Reading Thread/Goals for 2026

[MGMmjl]

6/32 - Endangered by C. J. Box

Description:
"She was gone. Joe Pickett had good reason to dislike Dallas Cates, even if he was a rodeo champion, and now he has even more—Joe’s eighteen-year-old ward, April, has run off with him.

And then comes even worse news: The body of a girl has been found in a ditch along the highway—alive, but just barely, the victim of blunt force trauma. It is April, and the doctors aren’t sure if she’ll recover. Cates denies having anything to do with it—says she ran away from him, too—and there’s evidence that points to another man. But Joe knows in his gut who’s responsible. What he doesn’t know is the kind of danger he’s about to encounter. Cates is bad enough, but Cates’s family is like none Joe has ever met before.

Joe’s going to find out the truth, even if it kills him. But this time, it just might."

This is book #15 in the Joe Pickett series. I'm glad I picked the series back up this year. This was another great entry.

 

[bobbiwoz]

14/70. “Remain” by Nicholas Sparks with M. Night Shyamalan, a Supernatural Love story. Not my usual read, but I dd enjoy it. 4/5

 

[OKW8297]

4. Kissing the Sky by Lisa Patton this was a kindle first read choice this month. It is about Woodstock told in a dual timeline about a 20 year old girl rebelling against her ultra conservative father. It is an outstanding read.

 

[CGB]

I don't normally post in this thread, but I feel the need to express my feelings to folks who might understand.

I finished A Thousand Splendid Suns today by Khaled Hosseini and I'm just.... broke.

My goodness, what an incredible heart-breaking story.

 

[melk]

I don't normally post in this thread, but I feel the need to express my feelings to folks who might understand.

I finished A Thousand Splendid Suns today by Khaled Hosseini and I'm just.... broke.

My goodness, what an incredible heart-breaking story.

I remember reading that many years ago when it came out. Admittedly it’s hard for me to remember the plot now but I remember at the time thinking it was even better than The Kite Runner, also by the same author.

 

[melk]

7/36 The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell by Robert Dugoni

I had heard good things about this story of a boy with ocular albinism and his struggles through life. I didn’t love it, thought it was just okay.

 

[bobbiwoz]

15/70. A Slowly Dying Cause by Elizabeth George…it’s been many years since I read one by Elizabeth George, an Inspector Lynley novel. I thought it was very good…there are a few I can catch up on! 4.5/5

 

[RangerPooh]

1/12 Vanished in the Falls; Sweetwater Falls Mystery #15. Elle Gray.

2/12 Hemlines, Handbags, and Haoc. Dogwood Springs Cozy Mystery #6. Sally Bayless.

 

[willowsnn3]

#2/25 Beneath His Silence by Hannah Linder
Second daughter of a baron—and a little on the mischievous side—Ella Pemberton is no governess. But the pretense is a necessity if she ever wishes to get inside of Wyckhorn Manor and attain the truth. Exposing the man who killed her sister is all that matters.
Could Ella, despite the lingering questions of his guilt, fall in love with such a man? Or is she falling prey to him—just as her dead sister?
I did enjoy this one.

#3/25 Women Talking by Miriam Toews
One evening, eight Mennonite women climb into a hay loft to conduct a secret meeting. For the past two years, each of these women, and more than a hundred other girls in their colony, has been repeatedly violated in the night by demons coming to punish them for their sins. Now that the women have learned they were in fact drugged and attacked by a group of men from their own community, they are determined to protect themselves and their daughters from future harm.
Based on real events
Liked this one also.

#4/25 What You Never Knew by Jessica Hamilton
Idyllic Avril lsland, owned by the Bennett family, where their hundred-year-old cottage sat nestled in acres of forest. Forty-year-old June Bennett believed that the island had been sold after the summer of her father's disappearance when she was only twelve years old. It's months after the shocking death of her older sister May in a fatal car accident, that June finds out that the cottage was never sold. Avril Island is still owned by the Bennett family and now it's hers.
Still reeling from the grief of losing her sister, June travels back to Avril lsland in search of answers.
Another good one.

 

[clappyclaps]

I don't normally post in this thread, but I feel the need to express my feelings to folks who might understand.

I finished A Thousand Splendid Suns today by Khaled Hosseini and I'm just.... broke.

My goodness, what an incredible heart-breaking story.

I've never heard of this but absolutely loved The Kite Runner, so have now added this to my list!

 

[clappyclaps]

6/30 = Beautiful Ugly by Alice Feeney

This was an easy read and to begin with the story drew me in, but as it went on it started to get more and more frustrating and I could tell the big reveal wasn't going to thrill me and sadly I was right. One of those ridiculous *** endings and not in a good way. 2/5

 

[bobbiwoz]

16/70
“Cape May Snowflakes” by Claudia Vance. A quick read about my area. It’s the 17th book in the Cape May Series. Takes place within two weeks of Christmas! 3.5/5

 

[cayennews]

#7 The Perfect Husband by Lisa Gardner. This book started off slow but got a lot better. Enjoyed it for the most part.

 

[MGMmjl]

7/32 - Lost Motels of Gatlinburg by Brian M. McKnight

Description:
"When the Great Smoky Mountains was dedicated a national park in 1934, tourists flocked to the area. Ray Bohanan, who owned Bohanan’s Craft Shop and Cabins, stood by the road shouting, 'Cabins for rent!' The Frost Lodge reminded tourists of the days when a room cost five dollars. Residents at the LeConte Creek Cottages and Motel were treated to a 'woodland wonderland.' Parkway Motor Inn was a haven for weary drivers for decades. The Mountain View Hotel boasted a list of famous residents like Eleanor Roosevelt. Guests at the Terrace Motel remembered waters from the Roaring Fork Creek lulling them to sleep. Brian McKnight relives the simpler times and the city’s finest, long-forgotten lodging."

Growing up, my family would take a vacation to Gatlinburg, TN just about every year. We stayed at quite a few motels over the years, including some closed ones that are mentioned in this book. I enjoyed reading about the motels in Gatlinburg that have come and gone, as well as seeing some pictures. It brought back some memories!

 

[mmbrad02]

10) Super Bloom by Megan Tady - I liked Bluebird Day so I looked up other books by the same author and stumbled on Super Bloom. I was not a fan. It was just... not all that great.

11) Outofshapeworthlessloser: A Memoir of Figure Skating...." by Gracie Gold - Again I like autobiographies so I enjoyed this. I did the audio version and the author reads it herself. Some parts I kinda wanted to say "Grow up" but at many moments I felt bad for things she endured. And it honestly makes me feel terrible for child prodigies.