****I received a free copy from the author in exchange for an honest review****

Growing up, I loved all things King Arthur and Camelot. I loved reading about the different iterations of Morgana from evil Fey Queen to misunderstood guardian Lady of the Lake. I loved reading the more young adult books focusing on Guinevere becoming a warrior queen rather than a damsel in distress. Then for some reason, that really isn’t witty or enlightening, I moved on from Arthur and his Knights of The Round Table, and went on to more Greek and Norse Mythology and on and on. But I am so glad to be getting back into Arthurian fantasy! It reminds me why I loved these books as a kid, and the first book in “The Legends of King Arthur” really hit the spot for a craving I had nearly forgotten about! I don’t know of a single person who hasn’t at least heard of the legends around King Arthur, so I don’t really need to say what this book is about. Suffice it to say, this story follows Arthur on those crucial few “steps” before he can covet his Kingly title, when everything goes wrong, and he has to prove himself worthy to lead his people.

“Life and Other Near-Death Experiences” is the rather humorous journey one woman takes, both literally and figuratively, when she discovers she has cancer. I know it sounds weird, a book that’s meant to be a funny account of a woman diagnosed with a rare cancer while her marriage dissolves around her? But it’s true! Often these kinds of books (that a lot of people call chik-lit or women’s fiction, but I don’t like those “titles”) follow a similar format that is very Lifetime Movie: something truly awful happens, and then someone makes it worse, and then the main character goes on a path of panic fueled self-discovery. Which is what the main character, Libby does. But Pagan writes it in a way that has a unique brand of humor that won’t leave you emotionally drained and devastated at the end of every chapter.