A few months before my birthday last year, I composed a lofty post with 40 Things To Do When I Turn 40. Now, here I am facing down 41 and realizing that I never completed that list. There were 14 things undone! So, this year, I’m giving myself another challenge: Knock out those 14 items AND complete 17 more.
(Yes, a ton of these goals are food-related. Because that is just the kind of person I am!)
1. Go axe-throwing.
2. Get a massage (I’ve STILL yet to have one).
3. Get some soul food.
4. Go to an arcade or Dave & Buster’s-esque place for Skee-Ball.
5. Vacation some place warm.
6. Get purple highlights.
7. Make out with somebody.
8. Win the Hamilton lottery (LOL!).
9. Go on a good date!
10. Visit a state I haven’t been to before.
11. Learn how to make samosas.
12. Take a boxing workout class. DONE!
13. Plan that bucket-list trip to Scotland to tour some scotch distilleries.
14. Do pub trivia.
15. Finish writing another book.
16. Finally buy myself a DVD player.
17. Visit a place with historical or natural significance (The Grand Canyon, Washington D.C., etc).
18. Take a salsa class.
19. See Captain Marvel.
20. Try another regional cuisine I’ve never had before.
It’s no wonder I lost my steam in December, going several days without reading anything at all (I know, I know…a terrible place to be!). Luckily, what I DID manage to get to made a helluva impact. Tasha Suri’s debut Mughal Empire-inspired fantasy, Empire of Sand, knocked my socks off and made my 
The Reading Rundown
The Turn by Kim Harrison (urban fantasy)
Favorite Books
Favorite Shows
The Reading Rundown:
The Way You Make Me Feel by Maurene Goo (young adult romance)
Last month was a little light on romance reading for me, but a goldmine for my other go-to genres! I read some great YA, really compelling litfic-y fantasy rooted in Indian mythology, and some awesome urban fantasy. Rebecca Roanhorse’s UF debut, Trail of Lightning, rooted in Navajo culture and lore, is just brilliant–reinvigorating a subgenre that, at least for me, had begun to feel kind of samey-samey. Her heroine, Maggie, is SUCH a badass. I cannot wait for the next book, Storm of Locusts, which is set to come out April 23, 2019. And I finally got around to Anne Bishop’s Lake Silence, the latest visit to her Others universe. It’s so weird to say this, because Bishop’s books are really violent, but I always feel warm and fuzzy after I’m done with one of her titles. There’s a real softness and kindness woven throughout despite the frequently bloodthirsty content. I hope she’s not done with the terra indigene yet!
The reading rundown:
Mr. Hotshot CEO by Jackie Lau (contemporary romance)
September gifted me with a great mix of YA fiction and adult contemporary romance. The former included the immensely satisfying Moxie, by Jennifer Mathieu, about a girl pushing back at the sexist bullshit pervading her high school and Julie Murphy’s utterly charming Dumplin’, which will soon be debuting in movie form on Netflix. Both books are set in Texas—-resulting in what’s probably the most productive amount of time I’ve spent in Lone Star State!
In the romance realm, I traveled up to Kentucky for Tiffany Reisz’s hilarious and sweet BDSM romance, Picture Perfect Cowboy. The story features characters from her Original Sinners universe in a much lighter context, and it really whet my appetite for BDSM romcom. More funny kink, please! Then I left the States entirely, stopping in South Africa for my first Christmas romance of 2018 —- Therese Beharrie’s adorable Her Festive Flirtation —- and immersing myself in New Zealand’s desi community via Nalini Singh’s steamy arranged-marriage plot, Rebel Hard. Both of these romances feature women of color navigating family expectations and weddings, and they really hit home while also warming my embittered soul!