Checking in on my TBR: Series Edition Update

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One of my reading goals this year was to really jump into finishing those series books that I have already started. It’s no small goal since I typically start a series and then completely forget to check out the other books in the series. It’s a bad habit.

I am happy to report that there has been some progress! That’s right, I have finished up 3 of the book series I had been reading the last few years.

Let’s jump right in.

I have finally finished this trilogy and am now covered in rose gold glitter for the rest of my life. I’m joking about that last part. If you’ve read the series, you know what I’m talking about.

Here are the links for the reviews of all three novels: Kingdom of the Wicked, Kingdom of the Cursed, and Kingdom of the Feared.

After waiting that extra year for Chain of Thorns to be released, I can now say that I have completed this series as well. Considering how each book got bigger and bigger, I’m pretty proud of myself with this one.

Here are the links for the reviews of all three novels: Chain of Gold, Chain of Iron, and Chain of Thorns.

After waiting to get through the other two series above, I finally picked up the last book in this series and read it.

I also decided to write up a joint review for Caraval and Legendary and that can now be read as well. You can now check out the review for the last novel Finale whenever you like.

The Fantasy Tropes Book Tag

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I found this tag over at The Bookish Mutant’s book blog (they always find some of the most fun book tags) and got really excited about it since I have been reading so much fantasy lately. Brace yourself, it’s my fantasy era.

THE RULES:

  • Mention the creator ( one’s peculiar )
  • Answer the questions
  • Tag as many people as you like
  • HAVE FUN!

Okay, now that the rules are set, let’s get into it!

THE LOST PRINCESS: A book/series you lost interest in halfway through

The Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare. *big sigh*

I read City of Bones many many years ago and just never went back to the series. Booktubers are trying to lure me back, but it is not happening. Hilariously enough, I do watch the movie adaptation anytime it plays.

It’s just so hard to find an urban fantasy movie that plays regularly on cable television.

THE KNIGHT IN SHINING ARMOR: A hyped book/series you were swept up by

The Caraval Trilogy by Stephanie Garber!

I’d owned the first book in the series for an embarrassingly long time (we won’t get deep into it), and when I finally read it, I was swept away by it. I had completely missed the hype train on this book so I was going into it 100% free from expectations.

Now, I know it’s not for everyone, but I loved the magic and how upside down everything was. It made writing my reviews so hard for each book because I found it so hard to describe all the whimsy.

THE WISE OLD WIZARD: An author who amazes you with his/her writing

Axie Oh!

I think whichever genre she writes, whether it’s contemporary or fantasy, she’s really able to make her books immersive and get you invested in her characters and the story.

I’m almost finished reading The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea and I seriously love it and don’t want it to end.

THE MAIDEN IN DISTRESS: An undervalued character you wished had a bigger storyline

The Assassin, a Fate, from Finale by Stephanie Garber. He’s there and serves a purpose, but I wanted to know more about his backstory. He wasn’t quite so deeply disturbed when we met him so I wonder…will we ever know his true story?

THE MAGICAL SWORD: A magical item/ability you wish authors used less

This is not something that actually bothers me so I have nothing to say. Different writers can have characters with the same abilities but the story of how those characters use their powers will be different.

If anything magical ability related ever annoyed me, it was how the female character who was incredibly powerful would need to give up her power for the bombastic boy of her dreams in the end. For why? I ask you. It never comes across as feminist and it happens way too often.

THE MINDLESS VILLAIN: A phrase you cannot help but roll your eyes at

“I let go of the breath I didn’t know I was holding…”

Please stop using this line. Please. It’s so overused by this point. Be creative and figure out how to describe that feeling in a new way.

THE UNTAMED DRAGON: A magical creature you wish you had as a pet

A unicorn! I know that is so incredibly unoriginal, but I’ve loved them since I was a kid.

Two of my most treasured books as a child featured unicorns. Into the Land of the Unicorn by Bruce Coville and Unicorns of Balinor series by Mary Stanton.

And yes, they were definitely Scholastic Book Fair purchases.

THE CHOSEN ONE: A book/series you will always root for

I just loved Legendborn by Tracy Deonn so much and so totally when I read it that it became an instant favorite. Don’t sleep on this book, please.

Talking about it is actually making me want to reread it, but I cannot right now. I’m currently in the middle of another book and enjoying that one so I cannot get sidetracked.

But I will move on to Bloodmarked soon.

I TAG:

  • Anyone else who wants to participate! If you see this tag and want to do it, please do! It would 100% make my day.

Finished Reading: Finale

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What It’s About: It’s been two months since the Fates were freed, since Legend claimed the throne for his own, and since Tella discovered the boy she fell in love with doesn’t really exist.

With lives, empires, and hearts hanging in the balance, Tella must decide if she’s going to trust Legend or a former enemy. After uncovering a secret that upends her life, Scarlett will need to do the impossible. And Legend has a choice to make that will forever change and define him.

Caraval is over, but perhaps the greatest game of all has begun. . . .

After finishing Chain of Thorns, I was starting to feel a little like I was headed towards a reading slump and so I picked up a book that I could fall into without much thought. I decided to pick up Finale, and so here I am – ready to share my thoughts. Please note, there will be spoilers in this review so be careful when reading.

This book was an okay read. It didn’t wow me like the previous books had, and it didn’t particularly excite me as a reader. The writing style was consistent like in the previous novels – both enchanting and whimsical. I think it is the plot where the story sort of lacks for me in the end.

This novel presents both Tella and Scarlett’s POV, but they don’t share equal space in the telling of this story. Considering how important Scarlett becomes in this novel, she only gets some time to show you what she’s experiencing and thinking. It is mostly told by Tella and we spend way too much time with her being stressed by the love she carries for Legend. I can see why Tella was chosen as the driving force of the story because she is such an active and bold character, but there was definitely a missed opportunity to have Scarlett grow more.

The characters also seemed like such a mess in terms of their actions. They kept making the worst of mistakes and not learning from them. It also seemed like they could do very little to win against The Fates as most of their plans fell apart very quickly. It was so odd how helpless everyone seemed, including Legend. Legend! Who is supposed to be really powerful!

One thing I did like was that we got to see some of the Fates in action in this book, and we also learned more about Fated Places and Objects. That was really interesting and I wanted more of that. Give me a whole series about The Assassin, please.

Another thing I did like was Scarlett and Julian. I loved them in the first book and I loved them again in this one. They’re just such a good pair and their chemistry on page is really nice.

I think one of the most disappointing things about this book was that we never really got to know Paloma at all through this book, which was tragic. We got a lot of information from others about her in Legendary, but we didn’t really get a sense of her as the mother of Scarlett and Tella except for really short moments. I feel like the ending of Legendary promised us more of her and yet that didn’t come to pass in this final book.

The Fallen Star is also presented as the villain without much motivation. He’s just an evil being that delights in fear and terror, and that felt entirely too simplistic. There was very little there to really work with and that left me disappointed.

While I did enjoy the book overall because it had all of the whimsy, magic, and danger of the first two books, I was disappointed by this finale to the series because I wanted more from the story.

Finished Reading: Chain of Thorns

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What It’s About: Cordelia Carstairs has lost everything that matters to her. In only a few short weeks, she has seen her father murdered, her plans to become parabatai with her best friend, Lucie, destroyed, and her marriage to James Herondale crumble before her eyes. Even worse, she is now bound to an ancient demon, Lilith, stripping her of her power as a Shadowhunter.

After fleeing to Paris with Matthew Fairchild, Cordelia hopes to forget her sorrows in the city’s glittering nightlife. But reality intrudes when shocking news comes from home: Tatiana Blackthorn has escaped the Adamant Citadel, and London is under new threat by the Prince of Hell, Belial.

Cordelia returns to a London riven by chaos and dissent. The long-kept secret that Belial is James and Lucie’s grandfather has been revealed by an unexpected enemy, and the Herondales find themselves under suspicion of dealings with demons. Cordelia longs to protect James but is torn between a love for James she has long believed hopeless, and the possibility of a new life with Matthew. Nor can her friends help—ripped apart by their own secrets, they seem destined to face what is coming alone.

For time is short, and Belial’s plan is about to crash into the Shadowhunters of London like a deadly wave, one that will separate Cordelia, Lucie, and the Merry Thieves from help of any kind. Left alone in a shadowy London, they must face Belial’s deadly army. If Cordelia and her friends are going to save their city—and their families—they will have to muster their courage, swallow their pride, and trust one another again. For if they fail, they may lose everything—even their souls.

It has been almost two months since this novel was released into the world and I feel that after thinking on it quite a bit, I can organize my thoughts into something at least slightly coherent. I was also a little afraid to post this because I know there are some really strong supporters of this author out there that will go to extraordinary lengths to protect them. Look, I’m a fragile person in a big world and my opinions and existence do not ultimately matter. Please be kind.

Be warned! There will be spoilers in this review so physically/mentally check out now before you spoil yourself.

I will start out by saying that I know Cassandra Clare is a character-focused writer and I truly enjoy character development and character-driven stories. I am just of the opinion that the plot should be given some time to shine in the book as well. In Chain of Thorns, we spend so much time on the relationship drama that it overshadows anything else related to the plot, which was disappointing. I cannot tell you what Belial’s endgame was in this book and that also makes him a weak villain.

There were still too many characters in this book, and they continued to be underdeveloped and underutilized. This is illustrated by the fact that I would often mix-up the Merry Thieves even in book 3. Cordelia, especially, is built up as this warrior and I feel like this book didn’t really showcase her strengths. She is sort of diminished in this novel in favor of building James up, which I did not enjoy. I did enjoy the progression of Anna and Ariadne throughout the series and especially, in this final book. Two badass women who love each other and save the world. Individually, they’re great characters and they’re even better together.

The character death in this book was not a great choice. It felt unnecessary and like it only served the purpose of eliminating a character so the author wouldn’t have to include them anymore. When a character dies in a novel, it should have an impact on the characters and that did not happen. There is an intermission chapter in the book labeled grief and yet the character that just died is hardly mourned in it. I was so confused by that.

It felt like the author was struggling with the book a little. Struggling to wrangle all the characters together, struggling to make scenes impactful, struggling to connect all the dots, and struggling with their whole drive in writing the book itself. That last one especially came through in the repetitive writing, and the rushed nature of the ending. There were also scenes that I wish had happened in the book that did not, which is really sad. They were scenes that I definitely thought the author would have included too.

Maybe some things that were sprinkled in this series will come through in the next, but I am not sure I will check it so quickly. Unfortunately. However, I do feel like I want to go back and reread the Infernal Devices series soon.

A lot of people were eagerly awaiting the arrival of the final book in The Last Hours series. Did it live up to your expectations? Let me know in the comments. I am so interested in the thoughts of others on this one.

Finished Reading: Legendborn

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What It’s About: After her mother dies in an accident, sixteen-year-old Bree Matthews wants nothing to do with her family memories or childhood home. A residential program for bright high schoolers at UNC–Chapel Hill seems like the perfect escape—until Bree witnesses a magical attack her very first night on campus.

A flying demon feeding on human energies.

A secret society of so called “Legendborn” students that hunt the creatures down.

And a mysterious teenage mage who calls himself a “Merlin” and who attempts—and fails—to wipe Bree’s memory of everything she saw.

The mage’s failure unlocks Bree’s own unique magic and a buried memory with a hidden connection: the night her mother died, another Merlin was at the hospital. Now that Bree knows there’s more to her mother’s death than what’s on the police report, she’ll do whatever it takes to find out the truth, even if that means infiltrating the Legendborn as one of their initiates.

She recruits Nick, a self-exiled Legendborn with his own grudge against the group, and their reluctant partnership pulls them deeper into the society’s secrets—and closer to each other. But when the Legendborn reveal themselves as the descendants of King Arthur’s knights and explain that a magical war is coming, Bree has to decide how far she’ll go for the truth and whether she should use her magic to take the society down—or join the fight.

I loved this book. I wish I could leave it at that, but this is a review and so it is expected that I go beyond 4 words to explain how I felt about this novel. Let’s dig in and I will try to really leave out spoilers or things that I think readers should discover through reading the book.

The writing was so good. Oh my goodness. The way that Tracy Deonn was able to describe grief – how it was felt and how it changed people touched by it was honestly, so painful for me to read. This author had me crying several times throughout this book and really just hurt me in my heart. Beyond that, I just really liked the world and space she was able to create for Bree at UNC- Chapel Hill, it helped ground me as a reader and then when she pulled back the curtain to show us what lay underneath – the world of the Legendborn – it was woven in so well. It felt well-constructed here for a character that is just entering this world. I am a sucker for Arthurian Legend inspired things and this book takes that and breathes new life into it. The story also grips you and keeps you wanting to know what happens next.

The racism that this book highlights – the overt, the institutionalized, and the erasure was also really well done. It really hits you at how Bree is surrounded by it even on a school campus that her mother once loved. That’s the experience. It could be as simple as a street sign with the name of someone who historically was an awful person.

The characters. I love Bree and how real she feels. I know aspects of her world are not like ours and are purely imagination, but there are things about her that anyone can relate to. The grief, the friendship troubles, and the determination to make something right. She’s brave. I also really enjoyed Alice, William, Nick, and despite all that bad and unacceptable behavior – Selwyn (Side note: Don’t make excuses for bullies, friends). I think Sel has a lot of room to grow and really show us what he’s made of. I am excited to see where each of the characters goes next.

A lot of this book is heartbreaking. I will not lie. But there are incredible moments of triumph for Bree as well. I’m also so invested in delving deeper into this world in book 2 and eventually, with book 3 when it arrives. I’m living for it.

Finished Reading: Kingdom of the Feared

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What It’s About: Emilia is reeling from the shocking discovery that her twin sister, Vittoria, is alive. But before she faces the demons of her past, Emilia yearns to claim her king, the seductive Prince of Wrath, in the flesh. Emilia doesn’t simply desire his body, she wants his heart and soul—but that’s something the enigmatic demon can’t promise her.

When a high-ranking member of House Greed is assassinated, Emilia and Wrath are drawn to the rival demon court. Damning evidence points to Vittoria as the murderer and she’s quickly declared an enemy of the Seven Circles. Despite her betrayal, Emilia will do anything to solve this new mystery and find out who her sister is.

Together Emilia and Wrath play a sin-fueled game of deception as they work to stop the unrest that’s brewing between witches, demons, shape-shifters and the most treacherous foes of all: the Feared.

Emilia was warned that when it came to the Wicked nothing was as it seemed. But, have the true villains been much closer all along? When the truth is finally revealed, it just might end up costing Emilia her heart.

I made it. I finished this series! However, I really disliked this book. This may be unsurprising to see as my experience with this series didn’t start out great, and then quickly spiraled even further downward once I read book two. Here we go with my thoughts on book three.

I think all the lore being thrown into this last book so quickly made the book feel hastily written and convoluted. I also did not care for the new murder mystery included in this novel because it was hardly a mystery at all. It felt like it was thrown in there to give the characters something to do while the truth of the curse revealed itself. I was also incredibly confused as to who the villain of the story and series was? I will say that getting to meet Prince Sloth was great. I’m a fan of the brother that barely leaves his castle, shows up late to parties and leaves early, and likes to read.

The curse. THE CURSE. When we finally unravel the layers of this world because the structure of the landscape is only truly revealed in the last book, it feels a bit late. This includes the curse itself and what it means for Emilia and Wrath. The book has spent so much time on the unimportant things that the reader finds it hard to care when the actual important information is provided. The book tried to really sell the resolution to the curse to me as well, but I wasn’t having it. It still came across as the female character sacrificing herself for her male love interest.

The characters also still felt so flat. All they are or ever were were vessels for a single emotion. One emotion does not make a personality.

The smut took over the book, which was annoying. Was the plot so thin that it needed so many moments where Emilia and Wrath had sex to fill out the book? Quite possibly. I hated it because it was so unnecessary and gratuitous, and it lacked any sort of romance. A well constructed smut scene will have tension, chemistry, and romance – all of that was lacking with this book’s love scenes and the relationship between Emilia and Wrath as a whole.

Many might wonder why I even chose to read the final book in the series if the story and its characters frustrated me so much and really, it came down to being a goal of mine. I wanted to complete this series so I could have an opinion on it based on all three novels and not just the first and second. The series had potential and had interesting ideas, but it wasn’t built well enough throughout the three books to make this a good book series for me.

If this series was your thing and it may very well be, Kerri Maniscalo announced a book about Envy that will be coming out this year called Throne of the Fallen. You can check that one out on October 3rd, 2023.

Finished Reading: Mysteries of Thorn Manor

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What It’s About: Elisabeth Scrivener is finally settling into her new life with sorcerer Nathaniel Thorn. Now that their demon companion Silas has returned, so has scrutiny from nosy reporters hungry for gossip about the city’s most powerful sorcerer and the librarian who stole his heart. But something strange is afoot at Thorn Manor: the estate’s wards, which are meant to keep their home safe, are acting up and forcibly trapping the Manor’’ occupants inside. Surely it must be a coincidence that this happened just as Nathaniel and Elisabeth started getting closer to one another…

With no access to the outside world, Elisabeth, Nathaniel, and Silas—along with their new maid Mercy—will have to work together to discover the source of the magic behind the malfunctioning wards before they’re due to host the city’s Midwinter Ball. Not an easy task when the house is filled with unexpected secrets, and all Elisabeth can think about is kissing Nathaniel in peace. But when it becomes clear that the house, influenced by the magic of Nathaniel’s ancestors, requires a price for its obedience, Elisabeth and Nathaniel will have to lean on their connection like never before to set things right.

I had mentioned early on that this novella was one of my most anticipated releases for the new year. I preordered it from my local small bookstore and had it in my hands on release day. The book did not disappoint.

This book was so incredibly charming. It was romantic. Nathaniel and Elisabeth are truly the perfect pair. They’re equals and they compliment each other in so many ways. They are seriously one of the only pairs that I feel this strongly about.

This book was also so humorous. If you’re looking for magic and laughs, this book has both. I laughed so much while reading this book and goodness, did I need it as this came out just as I got really sick.

And while this book was a short one, it was able to add more to the lore of the world the characters exist in. Thorn Manor was so interesting with its hidden spaces and being introduced to certain members of the Thorn family was so much fun. Even if that family member was known for questionable fashion choices.

And I was trying to restrain myself but…Silas! He’s just such a good character. It was so much fun to see him again and learn almost next to nothing about him. I feel like any little thing we do learn about him only sprouts more questions, and I enjoy that.

I am so happy that Margaret Rogerson was able to return to this set of characters and world and give us something we could all savor – a story of magic, love, and family.

Finished Reading: True Beauty Vol. 1

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What It’s About: Jugyeong Lim has been treated unfairly by her family and bullied by her enemies due to being perceived as ugly. She learns how to use makeup by binge-watching Youtube tutorials. As she slowly masters the art of makeovers, her dramatic transformation leads to her overwhelming popularity and fame.

Armed with her newfound beauty, Jugyeong is in a love triangle with two of the most handsome boys at school: Suho, the stoic mystery man who knows her secret and Seojun, the “bad boy.” But will her elite status be short-lived? How long can she keep her true appearance a secret?

Living in a society where people are judged based on their physical appearance, Jugyeong navigates both high school and her college life, while her self-esteem, romantic life and career are constantly in flux.

When I heard this series was being printed in North America, I was so excited. I had watched the kdrama of the same name and was interested in reading the comics it had been inspired by.

The first volume of True Beauty is so incredibly disappointing because it is much more shallow than I expected. Yes, I knew what I was getting into with this book because it’s about a girl who looks drastically different with makeup on. The kdrama also involved much of the same transformation by the main character. However, what this book lacks is heart. Lim Jugyeong has very little depth in this first volume and me, the reader, found it a bit hard to connect with her. And while I know this is a Korean story and it is more informed by that society, it failed to go anywhere remotely understandable.

And Kang Sujin. KANG SUJIN. She’s reduced to a mean pretty girl. She’s a stereotype and I hate it so much. Not only that, but she immediately puts Jugyeong in the sights of a very suspicious individual. That ending to volume 1 left me concerned.

Things I liked? The art is really nice. Yaongyi has a lot of skill and I loved the different faces she used to create comedy. I also liked that Jugyeong still loved horror comics and death metal. I liked Suho, surprisingly. He was stoic, mean, but his loneliness came through a lot too.

I might check out volume 2 whenever it gets around to being released.

Finished Reading: Kingdom of the Cursed

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What It’s About: One sister. Two sinful princes. Infinite deception with a side of revenge . . . Welcome to Hell.

After selling her soul to become Queen of the Wicked, Emilia travels to the Seven Circles with the enigmatic Prince of Wrath, where she’s introduced to a seductive world of vice.

She vows to do whatever it takes to avenge her beloved sister, Vittoria . . . even if that means accepting the hand of the Prince of Pride, the king of demons.

The first rule in the court of the Wicked? Trust no one. With back-stabbing princes, luxurious palaces, mysterious party invitations, and conflicting clues about who really killed her twin, Emilia finds herself more alone than ever before. Can she even trust Wrath, her one-time ally in the mortal world . . or is he keeping dangerous secrets about his true nature?

Emilia will be tested in every way as she seeks a series of magical objects that will unlock the clues of her past and the answers she craves . . .

This book…did not improve upon the first in the series. Perhaps a lot of you expected this. Perhaps some of you who have read it loved this novel and currently adore this series. Unfortunately, this was not my experience. Let’s go through it.

The characters and their characterization were not enjoyable. Constantly throughout this book, Emilia portrays herself as being sly, cunning, and someone to be reckoned with, but she’s proven time and time again to be very much out of her depth. Wrath also falls so flat and is so incredibly boring. He’s supposed to be calculating, and frightening. We’re constantly told he’s the worst and so incredibly evil and yet…I’m not getting a lot there. He has very little personality besides smirking and apparently, being a staunch supporter of discussing consent. Great to discuss consent between two individuals because that is incredibly important, but it felt forced when it came from a dull character. There is no character growth whatsoever in this book. Unless Emilia wanting to bone a prince of hell is supposed to be character growth, which I don’t consider it to be.

The writing. Kerri Maniscalco did what I had feared she would resort to, which was relying on repetition. This book felt like an essay she was trying to pad to meet word count requirements. The amount of times Emilia would feel sad about her sister and yet do nothing to solve her murder. The amount of times she would mention her magic but do nothing about it. Around and around we went as Emilia took us through thoughts she’d already had before but would rephrase for us later.

The plot. To be put simply, was a mess because there was little structure to it. How is that investigation going into Vittoria’s murder? It’s going absolutely nowhere. We spend a good half of the book doing absolutely nothing except going back and forth between Emilia wanting to kill and wanting to love Wrath. Things are introduced that sound interesting and then are quickly put aside in favor of useless interactions between Wrath and Emilia to push their romance forward. Meaning the little plot tidbits had very little impact for the reader and could become forgettable. There were things that deserved more time and could have been filled out more like Emilia’s preparation for the Feast of the Wolf, which we got to see and understand little of. It’s those little things that really made it hard to get through this book. Not to mention that the book picks up with actual plot in the last 80 pages, which just isn’t fair to anyone.

I know what I say next will bother some but honestly, there was too much spice in this book. I don’t mind a bit of steam that is built up to, but this book just had it everywhere to the point that it was getting in the way of what readers were mostly here for, which was to find out what caused Vittoria’s death, discover more about the curse, and learn more about the witch lore of this universe.

New Year Book Tag: 2023 Edition

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Happy New Year, readers!

I thought I would pick up this tag again for 2023 because I really enjoyed creating this post last year.

I found this tag on And On She Reads so if you participate in it as well, do not forget to check out their post or give them a small credit.

How many books are you planning on reading in 2023?

Just like last year, my goal for 2023 is to read 30 books. I don’t think I’m ready to move that goal up to 50 or even 100 books. It just feels so overwhelming to make it that high, especially when time is tight.

What are five books you didn’t get to read in 2022 but want to make a priority in 2023?

  • Know My Name by Chanel Miller
  • Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
  • The Atlas Six by Olivie Blake
  • The Diviners by Libba Bray
  • The Book of Form and Emptiness by Ruth Ozeki

From last year’s list of 5, I only read one of them and that book was Within These Wicked Walls by Lauren Blackwood. I know…I’m the worst. I truly thought I would get through more of them but I didn’t, which is disappointing.

What genre do you want to read more of in 2023?

I read a lot more fantasy in 2022 than I expected to, but I didn’t tackle as many mystery/thrillers or contemporary novels as I had wanted to.

For 2023, I want to read more mysteries and I also want to read more non-fiction. I think I’m still figuring out what kind of non-fiction really grabs and holds my attention so I want to work on this a bit more.

What are three non-book related goals for 2023?

  • Declutter. I had this goal last year but I’m bringing it back because it is honestly not something you do just once. It is a continuous thing.
  • Donate to the local food bank throughout the year. People need help all year round so I’m going to try to gather some items for donation again soon.
  • Be better about chores. While I’m good with cleaning, I’m usually awful at putting away laundry. It’s just so hard some days more than others to put it all away again.

What’s a book you’ve had forever and still need to read?

By now, pretty much everyone has read Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein. Everyone except maybe me?

Yes, I have owned this novel for quite a long time, but I have yet to pick it up and read it. Considering how much I actually like historical fiction, it’s a bit astonishing. 2023 is the year to read it. Let’s make it happen.

I’m pretty proud of myself though because last year the book I chose was Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell and I read it. That book is no longer on my TBR. I can do this.

One word that you hope 2023 will be?

Kinder. I feel like 2022 was a harsh and unforgiving year for so many people. There’s been quite a lot of anger and cruelty out there. I think we could all use a bit more kindness in our lives.