Goodbye Days

 Book 54 of my 2026 Reading Challenge

read from May 7 - 8

Goodbye Days

by Jeff Zentner

3 stars

I'm really torn about this book and want to read others' opinions.  It was a roller coaster up and down for me which is how I ended up in the middle at 3 stars (but a high 3 because I enjoyed more than I disliked).  The romantic aspect was something I was really hoping wouldn't become a plot point even though I saw it coming and it made me groan every time the hints of it crossed the pages.

I would definitely read this author again though and it caused me to reflect on grief and how different people handle it.

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Ways This Book Met my 2026 Reading Goals:

- 54th book read in 2026 (my goal is 100)

- A book I own (my goal is to continue chipping away at my shelves/boxes of unread books)

- Title starting with 'G' (I'm doing an A-Z title challenge)

Saturday Night Widows

 Book 53 of my 2026 Reading Challenge

read from April 23 - May 7

Saturday Night Widows:

The Adventures of Six Friends Remaking Their Lives

by Becky Aikman

3 stars

I have absolutely nothing to say about this book because it didn't register with me.  It was fine as I was reading and the pages turned so I don't have anything negative to say but I also just finished it and have nothing to reflect on so I don't have anything positive to say.  A truly truly neutral read.

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Ways This Book Met my 2026 Reading Goals:

- 53rd book read in 2026 (my goal is 100)

- A book I received for Christmas 2025 (my goal is to read all my Christmas 2025 books by the end of 2026)

- A book I own that is leaving my house for a new reader to find (my goal is to declutter and make progress on whittling down my shelves/boxes of books in my house)

I Know You Know

 Book 52 of my 2026 Reading Challenge

read from April 30 - May 2

I Know You Know

by Gilly Macmillan

published 2018

2 stars

There were too many plot obstacles for my taste and it made it even stranger to have everything neatly wrapped up in the end.

I liked the characters but the situations unfolded so quickly, especially considering people had been keeping secrets for 20+ years in some cases.  I guess all someone had to do was ask the one right question and everything would unravel?

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Ways This Book Met my 2026 Reading Goals:

- 52nd book read in 2026 (my goal is 100)

- A book I own that is leaving my house for a new reader to find (my goal is to declutter and make progress on whittling down my shelves/boxes of books in my house)

- Title starting with 'I' (I'm doing an A-Z title challenge)

Working Stiff

 Book 51 of my 2026 Reading Challenge

read from April 23 - 25

Working Stiff: Two Years, 262 Bodies, and 

the Making of a Medical Examiner

by July Melinek and T.J. Mitchell

published 2014

4 stars

The description of the book is accurate so if you have an interest in the material, this book is informative and engaging.  Not for the squeamish.

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Ways This Book Met my 2026 Reading Goals:

- 51st book read in 2026 (my goal is 100)

- Title starting with 'W' (I'm doing an A-Z title challenge)

What Comes of Attending the Commoners Ball

 Book 50 of my 2026 Reading Challenge

read on April 24

What Comes of Attending the Commoners Ball

by Elisabeth Aimee Brown

published 2024

3 stars

Light and entertaining, I read this in a few hours.  I really really liked that there weren't extra obstacles created - everyone knew the real identities of everyone else and were upfront with their thoughts (other than the slow burn of love, obviously).

The stuff near the end with Hugh and Hester felt jammed in and took me out of the pacing but then it got back on track with a satisfying ending.

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Ways This Book Met my 2026 Reading Goals:

- 50th book read in 2026 (my goal is 100)

You Shouldn't Be Here

Book 49 of my 2026 Reading Challenge

read from April 19 - 21

You Shouldn't Be Here

by Lauren Thoman

published 2024

1 star

EDIT: I write my reviews first without looking at anything else and then read others' reviews for community/curiosity after publishing mine. Now that I've done that and seen the discourse I feel I need to point out my 1 star is for PLOT ONLY, nothing to do with characters' pronouns, politics, etc.

I chose this from the Amazon "First Reads" monthly selections.  Unfortunately, it was a miss for me.  There was a very major clue involving the dog that I clocked immediately and spent 75% of the book waiting for them to figure out (which they never did, it was shoved in their face).  There were other major clues involving a backpack and a photo that somehow hadn't been revealed in ten years yet were somehow discovered at just the right time.  There was a villain monologue confession while holding people at gunpoint which led to them getting caught instead of the people being killed.  There were supernatural time travel elements never fully explained.  This just didn't hit for me.

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Ways This Book Met my 2026 Reading Goals:

- 49th book read in 2026 (my goal is 100)

- Title starting with 'Y' (I'm doing an A-Z title challenge)

The Passengers on the Hankyu Line

 Book 48 of my 2026 Reading Challenge

read on April 19

The Passengers on the Hankyu Line

by Hiro Arikawa

4 stars

Delightfully cozy book that felt like people watching without leaving my house.  I'm glad I was able to read this over the course of one lazy Sunday.

The stops on the way to Nishinomiya - Kitaguchi were more enjoyable to me than the return trip back to Takarazuka for two main reasons.  One, the element of surprise as new characters were introduced.  Two, having everyone cross paths again to continue their stories felt a little more forced.  So I liked the journey of the first half and the resolution of the second half. 

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Ways This Book Met my 2026 Reading Goals:

- 48th book read in 2026 (my goal is 100)