Happy Monday, friends!

   

My reading slump is finally over! Thanks in large part to Dorothy Must Die by Danielle Paige – would you believe I gobbled the ENTIRE thing in one week? It was that good! A continuation of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum, Dorothy Must Die follows Amy Gumm from living a teenager’s worst nightmare in Flat Hill, Kansas to her discovery of Oz. In this alternate version, Dorothy is not only a real person, but reigns as evil witch supreme, draining all of Oz’s magic and Technicolor splendor with it. Right away, Amy joins The Revolutionary Order of the Wicked, with only one goal in mind: to kill Dorothy and return Oz to its former glory.

I also finished reading The Wanderers by Meg Howrey, in which a group of hand-selected astronauts must prove their worthiness for a trip to Mars by spending seventeen months in a grueling, over-the-top, simulation. Compared to two of my favorite novels, The Martian and Station Eleven, I think it’s safe to say this one was built for disappointment. While much of The Martian is based on 1) here’s the problem and 2) here’s how he slays it, Howrey focuses on mental stresses and their effect on the astronauts’ interpersonal communications with each other as well as their families. A well written character study, The Wanderers is more than a race to space, it’s an introspective look at who we want to be and the people that get us there.

Earlier this month, I fell head over heals for Magonia by Maria Dahvana Headley, and this week I’m super excited to have the second book, Aerie, on audio! Truly one of the most unique series I’ve read, I can’t wait to read more! But, while my reading life is taking off, work is still getting the best of me. This month has been extremely busy an overwhelming with a never-ending theme of work, work, work, eat, read, CRASH! I’m hoping to carve out more time for myself, and for the blog as best I can, but there’s only so many hours in the day. Thanks to everyone who visits – I promise I’ll get to your comments soon!

What are you reading?

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It’s Monday, What Are You Reading? Is hosted by Kathryn at The Book Date, a great place to meet up and share your reading plans for the week. I love finding new blogs and new books – so a link-up that helps me do both? Sign me up!