We all know what comes with the new year: the dreaded Resolutions, promises we make ourselves until we find how difficult they are to keep. A new favorite author of mine, Leigh Bardugo, suggested that we Begin As We Mean To Go On. That’s exactly what I did on January 1st. But, before getting into my New Year’s Resolution, let’s first talk books!
Most Recommended Books from my 2017 Reading List
Three Dark Crowns series by Kendare Blake for its kickass female characters, brilliant setting concepts, and high stakes.
Six of Crows/Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo for its diverse cast, morally-gray characters you still will 100% root for, and its rich setting flavored by the real world.
A Court of Wings and Ruin by Sarah J. Maas for properly redefining what it means to have a “bad boy” boyfriend, for presenting an unapologetically fierce main characters, and for its interesting setting concept.
Warcross by Marie Lu for its beautiful mix of futuristic and present day, for well-developed characters, and for a twist ending that manages to be both slightly predictable but still pretty cool.
Cloud Atlas by David C. Mitchell for its mind-boggling intricacies twisted up in six stories that span six very different timelines, and for its ability to change genres with each story.
Most Anticipated Reads of 2018
Wires and Nerves Volume 2: Gone Rogue by Marissa Meyer
The Female of the Species by Mindy McGinnis
Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor
Three Dark Crowns Book #3 (currently untitled) by Kendare Blake
And Now, For My 2018 Promises!
I have already challenged myself to read 25 books this year. Unlike last year, though, I do not intend to include books read for class. Hopefully, it should be relatively easy, since it basically equates to 2 books a month, but I guess we’ll see. And, just a reminder for those who didn’t know: all of my book reviews are now going to be much more in-depth, and they’ll be located just on Goodreads. This is the link to my profile, and from there you can either add me as a friend (I’ll add you right back) or you can simply just click the “follow reviews.”
This year, I will also finish the final draft Dire Fate, my main WiP. I’m currently about 1/3 of the way through it (bear in mind I started this draft several months ago), and since this draft follows its predecessor pretty closely, I’m hoping that it won’t be too much of a struggle to finish. Once it nears completion, I’m going to start seriously looking for beta readers again, but depending on how quickly I can finish Fate, the beta reader stage might have to wait until next year. Either way, I’m feeling pretty confident on where the storyline is, where my characters are and will end up by the novel’s conclusion, so expect some character and world reveals as the year passes.
Finally, I also wanted to announce a new novel idea I’ve been working on these past few months. It’s still in its cradle stages, so I’m hard at work trying to beef up what I know of its world, characters, and plot. Considering the struggles I went through with Fate to get it where it is now, with no outline to speak of, I’d like to start this new novel knowing where it starts and how it ends. It’s another high fantasy novel, with what I’m hoping will be some small elements of steampunk, and a diversity in its cast that hadn’t felt quite right in Fate. I’ll be spending most of the year plotting this novel, and hopefully it will be ready to start draft 1 when I send Fate off to the betas.
Also, don’t forget to keep up with the Mad Chronicler. It’s gone through another change, but it’s a good one. Previously on TMC, I’d post my thoughts and beliefs on the writing process, on plotting, world-building, character development… but the only experience I have is what I’ve earned from reading and from writing an as-of-yet unpublished novel. The new posts on TMC still deal, to some extent, on writing novels, but in a less direct way. It involves a character named Ella, a girl stuck in a tower who has the ability to create new realities. The first post, What If, mostly shows how her power works, but no worries! You’ll learn more about Ella herself slowly in future posts.
Happy Reading!
Katie Bachelder 