Category Archives: Books

Summer Reading Recommendations from the Dauntless

I love book recommendations. I especially love YA book recommendations. And I REALLY especially love YA book recommendations from my writing friends. What’s more, I’m at the beach this week, and I needed to load up my kindle with lots of good reading.

So who better to ask than the Dauntless, my fellow YA Golden Heart finalists from this year?

Here’s what they had to say:

 

1. SWEET EVIL series/SWEET RECKONING.16007855

I am crazy about the Sweet Evil series by Wendy Higgins! If you haven’t picked up these books yet, now is the perfect time to start, because the third book in the trilogy, Sweet Reckoning, was just recently released and shot right onto the bestseller list. The series features the sons and daughters of fallen angels, whose lives literally depend on being bad influences. Tenderhearted Southern girl Anna is fighting her fate until she meets the alluring Kaidan Rowe and her willpower is put to the test– he’s the son of the fallen angel responsible for Lust– like father like son? I am telling you, it’s been a long time since I’ve read a YA book this much fun, this well-written, and featuring a truly hot bad boy hero even a slightly “older” (ahem) YA fan can appreciate.

— Amy DeLuca/Amy Patrick, FOUR BULLETS, 2014 GOLDEN HEART® Finalist; CHANNEL 20SOMETHING, debuts August 12, 2014.

 

2. OBSIDIAN.

BETTER OFF FRIENDS.

Obsidian_cover1600I’d recommend Obsidian by Jennifer Armentrout, which was published a couple years ago, to anyone who likes stories with a bit of a speculative twist.  Obsidian was the first book in a long time where I didn’t skim any parts—at all. (I have this really bad habit of skimming the slow parts and then missing something and having to backtrack…not at all a recommended way to read books!)  Obsidian’s plot was unique and interesting, the voice was fun and engaging, and the guy (Daemon) was hot.  A recipe for success!

More recently, I read Better off Friends by Elizabeth Eulberg and would recommend this to anyone who likes contemporary stories. The81kWl5PEFqL._SL1500_ story switches POVs between a teen boy and girl, best friends. I normally don’t books with two different narrators because many times, they read choppy.  This one did not. It was a cute story, and again, no skipping!

— Barbara Gerry, MACHA AND THE RIVER BLUE, 2014 GOLDEN HEART® Finalist.

 

 

 

 

3. VAMPIRE ACADEMY.

I recommend the Vampire Academy series by Richelle Mead. The heroine is kick-butt and feisty–she 81EP-oUzgaLsaves herself instead of waiting around for a guy to save her. There is a love story through the series that will break your heart at times (it literally brought me to tears), but stick with it! It’s worth it in the end. Make sure you carve out a chunk of time for these books–you won’t want to put them down!

— Jessica Ruddick, LETTING GO, 2014 GOLDEN HEART® Finalist.

 

 

 

4. ELEANOR & PARK.

EleanorPark_cover2-300x450 I’ve read a bunch of fabulous YAs recently, but I loved this book because the characters aren’t your typical ones.  Eleanor is on the fatter side of chunky with unruly red hair while Park is half Korean.  Their romance is sweet and sarcastic and completely real.  It’s about acceptance and love and putting yourself out there.  I found this book refreshing, and it stands out even in the midst of this fabulous genre.

— Kimberly MacCarron, CHASING FIREWORKS and TO FEEL OR NOT TO FEEL, 2014 double GOLDEN HEART® Finalist.

 

5.  THE CITY OF HEAVENLY FIRE

9781442416895_email-1-265x400I’d love to recommend The City of Heavenly Fire, by Cassandra Clare.  I loved the conclusion to this portion of the Shadowhunter story.  I loved seeing how Jace and Clary got together and worked all the problems out.  And I think Clary is a real kickass heroine.

— Marnee Bailey, ALTERED, 2014 GOLDEN HEART® Finalist.

 

 

 

 

6. MEANT TO BE. mtb-final-cover
Looking for a fun summer read? Meant to Be, by Lauren Morrill is a spring break romance set in London. The romantic comedy between by-the-books, Shakespeare quoting Julia and her class clown nemesis Jason is entertaining and hard to resist. It’s quick, laugh-out-loud hilarious, and a nice little vacation from some of the darker YA that’s currently so popular.

–McCall Hoyle, THE THING WITH FEATHERS, 2014 GOLDEN HEART® Finalist.

 

 

7.THE MADMAN’S DAUGHTER.

MMD final cover hi-resThe Madman’s Daughter by Megan Shepherd caught my eye because of its haunting premise. A book written from the point of view of Dr. Moreau’s daughter? Yes, please. The character’s voice drew me in from page one, and the world-building was gorgeous. Her Dark Curiosity, the sequel, was just as brilliant. I’m counting the minutes until the third book in this trilogy arrives.

–Stephanie Winklehake, CARMA ALWAYS, 2014 GOLDEN HEART® Finalist.

 

 

 

8. WHISPER FALLS.Whisper_Falls
One of the last books I read that stuck in my mind is Whisper Falls by Elizabeth Langston. It’s a YA time-travel romance — I do have a soft spot for those! A 21st-century boy meets an 18th-century indentured servant girl thanks to a waterfall portal. If you love history blended with a bit of mystery, you’ll love this book!

–Vanessa Barneveld, THIS IS YOUR AFTERLIFE, 2014 GOLDEN HEART® Finalist, Fall, debuts Fall 2014 by Bloomsbury Spark.

 

 

Wow! Don’t all those books sound awesome? Looks like I’m going to be busy reading this summer!


jpegAs for me, I’d recommend DANGEROUS GIRLS by Abigail Haas. After I read that someone had described it as a GONE GIRL for the YA genre, I downloaded it that very night and finished it in one sitting. This novel is about a spring break vacation in Aruba gone awry, in the worst imaginable way. Anna’s best friend Elise is brutally murdered — and the prime suspects are Anna and her boyfriend, Tate! Each chapter alternates among the trial, the few days leading up to Elise’s murder, and the previous year. I could not stop turning pages, and the ending left me thinking about the story all night long. In fact, a couple days later, I had to go back and reread parts of the novel in order to glean a new understanding of the whole story. This is a fun, fast-paced read, perfect for a sunny day at the beach — not unlike the idyllic Aruba setting!

What about you, mermaids & friends? What recommendations do you have for summer reading? (Does not necessarily have to be YA!) Please share — my kindle can never have too many books!

So That’s How It Started…

Dana MermaidAll of the readers I know have certain authors or books that they read again and again. I am no exception. One of my favorites is Shanna by Kathleen Woodiwiss. I recently finished Shanna for the twenty-seventh time. Honestly, I have no idea how many times I’ve read it, but often enough that the tattered cover and well-worn spine mark it as a favorite on my shelf. This latest reading prompted me to think about all of the well-loved romance novels out there, and the happiness they have brought so many.

But where did all of this romance begin? If I had to guess I’d say back with the caveman. Maybe the first time a big bad alpha caveman brought his main cave woman squeeze daisies or drew a colorful painting on the wall to make their cave sweet cave a little homier. My point is, as long as there have been men and women, we have shown off, flexed, primped, strutted and gone out of our way to do special things to attract each other. The real question is how  did all of this romance and happiness get into books?

UnknownMany feel that the literary fiction of the 18th and 19th centuries are precursors to today’s fiction romance genre. Authors like Samuel Richardson, Jane Austen and Georgette Heyer were among the first to write literary romance. But during my research I was surprised to discover that Kathleen Woodiwiss is considered the mother of modern romance. In 1972, after many rejection letters from other houses, Avon published The Flame and the Flower, the first novel to feature an “…epic historical romance with a strong heroine and actual sex scenes.” This was the first romance novel to carry the relationship into the bedroom. The book was wildly successful, pioneering the historical romance genre and selling over 2.3 million copies in its first four years of publication. The Flame and the Flower’s success spawned a new style of writing that involved longer and more complicated plots, controversial topics, and steamier sex scenes. Also, the stories focused on monogamous relationships with helpless heroines who often found themselves in sticky situations, so it’s a good thing all of those strong alpha heroes were there to charge to the rescue. (We won’t mention the part where the hero was usually the one to put the heroine in danger to begin with).

According to the most recent statistics I could find, more than 50% of paperback fiction sales are attributed to romance novels. Romantic fiction made up 13.5% of the consumer book market in 2008, publishing 7,311 romance novels and generating $1.37 billion in sales. Most of these books are written by authors from English speaking countries but romance novels appear in 90 languages around the globe, proving that emotion translates. So it’s obvious, although thousands of years have passed since that first caveman got the hint and brought his girl flowers, not all men have caught on… and women are still looking for romance. 🙂

The Book Prop

Mermaid CarleneGood morning fishy friends!

Have you ever had that moment when an item in a book is woven so well into the story that it adds another dimension to the reading? I have. It’s what my post is about today. The book prop.

Here’s where I divulge a creepy secret about myself in the hopes that others (that’s you guys) will share and therefore make me feel slightly less creepy. 🙂 I can be a little obsessive when it comes to these book props. For example, I might own a pink nightgown just like the one Grace wears in Sherrilyn Kenyon’s Fantasy Lover. It might have been really hard for me to find just the right one, like Grace’s, and I may have scoured several stores to find it. But I love the way her hero Julian makes her feel when she’s wearing it. And yes, I want to feel that too! I also might have searched far and wide for the perfect bottle of fragrance as described in Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight. You know that whole Edward scent of milk and honey and cinnamon and cloves? Turns out Bath & Body works has bottled that perfection up into a handy pillow mist which for a while was all you could smell if you entered my house. (Until hubby caught on, that is, and asked that I cut back.) Last one … I cannot walk past a cherry flavored lollipop without thinking of one of Olivia Cunning’s rockers from her Sinners series. I believe it was in Backstage Pass when one of the guys is trying to overcome an unhealthy addiction and his manner of doing this is that he’s now addicted to all things cherry flavored, especially the suckers. I’ll let your imagination take over there … rockstar, cherry, lollipop. 😉

prop

Grace’s Pink Nightgown from Fantasy Lover and Edward Cullen bottled up as pillow mist!

So my secret is out. And guess what? It turns out those of us who love a good book prop aren’t alone! I asked a few of my author friends to share and I’m so GRATEFUL they did! Let’s see what theirs are:

Mermaid Alethea Kontis~

My favorite book prop is a tiny velvet bag of marbles the publisher gave me as a promo for Neil Gaiman’s Coraline.  I opened my hand, dumped out the three blue marbles, and shrieked a little. “Have you read the book?” I asked the sales rep. “Did you realize you were handing out the souls of dead children as promotion?”

Still my favorite.

Connect with Alethea for all things books HERE!

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Romance Author S.J. Maylee~

The Bottom Burner drink served in the butt glass from Cara Bristol’s Body Politics.

I love it because it’s cheeky and leads the hero and heroine into one of the hottest scenes I’ve ever read.

Wanna see it? Click HERE!

Wanna chat books with S.J.? Do that HERE!

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Romance Author Lynne Silver~

My favorite book prop are the charms that Kaleb Krychek buys for Sahara in Heart of Obsidian by Nalini Singh. He buys her one charm on each of her birthdays and they each represent something of her. It’s so romantic which of course he denies, being encased in Silence as he is.

I know Lynne’s always up for book talk so go find her HERE!

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Thank you so much ladies for sharing those! And now I put the proverbial ball in YOUR court! What are your favorite props, items, doo-dads from books you’ve read? Something in the story or something out in the real world related to the book. For the record, I could have written a week’s worth of posts about Dark Hunter items! Okay, go!

 

 

 

 

Mermaids & Friends: Lynne Silver (Giveaway!)

Good morning, everyone — Carlene and Kerri Mermaid here with a special introduction.

Kerri: Guess who’s here in the lagoon today? Our critique partner and friend to the Mermaids, the fabulous Lynne Silver!

Carlene: Oh! After someone tall, dark and handsome, that was going to be my next guess! I can’t help it, I have Rowan from her new book, “Desperate Match” on my mind.

Kerri: I understand – Rowan’s hot and sweet! Is he your favorite of Lynne’s characters?

Carlene: Yes! He’s a total smarty pants but backs it up with a big heart…

Kerri: I love that about him – although you know I’m partial to Adam in the first Coded for Love book!

Carlene: Ohhhhhh…Adam. Why do you love him so?

Kerri: He’s alpha and yummy!

Carlene: All the Coded boys are alpha and yummy! It’s like an alpha yummy buffet.

Kerri: True that, boo! We should probably stop drooling and let Lynne talk now. Want to introduce her?

Carlene: Yes! Tall, fair and beautiful…Lynne Silver! Author of yummy alpha boys, some really bad guys and some pretty awesome girls too!

Kerri: Welcome to the lagoon, Lynne! We hear you wanna know what type of readers we all are AND that you’ve got a copy of Desperate Match to give away! Let’s get this chat underway…

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Lately it seems there are a rash of bloggers and readers out on social media talking about their newfound love of reading. Some of them haven’t read much sinceLynne Silver high school or college, and they can all credit a book special to them for getting them back on the reading bandwagon. Welcome back. We authors are thrilled to have you.

So yes, I’m an author, but I’m a reader first. To say I’m voracious would be an understatement. In kindergarten, students got a star sticker on their name strip for every book they read. My stars went off the strip and around the room.

I get lost in books. My husband says it’s as though I’ve left the room. And I have. My body is present, but my mind is in the world of the book.

And I’m a re-reader. There are certain “comfort” reads that I go to again and again. I can’t find a pattern in which books are my comfort reads. They run the gamut and include: Little Town on the Prairie & These Happy Golden Years by Laura Ingalls Wilder, All of the Wallflower series by Lisa Kleypas, Caressed by Ice by Nalini Singh, Night Play by Sherrilyn Kenyon, He She & It by Marge Piercy, and the whole Betsy-Tacy series by Maud Hart Lovelace.  See an eclectic mix.

There are other books I adore, yet I’ve never re-read them. So what makes a comfort read? I obviously have no idea, judging by my crazy list. The only thing in common is that I own all those books in print. I don’t read them on an e-reader. I love certain things about e-readers, but I hate that Candy Crush and Facebook is one easy click away.

Have you noticed your reading patterns change depending on the medium? Do you have comfort reads? What are they?

Thanks for having me!

Lynne

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Thanks so much for swimming with us today, Lynne! For all our fishy friends, Lynne has generously donated an e-copy of “Desperate Match” and so we will be picking one random winner from the comments section to take Rowan home with them.

More About Lynne:

By day, Lynne Silver lives the suburban soccer mom life; volunteering with the PTA, doing laundry and working. By night she enters the sensuous world of alpha males and passionate heroines.

She calls the nation’s capital home and lives in an old fixer-upper with her husband and their two sons. When not writing romance, she reads it. Lots of it. Over and over and over again, preferably with a bag of M&Ms in hand. She is represented by literary agent, Jessica Alvarez of Bookends LLC http://bookends-inc.com/index.htm

Visit Lynne at her website http://www.lynnesilver.com/

And be sure to check out her sizzling hot and heartfelt new title, DESPERATE MATCH.

Desperate Match

 

 

What is Your Favorite Romance?

Valentines-day-valentines-day-22236757-2560-1600-300x187

We know how to celebrate Valentine’s Day in the Waterworld Mermaid lagoon.  It’s not a one-day thing.  We started on Tuesday by telling why we write romance, and we asked you to tell us why you write or read romance.  Yesterday we asked some industry professionals to tell us their favorite heroes/heroines.  We had a lively debate in the comment section, and several of us have since added recommended books to our TBR pile.  If you missed either of these days, it’s not too late to add your comment.

Today we’re talking about romance again.  Whether it’s a favorite book or a movie that moved you to laughter and tears, we know you have a favorite.

Just like yesterday, it’s hard to limit yourself to one book or movie that pulled at your heartstrings.  Where the characters remained with you like a sneaky shadow for days afterwards.  Where you relived a favorite scene over and over again because it was too delicious to imagine just once.  Where you found yourself discussing the characters like they were family.  🙂

If I absolutely had to pick a favorite book it would be Judith McNaught’s Kingdom of Dreams, but luckily I don’t have to remain faithful to just one book.  When the fancy strikes, I can read about one of Julia Quinn’s Bridgertons.  Or Lisa Kleypas’s Wallflowers and Hathaways.  Or Jude Deveraux’s Montgomery and Taggert men.   I’m fickle that way.

In appreciation for your thoughtful comments and recommendations this week, we are offering a $50 Amazon gift card to one lucky commenter.  That commenter can run straight to their computer to order some of these recommended books or movies.  I know I have Beth Miller’s favorite series–The Black Jewels trilogy– in my cart right now.

Make sure to go back and comment on our Tuesday and Wednesday posts for extra chances to enter.  Why settle for one entry today when you can have three?

In the spirit of Valentine’s Day, what is your favorite romantic story? What is your go-to book or movie that grabs you by the heart and won’t let go?

We will randomly select one commenter from all three posts on Sunday and let you know on Monday who will win the gift card.   Good luck!  And Happy Valentine’s Day!

 

Getting My Butt Kicked

Susan-Mermaid-avatar As I’ve always said before, I generally avoid New Year’s resolutions.  This year, for a change, I made several:

–       I will join a critique group

–       I will allow myself to mentor someone, and ask for a mentor

–       I will submit material for publication

At the January meeting of CTRWA, I was right there with the club’s critique group.  We found much to say about each other’s work (both pro and con) and left feeling we’d encouraged each other in the best ways.  Resolution One:  check.

Also in January, responded to the semi-annual offer of matching Yodas and Grasshoppers.  Don’t laugh – our most accomplished writers are called Obi-Wans.  However, with the snag of a badly typed email address, I didn’t make the deadline for getting matched.  The coordinator felt badly for me and offered herself up, saying she didn’t feel she was Yoda status yet, but was willing to try.

Resolution Two: check.  Mentor achieved, and by the skin of my teeth.  But what an experience.  It has already changed my life.

You see, Joy asked an interesting question: what did I want from a Yoda? She had already joined the critique group, so she knew my writing.  (A side-resolution: I would be honest in my answer)

“I want someone to kick my butt.”

She wanted to see the synopsis for the book I was closest to finishing (not the one I was working on).  The next day, I had an email:  “We must meet.  This week.  When are you available?”  We settled on Sunday afternoon.

As luck would have it, I had a car accident on Friday.  Spent Saturday feeling like someone had squeezed all my back and shoulder muscles into one big knot (I’mostly fine now.  Really).  On Sunday, I asked Himself to drive me to the meeting spot in Connecticut, where my mentor was going to kick said butt.

I’d already told him he was NOT to sit with us.  Even though he’s a writer.

Thus, my husband of nearly 34 years found a table nearby, placed his lunch order and opened his Kindle.

Ninety minutes later, Joy said something I don’t remember ever hearing:  “I don’t need to see your chapters.  I already know from what I read in critique group, and from your synopsis, that you can write.”  And she asked a question I’d never had to answer before:  “Why are you writing?”

Oh dear.  A question I didn’t know how to answer.  Did I want to be published again?  Sure.  Was I willing to do what it takes to make that happen?

You’re writing, she told me, because you want to see your book published.  You want to know people can read your book.  You want them to see it and know how amazing this story is.  And the way to do that is to submit.  And the way to submit is to

Finish

The

Book

writing space susan 2010

Amazing, how this women – in less than two hours – cuts though the all the crud of my denial and strips away my excuses.  Since our meeting on Sunday, I’ve read through the first ten chapters of THE LAKE EFFECT.  I see lots decent writing, and some of it is terrific.  I also see disjointed scenes, clumsy scenes, awkward phrases, bad word choices and incomplete sentences.  This, I realize, will be my first second draft.  What an idea!  It’s almost something to look forward to – like a strange and unexpected adventure.

Which brings me to the question:  what scares you most about writing?  What would you discover if you dared?

SusanMermaid

Contemporary Romance Author Sugar Jamison Swims with the Mermaids

Denny's MermaidsI met Sugar this past summer at RWA Nationals in Atlanta. I don’t remember what we started chatting about, I just recall that I laughed and laughed and laughed some more. It was a very good first meeting. After that, I kept running into her (I swear I wasn’t stalking), and then I complimented her on the cover of her then new release and fabulous title: Dangerous Curves Ahead. By the end of RWA Nationals, I’d found a new bud and a new author I truly enjoyed. Today, she’s taking a few minutes to join us here at the pond. She also has a giveaway (all you need to do is comment to be eligible for a chance to win)! So let’s get started with an introduction and then we can dive into the questions, and Sugar’s fabulous responses. Enjoy!

photo 1

From her official bio: Sugar Jamison is a southern belle trapped in a New Yorker’s body. With a love of big hair and high-heeled shoes, she spends her day at her very normal day job and night dreaming up sweet but sassy romances.

Denny: How long have you been writing and what was your inspiration for the Perfect Fit Novels?

Sugar: I started writing my senior year of college after reading Jennifer Crusie’s BET ME for the second time. I figured it wouldn’t be so hard to write a romance novel. I was wrong. Writing romance is much harder than I thought it would be, but it’s also so rewarding.

Denny: What has been the biggest surprise about the reaction/response to your Perfect Fit series?

Sugar: I don’t know if anything surprised me about the reactions to the Perfect Fit series. Except maybe how many people took exception to my heroine referring to herself as “FAT”. The book is about a plus sized woman. Real women call themselves fat. ALL THE TIME. It’s not a bad word. I’m not degrading myself when I use the word and neither was she. Overweight, plus sized, big. It all means the same thing.

Denny: How much do you love marketing and social media? What have you found works best in promoting your books?

Sugar: I don’t love marketing, but the team at Saint Martin’s Press does a good job spreading the word about my books. I really like Facebook. I update my fan page daily. I feel like most of my readers hang out and connect with me there. I don’t really like Twitter that much, but other people love it. As far as promotion goes, I’m not sure what really has worked in terms of sales. I took out ads in a few places, but honestly I don’t think I got a return on my investment. Goodreads giveaways and the Free Book Friday I found gave me more exposure to readers than anything else. I’m sure there are other things I could be doing but usually I find that word of mouth has worked the best. I get emails from readers who’ve told me that their friends recommended that they read my books. That is the best feeling, much better than getting reviewed by a big magazine.

Denny: Did you have a pre-launch strategy for finding readers? If so, what was it:)? (yes, inquiring minds – noisy ones like me, what to know!)

Sugar: Nope. Sometimes I think I suck at this whole author thing. My publisher sent out review copies all over the place. I think that really made the difference. But I teased it on Facebook and Twitter. I had really great friends who spread the word for me. I’m very grateful for them.

Denny: What did you think I’d ask that you were hoping to answer?

Sugar: I get asked what advice I would give writers. And it would be… besides writing a great book is to build your backlist. Write as much as you can and put out as much as you can, in whatever format you choose to publish in. But make sure that whatever you publish is polished and professional looking.

Denny: What’s the Next Big Thing for Sugar Jamison?

Sugar: My next Perfect Fit book is out February 25th. Thrown For a Curve. I LOVE my hero in this book. I fall in love with each of my heroes, but I really LOVE LOVE LURVE Colin who is my sexy Irish bad boy. My other big thing is that I have another series of books coming out for Harlequin’s Kimani linphoto 2e. The first book is LIBERTY (Ginger Jamison) is also due out February 25th. Here’s a description. When Ryan Beecher returns home after a long deployment overseas, Lexy barely recognizes her husband. The man who left Texas for Afghanistan was cruel and abusive. The man who comes back to her is a badly injured stranger with amnesia—and no memory of their life together.

photo 3Lexy can’t believe how much Ryan has changed. The wounded marine is now gentle, caring and tender. And his touch awakens yearnings she’s never felt before. As he takes them both to the point of no return, can Lexy trust this lover who seems to live only for her pleasure…as he seeks his salvation in her healing embrace?

A poignant and erotic story of longing, secrets and second chances, Liberty explores the limits of desire and the boundaries of love.

Thank you Sugar!

It was great having you in the pond. And readers – COMMENT BELOW to be eligible to receive a copy of “Have Yourself a Curvy Little Christmas” by Sugar Jamison (and if you’re nice – and only a tad naughty – we may be able to give away an e-copy of Dangerous Curves Ahead, too!)

 

“This Is the Happiest Day of My Life!”

This has been a good week for books in my household.

First, this lot of Daisy Meadows’ Rainbow Fairies books arrived in the mail.

photo (17)

A little background. My kiddo’s been OBSESSED with these fairy books for the last couple months. We read a new one every single night. Her imaginative play has been filled with all sorts of fairy magic. And three guess as to what she’s going to be for Halloween.

I’ve been borrowing these books from the library, but kiddo’s been begging me to buy them. I had the brilliant idea of getting the books used from eBay, and after a week of stalking the mail, they arrived.

Kiddo’s reaction? “This is the happiest day of my life!”

Oh my goodness, I remember that feeling well. When I was a kid, books were my dearest, most precious possessions. I systematically worked my way through the children’s section of our public library, and every birthday, I asked for books, books, and more books.

You can imagine my thrill in seeing kiddo share my joy for stories.

Not only was I thrilled, but I was also inspired. So I ordered another lot from eBay, and it arrived yesterday.

photo (18)

K.A. Applegate’s Animorphs series. This was *my* favorite series when I was a kid. Okay, so I wasn’t really a kid. But it’s been a good fifteen years since I’ve read these books, and I still remember them with great fondness. That counts, right?

I cannot wait to share these books with my kiddos and see if they love them as much as I do.

Happy days, indeed.

Now, it’s your turn! Please share. What were your favorite series of books as a kid? What about right now? When was the last time you had the “happiest day of your life” feeling?