2025 in Books

January 5, 2026January 4, 2026 / Kristi / Leave a comment

2025 was a mostly standard year of reading. I did get minorly addicted to a game on my phone for a few months, and my reading suffered. Then I got rid of the game, and more than my reading benefited. My average rating of books was fairly low (see breakdown of ratings near the bottom), which is kind of sad, but hopefully I can get better at picking books I’ll like more this year.

I read 148 books in 2025, hitting my Goodreads challenge of 140 books on December 12th. My total page count was 42,731, making my average book length for the year 289 pages.

Below are the books I read in 2025. The link is to my review for that book, and a link to the book on Goodreads is at the bottom of each review.

January

God Loves Me and I Love Myself! by Mark DeJesus (1.5 / 5)
Three Act Tragedy by Agatha Christie (4.5 / 5)
The Emperor’s Code by Gordon Korman (4.5 / 5)
Anchor in the Storm by Sarah Sundin (4.5 / 5)
Shatterproof** by Roland Smith (4 / 5)
Unleashed by David Rosenfelt (4.5 / 5)
How to Thrive as a Pastor’s Wife by Christine Hoover (5 / 5)
On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness** by Andrew Peterson (5 / 5)
Under Lock & Skeleton Key by Gigi Pandian (3 / 5)
Made to Be She* by Kristen Clark & Bethany Beal (5 / 5)
The Murder at the Vicarage by Agatha Christie (3 / 5)
United as One by Pittacus Lore (3 / 5)
Free* by E.B. Roshan (5 / 5)

February

Storm Warning** by Linda Sue Park (4 / 5)
Midnight on the Scottish Shore* by Sarah Sundin (5 / 5)
Do the Bright Thing by Bill Myers (4 / 5)
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë (3 / 5)
Storm Warning* by Elizabeth Goddard (2.5 / 5)
Al Capone Does My Homework by Gennifer Choldenko (5 / 5)
Claudia and the Phantom Phone Calls** by Ann M. Martin (4 / 5)
Christy by Catherine Marshall (5 / 5)
Bittersweet Rendezvous in New England* by Diane Green (2 / 5)
Hounded by David Rosenfelt (5 / 5)
Trust No One by Linda Sue Park (4 / 5)
Reclaiming Quiet* by Sarah Clarkson (2 / 5)

March

Version 1.0.0

The Kaiju Preservation Society by John Scalzi (3 / 5)
Disney at Dawn by Ridley Pearson (3 / 5)
The Shingle Weaver’s Picnic* by P.C. Smith (2.5 / 5)
North! or Be Eaten** by Andrew Peterson (5 / 5)
No Compromise by Melody Green & David Hazard (4.5 / 5)
Death in the Clouds by Agatha Christie (3 / 5)
The Unbreakable Code by Jennifer Chambliss Bertman (4.5 / 5)
Into the Gauntlet** by Margaret Peterson Haddix (4 / 5)
The Sisters of Corinth by Angela Elwell Hunt (5 / 5)
The Fugitive by Pittacus Lore (3.5 / 5)
Who Let the Dog Out by David Rosenfelt (4 / 5)
I See You’ve Called in Dead* by John Kenney (2.5 / 5)

April

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society** by Mary Ann Shaffer & Annie Barrows (5 / 5)
The Martian** by Andy Weir (4.5 / 5)
World of Warcraft, Vol. 4 by Walter & Louise Simonson (3 / 5)
The Monster in the Hollows** by Andrew Peterson (5 / 5)
Framed* by John Grisham & Jim McCloskey (4 / 5)
Cards on the Table by Agatha Christie (3 / 5)
Day of Doom by David Baldacci (3 / 5)
Vespers Rising** by Rick Riordan, Peter Lerangis, Gordon Korman, Jude Watson (4 / 5)
Murder Between Friends* by Liz Lawson (3 / 5)
Outfoxed by David Rosenfelt (4.5 / 5)
When Tides Turn by Sarah Sundin (3.5 / 5)

May

The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes (3.5 / 5)
The Warden and the Wolf King** by Andrew Peterson (5 / 5)
Face of Death by Blake Pierce (3 / 5)
The Navigator by Pittacus Lore (4 / 5)
The ABC Murders by Agatha Christie (4.5 / 5)
Night Swimming* by Aaron Starmer (3.5 / 5)
The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August by Claire North (4 / 5)
The Twelve Dogs of Christmas* by David Rosenfelt (4 / 5)
Misplaced Threats** by Alan Zimm (4 / 5)

June

Shell Shocked* by Kathleen Welton (1 / 5)
Dogged Pursuit* by David Rosenfelt (4 / 5)
The Alcatraz Escape by Jennifer Chambliss Bertman (4.5 / 5)
The Boxcar Children** by Gertrude Chandler Warner (4 / 5)
The Truth About Stacey** by Ann M. Martin (3 / 5)
Murder in Mesopotamia by Agatha Christie (3.5 / 5)
Stellar English* by Frank L. Cioffi (4 / 5)

July

Mary Anne Saves the Day** by Ann M. Martin (5 / 5)
The Hunger Games** by Suzanne Collins (5 / 5)
Beauty in the Least by Bill Myers & Robert West (3 / 5)
Alcatraz Versus the Evil Librarians by Brandon Sanderson (3.5 / 5)
Cloaked in Beauty* by Karen Witemeyer (2 / 5)
Collared by David Rosenfelt (4.5 / 5)
Murder in the Mews by Agatha Christie (4 / 5)
The Collector of Burned Books* by Roseanna M. White (3 / 5)
Surprise Island by Gertrude Chandler Warner (2 / 5)
Moonleapers* by Margaret Peterson Haddix (4 / 5)
The Secret Blend by Stan Toler (4 / 5)
Catching Fire** by Suzanne Collins (5 / 5)

August

Disney in Shadow by Ridley Pearson (1.5 / 5)
Rescued by David Rosenfelt (4 / 5)
The Yellow House Mystery by Gertrude Chandler Warner (3 / 5)
Dawn of Grace* by Jill Eileen Smith (2.5 / 5)
Dumb Witness by Agatha Christie (4 / 5)
The Hawthorne Legacy by Jennifer Lynn Barnes (3 / 5)
A Spell to Wake the Dead* by Nicole Lesperance (3 / 5)
Mockingjay** by Suzanne Collins (4 / 5)
The Guard by Pittacus Lore (3 / 5)
Deck the Hounds by David Rosenfelt (3.5 / 5)
Mystery Ranch by Gertrude Chandler Warner (2 / 5)
I Know What You Did Last Summer by Lois Duncan (3 / 5)
Al Capone Throws Me a Curve by Gennifer Choldenko (4.5 / 5)
Death on the Nile by Agatha Christie (4.5 / 5)
The Daughter of Rome by Angela Elwell Hunt (4 / 5)
Lava* by E.B. Roshan (4 / 5)

September

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes** by Suzanne Collins (4 / 5)
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone** (MinaLima version) by J.K. Rowling (4 / 5)
Very Dangerous Things* by Lauren Muñoz (2 / 5)
Bark of Night by David Rosenfelt (4.5 / 5)
The Wedding Bond by Lee Tobin McClain (2 / 5)
How to Train Your Dragon by Cressida Cowell (4 / 5)
Theodore Boone: Kid Lawyer by John Grisham (4 / 5)
True Life in Uncanny Valley* by Deb Caletti (1.5 / 5)
Mandie and the Secret Tunnel** by Lois Gladys Leppard (4 / 5)
Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones (4 / 5)
Appointment with Death by Agatha Christie (3 / 5)
Forward As Always by Olan Rogers & Jake Sidwell (3 / 5)
Legacy by Clifford Riley (4 / 5)
Beyond the Far Horizon* by Carolyn Leiloglou (5 / 5)
The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey (2.5 / 5)

October

Edgeland by Jake Halpern & Peter Kujawinski (2.5 / 5)
Dachshund Through the Snow by David Rosenfelt (4 / 5)
How to Be a Pirate by Cressida Cowell (3 / 5)
The Maze Cutter by James Dashner (2 / 5)
Hercule Poirot’s Christmas by Agatha Christie (3.5 / 5)
The Final Gambit by Jennifer Lynn Barnes (4 / 5)
Ms. Pennypickle’s Puzzle Quest* by Chris Grabenstein (5 / 5)
Castle in the Air by Diana Wynne Jones (2 / 5)
The Lost Causes of Bleak Creek** by Rhett McLaughlin & Link Neal (4.5 / 5)
Seven Things I Wish Christians Knew About the Bible by Michael F. Bird (3 / 5)
And to All a Good Bite* by David Rosenfelt (5 / 5)
Not If I Save You First** by Ally Carter (1.5 / 5)
Mr. Lemoncello’s Library Olympics: The Graphic Novel* by Chris Grabenstein (4.5 / 5)
The Lost Lieutenant** by Erica Vetsch (5 / 5)
Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins (5 / 5)

November

Pageflex Persona [document: PRS0000040_00026]

How to Speak Dragonese by Cressida Cowell (4 / 5)
Finding Phoebe* by Ellie Katz (3 / 5)
The Minor Rescue* by Meredith Davis (3.5 / 5)
Odd Thomas by Dean Koontz (4 / 5)
Resistance by Jaye L. Knight (3.5 / 5)
House of Many Ways by Diana Wynne Jones (3.5 / 5)
The Sea Before Us** by Sarah Sundin (4 / 5)
Muzzled by David Rosenfelt (4.5 / 5)
Power** by Kristi Drillien (5 / 5)
The Godhead Complex by James Dashner (2 / 5)

December

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How to Cheat a Dragon’s Curse by Cressida Cowell (4.5 / 5)
In the Light of the Sun* by Angela Shupe (3 / 5)
The Crossover Graphic Novel by Kwame Alexander (4 / 5)
Mandie and the Cherokee Legend** by Lois Gladys Leppard (2 / 5)
Forever Odd by Dean Koontz (3 / 5)
A Scheming in Parliament by Erica Vetsch (5 / 5)
The Abduction by John Grisham (4 / 5)
A Christmas Cup of Joe by Kirsten Clark (4 / 5)
Dawn and the Impossible Three** by Ann M. Martin (4 / 5)
The K Team by David Rosenfelt (3 / 5)
The King’s Scrolls by Jaye L. Knight (4.5 / 5)
A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens (4.5 / 5)
A Sea View Christmas* by Julie Klassen (3 / 5)
How to Twist a Dragon’s Tale by Cressida Cowell (4 / 5)
Holly and Nick Hate Christmas* by Betsy St. Amant (2 / 5)
The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan (4.5 / 5)

This list includes 32 ARCs (marked with a *) and 28 re-reads (marked with a **). During the last year, I started 16 series and finished 15 series, caught up on 1 series (meaning the author plans to release more in the future), and decided not to continue 2 series (after being at least 2 books into the series). I currently have 14 series in progress.

Here is a break-down of the ratings I gave (minus some re-reads whose rating I didn’t count again):
1 star: 1
1.5 stars: 3
2 stars: 13
2.5 stars: 4
3 stars: 30
3.5 stars: 11
4 stars: 33
4.5 stars: 19
5 stars: 16
Average rating: 3.6

I don’t think I can pick one book as my favorite for the year, so here are my top 5 (in order of when I read them, not of preference):
Midnight on the Scottish Shore by Sarah Sundin
The Sisters of Corinth by Angela Hunt
Beyond the Far Horizon by Carolyn Leiloglou
Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins
A Scheming in Parliament by Erica Vetsch

I’ve set my Goodreads challenge goal for 2026 at 150 books. I think it’ll be a bit of a stretch, but hopefully I can do it.

My ever-changing short list of to-be-reads, as well as a flag for the book I’m currently reading and an ongoing list of those I’ve read and posted about can be found here. I’m also keeping my Goodreads page updated with a more extensive list of to-be-reads, if anyone is interested in that.

What did you read last year? Let me know in the comments, and even feel free to link to your own summary post!

December in Review

January 4, 2026 / Kristi / Leave a comment

I read 16 books last month, which was a tie for the most books I read in a month this year. Though I read quite a few really short books in December, so my total page count is more like 4th for the month. Still a pretty solid month of reading, considering how busy I was around the holidays. Also, I hit my Goodreads goal to read 140 books for the year on the 12th.

Here are the books I read in December:

How to Cheat a Dragon’s Curse by Cressida Cowell (4.5 / 5)
In the Light of the Sun by Angela Shupe (3 / 5)
The Crossover Graphic Novel by Kwame Alexander (4 / 5)
Mandie and the Cherokee Legend by Lois Gladys Leppard (2 / 5)
Forever Odd by Dean Koontz (3 / 5)
A Scheming in Parliament by Erica Vetsch (5 / 5)
The Abduction by John Grisham (4 / 5)
A Christmas Cup of Joe by Kirsten Clark (4 / 5)
Dawn and the Impossible Three by Ann M. Martin (4 / 5)
The K Team by David Rosenfelt (3 / 5)
The King’s Scrolls by Jaye L. Knight (4.5 / 5)
A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens (4.5 / 5)
A Sea View Christmas by Julie Klassen (3 / 5)
How to Twist a Dragon’s Tale by Cressida Cowell (4 / 5)
Holly and Nick Hate Christmas by Betsy St. Amant (2 / 5)
The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan (4.5 / 5)

This list includes 3 ARCs and 2 re-reads. My favorite book from December was A Scheming in Parliament. I started 2 series, continued 6 series, and finished 1 series. My ever-changing short list of to-be-reads, as well as a flag for the book I’m currently reading and an ongoing list of those I’ve read and posted about can be found here.

I’m also keeping my Goodreads page updated with a more extensive list of to-be-reads. Despite my almost too-long TBR list, I’m always looking for more to add. Feel free to offer suggestions of your favorites or just recent reads you enjoyed.

Book Review: The Lightning Thief

January 3, 2026January 2, 2026 / Kristi / Leave a comment

The Lightning Thief
Percy Jackson and the Olympians #1
by Rick Riordan

My rating: 4.5 / 5
Genre: Middle grade fantasy adventure

Percy Jackson has always had issues, but then his algebra teacher attacks him and he accidentally kills her, and his dyslexia isn’t the biggest problem in his life anymore. It turns out that he is a half-blood, meaning the son of a Greek god, and now monsters are going to periodically try to kill him. And to top it all off, he’s accused of stealing Zeus’s master lightening bolt. What’s a half-blood to do?

This is one of those series that I’ve heard of for years, but was never really on my radar. But my now-15-year-old daughter read it and loved it and ended up convincing me to read it. It was a fun read! Percy is a pretty sympathetic young hero, with dyslexia and ADHD and a whole lot of catching up to do when he finds out about his parentage. Though he’s not completely ignorant, as he’s been learning about Green mythology all his life. I also really liked Grover, and though Annabeth was sort of meh to me at first, she grew on me too. Of course there are bullies, both inside and outside of the “special” world, but it’s nice to see Percy able to fight back in some way. Some of the minor wins he had along the way in general made me cheer.

The chapter titles are sometimes hilarious (ch 1: “I Accidentally Vaporize My Algebra Teacher”), sometimes intriguing, and sometimes a little dull, but overall, getting to the end of a chapter and seeing what the next would would be added a little thrill to the reading. And right off the bat, the incident with the teacher drew me in and made me so excited to know more! I don’t have much more than a sketchy knowledge of Greek mythology, so I wasn’t able to figure anything out that wasn’t explained in the story. On the other hand, I did correctly guess how the main part of the prophecy Percy receives would play out. It didn’t bother me to figure it out in advance, though. It just made sense.

There were two main downsides for me, one being just the nature of Greek mythology that comes into play so heavily in this book. Apparently it’s common for them to sleep around and either impregnate women or, in the case of the female gods, get pregnant themselves, only to abandon the baby and his/her mother/father. All through the centuries. I mean…it’s just kind of skeevy to me. The other downside was the motivation for the bad guy and his minion(s). It’s a bit cliché. But I suppose it might be pretty apt given who the main bad guy is. Plus, this book is written for kids around 10-13, so it probably won’t be particularly cliché for them yet. And both of these together only meant a half-star detraction, because the book was overall a lot of fun and excitement with a hint of much more to come. I recommend this to pre-teens and young teens (and it would be a good one for more reluctant readers, I think, especially boys), but really anyone who enjoys younger audience fantasy and adventure would probably like it.

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Book Review: How to Twist a Dragon’s Tale

January 2, 2026January 1, 2026 / Kristi / Leave a comment

How to Twist a Dragon’s Tale
How to Train Your Dragon #5
by Cressida Cowell
read by David Tennant

My rating: 4 / 5
Genre: Middle grade fantasy

When a legendary Viking hero long believed dead rescues Hiccup and the other young Vikings-in-training from certain death, Stoick asks the hero to be Hiccup’s bodyguard (well, I was listening to the audiobook, and I think it was actually called a “bardy-guard,” but I really don’t know for sure how it was spelled). But it turns out that Humongously Hotshot might not have had Hiccup’s best interests at heart.

We’re well past the point of this series reminding me at all of the movies anymore, which is good, because it’s a lot easier to evaluate the stories on their own. The last couple have been much more enjoyable, breaking at least enough from the formula of Hiccup being ridiculed by the other Vikings and sort of stumbling into a situation where he gets to save the day. This one goes back to the formula a little, enough to where it doesn’t make any sense that people keep ignoring Hiccup’s wisdom and acting as if he’s completely inept, even though he’s saved the day multiple times by now. Despite all that, this is another fun story with another good temporary character and another visit from an archvillain. Toothless adds to the story in his own way, both for ill and for good. And as always, David Tennant’s narration bumps the enjoyment level up a notch or two. This is a solid addition to the series, though if you’re interested, I’d recommend starting at the beginning. Though it took me a bit to get into the series, it’s still worth reading all of it.

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Book Review: Fireside Reading of A Christmas Carol

January 1, 2026 / Kristi / Leave a comment

A Christmas Carol
Charles Dickens
Read by Gildart Jackson

My rating: 4.5 / 5
Genre: Classic Christmas fiction

Most everyone knows the story about Scrooge and the Christmas ghosts, even if they’ve only seen it portrayed by Mickey and Scrooge McDuck. I’ve never read the book, but when I found the Fireside Reading version on Hoopla, I knew it would be a perfect addition to my Christmastime reading. Hearing the source material for so many adaptations and parodies was really interesting. And hearing it read by Gildart Jackson by a fire, with his various extra comments in between sessions made it all the more enlightening.

As for the story itself, it’s a little difficult to gauge it on its own after knowing the story so much of my life, but I did enjoy the time spent listening. Though there were a couple of specific things I noted. One is that it seemed like Scrooge actually starts to think very differently after the second of the three ghosts, so why does he need the third one? I guess it sort of tipped him over. But also, during the Christmas-past section, his transition from a poor, lonely kid to a Gain-loving young adult was kind of sudden. It took me a little bit to follow the scene with the Belle, the woman he was engaged to, as she told him that he was putting his pursuit of wealth in front of her. I guess that was supposed be the indication to us that he had become so fearful and changed, but it was abrupt to me. Overall, though, I enjoyed listening to this story and especially liked the narration. It’s fairly short, so if you’ve never read the original and find yourself interested, I recommend it.

Find out more about A Christmas Carol or Gildart Jackson’s Fireside Reading

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Book Review: The King’s Scrolls

December 30, 2025 / Kristi / Leave a comment

The King’s Scrolls
The Ilyon Chronicles #2
by Jaye L. Knight

My rating: 4.5 / 5
Genre: Christian fantasy

Kyrin, her twin brother Kaden, and the half-ryrik Jace are now living with other resistance members in a camp in the woods of Arcacia and helping run missions to free other followers of Elôm, an outlawed religion. When the camp gets some unexpected visitors in the form of a group of dragon-riding cretes who ask for help in tracking down the last original copies of the King’s Scrolls, which contain the Word of Elôm to his followers.

With this book, I realized I was a little off in my comparison of this fantasy world to the time of Nero’s persecution of Christians. It seems much more like Old Testament times now, and I found it fascinating that the couple of times that words from the scrolls were shared, they were right out of the Bible. Knight clearly didn’t want to create her own religion and instead made the decision to mirror biblical history in her fantasy series. As an author who went through a process of trying to decide whether or not to create a new religion for a fantasy world I had dreamed up, this is really interesting to me. There are a lot of great moments in this book, both related to the religious aspects and otherwise. Dragons, family connections, allies and betrayals. And though I began to suspect that Knight was always going to write an out for anyone in peril, there is a devastating loss in this book as well. It’s sad, definitely, but makes the story more real. And it’s a beautiful example of John 12:24 (which may be a spoiler, so maybe don’t look it up if you don’t know it).

There were a couple of main downsides to me, the first being that I still just don’t care about Kyrin at all, which is a shame, since she seems to be the main-main character. She’s just so…blah. A little too shiny, if that makes sense to anyone else. The other issue I had was peril fatigue. It seemed like there wasn’t enough rest time, for me or the characters, between each different danger sequence. But try as I might, I couldn’t lower the rating more than half a star for these things, because there was just so much about the book that was amazing! I was right in thinking that I’d like this book more than the first one, because the first one picked up halfway through, and this book continued from there. It’s like Knight had to sort of clear her throat with the first half of the first book, but so far, what has come after that has been great. Older teens up through adults who enjoy Christian fiction about persecution and standing up for one’s faith should consider reading this book. The fantasy ramps up a little in this book, but I still don’t think you’d have to like fantasy to enjoy it.

Find out more about The King’s Scrolls

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Book Review: Holly and Nick Hate Christmas

December 27, 2025 / Kristi / Leave a comment

Holly and Nick Hate Christmas
by Betsy St. Amant

My rating: 2 / 5
Genre: Christian Christmas romance

Holly was born on Christmas Day and named for the holiday. Nick’s childhood was rigid and not very loving, and Christmas was when he noticed the coldness the most. Both are now adults that hate Christmas and all its trappings, so when Holly’s brother Ryan, who is also Nick’s co-worker, sets them up on a date for Holly and Ryan’s family’s big Christmas party, it seems like a match made in Heaven. Right?

What do you get when you stack childish people on top of secrets and lies? A happy ending, apparently. When Holly finds out that Nick had to be convinced to be her date, rather than agreeing with gusto, she decides he should be tortured. So she proceeds to force Christmas festivities on him, even though she’s been told he hates it as much as she does. Considering that she has some real pain and even trauma that has led to her dislike of Christmas and has every reason to believe he would have the same, she decides to twist the knife anyway. Why? Because he agreed to be her date. How dare he… Then, when Holly and Nick talk and maturely decide to bury the hatchet, Holly convinces Nick to turn around and prank Ryan with her, because he was in on the terrible plot to give Holly a date for the Christmas party too. So they pretend to be madly in love to annoy Ryan…who set them up in the first place. Then when that plan comes to its merciful end, there’s another plot hatched for an equally immature reason… you probably see the trend by now. Meanwhile, Nick has a secret about Holly’s own parents that they asked him to keep from the rest of the family (5 total adults children). And in a scene right out of A Very Brady Christmas, it turns out each of the other family members has been hiding a big secret too (except Ryan).

Alongside all of this mess of deceit is a message that apparently many reviewers found too religious/Christian. But frankly, I was displeased at this having a Christian label on it. For one thing, the romance involves so much physical attraction, noticing of broad shoulders or muscles, heated touching, etc. for my taste, especially in a Christian book. For another, though the message of the true meaning of Christmas is mentioned near the end, it’s incredibly shallow and only really a reminder for characters to focus less on themselves and more on God and others. But frankly, I have no idea if any of these characters are actually Christians or if they just live the “Christian culture,” meaning that they try to live “good lives” but aren’t actually saved and following Jesus. There’s a tiny bit of conviction about all of the secrets and deception, but again, it all just felt so shallow. I don’t need a major Christian message in my Christian fiction, but this one felt like it was trying to have a message that didn’t really hit home for me. Maybe because it just felt shoehorned in near the end.

The book is billed as “enemies-to-lovers,” which doesn’t make much difference to me, but for those who might have been led to consider this book because of that—that really isn’t accurate. Holly might be angry at Nick, but he doesn’t see her remotely as an enemy. And frankly, she has to keep reminding herself to be angry at him, because she keeps getting distracted by his hotness. So clearly, there wasn’t much in this book that I’d recommend. I actually kind of liked some of the family dynamics, but overall, it was a miss for me.

Thank you to Netgalley and WaterBrook & Multnomah for providing me a copy of this book to review.

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Book Review Podcast Episode 36

December 24, 2025 / Kristi / Leave a comment

In episode 36, we review The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins, the first prequel in The Hunger Games series.

Also available on Spotify:

Book Review: The K Team

December 23, 2025December 22, 2025 / Kristi / Leave a comment

The K Team
Book #1
by David Rosenfelt
read by Fred Berman

My rating: 3 / 5
Genre: Mystery

The newly formed K Team consists of two former cops—Corey Douglas & Laurie Collins, super-human investigator Marcus Clark, and Corey’s former K-9 partner Simon. When they’re hired by a judge to find out who’s attempting to blackmail him, things quickly turn sticky and then downright dangerous.

It’s no secret how much I love the Andy Carpenter series by David Rosenfelt, so I knew I had to check out this spin-off when I got to the point in the series when it came up. The story has its merits with a conspiracy similar to those that are the norm in the Carpenter series and an overall interesting case. But sadly, Corey Douglas (the main character) is no Andy Carpenter and Fred Berman (the narrator) is no Grover Gardner. I realize that’s a little unfair to say, at least regarding the narrator, but Grover Gardner has spoiled me, so it is what it is. Andy actually appears in this book several times, and Fred Berman’s voice for him made me cringe hard the first time or two I heard it. I got used to it by the end, but wow. And the MC is pretty bland compared to Andy’s wit and sarcasm. Every once in while, Corey will make a snarky or sarcastic remark in the narration, but I certainly don’t expect Corey to be Andy (because otherwise, what’s the point of the spin-off?). But that means Corey needs his own kind of personality, and so far, I’m not seeing much. Maybe this will develop in future books, though so far there are only a few, and I have no idea if Rosenfelt plans to keep going with this spin-off, or if it just didn’t quite reach its potential. If you’ve read and enjoyed some of the main series and wonder whether you should read this book, the answer is yes, because a major development related to the main series actually does happen in this book. Major. My jaw dropped, seriously. If you haven’t read any of the main series, don’t start here. But definitely do start on the Andy Carpenter series if you’re interested.

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Book Review: A Sea View Christmas

December 22, 2025December 22, 2025 / Kristi / Leave a comment

A Sea View Christmas
An On Devonshire Shores novella
by Julie Klassen

My rating: 3 / 5
Genre: Christian historical romance, Christmas fiction

Spoiler notice: The following review may contain spoilers for the previous books in the series, starting with The Sisters of Sea View.

Sarah Summers is beginning to regret her rejection of Callum Henshall, even while part of her knows that she can’t marry and leave the boarding house her family runs behind. While she struggles with her indecision, the family prepares to host a series of holiday events at their boarding house.

After reading the main On Devonshire Shores series, I was glad to know that Sarah, who is at least a partial main character in each of the other books (I’m pretty sure I’m remembering that right) would be finally getting her happily ever after here. What I wasn’t expecting was the slow, light romance that half of the book focused on regarding the youngest Summers sister, Georgiana, who is 17 in this book and has caught the attention of an old friend. The sad thing is that I was more interested in Georgiana’s plot arc, even though it was pretty clear by the end it wasn’t meant to be the main one. Sarah’s arc, on the other hand, really bogged the story down for me. I think someone just needed to yell at her sooner and tell her that she wasn’t in control of everything. Then the story could have been a little shorter. It’s actually on the long side for a novella, at least I think so…maybe it just felt longer? Apparently at this time in history, there were something like fifteen parties throughout the Christmas season. I don’t know how everyone didn’t go broke trying to celebrate. I suppose I’m exaggerating, but it did feel like a lot of parties really close together. On the other hand, half of the fun of the book was reading about some of the festivities, especially the odd role-playing game on Twelfth Night

The book was atmospheric and a nice one to read during the Christmas season, but overall, I can’t say I enjoyed it as much as I hoped to. Based on past experience, though, I have good reason to believe that most fans of Regency-era Christian romance will enjoy this book and the series before it. Unlike the other series like this that Klassen wrote, and the Christmas-themed follow-up novella to that one, I don’t really recommend that you read this novella as a stand-alone. Sarah and Callum’s story starts in the first book in the series, and I think you’d lose something by not having read it.

Thank you to Netgalley and Bethany House for providing me a copy of this book to review.

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Genre: Middle grade fantasy adventure

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by Cressida Cowell
read by David Tennant

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Read by Gildart Jackson

My rating: 4.5 / 5
Genre: Classic Christmas fiction

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An On Devonshire Shores novella
by Julie Klassen

My rating: 3 / 5
Genre: Christian historical romance, Christmas fiction