Balls

 Book 32 of my 2026 Reading Challenge

read from March 4 - 11

Balls: It Takes Some to Get Some

by Chris Edwards

published 2016

4 stars

First off, great title (not surprising for someone successful in advertising).  I received an used copy of Balls for Christmas and found an accidental bonus: this is a signed copy (like a legit signed copy made out to a specific person listing a specific location).

He acknowledges the uniqueness of his situation because of his access to resources, his surgery choices, and the time period he was transitioning.  Although it's sad that the access and support is unique, it's true and in some ways could be worse now than when the book was published in 2016.

He was blunt but not 'shock value graphic' in his descriptions of his transition and there was more time spent on the smaller things like urinal etiquette and not having the door held open for him.  It was interesting and I'm glad his outsides appear to match his insides.

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Ways This Book Met my 2026 Reading Goals:

- 32nd 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)

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

The Viscount Who Loved Me

 Book 31 of my 2026 Reading Challenge

read from March 2 - 4

The Viscount Who Loved Me

by Julia Quinn

published 2000

2 stars

This is the second book in the Bridgerton series and hopefully my least favorite one.  I don't love the 'enemies to lovers' romance trope anyway but especially in this book, Anthony was so mean and insensitive that it felt hard to come back from.

I will continue the series though.

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Ways This Book Met my 2026 Reading Goals:

- 31st book read in 2026 (my goal is 100)

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

Geek Parenting

 Book 30 of my 2026 Reading Challenge

read from March 1 - 3

Geek Parenting

by Stephen H. Segal and Valya Dudycz Lupescu

published 2016

2 stars

Unique concept but cookie cutter parenting advice.  I expected more humor and I was skimming by the end.  It was interesting to see how many characters I recognized (more than I expected).

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Ways This Book Met my 2026 Reading Goals:

- 30th book read in 2026 (my goal is 100)

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

The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio

 Book 29 of my 2026 Reading Challenge

read from March 1 - 3

The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio:

How My Mother Raised 10 Kids on 25 Words or Less

by Terry Ryan

4 stars

This was an interesting, entertaining read.  The timing of things coming through sounds too good to be true but I don't discount the effort Evelyn Ryan put into her contesting and it's good to read about a little magic during tough times.

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Ways This Book Met my 2026 Reading Goals:

- 29th 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)

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

Trial by Ambush

Book 28 of my 2026 Reading Challenge

read from March 1 - 2

Trial by Ambush: Murder, Injustice, 

and the Truth About the Case of Barbara Graham

by Marcia Clark

4 stars

I chose this book from the options in Amazon's First Reads.  I went in blind with absolutely no familiarity with the case.  The foreword said the trial seemed harsh and a movie about her (for which the leading actress won an Oscar) went the other direction and made her saintly.  I can't speak for the movie but I agree about the trial.  Incredibly frustrating, especially for a death penalty case, to have the prosecution act so unfairly (and the judge for allowing it).  

I'm against the death penalty generally but am especially glad they changed the blanket application of it applying anyone involved in a crime (for example, the driver of a getaway car where someone else killed someone is no longer eligible for the death penalty).  I agree with the author that Barbara Graham was there that night but I also agree with the author that it doesn't appear she committed any violence; she was brought as a decoy to get the victim to open the door in their plan to rob her.  I also agree that as the laws were written at the time, Graham likely still would've been found guilty for murder even if the prosecution hadn't hidden things but maybe she wouldn't have been sentenced to death.

The book was informative and a quick read.

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Ways This Book Met my 2026 Reading Goals:

- 28th book read in 2026 (my goal is 100)

- Title starting with 'T' (I'm doing an A-Z title challenge)

The Duke & I

 Book 27 of my 2026 Reading Challenge

read from February 28 - March 2

The Duke & I

by Julia Quinn

published 2000

3 stars

Jumping on the bandwagon for the Bridgerton series.  I've finally seen enough clips of the show on TikTok that I decided to give the books a try.

This was a quick read and I liked it but I'm rating it 3 stars because if I had read this before the show/knowing the backstories and what's to come, I would've been more confused and less invested.  My favorite part was the banter between the characters; I'm a sucker for witty dialogue.

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Ways This Book Met my 2026 Reading Goals:

- 27th book read in 2026 (my goal is 100)

Perfect Crime Party

 Book 26 of my 2026 Reading Challenge

read from February 26 - 28

Perfect Crime Party

2 stars

This is the first time I've seen the short story format in a graphic novel.  There were 25 different stories by multiple authors.

Unique format but ultimately didn't work for me.  I don't know if it was because they're graphic novels or because they all have a crime theme but they felt too short and there were nuances I felt like I didn't pick up.

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Ways This Book Met my 2026 Reading Goals:

- 26th book read in 2026 (my goal is 100)

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