Happily Ever After

 Book 68 of my 2026 Reading Challenge

read on July 9

Happily Ever After & Everything In Between

by Debbie Tung

published 2020

3 stars

A very quick read, it was fine.  It's the kind of book where I'm glad I was able to check it out from the library; I'm not sure I've ever purchased a graphic novel but always look at the section when browsing libraries.

I do like the cozy feel of this book.  A lot of books in this vein are criticism disguised as jokes but I could feel that she actually likes her husband which is always nice to see.

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Ways This Book Met my 2026 Reading Goals:

- 68th book read in 2026 (my goal is 100)

A Quiet Kind of Thunder

 Book 67 of my 2026 Reading Challenge

read from July 5 - 9

A Quiet Kind of Thunder

by Sara Barnard

published 2018

4 stars

I picked this book while browsing at the library and I'm glad I did.  It was perfect for me at this time of my mental capacity - it was engaging but also light.  There was conflict but with an undercurrent of safety that the conflict wouldn't go too far.

I love young love and the author did a good job of letting the characters have big feelings without being melodramatic.  It was cheesy but in a good, realistic way.  I'm also glad there was medication and therapy involved in progress and not a magical 'I met the right person and it's all fixed now'.

As a note not related to the book, what a big difference technology has made to communicating with a deaf person.  They use texting/apps in the book and in real life on a vacation, I saw someone holding their phone to catch the tour guide's words and then it was transcribed into something they could read on their screen.  Subtle ways to stay engaged without feeling like a spectacle.  "Back in my day" (as I sound 100 and not 47 years old)...I dated a deaf person in college pre-cell phones.  We didn't live in the same town and when we wanted to talk on the phone, I would call a special number and talk to a person who would then transcribe what I was saying to him through his TTY machine.  Then he would type back and the person would read what he said to me.  It would be someone different every time and it was a little awkward at times getting used to it (such as when an older woman with an Asian accent told me "I had a fun time on our date last night").  I thought it would be a fun job but it's probably obsolete now.

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Ways This Book Met my 2026 Reading Goals:

- 67th book read in 2026 (my goal is 100)

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

Everyone in the Group Chat Dies

 Book 66 of my 2026 Reading Challenge

read from July 2 - 4

Everyone in the Group Chat Dies

by L.M. Chilton

2 stars

Good concept that didn't fully deliver for me.  I'm glad it wasn't too 'quirky' or 'jokey' but it was hard to reconcile so many deaths with the superficial lightness of the read.  It either needed to stay frothy and not have everyone die or it needed to get gritty and have some depth.

I continued reading and read it quickly because I wanted to know the ending but it all came together so quickly and felt cobbled together that it wasn't satisfying. 

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Ways This Book Met my 2026 Reading Goals:

- 66th book read in 2026 (my goal is 100)

Code Name Helene

 Book 65 of my 2026 Reading Challenge

read from June 18 - July 1

Code Name Helene

by Ariel Lawhon

published 2020

4 stars

I read this at the recommendation of my daughter.  Riveting and easy to get lost in, this book was especially interesting since it was based on a true story.  Certain things devastated me but that's real life.

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Ways This Book Met my 2026 Reading Goals:

- 65th book read in 2026 (my goal is 100)

Somebody is Walking on Your Grave

 Book 64 of my 2026 Reading Challenge

read from June 21 - 27

Somebody is Walking on Your Grave: My Cemetery Journeys

by Mariana Enriquez

published 2025

3 stars

The pictures were great, the history was interesting, the writing was fine.

I also have a fascination with cemeteries and their architecture and history.  The author travels specifically for cemeteries but I don't, although my husband will usually try and find a cemetery to visit during trips we're taking.  I've visited two of the cemeteries the author talked about in this book, Greyfriar's in Edinburgh and Montparnasse in Paris.

Maybe it was because it's a translation but I felt a detachment from the writing.  The author did a good job describing the history of the places she visited but I didn't feel as much emotion from her as I think she was trying to convey when talking about her reasons for visiting and how she felt when she was there.

The author seemed anti-tourist and judgmental about others, as though she was there for the "right reasons" and others weren't.  I already didn't like that but then she told the story about STEALING A BONE from the Innocents.  That's so disrespectful but to have that coupled with her writing about other visitors, it felt hypocritical.

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Ways This Book Met my 2026 Reading Goals:

- 64th book read in 2026 (my goal is 100)

Rare Objects

 Book 63 of my 2026 Reading Challenge

read from June 19 - 21

Rare Objects

by Kathleen Tessaro

published 2016

4 stars

This was a lovely book where glittery surroundings cover dark secrets.  It ended hopefully and that made me happy but I also wanted more now that things appeared settled for the characters.

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Ways This Book Met my 2026 Reading Goals:

- 63rd 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)

Eat the Apple

 Book 62 of my 2026 Reading Challenge

read from June 14 - 18

Eat the Apple

by Matt Young

published 2018

4 stars

The title of this memoir comes from the Marine proverb "Eat the Apple.  Fuck the Corps."  The author has a way of writing that I call "bleeding on the keyboard"...it was raw and visceral but also polished and contained.  This felt like the kind of book that was more about a cathartic release from the author than any audience that would read it.  It was gritty but not disrespectful.

The writing style of short chapters, some drawings, and different elements kept things moving and experimental but also a little detached and jumpy.  I'm not sure I would encourage the author to dig deeper without a licensed professional but it may be beneficial.

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Ways This Book Met my 2026 Reading Goals:

- 62nd book read in 2026 (my goal is 100)

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