Tag: what I’ve been reading lately

The Best Books I Read in October (2026)

In October, I read 17 books, bringing my total for the year to 142 books read. I am woefully behind, It’s been a busy year. Most of those were solid reads, a couple were meh, and a few were really great.

This Shattered Tempest, by Thea Guanzon. I really enjoyed this trilogy! (After I got past the Star Wars fan fiction feel–or that bit calmed down some,). I liked the different cultures and I loved both main characters. At times I really wondered how they were going to survive.

Hecate Cavendish and the Angel of Death, by Paula Brackston. This was another final installment in a trilogy–and I’m very sad to see this story end. Excellently written historical fiction, a bit of murder mystery–and a vengeful ghost. Yes, please.

The Queen of Roses, by Julia Kelly. Another historical fiction read, albeit one about a time and place I had no idea was interesting. Even though I initially disliked the MC, I was soon drawn in by Julia Kelly’s excellent writing and storytelling abilities. Definitely give this a read.

What I Read in October (2026)

Books Read in October: 17
Books Read for the Year:  142/225

Topical Books/Monthly Goal Books:
Walking in the Dust of Rabbi Jesus, by Lois Tverberg (spiritual): This was a fascinating read!
A Seer and Present Danger, by Devon Monk (TBR): This was a solid mystery read! I do love the setting.

For Review:

Murder on the Sacred River, by Tasha Alexander. This felt quite slow, but it wasn’t a bad read.

In the Woods They Wait, by Carrie Lee South. This was pretty creepy–and not what I was expecting.

To Vex & To Hex, by Neena Noon. I’d say give this one a pass. The MCs are both whiny, immature, and terrible people.

The Worst Is Yet to Come, by Trish Lundy. This was a decent YA/thriller. Apart from the question of why the MC thought it was a good idea to venture into a deserted housing development in the middle of the night….

Where There’s Smoke, by Rachel Louise Adams. Apart from the creepy cover, there a fair amount of creepiness in the read itself. A solid thriller/murder mystery.

Strange Lights, by Mira González. This was a decidedly quirky read. Chupacabras, aliens, and werewolves…oh my!

Fallen Beauty, by Astrid Scholte. I found this to be very meh. The characters were okay. The premise didn’t really work for me.

This Shattered Tempest, by Thea Guanzon. Loved this series finale! Tons of actions, twists, and so many choices to be made.

The Paris Files, by Eva Jurczyk. This was NOT what I was expecting!

Sunderworld, Vol. 2: The Unfortunate Responsibilities of Leopold Berry. This was a definitely a fun, campy read.

Hecate Cavendish and the Angel of Death, by Paula Brackston. I’m sad to see this series end so soon! I do love Brackston’s writing, and these characters are wonderful.

The Queen of Roses, by Julia Kelly. Loved this read! Engrossing dual-timeline historical read.

The Sign of the Raven, by Pippa Dunn. I’d say pass on this. Great premise, but I didn’t care for the reality.

Just Because:
All In, by Jennifer Lynn Barnes (audio). Still enjoying this series!
Bad Blood, by Jennifer Lynn Barnes (audio). This was a good series wrap-up (I thought) …but there’s a new one out today!

Left Unfinished:

Galinda, by Gregory Maguire. I just need to remember that Maguire’s books/writing style just aren’t for me. I’m very much not a fan of the disjointed, rambling style he seems to like. This is the second book of his I’ve DNFed in a row.
The Lost Spectacular, by Zoe Duhaime. I didn’t like either MC, and the world of the story seemed very…nonsensical.
The Pools, by E. Lockhart. It would have been helpful to know upfront this was a novel written in verse, then I never would have picked it up.
Hallowed Bones, by Lucy Smoke. Eh…this just wasn’t a good fit for me. I’m not buying the whole why choose/four rich boys/whatever scenario.
An Auction of Souls, by Amber Chen. I just didn’t care about the characters, so I didn’t want to waste my time reading more.

The Best Books I Read in September (2026)

In September, I read 17 books, bringing my total for the year to 125 books read. I’m so far behind schedule, according to Goodreads! 100 books behind!

Most of those were solidly okay read,s with a few more”meh,” but a handful were truly good reads!

The Gods Will Sing Our Song, by Autumn Krause. I do love WWII historical fiction, but this dealt with an aspect I haven’t seen much of, which was terrible. It also mixed in some fascinating mythology, and I really enjoyed it.

Immortal Rose, by Alexandra Bracken. This was an excellent read! Apart from the city being a poorly-named facsimile of London….The magic was cool, I loved the characters, and I was engrossed from the beginning.

Sisters of the Midnight Sun, by Fiona Valpy. This was such a a good read! Both timelines/MCs were very well-done and I couldn’t wait to find out how things turned out for them.

What I Read in September (2026)

Books Read in September: 17
Books Read for the Year: 125/225

Topical Books/Monthly Goal Books:
The Naturals and Killer Instinct, by Jennifer Lynn Barnes (audio). I enjoyed both of these audio books!

For Review:

Hawk & Sparrow, by Ayana Gray. I really enjoyed the steampunk setting of this novel (except for the treatment of women), and the two main characters were a lot of fun to read.

Gods Will Sing Our Song, by Autumn Krause, This was an aspect of World War II-era historical fiction I hadn’t read before, and that part was horrifying, but the story was riveting.

The Best I Never Had, by Amy Buchanan. This was a fun read!

Our Strange Duet, by Erin A. Craig. Having never read or seen The Phantom of the Opera, this story was a fascinating, glittering read.

Immortal Rose, by Alexandra Bracken. I reallt enjoyed this a lot!

Night Songs, by Alli Dyer. This was…a bit odd, but also pretty fascinating.

Fire Power, by Mir Benitz. This was a step above “meh” for me. Interesting premise, but the execution was uneven.

Sunderworld, Vol. I: The Extraordinary Disappointments of Leopold Berry, by Ransom Riggs. This verged on cheesy, but it was an enjoyable romp. Think…The Labyrinth.

The Oxford Guide to Scandal and Lies, by Kate Westbury. I liked this quite a bit. Just fast my favorite time period to read–World War II–but I thought the characters were very well-done, and the mystery was intriguing.

Fall into Place, by Kristyn J. Miller. i found this to be pretty predictable, but it wasn’t terrible.

A Lovely and Deadly Dance, by Claire Andrews. I have to say this was a step above “meh,” but nothing to write home about. I found it a bit confusing and it seemed to jump around a lot.

SistBook Review: Sisters of the Midnight Sun, by Fiona Valpyers of the Midnight Sun, by Fiona Valpy. This was a FANTASTIC read. I was engrossed from the beginning, and I loved both timelines and MCs equally.

Daughters of the Wreckage, by Stefanie Koens. This was another good historical fiction read, although what happened in the past was pretty horrific. I did enjoy both timelines, but I think I like the present-day one a bit more.

The Henchperson’s Guide to Unionizing, by Marshall J. Moore. This was a cute, if campy read. It was fun!

Just Because:
The Midnight Feast, by Lucy Foley. I read this on a recommendation and it was..twisty, with a lot of different layers of story and mystery.

Left Unfinished:
Heavensent & Hellbent, by Sara Jafara. This felt very juvenile.
Bound by Fury, by Noelle Monet. The beginning of this was too drawn out and the mystery felt like it was over-exaggerated just to draw attention, not because it needed to be.
Reign, by Bethan Croone. Honestly, I didn’t like the vibes from this. The women have no rights, the best friend is about to be married but thinks nothing of canoodling with the brother–and seems to have no compunctions about ratting out the MC. Just, no thanks.
I Haunt It That Way, by Isabelle Popp. Yeah, I did NOT like the MC here. She was very selfish and unlikable.
A Study in Sparkling, by Jody McAlister. I don’t know why I even tried this. I didn’t like the characters in the previous linked standalone. I DNFed this on page two because of its liberal details.

The Best Books I Read in August (2026)

In August, I only read 12 books, bringing my total for the year to 108 books read. I also DNFed eight books. Of the 12 books I read, three of them were really good.

Uncomplicate It, by Hosanna Wong. I really love the conversational, we’re-all-in-this-together tone of this read. I’ve heard this author speak a couple of times, and her writing style is just as easy to relate to as her speaking style is.This is an excellent read!

Seeing Beautiful Again, by Lysa TerKeurst. This was a wonderful devotional!

A Trade of Blood, by Robert Jackson Bennett. Again, probably the oddest world I’ve ever read, but these books are fantastic reads!

What I Read in August (2026)

Books Read in August: 12
Books Read for the Year:  108/225

Topical Books/Monthly Goal Books:
Alchemised, by SenLinYu (audio): This was a looong audio book. I still haven’t made up my mind about the book itself.
Maybe It’s Fate, by Heidi McLaughlin (TBR): This was a decent read. A little sad.
The Twelve, by Justin Cronin (TBR): i need to stop reading this author. his style just doesn’t work for me.
The Faith to Flourish, by Christine Cane (faith): Interesting read
Uncomplicate It, by Hosanna Wong (faith): This was a fantastic read! I’ve heard this author speak, and I love how her books are just as conversational.

For Review:

Fishbone Cinderella, by Elizabeth Lim. This was beautifully written, but…pretty sad.

The Mortal Enemy Murder Club, by Gloria Chao. This was a fun, enjoyable read.

Violet Thistlewaite Is Not a Villain Anymore, by Emily Krempholtz. This was a cute cozy fantasy read! (I only realized recently that was even a thing.) I enjoyed it and would happily read more in this world.

A Trade of Blood, by Robert Jackson Bennett. This is the oddest setting I’ve ever read in my life, but the two main characters are fascinating.

The Women in White, by Sarah Pekkanen. This was not a period in history I’m particularly interested in, but I was engrossed in this story from the very beginning.

The Lion & the Deathless Dark, by Carissa Broadbent. Despite not having read any of the other books in this series, this was surprisingly easy to get into. An interesting story—and I’m interested to read more.

Just Because:
Seeing Beautiful Again, by Lysa TerKeurst. This was a great devotional!

Left Unfinished:

Pride Comes Before a Fall, by Virginia Heath. This MC just did not catch my interest at all. I usually like this author’s books, but this wasn’t working for me.
Spellcast, by Sophie Jordan. I thought the first book in this series was decent, but I’ve DNFed the other two, so I’m going to stop trying. I found this boring and didn’t really care about the MC.
The Tomorrow Tree, by Carolyn Brown. Yeah…I just couldn’t care about these people.
A Single Captive Spark, by Emberly Ash. This felt like it jumped around way too much.
Too Perfect to Die, by Juliana Goodman. The MC felt very flat, and all of the characters were one-dimensional.
I’ll Stop the World, by Lauren Thomas, Mindy Kaling: These characters got on my NERVES.
The Iron Hex, by Victoria S. Walsh. This felt very juvenile and surface-level, more like an outline than anything with depth.
Queen of Shadow, by P.C. Cast. I used to love this author’s work, but now…this felt like a juvenile telenovela.

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!

What I Read in July (2026)

Books Read in July: 12
Books Read for the Year: 96/225

Topical Books/Monthly Goal Books:
Where the Lost Wander, by Amy Harmon (audio): I enjoyed this so much!
The Gilded Blade, by Jennifer Lynn Barnes (TBR): I ended up finishing this on audio, and I really enjoyed it!
Where the Sea Lavender Grows, by Kitty Johnson (TBR): I really liked this dual-timeline historical fiction.
Unoffendable, by Brant Hansen (spiritual): Great read!
Good Boundaries and Goodbyes, by Lysa TerKeurst (spiritual): This is a hard book.
I Want to Trust You, But I Don’t, by Lysa TerKeurst (spiritual): Very…helpful.
The Girl in the Lake, by Lauren Oliver (TBR): Kinda meh, honestly. Especially the MC.
A Bitter Cut, by Anna Lee Huber (TBR): Love this series.

For Review:

The Moonsingers, by Robyn J. Pritzker. This was a nice read. I loved the historical fiction/fantasy combo (a “cozy” Fairy tale), it’s definitely a genre I’d like to read more of.

Destination Funeral, by Paige Harbison. I was on the fence at first, but I ended up enjoying this a lot.

The Story Keeper, by Kelly Rimmer. I loved the story-within-a-story trope, although one was not so much a story…

Hell to Pay, by Lora Beth Johnson. I almost DNFed this. I enjoyed the heist aspect, but I kinda felt like there was too much going on with the culture/mythology.

Left Unfinished:
The Inn at the Foot of Mount Vengeance, by Chiara Bullen. I made it to 10% and nothing happened, except the MC complaining and being judgey. No, thank you.
The Broken Edge of the World, by Alena Bruzas. This was erratic and didn’t even make sense, jumping around from one cool thing the author thought of to another, without any of it going together.
To Drown a Witch, by Lindsey Olsson. I just wasn’t interested in reading the MC. Didn’t catch my attention at all.
Dominion, by Jean Kwok. Too much going on here made this a jumbled mess. And WHY spell it “tyger”? This got on my very last nerve.


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!