Introducing My Spring-Summer Reading List

I did it again, friends. I took another long-announced hiatus. . . without warning you all ahead of time. And I’m deeply sorry.

But after Shards of Sky’s cover reveal day, I needed a huge break, because marketing and all the crazy stuff that comes with publishing a book is just mentally and physically taxing. Plus I’m having some big issues with blogging consistency. . . but that’s obvious, isn’t it? 😉

In this post, I’ll be going over my growing to-be-read list of the books I hope to read in spring or summer, plus the ones I’m currently reading, and my thoughts on them so far.

But before I jump in, I do want to say—if you want updates and little quirky reviews on what I’m reading, you’re welcome to find me on Goodreads.

Without further ado, let’s jump in!

1. Shadow by Kara Swanson

Shadow is the second book in the Heirs of Neverland duology, following Dust. The duology is a Peter Pan retelling with strong threads of hope, growing up, loss, and identity—basically the type of soulful story that you know I love. I’ve heard so much about Dust, and while I haven’t finished, Kara is one of the writing instructors in the Author Program that I joined. I love her heart behind her writing and her creativity—so I already know I’m going to love Shadow. I was actually privileged to be one of the early advanced readers, so I cannot wait to devour Shadow when it hits my mailbox!

2. A Time to Die by Nadine Brandes

For those who know me, I especially love Christian dystopian. And when I found out that Nadine Brandes, an author who was just in an inspiring interview for the Young Writer’s Workshop had not one, not two—but three novels out in that genre, I was immediately thrilled.

A Time to Die is a story following Parvin Blackwater, a girl who dwells in a world where everyone owns a clock—a clock that counts down the days until their deaths. When Parvin is cast through the Wall, ultimately a death sentence, she discovers truths that could just save her people—if she can get to them in time.

3. Seventh City by Emily Hayse

I first found out about this story from Instagram, for All the Rivers Lead to Home’s cover reveal. The cover drew me in immediately, and when I found out the author had an adventure fantasy story with no magic—I was intrigued.

Seventh City follows thirteen-year-old Maki, who sets off on a journey across an Alaskan-inspired fantasy world to find her brother, armed with a wolf-dog and determined to find her brother at all costs.

4. Adorning the Dark by Andrew Peterson

While not fiction, I’ve heard so many good things about this book (plus, just look at that cover). Not only does it provide insight on Christ, but it’s geared especially towards creatives. Covering topics like serving the work, serving the audience, selectivity, discernment, discipline, and community, this book sounds like something I’d not only enjoy—but deeply think about.

5. Rescue by Jennifer A. Nielsen

Firstly, let me just say: I love love love love Jennifer A. Nielsen’s historical fiction books. While some are middle grade and others are lower YA (at least in my opinion, sometimes it’s so hard to tell!), she manages to pull off the beauty of storytelling to those audiences without the profanity, crudeness, or excessive violence. But at the same time, her books aren’t just shallow stories—they hold thought-provoking themes, ready to be explored by an adventurous reader.

With that said, I cannot wait to read her next book, Rescue. It takes place during World War II, and is a tale of espionage, intrigue, and codes. I was privileged to receive an advanced reader copy recently, and I cannot wait to dive in.

6. The Resistance by J. Rodes

J. Rodes got me into the Slave series, and when I found out she also came out with a Christian dystopian trilogy, you can just imagine my excitement (though, really, are you starting to see my favorite genre yet?).

This novel sounds inspiring and empowering. It covers the themes of defying injustice, a running thread through Christian dystopians that I love, with suspense and survival (and a hint of romance) thrown in. While I’m not exactly a romance fan, this book sounds about in the same field as the Slave and Defier trilogies, and I hope I’ll be able to get my hands on a copy.

7. A Strand of Hope by Amanda Tero

This book was recommended to me by a friend (you know who you are 😉), and I’ve wanted to read it ever since. It’s a historical fiction with libraries and books—which just so happen to be my two favorite things in historical fiction. I’d especially love to read this book, seeing how the topic of books is also closely linked to my new sci-fi/dystopian work-in-progress novel (more details on that later!). I’m curious to see how the author portrays the magic of books in this novel.

8. Skyward by Brandon Sanderson

On the topic of my latest work-in-progress novel (which I’m working on as part of the Author Program), this book was recommended to me by another friend because of how the worldbuilding reminded her of my novel. I’ve vaguely heard of Skyward, but I looked into it and decided to give this a try (as in, add it to my TBR list).

Skyward is a sci-fi story that revolves around Spensa, a teenage girl who longs to be a pilot. But being trapped on a planet, she first has to completely rebuild the wreckage of an ancient ship, survive flight school, and persuade the machine to help her.

While sci-fi isn’t usually my thing, this book sounds intriguing!

9. Shards of Sky by E. C. Colton

I first heard of Shards of Sky when the main characters came calling. Intrigued, I followed Jenn to the depths of her life in the midst of Colorado. I followed her struggles and made up my mind to read her story.

I’m so excited to read Shards of Sky! The storyline explores themes of loss, hurt, and most of all—hope. A journey through a forest of shadows to the light. I’ve been hearing all about the ending and how tear-jerking it is, and since I love tear-jerkers, I decided to give this a read.

Did you notice anything off there? 😉 (if you didn't, go back and read over the list again).

Okay, I admit it—I purposely snuck that last part in, just so I could tell my exciting news.

I officially received my first print copy of Shards of Sky yesterday, and it’s just. . . so gorgeous. Megan McCullough did such an amazing job.

And the first thing I did when I received the copy (besides saying “oh my goodness, oh my goodness”) was recruited my brother and take a photoshoot.

If you’d like to see how a few of those photos, check it out here!

That’s my spring/summer reading list, though I’ll probably be adding more to my Goodreads! I always try to go through an extensive process to research and look over all the books on my TBR, simply so I don’t stumble into anything I’m uncomfortable reading by accident.

I hope this reading list gave you some recommendations, and even if it didn’t, I hope you enjoyed reading this (and seeing those gorgeous covers)!

Have you read any of the books on my TBR list? What were your thoughts on them? What are some books you’re hoping to get to in spring or summer? Let me know in the comments!

P.S. I'm also trying to get into the habit of writing longer posts and providing more quality content (as always) for you all! So let me know in the comments too: would you like longer posts, or shorter ones? And what kind of content would be most helpful to you as a reader? Can't wait to see your responses!