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Well, it seems like March 2020 has gone on for well over a year now. With the Pandemic shuttering most entertainment, and parties and get-togethers restricted or discouraged (especially around the holidays), I found myself, like everyone else, with a lot more time on my hands. But instead of settling in for a marathon of Tiger King or watching “all of Youtube,” as my dad likes to say, I realized that I finally had the time and lack of distractions to attack my TBR (To Be Read) pile that I’m constantly adding to.

There was literally “Time Enough at Last.” I felt very much like that character from Twilight Zone, who discovered he was the last man on Earth and now had unlimited time to read. I usually read about 25 books a year, which averages to about a new book every 2 weeks. Depending on my scheduled activities or my interest in a new Netflix show, that could cut into my reading time. Sometimes I would get so wrapped up in a TV series or playing disc golf or family obligations, that the only time I prioritized reading was right before bed. In January 2020, I set the bar a little lower than normal. I figured with all the time I spent house hunting that month and the next, I’d probably only have time to read 22 books by the end of the year. Boy, did COVID change that.

I exceeded my expectations, reading 31 books – and that was just in 2020. So far this year, I’ve read another 20 books. This time spent reading has allowed me to escape from the stress of the pandemic and the ever-changing rules here in California, and experience other lives instead. It was amazing exploring my first Ray Bradbury books (The Martian Chronicles, Fahrenheit 451, The Halloween Tree) reading LGBTQ+ picks (Milk Fed and Juliet Takes a Breath), in addition to some new cozies (A Deadly Inside Scoop, Cat About Town: A Cat Cafe Mystery) and thrillers (One by One, The Guest List, Mexican Gothic) and re-reading old favorites (Stay Sexy & Don’t Get Murdered: The Definitive How-To Guide, My Sweet Audrina), and discovering new favorites (Finlay Donovan Is Killing It, The Honk and Holler Opening Soon, The Midnight Library). I’ve also had my fair share of books I struggled to get through and others that made the DNF (Did Not Finish) list.

Overall, I enjoyed the solace of free time and no expectations or visitors. I also spent this quiet time focusing on my fiction writing, working on three stories simultaneously. After reading so many exhilarating books, I decided to reset my focus on this blog and share with others some of the amazing (and a few disappointing) stories I’ve read over the past 18 months. See below to view all 20 titles I’ve read so far in 2021.

Cost: $0 – rented from my local library as ebooks or audiobooks

Drink of Choice: Iced Brown Sugar Oat milk Shaken Espresso

 

 

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Maybe if I cradle myself in this rocking chair, back and forth, and tell myself that I am the first and best Audrina, I will capture her special gifts. My hollow brain will fill with her memories and then my family will love me like they loved her. These thoughts aren’t my own, but of the main character in My Sweet Audrina, written by the master of frightening family sagas: V. C. Andrews.

My V.C. Andrews shelf

My V.C. Andrews shelf

My Sweet Audrina is the latest V.C. Andrews novel to be transformed into film. In January 2014, the Lifetime channel aired a new version of Flowers in the Attic, the first novel in the Dollanganger series, and I couldn’t wait to watch it. I put it on my calendar and set my DVR, even though I watched it while it recorded. Three more movies in the series followed.

When I first learned that these movies were being filmed, I was ecstatic. These were books that I have loved and read over and over for years and finally, they were coming to life on screen. Characters whose voices I’ve only heard in my head would now have a face. V.C. Andrews fans have heard this all before: some company is considering producing a movie or a series based on her novels, but the project is never picked up. There have so many rumors and failed attempts in the past.

I can see why. Her work isn’t your standard horror fiction. Each novel features strong women that find their own way, their own destinies, despite the obstacles. There are family secrets and devastating truths, betrayal, and more often than not — forbidden family relationships (you know, the “I” word).

My Sweet Audrina is one of the more twisted tales, one that never fails to give me nightmares whenever I re-read it. Andrews’ first standalone novel is a concentrated version of her series. Audrina is a little girl that yearns to become like her older sister, the first and best Audrina, the one who mysteriously died in the woods just outside her house, nine years earlier. The “second and worst” Audrina is forced into a rocking chair every night by her grieving father, who wants her to capture the gifts that her dead sister no longer needs. She is isolated in a home where all the clocks are set at different times, there are no current magazines or calendars and when each day seems like a week has gone by. There’s something suspicious going on and Audrina is determined to uncover the secret.

The cast of characters includes: Audrina’s mother, Aunt Ellsbeth and her illegitimate daughter, Vera, and the tenants, a former championship figure skater turned amputee and her hardworking son.

According to The Complete V.C. Andrews, the latest news is that My Sweet Audrina is in the editing stage. Lifetime might air the movie as early as this fall! It’s a good time to be a V.C. Andrews fan.