March in Review

April 3, 2026April 3, 2026 / Kristi / Leave a comment

I read 15 books last month, which is getting to be closer to a normal month for me. And my total page count for the month was only around 300 less than my recent record-breaking month in January. It’s definitely a huge up-tick in having time to listen to audiobooks lately that’s done this, considering that 8 of the books I read last month were audiobooks (leaving only 7 that were read normally!).

Here are the books I read in March:

Cinder by Marissa Meyer (5 / 5)
How to Break a Dragon’s Heart by Cressida Cowell (2 / 5)
Mists over the Channel Islands by Sarah Sundin (5 / 5)
Exiles by Jaye L. Knight (4 / 5)
Luck and Judgement by Peter Grainger (4.5 / 5)
Kristy’s Big Day by Ann M. Martin (5 / 5)
The Scandal by John Grisham (4 / 5)
Best in Snow by David Rosenfelt (4.5 / 5)
A Kingdom of Shadows by Emily Bain Murphy (3.5 / 5)
Scarlet by Marissa Meyer (4 / 5)
Good Dog, Bad Cop by David Rosenfelt (3.5 / 5)
A Voice in the Wind by Francine Rivers (3.5 / 5)
Sadie by Courtney Summers (4.5 / 5)
This Book Kills by Ravena Guron (2 / 5)
Mandie and the Forbidden Attic by Lois Gladys Leppard (3 / 5)

This list includes 2 ARCs and 3 re-reads. My favorite book from March was Cinder. I started 3 series, continued 6 series, and finished 3 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.

*This includes 1 series I didn’t reach the end of, but decided not to continue reading, after being at least 2 books into the series.

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: A Kingdom of Shadows

March 18, 2026 / Kristi / Leave a comment

A Kingdom of Shadows
Lightseekers #1
by Emily Bain Murphy

My rating: 3.5 / 5
Genre: Middle grade fantasy

The light is disappearing and shadows are increasing in the world that 12-year-old Finn inhabits, along with his best friend Adrion and little sister Lydia. They have a plan to escape their town and try to make their way in the dimming world, but that plan is derailed when they meet Ehrit, an older teen who promises that he can take them to a lake of light. It won’t be an easy journey, but just maybe it will be worth it.

This book is stated to be similar to both The Wingfeather Saga and The Chronicles of Narnia, which is a tall order on both counts. The first is one of my favorite series (and a big deal in my family in general) and though the latter series isn’t as meaningful to me, it’s obviously a well-loved classic series. And unfortunately, to me at least, it doesn’t really live up to any of that hype. The story isn’t bad, but it felt like it rambled along to me and things that happened were kind of random. I didn’t get into the story very much, at least partly because of the lack of cohesion, so it wasn’t as enjoyable as it might have been. The characters overall were fairly bland, except Finn himself, who at least had a decent arc.

A lot of people see this as a Christian (or at least generally religious) allegory, and I can see why they do, especially considering the 2 series it’s compared to. However, I don’t see any indication that it’s meant to be such. I don’t see it listed as Christian fiction anywhere (except on Goodreads, but I’m pretty sure those labels aren’t official), and the author hasn’t written other Christian fiction that I can see. It has obvious themes of good vs. evil or light vs. dark, but felt much more mystical than faith-based to me, maybe even bordering on New Age, especially considering the bizarre “inner forest” sensing that Finn has. If it is supposed to be a Christian allegory, I can’t say I care for it. The expectation of any Christian themes aside, the book was decent enough to make me interested in continuing the series. I think that readers around the age it’s meant for (maybe 12-14) will probably enjoy the adventure more than I did, too. (For anyone like me with arachnophobia, be aware that there is a scene that might be an issue. I survived, but it wasn’t fun.)

Thank you to Netgalley and WaterBrook Children’s for providing me a copy of this book to review.

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If you’ve read this book, or read it in the future, feel free to let me know what you think!

Book Review: Mists over the Channel Islands

March 6, 2026April 3, 2026 / Kristi / Leave a comment

Mists over the Channel Islands
Allegiance Under Pressure #3
by Sarah Sundin

My rating: 5 / 5
Genre: Christian historical romance

When the Germans invade the British Channel Islands, Dr. Ivy Picot is left trying to keep her dad’s medical practice afloat, with him and half of her family evacuated to England. Then Ivy is pulled into a ring of medical people who help treat hidden laborers who are in danger from their German taskmasters who are using forced labor to build fortifications on the island. One of those responsible for the new structures marring the beautiful landscape of her beloved Jersey is Gerrit van der Zee, a Dutchman who volunteered for the work in the hopes that he’d be able to help the Allies in some way. But even as he is captivated by the lovely young doctor, he can’t tell her that he is not one of the occupiers she so despises, that he’s actually on her side.

Again I’m struck by Sarah Sundin’s grasp on the history in this time period. I’ve read a few non-fiction books about (and in some cases written by) people who were involved in underground resistance rings during WWII, and Sundin’s writing here rings true for the most part. There is one character who never quite grasps the “don’t say anything to anyone ever” concept, but the codes that are set up and different ways they attempt to keep things hidden and secret kept me engage and in suspense. I kept watching the dates tick ever closer to D-Day, then to the date I knew the Channel Islands would be liberated, and wondering how badly things would fall apart as the Germans got more and more desperate.

Sundin has a way of writing romance into her stories without making it the predominant theme or overwhelming the plot, and the same is the case here. I also really liked several of the side characters and was appropriately saddened by one particular story arc throughout the book. Then near the end, we get to reunite with characters from the previous two books in this series, and I really enjoyed that. I recommend this book to anyone who likes historical fiction from this time period in the Christian romance genre. Though this is the third book in a series, you don’t need really to read them in order. Though of course, since I enjoyed the whole series, I’d say there’s no reason not to start with the first book, Embers in the London Sky.

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

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If you’ve read this book, or read it in the future, feel free to let me know what you think!

February in Review

March 3, 2026 / Kristi / Leave a comment

I read 13 books last month, a major drop-off from the record-breaking amount of reading I did in January and much closer to a normal month for me. As the month went on, I was amused to realized that all of the books I was reading were coming out to be 4 stars (minus a couple of re-reads that were 5 stars). Up until the last 3 books (again, excluding 2 re-reads), all 4 stars. Kind of bizarre.

Here are the books I read in February:

Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir (5 / 5)
How to Ride a Dragon’s Storm by Cressida Cowell (4 / 5)
Super Puzzletastic Mysteries by Chris Grabenstein & various authors (4 / 5)
Dead Fake by Vincent Ralph (4 / 5)
But for the Grace by Peter Grainger (4 / 5)
Silent Extraction by J.N. Timmer (4 / 5)
The Fugitive by John Grisham (4 / 5)
Dog Eat Dog by David Rosenfelt (4 / 5)
The Gentleman Spy by Erica Vetsch (5 / 5)
Sad Cypress by Agatha Christie (4 / 5)
Red by Ted Dekker (5 / 5)
Citizen K-9 by David Rosenfelt (3 / 5)
Time Lottery by Nancy Moser (3.5 / 5)

This list includes 2 ARCs and 3 re-reads. My favorite book from February was Red. I started 2 series, continued 8 series, and finished 0 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.

Book Review: Dead Fake

February 12, 2026 / Kristi / Leave a comment

Dead Fake
Bleak Haven #1
by Vincent Ralph

My rating: 4 / 5
Genre: YA horror thriller

When a new trend takes over Ava’s school that lets students Swipe to Die, Ava seems to be the only one who wants nothing to do with it. It’s been ten years since her uncle murdered three people before dying himself, so death isn’t a game to her. Then fake videos of students being murdered start to appear, and Ava is appalled at how excited her fellow students are over the pretend tragedies. But when a student dies for real, in the same way he did in his fake video, Ava can’t help but look for patterns and answers, even if it means dredging up the not-so-buried past.

Overall, I enjoyed this book and was caught up in the slasher elements enough to have a hard time putting it down in the last third or so. It took a little bit to get going, but even early on, the hints about not only Ava’s uncle, but apparently quite a few mass murderers or serial killers in this town’s past intrigued me. There’s clearly a whole background here that I wanted to know more of. (There are 3 more books either already released or planned that are set in this same town, so maybe more of the town’s bloody history will be explored.) Some tropes of this genre were subverted in ways that I appreciated, like the town’s sheriff actually giving credence to Ava’s thoughts and discoveries.

I have to admit that the reveal of the killer was a little bit of a letdown for me, at least partly because there were some clues peppered here and there that seemed to be leading one way…only for them to be completely unrelated. Red herrings are one thing, but this felt a bit too deliberate. Plus, the killer’s revealed motivations and actions taken over time are either underwhelming or unrealistic. But even with these things, the story was overall pretty good, and I am definitely going to read more of this series. There is a little bit of language, including the f-word several times, but not nearly as much as I’ve read in other books in the same genre. And there is no sexual content that I can recall, beyond the mention of the MC’s friend and her new boyfriend making out a lot. Also incredibly light for the genre, which I appreciate. I’d recommend this for people who enjoy slasher fiction or thrillers in the teen/YA age range.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing me a copy of this book to review.

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If you’ve read this book, or read it in the future, feel free to let me know what you think!

January in Review

February 4, 2026February 3, 2026 / Kristi / Leave a comment

I read 17 books last month, which is quite a high to start the year. Not only is that a high monthly number for me, I broke my previous record of pages read during one month with 491 more pages than my previous high, set in December of 2022. There is one book that my husband and I read over the course of a year, so I didn’t exactly read it in January, but even without it, I would have still broken my previous record. I don’t even know that I can peg any particular reason for so much more reading last month than normal.

Here are the books I read in January:

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The Disappearances by Emily Bain Murphy (5 / 5)
Brother Odd by Dean Koontz (4.5 / 5)
The One Year Love Language Minute Devotional by Gary Chapman (3 / 5)
The Infinite Glade by James Dashner (1 / 5)
The Accused by John Grisham (4.5 / 5)
The Grasshopper Myth by Karl Vaters (2 / 5)
Silent Bite by David Rosenfelt (4 / 5)
A Hero’s Guide to Deadly Dragons by Cressida Cowell (2 / 5)
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (MinaLima version) by J.K. Rowling (4.5 / 5)
Chasing Echoes by Jodi Perkins (3 / 5)
An Accidental Death by Peter Grainger (4 / 5)
Isle of Ever by Jen Calonita (2.5 / 5)
The Activist by John Grisham (4.5 / 5)
Black by Ted Dekker (4.5 / 5)
Animal Instinct by David Rosenfelt (3.5 / 5)
Mandie and the Ghost Bandits by Lois Gladys Leppard (4 / 5)
Samara’s Peril by Jaye L. Knight (4 / 5)

This list includes 2 ARCs and 3 re-reads. My favorite book from January was The Disappearances. I started 3 series, continued 8 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.

Book Review: Isle of Ever

January 22, 2026April 10, 2026 / Kristi / Leave a comment

Isle of Ever
Book #1
by Jen Calonita

My rating: 2.5 / 5
Genre: Middle grade fantasy

Twelve-year-old Everly Benedict (who goes by Benny) is presented with a series of clues and riddles to solve in order to inherit a large estate from an ancestor who lived 200 years ago. Since she isn’t sure how her mom is going to pay this month’s rent, it seems like an answer to all of their problems. But she only has 2 weeks to finish the game and is warned to be careful who she trusts. And soon enough, it becomes clear that there’s more than an inheritance on the line.

Right up front, whatever else I thought about this book, the ending was a huge let-down. Not just a cliffhanger, but a full-stop that I see all too often in self-published books but don’t expect in traditionally published books from established authors. As an author myself, I firmly believe that not resolving an obvious story goal within that same book is a huge no-no, and unless I seriously misjudged what Calonita intended the story goal to be here, it was definitely not fully resolved. Even the final riddle was only partially solved. And though Benny is out of time, somehow she’s going to have to play a whole new game in order to “win”? Maybe the time will be extended, but either way, the ending was just so underwhelming for me.

Up to that point, the book was okay. Not stellar, but just interesting enough to make me curious about what was going on. The story is told from Benny’s POV with journal entries from her ancestor, Evelyn Terry, thrown in throughout. Those journal entries were written in 1825, though they did not sound like that to me much at all. The main downside (other than the ending) for me is that there are a lot of fantastical elements that either don’t make sense or don’t seem consistent. And very little, if anything, is explained, though that may just go along with the lack of resolution. I don’t think we were given enough chance to feel connected to the characters in that timeline to care as much as we should have about what happened to them. And quite frankly, I didn’t feel that the catalyst for the main story-propelling incident in Evelyn Terry’s timeline had enough urgency to it.

So in the end, will I read the next one when it comes out? Probably, since it comes out in a few months so I hopefully won’t have time to forget everything about this book before diving right in where this one left off. But do I recommend it? Well…it really depends a lot on how you feel about a lack of resolution. Once the 2nd book comes out in March, you can “binge read” them and maybe it won’t seem so bad, especially knowing that this first book will end this way. But since I don’t know if some of the unclear elements or inconsistencies will be cleared up in the 2nd book, it’s really difficult to say whether I recommend the book or series as a whole yet. Stay tuned…

Thank you to Netgalley and SOURCEBOOKS Kids for providing me a copy of this book to review.

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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

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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.

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.

Find out more about Holly and Nick Hate Christmas

See what I’m reading next.

If you’ve read this book, or read it in the future, feel free to let me know what you think!

A Kingdom of ShadowsLightseekers #1by Emily Bain Murphy

My rating: 3.5 / 5Genre: Middle grade fantasy

Mists over the Channel IslandsAllegiance Under Pressure #3by Sarah Sundin

My rating: 5 / 5 Genre: Christian historical romance

Dead FakeBleak Haven #1by Vincent Ralph

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Isle of EverBook #1by Jen Calonita

My rating: 2.5 / 5Genre: Middle grade fantasy

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December

Holly and Nick Hate Christmasby Betsy St. Amant

My rating: 2 / 5Genre: Christian Christmas romance

A Kingdom of Shadows
Lightseekers #1
by Emily Bain Murphy

My rating: 3.5 / 5
Genre: Middle grade fantasy

Mists over the Channel Islands
Allegiance Under Pressure #3
by Sarah Sundin

My rating: 5 / 5
Genre: Christian historical romance

Dead Fake
Bleak Haven #1
by Vincent Ralph

My rating: 4 / 5
Genre: YA horror thriller

Isle of Ever
Book #1
by Jen Calonita

My rating: 2.5 / 5
Genre: Middle grade fantasy

Holly and Nick Hate Christmas
by Betsy St. Amant

My rating: 2 / 5
Genre: Christian Christmas romance