Guess what? We have more time to read!

With almost everyone being quarantined and stuck at home all the time, a lot of us booknerds are rejoicing. More reading time! But, as we all know, our TBR is sometimes ignored in favor for new books. And I’m brining you a list of some of my faves.

So yeah, I’m adding to your TBR today. You’re welcome.

 

 

I’m sure a lot of you have heard of most of the ones I’m going to mention here, but hopefully there will be a few new ones that will interest you. 🙂

 

Fiction

 

A TIME TO DIE by Nadine Brandes

What, you thought I was going to make this list without mentioning Nadine Brandes?!

 

How would you live if you knew the day you’d die?

Parvin Blackwater believes she has wasted her life. At only seventeen, she has one year left according to the Clock by her bedside. In a last-ditch effort to make a difference, she tries to rescue Radicals from the government’s crooked justice system. 

But when the authorities find out about her illegal activity, they cast her through the Wall — her people’s death sentence. What she finds on the other side about the world, about eternity, and about herself changes Parvin forever and might just save her people. But her clock is running out.

 

 

JUPITER WINDS by C. J. Darlington

One of my favorite sci-fi reads. Love the family relationships. <3

 

Ever since Grey Alexander’s parents disappeared five years ago, she’s had one goal—to keep herself and her younger sister Rin alive. But surviving in the North American Wildlife Preserve isn’t easy, especially for the unconnected who can be shot on sight by border patrol robot drones. Through the guidance of their eccentric old neighbor Mrs. March, Grey and Rin get through by smuggling contraband into the Mazdaar government’s city zones. 

But when Grey is captured by the merciless General Evangeline Yurkutz and is forced to become bait for her mother and father, she questions everything she thought she knew about her life in the Preserve and her missing parents. Is it possible Jupiter isn’t uninhabitable? And could this planet, whose sky swirls with orange vapors and where extinct-on-Earth creatures roam free, hold the key to reuniting her family?

 

 

WAYFARER by K. M. Weiland

Perfect for superhero fans!

 

In this heroic gaslamp fantasy, superhuman abilities bring an adventurous new dimension to 1820 London, where an outlaw speedster and a master of illusion do battle to decide who will own the city.

Think being a superhero is hard? Try being the first one.

Will’s life is a proper muddle—and all because he was “accidentally” inflicted with the ability to run faster and leap higher than any human ever. One minute he’s a blacksmith’s apprentice trying to save his master from debtor’s prison. The next he’s accused of murder and hunted as a black-hearted highwayman. 

A vengeful politician with dark secrets and powers even more magical than Will’s has duped all of London into blaming Will for the chilling imprisonments of the city’s poor. The harder Will tries to use his abilities to fight crime, the deeper he is entangled in a dark underworld belonging to some of Georgian England’s most colorful characters.

Only Will stands a chance of stopping this powerful madman bent on “reforming” London by any means necessary. Unfortunately, Will is beginning to realize becoming a legend might mean sacrificing everything that matters.

 

 

A THOUSAND PERFECT NOTES by C. G. Drews

Raw and beautiful. Perfect for someone who loves music.

 

An emotionally charged story about the power of dreams, and how passion can turn to obsession.

Beck hates his life. He hates his violent mother. He hates his home. Most of all, he hates the piano that his mother forces him to play hour after hour, day after day. He will never play as she did before illness ended her career and left her bitter and broken. But Beck is too scared to stand up to his mother, and tell her his true passion, which is composing his own music – because the least suggestion of rebellion on his part ends in violence.

When Beck meets August, a girl full of life, energy and laughter, love begins to awaken within him and he glimpses a way to escape his painful existence. But dare he reach for it?

Thrilling and powerfully written, this is an explosive debut for YA readers which tackles the dark topic of domestic abuse in an ultimately hopeful tale.

 

 

THE STORY PEDDLER by Lindsay A. Franklin

One of my favorite story worlds!

 

Selling stories is a deadly business

Tanwen doesn’t just tell stories—she weaves them into crystallized sculptures that sell for more than a few bits. But the only way to escape the control of her cruel mentor and claw her way from poverty is to set her sights on something grander: becoming Royal Storyteller to the king.

During her final story peddling tour, a tale of treason spills from her hands, threatening the king himself. Tanwen goes from peddler to prey as the king’s guard hunts her down . . . and they’re not known for their mercy. As Tanwen flees for her life, she unearths long-buried secrets and discovers she’s not the only outlaw in the empire. There’s a rebel group of weavers . . . and they’re after her too.

 

 

MARK OF THE RAVEN by Morgan L. Busse

A unique and gripping trilogy!

 

Lady Selene is the heir to the Great House of Ravenwood and the secret family gift of dreamwalking. As a dreamwalker, she can enter a person’s dreams and manipulate their greatest fears or desires. For the last hundred years, the Ravenwood women have used their gift of dreaming for hire to gather information or to assassinate.

As she discovers her family’s dark secret, Selene is torn between upholding her family’s legacy–a legacy that supports her people–or seeking the true reason behind her family’s gift.

Her dilemma comes to a head when she is tasked with assassinating the one man who can bring peace to the nations, but who will also bring about the downfall of her own house.

One path holds glory and power, and will solidify her position as Lady of Ravenwood. The other path holds shame and execution. Which will she choose? And is she willing to pay the price for the path chosen?

 

 

FAWKES by Nadine Brandes

Last Nadine one. I promise. 😉

 

Guy Fawkes’s son must join his father’s plot to kill the king if he’s to survive the plague overtaking his body in this reimagined fantastical history of the Gunpowder Plot. Remember, remember the fifth of November.

In 17th-century London, two forces rule the people: the color powers and the Stone Plague. Brown masks can manipulate wood. Black masks control the night. And red masks . . . well, red is the color of blood.

Thomas Fawkes needs a gray mask so he can remove the stone that has invaded his body and will ultimately take his life. But when he fails his color test, his only hope is to track down his father, the infamous Guy Fawkes, and demand his color mask.

But his father has other plans: to kill the king.

Thomas must join forces with his father if he wants to save his own life. When his errands for the cause bring him time and again to Emma Areben, a former classmate, he is exposed to a whole new brand of magic.

Emma doesn’t control just one color—she controls them all.

And she wants to show Thomas the full power of color magic, but it goes against everything his father is fighting for.

If Thomas sides with his father, he could save his own life. But it would destroy Emma and her family. To save one, he must sacrifice the other

No matter Thomas’s choice, one thing is clear: once the decision is made and the color masks have been put on, there’s no turning back.

 

 

NOVA by Chuck Black

Check out his other books while you’re at it…

 

A mighty empire…a lowly slave…a galaxy to save. Will a hero rise? Nova chronicles the early years of the Aurora Galaxy after the great war between two immortal races known as the Malakians and the Torians. The despot, Zari Treville, is leading the Torians on a campaign to rule the galaxy, but Supreme Chancellor Ell Yon, leader of the Malakians, stands in his way. Both races wield technology far beyond anything the human race has ever seen. Young Daeson Starlore is born of royal blood on the planet of Jypton where the Rayleans (the Drudge class) serve the ruling classes of Jyptonians (the Colloquial and the Elite classes). As a young man Daeson is living his dream piloting his Starcraft at the academy and is on track to graduate at the top of his class. A chance encounter with a lowly Starcraft mechanic changes everything and the life and world Daeson once thought he knew changes forever. Desperate for the truth, Daeson embarks on a galactic journey that will either kill him or thrust him into a life of terrifying adventure. Time is short…will he survive…will he rise?

 

 

SWIPE by Evan Angler

 

Everyone gets the Mark. It gives all the benefits of citizenship. Yet if getting the Mark is such a good thing, then why does it feel so wrong? 

Set in a future North America that is struggling to recover after famine and global war, Swipe follows the lives of three kids caught in the middle of a conflict they didn’t even know existed. United under a charismatic leader, every citizen of the American Union is required to get the Mark on their 13th birthday in order to gain the benefits of citizenship.  

The Mark is a tattoo that must be swiped by special scanners for everything from employment to transportation to shopping. It’s almost Logan Langly’s 13th birthday and he knows he should be excited about getting the Mark, but he hasn’t been able to shake the feeling he’s being watched. Not since his sister went to get her Mark five years ago . . . and never came back. 

When Logan and his friends discover the truth behind the Mark, will they ever be able to go back to being normal teenagers? Find out in the first book of this exciting series that is Left Behind meets Matched for middle-grade readers.

 

 

THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA by C. S. Lewis

I’m the only who hasn’t finished this yet?…yes?…okay…

 

 

Nothing need be said.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

THE GIRL WHO COULD SEE by Kara Swanson

 

All her life Fern has been told she is blind to reality—but, what if she is the only one who can truly see? 

Fern Johnson is crazy. At least, that’s what the doctors have claimed since her childhood. Now nineteen, and one step away from a psych ward, Fern struggles to survive in bustling Los Angeles. Desperate to appear normal, she represses the young man flickering at the edge of her awareness—a blond warrior only she can see. 

Tristan was Fern’s childhood imaginary hero, saving her from monsters under her bed and outside her walls. As she grew up and his secret world continued to bleed into hers, however, it only caused catastrophe. But, when the city is rocked by the unexplainable, Fern is forced to consider the possibility that this young man is not a hallucination after all—and that the creature who decimated his world may be coming for hers.

 

 

LIBERATION by Jessica Lauren

 

She’s felt like a prisoner her whole life. To the law. To her family’s forbidden faith. At times, even to her existence.

Fear has bound sixteen-year-old Rielle Rutherford since she learned of her parents’ beliefs. In the futuristic nation of Ulcadia, she strives to lay low and keep their secret from being discovered. If exposed, they could face a lifetime in prison. It would destroy her family and shatter any chance of a stable future.

Rielle may not understand the risks her parents are willing to take, like why they’d place their trust in a God she’s never felt, but the fear of losing them haunts her.
For years, she’s dreamt of a day when the king might change his long-established rule.

Then he does. But not in the way she hoped.

Now the Rutherfords are risking not only jail time, but their very lives. And after escaping arrest, they’re wanted dead or alive. Rielle’s strength and courage are put to the test in every way, especially when she must come to terms with the God her parents serve. What will she do when the only thing that brings freedom could cost her everything?

 

 

Non-fiction

 

THE STORY OF WITH by Allen Arnold

Changed the way I think about my writing.

 

– From the Foreword – 

“You are not alone. Whether you’re a free spirit, an office exec, a writer, musician, college student, or tired parent—your soul, like mine, knows life is meant to go beyond rat races and rare applause. This book speaks to that belief. And if you’re not careful, you may find tears warming your eyes as you read because finally someone is naming your weariness, your striving, your questions of why you just can’t quite make it, or the emptiness that hit because maybe you did. It is into those places The Story of With reaches—fusing allegory with application—to offer fresh perspective, restored hope, and a rebirth of creativity.”
—MARY WEBER, the Christy & Carol Award-Winning, 
Scholastic Pick Author of the Storm Siren Trilogy

 

 

PROJECT CANVAS by various authors

 

An international writing community. 61 authors. 11 countries. 6 continents. Are you looking for advice on how to create the perfect villain? Do you need the courage to put your story down on paper? Find this and more in Project Canvas, a writing resource written completely by teen and young adult writers and compiled by Caroline Meek and Olivia Rogers. Project Canvas includes: 71 short chapters, each written by a different author; bonus interviews with authors such as Tessa Emily Hall and Q. Gibson; world building and character development worksheets; and other helpful resources! “Amazing. Quite frankly, this is a writing teacher’s dream. Each piece of advice, description, and testimony is honest, direct, and concise enough for daily meditation yet, robust enough to move the writers soul beyond the temporary. This is not a how to book but more of a literary testimony and homage to the process of writing. A sweet balance between the practical and the spiritual. This is why we need to listen to our youth.” – Brian Dolezal, professional development and spoken word coach at Sumner Academy of Arts and Science

 

 

ANXIOUS FOR NOTHING by Max Lucado

 

Does the uncertainty and chaos of life keep you up at night? Is irrational anxiety your constant companion? Let God help you win the war on worry and receive the lasting peace of Christ.

We all encounter anxiety, but we don’t have to let worry and fear control our lives. Anxious for Nothing, from New York Times bestselling author, Max Lucado, provides a roadmap for battling with and healing from anxiety. Anxious for Nothing invites readers to delve into Philippians 4:6-7—the most highlighted passage of any book on the planet according to Amazon—

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

In this book, Max will help you:

• Celebrate God’s goodness
• Ask God for help
• Leave your concerns with God
• Meditate on good things

Stop letting anxiety rule the day. Join Max on the journey to true freedom and experience more joy, clarity, physical renewal, and contentment by the power of the Holy Spirit. 

 

 

REAL ARTISTS DON’T STARVE by Jeff Goins

 

Bestselling author and creativity expert Jeff Goins dismantles the myth that being creative is a hindrance to success by revealing how an artistic temperament is in fact a competitive advantage in the marketplace.

The Starving Artist Is a Myth

We’ve heard it a thousand times: There’s no money in art. It’s too risky. You’ll starve. So, we end up chasing more stable careers. We become lawyers and doctors and bankers instead of poets and filmmakers and painters. We settle. And in the end our best work suffers.

The truth is we do not have to choose between a creative life and a prosperous one. In fact, many of history’s most creative minds—from Michelangelo to Shakespeare to Steve Jobs—succeeded not because they succumbed to the myth of the starving artist but precisely because they didn’t.

Today we live in a New Renaissance, an era of unprecedented opportunity in which you can share your creative work without fear of suffering or starving. Drawing lessons from the likes of Jim Henson, C. S. Lewis, Dr. Dre, and many others, bestselling author and entrepreneur Jeff Goins invites us to drop the myths, worries, and flat-out lies that have been drilled into us our entire lives and instead reveals an empowering truth: Real artists don’t starve. They THRIVE.

 

 

HOW TO WRITE A NOVEL USING THE SNOWFLAKE METHOD by Randy Ingermanson

I use this in my writing process now.

 

Are you writing a novel, but having trouble getting your first draft written? You’ve heard of “outlining,” but that sounds too rigid for you. You’ve heard of “organic writing,” but that seems a bit squishy to you. 

Take a look at the wildly popular Snowflake Method—a battle-tested series of ten steps that jump-start your creativity and help you quickly map out your story. All around the world, novelists are using the Snowflake Method right now to ignite their imaginations and get their first drafts down on paper. 

In this book, you’ll follow the story of a fictitious novelist as she learns to tap into the amazing power of the Snowflake Method. Almost magically, she finds her story growing from a simple idea into a deep and powerful novel. And she finds her novel changing her—turning her into a stronger, more courageous person.

 

 

---

I hope this list of some of my favorite books will give you something new to read during quarantine. I hope you all are staying safe and healthy, but still having fun at home. 🙂

On Thursday, I will be doing a post all about my writing process. From plot bunny to editing. If you have questions about my writing process or writing in general, then leave them in the comments section!

 

 

What are you reading during quarantine? Any questions about my writing process?

---

 

Email:

Leave this field empty if you're human: