Hello, friends! We finally close the books (literally) on 2024 with my End-of-Year Book Celebration, in which I round up notable reads of the last six months and see how I did on my reading goals. One last time, if you want the short-and-sweet best-of rundown, you can hop over to Light and Shadows to get that list — but if you want a more in-depth look, stay here and keep reading.

As a reminder, since this post wraps up 2024 for me, this will be my final official post on Dreams and Dragons. After this, I'll no longer be posting on this blog, though I will leave it up for anyone who wants to go back and look at past posts. However, we need to finish this book celebration first, so let's get going!

2024 End-of-Year Book Celebration

As always, of course, we start things off with statistics and a review of my reading goals! According to Goodreads, I read 95 books and 25,068 pages in 2024, which is about half of what I read in 2023, but not surprising given that I've been reading more slowly this year than I have in some past years. Most of what I've read has been in the range of 100–400 pages, with an average page length of 263 pages, but I have read some longer books as well. My average rating is the same as it was at my mid-year celebration: 4.3 stars. Not bad, honestly.

As for my specific goals . . . Well, I didn't exactly meet most of them, but I did work towards most of them.

• The one specific goal I did achieve was to read 12 books published (or written) before 1975 (at least nine of which were aimed at adults). I read fifteen books this year that were written or published before 1975, nine aimed at adults and six aimed at children. So, yes, I just barely squeaked past, but success is success. Most of these were rereads, but one of the notable exceptions that I read this half of the year was Arthur Conan Doyle's The Lost World, an adventure story that was pretty exciting.
• On the other hand, my goal of reading 15 non-speculative fiction books . . . did not happen. In July, I had read six non-spec-fic books, and I only added two to that number: a reread of Furiously Happy (a memoir by a popular 2000s/2010s blogger) and Moby Dick, which I have technically been reading for a few years now but finally finished this year. Oh well.
• As for decreasing the number of physical books I own but haven't read, I have been reading a lot of ebooks, which . . . is not really helpful in this regard. Still, I did read another of Sanderson's Secret Projects, Bryan Davis's Time Echoes trilogy, and a few others, so I made progress! Just not quite as much as I intended.
• I did not catch up with the Cosmere and Sanderson's Secret Projects. I read Yumi and the Nightmare Painter, and that was it. At least I stayed caught up with the SVR-verse, so . . . there's that.

As always, if you want more statistics or the full list of everything I read in 2024, check out my Goodreads Year in Books or my tracking form results. But if you'd rather just hit the highlights, let's get going with some specific book categories!

Best book you've read in the second half of 2024:

Unsurprisingly, this spot goes to a W.R. Gingell book, specifically Splintered Mind, the first book in the new Shattered Worlds series. I loved getting a fresh perspective on Behind and Between, and I quite enjoyed meeting the new characters, particularly our lead, the caring, practical, and determinedly normal Viv. And, of course, the mystery element was fun!

 

The runner-up in this category is What Comes of Attending the Commoners Ball by Elisabeth Aimee Brown. This was a delightful romantic romp with fae and fairy tale vibes; it's funny and charming and marvelously clever in the end. It also gave me the vibes of Emily Wilde crossed with Dragon Slippers, so if that sounds like your cup of tea, definitely pick up this book.

Best sequel you've read in the second half of 2024:

This is an insanely difficult decision because the last six months included so many good sequels. However, I think this spot goes to H.S.J. Williams's Collusion, the second book in the Kings of Aselvia series. This book was worth every minute of the four-year wait; I loved the characters and their arcs, the way Hannah has developed the world, the existence of so many actually-married couples, the emphasis on family and community . . . it just has all the good things, y'know? And, like Moonscript, it also touches on some not-so-good things, on trauma and the evils of the world, but it does so in a way that keeps hope in sight.

We do have some very close runners-up, though! Valley of Dragons, the final book in Christina Baehr's Secrets of Ormdale series, very nearly took the top spot! I talked about this book when it first came out, but to recap, this book wraps up the story in a way that brings everything full circle but also spotlights the growth of the various characters. I loved the way everyone had a little time in the spotlight, the fact that the story has so much compassion for the antagonists — especially those who are themselves the victims of lies and cycles of hurt — and how Baehr worked out the relationship between Edith and Simon!

Speaking of relationships working out: A Stab in the Dark is the latest (but, it seems, not the last after all) in Suzannah Rowntree's Miss Dark series! In it, we find Molly and Vasily figuring out who they want to be, both individually and together, as well as some questionable progress for Nijam and Schmidt . . . while, of course, running a con and dealing with an opera house full of ghosts, murdered ballerinas, mysteries, and secrets. You know. As one does. It's the best yet in the series, and I had such fun reading it!

Best book you've reread in the second half of 2024:

I reread Moonscript in preparation for the release of Collusion, and it was so good. In some respects, it was better on the reread, as I could better appreciate some of the character arcs (and trauma). Besides that, though, it was just a delight to reacquaint myself with this world and these characters.

New release you haven't read yet but want to:

Wind and Truth has been out for a month now, and no, I have not read it yet. As mentioned previously, I am behind on all the Cosmere stuff. I want to fix that sooner than later, but I have been more invested in other stories (no pun intended).

Most anticipated release for the first half of 2025:

Dates are weird with Kickstarter books, but Splintered Life, the second Shattered Worlds book, is expected to reach backers and become available for general purchase sometime in the next few months, and I am very excited to find out what happens next with Viv, Luca, Jasper, and the rest. Based on snippets, I think it's going to be so good.

Biggest disappointment:

I read Artemis Fowl in September for the Silmaril Awards, and . . . look, I know a lot of people enjoy this series, and it does do some things well, but I am simply not impressed by book one. The concepts are cool, but the execution is hindered by the fact that I didn't actually like any of the characters. I did have hopes of enjoying the story, but it just didn't do it for me.

Biggest surprise:

I don't know if this really counts, given that I was pretty sure I would like it, but I was impressed by how good Aeronwy's Stolen Child, a newsletter freebie from Claire Trella Hill, is. This is a lovely twist on the classic changeling tale, focusing on the parents of the lost children, and it's probably my favorite of Hill's short fiction.

A book that made you cry/A book that made you happy:

These categories are being combined because the same book fits both of them. Rescuing a Supervillain is super sweet, and I loved the dynamic between Bea and Sam and, of course, all the cats . . . but there's also one specific scene involving a kitten that made me actually tear up (if I recall correctly) because of how sweet and lovely and sad it is.

Also, shoutout to Collusion again. I don't remember if I actually cried or not, but it definitely gave me all the emotions, both the happy ones and the sad ones.

Favorite post you've done this half of the year:

Definitely I've Heard This One Before: A Study in Church Music Repetition, in which I went over what I learned from a year of recording and analyzing weekly music choices at a selection of churches! My goal was to figure out if less traditional churches repeated songs more (partially because I was grumpy about how often we sang particular songs at my home church); as to what I learned . . . well, go back, read the post, and you'll find out.

There's my wrapup — now, tell me about your second half of 2024! What are the best books you've read or reread in the last six months? What should I add to my TBR for 2025? Tell me in the comments!

Thanks for reading!

November 2024 Doings!

Hello, everyone! We are officially in the Christmas season, and 2024 is nearly gone. November and December are always my busy months, and this year looks like it'll be no exception — this past month certainly wasn't. So without further ado, let's dive into November's Doings!

Writing!

• I've mostly been working on more prep for Project Kingfisher this month: developing characters, building the world, and writing backstory snippets to explore character dynamics. This is a different approach than I normally take, but it seems to be working for me, and I hope that it'll have good results. I am definitely enjoying the fact that I gave myself permission to write snippets even if they aren't "necessary" for the story. That's been a lot of fun, and the short pieces are a nice change of pace from novels.
• I have also done a little work on my D&D campaign — not enough to finish this storyline, but enough to keep ahead of the sessions. My group seems to be having fun, though we didn't get to play much this month because of various people having busy schedules.
• That about covers it in this category. Writing has been a bit on the backburner this month, both because I'm in the planning stage on a story and because my time and energy is going elsewhere.

Reading!

• This month was a blend of ARCs and miscellaneous rereads. The highlights of the month were, without a doubt, Valley of Dragons (the final Secrets of Ormdale novel) and A Stab in the Dark (which is not the final Miss Dark's Apparitions novel!). I already reviewed Valley of Dragons, but to recap, I thought this was a splendid ending to the story, and I loved how Baehr brought the story full circle and wrapped up the various character arcs and plot threads. As for A Stab in the Dark, it's full of all the things I loved about the rest of the series, with the added bonus of being a Phantom of the Opera story full of secret passages and murders and ghosts, which is absolutely delightful. I was not as big a fan of the other ARC I read, The Death of Clara Willenheim, as it got really dark in the second half, but I think it just also . . . wasn't my genre.
• Other than that, the main notable reread was H.S.J. Williams's Fairest Son, a genderbent fae Snow White retelling. I honestly liked this one better on the reread than I did the first time around, though I can't put my finger on why. Maybe it's because of different expectations? Who knows.
• I wrapped up the month and started December by reading Time Echoes, Interfinity, and Fatal Convergence (currently reading, will probably finish this weekend), which simultaneously are and are not rereads because they're rewritten versions of the Echoes from the Edge series. The new versions are in a different perspective and have some tweaks to prose and description, but the narrative is the same. I think I like them roughly as much as the original; the POV change makes sense, and I still enjoy the story. I don't love them quite as much as I did originally because some aspects now seem very heavy-handed, but they're good all the same.

Watching & Playing!

• My friends and I have made it all the way to Episode 14 of Yona of the Dawn, and I continue to enjoy the show more and more! So far, I have met two of the four dragons, and I am calling it now that the blue dragon will be my favorite of them all. (He falls into the category of "characters who have experienced so much pain and choose to be kind anyway," and I love him.) I also really love Yun, partially because he's fun and partially because he and I are so often on the same page. And, of course, Hak and Yona continue to be excellent characters . . . really, all the character arcs in this show are excellent so far, and I have every confidence that they'll just get better.
• My family also launched into the start of the Christmas season with, of course, Christmas movies! Specifically: The Lemon Drop Kid and White Christmas, as those are the movies that are on both my and my sister's high priority lists. I don't have much to say about them other than the fact that I continue to really enjoy them.
• Aside from that, I continue to enjoy both Star Rail and Genshin. The next Star Rail update dropped this week, and I have therefore spent the last month or so internally screaming for two reasons: for one, we're getting an epilogue to the Penacony storyline; for another, Jing Yuan (aka, the character for whom I started playing the game) is rerunning, and I was not prepared for either of those things. That said, I still got some incredibly lucky pulls (which produced more screaming, but in a delighted way). As for the new story? I'm about halfway through it, maybe a little more, and I'm quite enjoying it. This story brings back two past characters who are both embarking on a new life of sorts, and I like how their arcs have been handled so far. One, a former antagonist, is making a last visit to his homeland to say goodbye and try to make amends, and he is very convincingly (and realistically) regretful. The other was on the verge of death and now has to figure out how to live when she's lost so much of her old life, as well as dealing with the pain and wounds (physical and mental) caused by all she went through. It's really good, and I'm excited to discover the rest of the story.
• Also in Star Rail, I've finally started really exploring different endgame mode challenges, and I've discovered that they're a lot more fun after you understand stuff about team compositions and character builds and when you have a decent number of characters as options. It's very satisfying each time I manage to beat another difficulty level!
• That aside, until this past week, I have actually been playing more Genshin than Star Rail. I wrapped up the Liyue quest (I know what Zhongli's deal is now!) and did some interlude storylines that revealed lots of lore . . . albeit in a way that raised as many questions as it answered. My approach to Genshin lore tends to be a lot like my approach to Cosmere lore: I like discovering it, but I'm not delving into all the theories and digging for tiny details in every corner (though I'll happy listen if someone else wants to share, and sometimes I'll grab onto some aspect or detail that I think is really cool and get a little more into that). I'm just along for the ride, really, but that doesn't mean I'm not enjoying myself.

Life!

• While November was, as I said, very busy, most of the busy things weren't exceptionally exciting. Work was full of wrapping up Stewardship, putting together the Advent newsletter, and preparing for Advent itself — which remains my favorite graphics season, but also has the challenge of "how do you put a new spin on this thing for the fourth year in a row." And now we're in Advent, and I'm about to have a very full two weeks as I prepare everything for Christmas before I take some well-earned time off At least I got enough prep done that I'm not too stressed, and holiday services tend to be very similar year-to-year, so I know what to expect. I'm also very pleased with the new church promo piece I put together to distribute at Christmas Eve, which I think turned out wonderfully!
• Grad school is also keeping me plenty busy, though I'm almost done with the current class. Advanced English Grammar continues to be way more technical than what I expected, and it's also a lot of writing down rules to explain things most people know instinctively, which . . . is not my favorite type of subject. It's also clearly aimed more at people planning to teach English than at general-purpose writers. Still, like I said, it's almost over (I submit my final project this weekend and do my final exam next week), and it could have been much worse.
• On a happier note, November brings with it both my birthday and Thanksgiving! We celebrated my birthday with lunch out at my favorite Mexican restaurant and dessert at Bible study; my mom made cheddar apple pie (tasty) and praline pecan pumpkin pie (DELICIOUS). The latter was something I'd wanted to try for a while, and I definitely hope we make it again. It has the best aspects of both pecan pie and pumpkin pie in one dish; what's not to like?
• At Thanksgiving, my sister got to come home for the weekend, which we were all very happy about. On Thanksgiving day, we set up (but didn't decorate) our Christmas tree and, as usual, celebrated with our Bible study group. Then on Black Friday, we decorated the tree — we used to do all the Christmas tree stuff on Friday, but last year we decided that spreading it out worked better and didn't really violate the no-Christmas-before-Thanksgiving rule.
• On the baking front, both November and December began with cake. November opened with an election cake from Baking Yesteryear, which is a kind of bready, fruity cake made in a Bundt pan. It's named as such because people in New England used to serve it on election days, back when those were practically holidays. It was tasty, though I don't plan on making it again. Then in December, I made a chocolate cake with ganache for a coworker's birthday; I had a little trouble getting the ganache to thicken properly, but it tasted delicious.
• In D&D, we wrapped up our mini-campaign that we were playing between sessions. Though it was a short campaign, it was a lot of fun; the DM did a really good job with making the NPCs interesting and complex, and he included a lot of interesting environmental aspects in the combats. For example, one fight was in a hall that had been lit on fire, so we had to deal with the fire and smoke as well as the enemy, and the final fight was in a room that was very tall and vertical, and we had to work our way up to the enemy. It was all really cool (albeit stressful in the moment), and I hope to be able to use some of those concepts in my own DMing in future.
• As for crafting, I'm still working on Christmas presents, and I have made very little progress on my new cape. I have discovered that, until you get down into the 30s and below (and maybe even to some degree in the upper 30s), capes are far superior to coats in some ways — notably, they're more comfortable, less confining, and generally more fun. At the moment, I have two capes that are both about hip-length and aren't cosplay specific, and I've been wearing those a lot. I have to say that doing so makes colder weather much less unpleasant!

December Plans

• Obviously, most of my December plans revolve around Christmas in some fashion, whether that's making Christmas gifts, baking cookies, or celebrating with various people in various ways. One notable thing that's happening this year is that I'm in charge of revamping our Bible study's Christmas play into a dramatic reading (because we're severely lacking in kids to do the play), and that's been an interesting endeavor. I'm also hoping to try a few new cookie recipes, including some from Baking Yesteryear, which should be fun.
• On the grad school front, I have one week left in the current class, and I am so ready to be done. I'm turning in my final project this weekend, and then I just have a few more chapters of reading, a last discussion, and the final exam before I can call this class finished. And while I do need to figure out what I'm doing next, I will take a great deal of pleasure in having a few weeks off.
• I really need to sort out an idea for the DOSA Files anthology; I'm down to three weeks to write, edit, and submit it if I'm going to make it happen. The problem is that work and grad school have taken most of my energy up to this point, and other creative projects are a lot easier to work on. Still, I hope that I'll be able to sit down and put something together once my current class is done. I also plan to continue Project Kingfisher prep with the goal of starting the actual draft either at the end of December or the beginning of January.
• I am taking a good chunk of time off around the holidays, and I'm looking forward to that, both as an opportunity to get some work done on creative projects and as a chance to rest and spend time with family and friends. Of course, it will almost certainly go by way too fast.
• I'll wrap this up with a fun, non-holiday thing I'm looking forward to in December: the start of a new campaign with my D&D group! It's going to be weird to play a whole new character and a very different class — I'm going full spellcaster this time — but I can't wait to find out what our DM has planned for us and see where our characters' stories lead.

How was your November? Any plans for December? Are you ready for Christmas? Please tell me in the comments!
Thanks for reading!

Hello, friends! Today is release day for the final Secrets of Ormdale novel, Valley of Dragons. I was once again able to get an ARC of this book, and let me tell you, this is such a good conclusion to the series. I may or may not have stayed up until after one in the morning the night I finished it because I got so invested in the story, and that's something I haven't done in a long time. So, obviously, I have to share my thoughts!

Thoughts on Valley of Dragons

1. The story came full-circle in the best possible way. Secrets of Ormdale closes as it opens: with Edith learning something about her family that she never would have imagined, discovering the darkness hiding behind "the way it's always been," and choosing to find ways to push back against that darkness. However, the story still feels as fresh and exciting as it did in book one, and Baehr ties all the plot threads together marvelously.
2. As always, I love the blend of cozy vibes with intrigue and Gothic adventure. While the stakes are as high or higher than they've ever been and Edith and her friends and family still face danger, Baehr maintains a sense of warmth and coziness throughout the story. We still have the love and support between family members and friends; we still have humor to lighten dark moods; we still have kindness on display and confidence that good will win in the end. That coziness doesn't undercut the danger and excitement at any point (again, I read this into the wee hours of the morning because I had to know what happened next), but
3. It's lovely to see how the characters have changed since they were first introduced. As the last book in this series, Valley of Dragons has to wrap up all the character arcs satisfactorily . . . and I'm happy to say that it's not just satisfying; it's downright delightful. All of our favorites have grown so much, and while I'm not going to spoil anything, I will say that the end of this book finds them all flourishing, freed of what once bound them and able to pursue both new dreams and new responsibilities. I especially loved how Baehr worked out the arcs for Edith's cousins and for Simon Drake. They arguably had the most weighing them down and forcing them into particular molds at the story's start, and now we see them becoming who they were always meant to be. And speaking of that . . .
4. Edith and Simon continue to be the best couple. Their feelings may be out in the open now, but that doesn't mean their journey is any less difficult, as they both (but especially Simon) wrestle with the tension between love and duty. Baehr portrays that conflict and dynamic in a very realistic way, and I genuinely wondered how she was going to resolve it. Again, I won't give away any secrets, but I will say that I really liked how it was handled and how the characters dealt with certain related events and discoveries.
5. Even the antagonists are treated with compassion. Aside from the character arcs, this may be one of my favorite things about this book. Over and over again, Baehr and her characters find the balance between compassion and justice — appropriately, as so many of the antagonists in this series are victims of the same lies, traditions, and cycles of pain they've used to hurt others. Where redemption is possible, it's offered and often pursued, and I loved the fact that this made for so many happy endings. But those who refuse still face the full consequences of their actions, and that's equally satisfying.
   

I can hardly believe this series is over . . . but, happily, Baehr has teased that more stories from Ormdale may be on the way! I can hardly wait to find out what comes of that. In the meantime, are you excited to read Valley of Dragons? Please tell me in the comments!
Thanks for reading!

Hello, everyone! Much as I hate to admit it, fall is rapidly approaching . . . but at least that means we have a new season of reads to spotlight! Some of you may be saying "Isn't it a week early for this list, Sarah?" — and you are correct, but next week is the Silmaril Awards ceremonies, and the week after is the Lost Kerchiefs release celebration, so we're doing our Fall Reads round up now. As is mostly usual, I'll post the full list here, but if you just want my top five, you can hop over to Light and Shadows for that. So, without further ado, let's find out what this season has in store for us!

Before we get into that, though, a couple quick reminders! First, ARCs are available for Illusion's Reign and the other Lost Kerchiefs stories! So, if you're interested in getting your hands on any of those early in exchange for a review, make sure you sign up ASAP. The blog/social tour form should be available soon as well, so keep an eye out for that. Second, today is the final day to vote in the Silmaril Awards! Go cast your vote for who you think is the most epic hero and heroine, most silver tongue, most nefarious villain, and so on — awards ceremonies begin on Monday!

Fall 2024 Reads

1. Her Fake Superhero Boyfriend by H.L. Burke (September 9). This is another superhero rom-com from H.L. Burke, this time featuring a variation on one of my favorite romance tropes (which goes by many names, but I usually describe as "the rogue and the princess"). I've read this one already, and I absolutely loved it — it was fun to see KC again and get to know him better after having met him in Wishing on a Supervillain, and Mira was such a sweet and fun heroine. Definitely would recommend this one, especially if you enjoyed Wishing!

2. The Handmaid's Blood by Kendra E. Ardnek (September 23). The highlight of the fall reads list is usually the Arista Challenge release group, and this year is no different! We start off the Lost Kerchiefs with a short story retelling from Kendra, focusing on the princess's handmaiden who takes her place. This is another of Kendra's hero/villain swap retellings, and I look forward to seeing how that twist plays out here.

3. Wind Charmer by Meredith Leigh Burton (September 24). Our second Lost Kerchiefs story! This one looks like it'll be the closest to the original Goose Girl fairy tale out of all the retellings, though Meredith has, of course, put her own unique spin on the tale, including interpreting the princess as being on the autism spectrum. I'm definitely curious to see how this version of the story will turn out.

4. Friend and Faux by Erudessa Gentian (September 25). This is a contemporary AnimeLit retelling of the Goose Girl — AnimeLit meaning that it borrows tropes and themes often found in anime and manga, similar to Japanese light novels. I'm not super familiar with the genre, but I'm sure it'll be interesting to see how Erudessa has used it to reimagine this fairy tale!

5.  Arabella's Song by Meagan Myhren-Bennett (September 26). This retelling blends The Goose Girl with the Pied Piper, which is not a combination I ever would've expected. Honestly, this might be the Lost Kerchief (other than my own) that I'm most looking forward to, simply because I really want to know how Meagan is going to blend those two stories! It also sounds like she's making more use of Falada than most Goose Girl retellings do, though, which should also be cool.

6. Illusion's Reign by Sarah Pennington (September 27). It's my book! I have been hard at work putting the final polishes on Illusion's Reign over the last couple weeks, and I am so excited to share Onora's story with y'all. I am also excited to be done with proofreading (bane of my existence), but that's neither here nor there. I love Onora, and I can't wait for y'all to meet her . . . and her cat. I do quite love her cat. Y'all will find out why when the book comes out. If you haven't already, make sure you preorder the ebook before release! The price will go up by a dollar or so once the book actually comes out.

7. Collusion by H.S.J. Williams (September 27). Behold! A book that is not a Goose Girl retelling! I realized when making this list that Collusion and Illusion's Reign are release-day twinsies, and I genuinely could not be more delighted. I loved Moonscript when it came out several years ago, and I've been eagerly anticipating the sequel ever since. I admit that there is a fair chance this book will wreck me — Hannah is very good at writing angst — but I also have no doubt that it will come out to light and beauty and hope in the end.

8. Goose Princess by Tricia Mingerink (September 30). Back to the Lost Kerchiefs! Speaking of long-awaited sequels, Goose Princess is the final Beyond the Tales book from Tricia Mingerink. It's another blended fairy tale, combining The Goose Girl and The Wild Swans, which I've thought for a long while would be a natural fit together. And, of course, series fans will be happy that Alex just might get his happily-ever-after.

9. Curse of Silence by Erin Halbmaier (October 1). Our final Lost Kerchiefs story is a mystery retelling of The Goose Girl, which should be a lot of fun! Plus, we have a childhood-friends-to-lovers romance, and that's always a delight.

10. Splintered Life by W.R. Gingell (October). While the exact launch date for the second Shattered Worlds Kickstarter hasn't been announced yet (at least not that I can find), we know it's coming in October, and we do have a prelaunch page. In any case, I am very much looking forward to more of Viv and Luca! I read Splintered Mind, the first book in the series, earlier this month, and I loved it, though the vibe is a little different from the City Between and Worlds Behind series. I will definitely be backing this as soon as it comes available!

11. Wyldling Armor by A. R. Grimes (October 8). Ok, full disclosure, I have not read the first two books in this series . . . but it's a portal fantasy series, and I've been meaning to get back to reading more of those, so it's on my TBR. The concept sounds really cool, and I think the series might touch on some of the themes I really like to see in portal fantasy, so it should be worth a look, at least.

12. The Death of Clara Willenheim by Charlotte Lesemann (October 29). This is not precisely fantasy (though there is apparently a ghost in it) and is therefore not my usual fair . . . but I have been enjoying Gothic stories more of late, and I'm always down for a good mystery. The blurb is definitely enough to make me curious as well — we have an imprisoned heroine, secret passages, and more.

13. One Must Die by multiple authors (October 31). Another mystery story! This one looks and sounds delightfully steampunky as well — it's been a while since I found a good steampunk story. Some early reviewers are comparing it to Clue, and the book has an interesting conceit wherein each of the involved authors wrote a version of the story from a different character's point of view. That sounds like it was probably hard to coordinate and edit . . . but if it was well-done, it could be super cool! I'll be keeping an eye on this one for sure.

14. Valley of Dragons by Christina Baehr (November 15). We wrap up the season with the final Secrets of Ormdale novel! I cannot believe that this series is already ending, but I also cannot wait for the ending. The hints and snippets Christina has shared on her socials are simply tantalizing, and after the last couple books, I desperately need a good happy ending for our heroine (and hero). I have no doubt that Christina will deliver just that.

What book releases are you excited for this fall? Am I missing any? Please tell me in the comments!
Thanks for reading!

 

July 2024 Doings!

Hello, everyone! July  has been a busy and exciting month — but, you know, in a very good (if also very tiring) way. The big news of the month has already been going around the internet, but it bears repeating one more time, and there's plenty more to say, so let's get going!

Writing!

• If you missed the big news: Song of the Selkies won not just the fantasy novel category of the Realm Awards but also the Book of the Year award! I did not expect this at all (not in a "I don't think I deserve it" way, more in a "This seems like such a huge dream that I forgot it was possible" way), but needless to say, I'm thrilled and delighted. I'm also glad I could actually be at the awards ceremony to receive the award in person — it was an incredible night (but more on that later).
• Outside of that (very exciting) news, I don't have a lot to report. I didn't do much writing this month until this past week when I started edits on Onora's story, but that's not a bad thing. It was nice to take some time off from big projects to enjoy Realm Makers and see family and friends. I did dabble a little on assorted small projects, just for fun, and I worked on D&D writing, but that's about it.
• I did put together the cover for Onora's story, though! It was a bit of a headache to find decent images and put them together, but I finally got something I'm satisfied with (thanks in part to help from a friend who was able to diagnose where my problems were when I was stuck). Keep an eye out in the next month or so for the cover reveal!

Reading!

• This was a little bit of a lighter reading month — though that tends to be a side-effect of travel.
• The highlight of the month was definitely City of Serpents, the latest Secrets of Ormdale novel! I posted my thoughts on this book earlier this month, but to sum up, I loved spending more time with established characters and meeting new ones, and the story was excellent as ever.
• I spent a lot of the month reading three different anthologies: Unexpected Encounters of the Draconic Kind, Wags, Woofs, and Wonders, and DOSA Files Volume 1. I like anthologies for busy months, as it's easier to find a good stopping point and still feel satisfied, and all three of these contained some excellent stories. I mean, yes, I'm a little biased on two of them, but still . . .
• My other new-to-me reads were The Adventure Zone: The Eleventh Hour, The Lost World, and Down with the Prince. Surprisingly, The Lost World was my favorite of these — it's an adventure story by Arthur Conan Doyle about an expedition to a remote region where dinosaurs haven't died out, and while I can see why it's not as well-known as Sherlock Holmes, it was still exciting and a generally fun read. The Eleventh Hour was also good, with a nice balance of humor and really hard-hitting feels. Down With the Prince . . . I may have set my hopes a little too high with this one; the blurb and general vibes seemed really promising, but I didn't jive with certain aspects of the story, and I also think the prose could've benefited from another editing pass.
• Finally, I'm continuing to enjoy Dracula via Dracula Daily and various Sherlock Holmes stories via Letters from Watson. I haven't consistently done a good job keeping up with all my books-by-email subscriptions, but I still say it's an excellent way to read the classics.

 Watching & Playing!

• I have finally seen The Mummy (1999)! I kept hearing so many good things about this movie — first from my college roommate, then from various corners of the internet — but as has been established, I am really bad about actually watching movies, regardless of how much I want to see them. I also really wanted to see it with my former roommate if I could, since I knew how much she loved it. So, when I visited her on my way to Realm Makers and we were looking for something to watch, I suggested this, and she and her family enthusiastically agreed.
• Having now watched it, I see why so many people love it so much! I don't think it's my new favorite movie, but I would definitely watch it again. Evie, Rick, and Jonathan are all excellent protagonists — Rick especially. He has a very sensible approach to things, y'know? And you have to love the snark. As far as the story goes, I enjoyed that as well. There were a few bits when I had to shut my eyes or look away from the screen (mostly some of the bug scenes), but overall, it was a good time.
• My family also watched The Music Man for Independence Day (well, a few days after Independence Day, but it still counts). I don't have much to say about it other than I still love this movie.
• As far as podcasts and gaming . . . nothing much to report. I'm still mostly listening to Dracula Daily and Lateral, with the occasional episode of E.A. Hendryx's Productivity and Prose podcast thrown in for variety's sake. And I continue to thoroughly enjoy Honkai Star Rail! July's gaming time was mostly spent on story-relevant sidequests, but I finally started the Penacony storyline (the third or fourth chapter of the main story, depending on how you classify the beginning of the game) this past week. I have heard many, many things about this quest and setting, and I am simultaneously nervous and excited. I have enjoyed what I've played so far, though, even if I'm kind of side-eyeing everyone.

 Life!

• The big event of July, of course, was Realm Makers — and because my sister and several of my friends live halfway between me and the conference, I decided to visit them for a few days, turning my conference journey into a just-over-a-week-long trip.
• I spent the first couple days of the trip at my college roommate's house, visiting with her and playing lots of Sentinels of the Multiverse. We haven't really played Sentinels since my sister moved out, so this was a very good time. This is also when I watched The Mummy, as I mentioned earlier.
• From there, I drove down to my sister's house and stayed there for a few more very busy days. I visited her church, joined in her weekly dinner with her friends, and got to put faces to many names that I'd heard frequently. We also visited some family and had a game-and-cheese night with a couple of my D&D friends, which was a delight. We did find some time to just chill together, though, and I really appreciated that.
• Then, on Wednesday, I repacked my stuff and set off for St. Louis! For whatever reason, that drive felt so much longer than the drive out to my roommate's and sister's area had, even though it was about the same length or a little shorter. (I'm going to guess that it's because it was a really boring drive. I like driving in Ohio, but once you get further west, it kinda turned into a whole lot of nothing.) I made it to the hotel, however, and met up with Wyn Owens, with whom I was once again rooming for the conference. Despite both of us being tired from travel, we had a grand time chatting with each other and with assorted others we bumped into.
• The conference properly started Thursday evening with a keynote from Allen Arnold, which was really good. The highlight of the day, however, was getting to help playtest an SVR-themed tabletop roleplaying game that H.L. Burke is developing — she ran a one-shot (set at a writers' conference, naturally), and we had a whole crew of heroes assembled to save the authors from the villain, the dreaded Red Pen (who does not believe in the Oxford comma). The game was chaotic, to say the least, but it was a lot of fun, and we did successfully save the day!
• Friday night was the Awards Banquet, which was amazing . . . and not just for the obvious reasons. I went in costume, of course, though I didn't go as a specific character. I was the Lady Dragon Keeper, which basically means I had a medieval-y dress and some of the dragons my sister has made me, including a new one that attaches to the shoulder of my dress with magnets. The costume wasn't elaborate, but it served its main purposes, which was to show off the dragons and let me tell others how cool my sister is.
• I did not participate in the costume contest, but Wyn did, wearing a Princess Zelda cosplay that featured a very impressive dragon puppet . . . that actually moved. Because her arm was inside it. She had a separate fake arm and everything; it was very convincing. I mean, I saw her put the costume on, and I still had to do double-takes all evening! She was one of the five finalists called up on stage for the Best Costume cheer-off, and after the first round of cheers, the MCs could only narrow it down to a top three, of which she was one. What was meant as a tiebreaker round after that only confirmed the tie, so the MCs then announced that there would be a third try, but this time, everyone could only cheer for one costume. This time, there was enough difference that the MCs could determine a winner: Wyn and her Zelda costume!
• After that excitement, we moved straight into the book awards. I was a lot less nervous this year than last year, but I still was feeling a little anxious as we approached the Fantasy Novel category (which was the fourth-to-last category to be announced). I spend a lot of time around these awards trying to talk down my chances, so when they announced the second-place winner and it wasn't Song of the Selkies, I told myself that I was probably just a finalist but that even that was amazing . . . and then Scott Minor, reading the first line of the winning book, said "As betrothal ceremonies go," Wyn screamed quietly, and I had a delighted realization that I was not just a finalist.
• Walking back (somewhat in a daze) from the stage, I briefly realized "I guess this means I'm technically eligible for the Book of the Year award; that's wild." Of course, I knew there were a lot of other amazing books also winning awards, so my chances still seemed pretty slim — and they seemed slimmer still when Scott reminded those gathered that some second-place winners would might be Book of the Year finalists simply because of how many points they'd earned.
• Then, two books into the finalist list, he announced "Song of the Selkies, by Sarah Pennington, Independently Published," and I had another "Oh. Oh MY," moment. Still, even a finalist position was more than I'd expected — and when he announced Suspended in the Stars by E.A. Hendryx as another finalist a moment later, I felt like I had a pretty good idea who was going to win. If I got second place, that would be incredible.
• He announced the second-place winner — not me. I thought "Well, Book of the Year finalist and Best Fantasy Novel is still amazing, and I am very excited for Emilie. Her book sounds awesome; I'm sure she's earned this."
• And then Scott read the first few words of the Book of the Year's first line: "As betrothal ceremonies go . . ."
• Wyn screamed (quietly, again).
• I attempted to process the fact that something I didn't even think was a possibility had just happened.
• Somehow I made it back on the stage. It was probably very obvious to everyone that I was very flustered and more than a little in shock, but hopefully it was also very obvious that I was delighted and surprised.
• It was a very good night.
• All that said, the awards were not actually the best part of the conference — the best part was spending time with friends, chatting about life, books, and whatever else came up, and getting to actually hug all the people I want to be able to hug the other 360 days of the year that aren't Realm Makers or RM-adjacent. To that end, I actually ended up skipping a few of the sessions so I would have more time to spend talking to people (and so I wouldn't have to rush through lunch one of the days).
• The sessions I did attend were very good, though. Allen Arnold's "Slaying the Seven-Headed Story Beast" was less craft-focused than what I normally do, but it was very insightful and helpful. I was a little worried after the first session, which hit on an insecurity I was struggling a lot with at the beginning of the year, but the last session kind of gave me . . . I'm not sure if it was a push in a particular direction, a sign that a couple things I've been thinking about doing (or not doing) were ok, or both, but whatever it was, it was good.
• Less good: the journey back from the conference, which involved two eight-hour driving days in a row. That was very long and very tiring, especially since I didn't sleep much Saturday night, I got a later-than-ideal start on Sunday, and it rained all day Monday (when I was going through the mountains). Next year, I'm going to break up the drive a little better and give myself more of a break between travel days. Still, I made it home in one piece, and for that, I'm grateful.
• This post is already long, so I'll make the recap of the rest of the month quick. Work has generally been quiet, especially since people have been out of the office most of the month. My family celebrated Independence Day with our Bible study, as usual, enjoying smoked pulled pork barbecue and the televised DC fireworks. The following week, I made cornmeal cookies from B. Dylan Hollis's video, but they did not turn out as intended — they spread a lot. I do not think I will repeat that particular recipe. On the crafting front, I finished the embroidery on both my Cosmere pin hoop and a Schlock Mercenary pin hoop; now I just need to assemble them into their final forms. I'm generally pleased with how both have turned out. Now I'm back to crocheting creatures.
• And that wraps it up! It's been a busy month, but a very good one.

August Plans

• We're back to working on Onora's story! I will be spending all month editing. Joy. (This is my least favorite part of the writing process.) Thankfully, my beta readers have all given me really good feedback, and I am very appreciative . . . but that does not make me any more excited about having to figure out how to implement it. Ah well. I will survive, and both the story and I will be the better for it. I think we should also be getting a cover reveal sometime this month, so keep an eye out for that!
• Work is getting busier again as we move towards fall and the accompanying flurry of events. We're doing something different (to me) for the fall kickoff event, and I am a little bit nervous about that, but I'm trying to be optimistic. If it goes well and has the desired result (more people volunteering instead of the same half-dozen people doing everything), it'll provide a big improvement for all the ministry staff and current volunteers, so . . . hopefully it goes well. It's not until September, but a lot of the prep is happening now.
• I should be back to blogging this month, if all goes well. I also need to get busy on the next D&D adventure, since we'll need at least the first part of it in a couple weeks.
• I will not be starting a new grad school class this month, as I've decided to only do one class this semester. While that will delay my finishing date a little, it'll also allow me to focus more of my energy on my next book release instead of splitting my attention and stressing myself out. For the record, this decision is part of how I'm implementing what I learned in Allen Arnold's Story Beast talks — he had a lot to say about the lure of busy-ness and the dangers of trying to do too many good things, and that resonated a lot. My intention is wait on the class so I can get Onora's story finished and finished well, and then scale back to a lighter writing schedule in October so I can give the class the attention it deserves. (I do still need to figure out what class that's going to be and register for it, though.)

How was your July? Any plans for August? Were you at Realm Makers (and if so, what was your favorite part)? How well do you handle long drives? Please tell me in the comments!
Thanks for reading!

 

Hello, all! I debated a bit about whether or not to post this week — I am still on hiatus, technically, and it's also the week before Realm Makers, which means I am quite busy getting ready for that! However, this is release weekend for City of Serpents, the fourth book in the the Secrets of Ormdale series by Christina Baehr, and I enjoyed my ARC so much that I couldn't not talk about it! Granted, if you haven't read the series, you should probably start with book one, Wormwood Abbey (as you will be hopelessly confused otherwise), and if you have read the series, you probably don't need much convincing to read the new installment . . . but if nothing else, maybe I can convince you to read it a little sooner? In any case, I have thoughts!

Thoughts on City of Serpents

1. If you liked the rest of the Ormdale books, you'll like this one. City of Serpents introduces a new setting and some new characters, but it still contains all the things we've come to love and expect from an Ormdale novel. Within its pages, you'll find dragons, strong family relationships and friendships, and dire danger balanced with cozy comfort. You'll find villains who are, in some ways, all too realistic, even if they're with dragons. And, of course, you'll find Edith, our favorite cleric's daughter/novelist-turned-dragon-keeper, who has turned her detective-novelist's mind towards some schemes of her own.
2. I also enjoyed meeting quite a few new characters. My favorite of these is, unfortunately, a spoiler, though I will say that this person was alluded to in Castle of the Winds (and that allusion did not prepare me for how delightful the actual person would be). In terms of characters I can talk about, though, the main newcomers are Edith's cousin, Stephen, and his son, Crispin, both of whom are very fun. Edith's interactions with Crispin are especially lovely and fun, while Stephen simultaneously provides some extra humor (via teasing Edith and his general personality) and a bit of a sobering effect (via his knowledge and role in the narrative). You'll get what I mean once you meet him.
3. I was a little nervous about the start of the story . . . Mostly because Edith was being very determined to Do Things Alone (understandable, given what happened in the last book, but still stressful) and other people were, in my opinion, being a bit hard on her and Not Helping. Thankfully, both of these issues clear up after those first few chapters — and, really, I shouldn't have doubted in the first place. Edith is too sensible for that kind of nonsense, and Christina Baehr is too good an author to send her main character down that path.
4. This is the most historical-feeling of the Ormdale books thus far. Yes, all the books are historical fantasy, but the remote locations of the previous books meant they leaned strongly to the fantasy side of the genre. On the other hand, City of Serpents deals very heavily with very specific movements, social issues, attitudes, and people of its era. It almost feels like what you'd get if you crossed Ormdale with Suzannah Rowntree's Miss Dark books. (Side note, if anyone wants to actually write that fanfiction, please send me a link; I think it would be delightfully fun.)
5. The story is a little bit darker than some of the others in the series. That shouldn't really be a surprise, given what I said in my last point — but it is worth noting. All of the Ormdale books have dealt in some way with the effects of abuse, but it's usually been on a smaller scale. This one, on the other hand, deals with injustices committed on a larger scale, and that plus the villain's modus operandi and the reminder of just when in history this story is set combine to make City of Serpents a touch darker. However, rest assured that even amid the shadows of the London streets, we never lose sight of the light.
   

Are you excited to read City of Serpents? Please tell me in the comments!
Thanks for reading!

Hello, friends! 2024 is halfway gone, and the time has come for my Mid-Year Book Celebration, in which I check in on my reading goals and round up my favorite reads of the first six months of 2024, along with assorted other notable books and other stories that I enjoyed (or didn't enjoy) in that time. If you just want the short-and-sweet best-of rundown, you can hop over to Light and Shadows to get that list — but if you want that list and more, stay right here and read on!

2024 Mid-Year Book Celebration

There is, of course, no book celebration without statistics and a look at how my goals are going. As of July 1, I've read 58 books and 14,610 pages (or so says Goodreads), which is notably lower than what I'd read around this time last year — but I think I've been reading more slowly, so that makes a difference. I'm still on track for my goal of reading 93 books in 2024. Most of what I've read has been in the 200–400 page range, as per usual, and my average rating is 4.3 stars. Apparently, I've liked my reads a tiny bit less on average this year than I did last year.

Happily, though, some of my specific goals are going well!

• I'm actually doing quite well on my goal of 12 books published (or written) before 1975 (at least nine of which were aimed at adults); I've read ten books in this category, and only four of those were originally aimed at children. As in past years, subscribing to novels via Substack newsletter helps a lot. Notable books I've read towards this goal include the two Sherlock Holmes novels, Robert Louis Stevenson's Kidnapped, Ann McCaffrey's Dragonsong, and Rosalind Goforth's How I Know God Answers Prayer. Of the three more books I need to read to complete this goal, I'm already in the process of reading two — Dracula via Dracula Daily and Moby Dick via Whale Weekly, which I'll finish in September. I have a few ideas of what I might read for a third, but we'll see what ends up catching my interest.
• My goal of reading 15 non-speculative fiction books is going . . . not as well, but not terribly. I've read six books so far towards this goal, so I'm rather behind, but I have ideas of what I could read in order to catch up. I just need to find them at the library when I'm in the mood to read them.
• I have somewhat decreased the number of physical books I own but haven't read — which I mostly accomplished by deciding to part with my Wheel of Time books (I'll get them out from the library if I decide to give the series another try), but progress is progress. I have been making an effort to pick up unread books from my shelves, but I've also been trying to do the Kindle reading challenges on and off, and those two things are kind of mutually exclusive.
• I did catch up with H.L. Burke's SVR-verse, which also helped. I've only read one book towards catching up on the Cosmere and Sanderson Secret Project novels, but I still have several months left, so hopefully I can fix that.

For more statistics or the full list of everything I read in 2024, check out my Goodreads Year in Books or my tracking form results. For now, though, let's get on to the specific categories of books I want to highlight!

1. Best book you've read in the first half of 2024:

This is a slightly easier choice than normal — my favorite new-to-me non-sequel of 2024 so far is absolutely The Erlking's Daughters by Claire Trella Hill! It's epic fantasy with a deep, lore-rich world, a beautiful balance of light and dark, an excellent take on fae, a lovely slowburn romance, and, most importantly, a strong focus on family, especially sibling relationships. With all that together, there's no chance I wouldn't love it.

Of course, just because it was an easy choice doesn't mean there aren't some really good runners-up. Tress of the Emerald Sea is a Princess Bride-esque pirate adventure with fabulous characters and a really cool magic system, and it probably would've tied with The Erlking's Daughter if I hadn't gotten annoyed with the story voice in some sections. Emily Wilde's Encyclopedia of Faeries features a pair of scholar protagonists (with Howl and Sophie vibes), a very other take on the fae, and themes bound up in stories and how we use them to understand the world. Finally, Game On is a stellar example of how to do next-generation stories right, besides the fact that it's a really fun superhero story in and of itself.

2. Best sequel you've read in the first half of 2024:

Another easy choice here — Dark & Dawn is Book 4 in Suzannah Rowntree's Miss Dark's Apparitions series, and it's the best installment yet. I loved delving into Molly's family history and watching the crew's schemes unfold . . . but what I loved more was seeing Molly learn to trust, seeing Vasily figuring out how to be human, and seeing them both have some difficult, wonderful conversations. And, of course, the ending was absolutely magnificent.

That said, we had some thoroughly delightful runners-up for best sequel. Castle of the Winds continues the Secrets of Ormdale with a cozy adventure through secrets, chases, and twists and some absolutely magnificent dragons. No Man Left Behind wraps up the Worlds Behind series with as twisty and thrilling — and satisfying — a conclusion as you'd expect from one of Gingell's urban fantasies. And Mantles of Oak and Iron is an exciting follow-up to The Orb and the Airship that shows more of the broad scope of the story and world and gives us more of a look into our favorite characters pasts and capabilities.

3. Best book you've reread in the first half of 2024:

Fact: rereading The Goblin Emperor is never a bad idea. I don't know if there's such a thing as cozy political intrigue epics, but if there is, this definitely qualifies. It's just delightful to enjoy a story about someone who's been given a great deal of power, who's been pushed into the schemes that dominate any fantasy court, but who chooses to be kind at pretty much every step of the way and who succeeds because of it, y'know?

 4. New release you haven't read yet but want to:

This is a pretty recent release, but technically I've had access to Hearts of Stone and Steel by Jenelle Leanne Schmidt for a bit and not yet gotten around to reading it. (In my defense, I got the ebook from the Kickstarter and then lost the file . . . which isn't a very good defense, but oh well.) I'm excited to see more of Captain Marik, Beren, and the rest and to find out what happens next in this epic series!

5. Most anticipated release for the second half of 2024:

The Splintered Mind Kickstarter wrapped up a couple weeks ago, and backers will likely start receiving their copies in late July and August, and I believe the book will be available for wide purchase sometime after that. I'm so excited to discover a new aspect of the worlds Behind and Between and to meet a new set of characters!

I'm also very much looking forward to the final two Secrets of Ormdale novles, City of Serpents (releasing July 14; technically I just finished my ARC of this, but I'm looking forward to getting to talk about it with other people) and Valley of Dragons (coming in October). I've loved the first three books, and they've regularly made my best-of lists, so I have high hopes for the back half of the series as well.

And, of course, I'm looking forward to Wind and Truth, the fifth Stormlight Archive novel, releasing this December . . . though I really need to catch up on the Cosmere before I can be properly hyped. Hopefully, by the time it arrives, I'll be back in the habit of reading really long books more regularly.

6. Biggest disappointment:

I decided to give the Detective Conan manga series a try because I have a friend who really enjoys them. Unfortunately, I did not love the first book — while the concept is cool, some of the characters annoy me, and there's a fair bit of cartoony violence that bugs me as well (more because of who it's directed at than because of the violence itself). I still may try to forge on with more of the series, just so I can give it a fair chance, but the start, at least, did not wow me.

7. Biggest surprise:

I wasn't really surprised by any books this year, in the sense of liking them more than I expected — there were plenty that surprised me with twists, but of course I can't list those here, as that would be a spoiler. Apparently, most of my reads this year have met my expectations, and if they surpassed them, I was already expecting to really like them.

8. A book that made you cry:

Tears is a stretch, but Power Up and Engaged to a Supervillain both gave me all the feels, so I think that sort of counts?

9. A book that made you happy:

Wishing on a Supervillain and Accidentally a Supervillain were both super fun reads, pun very much intended. I enjoy all of H.L. Burke's SVR-verse books, but these two were especially fun.

10. Favorite post you've done this half of the year:

My favorite post this year was actually a guest post on Jenelle Leanne Schmidt's blog: Stories Behind the Scenes: How to Research for Worldbuilding! In this post, I broke down my approach for how I figure out what to research when I'm building a world and where to do that research.

On my own blog, I had a lot of fun with my Favorite Fantasy Subgenres and Favorite Romance Tropes posts that I did for February is Fantasy Month, in which I both shared the titular favorites and provided book recommendations for each subgenre or trope.

11. Most beautiful book you've bought/received this half of the year:

I mean, Hearts of Stone and Steel is very cool-looking, so probably that.

That wraps things up for me — but what about for you? What are the best books you've read in the first half of 2024? Also, what's the best book or series you've reread? Tell me in the comments!
Thanks for reading!