What Kay’s Reading
Books!
I love books. This is probably not shocking considering my chosen profession. What might surprise you? How rare it is that I actually have time to read now! My To Be Read pile is more like an entire bookcase. Sometimes I dream about having an entire month with nothing but beautiful weather and my comfy chair on the screened porch where I can read to my heart’s content.
I used to keep track of the books I read each year with the goal of reading at least 100 books. Sadly, I never seemed to accomplish this and finally lost track of the books I had read. But I vow to do a better job keeping up with things.
So, voila! The What Kay’s Reading section. 
On this page, I’ll be sharing tidbits about some of the great books I’m reading. It’s not a comprehensive list, by any means. Instead, it’s a hand-picked selection of some of my favorite reads over the course of the year.
Also, at the top of the left sidebar, you’ll see links to pages for my all-time favorite YAs and middle grades. These are The. Best. Books. EVER. If you haven’t read them, I highly recommend running out and grabbing them!
What I’m Reading
I’ll be adding to this list as I go, but here are some of my favorite reads of late:
THE CROWN OF EMBERS by Rae Carson
(Cover not yet released – this is a 2012 release)
This is the sequel to THE GIRL OF FIRE AND THORNS (released Fall 2011 and soon to be added to my All-Time Favorite YAs page!). I didn’t think it was possible to follow up the extraordinary fantasy of THE GIRL OF FIRE AND THORNS, but Rae Carson completely stepped up to the task. Put both of these on your Must Buy lists!
GARDEN SPELLS by Sarah Addison Allen
After I read THE PEACH KEEPER, I immediately went out and bought Sarah Addison Allen’s entire backlist. I’ve read three out of the four so far, and they are all fantastic. I especially loved the magic woven into GARDEN SPELLS, Claire and Sydney’s story. It’s fun to see those characters pop up in THE PEACH KEEPER. The books aren’t sequels, but I do recommend reading Sarah’s books in order because the worlds sometimes overlap a tiny bit.
MATCHED by Ally Condie
Truth be told, I can’t recall if I read this in really late 2010 or early 2011, but I’m putting it here because I enjoyed it enough that I was still thinking about it in early 2011 regardless. With so many books getting lots of great buzz before publication, it’s hard to know which ones to read first. So glad my agent recommended I move this to the top of my list. (Good call, Holly!) Have already pre-ordered CROSSED (coming November 1, 2011).
THE PEACH KEEPER by Sarah Addison Allen
My first Sarah book. LOVE. I’m not a huge fan of adult paranormals, but I adore books where the magic is woven in as part of the ambiance of the story. Sarah is absolutely brilliant at this. Lovely romance, great magic weaving, and an intriguing mystery make this an absolute winner.
THE SUGAR QUEEN by Sarah Addison Allen
Possibly my favorite Sarah book so far. I loved Josey and Chloe’s growth in this book, and Della Lee is such a delightfully fun character. More great magical touches, charming romances, and mysterious twists of fate. Fabulous.
TRAPPED by Michael Northrop
If you’ve checked out my FAVE YA page (see the link at the top of the left sidebar), you know I absolutely love survival books. This is a great boy protagonist survival book with Mother Nature’s snowy grip holding a group of teens hostage at a high school. Smart and nail-biting with a dry wit that perfectly fit the mood. Good stuff!
WOLFSBANE by Andrea Cremer
This is book two in the NIGHTSHADE trilogy (see my All-Time Favorite YAs list for more on the awesome that is NIGHTSHADE). It’s always hard to read the follow-up to a book I loved because I’m always worried it won’t hold up against it. But just like with Rae Carson’s THE CROWN OF EMBERS, Andrea’s WOLFSBANE completely hit the mark. More great romantic conflict–with both Ren and Shay!–and awesome high stakes.
