flotsam and jetsam | 4

Hello, my friends!

I’m back with another flotsam and jetsam post. I’ve been very busy with school, extracurriculars, and other things, plus my family is stepping back from screens for Lent, so I haven’t had much time to put into my blog. But this kind of post (for those of you who don’t know, it’s a collection of random things I want to write about) is easier to finish up and fun to write.

We’ll start with the Wingfeather Saga. The first two books have re-released and are out as of TODAY! This series is one of my very favorite fantasies. It’s middle-grade (but I, as an older teen, still love it) and by a Christian author (but definitely not only for a Christian audience).

buy book one here

buy book two here

writing

I’ve been working on Cathedral:

And Remnant:

And I’ve had ideas for two new stories (a contemporary called “Den of Thieves” and a dystopian novel) plus I’m planning to work on my high fantasy story about a slave girl who falls for the prince of a utopian religious magical society. And the brother of said prince has been imprisoned because he doesn’t fit his people’s expectations.

(Probably my craziest story idea yet.)

reading

In 2020 so far, I’ve read…

• Ender’s Game, Ender’s Shadow, and alll the sequels (Orson Scott Card) — and loved them just as much as the first time. 4/5 stars.
• Breeder, Criminal, Clone, and Hunter (K.B. Hoyle) — some of my favorite dystopia, but I didn’t like all the violence and profanity and was quite unsatisfied by the ending. 4/5 stars.
• The Tales of Goldstone Wood (Anne Elizabeth Stengl) — best allegorical fantasy ever (except maybe Narnia), and I’ll be recommending/raving about it for a long time. Expect to see more of Eanrin and Imraldera on this blog.
• The Fowl Twins (Eoin Colfer) — this was magnificently hilarious. I think I enjoyed it more than the Artemis Fowl series, and you could definitely read it without knowing anything about the Fowl family.
• Anne of Green Gables and sequels (L.M. Montgomery) — a worthy reread that always makes me happy. The descriptions of nature are just lovely.

I’m currently reading…

• North and South (Elizabeth Gaskell) — I read this first after watching the BBC show and thoroughly enjoyed it. Highly recommended for fans of Jane Austen.
• Rilla of Ingleside (L.M. Montgomery) — stopped halfway through the last Anne book because I always get annoyed at Rilla’s self-described and well-demonstrated lack of ambition. Thank goodness she has a worthy character arc.
• 12 Rules for Life (Jordan Peterson) — one of my favorite works of nonfiction. I read 10 chapters a while ago but had to return it, so I’m planning to finish the last two sometime in the next couple of weeks.
• Les Misérables (Victor Hugo) — I’m stuck at Waterloo, but I do really want to finish this because I love the songs from the musical and plan to watch it once I’m done with the book.

And then I’m going to read…

• Mere Christianity (C.S Lewis) — I started this last summer but keep forgetting to finish!
• Orthodoxy (G.K. Chesterton) — I have one chapter left in my second time through.
• Chalice (Robin McKinley) — saw this at the library and decided it’s time to read it again.
• Pilgrim at Tinker Creek (Annie Dillard) — got this for my birthday (in the fall!) but still haven’t started it.
• Sing! (Keith and Kristin Getty) — another recent acquisition that I need to start.

other things

I rearranged the pictures on my walls AND got a new bookshelf which is absolutely amazing. Now I can finally see all my books!

I’ve also been studying for lots of tests (CLT, NLE, ACT, AP) and practicing for my piano recital (2 weeks away) and musical (less than 2 months away).

And that’s all I have for today! I hope to be back blogging regularly sometime in May, but until then, you’ll probably be getting this sort of random content. Fair warning (:

Until next time, my friends!