Reading for Me

The Books I Have Read…..Just for Me

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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Sep 8

Short Week Challenges (September 8, 2025)

by kennithfreeman

Last Monday was Labor Day. Like any good blogger, I decided to delay my weekly post to this site in order to observe the holiday. That was a very good decision and one that I know was correct. What I didn’t realize was the impact that choice would have on this week’s reading.

Monday holidays mean that I have fewer days to get all of the work accomplished. That cuts into my reading time each day. Furthermore, because of the delayed publication of my weekly update, this week only has 6 reading days before I have to make another update on my progress — and that one lost day is going to make the difference in what I was able to accomplish this week.

What I Finished This Week

No finishes this week. That hasn’t happened in quite a while and I don’t like the feeling of not having a finish, but I understand why it happened. Actually, I had to go back to the June 16, 2025 post to find the last week that didn’t have a finish. That week, I was surrounded by noisy pianos at the Texas Music Teachers’ Conference in Houston and could not read as I had hoped. This week, I just ran out of reading days.

What I’m Currently Reading

The Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros (p. 322 of 493). I come to you with my hat in my hand and freely admit that I cannot stop reading this book! Is it sci-fi? Yes. Do I tend to avoid this genre? Yes. But this book is so much more and I cannot get enough of Violet, Xander, Dain, Tairn, and Andarna. (In case you are wondering, I’m team Xander at the moment. I also think Andarna is the cutest little dragon I have ever imagined in my life!) Okay…back to the book review. Violet has come through the selection ceremony and been chosen by two dragons. Now everyone wants her dead….everyone except Xander who is now eternally connected to her because they are both paired with mated dragons. I can hear my friends groaning because of how much I’m enjoying this book — and I really can’t explain it to you myself. The novel is well written and is more about the people than the magic and myth. I think I’ll have a finish here in just a couple of days.

The Puzzle Master by Danielle Trussoni (p. 207 of 361). I sang this novel’s praises last week when I was beginning the read. I’m still all in on the novel, but we had a moment where I thought it was going to be DNF’d. Yes, the novel is about a writer, Jess Price, who has been imprisoned for a crime that she might not have committed. Enter master puzzle maker Mike Brink and Jess’ psychiatrist to try to figure things out. This is the formula for a great read when I’m in the mood for a thriller. As the narrative turns to Jess’ diary entries prior to the murder, we learn that the case involves an ancient riddle known as the God Puzzle that is somehow protected by a possessed porcelain doll. What?!? That was my response, too. When the scenes began to border on horror and not thriller, I wasn’t sure I was going to finish the book. That’s just not a type of reading that I enjoy at all. The creep factor went away as we returned to Mike’s attempt to figure out what was really going on with the God Puzzle, so I’m reading once again…..even if a bit more cautiously. Here’s hoping the Chucky doll doesn’t make another appearance to scare the crap out of me! Just in case, I’m doing this reading during daylight hours…..

My 2025 Reading Challenge Progress

Now that we are into September, it seems like the perfect time to provide a little update on where I am in my pursuit of completing the challenge from The 52 Book Club. Right now, I’m sitting at 67% complete, having fulfilled 35 of the 52 prompts. For those who enjoy the visual representation, here’s the graphic.

As you can see, I have 17 books left to read in the 16 1/2 weeks remaining in 2025. That’s completely doable! There are a couple of prompts that I am struggling to find a book that I think I will enjoy though. If you have suggestions for any of these prompts, I’m all ears.

  • Has a moon on the cover
  • Told in verse
  • A celebrity on the cover

Okay….now back to reading my creepy doll story! LOL

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Sep 2

Vacations Are Too Short (September 2, 2025)

by kennithfreeman

I decided that the Labor Day weekend was the perfect opportunity to escape Plainview and head to the beautiful city of Denver, Colorado. This was my first excursion into the state and I must admit that I was immediately mesmerized. The scenery is breathtaking. The people that I encountered were so kind and welcoming. I slept like a baby. I also enjoyed three really exciting baseball games between the Cubs and Rockies. Somehow, I also managed to get some reading done this week and continue making progress toward my goals.

Rather than pressuring myself to complete a post on Labor Day, I decided to enjoy the holiday and push this week’s post back to Tuesday. Reading for Me will return to its usual schedule next Monday.

What I Finished This Week

Seduction Theory by Emily Adrian. Let’s start with the important information. I absolutely HATED this book! I have rarely read such a piece of trash that has so few redeeming qualities. Why did I finish it? I kept hoping it would get better because I did find the premise intriguing. The story centers around two married college professors who each have extramarital affairs; his is physical in nature while hers is simply emotional. Her student feels the need for revenge and decides to expose her mentor in her debut novel that will also serve as her MFA thesis in Creative Writing. The thesis is supposedly what we are reading. Seduction Theory cannot decide what it wants to be. At times it is the thesis written to expose the illicit acts of all players; at other times, it is a journal of the author’s vengeful fantasies because her mentor decides to stay in her marriage. Adrian gives us a short book (thank Heavens!) that is both confusing and confused. Truthfully, I found myself wondering how an editor let it get through in its present condition. Really not good at all! 2 stars.

The Booklover’s Library by Madeline Martin. Set in World War II England, Martin takes us back to the universe she first introduced in The Last Bookshop in London (read April, 2025). This time, we meet Emma, a struggling widow, with her young daughter Olivia. Because of the marriage bar, women who are (or have been) married cannot work. Having grown up in a quaint bookstore, Emma loves literature and sharing her passion for reading with others. Miraculously, she is offered a position at an upscale lending library despite her social status. As German bombs begin to descend on the small town, Emma is forced to decide whether it is best to keep Olivia close by or evacuate her along with thousands of other children to a place she has never seen. Much of this historical novel focuses on Olivia’s experiences as an evacuee. Filled with humor, wonderfully researched historical data, and a touch of love, The Booklover’s Library is filled with characters that will melt your heart and cause you to care about their well being and futures. This one was really hard to put down! I’m excited to see what other historical novels Martin has available. 4.75 stars.

What I’m Currently Reading

I didn’t bring any extra books with me on my trip to Denver, so I found myself headed to the airport without any additional selections. Rather than allowing this to hamper my reading style, I decided to go off plan a bit and start two random books for the week. However, I think I can use them for some of the more “general” prompts in the reading challenge if I need to.

The Puzzle Master by Danielle Trussoni (p. 22 of 361). Admittedly, I picked this book on my Kindle on a whim as I was looking for a book related to the word “puzzle.” Even though I am barely into the novel at this point, I am immediately thrilled with this selection. Here’s what I know right now. Mike Brink had it all until he suffered a horrible brain injury during a high school football game that left him with the ability to see things differently — patterns, numbers, complex puzzles are no challenge for him. Now a renown puzzle maker, Brink is rather surprised when he is invited to a women’s prison in upstate New York by Dr. Moses to assist with one of her patients, an inmate named Jess Price who was convicted of a brutal murder years ago. Since her incarceration, Jess has not communicated at all….until she drew a complex puzzle to an ancient secret. On the flip side of the paper were two words: “Mike Brink.” The book’s blurb suggests that the puzzle will lead Mike on an adventure involving an ancient Abrahamic prayer, a la The Da Vinci Code. I’m all in and ready to get some more reading done on my flight back to Amarillo.

Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros (p. 52 of 493). I have never been a super fan of science fiction. So the prompt for a book with a character who can fly was immediately challenging for me. I went to three bookstores in the Denver airport looking for anything that would fit the prompt. I was even ready to read a graphic novel about one of the Marvel characters, but nothing was available. While I was in the largest of the bookstores — Tattered Cover Bookstore — I googled recommended books with characters who could fly. Nothing on the list was on the shelves. As I was walking out the door in defeat, this cover caught my eye and I quickly returned to the list on my phone. I knew I recognized that title! It’s longer than I had hoped for a sci-fi title, but I decided to give it a chance and follow through with my plan to be spontaneous this week. I have to admit that I have really enjoyed what I’ve read so far. Violet finds herself in an academy to become a dragon rider — even though what she really wants to do is become a scribe. That’s truly all I know so far. Why have I gotten pulled into this book? Yarros isn’t focusing on the magic too much yet. She is creating characters with depth that have you pulling for their success. We will just have to see how I do when the magic begins to enter the story, but for now, I’m all in on this human saga.

Another Milestone Achieved!

With the end of August, I reached another milestone in my reading goals for 2025. With the final read of the month, for the first time since I have kept track of the number of books I have read, I am very happy to say that I have read 52 books in a single calendar year!!! Okay, I actually read 52 books in 8 months, but who is being that specific? LOL! That doesn’t mean I’m going to stop reading for the year because I still have The 52 Book Club challenge to complete. I know…..but not everything I read was a good fit for one of the prompts, so I still have a bit of work to do to complete that task. I’m having fun reading and think I have finally fallen into a good routine.

August in Review

I’m a sucker for looking at the numbers each month. Here’s how August shook down….it’s amazing how much reading I got done during COVID isolation! Don’t want to do that again, but at least there was productivity in the process.

  • Books read in August: 11 (up from 5 in July). +6
    • 6 print
    • 4 ebook
    • 1 audio
  • Pages read in August: 4,014 (up from 2, 273 in July). +1,741
  • Highest rated book: Hopeless by Colleen Hoover (5.00)
  • Lowest rated book: Seduction Theory by Emily Adrian (2.00)

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Aug 25

Let the New Semester Begin (August 25, 2025)

by kennithfreeman

Classes at Wayland began on Wednesday. The week has felt long and arduous for some reason. Thankfully, I had a good book to keep me company throughout the week. I also had a book that I just needed to read. Here’s hoping that the two books currently in my rotation this week will raise the level of enjoyment.

What I Finished This Week

James by Percival Everett. This beautiful novel has been in my TBR stack for almost a year. Winning the National Book Award, I knew that I was going to read it, but I was always looking for the perfect moment. Honestly, I wasn’t sure that the beginning of the school year would be the right time, but as soon as I started reading, I was drawn into the story and reminded of the joy I experienced reading Mark Twain’s Huckleberry Finn (the inspiration for James). Everett begins with the classic story, but presents the events from the perspective of Jim, the runaway slave. At times dark and introspective, the novel is laced with humor and tongue-in-cheek commentary about society and its racial divide. While this wasn’t my favorite prose of the year, I found it extremely enjoyable and insightfully relevant to the issues our world faces in 2025. 4.25 stars.

Migration by Charlotte McConaghy. Climate fiction is a challenging genre for me. The text always seem hopeless and man is portrayed as a villain for causing the Earth’s climate crisis. While the story of this novel was intriguing, I found it extremely dark and depressing. Franny is a woman on a mission as she desperately tracks the flight of rare arctic birds as they migrate south. Franny is also a driven woman, obsessed with correcting the mistakes of her past and making sure she punishes herself in order to find justice for those she has left behind. While McConaghy’s writing style is lovely and might be a pleasure to read when addressing a different topic, this one just didn’t do it for me. Between Franny’s depression, the failure of her marriage, and the plight of these endangered birds, I found little optimism to cling to in the reading of this novel. 2.75 stars.

What I’m Currently Reading

The Booklover’s Library by Madeline Martin (p. 52 of 416). I read Martin’s The Last Bookshop in London back in April and thoroughly enjoyed it. To satisfy the prompt to read a second book set in the same universe, I am returning to World War II England in The Booklover’s Library. Emma is a single mother facing the horror of impending attacks on the English countryside and whether she should evacuate her daughter, Olivia, or face the bombings together. Emma’s moments of solace come while working in the Booklover’s Library where she can escape the threats and terror among her beloved books. Although I just started the novel on Sunday, I am enthralled by the story and its characters. This is going to be another fun read!

Seduction Theory by Emily Adrian (p. 18 of 213). This novel was my August selection from The Book of the Month Club because I was intrigued by the premise. Two married academics have their extramarital affairs exposed in a master’s thesis. I have to be honest and admit that I also selected this book for one of the week’s reads because it is rather short. This will fit the prompt of a book with an epigraph.

A Little Celebration

I have accomplished my first reading goal of 2025! I reached page 18,000 in my reading this week. How did I arrive at that goal? In 2024, I read 16,851 pages. So I extended the goal by 1,000 pages and rounded up. Since it is just August, I anticipate that I will raise my page goal significantly for 2026.

The next goal on the horizon is completing 52 books in the year. This has long been an unspoken goal that has always seemed elusive. I should complete that goal in the next few weeks. Then I’ll just need to complete the annual challenge from The 52 Book Club for 2025.

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Aug 18

So Many Meetings (August 18, 2025)

by kennithfreeman

What an incredibly busy week it has been! Monday and Tuesday consisted of driving me and my things back to Plainview. I made it back just in time to begin professional development and faculty meetings on Wednesday morning. Despite the never ending and often tedious meetings, I still managed to have a very good week in my reading life. I’m celebrating the conclusion of the big Russian novel as well as two ebooks this week!

What I Finished This Week

The Appeal by John Grisham. Just in case you didn’t read my summary from last week, let me briefly recap. Chemical company dumps waste in a small Mississippi town. Water supply becomes polluted and people die. Jury returns verdict with massive damages awarded. Company does not want to pay and attempts to purchase a seat on the Mississippi Supreme Court. That’s the entire plot. Grisham is very good at weaving these interesting legal stories that force the reader to examine both sides of the issue. Was I frustrated as I read? Absolutely! Did I find myself rooting for the victims to get the money I felt they deserved? Most definitely. Do things in the justice system always turn out as they should? According to my experiences and Grisham’s novel, not at all. 3 stars.

Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy. It’s time to celebrate! I completed my latest #BigBookofSummer read with this Russian masterpiece. This week, I read Part 7 and the shorter Part 8. Part 7 was the climax of the book as Anna’s psyche unraveled and she found herself in the pits of despair. Ultimately, she would choose to end her life in order to punish those who she did not feel loved her adequately. While I understand that Part 8 was needed to wrap up loose ends, it really felt as though Tolstoy was trying too hard to say something of importance and never quite summed up the theme of his novel. Levin wrestles with his philosophy of religion and spirituality while asking important questions about the meaning of life. Part 8 was intended to show how Anna’s death had impacted those left behind; instead, it was just a depressing statement of how life continues until we all ultimately die. 4 stars simply because of the massive scale of this tome.

The Perfect Game by J. Sterling. A romance that is all about a pitcher getting drafted and moving through the ranks to the major league? I’m all in! After seeing the book lauded on Facebook all summer, I decided it was finally time to read it and see what all of the fuss was about. It’s a pretty standard plot. Boy meets Girl and falls in love. Girl has trust issues that are tested when Boy has a drunken one night stand while traveling. Matters become worse when Boy’s indiscretion leads to an unwanted pregnancy. All in all, this was a fun, fast read to bring my summer reading sprint to an end. 3.75 stars.

What I’m Currently Reading

James by Percival Everett (p. 104 of 303). I purchased a copy of the 2024 National Book Award winning novel last November. What I knew about the book was that it was a re-telling of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn from Jim’s perspective. Twain’s masterpiece has long been a personal favorite and one that I have examined multiple times, so I knew that I would ultimately read Everett’s novel. I finally sat down with James on Saturday morning and began reading. I was instantly pulled into the story and enjoyed the prose immensely. What I didn’t expect was how quickly the story moved; even with some dialect included as an homage to Twain’s novel, I have found the text quite easy to move through thus far. I’m anticipating that this book will be an easy one to finish this week and will fulfill the prompt for a book with a final sentence of less than six words.

Migrations by Charlotte McConaghy (p. 50 of 254). One of the prompts that I have been most worried about completing was “Climate Fiction.” Don’t get me wrong. I’m not one who will deny that Earth’s climate is changing and that we have a responsibility to protect it. However, it’s not something I want to consider in my reading life. I had tried to read There Once Were Wolves earlier this year, but the opening scene was just too graphic for me and I could not get past it. Migrations is about a woman who is studying endangered birds that make an annual migration to Antartica. Many scientists believe that this will be the final flight of the birds; Franny is convinced she will also cease to exist when the birds are extinct. Although I’ve only gotten a few pages into the book, I am finding it an enjoyable read thus far.

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Aug 11

Break is Over! (August 11, 2025)

by kennithfreeman

If you listen very closely, you may hear me lying in the floor raising a ruckus. I am kicking and screaming like an overly tired toddler, yelling “I don’t wanna!!!” Why am I so grumpy? Summer vacation is officially over. As of the appearance of this post, I am making my way back to the reality that is life in west Texas. It is probably no surprise, but I am not ready to go back.

This final week of break was not exactly what I had wished. I continued to isolate after contracting COVID late last week. Just as I was beginning to feel better, we got the news that Mom had tested positive. In order to try to remain healthy, I continued to isolate. It wasn’t absolutely horrible. I got a lot of reading done while sitting in the back of the house….not as much as I did last week, but I’m still happy with my progress. No three completed books this week, though. LOL!

What I Finished This Week

Finding Grace by Loretta Rothschild. You know a book has captured your imagination when you simply have to stay up late in order to get to the end. That was my experience on Friday night with Finding Grace. Tom and Honor are celebrating the Christmas holidays in Paris with their young daughter, Chloe. In a moment, Tom’s world is turned upside down and will never be the same again. As he returns to London, he moves through life in a trance, searching for purpose. When he receives the call that his dead wife’s surrogate is in labor, giving birth to his son, Tom suddenly has a second chance at life. However, no one has written a book on how to raise a young son alone. When a letter is mistakenly posted to Tom instead of the surrogate who wished to remain anonymous through the entire process, Tom’s curiosity gets the best of him….and a web of deception begins. Finding Grace is at times funny, heartbreaking, and unbelievable. I read the opening and closing sections through tears; the middle kept me asking questions about honesty and the eternal aspects of unconditional love. This novel will fill the prompt for a novel 300-400 pages in length. 4 stars.

What I’m Currently Reading

Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy (p. 736 of 817). Part 6 was the most challenging portion of the novel to get through to this point. With the introduction of several new characters and the political discourses, Tolstoy’s story sometimes got lost in the shuffle. Veslovsky is a friend of Prince Stephan who comes to join the hunt with the Prince and Levin. During the course of the newcomer’s visit, Levin becomes incredibly jealous of Veslovsky’s interactions with Kitty. After being expelled from Levin’s home, Veslovsky is next seen at the country estate of Vronsky and Anna. Veslovsky’s flirtations are now directed at Anna, but Vronsky does not respond negatively. When Vronsky has to go away to Moscow for a political gathering, Anna becomes convinced that she is no longer loved and begins to show signs of depression as she turns to morphine for comfort. In truth, Vronsky is struggling with the fact that Anna is still not divorced from Karenin. Here’s hoping that Part 7 returns us to the stories of the characters that we have come to love as this brick of a book is propelled to its tragic ending.

The Appeal by John Grisham (p. 378 of 485). A small Mississippi town’s water supply has been tainted because a mega chemical company dumped toxic waste in the woods. People are becoming sick and dying. Now known as “Cancer County,” the residents of Bowmore want justice. When the first of the wrongful death verdicts awards the plaintiff $41 million, the New York corporation is determined to make sure that they don’t pay a penny in damages. The plan? Buy the elected seats of the Mississippi Supreme Court Justice up for re-election so the eventual appeal will go in the company’s favor. Grisham is a master of judicial storytelling and weaves a fascinating tale of power, intrigue, and justice.

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Aug 4

Aestas Horribilis (August 4, 2025)

by kennithfreeman

While watching Final Jeopardy during one of this week’s episodes in the Tournament of Champions, I was reminded of Queen Elizabeth II’s description of the year 1992 — annus horribilis. Considering the troubled marriage of Diana and Charles as well as other troubled royal unions and fire in Windsor Castle, 1992 was truly a horrible year for the monarch. Taking some liberties, I must refer to the summer of 2025 as aestas horribilis – a horrible summer.

What was the straw that broke the camel’s back for me? On Thursday afternoon, I developed a nagging cough that simply would not be tamed by medication. As the day wore on, I began to experience congestion, earache, and headache along with sneezing and fatigue. Friday morning, I returned to Mitchell Family Health (my second home this summer, it seems) and got the diagnosis. I have COVID-19. At some point, I just have to laugh at the irony that I will be dealing with another illness during my final week in the Geriatric Ward before returning to West Texas.

What did this mean to my reading life? Thankfully, I seem to have only had a mild case of COVID and have not suffered terribly with the symptoms. So I have taken over the back bedrooms of my parents’ home and tried to isolate as much as possible. (I am now into Day 4 of my quarantine.) I have had a lot of quiet time to do lots of reading. When first diagnosed, I wondered if I would experience “brain fog” as I have in previous bouts with the virus. Thankfully, that has not been the case and I was able to continue the reading routine I had gotten into before becoming ill.

What I Finished This Week

These Summer Storms by Sarah MacLean. Talk about a family saga! This novel hit all of the marks for me. A billionaire has died and now his four children and widow must complete a series of tasks to receive their inheritance. Living on a private island, the siblings who are estranged from each other, must work together despite their animosity. As the family hosts a “celebration” for the dearly departed (because how could they possibly be seen mourning publicly?), tensions mount and explode. And all of that happens before the real storm arrives on the island! Want something full of family secrets, challenging relationships, and hilarious hijinks? This is the perfect read for you. Part rom-com, part family drama with a lot of heart-felt soul searching, These Summer Storms will keep you entertained and desperately wanting to turn the page to see what happens to the family. 4.75 stars

Hopeless by Colleen Hoover. WHAT A BOOK!!!! Since I first read Hoover’s works a few years ago, I have been enthralled by her writing and storytelling. Few authors are as adept at spinning a riveting story. I wanted to pick up something to begin reading digitally this week; something that I could read while lying in bed and ending the day. I did not expect Hopeless to rock my world as it has and now I can hardly put the book down! The story centers around Sky, a teen girl who is entering her senior year in high school after being homeschooled for her entire life. One day in the local grocery store, she encounters Holder, a bad boy that everyone warns Sky about. Despite the warnings, Sky and Holder’s attraction and connection are undeniable. As their relationship quickly progresses, it becomes clear that something is amiss. When the revelation was finally made at the midway point of the book, I sat bolt upright in bed and couldn’t believe my eyes! (For those with whom I have shared the recommendation, this ranks right up there with Jodi Picoult’s shocking twist in Mad Honey.) From that point forward, I was constantly pulled back into Sky and Holder’s story. The rest of the plot is filled with twists and turns that the reader does not see coming. As I neared the book’s conclusion, my reading pace slowed tremendously because I was constantly wiping away tears. I completely fell in love with these characters and was thoroughly invested in their story. A few trigger warnings are needed because this book packs a major punch; child abduction, molestation, suicide, bullying, and rape are all encountered. While I think Hoover treated each issue with sensitivity, I am certain that reading this book may be traumatic for those who have personal experience with any of these issues. By the way, I am using this novel to fulfill the prompt for an author who publishes more than one book a year. (Although Hoover is not currently publishing, she was producing two books annually when Hopeless was released.) 5 stars.

Eruption by Michael Crichton & James Patterson. This thriller has been sitting at the bottom of my TBR for several months now. I had planned this read for the prompt for a book set in a country with an active volcano (a story about an erupting volcano seemed perfect, right?), but I quickly realized that the better fit would be the prompt of a book with a non-human antagonist. Man vs. machine or man vs. nature are not normal plots that I enjoy, so I decided to use the Crichton thriller to fill the bill. Set in Hawaii, a long dormant volcano is expected to blow its lid any day now. Scientists can predict the time of the eruption and the direction of the lava flow. Thankfully, the lava will flow away from Hilo towards mostly uninhabited portions of the island. The only problem is that there is a large surplus of toxic waste stored below the ground in this part of the island that will have catastrophic results — basically, the end of human life — if it is released into the air….and that’s exactly what will happen unless this team of scientists and engineers can figure out a way to redirect the lava flow. While it sounds incredibly cheesy…and it is to an extent…..it is still a very fun read. The novel was an unfinished manuscript by Crichton at the time of his death in 2008; it was finished and published by Patterson in 2025 with the support of Crichton’s widow. 4 stars.

What I’m Currently Reading

Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy (p. 574 of 817). This week, I stayed on goal, completing Part 4 and (actually) Part 5 as well. In Part 4, Alexei continues to pursue his divorce of Anna because of her affair with Vronsky. However, when Anna becomes severely ill after the birth of her daughter, also named Anna, Alexei has a change of heart and finds that he has forgiven his wife and found love for both of the children. Despite his desire for things to remain the same in their marriage, Alexei must ultimately admit that Anna does not love him and cannot bear the thought of life without Vronsky. When divorce is once again on the table — only this time, not as an act of revenge — Anna questions if she truly wants the freedom it will bring.

Part 5 shifts our attention to the marriage of Levin and Kitty. As the newlyweds learn of the approaching death of Levin’s brother, the two dash to his bedside where Kitty acts as an angel of mercy, caring for the dying man with tenderness and grace. Levin begins to see his wife in a new light. Interestingly, chapter 20 of this part of the novel is the only one that has a title — “Death.” While this makes the chapter extremely famous in literature, I found the preceding chapter to be much more moving. As the story returns to Anna and Vronsky, we see the two returning to Moscow from their time in Rome. As they near the city, Anna’s desire to see her son grows stronger as his 9th birthday approaches. Despite obstacles and through some cunning on Anna’s part, the two are briefly reunited in the boy’s nursery. However, a schism seems to be forming between Anna and Vronsky, forcing Anna to wonder if she is still loved by the man she chose.

July in Review

It’s hard to believe that another month has come and gone. July was a busy month in my world with health challenges and a trip to Chicago. Still, I had a pretty stable reading life through it all. Not the best results of the year, but still moving towards meeting my goal of 52 books in 2025.

  • Books read in July: 5 (up 1 from June)
  • Pages read in July: 2,273 (up 956 pages from June)
  • Highest rated book: These Summer Storms by Sarah MacLean (4.75)
  • Lowest rated book: Lady Chatterley’s Lover by D.H. Lawrence (3.75)

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Jul 28

My Kind of Town (July 28, 2025)

by kennithfreeman

Frank Sinatra had it right…..”Chicago is my kind of town!” I flew into Midway on Tuesday afternoon to attend the National Conference of Keyboard Pedagogy at the Westin Lombard. I spent Tuesday night near the airport before meeting my colleague on Wednesday morning. The conference went through noon on Saturday. Even though I didn’t get to see a lot of the city’s best attractions, I did get to visit Wrigley Field to see the Cubs lose to the Royals. I was struck by the friendliness of the people as they went about their lives in a major metropolitan area. I definitely want to head back to the city and do some more exploring.

Typically, being on the road for work significantly impacts my reading life. This time, I was actually productive. While sitting in the recruiting booth, I was able to do quite a bit of reading as my colleague worked on a major report that is due later this fall. Once we returned to the hotel each evening, we both found our quiet spots and did some reading in companionable silence. So I’m happy to say that I have another finish this week and met my goal on my last Big Book of Summer.

What I Finished This Week

Mother-Daughter Murder Night by Nina Simon. Thanks to some uneventful time in a recruiting booth and plenty of time flying, I was able to finish this novel before returning to Memphis on Saturday evening. The mystery surrounding the body found floating in the water expands to include one of Beth’s patients in the nursing home. This book is full of twists and turns as well as power plays for land control and childhood grudges. In addition to the murder, Simon paints a charming portrait of three generations of women learning about their similarities when all they really see are differences. By no means do I consider this a contender for my favorite book of the year, it was a fun read during a time in my life when I needed a little levity. 3.75 stars.

What I’m Currently Reading

Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy (p. 395 of 817). Even with this week’s travel, I managed to stay on schedule and finish Part Three of the novel. This part focuses largely on Levin’s time in the countryside and provides contrast between the Karenins. Most importantly to our heroine, Anna’s husband demanded that things remain the same in their strained relationship and that she not entertain Vronsky in the family home. When Karenin comes home to find Vronsky there, he immediately decides to begin divorce proceedings and to separate Anna from her son. Since beginning Part Four, family in Moscow are learning of the impending divorce and looking for ways to mend what has been broken. This week’s reading should bring me to the halfway point of the novel.

These Summer Storms by Sarah MacLean (p. 105 of 380). MacLean’s novel is this week’s new start and will fulfill the prompt “Set in Summer” for the 2025 reading challenge from The 52 Book Club. Alice has been estranged from her family for 5 years. Now that her billionaire father has died in an accident, it is time for Alice to return to the family manor (which just happens to be located on a secluded island) in order to grieve her lost relationship with her father while also confronting demons from her past. This novel quickly pulled me in during my reading session early on Sunday morning and I am really looking forward to getting back into its pages to find out what happens next.

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Jul 21

The Eyes Have It (July 21, 2025)

by kennithfreeman

Never in a million years did I anticipate my vision going south in just a matter of days. Alas, that is exactly what has happened and it is frustrating beyond belief. This week has continued to see my blood glucose coming into a normal, healthy range. Having been a borderline diabetic for many years, my annual eye exam always included checks for any damage. I had never heard about the impact that high blood sugar could have on your vision, but apparently I am living it right now. What kind of problems am I experiencing? Mostly it is just difficulty seeing print, but I am also experiencing a little eye fatigue at day’s end.

I went to visit the local eye doctor this morning only to find the office locked with no notice of when they would reopen. So I did the next best thing and headed to Wal-Mart to see if a pair of readers would help my vision issues. I now have a pair of +3.25s in my possession that is making it easier to see print (as long as it isn’t too small) and will hopefully buy me time until I return from this week’s trip to Chicago.

What have the vision changes meant to my reading? Not as much as I would have feared. The issues became apparent late in the week, so I was able to get another novel added to my finished list before my eyes went crazy. The print in the contemporary novel I am currently reading is large enough that I can manage with my bifocals. Thankfully, I have a digital copy of Anna Karenina and am able to enlarge the font when my eyes refuse to cooperate. Even though the vision problem isn’t solved at the moment, I think I have a “band-aid solution” until I can get to an optometrist.

What I Finished This Week

Heathen and Honeysuckle by Sarah A. Bailey. This book was a pleasant surprise! As you will recall from last week’s post, I selected this novel during my last trip to Barnes and Noble based solely on the sprayed edge because I needed to read a book with a beautiful edging for the 2025 reading challenge of The 52 Book Club. This is the story of Leo and Darby, nicknamed Heathen and Honeysuckle, respectively. The two fall in love as teenagers during a summer they spent together in Pacific Shores, California. Leo is a developing surfer with lots of emotional baggage. Darby comes from a respected Kansas family with traditional Judeo-Christian ethics. At the end of their summer together, Darby is forced to leave Leo behind without the opportunity to say goodbye.

The story continues ten years later where Darby is about to get married to a man selected by her overbearing father. When Darby’s sister finds a letter written to Heathen stuffed in a desk drawer, she mails it and includes the date, time, and location of the wedding. As Darby is preparing to walk down the aisle, she receives a bouquet of honeysuckle and a message to meet Leo at a local hotel if she wants to walk away from this sham of a wedding. What follows is a marvelous story of love, misunderstanding, loss, and forgiveness.

As I mentioned last week, the book opens with a content warning. Now that I have finished the book, I will affirm that the novel is graphic, especially in the second half. Additionally, potential readers should be warned about trigger warnings for abuse, miscarriage, drowning, and parental death. Despite the content, the novel is moving and a really good read. 4.25 stars.

What I’m Currently Reading

Mother-Daughter Murder Night by Nina Simon (p. 58 of 354). At the end of the week, I started my next read. This one is for the reading challenge prompt “Title starts with M.” I’ve just gotten started with it, but it seems like it is going to be a fun murder mystery — an unusual genre for me.

Here’s the basic premise thus far. Beth and her teenage daughter, Jack, live near the water in Northern California. When Beth’s mother, Lana, is diagnosed with brain cancer, Beth and Jack move her into their condo while she recovers. While guiding a tourist kayaking outing, Jack discovers a body floating in the water. After their initial investigation, the police are convinced that young Jack is the culprit of the crime, forcing Lana and Beth to figure out how best to defend her while trying to find out what really happened. What I am most enjoying about the novel so far is the interaction between Lana and her adult daughter, including redecorating the condo and offering parenting advice. The hope is to finish this one this week, but we will just have to see how much actually gets read with another piano conference on the horizon.

Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy (p. 278 of 817). Staying on schedule with another Big Book of Summer, I read Part 2 this week and got started on Part 3. The affair between Anna and Vronsky has become more apparent to the aristocrats of Petersburg, although her husband still seems to be oblivious. To further complicate matters, Anna is also pregnant. A heart-broken Kitty has visited a spa for the wealthy suffering from depression and other illnesses. While there, she gains the attention of an artist, much to the chagrin of the artist’s wife!

As I have begun Part 3, the early focus is on Levin and his brother. There is a long conversation between the two men about the differences in Russian classes and the appropriate role of the aristocracy. Levin spends a long day working with the muzhiks in the meadows and learns of their challenges and life experiences. As I read, there is definitely the sense that this time in the fields will forever change Levin and will impact his choices and opinions in the future.

2025 Reading So Far…

Now that we are into the second half of the year, I realized that I have not mentioned how I’m doing with my personal reading goal for the year. My goal is to read 52 books in the year; as of this writing, I have now read 39 books! I am well on my way to meeting my goal for the year.

As far as The 52 Book Club’s 2025 reading challenge goes, I still have some significant work to do. So far, I have completed 23 of the 52 prompts — roughly 44% of the challenge. I’ve included a visual of my progress with this reading challenge below. If you are looking for a fun reading challenge for the new year, I highly recommend this one. The new list will appear in November so there is time to prepare and brainstorm. If you don’t want to wait until the new year, check out some of the smaller mini-challenges at http://www.the52book.club.

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Jul 14

Sugar is Not Always So Nice (July 14, 2025)

by kennithfreeman

I have always had a massive sweet tooth. Bring on the chocolate and don’t forget to offer me a slice of cake or we cannot really be friends. So when I learned that my blood glucose was out of control this week, I was more than a little upset. Now I’m learning to appreciate diet sodas and really cutting down the amount of snacking happening between meals. As my glucose has fallen, my body has not been happy. As the nurse told me today, my body is basically in shock that the sugar is going away and it is revolting. I was a grumpy bear most of the end of the week and just wanted to sit still.

What did that mean to my reading? I managed to keep my streak of reading at least 20 pages per day alive, but I didn’t do much more than that while I was learning about insulin injections and what I could actually eat that wouldn’t spike my glucose levels. Now that a new week is here, I’m starting to feel a little better and able to sit and read for longer periods of time.

What I Finished This Week

The Summer We Started Over by Nancy Thayer. I really enjoyed this book! Set on Nantucket, it is the story of two sisters that are both dealing with the death of their brother and their mother’s desertion. Eddie followed her dream of working in the publishing industry and left the island years ago. Barrett is about to have her dream come true, opening a boutique near the family home. Eddie returns to Nantucket for the summer to support her sister in her new endeavor and help care for their father. Over the course of several weeks, the women learn about love, grief, and hope. 4.5 stars.

What I’m Currently Reading

Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy (p. 107 of 817). This has been a much more pleasurable read than I expected. I haven’t quite reached my goal of finishing Book 1 of the novel, but anticipate reading the remaining few chapters before bedtime tonight. In this opening section, Tolstoy has introduced us to Dolly and Prince Alexander, a marriage on the rocks. Alexander’s sister, Anna Karenina, comes to Moscow to visit and encounters Count Vronsky. The chemistry between Anna and Vronsky is undeniable. There’s only one problem — Anna has a husband and child awaiting her return to Petersburg. Imagery of trains are prominent, foreshadowing what we already know will happen in the novel’s tragic conclusion. Before leaving this, I must praise the exceptional Pevear/Volokhonsky translation. It is incredibly approachable for the modern reader and provides amble end notes to assist in understanding the text fully.

Heathen and Honeysuckle by Sarah A. Bailey (p. 33 of 358). I’ve not read enough of this novel to give much of an opinion about it. It was a recent purchase during a visit to Barnes and Noble. For the 2025 reading challenge of The 52 Book Club, I needed a book with a sprayed edge. My local bookstore had a display of beautiful sprayed edges, so it seemed this was the time to make a purchase. Most of the books were fantasy, a genre I do not typically enjoy. The remaining books were mostly romances, so I looked for the most attractive edge of those and made my selection. Yup, I totally judged this book by its cover! What I can tell you so far is that it is written with alternating time lines and comes with a warning at the beginning: “[This book] is intended for readers 18+ and includes heavy emotional and explicit content.” Reader be warned.

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