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".

 

[bobbiwoz]

5/70
“The Red Queen” by Martha Grimes. A sudden murder in an English village pub sets off this 26th novel in the bestselling series starring superintendent Richard Jury…

Its good and quirky…3.5/5

 

[OKW8297]

2/30 When We Meet Again by Kristin Hamel
A woman discovers the truth about her grandmother, who’s story is set against WWII and 1940’s Florida.

I really enjoyed this book.

 

[bobbiwoz]

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.

I had to read this after I saw how recommended it was. I just finished it! 4.5/5

 

[Praying Colonel]

I love reading but have gotten lazy and out of the habit. Read a book last week while on a cruise and loved it. I'll make a goal of double-digit books this year.

1/10 Circle of Days by Ken Follett

Description:

From a bestselling author of epic fiction comes the deeply human story of one of the world’s greatest mysteries: the building of Stonehenge.

A FLINT MINER WITH A GIFT
Seft, a talented flint miner, walks the Great Plain in the high summer heat, to witness the rituals that signal the start of a new year. He is there to trade his stone at the Midsummer Fair, and to find Neen, the girl he loves. Her family lives in prosperity and offer Seft an escape from his brutish father and brothers within their herder community.

A PRIESTESS WHO BELIEVES THE IMPOSSIBLE
Joia, Neen’s sister, is a priestess with a vision and an unmatched ability to lead. As a child, she watches the Midsummer ceremony, enthralled, and dreams of a miraculous new monument, raised from the biggest stones in the world. But trouble is brewing among the hills and woodlands of the Great Plain.

A MONUMENT THAT WILL DEFINE A CIVILIZATION
Joia’s vision of a great stone circle, assembled by the divided tribes of the Plain, will inspire Seft and become their life’s work. But as drought ravages the earth, mistrust grows between the herders, farmers and woodlanders—and an act of savage violence leads to open warfare . . .

Ken Follett is my favorite historical fiction author and I've loved all of his books. This is his most recent ones. I have to say I liked it but liked it the least of his books. Perhaps it's because it's the source material I have the least knowledge of, but it felt very speculative and a lot of the drama in the book felt a little contrived. But I did like the character development and it gave me a perspective on the building of Stonehenge I hadn't considered before.

Next up: Camino Winds by John Grisham. I've read about half this book and got distracted. I'm kind of a completionist so I'm going to go back and finish.

 

[clappyclaps]

I want to try and get back into updating my reads on here after being a little rubbish last year.

I'm sticking with 30 books as my goal again this year, and so far I've read 3 (technically started one at the end of December). A benefit to having time off over the NY!

1/30 = The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank - this was an interesting and yet rather difficult read, and I often found myself forgetting that it was a real diary. I genuinely didn't realise that life for the Frank's would have been like this in hiding, it was a fascinating, if not also a rather sombre, read. 4.5/5

2/30 = Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens - this is a book I've wanted to read for ages and never gotten round to, so jumped at a chance when I found a copy in a charity shop for 50p. For the most part I enjoyed this even though I found the main character Kya a little irritating at times. But the ending over the last few pages really stunned me and not at all what I expected. Made my irritations throughout at Kya worth it! 4/5

3/30 = The People's Library by Veronica G Henry - this was an Prime First Read and to begin with I really enjoyed the sci-fi and technological aspects of a library. But unfortunately after around half way through when motived and plots started to be revealed, this book just went off the rails for me. I struggled to understand what was going on and for what purpose, and the main character Echo seemed to be able to solve everything effortlessly and figure it all out. Such a shame. 2.5/5