through all four points of view with multicolor pens and margin notes. Writing tips below the cut! I’ve taken the first chapter containing each character’s narration and analyzed the heck out of it....
