Christine Kelly Reads and Writes

August slipped away like a bottle of wine is the realest thing ever spoken. Like, “I swear, it’s only been two weeks” is the alternate to, “I swear, I only had two glasses of wine.”

So this month was hard. I mostly solo parented and had lacking childcare. I was exhausted but also needed my cup filled with escapism. That being said, I didn’t get to my massive ever growing pile of books as I’d like.

The first book I read this month was AS SEEN ON TV, by Meredith Schorr. This was a fun twist on the typical big city gal goes to the small town. I really enjoyed that it didn’t follow the status quo, and there are many things that happened I didn’t see coming. I would recommend even if you like the big city to small town trope– it is sweet and charming!

Next I read WITH LOVE, FROM COLD WORLD, by Alicia Thompson. And yes, I still type and say from COLD WAR, which she mentions in the book. This book was so fun and I loved the characters. There is bi-rep and I really related to the MC. If you love a true enemies to lovers, this one is for you!

Now, we get into my more cozy fall vibes with reading. SPOILER ALERT: I’m in my witch era. I’m going to be likely reading A LOT of witchy books to help me get in the mood for my current WIP (which is witchy). And although these two reads aren’t witchy, they have magical elements to them that make them considered fantasy.

I read the INVISIBLE HOUR, by Alice Hoffman. I was excited to dig into this one because I have loved Hoffman’s other work. I was pleasantly surprised too when this premise fit into another MS I have recently completed. I’m hoping somehow I can use as a comp. But I recommend this book if you like classic literature such as The Crucible since it heavily surrounds Nathaniel Hawthorn. Granted I’m not a classic lit person and I still enjoyed it.

The last book I read was VAMPIRES EL NORTE, by Isabel Cañas. And ya’ll. This book is so beautifully written. It’s hard for me when people shut down my recommendations because it is fantasy and includes vampires– which isn’t a spoiler, it’s in the title. But it’s really just a sweeping love story and the vampires are symbolic. The messaging is SO IMPORTANT. The way Cañas weaved in Spanish with english so I felt immersed into the scene and setting. It’s a love story, but it has vampires. If you are not one for fantasy, but like more literary love stories, I think you’d still like this one.

Wish me luck for getting through more of my TBR in September. I also am starting my new WIP, so hopefully when I make my next blog post it can either be a fun update about it, or at least I can mention I’m still working on it.

Happy Reading!