Welcome back, my fellow creatives! I’ve always been thrilled to see how much my three little Bs love to read, but it makes my heart melt to hear my daughter Blondie say she wants to do a podcast with me to share her favorite books. When I said we could make a little “12 Days of Christmas” style series in December, Blondie whipped through her books and picked twelve for us to study. She even designed our banner with her favorite fantasy creature. x

So here we are! I’m blessed to have such amazing kindred spirits in my life, and I am so very blessed to have a daughter who loves storytelling as much as I do.

On the twelfth day of Blondie’s Books, my daughter gave to me:

Wizards of Once by Cressida Cowell

That’s right! We’ve come full circle by returning to the author which jumpstarted this series. 🙂 What does a reader experience in those opening pages, and what lessons can a writer take away in studying but a few paragraphs? Let’s find out!

If you do not see the audio player above, you can access the podcast here.

Why did you pick this book, Blondie?

I was reading the How to Train Your Dragon book series at the time and I was in a Cressida Cowell craze. I read the first few words and was instantly hooked! Cressida writes her books well. If you have a loved one who is interested in fantasy, this is the author for them.

Thank you all so much for sipping the many flavors of my daughters’ favorite story-brews! May your own holidays be full of adventure and magic that only you–and the young readers of your life–can spark to life.

Until we meet again in 2022…Read on, share on, and write on, my friends!

Welcome back, my fellow creatives! I’ve always been thrilled to see how much my three little Bs love to read, but it makes my heart melt to hear my daughter Blondie say she wants to do a podcast with me to share her favorite books. When I said we could make a little “12 Days of Christmas” style series in December, Blondie whipped through her books and picked twelve for us to study. She even designed our banner with her favorite fantasy creature. x

So here we are! I’m blessed to have such amazing kindred spirits in my life, and I am so very blessed to have a daughter who loves storytelling as much as I do.

On the eleventh day of Blondie’s Books, my daughter gave to me:

Warriors: Into the Wild by Erin Hunter

What does a reader experience in those opening pages, and what lessons can a writer take away in studying but a few paragraphs? Let’s find out!

Why did you pick this book, Blondie?

I picked this book because it’s one of the most popular series, and I like cats. The people who write these books did a marvelous job on portraying the surrounding wilderness and the cats themselves. I encourage any cat lover in your life to read this book!

Stay tuned for more storytellin’ and carol-singin’!

Read on, share on, and write on, my friends!

Welcome back, my fellow creatives! I’ve always been thrilled to see how much my three little Bs love to read, but it makes my heart melt to hear my daughter Blondie say she wants to do a podcast with me to share her favorite books. When I said we could make a little “12 Days of Christmas” style series in December, Blondie whipped through her books and picked twelve for us to study. She even designed our banner with her favorite fantasy creature. x

So here we are! I’m blessed to have such amazing kindred spirits in my life, and I am so very blessed to have a daughter who loves storytelling as much as I do.

On the sixth day of Blondie’s Books, my daughter gave to me:

Catalyst by Sarah Beth Durst

What does a reader experience in those opening pages, and what lessons can a writer take away in studying but a few paragraphs? Let’s find out!

If you do not see the audio player above, you can access the player here.

Why did you pick this book, Blondie?

I first found this in a bookstore looking at Wings of Fire books. The book cover looked interesting, and I couldn’t decide on a WOF book, so I got it. I’ve loved it ever since. There are funny tidbits that Durst adds that I just love in this book! I encourage all to read this book and maybe you’ll see animals a little differently.

Stay tuned for more storytellin’ and carol-singin’!

Read on, share on, and write on, my friends!

Welcome back, my fellow creatives! I’ve always been thrilled to see how much my three little Bs love to read, but it makes my heart melt to hear my daughter Blondie say she wants to do a podcast with me to share her favorite books. When I said we could make a little “12 Days of Christmas” style series in December, Blondie whipped through her books and picked twelve for us to study. She even designed our banner with her favorite fantasy creature. x

So here we are! I’m blessed to have such amazing kindred spirits in my life, and I am so very blessed to have a daughter who loves storytelling as much as I do.

On the fourth day of Blondie’s Books, my daughter gave to me:

Endling: The Last by Katherine Applegate

What does a reader experience in those opening pages, and what lessons can a writer take away in studying but a few paragraphs? Let’s find out!

If you do not see the audio player above, you can access the player here.

Why did you pick this book, Blondie?

At first, when this came out and it was on a library shelf, I just picked it up and thought, “It has a dog on the cover and the story sounds interesting. I guess I’ll try it.” Little did I know that it soon became one of my favorite series! It turned out to be full of interesting plot twists, suspense, scary moments, heartwarming scenes, and sad parts. This book series is full of all of these and much more. I really enjoyed reading this!

Stay tuned for more storytellin’ and carol-singin’!

Read on, share on, and write on, my friends!

Welcome back, my fellow creatives! I’ve always been thrilled to see how much my three little Bs love to read, but it makes my heart melt to hear my daughter Blondie say she wants to do a podcast with me to share her favorite books. When I said we could make a little “12 Days of Christmas” style series in December, Blondie whipped through her books and picked twelve for us to study. She even designed our banner with her favorite fantasy creature. x

So here we are! I’m blessed to have such amazing kindred spirits in my life, and I am so very blessed to have a daughter who loves storytelling as much as I do.

On the third day of Blondie’s Books, my daughter gave to me:

Guardians of Ga’Hoole: The Capture by Kathryn Lasky

What does a reader experience in those opening pages, and what lessons can a writer take away in studying but a few paragraphs? Let’s find out!

If you do not see the audio player above, you can access the player here.

Why did you pick this book, Blondie?

I’ve picked this series because I’ve always loved the movie and when I read the book, it blew me away. Kathryn Lasky does a very good job telling this story. Please read it!

Stay tuned for more storytellin’ and carol-singin’!

Read on, share on, and write on, my friends!