Sadly, my weekly post is appearing a day late. *Sigh!* Last week was incredibly hectic as I struggled through a nasty cold while collaborating with student musicians at the Texoma Conference and Student Auditions of the National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS) at West Texas A&M in Canyon, Texas. It was a beautiful week of music. My students sang well and we had a really good time. Additionally, I managed to find a few quiet moments to get some reading done each day as well. Yeah, me!
What I Finished Reading This Week
I Kissed Three Boys by Lexie Miers. As soon as I realized that I was beginning to deal with a cold, I knew that reading might become tough. So I looked for an ebook that would not challenge my mind, wasn’t too long, and was going to be a relatively fast read. That generally means I’m looking for a romance novel. This book had an interesting premise. As a 7-year-old girl in a park, our heroine decided to play “wedding” with three young boys. Apparently, this was more than a childhood game in the eyes of the laws of Lichtenstein — and the marriage needs to be dissolved so the Crown Prince can marry his fiance without any baggage. A first class airline ticket arrives in her apartment and Erin meets three very grown-up, handsome men who apparently are her husbands! Miers gives a funny look at choosing your perfect mate and the challenges that come when our heart can’t decide. This is the first novel in a series. The spice level rocketed unexpectedly near the novel’s conclusion….so be warned! 2.75 stars.
Water Moon by Samantha Sotto Yambao. I was intrigued by the book’s concept from the very beginning — a magical pawnshop in another world where people could exchange regrets for peaceful minds. As most of you know who follow me regularly, fantasy is not my jam. I have been exploring more books in this genre recently and I must admit that I have enjoyed myself. This was the perfect fit for the prompt “requires suspension of belief” because nothing in this world followed the laws of nature that we accept daily. I really can’t decide how I feel about this reading experience. Issues were raised in interesting ways that allowed me to think deeply about choices, loyalty, and free will’s value. The writing was beautiful. I found the constant creation of new aspects of the universe challenging. For a reader with more experience in the fantasy realm, this would probably be an exceptional read. 3.5 stars.
What I’m Currently Reading
The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins (11:20 of 16:16). My journey back to the world of The Hunger Games continues in my audiobook this week. The 10th Hunger Games have concluded and the winner has been crowned; however, the winner and her mentor are being punished because of alleged cheating in the arena. Now our leading characters find themselves returning to District 12 where they look for ways to improve their world and explore if their developing feelings for each other can withstand the Capital and the Revolution.
The Librarian Spy by Madeline Martin (p. 40 of 383). I didn’t finish Water Moon until late Sunday evening, so I got a late start on the new book for the week. I decided it was time to read the book I had selected that featured a character with a secret identity. This historical novel set in World War II features two women working as spies in order to bring down the Nazis. Madeline Martin is a favorite author of mine, so I’m truly looking forward to diving into this read.
Fall I Want by Lyra Parish (p. 16 of 404). I know I said I was going to resist the mini-challenges for the rest of the year in order to focus on completing the main challenge from The 52 Book Club. But then Liz and her team at The 52 Book Club came up with a challenge that I couldn’t resist! I will tell you more about the challenge below since you’re going to need some explanation to follow my adventures this month. So far, Fall I Want is a cozy romance with lots of pumpkin spice, falling leaves, and cool weather.
October 2026 in Review
As expected, October was a bit of a challenging month for my reading life. Responsibilities with opera rehearsals, travel to see my parents, and lots of recruitment events demanded my attention. While I managed to keep up with my daily goal of reading at least 20 pages, many days didn’t see much more reading than the bare minimum. Add in several bouts of illness this month — I’ve battled various respiratory infections most of the month — and I just didn’t feel like doing much reading. Considering the challenges I faced, I take this as a successful result for the month.
- Books I read in October: 5 (down 2 from September)
- 2 print
- 2 audio
- 1 ebook
- Pages read in October: 1,398 (down 72 pages from September)
- Highest rated book: Babel by R.F. Kuang (5 stars)
- Lowest rated book: I Kissed Three Boys by Lexie Miers (2.75 stars)
The 52 Book Club Challenge Progress
All five of October’s finishes were used for a prompt on the main challenge. Add the book that I finished on November 1 and I am only 11 books shy of a finish. That should be manageable by the end of the year…..but then I also have to figure in the November mini-challenge! Nothing like a little drama in my reading world to keep things exciting here on Reading for Me!
November 2026 Mini-Challenge
I didn’t plan on working on any more of the mini-challenges this year until I finished the main. That was the plan, at least. But Liz and her team came up with a really neat and exciting option for November that just seemed too fun to delay. This mini-challenge is different from the others because it is a slow roll out challenge. For the first four Mondays in November, two graphic mood boards will be shared with the community. Readers then select the mood board that speaks to them most and select a book that is somehow associated with the graphic for the week. So creative! Since this is the first time that 52 Book Club has done an entirely graphic set of prompts, I wanted to get in on the action from the beginning to see how it is going to work. Each week, I will share the mood board that I have selected and explain how I am connecting my selected read.
For week 1, I selected the Cozy Autumnal mood board.
Who could resist those browns, reds, and oranges?!? I selected Fall I Want as my read for this week. Not only are many of the colors reflected on the cover, but the story also features a coffee shop and makes reference to falling leaves and apple pies in the early pages. It already feels cozy and warm….even if Mr. McDreamy’s appearance is rather cold and unwelcoming. I’m looking forward to stealing moments throughout the day to escape into the pages of this book this week.
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