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Happy New Year from The Story Sanctuary!

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Sparklers Happy New YearHappy New Year!

We hope you had an amazing holiday season with friends and family and had time to reflect on your faith. This year is sure to bring some great things, and we’ll look forward to celebrating them.

So… my Christmas went a little differently than I planned. I celebrated Christmas from a hospital bed and shortly after, my daughter was born. We’re biased, of course, but she’s beautiful and already an amazing adventure.

Both me and my girl are healthy and doing well. I expected to have a few more weeks to get things in order for her to arrive, but here we are. As far as the blog, Gabrielle and I have some great reviews already in the works and will continue to share them. I’ll probably slow down accepting reviews again until I settle into being the mom of two.

In keeping with the New Year tradition of setting resolutions, I thought it would be fun to post some blogging resolutions– goals for how things happen here at The Story Sanctuary this coming year. So here goes…

Story Sanctuary New Year’s Resolutions

  1. Continue posting reviews! We try to post reviews or updates about three times per week. Over the last year, we posted an average of 13 posts per month. The goal is probably closer to 16. You can check out the books we already have on our review list by visiting the 2018 Reading List.
  2. Add more lists! I love participating in Top Ten Tuesday posts and even creating my own bookish lists. This year I hope to post two per month.
  3. Give away more books! Last year we had some amazing giveaways from Disney and a few more as part of various blog tours I participated in. This year I hope to do a better job passing on some of the best books I receive for review to you, my awesome readers. So watch for those. I would love to do one each month, maybe as a part of my Monthly Wrap-Up posts.
  4. Write a guide for parents on choosing literature! This has been a goal for the last couple of years, actually, and something I’m passionate about as a parent. I’d love to break down my own process of how my daughter and I decide what books she’s ready for and share it with others who may have some similar questions and concerns. I’ll update on this as I get my data together.
  5. Social media better. Y’all, I am so not consistent on social media. My Pinterest account languishes for months with no updates. My Twitter feed becomes a desert with the occasional tumbleweed auto-post from my blog. I’d like to do better at connecting with readers via those outlets so I can meet readers and talk more about great books!

What are your reading or blogging goals for the new year?

Leave me a comment and share your reading, blogging or writing goals for this next year. They don’t have to be big or difficult. Sometimes just thinking about what you want to do and writing it down can help me feel more focused and work toward a thing. Does that work for you, too?

Top Ten Books from 2017

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Top Ten Books from 2017

Here are some of my favorite books that came out this year, that have been reviewed here by Kasey or me:

The Lost Girl of Astor Street by Stephanie Morrill– February 7th, 2017

Stephanie Morrill’s latest book is a mystery set in Chicago during the Roaring 20s. It features a strong heroine and a swoon-worthy detective, along with several unexpected twists. Kasey reviewed this book back in March, and said it was a must read for historical fiction and mystery lovers alike. After reading it for myself, I definitely would agree!

The Illusionist’s Apprentice by Kristy Cambron– March 7th, 2017

The Illusionist’s Apprentice is another historical fiction/mystery novel set in the 1920s. It had some of the strongest written characters that I have come across, and an incredible plot to go along with it. I love the heartbreaking depth of Kristy Cambron’s writing, and highly recommend her latest novel. This book is a great follow-up for those looking for another book similar to The Lost Girl of Astor Street.

Shadow and Thorn (Andari Chronicles #4) by Kenley Davidson– March 12th, 2017

Kenley Davidson writes some of the best fairytale retellings that I have ever come across. Her latest addition to the series is a retelling inspired by Beauty and the Beast, and features the return of several characters from previous books. Kasey remarked that it was possibly one of the most clever retellings of Beauty and the Beast that she has ever come across, and that’s including the great Robin McKinley’s own retelling, Beauty. If you love fairytales as much as we do, you need to pick up this series ASAP!

Spindle Fire (Spindle Fire #1) by Lexa Hillyer– April 11th, 2017

Another fairytale retelling, but this one is much grittier. It’s a retelling of Sleeping Beauty with a dash of Alice in Wonderland and Maleficent thrown in for good measure. Kasey loved all of the characters in this book, and so did I–there’s a wide variety of personalities in this one, and all of them are fun to read. You might want to wait to read this one until the sequel comes out though–it ends in a horrific cliffhanger!

Dark Breaks the Dawn by Sara B. Larson– May 30th, 2017

In this book, Sara B. Larson (author of the Defy series) tells a story inspired by Swan Lake in a high-fantasy world that will bring back LOTR vibes. Creepy and magical by turns, it’s definitely a book that will give you chills at all the right times. The world-building was epic, and I adored the characters. I can’t wait to read the sequel!

Unraveling by Sara Ella– July 11th, 2017

If Dark Breaks the Dawn will give you chills, Unraveling by Sara Ella will make you cry. In a happy sort of way, of course. This book is the sequel to Unblemished, a world-hopping fantasy adventure that reminded me of the Chronicles of Narnia. It features my favorite book couple of all time, and one of the sweetest romances I’ve come across. Kasey likened it to The Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare, and The Storm Siren trilogy by Mary Weber. If you haven’t read Unblemished yet, be sure to give that one a go before diving into Unraveling, so you can understand what in the world is going on.

Reintegration by Ashley Bogner– August 15th, 2017

While I felt like this dystopian novel got off to a slow start, the ending made up for it many times over. I could not read fast enough to find out what happened! There was a lot of twists and surprises packed into the last few pages, and I’m looking forward to the second book to get some answers. I highly recommend adding this one to your dystopian shelf alongside books like The Forgetting by Sharon Cameron and the Matched trilogy by Ally Condie.

Murder, Magic, and What We Wore by Kelly Jones– September 19th, 2017

This book was hilarious.It’s the perfect light-hearted read, and an excellent way to recover from a book hangover. The tongue-in-cheek humor reminded me a lot of Cindy Anstey’s writing, as did the Regency-era setting. The magic system reminded me of Mary Robinette Kowal’s Glamourist Histories, while being cleaner and more accessible to a younger audience.  I’m hoping that Kelly Jones will turn this into a series, as I would love to see what happens to the characters next!

An Enchantment of Ravens by Margaret Rogerson– September 26th, 2017

I was so thrilled to read this book, that I actually ended up preordering it (something that I almost never do). I wasn’t disappointed–this book was the perfect mixture of spooky and epic, and it makes for a great Halloween read. I would love to read more books set in this world, as Rogerson did an amazing job fleshing out the Fair Folk and their realm. This book will especially appeal to fans of Sara J. Maas and Holly Black.

The Beautiful Ones by Silvia Moreno-Garcia– October 24th, 2017

This book was so good, I ended up reading and reviewing it twice. The characters have such amazing depth to them, as did the writing itself. I got chills as I read it through and came across an especially insightful conversation or end to a chapter. While it does have some content issues, it’s still well worth the read, as it gives an incredibly perceptive look at human nature.

What’s on your favorites list?

How about you? Do you have any favorite books that came out this year? Or are you ready to discover a new favorite by picking up one of these? Comment below; we’d love to hear your recommendations!

 

Monthly Wrap-Up: September 2017

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September 2017 was another wild month packed with some of my favorite books this year. If you missed my review of Elsie Mae Has Something to Say by Nancy Cavanaugh, just stop and go check that one out. I reviewed nine books this month, and Gabrielle shared her review of the sequel to Wolf by Wolf. If you followed along, let me know which was your favorite. Which reviews made you add books to your reading list?

As we head into the fall, I’m mostly focusing on catching up on some books that have been sitting on the shelf next to my bed forever. Some are books I got last November at YallFest in Charleston. Others are titles I’ve had since last Christmas. Or, you know, longer. I will probably be accepting a few new titles for review here and there because I just can’t seem to help myself, but for the most part, look for some backlist titles to be coming up for review. For an idea which ones are on my radar, check out those left to review on my 2017 Reading List.

September 2017 Books Reviewed

Between the Lies by Cathy McPhail

Review | Amazon | Goodreads

This was a twisting, turning story that kept me guessing almost until the last page. I liked the voice and the fact that the main character was younger– I think she’s fifteen. If you’re looking for a fast-paced mystery, here’s one for you.

Blood for Blood (Wolf by Wolf #2) by Ryan Graudin

Review | Amazon | Goodreads

Gabrielle gave this one 4 out of 5 stars and though it’s darker than the first book, her description of the main character holding her humanity in the face of atrocities means this book is still pretty high on my own TBR list. Is it on yours?

A Snicker of Magic by Natalie Lloyd

Review | Amazon | Goodreads

No book has ever made me crave ice cream like this one does! The amazing flavors and unique story world made this book absolutely unforgettable.

They Can’t Kill Us All by Wesley Lowery

Review | Amazon | Goodreads

I know I’ve been reading a fair number of race relations non-fiction books lately (considering how few nonfiction books I review, it’s a fair number. I think in total it’s only like three.) but it’s something I feel like I need to be way better educated about. I liked that this book tried to examine what really happened as fairly as possible and to give larger context to problems facing police departments and communities across the country.

The Silent Songbird (Hagenheim #7) by Melanie Dickerson

Review | Amazon | Goodreads

My daughter LOVES this series, and I’m sure she’ll find this book to be no exception. To be honest, it wasn’t my favorite– I think I’m still hooked on the heroine in the first book of the series– but it’s a light, clean romance which is a great change of pace for me. Sometimes we all need a little something light to read, right?

The Time Machine by H. G. Wells retold by Terry Davis (graphic novel)

Review | Amazon | Goodreads

In order to review this graphic novel (a first for me), I felt like it would only be fair to go back and read the original classic story to kind of gauge how well the retelling represents the tale. Overall, I was impressed with the amount of story the illustrations captured. The panels show a lot of action and emotion. I enjoyed reading it.

Elsie Mae Has Something to Say by Nancy J. Cavanaugh

Review | Amazon | Goodreads

This book has to be one of my favorites this year, and that’s saying a lot considering some of the powerhouse stories I’ve reviewed in the last nine months. I loved the southern characters and Elsie’s visionary spunk. Henry James and his “Hallelujahs” were a sure win for me, too.

21 Days to Happiness by Ingrid Kelada

Review | Amazon | Goodreads

I feel like I’m generally a pretty happy person, so I kind of picked this book up more for curiosity sake than anything else, and I’m so glad I did. I love the way the chapters are broken into useful, easy sections. The tips are so accessible and the resources make it so easy to implement changes in your life. I definitely recommend it.

The Prince Warriors by Priscilla Shirer

Review | Amazon | Goodreads

I’m always on the lookout for good Christian fiction, so I was excited to find this series. I liked the elements of spiritual warfare and the way the central characters grew and changed through the story.

What are you reading?

Did you read anything amazing this month? Looking forward to reading something special this fall? Leave a comment and tell me about it!

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September Update: Five Ways You Can Help

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If you know me on social media, you probably saw that it was my birthday this month, and that Hurricane Irma dropped in uninvited and altered all my plans. One of the hazards of having a September birthday in Florida.

At any rate, we survived the storm, and I’m back to work, and hoping to actually celebrate my birthday soon, but all of this got me started thinking. What if instead of a hundred comments on Facebook saying happy birthday, I could ask for something equally free and simple, but much more meaningful? What if you could support me in a way that costs you nothing more than a few seconds of time but makes a difference for the whole year?

So I came up with a list of ideas which I’m now wishing I posted earlier in the month, before my actual birthday. Note to self for next year. Here are some free, easy ways you can support The Story Sanctuary and me as a writer, blogger, book reviewer, or friend.

1. Subscribe to The Story Sanctuary. You’ll get my posts as emails, which means you’ll never miss an update. It also helps me gain access to the best current releases in young adult and middle grade. It only takes a second and you can do it by entering your email address in the field in the sidebar.

2. Like my Facebook Page. Mostly this just makes me feel loved. 🙂 I’m not a huge Facebook girl, but I like to post what I’m reading, calls for recommendations on what to read next, or random silly bookish things I come across in my travels across the interweb. Here’s the link to my page.

3. Follow me on Pinterest. I love the way Pinterest organizes links into cool visual lists. There, you’ll find lists of my reviews organized by genre or subject (I have a board for books about mermaids) and a lot of other great bookish fun. I have a board for bookshelves and one for bookish gift ideas. Christmas is coming, y’all. Find all my boards here to follow me.

4. Add my book, Reviews Wanted, on Goodreads. Hop over to my book on Goodreads. Mark it as “Want to Read.” Leave a quick review and rating if you’ve read it. Bonus points if you add it to a list on Goodreads Listopia.

5. Use my Amazon Affiliate links when you want to purchase a book. These are the links and buttons in each review post that take you to Amazon’s site. If you plan to buy the book, use the link, and a small percent of the purchase will support my blog. Right now I’m earning about $30 per year through these links, which is basically covers shipping costs of giveaways and a few of the books I buy for review.

Fun fact: If you click one of my Amazon links and then browse for or buy other stuff while on Amazon, those orders will help support me, too. So click away!

Side note: Leaving reviews on sites like Amazon and Goodreads is a huge help to authors and helps their books gain better visibility and more readers. If you’ve read Reviews Wanted, please take a minute and post a review on Amazon or Goodreads. It’s a huge help.

If you haven’t read my book and are interested in doing so, leave me a comment! I can send out some review copies and would be happy to do so. It’s a quick read at about 50 pages and offers lots of tips and suggestions for authors on how to connect with bloggers like me. You don’t have to be an author to read the book and leave a review, and it’s another great way to support The Story Sanctuary.

If you want to get crazy, you can check out all my social media sites by clicking the icons in the sidebar or at the top of the page.

Thanks for reading and for supporting what I do. My goal is to provide detailed reviews of teen and preteen books to help readers, parents, and educators determine when a book is right for them. I couldn’t do it without you!

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April AVA Reading Challenge Update Part 2

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This month I’m participating in the AVA Readathon Challenge with Bookshelves and Paperbacks. I listed the ARCs (advance release copies) of books I’m planning to read this month in an earlier post, and last week, I posted an update on what I’d read so far. This week I read a few more from the list, so I’m posting another quick update.

Here’s an updated list from the one I posted at the beginning of the challenge:

Note: I originally included Between the Lies by Cathy MacPhail by mistake, since it doesn’t come out until September 2017. I’ve replaced it with Shadow and Thorn by Kenley Davidson which came out in March and I haven’t managed to read yet. Also, you can see I’ve greyed out the covers of the books I read and talked about at my last update. Here are my reviews for Defy the Stars and Letters to the Lost.

What I Read This Week

Unblemished by Sara Ella
I wasn’t at all sure what to expect from this story. Thomas Nelson books have been hit or miss with me lately. The voice in this novel totally rocks. It’s different– much more immediate-felling than typical first-person narrative, but it gives El’s character a real punch and made the story a lot of fun to read.

The Lovely Reckless by Kami Garcia
I had put this one off because I worried it’d play too much to the typical good-girl-meets-bad-boy romance. Right from the beginning, though, I found Frankie to be deep and fascinating and love the stuff about street racing and the play between the two communities of the Heights and the Downs. All in all, I’m super glad I finally got this one read!

Up Next: The Falconer by Elizabeth May, which I’m super excited about, since Krysti at YA and Wine said she really liked it!

What about you?

Have you read a book lately from someone’s recommendation? How was it? Have you recommended a book to a friend recently? How did that work out?

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April AVA Readathon Challenge Update

Lists, News and Fun, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, ,

This month I’m participating in the AVA Readathon Challenge with Bookshelves and Paperbacks. I listed the ARCs (advance release copies) of books I’m planning to read this month. Some have been lingering in my to-be-read stack for far too long. Others were a bit of a cheat because they come out this month, so I wanted to read them anyway.

Here’s the list I posted at the beginning of the month:

Note: I don’t know why Between the Lies ended up on this list, since it doesn’t come out until September. Probably I got it mixed up with something else, though now I can’t remember what. So that one is last on my list for now.

What I’ve Read So Far

Racial Profiling: Everyday Inequality
This is a basic breakdown of what racial profiling is and the areas in our society in which it’s still having a profound impact on our lives. While it’s a pretty charged and political topic, I felt like the author worked very hard to make this a really informative look with a lot of statistics and historical context. I think it was a great read for me, though I want to go back and look at a few passages again because sometimes the statistics were a bit overwhelming to me.

Letters to the Lost
I met Brigid Kemmerer at ApollyCon in March and recognized the cover of her book. I thought I’d requested the ARC already via NetGalley, but apparently I did not! So I sent off my pretty-please-can-I-review-this request and sure enough, Bloomsbury sent me a copy. Yay! Gotta say– this is one of the best angsty (but clean, apart from a bit of language) romances I’ve read in a LONG time. I loved it.

Defy the Stars
I’d been meaning to read some Claudia Gray since hearing buzz about A Thousand Pieces of You. The characters were fantastic and the plot took me some interesting directions. I was a bit disappointed in the ending, but overall, the characters and story world still make this one a win for me.

Next on my list?
Up next is Kami Garcia’s The Lovely Reckless. I’m still hoping to work through my list by the end of the month, even though I’m running a little bit behind. I hope to have a bit more time this weekend and next for some catch-up reading.

What are you reading?

How about you? What book have you been meaning to read, but haven’t gotten around to cracking open just yet? What book has you cranking through pages right now? Leave a comment to let me know. I would love to commiserate over impossibly long TBR lists and celebrate finding a great read with you.