Oh, and my WIP is now in the hands of beta readers. So, I’ve put a rest on that project until April. I’ve been quiet here as I’m working diligently on some exciting launches for the spring! More on that in the coming weeks.

In the meantime, I’m catching up on some reading. My current in- progress reads are The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins and The Top Five Regrets of the Dying by Bronnie Ware.

I loved Collins’ Hunger Games Trilogy but am finding the prequel harder to get through. The writing is excellent, the story, the pacing, the characters are all good. About half way through, I became so involved in the characters that I had to slow down the reading, knowing the deaths that are to come. So, I only read it in the mornings when I am strong enough to read such a disturbing story.

To balance this, I picked up Ware’s book The Five Regrets of the Dying and am listening to it on Audible. It is a breath of fresh air. Her use of language is like poetry. You can read the chapter titles to skip to the list of regrets. But the book is worth so much more! The entire read is authentically told by a likable Australian woman who is a free spirit gently walking this earth. She works as a companion to those in hospice care. Each story is lovely and told with reverence for life itself.

I am also reading an old manuscript of mine that I found while curating. It’s tough to revisit an old friend. I admire the work and the person I was when I wrote it. I’m wondering how to refresh it into something I can publish. If at all.

On my to-read stack is The Orphan Keeper by Camron Wright. I generally read more books by female authors, so I have put off this month’s book club pick. It looks heavy, but beautiful. I will need to begin soon as we meet in two weeks. It is a regular print book, and I’m in the unlucky circumstance to have lost my nearsightedness many moons ago. Even with bifocals, my eyes prefer large print. I’ll give it a whirl.

I’m between devotional books and welcome a suggestion. Themes I’m considering are confidence and humility. Most recently I have studied rest and bravery. I haven’t revisited the psalms for some time. Nothing on my shelf is speaking to me. Any recommendations?

Do you juggle multiple titles at once like me or do you read one beginning to end and repeat in succession? Please tell me what you are reading or listening to, I have some audible credits stocked up!