Get Lost in Literature

I discovered this reading challenge by Gregory Road in December of 2024, ten years too late to be a long-term participant. I was disappointed to learn 2025 was to be the final year of the challenge but made the decision to join in the fun while it lasted. The challenge was designed to be a reading challenge for people who struggle with reading challenges, offering a wide variety of topics for participants to choose from.  I challenged myself to the Baker's Dozen: 13 books - Choose one category from any of the thirteen topics provided except for the wildcard books,  thinking it would give me the best shot at actually completing the challenge. Thirteen would be one more book than my GoodReads Challenge so it seemed like an okay goal. Imagine how stunned I was that I hit book 13 by July, surpassing my GoodReads Challenge, and I hadn't had to go out of my way to track down suitable books. These are the categories and books I chose: 1. Basic Genres - Biography .  American Ph...

Book Beginnings on Fridays by Rose City Reader -  Share the opening sentence (or so) of the book you are reading this week. You can also share from a book that caught your fancy, even if you are not reading it right now. "A few years back I was running out of money so I volunteered for a research study at the University of Pennsylvania." Hidden Pictures by Jason Rekulak I can't say the first line wowed me, but it did stoke my curiosity... What kind of research study? This book didn't wait long to reveal a complex character and creepy vibes. Book Blogger Hop Q:    How many books did you read in 2025? (submitted by Billy @ Coffee Addicted Writer) A:    I read 20 books in 2025. Which doesn't sound like a lot when some book bloggers are reading several hundred a year, but for me and the small amount of time I have to read, it is a lot. Plus, I only challenged myself to 12, so I'm proud of the number.

Today’s Top Ten Tuesday topic is Books On My Winter 2025-2026 to-Read List. Six of these books I already own, one of them isn’t being published until after the new year, and let’s be honest… there’s no way I’ll get to all of these this winter, some of these will rollover into a Spring-to-read list. But I’ll have fun seeing how far I get. 1. Justify: 111 Days to Triple Crown Glory by Lenny Shulman 2. Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros 3. The Brides of Maracoor by Gregory Maguire 4. Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo 5. The Night Ship by Jess Kidd 6. The Alchemised by SenLinYu 7. Sparking Fire Out of Fate by Brigid Kemmerer 8. Two Twisted Crowns by Rachel Gillig 9. All Systems Red by Martha Wells 10. Caliban’s War by James S.A. Corey

Today's Top Ten Tuesday is Top Ten Books Set in Snowy Places . I quite like the theme, perfect for the time of year, and it gets me away from listing the same favorites again and again, which makes me look like I've never read anything else. 1. Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey . A childless couple's lives are changed when a young girl arrives in a blizzard. 2. Black Woods Blue Sky by Eowyn Ivey . A single mother takes her child to go live in the woods with a mysterious recluse. 3. Call of the Wild by Jack London . The life of a dog fighting for survival in the Klondike. 4. The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden . A fairytale that takes place in rural Russia, a young girl who can see spirits is oppressed by her new stepmother. 5. White Fang by Jack London . Similar to Call of the Wild  this is the story of a wolf-dog living a kill-or-be-killed adventure. 6. A Killing Cold by Kate Alice Marshall . Newly engaged Theo Scott is going to meet her fiance's family for the f...

Happy Sunday! I hope you all had a warm and wonderful Thanksgiving (assuming you celebrated it). The Sunday Post is a news meme hosted by TheCaffeinatedReviewer . I will be posting on the first Sunday of each month and I hope you'll join me. I thought the weather in November was relatively mild for the season. The one disappointment was that when it was sunny it was also cold and windy but when it was warm we had rain. But now that its December the temperature is plunging fast. I read three books in November: Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros 1984 by George Orwell (which was a politically loaded review) The Midnight Library by Matt Haig I did manage to find time to resume the book blog memes I participate in, and it's nice to be back connecting with the community. Everyone posts unique answers to the prompts, it's always so fun to read the answers. I haven't read a horror novel all year, so I picked up a copy of Hidden Pictures by Jason Rekulak . So far, it's about a li...

Today's Top Ten Tuesday was listed as Freebie so I decided to go with my favorite fantasy stories. This was much harder than it sounds because GoodReads says I've read 147 of them and I know that's a low count because I was reading way before I used GoodReads to keep track of my books. Here's my Top Ten: 1. Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling. I must have read these books a thousand times (this was before we found out JKR was a loud and proud bigot) and even though the author has lost her popularity with her flapping mouth, I stand by the series. Harry Potter is one of the best 'chosen one' characters that was ever written. 2. The Daevabad trilogy by S.A Chakraborty. This is a fairly new addition to my favorites list, but I loved the story from book one. The setting and characters are vibrant, the plot thick with magic and intrigue. There's a touch of romance but not so much that I would consider it romantasy.  3. Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller. Thi...

"But once you sense that vastness, once something reveals it, hope emerges, whether you want it to or not, and it clings to you as stubbornly as lichen clings to rock." This is the story of Nora Seed, who is unbelievably depressed. After trying to commit suicide, she winds up at the Midnight Library where there are an infinite number of books filled with an infinite number of possibilities. Each book contains a life for Nora based on the decisions she could have made but didn't. The librarian tells her she can take each one for a test drive, and when she finds the life that makes her happy, she can stay there. When this book came out there was almost nothing else in my Good Reads newsfeed. I normally don't pay too much attention to over-hyped books, but this one caught my eye. I'm going to start by saying I liked how realistic Matt Haig was with Nora's depression. As someone who has had it, it does feel a lot like being a failure at everything, it feels lonely...

Book Beginnings on Fridays by Rose City Reader -  Share the opening sentence (or so) of the book you are reading this week. You can also share from a book that caught your fancy, even if you are not reading it right now. "Nineteen years before she decided to die, Nora Seed sat in the warmth of the small library at Hazeldene School in the town of Bedford." The Midnight Library by Matt Haig I hear great things about this book, so I'm hoping it lives up to the hype. I found that the first line pulled me in, the warmth of the library contrasting with the cold decision to die... Based on the beginning, I'm hoping for a happy ending, but based on the beginning I don't know if I'll get it. Book Blogger Hop Q:    What are the top five books on your TBR (to-be-read) list right now? (submitted by Billy @ Coffee Addicted Writer) A:    These are not listed in the order I'll read them, but these are the five on my list I'm most eager to read...

 I'm writing this post as I wait for the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade to start. And while I've seen posts this week denouncing Thanksgiving for political reasons, I firmly believe it isn't a bad thing to have one day a year where we stop and reflect on what we are grateful for... One day where instead of thinking about what we want, we give thanks for what we have. This year I'm so thankful for the following things: my family, my job, my horse, my health, and my home. There are people spending their holiday season without these things, and I can't help but think how very fortunate I've been to have them. The things I want pale in comparison to the things I have. The things I have are beautiful. I hope that each and every one of you has a beautiful day, filled with laughter and love and warmth and gratitude. Happy Thanksgiving!

Today's Top Ten Tuesday was listed as Thankful Freebie and decided to go with books that I was thankful for, for they have influenced both me as a reader and have encouraged my love of reading. Some of these books are repeat offenders, that is they've appeared on numerous lists, but they wouldn't have appeared there if I didn't love them so much. 1. Call of the Wild by Jack London . The first classic I truly enjoyed, I actually acquired my copy at a Scholastic Book Fair in elementary school. And though that time was long ago, I still love revisiting the story. 2. 1984 by George Orwell . This is a recent addition to my book list, having only finished it last week, but I found it to be a beautifully written story about dystopian future. 3. Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling . I can't tell you how many times I read and re-read these books; each time a new one came out, I couldn't wait to get back on the train for Hogwarts. JKR's political views are offensive to me...

"The past was dead, the future was unimaginable. What certainty had he that a single human creature now living was on his side?" Let me start by saying that a portion of my readers are not going to like my review as I plan to compare it to certain current events. Some Democrats (mostly online) have dramatically compared the current Administration to the government that exists inside this book. After reading the book, I think the comparison is a bit extreme, but they're not completely wrong about there being similarities. Winston Smith starts this dystopian classic by writing a diary, an act that is punishable by death. He lives in the totalitarian state of Oceania, where free-thinking is forbidden. As stated above I can't help but draw parallels between our current day world, and the world depicted in 1984 . Everyone in Oceania is under surveillance; their movements and conversations constantly videoed and recorded by telescreens and monitored by the Thought Police. T...

Today's Top Ten Tuesday list is Books I Enjoyed that Were Outside My Comfort Zone (or books you’d like to read that are outside your comfort zone!) .  I don't step outside my comfort zone often so I didn't have ten titles that I've already read to give you. Instead I decided to split my list between books I have enjoyed that were outside my comfort zone, and books I haven't read yet that are going to be outside my comfort zone whenever I get around to them. These are my top 5 books I liked that were outside my comfort zone: 1. Red White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston – Romance isn’t really my thing, and I don’t try to hide it, and I don’t hesitate to call out books when romance is inserted for seemingly no reason at all… So it was odd that I picked up a romance novel (and even watched itits movie) but I did and found it to be kind of cute. 2. Quiet Dell by Jayne Anne Phillips – This is a weird one, I picked from the library because I needed a Q entry for ...

I did not have time to post on Friday so welcome to Friday Book Beginnings and Book Blogger Hop on Saturday. These should have been posted yesterday morning, but I was otherwise occupied. Book Beginnings on Fridays by Rose City Reader -  Share the opening sentence (or so) of the book you are reading this week. You can also share from a book that caught your fancy, even if you are not reading it right now. "Conscription Day is always the deadliest. Maybe that's why the sunrise was especially beautiful this morning - because I know it might be my last." The Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros This book pulled me in from line one... What the hell is Conscription Day? Okay, so I knew this book was about an elite school of dragon riders so I could make a little assumption about the day in question, but I had no idea why it was deadly or who was the character wondering whether or not he or she was seeing their last sunrise. Book Blogger Hop Q: How many "bo...

"...instead we entered battle with an enemy I'd thought were only folklore last week, and now we're... well, we're here..." Violet Sorrengail returns to Basgiath War College after surviving a war game that turned real and cost her friend his life. Her and the other survivors must pretend like everything is normal to protect themselves and the rebellion and she's miserable lying to her friends. Xaden has graduated and is at the warfront, still smuggling weapons in his spare time, while Violet tries to survive her second year of school without him. I actually thought this book was better than the first. Rebecca Yarros just assumes no character intros are needed if you made it to book two, and with introductions out of the way the adventure intensifies. Like the first book, this story included a few plot twists but these ones I didn't see coming. I enjoy it so much more when a story is unpredictable, it's easier to sink into it.  When not worried about sc...

Hi all! I hope you are having a fabulous weekend! The Sunday Post is a weekly news meme hosted by TheCaffeinatedReviewer . I will be posting on the first Sunday of each month and I hope you will join me. The weather in October was completely October weather. It was chill enough to suggest long sleeves and sweatshirts were a necessity, but just warm enough that people unwilling to admit summer was over (by people I mean me) could still wear t-shirts and pretend like they weren't getting cold. My reading successes were unambitious, only having the time to get through two books: Kiss the Girls by James Patterson Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros But I didn't have time to post a review for Iron Flame  so that will be posted tomorrow morning. I will say I loved it so much, I've already purchased book 3 of the Empyrean series, Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros . The Empyrean series is not my first romantasy, but the plot isn't obsessively fixated on the romance... Which is kind of re...

Today’s Top Ten Tuesday  list was Halloween Freebie , and I struggled to pick a bookish theme other than Top Ten Horror Novels which is what I did last year.  So this year, I decided to deviate from bookish lists to go with My Top Ten Halloween Movies , which is completely biased because I’ve probably only seen ten horror movies to begin with. While horror movies are not my forte, when October rolls around (which it has, so much so it's almost over) and I'm in the mood to set the mood, these are my go-to movies. 1. The Exorcist (1973) . Probably not the scariest possession story by today’s standards, but Linda Blair put on a convincing performance. 2. The Omen (1976) . Yeah… I would not have let that nanny within a mile of my child… She was creepy from the moment she introduced herself. 3. The ‘Burbs (1989) . There’s an argument to be made that this is not horror it’s just a comedy. But I was too young the first time I saw it, and it gave me nightmares. Now I quite l...

Today's Top Ten Tuesday topic was listed as Cozy/Atmospheric Reads. I couldn't really think of anything cozy, and only a few popped into my mind as atmospheric. Instead, I will be sharing my Top Ten for the list posted on September 9th, which was  Villains (favorite, best, worst, lovable, creepiest, most evil, etc) and I'm super excited about it. Who doesn't love a good villain? They can make or break a plot. 1. Spitz from Call of the Wild by Jack London . I won't call him evil because he was a product of his environment, but he was definitely villainous. 2. Voldemort from Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling . Without Voldemort there'd be no story. 3. Victor from Vicious by V.E. Schwab . Victor is great because he knows he's a villain...and he likes it. 4. The Crooked Man from The Book of Lost Things by John Connolly . A creepy little man, reminiscent of Rumpelstiltskin, luring the main character to doom. 5. Richard Strickland from The Shape of Water by Gui...

"He knew that I was here in Durham. He knew who I was." Alex Cross's niece, Naomi, has gone missing from North Carolina. She hasn't been heard from in four days. His family makes it his responsibility to find her, and since he helped raise her in childhood, he is more than willing to join the search. But his quest to find his missing niece introduces him to a serial killer that hunts in the area, and the fear that Naomi may be another victim. My first impression of this book was that it has a lot of graphic violence, mostly against women, including rape, beatings, and murder. If you are sensitive to any of these things, this is definitely not the book for you.  The further I read, the more disenchanted I became with the book... I mean, it's James Patterson, right? Extremely popular murder-mystery writer. And Kiss the Girls is one of his most hyped-up novels. So statistics implied I was going to really enjoy this book. But honestly, I like a lot of suspense in my ...

From October 5th to the 11th, settle in with a banned or otherwise challenged book. It's that time of year to read something that someone else doesn't want you to read. It's time to celebrate your freedom to choose your own books and to honor those 1st Amendment Rights. Right now, in this country it isn't legal to truly ban books from public consumption, but it is possible to have them pulled from libraries, schools, and certain bookstores, making them harder to access. However there are people who are actively fighting for that to change, that is for books that they find offensive to be pulled from shelves everywhere.  Which to me is ludicrous. You can't currently and shouldn't ever be allowed to tell other people what they can and cannot do because you won't do it yourself. I, for example, don't eat onions, but I'm not refusing to let other people eat onions nor am I advocating that farmers be forbidden from growing onions. If you're wondering ...

Happy Sunday! I hope you all are enjoying your weekend! The Sunday Post is a weekly news meme hosted by the CaffeinatedReviewer. I will be posting on the first Sunday of each month and I hope you'll join me. The weather in September was perfect. Not too much rain, plenty of sunshine. The days were warm enough to be jacket free but not so hot that sweat dripped down the small of your back and into your... Well, it wasn't hot. We even had a few nights warm enough to sleep with a window open. In September, life went back to normal, and I was finally able to complete The Book of Night by Holly Black . It was a pretty good read, and it's just received a sequel... I probably won't pick up book number two until it's released in paperback (maybe next year?) but I look forward to it. September was a good reading month for me having completed 3 books: The Book of Night by Holly Black The Hallmarked Man by Robert Galbraith Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury But I have been woeful...

"We are living in a time when flowers are trying to live on flowers, instead of growing on good rain and black loam." This story takes place in a futuristic world where books are banned and burned. Guy Montag, whose job it is to burn the books, is about to become an enemy of the state. I'm having a hard time thinking critically about this book. It wasn't a difficult read, it was scary in certain places, and I found it deeply enjoyable (sometimes classic lit can drag on), and relevant to today's societal and political problems. Yet the review doesn't come easy. Guy Montag lives a life of normalcy. He gets up and goes to work everyday, lucky enough to have a job he enjoys. He comes home to his wife, Mildred who spends her days watching tv. Watching television has become a favorite hobby of the people of this dystopian society, their house installed with three wall-tvs, and Mildred begging for a fourth. She's the epitome of this 'perfect' society. She...

  This is the First Amendment in the United States Constitution. I assume most of you already know this, but if you're from a country other than the U.S.A maybe you don't know. What it means is this: With regards to religion, you have the right to practice or not practice whatever the hell you want without the Government cramming a specific theology down your throat. You also have the freedom to say whatever you want and may do so at any time even if a cop is informing you of your right to remain silent. Media like newspapers, tv, magazines and books are allowed to express opinions and distribute information unhindered by the Government whether They like it or not. If you feel a cause coming on, you may join a nonviolent protest in private or in public, and you may hold the Government accountable for wrongdoing because it is supposed to work for the People by the People and not for itself. This Amendment has long been interpreted as "the freedom of expression" because...

"It is the great misfortune of the coward that he sees danger everywhere, and of the snob that he perpetually underestimates those he considers his inferiors." ( Disclaimer : I try not to let the political views of authors dictate what I read. I do not agree with JK Rowlings views, but I still like her ability to tell a story. I absolutely understand why so many won't read her work anymore and don't need a lecture. ) Robin and Strike are back, with new mysteries and scandals. This time they've been hired to prove that the identity of a body found murdered and mutilated in a vault is that of their client's missing boyfriend. In the meantime, both detectives are dealing with increasingly complicated personal lives. Robin has just had a miscarriage and is suffering from PTSD due to her stay at Chapman Farm, and Strike is ready to admit he's in love with Robin even as he's reconciling how he feels about Charlotte's suicide. The mystery takes a darker t...

Book Beginnings on Fridays  by  Rose City Reader  -  Share the opening sentence (or so) of the book you are reading this week. You can also share from a book that caught your fancy, even if you are not reading it right now. "Any child can be chased by their shadow. All they need to do is run straight toward the sun on a lazy afternoon." The Book of Night by Holly Black I can totally see a young child playing with their shadow in the sun on a summer afternoon. But what I didn't know in the first few sentences what was the significance. Holly Black didn't leave me hanging for long. Book Blogger Hop Q: Are there any books that are considered terrible, but you love? (submitted by Snapdragon @ Snapdragon Alcove) A: Two and they're both by the same author... The Twilight Saga and The Host by Stephenie Meyers. That's right... I liked Twilight . The writing wasn't that good, the characters weren't that complex, the plot was about a girl and her u...

"Revenge on everybody . That would fill her time. That would keep her busy." This is not going to be the greatest review of all time, seeing as I had some personal problems that required me to put the book down for a month and I was too preoccupied to take notes. This is the second book I read this year that involves a criminal main character in a dark fantasy novel. It's also my third dark fantasy this year (I think I read them in a straight row) and I'm not sure what called me to them when I was at the bookstore at the start of the summer. The main character, Charlie Hall was deeply likeable even though she claims she isn't. She's a criminal and conflicted about it. She's trying to go straight, but if it were that easy there'd be no story. When a friend asks her for a favor and her past starts to catch up to her, she has nothing but her talents as a thief and con-artist to rely on. I like that the setting takes place in the 'real world'. You ...

 I hope everyone is having a wonderful weekend! The Sunday Post is a weekly news meme hosted by TheCaffienatedReviewer . I'll be posting on the first Sunday of each month and I hope you'll join me. The weather in August was delightful. It was sunny and hot but not too hot. The nights were getting cooler signaling the end of summer, even though I'm not ready for it to end. And as much as I like October weather, I'm hoping September brings a few more hot days before we have to break out the windbreakers. I'm sorry to say this is probably my most boring Sunday Post ever. I've had a lot to be preoccupied by in the month of August and have not had time to post a darn thing. My blog was inactive for a whole month, and the number of books I finished is 0. In July I started The Book of Night by Holly Black and it's wound up paused at the halfway point for the month of August. I did just finish it though, I sped through it in the first week of September. I'm ho...