1920

 Book 40 of my 2026 Reading Challenge

read from March 21 - 26

1920: The Year of the Six Presidents

by David Pietrusza

published 2007

4 stars

"The President of the United States lay bleeding on the bathroom floor."  This opening line set the tone for an accessible nonfiction book that wasn't dry and didn't feel like the 533 pages it was.  There were a lot of people to focus on and while I got lost in the connections of some of the secondary players, the book was overall easy to follow.

What an amazing election cycle to have 6 past, current, or future presidents running.  No other election has come close to that; my first thought was because of term limits but my second, sadder thought is because presidents now skew so old they aren't around for as many cycles.  My kids have heard me lament many times about the lack of Gen X presidents - the Boomers didn't leave and now the Millennials are coming up.

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Ways This Book Met my 2026 Reading Goals:

- 40th book read in 2026 (my goal is 100)

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

Just the Funny Parts

 Book 39 of my 2026 Reading Challenge

read from March 21 - 26

Just the Funny Parts: ... And a Few Hard Truths 

About Sneaking into the Hollywood Boys' Club

by Nell Scovell

published 2018

3 stars

Even though I didn't know Nell Scovell by name it turns out I've seen and enjoyed a lot of her work.  The book was entertaining with good jokes and amusing anecdotes.

So why 3 stars instead of 4?  I don't want to overtax myself by going back through the book for specific quotes but some of the more serious points rubbed me the wrong way.  She was judging others harshly for actions that, from this outsider's opinion, she also did (off the top of my head, an example would be rolling her eyes at a young woman entertaining male writers with a story about her boobs when earlier she said she would try to start with a filthy joke to let others know she was 'one of them').  Diversity is an issue and should be talked about but she seemed to want to hold others accountable while making justifications for herself at times that she had as much power as the people she was talking about to possibly make changes. Or the system of 'word of mouth' in general...it's not good when it's white men recommending/choosing white men but doesn't the system also fail when it's white women recommending/choosing white women, like it's the gatekeeping and not the specific demographic that's the issue?

The "funny parts" read quickly and I enjoyed them.  The stronger messages were on point but I'm taking the messenger with a grain of salt. 

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Ways This Book Met my 2026 Reading Goals:

- 39th 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 'J' (I'm doing an A-Z title challenge)

The Reading Promise

 Book 38 of my 2026 Reading Challenge

read from March 16 - 20

The Reading Promise: My Father and the Books We Shared

by Alice Ozma

published 2011

4 stars

When talking about buying books that can be read and passed down through generations..."What greater gift to your descendants yet unborn than the love of books and reading?"

The book was very readable with a great message.

Reading with your kids?  Great.

Sharing something special?  Great.

Having a common goal?  Great.

If I started looking beyond the reading into other aspects of their dynamic (as told by the author)?  Maybe a little codependent.

If I started thinking about the mom and/or sister and projected my own feelings of being left out?  Possibilities of hurt feelings.

But overall, I'm really happy for the author and the memories she was able to create.

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Ways This Book Met my 2026 Reading Goals:

- 38th book read in 2026 (my goal is 100)

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

Accidental Astronomy

 Book 37 of my 2026 Reading Challenge

read from March 12 - 19

Accidental Astronomy: How Random Discoveries 

Shape the Science of Space

by Chris Lintott

published 2024

2 stars

This is a low 2 star read for me; it's not a 1 because I'm not angry but I am pretty bored.  I read lots of words but can't say I retained a lot of information.  My mind wandered.

I saw this book while browsing at the library and expected actual random discoveries in space (like the example of discovering penicillin in medicine), like "happy accidents".  That was not the case (or if it was, I completely missed them).

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Ways This Book Met my 2026 Reading Goals:

- 37th book read in 2026 (my goal is 100)

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

Bad Girls With Perfect Faces

 Book 36 of my 2026 Reading Challenge

read from March 15 - 17

Bad Girls With Perfect Faces

by Lynn Weingarten

published 2017

4 stars

This author knows how to make interesting titles.  I read her book Suicide Notes From Beautiful Girls in 2018 and added this to my list at that time...there's no rhyme or reason to what ends up making it off my never-ending TBR.

For most of the book I felt uncomfortable in a 'low stakes' way, like with second hand embarrassment or concern about the consequences on their social lives.  The stakes got higher as the book went on and while I can't say I found the ending realistic or satisfying, it was interesting and I couldn't put it down.

I can picture that final scene of crossing paths in a movie shot before fading to black.

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Ways This Book Met my 2026 Reading Goals:

- 36th book read in 2026 (my goal is 100)

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

Carnegie Libraries Across America

 Book 35 of my 2026 Reading Challenge

read from March 12 - 16

Carnegie Libraries Across America: A Public Legacy

by Theodore Jones

published 1997

3 stars

"Free libraries maintained by the people are cradles of democracy, and their spread can never fail to extend and strengthen the democratic idea, the equality of the citizen, [and] the royalty of man.  They are emphatically fruit of the true American ideal." 

~ Andrew Carnegie

I picked this book from a library display.  Spending time browsing at a library and coming home to read about libraries and look at pictures of old libraries?  Sold.

Even though it was published almost 30 years ago it's not outdated other than the stats about how many libraries are still in use.  The majority of the book was about the history of the Carnegie grants and the beginning of public libraries.  Iowa connection: the first Carnegie library was in Fairfield, IA.  At the time of the book's publication the library was being transitioned; I looked it up and the building is still standing and currently a Carnegie museum.

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Ways This Book Met my 2026 Reading Goals:

- 35th book read in 2026 (my goal is 100)

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

Harriet Tubman: Live in Concert

 Book 34 of my 2026 Reading Challenge

read from March 12 - 15

Harriet Tubman: Live in Concert

by Bob the Drag Queen

published 2025

5 stars

I love Bob TDQ's passion about any project they're involved in and hearing them talk about this book was no exception.

The concept of this book was very creative and although I have no shared life experience with any of the characters they were written in a relatable way passing knowledge in an accessible way.

I don't do audiobooks but I feel like this book would be good in that format as well, especially if the songs are performed.

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Ways This Book Met my 2026 Reading Goals:

- 34th 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)