Dear Writing Diary Entry #7

Recent Reads

May 10, 2024

Dear Writing Diary,

I’ve been on a reading binge lately! Since my agent advised me to hold off on writing the beginning chapters of the sequel to my fantasy duology while she is currently reviewing, I’ve had a chance to relax and read. I tend to gravitate towards fantasy, but lately it seems my tastes have become more varied, expanding to magic realism and even non-fiction. Here’s the list of my recent reads and some of my lingering thoughts on each.

1)          The Midnight Library by Matt Haig:

Caught in between life and death, a woman stumbles upon a library in which every book allows her to experience a parallel life that results from a decision she made differently.

I found the concept of this one intriguing, especially the ripple effect a single decision can have on the trajectory of our lives. This one kept me reading just to see how it ended, which is not an easy feat these days. I started reading this book when I was having serious doubts about my writing and my purpose for embarking on this profession altogether (See Writing Diary Entry #1), so while reading, I particularly resonated with the main character’s feelings of not knowing which path or “life” was the “right” one.

2)          A Fate Inked in Blood by Danielle L. Jensen:

Set in a world steeped with Norse mythology, the human woman Freya possesses a drop of goddess’s blood that gives her the power of a shieldmaiden who can defend any attack. Yet when her powers are revealed, she is forced into close proximity with Bjorn, another human who is touched with the power of the God of War and with who she shares a forbidden love.

My thoughts on this one are brief: loved the romance, loved the tension, loved the mythology, and loved (and kind of hated) the end. After reading this, I hope I can make the love stories in my own novels as full of tension, plot-twists, and heat that Jensen achieves.

3)          The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho:

A young shepherd sets off on a quest to fulfill his Personal Legend of traveling to the Pyramids to find the treasure he has repeatedly dreamed about.

I liked the overarching theme of this one, which encourages people to follow their dreams (referred to as Personal Legends) and how the fulfillment of dreams plays a crucial role in a meaningful life. As a writer and creative person, I know all too well how difficult and discouraging it can be to fight to achieve your dreams, so I appreciated the inspiration this book strived to offer its readers. With that being said, I had trouble resonating with the sheer optimism of some of the quotes, such as “when you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it.” This is a lovely concept, and one I feel I would have gravitated toward when I was just starting college. But as a writer who’s been struggling to get published over the last 12 years with 7 different books (the one I’m working on my agent with is my 8th…at least I think?), I can’t help but feel somewhat of lack of said “universe’s” conspiring in favor of my writing career (sorry, Universe, not sorry).

4)          Diary of a CEO by Steven Bartlett:

Entrepreneur, investor, and host of The Diary of a CEO podcast, Steven Bartlett shares 33 laws of business and life that he’s learned throughout his 30 years to achieve success.

I’ve only recently started reading non-fiction, but after listening to and enjoying the riveting conversations in Bartlett’s podcast, I had to check this book out, and I was not disappointed. I loved Bartlett’s practical yet inspirational insight, which he’s clearly broken down into 33 short chapters focusing on business, marketing, and achievement strategies. The formatting was especially user friendly as well, with each chapter starting with a brief 1-sentence summary, the substance, and then the most relevant quote for that chapter on the last page. I can see why this is a recommended read for anyone daring to start their own venture or make their dream a reality.

Currently reading:

I loved Danielle Jensen’s A Fate Inked in Blood so much that I’ve started The Bridge Kingdom series by her as well!

Here’s to seeing what tomorrow holds (hopefully more reading!).

-K

P.S. Whoever’s reading this, if you’ve enjoyed these glimpses into my writing life, could you please hit the subscribe button? I would love to share more of my writing journey with you in the future. :)