Breathe to Read: 2026

Friday, April 3, 2026

Book: The Cartographers

Author: Pen Shephard

Pages: 400

This is my 101sr read for the year

What Amazon Says:

Neil Young's whole life and greatest passion is cartography. Her father, Dr. Daniel Young, is a legend in the field, and Nell's personal hero. But she hasn't seen or spoken to him ever since he cruelly fired her and destroyed her reputation after an argument over an old, cheap gas station highway map. But when Dr. Young is found dead in his office at the NY Public Library, with the very same seemingly worthless map hidden in his desk, Nell can't resist investigating. To her surprise, she soon discovers that the map is incredibly valuable, and also exceedingly rare. In fact, she may now have the only copy left in existence - because a mysterious collector has been hunting down and destroying every last one - along with anyone who gets in the way. But why? To answer that question, Nell embarks on a dangerous journey to reveal a dark family secret, and discover the true power that lies in maps.

Stars: 3.5

Book: The Husbands

Author: Holly Gramazio

Pages: 352

This is my 100th read for the year

What Amazon Says:

When Lauren returns home to her flat in London late one night, she is greeted at the door by her husband, Michael. There's only one problem - she's not married. She's never seen this man before in her life. But according to her friends, her much-improved decor, and the photos on her phone, they've been together for years. As Lauren tries to puzzle out how she could be married to someone she can't remember meeting, Michale goes to the attic to change a lightbulb and abruptly disappears. In his place, a new man emerges, and a new, slightly altered life re-forms around her. Realizing that her attic is creating an infinite supply of husbands, Lauren confronts the questions: If swapping lives is as easy as changing a lightbulb, how do you know you've taken the right path? When do you stop trying to do better and start actually living?

That was an interesting enough book. I picked it up at a used bookstore - drawn in by the blurb on the back. It starts out strong - as she tries to figure it out. And holds it together when she meets another person like her. But then it got a bit tedious, and I did not like the ending at all.

Stars: 3

Thursday, April 2, 2026

Book: Obitchuary

Author: Spencer Henry

Pages: 224

This is my 99th read for the year

What Amazon Says:

It's safe to say everyone thinks about death - whether they want to or not. But have you ever wondered about what sort of keepsakes you can make with your remains, or given any thought to the most scandalous deathbed confessions throughout history? Well Madison Reyes and Spencer Henry have, and they've spent countless hours scouring the darkest corners of the internet, digging through newspaper archives, devouring documents, and picking the brains of death industry experts to bring you Obitchuary, a darkly funny and deeply poignant exploration of all things death. The authors guide us through surprisingly colorful history, traditions, and contemporary practices. They also demystify taboo topics with incredible and hilarious details, including FUNerals, as they call them, cremations and themed funerals, famous body snatchers, and so much more. This book carefully explores what death says about our humanity and the ways we choose to remember those we've lost.

This was a pretty good book. I picked it up at a used bookstore because the cover and title were hilarious. I learned quite a bit about death rituals in the book as well as got to read some pretty humorous stories about several people and the obituaries written about them. It is a very quick read. Next I think I will check out their podcast.

Stars: 4

Book: The Perfect Marriage

Author: Jeneva Rose

Pages: 352

This is my 98th read for the year

What Amazon Says:

Sarah Morgan is one of the best ciminal defense attorneys in Washington, DC. With a perfect case record and having made named partner before the age of 35, her life is going exactly as she planned. However, the same cannot be said for her husband, Adam, a failed author, who's grown to resent his wife's meteoric success as he feels it's come at the expense of their relationship. For almost 2 years, Adam has kept his affair with Kelly Summers a secret, but everything changes when her boyd is discovered at the couple's lake house and Adam is arrested on suspicion of murder. Sarah now finds herself facing her most challenging case yet when se vows to defend her husband - a man accused of murdering his mistress. While Adam is certainly guilty of sleeping with Kelly, the question remains: is he guilty of killing her too?

Terrible. Hated all the characters from the begininng.

Stars: 2

Wednesday, April 1, 2026

Book: Eerie Basin

Author: Ivy Pochoda

Pages: 72

This is my 97th read for the year

What Amazon Says:

Erin tends bar at the last dive left in gentrified Red Hook, Brooklyn, where old-timers spin tales of the bar's legacy and the waterfront's crime-ridden past. Her boss, Jimmy, a real estate magnate responsible for much of the neighborhood's shiny transformation, also has a story to share. Back when he was a struggling beat cop, 2 neglected boys introduced him to an ancietn creature that made Jimmy's dreams come true. Nightmares too. Erin doesn't believe a word. The bar is her life. But this bar at the end of the world is also home to a deadly stowaway. And it's looking for a new host.

This was a pretty good short story. I am still working through all the Amazon Free Reads I have collected over the years, and in the evenings, I can take an hour and burn through some of these short books. This one had good character development, a good mystery, and a good ending. I enjoyed it.

Stars: 4

Tuesday, March 31, 2026

Book: Lovers at the museum

Book: Lovers At the Museum

Author: Isabel Allende

Pages: 25

This is my 96th read for the year

What Amazon Says:

Love, be it wild or tender, often defies logic. In fact, at times, the only rationale behind the instant connection of two souls is plain magic. Bibina Aranda, runaway bride, wakes up in the Guggenheim Museum in Bibao still wearing her wedding dress, draped in the loving arms of a naked man whose name she doesn't know. She and the man with no clothes, Indar Zubieta, attempt to explain to the authorities how they got there. It's a story of love at first sight and experience beyond compare, one that involves a dreamlike journey through the museum. But the lover's transcendent night bears no resemblance to the crude one Detective Larramendi attemps to reconstruct. And no amount of fantastical descriptions can convince the irritated inspector of the truth.

Stars: 3

Monday, March 30, 2026

Book: Tesla's Attic

Author: Neal Shusterman

Pages: 272

This is my 95th read for the year

What Amazon Says:

After their home burns down, 14 year old Nick, his younger brother, and their father move into a ramshackle Victorian house they've inherited. When Nick opens the door to his attic room, he's hit in the head by a toaster. That's just the beginning of his weird experiences with the old junk stored up there. After getting rid of the odd antiques in a garage sale, Nick befriends some local kids - Mitch, Caitlin, and Vincent - and they discovered that all of the objects have extraordinary properties. What's more, Nick figures out that the attic is a strange magnetic vortex, which attracts all sorts of trouble. It's as if the attic itself has an intelligence - and a purpose. Ultimately Nick learns that the genius Nikola Tesla places the items-his last inventions - in the attic as part of a larger plan that he mathematically predicted. Nick and his new friends must retrieve everything that was sold at the garage sale and keep it safe. But the task is fraught with peril-in addition to the dnagers inherent in Tesla's mysteriou and powerful creations, a secret society of physicists, the Accelerati, is detemined to stop Nick and alter desitny to achieve its own devious ends. It's a lot for a guy to handle, especially when he'd much rather fly under the radar as the new kid in town.

This was a pretty good book. It is definitley a middle grade book, but I have a lot of Shusterman books on my shelf, so I figured I would try these. It is the first book of a trilogy. It is well written with a nice mystery that keeps you guessing through the whole book. I liked all of the characters, and the story kept a good pace. I am looking forward to reading the next one.

Stars: 4

Book: The Easy Life in Kamusari

Author: Shion Miura

Pages: 205

This is my 94th read for the year

What Amazon Says:

Yuki Hirano is just out of high school when his parents enroll him, against his will, in a forestry training program in the remote mountain village o Kamusari. No phone, no internet, no shopping. Just a small, inviting community where the most common expression is "take it easy". At first, Yuki is exhausted, fumbles with the tools, asks silly questions, and feels like an outcast. Kamusari is the last place a city boy from Yokohama wants to spend a year of his life. But as resistant as he might be, the scent of the cedars and the staggering beauty of the region have a pull. Yuki learns to fell trees and plant saplings. He begins to embrace local festivals, he's mesmerized by legends of the mountain, ad he might be falling in love. In learning to respect the forest on Mt. Kamusari for its majestic qualities and its inexplicable secrets, Yuki starts to appreciate Kamusari's harmony with nature and its ancient traditions.

This was an okay book. Kind of boring. It is very short, and I listened to it, so maybe that was the problem. It is slow paced, and just about everyday life - not a lot of excitement. It isn't well translated.

Stars: 3

Book: The Price of Honey

Author: Liane Moriarty

Pages: 34

This is my 93rd read for the year

What Amazon Says:

When a tech billionaire's widow and ex-wives gather for his funeral, they witness a final reversal of fortune. In the car on the way to her husband's funeral, Honey Beckett still can hardly believe that Barney is actually dead. Granted, he was more than twice her age. But he was Barney Beckett, visionary tech genius, full of surprsies - by turns romantic, inspirational, and controlling. Always in control. At the service, she impulsively goes to sit with the 3 ex-wives: practical Rita, fiery Svetlana, ambitious Meredith. Each broke up with the other's marriage in turn - and now, one final betrayal awaits.

This book was just meh. It is a short story, and a recent Amazon free reads. I really like Moriarty's books, but this one was a miss. It started out okay, but she never made it go anywhere and the ending just fell apart.

Stars: 2

Sunday, March 29, 2026

Book: The Blanks

Author: Grady Hendrix

Pages: 35

This is my 92nd read for the year

What Amazon Says:

Residents have an unspoken pact with the island's unnatural inhbitants: ignore them, live happily. But in this thrilling short story, one boy can't look away - and pays the price. Jeckle Island offers Rachel's children the chance to spend summers roaming wild and free, as long as they follow the rules. But when her son comes face to face with a terror they dare not speak of, she must prepare for their perfect world to change. Forever.

I have not read any Grady Hendrix books, but this was an Amazon Free Read I had on my shelf. Very short story, but Grady does a great job packing a whole story into 35 pages. Terror at its finest. Had a great laid out story, and I had no idea where it was going. Creepy and heartbreaking, I am glad I read this one.

Stars: 4.5

Friday, March 27, 2026

Book: A Night To Remember

Author: Walter Lord

Pages: 209

This is my 91st read for the year

What Amazon Says:

At first, no one but the lookout recognized the sound. Passengers described it as the impact of a heavy wave, a scraping noise, o the tearing of a long calico strip. In fact, it was the sound of the world's most famous ocean liner striking an iceberg, and it served as the death knell for 1500 souls. In the next 2 hours and 40 minutes, the maiden voyage of the Titanic became one of history's worst maritime accidents. As the ship's deck slipped closer to the icy waterline, women pleaded with their husbands to join them on lifeboats. Men changed into their evening clothes to meet death with dignity. And in steerage, hundreds fought bitterly against certain death. At 2:15am, the ship's band played "Autumn". Five minutes later, the Titanic was gone. Based on interviews with 63 survivors, Lord's moment-by-moment account is among the finest books written about one of the 20th century's bleakest nights.

This was a great book. I love a good non-fiction, and this one was very well written. It is older - written in the 50s, bt the detail in this book was on another level. I have read many stories about the titanic over the years, but this was really well told. It is a short book, but it captures alot in those pages. Check this one out.

Stars: 5

Thursday, March 26, 2026

Book: The Humans

Author: Matt Haig

Pages: 320

This is my 90th read for the year

What Amazon Says:

When an extra-terrestrial visitor arrives on Earth, his first impressions of the human species are less than positive. Taking the form of Professor Andrew Martin, a prominent mathematician at Cambridge University, the visitor is eager to complete the gruesome task assigned him and hurry home to his own utopian planet, where everyone is omniscient and immort. He is disgusted by the way humans look, what they eat, their capacity for murder and war, and is equally baffed by the concepts of love and family. But as time goes on, he starts to realize there may be more to tis strange species than he had thought. Disguised as Martin, he drinks wine, reads poetry, develops an ear for rock music, and atast for peanut butter. Slowly, unexpectedly, he forges bonds with Martin's family. He begins to see hope and beauty in the humans' imperfection, and begins to question the very mission that brought him there.

This was a decent book. It started out strong, and I was interested to see where it was going. By the middle it did start to sag a bit - and got a bit monotonous. Wrapped up well, but I didn't like it as well as The Midnight Library.

Stars: 3.5

Book: Roxy

Author: Neal Shusterman

Pages: 384

This is my 89th read for the year

What Amazon Says:

The freeway is coming. It will cut the neighborhood in two. Construction has already started, pushing toward this corridor of condemned houses and creacked concrete with the momentum of the inevitable. Yet there you are, in the 5th house on the lieft, fighting for your life. Remey, I. The victim of the bet between 2 manufactured gods: the seductive and lethal Roxy (Oxycontine), who is at the top of her game, and the smart, high-achieving Addison (Adderall), who is tired of being the helpful one, and longs for a more dangerous, less wholesome image. The wager - a contest to see who can bring their mark to "The Party" first - is a race to the bottom of a rave that has raged since the beginning of time. And you are only human, dazzled by the lights and music. Drawn by what the drugs offer - tempted to take that step past helpful to harmful - and the troubled places that lie beyond. But there are 2 I. Rameys - Issac, a soccer player thrown into Roxy's orbit by a bad fall and a bad doctor and Ivy, his older sister, whose increasing frustration with her untreated ADHD leads her to renew her acquaintance with Addy. Which one are you?

This was a great book. I am a big fan of Shusterman - most of his books are hits for me. This once was clever, and kept me on my toes trying to figure out what drug he was speaking of - giving them human names and lives. It is well written, and had me turning the pages to find out where the story was going. Ending is tragic, but a solid read. Glad I got to this one.

Stars: 4.5

Wednesday, March 25, 2026

Book: A Far Flung Life

Author: ML Stedman

Pages: 448

This is my 88th read for the year

What Amazon Says:

When we do something that can't be undone or mended, how do we go on living? How do we find out North Star when there is no right answer? This is a sweeping and epic story of a family, a tragedy, and the aftermath that reverberates for decades. Remote Western Australia, 1958: here for generations, the MacBrides have lives on a vast sheep station, Meredith Downs. It is a million acres, an ocean and arid land. On an ordinary day, on a lonely road, under the unending blue sky, patriarch Phil MacBride swerves to avoid a kangaroo. In seconds the lives of the entire MacBride family are shattered. And then, tragedy revisits when a twist of consequences claims the life of one sibling, and leads another to give up evertying for the sake of an innocent child. Matt, the youngest MacBride, is plunged into a moral and emotional journey for which there is no map, no guide. The secrets at the heart of this gutting and beautiful story force him to choose between love and duy, sacrifice and happiness. Can a fleeting momen unravel a whole life, mar it indelibly and irrevocably? Can compassion, resilience and forgiveness allow us to come to terms with our human imperfections?

This book was fine. It wasn't really for me. I should have looked at the warnings before I picked it up, because I probably would have skipped it. It starts out strong - the accident, the baby, another unexpected death. Then it just got....blah. It was slow and depressing. Not as good as The Light Between Oceans.

Stars: 3

Tuesday, March 24, 2026

Book: Horse

Author: Geraldine Brookes

Pages: 464

This is my 87th read for the year

What Amazon Says:

Kentucky, 1850. An enslaved groom named Jarret and a bay foal forge a bond of understanding that will carry the horse to record-setting victories across the South. When the nation erupts in a civil war, an itinerant young artist who has made his name on paintings of the racehorse takes up arms for the Union. On a perilous night, he reunites with the stallion and his groom, very far from the glamor of any racetrack. New York City, 1954. Martha Jackson, a gallery owner celebrated for taking risks on edgy contemporary painters, becomes obsessed with a 19th century equestrian oil painting of mysterious provenance. Washington DC, 2019. Jess, a Smithsonian scientist from Australia, and Theo, aNigerian-American art historina, find themselves unexpectedly connected through their shared interest in the horse - one studying the stallion's bones for clues to his power and endurance, the other uncovering the lost history of the unsung Black horsemen who were critical to his racing success. Based on the remarkable true story of the record-breaking thoroughbred Lexington, Horse is a novel of art and science, love and obsession, and our unfinished reckoning with racism.

Stars: 3.5

Monday, March 23, 2026

Book: Everyone In This Bank Is A Thief

Book: Everyone In This Bank is a Thief

Author: Benjamin Stevenson

Pages: 368

This is my 86th read for the year

What Amazon Says:

I've spent the last few years solving murders. But a bank heist is a new one, even for me. I've never been a hostage before. The doors are chained shut. No one in or out. Which means that when someone in the bank is mudered, everyone is a suspect. The bank roober, the manager, the security guard, the kid, the film producer, the priest, the receptionist, the patient, the caergiver, me. Turns out, more than one person planned to rob the bank today. You can steal more from a bank than just money.

This is my 4th Benjamin Stevenson book, and it was just as enjoyable as the others. I like his books, his main character - Ernie - and the snarky commentary that always appears in his writing. He is a good writer, and I like his mysteries. Good character development. This book lost a half a star for me only because I didn't love the direction he took Erine for a bit in this book, but he redeemed it with the ending.

Stars: 4.5

Saturday, March 21, 2026

Book: Murder at the Church Picnic

Author: Denise Jaden

Pages: 359

This is my 85th read for the year

What Amazon Says:

Mallory Beck never imagined she'd be Honeysuckle Grove's next amateur slueth. After all, she was more at home with a muffin tin than a magnifying glass. But when a casserole delivery to a grieving family leads to her unexpctedly solving her first murder, Mallory realizes life in her quiet little town isn't as peaceful as it seems. What was supposed to be a simple contribution to the church picnic potluck quickly spirals into a deadly mystery, involving a sarcastic teenager, a charming cop with green eyes, and a cat with an uncanny knack for sniffing out trouble. Can Mallory uncover the truth before the picnic turns into a full-blown crime scene? It's a race against time in this cozy culinary caper!

This was a great little book. I found it because for a reading challenge I needed a book with a picnic basket on the front - which was harder to find than I realized. But I stumbled upon this book and it was a gem! It is well written, and a good mystery, and some good characters. This is a second book in a series - and while it was fine to read it without reading the first, it might have helped a little bit with background on the characters. But only a little. Author did a good job not adding too much to this book to make it impossible to follow if you don't read in order.

Stars: 4

Friday, March 20, 2026

Book Piranesi

Book: Piranesi

Author: Susanna Clarke

Pages: 272

This is my 84th read for the year

What Amazon Says:

Piranesi's house is no ordinary building: its rooms are infinite, its corridors endless, its walls lined with thousands upon thousands of statues. Within the labyrinth of halls an ocean is imprisoned; and waves thunder up staircases, while rooms are flooded in an instant. But Piranesi is not afraid; he understands the tides as he understands the pattern of the labyrinth itself. He lives to explore the house. There is one other person in the house - a man called The Other, who visits Piranesi twice a week and asks for help with research into A Great and Secret Knowlege. But as Piranesi explores, evidence emerges of another person, and a terrible truth begins to unravel, revealing a world beyond the one Piranesi has always known.

This was an interesting book. I read Susanna's tome "Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell (and watched the show which helped clear some things up), so I was interested to read another one of her books. Thankfully this one was a lot shorter. It is an interesting tale, and even with its short length, it took some concentration to follow the story to the end. This is not a skimmable book. The world Piranesi has built is an interesting one but also one that was hard to understand his love for at the same time. I kind of knew where it was going after while, but it became clearer near the end.

Stars: 4

Book: Rain Before Rainbows

Author: Smriti Prasadam-Halls

Pages: 32

This is my 83rd read for the year

What Amazon Says:

In this heartfelt story about courage, change, and moving on, a girl and her companion fox travel together away from a sorrowful past, through challenging and stormy times, toward color and light and life. Along the way they find friends to guide and support them, and when the new day dawns, it is full of promise. With gorgeous, richly realized illustrations and immense hope at its heart, Rain Before Rainbows holds out a ray of sunshine for anyone looking for light.

Cute book I read for a reading challenge.

Stars:4

Thursday, March 19, 2026

Book: Winterdance - The Fine Madness of Running The Iditarod

Book: Witerdance - The Fine Madness of Running The Iditarod

Author: Gary Paulsen

Pages: 272

This is my 82nd read for the year

What Amazon Says:

Fueled by a passion for running dogs, Gary Paulsen entered the Iditarod - the 1180 mile sld-dog race through the Alaskan wilderness - in dangerous ignorance and with a fierce determination. For 17 days, he and his team of dogs endured blinding wind, snowstors, frostbite, dog fights, moose attacks, sleeplessness, hallucinations - and the relentless push to go on.

This was a good book. I have always been interested in the Iditarod, and it was neat to read about it from a first hand view of someone who did this race as a rookie. How he trained, how he found the dogs he wanted to use, and the rules of the race and care of the dogs. It is amazing what these dogs can do - especially the lead dog. I think about my two lazy doodles and cannot even imagine them being able to drag us around the yard let along 1180 miles. Pretty cool

Stars: 4

Wednesday, March 18, 2026

Book: The Mystery Knight

Author: George RR Martin

Pages: 160

This is my 81st read for the year

What Amazon Says:

Westeros is eerily peaceful. King Aerys I sits on the Iron Throne. A ravaging plague has abated. Yet beneath te surface, tensions linger 16 years after a failed rebellion. In these restless times, noble hedge knight Ser Duncan the Tall - Dunk, to his friends - and his precocious boy squire, Egg, travel the Seven Kingdoms performing chivarlrous deeds, though Egg's bloodline must be concealed at all costs. After heading north for Winterfell, Dunk and Egg are lured off the kingsroad by a wedding feast - and an unusuall lucrative tournament. The champion jouster will claim a rare trophy indeed: a dragon's egg. Dunk, always better in a melee, would be satisfied with a hot meal, a cup of wine, and a purse full of coins. But a treasonous plot is more likely to hatch before another dragon ever stretches its wings. Someone's on to Egg. And a mystery knight with designs on an even bigger prize soon throws the entire affair into chaos.

This was a good graphic novel. I will read anything in the Game of Thrones world, and since this year there was the HBO show "A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms" which was about the two main characters in these novels, it may be get back into them. It is a well written story, and I do like graphic novels. Especially when it comes to fantasy worlds - gives good insight into the mind of George RR Martin. This is the 2nd book in this series.

Stars: 4

Tuesday, March 17, 2026

Book: Direction of the Wind

Book: The Direction of the Wind

Author: Mansi Shah

Pages: 318

This is my 80th read for the year

What Amazon Says:

Sophie Shah was six when she learned her mother, Nita, had died. For 22 years, she shouldered the burden of that loss. But when her father passes away, Sophie discovers a chache of hidden letters revealing a shattering truth: her mother didn't die. She left. Nita Shah had everything most women dreamed of in her hometown of Ahmedabad, India - a loving husband, a doting daughter, financial security - but in her heart, she felt like she was living a lie. Fueled by her creative ambitions, Nita moved to Paris, the artists capital of the world - even though it meant leaving her family behind. But once in Paris, Nita's decision and its consequences would haunt her in ways she never expected. Now that Sophie knows the truth, she's determined to find the mother who abandoned her. Sophie jets off to Paris, even though the impulsive trip may risk her impedning arranged marriage. In the City of Light, she chases lead after lead that help her piece together a startling portrait of her mother. Though Sophie goes to Paris to find Nia, she may just also discover parts of herself she enver knew.

Stars: 2

Book: Dungeon Crawler Carl Book 3

Author: Matt Dinniman

Pages: 544

This is my 77th read for the year

What Amazon Says:

Earth has been transformed into the set of the galazy's most watched game show: Dungeon Crawler World, a nightmarish, multilevel, video game-like dungeon filled with traps, monsters, and mind-bending puzzles. Carl and Donut have survived so far, but this fourth level is unlike anything they could imagine. The Iron Tangle: an impossibly complicated subway system tied together into a knot of trains of all kinds, from classic steam engines to sleek modern cars. Up is down. Down is up. Close is far. The cars are filled with monsters, th railway stations aren't always what they seem, and the exit is perpetually just a few stops away. The top 10 list is populated and Carl and Donut have made it. But that popularity comes with a price. They each now have a bounty on their head. They must work with other crawlers to solve the puzzle of the floor, but how can they do that when they don't know who to trust? The secret to unraveling it all may be hdden in the pages of a seemingly useless book.

Another great installment in the Dungeon Crawler books. I read this at the beginning of March and forgot to blog it! I listen to these books, and if you are thinking of getting into them and you love audiobooks, I highly highly recommend this is the way you consume these. The narrators they use make this book. These books have great characters, great story line, great writing, and great humor among the terror. I am so glad my husband started to read these and suggested them to me.

Stars: 5

Monday, March 16, 2026

Book: Black River Orchard

Author: Chuck Wendig

Pages: 640

This is my 79th read for the year

What Amazon Says:

It's autumn in the town of Harrow, but something besides the season is changing there. Becasue in that town there is an orchard, and in that orchard, seven most unusal trees. And from those trees grows a new sort of apple: strange, beautiful, with skin so red it's nearly black. Take a bite of one of these apples, and you will desire only to devour another. And another. You will become stronger. More vital. More yourself, you will believe. But then your appetite for the apples and their peculiar gifts will keep growing - and become darker. This is what happens when the townsfolk discover the secret of the orchard. Soon it seems that everyone is consumed by an obsession with the magic of the apples - and what's the harm, if it is making them all happier, more confident, more powerful? Even if something else is buried in the orchard besides the seeds of these extraorinary trees: a bloody history whose roots reach back to the very origins of the town. But now the leaves are falling. The days grow darker. It's harvest time, and the town will soon reap what it has sown.

This was an excellent book. I really like Chuck Wendig's books. He is a talented writer. His books are toms, but I could not put this down. I had some good solid reading time this week, so I was able to get through this one quickly. The story is wild. Even though you know this is going to be an off the rails sci-fi story, it starts innocently enough. I wasn't really sure where it would take off to, but it was a crazy story. There are a lot of interesting characters, a bit of apple history, a bit of history of Bucks County PA (which is where the author lives, and the home of my son's college Lehigh). It has a good wrap up ending and a nice epilogue (which are always my favorite). So good.

Stars: 5

Sunday, March 15, 2026

Book: Electric State

Author: Simon Stalehag

Pages: 144

This is my 78th read for the year

What Amazon Says:

In late 1997, a runaway teenager and her small yellow toy robot travel west through a strange American landscape where the ruins of gigantic battle drones litter the countryside, along with the discarded trash of a high-tech consumerist society addicted to a virtual-reality system. As they approach the edge of the continent, the world outside the car window seems o unravel at an ever faster pace, as if somehwere beyond the horizon, the hollow core of civilization has finally caved in.

Stars: 4

Book: Bookshops and Bonedust

Author: Travis Baldree

Pages: 352

This is my 76th read for the year

What Amazon Says:

Viv's career with the notorious mercenary company Rackam's Ravens isn't going as planned. Wounded during the hunt for a powerful necromancer, she's packed off against her will to recuperate in the sleepy beach town of Murk - so far from the action that she worries she'll never be able to return to it. What's a thwarted soldier of fortune to do? Spending her hours at a belaguered bookshop in the compnay of its foul-mouthed proprietor is the last thing Viv would have predicted, but it may be both exactly what she needs and the seed of changes she couldn't possibly imagine. Stll, adventure isn't all that far awa. A suspicious traveler in gray, a gnome with a chip on her shoulder, a summer fling, and an improbable number of skeletons prove Murk to be more eventful than Viv could have ever expected.

This was a great second book in this series. It is actually a prequel to his first book, and it gives us a little more insite into Viv's past. IT is well written with good character development. You cheer for everyone in Viv's circle. There is a cozy adventure and a sweet character that is made all of bones that you can't help adore. Looking forward to reading the next one.

Stars: 4.5

Book: The Chilbury Ladies' Choir

Author: Jennifer Ryan

Pages: 384

This is my 75th read of the year

What Amazon Says:

As England becomes enmeshed in the early days of WWII and the men are away fighting, the women of Chilbury village forge an uncommon bond. Tey defy the Vicar's stuffy edict to close the choir and instead "carry on singing", resurrecting themselves as the Chilbury Ladies' Choir. We come to know the home-front struggles of 5 unforgettable choir members: a timid widow devastated when her only son goes to fight; the older daughter of a local scion drawn to a mysterious artist; her younger sister pining over an impossible crush; a Jewish refugee from Czechoslovakia hiding a family secret; and a conniving midwife plotting to outrun her seedy past.

This was a pretty good book. I listened to this one because that is how it was available at my library, and that ended up being the best way. There is a large cast of characters - all with different narrators - that made this an enjoyable story. It has a great cast of characters, quite the scandal, and a town pulling together while a war is going on. All circling around a ladies' choir that wants to give the town some joy. The ending wraps up nicely. This was a book recommended to me by a family friend and I am glad I decided to listen to it.

Stars: 4

Saturday, March 14, 2026

Book: The Nature of Fragile Things

Book The Nature of Fragile Things

Author: Susan Meissner

Pages: 509

This is my 74th read for the year

What Amazon Says:

April 18, 1906: A massive earthquake rocks San Francisco just before daybreak, igniting a devouring inferno Lives are lost, lives are shattered, but some rise from the ashes forever changed. Sophie Whalen is a young Irish immigrant so desperate to get out of a NY tenement that seh answers a mail-order bride ad and agrees to marry a man she knows nothing about. San Francisco widower MArtin Hocking proves to be as aloof as he is mesmerizingly beautiful. While Sophie quickly develops deep affection for Kat, Martin's silent 5 year ld daughter, his odd behavior leaves her with the uneasy feeling that something about her newfound situation isn't right. Then one earl-spring evening, a strager at the door sets in motion a transforming chain of events. Sophie discovers hidden tiesto 2 other women. The first, pretty and pregnant, is standing on her doorstep. The second is hundreds of miles away in the American Southwest, grieving the loss of everything she once loved. The fates of these three women intertwine on the eve of the devastating earthquake, thrusting them onto a perilous journey that will test their resiliency and resolve and, ultimately, their belif that love can overcome fear.

This was a great book. I am a big fan of Susan Messiner - "Fall of Marigolds" one of my favorite books of all time. She is a solid writer, and she keeps you wanting to turn pages to see where the story is going. The first half of the book was better than the second, but it finishes solidly. I liked most of the characters (the ones you are supposed to like) and was pulling for the 3 women in this book to make it to the end. It wasn't as good as her past reads, for me, so I dropped it a star, but overall I am glad I read it.

Stars: 4

Friday, March 13, 2026

Book: Jessica Jones Alias

Author: Brian Bendis

Pages: 195

This is my 73rd read for the year

What Amazon Says:

Meet Jessica Jones. Once upon a time, she was a costumed super hero - but not a very good one. Her powers were unremarkable compared to the amazing abilities of the costumed icons that populate the Marvel Universe. In a city of Marvels, she never found her niche. The self-destructive would-be Avenger is now the owner and sole employee of Alias Invertigations - a small, private-investigative firm specializing in superhuman cases. When she uncovers the potentially explosive secret of one hero's true identity, Jessica's life immediately becomes expendable But her wit, charm and intelligence just may help her survive another day. Thrust into the midst of a conspiracy that reaches the highest levels, has JEssica burned too many bridges to turn to old friends for help?

Stars: 4

Wednesday, March 11, 2026

Book: Everything You Are

Author: Kerry Anne King

Pages: 337

This is my 72nd read for the year

What Amazon Says:

One tragic twist of fate destroyed Braden Healey's hands, his musical career, and his family. Now, unable to play, adrift in an alcoholic daze, and with only fragmented memories of his past, Braden wants desperately toescape the darkness of the last eleven years. When his ex-wife and son are killed in a car accident, Braden returns home, hoping to forget a relationship with his troubled 17 year old daughter, Allie. But how can he hope to rescue her from the curse that seems to shadow his family? Ophelia "Phee" MacPhee, granddaughter of the eccentric old man who sold Braden his cello, believes the curse is real. She swore an oath to her dying grandfather that she would ensure Braden plays the cello as long as he lives. But he can't play, and as the shadows deepend and Phee finds herself falling for Braden, she'll do anything to save him. It will take a miracle of forgiveness and love to bring all 3 of them back to the healing power of music.

Stars: 2

Tuesday, March 10, 2026

Book: The First Witch of Boston

Author: Andrea Catalano

Pages: 326

This is my 71st read for the year

What Amazon Says:

Massachusetts Bay Colony, 1646. Thomas and Margaret Jones arrive from England to build a life in the New World. Though of differing temperaments, cautious Thomas and fiery Margaret, a healer, are bound by a love that has lasted decades. With a child on the way, their new beginning promises only blessings. But in this austere Puritan community, comely faces hide malicious intent. Wrong moves or words are met with suspicion, and Margaret's bold and unguarded nature draws scorn. Soon, Margaret is mistrusted as more cunning woman than kind caregiver. And when personal tragedies, religious hysteria, and wariness of the unknown turn most against her, even the devotion Margaret and her husband share at a risk. Inspired by actual diary entries and court records, this book is at once the riveting story of a woman unjustly accused and a love story set amid the political and social turmoil of both Old and New England. Harrowing, and with a deep understanding of the human heart, history is brillantly imagined.

This book was okay. It is based on true events, which is a plus for me. I just didn't find it overly well written. There is a lot of repetition that could be cut out, and over explaining. This was a free read for me through Prime - trying hard to get through all those books. Was hoping for more here, but not sad I read it considering I live in the Boston area and the book had some truth.

Stars: 3

Book: Voyage of the Damned

Author: Frances White

Pages: 464

This is my 70th read for the year

What Amazon Says:

For a thousand years, Concordia has maintained peace between its provinces. To mark this incredible feat, the emperor's ship embarks upon a 12 day voyage to the sacred Goddess's Mountain. Aboard are the 12 heirs of the provinces of Concordia, each graced with a unique and secret magical ability known as a Blessing. All except one: Ganymedes Piscero - class clown, slacker, and all-around disappointment. When a beloved heir is murdered, everyone is a suspect. Stuck at sea and surrounded by a powerful people and without a Blessing to protect him, Ganymedes's odds of survival are slim. But as the bodies pile higher, Ganymedes must become the hero he was not born to be. Can he unmask the killer and their secret Blessing before this bloody crusade reaches the shores of Concordia?

This was a pretty good book. I will say upfront that it is not normally my type of read - I have been trying to veer away from YA. But this one started out pretty great. I liked the main character, Ganymedes - who goes by Dee - immediately. His wit and snarkiness spoke to me. I could not figure out where the mystery was going, but loved the world building from the start. It did lose me a bit getting closer to the end - starting to become a bit more YA than it started (I know I know), but redeemed itself in the end. Did have a bit of a twist as well. Glad I read it.

Stars: 4

Monday, March 9, 2026

Book: Basket Full of Heads

Author: Joe Hill

Pages: 187

This is my 69th read for the year

What Amazon Says:

Twisted tale of June Branch - trapped with 4 cunning ciminals who have snatched her boyfriend for deranged reasons of their own. How she must fight for her life with the help of an impossible 8th century Viking axe that can pass through a man's neck in a single swipe-and leave the severed head still conscious and capable of supernatural speech. Each disembodied head has a malevolent story of its own to tell, and it isn't long before June finds herself in a desperate struggle to hack through their lies and manipulations - racing to save the man she loves before time runs out. But is Jun Branch a woman fighting for her life-or a deranged axe murderer with a basketful of paranoid fantasies? The truth is even more horrifying than a basketful of heads.

This was an interesting graphic novel. I read anything by Joe Hill, just like I do his dad, and he does not disappoint in the horror genre. It is a wild story with quite the woman hero. It is a pretty quick read overall, but a lot of great art on each page that will slow you down some. Well written.

Stars: 4

Sunday, March 8, 2026

Book: Edge of Madness

Author: Kyla Stone

Pages: 314

This is my 68th read for the year

What Amazon says:

On the 5th anniversary of his wife Hannah's disappearance, small-town cop Noah Sheridan takes his son Milo to a local ski resort to remember - and to try to heal. Then the impossible happens. Everything electronic dies. The power grid fails. Cars stall. Phones go dark. In an instant, their quiet holiday becomes a desperate fight to stay alive. When a white out blizzard slams Southwest Michigan, the town is cut off from the rest of civilization, and the rule of law swiftly collapses along with the power grid. The frigid cold sets in. Food supplies dwindles. Strangers turn threatening and neighbors choose sides. Noah must make impossible choices, forge uneasy alliances, and face enemies unlike any he's ever known. At the end of the world, he'll have to risk everything to save his son and protect the home he loves.

This was another good book in this series. The first was about the Hannah character in this book, and this one was about her family. It back tracks back to the beginning of the EMP and the world being thrown into chaos, but told from the view of her husband and little boy. It is well written and has a very intense story line. Hard to read parts of it. Makes me want to run out and start to hoard food for sure. This is a 7 book series, and so I plan on continuing.

Stars: 4

Saturday, March 7, 2026

Book: Victim 2117: A Department Q Novel

Author: Graeme Malcom

Pages: 480

This is my 67th read for the year

What Amazon Says:

The newspaper refers to the body only as Victim 2117 - the 2117 refugee to die in the Mediterranean Sea. But to 3 people, the unnamed victim is so much more, and the death sets off a chain of events that throws Department Q, Copenhagen's cold cases division lead by Detective Carl Morch, into a deeply dangerous - and deeply personal - case. A case that not only reveals dark secrets about the past, but has deadly implications for the future. For troubled Danish teen Alexander, whose identity is hidden behind his computer screen, the death of Victim 2117 becomes a symbol of everything he resents and the perfect excuse to unleash his murderous impulses in real life. For Ghaalib, one of the most brutal tormentors from Abu Ghraib - Saddam Hussein's infamous prison - the death of Victim 2117 is the 1st step in a terrorist plot years in the making. And for Department Q's Assad, Victim 2117 is a link to his buried past - and the family he assumed was long dead. With the help of the Department Q squad - Carl, Rose, and Gordon - ASsad must finally confront painful memories from his years in the Middle East in order to find and capture Ghaalib. But with the clock ticking down to Alexander's first kill and Ghaalib's devastating attack, the thinly spread Department Q will need to stay one step head of their most lethal adversary yet if they are to prevent the loss of thousands of innocent lives.

Stars: 3

Book: Necessary Lies

Author: Diane Chamberlain

Pages: 354

This is my 66th read for the year

What Amazon Says:

After losing her parents, 15 year old Ivy Hart is left to care for her grandmother, older sister and nephew as tenants on asmall tobacco farm. As she struggles with her grandmother's aging, her sister's mental illness and her own epilepsy, she realizes they might need more than she can give. When Jane Forrester takes a position as Grace County's newest social worker, she doesn't realize just how much her help is needed. She quickly becomes emotionally invested in her clients' lives, causing tension with her boss and her new husband. But as Jane is drawn in by the Hart women, she begins to discover secrets of the small farm - secrets much darker than she would have guessed. Soon, she must decide whether to take drastic action to help them, or risk losing the battle against everything she believes is wrong. Set in rural Grace County, NC in a time of state-mandated sterilizations and racial tension, this book tells the story of these 2 young women, seemingly worlds apart, but both haunted by tragedy. Jane and Ivy are thrown together and must ask themselves: how can you know what you beleive is right, when everyone is telling you it's wrong?

This was a pretty good book. I do like Chamberlain's books - I think she is a great writer. She took a complicated subject and let readers visit it from two sides. It is a quick read - keeps you wanting to see where it is going for both sides of this story. Jane was infurating at points, but I see where the author was trying to go with that character. I did not know much about the sterilizations that were happening in the 40s, so it was a learning curve for me as well. It has a really nice wrap up ending which I appreciated.

Stars: 4