Books read: 4 titles for the main challenge (letters A, F, P, and Q)

• Quarter to Midnight by Darcy Coates
• Parabo by Keely Bibeau
• Along the Saltwise Sea by Deborah Baker (aka Seanan McGuire)
• Final Girls by Mira Grant (aka Seanan McGuire)

Picture books read: 15 (A through P). See graphic below for titles, or check my spreadsheet.
Books currently reading: 7. I may have gotten carried away... but this is typical of my currently reading list. This also doesn't count books I am reading for book clubs or other groups either...

• Rumaysa by Radiya Hafiza (audio book, purchased)
• Of Blood and Bone by Nora Roberts (hardback, owned)
• Xanadu anthology edited by Jane Yolen (paperback, owned)
• Tam Lin by Pamela Dean (ebook, owned)
• Undone by Rachel Caine (paperback, owned)
• Where the Drowned Girls Go by Seanan McGuire (hardback, owned, reading with husband)
• The Geek's Guide to the Writing Life by Stephanie Vanderslice (paperback, library copy)

Two years ago, Elizabeth and I started Briarbook Lane together. To celebrate, we are having a contest! Check out the details on our new Briarbook Lane News blog.
Here is a look back at what I have accomplished this last year.

I started Briarbook Lane Press to self-publish my own work. 

• September 2021, published my poetry book Chiaroscuro, available in both print and ebook
• March 2022, published my fairy-tale novella The Blazing Princess, available as an ebook, first in the Tales of Tessagonia series.

I started my newsletter in September 2021. The initial email chain for signing up is seven emails, and I have sent out seven monthly emails.
Make sure to sign up so you don't miss out on future emails. As a bonus, you get a free short story.

I wrote twelve blog posts. It was definitely in spurts, and not on a consistent basis. My newsletter kept to a much better schedule. I will have to do better! Check out the timeline of my posts below.

Aurelia is cursed to die after eighteen years, with the caveat that true love can follow her into the spirit world and bring her back. To ensure her the best chance, Aurelia’s parents betroth her to one of the neighboring prince twins. But what happens when she falls in love with the wrong prince? Who will save her?

Bentos and Delwyn were alone in the sky, only the silent stars to keep Them company. They created an earth and creatures to fill it, for Their entertainment. Their seven daughters, the muses of Lesenti, watch over the continent of Tessagonia. This land has four kingdoms--Vernissia, Arania, Kether, and Senatin--surrounding an inland sea. Tessagonia is ringed by the Outer Isles, where the old gods have been banished.
You may hear the echo of familiar stories from our own lands. Curses, romance, magical gifts, and gods both light and dark.

In exchange for saving her father from dying in the freezing winter wilderness, Echo Alkaev agrees to stay with the white wolf in his house under the hill for one year. Echo North weaves together the the tales of East of the Sun, West of the Moon, Beauty and the Beast, and Tam Lin. All have in common falling in love with a beast. Meyer combines these so expertly it is as if they were always meant to be the same story.

I read at least 57 books in 2021 (probably missed tracking a few picture books or graphic novels). You can see My Year in Books on Goodreads for additional stats and the full list of books.

The A to Z Reading Challenge is simple. You have one year to read 26 books, each starting with a different letter of the alphabet. I am not sure where I saw this challenge, but decided to adopt it for myself. And I just decided I want to do it twice; this would be a really fun picture book challenge. 

Come up with a list of 26 titles, starting with each of the letters of the alphabet. Can be any type of book you want: novel, anthology, graphic novel, novella, poetry, nonfiction, children's book. I'm not judging! My list is mostly novels, with a scattering of short story collections and non-fiction. 
Once you have your list, you can start reading. I'm going to wait and start in January. Order is not important. You can read from A to Z, or cross them off in whatever order you are feeling. Pacing should be about two books per month, or one book every two weeks.
I'll keep updated on the sidebar what letter and title I am currently reading. You are welcome to read along with me, or at your own pace. Here is my list on Google Drive.

This is just a fun bonus challenge. I'm not going to get a list of these in advance, due to the nature of my job; I will see plenty of picture books as I work at the library. 26 titles, again starting A to Z, but all picture books. I'll track these on a second tab on my sheet. Later in the year, as my list starts filling in, I may need to look for specific letters, but I'll start by picking up whatever grabs my attention. I'm a sucker for pretty covers, especially on picture books.
Let me know if you're going to do either (or both) of the challenges. I already have my main titles, but feel free to recommend picture books. I'm always happy to recommend books as well, so don't hesitate to ask!

T. Kingfisher is the nom de plume for Ursula Vernon for her adult fiction. Kingfisher once stated that, regarding The Raven and The Reindeer,  she was "kind of worried that no one who isn't familiar with the source material will find this story even remotely readable". I have to disagree. Though I am familiar with some of the basic elements, I have yet to read the original Hans Christian Anderson tale (I will be doing so before our official discussion). I found The Raven and the Reindeer to be very steeped in fairy tale and accessible at its basic elements. ​

My birthday falls on Thanksgiving this year. To celebrate, I'm giving away a Poetry Prize Pack! This includes a paperback copy of my poetry book Chiaroscuro, a $10 Amazon gift card, an Enchanted Garden Book Club bookmark, stickers, a postcard with a handwritten poem by Mary, and a gorgeous literary themed notebook from Obvious State. Pictures of the prize pack below.

Giveaway starts Monday, November 11, 2021 and ends on Monday, November 29, 2021 at 11:59pm MST. 
There will be one prize winner, determined by random drawing. 
Prize will only be shipped within the United States.

We've been watching the first season of Resident Alien as Dexter: New Blood premiered. Resident Alien is a comedic SyFy show starring Alan Tudyk about an alien who crashed on earth and took human form to fit in. Dexter is a (supposedly) reformed serial killer. As different as the concepts for these shows are, I keep seeing more and more similarities. Now, the below commentary is just for fun. I love both of these shows, so am not criticizing them in any way. Merely amused by the similarities. For context, as of this blog, I have seen two episodes of Dexter: New Blood, and five episodes of Resident Alien.
Spoilers below the break.