Reading Thread/Goals for 2026

[bobbiwoz]

3/70 My last hold finally got to me, “The Christmas Stranger” by Richard Paul Evans, and I really enjoyed it, 4.5/5

 

[MGMmjl]

2/32 - Shadow of the Solstice by Anne Hillerman

Description:
"The Navajo Nation police are on high alert when a U.S. Cabinet Secretary schedules an unprecedented trip to the little Navajo town of Shiprock, New Mexico. The visit coincides with a plan to resume uranium mining along the Navajo Nation border. Tensions around the official’s arrival escalate when the body of a stranger is found in an area restricted for the disposal of radioactive uranium waste. Is it coincidence that a cult with a propensity for violence arrives at a private camp group outside Shiprock the same week to celebrate the summer solstice? When the outsiders’ erratic behavior makes their Navajo hosts uneasy, Officer Bernadette Manuelito is assigned to monitor the situation. She finds a young boy at grave risk, abused women, and other shocking discoveries that plunge her and Lt. Jim Chee into a volatile and deadly situation.

Meanwhile, Darleen Manuelito, Bernie’s high spirited younger sister, learns one of her home health clients is gone–and the woman’s daughter doesn’t seem to care. Darleen’s curiosity and sense of duty combine to lead her to discover that the client’s grandson is also missing and that the two have become ensnared in a wickedly complex scheme exploiting indigenous people. Darleen’s information meshes with a case Chee has begun to solve that deals with the evil underside of human nature."

This is book #28 of the series that Tony Hillerman started, and book #10 since his daughter Anne continued the Leaphorn, Chee, & Manuelito series. I liked this book. There were a few grammatical errors/typos, but I really enjoyed the story.

 

[bobbiwoz]

@MGMmjl, I’ll put a hold on that next!

4/70 “ The Winds from Further West” by Alexander McCall Smith. I don’t know if it’s a stand alone, or the start of a new series, but I enjoyed this book. 4.5/5

 

[melk]

2/35 Dead of Winter by Keri Beevis

Somewhat predictable psychological British thriller, but not bad. I think I enjoyed it more as an audiobook than had I read it because of the reader’s British accent and different voices.

 

[Wood Nymph]

My goal last year was 30 books and I read a few more than that. I'll set it at 30 books again.

1/30 - The Stolen Life of Colette Marceau - by Kristin Harmel

Colette Marceau has been stealing jewels for nearly as long as she can remember, following the centuries-old code of honor instilled in her by her mother, Annabel: take only from the cruel and unkind, and give to those in need. Never was their family tradition more important than seven decades earlier, during the Second World War, when Annabel and Colette worked side by side in Paris to fund the French Resistance. But one night in 1942, it all went wrong. Annabel was arrested by the Germans, and Colette's four-year-old sister, Liliane, disappeared in the chaos of the raid, along with an exquisite diamond bracelet sewn into the hem of her nightgown for safekeeping. Soon after, Annabel was executed, and Liliane's body was found floating in the Seine, but the bracelet was nowhere to be found. Seventy years later, Colette, who has "redistributed" $30 million in jewels over the decades to fund many worthy organizations, has done her best to put her tragic past behind her, but her life begins to unravel when the long-missing bracelet suddenly turns up in a museum exhibit in Boston. If Colette can discover where it has been all this time, and who owns it now, she may finally learn the truth about what happened to her sister. But she isn't the only one for whom the bracelet holds answers, and when someone from her childhood lays claim to the diamonds, she's forced to confront the ghosts of her past as never before. Against all odds, there may still be a chance to bring a murderer to justice, but first, Colette will have to summon the courage to open her own battered heart.

This is a good story with interesting characters. Unfortunately, I do tend to have a problem when the main character in a book has a less than honest life. But that is just me.

I just found this thread today. Thanks for starting it for 2026. I like to get book suggestions from the thread.

 

[mmbrad02]

2/75 Lets Call Her Barbie by Renee Rosen.
I listened to the audio version and I enjoyed this book, as a child who sort of grew up enjoying Barbies (my sister was a bigger fan). It did however remind me a lot of a prior book I had read, "Barbie and Ruth: The Story of the World's Most Famous Doll and the Woman Who Created Her" by Robin Gerber.

3/75 The Beach House By Jane Green
I also did the audio version of this one. Initially it had a lot of character development and I thought I might not like it, trying to keep up with who was who. But I ended up really enjoying this book and it's variety of characters. It's also set in Nantucket and I always seem to enjoy books set there.

I also DNF'd a book about 40% into, Twisted Love. Usually I make it that far I'll just push through, but I've learned as I age, I don't need so many details in a love scene, and this book just wasn't for me.

 

[bobbiwoz]

Last year I joined the CMCL READS 2025, and I got the participation prize today. In NJ we no longer get plastic bags at grocery stores, so getting another reusable bag is always appreciated!

 

[Simba's Mom]

My goal last year was 30 books and I read a few more than that. I'll set it at 30 books again.

1/30 - The Stolen Life of Colette Marceau - by Kristin Harmel

Colette Marceau has been stealing jewels for nearly as long as she can remember, following the centuries-old code of honor instilled in her by her mother, Annabel: take only from the cruel and unkind, and give to those in need. Never was their family tradition more important than seven decades earlier, during the Second World War, when Annabel and Colette worked side by side in Paris to fund the French Resistance. But one night in 1942, it all went wrong. Annabel was arrested by the Germans, and Colette's four-year-old sister, Liliane, disappeared in the chaos of the raid, along with an exquisite diamond bracelet sewn into the hem of her nightgown for safekeeping. Soon after, Annabel was executed, and Liliane's body was found floating in the Seine, but the bracelet was nowhere to be found. Seventy years later, Colette, who has "redistributed" $30 million in jewels over the decades to fund many worthy organizations, has done her best to put her tragic past behind her, but her life begins to unravel when the long-missing bracelet suddenly turns up in a museum exhibit in Boston. If Colette can discover where it has been all this time, and who owns it now, she may finally learn the truth about what happened to her sister. But she isn't the only one for whom the bracelet holds answers, and when someone from her childhood lays claim to the diamonds, she's forced to confront the ghosts of her past as never before. Against all odds, there may still be a chance to bring a murderer to justice, but first, Colette will have to summon the courage to open her own battered heart.

This is a good story with interesting characters. Unfortunately, I do tend to have a problem when the main character in a book has a less than honest life. But that is just me.

I just found this thread today. Thanks for starting it for 2026. I like to get book suggestions from the thread.

I loved that book! Made me think a little of Disney's "Robin Hood".