Blog Tour: Decree Review

As promised, I'm back with a review of the fifth book in the Blades of Acktar series by Tricia Mingerink. Decree is a collection of short stories and novellas based on the characters in the previous books.

To read my reviews of Jaye L. Knight's books that released on the 14th, click HERE.

~ Decree ~

The Adventure Continues.

Discover more of The Blades of Acktar in this collection of novellas and short stories.

The Blades as They Should’ve Been

A test and the Gathering of Nobles will decide Leith and Martyn’s futures. Can they fight to become more than the Blades they were? Will Keevan accept the man who attempted to kill him as family?

The First Mission

When Martyn visits Surgis, his past seems determined to haunt him. Can he figure out how to forgive, especially when confronted with an enemy in need of his help?

To the Far Great Mountains

A death sends Leith and Martyn far beyond the borders of Acktar. Will they be able to arrest their quarry before they are caught themselves?

From the story of how Leith and Martyn met to Ranson’s search for a life outside of the Blades, these stories will answer plaguing questions and expand the world of Acktar.

Available now on Amazon!

 

My Review:

As I mentioned in my review of Lacy, I'm not normally a huge fan of short stories and novellas, but Decree was well written and put together. While I enjoyed some of the stories more than others, the whole book was a fun read. Watching the various interactions between the characters left me smiling. Some stories were driven by action, while others were more about the characters. As in all the Acktar books, the characters truly shined. They have genuine personalities, fears, and dreams, that make readers fall in love with them and feel their same emotions. In the stories that were plot driven, the action was compelling. The setting contributed to the general plotlines, a subtle but well done aspect of the stories. The themes greatly added to the unique aspects of each story, both deep and real. Overall, I'd grant Decree four stars for the intriguing plots, believable (and loveable) characters, and important themes. I can definitely see rereading this at some point.

As a side note, Leith, the main character of the series, is the best assassin turned hero turned romantic I've ever seen. :) He's an incredible character. If for no other reason than Leith, you should read the series.

*I received a free ebook copy of this book for the purposes of the blog tour and in exchange for an honest review.

~ About the Author ~

Tricia Mingerink is a twenty-something, book-loving, horse-riding country girl. She lives in Michigan with her family and their pack of pets. When she isn't writing, she can be found pursuing backwoods adventures across the country.

You can connect with Tricia on her blog, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Haven’t discovered the The Blades of Acktar yet? Find out more at on the official Blades of Acktar page.

Be sure to enter the incredible giveaway they're having and visit a few of the other blogs on the tour!

Blog Tour: Bitter Winter & Lacy Reviews

I've been waiting a year and a half to do this post! Since I read Exiles, the fourth book in Jaye L. Knight's Ilyon Chronicles series, I've been counting down the days to the release of her next Christian fantasy novel. When Knight posted the release date for Bitter Winter, I also discovered that on the same day she was publishing book 5.5, Lacy. I'm honored to be part of the blog tour releasing them into the world, and happy to announce they both exceeded my expectations (which were already high).

[As a side note before I post the books' information and reviews, I should mention that this blog tour is particularly special to me because Knight (one of my top favorite authors) is teaming up with Tricia Mingerink (one of my other top favorite authors) for a dual book release and blog tour. Knight's books, Bitter Winter and Lacy released yesterday, December 14th, and Mingerink's book, Decree, releases on the 18th. I'll review Decree here on the 20th.]

Without further ado, I present part one of the Knight and Mingerink—Ilyon and Acktar blog tour!

 

~ Bitter Winter ~

Already struggling with a harsh winter and the threat of food shortage, a catastrophic event leaves those in the Landale camps reeling. Just when things couldn’t get much worse, camp members fall ill with the same devastating sickness that’s sweeping across the country.

Determined to gain the cure, Jace sets off to Valcré. However, there are only two sources—the queen, or a powerful gang of smugglers who have made the dangerous city their home. When Jace gains audience with the gang leader, he finds the price of the cure is steeper than any of them imagined, forcing him to make an impossible choice—betray his conscience or let those he loves die.

Available now on Amazon!

My Review:

I had an eager-nervousness as I began reading Bitter Winter. Would it be as good as the previous books? Was it possible to love the characters any more than I already did? I soon learned the answers to my questions—yes and yes. Bitter Winter went far beyond my hopes for the book. It was a breathtaking read. I simply could not put it down! At times I was fighting tears nearly as much as the characters themselves. Other times my heart raced with the same adrenaline that urged the characters on. Still more times I hung on every word to find out the fate of the Resistance.

While Bitter Winter was a bit slower paced than the others in the series, that didn't lessen the intensity or sense of danger closing in on the characters. The plot remained gripping all the way through. Even though I enjoy the fast action of the previous books, I was appreciative of the break from the heaviness of the persecution the characters are facing. They still endured trials and tragedy, but I wasn't left feeling quite as heavy-hearted.

Concerning the setting, it remained detailed, realistic, and intriguing. As implied by the title, the setting took on a semi-major role in this novel, to the point of becoming one of two main villains. I thought it was excellently portrayed in this role.

Regarding the characters, Knight has always done a wonderful job of creating realistic subjects that are extremely relateable. They have depth and true personalities, complete with wonderful strengths and genuine weaknesses. I have only one minor complaint—I feel that there are too many characters starting relationships. Even though it may be realistic, considering all the characters have similar backgrounds of persecution for their faith and are dwelling in a small hideout together, it seems that in the first few books there was no or very little romance, while now half the characters have a significant other. Don't get me wrong—I adore sweet romances and wouldn't mind a few, but it does seem like there has been a huge increase in the number of characters in relationships all of a sudden.

All taken into account, I still grant Bitter Winter five stars. Though I felt some areas fell slightly short, others went far above and beyond my hopes so I believe it evens out. :) It kept me flipping pages and very connected with the characters. I'm already eager to reread it. :) Congratulations, Jaye, on another outstanding addition to the Ilyon Chronicles!

~ Lacy ~

The last thing Aaron ever envisioned was falling for a prostitute. Everything about it spells trouble. However, he can’t help noticing the way her smile lights up when she sees him and how much brokenness she hides behind it. Neither can he ignore how desperately she needs rescue and protection.

When Lacy shares a life or death secret with him, Aaron is willing to risk everything to help her and to show her Elôm’s love. Yet, such a choice could destroy his reputation and maybe even cost him his freedom.

An Ilyon Chronicles novella.

Available now on Amazon!

My Review:

Lacy was a pleasant surprise for me. I hadn't been aware of its existence, and I'm normally not as much a fan of novellas as I am lengthy novels. However, Lacy swept me up and pulled me in. I was drawn toward the characters and their plight. The struggles they faced were not petty issues, but a topic that has always moved my own heart. Plot, setting, characters, themes, they were all beautiful in this story. Genuine and deep.

When I started to read, I anticipated Lacy would be a four star book, simply by the fact that it wasn't full length. Having finished, I've increased that to five stars for how it captivated me even in fewer pages than my usual preference. It's masterfully crafted—a true work of art. 

*I received free ebook copies of these books for the purposes of the blog tour and in exchange for an honest review.

~ About the Author ~

 

Jaye L. Knight is an award-winning author, homeschool graduate, and shameless tea addict with a passion for Christian fantasy. Armed with an active imagination and love for adventure, Jaye weaves stories of truth, faith, and courage with the message that even in the deepest darkness, God’s love shines as a light to offer hope. She has been penning stories since the age of eight and resides in the Northwoods of Wisconsin.

You can connect with Jaye on her website, blog, Facebook, Twitter, and Etsy.

Haven’t discovered the world of Ilyon yet? Find out more at the official Ilyon Chronicles website!

Be sure to enter the incredible giveaway they're having and visit a few of the other blogs on the tour!

2017 Book and Music Recap

Since my wrap-up post for 2017 was already extremely long, I decided my reading of 2017 and a list of my favorite songs could comprise a second post. To read my year's summary, you can click HERE. Now, on with the post.

 ~Music~

I'm generally not a big music-person, but as I've found better and better songs, I've come to look forward to putting on my music and praising the Lord. I generally only listen to Christian contemporary, so that's what all these are. Over the last few months, I've been listening quite often to K-Love, a Christian radio station. I've enjoyed almost every song they've played. The lyrics are absolutely incredible. To mention a few I'd recommend:

"When We Pray" Tauren Wells

"O Lord" Lauren Daigle

"Control" Tenth Avenue North

"Point to You" We Are Messengers

"Lions" Skillet

"Miracle" Unspoken

"Different" Micah Tyler

"Jesus I Believe" Big Daddy Weave

"Miracles" Audio Adrenaline

I've also enjoyed several songs by King and Country, the Newsboys, Jordan Feliz ("The River"), and Hawk Nelson ("Diamonds," "Words," "Drops in the Ocean"). "Courageous" by Casting Crowns is powerful. A Christmas song that really spoke to me this winter was "The Night Before Christmas" by Brandon Heath.

I could list a hundred more, but these will suffice for now. :) I'm eager to discover more great songs this year. I've already found a few!

~Reading~

Now for the best section of my 2017 recap. :) It's been a wonderful year as far as finding some fabulous authors. This marks my third year keeping meticulous track of the books I read. Often, I can tell my mood from each month simply by which books I read. Here are my reading stats:

15,600+ total pages

53 books

1300 average pages/month

294 average pages/book

4.4 average books/month

Best month: March (9 books; 2,633 pages)

Worst month: October (2 books; 749 pages)

Longest book: 486 pages (Exiles, Jaye L. Knight)

Shortest book: 108 pages (Befriending the Beast, Amanda Tero)

Number of rereads: only 3 (When Dreams Come True, Eric and Leslie Ludy; Dare, Tricia Mingerink; Deny, Tricia Mingerink)

Number of authors: 33

Fiction books: 50

Nonfiction books: 3

Here is the complete list of books I read.

January (1,894 pages total)

1. Red Rock Mysteries: Hollywood Holdup, Jerry B. Jenkins and Chris Fabry (208 pages)
2. Out From Egypt: Shadow of the Storm, Connilyn Cossette (346 pages)
3. The Blades of Acktar: Destroy, Tricia Mingerink (165 pages)
4. Adventures of the Northwoods: The Vanishing Footprints, Lois W. Johnson (156 pages)
5. Dragons in Our Midst: Tears of a Dragon, Bryan Davis (363 pages)
6. The Staff and the Sword: A Cast of Stones, Patrick W. Carr (428 pages)
7. Red Rock Mysteries: Wind Chill, Jerry B. Jenkins and Chris Fabry (228 pages)

February (1,135 pages total)

1. Land of Shining Water: The Icecutter's Daughter, Tracie Peterson (331 pages)
2. Chiveis Trilogy: The Gift, Bryan M. Litfin (407 pages)
3. Ilyon Chronicles: The King's Scrolls, Jaye L. Knight (397 pages)

March (2,633 pages total)

1. Out of Time: A Time to Die, Nadine Brandes (389 pages)
2. Circle C Milestones: Courageous Love, Susan K. Marlow (186 pages)
3. A Seven Wonders Novel: Shadow of Colossus, T. L. Higley (384 pages)
4. Left to Die, Ivy Rose (116 pages)
5. Martin Generations: Martin Hospitality, Abigayle Claire (386 pages)
6. Circle C Adventures: Andrea Carter and the Long Ride Home (expanded edition), Susan K. Marlow (195 pages)
7. Ranger's Apprentice: The Ruins of Gorlan, John Flanagan (249 pages)
8. Ranger's Apprentice: The Burning Bridge, John Flanagan (262 pages)
9. Ilyon Chronicles: Samara's Peril, Jaye L. Knight (464 pages)

April (1,283 pages total)

1. Ranger's Apprentice: The Icebound Land, John Flanagan (266 pages)
2. Red Rock Mysteries: Hidden Riches, Jerry B. Jenkins and Chris Fabry (249 pages)
3. Red Rock Mysteries: Dead End, Jerry B. Jenkins and Chris Fabry (235 pages)
4. The Blades of Acktar: Deliver, Tricia Mingerink (239 pages)
5. Ranger's Apprentice: The Battle for Skandia, John Flanagan (294 pages)

May (1,164 pages total + Romeo and Juliet)

1. Ranger's Apprentice: The Sorcerer of the North, John Flanagan (295 pages)
2. When Dreams Come True, Eric and Leslie Ludy (265 pages)
3. Ranger's Apprentice: The Siege of Macindaw, John Flanagan (293 pages)
4. The Omega Trilogy: Unbound, J. B. Simmons (311 pages)
5. The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet, William Shakespeare

June (947 pages total)

1. Steadfast Love: The Sound of Diamonds, Rachelle Rea (276 pages)
2. Dandelion Dust, Faith Potts (178 pages)
3. Outrageous Courage, Kris and Jason Vallotton (154 pages)
4. Out From Egypt: Wings of the Wind, Connilyn Cossette (339 pages)

July (1,471 pages total)

1. The Staff and the Sword: The Hero's Lot, Patrick W. Carr (437 pages)
2. The Atonement Child, Francine Rivers (372 pages)
3. The Homelanders: The Last Thing I Remember, Andrew Klavan (336 pages)
4. Michael Vey: The Prisoner of Cell 25, Richard Paul Evans (326 pages)

August (835 pages total)

1. Michael Vey: The Rise of the Elgen, Richard Paul Evans (335 pages)
2. Michael Vey: The Battle of the Ampere, Richard Paul Evans (320 pages)
3. Autobiography, Benjamin Franklin (180 pages)

September (1,469 pages total)

1. DragonKeeper Chronicles: DragonKnight, Donita K. Paul (393 pages)
2. Michael Vey: Hunt for Jade Dragon, Richard Paul Evans (319 pages)
3. Ilyon Chronicles: Exiles, Jaye L. Knight (486 pages)
4. Michael Vey: Storm of Lightning, Richard Paul Evans (271 pages)

October (749 pages total)

1. The Blades of Acktar: Dare, Tricia Mingerink (334 pages)
2. The Last of the Mohicans, James Fenimore Cooper (415 pages)

November (1,080 pages total)

1. The Blades of Acktar: Deny, Tricia Mingerink (328 pages)
2. Michael Vey: Fall of Hades, Richard Paul Evans (328 pages)
3. Michael Vey: The Final Spark, Richard Paul Evans (316 pages)
4. Tales of Faith: Befriending the Beast, Amanda Tero (108 pages)

December (949 pages total)

1. Heroes of Quantico: Against All Odds, Irene Hannon (332 pages)
2. Alaskan Courage: Submerged, Dani Pettrey (310 pages)
3. The Beautiful Pretender, Melanie Dickerson (307 pages)

If asked to choose a favorite book from the year, it'd be a difficult decision. The nominees are:

The Atonement Child, Francine Rivers
This is an extremely powerful, and well-written story. Rivers is among my favorite authors, and I'd highly recommend this book to all mature readers.

Dare and Deny, Tricia Mingerink
If you've kept track of my blog and favorite books for any length of time, you'll know that Mingerink is my top favorite author, thus why Dare and Deny absolutely had to make the favorites list.

Exiles, Jaye L. Knight
Book four in the series, Exiles was a fast-paced, thrilling fantasy that kept me turning the pages. Knight is also one of my favorite authors.

When Dreams Come True, Eric and Leslie Ludy
Another reread, the few books I've read by the Ludy couple are very well done and appealing to the intended audience. This particular book is the story of their courtship.

Martin Hospitality, Abigayle Claire
As Claire's debut novel, you can't tell it's her first publication. The story line is deep but written with a tasteful sense of humor. I'm eager for book two.

Dandelion Dust, Faith Potts
Also a debut author, I've been following Faith for several years on her blog. I was thrilled for her book's release, and thoroughly enjoyed the tale. Heart-wrenching as it is, Faith succeeded in making me cry. Excellent characterization and plot.

Submerged, Dani Pettrey
A new author to me, Pettrey's first book in her Alaskan Courage series was thrilling. A suspenseful romance, it was also a story of redemption that kept me flipping pages.

In my winning envelope is a tie between Mingerink's Dare and River's The Atonement Child.

I didn't have too many disappointing reads this year, but there were still a few that didn't quite tickle my fancy. I'd really been looking forward to Nadine Brande's A Time to Die, but the style just wasn't what I'm used to, and I felt the characterization and plot left room for some improvement. I found the ending of Dead End, the fifteenth and final book in the Red Rock Mysteries series by Jenkins and Fabry, to be a personally disappointing close to a wonderful series. And finally, Cooper's Last of the Mohicans was just too difficult for me to read style-wise. I've never been a big fan of the "classics."

On the other hand, my top three favorite series of the year would have to be the Blades of Acktar by Tricia Mingerink, Ilyon Chronicles by Jaye L. Knight, and Michael Vey by Richard Paul Evans. I read all seven books of the Michael Vey series this year and they were fantastic! Although not a Christian series as all the other books I've specifically mentioned so far have been, the series was still clean and greatly entertaining.

In addition to my favorite authors already mentioned above, some authors new to me who are now on my list include Faith Potts, Abigayle Claire, Ivy Rose, Richard Paul Evans, Melanie Dickerson, and Dani Pettrey. Another new author I found enjoyable was John Flanagan.

Top 5 favorite book covers:

This year, several books left me thinking and had quite an impact on me. The first was (once again) Francine River's The Atonement Child, which addressed the abortion issue. A similar novel was Martin Hospitality. Then Ivy Rose's story, Left to Die, kept me considering situations missionaries face in foreign countries. A nonfiction book that challenged me was Outrageous Courage about missionary Tracy Evans. I found her incredible story powerful and entirely inspiring. It's a great reminder of God's power in present, day-to-day life.

A giant thank-you to everyone who recommended books for me to read this year, and who gave me books for Christmas or my birthday. (My parents, grandparents, the Martin family, Alex, Samuel—thank you all!) It's because of you that I can keep reading and discovering amazing books and authors! :)

Be sure to pick a few of my favorite books from the year to add to your 2018 TBR list, and check out some of the songs! Have you read any of these? Or listened to these song artists? Thanks for reading!

March Highlights 2017

Yet another month in 2017 has come and gone. So much has occurred this March, so bear with me as I try to summarize. :)

~Summary~

Within the first few days of March, my mom began getting her dental work done, and while it will take several months yet to complete it, she is no longer in as bad of pain as she had been. Thank you for all the prayers!

Besides this, March started off with a friend coming to stay and watch our house while we took a trip to Shaver Lake in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. The first day of the trip, however, my family and I spent in Bakersfield for the Christian Youth Film Society's 23rd Film Festival. This organization is the one that hosted the camp I attended last November and that has inspired me to begin my own movie-making journey with my youth group, some other friends, and family. It was a very formal event with a dinner and then the evening showing of the short movies that had entered the contest. I enjoyed my time and especially was glad to get to see some of my friends that I hadn't seen since the camp. Additionally, the couple who opened their home to us that night were involved in the festival and movie industry. (One was a judge of the movies, a producer, and an author!) Both were very sweet, and I loved spending time with them.

The following morning we headed up the mountain to Shaver, where we found several inches of snow that had fallen the previous day. It's a running joke with us and our friends up there that whenever my family comes—it snows. :) We spent the next few days sledding, cross-country skiing, and (in my case) catching up on some schoolwork.

Life slowed down a bit after the Shaver Lake trip, but was still busy as usual with youth groups, school, and other day-to-day events—not to mention the difficulties that daylight savings brings! During this time, I was also introduced to a book series, the Ranger's Apprentice, which I have really been enjoying. My church also had a breakfast last Sunday that was very fun, and I was thrilled to have one of my friends from another church visit with his family. Also, now that my family is all official HAM radio operators we have been building an antennae with one of the teachers of our class who also attends our church. In addition, one day this month my grandparents came down for a much-enjoyed visit. I've also gone on several fun horseback rides this month now that the ground is drying up a bit.

This last week has also been filled with birthdays every-other day. Literally! Last Sunday, Tuesday, Friday, and Saturday had a combined five birthdays of people I know, one of which was my sister. So, happy birthday to Samuel, Abigail, Cheyene, Nichole, and Ruben! I hope you all had wonderfully special days.

For my sister's birthday, my family returned to Hume Lake for the youth pastor's retreat. It was so different than when I went earlier in the year with my youth group and the campus was swarming with high schoolers! This time, there were very few people, no snow, and no structured "activities" per se. As a family we hiked, explored, took pictures, helped work on building the summer camp set, relaxed, played games, and did a hidden-transmitter hunt. I was excited to get lots of reading done as well. Of course, I have to mention that we played Apples to Apples—probably one of my favorite games. :) The weather went from clear and sunny to foggy, cloudy, rainy, and finally hail as we were leaving and visiting Sequoia National Park and the General Grant tree.

To top off my month, I was able to go to a friend's birthday party. I had a wonderful time hanging out with everyone there and I was glad to get to know some more people better. It was a party I won't soon forget! (All for good reasons. :D) Thanks for inviting me, Samuel!

~Reading~

March was a very successful month in terms of books. I'd recommend all of them. My total number of books? Nine. Total pages? 2,633. Not bad if I do say so myself. :)

1. Out of Time: A Time to Die, Nadine Brandes (389 pages)
2. Circle C Milestones: Courageous Love, Susan K. Marlow (186 pages)
3. A Seven Wonders Novel: Shadow of Colossus, T. L. Higley (384 pages)
4. Left to Die, Ivy Rose (116 pages)
5. Martin Generations: Martin Hospitality, Abigayle Claire (386 pages)
6. Circle C Adventures: Andrea Carter and the Long Ride Home (expanded edition), Susan K. Marlow (195 pages)
7. Ranger's Apprentice: The Ruins of Gorlan, John Flanagan (249 pages)
8. Ranger's Apprentice: The Burning Bridge, John Flanagan (262 pages)
9. Ilyon Chronicles: Samara's Peril, Jaye L. Knight (464 pages)

Every single book on this list was wonderful! However, I would like to specifically mention a few.

I have been waiting for months to read A Time to Die, and it did not disappoint me. It was a different style than I'm used to, but I still thoroughly enjoyed the plot.

Courageous Love is likely my second favorite book out of the Circle C Milestones series, and while some spots broke my heart (and there was certainly a major aspect to it that I wasn't expecting), it was a wonderful book!

Abigayle Claire did a delightful job on her new novel, Martin Hospitality, and I had a hard time putting down the book! It was well written and I found myself in love with the characters and plot.

Thank you so much to Alex and Samuel for encouraging me to read the Ranger's Apprentice series and for loaning me the books! I'm loving it so far!

And last but not least, I have to mention Samara's Peril. How could I not? It was just as wonderful as the previous books in the series and I love the new twists!

~Writing~

Again, another slow month in terms of writing. I got less than 1000 words done on my Dragon Chronicles, but did accomplish some writing on other projects. I would have certainly liked to write more, but hopefully April will prove to be more profiting with Camp NaNo and such. (Any other campers out there?)

~Photography~

With all of the trips this month, I've had plenty of opportunity to get some cool photos. I'll limit them all to a few.

This is where we stayed at Shaver Lake.

The flags hanging over the ice skating rink at Hume Lake.

My sister at Hume Lake.

At Hume Lake.

The Bakersfield orchards.

This is where we skied at Tamarack Ridge.

Hume Lake

Some of the giant Sequoia trees.

On a ride. :)

~Great Quotes~

"It is always wise to look ahead, but difficult to look further than you can see." -Winston Churchill

 "Church isn't a museum for good people, it's a hospital for the broken." -Jefferson Bethke

"Negative emotions like loneliness, envy, and guilt have an important role to play in a happy life; they're big, flashing signs that something needs to change" -Gretchen Rubin

~Blog Posts~

To visit any of my posts in March that you might have missed, here are the links:

February Highlights 2017
"Tu" v. "Usted"
Dear Readers . . . .

I also got several more followers in March, so I'm really excited about that. Welcome and thank you for joining my little community!

Another thing I wanted to point out is the poll that I ran for a week toward the end of this month. I asked what sorts of posts I did that were your favorites, and the order of which you said you enjoyed them are as follows:

1. Life Updates
2. A tie between Photos and Writing
3. A tie between Reading, Books, and God
4. Blog Tags
5. Writing Challenges

Thank you to everyone who voted. I appreciate your feedback!

Unfortunately I haven't found much time in March to read many other blog posts, but I'd like to let you know about a cool challenge that was posted on Andi's Blog by Libby to help grow your spiritual walk. Also, since the beginning of the year I've found and enjoyed reading multiple new blogs. Give the authors a hearty welcome to the blogosphere! You know who you are. ;)

Alas, we have come to the end of this post. I hope you enjoyed hearing about my month. Now it's your turn—tell me about yours!

February Highlights 2017

Pauses. Sighs. Scratches head. Sighs again.

How should I describe February? It was a relatively "normal" month. At least, as "normal" as my life ever gets. :) While I didn't get half as much done as I'd hoped, I still accomplished a decent amount and I'm pleased with the overall results.

~Summary~

Okay. I figured out how to describe the biggest portion of my month—stress. For the greater part of February I have been studying like crazy for my amateur radio test to get my operator license. The test was Monday night and I had the most amazing feeling going into it. Instead of being horribly nervous like I thought I would be, I had total peace. Even during the test and while waiting for the results, I wasn't very nervous. And guess what? I passed with 97%! I'm so thrilled. Yesterday morning I got my temporary call sign but I hope to change it to something more personal. I am officially an amateur radio operator! Yay!

Besides radio classes, studying, and lots of school, I've also been continuing to attend two awesome youth groups and build stronger relationships with my friends. My younger sister went to Hume Lake at the beginning of the month and had a wonderful time. While she was enjoying the snow, I had a wonderful time staying with my marvelous grandparents. I always love sitting and talking with them, and I had plenty of time to do so!

A few weeks later we went to Pacific Grove to visit with my grandparents again for a birthday. It was a nice time, and we got several more great sunset pictures. How can you not get good ones when the sun is setting over the ocean? #beautiful ;)

That's my Dad taking a picture. ;)

It was also an interesting experience in that because of all the rain and wind storms, trees were falling left, right, and center and power was out in Pacific Grove for over 24 hours! We toasted bread and heated water for coffee over the fire and managed just fine. By the time we needed to turn on the oven for our pizza, power came back on. Perfect timing. Can't go without the pizza. :)

All in all, it was a good month despite the stress. I would ask for prayers though for my Mom, who found out yesterday that she has to have some major dental work done. Thanks!

~Reading~

February started out as a very good month for reading, I was ahead in my plan for reaching 10 books despite the short month but then it came to a grinding halt as studying grew more intense. I managed to complete only three for a total of 738 pages plus about half of the book I'm in the middle of, A Time to Die, which will be added to March's book list.

1. Land of Shining Water: The Icecutter's Daughter, Tracie Peterson (331 pages)
2. Chiveis Trilogy: The Gift, Bryan M. Litfin (407 pages)
3. Ilyon Chronicles: The King's Scrolls, Jaye L. Knight (397 pages)

However, I can say that all three books were extraordinary! I'd highly recommend all of them and I can't wait to get book three in both the Chiveis Trilogy and Ilyon Chronicles. Hopefully March will enable me to get a significant amount of reading done now that the radio test is behind me.

~Writing~

While I still didn't write nearly as much as I'd hoped to, I did accomplish more than 4,000 words on my Dragon Chronicles, which is actually a lot considering everything else. I also set a record for the most amount of words I've ever written in a day—the new total is 2,612! That was a happy day. :)

I've also been continuing to edit for some friends, and I'm finding that I really enjoy editing. Another accomplishment was writing my first draft of a synopsis for my Dragon Chronicles. I'm really glad to have come up with something that I think I like for it.

~Photography~

It was a good month for photography! With all the rain, there were lots of rainbows and everything looked fresh. In addition to the sunset pictures I have above, I also got to do a brief photo-shoot with my sister and our horses.

In a "normal" year of rain, this river is half the size. (Taken in January.)

This is one of my favorite pictures I've taken! Isn't it gorgeous?

All the above pictures are © Bethany R.

~Great Quotes~

A found a few cool quotes this month that I thought you might like too.

“She read books as one would breathe air, to fill up and live.” -Annie Dillard

"If you ask me what book I'm reading I'll either go into a long winded and enthusiastic summary of the entire thing or just lift the book to show you the title and keep reading." -I can't find the author

I don't think this counts as a quote but . . . here it is. :)

~Blog Posts~

I managed four posts in February, the most popular of which was my January Highlights post, followed by A Question of Honor Cover Reveal and Faith Leads to Understanding. I was delighted to find that I got several new followers this month as well—welcome to the blog! I'm so happy that you found me. You helped me reach 40 google followers!

As far as other blogger's posts, I'll just mention two things here. The blog tours for both A Question of Honor and The Princess and I have begun! Both books release March 3, so if you are interested, be sure to check those out! Click on the book title to view each author's first post of the blog tour. I've been too busy to participate in either, but know that if I could have I would have! Congratulations Jesseca and Rebekah! I'm so excited for you both!

Wow, I guess a busy month calls for a long post but I didn't anticipate this being THAT long. Well, if you read all of that, thanks! I hope you had a great February and have a delightful March!

2016 Bookish Recap Tag

Welcome to 2017! I can't believe it's already here. Kaitlyn from Twin Thoughts tagged me for this marvelous book-related tag started by Faith P. at Stories by Firefly. You know me, always ready to write about books. Thank you, Kaitlyn!

Rules

1. Include the above button in your post.
2. Answer the 11 questions.
3. Use as many book covers as you like.
4. Tag 5-10 people and notify them that they've been tagged.

 Questions

1. How many books did you read in 2016? (Exact if you know, or approximate if not.)

I do have an exact for this. I know what you're thinking: BOOK NERD! And you're right. :) The answer is 85 books.

2. Did you set a reading challenge for yourself and, if so, did you meet it?

 I had set a goal of 10 books a month, so 120 all year. But, life interfered.

3. What was your most read genre this year? Least read?

Most read: Fantasy (about 24) and historical fiction (about 20-25)

Least read:  Biographies (1) and romance (3)

4. What's five of your favorite books from 2016?

This is a terrible question. So I'll just pick my five top series. haha.

The Makilien Trilogy by Molly Evangeline

The Pirates and Faith series by Molly Evangeline

The Blades of Acktar by Tricia Mingerink

Ilyon Chronicles by Jaye L. Knight

Dragons in our Midst by Bryan Davis

Mark of the Lion Trilogy by Francine Rivers

What? I'm certain you counted wrong. There's only five series listed! :) Anyway, if you haven't heard of or read these series, you really need to. They're wonderful!

5. What's five of your least favorite books from 2016?

 Nobody kill me as I know these are some favorites.

Uncle Tom's Cabin, Harriet Beecher Stowe

Silas Marner, George Eliot

Shane, Jack Schaefer

Seal of the King, Ralph Smith

I personally wouldn't recommend any of these books to anyone. These were pretty much my only disappointing books throughout the year.

6. What new favorite author did you discover? (Not necessarily that the author is 'new', but that they became new to you this year.)

This was a very good reading year. I found my new favorite author—Tricia Mingerink, and for all intensive purposes I found my second-favorite author—Jaye L. Knight/Molly Evangeline. I actually found MANY new authors but these two are by far my favorites.

7. What's five of your favorite book covers from the year?

There were some really good ones! Here are a few.

Resistance, Jaye L. Knight

Courage, Molly Evangeline

The Pirate Daughter's Promise, Molly Evangeline

Deny, Tricia Mingerink

Defy, Tricia Mingerink

What? I'm not biased! Why would you say that?

8. How many books did you purchase for yourself in 2016? (Exact if you know, approximate if not.)

I bought more books for myself this year than any other year prior. That being said, I'm not sure. I got several of them free on Kindle and bought all my favorites in paper-back. Still, many of them were given to me for Christmas and my birthday. I'd have to say that I bought at least 20.

9. What's the longest book you read in 2016?

Unfortunately, it was also one of my least favorites. Ironic, I know. Seal of the King by Ralph Smith was 749 pages. Yes, you read that number correctly. The longest book I've ever read!

10. What's the shortest book you read in 2016?

Probably Jesseca Wheaton's Beyond the Horizon at 72 pages. I also read a few others that might have been slightly shorter.

11. What's your reading goal for 2017?

I'm not going to push myself since I have a super busy schedule, but I'm going to aim for last year's goal of 120. We'll see how I do!

I Tag

You! If you are reading this and have done the tag, leave me the link to your post and I'll go read it. If you haven't done this and don't have a blog, go ahead and leave me a comment with your answers! I love learning about your reading adventures!

I would say that this year, most of the books I read ranged from 300-400 pages, and I'm very happy with that number. So, while I didn't read quite the number of books I'd hoped to, I read plenty of pages. Here's the complete list of what I read if you are interested. Before you go, be sure to either answer the questions or recommend a book to me. Thanks!

My Reading Year

 

January (2,946 pages total)

1. Makilien Trilogy: Courage, Molly Evangeline (478 pages)

1. Makilien Trilogy: Trust, Molly Evangeline (331 pages)
2. Circle C Milestones: Heartbreak Trail, Susan K. Marlow (166 pages)
3. 'Nama Beach High: New Girl in Town, Nancy Rue (170 pages)
4. Pirates and Faith: The Pirate Daughter's Promise, Molly Evangeline (217 pages)
5. Pirates and Faith: Every Tear, Molly Evangeline (458 pages)
6. Circle C Milestones: The Last Ride, Susan K. Marlow (175 pages)
7. Red Rock Mysteries: Instant Menace, Jerry B. Jenkins and Chris Fabry (234 pages)
8. Red Rock Mysteries: Escaping Darkness, Jerry B. Jenkins and Chris Fabry (218 pages)
9. Uncle Tom's Cabin, Harriet Beecher Stowe (499 pages)

February (2,010 pages total)

1. Daughters of the Faith Series: Shadow of His Hand, Wendy Lawton (148 pages)
2. What About Cimmaron?, Lauraine Snelling (84 pages)
3. Sierra Jensen Series: In Your Dreams, Robin Jones Gunn (140 pages)
4. Forbidden Doors: The Guardian, Bill Myers (170 pages)
5. Red Rock Mysteries: Windy City Danger, Jerry B. Jenkins and Chris Fabry (234 pages)
6. Adventures of the Northwoods: The Disappearing Stranger, Lois W. Johnson (142 pages)
7. The Black Stallion: The Blood Bay Colt, Walter Farley (307 pages)
8. The Island Stallion: The Island Stallion's Fury, Walter Farley (190 pages)
9. Pirates and Faith: A Captain's Heart, Molly Evangeline (365 pages)
10. Golden Filly: The Race, Lauraine Snelling (123 pages)
11. Golden Filly: Eagles Wings, Lauraine Snelling (107 pages)

March (2,047 pages total)

1. Silas Marner, George Eliot (202 pages)
2. Golden Filly: Go for the Glory, Lauraine Snelling (126 pages)
3. Golden Filly: Kentucky Dreamer, Lauraine Snelling (130 pages)
4. Golden Filly: Call for Courage, Lauraine Snelling (122 pages)
5. Dear Enemy, Jack Cavanaugh (288 pages)
6. The Kingdom Series: Kingdom's Dawn, Chuck Black (145 pages)
7. Blessed Child, Ted Dekker and Bill Bright (349 pages)
8. Left Behind: Desecration, Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins (405 pages)
9. The Kingdom Series: Kingdom's Hope, Chuck Black (138 pages)
10. Adventures of the Northwoods: The Hidden Message, Lois Walfrid Johnson (142 pages)

April (2,016+ pages total)

1. The Blades of Acktar: Dare, Tricia Mingerink (334 pages)
2. Golden Filly: Shadow Over San Mateo, Lauraine Snelling (119 pages)
3. The Anne of Green Gables Novels: Anne of Green Gables, L. M. Montgomery (308 pages)
4. Song of the Desert, Katie Grace (307 pages)
5. Christian Heroes: Then and Now: Jacob Deshazer, Janet and Geoff Benge (219 pages)
6. The Hobbit, J. R. R. Tolkien (330 pages)
7. The Blades of Acktar: Deny, Tricia Mingerink (328 pages)
8. Kressler Kids Mysteries: The Mystery of the Midnight Tresspasser, Hosanna Emily (_ pages)
9. Golden Filly: Out of the Mist, Lauraine Snelling (116 pages)

May (1,428+ pages total)

1. The Oneness: Hive, Rachel Starr Thomson (__ pages)
2. The Oneness: Exile, Rachel Starr Thomson (230 pages)
3. Pirates and Faith: Finding Faith, Molly Evangeline (277 pages)
4. The Blades of Acktar: Defy, Tricia Mingerink (__ pages)
5. Shane, Jack Schaefer (151 pages)
6. Ilyon Chronicles: Resistance, Jaye L. Knight (478 pages)
7. Bonnets and Bugles Series: The Gallant Boys of Gettysburg, Gilbert Morris (168 pages)
8. Golden Filly: Second Wind, Lauraine Snelling (124 pages)

June (388 pages total)

1. The Revelation Chronicles: Will's Purpose, Randolph Kay (388 pages)

July (2,314 pages total)

1. Cedar River Daydreams: Unheard Voices, Judy Baer (140 pages)
2. Mark of the Lion: A Voice in the Wind, Francine Rivers (507 pages)
3. Golden Filly: Close Call, Lauraine Snelling (128 pages)
4. Mark of the Lion: An Echo in the Darkness, Francine Rivers (442 pages)
5. Golden Filly: The Winner's Circle, Lauraine Snelling (127 pages)
6. Mark of the Lion: As Sure as the Dawn, Francine Rivers (473 pages)
7. Adventures of the Northwoods: The Creeping Shadows, Lois Walfrid Johnson (160 pages)
8. Out from Egypt: Counted With the Stars, Connilyn Cossette (337 pages)

August (1,230 pages total)

1. A Seven Wonders Novel: City of the Dead, T. L. Higley (380 pages)
2. Cedar River Daydreams: Trouble with a Capital “T”, Judy Baer (139 pages)
3. Cedar River Daydreams: Journey to Nowhere, Judy Baer (126 pages)
4. Cedar River Daydreams: More Than Friends, Judy Baer (122 pages)
5. A Question of Honor, Jesseca Wheaton (150 pages)
6. Ilyon Chronicles: Half-Blood, Jaye L. Knight (130 pages)
7. And the Bride Wore White: Seven Secrets to Sexual Purity, Dannah Gresh (183 pages)

September (1,707 pages total + X)

1. The Seventh Dimension: The Door, Lorilyn Roberts (231 pages)
2. The Lost Girl of Astor Street, Stepanie Morrill (345 pages)
3. Failstate: Failstate, John W. Otte (426 pages)
4. Dragons in Our Midst: Raising Dragons, Bryan Davis (371 pages)
5. Dragon Keeper Chronicles: Dragon Spell, Donita K. Paul (334 pages)
6. X (Courtship book)

October (1,319 pages total)

1. Follower of the Word: Daughter of Light, Morgan L. Busse (376 pages)
2. Light of Loian: A Light in the Darkness, Heather Sutherlin (215 pages)
3. Dragon Keeper Chronicles: Dragon Quest, Donita K. Paul (349 pages)
4. A Seven Wonders Novel: Guardian of the Flame, T. L. Higley (379 pages)

November (2,271 pages total)

1. Montana Skies Series: McKenzie, Penny Zeller (314 pages)
2. Dragons in Our Midst: The Candlestone, Bryan Davis (388 pages)
3. Dragons in Our Midst: Circles of Seven, Bryan Davis (434 pages)
4. The Wanderer Series: Seen, Heather Sutherlin (139 pages)
5. Thrilling Action and Adventure Fiction Book: Seal of the King, Ralph Smith (749 pages)
6. Cedar River Daydreams: Never Too Late, Judy Baer (121 pages)
7. Cedar River Daydreams: A Special Kind of Love, Judy Baer (126 pages)

December (1,077 pages total)

1. Madman, Tracy Groot (316 pages)
2. Men of the Saddle: The Drifter, Lori Copeland (279 pages)
3. Beyond the Horizon, Jesseca Wheaton (72 pages)
4. Chiveis Trilogy: The Sword, Bryan M. Litfin (410 pages)
   
   
   Thanks for reading! Have a blessed week!