Hey'a, friends! How's the first week of the New Year treating you? I have one last post to wrap up my 2023 recaps: my 2023 End-of-Year Book Celebration! I always do these a little into the new year, just in case I read something amazing (or at least noteworthy) the last week of the old year. I want to make sure I celebrate all the books deserving of celebration! Also, as a reminder, this post covers books I read in the six months since my Mid-Year Book Celebration back in July — so anything I read in the first half of the year isn't included here. Doing two book celebrations lets me spotlight twice as many books, and it also saves me from going out of my mind trying to fit a whole year's reading into one post. (I know other people do it, but this is more fun for me.)

As usual, if you want the short-and-sweet top five, you can go check out my Best of 2023 (Part the Second) list on Light and Shadows. But if you want all the categories, keep reading!

2023 End-of-Year Book Celebration

As always, we start with the statistics! According to Goodreads, I read 158 books, well past my goal of 101, and 42,818 pages, which neatly doubles where I was at my Mid-Year Book Celebration. That's also twice as many pages as I read in 2022 and almost twice as many books. My average book length is 271, about the same as last year, and I actually only read five books longer than 500 pages this year — I'm out of practice with epics, it seems. To be fair, I've reread a lot of series of short books, and I also read a good bit of manga. And, once again, my average book rating is 4.4 stars.

So, my overall statistics show a good reading year. Hopefully that makes up for the fact that my specific reading goals had somewhat . . . mixed results.

• For my goal 12 books published (or written) before 1975, I've actually read 18 books in this category, which is great! However, the second half of my goal was that at least nine of them (or 75% of them, depending) not be aimed at children. In that respect, I did . . . less well. I finished six books and one short story that were written before 1975 and aren't considered children's literature. (I did read Dracula twice, sort of, but I'm only counting it once for purposes of this goal.) Granted, I'm still in the process of reading Moby Dick, Kidnapped, and Dante's Inferno, so if you include those, I have nine books and one short story . . . but the eleven children's books I read still dominate pretty heavily.
• As for my goal of reading 15 non-speculative fiction books, I again came close but didn't succeed. I read 11 non-speculative-fiction books, though two of them are sort of in a grey area (in that they could kind of go either way). Of those, three were poetry, three were general nonfiction, two were somehow about cooking, and three were children's classics. So, I had a good variety here, at least.
• And when it comes to my recommended reads list . . . despite some very good intentions on my part, I only managed to read one book on it, and that was all the way back in April. Ah well. It was a good thought, but it was all too quickly forgotten (I say in passive voice, as if I wasn't the one doing the forgetting).

For more statistics or the full list of everything I read in 2023, check out my Goodreads Year in Books or my tracking form results. Or read on for some specific books I want to highlight!

1. Best book you've read in the second half of 2023:

The fact that I read a lot of sequels and rereads in the last six months makes this question a little easier than usual — but even if that weren't the case, Wormwood Abbey by Christina Baehr and Black and Deep Desires by Claire Trella Hill would probably still be at the top. I loved both of these Gothic fantasies — one a cozy tale of dragons and mysteries and family, one full of vampires, monsters, haunting dreams, and lovely romance — and expect to reread both many times. If I had to pick just one, Wormwood Abbey might come out a smidge on top (because I will always pick dragons over vampires), but they're both so good.

As a runner up, I have to mention Steal the Morrow by Jenelle Leanne Schmidt, which is a lovely gaslamp fantasy retelling of Oliver Twist. It takes the essential bits of the original and gives them new life and a new look . . . but it's also distinct enough that even if you aren't a fan of Dickens, you'll probably like this.

2. Best sequel you've read in the second half of 2023:

This one is not actually a difficult question because Dark and Stormy by Suzannah Rowntree was so good in every possible way. The crew's schemes, the machinations of Vasily's family (all of whom are utterly mad), the dynamics between the characters, the growing feelings between Molly and Vasily, the various characters all figuring themselves and each other out . . . and the ending! I'm still not over it.

Oh, and speaking of things I'm still not over: W.R. Gingell released two new Worlds Behind books that could challenge Dark and Stormy, but Behind the Curtain is my favorite of the two and my new favorite in the series as a whole. It's so good. And I can't even say half of why because spoilers, but suffice it to say that I will never not love it when people who think they're only for causing pain find they can, in fact, do other things and do them well, and also I have never been so happy about someone non-villainous getting stabbed. Just go read the series and you'll see what I mean. (But make sure you read City Between first.)

3. Best book you've reread in the second half of 2023:

The Illuminae Files by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff are just as good the second or third time around as they were the first — they're better in some respects, since you can appreciate what the author is doing more when you're not panicking about whether or not your favorite characters will survive.

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

Despite being thoroughly hyped for The Olympian Affair, I still have yet to read it, and the release date rather snuck past me without my noticing. I shall have to remedy that soon! Though I need to reread The Aeronaut's Windlass first . . .

5. Most anticipated release for 2024:

You'd think my answer would be the new Stormlight Archive novel — but actually it's Dark & Dawn by Suzannah Rowntree. We all know I'm a sucker for these gaslamp fantasy heists . . . but I'm especially looking forward to this installment. After all the everything in Dark & Stormy, I desperately need to know what happens next! Goodreads and Amazon currently have this coming out in September, but Rowntree has said there's a chance it'll be sooner, and I'm keeping my fingers crossed for that.

Additionally, Christina Baehr has said that we can potentially look for all four of the remaining Secrets of Ormdale novels in 2024! Drake Hall comes out in a little over a week, and Castle of the Winds, book 3, is on Amazon and Goodreads with an April 14 release date. The other two don't have official listings yet, but are slated for July and October. I am thoroughly excited, and I don't know if I'll stop screaming all this year.

Besides these, I'm looking forward to No Man Left Behind, the conclusion of W.R. Gingell's Worlds Behind series. I'll be very sad to say goodbye to Athelas (again), Harrow, Camellia, YeoWoo, and the rest . . . but I also can't wait to see how Gingell wraps up their stories! Also, that cover is giving me Suspicions, and I will be delighted if I'm right.

Last but not least, we have more Turrim Archive novels from Jenelle Leanne Schmidt! Mantles of Oak and Iron releases next week (and I'm very belatedly reading my Kickstarter ebook copy right now), and according to the Kickstarter, we can look forward to Book 3 sometime later this year. After all the excitement of The Orb and the Airship, I'm looking forward to seeing where the rest of the story takes us — and seeing more of Captain Marik!

 

6. Biggest disappointment:

This is a reread, not a new read, but I was disappointed that Magyk didn't hold up as well as I hoped. I've spent a lot of this year rereading old favorites, and they've all still been so good on the reread, but Magyk just . . . wasn't quite doing it for me. To be clear, it's still a good book and a fun read, but it didn't enchant me the same way it did in the past.

7. Biggest surprise:

I think this is probably Second Chance Superhero by H.L. Burke. I was fairly certain I'd like it going in — after all, I have yet to encounter an SVR-verse novel that I don't like. What's more surprising is that Second Chance Superhero is solidly a romance first and a superhero story second (as opposed to equal parts of each), but it might be one of my favorite SVR books anyway.

I also have to mention Black and Deep Desires again here — not because I didn't expect to love it (W.R. Gingell and Suzannah Rowntree both endorsed it, and I met the author at the June book signing, so I was pretty sure it would be a four-star read at minimum) but because teenage me would be utterly scandalized that adult me is not only reading but recommending (and fangirling over) a novel about vampires. I'm not sure if this counts as character development or not, but it's something.

8. A book that made you cry:

No actual tears, but I do get emotional at several points in the Illuminae Files.

9. A book that made you happy:

I read Twelve Days of (Faerie) Christmas by C.J. Brightly just before Christmas, and it's such a fun, clever, sweet story with a lovely romance, a cool twist on the Twelve Days of Christmas song, and characters I quickly fell in love with.

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

A lot of my posts this year have been either Doings!, reviews, or seasonal reads, so there's less to choose from than usual. But I enjoyed writing Five Years Published for the five-year book birthday of Blood in the Snow (and the start of my author career).

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

 

This is a two-way tie again. Yumi and the Nightmare Painter is the most beautiful in terms of pure aesthetics — I love the blue and pink and the art style, and I think it might be the prettiest of the Secret Projects. But the Dracula Daily hardcover is also beautiful — maybe a little less so aesthetically than Yumi (though I do think it's very nice-looking), but because of what it represents, because of the community and collaboration that sprang up around this 200-year-old book.

That wraps things up for me — but what about for you? What are the best books you've read in the second half of 2023? Also, what's the best book or series you've reread? Tell me in the comments!
Thanks for reading!

Hello, everyone! I am running around like mad, and my head is full of selkies. I may have brainstormed another sequel to Song of the Selkies in the last couple days, because obviously I need another book on my to-write list. (It's going to be great as soon as I get around to writing it, y'all.) I think I need about ten more of me so I can write all the books, work, keep up with blogging . . . oh, and read all the books coming out this fall, 'cause we have some really good ones. And I do mean really good. 

(Normally, this is where I'd tell you that there's a pared-down list over on Light and Shadows, but there are so many good books coming out this season that I couldn't actually pare the list down basically at all — I just kind of squished most of the Stolen Songs into one item. This is, I will note, an absolutely delightful problem to have, and now I'm inflicting it on the rest of you. You're very welcome.)

Oh, one last thing — if you haven't already, make sure you go vote in the Silmaril Awards! We have some excellent finalist lineups this year (and, I'm told, some very close races), and I'm super excited to see who wins!

Fall 2023 Reads

1. Second Chance Superhero by H.L. Burke (September 9). You may have caught my review of this book when it released just last week. I won't repeat myself too much, but to sum up: this is a superhero romance (emphasis on the romance) featuring estranged high school sweethearts, snark, and a lot of varied and fun to read family dynamics. It's also an excellent fall read, so go pick it up and thank me later.

2. When on Land by Kendra E. Ardnek (September 18). Here we have the first of many Little Mermaid retellings (and Kendra E. Ardnek releases) on this list! I'll be reviewing this in just a couple days, so I'm not going to say a lot, but it's an interesting take on the fairy tale.

3. Song of the Selkies by Sarah Pennington (September 19). Have you preordered my selkie role-swap take on The Little Mermaid yet? I've been working like mad this last month (especially the past week) polishing it up and getting it ready for y'all to enjoy. The more I work on it, the more obsessed I am with this book and these characters. Normally, by the time a book release rolls around, I'm very much ready to be done and move on to the next thing, but with Song of the Selkies . . . I just cannot stop thinking about it. (That may be why I already have four more books planned in the series, actually.) And given the reactions of my beta readers, I don't think I'm the only one . . .

4. My Fair Mermaid by Sarah Beran (September 21). I quite enjoy My Fair Lady (even if I have Opinions about the ending), and I'm super excited to see what happens when it's combined with The Little Mermaid. The concept certainly sounds like it has a lot of potential! I have an ARC of this, and I'll be reviewing it next week, so check back to see if it holds up to my hopes.

5. Black and Deep Desires by Claire Trella Hill (September 26). I don't normally go in for vampire stories — or vampires in general, outside of JinYeong and Grand Duke Vasily — but this came highly recommended by the authors of those exceptions, so of course I had to sign up for an ARC. And, y'all, I have already read that ARC, and I loved it so much. It has all the eerieness and mystery you'd expect from a Gothic novel, and the characters are magnificent. Especially Salem, who buries himself in books so he can't become more of a monster than he feels he is and who quotes Shakespeare at people when they bother him (or he wants to bother them). I'm still not a vampire fan, but y'all, I will definitely be rereading this book.

6. Steal the Morrow by Jenelle Leanne Schmidt (September 26). This Oliver Twist retelling is set in the same world as the Turrim Archive, the first book of which I've previously raved about on this blog. I'm super excited to return to the world and see what else Jenelle has in store for us there. I've also never seen someone retell Oliver Twist before, and I'm very curious how that's going to come together. As a note, this is one in a whole multi-author series of classics retold, which you should definitely check out! Steal the Morrow is just the one I'm most excited about.

7. Dark & Stormy by Suzannah Rowntree (September 29). On one hand, the release of this book means the series is almost over, and that is a tragedy. On the other hand, I am so excited for one more adventure with this crew. Especially an adventure in which we get to meet Grand Duke Vasily's family (who are both vampires and bonkers, though apparently those two are not connected?) and hopefully see the fulfillment of all that's been growing between various members of the crew. And, of course, attempting to steal a fortune out from under the noses of a clan of bloodthirsty vampires sounds like it'll be a magnificent heist.

Note/Correction: I have been informed by Suzannah herself that this is, in fact, only the halfway point in the series. I am OVERJOYED. Everything else I said still stands, except that I suspect we will not exactly be seeing the fulfillment of any crew members' arcs. Not that I'm complaining. I will absolutely not complain about having three more books than expected of Molly and Vasily figuring themselves and each other out.

7. Unexpected Encounters of a Draconic Kind and Other Stories by Beka Gremikova (October 1). To be perfectly honest, I've seen so much about this book that I thought it had already released. But apparently it doesn't come out for another few weeks. It sounds super fun, though, with lots of clever stories in it. (Just reading the summaries, I can take a guess at some of the twists, and I look forward to finding out if I'm right or not.) And can we just appreciate that cover? It's gorgeous and I love it, and I wish I were that good at cover design.

8. Wormwood Abbey by Christine Baehr (October 6). Like Black and Deep Desires, this book comes highly recommended by W.R. Gingell and Suzanne Rowntree, and so I have very high hopes here. It's giving me vibes of Miss Percy's Pocket Guide, but Gothic instead of Austen-inspired. (Side note: I am apparently having a very Gothic summer and fall, what with this, Black and Deep Desires, Dream by the Shadows, and, of course, Dracula. It's grand.) I love a good dragon story, plus we have family secrets and, to quote the blurb, "the perils of friendship." I really think I'm going to enjoy this one!

9. Locks of Gold and Eternity by Abigail Falanga (October 18). Back to the Stolen Songs releases! This is the sequel to A Time of Mourning and Dancing, one of the Tattered Slippers releases from back in 2020. It has pirates in it, along with a human princess who's been turned into a mermaid (which is an interesting flip on The Little Mermaid). I was a bit meh on the first book in the series (didn't love it, didn't hate it), but I'm reasonably interested to see where it goes.

10. A Little Persuaded by Kendra E. Ardnek (October 19). This blend of Persuasion with The Little Mermaid is the final entry in both the Stolen Songs releases and the Austen Fairy Tale series. Having recently learned something more about the story of Persausion, I have some guesses about how it's going to go, and I am very much looking forward to finding out if I'm right or not. And I'm sure it'll be lovely to return to the world of this series for one last adventure.

11. The Olympian Affair by Jim Butcher (November 7). Y'ALL. IT'S FINALLY HAPPENING. WE'RE GETTING AN AERONAUT'S WINDLASS SEQUEL. I am so hyped. I know plenty of people have been waiting even longer than I have — it's been nearly ten years since The Aeronaut's Windlass released — but that does not make me any less excited. I cannot wait to rejoin Captain Grimm, Gwen, Bridget, Benedict, Rowl, and the rest for this new adventure. Also, yes, I do think this means it's time I reread book one, just as soon as I finish working through my ARCs . . .

12. To Destroy an Illusion by Kendra E. Ardnek (December 12). As with Steal the Morrow, this is one instance in a whole multi-author series that includes multiple books I'm interested in. But I am most interested in this one, partially because I beta read it and partially because it's retelling a really obscure fairy tale. Having beta read it, I can say with confidence that it's a very cool book and that I really like how Kendra wove the pieces of the story together. As for the rest of my opinion, you'll have to wait for my official review.

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

Mid-Year Book Celebration 2023

Hey'a, all! We're halfway through the year, and that means it's time for my annual Mid-Year Book Celebration, a roundup of my favorite (and least favorite, and other most notable) reads from the first six months of 2023! This post mostly exists because, if it didn't, my End-of-Year Book Celebration would send me into an indecision-induced spiral of procrastination and panic. But also, it's fun to check in with my goals and review what I've been reading, and it means I get to spotlight twice as many books as I otherwise would! As usual, I'll post a short-and-sweet Best Books of 2023 (So Far) list over on Light and Shadows, but for the full rundown, read on!

2023 Mid-Year Book Celebration

But, of course, before we get to the specific books, I want to share some statistics. So far this year, I've read 74 books and 20,343 pages, which is roughly 20% more than what I'd read around this time last year. That also puts me well over 75% of my way to my goal of reading 101 books this year. Most of the books I've read have been in the 200-400 page range, with an average length of 274 pages, which isn't surprising — it's a nice, approachable length that I can get through in about three days. And, of course, I've been rereading several series this year, and all of them fall into that length category. And my average rating this year has been 4.4. stars, the same as last year, so I'm definitely enjoying most of what I read.

As for my specific reading goals:

• Out of the 12 books published (or written) before 1975 that I'm aiming for, I've read ten, which sounds great . . . except when you remember my stipulation that  only three should be children's books. Of the ten pre-1975 books I've read, only four (Frankenstein and the Lord of the Rings trilogy) were written for adults. The other six (two Oz books, The Wind in the Willows, The Secret Garden, The Last Battle, The 13 Clocks, and Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of Nimh) are all at least partially aimed at children. There is still hope, though, as I'm in the middle of several pre-1975 adult books that I'm reading via email subscription, so that will bolster the numbers some as the year goes on.
• How about my goal of reading 15 non-speculative fiction books? So far this year, I have read five books that are not some form of speculative fiction, which is a bit behind where I should be, but not as far behind as I worried I was. Entries in this category include an animal-focused memoir, a Donald Maass writing craft book, a book of poetry, and a couple classics. (Note: if you're looking at the results of my reading tracker, you may notice that the "Non Spec-Fic" graph shows six books in that category, but one of them was miscategorized.) I do need to focus a little more on this category — maybe via some Brother Cadfael mysteries — but for now, I'm not stressing about it.
• As for my recommended reads list . . . I have read one (1) book off of it, Miss Percy's Pocket Guide to the Care and Feeding of British Dragons. I am going to get to at least some of the others. I just . . . haven't yet. (I've also had a time and a half trying to find some of them, so I have that as my defense.)

If you want more statistics or you want to see the full list of everything I've read, you can check out my Goodreads Year in Books or my tracking form results. But right now, let's take a look at some specific books I'm highlighting . . .

1. Best book you've read in the first half of 2023:

This is such a tough choice, but I have to go with Echo North by Joanna Ruth Meyer. This retelling of East of the Sun, West of the Moon was absolutely incredible in every way, from the characters to the writing style to the storyline to the ending (oh, the ending!). It's hard to find an East of the Sun retelling I dislike, but this was one of the best I've ever read. (I only wish I'd picked it up sooner so I could have reread it a few times by now!)

That said, I read a lot of excellent books this year, so we have a couple runners-up:

The Orb and the Airship by Jenelle Leanne Schmidt is a magnificent adventure story that's one part steampunk shenanigans (featuring a crew of airship pirates) and one part epic fantasy quest story (featuring lovable farm boys venturing off into the unknown, accompanied by a mysterious stranger). I love pretty much everything about this book, but I'm especially fond of Captain Marik and his crew. This probably would've taken the first spot were it not for the fact that I love the style and ending of Echo North so very much.

The Lord of Dreams by C.J. Brightly is, like Echo North, a book I should have read ages ago, but didn't get to until just this year. While the beginning was rough, the rest of the book was utterly amazing in world and characters and the way in which the story is woven. Brightley does a wonderful job of showing the weirdness and wonder of her fairyland, complete with a mad and marvelous faery king, and I especially like how she decided to handle the idea of magic that runs partially on belief.

Finally, Wraithwood by Alyssa Roat gave me the same vibes as a lot of the portal-fantasy-adjacent, unwilling-kid-ends-in-weird-house-and-magical-shenanigans stories that made up much of my preteen and early teen book diet, but it's much better than most of those stories were. I enjoyed getting to know Brinnie and her uncle Merlin, and I also liked how the author handled the magical world — especially the way she sidestepped some of my least favorite tropes and instead used those spots as opportunities to do cool stuff.

2. Best sequel you've read in the first half of 2023:

The results of this category should surprise absolutely no one — these days, it's hard to find any best-of list of mine that doesn't include either W.R. Gingell or Suzannah Rowntree. While I've enjoyed both of Gingell's Worlds Behind books, Behind Closed Doors was especially good. The scheming, the character dynamics, the glimpses into various characters' backstories . . . it's all very good, as is the reappearance of a few characters from the City Between series. Equally as delightful is Rowntree's Dark Clouds, book two in Miss Dark's Apparitions. I hardly know where to start with all the things I love about this Leverage-esque heist story, save to say that the crew's dynamics, the daring schemes and escapades, the excellent villain, and the relationship between Molly and Vasily are all top-notch, and they combine to form a story that's so good, it's a wonder I managed to put it down long enough to get some sleep.

And, of course, we have a runner up for this category: Kendra E. Ardnek's Thornrose Estate. While it can't quite compete with any book involving either Athelas or Grand Duke Vasily, this blend of Northhanger Abbey with Beauty and the Beast (and a little bit of Sleeping Beauty) is still a delight. I loved Calla — she's definitely the most relatable of the Austen Fairy Tale protagonists, at least to me. Additionally, Hansel is an excellent love interest, and I loved that we finally got answers to so many of the questions that the last book left us with. I think it's safe to say that this is (and probably will remain) my favorite of the Austen Fairy Tale stories.

3. Best book you've reread first half of 2023:

I've had a lot of really great rereads this year, but the City Between series (unsurprisingly) takes the top spot. I would honestly categorize this series as one that, like much of Brandon Sanderson's, work, you have to reread to fully enjoy. You read it the first time around to discover the story — you read it the second time to discover all the little hints and clues that you missed the first time because they were so neatly woven in that they seemed insignificant. (You also read it the second time because you love the characters and want to go back and spend time with them again, but that should go without saying.)

Speaking of characters you want to spend time with: I also reread the Lockwood & Co series this year because so many people were talking about the show that it made me miss Lockwood, Lucy, George, and the rest. I'm happy to say that, while you don't have to reread this series, it certainly doesn't suffer on a second read-through, and some of the hard spots in the series are a lot easier to get through when you know what's coming in the end.

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

I am so behind on Brandon Sanderson's secret projects that it has ceased to be funny. At this point, three of the books are out in some fashion, and I haven't read any of them. At first, I was holding off because I wanted to wait to read the Tress in physical — then I was waiting until I thought I'd have the time and energy to properly enjoy the books — and I suppose that last excuse is mostly what I've been using since, along with the fact that any time I have been in a place and time when I thought I could have started one of these, I've also been in the middle of reading through a series. Oh well. Maybe after Realm Makers . . .

5. Most anticipated release for the second half of 2023

I can't actually properly answer this question for, oh, eleven days or so (and I will leave you to speculate about why that might be), but The Olympian Affair by Jim Butcher might take the top spot anyway. This is the long-awaited sequel to The Aeronaut's Windlass, one of my favorite books and a steampunk adventure of epic proportions. I'm so excited to return to this world and these characters — Captain Grimm and his crew especially. And I do think this release will necessitate a reread of book 1, which I'm also looking forward to very much.

And, of course, we have to mention the next book from W.R. Gingell, Worlds Behind #3, Wet Behind the Ears. I am always excited for more of Athelas, especially given where the last book left off. (Gingell knows how to do endings that simultaneously satisfy and make you ravenous for the next book, I have to tell you!) And from what I've seen on the author's social media, I am very much looking forward to what we might discover in this installment . . .

6. Biggest disappointment:

I read the sci-fi/horror classic Frankenstein via email subscription from February to May, and I was . . . not impressed. I had very high hopes for it, having enjoyed Dracula so much, but the book just didn't do it for me. I recognize why it's a classic, but it is not fun to read — and to be clear, that's not because of old-fashioned writing style or because it's an old book or anything like that. It's entirely because the main character is an annoying little snot. Possibly that's the point, but in the end, I think that if I want a tale of hubris, I'd rather just read Greek mythology.

7. Biggest surprise:

I read Cruel Beauty exclusively because the author was going to be at a signing with W.R. Gingell and Suzannah Rowntree, and I didn't actually expect to particularly like it — after all, I'd had mixed feelings about Crimson Bound, and most people seemed to think that one was the better of the two. But Cruel Beauty turned out to be lovely indeed — dark and mysterious, with an ending that more than made up for the few flaws I'd encountered in the rest of the book.

8. A book that made you cry:

I didn't cry, but Into the Heartless Wood by Joanna Ruth Meyers does have the distinction of being a book with a decidedly bittersweet ending and a lot of sadness in the middle that I nonetheless liked enough to buy.

9. A book that made you happy:

While it's not quite making the best books of the year, Miss Percy's Pocket Guide to the Care & Feeding of British Dragons by Quenby Olson was an absolute delight — it's dragons and snark and humor and scheming in an Austen-esque Regency setting. I also appreciated that the romance was present and sweet without being overdone. I haven't gotten my hands on the sequel yet, but I hope to later this year.

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

Most of my posts this year have been reviews, Doings!, or Taleweaver's Desk updates, but I did write a post back in January, "What Ideas Are Worth Writing," about how I decide what story ideas I'm going to pursue and prioritize. I really like how that one turned out, and I think it's a good read. I also wrote a post for my grad school program about how I research for worldbuilding . . . but that one isn't up on my blog yet, so I can't link it.

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

I may not have read them yet, but that does not stop me from appreciating just how pretty my Kickstarter copies of Tress of the Emerald Sea and The Frugal Wizard's Handbook are. (The downside of the prettiness is that I'm terrified to actually read them in physical form lest I mess them up . . .)

How's your reading been these last six months? What are the best books you've read so far? Any that surprised you with how much you enjoyed them? Also, have you ever had the experience of owning a book that you feel is too pretty to actually read? Tell me in the comments!
Thanks for reading!

 It's week TWO of February is Fantasy Month! This week's topic comes from Jenelle Schmidt's #fantasymonth challenge; specifically, we're answering the question what fandom do you love enough to want to live in that world? Astonishingly, I've never written on this topic before — I did a post about worlds I'd like to visit ages ago, back when the Underground was still green, I'd just discovered the Books of Bayern, and we still thought Christopher Hopper was going to write a sequel to The Sky Riders. And, yes, if you look at the question from the idealistic point of view, the list of fantasy worlds I'd want to visit and fantasy worlds I'd want to live in is pretty much the same. But if you look at it from a practical standpoint, taking into account not just how cool the world is and how interesting the people are but also what it would be like to actually live there, well, that's another question entirely with very different criteria and substantially different answers. So let's get to answering it — and before you ask, yes, the following answers are in rank order.

(As a note, I'm disqualifying any world that is explicitly "Earth, but magic." Picking one of those worlds feels like cheating.)

Fantasy Locales I'd Love to Live In

1. Amara (Donita K. Paul's DragonKeeper Chronicles). I'm pretty sure that, out of all the fantasy worlds I've read about and love, Amara (and its neighbor, Chiril) would be one of the best, if not the best, one to actually live in, whether you're an adventurer or just an ordinary person. You've got a pretty good standard of living even if you're not in a city, a slightly higher technology level than that of the average medieval fantasy world, and an actual stable, functioning government and society with laws based on solid theological and moral principles (which is unreasonably rare). Also, there are so many dragons. Specifically, so many friendly dragons, including minor dragons (who are small and adorable and have I mentioned lately that I want one) who live and work alongside not just adventurers but ordinary people. It's not like everyone has a dragon, but you don't have to be an adventurer to have one. Even if you are an adventurer, though, the casualty rate on quests tends to be low, the average wizard you might meet is probably friendly-ish and reasonably helpful, if decidedly quirky, and thanks to the magic of hollows and, well, magic in general, you'll probably have better food and more comfort than you would on adventures in most other worlds. All in all, it seems like an excellent place to live.
2. Glause or New Civet (W.R. Gingell's Two Monarchies Sequence). These are technically two neighboring countries, but I don't know what their world is called, so . . . we're going with it. In any case, this world feels a lot like Ingary from Howl's Moving Castle, but a little more modern and even more magic-rich. And I reeeeeaaaaaally like magic-rich worlds. I mean, if you're going to move to a fantasy world, you might as well pick one where magic is as common as technology is here. And while I certainly wouldn't want to get mixed up in the high society of either country, I think I could manage quite well as an ordinary person.
3. Era Two Scadrial (Brandon Sanderson's Mistborn series). A lot of Sanderson's worlds meet the main criteria for this list (decent standard of living even if you're not rich, functional government and society (bonus points for a non-corrupt government), reasonably good food, magic-rich, good odds of indoor plumbing). At that point, I go back to how interesting the world is and how much I think I would actually enjoy living there, and that question got me down to a tie between two options: second-era Scadrial or present-era Roshar. Both would be very interesting places to live, and I think I'd have a decent chance in either place of making a living by writing. (Novels on Roshar are common enough to be owned even by lower classes; Scadrial has its newspaper serials and probably also novels. Side note, I really wish newspaper serial stories were still a thing, both because I'd like to read them and because I think they'd be fun to write, and no, posting a week-by-week story on the blog is not the same.) That said, Roshar has the distinct disadvantage of having been at war basically forever, and that is . . . not my jam. Plus, living in a country where half the population is literally illiterate might drive me crazy. So, Scadrial wins out by virtue of no war and smart men.
4. Innsjøby/Solorele (my own The Midnight Show). (Technical note — Solorele is a country, not a world. But I can't remember if I named this world yet, and I don't feel like digging through my notes, so we're going with it.) Is this cheating? I feel like it might be cheating, but I genuinely think I would have a great time living in the world of The Midnight Show, whether or not I had author powers when I was there. Innsøby, the specific city in which the book takes place, would be a lot of fun — it's a very colorful city, it's a significant center of arts and culture where there's always something new to do or see, and as anyone who read The Midnight Show knows, it offers a lot of good food. It's also the only other place on this list besides Scadrial where I'm confident I could make a living primarily as a writer and designer . . . plus I'd never have to deal with the frustration of waking up just when a dream got interesting, since I wouldn't remember I'd been dreaming.
5. The Spires (Jim Butcher's The Aeronaut's Windlass). It meets all the criteria, and it has airships. Airships aren't as awesome as dragons, but they come pretty close. Especially these airships, which take that term far more literally than most interpretations do. Granted, if we're being truly realistic, I'd be very unlikely to ever get to ride in an airship — travel between Spires doesn't seem super common — but a girl can hope.

Were you surprised by the worlds that made my list? What fantasy worlds would you want to live in if you could, either idealistically or practically speaking? Please tell me in the comments!
Thanks for reading!