Last week I spoke to a friend about how much more I’d been reading since I went freelance. I mentioned I’d got “stuck” reading genre fiction possibly because I am writing it and wanting to immerse myself in this world. I said I wanted to read more literary fiction to ensure I’m subconsciously improving my writing. My friend gave the equivalent of an IRL shrug and told me to go with my instinct, that it was probably funneling me in the right direction.
It seems almost impossible to pre-plan my reading list anyway. I get to the end of a book and then spend ages pondering what I’m in the mood for next. More often than not it’s a return to an easy read—yet another Joseph Delaney—or some sort of YA fantasy that might hold me captive. I’ve been thinking a bit about why these books draw me in and why I’m so willing to sideline others that have been on my to-read list for much longer. I think I’ve figured it out. It’s got to do with pacing.
Like many writers, the thing I fear most is being boring. Even a novel with interesting characters or a unique premise can be too slow to hold one’s attention. And so, I’m letting the books ability to absorb me dictate whether it jumps to the top of my reading list. If it doesn’t, I move on quickly. Hopefully I’ll have some deeper understanding of pacing by the end of this coming month, or at the very least of what makes for a strong start.
Anyway, here’s what I read in April. It’s more than I thought I’d read this month.
The Last Apprentice: Night of the Soul Stealer (#3)
Author: Joseph Delaney
I’m not sure I have much to write about Delaney’s third book in the series, other than to say like all his books, I pick him up as a sort of refuge. The books are easy to read, captivating, well-paced, and different. I love that the author treats with serious and dark subjects (considering the protagonist’s age, and likely the age of the intended reader). It speaks so much to how ridiculous it can be to shelter kids from serious topics, as though they can’t or shouldn’t engage with them. Thankfully, my parents did nothing of the sort and I’m not buying guns and shooting people. Clearly I still have a ton of room for improvement myself, though I wouldn’t be so daft as to blame the books I read as a kid.
The Last Apprentice: Attack of the Fiend (#4)
Author: Joseph Delaney
I read book four of this series in a single night. It was one of those anxiety-inducing nights that took a “dark” book to calm my racing thoughts, or at least, a book with enough going on in it that it could take my mind off my ruminations. As with all his other books I was not disappointed. I’m looking forward to seeing the protagonist age as I work through the series. At this point, the protagonist, Tom, is 14 and though he’s still making plenty of bad decisions that lead to action, his power is definitely increasing and my knowledge of the world with it. I love that slowly the world is expanding too, village by village getting bigger. I still find this series strangely comforting and will likely turn to book five this next month when I need a bit of a comfort read. Perhaps on a long-haul flight?
Turn of the Tide
Author: Rosanne Parry
I picked up this middle-grade book because my mother recommended it after I shared a bit more about the novel I’m working on. She recommended it for the atmosphere and for the subject matter. Though I’m not writing about sailing or piloting ships down the Columbia River (what a cool, if dangerous, job!)—what much of this book is about though as seen through the eyes of two 12 to 13 year old cousins, one from Astoria, the other from Japan—the way the author explained sailing and made the mere act of it interesting was I think something I can use to make diving interesting to a lay audience. In the end it was a comforting read and very easy to get into. It did get a bit slow in the middle but then perhaps I’m reading with more impatience? Who can say, I enjoyed it as a whole.
The Vampire Diaries: The Awakening (#1)
Author: L. J. Smith
I started reading “Vampire Diaries” because I’d begun rewatching the series and wanted to see how it stacked up. I expected to enjoy the book because I enjoy the television series. Unfortunately, this wasn’t the case. The Elena in the book is quite different from tv. In fact, she’s kind of a bitch. Not really likable at all. She also says “I love you” to Stefan basically the first night she kisses him and after they’ve only had one interaction. Were this fanfiction I were reading, I honestly might have put it down at that point as OOC (out of character) but in this case, maybe it’s in character for Elena? Either way, it was a quick read but not something I think I’ll be continuing on with.
Just before I picked up the book I found out the author of it passed away in March 2025. Unfortunately, she was only 66. As if learning of her untimely death wasn’t bad enough, I read that back when she was young (and likely desperate to make a name for herself) she was hired to write the “Vampire Diaries” under a “work for hire” contract. If you’ve ever been on one of these you’ll know that for artists and creatives this is instant danger territory. Basically, in the end you’re paid to create a product you don’t own and so, when somewhere along the line, she and her publisher diverged on where they wanted the series to go, they canned her and gave the series over to another writer. Even though I ended up not being entirely impressed by the first book, it’s hard not to feel angry on her behalf. I can’t help but wonder how this impacted her life.
The Magisterium Series: The Copper Gauntlet (#2)
Authors: Cassandra Clare and Holly Black
I read the first book in the Magisterium series—a set of five magical school books—back in 2022. At the time I was living in Washington State, tucked away near a small state park, with no idea that my life was about to change in much the same way as a kid suddenly entering a magical world. While I’d be whisked off to Florida (a place I’d never imagined nor wanted to live), Cal, the protagonist in “The Iron Trail,” the first book in the series, would be whisked off to the Magisterium. In the end I’m not sure who got the better end of the deal. While I enjoyed my time for a while, testing dive gear, traveling on dive assignments, and exploring a new place, in the end, the structure (or lack thereof) of the company that employed me drove me dilly and I decided I’d be better off elsewhere. Cal, like me, seemed to waver, back and forth, and in book two of the series, we see him step away from the Magisterium for a good portion, if not most of the book. While I’m glad to return to this series, I do wish I’d read it closer to the first book as there were a few things I’d forgotten that made figuring my way around a little more frustrating than it might otherwise. Still, as with the first book, I was captivated by the system of magic, the plot, and the character interactions. It was, like the Scholomance series, a thoroughly enjoyable read that was both unique and comforting. I will be continuing on.
The Dresden Files: Storm Front (#1)
Author: Jim Butcher
“Storm Front” took quite a bit of getting into. Over the past few months I’ve picked it up and put it down so many times I’ve lost count. I’m not quite sure why I’ve found it so tough but it might have to do with feeling annoyed by the main character, a fact I know I’m just going to have to move beyond and if anything, learn from. I wonder if the intended audience is more male? Perhaps it’s me? I’m not sure. In the end, I wanted Bob, the skull, to be more like the skull jar in “Lockwood and Co.” (and more present) and I wanted Harry Dresden, the protagonist, to be a little less irreverent and silly. I’m not a fan of lighthearted and foolhardy mains unless the whole book has that feel (*cough* Scalzi) but given the popularity of this series, no doubt plenty of other readers are fans. Maybe my issue is deeper, or I didn’t given the book the patience it deserved by reading it straight through. Fortunately, as I read, I got more into the story. By the end, I could actually see myself continuing on with the series. I do wish, however, that characters had been a little more fleshed out. Right now I only feel Harry Dresden and the cop he works with have backstory. The rest feel a little flat.
Charmed Life (re-reading)
Author: Diana Wynne Jones
The first book in the Chrestomanci series, I read “Charmed Life” over twenty years ago. Since those early days of discovering the magic of Diana Wynne Jones, I’ve wondered over how she did what she did, so perfectly capturing the imaginations of children all over the world. Many well-known authors have since expressed finding her books a creative inspiration so I’m not alone. I’m not sure which book I read first but I suspect it was “Dog’s Body” or “Time of the Ghost” or “Howl’s Moving Castle.” Whatever it was, I’m sure it had me riveted. In the end I enjoyed this book a lot. I’m looking forward now to returning to some of her books geared toward older readers.
Where the Dark Stands Still
Author: A. B. Poranek
“Where the Dark Stands Still” shares enough DNA with Naomi Novik’s “Uprooted“—which I happened to read recently—that I had to stop and check whether the resemblance was deliberate. It is. Poranek has named Novik as an inspiration. Once I stopped reading the two against each other, WTDSS found its own footing, and the Polish-folkloric texture is genuinely lovely when it surfaces.
The book also taught me something about my own taste. I’m apparently less of a romantasy reader than I’d assumed. The pieces that held me captive had less to do with the central romance and more with the quieter, stranger edges of the world, and the action. I found myself wishing the Polish influence went deeper than diction, into the shape of the magic and the bones of the story, not just the surface flavor.
Poranek is a real writer, with a clear sense of what she’s reaching for. I’ll be curious to see what she does as she settles further into her own stories, a question I keep asking of my own writing, too.
What’s next?
I really think the next month is going to be SERIOUSLY light. I mean so light it might even be a single book and maybe more of an audiobook month tbh. That’s because I’ve got two mega dive and travel assignments so I’m going to be all hands on deck for that, which either means airplane reading or listening. Plus, the GIS course that I’ve just started. That said, just started listening to “The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea” via the Libby app which late-to-the-game-little-me recently discovered! I’m enjoying it. Also neat that it’s written in present tense though it is first person, not third limited. I’ll probably switch to reading it as I prefer consuming stories in that fashion. Audio is saved for when I’m cooking. I’ll also likely read Callie Hart’s “Quicksilver,” and Naomi Novik’s “Spinning Silver.” I’ll try to get through more of Sentient too though that may take a long time to finish. I’m probably about a third of the way through the book.
