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2026 Bookish Books Reading Challenge (hosted by Yours Truly)

My Progress:


27 / 30 books. 90% done!

2026 Cover Lovers Reading Challenge (hosted by Yours Truly)

2026 Cover Lovers Reading Challenge (hosted by Yours Truly)

My Progress:


39 / 50 books. 78% done!

2026 Literary Escapes Challenge

- Alabama
- Alaska (1)
- Arizona
- Arkansas (1)
- California (7)
- Colorado (1)
- Connecticut (1)
- Delaware
- Florida
- Georgia (1)
- Hawaii (1)
- Idaho (1)
- Illinois (2)
- Indiana (1)
- Iowa (1)
- Kansas
- Kentucky (1)
- Louisiana (2)
- Maine (4)
- Maryland (1)
- Massachusetts (2)
- Michigan (2)
- Minnesota (2)
- Mississippi (1)
- Missouri
- Montana (1)
- Nebraska (1)
- Nevada
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey (1)
- New Mexico
- New York (4)
- North Carolina (2)
- North Dakota
- Ohio (3)
- Oklahoma
- Oregon (2)
- Pennsylvania (1)
- Rhode Island (1)
- South Carolina
- South Dakota (1)
- Tennessee
- Texas (3)
- Utah (1)
- Vermont (1)
- Virginia (1)
- Washington (1)
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin (2)
- Wyoming
- Washington, D.C.*

International:

- Australia (6)
- Austria (1)
- Canada (2)
- England (21)
- Fiji (1)
- France (1)
- Ireland (2)
- Italy (1)
- Mexico (1)
- New Zealand (1)
- Norway (1)
- Scotland (1)
- The Bahamas (1)
- Vatican City (1)

My Progress:


34 / 51 states. 67% done!

2026 Historical Fiction Reading Challenge

My Progress:


24 / 25 books. 96% done!

2026 POPSUGAR Reading Challenge

My Progress:


29 / 50 books. 58% done!

Booklist Queen's 2026 Reading Challenge

My Progress:


38 / 52 books. 73% done!

2026 52 Club Reading Challenge

My Progress:


34 / 52 books. 65% done!

2026 Build Your Library Reading Challenge

My Progress:


22 / 40 books. 55% done!

2026 Craving for Cozies Reading Challenge

My Progress:


24 / 51 books. 47% done!

2026 Medical Examiner Mystery Reading Challenge

2026 Mount TBR Reading Challenge

My Progress


19 / 25 books. 76% done!

2026 Around the Year in 52 Books Reading Challenge

My Progress


44 / 52 books. 85% done!

Shelf Reflection Candy Reading Challenge for Kids (and Adults)

My Progress:


54 / 65 books. 83% done!

2026 Countdown Reading Challenge

My Progress:


55 / 55 books. 100% done!

2026 Series Reading Challenge


23 / 36 books. 64% done!

Dragon Rambles' Law of Fives Bingo

Dragon Rambles' Law of Fives Bingo

My Progress:


70 / 125 books. 56% done!

2026 Southern Literary Reading Challenge

My Progress:


9 / 9 books. 100% done!

2026 Reading Challenge (by Linz the Bookworm)

My Progress:


36 / 60 books. 60% done!

2026 Pioneer Book Reading Challenge

2026 Pioneer Book Reading Challenge

My Progress:


10 / 40 books. 25% done!

European Reading Challenge 2026

My Progress:


7 / 50 books. 14% done!

2017 Pick Your Poison Reading Challenge (retired challenge - doing old boards for fun)

My Progress:


67 / 125 books. 54% done!

2026 Reading Challenge Addict Reading Challenge

My Progress:


4 / 5 challenges. 80% done!

The 100 Most Common Last Names in the U.S. Reading Challenge

My Progress:


98 / 100 names. 98% done!

The Life Skills Reading Challenge

My Progress:


76 / 80 skills. 95% done!
Showing posts with label Jason Reynolds. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Jason Reynolds. Show all posts
Tuesday, February 10, 2026

Top Ten Tuesday: Lotsa LOVE For My Library


Happy Tuesday everyone! Since Valentine's Day will soon be upon us, today's TTT prompt is no surprise: a love/Valentine's freebie. I'm not a romance reader and freebies always throw me for a loop, so I'm going to go with a lazy twist on the topic and talk about library LOVE. Even though I have hundreds of unread books on my shelves, you can still find me at my local library quite often. I will never not enjoy browsing their shelves to find new treasures to read at home. I'm also addicted to Libby, where I can borrow the library's audiobooks and e-books. In addition to all the goodies inside, the library closest to my home is surrounded by a nature preserve where you can stroll along the paths, watch ducks glide in the lake, and enjoy the quiet peace of being out in nature (although you're actually in the middle of a busy suburb). There's so much to LOVE about libraries generally and my local one specifically. What do you LOVE about yours? 


Like everyone else, I've been playing with Chat GPT's caricature-making feature. I thought this one, which the website titled "Relaxed Reader in the Library," was especially funny. If only my library had comfy recliners and fuzzy blankets to curl up with, I would probably never leave! Ha ha. I also love that it shows me listening to an audiobook and reading a paper book at the same time. I'm good, but I'm not that good. And what's with my crazy eyes? I guess I'm just really excited about visiting the library! If nothing else, AI is always good for a laugh...

As always, Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by the lovely Jana over at That Artsy Reader Girl.

Library Love: The Last Ten Books I Checked Out From the Library


1. Coach by Jason Reynolds—I thought Reynolds' excellent Track series was over seven years ago when the last book was published, but then Coach came out in 2025. Yay! Like its predecessors, it's an encouraging read full of humor and heart. Narrated by the author's best friend, singer/actor Guy Lockard, the audiobooks are especially well done. 

You can see my review of Coach here. Blogger flagged the review as containing "sensitive content." It's really just a content warning for my content warning, which is silly, but whatever.


2. The List of Suspicious Things by Jennie Godfrey—I've heard nothing but good things about this historical mystery. I started it yesterday and I'm already thoroughly engrossed. It's set in Yorkshire, England, in 1979 when the area was the target of a serial killer dubbed the Yorkshire Strangler. Using the real murders as a backdrop, the novel features a curious 12-year-old girl who is determined to find the identity of the killer. As she uses her keen observation skills to observe "suspicious" doings in her neighborhood, she discovers surprising truths about the people around her, including her family and herself.


3. Of Mice and Murder by Sally Smith—This is the first installment in a historical mystery series about a London barrister who becomes a reluctant amateur sleuth when he discovers the dead body of a powerful, well-known judge on his doorstep. 


4. The Chow Maniac by Vivien Chien—As you will soon see, I'm trying to make progress in series I'm in the middle of, so I grabbed this mystery, the 11th installment in a fun cozy mystery series set in a family-owned Chinese restaurant in Ohio. In this adventure, Lana Lee is called on to help P.I. Lydia Shepard solve a series of thefts and murders in the Asian community.


5. Murder in the East End by Jennifer Ashley—I enjoy the Below Stairs Mystery series, which is set in Victorian London. In this 4th installment, cook Kat Holloway, who moonlights as an amateur sleuth, can't look away when she learns that children are mysteriously disappearing from a local orphanage. Can she figure out what is going on before more kids vanish?


6. The Island by Adrian McKinty—I'm always in for a vacation-gone-horribly-wrong adventure, so I grabbed this thriller about a family who makes a rash decision while on holiday that leaves them stranded on a remote Australian island with a group of sinister hosts. Despite the promising premise, I ended up DNFing this baby because the characters are depthless caricatures, the plot gets ridiculous, and the dialogue is just laughably bad. No thanks.


7. Severe and Unusual Weather by Jessie Ann Foley—Foley's Sorry For Your Loss was one of my favorite reads of 2019. I've been meaning to read more by her and her newest, a middle-grade magical realism novel about an unlikely friendship, sounds like a good one.


8. Stabbed in the Baklava by Tina Kashian—The Kebab Kitchen mystery books make up another fun cozy series, also set in a family-owned restaurant. This time it's a Mediterranean eatery on the New Jersey shore. In this second installment, Lucy Berberian is in charge of catering a high-profile wedding that goes terribly wrong when the groom is murdered. Worse, Lucy's ex-boyfriend is accused of the crime. He may be infuriating, but she knows he's no killer. Once again, she finds herself playing Nancy Drew in order to solve a crime.


9. The Girl in the Painting by Tea Cooper—I've read a couple of books by this Australian author and enjoyed them, so I grabbed her 2020 novel on audio when I saw that it was available on Libby. The story revolves around a young orphan who is taking in by a brother and sister intent on nurturing her impressive match skills. As the child ages, she realizes there's more to her guardians than meets the eye. When one of her guardians has a strange reaction upon seeing a certain painting in a gallery, her charge vows to find out just what her hosts are hiding.

So, since I started writing this post this morning, I have been listening to The Girl in the Painting. The narrator does a nice job, except that she takes a big breath after every paragraph, it seems. Now that I've noticed it, I can't unnotice it, and it's driving me crazy. So, I'm going to return the audiobook and pick up a paper copy of the novel because I'm enjoying the story so far.


10. Local Gone Missing by Fiona Barton—My focus really should be on finishing series I've already started instead of beginning new ones, but...This is the first book in a crime series by an author whose books I've enjoyed in the past. It's about an English detective out on medical leave who is drawn into investigating the disappearance of a man who vanished at a local music festival. With tensions between the town's permanent residents and its weekender population reaching a boiling point, she fears the conflict may have gotten deadly.

There you have it, the last(ish) ten books I checked out of the library. Have you read any of them? What did you think? What topic did you choose for today's freebie prompt? I'd truly love to know. Leave me a comment on this post and I will gladly return the favor on your blog.

Happy TTT!

Wednesday, December 17, 2025

Top Ten Tuesday Wednesday: Winter TBR List


The closer it gets to Christmas and to my family's departure for our Holy Land trip on December 26, the crazier life becomes! So much to do, so little time. BUT, I didn't want to miss participating in Top Ten Tuesday this week, so here I am. (I started this post yesterday, but finished today, so I'm actually a day late. Oops!) This week's topic is Top Ten Books On My Winter TBR list. To be honest, I have no idea what I'm going to be reading this season, but I've come up with ten possibilities to share with you. 

As always, Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by the lovely Jana over at That Artsy Reader Girl.



Also, be sure to scroll down on my blog and check out my posts about the two reading challenges I'm hosting this year: the Bookish Books Reading Challenge and the Cover Lovers Reading Challenge. They're both laidback and fun. Please consider joining me on these reading adventures! 

Top Ten Books On My Winter TBR


1. The Escape Game by Marissa Meyer and Tamara Moss (available April 7, 2026)—I have an e-ARC of this forthcoming YA murder mystery that takes place during the filming of an escape room-themed game show. Contestants on the newest season include the sister of a contestant who died during the last season and she's not just out to win, she wants justice. Sounds intriguing!


2. Pearls and Poison by Erin Lindsey—This is the fourth installment in the always entertaining Rose Gallagher series. Rose is a former housemaid who works with a team of investigators with special abilities to solve mysteries of the supernatural kind in Gilded Age New York City. Now a legit Pinkerton agent, Rose is on her own to investigate a case of missing jewels and a mysterious murder.


3. Atomic Habits by James Clear—I reread this inspirational book every January to motivate myself to set and achieve personal goals. 


4. Nosy Neighbors by Freya Sampson—On a visit to my local indie bookstore, Changing Hands, yesterday, I picked up this mystery novel. It's about two warring, cantankerous residents of a dilapidated apartment building. When they're informed their home will be demolished and another resident is subsequently being harrassed, the two join forces to find out who is behind the attacks and save their home.


5. The Dark Library by Mary Anna Evans—Estella Ecker never intended to return to Rockfall House, but now that her father has died and her mother has disappeared, she feels she has little choice. As Estella begins unearthing Rockfall's secrets, she discovers shocking truths that throw into question everything she thought she knew about her parents and herself.

6. Coach by Jason Reynolds—I have really enjoyed Reynolds' middle-grade series about an inner-city track team. Each novel is told from the perspective of a different member of the group. As indicated by this book's title, it is the story of the team's leader, Coach. 

If you decide to give this series a go (and you really should), try it on audio. Actor and singer Guy Lockard, who is a close personal friend of Reynolds, does an excellent job narrating the books.


7. We Are All Guilty Here by Karin Slaughter—This is the first book in a new mystery series. It's about a small, close-knit town that is rocked to its core when two local teenage girls disappear. As the police investigate, it soon becomes clear that they were both hiding terrible secrets. Did those secrets lead to their deaths? I've never read anything by Slaughter, so I'm excited to check her out.


8. An American in Scotland by Lucy Connelly—In this series opener, an American medical doctor trades in her chaotic existence in Seattle for the quiet life of a country doctor in a quaint Scottish town. She gets more than she bargains for when she discovers a dead body—and then finds out that in addition to being the town's doctor, she's also its coroner! Determined to find out what happened to the victim, she begins digging into the town's secrets, stirring up all kinds of trouble among its residents.


9. The Star Society by Gabriella Saab (available January 6, 2026)—After fighting the Nazis with the Dutch Resistance during World War II, Ada Worthington-Fox fled to the United States and has reinvented herself as a rising Hollywood starlet. When the sister she thought was dead turns up in California, Ada fears all the secrets from her past will be exposed, especially as it becomes clear that her sister has her own secrets and a mission that could destroy the new life Ada has worked so hard to build for herself. 


10. Bluebird by Sharon Cameron—Like #9, this YA historical novel deals with World War II refugees grappling with the aftermath of the atrocities of war. Eva, who knows the truth behind Project Bluebird, a monstrous experiment conducted in the concentration camps, has come to the United States seeking one thing: justice. She will stop at nothing to hunt down the Nazi behind it all. 

I've already read—and loved—Bluebird, but my book club just chose it as our January pick, so I'm going to reread it sometime in the next month. 

How about you? What's on your Winter TBR? I'd truly love to know. Leave me a comment on this post and I will gladly return the favor on your blog.

Happy TTT (on a Wednesday)!

Tuesday, August 01, 2023

Top Ten Tuesday: Backlist Books By (Some of) My Favorite Authors That I Haven't Read Yet


I like to think I have a fair amount of self-control when it comes to the shiny and new. My head does get turned by the latest and greatest, but not that much. Although I do get hit by the FOMO bug sometimes, it's not like an epidemic with me. And yet, something keeps stealing my attention away from all the older books sitting on my bookshelves waiting patiently to be read! Today's TTT topic addresses this very subject: Top Ten Forgotten Backlist Titles (Spread love for books that people don't talk about anymore!). I could probably do a Top 500 list for this topic, but I'll try to keep it to ten backlist books by some of my favorite authors that I still need to get to. 

As always, Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by the lovely Jana over at That Artsy Reader Girl. Click on over to her blog and give her some love.

Top Ten Backlist Books By (Some of) My Favorite Authors That I Haven't Read Yet 


1. The Masked Truth by Kelley Armstrong (2015)—I've been on a big Armstrong bend this year, but I haven't read this thriller yet. It's about two teens who are unenthusiastically attending a weekend therapy camp when it's raided by three masked men. As their captors get more violent, Riley and Max have to figure out how to get the whole group out of a terrifying and increasingly deadly situation. 


2. Silent in the Grave by Deanna Raybourn (2006)—I adore Raybourn's Veronical Speedwell mystery series, so I'm sure I'll love her Lady Julia Gray one as well. This series opener begins with the death of Sir Edward Gray, a popular figure among London's elite. When his private inquiry agent suggests to Edward's wife, Julia, that her husband's death was murder instead of the result of a long-standing illness, she's shocked. Determined to find out the truth, she persuades the inquiry agent to help her investigate.


3. Snowbound by Blake Crouch (2010)—On a deserted highway during a violent electrical storm, a woman disappears. Falsely accused of doing his wife harm, her husband takes their daughter and runs. When an FBI agent shows up at their door, claiming to have an idea about what really happened to the missing woman, the distraught husband jumps at the chance to discover the truth and clear his name.


4. Firefly Lane by Kristin Hannah (2008)—I've loved Hannah's recent books, but I haven't read many of her older ones. This popular novel stars Kate and Tully, two girls who are each other's opposites as well as each other's very best friend. Vowing to be close always, they're unprepared for the choices and events that tear them apart after three decades of close friendship. 


5. The Secret of a Heart Note by Stacey Lee (2016)—Lee is one of my favorite writers of YA historical fiction. Besides her newest book—Winston Chu vs. the Whimsies—this is the only one of Lee's novels I haven't read yet. It's a romance about a 16-year-old girl who's one of the last two aromateurs on the planet. She knows her destiny is to use her special gift with aromas to help others fall in love, never experiencing the sensation for herself lest she lose her abilities. Enter a handsome soccer star. Suddenly, Mim's in real danger of falling hard. What's a twitterpated aromateur to do?


6. The Girl Who Stopped Swimming by Joshilyn Jackson (2013)—Jackson's Southern women's fiction is always top notch. I mentioned this novel in a recent TTT list. It stars Laurel Hawthorne, a woman who is awakened in the night by the ghost of her teenage neighbor. When the girl's body is found floating in her swimming pool the next day, the town assumes it was nothing more than a tragic accident. Laurel isn't so sure. Why would the girl's ghost appear to her unless the apparition was pleading for help? Laurel's determined to get to the bottom of the suspicious death. 


7. Look Both Ways by Jason Reynolds (2019)—This middle grade book is a novel told in ten parts, from ten different perspectives. I'm not entirely sure what the plot is, but it's Reynolds, so it doesn't matter. I'm reading it.


8. In the Shadow of the Moon by Karen White (2000)—White's debut is a time slip novel about a woman who's transported back to Civil War Georgia, where she finds herself fighting for her life—and for her heart.


9. The Chilbury Ladies' Choir by Jennifer Ryan (2017)—I've read all of Ryan's novels but this one. It's about a group of English women during World War II who defy their vicar's order to shut down their church choir. Instead, they band together to sing, support each other, and face a bleak-looking future with optimism and courage.


10. O' Artful Death by Sarah Stewart Taylor (2003)—Taylor's Maggie D'Arcy crime series is one of my favorites. This book, her debut and the first in an earlier mystery series, revolves around a college professor with an interest in cemetry art. When she encounters a strange graveyard carving that hints at an old murder, she's intrigued. Investigating in the isolated community where the statue resides, she discovers even more secrets and mysteries.

There you are, ten backlist books by some of my favorite authors that I still need to read. Have you read any of them? What did you think? Which backlist books are on your list today? I'd truly love to know. Leave me a comment on this post and I will gladly return the favor on your blog.

Happy TTT!

Tuesday, April 25, 2023

Top Ten Tuesday: The One With the Silky-Smooth Audiobook Narrators


It's been a couple weeks since I did a Top Ten Tuesday. Since these are about the only posts I've been making this year, it's really good to be back! Today's topic—Top Ten Favorite Audiobook Narrators—is one that won't appeal to everyone. I, myself, wouldn't have had much to say about it just a few years ago. Now, though, I've gotten into the habit of having an audiobook going always so that I can listen while I drive and do housework. Not only does it make tedious chores more entertaining, but it multiplies the amount of time I get to spend reading. A win-win for sure.

As always, TTT is hosted by the lovely Jana over at That Artsy Reader Girl. Click on over to her blog to read all about this fun weekly event. 

Top Ten Favorite Audiobook Narrators 
- in no particular order - 


1. Katherine Kellgren—Kellgren narrated one of my favorite YA series, an ongoing tale of swashbuckling sensation "Bloody" Jack Faber. Her animated readings are the best! Unfortunately, she passed away after a long battle with cancer in 2018. The author of the Bloody Jack books is also deceased, which is incredibly sad as Kellgren and Meyer made a wonderful team. Hopefully, they're still making books together in heaven.

Kellgren books I've enjoyed: The Bloody Jack series by L.A. Meyer


2. Jim Dale—Everybody loves this versatile narrator who's so entertaining with his immense skill at creating unique voices. Listening to him read the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling is an absolute delight.

Dale books I've enjoyed: The Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling


3. Guy LockardJason Reynolds is one of my favorite middle grade authors. Lockard is a long-time friend of the author and comes from the same inner-city background as Reynolds. His voice rings with authenticity when he narrates his buddy's work. Plus, he does some super fun voices (Coach Brody from the Track series is my favorite).

Lockard books I've enjoyed: Track series by Jason Reynolds 



4. Julia Whelan—I've listened to several books read by Whelan, whose smooth voice makes characters seem so alive that you almost forget they're not real.

Whelan books I've enjoyed: Book Lovers by Emily Henry, The Betrayal of Anne Frank: A Cold Case Investigation by Rosemary Sullivan


5. Karissa Vacker—Some of the first books I listened to on audio were read by Vacker. She does an excellent job.

Vacker books I've enjoyed: Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus by Dusti Bowling, Momentuous Events in the Life of a Cactus by Dusti Bowling


6. Bethan Rose Young—Young brings Myrtle Hardcastle, one of my favorite MG sleuths, to life so well. I love listening to the series on audio.

Young books I've enjoyed: Myrtle Hardcastle series by Elizabeth C. Bunce


7. Sophie Roberts—Roberts has another voice that's so smooth it melts into the background and lets the story she's narrating really come alive.

Robert books I've enjoyed: The Wedding Dress Sewing Circle by Jennifer Ryan



8. Celebrities reading their own books—I'm not much into celebs, so I don't read many of these, but I've enjoyed the few that I've listened to.

Celebrity-read books I've enjoyed: The Answer Is... by Alex Trebek (co-narrated with Ken Jennings), Surrender by Bono (The husband and I are in the middle of this one right now. It's 20 hours long!)


9. Saskia Maarleveld—I've listened to one book read by Maarlevald and she narrates several more that I'd like to read. 

Maarleveld books I've enjoyed: The War Librarian by Addison Armstrong


10. Keylor Leigh—I've only listened to one book read by Leigh, but I would definitely listen to more!

Leigh books I've enjoyed: The Renegade Reporters by Elissa Brent Weissman

I'm still a bit of a newbie to the world of audiobooks. Which narrators should I be searching out? Who are your favorites? I'd truly love to know. Leave me a comment on this post and I will gladly return the favor on your blog. I also reply to comments here, so check back.

Happy TTT!

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