Reading Thread/Goals for 2026

[OKW8297]

10. The Stolen Life of Colette Marceau by Kristin Hamel
A dual timeline story between occupied Paris in the 1940’s and Boston in 2018. A story of a woman who was a lifelong jewel thief, a missing bracelet and ramifications from the war. Very good.

 

[bobbiwoz]

What have you read of hers??... the only author I recognize in the used book store and rummage sale

Elin Hilderbrand books that I’ve read

The Hotel Nantucket 4/5
Troubles in Paradise 4.5/5
Winter in Paradise 4/5

 

[bobbiwoz]

21/70 “Encounters with Unexpected Animals,” by Bret Anthony Johnston 3.5/5

I’m not really a fan of short stories, but this was published this year, and for the challenge I needed to read one. These were all set in TX, and the one I liked most was about the wild horses.

 

[melk]

12/35 Lady Tremaine by Rachel Hochhauser

A reimagining of Cinderella focusing mainly on the stepmother, Lady Tremaine. Completely unexpected and not at all what I thought it was going to be, I really enjoyed it.

 

[bobbiwoz]

22/70. “Code Blue” by Fern Michaels. I wanted an easy read, and this was a new book. Pretty far fetched..3.5/5

 

[citruscurtis]

12/30
Crux... Gabriel tallent...so excited to see this in the new arrival section....a fiction book about climbing Joshua Tree ..
Had all my nature memories....alas... what were the publishers thinking...who reads about these characters for entertainment most*_@&+$#+ language I have seen in print..
Couldn't take it any more and quit

 

[OKW8297]

12/35 Lady Tremaine by Rachel Hochhauser

A reimagining of Cinderella focusing mainly on the stepmother, Lady Tremaine. Completely unexpected and not at all what I thought it was going to be, I really enjoyed it.

I want to read this!

 

[willowsnn3]

#9/25 A Mother's Goodbye by Kate Hewitt
Heather is devastated. There’s no way she can keep her baby. She can barely pay the bills as it is. But when she meets Grace, a wealthy, single career woman, who wants a baby more than anything, Heather believes she has found the perfect adoptive mother.
As Grace and Heather’s lives become entwined, they are tested to breaking point, though neither can deny the other’s love for the child. But just when they think they are learning how to live with each other, they receive devastating news that turns their fragile world upside down.
I did like this one. Tugs at the heartstrings, tho.

 

[bobbiwoz]

23/70. “ An Academic Affair” by Jodi McAlister. A modern Marriage of convenience that works! 4/5

 

[OKW8297]

11. Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid. Excellent book. If the last 25 pages don’t make you tear up…..you are made of stone.

 

[willowsnn3]

#10/25 A Dish Taken Cold by Anne Perry
At less than 100 pages, this was more like a short story instead of a novel.
Was kinda ok....

 

[MGMmjl]

10/32 - Vicious Circle by C. J. Box

Description:
"The plane circled in the dark. Joe Pickett could just make out down below a figure in the snow and timber, and then three other figures closing in. There was nothing he could do about it. And Joe knew that he might be their next target.

The Cates family had always been a bad lot. Game warden Joe Pickett had been able to strike a fierce blow against them when the life of his daughter April had been endangered, but he’d always wondered if there’d be a day of reckoning. He’s not wondering any longer. Joe knows they’re coming after him and his family now. He has his friend Nate by his side, but will that be enough this time? All he can do is prepare . . . and wait for them to make the first move."

This is book #17 of the Joe Pickett series. I really enjoyed this entry, and look forward to reading the rest of the series!

 

[mmbrad02]

17/70 - Holy Disruptor by Amy Duggar King - in full disclosure I put this book on hold before the latest issues that have come out. I have always enjoyed Amy's fun perky personality. The book was good, didn't really have any startling revelations to me, well maybe the parts about her own dad were something I didn't realize.

18/70 - My Next Breath by Jeremy Renner. In another full disclosure, I had no idea who Jeremy Renner was when I borrowed this book from Libby I was needing an audiobook for a car ride and was just browsing what was immediately available to borrow, and found it. It's truly a story about overcoming and making it to the other side.

19/70 - Picking Daisies on Sundays by Liana Cincotti. I loved this book! It was an easy read, not quite YA but the main characters were entering grad school, so still young to me IT was a cute love story without all the smut and had a cute story line.

 

[willowsnn3]

#11/25 The Hitchhikers by Chevy Stevens
It’s the summer of 1976 and Alice and Tom set out on the remote Canadian highways in their new RV, hoping to heal their broken hearts after a devastating tragedy.
They’ve planned the trip perfectly, taken care of every detail. Then they meet two young hitchhikers down on their luck and offer them a ride. But Simon and Jenny aren’t what they seem. They’ve left a trail of blood, destruction, and madness behind them.
Now Alice and Tom are trapped, prisoners in a deadly game, with nowhere to turn.

I really liked this one.

 

[OKW8297]

12. The Mirror by Nora Roberts. Second book in The Lost Bride Trilogy. It’s a great mix of gothic spookiness and romance. I read the first and will definitely read the the third.

 

[melk]

13/35 North of Ordinary by Sue Aikens

True story of Sue Aikens life, including how her mother left her at age twelve in the Alaskan wilderness to care for herself, her attack by a grizzly bear, and how she came to be on the show Life Below Zero. I enjoyed the book, marveling at what this woman has survived.

 

[Simba's Mom]

My 4 star books-
15/55-"Lula Dean's Little Library of Banned Books" by Kirsten Miller. Warning-if you believe in banning books, you may not appreciate the humor. But I thought this was a pretty humorous book. Enjoyed it.

17/55-"They called Us Enemy" by George Takei. A little known perspective on the treatment of Asians by the US during WW2. A real eye opener! It's written as a graphic novel, and for a while I had trouble with the unfamiliar format. But after a while, the interest of the story overtook that and I got used to it.

18/55-"The Book Club for Troublesome Women", a book that displayed the treatment of women during the 1960s and 70s. As one who encountered much of it, including being told that they now needed my husband's info when I got married and just wanted to change my name on my credit card, and being told "I imagine you'll quit now, since you're getting married and we all know that's a woman's real job". Very interesting.

19/55-"The Inn at Seagrove", Rachel Hannah. For light reading, Hannah never lets me down. This was part of a 5 book series, and although I rarely read multiple books in a series, I've read this one (Well, this was #4, so I still have one to go). I enjoyed this story.

 

[mmbrad02]

20) These Summer Storms by Sarah MacLean. I totally found this book on accident but LOVED it. I was taking a 3 hour (each way) road trip and wanted an audiobook and was looking to see what was available without a wait on Libby. Found this one. Read by the same person who reads Kristin Hannah books and I find her voice very soothing. Would recommend this for just a good fiction read!

21) Everything is Tuberculosis by John Green. Okay, so I did the same thing - wanted another audiobook, went in search of what Libby had to offer. I saw this title, knew I had seen it on social media before, and really had no idea what it was about. Ummm... I now know more about Tuberculosis now than I ever realized I needed to know. It's done very well though and I truly did learn several things.

My current audiobook that I'll share when I'm done is actually one I've had on hold

Is everyone else keeping up with their goals? I'm behind, not sure I'll really be able to reach the number I set, but nonetheless I'll keep reading

 

[Lumpy1106]

I got into a non-fiction string of books recently;
5/25, Chris Kyle, "American Sniper:..." - 4/5 stars. I'm a little surprised they made a movie out of this one. Good, not amazing.

6/25, Judith Joseph, "High Functioning: Overcome Your Hidden Depression and Reclaim Joy" - 3/5 stars. I read it to try and get some insight about one family member, but ended up realizing the topic really related to a different family member better. I did not find the action items to be all that useful.
7/25, Amber Benson, "Life Inside My Mind: 31 Authors Sharer Their Person Struggles" - 2/5 stars. Same reason to read as the previous book, but found nothing from any of the stories I could really connect with. It's OK, but it seemed like the authors were approached to provide content, and each author came up with - something, but all felt a bit contrived. Would not recommend.
8/25, Steve Hilton, "Califailure; Reversing the Ruin of America's Worst Run State..." - 5/5 Stars. This should be required reading before anyone casts a ballot in the next election in CA. Agree or disagree, at least consider and have an opinion. So much better than burying your head in the sand, doing the same thing over and over and hoping for a better result.

FWIW - 1 book ahead of schedule to meet goal to this point.