Tag: best books I've read lately

The Best Books I Read in July (2026)

I continue to be woefully behind on my reading. I only read 12 books in July! And I only DNFed four others. 🙂

Of those 12, several were really good.

Where the Lost Wander, by Amy Harmon. I listened to the audio book, and was engrossed from the beginning—and westerns really aren’t my thing. But this was a great read, if sad at times.

Where the Sea Lavendar Grows, by Kitty Johnson. Yes, I do love a good WWII historical fiction—but I don’t love all of them. This one was great! I enjoyed the present-day timeline and characters just as much as I enjoyed the ones from the past. Except that one lady…

Unoffendable: How Just One Change Can Make All of Life Better, by Brant Hansen. Yep. This was a heck of a read, and one I wish more people would put into action.

Sundays are for Writing #382

This was a pretty good writing week! I wrote two book review, Hell to Pay, by Lora Beth Johnson and Fishbone Cinderella, by Elizabeth Lim. I also wrote my July reading post and the best books I read in July. And I did some fiction work.

Happy writing!

Sundays are for Writing #378

This week was a good writing week. I wrote my June reading post, my best books I read in June post, and two book reviews, Pretty Dead Things, by Kelsey Cox and Rewrite the Stars, by Lindsay Hameroff.

And I think I have the beginnings of a fiction idea.

Happy writing!

The Best Books I Read in June (2026)

In June, I read 17 books, bringing my total for the year to 84 books read. I also DNFed a handful, but we won’t talk about those. Of the 17 I finished, several were really good.

The Secret Thread, by Eve Chase. I really enjoyed this dual timeline/historical fiction/mystery mashup. The MC was very vivid in both timelines, and I loved seeing how she became who she was.

When Dealing with Dragons, by Dana Swift. This was a unique read for me. I loved the world and the culture, and I thought the characters were well done, too. I’d love to read more in this world!

Don’t Forget to Write, by Sara Goodman Confino. I absolutely loved this! The MC’s parents, particularly her dad, were horrible, but her aunt Ava was so inspiring! The voice was phenomenal and I just loved every page. Great ending, too.

The Best Books I Read in May (2026)

In May, I read 16 books, bringing my total for the year to 67. (I’m way behind). I also DNFed 12 other books (Yeah, lots of DNFs this year. No wonder I’m behind. But life’s too short to read bad books.). Of those, several were really excellent.

The Shippers, by Katherine Center. Katherine Center’s books are always so much fun, and this was no exception. I had a blast reading this!

The Valencia Expat Club, by June Patrick. If you liked Eat Pray Love, you’ll probably enjoy this) although there’s not so much navel-gazing in this one). I loved the travel aspect of this and learning to live in a different culture and seeing the MC grow and change and learn was great.

The Unicorn Hunters, by Katherine Arden. Another fantastic historical fiction/fantasy read from Katherine Arden! I truly loved this from the very beginning and was completely entranced for the entire read.

The Best Books I Read in April (2026)

I read 15 books in April. Still behind in my reading…Of those 15 books, several were really excellent reads.

First Witches Club, by Maisey Yates. i enjoyed this from the very first page! This was relatable, cathartic, and made me laugh out loud several times (And root for happy endings, of course!).

The Mountains We Call Home: The Book Woman’s Legacy, by Kim Michele Richardson. I’m so glad the book woman’s story continued! I’ve really enjoyed these books and seeing more about life in Appalachia. This was a wonderful read!

Cast in Blood, by Michelle Sagara. I can’t believe there are as many books in this series as there are…and I’ve enjoyed all of them. Kaylin and the gang are always a lot of fun to read and I find myself so immersed in the different cultures that it’s hard to put the book down. Same for this one!

Sundays are for Writing #365

Happy Easter!

This was a good writing week, although I didn’t get any fiction in. My Muse is…mulling over some things currently. I did write one book review, The Book Witch, by Meg Shaffer, my March reading post, and the best books I read in March.

Happy writing!

The Best Books I Read in March (2026)

In March, I read 15 books, bringing my total for the year to 36 books read. I also only DNFed 5 books in March. Of the 15 books, I read, several were excellent reads.

Midnight on the Celestial, by Julia Alexandra. I really liked this book! My favorite of the month, by far.

The Geomagician, by Jennifer Mandula. Historical fiction, magic, and dinosaurs/archeology? How could I not love this? Also, I want a pterodactyl.

Honey in Her Veins, by Ruth McKell. I don’t think I’ve ever read any Appalachian fantasy, especially with nature magic, so this was a fun ride.  

Sundays are for Writing #361

This week, I only wrote one book review, Midnight on the Celestial, by Julia Alexandra. I thoroughly enjoyed this read! I also wrote my February reading post, and the best books I read in February.

I also outlined two scenes in the fiction project and wrote 1k.

Happy writing!

The Best Books I Read in February (2026)

In February, I read 10 books, bringing my total for the year to 20.

I also DNFed nine books in February, bringing that total to 15 books. No wonder I’m so behind on my Goodreads goal.

Of the 10 books I read in February, several were really excellent reads.

Love Does, by Bob Goff. Not the first time I’ve read this. Goff’s voice is fantastic, so relatable and personable, that each chapter is a pleasure to read. And the lessons on how to love people can’t be beat.

The Lie You Don’t Know You Believe, by Jenni Allen. This really resonated with me. Again, very relatable. And this makes talking about some hard truths just a tiny bit easier. I believe we all have lies that we’ve believed about ourselves.

Dirty Work, by Devon Monk. I thoroughly enjoyed this final book in the Broken Magic series. It was good to see Allie and Zayvion (and their daughter) again, and I loved how the book was resolved with all of these familiar characters.