Reading Roundup: January and February 2019

As you've probably noticed, I haven't been the best blogger in the last few months years (decades?). I LOVE interviewing writing folks and hosting blog contests, but those things take a lot of time, so I've had to cut back. Cut WAY back.

The one thing I haven't cut back on is reading. I LOVE reading maybe even more than I love writing, and staying up on market trends and what publishers are looking for can't be anything but helpful. What I'm trying to say is, I read quite a few books, and since we're all about books, I thought it might be nice to share.

I'm going to try to post a reading roundup once a month (and if we're REALLY lucky, I might be able to post something else in between, too). So without further ado, here are the books I've read since the beginning of the year, with a few thoughts on each:

January

1. BOY BITES BUG by Rebecca Petruck I loved, loved, LOVED Ms. Petruck's debut, STEERING TOWARD NORMAL--you can read my recommendation, if you feel so inclined--and like that book, BOY BITES BUG tackles a tough topic in an age-appropriate way. If you like MG contemporary that balances humor and heart, this one is worth checking out.

2. FULL TILT by Neal Shusterman Not the best of Mr. Shusterman's I've read, but he did write this book quite a while ago. (I found it at the library while I was browsing the YA section.) If you like gut-punching YA contemporary, try BRUISER or CHALLENGER DEEP; for amazing YA sci-fi--or amazing YA anything--definitely start with SCYTHE.

3. NOT IF I SAVE YOU FIRST by Ally Carter I don't know how I missed this one, as Ms. Carter is one of my go-to authors, but I'm so glad Michelle Mason put this one back on my radar! It was a fun mix of romance, adventure, and suspense.

4. THE CROWN'S FATE by Evelyn Skye I wasn't overwhelmed by THE CROWN'S GAME, this book's predecessor, but when I saw this one on the shelf at my handy-dandy library, I remembered it fondly enough to pick this one up. Happily, I enjoyed this one even more. Tsarist Russia lends itself so well to YA historical fantasy.

5. RESISTANCE by Jennifer A. Nielsen An insightful read about the work of Jewish couriers during the Nazis' occupation of Poland. Though I didn't connect as deeply with the fictional characters as I wanted to, I thought the story itself was extremely important.

6. REAL FRIENDS by Shannon Hale and LeUyen Pham I won this one in a giveaway and couldn't have been more excited, as I have a graphic novel fan who also happens to struggle with making the right friends. I got through this book in only a couple of sittings and immediately shared it with him.

7. FLAME IN THE MIST by Renee Ahdieh I enjoyed this book way more than I thought I would. Though the characters spent more time thinking than I would have liked, there was still plenty of plot, and their personalities really popped. (And in Ms. Ahdieh's defense, I HATE writing introspection, so my gripe probably says more about the quality of MY writing than it does about hers.)

8. SMOKE IN THE SUN by Renee Ahdieh The sequel to FLAME IN THE MIST, as you probably surmised:) I liked this one, too (though, since I read these back to back, I can't really separate them now).

February

9. DARE MIGHTY THINGS by Heather Kaczynski The concept here is great: several dozen young adults are vying for a single spot on a manned mission to...somewhere. Though the plot did develop slowly, it mostly held my attention (once I got over the fact that the characters are too old to be in a YA novel).

10. ONE GIANT LEAP by Heather Kaczynski The sequel to DARE MIGHTY THINGS, as you probably surmised again. This one was very different than DARE MIGHTY THINGS, as the climax of that book sends the concept spinning off in a whole new direction.

11. THE VANISHING STAIR by Maureen Johnson My mother-in-law took me to B&N for my birthday (hooray for mothers-in-law!), and this one was the book I picked. After tearing through TRULY DEVIOUS a few months ago, I knew I wanted THE VANISHING STAIR as soon as I saw it. (Thank goodness I didn't discover TRULY DEVIOUS until its sequel was about to come out!) I tore through this one, too:)

12. PROMISES AND PRIMROSES by Josi S. Kilpack A sweet historical romance that delivered on its promise (no pun intended). If you like this genre as much as I do, this one is worth a read.

13. WISHTREE by Katherine Applegate A quick read with an underlying message that's sorely needed right now. I even liked the tree-as-narrator motif.

14. IF THIS WERE A STORY by Beth Turley This MG contemporary was a little hard to read, as I could guess what was going on and my heart went out to the MC. Ms. Turley's repeated uses of the title phrase did get a little old, but on the whole, this one kept me turning pages.

15. CHILDREN OF BLOOD AND BONE by Tomi Adeyemi I thought this YA fantasy was kind of disappointing. That said, if the plot and characters had been as unique as the world-building, it would have been an awesome read.

16. A HINT OF HYDRA by Heidi Lang and Kati Bartkowski This sequel to A DASH OF DRAGON was just as fast-paced and action-packed as its predecessor. In fact, I think I liked this one even more than the last.

17. LIES JANE AUSTEN TOLD ME by Julie Wright This contemporary romance reminded me of Shannon Hale's AUSTENLAND. It wasn't as good as that one, but I still enjoyed it.

Have you read any of these books? If so, what did you think? If not, what have you been reading lately?