Kayak Morning

 Book 101 of my 2026 Reading Challenge

read from November 7 - 11

Kayak Morning

by Roger Rosenblatt

published 2012

2 stars

It took me 4 days to read 146 pages.  With no chapter breaks, it felt longer.

This is the kind of book that leaves a lot unsaid, trails off during thoughts, and has half-sentences or partially formed ideas.  A stream of consciousness.  That rarely works for me because I need it to still feel complete in its incompleteness.  This book just felt unfinished.

I hope the author has made progress in processing his grief.

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Ways This Book Met my 2026 Reading Goals:

- 101st book read in 2026 (my goal is 100)

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

Lily and the Octopus

 Book 100 of my 2026 Reading Challenge

read from November 5 - 7

Lily and the Octopus

by Steven Rowley

published 2016

3 stars

Unrelated to this specific book: this was my 100th read of 2026 so I've met my goal!  This was also the last letter I needed to read a fiction book starting with every letter of the alphabet (I'm only a few letters away from doing the same with nonfiction).

I put this book on hold and when my husband picked it up for me the librarian gave a warning that it was very sad.  That warning coupled with the main characters being a man and his dog gave me an idea of where we were heading from the start.

It was sad but I wasn't as drawn in as I expected.  I felt more sad for the man's loneliness than the actual circumstances.  I also was deep in a weed drink when I finished it so that may have blunted my emotions as well.

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Ways This Book Met my 2026 Reading Goals:

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

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

Vietnam War 50th Commemoration

 Book 99 of my 2026 Reading Challenge

read from November 1 - 4

Vietnam War 50th Commemoration:

A Time to Honor

5 stars

This book is solely stories from those who served during the Vietnam War and since it delivers exactly what it says, I'm giving it 5 stars.  It was unique, varied, honest, and respectful.

There was also a DVD enclosed but I didn't watch it.

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Ways This Book Met my 2026 Reading Goals:

- 99th book read in 2026 (my goal is 100)

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

Never Let Me Go

 Book 98 of my 2026 Reading Challenge

read from October 30 - November 1

Never Let Me Go

by Kazuo Ishiguro

published 2005

4 stars

I'm sure there are layers I missed because I don't feel I can completely detach from real life at the moment but I was still absorbed.  It required focus because there weren't obvious peaks and valleys so every detail could either be throwaway filler or something pivotal but it was an easy focus.

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Ways This Book Met my 2026 Reading Goals:

- 98th book read in 2026 (my goal is 100)

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

The X President

 Book 97 of my 2026 Reading Challenge

read from October 28 - 30

The X President

by Philip Baruth

published 2003

4 stars

When I saw this at an used book sale I had to get it.  An elusive 'X' title for my A-Z challenge and the summary actually sounded decent - win win!

I had hesitations as I started to read it.  First, it was written in 2003; what would be considered "satirical" and "shocking" back then and would it just make me sadder about our current political climate?  Second, it referenced thinly veiled actual people (including the former president "BC") and I was worried it would be outdated or too preachy depending on the author's leanings.

So I was a little unsettled as I started reading but fortunately, my concerns were not validated and it was a good read.  Basing characters on somewhat familiar figures actually helped give some grounding and backstory and aided the book in an unexpected way.  And the plot was outlandish even by today's standards (although maybe not from a technological standpoint) so it was interesting as long as you don't overthink it.

I did think the end before the wrap-up (the parts in the house) went off the rails a little but the ending itself was nice.

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Ways This Book Met my 2026 Reading Goals:

- 97th book read in 2026 (my goal is 100)

- Title starting with 'X' (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)

Zen Dogs

 Book 96 of my 2026 Reading Challenge

read on October 29

Zen Dogs

by Alex Cearns

3 stars

Books like these are why I'm thankful for libraries.  It was a cute 10 minutes of looking at pictures but not something I'd pay money for.

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Ways This Book Met my 2026 Reading Goals:

- 96th book read in 2026 (my goal is 100)

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

My Grandfather, the Master Detective

 Book 95 of my 2026 Reading Challenge

read from October 25 - 28

My Grandfather, the Master Detective

by Masateru Konishi

published 2023 (translation 2025)

3 stars

This novel is an okay way to pass some time.  It kept my interest without generating a lot of excitement.  It took me a minute to settle in because I didn't realize how much fantasy would play into it but once I knew the "rules" of the book, I was able to stay grounded.

I almost went down to 2 stars out of frustration in her keeping secrets but it ended fine so I decided to do a low 3.  I do wish there wasn't a love triangle aspect and that it had been resolved differently since there was.

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Ways This Book Met my 2026 Reading Goals:

- 95th book read in 2026 (my goal is 100)

The Royal Insider

 Book 94 of my 2026 Reading Challenge

read from October 22 - 26

The Royal Insider: My Life with the Queen,

the King and Princess Diana

by Paul Burrell

published 2025

3 stars

First of all, I'm not British so I'm not familiar at all with the day-to-day tabloids, tv appearances, etc. meaning my knowledge of Paul Burrell is pretty slim. He seems to want to be/remain famous just based on my opinions of those who go on reality tv shows, as well as one of his main gripes about The Crown being that there wasn't a character representing him. 

I felt a little icky reading this because it felt like telling tales out of school but admittedly, I was also very curious. He definitely spills tea and names names but I'll take the advice that he says the Queen gave him and read it with a grain of salt.

 

Without any other information about the veracity of his words, I'll go off the writing of the book itself.  He cuts no slack for those he doesn't like (Prince Harry in particular) and seems to have a bit of a 'hero' complex for himself.  It's hard to believe he was involved in so many pivotal moments (such as saying he chose the 'revenge dress') but never had anything negative to say about himself or his interactions.  It comes off a bit pompous, like when someone says their biggest flaw is "working too hard" in a job interview.

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Ways This Book Met my 2026 Reading Goals:

- 94th book read in 2026 (my goal is 100)

A Rage to Kill

 Book 93 of my 2026 Reading Challenge

read from October 16 - 24

A Rage to Kill 

and Other True Cases

by Ann Rule

4 stars

Before true crime podcasts and social media sleuths, there was Ann Rule.  I loved reading her books in middle/high school so when I saw this at a used book sale I had to grab it.  

Although the criminals would've been caught much easier through today's technology, the crimes themselves didn't feel dated.  Rage is timeless.

It also has been long enough since this book was printed that some of the projected parole dates have passed.  Looking everyone up to see if they'd died/been paroled/reoffended/etc. sent me down a different rabbit hole.

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Ways This Book Met my 2026 Reading Goals:

- 93rd 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)

The Astral Library

 Book 92 of my 2026 Reading Challenge

read from October 12 - 22

The Astral Library

by Kate Quinn

published 2026

2 stars

Great idea, disappointing execution.  It felt like too many books (haha, apt for a book about books) in one.  I think either the concept of discovering the Astral Library with less of a conflict or someone already established in the library experiencing the big conflict would've flowed better.  By doing both, it felt rushed and there wasn't time to breathe during reveals.  My choice would've been the first; I loved the traveling between books and all the different Patrons.

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Ways This Book Met my 2026 Reading Goals:

- 92nd book read in 2026 (my goal is 100)

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

Pageboy

 Book 91 of my 2026 Reading Challenge

read from October 12 - 15

Pageboy

by Elliot Page

published 2023

3 stars

It was an interesting perspective to read so much of the turmoil of fighting against feelings of sexuality and gender without much about life after transition.  It could be because it's still somewhat new or it could be because he wants to keep the more recent aspects of his life private but the result is lots of sadness without seeing the rainbow at the end (to use a cliche).  We're not owed anything as readers but I am glad he's famous so I know he is continuing to find success and can be less worried about his current well-being than I would've been based on the book alone.

When reading, some sentences trailed off like I think they would've if he'd been speaking, like when people end their sentences with a question mark.  I hope he's found more confidence in his voice.

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Ways This Book Met my 2026 Reading Goals:

- 91st book read in 2026 (my goal is 100)

The Sane One

 Book 90 of my 2026 Reading Challenge

read from October 6 - 12

The Sane One

by Anna Konkle

published 2026

4 stars

The book started with a little bit of 'iykyk' quality.  The author gave clear depictions without overexplaining, justifying or villainizing so readers who can relate know exactly what she's saying but those who haven't may not understand.  As it continued, she was incredibly truthful while maintaining dignity. 

It was easier to read knowing she found community and success as an adult.

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Ways This Book Met my 2026 Reading Goals:

- 90th book read in 2026 (my goal is 100)

Murder at Christmas

 Book 89 of my 2026 Reading Challenge

read from October 2 - 6

Murder at Christmas

3 stars

There are a surprising number of books with themes of Christmas crimes.  I think I've read one every year without even going out of my way, and October feels like the perfect time to do it.

First I was noting not many of the stories have murder but then I got to the story "Murder at Christmas" and realized it's a story title and not necessarily the theme.  Looking more closely, the title of the book is "Murder at Christmas and Other Stories" so that's on me.

Overall it was a decent way to pass the time.  There weren't any clunkers but also not ones I'm raving about either.  My favorite was "A Matter of Life and Death".

As always when reading short stories by multiple authors, I'll include a little about each story below.

The Theft of the Christmas Stocking

Fairly implausible in how quickly everyone talked to him but necessary to move the plot along and keep the story short.  The age of this book showed; there's no way now that somebody would be able to disappear as easily as he did.

'Twixt the Cup and the Lip

Really good pacing with unexpected ending.  It was one of those that made sense looking back but the author did a great job sneaking little things in so the resolution didn't stand out until it was revealed.

Death in the Christmas Hour

I struggled with this one.  Too many kernels of ideas and characters for one short story.  The bare bones of the premise was good but it was too convoluted.

Auggie Wren's Christmas Story

I was waiting for a bigger reveal.  It felt out of place in this book...there wasn't even a mystery and barely a crime.

Christmas Gift

Did a good job of making me feel sorry for a criminal.

Rumpole and the Chambers Party

I didn't really see the point but it wasn't the ending I expected.

Murder at Christmas

The story the book is named for.  Luckily it was a good one since at about 50 pages, this one story is a large chunk of the entire paperback.

I did see the victim twist coming and was waiting for them to catch up but there were so many other things happening in the meantime to fill character space that it was still entertaining.

Father Crumlish

This passed quickly and I caught the clue but suspected the wrong person.

A Matter of Life and Death

It started slowly and confusingly but ended up being my favorite.  Good combination of following clues, using knowledge, and a bit of luck.  Plus it ended well.

Miss Crindle and Father Christmas

It was fine.  It was more of a 'tell' mystery than a 'show' one.  I feel like maybe the characters are from another story because I seemed to be missing some backstory.

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Ways This Book Met my 2026 Reading Goals:

- 89th 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)

The Civil War

 Book 88 of my 2026 Reading Challenge

read from August 30 - October 5

The Civil War: A Visual History

published 2026

3 stars

I rated this one neutrally because the reasons I didn't enjoy it as much were also the reasons the book worked as well as it did.  For example, it's a heavy oversized book which made it cumbersome to hold and also prevented me from taking it with me for those moments I can steal to read while I'm out.  But it being oversized kept it from feeling dense and overwhelming and made a big difference in the visuals so I agree with the decision.  It also took me so long to read because of these circumstances (and honestly, the only reason I finished as "quickly" as I did is because I set page goals the final week to be able to return it to the library).

One thing I noticed and absolutely loved when comparing it to other books with many sidebars, graphs, etc. is that this book required no flipping back and forth.  The extra things on the pages related to that page and were contained to that page; it sounds so simple but trust me, this is rare!  So I was able to turn a page, look at all the extras, and then continue with the text of the book.

For a book that says it's a visual history there was way more text than I expected.  While there were new viewpoints and first-hand accounts the more standard information seemed surface level and I don't think the book would've suffered with less of it.

Personal note: while I'm glad Lee made mistakes and lost the battle, if someone writing a book about me 150+ years later said, "[Lee's] judgement may have been impaired - he was tired and suffering from diarrhea...", I would come back and haunt them.  That's a joke; it's important to be factual but at the same time...saying he was shitting so much he couldn't think straight seems like an extra dig.

Fact I learned: there was a man who served as vice president under two different presidents.  His name was John C. Calhoun and he served with President John Quincy Adams and President Andrew Jackson.

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Ways This Book Met my 2026 Reading Goals:

- 88th book read in 2026 (my goal is 100)

The Vampire Hunters' Casebook

 Book 87 of my 2026 Reading Challenge

read from September 20 - 30

The Vampire Hunters' Casebook

3 stars

This book had a slow start.  After the first few stories I would've said I was skimming and not really invested but that night I had so many nightmares about vampires that I woke up the next day realizing I must be absorbing more than I knew.

I was more conscious about the time of day I read this book after that and the stories also gained interest for me as well.  I think it helped that the stories seemed to have a somewhat chronological written order so the older stories were the ones I liked the least.  But even with improvement in interest I'm still only rating this 3 stars because my overall feeling is very 'take it or leave it'.

My favorite was "The Broken Fang" by Uel Key.

I picked this up at a fundraising book sale that's held twice a year and am planning to donate it back to them so it can find a new reader at a future sale.

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Ways This Book Met my 2026 Reading Goals:

- 87th 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)

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)