What am I reading in 2026? Every month, I will update this page with the books I read each month, along with a brief review.

Let me know what you’ve been reading this year!

What I Read in January

January was a great reading month for me. I honestly did not read a bad book, and I did not have any DNFs. There’s also a good mix of genres, including historical fiction, mystery/thriller, literary fiction, and some children’s lit. (My youngest is at the best age for some of the best children’s literature, and since we always do these as readalouds, I’ve decided to include them.)

Christmas Eve at Cranberry Cross by Kate Forster

I read my first Kate Forster book a few years ago called The Christmas Star. It was an Audible original, and I believe it was included in the Audible Plus catalogue that year, which means I it was included in my membership. I enjoyed it so much that I’ve gone onto read a Kate Forster book every Christmas season. Out of all of them, I think Christmas Eve at Cranberry Cross might be my favorite. This book has romance, mystery, found family, and more. I was genuinely surprised by the twists and turns and impressed by the clean and smart writing. I loved all the characters and the portrayal of a healthy mom and family.

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Amazon Audible

Reminders of Him by Colleen Hoover

This is my first Colleen Hoover. I wanted to read this one because there’s a movie coming out based on it, and I thought it sounded interesting. (Plus, it’s starring Lauren Graham, whom I love.) This is a story about redemption, determination, hope against all odds, and second chances in a situation where no one wants to give them.

Kenna is fresh out of prison, and she wants to finally meet her four-year-old daughter she gave birth to while locked away. The reason Kenna was in prison was because she was held responsible for driving the car when her boyfriend, Scotty, was killed. Scotty’s family now has custody of her daughter, and they don’t want anything to do with her. On top of that, she accidentally develops a relationship with Scotty’s best friend, which only complicates things further.

Hoover is known for writing emotionally intense books you don’t want to put down, and I can say that is definitely true of this book. That being said, it was almost too much. It felt overwhelming. And there were a few times in which I found her writing a bit cringe. Things like describing the way the love interest tasted when they kissed like “limes and bad decisions.”

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The Boxcar Children by Gertrude Chandler Warner

There are a couple book on this list that are read-alouds I did with my 8-year-old daughter, and this is one of them. This is a story about survival and hard work with a bit of found family thrown in. Four siblings are on the run after their mother died. (Their father died years earlier.) They know their grandfather is looking for them, but they’re afraid he’s going to mistreat them. In the process of figuring out where they are going to go, they find an old abandoned boxcar, and they make it their home. The oldest sibling, Henry, finds work with the local doctor, who has a large property and small cherry orchard. I don’t want to give it all away, but it takes a very serendipitous turn for the good.

It’s hard to imagine a story like this taking place in reality, but given that it was written in the 1920s, I’m assuming children were treated differently back then. I loved this book and admired the kids resourcefulness and the generosity shown by the kind doctor.

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Everything We Didn’t Say by Nicole Baart

At the beginning of the month, I was in the mood for a thriller. I had just read a bunch of Christmas novels, which tend to be on the sweeter side, and I was ready for something a bit more intense. I picked this one up several years ago from Book of the Month.

Juniper returns to her hometown of Jericho, Iowa to help out her friend (and the local libarian), while she is being treated with cancer. We find out that there is a unsolved murder that took place about 15 years earlier that June has been obsessed with. The book goes back and forth between the past and the present. Some authors can lose the reader when they do this, but Baart does this in my favorite way because what she reveals from the past always helps to move the story along.

I like that this book takes place in a small farm town in Iowa. (I think it’s the first time I’ve read a book that takes place there.) I love books that take place in idyllic small towns, but this book is a reminder that there can be a dark side to small towns, too. I would definitely say it’s more of a soft-thriller with an interesting family dynamic and other relationships. (It’s not super-scary, which is fine with me.) I really liked Baart’s writing and will definitely be reading more of her books!

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The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon

This is one of those books that I always see recommended whenever I see or hear someone asking for a good historical fiction novel to read.

The Frozen River tells the story of Martha Ballard, who is a real woman who worked as midwife in the late 1780s in New England. The story is based on the journals she kept. When the book opens, it’s 1789 and Martha lives in Maine with her family. When we first meet Martha, she’s assisting with the birth of a local woman, but then she’s called to examine a man who was pulled from the frozen Kennebec River, which runs through the town of Hallowell, where they live. It’s obvious to Martha that this man’s death was no accident, and she concludes that he was murdered. We also learn that the local judge and the most powerful man in the town (and the dead man found in the river) are accused of raping the local minister’s wife, and Martha is the middle of all of it.

There’s so much going on in this book, but I think what makes this book so compelling is that Lawhon pulls back the curtain on a tenuous time in the life of America as a fledgling country when women had very few rights and justice is just as uncertain.

In an author’s note at the end, Lawhon explains that while she typically tries to be faithful to historical facts in her books, she did take some liberties with this one. (Although 75% of it is still historically accurate.) She does raise some interesting questions about the time.

If you are looking for a good historical fiction book for a book club pick, I think this would be a good one because there would be a lot to discuss!

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The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett

This was my pick for the Reading Through the Decades Reading Challenge for a book published in the 1910s. I was seriously surprised by just how good this book is. This is a book about belonging, family, grief, magic, and what happens to rich kids when they are spoiled and neglected by their parents (the two seem to go hand in hand). It’s also a story about how you make seemingly dead or dying things come alive. This book might go down as one of my favorites of the year. What’s interesting about this book is that it definitely has some gothic elements. It takes place in an English manor where there are strange sounds coming from a part of the house that the protagonist, Mary, isn’t allowed to go. While this book often shows a girl on the cover; there are actually two boys in this book that also play a prominent roll. While some children’s books are pretty simple, this one has a lot more complex and interesting themes going on than what is typical. I listened to this one on audio, and this version that Audible has is excellent! 

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Winnie the Pooh by A. A. Milne

This is another book I did as a read-a-loud to my daughter. There is just something about these stories that never get old. The Hundred Acre Wood is one of those fictional places you wish really existed. If you’re ever having a bad day, and you need something to cheer you up, read one of the stories in this book. While the stories are all connected with the same characters, most of them are like standalone short stories. We’ll be reading The House at Pooh Corner next!

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The Correspondent by Virginia Evans

It takes a lot for a book to make me cry, but this one had me in tears at the end. I think this book deserves all of the praise it’s receiving. I loved this book! I loved that I could get so sucked into a person’s life 100% through letters and emails. I honestly think it’s genius how this was put together. I have a longer review coming, but I can say that this book was a solid 5 stars for me.

Note: I’m including links to the audio version of this book, but I do not recommend it in that format. That’s how I started reading this book, and I have never returned an audiobook so fast. This is an epistolary novel. It is written entirely in letters and emails. In the audio version, the narrators read the email addresses, etc. While I wouldn’t want them to exclude this information, I found it grating to hear someone read it. This is one of those books I think is best consumed in a physical book, not even as an ebook. (That being said, I know a lot of people enjoyed this one on audio. It just didn’t work for me.)

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What I Read in February

Kindred by Octavia E. Butler

Imagine a modern black woman being transported back to the ante-bellum south? That’s exactly what happens in this book. Part science-fiction and part historical fiction, Kindred tells the story of Dana, a black woman who lives in Southern California in 1976. Dana is married to Kevin, who is a white man. (They are both aspiring authors.) Dana continually gets pulled into 1815 Maryland to rescue a white boy named Rufus. After putting the pieces together, she figures out that she is actually a descendant of Rufus. She only returns to 1976 when her own life is in danger. The problem with going back to the ante-bellum south is that the only way for her to live is as a slave. This book was beyond interesting and had my attention from page one. I read this one for my in-person book club, and I cannot recommend it enough.

Note: I listened to this one on audio, and I thought it was excellent in that format.

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The Fourth Princess by Janie Chang

In the Fourth Princess, Janie Chang takes readers to 1911 Shanghai when an American family moves into a local mansion as part of a group who is there to build a railroad in China. The mistress of the house, Caroline Stanton, hires a local girl named Lisan Liu as her live-in assistant/secretary, but as soon as Lisan moves into the house, she begins to feel that it is haunted (even though she tries to find other explanations). This book is full of mystery: Who is Lisan? Who were the people who lived in the house years before? Who is Caroline? Is her husband’s Uncle Mason really trying to help them or take advantage of them? I loved the East meets West part of the story. I thought it was very well written and engaging. I took off a star because I wanted a bit more out of the ending. Also, sometimes it seems like historical fiction writers over-modernize their historical characters, and it seemed like that happened here (in a handful of instances).

I highly recommend, and I will definitely be reading more Janie Chang!

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The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman

I finally decided to give The Thursday Murder Club a try, and I’m so glad I did. While there is a murder (or two) to solve in this book, it’s really more about a group of people living in a retirement community, which is made up of very endearing and interesting characters. I listened to this one on audio, but I loved it so much, I decided to buy a physical copy to re-read. I also look forward to reading some the sequels.

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The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux

I decided to read this book for The Reading Through the Decades reading challenge as a book published the first decade of the 1900s, and it was so good! (I have to confess that I didn’t even know this was a book until putting together that list.) I remember going to see the broadway musical in the 90s and was pretty obsessed with the music back in the day. After reading this book, I can see why this story captured so much attention. Something that struck me about the storytelling is that even though it is a gothic novel, there is also a comic side to it, which I did not expect. I also didn’t expect how much of the story is told from the perspective of a journalist.

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The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate DiCamillo

I included this book in my list of children’s books adults should read, and I forgot just how good it is. (This is a book I read with my eight-year-old daughter this month.) The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane follows a porcelain rabbit as he bounces from owner to owner, but this is really a book about a very self-focused character who learns how to love. This is also a good book to read if you want a good cry, and at just 240 pages, it’s a quick read (if you’re not reading one chapter a night like we do). This one will stay with you.

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What I Read in March

Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir

Project Hail Mary has been on my TBR for a long time because so many people say it is great on audio. Since I wanted to read it before the movie came out, it was good motivation to finally read it. This book is excellent, but as I’ve come to expect from Andy Weir’s book, expect a lot of science! If you are going to read this book, this is a case where I think this one is better consumed on audio. The audio version helps certain aspects of the book come alive that I can’t imagine being quite the same if reading the physical book. (That being said, I know people who have read the physical book, and enjoyed it.)

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Rainbow Valley by L. M. Montgomery

Rainbow Valley is book 7 in the Anne of Green Gables Series (which is a series I’ve been reading through). Rainbow Valley probably focuses on the Anne and the Blythe Family the least out all of the books, but I loved it. Rainbow Valley primarily focuses on the Meredith children. (The Meredith children are best friends with the Blythe children, so you see a lot of them and their parents.) Their father, John Meredith, is the local Presbyterian minister whom locals love for his preaching. However, Rev. Meredith is a recent widow, and while they have an aunt living with them, the children are pretty feral. That being said they are also all incredibly endearing, and I was rooting for them throughout the book. I did not expect to like this book as much as I did. One of the things I’ve enjoyed about this half of the series is getting to know the whole town of Glen St. Mary (the town where Anne and Gilbert settle after they get married). I am so attached to all of these characters!

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Rilla of Ingleside by L. M. Montgomery

Rilla of Ingleside is the official last book (book 8) of the Anne of Green Gables Series. This book brings readers back to focusing on the Blythe family after the Meredith family took center stage in Rainbow Valley. As the title implies, this book is told from the perspective of Anne’s youngest child Rilla (short for Marilla). When the book first opens, you see Rilla as a spoiled self-centered teenager. Everything changes when World War 1 breaks out, and the Blythe boys start enlisting. Rilla starts to realize that she too needs to contribute to the war effort at home. The whole experience transfroms her from a self-centered children to a mature young-lady full of wisdom. I will warn though that this book is the most emotionally difficult to read of the series.

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What I Read in April

This was a month where most of the books had the wrong titles. As in, that’s not what the book was actually about. The exception was The Likeness, which was excellent.

As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner

Most of the time when I read a classic book, I do a proverbial nod of the head in agreement with the rest of the world that has deemed this book a classic because usually they are excellent. This one was hard to get through. Also, the title does not fit the book because it’s not about someone as they lay dying. It’s about someone who is dead. (She’s alive for the first few chapters, but most of the book she’s dead.) It should have been called: “After I Died” because that’s what it’s about. Before Addie Bundren dies, she makes her family promise to bury her in Jefferson County which is where she from, and most of the book is about her family trying to do that, which is not pretty. I read this book for my in-person book club (and for the Reading Through the Decades Reading Challenge as a book published in the 1930s). In defense of the book, I listened to this one on audio, which may not have been the best medium for this book. My book club got postponed, so I may re-read it when we reschedule. I will let you know if that is a better experience.

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The Likeness by Tara French

The Likeness is book two in the Dublin Murder Squad Series. I read book one, In the Woods, last year, and loved it. A lot of people like The Likeness book even better, so I was excited to read it. I would categorize these books as literary mysteries. Yes, there is a murder that needs to be solved, but, as French says herself, her books really aren’t about the mysteries. They are really about the investigators solving the mysteries. The last book focused on Detective Rob Ryan, and this book focuses on Ryan’s partner, Cassie Maddox. When the book opens, Cassie isn’t on the murder squad anymore. She’s working in the domestic violence department, but she is called to a crime scene when a victim is found dead who looks like her doppleganger and is going by the name Cassie had used when she did undercover work years earlier, Lexie Madison. The investigators convince Cassie to go undercover as Lexie to help them solve the case, which means living with her best friends, who are all grad students, which gives the book a campus novel vibe. I thought it was so good. Typically, I don’t think mysteries would make good book club picks, but I think these books would.

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Summer State of Mind by Kristy Woodson Harvey

One of my first thoughts after starting this book was that when people say they are looking for a beach read, this is the kind of book they are talking about. There’s romance, it takes place on the coast, but it also has enough depth to hold your interest. Daisy is a NICU nurse who has just moved to the beach town of Cape Carolina. Mason is the baseball coach at the local high school. When Mason and his star player, Drew, find a newborn baby in a dumpster, they rush the baby to the local hospital, where Daisy is on duty. Mason and Daisy immediately bond over this situation and become fast friends, which slowly starts to turn into more. At the same time, Mason has an aunt named Tilley, who has never been quite right since her high school sweethart died decades earlier and is going through a transformation of her own. I liked that this book doesn’t just focus on the late 20-somethings’ relationship, but also features an older character who is still haunted by her past. Mason’s whole family is a lot of fun, too, and the whole dynamic is very interesting. Closed door.

One of my gripes with the novel is the title. It actually doesn’t even take place in the summer and does not describe the story AT ALL. (There is a reference to the title toward the end, but I’m still not sure it justifies making it the title of the book.) If you read this one, let me know if you agree.

Great pick for fans of Abby Jimenez. It actually reminded me a lot of Just for the Summer, which is a book I really enjoyed.

Release date: May 5, 2026

Thank you to Simon and Schuster and Gallery Book for sharing an advanced readers copy in exchange for my honest review.

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A Dog Called Homeless by Sarah Lean

This is another book where the title just does not make sense. Very similar to the book above, there’s an explanation given toward the end, but I don’t think it justifies making it the title. This was a book I read to my 8-year-old daughter. Every night we pulled this out to read it, we started to jokingly call it “A Girl Called Cally” because that’s what the book is actually about. I think she was genuinely bummed because she loves dogs, and I think we both were expecting a dog story. That’s what I get for not reading a plot summary before reading it.

Cally is a young girl who is coping with the death of her mother. She’s a very talkative, rambunctious girl who is starting to feel rejected by her friends and others around her. She volunteers for a silence contest at school as part of a fundraiser, but she never stops, which means she essentially goes mute. Cally has visions of her mother, and whenever her mother shows up, a mysterious dog also shows up with her. Through the story, Cally learns to find her voice again, and we also learn the significance of the dog. She also forms some interesting friendships along the way.

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What I Read in May

What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty

Imagine hitting your head and, when you come to, you’ve completely forgotten the last 10 years. That’s exactly what happens to Alice. Alice is at the gym taking a spin class when she falls off her bike and hits her head. The problem is that she now thinks she’s 29, happily married, and pregnant with her first child. The reality is that she’s 39, getting a divorce, has three children, and her best friend recently died in a car accident. On top of that, she begins to realize she is no longer close to her sister, who used to be her best friend. I thought this book was an interesting thought experiment. If you were to go back to your 10-year-younger self, would you be happy with where you ended up? And if you were unhappy with it, would you try to undo it? That’s the reality that Alice must face.

I forgot how much I enjoy a Liane Moriarty book. She has a way of pulling you into a story. For that reason, I think her books make great beach reads.

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A Light in the Window by Jan Karon (Mitford Years, Book 2)

This is the second book in the Mitford series that I am slowly making my way through. In this book, Father Tim returns to from his trip to Ireland. Father Tim and Cynthia are trying to figure out their relationship, but of course, it comes with all sorts of complications, miscommunications, and hurt feelings, which is made more complicated when she has to go spend a few months in New York City to work on her next book. I love how patient he is of her when she’s frazzled, and I love how she’s always trying to get him to be more vulnerable. Father Tim continues as Dooley Barlowe’s guardian, who is slowly growing and maturing. Father Tim’s Cousin Meg travels to Mitford to stay at his house while she works on a book, which turns into a pretty funny episode. And of course, there’s also fun episodes with the rest of the cast of characters in the quirkly small town of Mitford. Always a fun comfort read!

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DNF List

I’m just going to keep one running list of books I DNFd for the year here (instead of by month):

• [February] The Housemaid by Freida McFadden: I totally thought I was going to enjoy this book, but as the story went on, I just wasn’t buying it. Initially, I pushed through, but then I just couldn’t do it anymore. It was red-flag city, and the main character seemed too smart to stay put even if she was in a desperate situation. I think the writing was fine. I think the problem was the plotting and the character development that just didn’t work, or the character just didn’t match with the plot.
• [March] The Uncommon Reader by Alan Bennett. This is supposed to be a cute book about Queen Elizabeth becoming a reader when she happens upon a library van behind Buckingham Palace, and starts borrowing books. While it is cute, I found the Queen’s character to be too much of a caricature of a queen than what I imagine the Queen was actually like. Because of that, the character fell flat for me, and so did my desire to keep reading the book.

The post 2026 Quick Lit: Everything I’m Reading This Year appeared first on Passion of Audiobooks.

June was a funny reading month for me. I didn’t finish a lot of books this month (although one of the books I finished was almost 500 pages), but I started quite a few that didn’t make the cut. And it’s a bummer because I was really looking forward to a couple of those books. Don’t you hate it when that happens?

The books I finished are quite a cross-section of genres. In this list, you will find a romance, a literary mystery, a futuristic sci-fi novel, and a philosophical non-fiction book. And two of the four books were five star reads for me.

These are the books I finished in June 2024. I would love to hear if you’ve read any of these and what your thoughts are. (Share in the comments below!)

Also, would you like to hear about the books I DNF each month? I’m debating adding that info, but I know that it can be helpful to know what didn’t work and why.

What I Read in June 2024

Funny Story by Emily Henry

This book has been named one of the most anticipated books of the summer, and since I have read almost all of Emily Henry’s adult novels, I was excited to read it. This is a forced-proximity, opposites attract romance novel. Daphne and Miles are recovering from recent breakups. Daphne was engaged to Peter, and Miles was dating Peter’s childhood best friend, Petra. All is going according to plan until the night of Peter’s bachelor party when Peter and Petra confess their love to each other. The story takes place in Peter’s home town in Michigan where Daphne’s only friends are Peter’s friends, that is until the breakup. Because she needs a place to live in very short notice, she ends up renting a room in Miles’ apartment. Daphne is planning to move at the end of the summer, but she’s committed to staying until the read-a-thon she planned at the local library where she works is over. Her friendship with Miles slowly grows into more after the two take a picture they post on Instagram one night after they had been drinking, giving the impression they are dating. I agree with another reader who said that Miles is the best book boyfriend. (He really is.) There’s a lot more going on in this story as both Miles and Daphne are still figuring out how to navigate their relationships with their families. This is a book about identity, self-discovery, friendship, and surviving narcissistic parents.

Reading Note 1: I listened to this one on audio, and I wish I would have read a physical copy. While I love audiobooks, something to remember is that the narrator is aiding in the interpretation of the novel and characters. While I typically like Julia Whelan’s narrations, the thing that bugged me about this one is that she would sometimes make the characters sound like they were whispering when I don’t think they were whispering. If you listened to this one or read it, I would love to get your take on the book.

Read Note 2: This book is open door.

buy the book!

Long Bright River by Liz Moore

There is so much going on in this book. This book was a solid 5 star read for me. If I were to pick a season for this book, this book definitely has more fall and winter vibes for me, but I wanted to read it in anticipation of Liz Moore’s new novel: The God of the Woods, which just came out July 2. The summaries of Long Bright River will lead you to believe that this book is about two sisters, but that’s not exactly true. Yes, there are two sisters: Mickey and Kacey, but the focus of the story is really on Mickey (Michaela) for at least 80 percent of the novel. Mickey and Kacey were raised by their grandmother in Philadelphia after their mother died of a drug overdose. When the story opens, the two are adults. Mickey is a cop and Kacey is a drug addict living on the streets in the neighborhood where Mickey patrols. But Kacey has gone missing, and Mickey is trying to determine her whereabouts. There are girls showing up dead in the area, not from an overdose, but from murder, and Mickey is afraid for Kacey’s life. As the story unfolds, it alternates between the past and the present where we get to learn about the people and events that shaped both Mickey and Kacey, and how they ended up following such different paths. This book explores a lot of heavy topics such as the opioid crisis, police brutality, and the vulnerable position of kids who grow up in a home like Mickey and Kacey and how it makes them a target for abuse.

My Take: I have a hard time with novels where the author takes their protagonist through hell without any sort of redemption. This book does NOT do that. Mickey and Kacey both live hard lives, but there is a beautiful story of redemption at the end that I personally loved.

Reading Note: This book is almost 500 pages, but it did not seem like it was dragging at any point. I think it kept a nice pace.

Reading Note 2: If you are in a book club that isn’t afraid of long books, I think this would make an excellent book club picks. I’m working on putting together discussion questions, which I will publish soon.

buy the book!

The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley

This book made my 2024 summer reading list, so I was pretty excited to read it. Have you ever wondered what certain historical characters would think if they were all of a sudden plopped into our modern world? For example, what would George Washington think if he saw all of our cars, highways, and technology? Would he be fascinated or horrified? That’s exactly the experiment The Ministry of Time is trying to entertain, but with a twist. If you’ve ever read a time travel novel or watched a time-travel movie (think Back to the Future), you know that one of the problems is that if you go back to the past, you risk changing the future. To avoid this problem, the Ministry, which is part of the British government, decides to snag people from the past who are about to die. They do this with five historical characters from different time periods. What they want to see is if they are able to acclimate them to our modern world and if there are any negative physical side effects for them. Each historical character is assigned a “bridge” to live with and help acclimate the character. Our protagonist, whose name is never revealed, is assigned to a polar explorer from 1847 by the name of Graham Gore. The novel primarily focuses on these two characters. I personally found watching how the characters acclimated or refused to acclimate very interesting.

Reading Notes: There is a surprising romance in this book, and it is open door.

Fun Fact: This book is being made into a TV series by the BBC. I can see this book translating very well to the screen.

Is this book for you? If you like time-travel mind-bending novels (think a tempered Blake Crouch), I think you will like this novel. Readers have also compared it to Outlander. I also think if you tend to like sci-fi novels, you will enjoy this one.

buy the book!

Low Anthropology by David Zahl

I think this is one of those books that everyone should read. (And despite it’s philosophical nature, it is very approachable). But I’m going to warn you that I think the case that Zahl is making for “low anthropology” is going to sound controversial in some circles. If you’re like me, you’ve probably never heard of the term “low anthropology” before, and that’s because it was coined by David Zahl’s father, Paul Zahl. Anthropology from a philosophical standpoint comes down to what we believe about human nature, and our personal anthropology determines our expectations for our relationships, ourselves, and even political leaders. Low anthropology has to do with seeing things for how they really are, not how we want them to be. And Zahl makes the case that this is key to “generating authentic compassion and lasting love.” On the flip side, Zahl also makes the case that having a high anthropology, or high view of human nature, can actually be destructive. For example, someone with a high anthropology may have a tendency to be self-righteous and therefore have unrealistic expectations of others. To quote Zahl: “If you are focused on your own rightness, the other person in the relationship will inevitably appear wrong. You will wonder why they cannot change to be more like you.” This ends up being that person in your life who is always right and always disappointed in you. The problem is that high anthropology sounds better on paper, but it doesn’t take into account the true picture of who we really are. I think this is a really important book. Let me know if you pick it up.

Here is my favorite quote from the book, which is actually from author Anne Lamott:

“Everyone is screwed up, broken, clingy and scared, even the people who seem to have it more or less together. They are much more like you than you would believe, so try not to compare your insides to their outsides.”

buy the book!

What have you been reading lately? Have you ready any of these books? I would love to hear about it.

The post Quick Lit: What I Read in June 2024 appeared first on Passion of Audiobooks.

May was an interesting reading month. While I read mostly new books this month, I also read a couple I’ve had on my TBR list for a while (and they were both five stars!).

My goal in writing these posts is to share thoughts about what I liked and didn’t like about the books I’ve been reading lately to help you figure out whether or not a book might work for you. Just because a book didn’t work for me doesn’t mean it won’t work for you. I try to write my reviews and summaries so you can decide if it’s something you will like . . . even if I didn’t.

Even though it’s not quite summer yet, in my opinion, May is the beginning of summer reading for me, and you can definitely tell by some of my selections.

I would love to hear if you’ve read any of these books and what you thought about them, plus any recommendations you may have for me. Please share your thoughts below!

What I Read in May 2024: What Worked and What Didn’t

How to End a Love Story by Yulin Kuang

Can a relationship between a woman and the man who was driving the car that killed her sister actually work? Crazy premise, right? I was really interested in reading this book because I thought it had such an interesting premise. (And it does.) While I liked it enough to finish it, there were some parts that just didn’t work for me. First, it was simply too open door for me. I get that some romance books are going to have some spice, and I’m typically pretty good about skipping those scenes. But in this one, once they open the door, they have a hard time closing it (metaphorically speaking). Second, the main protagonist (Helen) obviously has really negative feelings about Grant, the antagonist. She can hardly stand to be in the same room as him because of the negative association. You can feel the tension! But the transition from that point to the two getting together happens surprisingly fast in a way that just didn’t seem realistic. That being said, I do think Kuang can write, and I would be open to seeing what she does in the future.

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The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store by James McBride

This book has been on my TBR list since it came out last summer. I’m only sad that it took me so long to read it. I loved this book! I enjoyed it so much that it gave me a serious book hangover after I finished it. I simply wanted more. The book centers around a Jewish couple, Moshe and Chona. Moshe owns the local theater, and Chona owns the local grocery store. The book explores race issues, anti-semitism, class, and what happens when all of these things intersect.

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The Paris Novel by Ruth Reichl

This is one of the new 2024 books I was most excited to read this summer. First, what I wouldn’t give to be able to eat at least some of the food in this book. In fact, now that I think about it, I’m surprised Reichl didn’t include some recipes. Besides being mouthwatering, this is also a book about the transformation of a woman who lived in the shadow of her narcissistic mother and how she learns to find her voice and identity. Ironically, Stella’s transformation is prompted when her mother dies, and she leaves her with a trip to Paris and a mandate that she doesn’t return until she uses up all of the money. Stella goes reluctantly, and she finds so much more. This book is a love letter to food, books, community, friendship, and more. If you love a found family novel, this book may be for you. And at only 288 pages, it’s a relatively quick read.

Content Warning: Sexual abuse. (It happens at the beginning of the story to set up the character. It is not throughout, FWIW.)

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Bel Canto by Ann Patchett

I have yet to read a book by Ann Patchett that I haven’t liked, and Bel Canto was no different. What’s impressive about this book is that the entire story takes place in the same house. Terrorists crash a birthday party at the home of the vice president of a South American country who is hosting a birthday party for a visiting Japanese businessman. The entertainment at the party is a famous opera singer. The terrorists are hoping to kidnap the president, who is supposed to be in attendance, and leave. But their plans go awry when it turns out the president isn’t there. So they decide to hold the birthday party attendees hostage until the country hands over the president. What starts as a stressful hostage crisis turns into a story about unlikely friendships and romances as the terrorists and hostages cohabitate together for months.

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Just for Summer by Abby Jimenez

Romance books can be hit or miss for me. While I have read some great romance stories that are captivating and well-told, I have also read some real duds, so when I come across a good one, I want to shout it from the roof tops. AND . . . this is a good one. If you read one romance book this summer, let this be the one. This book has humor and great empathetic characters, it isn’t afraid to explore some heavy topics, and it’s a beautiful love story. I tend to like my romances closed door. While this one is open-door, it’s very minimal and easy to skip.

Read my in-depth review of Just for Summer here, and find book club discussion questions for Just for Summer here. (I think this would make a great pick for summer for your book club.)

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The Husbands by Holly Gramazio

Is it possible to have husband PTSD? I think that’s exactly what I have after reading this book. Lauren is single and living in a flat in London. After waking up after a night of drinking, she is greeted by her husband. The problem is that Lauren isn’t married, and she’s never seen this man before. But she soon discovers that her attic has special powers when he goes to change the light bulb and a new husband appears. She then learns that if she doesn’t like her husband, all she has to do is send him back to the attic and exchange him for a new one (if only it were that easy ;-). While the story explores what makes a healthy or toxic relationship, it ends up being a story about contentment. I thought it was super interesting and great on audio!

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What have you been reading lately? Have you ready any of these books? I would love to hear about it.

The post Quick Lit: What I Read in May 2024 appeared first on Passion of Audiobooks.

In March, my reading life took a turn toward a genre I haven’t read for years — fantasy!

For decades, if you asked me what my favorite book was, I would have said The Lord of the Rings. But in recent years, I tend to read more contemporary literary fiction with a few classics thrown in.

After being away from the genre for a while, I started to be curious about this genre once again in large part thanks to several BookTubers who talk a lot about this genre.

One author that seems to be a consistent favorite is Brandon Sanderson. But trying to figure out where to start with Sanderson’s books can also be confusing because most of his books are part of what’s called the Cosmere. The Cosmere is simply the universe in which his stories happen. Sometimes they are connected sometimes they aren’t, and you don’t have to read the books in order. Within the Cosmere, there are series, which you would want to read in order, and some standalone novels.

I found a video by Sanderson himself in which he gives some tips about where to start, and one of the books he said you could start with is Tress of the Emerald Sea. I liked this idea because it’s a standalone novel, and it’s not as big of a commitment as a series. Long story short — I loved this book. I think this will go down as one of my favorite books of the year.

I also decided to start reading through an old fantasy series — The Chronicles of Narnia.

This month also included a good women’s fiction novel, a classic mystery, and a Christian devotional, which has also become a new favorite.

I’m Fine and Neither Are You by Camille Pagán

Whenever I need a good palette cleanser after a thriller or another type of stressful book, Camille Pagán is one of the authors I turn to. Pagán’s heroines are always dealing with some serious life issues, but she has a way of presenting the situation with humor and wit as she works to bring them through it — and she always brings them through it. This might be the heaviest book I’ve read by her to date. When the book opens, the main character finds out that her best friend has just died from an opioid addiction that she didn’t even know that she had. She was under the impression that her best friend was living a near-perfect life, and now she starts to question everything she knew about her. On top of that, she is forced to face growing issues in her own life, especially in her marriage.

• Publish Date: April 1, 2019
• Length: 270 pages / 8 hours 2 minutes
• Genre: Women’s Fiction
• Content Notes: Drug addiction, death, grief

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Tress of the Emerald Sea by Brandon Sanderson

This will go down as one of my favorite books of the year. It doesn’t matter if you’ve never read a Sanderson novel or if you don’t know what the Cosmere is (I can say that because this was my first Sanderson novel, and I loved it). This is a book about love, bravery, adventure, and the intricacies of human nature. Sanderson says that this book was inspired by The Princess Bride, but he wanted to explore what would have happened if Buttercup had decided to go find Westley. I used to read more fantasy when I was younger, and this book has definitely whet my appetite for more. I also think this book would be a great place to start if you’re looking to dip your toe into this genre.

Read my full review here.

• Publish Date: April 4, 2023
• Length: 320 pages / 12 hours
• Genre: Fantasy
• Content Notes: Miscarriage

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The Horse and His Boy by C. S. Lewis

I listened to this book on audio several years ago, but when I was scanning my bookshelves recently, I realized that I couldn’t remember how it ended, so I decided to pick it up. I won’t include any spoilers, but this one does have a great ending. When the book opens, Shasta is a young boy living with an old man who treats and beats him like a slave. When a visitor shows up who wants to buy him from the old man, Shasta is sent to sleep in the stables with the man’s horse. The horse, it turns out, is not just any horse, but a Narnian horse, which means he can talk. They hatch a plan to escape together, and the adventure begins. Can you really go wrong with a re-read of the Chronicles of Narnia?

• Publish Date: 1954
• Length: 240 pages / 4 hours 39 minutes
• Genre: Children’s Fantasy

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Prince Caspian by C.S. Lewis

After finishing The Horse and His Boy, I decided to continue the series. I recently realized that while I’ve read The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe several times, I haven’t ever finished the series. There’s a famous quote by C. S. Lewis that says, “A children’s story which is enjoyed only by children is a bad children’s story.” This book opens when Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy are sitting at the train station getting ready to head to school when all of a sudden, they find themselves in a forest. As the story unfolds, they find that it’s no accident that they are there, but they were actually called there for a reason. What a great book! And yes, I have decided to keep going with the series!

• Publish Date: 1951
• Length: 240 pages / 4 hours 40 minutes
• Genre: Children’s Fantasy

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The Mysterious Affair at Styles by Agatha Christie

This was my pick for the Reading Through the Decades Reading Challenge for a book that was published in the 1920s. When I saw that Agatha Christie published her debut novel during this decade, I knew this was the book I wanted to read. And I have a confession: this was my first Agatha Christie novel. And I was not disappointed. In this book, we get introduced to Christie’s sleuth, Hercule Poirot, and he’s that endearing character that you miss when he’s not on the page. This was a great introduction, and I look forward to reading more.

• Publish Date: April 16, 2024
• Length: 185 pages / 6 hours 16 minutes
• Genre: Mystery
• Content Notes: Death

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Christ and Calamity by Harold Seinkbeil

I went looking for a comforting book after there was a recent death in the family, and this book more than delivered. This is a book that everyone should keep close at hand. It’s not just for those who are dealing with grief, although it is for that, too. This is a book that you will also find comforting even if you are simply having a bad day and need some encouragement. The thing I appreciate so much about this book is that he doesn’t downplay anything you might be struggling with, and he doesn’t use any corny clichés. What Seinkbeil is excellent at is showing how where we are lacking, Christ picks up the slack and then some. For example, these are some of the chapter headings: When You are Faithless, Christ Is Your Faithfulness; When You are Weak, Christ Is Your Strength; When You are Sad, Christ Is Your Joy.

• Publish Date: June 20, 2020
• Length: 168 pages / 2 hours 36 minutes
• Genre: Christian Devotional
• Content Notes: Grief, death

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Currently Reading

Here are some books I’m in the middle of reading right now (I will have more details next month):

• The Blade Itself by Joe Abercrombie. As I’ve decided to start reading more fantasy, this is another series that comes highly recommended.
• The Voyage of the Dawn Treader by C.S. Lewis. I’ve decided to keep going with this series.
• Winnie-the-Pooh by A. A. Milne. This is a book I’ve been listening to with my kids on the way to school. Both my six-year-old and my 14-year-old have been enjoying this.
• How to Stay Married by Harrison Scott Key. This is an interesting memoir about a marriage in crisis.

What did you read this month?? I would love to hear about it.

The post Quick Lit: What I Read in March 2024 appeared first on Passion of Audiobooks.

In January, I said that my reading year started off with a bang. Well, February continued to be an excellent reading month.

Out of the seven books on this list, there is only one I could have done without. The rest were thoroughly enjoyable. There are a few that are brand new this year and two that have yet to be released.

If there is one genre that dominated this month, it was definitely historical fiction with a little romance thrown in. I also read one Christian theology book. If you’ve ever had an interest in Christian theology and doctrine, this is the perfect book to pick up.

The Evolution of Annabel Craig by Lisa Grunwald (April 2024)

I predict that this book will be one of my top books for the year. To say this book is a historical fiction book about the Scopes Monkey Trial doesn’t do it justice. Yes, it is definitely about that, and I loved getting this on-the-ground view of that pivotal trial, but it’s really a story about a young woman named Annabel Craig. Annabel has to navigate living on her own after both her parents died when she was a young teenager, a marriage with an up-and-coming local lawyer, the biggest event to ever happen in Dayton, Tennessee, and her faith in God in the face of it all. I thought it was all beautifully told in this book by Lisa Grunwald. Also, Grunwald can write! I will definitely try to get ahold of her backlist titles.

• Publish Date: April 16, 2024
• Length: 320 pages / 12 hours
• Genre: Historical Fiction
• Content Notes: Miscarriage

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for sharing this advanced reader’s copy in exchange for my honest review.

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Expiration Dates by Rebecca Serle (March 2024)

Daphne is a Jewish girl who grew up in the LA area who is normal in every way except one . . . whenever she meets a new man that she is going to date, a piece of paper appears with the man’s name and how long the relationship is going to last. But when the story opens, she gets a paper with a man’s name on it with no expiration date, which leads her to believe he’s the one. The story progresses from there as it alternates between the past and the present. What starts out as a bit of a whimsical love story starts to take shape as it slowly reveals that there’s a lot more going on in Daphne’s life than what meets the eye. Expect to see this one on a lot of summer reading lists this year. I think this would make a perfect book to take to the beach.

• Publish Date: March 19, 2024
• Length: 272 pages / 6 hours 54 minutes
• Genre: Magical Realism, Women’s Fiction
• Content Notes: Open Door, but sex scenes are minimal.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for sharing this advanced reader’s copy in exchange for my honest review.

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All My Secrets by Lynn Austin (2024)

Years ago, I worked as a church biographer. Every month, I would pick a person or family in the church, interview them, and then write a human-interest-type article about them that would get published in the monthly church newsletter. The thing I grew to really like about it is how someone would go from being 2D to 3D. I came to learn that most people are a lot more interesting than they may seem on the surface. This book reminded me of that. This is a book about three women living in New York City around the turn of the century: Sylvia, Adelaide, and Junnie. When the book begins, A. B. Stanhope just died unexpectedly. A. B. was Sylvia’s husband, Adelaide’s father, and Junnie’s son. They all live together in a large mansion. As a result of A. B.’s death, they no longer have access to the money they once had, but the problem is that Adelaide, who is 19, is at the age where she should start looking at marriage. Her mother, Sylvia, is determined to find her a wealthy husband so they are able to stay in their home and maintain their social status. But Junnie has a different idea. She cares more about Adelaide’s character and happiness than she does about social status and trying to stay in a house that she didn’t like from the day she first moved in decades ago. As the story unfolds, these 2D characters come to life, and we start to learn that there is much more to these women than meets the eye. I loved this book! Great for fans of Downton Abbey.

I listened to the audio ARC of this book read by Sarah Zimmerman, and I thought her narration was excellent. She has the perfect voice for this time period.

• Publish Date: Feb. 6, 2024
• Length: 400 pages / 12 hours 37 minutes
• Genre: Historical Fiction
• Content Notes: death

Thank you to NetGalley, Tyndale House Publishers, and RB Media/Recorded Books for sharing this advanced reader’s copy in exchange for my honest review.

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Memory Lane by Beck Wade (2023)

I really enjoyed this mystery romance novel. This is a book about redemption, starting over, and facing fears. I liked that it was more than a romance but also had an interesting mystery to unravel. It definitely kept my attention until the end, and I’m looking forward to reading more books in the Sons of Scandal series. I listened to this one on audio and thought it was very well done.

• Publish Date: Feb. 14, 2023
• Length: 430 pages /12 hours 27 minutes
• Genres: Romance, Clean Romance, Mystery, Women’s Fiction
• Content Notes: sexual assault

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The Little Village of Book Lovers by Nina George (2023)

This was a whimsical story primarily told by Love personified. This book focuses on romantic love, and I think there’s a lot more to love than that. My favorite part was the commentary on the place of books and literature in people’s lives. And I loved how books became a way to bring people together and pull them out of the ruts they were in. While this book is not technically a sequel to The Little Paris Bookshop, it is definitely a spin-off from it. Based on the reviews I’ve read, that book is even better.

I feel I must warn you NOT to listen to the audiobook of this one. The book takes place in France, and the narrator seems to be trying to emulate that by using a really thick French accent. The problem is that the narrator’s French accent was so thick several times during the novel that I couldn’t understand what she was saying. It definitely detracted from the story. It almost made me not want to DNF it.

• Publish Date: July 25, 2023
• Length: 272 pages / 7 hours 12 minutes
• Genre: Magical Realism, Romance

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Pygmalion by George Bernard Shaw (1913)

This was my pick for the Reading Through the Decades Reading Challenge for the category of books published in the 1910s. And I loved it! This is actually the play behind the movie My Fair Lady, and because it’s a play, I decided an audio version would probably be a good medium for this one. (Audible has several versions available in its Audible Plus catalog, which means I didn’t even have to use a credit for it.) I was not disappointed, and I was able to finish it in one day. The play tells the story of Eliza Doolittle, who is an uneducated lower-class woman selling flowers in London. When she meets phonetics professor Henry Higgins, he makes a bet that he can get her to pass for a high-class lady by improving her speech. In my opinion, this play is worth reading for the last act alone. In Roman mythology (as told by Ovid), Pygmalion is a king and sculptor who creates a statue of a woman who is so beautiful that he falls in love with it. The goddess Venus decides to make the statue come alive.

• Publish Date: 1912
• Length: 122 pages / 2 hours 38 minutes
• Genre: Dramas & Plays

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Core Christianity by Michael Horton (2016)

As soon as I finished reading this book, I started it over again. That’s how much I liked it. This is the perfect book to give to a new Christian or to anyone who feels like they need a refresher course on Christian doctrine. While Horton is a theologian and seminary professor, he writes in a very approachable way without dumbing down the content. This book explores topics such as the Trinity, the atonement, the gospel, end times, and who God is. One part I found especially helpful is when he summarizes the Bible. Sometimes, figuring out exactly how the Bible all fits together can be confusing. He makes it very understandable.

• Publish Date: 2016
• Length: 192 pages / 5 hours 4 minutes
• Genre: Christian theology

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What did you read in February? I would love to hear about it!

The post Quick Lit: What I Read in February 2024 appeared first on Passion of Audiobooks.

I seriously did not read a bad book all month. And not only that, most of the books I read were 5 stars.

The books I read crossed several genres, including

• Romance
• Historical Fiction
• Literary Fiction
• Thriller

I should mention that there are other books I started that I plan to return to in February that I am also excited about.

These are the titles I finished in January 2024.

The Christmas Star by Kate Forster

I started the month by finishing my last Christmas book of the season. I picked this one up on whim a when I saw it for free in the Audible Plus catalog. (Not really free for everyone, but free for those who have an Audible subscription.) This was a thoroughly enjoyable listen. I never knew I loved the fake-romance trope, but now I know I do. And this one was especially fun because one of the characters doesn’t actually know the true identity of the other, who happens to be a famous movie star. Not only was it a fun and heartfelt story, I also thought that it was very well-written. Add this one to your Christmas TBR for next year! (Unless you’re one of those people, like me!, who like to read Christmas books all year round!)

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If I Were You by Lynn Austin

As soon as I learned that the The Wish Book Christmas was part of a series (albeit a very short series), I knew I wanted to read more. That’s why one of my first reads of the year was If I Were You.

If I Were You is an epic novel that tells the story of life in England during World War II through the lens of two women who are the same age, but polar opposites in every other way. The book starts in the present, in 1950 in the United States, when widowed war bride Audrey Clarkson and her young son show up at the home of the parents of her deceased husband in Connecticut to find her old longtime friend Eve Dawson pretending to be her. The book then goes back and tells how they got to where they are and why.

I loved this book! It is beautifully written and has such well-developed characters. If you like historical fiction, especially World War 2 historical fiction, definitely check this one out!

Click here to read my full review.

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The American Queen by Vanessa Miller

One of the reasons I love historical fiction is learning about moments in history that I previously knew nothing about. I am so thankful for authors like Vanessa Miller who do such an amazing job of bringing these historical events and people to light.

The American Queen tells the story about a group of formerly enslaved Americans who were forced out of their homes in Mississippi. They travel northward in search of their own land where they could settle and establish their own community, and they do just that under the leadership of their sweet queen and king in a series of providential events. This is a beautiful and true story about loyalty, survival, trust, power, love, and forgiveness.

I loved this audio version. My favorite part was when the narrator would sing. She really brought Louella to life. I love how this book shows how God works in ways we can’t even imagine. This definitely came through in the ending of this book.

Thank you to NetGalley, HarperCollins, and Thomas Nelson Fiction for sharing this advanced reader’s copy in exchange for my honest review.

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Dark Corners by Megan Goldin

Thrillers are not my go-to genre, but this is my fourth Megan Goldin novel, and I have enjoyed every one. I especially like the Rachel Krall series. The Rachel Krall character has a way of bringing a human touch to stories that would feel pretty hopeless without her point of view. Rachel is a popular true-crime podcaster whom we first met in The Night Swim, which came out in 2020. In Dark Corners, Rachel is called to help out the FBI by meeting with an inmate they believe is somehow involved in the recent disappearance of a popular influencer. The book ends up being a deep dive into the underbelly of the influencer world. There’s also a lesson that sometimes there are other explanations for what may seem obvious at first glance. As one of the main characters says, “The scariest monster is the one that hides in plain sight.” This book had me hooked from the beginning to the end.

I really hope there are more books in the Rachel Krall series, especially now that she’s dating an FBI agent.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for sharing this advanced reader’s copy in exchange for my honest review.

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Greek Lessons by Han Kang

Within the first chapter of this book, I wasn’t sure I was going to finish it. But because I have a rule that I always give books at least four chapters before I DNF, I decided to stick it out. AND I am so glad I did!

This is what I would call quiet literary fiction. It was the perfect read right after finishing a fast-paced thriller. This book explores so many interesting topics such as religion, existentialism, childhood trauma, language, cultural differences, and more. But when I think about it, I think the most important theme is how we cope with challenges in life caused by situations that are out of our control, and how those challenges have a tendency to alienate people from others — often through no fault of their own. It made me realize how often people are walking around bearing something really hard and doing so quietly.

While this isn’t a book you’re going to see on BookTok, I predict that this is a book people will still be reading 50 years from now. I think this is the kind of book that could be assigned reading in a college-level course because of the wide breadth of philosophical topics it explores.

And, yes, given the title, part of the book does take place in a Greek course. I took three years of Ancient Greek in college, so I loved the parts where they discussed the intricacies of the Greek language, and what it’s like learning a dead language.

Expect this one to be a slow burn at the start, but given that it’s less than 200 pages, it’s over rather quickly.

My first thought after finishing this one is that I want to read it again! I rarely feel that way about a book.

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The Call of the Wild by Jack London

The Call of the Wild was my pick for the Reading Through the Decades Reading Challenge for books that were published between 1900 and 1909. I remember reading this book in school in third grade, but I remembered so little about it. I really enjoyed this book, and also found it relatively easy to read. I say relatively because there isn’t a lot of dialogue in this book, and I often find that dialogue can help move a story line along. It follows the life of a dog named Buck, who is a domesticated dog in Northern California. He is stolen from his owner and sold to join a team of dogs that serve those involved in the Klondike Gold Rush in the Yukon Territory in Canada, just East of the Alaska border. The new world he is brought into is completely new to him, and he has to quickly learn how to navigate this world in order to survive. Buck undergoes a complete transformation from domesticated dog to a dog that not only serves humans, but also learns how to survive in the wild. I thought it served as an interesting commentary on human nature as he has to learn how work with different types of people — some good and some very bad.

At just over 100 pages this is a pretty quick read. I chose this edition to share because it includes the original illustrations, which also show up in the Kindle version as well.

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What did you read this month?? I would love to hear about it!

The post Quick Lit: What I Read in January 2024 appeared first on Passion of Audiobooks.

I love Christmas books, and I will read them any time of year because I have found they tend to be comfort reads. And when I need a good comfort read, a Christmas book typically fills the need.

But given that it’s December, this month has been all about Christmas and Advent books. (as you will see below).

There have been a few I have truly loved (and hope you will pick up if they sound appealing to you), and a few that have been a bit disappointing (and one I DNFd).

Keep reading to find out more!

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What I Read in December 2023

A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

I decided to read A Christmas Carol after realizing that while I was familiar with the story from various movies and plays, I had never actually read the book. This book will not only go down as one of my favorite Christmas books, but also one of my favorite books of all time. Ebenezer Scrooge not only hates Christmas, he thinks it’s a complete waste of a day. He has no love for anything except making money. That all changes when he is visited by the ghost of his former business partner Jacob Marley who is now living the afterlife in heavy chains because of how poorly he treated people. As Scrooge is shown his past, present, and future, he has an unlikely transformation.

If you’ve never read this book, this is the year. It’s a reminder why some classic books are classics.

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The Christmas Box by Richard Paul Evans

I had to read Richard Paul Evans’ debut novel. Evans is known as “the King of Christmas Fiction,” and it all started with this book that was published 30 years ago in 1993. I think at 123 pages, you can safely call this one a novella. I thought it was very well written and an engaging and sweet story, but I think this is one that may suffer from being too short because there really isn’t time to get to know the characters on as deep a level as I would like. That being said, Evans said that when he first wrote the story that it was never intended to be published, but that he wrote it for his daughters as a way for them to understand how much he loved them. Given that context, I think it makes sense why the characters weren’t more developed.

As a Christian, I also had some theological issues, which shouldn’t be surprising given that Evans is Mormon, but I may leave that for a longer review.

With all that being said, I am definitely interested in reading more of his books because I would like to see how it compares when he’s writing a book he does intend to publish.

It’s worth noting that this book is the first in a trilogy.

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The Christmas Spirit by Debbie Macomber

I love books that include a transformation, and this one has several of them. I especially love transformations that are the result of grace and honesty. Pete and Hank have been best friends since childhood, but they both have very different careers as adults. Hank owns and runs a bar, and Pete is a pastor. They meet regularly for lunch at a diner that’s about halfway between them. And they are both convinced that the other person’s job is way easier than theirs. So they decide to do a job swap for a week. The both quickly learn about the challenges they both face, and they both start to develop relationships with each other patrons and parishioners. Oh, and they both fall in love. This was a sweet book with some thought provoking issues. This book did not disappoint. This book contains Christian themes of grace and love. I think it does a good job of showing how destructive self-righteousness can be. This would be a good book for Christians to read because I think we need that reminder.

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Christmas by the Book by Anne Marie Ryan

I went into this book expecting it to be a book about a couple who were desperately trying to save their small independent bookstore from going under, but it’s really about so much more. Nora and Simon are empty nesters who own a bookstore that is on the brink of going out of business because they are seriously behind on their business taxes. BUT Simon doesn’t know that because Nora has been keeping it from him because he recently had some minor heart problems, and she doesn’t want to stress him out. In the middle of all of this, they are inspired to send six books to six people that are nominated through the bookstore’s instagram account. (One of my favorite parts is where they are discussing the different books to include. I felt like I was among friends.) They wrap the books, but forget which one is which, so they end up getting delivered randomly. As the books get delivered, you start to learn about the people who are receiving them. I love books with lots of interesting layers, and this one definitely delivers. This is a great book for book lovers with several interesting characters. Do they manage to save the bookstore? You’ll have to read to find out!

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Skipping Christmas by John Grisham

I know we tend to say that the book is always better than the movie, but when it comes to this one, you may just want to watch the movie. This book is less about a couple Skipping Christmas and more about everyone’s reaction to the couple deciding to skip Christmas. I mostly found this one annoying because it was all just so unrealistic and not believable. For example, if a couple decided to take a cruise because they are new empty nesters and their only daughter is out of the country for the first time with the peace corp, I’m pretty sure everyone understand. BUT given the fact that they aren’t leaving until Christmas Day for their cruise, why can’t they put up the stupid Christmas lights and snowman? The one thing I’ll say for this book is that it’s short and moves pretty quickly.

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Bright Lights, Big Christmas by Mary Kay Andrews

I DNF’d this one. I may try another Mary Kay Andrews book at some point, but I did not enjoy this one. I listened to it on audio, and this one may suffer from having a bad narrator. For example, the main character is from the South, and the way she does her southern accent just made her sound dumb — like the Valley Girl version of a Southern Belle. The romantic interest of the main character also felt forced. And the main character’s relationship with her brother, who she runs the Christmas tree lot with, was awkward. After I started to feel like I was forcing myself to finish it, I knew I needed to just let it go.

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Countdown to Christmas by Jo Thomas

Chloe is a single mom living in the UK, but this year, her son Ruben is spending the whole month of December with his dad in New York. Chloe wants to ignore the Christmas season because she is missing her son when she finds out there is some property in Quebec, Canada. After some prodding, she decides to go check it out. She finds herself in a small, quirky town in the middle of a forest. I had never heard of Jo Thomas until about a month ago, but I was intrigued when I read that she writes romance books about food. I’m about halfway through this one, but so far it seems really cute. I will report back how it ends.

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Come Let Us Adore Him by Paul David Tripp

I have a tradition with a couple of friends where every year we read an Advent devotional together, and this year’s pick is Come Let Us Adore Him by Paul David Tripp. This might be my favorite so far of the devotionals we’ve read. As one of my friend’s pointed out: “he keeps pointing us back to Christ.” I find that one of the other points that Tripp keeps trying to drive home is that at Christmas we’re focused on the baby, but that baby came for a purpose. Tripp has a way of saying so much in so little space. He really gives you a lot to ponder. While this book is not intended to be read to children, he includes discussion points that can be done with the whole family that I think would lead to some interesting conversations.

Some favorite quotes so far:

“But in one of the gorgeous mysteries of God’s sovereign grace, he looked down on his broken, rebellious world with eyes of mercy.”

“The King would die as a criminal, so that criminals against his rule would be welcome into his throne room and live with all the rights and privileges of being members of his royal family.”

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God is in the Manger by Dietrich Bonhoeffer

I saw this one for free on the Audible Plus catalog and thought it would make an interesting listen. Bonhoeffer reportedly wrote a lot of these when he was in the Nazi concentration camp in the years leading up to his death. Bonhoeffer did not think he was going to die there, but it’s interesting to read these in light of the war. I always find Bonhoeffer’s writings to be interesting and though provoking, and this one is no different. Each entry only takes about five minutes to listen to.

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What did you read this month? I would love to hear about it.

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The post December 2023 Books: What I’ve Been Reading This Month appeared first on Passion of Audiobooks.

I’ve started picking up some Christmas novels as we’re heading into the Christmas season. If I could recommend one Christmas book to read this year, I highly recommend The Wish Book Christmas by Lynn Austin. Not only is that book a heart-warming Christmas story, it is also a great historical fiction book.

Let me know if you’ve read any of the books below or if there are any that sound interesting to you.

I would love to hear about what you’ve been reading lately, too. Please drop a comment below.

Happy Reading!

What I’ve Been Reading Lately

Darling Girls by Sally Hepworth

I will always pick up a Sally Hepworth novel, so when I had the opportunity to read her forthcoming novel, I jumped at the chance. Her novels always have the right mix of mystery and what I would categorize as women’s fiction. And her books have just the right amount of plot to make the novel almost read itself without sacrificing interesting and complex characters. Having read a fair number of Hepworth novels, my verdict on Darling Girls is: I think this is her best novel to date!

Darling Girls focuses on three women who grew up in the foster-care system in Australia. The women, who refer to each other as sisters, all lived in the same home with an abusive foster-mother. What’s interesting about the abuse is that none of it is physical. It’s all emotional and psycological. But these girls live in fear. I think this book a good reminder that sometimes emotional and psychological abuse is almost more deceptive than physical abuse because a savvy abuser will convince you that you deserve it. This book also highlights some serious gaslighting and a surprising unreliable narrator. I always find unreliable narrators especially creepy.

Unfortunately, Darling Girls will not be released in the United States until next year. But definitely pick this one up when it comes out. I predict you will see this book on a lot of summer reading lists for 2024.

In the meantime, if you haven’t read The Soulmate yet, definitely check that out.

• Genre: Mystery & Thrillers | Women’s Fiction
• Length: 352 pages
• Publication Date: April 23, 2024

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for sharing this advanced readers copy in exchange for my honest review.

Where to Buy:

Amazon Audible

The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith

If I had known what a delight these books were, I would have started reading this series a long time ago. I remember seeing these books on my mom’s bookshelves for years, and when I saw it on the shelf of one of favorite bookstores a couple of years ago, I decided to pick it up. So this is my not-so-gentle nudge to not make the mistake I made by taking so long to finally pick this one up. Mma Ramotswe just inherited a herd of cattle from her father, which she sells and uses the proceeds to start her own business as the local private detective. As the story unfolds, we start to learn that there is much more to Ramotswe (and her family) than meets the eye. One thing I really like about this book is that although it is a mystery novel, it’s not a murder mystery.

• Genre: Mystery
• Length: 235 pages
• Publication Date: Jan. 1, 1998

Where to Buy:

Amazon Audible

Forever Strong by Gabrielle Lyon

There is a genre of books that I read every year but for some reason don’t talk about very often, and that is books related to health and wellness. While this is something that has always interested me, my interest has definitely grown as I have gotten older. I especially love ready books about health and wellness written by women. I can’t remember where I first stumbled upon Dr. Gabrielle Lyon, but she talks about something that is very important to me — how to age without becoming fragile. I know old people who can barely walk across the room, and I know old people in their 80s who are running circles around everyone else. I would very much like to be in the latter group. And that what this book is all about, as it says in the subtitle — aging well. Dr. Lyon says the secret has to do with building muscle and increasing your protein intake. I have been working on implementing her eating plan, and one thing I like about it so far is that there is a lot of freedom. The one thing she is firm on is making sure you get enough protein, which she spells out what that looks like in the book, but there is a lot of flexibility after that. If this is a topic that interests you, I definitely recommend checking out this book.

• Genre: Health & Fitness
• Length: 368 pages
• Publication Date: Oct. 17, 2023

Where to Buy:

Amazon Audible

Ordinary Grace by William Kent Krueger

This Tender Land by William Kent Krueger is one of my favorite books, so I’ve had my eye on Krueger’s backlist for some time. This book did not disappoint. Both books are five star reads for me. Ordinary Grace is a story about brokenness, coming of age, and as the title implies, grace. It focuses on a family that lives in a small town in southern Minnesota in the summer of 1961. It is told through the lens of 12-year-old boy Frank, who very rarely goes anywhere without his younger brother Jake, who suffers from a horrible stutter. Frank and Jake’s father is the town minister, but the family members all have mixed feelings about God, except for their father. By the end of the book, that changes after tragedy strikes the family. This book is full of interesting and complex characters. Even though I read this one is fall, I think this would make a great summer read.

• Genre: Mystery | Historical Fiction | Literary Fiction
• Length: 307 pages
• Publication Date: March 26, 2013

Where to Buy:

Amazon Audible

The Christmas Shoes by Donna VanLiere

Pull out the tissue box for this one. The Christmas Shoes tells the story of two opposite worlds — one of professional success and a more humble world of a family facing the death of a mother. The two worlds cross paths when main characters, lawyer Robert Layton and eight-year-old boy Nathan Andrews, are in a store to buy Christmas presents on Christmas Eve, and Nathan wants to buy a gift for his mom but doesn’t have enough money. This book is both heartwarming and heartbreaking. The Christmas Shoes became a film in 2002, starring Rob Lowe. This book is more than 20 years old, and it remains one of the most beloved Christmas classics.

Read my full review here!

• Genre: Christmas Fiction | Christian
• Length: 144 pages
• Publication Date: Nov. 9, 2001

Where to Buy:

Amazon Audible

The Wish Book Christmas by Lynn Austin

This book completely exceeded my expectations. It makes me want to read more Lynn Austin books. The Wish Book Christmas is a heartwarming Christmas novel that explores themes of redemption, forgiveness, and friendship. Set in postwar America, the story follows two single mothers, Audrey and Eve, and their young sons as they navigate the true meaning of Christmas. The book delves into the complexities of their lives and relationships. This book is great for fans of historical fiction. Although it is a sequel to If I Were You, it can be enjoyed as a standalone novel. (I can say this because I have never read If I Were You, and I loved this book.)

Go here to read my full review!

• Genre: Christmas Fiction | Historical Fiction | Christian
• Length: 304 pages
• Publication Date: Sept. 7, 2021

Where to Buy:

Amazon Audible

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis

This book probably doesn’t even need an introduction unless you just are an alien that just landed on the planet. I think this is my third time reading this book, and it never disappoints. I’ve been listening to the audio version in the car with my kiddos on the way to school every morning, and it is very well done. The version I’m listening to is read by Michael York. You can find it on both Audible and Libro.fm.

• Genre: Fantasy | Middle Grade
• Length: 206 pages
• Publication Date: Oct. 16, 1950

Where to Buy:

Amazon Audible

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The post November 2023 Quick Lit: What I’ve Been Reading Lately appeared first on Passion of Audiobooks.