20 Questions!

So a Twitter friend posted this last year I think, and I loved it and decided it should be a blog post. So here goes. :) (These are answers relating to fiction works. I read lots of non-fiction too.)

1. My favorite genre to read last year was fantasy/allegory and historical fiction. So far I seem to be continuing that trend. I loved finding new authors and the ones I found usually wrote from those two genres. I love historical fiction because I can learn things while having people and places come alive through past events. I love fantasy because really it's someone writing about our world and our lives, just in another place and setting.

2. Currently I'm rereading Chuck Black's Kingdom and Knights of Arrethtrae series. I'm on book 3, Kingdom's Edge, and it's every bit as good as it was the first time. (So were 1 and 2, too.) It's like an extended allegory of the Bible, including Shadow and Silent Warriors (representing demons and angels, respectively). Jewish history, and the Messiah, and daily life combined, and it is written simpler for younger people, but adults love them too.

3. The first book I remember loving was Norman the Doorman. I haven't seen any other kid read it ever and I don't even know if it's being published anymore (that makes me feel old). It's about a mouse, and it was a horizontally long book (not the regular size or square kids books). It had lots of pictures and I remember asking dad to read it over and over again. I still remember phrases from it. The first chapter books I remember loving were The Black Stallion series, and the Misty of Chincoteague series. Both about horses...animals I still love and ride today. The list of books I loved just grew from there on.

4. A book series I wish would be adapted to film would be the Kingdom/Knights of Arrethtrae series and Black's other series Wars of the Realm. A stand alone book I wish would be made into a movie would be Crowning Heaven (Emily Hayse), Pendragon's Heir (Suzannah Rowntree) or Counted Worthy (Leah E. Good).

5. This one is hard...favorite protagonist is probably Ben from War of Loyalties (Schuyler McConkey) or Reese from the Oneness series (Rachel Starr Thomson). I really can't decide. :P

6. Favorite antagonists really aren't my thing. I don't tend to like them at all and typically can't imagine them being a favorite. I'll keep thinking...

7. I wrote simple stories for school when I was little, but I'm not a story writer as such. I do remember writing a story about a dog sled team and about a rabbit who needed a friend, but I've written non-fiction and poetry in greater quantities as I've gotten older.

8. So I used to believe the Lord of the Ring movie series were better than the books. However, having read them through a second time, I have changed my mind. The books are so full of amazing quotes (so are the movies), and rereading them makes me just want to read them again. However, I will say that the Hobbit movies are better than the book (though I did enjoy the book). It's a lighter story (and it was meant to be so), but I love the deeper side of relationships and life that the movie brings out.

9. Best book this year so far, is The Return of the King (3rd book in the LOTR trilogy).

10. I don't have one favorite author, so I'll list lots. :D Angela Hunt, Rachel Starr Thomson, Mesu Andrews, Lynn Austin, K.M. Weiland, Chuck Black, Patrick Carr, Suzannah Rowntree, Schuyler McConkey, Emily Hayse, Leah E. Good, Rosemary Sutcliff, C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, Douglas Bond, and Nadine Brandes. To name a few. ;)

11. I'm not sure I have a least favorite genre. I usually like books from all different genres. It really depends on the author and the book, not so much the genre for me. There are some very obvious genres I would refrain from reading, but typically, I'm willing to try most stories in different settings.

12. I have way too many books that I'd recommend to friends. After all, I have six bookshelves (might be seven soon), so I'm not really sure where to start. The last book I recently loaned to a friend was Crowning Heaven. I'd also recommend War of Loyalties (Schuyler McConkey), Exile (Rachel Starr Thomson), Pendragon (Suzannah Rowntree), and A Time to Die (Nadine Brandes).

13. I haven't really watched many film adaptations of movies, and the ones I've watched recently, the book was written after the movie. However, I do love, love, love the extended edition of The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings. I also recently watched Paul, Apostle of Christ and read the book by Angela Hunt. Super well done.

14. Probably the Bible. I haven't counted, but I am quite sure that I have reread the Bible more times than I've ever read any other book. I don't often reread, though it is my goal to do it more this year.

15. Well, the books I don't expect to like are the ones I haven't read yet. I usually expect to like a book and often I do. There are few that I have read and not liked in some way. Usually that happens with non-fiction, more than fiction.

16. I'm very bad at reading classics. If Little Women and Little Men are classics, then I love them (also the movies). Same with Swiss Family Robinson. I have Emma and Pride and Prejudice on my shelf, but I haven't read them yet. My reading habits so far have consisted of reading ancient books (that nobody knows about) or brand new authors (also which nobody often knows about, it seems). But it makes an amazing platform for sharing new stories. :)

17. Different books have impacted me at different stages of life, so truly there is no one book, and often times they happened to be non-fiction works. However, Dreamlander (K.M. Weiland), War of Loyalties (Schuyler McConkey), and Renegade (Rachel Starr Thomson) have been the most influential in the last five years or so. I love the challenges of faith, and journeys of friendships in each of them. Basically I love seeing faith meet real life and how it plays out in peoples' lives.

18. Actually, I have met two authors already. One being a friend, and the other a Sunday school student of mine. :) However, I think that meeting Nadine Brandes would be amazingly fun. I love her Instagram stories (especially of baby-life), and her YouTube videos are so friendly and personable. But I'd love to meet Angela Hunt and Emily Hayse and K.M. Weiland and ask them All the Questions about why they wrote their stories.

19. I think more people should know about Rachel Starr Thomson. I can't remember where I was first introduced to her, probably social media somewhere, but the first book of each of her series is free on her website. She has a large following and also speaks at conferences and retreats and such, but everyone I mentioned her to doesn't seem to even know about her. Her insight into Scripture is amazing and she writes stories that take spiritual matters and make them tangible (or so it seems). She writes the hard stuff in ways that people would readily accept. And she has a membership for readers so you can get access to all her new books first (because why ever not?).

20. My favorite series is the Oneness Cycle by Rachel Starr Thomson. Favorite book...well, I'd have to have one for each category and genre. There's no way I could have a favorite book. However, I think most of my favorite books are mentioned in this post, so read them sometime and let me know what you think! You can also find reviews of many of them on the Alphabetized Book Reviews page.

What would be some of your answers to these 20 questions?

Book Release and Review! | Crowning Heaven by Emily Hayse

From Amazon: 
Heaven Cassidy has only ever wanted one thing: a family. But when she opens a letter from her long-lost mother, she finds herself running for her life. Swept into a world of proud queens and ancient feuds, Heaven must decide whether her dream is worth taking on the responsibility of two kingdoms, one of which wants to crown her and the other to kill her.

It's finally here!

I was so privileged to receive an ARC ebook of Crowning Heaven, and I've decided that the cover is quite perfect. The stormy blue background studded with stars and a flash of light is just like the story itself. Crowning Heaven is actually about placing a crown on the head of a girl named Heaven. I have to say that because I had heard and read the title for a while before I actually realized that it wasn't some doctrinal book about heaven and the crowns in it. (Yes, I know, not everyone's mind goes there, but mine does. :P)

There are a few books that have been or are being released currently, and some of them you just must have. This is a must have. The characters are beautifully portrayed and I love how they grow and change. Two worlds intersect when Heaven is born, though she doesn't even know it yet. She knows little of her parents, but the few things she finds out change her world completely. The first few lines of the story set the time period and capture the scene immediately. Heaven learns to love her new family and take up the role Rodhacar and Castellan give to her. Not many people can bridge the gap between these two nations, but there are a few who do, and Heaven finds out how just very important she is to the uniting of the warring countries.

Emily Hayse excels in writing and portraying emotion. I sorrowed when characters died, but the joy among friendships was well worth it. Heaven finds out she needs to pursue marriage as a way to give her strength, finances, and armies. While I was surprised at the way she chose her suitors, I loved how Emily brought about romance in countries that typically married for convenience, rather than love.

The fantasy elements were also intriguing. I enjoyed the portal between the worlds, and how technology spanned Earth and Rodhacar. Also, because I love horses and riding, I quite enjoyed the fact that everyone rode horses instead of cars. ;) Heaven journals, too, and because her character is similar to me in many ways, Heaven's writing and life desires were something I could quickly identify with and see how they molded her thoughts and actions. My favorite characters would be (besides Heaven) Tyr, Athen, and Breac. Thrasi, Lysander, and Nic also hold special places in my heart.

I wish I could do justice to this story with a review, but you will just have to read it yourself now that it has been released!! Heaven's story and the people who live with her and die for her will stay with you even when you close the last page. And for my fellow Christian readers, I believe this book will provide a glimpse into what it means to fight alongside your brothers and sisters in unity, while also living or dying for truth. Fantasy books typically parallel that of our physical or spiritual world, and this one is no different. Heaven's quiet courage, Athen's steadfastness, Breac's sacrifice, and Nic's protection are just a few of the people and character qualities that we would do well to emulate in our lives.

Well done, Emily! :) 

Cover Reveal | Crowning Heaven by Emily Hayse

Hello, friends!
I'm back to announce the cover reveal of Crowning Heaven! Emily's been hard at work on this book ever since I started following her on social media, and I'm so happy to announce that her book is almost here!!! The snippets I've read and seen have been amazing, and I really hope to read it soon.

Isn't the cover just amazing? The burst of light against the dark starry background is just perfect and it gives the right incentive to open up the pages and dive into another world.

Here's a little bit about the book and some of Emily's social media profiles. Check her out and order her book if you can. :)

Author: Emily Hayse

Release Date: May 15th, 2018

Synopsis: Heaven Cassidy has only ever wanted one thing: a family. But when she opens a letter from her long-lost mother, she finds herself running for her life. Swept into a world of proud queens and ancient feuds, Heaven must decide whether her dream is worth taking on the responsibility of two kingdoms, one of which wants to crown her and the other to kill her.

Twitter: @theherosinger
Instagram: @songsofheroes
Website: emilyhayse.com

I'll be back soon this month with some more book reviews! What have you been reading lately?