My Top Reads of 2023

It's that time again, time for me to share my favorite reads from last year!🕮

But before we get into it, here are my December reads.

Not Here to Stay Friends by Kaitlyn Hill

YA Romance

**Warning for sensitive readers: Language

War of Torment by Ronie Kendig

Sci-fi/Fantasy

The Droseran Saga, Bk. 4

The Unmaking of June Farrow by Adrienne Young

Fantasy/Magical Realism

As with the last few books of Adrienne's that I've read, I plowed through this one and decided before I ever finished it that I'd be reading it again just so I could fully take in the story. A mind-bending time-travel story that happens in the 1950's & 2023.

And without further ado, my pick for 2023 is . . .

Defy the Night by Brigid Kemmerer

I actually read this book because I saw it someone's Instagram stories. In the photo, the book was open as if the person were reading it. I zoomed in, feeling very much like I was reading over her shoulder because of the angle it was taken from.🙈I thought, "Ooo, what's this?" So, I DM'd her and asked. After telling me the title, she insisted I get it immediately. Let me tell you, she was not wrong. It was so good. There's this amazing twist at the beginning that was unlike anything I've read before.

Honorable mentions:

Spells for Forgetting by Adrienne Young

The Dance of Thieves duology by Mary E. Pearson

Night of the Raven, Dawn of the Dove by Rati Mehrotra

Shadow of Honor and War of Torment by Ronie Kendig (The Droseran Saga, Bks. 3 & 4)

The Unmaking of June Farrow by Adrienne Young

The Ash Princess series by Laura Sebastian

I'd love to know your favorites from 2023! You can find links to all my platforms under my social media tab.

Music . . .

"Running" || NF

"Vikinger" || Danheim

"Free" || Broods

"You Learn" || Alanis Morissette

Writing . . .

My current word count is almost 33,000 words, which means I'm roughly 35% done with my draft. Between the holidays, writing from four POVs (yes, four!), and reaching the point in my outline where my brain was like, "insert unknown torment here," I'll take slow but steady progress as a win.

Enjoying . . .

Lawman: Bass Reeves on Paramount+. A former slave becomes a U.S. Deputy Marshal. My husband and I watched the entire first season and absolutely loved it. It's based on a book series--I put the first audiobook on hold in Libby almost as soon as we finished it--and the real-life man.

Rated TV-MA.

French Toast Casserole. A while back, I found a recipe that doesn't require the casserole to sit in the fridge overnight (for some reason, a lot of them do). I normally throw a ham steak in the skillet to go with it. It makes an 8x8 casserole, just enough for me and the hubs. You can find the recipe on allrecipes.com. Recipe by STARFLOWER.

Tiny glass jar set. I have a habit of drinking green tea in the morning and chamomile before bed. Originally, I kept them together in an oversized jar. This worked fine for a while. Then I suddenly kept grabbing the wrong tea. It wouldn't have been a big deal except for the fact that what I drink and when is intentional. Green tea doesn't have much caffeine, but it does have some. So, I like to start my day with it. Sometimes, I have trouble going to sleep, thus the chamomile at night. I remembered seeing some glass jars in the Christmas aisle and wondered if there would still be some that might be on clearance. There were! I found a set of two for $1.50, marked down from $3.00. I labeled them "am" & "pm" and haven't had any trouble since!

Blessings,

J ♡