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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!
Tuesday, February 26, 2013

My First Ever Top Ten Tuesday: Auto-Buy Authors

I don't usually participate in Top Ten Tuesday (hosted by The Broke and the Bookish), but I think I'm going to start.  I love reading everyone else's TTT posts, so it stands to reason that I should be creating my own.  Yes?  Yes, I do believe it does.  So, here goes.  This week's list is about "Auto-Buy Authors," or authors you love/trust enough to automatically buy whatever they write.  Here are mine:

1.)  Kathy Reichs -- I love her forensic mystery series featuring the smart, snarky, Diet Coke-slugging Temperance Brennan.  Whenever I don't have access to free ARCs of Reichs' books, I buy them.  In hardcover.  That's how much I love her.

2.)  Jodi Picoult -- Even though Picoult's latest books haven't wowed me as much as her earlier novels, I still think this author on her worst day beats a lot of writers on their best.  Her books always keep me engrossed and make me think.  Definite auto-buys.

3.)  Maeve Binchy -- Unfortunately, this wonderful Irish author passed away recently, which means I won't be able to buy any new books from her.  I love all of her novels.  A Week in Winter recently arrived on my doorstep and I can't wait to read this last book from one of my favorite authors.

4.)  Neal Shusterman -- Although I'm way behind on my reading of this author's books, I have loved every Shusterman novel I've read.  I can buy his books with complete confidence, knowing I won't be disappointed.

5.)  Robyn Carr -- Adult romance is not a genre I read often, for lots of reasons.  Carr is my one exception to the rule.  I love the warmth of her novels and count them as definite auto-buys.

6.)  Tana French -- French is another Irish author whose books just blow me away.  Hers are very different than Binchy's, much more raw, but still, I've loved every one of them.

7.)  L.A. Meyer -- I love Meyer's Bloody Jack series so much that I'm reading it slowly so that I can savor each book.  They've got wonderful characters, vivid settings, fun plot twists, etc.  I'll buy anything Meyer writes, especially if it features Jacky Faber, one of my favorite characters in modern YA literature.

8.)  Marissa Meyer -- Meyer's a new YA author who's making a big splash with The Lunar Chronicles, a series of "rebooted" fairy tales.  I've loved the books she's written so far and hope to read many, many more novels by this talented lady.  

9.)  Cassandra Clare -- Clare's The Mortal Instruments series sucked me in so completely that I believe anything she writes will do the same.

10.)  Patrick Ness -- Even though I didn't love his A Monster Calls, I adored The Chaos Walking trilogy.  I know Ness has a couple novels coming out this year and you better believe they're on my Auto-Buy list.

Phew!  Now, it's your turn -- which authors do you love so much that you'll rush out and buy anything they write?  Do we have any favorites in common?  


At Least There's Chocolate ...

(Image from Barnes & Noble)

There are many words one could use to describe 25-year-old Jillian Parrish:  rigid, controlled, guarded, disciplined.  Flexible isn't one of them.  Adaptable or easily amused don't really fit either.  So, when Scott Gentry pulls a silly prank to get Jillian's attention, it backfires.  Big time.  Jillian's surprised by his sudden interest, but not at all impressed with his immature attempt at asking her out.  She'd rather spend the weekend cozying up to a bag of chocolate-covered cinnamon bears, thank you very much.

But a quiet weekend is not in the cards for Jillian, a would-be novelist who works for a small publishing company in Portland, Oregon.  When Jillian's long-lost younger sister shows up on her doorstep, cradling an infant, all chances of relaxing disappear.  On the run from her drug dealer boyfriend, 20-year-old Evie needs a place to hide.  Despite their estrangement, Jillian will do anything for her little sister.  Then, Evie disappears, leaving baby Shiloh behind.  Totally unequipped to deal with the situation, Jillian freaks out.  Her strictly-managed life is officially out-of-control.  

As Jillian struggles to cope, she discovers she's not as friendless as she believes herself to be.  With the help of her bishop's family and the (annoyingly) dependable Scott Gentry, she might just find her sister—not to mention the happiness she's been denying herself for so long.  But, with an angry drug dealer tracking her every move, a needy baby zapping all her energy, and a man she doesn't want to trust begging her to do just that, Jillian's becoming increasingly desperate and confused.  How can she wrangle herself and her niece out of the mess Evie's created for them?  The problem's too big to solve with chocolate, so the fiercely independent Jillian might just have to rely on the exact things she usually avoids—trust, love and the grace of a loving God.  

 It's no secret that I'm not huge on LDS fiction.  I want to be, I really do.  But the truth is, I can only stomach it once a year, when judging time for the Whitney Awards rolls around.  I wish it weren't so, but by nature, LDS fiction seems to lean toward the cheesy, the preachy and the melodramatic-y.  Of Grace and Chocolate, a romantic suspense novel by Krista Lynne Jensen, is just such a book.  The premise sounds intriguing, it does, but the plot relies way too heavily on coincidence and other contrived situations.  Flat characters don't help matters; neither does the far-fetched action or the tell-not-show writing.  Of Grace and Chocolate does move rather quickly, making it an entertaining enough read—as long as you don't care too much about character or plot development.  Which I, unfortunately for this book, totally do.

(Readalikes:  Reminds me of other LDS romantic suspense novels, although no specific titles are coming to mind since I usually avoid this genre like the plague)

Grade:  C-

If this were a movie, it would be rated:  PG for scenes of peril/violence and references to illegal drug use

To the FTC, with love:  I bought a copy of Of Grace and Chocolate at last year's LDS Storymakers Conference with a portion of the millions I make from my lucrative career as a book blogger.  Ha ha.  
Monday, February 25, 2013

Foster Mom Memoir Compelling Despite Dull Prose

(Image from Barnes & Noble)

When Cathy Glass, a British woman who's been a foster mother for over 25 years, is asked to take in an abrasive 8-year-old, she hesitates.  With a history of violent behavior, especially toward her mom, little Aimee Mason has been labeled "The Child From Hell."  Cathy's had plenty of experience with troubled children, but this one might be too much, even for her.  Still, she can't turn her back on a needy child, so she accepts the challenge of fostering Aimee.

The more Cathy gets to know her young charge, the more she realizes just how thoroughly Aimee has been abused.  As the little girl learns to trust her foster mother, Cathy hears stories that make her blood run cold.  Considering the horrifying home life Aimee endured, the only question is:  Why wasn't she removed from her home sooner?  How could the foster care system have failed a child whose name had been on their records since birth?  Cathy knows she can't let it happen again—she has to make sure Aimee never suffers that kind of abuse again.  But will the child's drug addict mother be sly enough to get Aimee back?  Or can Cathy save the child that everyone else has refused to give a second glance?  The life of a tortured young girl hangs in the balance ...

Cathy Glass has written a number of books—both fiction and non—based on the children she's fostered over the years.  The newest, Another Forgotten Child, is Aimee's story.  And it's just as appalling as it sounds.  Although the details Glass offers about the child's abuse are not as graphic as they no doubt could be, they're still plenty disturbing.  To think that a young girl had to endure all of it just boggles the mind.  Which is, no doubt, why Glass wrote this book.  She's obviously passionate about alerting the public to the abuse some children experience in their homes, encouraging healthy families to help by becoming foster parents, and inspiring adults to stand up for kids who are being mistreated.  Glass' cause is admirable, of course.  Her delivery needs some work, though.  Although the story chronicled  in Another Forgotten Child is compelling, Glass uses dull, tell-not-show prose, making the narration a bit bumpy.  All in all, I found the book impactful, I just wish the writing had been more dynamic.

(Readalikes:  Reminds me of the books Torey L. Hayden wrote about the children she helped while working as a teacher and therapist)

Grade:  C

If this were a movie, it would be rated:  R for strong language, violence, and depictions of severe child abuse/neglect

Saturday, February 23, 2013

An Enjoyable Book for Mothers and Daughters? Voilá! Guilt Assuaged.

(Image from Barnes & Noble)

The readers in my family constantly complain that I never take their reading recommendations.  When I open my mouth to protest these vicious accusations, I often realize they're right.  It's not that I don't respect their opinions—it's really not—it's just that I often have more pressing reading assignments to which I have to attend.  Still, I have guilt.  Lots of guilt.  So, a couple weeks ago, when my 11-year-old daughter asked me to read the first book in one of her favorite series, I saw a golden opportunity to redeem myself.  And, while The Mother-Daughter Book Club by Heather Vogel Frederick didn't knock my socks off or anything, I'm glad I read it, if only so my young reader knows that I do value her opinion.  Very much.

The story revolves around four 6th grade girls in Concord, Massachusetts, who are thrown together when their moms decide to organize a mother-daughter book club.  Emma Hawthorne—who comes from a bookish family and wants to be a writer when she grows up—is okay with the idea.  In theory.  In fact, if her best friend's mother hadn't traipsed off to New York City to star in a soap opera, it might even be a fun thing for her and Jess Delaney to do with their moms.  But, for now, Jess only has a father, so awkward doesn't even begin to describe the situation.  Then, there are the other girls:  Megan Wong is a middle school A-lister, whose friends delight in making life miserable for girls like Emma and Jess, and Cassidy Sloane's a mischievous tomboy who can't talk about anything but sports.  How are four such different girls supposed to get along long enough to choose a book, let alone meet every month to discuss it?

Plenty of ups and downs mark the girls' lives as the year moves on.  And the silly book club isn't making things any better.  Or is it?  As the group continues to read and talk about Little Women, they learn some surprising truths about each other—and themselves.  

First off, I have to say that I love the idea behind this series.  It's a lot of fun.  The story in this first installment reflects that because, while it does deal with things like bullying and parental criticism, it remains both upbeat and lighthearted.  Frederick provides plenty of laughs to offset the more serious parts of the plot.  I did find the characters in The Mother-Daughter Book Club a little cliche, the writing a bit bumpy, and the ending way, way, way too neatly tied up.  Overall, though, it's a cute book that teaches some good lessons about family, friendship and the power of forgiveness.  My daughter has already stacked the next four MDBC books on my desk—and I plan to read them.  If the first installment is any indication, they're fast, fun novels that can be enjoyed by mothers and daughters alike.  Voilá!  Guilt assuaged.    

(Readalikes:  Other books in The Mother-Daughter Book Club series)

Grade:  B-

If this were a movie, it would be rated:  PG for nothing offensive—the book is just geared toward readers aged about 9-12

To the FTC, with love:  I borrowed The Mother-Daughter Book Club from my daughter's personal library.  I believe she got it from her school librarian as a prize for reading lots of books (must be genetic :]).    
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