Three cheers! Huzzah! Ring the bells! I've completed a challenge! Last year, I decided it would be fun to challenge myself to read one book published during each decade of the 20th century... and although I had to give myself a couple of extra months to do it, I finally finished! Here's a look at the books I read: 1900 - 1909…

Title: The LarkAuthor: E. NesbitPublisher: Dean Street PressPublication date: 1922Length: 269 pagesGenre: FictionSource: PurchasedRating: ★★★★★ “Everything that's happening to us—yes, everything—is to be regarded as a lark. See? This is my last word. This. Is. Going. To. Be. A. Lark.” It’s 1919, and Jane Quested and her cousin Lucilla are pulled suddenly from school by their guardian, who sets them up in a cottage on the fringes of London and informs them (by letter, since he’s already fled) that he’s gambled away their inheritance but is leaving them the house and £500 to carry on with.

Title: The Boy Who Cried BearSeries: Haven's Rock, #2Author: Kelley ArmstrongPublisher: Minotaur BooksPublication date: February 20, 2024Length: 339 pagesGenre: Thriller/mysterySource: LibraryRating: ★★★★★ In The Boy Who Cried Bear, New York Times bestselling author Kelley Armstrong keeps readers on the edge of their seats while detective Casey Duncan tries to locate the threat before it’s too late.

It's time for another Classics Club Spin! Hosted by The Classics Club blog, the Classics Club Spin is a reading adventure where participants come up with a list of classics they'd like to read, number them 1 to 20, and then read the book that corresponds to the "spin" number that comes up. This will be the Classics Club's spin #43, and my 15th time participating!

Top Ten Tuesday is a meme hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl, featuring a different top 10 theme each week. This week's topic is Book Covers Featuring Cool/Pretty/Unique/etc. Typography, with the prompt Typography is the art of arranging letters so they look visually appealing and more interesting than, for example, the body text of this blog post you’re reading now.

My Monday tradition, including a look back and a look ahead -- what I read last week, what new books came my way, and what books are keeping me busy right now. Plus a smattering of other stuff too. Life. I've had a busy yet mostly uneventful week! Work, work, work... but at least my household bounced back from our various sniffles of the week before.

Title: The NamesAuthor: Florence KnappPublisher: Pamela Dorman BooksPublication date: May 6, 2025Length: 328 pagesGenre: Contemporary fictionSource: PurchasedRating: ★★★★★ The extraordinary novel that asks: Can a name change the course of a life? In the wake of a catastrophic storm, Cora sets off with her nine-year-old daughter, Maia, to register the birth of her son.

Title: Anne of a Different IslandAuthor: Virginia KantraNarrators: Kathleen McInerney and Will CollyerPublisher: BerkleyPublication date: January 20, 2026Print length: 368 pagesAudio length: 10 hours 54 minutesGenre: Contemporary romanceSource: Library (audiobook); ARC via NetGalley (ebook)Rating: ★★★★ A woman learns to be the heroine of her own life in this heartfelt novel inspired by…

Title: Code Name HélèneAuthor: Ariel LawhonPublisher: DoubledayPublication date: March 31, 2020Length: 451 pagesGenre: Historical fictionSource: LibraryRating: ★★★★★ BASED ON THE THRILLING REAL-LIFE STORY OF SOCIALITE SPY NANCY WAKE, comes the newest feat of historical fiction from the New York Times bestselling author of I Was Anastasia, featuring the astonishing woman who killed a Nazi with her bare hands and went on to become one of the most decorated women in WWII.

I must have somehow missed the announcement... but I stumbled across this book on a retail site this week, and jumped for joy! The October Daye series is one of my favorites, and it's always a thrill to see that the next book has a cover and a release date. Book #20, A Divided Duty, will be released September 29th:

Top Ten Tuesday is a meme hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl, featuring a different top 10 theme each week. This week's topic is Bookish Discoveries I Made in 2025, with the prompt New-to-you authors you discovered, new genres you learned you like, new bookish resources you found, friends you made, local bookshops you found, a book club you joined, etc.

My Monday tradition, including a look back and a look ahead -- what I read last week, what new books came my way, and what books are keeping me busy right now. Plus a smattering of other stuff too. Life. Sadly, winter sniffles caught up with my household this past week -- just enough to keep us housebound and force us to cancel some plans, but fortunately, not bad enough to cause any real problems!

Title: A Jane Austen Year: Celebrating 250 Years of Jane AustenAuthors: Jane Austen's House curatorsPublisher: PitkinPublication date: March 11, 2025Length: 208 pagesGenre: Non-fictionSource: PurchasedRating: ★★★★★ This beautifully illustrated book charts the life of one of the world’s most beloved authors through the letters, objects, and manuscripts that shaped her life. Published in partnership with the curators of Jane Austen’s House, the enchanting Hampshire cottage where Jane Austen’s genius flourished that now attracts thousands of visitors every year.

Title: The Man Who Died TwiceSeries: The Thursday Murder Club, #2Author: Richard OsmanPublisher: Pamela Dorman BooksPublication date: September 16, 2021Length: 355 pagesGenre: MysterySource: LibraryRating: ★★★★ It's the following Thursday. Elizabeth has received a letter from an old colleague, a man with whom she has a long history. He's made a big mistake, and he needs her help.

Title: Murder at Haven's RockSeries: Haven's Rock, #1Author: Kelley ArmstrongPublisher: Minotaur BooksPublication date: February 21, 2023Length: 340 pagesGenre: Thriller/mysterySource: PurchasedRating: ★★★★★ New York Times bestselling author Kelley Armstrong’s Rockton Novels had one of the most unique towns in crime fiction. Murder at Haven's Rock is a spinoff, a fresh start... with a few new dangers that threaten everything before it even begins.

I participated in Birthstone Books Covers for the first time in August, and now I'm hooked! Leslie at Books Are the New Black hosts this fun monthly meme -- and since I love anything related to spotlighting amazing book covers, I just had to jump in. The rules are simple: Mention the creator (Leslie @ Books Are The New Black…

Title: 107 DaysAuthor: Kamala HarrisNarrators: Kamala HarrisPublisher: Simon & SchusterPublication date: September 23, 2025Print length: 304 pagesAudio length: 9 hours 58 minutesGenre: Non-fiction / political memoirSource: Library Rating: ★★★★ For the first time, and with surprising and revealing insights, former Vice President Kamala Harris tells the story of one of the wildest and most consequential presidential campaigns in American history.

Top Ten Tuesday is a meme hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl, featuring a different top 10 theme each week. This week's topic is Goals for 2026 (Bookish or not! Share your reading goals, personal goals, etc.). Since I already shared my bookish goals at the start of January, I'm going rogue! Today's TTT post is essentially part two of…

My Monday tradition, including a look back and a look ahead -- what I read last week, what new books came my way, and what books are keeping me busy right now. Plus a smattering of other stuff too. Life. Another busy week at work... but at least that was balanced by a really nice weekend, which included two opportunities to dance, a couple of nice long walks, and time to read!

Title: DetourSeries: Detour, #1Authors: Jeff Rake & Rob HartPublisher: Random House WorldsPublication date: February 4, 2025Length: 320 pagesGenre: Science fictionSource: Review copy courtesy of the publisher via NetGalleyRating: ★★★★★ A space shuttle flight crew discovers that the Earth they’ve returned to is not the home they left behind in the first book of this emotional, mind-bending thriller series from the creator of the hit Netflix show 

Title: The Ivy TreeAuthor: Mary StewartPublisher: Hodder & StoughtonPublication date: 1961Length: 391 pagesGenre: Suspense/thrillerSource: PurchasedRating: ★★★★★ Mary Grey had come from Canada to the land of her forebears: Northumberland. As she savored the ordered, spare beauty of England’s northern fells, the silence was shattered by the shout of a single name: “Annabel!” And there stood one of the angriest, most threatening young men Mary had ever seen.

Top Ten Tuesday is a meme hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl, featuring a different top 10 theme each week. This week's topic is Most Anticipated Books Releasing in the First Half of 2026. I have a huge list of upcoming new releases that I'm planning to read. Between ARCs and preorders for books by favorite authors, I'm in no danger of running out of reading options!

My Monday tradition, including a look back and a look ahead -- what I read last week, what new books came my way, and what books are keeping me busy right now. Plus a smattering of other stuff too. Life. Back to work this past week... and it was a full-steam-ahead sort of experience. Everyone was back, my inbox was inundated, and it was all just sort of non-stop.

Title: All Better NowAuthor: Neal ShustermanPublisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young ReadersPublication date: February 4, 2025Length: 528 pagesGenre: Young adult dystopian/Science fictionSource: LibraryRating: ★★★★★ From New York Times bestselling author Neal Shusterman comes a “thought-provoking and grimly enjoyable” (Kirkus Reviews) “epic biological thriller” (Publishers Weekly, starred review) about a world where happiness is contagious but the risks of catching it may be just as dangerous as the cure.

Spell the Month in Books is a monthly meme hosted by Jana at Reviews from the Stacks. To participate, find a book title that starts with each letter in the month’s name, make a list, share your link, and that’s it! You can share anytime by the end of the month. Some months have additional themes, but feel free to participate however you'd like!