2025 & 2026 Reading Challenge discussion

I am going to try to read three books a month. Excited to be more engaged in my reading this year.

1. The Body in the Piazza - Katherine Hall Page
2. Case Histories - Kate Atkinson
3. Victims - Jonathan Kellerman
4. W is for Wasted - Sue Grafton
5. All the Light We Cannot See - Anthony Doerr
6. Vintage - Susan Gloss
7. The Body in the Boudoir - Katherine Hall Page
8. The Secret Keeper - Kate Morton
9. The Girl on the Train - Paula Hawkins
10. Crocodile on the Sandbank by Elizabeth Peters
11. The Surgeon by Tess Gerritsen
12. Body Movers by Stephanie Bond
13. Pope Joan by Donna Woolfolk Cross
14. In the Bleak Midwinter by Julia Spencer-Fleming
15. One Bad Apple by Sheila Connolly
16. Letter From Home by Carolyn Hart
17. Guilt by Jonathan Kellerman
18. Fever 1793 by Laurie Halse Anderson
19. Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson
20. The Mother's Day Murder by Lee Harris
21. The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley
22. The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
23. Unlocking the Air and Other Stories by Ursula K. Le Guin
24. The Virgin Blue by Tracy Chevalier
25. Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter
26. Shakespeare's Landlord by Charlaine Harris
27. Delicious! by Ruth Reichl
28. Maisie Dobbs by Jacqueline Winspear
29. Hatchet by Gary Paulsen
30. The Noon God by Donna Carrick
31. The Book of Unknown Americans by Cristina Henriquez
32. Just Desserts by Mary Daheim
33. The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman
34. Gathering Prey by John Sandford
35. The Ultimate Teen Book Guide by Daniel Hahn
36. The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton
37. The Ice Queen by Alice Hoffman
38. Zero Day by David Baldacci
39. A Woman Of Independent Means by Elizabeth Forsythe Hailey
40. Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail by Cheryl Strayed
41. Kilt Dead by Kaitlyn Dunnett
42. Carved in Bone by Jefferson Bass
43. The Book Nobody Read: Chasing the Revolutions of Nicolaus Copernicus by Owen Gingerich
44. Silver Shoes by Paul Miles Schneider
45. The Mermaid Chair by Sue Monk Kidd
46. Bones in Her Pocket by Kathy Reichs
47. Desert Heat by J.A. Jance
48. Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell
49. Bittersweet by Miranda Beverly-Whittemore
50. Yes Please by Amy Poehler
51. Prey for a Miracle by Aimée Thurlo
52. The Storyteller by Jodi Picoult
53. Moloka'i by Alan Brennert
54. Murder is Binding by Lorna Barrett
55. Tallgrass by Sandra Dallas
56. Rogue Island by Bruce DeSilva
57. False Witness by Aimée Thurlo
58. Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty
59. The Diva Steals a Chocolate Kiss by Krista Davis
60. Gilead by Marilynne Robinson
61. Queen of Babble in the Big City by Meg Cabot
62. Fire And Ice by Dana Stabenow
63. The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion
64. So Sure Of Death by Dana Stabenow
65. Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel
66. Privy to the Dead by Sheila Connolly
67. The Body in the Birches by Katherine Hall Page
68. Tulipomania: The Story of the World's Most Coveted Flower & the Extraordinary Passions It Aroused by Mike Dash
69. Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech
70. Speaking in Bones by Kathy Reichs
71. Angus, Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging by Louise Rennison
72. Under the Banner of Heaven: A Story of Violent Faith by Jon Krakauer
73. Lydia Cassatt Reading the Morning Paper by Harriet Scott Chessman
74. Death al Dente by Leslie Budewitz
75. The Secret Supper by Javier Sierra
76. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie
77. Service Included: Four-Star Secrets of an Eavesdropping Waiter by Phoebe Damrosch
78. Crime Rib by Leslie Budewitz
79. My Brother Sam Is Dead by James Lincoln Collier
80. We Are All Welcome Here by Elizabeth Berg
81. The Laramie Project by Moisés Kaufman
82. The All You Can Dream Buffet by Barbara O'Neal

I just finished All the Light We Cannot See and loved it!

I loved it as well! So beautifully written.

Finished book 11

A dozen books!

One more. I do not read many books that take place during this period of time. I was unfamiliar with the legend of Pope Joan. This was definitely an interesting read.

I am reading The Girl on the Train and don't like it as much as I thought I would. So much hype out there about this book....I guess I was expecting more.

Carolyn wrote: "I am reading The Girl on the Train and don't like it as much as I thought I would. So much hype out there about this book....I guess I was expecting more."

I liked the unreliable narrator. How I did not know as a reader what was real and what was not real. I guessed at part of the ending but not all of it.

Loved this one! Cannot wait to read more in this series.

I did not enjoy this as much as Sheila Connolly's museum based series but it was a fun read.

What did you think of The Surgeon? Have you seen the Rizzoli and Isles TV show?

Cassandra wrote: "What did you think of The Surgeon? Have you seen the Rizzoli and Isles TV show?"
I do watch the TV show but had never read any of the books. The book was darker than the show and I was definitely surprised that Isles was not in the book. She must get introduced in later books. The book is about cops but one of the victims is a doctor the medical information and hospital scenes are vivid and well told.

After I finished the book I read about the author. She is a physician and before the Rizzoli and Isles books wrote medical thrillers. I would will try those and read more in this series.

Three more for the list.

- I have enjoyed Carolyn Hart's Death on Demand and Henry O. mysteries. This stand alone was an enjoyable book. The book takes place in Oklahoma during WWII. An interesting and well researched perspective.

- I read all of the Alex Delaware books. My mom has been reading them for years and years and always passes them along. This was a fun, quick read, if you like mysteries.

- This has been on my bookshelf for a while. I am doing the randomiser challenge and this was one of the books. This is a well written, YA, historical fiction. Would be a good book for anyone interested in American history.

A memoir in poetry. This was a remarkable read. Would highly recommend for anyone. Definitely going to have my kids read this one!

Amy wrote: " A memoir in poetry. This was a remarkable read. Would highly recommend for anyone. Definitely going to have my kids read this one!"

I've had this one on my TBR since it won the National Book Award. I should push it up the list a bit.

- I really enjoy this cozy mystery series. I like to read a series in order and not all at once. I have been reading these for several years.

- What a terrific protagonist. A plucky 11 year old girl, with a passion for chemistry, solving a crime in an English village. A total delight. I will definitely be reading more books in this series. I think this would be a good book for all ages.

Finally read . This books has been sitting on my To Be Read shelf for years. I was just never inspired to read it. When the Spring challenge came out and one of the activities was to read a book about time travel, I knew it was finally time to read this book. This book was definitely different and out of my normal reading comfort zone. It took a bit for me to start enjoying but once I did I was hooked.

This collection of short stories has also been on my to be read shelf for years. was interesting but I simply did not get most of the stories. The language is beautiful and there are some thought provoking stories. While this collection is considered mainstream there was fantasy concepts and elements that challenged me as a reader who is not wild about fantasy. Overall glad I finally took the time to read this.

Another book off the to be read shelf. I love using the challenges I am participating in to help guide me to what to read. I have a huge stack of books I have picked up at various used book sales and shops over the years. Then I never quite get to reading them.

was an enjoyable read. Taking place in the present and the past, I liked the back and forth in time between the chapters.

Two more books.

I have found a new series! This book as also been sitting on my shelf for years. I picked it up at a yard sale. Finally, read it and loved it. I particularly enjoyed the main character, Lily Bard. I look forward to reading more of this series.

I enjoy books with lots of characters and settings. This book bounced around the globe and time periods. For me this is a plus.

I have done some more reading. Really loving reading more this year.

I tried Ruth Reichl's first work of fiction . Though I did not like it quite as much as her memoirs, it was a good read. She certainly can describe food to make you hungry. I also like the setting created for the food magazine, especially the library. I downloaded this from our library's ebook collection. Happy to have read it.

was the group read for the cozy mystery group. I have been meaning to start this series for years and am glad I was finally motivated to do so. This was well written with great character development. I look forward to reading more in this series.

Two quick reads both set in Canada.

my 10 year old wanted to read this so I picked it up at the used book store. I realized I had never read this book so went ahead read it. A great take on on overcoming adversity and self reliance. Glad to have my son read this.

Trying to find a book for the I Spy challenge for the time of day category. I searched books that had the word noon in the title. (Night would have made far more sense but noon popped into my head first). I found . I never read anything by this author before, Amazon was selling the ebook for $1.99, and it was billed as a mystery. So I was in. The book read more like a family study or drama than a mystery but was a good quick read.

an eye opening look into the culture and struggles of an immigrant community from various places in South America currently living in Delaware. Told from alternating points of view the reader gets a sense of the same struggles from people of different generations.

this has been sitting on my to be read shelf for years. I needed a 'J' for the A-Z challenge so chose this book. I did not love this one. But the main character was engaging enough that I may try another in the series.

Neil Gaiman's name keeps popping up. So much that I started to think I was the only person who had never read any of his books. I looked at a list of his books and once again let the I Spy Challenge guide my choice. This is not a book I would typically read now but am very glad I did. The book reminded me a lot of A Wrinkle in Time which was my favorite book as a kid. I will definitely be passing this along to my kids to read.

I'm glad you liked The Ocean at the End of the Lane, Amy! It's one of my favorites.

I read all the books in the Prey series. My mother reads these and would pass them along. I like keeping up with the characters. I also enjoy the newer series by John Sandford featuring Virgil Flowers.

I read Hatchet in elementary school. It was really good. One of these years I'm going to figure up all the books I read in elementary school and high school as a class and read them again.

Alison wrote: "I read Hatchet in elementary school. It was really good. One of these years I'm going to figure up all the books I read in elementary school and high school as a class and read them again."

That would be so interesting. Sometimes when I read books with my kids I cannot believe how differently I feel now than I did then. Sometimes I cannot believe how similarly I feel. Books really can impact us differently at different times of our lives.

Lots of great ideas for summer reading for my kids.

This is second book I read by Kate Morton. I love them. I love how long they are, the back and forth of the time periods, the lush descriptions! I am looking forward to reading more of her work.

I really enjoy Alice Hoffman's books. Ever since reading Eva Luna years and years ago I have been intrigued by magical realism. This book was short and grabbed my attention.

Read this one for the Z book in the A-Z challenge. David Baldacci's thrillers are always fun reads for me. I liked the main character and will likely read some more in this series.

originally published in 1978, I have been seeing this book on lists for years. I finally read it for my Listopia challenge. I selected a list of epistolary novels to read from. This book was delightful. I would highly recommend to anyone who likes letters, and strong female characters.

I have had this book on my library ebook queue for quite some time. Glad to have read this book. I enjoyed it far more than I expected. Definitely worth reading.

A first book in a new to me cozy mystery series. I will likely read the next book, as I enjoyed the characters and am curious about what happens to them next. I was not, however, enthralled by the mystery. Hoping the mystery improves with the next book.

Another new series for me. I am on the fence with this one as well. I may give a second book a try. I liked the setting and the main character but am not overly thrilled with the writing. Too many cliches and trying to hard to be hip in places.

I really enjoyed this book about a professor's years long obsession with tracking down all the first additions of Coperinicus's The Revolutions. I learned scientific history and was riveted by the author's persistence throughout the years.

A unusual take on the Wizard of Oz. Different and fun but not particularly well written.

A book that has been sitting on my to be read shelf for years. Like so many others I loved The Secret Life of Bees. Several people had told me this book was not as good, so I let it linger. While I agree is was not as good I still really enjoyed it. The main character is frustrating and endearing. The look at marriage in the middle years is difficult and a bit upsetting. But the honesty of the book rang true to me. I am glad I finally read it.

an ebook short from a favorite series. This was a perfect quick read for a weekend sitting in the stands at kids' sporting events. I love to have some of these shorter books at the ready when I won't be able to concentrate fully.

I will definitely be reading more books in this series. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Eager to see what is next for Joanna Brady.

This is a terrific, heartfelt book. This was my first book by Rainbow Rowell. I will definitely be reading more by her. For me the 1980s setting was a special treat. Loved remembering the bands, fashion and feelings of my middle and high school years. The author capture the feelings of first love so well. I really loved this book.

Gothic romance is not my normal genre. But in an effort to try new things in my reading a gave this a chance. It was not bad at all. This was a fairly quick read and kept my interest. The author evoked the setting particularly well. I wonder what people who really enjoy this genre think about this book.

I needed a 'Y' book for the A-Z challenge and enjoyed Bossypants by Tina Fey so I thought I would give this a try. While I enjoyed this well enough I did not love the book. Maybe because I never watched the TV show Amy Poehler starred in I felt less connected to her and the book. No regrets reading it and not a waste of time just not something I would recommend to folks.

This is the thrid book in a series about an extern nun in a cloistered order. Sister Agatha drives a red Harley and helps the local sheriff solve crimes. I enjoy this series.

This was a selection for my book club. I have never read Jodi Picoult before. I thought this was a well researched book. This is told from selveral different perspectives and includes and short story written by one of the characters. There is a "twist" at the end but one I saw coming for hundreds of pages. This sort of bothered me. I could not tell if the author purposely made is so obvious or doubted the reader could figure it out. But it took something from the book for me.

You're doing great, Amy! I really enjoy reading your short reviews. I can't wait to see what you read next.

I am participating in a USA Reading Road Trip Challenge and need to get moving if I am going to complete by the end of the year. I specifically read these books because I needed a book set in these states. Two historical fiction books and a mystery in three distinct areas of the country.

Historical fiction that tells the story of the leper colony in Hawaii. The book follows the life of of a girl sent to the leper colony at age 7. This book was excellent. I learned a great deal about Hawaiian history, the leper colony and the people sentenced to the colony and those there to run the colony. The characters are richly drawn and the setting well developed. There is agony, heartbreak, love and human resiliency throughout the book.

The first in a series set in a small town in New Hampshire. The town facing economic hardship developed a downtown of small specialty bookstores to attract tourists. I will read more of these books if only to imagine how great it would be if the setting were real. A dream for all booklovers!

Set during in Colorado during WWII this book explores the impact of a Japanese internment camp on the small town of Ellis, CO. Told from the perspective of an 11 year old girl living on a local farm, the book does a very good job of presenting the prejudices, attitudes and beliefs of rural farmers during this time. The main character's father was an exceptionally moral, intelligent and forward looking man. Standing up to all things wrong and being on the side of all things right. After a time in reading the book his perfection became a bit tedious. I started to feel like he was a caricature of a good man rather than simply a good man.

I chose this book for part of my USA reading road trip. The book takes place in Rhode Island and the politics of the small state play a large role in the story. This was not a favorite of mine. The main character seemed out of time as if he should have been in a book set 40 years before. Oddly, the setting would often seem out of time as well. People described as having pompadour and beehive hairstyles in a book set in the present sent me double checking the copyright. Indeed the book was published less than 10 years ago. The author may have been better off setting the book in a different time period.

I read this for a serial reading challenge for the Cozy Mystery group. This is the fourth book I have read in the Sister Agatha series. This was not one of my favorites. This series is definitely best read one book every so often rather than one after the next.

I read this for my actual book club. This was the first book I have read by Liane Moriarty. This was a fun read with serious undertones. Would definitely recommend. I look forward to chatting about this with my book club.

I really enjoy this cozy mystery series. I read each book as it is published. This addition did not disappoint. I particularly enjoy the way the author incorporates food and cooking into the books. Sophie, the main character, is always cooking for and entertaining her friends. I find myself eager to make some muffins and set a pretty table after I read one of these books.

This is a remarkably beautiful book. Spare and truly lovely. I cannot recommend this enough.

Oooh, Moloka'i sounds interesting.

Shannon N wrote: "Oooh, Moloka'i sounds interesting."

Shannon, it was interesting and enjoyable. I was definitely recommend reading it.

I read the first in this series years ago for a book club and had picked up the sequel at a book sale. Since I needed a Q for the A-Z challenge and the 3rd quarter challenge is to clean off my bookshelves, I finally dusted this one off. Not a bad read, light and fun. A great book for the holiday weekend.

Always fun to read totally different books so going from to this was great and made me appreciate both. Different books are good for different reasons.

The first two books in a mystery series by Dana Stabenow. These were both good reads. Taking place in Bush Alaska with interesting characters who are smart, flawed and good at their jobs. I will definitely read more in this series.

If you watch the Big Bang Theory, the main character, Don, is much like Sheldon, brilliant but not socially competent. The book explores Don's project to obtain the perfect life partner. The book is humorous without making fun and heartwarming without being trite. I very much enjoyed this book.

Moving back an forth between a post apocalyptic world and the characters lives before the fall of civilization. Not a genre I normally read but Emily St. John Mandel is poignant in her writing without being overly dramatic. I got the sense of loss, fear and terror without explicit violence or melodrama. Well written and thought-provoking, I would defintely recommend this book.

I like to keep up with this cozy mystery series. These books take place in Philadelphia and involve museums and history. Being born and raised in the Philadelphia area and a history major in college these books are a special treat for me.

Another cozy series I enjoy. I have been reading these books for years and have finally caught up. This book takes place on an island in Maine. More of a family story than a mystery, the book was still enjoyable.

I love books that make me think about something in entirely different way. I have never given much thought to the history of flowers and certainly never considered their potential to drive an economy. This book gives a great history of the tulip and includes some basic history of both the Ottoman Empire and the Netherlands. Definitely worth reading.

This is an excellent read. A richly told story of a girl's journey to find her mother. The characters are robustly drawn, emotions deeply felt and journeys well described. I would recommend this to anyone.

I read these books as they come out. I love a series!

Read this as I see it on lists of good books for teens and I had not read it. I thought it was funny and a good portrayal of some teens. My teen however, would be annoyed by the main character. So won't force this one on her.

I have read other books by Jon Krakauer and they always leave me thinking. I am never quite sure how I feel about the topics and the points I think he is making. But I like to learn about things I am unfamiliar and I love a book I walk away from a keep thinking about.

An absolutely delightful read about Mary Cassatt and her sister. Short, lyrical and engrossing. I felt transported to 1880s Paris. Lovely read that could easily be finished in an afternoon.

The first in a new to me cozy mystery series. I love the setting in a tourist area of Montana. The town caters to the foodie crowd and offers lots of food oriented stores. I did not love the book as much as the setting. Will try one more in the series.

I did not enjoy this book. I would have stopped about 50 pages in as it just dragged for me but it was on my randomiser challenge so I persisted. Really did just keep dragging along.

This was a wonderful book. Heartfelt, honest, very well written. The book tells the semi-autobiographical story of a Native American student seeking a better life and education for himself. The main character faces discrimination and bullying, deals with violence, alcoholism and death. Yet the book remains humorous and touching without becoming maudlin or preachy. Amazingly well done.

A memoir about a women who becomes the first captain at a fine dining restaurant in New York. The details about Per Se, the training she received and the food are very interesting and informative. The details about her personal life not so much. Definitely worth reading if you have any interest in fine dining or restaurants.

The second in a series and much better than the first. Very glad I gave this series a second chance.

I realized I have never read this book. Though it is has been sitting on our bookshelves for a long time. The portrayal of life during the Revolutionary War was definitely interesting. This is a war wherein the human suffering and controversy seems to be taught secondary to the outcome. This was definitely an interesting perspective.

A short novel about a women raising her daughter in extraordinarily difficult circumstances.

A play written about the reaction of various people to the savage beating death of Matthew Shepard. The concept of the play was interesting. I enjoy reading plays more now than I did as a student. It does take a few pages to get used to the flow of the play.

A sunny novel about four women. The woman are all connected through their food blogs. Though each woman is overcoming difficult circumstances the picture painted is hopeful and bright rather than gloomy.