A Final Farewell (+ book recs!)

    Summer 2020 was when I started posting with a dream that felt as wide as the horizon: to create a Common Sense Media-esque haven for bookworms like me. I knew there were others out there who didn't want to get sucked into reading a brilliant premise with a weak story. It started with me recommending books that took up my headspace, and then catapulted into a much bigger endeavor, hosting interviews with authors creating meaningful stories and participating in blog challenges that helped me to discover more of myself as a writer and a person. 

    But life, like story arcs, changes. In late 2021 I found myself unable to blog due to real-life activities. Then I struggled with a lack of motivation. I found myself forcing words to appear on the screen, worried about letting the small audience I had down. This past few year has been filled with more of the same, up to the point where I ended up going on multiple hiatuses, unsure about the amount of time I spent not blogging.

    While I still fully believe in the mission I had when starting this journey, writing on this blog has recently felt more like a chore than a joy. At this point I believe I've been so inactive that I've lost most of the audience I wanted to reach, and with new happenings in my personal and writing life I don't believe I have the time and energy to post enough to gain it back. So, I've decided to stop posting on Stepping Stones Book Reviews for good.

   I'm not blaming anyone but myself for the lack of activity on here. This also does not mean I don't consider myself a reader or a writer anymore. Simply, my priorities as a person have shifted. Like any of my finished or abandoned stories, I will always treasure the time I spent brainstorming and working on them. 

    My blog will remain up for future readers who want to enjoy what I've already posted.

    I'd like to say one last, heartfelt thank-you to anyone who interacted with this blog. Whether you scrolled through a post, allowed me to interview you (some multiple times!), or left me a comment, I deeply treasure you and wish you all the best going forward. Thank you for making my blogging years a lovely, wonderful memory.

    ~ JadeSky

(P.S. Below are a list of books that I planned to recommend in the future. Keep in mind that I have not reviewed these books for content, so please use your own judgement. I hope you enjoy!)

• The War For Mansoul adapted by Ethel Barrett (allegorical fantasy)
• The Hawk and the Dove by Penelope Wilcock (historical christian fiction)
• Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen (historical romance)
• Shadow by Kara Swanson (fantasy)
• On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness by Andrew Peterson (fantasy)
• Delighting in the Trinity by Michael Reeves (christian nonfiction)
• The Map to Everywhere by Carrie Ryan and John Parke Davis (fantasy)
• The Unlikely Story of a Pig in the City by Jodi Kendall (contemporary)
• From The Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E.L. Konigsburg (contemporary)
• The Story Girl by L.M. Montgomery (historical fiction)
• Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm by Kate Douglas Smith Wiggin (historical fiction)
• A Room of My Own by Ann Tatlock (historical fiction)
• The Saturdays by Elizabeth Enright
• Small Steps: The Year I Got Polio by Peg Kehret (autobiography)
• Kisses From Katie by Katie Davis-Majors (autobiography)
• The Titus Diary by Gene Edwards (christian historical fiction)