We Are Water

 Book 60 of my 2026 Reading Challenge

read from May 24 - June 12

We Are Water

by Wally Lamb

published 2013

2 stars

I know the author is well-known and well-loved but his books may not be for me.  I might try another one before completely writing him off though.

I found this book to be slow and had too many big plots happening.  I felt like every 50 pages or so I was starting a new book with a different plot.  There were things relegated to "side quests" that either should've not been included or been bigger parts of the story; I probably would've erred on the side of not including them since the book was over 500 pages.  

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Ways This Book Met my 2026 Reading Goals:

- 60th 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)

- 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)

The Serial Killer Files

 Book 59 of my 2026 Reading Challenge

read from May 10 - June 10

The Serial Killer Files

by Harold Schechter

2 stars

A very low 2 stars.  It took me a month and the book is only 421 pages.  No chapter breaks and very text-heavy oversized pages made this feel like a slog.  There was also unnecessary repetition - for example, I know I read about Albert Fish sticking pins in his penis at least 3 separate times and that's without even really paying attention.  

There was a lot of information about people I hadn't heard about before so I feel this could've been improved with editing to streamline (remove repetition and have some organization with presentation) and add breaks.

As a warning, there's some pretty graphic descriptions.  That wasn't surprising based on the content and it didn't bother me but it is something I'll mention as a heads up.

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Ways This Book Met my 2026 Reading Goals:

- 59th 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)

Kills Well With Others

 Book 58 of my 2026 Reading challenge

read from May 24 - 29

Kills Well With Others

by Deanna Raybourn

3 stars

I read this book immediately after the first one.  I think it would've been 3 stars for me anyway but I'm also factoring in that I gave Killers of a Certain Age 4 stars and enjoyed this book quite a bit less.

The fun and wit was missing as they all fought with each other with no counterbalance, the case itself was more convoluted, and another book of every single bad guy dying without any loss of a good guy takes away some of the suspense.  Not that I'm advocating for anyone to die but it becomes clear the author isn't willing to take risks, even with side characters, and that changes the way I read it.

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Ways This Book Met my 2026 Reading Goals:

- 58th book read in 2026 (my goal is 100)

Killers of a Certain Age

 Book 57 of my 2026 Reading challenge

read from May 22 - 23

Killers of a Certain Age

by Deanna Raybourn

published 2022

4 stars

Unique concept, unusual kill styles, and a quick read.  I thoroughly enjoyed this book.  I think this could also make a good tv series, especially with the flashbacks they included of younger times.

A very high 4, maybe a 5 on another day.  I'm glad I anticipated that and checked the second book out at the same time - it's a holiday weekend and I plan on jumping right into the next one.

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Ways This Book Met my 2026 Reading Goals:

- 57th book read in 2026 (my goal is 100)

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

Daughters of the Winter Queen

 Book 56 of my 2026 Reading Challenge

read from April 25 - May 22

Daughters of the Winter Queen:

Four Remarkable Sisters, the Crown of Bohemia, 

and the Enduring Legacy of Mary, Queen of Scots

by Nancy Goldstone

3 stars

The first chapter was a slog introducing so many people but then it settled down and was more manageable to read.  It made sense to do things chronologically but the chapters flipping back and forth between characters had me still checking the family tree to orient myself for pretty much the entire book.

Pockets of interesting stuff and didn't feel like a 400+ page nonfiction book but also not something I'm raving about or a subject I'm interested in researching further. 

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Ways This Book Met my 2026 Reading Goals:

- 56th book read in 2026 (my goal is 100)

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

just what kind of mother are you?

 Book 55 of my 2026 Reading challenge

read from May 13 - 18

just what kind of mother are you?

by Paula Daly

published 2013

2 stars

I felt uncomfortable reading this but not in a good way.  I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop and while it was an ending I didn't expect, the way it was presented didn't pack the punch it could've and there were too many coincidences wrapping everything up after so many unknowns.  

There was more than one instance of a person knowing something/not sharing it/sharing it under little to no pressure at a convenient time to move the story along.  I can't put my finger on it because each plot piece was needed to have everything fit together but it also felt like too many things for one book.

I'm reading this 13 years after it was published and see it was the author's debut novel.  I might try a more recent book to see if things have improved because I did like the writing style and unique details (such as the dog's involvement).

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Ways This Book Met my 2026 Reading Goals:

- 55th book read in 2026 (my goal is 100)

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

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)