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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!
Friday, August 21, 2020

Enemies-to-Lovers Rom-Com a Fun, Upbeat Read

(Image from Barnes & Noble)

Olive and Ami Torres might be identical twins, but they're nothing alike.  Especially when it comes to luck.  Ami wins every contest she enters.  Olive has her clumsiest, most embarrassing moments broadcast on YouTube and national television.  She's not bitter.  It's just a fact of life that Ami's life moves seamlessly forward while Ollie gets struck by lightning (literally).  She shouldn't be too surprised, then, by her present circumstances.  As the maid-of-honor at Ami's posh but almost cost-free wedding, Olive is stuffed into an atrocious, too small gown, which is not making it any easier to make nice with her archnemesis, Ethan Thomas, who is—naturally—the best man.  

Shockingly, Olive's luck starts to change when all the guests at the wedding dinner get food poisoning from the discount seafood buffet except for her.  From her sickbed, Ami insists Olive take the fabulous, free honeymoon vacation Ami won for herself and her new husband.  All Olive has to do to take advantage of a relaxing week in Hawaii is pretend to be newly married to the only other person who isn't sick—Ethan.  She'll keep up the pretense when necessary, then dump him on a beach somewhere and enjoy her vacation solo.  Easy peasy.  There's only one problem—the more time Olive spends in paradise with Ethan, the more she doesn't want to leave.  Him.  Will the unluckiest girl in the world find a way to screw up what's starting to feel like the best thing that's ever happened to her?  Or has fate finally done her a solid?  

From its bright, colorful cover to its engaging, zany plot to its likable characters and humorous story situations, The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren is a fun read.  It's upbeat, funny, swoony, and just all kinds of enjoyable.  I definitely would have preferred a PG-13 version, but still, this is a witty, heartfelt novel that kept me royally entertained.  It's almost universally loved by readers/reviewers and it's easy to see why.  Next time I'm looking for a diverting rom-com, I'll keep this writing duo in mind.

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

Grade:


If this were a movie, it would be rated:


for language (a half-dozen F-bombs, plus milder expletives), innuendo, and sexual content

To the FTC, with love:  Another library fine find
Tuesday, August 18, 2020

Top Ten Tuesday: The Next Few in the Queue


Back in the good ole days before COVID-19 struck (otherwise known as February), I wasn't much of a t.v. watcher.  I tuned in to Call the Midwife while I folded laundry, but that's about it.  Then came lockdown, which saw me picking up an old hobby—cross-stitching—which I like to do while watching the tube.  Other than the occasional movie on Netflix, though, the few shows I watch are on PBS and CBS All Access (Genealogy Roadshow, anyone?).  I realize no one really cares about my viewing habits, but I'm telling you all this to explain why, once again, I went rogue with today's Top Ten Tuesday topic of Top Ten Book Series That Should Be Adapted Into Netflix Shows.  My mind is drawing a complete blank on this one! 

I hate to skip TTT, so today I'm striking out on my own topic-wise.  Upon realizing yesterday that I'm just about to finish my 100th read of the year, I've been contemplating which 100 I should read next in order to complete my goal of reading 200 books in 2020.  I realize that I'm unlikely to actually hit 200, although I've come close over the years.  Still, it's fun to think about which books I want to read before the end of the year.  A list of 100 might be a *tad* excessive, so I'm just going to give you the next ten in my queue.

First, though, a quick reminder to click on over to That Artsy Reader and give Jana, our lovely host, some love.  I encourage you, as always, to join in the TTT fun.  It really is a good time that you don't want to miss.

Top Ten Books I Plan to Read Next  


1.  Winter Garden by Kristin Hannah—This is cheating a little because I'm actually just about done with this novel.  Someone (was it you?) mentioned last week how much they liked this one and while reorganizing some books in my office area, I came across my copy.  When I started the book, I thought I knew exactly where the plot was going.  Now, I'm not so sure ... I'm a Hannah fan and The Winter Garden shows why.  It's engaging, interesting, surprising, and enjoyable.


2.  Death in Kew Gardens by Jennifer Ashley—I enjoy Ashley's upstairs/downstairs mysteries starring Kat Holloway, the most sought-after cook in Victorian London.  I'm going to be reading #4, Murder in the East End, soon for a blog tour, but I need to read this one—the third installment in the series—first.


3.  Murder in the East End by Jennifer Ashley—When Kat hears that children are going missing from a local foundling hospital and that their nurse has been murdered, she can't stay away from the intriguing case.  Can the cook find the killer before she becomes his/her next victim?


4.  The Children's Blizzard by Melanie Benjamin (available January 12, 2021)—I read David Laskin's fascinating non-fiction book about this horrifying tragedy not long ago.  I'm interested to see how the story is told in a novel.  I've got an e-ARC of this one, which sounds intriguing but sad (of course).


5.  Five Total Strangers by Natalie D. Richards (available October 6, 2020)—This YA thriller is about Mira, who is desperate to get home for the holidays.  When her flight is canceled at the last minute, she's forced to rely on the generosity of another passenger, who offers Mira a seat in the car she and a few others are renting.  As the weather worsens, she finds herself trapped in an increasingly terrifying position with a group of people she doesn't know at all.  Sounds like a heartwarming holiday yarn!


6.  What You Wish For by Katherine Center—I've enjoyed both of the Center novels I've read so far, so I'm definitely up for her newest.  It centers around Samantha and Duncan, educators who were once lovers.  When Duncan is hired to be the principal at Sam's new school, she's not sure how to handle the awkward situation.  As the school faces challenges on every side, the two must navigate their own hurdles.  Center's novels are always engrossing and upbeat, so I'm excited to see what she does with this one.


7.  The Big Easy and Other Lies by Melanie Jacobson—I met this charming author of contemporary romances back in 2012 when she was my mentor for a writing workshop at the Storymakers Conference.  Back then, she talked about a book she was planning to write about a teen who's determined to win a fashion designing contest, even if the only materials she has at her disposal are whatever she can find in her guardian's hoarding piles.  It sounded good then and it sounds good now that the e-book has been published.  You can read it for free with Kindle Unlimited or buy it, like I did, for the bargain price of $4.99.  It will come out in paperback soon-ish, but I couldn't wait!


8.  You Belong Here Now by Dianna Rostad (available April 21, 2021)—This one doesn't come out for quite a while still, but I have an e-ARC of it that I'm excited to read. The story concerns a trio of children who are put on an orphan train headed west.  They jump off before the last stop, winding up at a ranch in Montana where they must prove their worth to a taciturn spinster.  You know I love me a good historical novel and this one sounds like just the ticket.


9.  These Healing Hills by Ann H. Gabhart—I heard about this historical novel from someone's TTT list sometime in the last month or so.  Was it yours?  It concerns a young woman who's crushed after receiving a "Dear John" letter from her WWII soldier boyfriend.  In search of a new start, she heads to Appalachia to train as a nurse/midwife in the unforgiving hills.  Adventure, heartache, and romance ensue.


10.  Born a Crime by Trevor Noah—On a visit to The Strand a couple years ago, I picked up this gem.  I rediscovered it during the reorganization of books I mentioned above.  I'm hoping to get to it soon.

There you have it, the next ten books I'm hoping to read.  What do you think of my list?  Have you read any of these?  Do any of them pique your interest?  I'd truly love to know.  Leave me a comment on this post and I will return the favor on yours.

Happy TTT!

Monday, August 17, 2020

YA Revolutionary War Espionage Story An Exciting, Appealing Departure

(Image from Barnes & Noble)

When her mother dies, 15-year-old Francesca "Frannie" Tasker is left in the hands of her greedy, lascivious stepfather.  The older man insists she take her mother's place as his bride; Frannie would rather die.  She gets her wish when a shipwreck in the Bahaman waters where she dives for treasure delivers up the corpse of an obviously well-bred young woman.  Frannie can't save the dead girl, but maybe by letting herself "die" and assuming the girl's identity, Frannie can save herself.  The ruse only has to last long enough to get her far away from her evil stepfather in the Bahamas.  Trading her rags for the dead girl's sodden but sumptuous clothing, Frannie steps boldly into her new life. 

Frannie's ploy works far better than she ever expected it to.  Becoming Emmeline Coates, a wealthy New York City heiress, gives her exposure to the kind of luxury she's never known.  It also teaches her about the trouble brewing in America's fledgling colonies.  Even though her looming marriage to a handsome British lieutenant feels like being caged all over again, Frannie recognizes that her closeness to him could prove very advantageous.  Determined to do what she can to help her new country, she becomes an unlikely spy for George Washington.  Her borrowed identity already puts Frannie's gilded life at risk, but now she's playing an even more dangerous game, one that could end with her as dead as the real Emmeline Coates.  

Rebel Spy—a YA historical novel based on a real female spy known only as "Agent 355"—is a departure for Veronica Rossi, who's known for writing supernatural and dystopian books.  I, for one, enjoyed Rossi's foray into hist-fic.  As much as I adore the genre, I haven't read a lot of stories about the Revolutionary War, so I found Rebel Spy's setting fascinating.  Colorful period detail fleshes out the backdrop, which adds authenticity to Frannie's tale, which—let's face it—is a tad bit far-fetched.  Still, it features an empathetic heroine, an exciting plot, and a smoldering romance.  Combined with the book's intriguing setting, these appealing elements create an engrossing, entertaining book that kept me turning pages.  True, I would have preferred a story with more derring-do and less romance, but overall, I can't complain too much.  Overall, I quite enjoyed Rebel Spy.  I'm definitely up for more historical fiction from Rossi—here's hoping there's more in the works!

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

Grade:


If this were a movie, it would be rated:


for mild language (no F-bombs), violence, blood/gore, and disturbing subject matter

To the FTC, with love:  Another library fine find
Tuesday, August 11, 2020

Top Ten Tuesday: Books I've Loved But Not Reviewed. Yet.


According to my mom, I taught myself to read before starting kindergarten and just never stopped.  I've read thousands of books throughout my life; since I didn't create my blog until 2006, that means there are tons of titles that would work for today's Top Ten Tuesday topic:  Top Ten Books I Loved But Never Reviewed.  Could my aging memory come up with enough to make a decent list?  Yeah, right!  I can barely remember what I ate for breakfast yesterday (actually, I can't remember at all—did I even eat breakfast yesterday?).  Thankfully, I am, as always, months behind on writing reviews for this year's reads, so I'm just going to chat about ten books I've read in 2020 that I loved but haven't reviewed.  Yet.

You've probably got lots of books you loved but haven't reviewed, too, so why don't you join in the TTT fun?  All you have to do is click on over to That Artsy Reader Girl, scan a few quick instructions, make your own list, then spend some happy hours spreading the love across the book blogosphere.  It's a great way to check in on favorite blogs, discover new ones, and of course, find awesome reading recs to add to the ole TBR mountain chain.  It's a good time, I promise!

Top Ten Books I've Loved This Year But Haven't Reviewed Yet 


1.  The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren—This enemies-to-lovers romance about a wedding reception that goes awry, leaving the best man and the maid of honor to take the newlyweds' honeymoon vacation, is just plain fun. 


2.  Girl Waits With Gun by Amy Stewart—Based on the real-life experiences of a "lady cop" and her crime-fighting sisters in early 20th Century America, this mystery is the first in a series featuring the indomitable Constance Kopp.  It's interesting and compelling.


3.  The Split by Sharon Bolton—I love suspenseful stories set in remote places and Bolton's newest definitely fits the bill.  It's a novel with a deceptively simple premise—a woman who has fled to remote South Georgia for an extended research trip is being pursued by an ex-con.  Why?  Will he find her?  Like all of Bolton's mysteries, this one is taut, tense, and twisty.  The Split might be my favorite of all her books. 


4.  The Book of Lost Friends by Lisa Wingate—This dual-timeline novel combines adventure, mystery, and history to create an intriguing tale that I very much enjoyed.


5.  Beyond the Horizon by Lois Lowry—It might be a thin volume, but this memoir-in-verse that recounts the author's experiences as a young girl in Hawaii during World War II, packs a big punch.  I found it profoundly moving, but in a way that snuck up on me, if that makes any sense.


6.  Necessary Lies by Diane Chamberlain—This impactful novel is about a new social worker from a privileged background who begins her career in rural North Carolina during the turbulent 1960's.  Her life and outlook are both changed when she meets a young girl who's carrying all the burdens of keeping her desperately impoverished family afloat.


7.  The Imperfects by Amy Meyerson—It's hard to describe this Knives Out-ish novel, but it's an on-point exploration of what can happen when an estranged family unexpectedly inherits an exorbitant amount of wealth—and secrets.


8.  Agnes at the End of the World by Kelly McWilliams—True, there's nothing super original about this YA novel in which the members of a sheltered religious cult have to face the alarming effects of a terrifying pandemic, but it tells a thoughtful story that kept me engrossed.  It asks some important questions about faith, blind obedience, family, etc.  I also like that it features a character with Type 1 diabetes (in a cult that eschews medicine, no less).  You don't see my disease featured in a lot of books, so I was glad for this important representation.


9.  From the Desk of Zoe Washington by Janae Marks—I enjoyed this middle-grade novel about a girl who intercepts a letter from the father she's never met, who's in prison for murder.  She starts a secret correspondence with him that leads her to make some important discoveries about herself and her family.  Despite its heavy-ish content, this is an upbeat, enjoyable book.


10.  The Line Between by Tosca Lee—This YA novel is similar to Agnes at the End of the World and I liked it for a lot of the same reasons.  It tells an exciting story, but it also offers up a lot of lots of food for thought on faith, works, and religion.  For a doomsday novel, it's surprisingly clean and upbeat.

There you have it, ten books I enjoyed but haven't gotten around to reviewing yet.  What do you think?  Have you read any of them?  Do any of them sound like reads you would enjoy?  What books have you loved but not reviewed yet?  I'd love to know.  Leave me a comment on this post and I'll gladly return the favor on your blog.

Happy TTT!
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