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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)
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- Illinois (2)
- Indiana (1)
- Iowa (1)
- Kansas
- Kentucky (1)
- Louisiana (2)
- Maine (4)
- Maryland (1)
- Massachusetts (2)
- Michigan (2)
- Minnesota (2)
- Mississippi (1)
- Missouri
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- 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!
Thursday, October 03, 2013

Easy, Breezy Summer Novel A Little Too Easy, Breezy

(Image from Barnes & Noble)

While other people spend their summer vacations playing on the sparkling beach in Colby, North Carolina, Emaline does not.  The 18-year-old would definitely not mind spending endless hours sunbathing or snorkeling or pedaling a bike along the pier, but she's hardly a carefree tourist.  She's got a job, a demanding one, one that ensures the town's summer people enjoy their stays in her hometown.  As the official greeter and make-sure-everyone's-happy person for her family's vacation rental business, Emaline gets to deal with guest requests, guest complaints and, worst of all, her older sister's irritating know-it-all business management style.  She can't wait to leave it all behind when she goes to college in the Fall.

Well, okay, there's a (not so) small part of her that wants to stay in Colby for the rest of her life.  Maybe the small town doesn't have a lot to offer in the way of educational advancement, but it's where she feels most content, most at peace.  Does she really want to leave her warm, crazy family behind?  And what about Luke Templeton, her perfect, loving boyfriend?  Can their relationship survive the distance?  

When Emaline meets Theo Burns, an NYU film student who's in Colby for the summer working on a documentary, she begins to see just how small her life really is.  Through him, she realizes how tired she is of being "just [a] supporting player in someone else's summer" (67).  But, does she have the courage to step onto center stage?  Especially if it means taking big risks that come with serious consequences?  Pulled between the comfort of her safe little life in Colby and the promise of better things awaiting her in the big, wide world, Emaline must decide who she really is and what she really wants.  Before her bright, pivotal summer fades away forever. 

The Moon and More, the newest offering from teen favorite Sarah Dessen, is exactly what it appears to be—an easy, breezy beach novel that's as light and entertaining as the best of summer days.  Although it's a lengthy 435 pages, the book's got a bubbly tone that keeps it from feeling too weighed down.  While that's all well and good, a stronger central conflict would have helped the story feel more focused and substantial.  Emaline's inner struggle seemed flimsy to me, which made her decisions too predictable.  So, all in all, I enjoyed The Moon and More, I just thought it prattled on for way too long considering its underdeveloped plotline.  Since this was my first foray into Sarah Dessen territory, it's possible I was expecting way too much from it.  And, really, the novel didn't disappoint, but it didn't wow me either.   


Grade:  


If this were a movie, it would be rated:  


for language (no F-bombs), mild sexual innuendo/content and references to underage drinking/partying
           
To the FTC, with love:  I received an ARC of The Moon and More from the generous folks at Penguin.  Thank you!
Wednesday, October 02, 2013

Leaving Haven: Two Women at Loose Ends, One Baby Stuck in the Middle

(Image from Barnes & Noble)


For the last decade, 41-year-old Georgia Bing's been obsessed with one thing: getting pregnant.  She and her husband John always planned to give their now 13-year-old daughter a sibling, it just hasn't happened yet, no matter how hard they try.  And Georgia has tried everything.  To no avail.  Just when Georgia's finally ready to give up all hope, her best friend Alice Kinniard offers to become an egg donor.  The donation leads to a healthy pregnancy, which puts Georgia over the moon.  She's ecstatic about the new baby, can't wait to hold him and love him.  

Then, Georgia discovers a shocking betrayal, one that will change everything she knows about her marriage, her best friend and her ability to mother her infant son.  As she tries to piece her life back together, Georgia will have to decide what to fight for, what to let go of and who to trust with her newly shattered heart.  Plagued with guilt and shame, Alice can only watch, helpless, as her carefully-ordered world falls apart.  With her marriage on the rocks, her one true friend gone and her teenage daughter's welfare to consider, Alice has to make her own difficult choices.  But how can she mend what she so recklessly tore apart?  Will her husband ever trust her again?  Will Georgia?  With Georgia and Alice grappling to navigate their way through this fractured new reality, the most important question isn't how they will cope, but what will happen to the baby they both helped to create?  

It's difficult not to be drawn into Leaving Haven, an intense new family drama by Kathleen McCleary.  The characters are well-drawn, so much so that it's hard not to feel empathy for all of them.  The conflict at the heart of the story gives the novel enough tension and drama to keep the reader interested, even when the subject matter gets depressing.  While the premise may seem a little far-fetched, Leaving Haven actually felt very authentic to me.  Even the ending, while not as satisfying as I wanted it to be, seemed real.  So, while I found the book to be a bit of a downer, I also found the story riveting.  I cared about the characters, the plot kept me guessing and the prose didn't make me want to scratch my eyeballs out with a toothpick.  That equals a decent read in my book.  

(Readalikes:  Hm, I can't think of anything.  Can you?)

Grade:  



If this were a movie, it would be rated:


for language (a dozen or so F-bombs, plus milder invectives) and sexual content

To the FTC, with love:  I received an ARC of Leaving Haven from the generous folks at Harper Collins via those at TLC Book Tours.  Thank you!
Monday, September 30, 2013

Casinos and Secrets and Magic, Oh My!

So, you may have noticed that I've been on quite the YA dystopian kick lately.  What can I say?  It's been one of my favorite genres ever since it became a thing.  Still, a lot of the time, reading post-apocalyptic novels is kind of like watching re-runs of a show you once liked.  The concept continues to appeal, but the delivery gets old pretty darn fast.  And yet, a few recent discoveries (The Hallowed Ones and The Outside by Laura Bickle; Not a Drop to Drink by Mindy McGinnis) give me hope that there's still some originality to be had in this very saturated genre.  We'll see.

In the meantime, here's one that looks promising to me:  Frozen by Melissa de la Cruz and Michael Johnston.  My ARC of the book hasn't arrived yet, so you're going to have to settle for a little teaser/spotlight thing.

If you haven't heard of Frozen, here's a quick synopsis:
Welcome to New Vegas, a city once covered in bling, now blanketed in ice.  Like much of the destroyed planet, the place knows only one temperature—freezing.  But some things never change.  The diamond in the ice desert is still a 24-hour hedonistic playground and nothing keeps the crowds away from the casino floors, never mind the rumors about sinister sorcery in its shadows.                                                                                                                                                                               At the heart of this city is Natasha Kestal, a young blackjack dealer looking for a way out.  Like many, she's heard of a mythical land simply called "The Blue."  They say it's a paradise, where the sun still shines and the waters are turquoise.  Most importantly, it's a place where Nat won't be persecuted, even if her darkest secret comes to light.                                                                                                                                                           But passage to the Blue is treacherous, if not impossible, and her only shot is to bet on a ragtag crew of mercenaries led by a cocky runner named Ryan Wesson.  Danger and deceit await on every corner, even as Nat and Wes find themselves inexorably drawn to each other.  But can true love survive the lies?  Fiery hearts collide in this fantastic tale of the evil men do and the awesome power within us all.  

Okay, yeah, it sounds a wee bit like every other YA dystopian out there.  Except it's set in a Vegas that's frozen and dead, but still alive.  That's enough to grab my interest right there.  I also like the road trip aspect as well as the deep, dark secret element.  How about a little look-see at the trailer to pique your interest even more?  Here you go:


    
Cool, right?

Here's another fun fact:  Melissa de la Cruz—the best-selling author of the Blue Bloods series as well as lots of other books for teens—and Michael Johnston are married.  To each other.  They collaborate on all their books, from rough drafts to final edit.  Fun, huh?  To promote their newest venture, they've written a series of guest posts that will appear on a handful of blogs, one of which belongs to Yours Truly.  Here's what the authors have to say about creating characters for Frozen:


One of the pleasures of writing in the young adult genre is to create characters who are young in age but wise beyond their years. In the world of Frozen, because cancer is a matter not of 'if' but 'when', the life expectancy rate is in the thirties, which means that when you are fifteen, you are middle-aged. This was partly inspired by an article we had read about the former Soviet Union, where the life expectancy rates in 2000 for males was 58.  Compare that to the life expectancy in the U.S. which is 82. Twenty years shaved off your life just for living in a different country. It's mind-boggling.

It was fun to create Ryan 'Wes' Wesson, who at sixteen is a military veteran. He's only a boy, but he's seen so much of the world, survived wars, seen devastation and cruelty, but at heart, he's a softie. The brave new cold world expects its citizens to be tough, to be selfish, to be as cruel as their new environment, but Wes keeps his humanity intact. Mike and I fell in love with him from the first time he steps on stage in our book, when he turns down a mouth-watering steak because the price to eat it (giving up his soul) is too high. We love a good steak and we know how hard it was to turn it down! J

If you want to read more from Mel and Mike, you can check out their guest posts on these fantastic blogs:



So, what do you think?  Does Frozen sound like your kind of adventure?  I'm anxious to give it a go.  How about you?

(Book image from Barnes & Noble; synopsis and guest post provided by Penguin)
Thursday, September 26, 2013

352 Pages of Blood, Gore and Not Much Else

(Image from Barnes & Noble)

When the world erupts in a sudden explosion of unimaginable violence, everyone's shocked and confused.  Well, maybe not everyone.  Some—those to whom the darkness speaks—know precisely what's happening.  They welcome the chaos, the destruction.  The rest cower in fear, not understanding how or why their neighbors, friends and families have turned into such vicious, blood-thirsty monsters.  They're not zombies or werewolves or vampires, but something else, something that looks human, but acts like a feral animal.  No one's safe from the creatures, so consumed are they by beating, maiming, torturing and killing anyone who shows signs of retaining even an ounce of their humanity. 

Four teenagers—Mason, Aries, Clementine and Michael—struggle for survival in this strange new world.  All are worn down by what they've seen, what they've had to do.  They're traveling the same road, ultimately heading to a place that's rumored to be safe.  But, what will they really find when they reach Vancouver, B.C.?  A refuge or just more death and despair?  Can the darkness be outrun?  Defeated?  With so few real humans left in the barren, empty world, it's up to the four kids to figure out how to not just survive, but also triumph against a powerful, ancient enemy.  How will they achieve such a lofty goal, though, when they barely know each other, let alone trust each other?  And will their efforts be in vain when they discover the secret one of the teens is desperately trying to keep hidden?

Dark Inside, a debut novel by Canadian author Jeyn Roberts, offers readers an adrenaline-fueled, action-packed story that will engage even reluctant readers.  It's dark, though, and thick with violent, gory scenes.  In fact, that's about all there is to this tale—the writing's nothing special, the characters lack depth, and there's little that's original or surprising about the plot.  The kids spend all their time running from the bad guys, making no real progress toward solving the problem or saving the world.  Without that kind of plot development, Dark Inside is basically 352 pages of  blood-gushing, gut-spilling horror which, let me tell you, gets really old, really quick.  I checked the book's sequel, Rage Within, out of the library at the same time I did Dark Inside with the intention of reading the novels back-to-back.  When I finished the latter, though, I decided I'd had enough gore.  Since I didn't care enough about the characters to read on, I didn't.  'Nough said.  

(Readalikes:  Its sequel, Rage Within; also reminds me of The Road by Cormac McCarthy and other post-apocalyptic novels)

Grade:


If this were a movie, it would be rated:


for language (no F-bombs) and violence/gore

To the FTC, with love:  Another library fine find
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