Shannon Kay's Blog

I picked my daughter(Beatrix, age 7) up from her school play rehearsal and took her to the grocery store with me.

Austen at Sea by Natalie Jenner is a historical fiction.

There have been tropical storms passing by Southern California, causing us to have unusual weather.

A tropical storm passing by has given us rain today, in Southern California in September.

Rolls and Rivalry by Kristy Boyce was a fun, fast read.

Our school district started 2 weeks earlier than last year.

The Last King of Faerie, the first book in Cassandra Clare’s newest(final?)

I just love Rainbow Rowell’s writing.

Recently, I was entering the weather for a blog post.

My kids have already been in school for a week because the school board decided to start the year two weeks earlier than last year, just stealing two weeks of the summer break that we can never get back.

My sister got tickets to a Death Cab for Cutie concert on August 2 at The Greek Theatre in Los Angeles, and invited me to go.

Today, while browsing through the Way Back Machine on Internet Archive, I stumbled upon an old website that I had made, RunWithTheBest.net (archive link).

The Name Game by Beth O’Leary was fantastic.

We saw The Beths in concert.

Tides of Fortune is the sequel to Heir of Storms by Lauryn Hamilton Murray.

Mrs.

The Amalfi Curse by Sarah Penner is a historical fantasy, more toward historical than fantasy.

This year, I joined the choir at a small, local Presbyterian church.

The Faraway Inn by Sarah Beth Durst was a delightful cozy fantasy.

The Unicorn Hunters by Katherine Arden was a beautiful book.

Coldwire by Chloe Gong was fantastic.

I sing in a Presbyterian church choir(Soprano 2), and I wanted to share our performance of this anthem that I loved, United in Purpose.

Heir of Storms by Lauryn Hamilton Murray was a great fast-paced YA fantasy/romantasy.

My kids are on spring break, and I’ve just finished all three novellas in the Chaotic Orbits series by Beth Revis.

I met Louis Sachar at Barnes & Noble in Huntington Beach, at a signing for his first adult book, The Magician of Tiger Castle.

Make and do things for your own enjoyment.

I got to see Sarah Beth Durst and Sangu Mandanna at The Ripped Bodice bookstore in LA.

After a busy last couple weeks, I’m excited that today is the first day of Summer Break for the kids.

Are you looking for something to read this summer?

Seasonal Vibe: Summer Travel Location: South Carolina, Massachusetts, France Historical Time: 2019, flashbacks to 1800’s and 1900’s Genres: Literary, Contemporary, Historical, Multiple Timelines Read: May 19-20, 2025 Format: Switched between Book of the M…

Today I finished reading Going Postal by Terry Pratchett.

I listened to the audiobook for all of The Kaiju Preservation Society by John Scalzi, and it’s a fun sci-fi that’s a contrast to most of my other books.

Seasonal Vibe: Summer Travel Location: Seaside island in Georgia Historical Time: Contemporary, with flashbacks Read: April 24-26, 2025 Format: Switched between Barnes & Noble special edition hardcover and Audiobook 418 pages | 🎧 Great audiobook Great Big…

Now presenting, Make Your Own Website This guide is intended to help beginners make their first website with HTML/CSS.

My 13-year-old daughter started reading Wings of Starlight immediately and waited anxiously for me to finish it.

Time: Future (2460) Location: Boston, Massachusetts and New Hampshire Genres: Dystopian, Romance, YA, Sci-Fi 346 pages | 🎧 Good audiobook The Dividing Sky sang.

In 2024, I read 89 books!

We got a new NAS!

Visiting Peltzer Pines Christmas tree farm to pick out our tree for this year.

Here’s a photo of my three kids at the Blizzard Halloween party this year in the traditional photo spot in front of the orc statue.

Read: September 6-9, 2024 Seasonal Vibe: Summer Travel Location: the Caribbean Historical Time: 1719 Genres: YA, Historical, Fantasy, Funny, Romance 422 pages • 🎧 Great audiobook My Salty Mary might be the perfect beach read.

by Sarah Beth Durst Travel Location: A cozy seaside town on a magical island Genres: Fantasy, Romance, Cozy, Cottagecore 376 pages The Spellshop is a delightful cottagecore cozy fantasy.

Books that I might want to read this fall.

Read: July 7-14, 2024 Seasonal Vibe: Summer Travel Location: England, Paris Historical Time: Victorian Era (but fantasy) Spice: Open door with more euphemistic language (mainly one scene) This is a truly delightful book, with a perfect blend of magic, hum…

This weekend was the dance recital for my daughter, Guinevere.

Read: June 19-20, 2024 Seasonal Vibe: Summer!

Reading this book was like hanging out with friends and exploring New York with them for the summer.

Just some books that I think I might want to read this summer.

My daughter’s sixth grade class was reading Holes by Louis Sachar.

The Blue Castle by L.M.