Z: A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald

 Book 86 of my 2026 Reading Challenge

read from September 22 - 26

Z: A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald

by Therese Anne Fowler

published 2013

4 stars

This was a quick read and the story would've held my interest even without it being based somewhat on real people.  I can't speak to how much is 'historical' and how much is 'fiction' but the extravagance of the 1920's and the group of artists in Paris that seemed to work hard(ish), play harder, and die young is a fascinating time to me. 

It also had the added benefit of a 'Z' title which is one of the harder letters to get in my A-Z Challenge.

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Ways This Book Met my 2026 Reading Goals:

- 86th book read in 2026 (my goal is 100)

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

The Dysfunctional Family's Guide to Murder

 Book 85 of my 2026 Reading Challenge

read from September 15 - 17

The Dysfunctional Family's Guide to Murder

by Kate Emery

published 2024

1 star

Spoilers so scroll away if you have any interest in reading this...

W

H

A

T

T

H

E

F

U

C

K

D

I

D

I

J

U

S

T

R

E

A

D

?

?

?

?

Spent 293 pages watching someone try to solve a murder only to have it revealed that there was no murder, it was an accident.

Spent 293 pages watching someone try to solve a relative issue only to have someone spontaneously monologue a confession under little pressure.

Also, the love interest was her cousin.  I don't care that it actually turned out not to be (his mom was faking DNA results to be in the family), they thought they were cousins and were in this environment visiting family with only relatives around.  And they were flirting when they thought they were cousins, not just a "phew we're not related now we can kiss" situation.  A love interest in this story felt so unnecessary anyway.

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Ways This Book Met my 2026 Reading Goals:

- 85th book read in 2026 (my goal is 100)

The Midnight Train

 Book 84 of my 2026 Reading Challenge

read from September 12 - 15

The Midnight Train

by Matt Haig

published 2026

3 stars

Happiness squandered was painful to look at from the future.  

But the Ghost tried his best to feel gratitude that he had known happiness at all.

I liked the concept of this book more than the actual execution.  It felt like too much time in the present trying to figure out how to change the system rather than getting lost in the memories and feeling emotions.  I also wish there had been some sort of epilogue or something that gave information on any different paths.  

I laughed at this description: "In the sense that he couldn't read people very well. Where she could still read the book of someone from a single page, he could be presented with the entire novel and not follow its plot at all."

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Ways This Book Met my 2026 Reading Goals:

- 84th book read in 2026 (my goal is 100)

This Book Made Me Think of You

 Book 83 of my 2026 Reading Challenge

read on August 30

This Book Made Me Think of You

by Libby Page

published 2026

5 stars

This was a lovely book I read in one sitting.  It was warm and light (ish - there are themes of grief) with characters who love books, bookshops, reading, and writing.

Tilly's husband Joe died 6 months ago.  She'd always been a reader but during his illness and after his death, she's found herself unable to concentrate and enjoy reading.  Then a surprise phone call comes from a bookshop owner - Joe had planned and left one book a month for the following year to help her cope.  From kids' books that reintroduce her love for reading to cookbooks that help her learn a new skill to fiction books that reignite her passion, she spends the year re-entering the world and rediscovering herself.  And of course the bookshop owner and his employees factor into this as well.

It was a bit fantastical but grounded in reality as long as you believe in luck and happy endings.  And there were so many book recommendations, from lists at the beginning of each month to conversations between the characters and even the blurbs from other authors on the back of the book (they all included their 'favorite book to share' with their blurbs)!  

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Ways This Book Met my 2026 Reading Goals:

- 83rd book read in 2026 (my goal is 100)

The Virgin's Lover

 Book 82 of my 2026 Reading Challenge

read from August 18 - 28

The Virgin's Lover

by Philippa Gregory

published 2004

5 stars

I'm not very familiar with this time period so I can't speak to the accuracy (how much was 'historical' vs how much was 'fiction') but as a story, it was compelling.  Even though I know Elizabeth stays an unmarried queen I wasn't sure how she would get out of the situations she was in.  I felt very sorry and also a little embarrassed for Amy; she was written very sympathetically.

5 stars because this book made me want to read more about Elizabeth and also more from the author.

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Ways This Book Met my 2026 Reading Goals:

- 82nd book read in 2026 (my goal is 100)

- A book I purchased in 2026 (my goal is to read any books I buy within 6 months of purchasing them)

After Visiting Friends

 Book 81 of my 2026 Reading Challenge

read from August 19 - 21

After Visiting Friends

by Michael Hainey

4 stars

This book was riveting and he's very good at pacing.  I wanted more after the information was found out, especially with his mom.  Reflection on how things remained hidden for so long (why not curious at all then hunting so deeply for answers) would've been interesting too.

How lucky he was that newspapers held the information he was looking for.  I'm sure many people have mysteries in their families that remain mysteries because their relatives didn't have articles written about them.

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Ways This Book Met my 2026 Reading Goals:

- 81st 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)

An Unhappy Medium

 Book 80 of my 2026 Reading Challenge

read on August 18

An Unhappy Medium

by Dawn Eastman

3 stars

I read the four books in this Family Fortune Mystery series pretty quickly because the paperback format and light content was perfect for traveling.

This book, the fourth, passed by very quickly.  My concerns before reading it about the author dropping off rather than wrapping up the series intentionally were unfortunately true, although there wasn't as much of a cliffhanger as there could've been.  There was more to explore in the family and the town but things were settled enough that I'm okay leaving it behind.

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Ways This Book Met my 2026 Reading Goals:

- 80th book read in 2026 (my goal is 100)

- A book I purchased in 2026 (my goal is to read any books I buy within 6 months of purchasing them)

A Fright to the Death

 Book 79 of my 2026 Reading Challenge

read from August 13 - 15

A Fright to the Death

by Dawn Eastman

3 stars

After reading Pall in the Family, I decided to buy the other 3 books in the Family Fortune Mystery series and they were perfect paperbacks to take along on our trip.

This book, the third in the series, was a flip for me.  In the first two I liked the family dynamics more than the actual mysteries.  In this one, the dynamics were barely there and what was there was super annoying - I'm over Vi inserting herself everywhere.  The mystery was good though, other than a random genetic reveal at the end.

There's only one more book and I will be curious to see if that will feel intentional or the author stopped writing them for some reason.  I really wish Clyde would lean more into her "talents" instead of beating around the bush.

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Ways This Book Met my 2026 Reading Goals:

- 79th book read in 2026 (my goal is 100)

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

- A book I purchased in 2026 (my goal is to read any books I buy within 6 months of purchasing them)

Be Careful What You Witch For

 Book 78 of my 2026 Reading Challenge

read from August 10 - 11

Be Careful What You Witch For

by Dawn Eastman

4 stars

After reading Pall in the Family, I decided to buy the other 3 books in the Family Fortune Mystery series and they were perfect paperbacks to take along on our trip.

This book, the second in the series, passed quickly and I enjoyed it.  Again, it was more for the family dynamics than the mystery plot but the mystery was decent too.

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Ways This Book Met my 2026 Reading Goals:

- 78th book read in 2026 (my goal is 100)

- A book I purchased in 2026 (my goal is to read any books I buy within 6 months of purchasing them)

History is All You Left Me

 Book 77 of my 2026 Reading Challenge

read from August 9 - 10

History is All You Left Me

by Adam Silvera

2 stars

I bought this at a book sale and didn't realize at the time I've had this on my TBR since 2017.  So the book has caught my eye at least twice.

During the first few chapters of the book the characters were absolutely fictional but I didn't care because they were so cute.  But as the book continued, I liked it less and by the end I wasn't invested.   

I think the scenes could play well visually in a teen movie though.

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Ways This Book Met my 2026 Reading Goals:

- 77th book read in 2026 (my goal is 100)

- A book I purchased in 2026 (my goal is to read any books I buy within 6 months of purchasing them)

- 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)

Sweeter Voices Still

 Book 76 of my 2026 Reading Challenge

read from August 6 - 9

Sweeter Voices Still:

an LGBTQ Anthology from Middle America

3 stars

I liked the concept but not necessarily the execution.  My favorite essay was "Jell-O Salad" by Gabrielle Montesanti.

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Ways This Book Met my 2026 Reading Goals:

- 76th book read in 2026 (my goal is 100)

The Irish in America

 Book 75 of my 2026 Reading Challenge

read from July 17 - August 6

The Irish in America

by Michael Coffey

2 stars

Very dry.  It was already hard to focus but the format made it worse.  There were inserts of texts and photos scattered throughout the book.  The inserts were usually vignettes of people or essays by someone and could be anywhere from 1-4 pages.  I understand why they were part of the book but the way they were inserted was a problem.  They weren't put it at text breaks of the chapter so I could be mid-sentence in a chapter, turn a page, have pages of unrelated text, and then back to finish the sentence and continue the chapter.  Switching back and forth and having things broken up made it even harder to concentrate.

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Ways This Book Met my 2026 Reading Goals:

- 75th book read in 2026 (my goal is 100)

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

- A book I purchased in 2026 (my goal is to read any books I buy within 6 months of purchasing them)

- 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)

Have No Shame

 Book 74 of my 2026 Reading Challenge

read on July 30

Have No Shame

by Melissa Foster

2 stars

I read this book in a day.  It helped that the story was 187 pages long even though my paperback copy has 373 pages.  The author included 2 formats, one with Southern dialect and one without.  I read the one with Southern dialect as it seems that was the intended way of the author; in comparing a few pages, it seems the main difference was whether words ending in 'ing' had the full ending or an apostrophe (jumping vs jumpin').  Both versions had the 'n' word (appropriate for the story but something I was curious about when changing formats).

The fact that I read it in a day because I liked her writing style is what made it 2 stars vs. 1.  The story itself was too 'Pollyanna' for me.  The main character goes from never ever even questioning anything about race to being on the front line of the civil rights movement?  After one conversation she goes from being afraid to be in the same room as a black man to falling in love with one?  It was like the opposite of the "white savior" complex...she met a black person, they were nice, and she realized they're people too.  Ok...

I'm not going to complain about a happy ending but I will say this book is like a Hallmark version of race relations.  Also, I saw the pregnancy reveal coming a mile away but when the blood test came in with the gestational age I didn't think it was possible; that's a gap that wasn't explained.

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Ways This Book Met my 2026 Reading Goals:

- 74th 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)

And Now I Spill the Family Secrets

 Book 73 of my 2026 Reading Challenge

read from July 18 - 29

And Now I Spill the Family Secrets: An Illustrated Memoir

by Margaret Kimball

3 stars

I'm pretty neutral on this because life impacted how I read this.  I will say this book delves deeper into the question of how memoirs affects people around the author, which is always something I wonder about.

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Ways This Book Met my 2026 Reading Goals:

- 73rd book read in 2026 (my goal is 100)

Good Grief

 Book 72 of my 2026 Reading Challenge

read from July 18 - 19

Good Grief

by Sara Goodman Confino

5 stars

This book felt emotionally perfect as I was reading it and satisfying when I finished it.  It was hopeful and optimistic without being 'Pollyanna', spiritual without being hokey, and realistic in its troubles with an underlying support of family.  I will definitely read this author again.

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Ways This Book Met my 2026 Reading Goals:

- 72nd book read in 2026 (my goal is 100)

Pall in the Family

 Book 71 of my 2026 Reading Challenge

read from July 9 - 16

Pall in the Family

by Dawn Eastman

published 2013

4 stars

This book is the first in the Family Fortune series and it was a quick read that I enjoyed enough to look for the next book in the series to continue.

The characters is what made this book.  As I reflect for this review, I realize the "mystery" part was actually pretty sparse and it was the family dynamics that kept me interested.

Quote from the Book

"Some people run away from home to join the circus; I had left home to escape one."

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Ways This Book Met my 2026 Reading Goals:

- 71st 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)

The Moment of Lift

 Book 70 of my 2026 Reading Challenge

read from July 5 - 15

The Moment of Lift

by Melinda Gates

published 2019

4 stars

The book was engaging and well-written.  The author did a great job of centering the people on the ground directly working or benefitting from the programs so for this type of book, it felt light on any "savior" complexes.  The author quoted Vishwajeet Kumar and it hit me: "Their cup is not empty; you can't just pour your ideas into it. Their cup is already full, so you have to understand what is in their cup."  The people the programs are for are not blank slates just waiting for someone to tell them what to do. 

When I say 'this type of book', I mean books that usually only find friendly audiences (on both sides of any spectrum).  Most people picking up this book already care about these issues so they don't need to be convinced and anyone who might benefit from learning something isn't picking up this book.  But what made this book different is all the examples and really stressing small things that can create bigger ripples.  

Something I noted about myself as I read...I found myself less interested reading the chapters about the U.S. than other countries.  When I thought about why (I have a psych degree, analyzing is my favorite hobby), I realized seeing things firsthand makes me much more cynical and less hopeful about the changes the author would like to see.  To quote the author, "we're quick to criticize gender injustice when we see it around the world. We also need to see it where most of us feel it and can do something about it - in the places where we work."

It was a little weird to read about her marriage and partnership knowing they later divorced.

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Ways This Book Met my 2026 Reading Goals:

- 70th book read in 2026 (my goal is 100)

- A book I purchased in 2026 (my goal is to read any books I buy within 6 months of purchasing them)

Marry Me a Little

 Book 69 of my 2026 Reading Challenge

read on July 12

Marry Me a Little

by Rob Kirby

published 2023

5 stars

I think nonfiction graphic novels are something I'm going to seek out more.  This book is a memoir and it was mainly celebrating love and partnership while also touching on the world outside of their home and how it affected their ability to "officially" do so.  The book ended before the second Trump term and I want to look them up and see how they're doing; I hope it's well.

Also, love the title.  Something about it made me smile every time I picked the book up.

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Ways This Book Met my 2026 Reading Goals:

- 69th book read in 2026 (my goal is 100)

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)

Romancing Mr. Bridgerton

 Book 61 of my 2026 Reading Challenge

read from May 24 - June 17

Romancing Mr. Bridgerton

by Julia Quinn

published 2002

3 stars

It was fine.  I liked that the conflict necessary to keep the plot moving was generated by outside forces, not back and forth denial.  They had good communication.

I'm pretty neutral on continuing the series.  I haven't watched the show but had seen enough clips that there was some familiarity up until now; continuing the books when I don't know the endings might be too much uncertainty for me to enjoy.  I have a low tolerance for problems that become bigger than they should because of simple miscommunication and that has been a trend in the series so far that I imagine would continue.

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Ways This Book Met my 2026 Reading Goals:

- 61st book read in 2026 (my goal is 100)

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)

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)