Things I Like

PopSugar Reading Challenge 2023.

~ Ann Benjamin ~ Leave a comment

PopSugar, PopSugar Reading Challenge

  • A book you meant to read in 2022. I assume this could be any of my books, so I’ll just let you choose one.

  • A book about a vacation. Can I offer Life After Joe? Something of a road trip, vacation, and story of grief, all in one.

  • A book about a forbidden romance. Queen Juliette definitely shouldn’t have any feelings for the Captain of the Royal Guard in Coronation.

  • A book about or set in Hollywood. Hello, Take One (and Two) at Mulholland High!

  • A book published in spring 2023. I’ll get back to you on this one, but Take Three at Mulholland High and Confessions of a Band Geek v2 are both in the works, along with a new adult contemporary.

  • A historical-fiction book. The remainder of the Queen of England series is here to help!

  • A book about divorce. Twenty Year Reunion absolutely fits this category.
  • A book that takes place entirely in one day. Okay, cheating a bit, but Room 702 is a ton of one day chapters (it also features two languages).
  • A book that started out as fan fiction. No lies, The Line series actually did begin as fan fiction.

Hope that gets you started — happy reading!

A reminder that all of my books are free to read via Kindle Unlimited.

Popsugar Reading Challenge: 2018 Edition.

~ Ann Benjamin ~ 3 Comments

I love these lists and like to see where my books fit in every year. 2017 & 2016 for example.Anyway, with above, consider the following:

  • A book about death or grief.  Consider, Life After Joe (as that’s what the entire book is about).
  • A book set in a country that fascinates you.  If you are an Anglophile, I would suggest The Queen of England: Coronation.
  • A book with characters who are twins.  Major Pain has a protagonist with a twin (and I’m considering adding a twin to a current novel as well).
  • A book that’s published in 2018.  I don’t have a specific date yet, but The Queen of England: Grand Tour will definitely be available at some point during the year.
  • A book by an author with the same first name or last name as you.  Where are my Courtneys, Anns, Brandts and Benjamins?

FYI: All of these books are available for Kindle Unlimited!

Author Challenge, Day 9: Favorite Book by Another Author

~ Ann Benjamin ~ Leave a comment

This is actually a very difficult question!  There are so many authors that I admire.  A series of novels that have recently stuck with me and someone who’s writing style I very much admire is Sarah Maas.  Of her novels, I think my current favorite is Heir of Fire, but I reserve judgment as she has more books coming out this year.  I particularly enjoy Ms. Maas’s complex characters and outstanding world building.  HOF-NYT-Cover

What’s your favorite book?

That song you forgot you loved and find years later and still know all the words to…

~ Ann Benjamin ~ Leave a comment

When our Friday brunch turned into a 12+ hour day, we ended up back at our villa, singing along to songs from the early aughts (doesn’t everyone do this?).  As one song led to another, we ended up on Saves the Day’s Freakish, a song I vividly remembered the lyrics to.  As though it were yesterday (and not 2002 when this was on heavy rotation), I instantly recalled the exact moment this song represented in my life.  New to town, Hubs and I driving around Los Angeles…when Trader Joe’s was expensive, when we lived in Northridge, when we didn’t have a clue, that we had no idea in a few short years we would move overseas…  We were just two engaged kids trying to figure out who they were post college.

Where do songs go when they are lost to us?  How do we get them back?  What was your song?