I was a terrible blogger the second half of this year, but with a new year on the horizon I’m feeling optimistic about 2026!
I read 132 books for a total of 35,642 pages. Four of them rereads. My most read author was Michael Connelly as I devoured the Lincoln Lawyer series from beginning to end. I started my Reading the World challenge and made it only to Israel. I’m in Japan now. I read 20 new to me authors and did a fantastic job of reading from my own shelves. Without further ado…
My Top Ten
1 The Lincoln Lawyer series by Michael Connelly (my list and cheating is allowed). Mystery series 2 Cormac McCarthy’s The Road: A Graphic Novel Adaptation by Manu Larcenet. Graphic novel 3 The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon. Historical fiction 4 The Reader by Bernhardt Schlick. Historical fiction reread 5 Buckeye by Patrick Ryan. Historical fiction 6 Life and Other Inconveniences by Kristan Higgins. Fiction 7 Dear Martin & Dear Justyce by Nic Stone. Companion fiction books for teens 8 The Breath of the Soul: Reflections on Prayer by Joan Chittister. Nonfiction 9 The American Story: Conversations with Master Historians edited by David Rubenstein. Nonfiction 10 Around the World in 60 Seconds by Nusseir Yassin. Nonfiction
My only regret from this reading year is that I wish I’d wish I’d read more nonfiction so that becomes my goal for 2026. What about you?
When I was in my 20s I went through a bit of a classic movie phase and Katharine was a big part of that. I think the first movie I saw her in was Sylvia Scarlett (1935) where she pretended to be a boy. It was a good indication that she did things her own way. She is smart and funny and quick as a whip. I love how she challenged norms and stayed true to herself.
She was born in 1907 Connecticut to a doctor and a suffragette. One of her brothers committed suicide in his teens and it affected her greatly. Even though she had a house in NYC and rented in LA when she filmed there, she consider Connecticut her lifelong home. She was married, but it didn’t work out and the married Spencer Tracy became the love of her life.
She is the only actress to have 4 Oscars.
I recently watched Call Me Kate on Netflix and it’s fantastic if you’re a fan. I also read The Private World of Katharine Hepburn by John Bryson and loved it! You can check it out here.
These are the movies I remember watching.
The A movies
The Philadelphia Story (1940) is one of my all-time faves, also starring Cary Grant and Jimmy Stewart. A perfect romantic comedy.
State of the Union (1948) also starring Spencer Tracy and Van Johnson. It is amazing how little has changed in politics in 75 years!
Desk Set (1957) also starring Spencer Tracy. An office romance.
Bringing Up Baby (1938) also starring Cary Grant. A goofball of a romantic comedy.
The African Queen (1951) also starring Humphrey Bogart. A sailing adventure!
On Golden Pond (1981) also starring Henry Fonda and Jane Fonda. Henry and Katharine both won Oscars for their performances.
The B movies
Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner (1967) also starring Spencer Tracy, Sidney Poitier and Katherine’s niece, Katharine Houghton. Interracial relationships served.
Holiday (1938) also starring Cary Grant. Her sister gets the man, sort of.
The Lion in Winter (1968) also starring Peter O’Toole. Henry II has a choice to make.
The B-/C+ movies
Summertime (1955) Venice is my favorite city so I loved that this showed the romance of the place.
Sylvia Scarlett (1935) also starring Cary Grant. Gender swapping hijinks.
I read 12 books this month, bringing my total to 22 for the year. I’m disappointed that I didn’t get more read for Black History Month, with only four. I’m also not reading as much nonfiction as I wanted to this year with only 2 each month.
My favorite books were the Dear Martin and Dear Justyce by Nic Stone. I reviewed them here and here.
I finished the Dublin Murder Squad series by Tana French with
The Likeness. Book 2. Cassie from In the Woods has started dating a fellow detective and things are going well, but she can’t resist the call to the murder squad when an undercover case seems tailor made for her. There’s a murdered young woman who looks just like Cassie and Mackey convinces her to go and live with the clan-like circle of friends at their house and try to pass herself off as the dead girl. Yeah, it’s a little much, but just go with it. Cassie becomes a little too entrenched and too comfortable.
This wasn’t my favorite, mainly because of how much of a stretch it was, but it was still a fascinating look at a group or friends looking for family.
AND
The Trespasser. Book 6. Stephen Moran and Antoinette Conway are back from the last book and the pressure in on. They are given a murder case and told it is a domestic slam dunk. But both are new and wary. When they dig a little deeper, it’s going to make them even less popular in the squad room. I thought one of the storylines at the very end was a fitting way to finish off the series without too much fanfare. I wish there were more!
My book club reads…
The Husbands by Holly Gramazio. One day Lauren wakes up in her London area home with a husband who appeared out of her attic. When she sends him up again a different husband comes back down. This goes on for a while as she tries on different lives with different men. What makes her send one back and what if they refuse to go?
It’s a fun concept. I wish it had been a little deeper on some levels, but each new husband brought new excitement so I was never bored.
Josh & Hazel’s Guide to Not Dating by Christina Lauren. Josh + Hazel’s Guide to Not Dating is a fun friends to lovers, second chance love story. Hazel’s newish best friend has a party and she finds out that her college crush is her BFs brother.
Hazel has one of those quirky, larger than life personalities and I loved her. I loved how she embraced who she is. As Josh and Hazel become friends and start to double date it’s the sweet, fun romance that I wanted. Don’t worry there was a little spice too!
Call Me Miss Hamilton: One Woman’s Case for Equality and Respect by Carole Boston Weatherford and Jeffery Boston Weatherford. Miss Mary Hamilton was a school teacher and a Freedom Rider in the 1960s, given the nickname Red by Martin Luther King Jr. She was arrested many times but her refusal to not answer to Mary in court went all the way to the Supreme Court. Now, thanks to Miss Hamilton, you must be addressed with the respect of your title in the courtroom.
Fiction
Murder Road by Simone St. James. You’ve just gotten married and are driving to your honeymoon hotel when you see a girl on the side of the road at 3 am and decide to pick her up. What could go wrong? Answer: Quite a lot. This isn’t the only hitchhiker this road has seen and it only gets more sinister when they get to town.
I loved this couple. April had secrets, Eddie did too, and together they were broken people. I wouldn’t even mind reading another book about what they’re up to in the future.
It’s Simone St. James so you know there’s going to be some supernatural stuff happening. Not too much and not too little. Just enough to be spooky.
YA
Slay by Brittney Morris. Discussions about race wrapped up in a gaming story will surely appeal to older teens. Gage is reading this for school and I read it with him.
The Dublin Murder Squad is a detective procedural set in Dublin, Ireland. I’m such a stickler for reading book in a series in the correct order. I read the first of the series and then just read them when they showed up at the library book sale. I loved all of the books individually, but it would have been so much better if I’d read them in order.
Give me a murder and some police squad drama both with that Irish accent and I’m sold. Some of the detectives show up in more than one book, which is why I recommend reading them in order since the timeline matters.
I haven’t read any of Tana’s standalones, but now that I’m done with this series I will be. There are only six of these and they are perfect for some binge reading.
In the Woods. Ryan narrates the book with humor and enough foreshadowing to keep you reading well past bedtime (at least it did for me). He has his problems. At the best of times he’s cool and fun, at the worst he’s a real piece of work who I wanted to pour a beer on. He’s best friends with his partner, Cassie, and their brother-sister relationship was one to be envied, by their fellow detectives and the reader. I loved Cassie. Loved her more than Rob, especially by the end.
The old mystery of what happens to Rob as a child and the new case of who killed little Katy have a few pieces of connecting evidence and Rob is stuck in the middle of his own hell, one he stepped into willingly. The mystery was very good, if not totally surprising. I loved the characters and the history of the village. French did an excellent job of making me feel right at home in Dublin. Now I need to visit!
I really, really liked this one. Yes, by the end I was fairly disgusted with Rob, but I am so looking forward to reading the next of this series. I know that a lot of bloggers were upset by the loose ends but I was okay with it. But that could have been because I was expecting it, who knows?
The Likeness. Cassie from In the Woods has started dating a fellow detective and things are going well, but she can’t resist the call to the murder squad when an undercover case seems tailor made for her. There’s a murdered young woman who looks just like Cassie and Mackey convinces her to go and live with the clan-like circle of friends at their house and try to pass herself off as the dead girl. Yeah, it’s a little much, but just go with it. Cassie becomes a little too entrenched and too comfortable.
This wasn’t my favorite, mainly because of how much of a stretch it was, but it was still a fascinating look at a group or friends looking for family.
Faithful Place. This was the third book in the Dublin Murder Squad series, but I’d only read the first and didn’t feel like I missed anything, even though the main character, Frank, first appeared in #2. The complex characters, historic Dublin setting, and slow build mystery, all made this a page-turner.
Frank, an undercover cop from a neighborhood who viewed him as a turncoat because of it, had never come to grips with the disappearance of his first love. He viewed his family as poison and went on to marry and have a daughter and kept them as far away from the madness as possible. But when his first love’s old suitcase is found, he must head back home and face the music.
So, so good. I loved Frank for all his flaws and getting to understand him in relation to where he grew up, which felt like a character of its own. The resolution was both real and heartbreaking. I love gritty thrillers like this. Highly recommend!
Broken Harbor. This story begins with a young family murdered in their home. Well there was one survivor, but it wasn’t either of the young kids. This was an especially hard one and when I finished it on Mother’s Day it felt especially wrong.
Families can look glossy on the surface, but once you rub a bit of that shine off there’s usually something more interesting going on and in this case it was deadly. Bizarre revelations, old friends, and financial instability make the mystery of this family a tough one. This hasn’t been my favorite of the series, but they’re all so good that it didn’t need to be.
The Secret Place. You don’t need to read these books in order, but I’d recommend it if you can. My favorite of the series so far, Faithful Place, featured Detective Frank Mackey and he and his daughter make another appearance here. Stephen Moran is also back.
This one takes place at a boarding school for girls. A year after a boy from a neighboring school was murdered on school grounds the detectives have a new lead and it comes from inside the school. Oh, to be amongst all of that teen angst and those friendship circles again!
The book spans one day of investigation, but it goes into the past investigation and events in depth. I wasn’t crazy about it at first, boarding school stories are iffy for me, but it grew on me and Frank Mackey appeared at just the right time to reel me in for the somewaht surprising finish.
Tana French is such a talented writer! Both books had a paranormal element that mostly worked, even if I think it could have been avoided altogether in The Secret Place and been fine, or even better.
The Trespasser. Stephen Moran and Antoinette Conway are back from the last book and the pressure in on. They are given a murder case and told it is a domestic slam dunk. But both are new and wary. When they dig a little deeper, it’s going to make them even less popular in the squad room. I thought one of the storylines at the very end was a fitting way to finish off the series without too much fanfare. I wish there were more!
I’ve read 10 books this month. Four were mystery/thrillers, three romances, two non-fiction, and one fiction. Well on my way to my 100 goal for the year. Most amazingly, I’ve actually shared my thoughts about each of them here this month!
My favorite
This will not hit the same for everyone. I’ve read some of the issues people have had with it, BUT it did so much right! The disappearance of the father is what keeps this first person narrative moving along, but there are so many other things happening. Mia, the narrator, gives neurospicy vibes, which I love, but it’s her non-speaking younger brother with Angleman Syndrome that brings accurate representation to all kinds of families. There are studies about happiness and a biracial element too. You will be rooting for a happy ending for this family. my review here
Good Stuff
In my quest to read more current nonfiction this year, I picked this up at the library. It’s written by a woman diagnosed with autism as an adult and she shares some of the current thinking on the front lines of the neurodivergent. The numbers are abysmal. If you are neurodivergent your chance of having a job are so low it makes this mama want to cry. Also, the life expectancy is in the 30s. 30s! Something needs to change. my review here
This is the 4th and final book in a historical romance series set in London. The series revolves around three friends who bond over their love of riding. This last one, may have been my favorite because it was about two people finding comfort in each other. The hero was in a wheelchair and the heroine started going gray as a child so her desirability was low. A sweet romance. my review here
While the last romance was more about feelings, this one was a bit more on the physical attraction, enemies to lovers side. I had issues with some of it, but I really liked that this got messy and still managed a happily ever after. my review here
This was my first book of the year and it was a twisty fun thriller. A woman who lies for a living gets played. my review here
I love Anita Shreve and am working my way through her backlist. Her writing mesmerizes me 🙂 In this one a widow and a divorcee is staying with a family on Cape Cod to tutor the teen daughter. There are also two brothers, a caring father, and hateful mother. my review here
If you need a restart or a jolt to your daily life, this is a nice place to start. Meditation and mindfulness are the themes, but there are also studies and ways to look at the world and the people in it. Buddhism based, but good for anyone who wants to be more connected. my review here
These were okay
I didn’t realize this was the third in a series when I started it, but wish I had so I could have started with the first one. It was fine as a standalone, but probably would have been better if I’d read the first two. my review here
Kleypas is one of my favorite historical romance authors. This was the first book in the Wallflowers series, and as a first book it was fine. I didn’t particularly care that much for the heroine, but her other friends might prove more interesting. my review here
I didn’t care that much for it before the recent plane crash, but now it makes it almost impossible to talk about. A plane crashes into the ocean. You can read my review from a few weeks ago here.
More end of the year recaps. This is the perfect time of year for a quick romance pick me up. I read 6 historical romances. I’d recommend 4 of them.
Lisa Kleypas is one of my go-tos. These two, Then Came You and Dreaming of You, are both fantastic regency romances. The second one was better, but both good.
The Lily of Ludgate Hill by Mimi Matthews is the third book of four in the Belles of London series. I’ve enjoyed all of these books about four friends who met while horseback riding in London.
An English Bride in Scotland by Lynsay Sands was a sweet one about a Scottish laird taking an English bride and there’s some real danger to her life. This is the first if a series and I would like to read more.
End of the year list making is my favorite. It lets me reflect on the year and make some new goals for the future. Here are the 6 books I reread this year because I liked them so much the first time.
Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck shows how a mastery of spare prose can elicit strong emotions. First printed in 1937 and only 107 pages so it’s a quick way to add a classic to your reading.
The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafonis a historical thriller for book lovers. In 1945 Spain a boy is taken to the Cemetery for Lost Books and his life changed forever. “Books are mirrors- you only see in them what you already have inside you.” 487 pages
The Hiding Place by Corrie ten Boom. Nonfiction. Corrie’s family used a secret room to hide Jews when the Nazis invaded Holland. She and her sister were in their 50s, their father in his 80s when they were discovered and sent to a concentration camp. The one thing that sustained her was her faith in God. A master class about forgiveness and loving your enemies. 269 pages.
The House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende was my first introduction to magical realism. Set in Chile this story focused on the women around the monster Estaban . There was a focus in the last section on 1970s Chile when the ‘right’ overthrew the socialists by a coup, only to empower a dictator who ended democracy for the country. Hm. First published in 1982. 433 Pages.
Mariana by Susanna Kearsley is another magical realism book, but this one is has dual storylines. History, romance, danger, and the England setting make this a keeper. 364 pages
Thich Nhat Hanh and I had the same birthday. Maybe that’s why his books connect with me so much. He was a buddhist monk from the age of 16 and involved himself in engaged Buddhism to speak out against social issues. For his efforts to help end the war in Vietnam, where he was born and then exiled, Martin Luther King Jr. nominated him for the Nobel Peace Prize. When he died in 2022 at the age of 91 he had published over 100 titles.
According to my count I’ve read 11 of his books. I’m not buddhist. I grew up Christian and still identify as such, but so much of what Thich (or Thay) talks about is universal and rings true to me. I don’t agree with everything he writes, but I appreciate my continued education and the expansion of my mind as new thoughts and ideas take root.
His books in the order I liked them. If you are new to Thich Nhat Hanh or buddhism there’s no better place to start than at the top.
This is when mindfulness went mainstream in the US and this book was the introduction for many of us. I haven’t read it in years, so I don’t know how much of an impact it might have now that mindfulness is a common recommendation. BUT, if you want to really slow down and look at things in a new way this is the book for you.
This one talked a lot about anger and resentment that resonated with me.
“When you begin to see that your enemy is suffering, that is the beginning of insight. When you see in yourself the wish that the other person stop suffering, that is a sign of real love.”
“Every thought you produce, anything you say, any action you do, it bears your signature.”
“The roots of war are in the way we live our daily lives —the way we develop our industries, build up our society, and consume goods.”
Gage and I used this for homeschooling. Information about mindfulness, a picture book portion for kids to better explain, the ten movements themselves, and then a bio on Thich Nhat Hanh. We did the movements at the beginning of our school day for a month and still do them from time to time. The DVD was fantastic, even having Thich Nhat Hanh himself showing the movements.
This book, No Death, No Fear: Comforting Wisdom for Life, focuses on how to look at death and even how to ease the passing of those you love. This was a part of my morning reading for a few months. Powerful and thoughtful.
“We think of our body as our self or belonging to our self. We think of our body as me or mine. But if you look deeply, you see that your body is also the body of your ancestors, of your parents, of your children, and of their children.”
“If you live without awareness it is the same as being dead.”
This one was the more difficult of his books I’ve read. I learned about the specifics of Buddhism in this one and I’m confused on some points. Hanh studied Christianity and Jesus’s life and he equates much in the two religions. Some of these points I saw to be true and some I thought were a stretch, but I find it rare that people experience Jesus in the same way even as Christians so I can’t fault him in his thoughtful insights.
If you are familiar with Thich Nhat Hanh then I think you will like it. His chapter on the peaceful heart made my own jump around in happiness! If you would like a beginner’s course on Buddhism then I think you will learn something here. I also think Christians will recognize the truth in much of what he says although I might start with one of his other books on mindfulness first.
What is it about Thich Nhat Hanh that speaks to me? So many things. I love his ability to embrace other religions. I love that I can immediately take his words and use them. I love the way he calms my spirit and provides insight. See? He’s my guy.
This particular book was about the four elements of true love in Buddhism. The first is maitri (love-kindness or benevolence). The second is karuna (compassion). The third is mudita (joy) and the fourth is upeksha (equanimity or freedom). It’s a focus on learning on how to love well and I’m already using his wisdom.
I think everyone has different authors or spiritual guides that speak to their heart. I know my love for him won’t be for everyone and that’s okay. He’s written a lot of books, many, like this one, aren’t long so you can give him a try without investing too much time. He may speak to you too.
How can you not like a guy who says that lazy days are important? And there is a tiny section on using snoring as a way to bring you in the here and now and sleep easily. I made sure to read this page to Jason since he has to put up with my snoring.
I am a worrier. I come by it honestly, a family tradition, but it is not conducive to living life fully. By focusing on my breath or even adding a few short meditations, I can come back into the present easily. This is important since worry is all about the unknown future and happiness can be found in the present moment. It takes practice and that’s why I love the format and length of this book. I can easily pick this up and turn to the pages I’ve marked for a peaceful moment.
This is a slight 125 page book on not only how to eat, but how to do so with the meaning. Mindfulness is about being present in all that you do, so by bringing that to your food, you can change your life for the better. This is not a diet book, but he does touch upon that we should only be putting the healthiest of foods in our body and that we should not be eating our worries, fear, or anger. I’ll leave you with a few quotes.
“Enjoy your meal. Stop thinking and be here fully, body and mind.” page 32
“With each meal, we make choices that help or harm the planet.” page 59
“We have negative mental habits that come up over and over again. One of the most significant negative habits we should be aware of is that of constantly allowing our mind to run off into the future. Perhaps we got this from our parents. Carried away by our worries, we’re unable to live fully and happily in the present. Deep down, we believe we can’t really be happy just yet—that we still have a few more boxes to be checked off before we can really enjoy life. We speculate, dream, strategize, and plan for these “conditions of happiness” we want to have in the future; and we continually chase after that future, even while we sleep. We may have fears about the future because we don’t know how it’s going to turn out, and these worries and anxieties keep us from enjoying being here now.”
“When we feel overwhelmed, confused, or unable to think clearly, we don’t perceive things as they are, and our words and actions can create suffering and separation for ourselves and others.”
I’ve been a bit neglectful posting here this summer. It’s time for my $100 renewal for the blog and I had to take a step back and remember why I started this blog in 2008. I wanted to write and journal and maybe make some friends (I did all that). I have to acknowledge how the blog has changed over time, mainly after I had Gage in 2010 and I started posting about motherhood. And now, where do I want it to go, if anywhere? I do like talking about books and movies and making connections. It’s more of an online journal for me, one that I can access anytime I want to share old posts with people who might need to read them.
I started my Top 100 lists last year and haven’t gotten very far. I decided that I wasn’t going to add a book to the list unless I’ve read it more than once, so I’ve reread a handful of books this year to see if they’d make the cut. The criteria, might I want to read them again in the future. That’s it really. If I’m not interested in reading them again they don’t make the list.
A BEST list is different than a FAVORITE list. I’ve had Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck on my Favorite book list since 2009, but what I realized after a reread a few weeks ago is that it’s more of a BEST book. There’s a reason it’s a classic. I loved the spare prose writing style, how much he was able to say with so few words, and the full circle story of George and Lenny. BUT would I want to read it again? I’m not sure. I tend to love rereading favorite romances or fantasy or thrillers more than something so sad, no matter how good it is. I’m guessing my top 100 lists will be full of comfort reads when I’ve finished.
My last 5 star read was Funny Story by Emily Henry. What was yours?
I like a good time travel book. They’re usually exciting and learning about a new time and place in a fun way is a bonus.
My personal favorites… Outlander by Diana Gabaldon – It’s been a long time since I read the first four books of this series back to back to back to back 🙂 Once day I may start from the beginning and read through the whole series. Or maybe I’ll watch the tv show. It’s a toss up.
Kindred by Octavia Butler– This was an interesting look at travelling back to the time of slavery and becoming enslaved. It left me with many conflicting feelings, something I quite enjoy in a story.
The Winter Sea AND Mariana by Susanna Kearsley – two of my very favorite books from one of my favorite authors. Both historical fiction with satisfying romantic storylines.
A few days I read Captive by Brenda Joyce and was disappointed in it. I couldn’t imagine a less strong, modern woman than the heroine. The Tripoli setting and her eunuch slave/best friend kept me reading til the end. But now I’d like a good one.
Stacy's Books 