A third of the year is now behind us.
What?
Where did the time go??
Hmmm. Interesting theory. (And, in related news, have you heard the latest on Bill and Ted??)
But I digress.
Time slip issues aside, four months have indeed passed, so it’s well past time to check in on the 2018 reading challenge.
To date I have logged 9 books out of 24. If I keep up at this rate, I’m poised to meet my goal for the year. Woo hoo!
BUT, in the interest of transparency: A few of those are not from my 2018 Fantasy Reads list.
While I’m working my way through broadening my fantasy horizons, I’m also reading through some childhood favorites with my oldest daughter. Aloud. With the voices. Because voices make everything better.
So, if you check out my Reading Challenge page, you’ll see a few oddballs. But they still count. 🙂
While you’re browsing my challenge list, you can hover over a book cover to see what I’ve rated it. My mama always told me that if you can’t say something nice about somebody, don’t say anything at all. As an author, I know first-hand the emotional turmoil importance of ratings. So, if I can’t give a book at least 4 stars, I won’t rate it at all. That doesn’t mean a book wasn’t decent, and it doesn’t mean all unrated ones are secret 1-stars. It just means that (in my very subjective opinion), it wasn’t at least 4 stars.
And, just because I didn’t give a book 5 stars doesn’t mean I don’t recommend it. I just don’t hand out a lot of 5 stars.
THE STANDOUTS SO FAR:
The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe
by C. S. Lewis
Four siblings are transported, via a magical wardrobe, to a fantastical land cursed with an eternal winter.
This is a re-read for me, though it’s been *cough*decades*cough*. Since then there have been movies and mini-series, and I’ve watched and enjoyed them all.
This time, though, I was introducing it to my oldest daughter. Her enjoyment of the story definitely added to mine, but it still stands alone as a solid 5-star for me. As an adult, I saw way more allegorical threads woven through this fantastical tale. Even my daughter picked up on it (unprompted by me), and she’s only 5.
You can also imagine the fun of introducing all the fantasy creatures.
“Mommy, what’s a faun? What’s a centaur? What’s a. . .”
*rubs hands gleefully*
The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe is a classic, and Prince Caspian (the next in the series) is sure to make an appearance in the coming months.
(side note: Am I the only one who’s eye-twitching over that missing Oxford comma?)
Lawless (The Ironfire Legacy, #1)
by Janeen Ippolito
A little bit fantasy, a little bit steampunk, a little bit romance, and dragons, dragons, dragons!
I’ve read one or two dragonshifter stories, but they’re not my meat and potatoes. That said, I do tend to enjoy them. That was definitely the case with Lawless!
Ippolito’s world building is fantastic, and she keeps the pace ticking along. I especially love the way she balalced a mature (read: seasoned, not explicit) relationship with a charming sense of innocence as the two characters came to terms with their feelings, all the while having no framework for understanding the word “love.”
A smart heroine and engaging dialogue brought this up to 5 stars for me. I’ll definitely be picking up the next book in the series. It looks like the author has new covers to go with the new titles, and they’re so pretty.
How about you? How is your TBR pile looking? If you’re taking the 2018 Reading Challenge, are you on your way to meeting your goal? Leave me a comment and let me know!
And if you’re on Goodreads, be sure to friend or follow me while you’re there. 🙂
