🌷 My Spring Reading List 🌷

Spring brings about so many wonderful things....from sweet breezes , and soft rains to lovely flowers. But it also brings new books...tons and tons of new books. Here is my TBR and to be purchased books for this spring.

1) Lady Midnight by Cassandra Clare (owned)
2) Lord of Shadows by Cassandra Clare (Released 5/23)
3) Empire of Storms by Sarah J. Maas (owned)
4) A Court of Wings and Ruin by Sarah J. Maas (pre-ordered)
5) Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë (owned)**
6) The Hate You Give by Angie Thomas (owned)
7) What is the Bible by Rob Bell (released 5/16)
8) The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood (owned)**

9) Rest In Power by Sybrina Fulton & Tracey Martin (owned)
10) The Book of Life by Deborah Harkness (owned/re-read)

Of course you know I plan to read more than just these novels. The asterisks represent books to be read with my book club.

First rule of Book Club.....Read Classic Novels!

We're at it again...a few of the women in my group have let me know they are interested in reading Wuthering Heights along with my next month. So from 4/12-21st we will be reading and discussing this classic. I'll post the discussion questions here...and on Facebook. Feel free to join our book group The Bookbabes on Facebook...we're always looking for new, cool bookish friends!

I pray everyone's World Book Day was a happy one. I hope you read all the books you could.

To Brooklyn and back....a promise to myself!

New York holds a special place in my heart; and no matter how many times I visit the city I always come away feeling the same clarity about life as I did the last time I visited. I know what your thinking - how can someone find clarity in a city of nearly 9 million people. Easy; be a young woman from a small town, who is a dreamer and an aspiring writer New York always leaves me facing questions about my life. Such as: Am I doing what I love? Am I giving up on my dreams? Am I living my life in a grand way? The short answer to all of these happens to be a mix. I'm not doing what I love. I have given up on my dream of writing full time - this one is a mixed bag. Money, location, and lack of a staple support system has helped this dream die a slow death over time. And am I living my life to the fullest, no I'm not. I chalk this up to location and a lack of money to travel and experience the world the way that I really truly wish that I could.
Trips to New York always remind me of the importance of taking a leap of faith. Of showing up and showing out and doing everything with a little sparkle and a bit of grit. It was on this last visit with my family that I became actuely aware that I needed to look beyond the small confines of home to find inspiration. As a highly creative person I see a need to reignite the spark that lit the fuse on my writing dream. For years I've played around with this project or that project only to scrap it because I was lazy, got bored, or was busy. But I am devoting myself to cultivating my creativity, and holding myself accountable for walking away from a God given talent that I have no right to throw away. The past two days have been a reminder of the reality that my life can be so much more than what its become. So...Heres to setting new goals, living more fully and writing from the heart.

Books Purchased Last Month

I know this is late...I will apologize in advance for
this. Last month I had the privilege to purchase some really good books. Most had been on my TBR for a few weeks.

I am really excited about each of these purchases. I will be reading The Hate U Give this month. First impressions and a full review can be expected for this book. For more info on these book such as synopsis and price visit www.amazon.com.

Currently reading....Their Eyes were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston

I am finally getting around to the next book (that I own) from the Lemonade Syllabus. I've owned There Eyes Were Watching God for a long time, it was just sitting and collecting dust so I decided to pick it up. Can't wait to dive in today.

Here is the synopsis for the book (from Amazon):
One of the most important works of twentieth-century American literature, Zora Neale Hurston's beloved 1937 classic, Their Eyes Were Watching God, is an enduring Southern love story sparkling with wit, beauty, and heartfelt wisdom. Told in the captivating voice of a woman who refuses to live in sorrow, bitterness, fear, or foolish romantic dreams, it is the story of fair-skinned, fiercely independent Janie Crawford, and her evolving selfhood through three marriages and a life marked by poverty, trials, and purpose. A true literary wonder, Hurston's masterwork remains as relevant and affecting today as when it was first published—perhaps the most widely read and highly regarded novel in the entire canon of African American literature.