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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(1)
- 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:


35 / 51 states. 69% 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:


71 / 125 books. 57% 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, March 17, 2015

Top Ten Tuesday: My Spring-Has-Sprung TBR List


I've been so busy trying to catch up on reviews of books I read LAST year plus keeping up with those I'm scheduled to review THIS year that I haven't done Top Ten Tuesday in awhile.  I miss it!  This week's topic looks fun and easy, so I'm joining in.  You should, too.  All you have to do is click on over to The Broke and the Bookish, follow the directions, and you're in.  Easy cheesy.

Without further ado, here are the Top Ten Books on My Spring TBR List (ten I'm really looking forward to reading, anyway):


1.  Silence by Deborah Lytton—I'm hoping to get to this one really, really soon as I was supposed to have reviewed it a few days back.  It's about a girl with a golden voice whose greatest dream is to sing on Broadway.  Then, a tragic accident renders her deaf.  Sounds compelling, no?


2.  Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng—After a long wait, I've finally got this family drama/murder mystery out from the library.  I'm excited to see if it lives up to all the hype.


3.  Kiss Kill Vanish by Jessica Martinez—I'm intrigued by this YA novel about a girl trying to shed her old identity in a new country, only to have someone from her past show up to complicate things.


4.  Descent by Tim Johnston—I'm on the waiting list at the library for this one, which looks fantastic.  It's about a family vacationing in the Rocky Mountains when one of their children goes missing.


5.  The Husband's Secret by Liane Moriarty—I loved Big Little Lies and I've heard that Moriarty's other books are even better.  Can't wait to read this one.


6.  On Such a Full Sea by Chang-rae Lee—This dystopian sounds different, therefore I must check it out!


7.  The Hollow Ground by Natalie S. Harnett—I'm actually in the middle of this family drama/murder mystery set in Pennsylvania's coal mining country.  It's about a girl who finds a body in an abandoned monkey hole, a find that uncovers family secrets long buried.  So far, it's excellent.


8.  Saint Anything by Sarah Dessen—I've only read a couple of Dessen's books.  This one looks like a bit of a departure for her, so I'm interested to see what it's all about.


9.  Dead Wake by Erik Larson—I don't read a lot of non-fiction (a problem I need to remedy), but this book about the Lusitania sounds fascinating.


10.  Chestnut Street by Maeve Binchy—Several of my favorite authors, including Binchy, have died in the last few years, which makes me super sad.  I love Binchy's novels about everyday families in Ireland.  At the time of her death, she was working on a collection of stories about people living on an ordinary Dublin street.  Although I'm not big on short stories, I'll read anything by Binchy.

So, there you have it.  Kind of an eclectic list, but all ten are books I'm excited about.  Hopefully, I'll get to them this Spring.  How about you?  What's on your list?

Happy St. Patrick's Day!  And, as always, happy reading :)
Monday, March 16, 2015

Overambitious Far From You Not All That Enjoyable

(Image from Barnes & Noble)

Sophie Winters has a knack for survival.  Three years ago, she almost lost her life in a car accident.  She walked away with her life, as well as a permanent limp and an addiction to OxyContin.  Now a recovering addict, the 17-year-old has just experienced another terrifying brush with death.  Although she survived being held up by a masked man with a gun, her best friend, Mina Bishop, did not.  Since the incident is believed to be drug related, Sophie is being blamed.  No one believes she's kicked her drug addiction.  No one believes she's not responsible for Mina's death.  

The only way to convince people she's innocent is for Sophie to figure out who really killed Mina.  In the meantime, she must wrangle with her feelings of grief, of guilt, and of moving forward without her best friend by her side.

Far From You, a debut novel by Tess Sharpe, is many things.  Too many things, really.  It's a murder mystery, a romance, an issue novel, and an addiction/recovery story.  The problem is that there's a little too much going on.  I, for instance, would have liked a stronger focus on the mystery instead of Sophie's weird, obsessive romance.  Sophie's harsh, self-absorbed personality also made it difficult for me to care too much for her in general.  So, while the conflicts in the story kept me reading, I can't say I enjoyed Far From You all that much.  The characters didn't appeal to me, the plot seemed too ambitious, the big reveal too abrupt, and overall, the novel depressed me.  So, yeah.

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

Grade:


If this were a movie, it would be rated:


for strong language, depictions of underage drinking/prescription drug abuse, violence, and sexual content

To the FTC, with love:  I received an e-ARC of Far From You from the generous folks at Disney/Hyperion via those at NetGalley.  Thank you!
Saturday, March 14, 2015

What's It Like to Be An LDS Missionary? New Picture Book Gives Kids an Inside Look.

(Image from author's website)

Do you ever wonder what it's really like to be a missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints?  

When David and Megan receive letters from their Uncle Clay, they get a little taste of what an LDS mission is all about.  They learn how elders and sisters teach people the Gospel, serve others, bear their testimonies, and invite everyone to come unto Christ.  They also hear about more mundane parts of the missionary experience, like learning to eat unfamiliar foods, living with a companion, dealing with rejection, and exercising to keep their bodies strong.  Most importantly, Uncle Clay assures them they don't have to wait until they're older to be missionaries—there are things they can do right now, as kids, to prepare themselves to serve the Lord.  After all, you don't have to wear a name tag to help and teach other people!

I don't review many picture books, but when Benjamin Hyrum White asked "Sister BBB" to take a look at his newest, I couldn't resist.  I Hope They Call Me on a Mission, written by White and illustrated by Corey Egbert, is an uplifting, informative tale about what LDS missionaries do day in and day out.  It gives a great overview, with bright, appealing pictures to enhance the text.  I especially like the "What Can You Do Now?" sections, which help kids understand that they can do many things right now to not only help them serve missions in the future, but also to live Christ-centered lives in the present.    

While I Hope They Call Me on a Mission may be difficult for young children to read by themselves, it's a great tool for parents/teachers to use for Family Home Evenings, Primary lessons, and Sacrament Meeting entertainment.  Middle graders will enjoy absorbing all the information in the book as well.  Personally, I plan on sharing it with my own offspring in an upcoming FHE.  You should, too.

Want more opinions of I Hope They Call Me on a Mission?  Follow the book's blog tour here.

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

Grade:


If this were a movie, it would be rated:


To the FTC, with love:  I received a finished copy of I Hope They Call Me on a Mission from the generous folks at Cedar Fort.  Thank you!
Friday, March 13, 2015

Series Ender a Blood-Pumping, Edge-of-Your-Seat, Adrenaline-Fueled Thrill Ride—And So Much More

(Image from Barnes & Noble)

(Note:  While this review will not contain spoilers for UnDivided, it may inadvertently spoil plot surprises from earlier UnWind installments.  As always, I recommend reading books in a series in order.)

In UnDivided, the action-packed conclusion to Neal Shusterman's popular Unwind dystology, the tension and fury surrounding the controversial issue of unwinding is escalating.  While the Marcella Initiative—a law that would allow the unwinding of teens without parental consent—gains favor in the U.S., Proactive Citizenry plans to create an army of patchwork soldiers patterned after Cam Comprix.  Meanwhile, the increasingly maniacal Starkey, followed by his gang of angry disciples, target unwinding facilities with the intention of freeing prisoners and killing all their adult captors.  Stuck in the middle, Connor, Risa, and Lev race to find a solution that will end unwinding forever.  But, with ruthless black market harvesters hot on their trail, they may never get the chance.  All Connor wants is the guaranteed safety of unwanted children—will he finally see his dream realized?  Or, will the Akron AWOL meet the brutal end that's been his fate from the beginning?

While I've enjoyed all the books in this series, the first and last are my favorite.  Although in some ways, I didn't want to reach the end of UnDivided, once I started the novel, I couldn't stop reading.  To say it's a blood-pumping, edge-of-your-seat, adrenaline-fueled thrill ride is a vast understatement.  It's so much more than that.  The book is chilling, startling, funny, clever, provocative, and most of all, hopeful.  It's sad to see the end of a series that I've loved since its beginning, but I know Shusterman's got many more brilliant tricks up his sleeve.  I can't wait to see what he does next.  

(Readalikes:  Other books in the Unwind series [Unwind; UnStrung (novella); UnWholly; and UnSouled)

Grade:


If this were a movie, it would be rated:


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

To the FTC, with love:  I bought a copy of UnDivided from Amazon with a portion of the millions I make from my lucrative career as a book blogger.  Ha ha.  
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