| Author |
Message |
Heckagirl631
Member
09-08-2010
| Friday, September 19, 2025 - 2:17 pm 
I just finished "Ingathering" by Zenna Henderson. It was kind of uneven. Some of the stories were really good. Mostly the ones toward the end of the book were the really good ones. But they were all pretty good. I enjoyed it.
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Heckagirl631
Member
09-08-2010
| Sunday, September 28, 2025 - 5:10 pm
I recently finished "The Long Walk" by Stephen King. It was originally published under his pseudonym, Richard Bachman. I read it a long time ago, but it was so long ago, I didn't really remember it. It was actually the first novel he wrote,even before Carrie. I watched the trailer for the movie. It's going to be brutal, but it is Stephen King.
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Heckagirl631
Member
09-08-2010
| Monday, September 29, 2025 - 6:49 pm
I finished a book that was basically just comic strips that my 75 year old sister thought was cute in less than two days. The Magical Adventures of Phoebe and her Unicorn. It was cute.
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Heckagirl631
Member
09-08-2010
| Tuesday, October 07, 2025 - 7:44 am
I finished "The Ghost Tree" by Christina Henry. This one would make a good scary movie. It was really good.
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Heckagirl631
Member
09-08-2010
| Friday, October 24, 2025 - 12:32 pm
I recently read "Under the Tulip Tree" by Michelle Shocklee. A charming book set during the Great Depression. A woman hired to write about former slaves lives.
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Rieann
Member
08-26-2006
| Thursday, November 06, 2025 - 3:13 pm
I’m a few chapters in on The Lost Heiress by Elizabeth Klehfoth. I picked it up for free through Kindle’s First Reads program. I think it will be released fully on December 1st.
It takes place in the present and in 1982 when the heiress went missing. Her bones are found beneath the family’s seaside mansion in the present day (along with another human’s bones). We have a detective, in the present, trying to solve the decades old mystery alternating with the events of the year before she went missing. The book focuses on the heiress, the housekeeper, and the young woman recently hired as a companion to the heiress. Forgive my terrible sentences-lol-my head is fuzzy-fighting a cold.
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/230270339-the-lost-heiress
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Teachmichigan
Member
07-21-2001
| Sunday, November 09, 2025 - 6:12 pm
In need of some comfort reads in this crazy world? While I'm not catching up with everything, I popped in to recommend two audiobooks and an author.
Over the space of 4 days (3 of them work days!), I listened to A Witch's Guide to Magical Innkeeping by Sangu Mandanna and Rules for Second Chances by Maggie North. The first is the same author who wrote another of my favorites, The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches. Innkeeping was absolutely charming, heartwarming, and had a host of quirky, funny, and loveable characters. It's been a helluva year, so if you need a heart-warmer, this is your book!
North's book has a bit more angsty as the FMC is neurodivergent so, since she's the main narrator, her anxiousness comes through. However, there are many laughs and the core of the story is fighting for what you love.
Finally, I have come to love Carley Fortune this year. I've read four of her books (in no particular order b/c I didn't realize they were all connected) and thoroughly enjoyed each one. They are HEA romances set in Canada and have just the right amount of angst (i.e. nothing that makes you seriously worried.}
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Heckagirl631
Member
09-08-2010
| Saturday, November 15, 2025 - 3:02 pm
I finished "The Tenants" by M.A. Hunter. It was pretty good. My Libby book came up to be borrowed, a bunch of short stories based on Stephen King's The Stand called "The End of the World As We Know It."
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Kappy
Member
06-28-2002
| Saturday, November 15, 2025 - 3:55 pm
Come December, I always start craving cozy Christmas-themed mysteries. This year, I felt the need to begin early and am currently reading Murder at an Irish Christmas by Carlene O'Connor. After that, I'm going to look into the suggestions given by Teach. While I find I'm not reading as many books this year, I am so grateful to have it as an alternative to turn to when the news becomes too much.
Earlier this year, these are books that I did enjoy: The Good House by Ann Leary, The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon (excellent), The Authenticity Project by Clare Pooley, Here One Moment by Liane Moriarty, Three Days in June by Anne Tyler and The God of the Woods by Liz Moore.
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Heckagirl631
Member
09-08-2010
| Thursday, November 27, 2025 - 6:54 pm
Finished "The End of the World as We Know It" by Various Writers. It was okay. I liked "The Stand" by Stephen King better.
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Heckagirl631
Member
09-08-2010
| Wednesday, December 03, 2025 - 4:25 pm
Finished "Appalachian Song" by Michelle Shocklee. It was very good. Mostly about a fictional adoption, set mostly near Gatlinburg,Tennessee.
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Kappy
Member
06-28-2002
| Thursday, December 04, 2025 - 6:22 pm
I just went to look up Appalachian Song and it sounds like a good one. Thank you for always sharing what you read and whether you liked it or not, Heckagirl!
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Teachmichigan
Member
07-21-2001
| Thursday, December 04, 2025 - 7:18 pm
Let's see if I can get this to work. I've been using The Story Graph to track my reading, and they started a monthly collage this year. I did a LOT of reading in November as 1. I took a weekend trip to England to see Macbeth on stage (6 flights in 2 days - with a day in between) and 2. a 4-day holiday where I had to go absolutely nowhere and read a book a day! There was only one clunker in the entire month and that was mainly because the main character of Book Boyfriend was a mid-20s man who acted more like a 12-year old as far as communication and emotional maturity was concerned. Ootlin was AMAZING, and I absolutely adored Every Step She Takes,The Witch's Guide to Magical Inkeeping, and The Ripple Effect.
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Jimmer
Board Administrator
08-29-2000
| Friday, December 05, 2025 - 10:34 am
That’s a cool presentation.
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Teachmichigan
Member
07-21-2001
| Monday, December 08, 2025 - 4:37 pm
Jimmer - I adore The Story Graph! Independently owned, easy to import GoodReads (did it 5 years ago and then deleted my GR account), and it's easy to add editions to if they don't happen to have the version you're reading (like Ootlin - a book that hadn't been entered in their database yet).
It also offers buddy reads, book clubs, book challenges and you can friend/follow people who have similar reading preferences. I only follow a few friends that I've known online for years, but it has the possibility for as much or as little community engagement as a person prefers.
I'm not a paid sponsor, but I highly, highly recommend them!
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Jimmer
Board Administrator
08-29-2000
| Tuesday, December 09, 2025 - 11:26 am
It sounds wonderful. I’ll check it out and I’ll mention it to my daughter who absolutely loves reading as well.
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Heckagirl631
Member
09-08-2010
| Friday, December 19, 2025 - 12:16 pm
Finished "The Province Book Shop" by Gillian Harvey. It was okay. She sets her books in France, where she lives.
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Kappy
Member
06-28-2002
| Monday, December 22, 2025 - 4:39 pm
The Winter Garden by Kristin Hannah was excellent. I always fight reading her books and I don't know why because I always end up loving them. Probably because I have to check them out twice from the library to finish them, lol.
Just finished Twelve Slays of Christmas and I would say don't bother. It's like a slow formulaic Hallmark movie.
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Rieann
Member
08-26-2006
| Monday, December 22, 2025 - 7:38 pm
I have been reading Melissa Gilbert’s memoirs. I finished the first called Prairie Tale: A Memoir 2010. Currently reading Back to the Prairie: A Home Remade, A Life Rediscovered published in 2023.
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Uncle_ricky
Member
07-02-2007
| Thursday, January 01, 2026 - 1:32 pm
Happy New Year! I am glad 2025 is behind us. You'll recall my mom-in-law and sister-in-law had to come live with Seth and me because of their house burning down last January. In the next few days, they will be moving into the ADU we built for them; construction took 9 full months. We're thrilled to be getting our house and privacy back.
But then, early last month, I was laid off from my job (elimination of position, no chance for re-hire), so now I have to look for a new job. It won't be easy, especially because senior citizens are usually low on the desired-candidates list. Oh well, maybe this new year will bring better news -- fingers crossed -- 2025 was definitely one of the worst ever (though Taylor Swift did make things a lot easier to bear thanks to her various contributions: buying back her master recordings in May; engagement to Travis Kelce in August; release of her marvelous new album in October; release of her insanely great 6-part docuseries on Disney+ in December) -- thank you, Taylor! 
Here's what I've read lately. To save space, I'll just assign each book a letter grade:
*Barry Sonnenfeld, Call Your Mother: Memoirs of a Neurotic Filmmaker by Barry Sonnenfeld. Grade: A+
*Best Possible Place, Worst Possible Time: True Stories from a Career in Hollywood by Barry Sonnenfeld. Grade: A+
*A Faint Cold Fear by Karin Slaughter. Grade: B+
*Life Will Be the Death of Me: . . . and you too! by Chelsea Handler. Grade: B
*Whistle by Linwood Barclay. Grade: A
*I'll Have What She's Having by Chelsea Handler. Grade: A
*Don't Let Him In by Lisa Jewell. Grade: A+
*Between Sisters by Kristin Hannah. Grade: A
*Notorious: Portraits of Stars from Hollywood, Culture, Fashion, and Tech by Maureen Dowd. Grade: B+
*Actress of a Certain Age: My Twenty-Year Trail to Overnight Success by Jeff Hiller. Grade: A++
*Nobody's Fool by Harlan Coben. Grade: B+
*When the Going Was Good: An Editor's Adventures During the Last Golden Age of Magazines by Graydon Carter. Grade: B
*Magic Hour by Kristin Hannah. Grade: A
*Bossypants by Tina Fey. Grade: A
*The Uncool: A Memoir by Cameron Crowe. Grade: A++
*Home Front by Kristin Hannah. Grade: A
*My Life So Far by Jane Fonda: Grade: A+
*Slouching Towards Bethlehem by Joan Didion. Grade: A
*Indelible by Karin Slaughter. Grade: A
*The Village Of Ben Suc by Jonathan Schell. Grade: A
*Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid. Grade: A+
*John & Paul: A Love Story in Songs by Ian Leslie. Grade: A
*The Elements by John Boyne. Grade: A+
*The Proving Ground by Michael Connelly. Grade: A+
*How to Score in Hollywood: Secrets to Success in the Movie Business by Kevin Goetz. Grade: C
My books-read total for the year was 61, which is okay, but I expect the total for this year will be much higher, especially if I don't find a new job. Thanks for reading my paltry list. I hope all of you have a very fabulous 2026!!!
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Jimmer
Board Administrator
08-29-2000
| Thursday, January 01, 2026 - 3:00 pm
Sorry to hear about the layoff. That’s rough. Nice you’re getting your privacy back though.
I always love your reviews and look forward to seeing them. I’ll be adding to my “to be read” list. Everyone here gives great recommendations.
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Kappy
Member
06-28-2002
| Thursday, January 01, 2026 - 6:10 pm
Happy New Year to everyone and thank you once again for sharing what books you read.
Uncle-Ricky, congrats on having your house to yourselves again and best wishes on the job hunt front.
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Juju2bigdog
Member
10-26-2000
| Thursday, January 01, 2026 - 8:00 pm
Good luck on the job search, Uncle Ricky.
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Uncle_ricky
Member
07-02-2007
| Friday, January 02, 2026 - 10:31 am
Thanks so much, Jimmer, Kappy and Juju! I can always count on kind folks like you to make me feel better.
Yesterday, I finished my first book of 2026: Losing You by Nicci French. Sadly, it was a stinker, i.e., the grade for it is a D-plus. 
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Mamie316
Member
07-08-2003
| Friday, January 02, 2026 - 11:01 am
Great list, Ric! I am sorry you lost your job. That totally sucks. Good luck with the move in of your in-laws.
I have a few of those books in my TBR list. Atmosphere was one of my faves and my very favortie TJR book. Loved it. Left me in tears.
You are already ahead of me for books in 2026. I think I might have read about 70 last year. That is low for me. I don't know why. I did finish the year with a good one Heart the Lover by Lily King.
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