Tag: #amreading (Page 1 of 2)

Katie’s 2021 Year of Reading

January 4, 2022 / Katie L. Carroll

Goodreads can be kind of a nightmare for authors (I generally don’t read reviews of my books there), but I enjoy it as a reader. In particular, I like keeping track of the novels I’ve read (I don’t track my picture book reading) and for the yearly reading challenge with the handy wrap-up they give you at the end of each year. That’s where the screenshots in this post came from.

My 2021 reading goal was 50 books, which has been pretty typical of my reading habits of the last few years, and I came in at 51. Yay for consistency and meeting goals! Most of my reads were young adult or middle grade novels. In addition to that, I’m positive I’ve read hundreds of pictures books.

One of my goals was to read more graphic novels. My kids are obsessed with them! It was fun to share a lot of these with my 10-year-old and chat about them. I was quite successful on that front. A few stand-outs in that category were Séance Tea Party by Remena Yee, which was beautiful on so many levels, and Witches of Brooklyn and the sequel What the Hex?! by Sophie Escabasse. I did a lot of witchy reading, so it’s no surprise that these ended up as favorites.

I also read more romance than I usually do because I found those easy to read at times when I was having trouble concentrating. Helen Hoang and Jasmine Guillory are two of my favorite romance authors.

I read less non-fiction than usual, probably because those can require heavy concentration and I was lacking that in my reading this year. The End of Everything (Astrophysically Speaking) by Katie Mack was fascinating and not as heavy a read as the title suggest. Though I didn’t read a ton of adult non-fiction, I made up for that in how much non-fiction I read to the kiddos. We read lots of science books, particularly space-related ones.

Reading a diverse list of authors has been an important reading goal for me for years now, and I think I did a good job with that. This is also an important factor in what my kids are reading, so I make sure that they have books with all different kinds of people in them and written by diverse creators. Dr. Rudine Sims Bishop introduced the phrase about children having “windows, mirrors, and sliding glass doors” in their literature. My boys have plenty of mirrors in their reading, so I make sure they are also getting windows into other peoples’ lives.

Malinda Lo’s historical YA novel Last Night at the Telegraph Club won the National Book Award, among many other awards and starred reviews, and totally lives up the hype. I’ve enjoyed reading her stories ever since her first book Ash came out over ten years ago, and I was really happy to see her have such a successful year.

I’ve gotten to a point in my life where I don’t really read books that I don’t enjoy. So if you see a book end up on my read list that means I’ve enjoyed it. I also don’t buy as many books as my reading habits might suggest. The boys and I are big patrons of the public library, and I stop by there pretty much every week. Borrowing books from the library is a great way to support literacy, your community, and authors.

Unfortunately I still haven’t been able to get into reading audiobooks. Seems the efforts I talked about in my post from 2019 “Training My Brain to Read Audiobooks” haven’t worked. I continue to enjoy podcasts, so at least something came of that attempt.

What did you enjoy reading this year? Did you face any challenges or try anything new?

ELIXIR SAVED Cover Reveal (Finally!!!)

March 11, 2020 / Katie L. Carroll

I’ve been promising the cover reveal for ELIXIR SAVED, and that day has finally arrived!!! I was hoping to have it up for pre-order before I revealed the cover, but I’m not quite there yet and thought we could all use some beauty in our lives right now. Plus I’ve been sitting on this cover for months and decided it was time all ready.

Please feel free to share the cover image or the video reveal (seriously, let’s paint the Internet with this gorgeous cover). And, of course, send all the props and love to my amazingly talented cover artist Susan Tait Porcaro.

Drum roll…

Three lives saved by the Elixir; three lives bound by it.
The Elixir entwines the lives of those it touches. Once upon a time, Kylene, Zelenka, and Devon tasted it and escaped death. None were left without scars. Now, a shocking message from the Ice Queen—one of Mother Nature’s higher beings—sends each survivor on a quest. Kylene travels to the frozen depths of Blanchardwood, Zelenka heads back to the wilds of Faway Forest, and Devon journeys to a reclusive mountain temple. The three paths converge in a war against an ancient and tricky foe. And even the Elixir cannot save everyone. The fate of the world balances on the edge of a sword, and the outcome depends on whether the survivors will sacrifice their second chances.
Escape back into the world of the Great Peninsula in this much-anticipated sequel to the award-winning ELIXIR BOUND.

And here it is in all its snowy glory!!!

2019 Reading In Review: A Slow Year Full of Memorable Books

January 6, 2020 / Katie L. Carroll

I’ve mentioned on the blog before how I’m not a big New Year’s resolution person. I always seem to be in the middle of things at the beginning the year and not in the right place to take stock and set new goals. And this year is no exception, as I’m deep in work to get ELIXIR SAVED published in the first quarter of this year. I do, however, enjoy taking a look back at what I’ve read.

My handy Goodreads 2019 Reading Challenge shows that it was a low year as far as the number of books I read, only 41, nine shy of the goal I set at the beginning of the year. That doesn’t count the hundreds of picture books I’ve read (and reread) throughout the year. It doesn’t bum me out that I missed my goal because it’s just a number I set at the beginning of the year that seems attainable. There have been years when I’ve adjusted my number up because I was so far ahead of my original goal.

There are lots of reasons why I had a slow reading year. I read aloud to the boys a lot, and as I mentioned, much of that reading doesn’t get counted. I also stopped nursing The Gentleman in early October, so that cut at least 15 minutes of guaranteed reading time a day for the remainder of the year, and those little stretches add up. And then there was the epic time suck of finishing up ELIXIR SAVED, which was totally worth cutting down on my reading time. I’m also in the middle of a bunch of books right now, so those will all count towards this year.

The Queen of Nothing (The Folk of the Air, #3)

I read a couple of complete YA fantasy series that I really enjoyed: Stephanie Garber’s CARAVAL books and Holly Black’s The Folk of the Air series. The latter was a nice surprise because fae stories aren’t always my favorite, but all three books (I haven’t read book 1.5) were so fast-paced, I just flew right through them. I also finished up Jenny Han’s TO ALL THE BOYS I’VE LOVED BEFORE series.

Some books I’m still thinking about are THE GRACE YEAR by Kim Liggett, ON THE COME UP by Angie Thomas, THE KNIFE OF NEVER LETTING GO by Patrick Ness, CIRCE by Madeline Miller, and THE WICKED DEEP by Shea Ernshaw. I’m looking forward to picking up more books by these authors in the future.

I continued stretching my mind with non-fiction that included ROVING MARS: SPIRIT, OPPORTUNITY, AND THE EXPLORATION OF THE RED PLANET by Steve Squyres and THE INTERSTELLAR AGE: INSIDE THE FORTY-YEAR VOYAGER MISSION by Jim Bell. (Can you tell the boys and I have been into space robots lately?)

The City of Veils (Princess Vigilante, #1)

Finally big shout-outs to a couple of my fellow author friends that I read this year. I described Patrick Scalisi’s THE KEY TO THE UNIVERSE as “an intergalactic, intergenerational adventure that’s equal parts thrilling and philosophical.” I loved THE CITY OF VEILS by S. Usher Evans, winner of the Florida Indie Author Project for Best YA Fiction!

What were your memorable reads of 2019?

Training My Brain to Read Audiobooks

February 11, 2019 / Katie L. Carroll

You all know I’m a big reader and a big fan of all types of reading. Hardcovers, paperbacks, ebooks; literary or commercial; adult, YA, middle grade, picture book; graphic novel, verse, non-fiction–I love them all! But there is one format that I haven’t personally been able to get into: audiobooks, which is kind of disappointing because they have recently had a surge in popularity (see the article in Publishers Weekly “Audiobooks Revenue Jumped 22.7% in 2018” by John Maher) and are more readily available than ever.

That time The Bedtime Knight audiobook was a #1 new release!
Picture books are a great way to break into audiobooks.

My lack of audiobook readings isn’t because I don’t think it’s “real” reading (who gets to decide what “real” reading is anyway?) or because it’s not a good way to experience a book (I think some books are actually better in audio form); it’s because of the way my brain works.

I’m a visual learner, always reading along (if that’s an option) while listening to someone speak or read directions. I often watch movies with the closed captions on when I’m at home. My brain absorbs information better when I can see it, so listening to audiobooks is hard for me. I’ll get 15 minutes in and all of a sudden I’ll be like, “Wait! What’s going on?” because my brain spaced out and I haven’t been listening for the last 10 minutes.

I also find listening to be an important tool both as a parent and a writer. I need to be able to hear what the kiddos are up to even when I can’t see them, so going around the house listening to an audiobook isn’t a great option. And I like to be able to hear what’s going on in the world as I observe it in order to inform my senses as a writer.

But I do feel like I’m missing out. So in order to work my way up to a full audiobook, I’ve started listening to podcasts. They’re much shorter than books and they come in all sorts of different topics. So far I feel like I’ve done pretty well with them. I can mostly stay focused and actually pay attention to what’s being said, and they fit really nicely into my daily routine. I like to listen when I’m doing laundry or grocery shopping. I’ve found having them play aloud works when I don’t have to worry about disturbing anyone else and having just one earbud in when I’m in a situation where it would bother others to hear what I’m listening to.

It’s also definitely an avenue I’ve been thinking about getting my own books in. Middle grade in particular is a space where audiobooks are very popular, so I’d love to have PIRATE ISLAND available that way. But then there’s the issue of time and not having enough of it to navigate a new project.

What’s your opinion on audiobooks and podcasts? Any great reads you’ve listened to lately?

Book Excerpt of the YA Contemporary I AM ME by Kai Strand

March 23, 2018 / Katie L. Carroll

Let’s give a big Observation Desk welcome to my good writing buddy Kai Strand. She is here to share an excerpt from her latest novel, a YA contemporary called I AM ME. Welcome, Kai!

I AM ME blurb:

Despite—or perhaps because of—her fancy car, private school education, and life of privilege, Lola Renaldi has become a volunteer junkie. Feeding the hungry, clothing the poor, visiting the elderly—if it’s a good cause, she’s done it.

Lola’s favorite stint, building affordable houses, puts her directly in the path of Rodney. He refuses to discuss why he’s doing community service, but it’s clear he’s hiding something dark about his past. As their friendship grows, Lola begins to question the true reasons for her obsessive volunteerism and her view of those she has pledged to help.

She is only beginning to understand how lucky she truly is when her life falls apart. After losing friends, her boyfriend, even Rodney, Lola finally recognizes which parts of her life she wants to hang on to and what specifically she wants to go after. But with all she’s been through, will she be able to hang onto who she wants to be? Or will she lose all that defines her?

Excerpt:

Hank is now around the north side of the house talking to a man and a boy who looks to be about my age. The man seems very official somehow. Maybe it’s the way he’s standing, with his feet shoulder width apart, his back ramrod straight, thick arms crossed over his chest. He’s sporting a crew cut that emphasizes his strong jaw. He looks a bit like a Stretch Armstrong doll, like if Hank and I each grabbed an arm we could taffy-pull all those thick muscles until his arms were long and thin and able to wrap around Talia’s house. The grim line his lips form when he isn’t talking, the flex of muscle in his jaw, his shifting eyes that take in everything around the job site, all warn me not to eavesdrop, so I slow my approach.

The boy has caramel brown hair that hangs into his eyes. He’s in a t-shirt even though the air is still crisp, especially on the shady north side of the house. His arms are pretty thin. I’m cold just looking at him even though he appears unaffected. He’s tall. Taller than Hank, but his hunched posture almost camouflages it. It’s like he’s a turtle hiding in a shell. He isn’t slouching, just inward somehow. He nods at something Stretch Armstrong says without turning to look at the man. Maybe he’s being scolded or lectured. I reconsider eavesdropping.

Hank sees me and smiles. He raises his voice, so I can hear him. “Perfect. I can pair you with Lola. She’s a longtime volunteer and knows the ropes.”

Oh splat. Now I have to meet them. I want to glare at Hank for saddling me with Stretch Armstrong for the day, but instead I just nod and smile pleasantly as I join their group.

“Lola, this is Dave and Rodney.”

I turn to Dave—Stretch Armstrong—to shake his hand and I have to school my reaction when I see the embroidery on his polo shirt. LINDSEY COUNTY JUVENILE DEPARTMENT. Dave squints at me and then glares at Rodney.

I turn to the kid next and offer my hand. He all but sighs when he digs his out of his front pocket. “Good to meet you, Rodney.”

He reluctantly raises his gaze to meet mine and my smile is suddenly genuine. What yummy eyes he has. They’re the same color as his hair, which strikes me as unusual. The caramel color is light as far as eye shade is concerned. Warm. Glowing. Ringed with black. A toffee colored starburst adds the most compelling depth. Wow. I could spend hours staring at this boy’s eyes…if they didn’t look so hostile.

I look away to discover Dave studying me. “I’m not sure—”

“I’ll be here if there are any questions.” Hank interrupts, which I consider extremely brave. “But Lola knows her stuff. How many homes have you helped us build, Lola?”

“Six now.” I can’t help the pride that swells inside me. It must show on my face because a corner of Rodney’s mouth twists and an eyebrow raises and lowers so quickly I think I might have imagined it. As heat flares in my chest, my shoes become intriguing. I notice that Rodney’s have small holes on either side where the toes bend.

“I’ll be back this afternoon to pick you up,” Dave tells Rodney. “Don’t leave this site.”

“He’ll be fine, Dave.” Hank’s familiarity with Stretch Armstrong almost makes me more comfortable around the guy. Almost. “Lola, why don’t you get Rodney suited up. You two will have the entire north wall.”

Rodney looks at me with a panicked expression.

I laugh. “Don’t worry. It’s not Hazmat or anything. Today you’ll just need gloves and an apron.”

His expression goes blank again as he follows reluctantly.

In the supply shed I throw an apron at him, then I hold a pair of gloves out. “See if these fit.”

He takes them from me, his movements careful like he’s afraid to spook me by moving too fast.

I grab an extra caulking gun, shove another container of caulk under my arm, and skirt around Rodney. “Okay, let’s get started.”

The guy couldn’t look less enthused if he tried. With the work gloves on, he’s forced to keep his hands out of his pockets, but the way his arms hang listlessly at his sides as he trudges behind me makes me think of Droopy Dog.

This is going to be a long day.

Get your copy:

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | iBooks

About the Author:

When her children were young and the electricity winked out, Kai Strand gathered her family around the fireplace and they told stories, one sentence at a time. Her boys were rather fond of the ending, “And then everybody died. The end.” Now an award winning children’s author, Kai crafts fiction for kids and teens to provide an escape hatch from their reality. With a selection of novels for young adult and middle grade readers Kai entertains children of all ages, and their adults. Learn more about Kai and her books on her website, www.kaistrand.com.