Christine Kelly Reads and Writes

This month was a hard month for me and reading (and writing for that matter). For two weeks this month I was paralyzed with anxiety/anticipation/excitement…all of the above. I couldn’t get into ANYTHING because my mind was focused on one thing and the various outcomes it could have. In the end everything turned out great- I got an agent!

I’m waiting to write a post on that whole experience. There are a few things I want to say about the experience, but I don’t feel like there is a secret that needs to be revealed. Because there is no secret- it comes down to luck and timing. Something I’m sure you’ve all read on numerous “How I Got My Agent” posts and there are so many good ones out there, I don’t think my story will be important. But, as I said, there are a few things I do want to share and I will do that when I figure out how best to write my thoughts.

Now, without further delay, here is what I read in April:

If Only You ,by Chloe Liese was a book that spanned most of the month. Chloe always does such a good job at having ND representation, along with other rep that makes her books worth reading alone. Additionally, this book had healthy dialogue and problem solving. I really appreciated that.

Marrying The Ketchups by Jennifer Close was a book I picked up because Jordy (of Jordy Bookclub on Insta) and Becca Freeman, both said they enjoyed. And once I started, I understood. This book had relatable characters working through many different situations during a rocky time in our history (2016). A lot of what the characters said and did, though possibly not good things, felt like something I said or did during the fallout of the 2016 election or while working with family. I think I was able to relate to it a bit more because I live a town north of one of the POV characters. It’s been making me curious about my neighbors more too…

Happy Place, by Emily Henry. I read this in a night. This book, as with all Emily Henry since Beach Read, has great banter. Sometimes it was above my head with cultural references- but I still was entertained. Emily Henry will always be an auto-buy for me. There will be a reason to recommend one of her books to someone I know. EH seemed to be so intentional with EVERY line she wrote. This was a master class at line level writing and certain details that I was just like…”I see what you did there and I’m here for it!”. I’m unsure if this is a spoiler, so skip ahead just incase…but I felt like this story relied heavily on the miscommunication trope.

If you read any of these, I’d love to hear your thoughts. I’m always looking to have book discussions.