It has been an exhausting, incredibly busy week. I felt like I was constantly running to meet deadlines and wasn’t sure that everything was going to get taken care of. Thankfully, when the dust settled, I had survived and the projects were successfully completed. In the midst of the craziness, I found myself running to my reading chair as often as possible in order to get my mind a moment of rest in the comfort of a story. That meant a very successful week in my reading life!
What I Finished This Week
The Correspondent by Virginia Evans. I have to admit that when I first encountered the premise of this 2025 novel, I was not very impressed. An old woman reflects on her life through the daily letters she writes to friends and family. As the book garnered more and more acclaim and was long listed for the 2026 PEN Award, I knew that I was going to have to see what all of the hype was about. Now I fully understand what all the fuss is about. This is an exceptional novel! Sybil is an octogenarian who has written letters religiously since her childhood. Correspondence between family, friends, business associates, authors whose writing has moved her, and a young boy on the spectrum have filled her days and contain Sybil’s story. As she comes to terms with her rapidly declining eyesight and her own mortality, Sybil faces feelings of abandonment, regret, and betrayal as she examines her professional and personal life. Written entirely in letters, Evans provides an exquisite look into a professional life well lived that has been marred by personal tragedy and failures. 5 stars.
The Lincoln Lawyer by Michael Connelly. Since I started watching the Netflix series, I decided this was the perfect time to begin reading the novel of the same name. It also filled the need for a novel about either crime or punishment for the February mini-challenge. How about both topics in a single novel? The Lincoln Lawyer was the typical legal thriller. It was fast-paced with lots of interesting, shady characters. I probably won’t read the entire series (it feels a little dated now), but I enjoyed plowing through the story. 3.5 stars.
Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing by Judy Blume. As I searched for something that would work for the “Fourth Wing” prompt of this month’s “This or That” challenge, I really was struggling to make a selection. I wasn’t ready for the fourth installment of any of the series I am currently reading and I really wasn’t in the mood for fantasy and flying beasts. That’s when I thought about reading something about being in fourth grade. It has been many years since I read Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing and didn’t remember much about it. Now that I’ve finished reading it again, I know why I didn’t remember much about it. There really isn’t a plot here. It’s just a series of vignettes about Peter and Fudge. Thankfully, it didn’t take very long to work my way through this classic of children’s literature. 3 stars.
What I’m Currently Reading
An Indecent Obsession by Colleen McCullough (p. 61 of 317). The February prompt for the 2026 Read Good Challenge is “Feb-roo-ary.” I am to read a novel by an Australian author. While I had found several very interesting options, the thought of reading something else by Colleen McCullough sounded like a wonderful choice. I remember enjoying The Thorn Birds immensely (although I was probably far too young to read it at the time!) and headed to the library to check out the other options. An Indecent Obsession had an interesting plot and has been a wonderful read so far. Set in the closing days of World War II, the story is set in a military hospital and focuses on the patients of Ward X — a psychiatric ward — and the nurse who cares for them. Written in 1981, this is an exploration of mental health from an era when these types of illnesses were taboo and unfamiliar to the majority of people. It appears that sexuality will also be a major theme in the novel as one of the patients was sent to Ward X because of a supposed homosexual affair. I’m enjoying the writing style and finding the plot extremely engaging.
Next-Door Nemesis by Alexa Martin (p. 29 of 337). As I prepare for another recruiting trip this week, I wanted to have something on my Kindle that was quick and would be easy to slip in and out of while sitting in the booth. The title of this work sums up the general plot point. Collins has returned to her childhood home after an embarrassing video went viral as she broke up with her Los Angeles boyfriend. Now back in Ohio, things go from bad to worse when she runs into her archenemy from high school, Nathaniel Adams. The banter is light and funny. The plot seems predictable so far. It isn’t going to be world class literature, but it is a fun read.
Dandy by Ame Dyckman is a funny story about a little girl who finds a flower in the middle of Daddy’s perfectly manicured lawn. Unfortunately, Daddy realizes that the intruder is no flower, but actually a WEED! Whenever Daddy attempts to remove the weed from the lawn, his daughter is always there to protect her prized possession. With lots of humor, Dyckman expresses the lengths a father will go to in order to see that his child is happy and treasured.
The Very Impatient Caterpillar by Ross Burach is a hysterical book for adults disguised as a children’s book. The young caterpillar cannot wait to become a butterfly, but lacks the patience required. Children will be mesmerized by the vivid images and the carefully crafted science lesson about the metamorphosis process. I suspect they will enjoy watching Mom and Dad laugh as they read the book, too! The little caterpillar’s constant questions throughout the process will strike home with anyone who has spent time with a toddler.
In keeping with the Easter celebration this month, I couldn’t pass up Too Many Carrots by Katy Hudson. Rabbit collects carrots and cannot bear to be separated from them. There’s a problem though — there’s no room in the house for Rabbit now because of all the carrots! Rabbit decides to take the problem to his friends….but the problem continues to grow. Too Many Carrots quickly becomes a charming lesson about friendship and sharing.
Ellie by Mike Wu is the story of a young elephant and her animal friends in a zoo that is about to close. In an effort to save their home, the animals all begin to pitch in to make things better. The only problem is that Ellie is not able to help because she is too short and not strong enough. Just as she becomes convinced that she is simply too small to help, Ellie finds herself with a paintbrush in her trunk…and she begins to contribute to the world through her art! (Can’t imagine WHY I think this is such an important message for children to hear, can you?)
This month’s second selection hooked me as soon as I saw the cover with its graphic images and enticing title. After the Fall: How Humpty Dumpty Got Back Up Again by Dan Santat tells just that story. Humpty Dumpty has been completely repaired to his former glory — well, almost. Despite being a whole egg again, Humpty is now afraid of heights! He misses the view from high atop the wall. When he finally gets the courage to climb to the heights again, Humpty experiences an unexpected change and the answer is not given to the reader in the text. I love when a young reader has to look carefully at the pictures and deduce what happened to the hero. (If I’m honest, it took me a minute to figure it out in the bookstore today…..but when I got it, I GOT IT! The people sitting nearby might have thought I had lost my mind momentarily.) Make sure you don’t miss the image and statement on the back cover of the book either: “Life begins when you get back up!” Author Dan Santat is a Caldecott Medal winner for his 2015 book The Adventures of Beekle: The Unimaginary Friend, so the pictures in this book are also incredible.
Normally, that’s where I end these posts, but this month I have to give a shout out to another wonderful picture book that I read today. I Need My Monster by Amanda Noll with illustrations by Howard McWilliam was an incredibly funny read. In brief, a young boy has gone to bed and realized that the monster that lives under his bed has gone on a fishing trip for a few days. The boy realizes that he will miss his monster and begins interviewing others to fill in as a replacement. The creatures are initially somewhat scary, but quickly reveal that they are hysterical. Probably better for an older child, I Need My Monster can be a welcome return to reading for the child that likes more mature themes with incredible visual stimulation.
Reading for Me 