The Four Tendencies by Gretchen Rubin

Although I have only given this read a three out of five stars, it does not mean that I didn't enjoy it, and it does not mean that I didn't learn from in. "The Four Tendancies" by Gretchen Rubin really breaks down her personality groups in more depth than in her book "Better than Before."

As I read this book, I realized that without question, I am an upholder. I meet both inner and outer expectations with pride. I love lists and completing them. I love challenging myself to see how much I can accomplish in one day.

With this book, I focused more on my own tendency and how they all work together. I did find a lot of overlap and some areas that had the same exact stories from a previous book. I totally get overlapping work; however, for some reason the repeat story got under my skin.

I appreciate the opportunity I had to learn about myself and how (and why) I interact with myself, my friends, and in my career. I will probably pick up Rubin's "The Happiness Project" eventually; however, for now, I think I need a little break. Interesting book. Worth the read.

I'm curious though... which tendency do you think fits you and why?

Heartless by Marissa Meyer

I have never been a HUGE fan of Alice in Wonderland. I liked the cartoon well enough and didn't like either of the Johnny Depp versions of the story. I'm a little shocked that I haven't read the original story; however, I have the basics down.

"Heartless" by Marissa Meyer was recommended by my friend Melissa and I decided to give it a try. This is an Alice in Wonderland retelling focusing on the Queen of Heart's origin story. I've had this book in my home library for a long time and kept postponing reading it (no reason in particular). After I failed to bring this book with me to the United Kingdom, I decided that there was no better time to read it than February, the month of hearts and love. Isn't it ironic... don't you think?

The first few chapters were quite slow; however, I liked how Meyer incorporated baking into the story. Catherine (eventual Queen of Hearts) was instantly relatable and I loved her relationship with Mary Ann. Her parents pissed me off and the King of Hearts is insanely pitiful. The story was slow until Jest entered the picture and I shipped him and Catherine SO hard.

Marissa Meyer

I knew something massive needed to happen to get Catherine to the Queen of Hearts we all know; however, how it happened was swift and without remorse and it shook me. I didn't think Meyer was going to be able to get Catherine to the Queen of Hearts level; however, she did it brilliantly.

I LOVED this book. Five out of five stars. Highly recommend to all that like/love the world of Alice. If you're "eh" about it, it's still a good story. If you're my Alice, I've tried a few times and you've passed so I will leave it be.

The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas

"The Count of Monte Cristo" by Alexandre Dumas was an intimidating Classic to face. As my first classic of the year, I decided to go all in with this monstrosity. I felt very timid turning to the first of nearly 1100 pages. The nautical terminology and the heavily used French words slowed me down and I had no idea how I was going to keep up. However, once I really got into the story, I couldn't put this down.

This was a BBC (Badassery Book Club) read for Alice and I. I think we started our plan as a 3 month read, dropped it to two, and then settled on six weeks. I might have finished in 16 days. For my safety, I wouldn't say where she is at other than the fact that she is keeping to planned reading nicely. I have lots to catch up on in the interim anyway!

Alexandre Dumas

I went into Count blind as I had never seen the movie or knew anything about the plot. I really enjoyed the story that way because I had no idea what was coming next. The first time I noticed one of Dantes' costumes, all the pieces started coming together beautifully. I cannot wait to read more of his stuff. 

What this a long book? Absolutely. Would I recommend it to others? I've already recommended it to two people. Would I read it again? Undoubtedly. My Good Reads rating is five stars out of five. This was an epic adventure that ticked all of the boxes for me. There was love (mad/passionate, unrequited) and loss, devotion and betrayal, self discovery, regret, revenge, redemption, and by the end, hope.

The Art of War for Writers by James Scott Bell

I picked this book up on a whim a few months back wanting to get more books on writing. As I've discussed earlier, I've found most of these books to be trash, so I am always skeptical. I am so thankful I picked this book up! It was my intention of only reading 10 pages of this book a day, but the truth is, I found that it was hard to put it down. Easily five stars out of five.

You know something is decent when you can get at least one piece of good advice from it; however, I was getting something great every few days. The first 80 percent of the book goes into details on writing your novel and the final 20 percent talks about agents, editors, and publishers. I found this last part the most fascinating as this part of the book industry has always been a little hazy to me. Sure, I'm not at the point yet of looking for an agent, but I now have a list of guidelines to go off so that I will know when the time is right to start searching.

"Writing is, ultimately, a matter of cheeks on chair and words on page. You must develop a certain amount of discipline and as much of a schedule as you can." (Bell, 247)

James Scott Bell

How true is that! You'll never write your book if you don't sit down and right. You'll never get better if you don't practice. I have found that scheduling works really well for me, because if I make a plan, I really intend to follow through with it. This past week, after a nice discussion with a friend about how to better manage my time, I realized I could still do everything, I was just making excuses to not novel write. I have the idea. I want to do it. But I wasn't. Well, that has officially changed. For now, I'm only writing for 30 minutes a day, but:




- I have a designated time to write.
- If my husband is home I will put my airpods in and listen to instrumental music (mainly the LOTR soundtrack).
- I write in the dark with only the light of my laptop on.
- I put my phone on silent and turn my wifi off so I'm not even tempted to browse the internet
- I set my timer
- I write.

Nothing is overly difficult. I never regret doing it after the 30 minutes are over. I do; however, already look forward to the days where I shut my alarm off after thirty minutes and keep writing. Once novel writing daily becomes an everyday habit, I have a feeling the time will continue to expand. And that is exciting.

No matter what I do, I plan to: "Respect the craft of writing. Be in awe when you sit down at the keyboard or with a pen. Write hard, write with passion, because that is what you do. Don't waste any time dissing other writers or whining about how tough things are." (Bell, 258)

Let's get to work.

Dreams Made Flesh by Anne Bishop

Considered book five; however, I read Dreams Made Flesh, a collection of four short stories in the Black Jewels world as soon as I finished the original trilogy. Overall, the collection received a five out of five stars rating. I'll talk briefly about each from least favorite to favorite.

In last place is the first and shortest story in the collection, "Weaver of Dreams". What I liked about this story is that it very much an origins. It tells about how the original webs and winds were created. As cool as the story was, it was very short and I didn't feel any massive emotional connection.

In third place is "Zuulaman" which focuses on a time in Saetan's past where he basically goes unspeakably dark. This was the second shortest story and the third in the book. This was both a hard story to read and completely captivating. Anne Bishop does an amazing job at making me hate his wife Hekatah on pretty much every level. I like that you find out about Zuulaman in the previous story and then in the final story you see how Daemon is his father's mirror and is absolutely capable of the same thing.

Anne Bishop

In second place is "Kaeleer's Heart." If you're a die hard Jaenelle and Daemon shipper (which I am, too in most ways) then this is the story for you. It's the final short story in the collection and continues after the end of the third book in the trilogy. This talks about Jaenelle's recovery, the twilight's dawn jewel, and the relationship between her and Daemon. There's also some drama in town that really reveals how much like his father Daemon really is.

My first place winner is "The Prince of Ebon Rih" which is the story of the Warlord Prince, Lucivar Yaslana and the hearth witch, Marian. I remember being shocked in the trilogy that Lucivar was married and out of all possible short stories, this is the one I was most interested in. Well, this one, and a story about Surreal. But alas, that story is in my next book! Lucivar comes into this story with a lot of anger and a lot to learn. Marian comes in very damaged. I love the story of her growth and seeing the arch of where this story started to where it ended. It was the longest, and my most favorite.

Overall, each story was very well done and expanded this world to a point where I cannot wait for more. Lucky for me, the next book, Tangled Webs is sitting right next to me.

Happy Reading!

White Night by Jim Butcher

I have picked up, purchased, and donated so many copies of the first book in the Harry Dresden series by Jim Butcher. Two years ago, he was mentioned by Alice, and I explained to her that I've tried reading this series on multiple occasions; however, I could never really get into it.

It was then that she had mentioned that the majority of the audio books were narrated by James Marsters. He's been in a ton of things, but he is best known to me as Spike from Buffy the Vampire Slayer. That was enough for me to give it another go.

I borrowed the book through the Libby app via my local library and listened with overwhelming joy. James Marsters is the perfect Harry Dresden. Fast forward a year or two, I have just completed "White Night" which is the ninth book in the Dresden Files series by Jim Butcher.

For those who haven't started the series I won't give any spoilers away. All I will say is this book scored a five out of five star rating. I laughed a lot. I like that Harry has an apprentice as it adds a new dynamic to his story. Mouse is always a favorite. I would have liked more Bob, but loved the time spent with and about Tomas. I love that Harry is still Harry in his imperfect perfection.

Jim Butcher

Nine books in, and the story keeps getting better. Well done Mr. Butcher, well done. In more exciting news, the long awaited 16th book of the 20 book series was announced. Peace Talks is set to release on July 14, 2020. I know that I still have seven books to go; however, I am very excited to hear about this new release. Head on over to Amazon to pre-order your copy!

A Question of Holmes by Brittany Cavallaro

"A Question of Holmes" is the final book in the Charlotte Holmes series by Brittany Cavallaro. I've rated this four out of five stars much like the previous book. There was a couple of surprises here that I didn't see coming.

There was a nice subtle nod to the original author of Sherlock Holmes in this book, and I think it was ended very well. I like Charlotte's arch throughout the series and am really happy with the person she turned into. I feel as though the final book was getting more relatable to me as it deals in college atmosphere and most of the setting is in Oxford. There was also mentions of Jaffa Cakes and Sainsbury's. It made me miss Oxford and wonder if Cavallaro wrote about the one I frequented. A girl can dream.

I enjoyed the theater mystery and Holmes work with the detective at Scotland Yard. I also appreciate that Jamie was finally starting to be treated like an equal instead of an ignorant child. He deserved more credit than he got throughout this story.

I know that Cavallaro did a collaboration writing Hello Girls with Emily Henry, but I'm not sure if she has written more than that. Hello Girls is definitely on my future TBR list. Maybe even this year.

Despite Popular Belief...

It's still only Thursday. And since I didn't finish reading a book today, we're going to do a quick 10 minute free write (no corrections) for the blog post tonight because all I really want to do is read "The Count of Monte Cristo" by Alexandre Dumas. Without further ado, let's set the timer and go because I have a feeling I'll be talking about this more.

I'm sure that I am not the only one that thought that yesterday was Thursday and today was Friday even after repeatedly correcting myself. Here we are at the end of the actual Thursday and it feels like tomorrow is Sunday. I blame the nap I took this afternoon for at least part of my confusion.

If you don't know me, on Thursday and Fridays I will only work 4-6 hours a day because I had worked three ten hour shifts Monday through Wednesday. I worked until noon today. I had high hopes of doing a TON of reading and part of that was to read "A Question of Holmes" by Brittany Cavallaro in one sitting. I got nearly halfway finished before my body told me that it was actually time to go take a nap.

I took myself and my dog (okay so she just followed me, I didn't actually "take" her anywhere) and we climbed into bed. She of course took up Steve's side and most of the middle and generously gave me a tiny sliver on my side of the bed. What a good girl. We fell asleep around 1:30. We woke up many times in the interim due to phone calls and texts but decided to stay in bed. It was warm. It was comforting. And I knew that this rest was needed.

I didn't fully wake up until Steve called at a few minutes before five. Whoops. I probably should have set an alarm. I still felt pretty crummy after waking up but as the hours have progressed, I am doing a lot better. I am surprisingly feeling like I could sleep again soon which is great since I need to be up at 5am tomorrow.

The biggest thing I noticed was that I really didn't feel like writing anything. This happens sometimes, but I've found that when I feel that way, that usually means that I need to be writing. Despite my absolute infatuation with "The Count of Monte Cristo," I decided to do a quick free-write so that I can keep with my writing something every day. Even now, I keep glancing to my make-shift table next to the couch (it's a folding chair) and looking at my book with my 'Silence Please' book mark for Bodlean Library when I was in Oxford a few months ago. It's calling to me. I've never read this story before and I have somehow missed all of the spoilers and it's legit all I want to do.

I've got some decisions coming up that I'm going to take the weekend to focus on. One of the main things that I'm learning is that there is too much for me to do (that I want to do) and not enough time to complete everything. I need to figure out what my priority list is and then make some hard decisions. Ultimately, I think that they will be a very good thing overall for the course of the rest of the year, and figuring them out now, in February is much better than realizing in September that changes need to be made.

My biggest issue is the one thing that is the most important to me keeps getting pushed aside for other things and I'm not taking the time it needs or deserves. I'm sure part of it is fear. Fear that if I start that I will need to hold myself accountable. Fear that if I make the commitment to it, that I will need to follow through. And in order to follow through, I will absolutely need to make some changed that will likely involve me reading less than I do... and I absolutely LOVE my reading time.

The ten minutes are over. I hope you all have an amazing Friday. Tomorrow. Because I totally know what day it is now.

The Case For Jamie by Brittany Cavallaro

I am so thankful that "The Case for Jamie" (Charlotte Holmes, #3) by Brittany Cavallaro was a vast improvement over book two, "The Last of August." This story takes place nearly a year after the events in book two, where we learn that Jamie and Charlotte are no longer talking to each other, let alone on the same continent. Despite being apart, their story is not over as the mystery begins to unravel the enigma that is the Holmes', Watson's, and Moriarty's. The threat of Jamie's life to get to Charlotte is elevating at a great pace.

I'm not a huge fan of flashbacks; however, the ones that were used here were necessary as they filled in the gaps of what happened after Milo shot and killed August Moriarty. I thought the mystery didn't have as much umph as it could have. The reveal was quick, and not completely satisfying.

4th and final in series

Brittany Cavallaro's writing style is so wonderful. She captures the voices and personalities of both Jamie and Charlotte brilliantly (especially Charlotte), so when they switched chapters back and forth between the two... I loved it. I could get lost in a book completely told by Charlotte. Charlotte's history in the school and her relationship with her parents growing up broke my heart. Some words, you can't take back.

Overall, great characterization, great narrative, great escalation, and a solid mystery. I am eager to begin the final book in the series. Four out of five stars (29/100).

Reflection: One of Those Days

Nothing bad happened today. I woke up sore but well rested. My knee hurt with every step I took, but that is a fairly normal experience. Kaylee and I took a walk in the rain a little after five in the morning. Because I'm a Patreon supporter of my favorite media company, Chipperish, I got to listen to an early access/sneak peak at the newest podcast Lani Diane Rich and Dr. Kelly Jones are doing called: "How Story Works: Conversations." I was just talking the other day to you about how I needed to find better guidance on writing and process-- well my friends, this is absolutely it. This dynamic duo are probably my favorite two pod-casters in the world (yes, even above David Tennant... mostly likely. Maybe... yes? We can discuss this later). This podcast not only gives me all of the feels, but it gives me the excitement to read what I love, write what I love, and live what I love. And that is a pretty freeing concept.

The dark and gloomy atmosphere here in Nashville really reflected my work day well. Nothing bad happened. My work was harder than usual which slowed me down which meant that I didn't hit my productivity for the day. Today was a quality day and that should even out in the end. I applied to a new position within my company that has left me anxious and excited. I don't know when the interviewing will begin, but I'm hoping in a few weeks. Who knows what life will be bringing my way in the coming months. I know that I am working hard toward a goal and I'm going to keep after it no matter what failure's come my way. I worked ten hours today which means another ten tomorrow and two fives on Thursday and Friday. It's only Tuesday and I'm halfway there.

In my down times I was able to get a good solid chunk of reading into "The Count of Monte Cristo" by Alexandre Dumas, my daily 10 pages in "The Art of War for Writers" by James Scott Bell, and a large head start (about 150 pages) into "The Case for Jamie" by Brittany Cavallaro. After this blog post, I'm going to settle in for the night with my short stories collection in the Black Jewels world by Anne Bishop.

Today is Tennant Tuesday so I also listened to "David Tennant Does a Podcast with... Jon Hamm." I know almost nothing about most celebrities, so it is nice just hearing people's stories. Yes, I also enjoy the Scottish accent, but that's really besides the point. Or is it? :)

Evening walks with Kaylee were even wetter than this morning, but it was nice getting outside in the evening. We even started before night fell which is always a treat.

And now, I'm settled in for the night and relaxing before bed. I've been extra tired recently and was asleep last night before 9pm. I have a feeling tonight will be similar. I used to stay up until all hours of the night and sleep four hours. I can't do that any more. I love sleep too much. Wishing you all a pleasant night's sleep and a happy and productive tomorrow.

The Last of August by Brittany Cavallaro

"A Study in Charlotte" was the first book in Brittany Cavallaro's Charlotte Holmes series and I adored the book. I loved the clever take on the story of a female descendant of Sherlock Holmes and her encounters with James "Jamie" Watson. The majority of the book was told from Jamie's perspective; however, the portions told by Charlotte were stellar. This first book took home a five out of five star rating.

Sometime during the first novel you learn about August Moriarty and Charlotte's connection to him and the history between them. When I dove into "The Last of August", book two of the series, I made the assumption that it would be all about him; when in fact the last of August is the title of a painting.

This story takes place in Europe, mostly between England and Germany. Their newest case involved the disappearance of Charlotte's uncle, while they are on their Christmas holiday away from their boarding school in the states.

Brittany Cavallaro

For me, this story was a bit of a stretch and I realized that I was struggling to connect with characters which was different from the first book. I rated this a total of three and a half stars out of five. The concept was good; however, the character connection and how the story wrapped up was a little off kilter for me. Overall good, but not "take my breath away" great.

I will begin book three, "The Case for Jamie" tomorrow morning. I am interested to see where this next book will take place and how things develop between Charlotte and Jamie.

As an author, I love Brittany Cavallaro's writing style and look forward to reading everything she writes.

On Writing: Part One

Halfway through January I began "The Art of War for Writers: fiction writing strategies, tactics, and exercises" by James Scott Bell and it has been a fantastic read thus far (I'm about half way through it). I have had a passion for writing since high school and that was more than 20 years ago; however, I have had such a hard time getting myself to read books on writing to better my craft. I decided to change that this year and I'm so glad I did.

Because I have marked up this book so much (with sticky notes), I know this will take several sessions to work through as I want to also reflect and see how I can apply these techniques to my own life and writing. Let us begin.

"Anything that helps me become a better writer, I want to find." (Bell, 2)

That was the entire premise of purchasing this book. If you're into writing at all or studying the craft, you also know that there's also a ton of unhelpful crap out there on writing too. I've found that finding the right resources to be most difficult. I don't want to waste my time or money on garbage. That being said, maybe I need to sift through the trash to find the gems. The question is, how bad do I want to be a better writer? If I'm not learning and improving, then I'm failing. As long as I keep growing, that is a win.

"If you can take just one aspect of your writing to that storied 'next level,' it will be quite evident to an agent or editor." (Bell, 4)
I used to be an avid computer gamer and the concept of leveling up is wildly familiar to me. If I can take something that is normally mundane and turn it into a game, I am all in for it. I love creating mini challenges and rewards. I can totally picture myself taking a scene that is good and figuring out how to elevate it. I specifically love making things more emotionally charged. On numerous occasions I will make myself cry as I'm writing something devastating allowing my own words to affect me as if I were the character directly. That is just one way I could elevate it. I am looking forward to exploring the different options in the very near future.

"Simply put, you must be devoted to quantity." (Bell, 5)

This has been my biggest hindrance. When I get focused on an idea, I get single-minded about it and stop thinking about generating other story ideas. This is something that I want to change this month. Sure, I don't want to write more than one novel at a time, but I also need to be recording my ideas as they come up instead of pushing them away because I am already focused on something. It doesn't take long to write an idea down. I could have a spiral notebook or even just a word document on my laptop. It's a simple fix that I think could have long term sustaining rewards.

"Publishers are not interested in publishing a novel. They want to publish novelists, writers who can build readerships and make money for the company over the long term." (Bell, 10)

These two statements were a game change for me (see, there I go again with gaming references). This also ties in about being devoted to quantity (quality will continue to improve with time and more practice and exceptional editors and guidance from Beta readers and your team). Your value is not just a single book to the publisher but the potential of not just what is, but what is to come. I want to be the novelist, not just the stand alone novel. I admit that I don't know enough about the publishing industry; however, I know people in it, I know how to google, and I know how to ask questions and research.

All of the above is just a tiny portion that I gleaned from the first chapter of this book. I love going back over this because not only is it allowing me to dig deeper into what I've read, but it keeps it fresh in my mind. Some say we can only thing about one thing at a time. Well, it's a good thing my focus is on my writing. I have so much hope for the future, and I will fight for it every single second of the journey.

February 2020 TBR

Hello, February. It tends to be the coldest month of the year here in Tennessee. It is the month of love and self-love and lust and romance and happily ever afters and new beginnings whether with someone or on  your own. It is the month of candy and cards and flowers. It is the month of red and pink and white. It is a month of friendships and most importantly, it's a month for reading books. It is also leap year this year so we are graced with an extra day to read. Yay us!

Let's talk about goals for the month:

Planting Flowers: Positive self-talk will continue not only with myself, but about others with a special focus in building positive relationships at work. At least once a week I will take time just for myself and not feel guilty over it whether it be a walk without the dog or a bubble bath. 

Health and Wellness: This month is mostly a continuation of last. I want to eat as clean as possible and drink a ton of water. I will continue my Barre Blend (ballet meets yoga meets cardio meets pilates meets strength training) and my outdoor adventures with my pup, Kaylee. I'm looking forward to the days getting longer as I don't like walking in the dark  in the area where I live. If my knee starts feeling better, I might incorporate a little running with my daily dog walks. Kaylee loves to run.

Writing: I've been so inspired by this "Art of War for Writers" by James Scott Bell these past few weeks that I am going to cut my brainstorming phase down a little and start getting into writing scenes and really diving deep into who my Lead character is, her motivation, and where I want to take her. I normally would create biographies and do lots of planning, but I'm going to allow her to find herself in the dialogue and see where she takes me. This is all about her after all. 

Reading: Reading seems to be my biggest category and so far, its the category that I have achieved the most with. Last month I kicked my goals in the teeth. This month is a little different. The main reason is because I have a MASSIVE classic to cover for BBC and we're extending the read over at least two months. This book is of course The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas. This will be my first attempt at this monster and I am really enjoying it so far. It's very good, but I read classics at a much slower pace.

Minus when Count will be finished, there are 14 other books I would like to read this month. I have a small handful that I would like to get to but am not sure I will, and I have a bunch of lighter romance/comedy books to fill in any slums in my reading. As with last month, my first few days will be slower. I want to read these books for enjoyment, so if they're not bringing me joy, they will probably get DNF'd. Only time will tell there.

Currently Reading (as of Feb 01, 2020):

1) The Art of War for Writers by James Scott Bell
2) The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas
3) Dreams Made Flesh (The Black Jewels, #5) by Anne Bishop
4) The Last of August (Charlotte Holmes, #2) by Brittany Cavallaro

Must reads for this month:

5) The Invisible Ring (The Black Jewels, #4) by Anne Bishop
6) A Curse So Dark and Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer
7) The Four Tendencies by Gretchen Rubin
8) A Fatal Grace (Armand Gamache, #2) by Louise Penny
9) The Guinevere Deception by Kiersten White
10) Heartless by Marissa Meyer
11) Tangled Webs (The Black Jewels, #6) by Anne Bishop
12) The Upside of Unrequited by Becky Albertalli
13) The Case for Jamie (Charlotte Holmes, #3) by Brittany Cavallaro
14) A Question of Holmes (Charlotte Holmes, #4) by Brittany Cavallaro
15) The Beautiful by Renee Ahdieh

Books I'd really like to get to this month:

16) A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J Maas
17) The Cuckoo's Calling by Robert Galbraith
18) To All The Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han

Bonus books if I get really ambitious this month and need more to read:

19) Something Borrowed by Emily Griffin
20) The Bride Test by Helen Hoang
21) Twisted Sisters by Jen Lancaster
22) Demon Glass by Rachel Hawkins
23) Confessions of a Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella
24) My (not so) Perfect Life by Sophie Kinsella
25) Life and Other Inconveniences by Kristan Higgins

Audio books expected in through my Libby app:

26) White Night (The Dresden Files, #9) by Jim Butcher

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Of all of the books this month, as I have mentioned before, "The Count of Monte Cristo" is my biggest challenge and will likely hold the most feelings of accomplishment. I don't know how I have spent the majority of my adult life not getting spoiled of the plot of this book, but I am going in blind. So far, it's been the best way to go. No spoilers please!

Have you ever had a book that was extremely hyped and it leaves you anxious and itching to read it in one sitting? The following four books are the ones I am most excited to read this month:

A Beauty and the Beast retelling, because who wouldn't be down for that?

Book two in the Armand Gamache series. Possibly the BEST crime book series I have ever read. 

A King Arthur retelling from Guinevere's perspective. Badass.

Is this cover not gorgeous? New Orleans in 1872. City is ruled by the dead. Everything about this book feels dark and haunting. If I wasn't so excited to read it, I would probably wait until closer to Halloween! But alas, I will not be waiting.