9 Comments
Dec 30, 2022Liked by Kyle Smith

Leigh Bardugo’s Ninth House might be my favorite fantasy I’ve ever read. I can’t wait for Hell Bent to come out in January.

Might I suggest Cassie Clare’s Chain of Gold series? It’s YA, and so it necessarily includes a Pining Love Triangle, but it’s also really well-written and great characters. The final book comes out on May, I believe. She’s a cut above your average YA writer.

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Good goals. I like the note-taking. I read an adjacent book to your list, The Hobbit, with my kids a few months ago. It was a fun read-aloud. And it's always great to be able to watch the movie afterward with them.

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Dec 30, 2022Liked by Kyle Smith

A word of caution about using a handwritten record (based on personal experience): after 5 years of writing in a date-ordered notebook and then becoming frustrated when trying to find a specific past entry, I finally switched to a spreadsheet with the stress-free search function. If you are set on handwriting, consider listing by title or author. One used to be able to buy A-Z ledgers; possibly still can.

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If you need a sub for any of the above, I think Octavia Buttler is a fascinating writer, both in terms of her works (Kindred is a great place to start) and as a person.

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