Although technically it’s not raining here today, it might as well be. It rained most of the weekend, and today is damp, dreary, and cool.

And I’ve got a case of the Mondays.

Today would be a perfect day to be at home, holed up under one’s blanket fort, reading and drinking tea. (The blanket fort (or better yet, this Privacy Pop Bed Tent—I’d get the gray one) can be optional, although I think most introverts will agree with me, blanket fort = essential.)

Today would be a perfect reading day—but sadly I’m stuck at work even though I need to be reading because it’s week 9 of the new year and I’m 2 books behind schedule on my Goodreads 2018 Reading Challenge.

Hence the need to be holed up at home on this blah, rainy day.

But the good news is I’ve found two great new-to-me authors and series. So I foresee myself catching up soon.

First, I discovered the Fever series by Karen Marie Moning, which starts with Darkfever. This urban fantasy series centers around MacKayla “Mac” Lane. Mac travels to Ireland to search for answers to her sister’s murder. As she delves into her search, Mac learns that the Tuatha Dé Danann, or Fae (an ancient race of immortal beings who have lived secretly among humans for millennia) exist and gets caught up in a race to save the world from impending disaster.

I, of course, love the urban fantasy, paranormal, and dark fantasy genres. And this series delivers. Plus, this series has the bonus of Celtic mythology and is set in Dublin. So this Irish girl is all feckin’ over it. I’ve devoured the first 3 books and am almost finished with book 4. Luckily, there are 11 books in this series (so far), which means I have a lot more to enjoy.

Second, my friend AM recommended the Graveyard Queen series by Amanda Stevens, which starts with The Restorer. Another urban fantasy series that stars Amelia Gray, a cemetery restorer. Now if the fact that the main character is a professional cemetery restorer hasn’t already intrigued you. . . well, we may need to reevaluate your reading priorities.

Book 1 introduces us to Amelia, her world of graveyard restoration (and of course ghosts), and the haunted police detective who is trying to solve a brutal murder of a young woman found . . . you guessed it . . . in a cemetery.

I couldn’t put this book down. I found the premise intriguing (come on, she’s a cemetery restorer—how cool is that?). And while the murder is the main focus of book 1, there is an overarching story that leads into book 2. I haven’t gotten book 2 yet, but it is high on my list as I’m anxious to see what happens next to Amelia.  (Thanks for the recommendation AM!)

Other than those two series, I’ve most recently read The Miniaturist by Jessie Burton. A debut novel, the book is set in seventeenth-century Amsterdam and revolves around eighteen-year-old Petronella “Nella” Brandt neé Oortman. Although it was a good read, I found it failed to live up to its hype. (You can read my entire review here.) But judge it for yourself. That’s the beauty of books. Books, like art, are all the eye of the beholder. I guarantee there’s at least one book out there for everyone.

So 9 weeks into the new year and I’ve read 9 books. Not too shabby. It’s just too bad that we can’t call in “booked” (or maybe “reading deprived”) on rainy days and especially when that rainy day is a Monday.

Tell me what book(s) you’ve most recently read. Any you’d recommend for me? Any you’d like to see me review? Share in the comments below. 

(And feel free to friend me on Goodreads.)