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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!
Wednesday, June 19, 2019

Family Secrets Novel Engrossing and Enjoyable (with a Giveaway!)

(Image from Barnes & Noble)

With a degree in criminal justice and a job producing a true-crime podcast, Ryan Gracey is no stranger to solving mysteries.  She's never had one touch her own life, however, until she receives a frantic phone call from her older sister.  Wendy Wainwright refuses to divulge any details, but she begs Ryan to return home to Seabank, Florida, to watch her young girls while their father is deployed and Wendy is away.  Although the last thing Ryan wants is to uproot her life in Delray and go back to the place where she screwed up all her most meaningful relationships, she can't let her nieces down.

Playing mom is tougher than Ryan could have imagined.  Especially when her nieces hint that their mother is not what she seems.  Wendy's mysterious, prolonged absence propels Ryan to start digging into her sister's perfect-looking life.  The more she finds, the more she tends to agree with the girls—there's trouble lurking behind Wendy's flawless facade.  As unsettling clues continue to turn up, Ryan will be forced to face some shocking truths about her sister, her family, and herself.

A Family of Strangers by Emilie Richards (available June 25, 2019) starts with an intriguing premise, which leads to a compelling plot.  The story gets a little long, but it kept my interest with its mix of mystery/suspense, family drama, and romance.  While I saw some of the big reveals coming, others caught me by surprise, which made for an engrossing, enjoyable read.  I would definitely spend more time with these characters if I could and I will for sure read more by the talented Emilie Richards.

(Readalikes:  Hm, nothing is coming to mind.  You?)

Grade:


If this were a movie, it would be rated:


for brief, mild language (no F-bombs), violence, mild sexual content/innuendo, and disturbing subject matter

To the FTC, with love:  I received an ARC of A Family of Strangers from the generous folks at HarperCollins via those at TLC Book Tours in exchange for an honest review.  Thank you!

**

Want more opinions on A Family of Strangers?  Follow along on the book's Instagram/blog tour by clicking on the links below:

Instagram tour:

Monday, June 17th: @tbretc
Tuesday, June 18th: @hollyslittlebookreviews
Wednesday, June 19th: @sweethoneyandbrei
Thursday, June 20th: @readwithjamie
Friday, June 21st: @novelgossip
Saturday, June 22nd: @jessicamap
Sunday, June 23rd: @readingbetweenthe_wines
Review tour:
Monday, June 17th: The Baking Bookworm
Tuesday, June 18th: Girls in Books and @girlsinbooks
Wednesday, June 19th: Girl Who Reads
Wednesday, June 19th: Bloggin’ ‘Bout Books
Thursday, June 20th: Helen’s Book Blog
Monday, June 24th: @my_book_journey
Tuesday, June 25th: Bewitched Bookworms
Wednesday, June 26th: Write Read Life
Thursday, June 27th: Book by Book
Thursday, June 27th: @crystals_library
Friday, June 28th: Run Wright
Tuesday, July 2nd: Treestand Book Reviews 
Wednesday, July 3rd: @beauty_andthebook
Friday, July 5th: Booked on a Feeling
Friday, July 5th: @angelareadsbooks
Monday, July 8th: I Wish I Lived in a Library
Tuesday, July 9th: Lori’s Reading Corner – spotlight
Wednesday, July 10th: The Meganerd Blog and @meganthemeganerd
Wednesday, July 10th: @cassies_books_reviews
Thursday, July 11th: Books and Bindings
Friday, July 12th: Books and Cats and Coffee and @bookncatsncoffee
Monday, July 15th: @one_more_paige
Tuesday, July 16th: @sarahandherbookshelves
Wednesday, July 17th: The Lit Bitch
Thursday, July 18th: Books Before Bedtime and @booksbeforebedtime
Friday, July 19th: The Pages In-Between and @thepagesinbetween
**

Want to win a copy of A Family of Strangers for your very own?  Use the Rafflecopter below to enter my giveaway.  U.S. addresses only, please.

a Rafflecopter giveaway
Tuesday, June 18, 2019

Top Ten Tuesday: The Latest Shiny New Releases to Turn My Head

Despite the stacks of books and boxes of books and shelves of books I have ALL OVER my house, my head still turns for the shiny and new.  I'm always excited about the latest and greatest, so I love today's TTT topic:  My Top Ten Most Anticipated Releases During the Second Half of 2019.

Before we dive into that, though, I want to encourage you to join in the TTT fun.  It's a great way to spread the comment/follow love around the book blogosphere.  You can revisit favorite blogs, discover new ones, and, as always, pad your TBR list with even more amazing-sounding reads.  What's not to love?  All you have to do is click on over to That Artsy Reader Girl for some brief instructions, make your own list, and start hopping around the book blogosphere.  Easy peasey.

My Top Ten Most Anticipated Releases During the Second Half of 2019 (in chronological order by release date):


1.  The Honeymoon by Rona Halsall (June 4, 2019):  When Chloe marries Dan, a man who's not only handsome but also fun and kind, she thinks she's finally hit the jackpot.  While on their honeymoon on a remote island, however, Chloe becomes alarmed when Dan insists they leave their lives behind and stay there.  Forever.  I love me a good psychological thriller and this one definitely sounds intriguing.  Bonus:  the Kindle version of this book is only 99 cents on Amazon right now.


2.  The Rest of the Story by Sarah Dessen (June 4, 2019):  I've enjoyed several of Sarah Dessen's YA novels and this us vs. them story sounds compelling.  It's about a young woman who goes to spend the summer with the family of her deceased mother and, in doing so, learns more about both her family and herself.


3.  The Birthday Girl by Melissa De la Cruz (August 6, 2019):  A woman who appears to have it all is throwing a glamorous party to celebrate her 40th birthday.  Much like her 16th birthday bash, this one will not go as planned.  In fact, it will reveal the truth behind the birthday girl's many convincing facades. 


4.  The Cold Way Home by Julia Keller (August 20, 2019):  This is the 8th volume in an Appalachian mystery series that I love.  In this installment, Bell Elkins makes a grisly discovery while searching for a missing teenager.  She finds a dead body with a wound that could only have come from murder on the grounds of an abandoned psychiatric hospital.  Bell vows to find out what happened.  Sounds like another compelling read in a series that keeps getting better and better!


5.  The Liars of Mariposa Island by Jennifer Matthieu (September 17, 2019):  This family drama, told from multiple points of view, sounds engrossing.


6.  The Bone Houses by Emily Lloyd-Jones (September 24, 2019):  This YA scare fest sounds fun.  It's about a teen gravedigger who's desperate to save both her family and their graveyard.  If only the dead would just stay dead!


7.  The Tenth Girl by Sara Faring (September 24, 2019):  This one had me at "gothic psychological thriller."  It concerns an Argentine finishing school in an isolated, mysterious place and a young teacher who goes there looking for a new start only to discover all the creepy rumors about the place are true.  Sounds like a great Halloween read.


8.  Now Entering Addamsville by Francesca Zappia (October 1, 2019):  Billed as Buffy the Vampire Slayer meets Stranger Things, the newest novel by the author of Eliza and Her Monsters (which I've yet to read) sounds super fun.  It's about a teen who's trying to clear her name after being accused of a crime she didn't commit.


9.  I Know You Remember by Jennifer Donaldson (October 8, 2019):  Set in Anchorage, Alaska, this novel centers around a missing woman.  As her childhood best friend searches for answers, she comes to realize that the girl she once knew has vanished in more ways than one.

 
10.  The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern (November 5, 2019):  I know I'm not the only one who's eagerly awaiting a new book by the author of The Night Circus.  Her latest concerns a man who finds a book filled with incredible stories—including, he's shocked to discover, one of his own.  His search for answers leads him into a strange, mysterious world.  Tantalizing premise, no?

How about you?  What new releases are you looking forward to?  I'd truly love to know.  Leave me a comment on this post and I'll gladly return the favor on your blog.

Happy TTT!
Monday, June 17, 2019

Despite Appealing Story Elements, Chinatown Foodie Novel Missing Some Ingredients

(Image from Barnes & Noble)

Natalie Tan has grown up hearing fond tales about her immigrant grandmother, an excellent cook who operated one of the most successful restaurants ever to exist in San Francisco's Chinatown.  Those who knew her rave about the magic that emanated from her signature dishes, an enchantment that brought the neighborhood together to be fed, belly and soul.  Growing up with her agoraphobic mother in the apartment above her grandmother's long-abandoned restaurant, Natalie dreamed of reviving the establishment, a fantasy that led to an 8-year estrangement between mother and daughter.  When Natalie's mother dies unexpectedly, leaving her only child everything she has, Natalie is shocked to realize that she now has everything she needs to finally make her dream come true—except the mother with whom she never reconciled.

Wracked with grief and guilt, Natalie vows to reopen the restaurant, not just to achieve her own dream but also to help revive the deteriorating neighborhood she once loved.  Armed with her laolao's recipe book, Natalie tries to recapture the magic that her grandmother wielded through the food she served to her friends and neighbors.  When Natalie's best-laid plans go terribly awry, she must search her family's past for clues as to how to save the future, not just for herself but for the once vibrant neighborhood she still loves so well.

Natalie Tan's Book of Luck & Fortune, a debut novel by Filipino-Chinese author Roselle Lim, offers lots of fun story elements—tantalizing food descriptions, the promise of family secrets coming to light, a drizzle of magical realism, and some good, old-fashioned mother/daughter drama.  A very appealing mixture.  Unfortunately, though, these different story threads just aren't woven together well enough to produce a cohesive whole.  The plot slogs on without enough tension to keep it exciting, the characters are underdeveloped and bland, and Lim's prose is way more tell than show.  I agree with other reviewers who say this one is missing something.  I wanted to be completely be-spelled by this novel and I just ... wasn't.  In the end, I found Natalie Tan's Book of Luck & Fortune to be an okay read, nothing more.

(Readalikes:  Reminds me a little of The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan and a bit of the Noodle Shop Mystery series by Vivien Chien [Death By Dumpling; Dim Sum of All Fears; Murder Lo Mein)

Grade:


If this were a movie, it would be rated:


To the FTC, with love:  I received an ARC of Natalie Tan's Book of Luck & Fortune from the generous folks at Penguin Random House.  Thank you!
Thursday, June 13, 2019

Dual-Timeline Family Secrets Novel Sad, But Impactful

(Image from Barnes & Noble)

Tori Kovac knows her beloved father is not long for the world.  What she doesn't know is that he's harboring a long-held secret he's not planning to take to the grave.  When he gives Tori a letter addressed to a woman in Japan, her curiosity is piqued.  As an investigative reporter, Tori has made her living sniffing out intriguing stories—she's not about to let this one go.  Heading off to Japan, the 38-year-old is determined to uncover the secrets of her father's past.

What Tori discovers is a love story so haunting and heartbreaking that its echoes continue to reverberate in the present.  When her father, a U.S. sailor on leave in Japan, fell in love with a girl from a strict, traditional Japanese family, he had no idea what he was setting in motion.  Their forbidden relationship led to crushing heartbreak and unimaginable choices with life-altering consequences.  The more Tori digs, the more the story causes her to question everything she's ever known about her father, her family, and herself.  

I'm always down for a dual-timeline family secrets story, so once I read the premise behind The Woman in the White Kimono—a debut novel by Ana Johns—I knew I had to read it.  Inspired by Johns' own family history, the book tells an interesting, atmospheric tale about forbidden love, free choice vs. following tradition, and the consequences of both.  The characters are sympathetic and complex, the setting lush and intriguing, and the plot eye-opening and thought-provoking.  It's a sad novel and I didn't like its ending, realistic though it may have been.  Overall, then, I liked The Woman in the White Kimono, but I didn't end up loving it.

(Readalikes:  Reminds me a little of Within These Lines by Stephanie Morrill)

Grade:


If this were a movie, it would be rated:


for brief, mild language (no F-bombs), violence, and disturbing subject matter

To the FTC, with love:  I received an e-ARC of The Woman in the White Kimono from the generous folks at Parker Row Books via those at Edelweiss.  Thank you!
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