Good morning, CSU! What beautiful weather we’ve been having. I led a trail ride on Saturday, and it was perfect out. Granted, out horses are shedding like crazy, so I looked like I had a fur jacket on by the time I was done grooming. Yuck! The mare I always ride was lovely, though. She’s the leader when we’re out on the trail, and thank goodness for that, because the other horses in our group were either having spaz attacks or falling way too far behind. Sheesh.

Anyway, this post isn’t about my trail riding adventures. It’s about the books on my April to-be-read shelf! I’ve selected three books that I would like to read this month, but I’ll probably get to only two at most. I’m still participating in Camp NaNoWriMo, so that takes up the majority of my free time. What a good use of time it is, though.

My mom gave me a bit of money for Easter, and I went out that very day and bought myself a new book. It’s called Sea of Shadows by Kelley Armstrong. Here is the book jacket description:

“In the Forest of the Dead, where the empire’s worst criminals are exiled, twin sisters Moria and Ashyn are charged with a dangerous task. For they are the Keeper and the Seeker, and each year they must quiet the enraged souls of the damned. Only this year, the souls will not be quieted.

Accompanied by a stubborn imperial guard and a dashing condemned thief, the girls make their way to warn the emperor. But a terrible secret awaits them at court – one that will alter the balance of their world forever.”

My mom picked this one out for me, and it sounds so good! I love a good book about spirits and imperial courts and dashing thieves, so this one sounds perfect for me. It will probably be the first I read, but we’ll see.

The next book I plan to read this month is Seraphina by Rachel Hartman. I’ve had it since January, but still haven’t got around to reading it. So many books, so little time! Seraphina is about dragons and princes and dangerous secrets, and I am so excited to break this book open. It’s also part of a series, so if I fall in love with the characters I can follow up with their story in the next book. (And just look at how beautiful that cover is. Wow!)

The final book on my to-be-read shelf has been on it for a while. It’s The Death Cure by James Dashner. It is the third book in The Maze Runner trilogy. I’d like to get this book read this month, but part of me doubts it will happen. I’m super excited for The Scorch Trials movie to come out, and I’m guessing that after watching it I’ll gobble the third book up in a rush. That’s usually how it goes for me. I refuse to see a movie before I’ve read the book, so with the third movie looming (over a year) in the distance, I’ll want to get the book finished, and fast.

So there you have it. I’ve got lots of shelves and lots of books to read, but these are the three that I want to focus my energy on. I’m hoping to work hard on my edits for Camp NaNo this week, so if all goes well I’ll be posting updates about my progress next week.

Until then, enjoy this beautiful spring!

Natalie can be reached at blogs@collegian.com and on twitter @n_juteau