Top 3 New Years Resolutions (Julie)

It's hard to believe that 2019 is almost done and then a new decade is upon us. This has been a year of much change-leaving my home of five years to move to a new place and then getting married a few weeks ago. With all this, another change is coming. I believe my time on Lands Uncharted has come to an end for now.  It has been an exciting adventure, and I have thoroughly enjoyed my years as a blogger here and being a part of this wonderful community.

Now as I look to a new year of change, I know there are 3 things (at least) that I will commit to doing in 2020. And I hope you will also commit to as well (because they are pretty awesome):

1) Read. Read. Read. Get the picture? You're reading this post because you love to read (I'm assuming anyway). No matter how busy life gets and how many changes happen, continuing to read is essential for one's well-being! I wasn't able to read nearly as much this year as normal, but I treasured every chance I got to read a new fantasy book. I look forward to having the chance to read more this coming year!

2) Keep writing (or start!) I realize not everyone who reads LU writes, though I hope so! If you don't, might I recommend giving it a try in 2020? It's so much like reading but you make the story, and the characters, and the adventures, and the villain. There are endless possibilities to unleash your imagination onto paper, or a document.

3) Keep reading Lands Uncharted! There is so much humor, interesting book reviews, and useful information, that it should be a goal to continue to check out all the excellent posts, especially the news ones! I won't be on LU as a blogger next year, but I definitely will keep up with it and appreciate all the creative posts. It's gonna be good!


I hope you will join me on these ventures and experience the laughter, creativeness, and adventures of lands uncharted! Happy New Year and may it be blessed with tons of stories to read and write!!

Top 3 Reading Nooks (Katie)

Top 3 Reading Nooks (Katie)

One of my first memories of reading is being at a library as a young child. I can picture the children's reading room and being grouped with other small kids on a large rug. I remember the color yellow, though I can't remember what exactly was yellow (the rug? the walls?). While I do remember always having a love of the library, today it isn't one of my favorite reading spots. I do, however, have a few spots I really love to cozy up with a good book. Today I'm going to chat about those, and I hope you'll give me your ideas, too, because I'd love to do a follow up post with all of your great ideas!

 #3 The Front Porch Swing

We have this view off our front porch that's perfect for quiet relaxation. There are trees, open pastures, and cows, along with lots of birds and a creek in the distance. It really is the bestest.

We have two porch swings (one on each side), and when the weather is nice I love curling up with a great books and swinging to the sounds of nature.

#2 The Bathtub 

(No, these are not my toes!)

OK, so maybe this one is a bit weird for some people. There is water involved, and also books. Maybe not such a great combo! But, I typically read on my Kindle, and when it comes to the bathtub I slip it into a gallon sized Ziploc to keep it air tight.                                                             

#1 The Recliner

Nothing exciting here. My favorite place to read is curled up in the recliner in my living room, underneath the warmth of my weighted blanket. Add a cup of hot tea or cocoa, and I'm really in Heaven.

What about you? Do you read in bed? A hammock? Do you prefer audiobooks? Tell me all about it!

The Long List of Top Books and Authors of 2019 (Lizzie)

I'm not finished reading for the year yet, but since this is my last post of the year, I decided to dedicate it to my favorite books and authors of the year so far. I actually, for the first time, keep a list of the books I read. It's been really fun to see how many I actually read (or started previously and finished). The total for full-length books (fiction and non-fiction) is 37! I also read 7 novella-length books! I read fewer non-fiction books this year (and only finished one writing book), so I will have to work on that in 2020, but I "discovered" novellas this year, which was a pleasant surprise. As for favorite books this year, I couldn't do a Top 3 Books because I loved so many of them, so I'm breaking them down into categories. :)

Top 3 Most Read Authors of 2019

There were many authors this year (some new to me) who convinced me to read a second book, or third, or more. One stands out a little more than the rest...

1. WR Gingell with 8 novels and 2 novellas (Lady of Dreams, Lady of Weeds, Spindle, and the addicting City Between series currently consisting of 5 novels and 2 novellas)

2. Christopher Healy with his three delightful and hilarious The Hero's Guide to Saving Your Kingdom middle grade stories.

3. H.L. Burke with Nyssa Glass House of Mirrors, To Court a Queen, and Spellsmith and Carver Magician's Rivarly (I may need to move her up before the end of the year since I have at least one other book currently on my Kindle app).

For authors who I read two books of (and have read or likely will read more by), the list is long (which is exciting): Lea Doue,  Patrick Carr, Nadine Brandes, JF Rogers, RC Sproul, Morgan Busse.

Top 3 Fantasy Romance Novellas

(You can find more information about these on my post here.)

1. Nyssa Glass: House of Mirrors by H.L. Burke
2. Mirrors and Pearls by Lea Doue
3. Curse and Consequence by Savannah Jezowski

Top Fantasy Novels with Romance

1. Lady of Weeds by W.R. Gingell
2. Lady of Dreams by W.R. Gingell
3. The Lord of Dreams by C.J. Brightley

4. Firethorn Crown by Lea Doue
5. Identity by Camille Peters

6. Fawkes and Romanov by Nadine Brandes

7. Mark of the Raven and Flight of the Raven (Ravenwood Chronicles) by Morgan Busse

Top Short Stories

I have to brag on my friends and I for all the fantastic short fairytale retellings in our anthology Encircled.

Deep Magic Winter edition is also a winner just based on the two short stories I've read so far.

Top Non-Fantasy Books

Non-fiction

1. Star Struck: Seeing the Creator in the Wonders of Our Cosmos by David Bradstreet and Steve Rabey

2. The Holiness of God by R.C. Sproul

3. Fight Write by Carla Hoch (Okay, I've only read a few chapters of this, but it already deserves a place here.)

Historical Fiction

1. The End of the Magic by Patrick Carr

2. More Than Words Can Say by Karen Witemyer

3. The Silent Songbird by Melanie Dickerson

Top Series to Read More of in 2020

1. City Between by WR Gingell

2. The Firebrand Chronicles by JM Hackman

3. Ravenwood Chronicles by Morgan Busse

I enjoyed that. :) So many great reads this year! And so many books on my TBR pile for Christmas break and next year. What are your favorites reads of 2019 so far? Which books are you looking forward to in 2020?

Top 3 Romance Book Quotes (Julie)

One week from now I will be married and on my honeymoon!! It's such an exciting (and nerve wracking) time! Here's what goes on in my head: is it going to rain on our outdoor wedding (very possible on a tropical island)? Or will there be a typhoon? Will everything look nice? Will the flies stay out of the food? Yes, those are the issues that we will have to deal with when/if they come up. But despite all of those "if's", I am super excited for a wonderful day no matter what.

One important thing I still need to do is write my vows (here's looking at you, Google)
  
In honor of the writing of vows and all the knee-buckling, swooning, butterfly inducing words to be written, here are three romantic quotes from books:

3)Pride and Prejudice ( of course something from a Jane Austen book had to be on here=)

“I cannot fix on the hour, or the spot, or the look or the words, which laid the foundation. It is too long ago. I was in the middle before I knew that I had begun.”

2) Although the story is sad, it's a beautiful line from Nicholas Sparks's The Notebook:

 “I am nothing special, of this I am sure. I am a common man with common thoughts and I’ve led a common life. There are no monuments dedicated to me and my name will soon be forgotten, but I’ve loved another with all my heart and soul, and to me, this has always been enough.”

1) This one surprised me considering it comes from a beloved kid's story/series, but A.A. Milne, through the wonderful voice of Winnie the Pooh, said this:

"If you live to be a hundred, I want to live to be a hundred minus one day so I never have to live without you." 

Do you have any swoon-worthy, knee-buckling lines from books that you love?

Top 3 Fantasy Romance Novellas of 2019 (Lizzie)

I've been looking through my Books Read list and discovered that several of my favorites from this year were actually shorter works. So in keeping with last month's post on Top Fantasy Romance Novels of 2019, I'm doing a Top 3 Romance Novellas of 2019. Enjoy :)

1) Nyssa Glass: House of Mirrors by H.L. Burke

Laurie briefly reviews this delightful steampunk tale here. Electrician and ex-thief Nyssa is on the run after her kind boss is murdered. Someone wants to use Nyssa's talents to get information out the abandoned and booby-trapped house of an eccentric inventor. With mystery, adventure, a lovable MC in Nyssa, and a very lovable house computer called Hart, this is certainly a keeper and a recommended story.

2) Mirrors and Pearls by Lea Doue

A charming and somewhat different Snow White retelling with dragons and hair of feathers, I thoroughly enjoyed this tale and look forward to more in this story world. And isn't the cover stunning? You can read my review of it here to learn more about it.

3) Curse and Consequence by Savannah Jezowski

A fun romp through a Regency-like world where a curse might just get you the love you want--or get you turned into a pig or a dragon. This was cute, humorous tale of curses gone wrong and two brothers vying for the attention of likable heroine, who, of all things, is a pig-keeper. You can read a guest post by Savannah here.

Do you have a favorite shorter fantasy romance? Have you read any of these?

Top 3 Costumes (Julie)

Halloween is coming soon and even as an adult, dressing up is fun (at least for me). It's a chance to let our creativeness shine. And also to role play from one of our favorite books or movies! I haven't had the chance to do much dressing up the past few years, but if I could, these are the top three choices I would love to try out!



3) Mary Poppins. I'm thinking of the dress she wears on the painting scene. It's so airy and dainty and fun looking. Wearing this one would be sure to put a song in my heart. I could frolic along the avenue eating a spoonful of sugar.

2) A Pride and Prejudice costume would be so much fun!! I love the period costumes and have always wanted to dress up in one of those...especially the ball gowns.


1) Tauriel from The Hobbit. Really, this would be my number one because her outfit is so similar to my own character-who isn't an elf but there are similarities. Dressing as Tauriel would help me get into character in more than one way.

 I doubt I'll be able to dress up this year, but what about you?  Any of the above, or some other favorite character your itching to try out?

Top 3 Fantasy Romance Novels of 2019 (Lizzie)

I love a good romance, and I'm very happy to say I've read a few of those this year, both novel length and novella. I'll focus on novels here and have a separate post for novellas next month.

1) Lady of Weeds by W.R. Gingell

I love the way Gingell writes this tale of a cold, isolated Guardian of the Shore who must collect magic-infused seaweed before the selkies get it and whose life changes when a mysterious boy washes ashore with no memory and a hidden treasure. It's not the deep POV I'm used to in historical romance and even many fantasy stories. It's more omniscient and classic in feel, and it is perfectly suited to the brave and lonely (though she wouldn't admit it) Carys. The hero is charming, the story fraught with danger but relatively little action, and full of mystery. With selkies and magic in seaweed and sand, the story world holds an interest as well. I've kept it in my mind's shelf with much pleasure, and I hope to get a print copy to add my bookcase (and to read it again).

2) The Lord of Dreams by C.J. Brightley

A young women must rescue the fae prince who's been the villain of her previous adventures in the realm of the fae. A delightful romance and lovable, related heroine and noble hero; it still makes me smile to think of it. This one is definitely on my read-again list. You can read Laurie's review of it here.

3) And a tie for third: Identity by Camille Peters and Firethorn Crown by Lea Doue

My initial thought was to put Identity by Camille Peters as third and The Firethorn Crown by Lea Doue as Honorable Mention. Then I realized I read The Firethorn Crown at the beginning of the year and Identity a few weeks ago, which might affect my judgment. I enjoyed them both, both sweet romances with a fairytale tie-in. The Firethorn Crown is a fun retelling of "The Twelve Dancing Princesses" with a sweet romance and lots of dragons of all shapes and sizes. Identity is a sweet romance and a Goose Girl retelling with a goose girl who becomes a ladies maid to a princess who looks just like her and who is then forced to impersonate the wild princess--on her honeymoon. The prince Anwen is forced to marry is sweet and a bit childish and Anwen is soon torn between her growing affection for him and the premonition that the princess will tire of her current scheme and force Anwen out of the marriage she forced her into.

Extras: Fawkes by Nadine Brandes and Mark of the Raven and Flight of the Raven (Ravenwood Chronicles) by Morgan Busse

I couldn't not mention two others of my favorite novel-length romances, but I put them here because I wouldn't say the focus is the romance. They have more of an adventure feel to them. But I love the romance as much as the rest of the stories. :)

Fawkes, with its fantasy retelling of the Gunpowder Plot and intriguing world of color powers and a protagonist who must become a hero, this is definitely one of my favorites--of the year and ever.

Mark of the Raven and Flight of the Raven (Ravenwood Chronicles) by Morgan Busse, again with a main character torn between family and destiny and the truth, is another great book. Great story world and wonderful hero to our strong, troubled heroine as well. :)

What are your favorite fantasy romances? Have you read any of these?

Top 3 Snacks to Eat While Writing (Julie)

How many of you love to eat while writing? I certainly do, despite the warnings. I may not start out writing with food nearby but invariably I will get up and find something to munch on while working on my WIP. There are many go-to snacks, but I've narrowed it down to three top choices for me.

Let me start by saying, chocolate is not on the list. Its a given that that yummy substance would be the top choice of anyone(except maybe my sister;) So I'm going to give "other" options for creative thinking foods.



3) Nuts (I have to put at least one healthy choice on here). I specifically like eating almonds while working. They are easy to eat, just pop a few in your mouth and chew. And they don't make your fingers greasy.

2) Ice cream. As long as I don't eat it too fast and get a brain freeze!! But there's something so energizing about eating a cold, smooth bite of ice cream.



1) Popcorn. I love popping a bag of kernels and sitting and munching on them while writing. The only downside to eating popcorn is I can only type with one hand until I'm finished. Unless I want greasy computer keys. It's satisfying and for some reason helps me focus. 

What about you? What is your go-to snack of choice while writing?

Top 3's: A Birthday Celebration! (Katie)

Top 3 Birthdays! (Katie)

Hi everyone! In case you didn't know, today is my birthday! Hip hip hooray! In celebration, I am doing a giveaway (you can find the details at the end of this post)! I mostly like my birthday, and I haven't ever been too caught up on getting older. I get that it's a touchy subject for a lot of people, and I also understand that many people take the "you're only as old as you feel" stand. I am not one of either of those types. I absolutely feel my age (OK, usually I feel older than my age), but it doesn't bother me in the least. 

So, Happy Birthday to me! Today, I'm sharing 3 of my top birthday memories. Now, in the spirit of full disclosure, not all of my birthday memories are great. Like all of us, I have had ups and downs. But some of my birthdays have been exceptionally nice.

# 3

Sweet 16! My best friends threw me a slumber party at one of their houses. We ate pizza and ice cream and went swimming, and I remember having a really GREAT time. I've got lots of good memories from that party.

#2

Turning 18! So, my husband and I weren't allowed to start dating until I turned 18. That meant our first official date got to happen right around my 18th birthday. Sure, we had lots of fun times with friends and family before that date, but it was the "official" beginning of a wonderful thing!

#1

Birthday of 2018! OK, so this was just last year! We went to Walt Disney World for my birthday, and it was Ah-Maze-Ing! We've been to Disney World a few times, and it's my favorite place, but we have to work hard to make those trips happen. It usually includes lots of scrimping and saving, as well as picking up side writing jobs to make extra money. Last year we were in Magic Kingdom for my birthday, where we got my little boy's first haircut at the little barber shop on Main Street USA. We also had a hoe down with Mickey Mouse himself, which was super fun. It is currently my favorite birthday memory!

***How about you?! Share a great birthday memory and in celebration I will enter you to win an e-copy of your choice of one of my books!***

Top 3 Old Books in My Collection (Lizzie)

I love old books and have collected several over the years. Some I inherited from my grandmother (and her mother) and some I bought at thrift stores or the library book store. Today, I going to introduce you to my Top 3 Old Books in My Collection.

1) The Poetical Works of Sir Walter Scott in Ten Volumes. Vol. VII. The Lady of the Lake. Date: 1821.

I found this book in a charity shop in North Yorkshire, England, a few years ago. That fact alone makes me special to me. It’s had some water damage and has more of a musty odor than a pleasant old book odor, but it’s still neat to have a book so old. The cover is solid and the book heavy, and the spine has lovely designs.

2) A Children’s Garden of Verses by Robert Louis Stevenson. Illustrated by Jessie Willcox Smith. Date: Unknown (the title page is missing). This is a local thrift store find. I loved Stevenson’s adventures Treasure Island and Kidnapped, and so I was pleased and surprised to see a book of children’s poems. I’ve enjoyed reading the poems and looking at the simple illustrations. I’d love to read this to my children one day.

3) The Five Little Peppers Midway by Margaret Sidney. Date 1893.

My grandmother gave me this. It’s been too well loved in the past for me to read now, but I love the decorative cover. I read a copy of the first Five Little Peppers book when I was in elementary school and really enjoyed it, so having an antique copy of part of the series, and one that belonged to my great-grandmother, is special to me.

Do you like old books or have any in your collection?

Top 3 Ways to DeStress (Julie)

Life changes. Sometimes there are many changes at one time and sometimes just one or two. For me, I'm in the stage of OH MY GOODNESS there are a lot of things going on. But that's okay because they are very exciting things!

I just moved to a new island to start a new teaching job, but also because it's where my fiance is. And we're getting married in 3 months!! So yea, much to do.

With all this staring me in the face, it would be so easy to stress out and go hide in a corner. I won't lie that sometimes I look around for that corner. But instead of putting myself in the corner, I tend to steer toward any or all of the following as ways to get my focus back:


1) Stay in the Word/prayer. Staying rooted in God's Word helps me refocus on what is important.

2) Read. Immerse yourself in a good book. Personally, I prefer to get lost in a fantasy as I want to get away from the real world for a bit.

3) Get outside. Vitamin D and fresh air work wonders from clearing the overworked brain.

How do you de-stress? Do you do any of the above or is there something else you do that works wonders? 

Top Three Summer Reads (So Far) (Lauricia)

Ah, summer! Most notably recognized for vacations, summer is a time when school is out of session and a vast number of people experience long spans of down-time (at least in America). Since I am a teacher as well as an author, I have a few months to spend schedule-free, which means more opportunities to write and read.

Which is exactly what I’ve been doing. From fiction to non-fiction (because I am still working a bit), from traditionally published to indie, from classic to new, I’ve been a book-devouring monster since Memorial Day, which is my first official day off. So far, the top three novels that stick out are:

The Star-Touched Queen by Roshani Chokshi

Maya is the favored daughter of Raja Ramchandra of Bharta, but she is cursed with a horoscope predicting a marriage wedded to death and destruction. This makes her a target of malice and suspicion within her harem family and marks her as undesirable for a prospective bride. Maya has no desire to be a harem wife, however, and looks forward to a future as an unmarried scholar. The last thing she ever anticipated was being commanded by her father to marry and sacrifice her ideal future in order to save the kingdom of Bharata and everything she loves.

I love, Love, LOVE this story. Rich in Indian mythology and folklore, The Star-Touched Queen transported me to a fascinating world of mystery and magic, love and betrayal, danger and sacrifice. Superbly written, the artistry of the author allowed me to slip fully into the story and gave me no desire to ever leave until long after I read the last words. Fair warning: Don’t start this story until you have time to finish it because you won’t be able to put it down.

Raven Thrall by J. Elizabeth Vincent

Mariah is Ceo San, touched by the gods and gifted with the ability to shape-shift into a hawk. It’s supposed to be a blessing, but for Mariah, it feels more like a curse. Stuck somewhere between Human and animal form, Mariah must hide the wings that betray her identity or else she will be conscripted into the king’s army, enslaved to live as nothing more than a weapon.

Betrayed by someone she thought she could trust, Mariah is forced to flee her home. She manages to create a life of safety, even if it does mean being alone, until she meets Xae, a raven shifter whose family has been captured. Mariah is forced to choose between her life of relative safety or helping Xae rescue his family. In the process she learns more about herself than she ever thought possible and receives a calling on her life that could change the fate of the Ceo San forever.

Raven Thrall is an epic fantasy novel that examines the impact one person can make. Mariah’s conflicts do not influence her world on a grand scale, but they represent the common battles each of us face on a regular basis. Mariah’s growth throughout the story is organic and realistic and speaks to the way each person’s life can make a difference. This book will be especially appealing to readers who like strong female characters with strengths that lie outside the realm of mastery in weapons.

Dune by Frank Herbert

Okay, bear with me. Dune is not a fantasy novel. It is a science-fiction classic that I have been wanting to read for AGES, but it is foundational to the speculative fiction canon, which is why I’m including it here.

Set on the desert planet of Arakis, Dune tells the story of Paul Atreides, the son of a scapegoated Duke exiled to a hostile planet. Instead of dying like he’s supposed to, Paul adapts to the rough demands of the desert and its people, even becoming a messiah of sorts to the planet’s native race.

This is an intriguing story. It would be easy to read it and think of it as cliché, but remember that it was written forty years ago. Although it is often criticized as a book filled with genre stereotypes, this is actually the work those stereotypes were born from. If you are a fan of speculative fiction, Dune is a must-read. 

As I said in my last post, I hope you are enjoying a summer filled with rest, recuperation, and good books. I’m always looking for good books, so I’d love to know your top three reads so far. Please list them in the comments below.

Top 3 Animal Hybrids (Julie)

For my first book of the summer, I chose the 3rd book in Lisa McMann's Going Wild series. I previously did a post on the second book that you can find here. It has been a fun series, and I'm sad to see it come to an end.

The premise of the series is some teenagers wear bracelets that have certain animal DNA in it that allows them to "become" that animal. For example, if your bracelet has the monkey abilities, then when you turn it on to that one, you can swing and jump around. Pretty cool huh?

In the 3rd book, the "mad" scientist, aka the bad guy, is producing bracelets that allow the wearer to use multiple animal abilities at one time. So imagine swinging around like a monkey but with the strength of an elephant! Poor trees!!

But it's a lot of fun thinking about what kind of animal abilities would be good together. So here is my top three "hybrid bracelets" if I had a cool animal-giving bracelet (oh and I've limited it to only 3 animals each bracelet):

3) dolphin, panther, elephant. This one is good for land or water! You can swim and breath underwater,

run swiftly, and have the strength of an elephant.


2) plumed basilisk, sea cucumber, and dragon millipedes. These are more of the unknown species but with really cool powers. The basilisk can walk on water; the sea cucumber can shapeshift to fit through small areas; and the dragon millipedes can shoot cyanide. Now there's a lethal combo!

1) eagle, gecko, chameleon. I feel a bit Spiderman on this one, except the camouflage. But with these abilities, I would be able to fly, climb walls, and camouflage myself. All of which would be very useful for the enemy.

Animals have so many awesome abilities, many of which are relatively unknown. Can you think of a favorite combo that would be

really fun or really intimidating? I'd love to hear!

Top 3 Reading Memories of All Time (Katie)

I have been reading books my entire life. I don't ever remember a time when I wasn't interested in books--and that got me to thinking. How did that happen? What made me love books and what kept that love going?

The more I thought about it, the more I pinpointed specific moments in time that cemented a love affair with books into my life. Today I'm sharing my Top 3 Reading Memories of All Time. These are the moments I most attribute to cultivating my love of books.

But while you're reading this, I hope you'll think about your own life as well. Do you have any defining bookish memories? If so, I hope you'll share them with me in the comments! Aren't book memories the best?!


1. My Grandpa
My grandpa is, as of the day I'm typing this up, 96 years old. He is a WWII veteran, and a mathmetician and physicist. When he retired, he moved to a beautiful and quaint little town in New Mexico where lots of other scientist peeps go for retirement.

But when I was little, Grandpa took me to the library. Like, all the time. He shaped my love for books by spending lots of time with me and showing me the adventures waiting between the covers of the books.

That is where it all started.

2. My Teen Years
When I was 13 years old my family moved to a new state. I don't remember going to the library or reading any books at this time, but a friend I'd made at our new home offered to let me read one of her books. I remember thinking the cover was pretty, so I said yes.

This book was a Christian romance by Lori Wick. It was the first grown-up book I had ever read, but it rekindled my love for books during a time when I'd forgotten how much I loved to read (because of the stress of a new and unfamiliar place).

I read like a bazillion books throughout my high school years, everything from Shakespeare to Dickens, and romance to supernatural.

3. Post-kids Reading
When I had my first baby I stopped reading and writing. I became wholly consumed with being a mom, which was exactly how I wanted it to be. I loved it.

But one day, a few years into the thing, a co-worker offered to let me read a book about vampires. I was totally not interested. Seriously. Vampires? I told her no, but she insisted. I ended up taking home the first Twilight book, reading it in two days, and devouring the rest of the series shortly after.

I have been reading voraciously every since! (Full disclosure, when I think about Twilight now I kind of shudder in repulsion! hee hee)

So, there you have it. These reading moments have shaped my reading experience throughout my life. I am so glad to have a history to trace through!

*What about you? Got any stand-out-ish reading moments you'd care to share? Favorite books? Lovely book memories? Please tell!*