Reading for Me

The Books I Have Read…..Just for Me

Jun 8

Reading at 35,000 Feet (June 8, 2026)

by kennithfreeman

This week was always going to be about travel and reading. Things did not go as planned however. On Saturday morning, I boarded flights to spend the rest of the summer in Honolulu to do some teaching and community relations. While over the Pacific, I received a text message from my brother informing me that my dad had suffered a stroke and was to undergo immediate emergency surgery. By the time I landed, the surgery was over and had been declared a success. There were still several obstacles to overcome.

I headed to housing and that’s when it hit me — all of the stress, uncertainty, and the tears. I called my dean (still sorry about the late call — blasted time zones!) and expressed how I was feeling. Thankfully, everyone involved was incredibly supportive and I was told to get back to Arkansas post haste and not worry about anything else. Just 7 hours after landing on the island, I was back in the air and retracing my steps in a roundabout way.

Books were my constant companion this week. For that, I am extremely grateful.

What I Finished This Week

Protected by the Biker by Logan Chance. When the summer reading challenge appeared from The 52 Book Club, I was intrigued and immediately wanted to start reading. My first prompt for this summer reading game was a book with a four-word title in the romance genre. Since I had some travel coming up later in the week, I didn’t want to start another physical book that would add to my baggage. So I checked out what had recently been added to my Kindle as free purchases. That’s where I found Protected by the Biker. The only thing I can positively say about this one is that it was short, didn’t cost me anything, and introduced me to a new author. At less than 80 pages in length, there was no time to really develop the story line fully. It felt more like an outline for a potential story rather than something fully developed. 2 stars.

This Book Made Me Think of You by Libby Page. What an outstanding book! It had me laughing, reflecting, and crying — sometimes without even turning a page. Tilly and Joe are a perfect love story. Living in London, they are setting out on their new life together. Then tragedy strikes. Joe is diagnosed with cancer and passes away. Tilly is left alone to grieve, survive, and somehow continue living. Six months after Joe’s death, Tilly receives a rather strange call from the local bookstore — they have a book ready for her to pick up; the book was ordered by her husband, Joe. When she hesitantly arrives in the shop to accept the gift, she learns that Joe has actually gifted her with a year of books — one book each month. What follows is one of the best stories I have encountered in a very long time. Join Tilly as she rediscovers her love of reading, boldly accepts challenges and embarks on exciting adventures — all inspired by the books that Joe gifted her. This was my first experience with Libby Page’s work, but it will certainly not be my last! Her writing is effortless and full of emotion. I’m definitely a new fan. 5 stars.

What I’m Currently Reading

Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros (p. 763 of 886). Lots of time on an airplane this weekend meant that I got a lot of this book read. I really thought I would have another finish before posting today, but my body decided it needed sleep far worse than mental stimulation. As always, Yarros delivers another great read. This installment feels a little more mature than Fourth Wing, especially the relationship between Xaden and Violet. As I get close to the end, I’m ready for the story to come to a major pausing point so I can get out of the realm of fantasy for a few days.

Our Secret Summer by R.S. Grey (6:57 of 10:11). After the death of her twin sister, Isabella decides to head to Ibiza as her sister had planned and complete her bucket list of activities. The list includes everything from swimming in the ocean, cliff diving, going skinny dipping, and falling in love with a sexy Spanish man. Charmingly written and full of personality and warmth, Our Secret Summer has been a very enjoyable read far.

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Jun 1

Reading Marathons! (June 1, 2026)

by kennithfreeman

With the first real week of summer vacation here, I have had tons of time to read — and I’ve taken advantage of every available moment. It has been so nice to spend quiet time on the couch in the Geriatric Ward while the patients are at work with my nose in a book. Nothing on the television. No noisy neighbors’ voices seeping through the apartment walls. Just me and the gentle rustling of the page. I’ve gotten a little spoiled to the stillness in just a few days to the point that I have found myself getting irritated when my peaceful reading times are interrupted. Oh, to have no distractions! (A guy can dream, can’t he?)

It also has meant that I’ve had a couple of books running at the same time. Thankfully, the story lines are all very different, so there is no chance of getting confused as I jump from story to story.

What I Finished This Week

The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles. What a great book! I anticipated reading about a road trip. While there is travel, the novel is really about a quartet of unlikely friends who are attempting to tie up loose ends in their personal stories and find the freedom to proceed into the next chapter of their life. Some act with integrity and strong values; some are looking for an easy pass at any cost. Filled with heart and amazing story telling, this novel has convinced me to add more of Towles’ works to my TBR. 5 stars.

The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan. I feel like a traitor saying this….but this book really did not resonate with me at all. I know it is revered by many and consider a major work that tells a loving story of the trials of Chinese-American immigrants. I want to have loved this book so badly. Instead, I’ll just settle for saying that I completed it. Perhaps the issue was that I read it as an audiobook. Perhaps I am not in a place to connect with characters searching for meaning as they reflect on their mothers’ lives. Whatever the reason, this was not a hit for me at all. 3 stars.

What I’m Currently Reading

Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros (p. 381 of 886). Coming back to the Empyrean series was a lot less challenging than I feared. While I had forgotten some of the finer details from the first book, Yarros writes in such a way that you are quickly pulled back in and reminded of the important relationships and events you have already encountered. The spice level in this installment feels a bit higher (I just read the scene between Xanos and Violet in the shower……). Honestly, I’m all in for this adventure story. Who would have guessed that I would enjoy a little fantasy in my reading life?

This Book Made Me Think of You by Libby Page (p. 21 of 407). I received this book earlier this spring in a shipment from The Book of the Month club. I was drawn to it because of the cover and the title honestly. Now that I’ve actually read the first few pages, I’m completely hooked! A husband selects 12 books for his wife after receiving a terminal diagnosis. The woman, who has long been an avid reader, found herself unable to read at all as she faced the uncertainty of her husband’s illness. Now that he is gone, he is attempting to restore the joy of reading — and of living — to her through the pages of these books that reminded him of her. Anyone else preparing for the flood of tears ahead?

May 2026 in Review

Another month has come and gone. I’m happy with my reading progress this month. I’ve encountered some great reads and made some new friends on the page along the way.

  • Books read in May: 8 (up 3 from April)
  • Pages read in May: 1,855 (down 281 from April)
  • Highest rated book: The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles – 5 stars
  • Lowest rated book: Hidden in Plain View: A Secret Story of Quilts and the Underground Railroad by Jacqueline L. Tobin – 2.75 stars

The 52 Book Club Challenge Progress

In May, I finished up the April mini-challenge and completed the entire May mini just under the wire. Really enjoyed the pivot of the May challenge as I needed to read from different decades for each prompt.

The main 2026 challenge, however, is a different story. Putting so much focus on completing the mini-challenges as they appear has distracted me from the main challenge. With only 14 of the 52 prompts completed, I’m not feeling great about where I am as we approach the halfway point of the year. (When I look at my overall reading stats for the year, having read 35 books in 5 months is much better to my ears!)

The summer challenge is coming out in a few weeks and I am really excited to see what the “beach reads” prompts will be all about. I’m also finding it difficult to get excited about some of the prompts in the 2026 main challenge. In many ways, they are feeling so random that I’m not excited about the words inside their pages. So I’m wondering if I need to skip the summer challenge and put my attention on the main for a few months so I can make some progress there instead. Both of my current reads will fit one of the prompts that I’m missing, so that’s something. I think I need to sketch out a reading plan for myself to see what I’m going to need to do to complete the challenge by December 31.

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May 25

Big Book Summer Has Arrived! (May 25, 2026)

by kennithfreeman

Happy Memorial Day! I am writing in a hotel near the Austin airport early on Monday morning. Later this afternoon, I’ll finish my time with the 2026 State Solo & Ensemble contest and begin the trek to Arkansas. It’s been an okay week with lots of reading and the start of a summer challenge that had honestly slipped my mind. I’ll tell you more about “Big Book Summer” later in this post and the books that I have tentatively lined up for the challenge.

But first, let’s get to the reading!

What I Finished This Week

That Second Chance by Meghan Quinn. I didn’t expect to enjoy this romance as much as I did. Truthfully, it was an audio selection that was made quickly as I was driving back to Plainview from Dallas. I anticipated it being more “noise” than an enthralling listen. I’m very glad that I was wrong. As I shared in last week’s post, the story centers around Griffin and Ren. Griffin is a widower still mourning the loss of his young wife just two years ago. Just before the tragedy, Griffin and his brothers were in New Orleans when they were cursed by a fortune teller. Griffin has lived with his guilt ever since that fateful trip and blames himself for his wife’s death. Out of fear, he refuses to allow anyone else to get close to him because they may also be hurt by the curse. Everything begins to change when he meets Ren, however. This young math teacher finds ways to break down Griffin’s walls and feelings develop. Just as Griffin begins to think that a relationship might be possible, Ren is injured. This is a beautiful story about daring to love, the sacrifices we make to keep others safe, and risking it all for the sake of love. 4.75 stars.

What I’m Currently Reading

The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles (p. 348 of 576). I cannot tell you how many times I have pulled this novel off of the shelf to begin reading only to put it back in its spot. It always felt too big….too complex….too much for where I was at the moment. This week, I decided I needed to just bite the bullet and dive in. School is out of session and I had a little more time to settle in for a story that would require more brain power to process. I quickly discovered that Towles is an outstanding writer who weaves an intricate story in such a way that it is very easy to follow while also creating characters with depth. The story centers around Emmett, a young man returning to his Nebraska farm after serving time in a correctional institution for a “crime” that was actually an accident that ultimately led to another boy’s death. Emmett is now responsible for his younger brother, Billy, after the death of their father. Since the family farm is going into foreclosure and Emmett is not welcomed in the small community any longer, he and Billy decide to take the Lincoln Highway west to California in search of a new life — and hopefully a place to belong. Things do not go as planned for the young duo, and they find themselves on a massive adventure across the United States as they encounter a host of colorful characters. In case you can’t tell, I’m really enjoying this read at the moment.

The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan (0:11 of 9:05). I finished an audio book on Saturday and still have a long drive ahead of me on Monday and Tuesday. I can’t believe that I have never read this classic novel, so this seemed like the perfect time to correct that situation. I’m not very far into the novel yet, but I’m planning to make a large dent in it during this first drive.

Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros (p. 27 of 886). I wanted to start a “big book” in a digital format as well over the holiday weekend. I have a physical copy of the novel in the floor of my apartment, so I anticipated reading this book in the fall. When I discovered that it was also included in my Kindle Unlimited subscription, I decided to start it as well. It has been a minute since I read the first book in the series, so it is taking me a second to remember what was happening at the cliffhanger ending. Fantasy is not a normal genre for me, but I did enjoy my time in The Fourth Wing. I’m looking forward to returning to the story again.

Big Books of Summer Planning

Once again this year, I plan to participate in Sue Jackson’s Big Books of Summer reading challenge. The concept is simple — read big books this summer. You set how many you want to read — just one this summer….or one a month…..or something else. For the purposes of this challenge, Sue defines a “big book” as having at least 400 pages. The challenge runs from Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day.

I have to admit that I had forgotten about the challenge until I saw Sue’s announcement video, so I haven’t done a ton of planning. But things have a way of working out because the book I began this week was a big book! I’m choosing to include it in my summer reading goals even though I started it before May 22.

Here are a few of the books that are on my radar as possible Big Book reads for this summer:

  • The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles (576 pages)
  • Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros (623 pages)
  • Voyager by Diana Gabaldon (870 pages)
  • The Godfather by Mario Puzo (595 pages)

Obviously, I’m reading the Towles novel this summer. I had already planned to dive into Mario Puzo’s classic since it is needed for the prompt of the novel that inspired the top grossing movie of the year that I was born. This will be my third summer completing the challenge and it has become a bit of a tradition to read one of the Outlander novels — and Voyager is the third in the series. I may try to find another big book to read as an audio book this summer as well. As always, we will just have to see what the summer has in store for my reading adventure.

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Sep 15

Unexpected Pleasures (September 15, 2025)

by kennithfreeman

In the midst of a really busy week, I was pleasantly surprised to find that I had selected a couple of very enjoyable books. One was enjoyable because it stretched my mind and comfort level — even though I didn’t really “enjoy” the story itself. The other was a surprise as I found myself drawn into a world of fantasy — complete with magic and dragons!

What I Finished This Week

The Puzzle Master by Danielle Trussoni. This thriller toed the line between thriller and horror. The thriller was about a woman who was accused of murdering her boyfriend in a historic home. Turns out the two had unlocked a portal for a demon to torment them as they toyed with a possessed porcelain doll. Creepy, right?!? While I found the story of the doll’s creation interesting and was intrigued by the religious implications of the “God Puzzle” at the center of the story, I just didn’t enjoy the horror aspect of the novel. (Truthfully, I’m a wimp when it comes to reading stories about spiritual beings. It’s just not my jam.) Despite thinking about DNFing The Puzzle Master several times, I was just too far into the story to let it lie. I needed to know how it ended. After finishing the novel, I found that there is another novel featuring the puzzle maker at the center of the story. While he was a likable character, I don’t anticipate returning for another adventure into Trussoni’s universe. 3 stars.

Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros. I have never been a huge fan of fantasy. (I even had to educate myself on what this genre was really called!) Magic and mythological creatures really are not good plot points for me. However, I did find Fourth Wing to be an exception to the rule for me. Why? I think it really had to do with the focus on the human stories of the characters before introducing the major fantasy aspects. I found myself invested in the stories of Violet, Dain, and Xanos before I even saw the first dragon. Now that I’ve read the first installment in The Empyrean series, I think I’m going to have to see what happens next. (Major cliffhanger, Batman!) I won’t be continuing right away, but I have a feeling I will check out Iron Flame when I finish the 2025 challenge. 4 stars.

What I’m Currently Reading

To the Moon and Back by Eliana Ramage (p. 114 of 427). This novel was a new start on Saturday afternoon after I was done with work for the day. It was a Book of the Month selection for September 2025; I decided to read it to fulfill the prompt that there was a moon on the cover. Despite having read very little of the book so far, here’s what I know. Steph is of Cherokee descent and dreams of leaving rural Oklahoma to pursue a better education and ultimately become an astronaut. The story is filled with issues related to abuse, poverty, embarrassment, and lack of concern for tribal traditions. It has proven to be a powerful read while presenting opposing sides of the tradition versus progress argument that continues to be at play among Indigenous peoples.

Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing by Matthew Perry (p. 27 of 250). Ever since starting the 2025 reading challenge, I had considered this book as a possible option for one with a celebrity on the cover. There was something about reading the memoir after Perry’s tragic death that kept me from wanting to read the book. However, as I was looking for something else to read digitally this week, I stumbled across the book in my Kindle Unlimited subscription. I guess it was just meant to be. I’ll have a much clearer picture of what I think of the memoir next week.

What’s Up Next?

Although plans can always change based on my reading mood, I think I’m going to dive into Ken Follett’s Night Over Water for my next read. It is close to 450 pages, so I want to make sure that I have some dedicated time to read it without too many distractions. I’ve enjoyed almost everything else I’ve read by Follett, so my expectations are high and I think I will probably need the change of pace after the heaviness of my current reads.

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