Search This Blog

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, July 26, 2022

Top Ten Tuesday: Moving Woes and Seasonal Slows


It's been a few weeks since I've posted anything here at BBB and you can probably guess why. We made the big move to our new/old house. The remodel is nowhere near finished, but we moved all our stuff in anyway. It was a grueling weekend of moving in record-breaking heat (and that's saying something in Arizona!) that left us all exhausted. We never would have survived it without our ward (church congregation) and other friends helping us.  After a week in an AirBnB, everyone except me voted to officially move into the house despite the fact that it had no functioning sinks, no kitchen countertops, no appliances, a big hole in the master bathroom (the delivery of a custom window has been delayed), etc., etc. I'm a gal who likes her creature comforts, so it's been an experience to say the least. The sink and appliance situation is supposed to be rectified today. Fingers crossed! In the meantime, the remodeling goes on. The entire house pretty much looks like this right now:


We still don't have railings for the stairs and loft. The washer and dryer are in boxes in the garage, so the laundry situation is getting a little out of control...


Boxes, boxes, and more boxes everywhere you look!


At least my husband has a sense of humor. He built this couch out of some of our food storage. The Mormons in the audience are laughing right now—if you know, you know. Ha ha. The t.v. that is supposed to go on the wall wasn't delivered when it was supposed to be and we still haven't bought a new couch to replace the one we sold prior to the move. More items for the ole to-do list...

Annnyyywaaayyy, the good news is progress is being made on the house. It's just slow. Also, I'm really learning to appreciate things I've always taken for granted, like sinks and master bedroom showers. And, I'm back for Top Ten Tuesday. Yay! I've missed participating and interacting with you all. If you haven't gotten on the TTT train yet, you really should. Just hop on over to That Artsy Reader Girl for all the details.

Today's guilt trip prompt is Top Ten Books From My Past Seasonal TBR Posts I STILL Haven't Read (submitted by Dedra at A Book Wanderer).  I'd venture to guess I'm not the only one who loves creating these lists, yet fails to actually complete them. I looked back at my seasonal lists for 2021 to see how many of my picks I read. Here's how it panned out:

Check marks denote books read. Titles link to reviews I posted here on the blog or on Goodreads.


In a Book Club Far Away by Tif Marcelo
Of Women and Salt by Gabriela Garcia
The Women of Chateau Lafayette by Stephanie Dray
A Million Reasons Why by Jessica Strawser 
The Haunting of Alma Fielding by Kate Summerscale
Last Gate of the Emperor by Kwame Mbalia and Prince Joel Makonnen
The Vines by Shelley Nolden
The Kew Garden Girls by Posy Lovell


The Block by Ben Oliver
The Most Beautiful Girl in Cuba by Chanel Cleeton
Forget Me Not by Alexandra Oliva
Girl in the Walls by A.J. Gnuse
The Kingdoms by Natasha Pulley
A Sitting in St. James by Rita Williams-Garcia
Hour of the Witch by Chris Bohjalian
Are We There Yet? by Kathleen West
You'll Thank Me For This by Nina Siegal


Searcher of the Dead by Nancy Herriman
The Forgotten Letters of Esther Durrant by Kayte Nunn
The Hours Count by Jillian Cantor
A Cup of Silver Linings by Karen Hawkins
Wish You Were Here by Jodi Picoult
The Pact by Sharon Bolton 


Survive the Night by Riley Sager (also on the Summer TBR—oops!) ✔
Where Echoes Lie by Shannon Schuren
Cackle by Rachel Harrison
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë (re-read)
The Gold in These Hills by Joanne Bischof
What Beauty There Is by Cory Anderson ✔


The Haunting Season by various authors
God Spare the Girls by Kelsey McKinney
A View Most Glorious by Regina Scott
The Saint of Lost Things by Christopher Castellani
The Black God's Drums by P. Djèlí Clark
Unmissing by Minka Kent
The Warsaw Orphan by Kelly Rimmer


Poison Lillies by Katie Tallo
Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid
In the Market for Murder by T.E. Kinsey
Futureface by Alex Wagner
The Last Daughter of York by Nicola Cornick
Stiff by Mary Roach

Out of 60 intended reads, I only managed to tackle 21 (really only 20 since one book was on two lists). Ouch! Will these dismal stats keep me from making more overly ambitious seasonal TBR lists in the future? Of course not. They're way too much fun to resist. 

How have you been doing with your seasonal TBR lists? Have you read any of the books I've listed here? Are there any reads on these lists that I absolutely cannot miss? I'd love to know your opinion. Leave me a comment on this post and I will gladly return the favor on your blog.

Happy TTT! 

Friday, July 08, 2022

Which ONE Book Should You Read This Year? Twenty Awesome Book Bloggers (Including Yours Truly) Chime In...


I was so thrilled when my book blogging buddy, Carol of Reading Ladies Book Club, asked me to be a part of a fun collab. For her annual One Great Summer Read event, she asks a group of book bloggers from all over the U.S. and beyond to recommend just one favorite book from their reading year. We came up with a great list, if I do say so myself! What book did I recommend? Which titles did the other bloggers choose? Click the logo above to find out...

Tuesday, July 05, 2022

Top Ten Tuesday: Shiny New Distractions


I really should do myself a favor and skip the TTT prompts that focus on new releases. All they do is make me salivate over shiny, new delights while distracting me from the hundreds of books already on my bookshelves waiting for a look-see. And yet, I can't resist Googling all the tantalizing up-and-comers, collecting your recommendations, and adding them all to my already about-to-topple Mount TBR! Honestly, why do I do this to myself? It's such sweet, sweet torture... 

If you're also into masochism-by-new-release, you should definitely join in this week's TTT fun. Just click on over to That Artsy Reader Girl for all the info.

Top Ten Most Anticipated Books Releasing in the Second Half of 2022
- in order of release date -


1. Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin (available today!)—This adult contemporary novel features a pair of best friends who form an incredibly successful video game creation partnership. The story follows their lives over several decades. 

I can't tell exactly what the plot of this novel is, but I trust Zevin to deliver a powerful read. I'm looking forward to checking this one out soon.

2. Upgrade by Blake Crouch (available July 12)—I'm not much for sci-fi, but I do love Crouch's immersive, engrossing mind-benders. His newest concerns Logan Ramsay, an ordinary guy with a dark past, who's been chosen for a genome upgrade. As Logan feels himself changing into something a little more—and a little less—than human, he wonders if evolving in this way is really the only way to save his species.

3. We Made It All Up by Margot Harrison (available July 12)—Moving from Montreal to Montana leaves Celeste feeling lonely and out of place. She finds solace in writing a fan fiction love story between the school's most popular guy and its resident stoner. When, at the urging of her only friend, Celeste tries to create reality out of her fantasy, a boy ends up dead. Celeste can't remember what happened on that fateful night. Is she responsible for his death? 

This YA mystery/thriller sounds intriguing!

4. The Night Ship by Jess Kidd (available August 4)—Based on the real-life story of Batavia, a ship that wrecked on an Australian island in the 17th Century, this dual-timeline tale sounds epic. Can't wait. 

5. Madwoman by Louisa Treger (available August 23)—Nellie Bly's famous investigative sojourn in an insane asylum on Blackwell's Island, New York, is the subject of this historical novel. 

6. The Final Gambit by Jennifer Lynn Barnes (available August 30)—I've enjoyed this Knives Out-ish YA series and am looking forward to seeing how the story ends in this finale to the trilogy.

7. The Winter Orphans by Kristin Beck (available September 13)—Based on the true story of young World War II refugees who fled over snow-covered French mountain passes to escape the Nazis, this historical novel features a group of children hiding in a crumbling castle overseen by Swiss nurses. When Germany invades southern France, their safe haven is no more. Can the children's protectors smuggle them over the dangerous passes to safety? Or will all of their lives be lost in the attempt?

8. Wrong Place Wrong Time by Gillian McAllister (available September 20)—This twisty psychological thriller sounds unique and compelling. It's about a mother who is shocked when she witnesses her funny, good-natured 17-year-old son murder a man in cold blood. When he's taken into custody, she's shattered with no idea what to do next. Upon awakening the next morning, she's stunned to realize that she's reliving the day of the murder. The next morning, she rewinds another day, then another. With time moving backward, can she figure out a way to stop the murder she witnessed before it happens? 

9. In Myrtle Peril by Elizabeth C. Bunce (available October 4)—I adore this middle-grade mystery series, so I'm excited for the next installment. In this fourth book, an heiress who was presumed to be lost at sea returns to claim her fortune. Myrtle's father is hired to determine whether the young lady is truly who she says she is. When he is waylaid by tonsilitis, it's up to Myrtle to solve the mystery as well as a murder her father may—or may not—have witnessed while in the throes of a fever.

10. Our Missing Hearts by Celeste Ng (available October 4)—Ng's newest is hard to describe, but it sounds fresh and interesting. Here's the official plot summary:

Twelve-year-old Bird Gardner lives a quiet existence with his loving but broken father, a former linguist who now shelves books in a university library. Bird knows to not ask too many questions, stand out too much, or stray too far. For a decade, their lives have been governed by laws written to preserve “American culture” in the wake of years of economic instability and violence. To keep the peace and restore prosperity, the authorities are now allowed to relocate children of dissidents, especially those of Asian origin, and libraries have been forced to remove books seen as unpatriotic—including the work of Bird’s mother, Margaret, a Chinese American poet who left the family when he was nine years old.
 
Bird has grown up disavowing his mother and her poems; he doesn’t know her work or what happened to her, and he knows he shouldn’t wonder. But when he receives a mysterious letter containing only a cryptic drawing, he is pulled into a quest to find her. His journey will take him back to the many folktales she poured into his head as a child, through the ranks of an underground network of librarians, into the lives of the children who have been taken, and finally to New York City, where a new act of defiance may be the beginning of much-needed change.
 
Our Missing Hearts is an old story made new, of the ways supposedly civilized communities can ignore the most searing injustice. It’s a story about the power—and limitations—of art to create change, the lessons and legacies we pass on to our children, and how any of us can survive a broken world with our hearts intact.

There you go, ten up-and-comers I'm eager to read. What do you think of my list? Are you excited about any of these? What new releases are you most looking forward to? I'd love to know. Leave me a comment on this post and I will gladly return the favor on your blog.

Happy TTT!

Tuesday, June 28, 2022

Top Ten Tuesday: The Heat Is On!


It's been a few weeks since I participated in Top Ten Tuesday. While I should have been spending those days packing up my house in preparation for our big move on July 15, I actually spent them traveling to the cool, rainy Pacific Northwest for a family wedding. Between the delicious weather and even better company, I didn't want to leave! But, alas, all good things must come to an end. Now, I'm back home and the heat is on—literally and figuratively. It's a million degrees outside AND I have tons of packing to do. First things first, though. I love TTT seasonal reading lists, so I didn't want to miss out on today's prompt. I can't wait to see what books everyone is looking forward to this summer.

If you need an excuse to procrastinate the things you should be doing  want to participate in this fun meme, head on over to That Artsy Reader Girl for all the details.

Top Ten Books On My Summer 2022 TBR List


1. The Family Game by Catherine Steadman (available November 8, 2022)—I've enjoyed Steadman's previous psychological thrillers, so I was excited to get an e-ARC of this one, her newest. It's about a British novelist who's engaged to an American businessman who's a member of one of New York City's wealthiest, most influential families. Harriet is shocked when her father-in-law hands her a tape containing his confession to a shocking crime. Is this some sort of sick initiation game? Or is Harriet marrying into a family of criminals? 

I'm a few chapters into this one and it's...interesting so far. I'm enjoying it.


2.  The Second Husband by Kate White—A copy of this psychological thriller just landed on my doorstep. It concerns a woman who is rebuilding her life after her husband was killed in a random crime on the street. Just when the widow is starting to feel safe and comfortable in her new life and relationship, the police come calling. How did her husband really die? Does the widow know more than she's saying?


3. Lines of Courage by Jennifer A. Nielsen—This middle-grade novel features five children from different walks of life living in Europe while World War I rages. Their paths cross as they struggle to survive amidst the chaos of war.


4. Carolina Built by Kianna Alexander—Born on a plantation, Josephine N. Leary moves to Edenton, North Carolina, after Emancipation. While keeping a home and raising a family, she teaches herself the business skills needed to invest in real estate and build the kind of legacy that was unheard of for Black women of her time. This novel is based on the true story of Leary's remarkable life.


5. Counterfeit by Kirstin Chen—This contemporary novel, about a straight-laced Asian-American woman who gets caught up in her friend's very successful fake handbag scheme, sounds fun and entertaining.


6. The Marvellers by Dhonielle Clayton—This new middle grade series sounds like a more diverse, international version of Harry Potter. Hopefully, it's got its own unique spin. I'm in to find out!


7. Tiny Humans, Big Lessons: How the NICU Taught Me to Live With Energy, Intention, and Purpose by Sue Ludwig—When Lydia mentioned this book on her blog, I knew I had to read it. My two sons, who are six years apart, were both born at 29 weeks gestation. The oldest spent a month and a half in the NICU and the youngest exactly a month. Being in the NICU, experiencing the life and death struggle that goes on there every day, is truly life-changing. I'm interested to see how my experiences there compare and contrast with those of the author, who works as a neonatal therapist.


8. The Drowning Sea by Sarah Stewart Taylor—I've enjoyed the first two books in this series, which features an Irish-American detective solving crimes in both New York and the Emerald Isle. This installment finds Detective Maggie D'Arcy and her daughter in Ireland, preparing for a move to the country that will combine their household with that of Maggie's boyfriend and his son. Their bonding time is interrupted when human remains wash ashore in a small town with a mysterious history. Who is the dead man? Why was he killed? Maggie is determined to find out.


9. The Book Eaters by Sunyi Dean (available August 2, 2022)—What do you think of this plot summary? Interesting, right?

Out on the Yorkshire Moors lives a secret line of people for whom books are food, and who retain all of a book's content after eating it. To them, spy novels are a peppery snack; romance novels are sweet and delicious. Eating a map can help them remember destinations, and children, when they misbehave, are forced to eat dry, musty pages from dictionaries.

Devon is part of The Family, an old and reclusive clan of book eaters. Her brothers grow up feasting on stories of valor and adventure, and Devon—like all other book eater women—is raised on a carefully curated diet of fairy tales and cautionary stories.

But real life doesn't always come with happy endings, as Devon learns when her son is born with a rare and darker kind of hunger—not for books, but for human minds.


10. A Woman of Endurance by Dahlma Llanos-Figueroa—Set in 19th Century Puerto Rico, this novel centers on an enslaved woman who is sold for the purpose of breeding future slaves. As heartbreaking as the plot sounds, the summary promises a story of triumph and faith over brutality and sorrow. I'm intrigued.

There you have it, ten books I'd like to read this summer. What do you think of my list? Have you read any of these? Do any of them look interesting to you? What's on your summer TBR list? I'd truly love to know. Leave me a comment on this post and I will gladly return the favor on your blog.

Happy TTT! 

Blog Widget by LinkWithin


Readin'

<i>Readin'</i>
Beach Thriller by Jamie Day

Listenin'

<i>Listenin'</i>
Hidden Rooms by Kate Michaelson



Followin' with Bloglovin'

Follow

Followin' with Feedly

follow us in feedly



Grab my Button!


Blog Design by:


Blog Archive



2026 Goodreads Reading Challenge

2026 Reading Challenge

2026 Reading Challenge
Susan has read 0 books toward her goal of 200 books.
hide

2024 - Elementary/Middle Grade Nonfiction

2024 - Elementary/Middle Grade Nonfiction

2023 - Middle Grade Fiction

2023 - Middle Grade Fiction

2022 - Middle Grade Fiction

2022 - Middle Grade Fiction

2021 - Middle Grade Fiction

2021 - Middle Grade Fiction

2020 - Middle Grade Fiction

2020 - Middle Grade Fiction