Reading for Me

The Books I Have Read…..Just for Me

Dec 8

In the Holiday Spirit (December 8, 2025)

by kennithfreeman

It is officially the Christmas season! I love the sights, the sounds, and the smells. I’m also a sucker for a good Christmas story. I expect to see a lot of Christmas tree farms, Santa suits, baking competitions, and naughty Christmas spirits in my reading for the next few weeks. And since there is a Christmas Bingo board from The 52 Book Club, I get to play a game while reading. Let the fun of the seasonal reading get into full swing.

What I Finished This Week

The Mistletoe Kisser by Lucy Score. As soon as Thanksgiving is over, I begin to celebrate Christmas. I love the season and I love all of the cheesy Hallmark movies. So it should be no surprise that I also enjoy reading holiday romances. Sammy received her first kiss under the mistletoe at a holiday festival in her small town. Many years pass and her “mistletoe kisser” returns to help with a family emergency. There’s only one problem….the man who returned is not her Christmas fantasy. Sure, he shares his first name with his cousin — the real “mistletoe kisser” — but that is where the similarity ends. This Ryan is grumpy and a bit of a Scrooge. The book was a cute enemies-to-lovers tale set during the holidays. The spice level was relatively mild until one massive chapter in the middle of the book…..Reader, you have been warned! I’m using this as part of the December 2025 bingo challenge — a novel set in a small town. 3.5 stars.

The Girl from the Garden by Parnaz Foroutan. This was the first read for My Library Shelf and also represented a book with a leafy green cover for the “starter course” of the May 2025 mini challenge. Set alternately in Los Angeles and Iran, the novel focuses on the lives of the women in one wealthy Jewish-Iranian family. Women are meant to be silent and unobserved. Their only purpose is to bear children — and those children only have worth if they are sons. While the writing is sometimes stilted, the story is gripping and the plight of the women grabs your heart. This is a prime example of why I love reading my way through a library shelf; I never would have picked up this book on my own. I’m so glad that I did. 3 stars.

The Girl Who Saved Christmas by Matt Haig. Christmas is for children, so this seemed like the perfect time to dip my toe back into children’s literature. This 2016 novel is a really charming read about how Amelia, a young orphan girl in Victorian London, helped Father Christmas and saved the holiday. Complete with elves, trolls, a depressing children’s workhouse, and lots of magic, The Girl Who Saved Christmas was an outstanding read that will keep the attention of the most reluctant reader. With appearances from Queen Victoria, Prince Albert, and Charles Dickens, the book is packed with adult humor that is creatively woven into the text — making this a perfect option for a family read-aloud as you head into Christmas. 4 stars.

What I’m Currently Reading

Good Elf Gone Wrong by Alina Jacobs (3:56 of 13:47). With a busy week of driving ahead, I wanted to get a start on an audiobook. Of course, I got pulled into the story and have kept dipping back in to see what will happen next! Gracie was checking on the Christmas cinnamon rolls the night before her Christmas Day wedding when she caught her fiance canoodling with her sister under the tree! A year later, Gracie is headed back home for the holidays….and the Christmas Day wedding of her sister and her cheating ex. Gracie is convinced that this wedding should not happen and enlists the help of Hudson, a mysterious bad boy she encountered on the bus, to rip the couple apart. How? Hudson will pose as Gracie’s boy toy…..and will flirt with her sister mercilessly. The story features some hysterical characters and outrageous scenes. However, it is not for the meek! Language and scenes are graphic.

Billionaire Secret Santa by Lena Michaels (p. 32 of 178). I picked up this holiday romance on a whim on Saturday night because I needed to take a break from the children’s story. The set up of the story is straight out of a cheesy holiday rom-com. At his office’s holiday party, Bruce DeVos poses as Santa so he can watch his employees without them realizing it. He is assisted by a woman dressed in an elf costume who goes by the name “Snowy.” Bruce is intrigued by her and cannot take his eyes off of her. The two share a kiss at the end of the night, but Snowy never shares her true identity. When Holly arrives in the office on Monday morning as a possible new employee, Bruce recognizes his mystery elf immediately and the sexual tension begins. This is not high literature, but it’s a fun, quick romance before I hit the road on Tuesday evening.

Christmas Bingo!

The December mini-challenge appeared early in the month and that gave me permission to start all of the Christmas reading. I’ve completed two prompts so far, putting me in a pretty good place with my Bingo board. Here’s how things are shaping up after a week of Christmas reading.

Upcoming Plans

With the driving and a holiday performance in Nashville on Friday evening, I’m not entirely sure how much reading I’ll actually get done this week. I expect to finish both of my current reads. Then I have a few more recent additions to my TBR calling my name.

  • Holiday Ever After – Hannah Grace
  • Good Spirits – B.K. Borison
  • Where Angels Fear to Tread – E.M. Forster
  • Iron Flame – Rebecca Yarros

I guess we will all just have to wait until next Monday to see what I actually dive into as I continue Reading for Me.

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Dec 1

Gobble, Gobble (December 1, 2025)

by kennithfreeman

Another Thanksgiving has come and gone. As usual, I spent most of the holiday week with my parents in Arkansas. The food was good. The rest was needed. The meal was awkward and uncomfortable. The reading time was heavenly. Three out of four ain’t bad, I suppose. Now it is time to get back to work for the last week of classes before administering finals….then a whirlwind trip back to Arkansas for Christmas.

What I Finished This Week

Seven Brief Lessons on Physics by Carlo Rovelli. I have never enjoyed science. As a student, I have taken the minimum number of classes in the field at the most general level of understanding and did not perform well in the courses. It wasn’t that the material was especially difficult. I simply didn’t find the topic interesting. When the prompt appeared in the November 2025 minis to read a book from the 500s of the Dewey Decimal system (science), I immediately assumed that would be the prompt for the month that I did not complete. While packing to travel for Thanksgiving, the thought of lugging around Iron Flame to continue Rebecca Yarros’ series was too much. So I searched the library for a small book about science that I thought I could handle. An international bestseller, Seven Brief Lessons is written in a conversational style with lots of practical illustrations to help the novice scientist understand the basic concepts of physics. If I was more interested in the topic in general, I think I would have probably enjoyed this read. Having said that, I see its appeal. While it wasn’t a personal favorite for me, I will still give it a good star rating. 3 stars.

Among Friends by Hal Ebbott. This novel was very slow moving. Two couples have been good friends since college, especially the two husbands. While spending a weekend together in upstate New York, things begin to unravel — an injured ankle, an argument over a lemon tart, and a teenage daughter is allegedly groped by her father’s best friend while she is doing laundry upstairs. Once the allegation is made, the novel improves greatly. Anna, the victim, questions what actually happened and if it is worth telling anyone about. Her mother is convinced that Anna lied about the assault in order to get out of trouble when she is caught shoplifting. Anna’s father doesn’t know who to believe — his daughter, his wife, or his best friend. The friend (and alleged predator) simply asks “Why would Anna say this?” While I nearly DNF’d the book when it was not moving at all, the second half showed glimpses of brilliance and hope that Ebbott will develop into a talented writer. This is the author’s first novel. 3 stars.

And with that finish, I also completed the November 2025 mini-challenge of The 52 Book Club.

What I’m Currently Reading

The Girl from the Garden by Parnaz Foroutan (p. 184 of 271). I went to the library this week in search of a book with a leafy green cover. That was the entire basis of this selection and I could not have been happier with the results if I had searched painstakingly for a great read. The novel tells the story of a Jewish family that immigrated to the US after facing violence in Iran. The narrative shifts between the current timeline in Los Angeles and the challenges faced in Iran. The shifts occur through the narrator’s memories of her treasured gardens in both locales. I know that the synopsis I have provided sounds very bleak; I would be lying if I tried to tell you that the story is not dark. But yet, there is a sense of hope as those who are victimized look to their family and their faith for support.

The Mistletoe Kisser by Lucy Score (p. 52 of 267). Once the Thanksgiving turkey was put away, it was time to begin some Christmas reading. Since I am a sucker for a good romance during the holidays, this book seemed like a good choice on a recent bookstore visit. The premise is much as we would expect. A teenage girl meets a young Ryan Reynolds look alike at the town holiday festival and receives her first kiss under a grove of mistletoe. Now as adults, Ryan — a true holiday grouch — returns to the small town to save his uncle’s farm and surprisingly runs into the girl he first kissed, though now all grown up. Very early in this one, but I am already enjoying the humor and finding myself laughing out loud as I read.

November in Review

  • Books read in November: 9 books (up 1 from October)
    • 6 physical
    • 1 ebook
    • 1 audiobook
    • 1 combined audio & physical
  • Pages read in November: 2,395 pages (down 1,059 pages from October)
  • Highest rated book: Pachinko by Min Jin Lee – 5 stars
  • Lowest rated book: Loyalty by Lisa Scottoline – 2.75 stars

My Library Shelf

As though I don’t have enough going on in my reading life, I decided this week to bring back another personal challenge to my literary life. My Library Shelf project was first introduced to me in 2014 when I read Phyllis Rose’s The Shelf: Adventures in Extreme Reading. When visiting her local library, Rose realized that the book she planned to pick up was not going to be a good fit for her in that moment. That’s when she decided to venture into the unknown and select a shelf of the library at random to read her way through.

I have worked through a couple of shelves at various libraries since 2014 with mixed results. I have a few basic guidelines. The shelf must include at least one book that I consider a classic. The other stipulation is that no author can be represented by more than five books on the shelf. What I like about shelf reading is that it introduces me to new authors and forces me to explore genres I might typically avoid. I am still free to DNF any book I encounter as long as I give it enough of a read to get a taste for the material. I don’t put a timeline on the reading project, but I’m hoping to complete this task before the end of 2026.

Last Monday morning (November 24, 2025), I visited Unger Memorial Library in Plainview, Texas. Using the guidelines above, I set out to select a library shelf to read through. I was also looking for a book with a leafy green cover, so once I found a book that would fit that criteria, I would examine the shelf to see if it would fit my challenge. One of the pitfalls I quickly ran into was due to the large number of complete series that are shelved in my local library. It took me quite a while to find a shelf that contained less than 5 books by any single author. The shelf that I settled on was FORD-FORS.

My shelf contains 23 volumes representing 11 authors. Here’s the list of books that will be included in the current edition of My Library Shelf.

Ford, Ford MadoxThe Good Soldier
Ford, JackChariot on the Mountain
Ford, JamieHotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet
Ford, JamieLove and Other Consolation Prizes
Ford, JamieThe Many Daughters of Afong Moy
Ford, JamieSongs of Willow Frost
Ford, JeffreyA Girl in the Glass
Ford, JeffreyA Natural History of Hell
Ford, Kelly J.Real Bad Things
Forest, KristinaThe Partner Plot
Foreman, GayleLeave Me
Foroutan, ParnazThe Girl from the Garden
Forster, E.M.The Collected Tales of E.M. Forster
Forster, E.M.Maurice
Forster, E.M.A Passage to India
Forster, E.M.A Room with a View
Forster, E.M.Where Angels Fear to Tread
Forstchen, William R.48 Hours
Forstchen, William R.The Final Day
Forstchen, William R.One Second After
Forstchen, William R.One Year After
Forsyth, FrederickAvenger
Forsyth, FrederickThe Day of the Jackal

As you can see, I have a wide variety of books to explore — everything from classics to thrillers and family sagas. If something will fit one of the 2026 prompts for the reading challenge, I’ll certainly use it there. So far, it seems that only a few of them will fit into my plans for the challenge. Perhaps the mini-challenges is where they will fit? Either way, I’m rather excited about exploring some of these works as I have begun to look at the basic ideas surrounding them. We will just have to see what the results are as I continue my off-the-path reading adventure.

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Nov 24

Impatient Reader Alert (November 24, 2025)

by kennithfreeman

As the chill in the air grew more demanding this week, my desire to fight the chill with a good book in my hands became more intense this week. I couldn’t stand that I wasn’t spending enough time in the car to really make progress on my audiobook just as the story was pulling at my heart strings. Thankfully, I searched the library database before buying the ebook because I just HAD to know what was going to happen next. There was also a bit of excitement to finish these reads because I was ready to dive into the ones planned for this week. Something else needs to be done? Probably not going to happen right now because I would rather lose myself in the pages of a novel.

What I Finished This Week

The Hating Game by Sally Thorne. This was a fun, fast-paced novel that featured a stereotypical enemies-to-lovers trope. Lucy and Josh are both assistants to the CEOs after their publishing company merged. The two are mortal enemies, constantly looking for ways to embarrass the other. Things have spiraled out of control so much that HR has become involved on numerous situations. When a restructuring is announced with a new position — a sure promotion for one of them — matters escalate! Do they really hate each other though? Or are they refusing to accept that they are attracted to each other? Thorne’s novel is very funny throughout and takes a poignant turn at the end as Josh is forced to deal with some demons from his past at a family wedding. All in all, I enjoyed the experience of reading this book even if it wasn’t of the highest quality (but skip the movie adaptation). 3.5 stars.

Pachinko by Min Jim Lee. I got frustrated this week that I was getting to spend so little time with this amazing story since I was reading it as an audiobook in my car. You can’t imagine how relieved I was to find that my local library had a copy of the book available. I cannot sing the praises of Pachinko enough! This is an absolutely beautiful book. It tells the story of a woman, Sunja, who emigrated to Japan from Korea with her new husband in order to give birth to her illegitimate son away from the judgmental eyes of her countrymen. What follows is a family saga unlike anything I have read, spanning 3 generations. With unexpected plot twists, Lee lovingly looks at the plight of the displaced Koreans and the racism they encountered. I read this book to fulfill one of the prompts for the January 2025 mini-challenge from The 52 Book Club. This is an example of why I so enjoy the reading challenge; I would have never picked up this novel on my own since the title did not mean anything to me. Thankfully, what I discovered is an exceptional author whose other works are now on my TBR and an amazing story that has changed my perspective. 5 stars.

What I’m Currently Reading

Among Friends by Hal Ebbott (p. 117 of 309). This book was a random selection for me from The Book of the Month Club. I selected it because I liked the cover art and it is a debut novel by this author. I always enjoy giving new writer’s an opportunity to become part of my circle of friends. So far, I’m having a mixed reaction to the book. Portions of it are really well written and incredibly vivid. However, I’m finding that the characters lack depth, making it challenging to differentiate between them as the point of view shifts. Because it is a fast read, I’m willing to see it through to the end. I don’t think Ebbott is going to make a very good impression on his audience or the critics.

Upcoming Plans….

On Tuesday evening, I will travel to my parents’ home for Thanksgiving Break. I hope that means I will have plenty of time to read in the airports, on the flights, and at home. So I plan to finish the November 2025 mini-challenge and make some progress on the April 2025 challenge this week. Here’s what that will look like.

  • “Let out a breath they didn’t know they were holding” (April 2025): Something Fabulous by Alexis Hall.
  • Related to the word “perspicacious” (November 2025): Among Friends by Hal Ebbott
  • A series that’s not finished yet (November 2025): Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros – Book 2 of the Empyrean series

At least, that’s the plan. But plans have a way of changing, don’t they? I’m headed to the library on Monday morning to return Pachinko, so browsing the shelves seems like something that simply must happen. Who knows what I might pick up to read while I’m there?

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Nov 17

Eye Problems (November 17, 2025)

by kennithfreeman

Reading was a challenge this week. At the beginning of the week, I was so tired that I just wanted to crawl in bed as soon as I got home from work. I managed to meet my minimum goal each day, but that was about it. As the end of the week drew near, I was getting back into my reading routine. That’s when an irritating stye decided to arrive on my left eyelid. It isn’t horribly painful, but my eyes become tired more quickly at the moment. So, I didn’t get as much done as I would have liked, but I’m happy with the end results.

What I Finished This Week

Loyalty by Lisa Scottoline. Set in Sicily (a nation with an active volcano), Loyalty is about a series of kidnappings that plague the small village. The police do nothing to solve the crimes. One man, a lawyer who was almost a priest, searches for the missing children. Against this backdrop, the plot also focuses on the first Mafia family in Sicily, gaining their power as they protect the island nation’s lemon harvest. If this description sounds confusing to you, then you understand exactly how I felt about Scottoline’s novel. While I have greatly enjoyed her previous works that I have read, Loyalty was convoluted and unnecessarily difficult to follow. With no less than 5 plots running parallel throughout the novel, Scottoline attempts to portray the various classes found on Sicily. The problem is that the stories do not converge until the final 100 pages of the book. By that point, I was simply ready for this novel to be over so I could start the next one. 2.75 stars.

What I DNF’d This Week

Grant by Ron Chernow. I managed to read another 50 pages of this brick this week and found the life of soon-to-be President Grant fascinating. With over 800 pages remaining of this biography, I simply could not commit to finishing the book. Other reads were calling to me and this one just felt like homework instead of something that I was enjoying. Too many books, too little time!

What I’m Currently Reading

Pachinko by Min Jin Lee (9:31 of 17:49). This week brought me just over halfway through this marvelous audiobook. Most of this week’s reading was set in Japan in the years leading up to the American bombing at the end of World War II. The story focused heavily on Christian persecution, the role of women, and the importance of the extended family. This is a massive story that spans decades. While it is longer than I would typically read in an audio format, the narration is exceptional and I find myself completely drawn into the story.

The Hating Game by Sally Thorne (p. 64 of 363). There’s nothing quite like starting a new book on Monday morning to start the new week. The title basically sums up the story as I know it so far. Lucy and Joshua are co-workers now that the two publishing companies merged. Both were executive assistants to the CEO. The merge was not peaceful at all, so there are co-CEOs and two executive assistants sitting across from each other. Complaints have been made to HR by both Lucy and Joshua. Now the company is undergoing a major restructuring and both Joshua and Lucy are up for the job. Let the competition and the hatred begin. I selected this to fulfill the prompt in the November mini-challenge of a book set in an office.

Drumroll, Please!

With this week’s completion of Loyalty, I have successfully completed the main 2025 reading challenge of The 52 Book Club! Let the celebration begin! I have long had a goal of reading 52 books in a single calendar year, but always fell short and didn’t think it was an obtainable goal for me. Actually, Loyalty is my 70th book of 2025. I don’t know that this will be the normal pace for me from now on, but I do know that I have really enjoyed reading for the prompts provided. Just because I think it is a thing of beauty that I want to see again, here is the completed graphic of my 2025 reading challenge.

What’s the Plan for the Rest of 2025?

The 52 Book Club also extended several mini-challenges over the course of the year. I didn’t do a lot of reading towards those challenges because I thought I would struggle to complete the main challenge. Now I will see what I can do toward those other challenges. With 6 1/2 weeks remaining in the year, let’s see what I can knock out of those. First up is a fluff piece for one of the November mini-challenge prompts — a book set in an office.

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Nov 10

Wordless Week in Waco (November 10, 2025)

by kennithfreeman

This has been a busy week! Most of my time was devoted to the student auditions of Texoma NATS held at Baylor University in Waco. That meant lots of rehearsals and playing for singers to compete in a massive competition and not a lot of reading time. By the time I got home each day, my eyes were rather tired and I didn’t want to hear another sound — so that meant audiobooks were out of the question. Still, I managed to finish one of my reads somehow. I’ll take progress any way I can get it!

What I Finished This Week

One Day in December by Josie Silver. Needing to read a book set in Winter to meet my penultimate prompt of the 2025 challenge, I decided on this novel. Laurie first sees Jack on a cold winter day while riding a bus, but their paths do not immediately cross. Was it love at first sight? It appears so and Laurie searches for him for over a year. When she finally finds him, things do not go as she had hoped because her best friend has introduced Jack as the love of her life. Over the course of a decade, Jack and Laurie remain in each other’s spheres of influence….but the timing never seems right. Laurie marries another man. Jack is in several relationships as he searches for purpose in his career after a near fatal accident. Through heartbreak, divorce, family crises, and personal growth, Jack and Laurie ultimately find their way to each other. Silver builds a charming story where true love wins out while asking lots of questions about if we should settle for our “almost perfect” person in hopes that true love will ultimately grow. This novel didn’t feel as though it was formulaic although it did end as this reader expected (and hoped). 3.5 stars.

What I’m Currently Reading

Grant by Ron Chernow (p. 82 of 959). This book had the least progress this week. With students in my car, I didn’t want to listen to much on audio during the drive. During a busy week, this was also not the text that I turned to at the end of a long day. I managed to get through a single chapter this week in order to make a little progress. I intend to push this book back into my reading routine this week and see if I can make some significant progress toward my big book for Nonfiction November.

Pachinko by Min Jin Lee (2:36 of 17:49). Since I’m getting close to completing the main portion of the 2025 reading challenge, I decided it was time to start working on some of the mini-challenges. First up is the conclusion of the January challenge — all associated with the celebration of Lunar New Year. I only need one more book to complete this mini-challenge: a book set in a country that celebrates Lunar New Year. Pachinko seemed like a great fit and has proven to be an enjoyable read so far. Set in Japan, it is the story of a Korean immigrant family that begins when a young woman becomes pregnant by a powerful Korean man. Rather than facing the imminent shunning, Sunja accepts the offer to marry a gentle, sickly minister on his way to Japan. A National Book Award finalist, Pachinko is enthralling and deeply engaging. I’m excited to resume my listening routine this week and see how the story continues to progress.

2026 Reading Challenge Planning

The wait is over! The 52 Book Club dropped the prompts for the 2026 reading challenge this week. My social media feeds are filled with readers who are planning their new challenge while many of us are still in the process of completing the 2025 challenge. With a busy week in Waco, I have perused the prompts but not given much thought to the new books. I’m excited to explore The Godfather in the coming year as well as finally taking a look at works like Dune and The Song of Achilles. Beyond that, I’m really focusing on completing the main challenge before I dive into intense planning for 2026. If anyone wants to join me in the new reading challenge that starts on January 1, 2026, check out the link above and start your planning!

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Nov 3

Fall is in the Air (November 3, 2025)

by kennithfreeman

As the calendar began to turn another page, the weather decided to change as well. There is no doubt that we are now in the heart of Fall in Texas. With the cooler temperatures and earlier darkness (thank you, Daylight Savings Time), I was in the mood for warm and cozy reads. Two of this week’s finishes definitely fit that bill.

What I Finished This Week

Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel. I have overlooked this novel for many years. I wish I could provide a good explanation of why this was the case. I think it might have been an association with the trailer for the film adaptation. I also think that I was convinced that a novel about a woman in her kitchen in Mexico could not be interesting to me. Whatever the reason for avoiding the novel, I had no idea what I was missing! This is a beautiful tale of complicated love, difficult familial relationships, and the power of food. The magical realism that is widely prevalent in Latin literature was incredibly effective in Esquivel’s tale. I never found myself thinking about how unrealistic the events were; somehow, the magic was woven seamlessly into the fabric of the land and people. I anticipate that this will be a novel that I will want to revisit soon. 4 stars.

If It Makes You Happy by Julie Olivia. The cover of this book alone caught my attention as I made a quick selection of an audiobook last week. It just looks as though it is going to be a cozy read….and it was! I found myself looking for excuses to spend more time in my car just so I could listen. (Yes, I eventually curled up in my recliner with a blanket over my legs, put in my earbuds, and listened in my reading spot.) Michelle is recently divorced and needs some time to evaluate her life. So she decides to spend a few months in Vermont and manage the family bed-and-breakfast after her mother’s unexpected passing. With her dog Rocket along for the ride, Michelle meets the handsome neighbor, Cliff, and his two daughters. What starts as an uncomfortable interaction quickly grows to attraction. We watch as both of the divorcees struggle with their emotional baggage while trying to come to terms with how they feel about each other. If It Makes You Happy was a charming read that had me laughing and crying as I became more invested with this cast of characters. 4.5 stars.

Burnout, Who? by Chloe Grant. As November approached, I decided that I wanted to participate in Nonfiction November. My plan is not to read nonfiction exclusively, but to at least read a couple of books this month that are out of my comfort zone and that are not directly related to my profession. Since I have also come to terms with the harsh truth that I am dealing with a bit of personal burnout, Grant’s book seemed like an appropriate choice for the moment. Burnout, Who? is not a deep dive into the condition that plagues countless perfectionists as well as those who struggle maintaining personal boundaries. Rather, the book offers practical advice for getting out of the situation that saps your energy without going to the extreme measure of resigning or changing careers. Grant provided some good tips that I plan to employ in the coming weeks, but I also found the book very repetitive and a bit too superficial. 2.5 stars.

What I DNF’d This Week

One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. I gave it a good try for a few days, but I just couldn’t do the magical realism right now. The writing was good. The prose was absolutely beautiful. I didn’t connect with the story and had no pull to the book’s pages. Rather than fight during an incredibly busy season of my life, I decided to make a quick decision to DNF the novel and make another selection.

What I’m Currently Reading

Grant by Ron Chernow (p. 49 of 959). Once I decided to participate in Nonfiction November, I also decided to select something that could fit the September mini-challenge over on The 52 Book Club. The challenge is simple — pick your biggest read of the year and beat it. I decided to interpret “biggest” as the book with the most pages. The biggest book of 2025 thus far has been Anna Karenina coming in at 864 pages. Chernow’s biography of U.S. Grant is written in a gentle prose that has been fairly easy to read thus far and doesn’t spend too much time diving into tangents along the way. The focus remains firmly on President Grant. In the little that I have read, I feel I have a good understanding of Grant’s personality and the ways that his upbringing influenced the man that he would become. I’m reading this book on my Kindle as a loan from my local library, making it easy to read a few pages while I’m waiting for a student or standing in line. With upcoming travel later this week, I hope to make some significant progress in this biography when I’m between auditions.

One Day in December by Josie Silver (p. 28 of 392). I just started this one on Sunday evening, so I’m not far at all. Earlier that afternoon, I went to my local Barnes and Noble looking for books to fulfill the last two prompts of the 2025 challenge — a book set in Winter and one set in a country with an active volcano. One Day in December is the Winter selection. Laurie stares out the window of a public bus on a cold winter evening just before the holidays begin. She notices a handsome man sitting at the bookshop, reading a book. She wills him to step onto the crowded bus at the very moment that their eyes meet. Sadly, the bus pulls away just as the mysterious stranger approaches the door and Laurie is left alone. This begins a search through the bars and crowded spaces of London as Laurie looks for her “bus stop guy.” Is it a sappy premise? Absolutely! However, it is a Reese’s Book Club selection, so I’m hoping that it will ultimately morph into something other than just a holiday romance. Either way, I’ll be one step closer to the end of the 2025 challenge!

October in Review

October was a month full of travel. It featured a weekend getaway to Oklahoma City and a few days in the Geriatric Ward with my parents. I traveled to “almost Kansas” Texas for a performance (plus the 6 hours in the car) and survived a NASM site visit at the end of the month. On top of all of that, there was a LOT of baseball to follow as the postseason got going and demanded my attention. Despite all of that activity, I still had a very successful month of reading.

  • Books read in October: 8 (up 3 from September)
    • 6 print
    • 1 ebook
    • 1 audiobook
  • Pages read in October: 3,454 pages (up 1,208 pages from September)
  • Highest rated books: People Watching by Hannah Banham-Young; Yours Truly by Abby Jimenez; and The Boyfriend by Freida McFadden – 5 stars.
  • Lowest rated book: Moby Dick by Herman Melville – 1.75 stars.

2025 Reading Challenge – The 52 Book Club

It is no secret that I have been actively participating in the 2025 challenge from The 52 Book Club this year. I have thoroughly enjoyed the process and have had a lot of fun discovering new authors while also revisiting some old favorites. As November begins, I am in a really good place with this year’s challenge. I only have 2 prompts remaining in the main challenge. (Books have been purchased for both prompts and are sitting in my reading pile as I type this post.) As soon as I get that goal met, I’ll turn my attention to the many mini-challenges that have appeared throughout the year. I doubt I’m able to complete all of those as well by year’s end, but I should be able to make a fairly good dent in them.

Because it is November, those of us participating in the challenge are anxiously awaiting the announcement of the 2026 challenge that will come at any time this month. Part of the fun is guessing when the new announcement will drop on social media. If you have any questions about the reading challenge, I’d be happy to share my experience or you can check it out for yourself by visiting the52book.club and look under the challenges tab.

It has been a lot of fun creating a graphic representation of the books I have read for each of the prompts this year. I’ll be sharing it again in a few weeks when I fill in the final two books, but here is where it stands at the moment.

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May 12

Can I Start Vacation Already? (May 12, 2025)

by kennithfreeman

It’s the second week of May and I am still in school. Really? It feels as though this semester started two years ago! Good grief…..students and faculty are dragging our butts across the finish line and have finally made it to finals. Just a few more days before I can officially check out for a bit.

As we pushed to the end of classes, I just did not have the energy to do as much reading as I would have liked. Still, I managed to tick off two books from my reading list this week.

What I Finished This Week

Dept. of Speculation by Jenny Offill. I thought I was never going to get to the end of this one. The stream of consciousness writing style was not a hit for me. I found the plot — a marriage falling apart — very unsettling. I decided to read this one in a digital format because I wasn’t really interested in adding it to my bookshelf. Ebooks are not a good format for me; I think the problem is that I don’t always have a sense that I am making progress in my reading. I finished the read in order to mark off another prompt of the 52 Book Challenge (stream of consciousness narrative), but I don’t want to repeat the experience. 1 star.

Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan. I was aware of this book because of the Hollywood adaptation. If I’m honest, the film’s previews turned me off from reading the book; I just wasn’t interested. When the book popped up as a recommendation in my Audible account, I decided to take a chance. (I was also aware that the first mini-challenge for 2025 from the 52 Book Club included a prompt to read a book by an Asian author.) I struggled with this story in the beginning. I think part of my issues were associated with the accents used by the narrator to provide authenticity and I was having a bit of trouble keeping all of the names of the characters straight. But I continued to listen, I found the story to be witty, insightful, and thoughtful. All in all, I ended up enjoying the story. I wish the resolution was a little clearer. I would have liked to have gotten pulled into the story sooner. But it was a good read overall. 3.75 stars.

What I’m Currently Reading

The Modern Guide to Time Mastery: Focus, Flow, and Freedom by Morgan Ellis Stone (p. 22 of 148). As the week ended, I was having lots of conversations with students about time management. As I was reflecting on what I was saying to them, I realized that my go-to time management resource was published in 2001. It’s probably time to look and see what other resources are available that might be more impactful to today’s student. While browsing my Kindle, I stumbled across this short book. It seems to consider creatives and focuses on aligning the things we devote our time to with where our values are. I’ve just started the book, but I am looking forward to spending some time in its pages this week.

Emma by Jane Austen (p. 67 of 335). As the semester was winding down, it felt like the appropriate time to dive into one of the classic novels that are scheduled for this year. I have a shameful confession to make as well….I have never read one of Austen’s novels in its entirety. Somehow, I avoided Pride and Prejudice throughout my education. I was assigned Emma as an undergrad and bluffed my way through the class discussions. Now, it is time to actually tangle with this classic British novel. I selected this Austen novel because I have heard that it is her best from several sources and I already had a reliable edition on hand. I gave myself permission to move through the novel at a slower pace so I can focus on what I’m reading and not feel as though I’m working against a deadline. So far, I am finding Emma to be a delightful young woman who has a unique perspective on her society and her circumstances. I’m hoping that since things are a little slower this week, I’ll be able to relax into the story a bit more and get comfortable with the author’s writing style. I anticipate this book will accompany me on my flight to Hawaii this weekend.

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Apr 7

Blowing Snow in April (April 7, 2025)

by kennithfreeman

Despite a busy week, I found myself with several books that I just couldn’t put down! Then a little snow on Saturday meant that I got to spend a little extra time in my reading chair finishing up a book between watching baseball games.

What I Finished This Week

The Last Bookshop in London by Madeline Martin. I absolutely adored this book! As you can tell by my finished reading this week, I am fascinated with the stories surrounding World War II. It’s not so much the war as it is the determination and perseverance of the European people in the face of such challenges. Martin tells a charming story of Grace, a young woman who arrives in the city just ahead of the Blitzkreig. Not having a letter of recommendation for work, the only job she can secure is in a dusty, dilapidated bookshop. While working there, she is introduced to the power of story and her life is transformed. Grace volunteers with the RAF and witnesses some of the worst attacks the German bombers can bring. The Last Bookshop in London is a story of love, endurance, survival, and the power of books to transport our mind. I’m looking forward to reading another of Martin’s historical fictions this summer. 4.75 stars

Dream Girl Drama by Tessa Bailey. With the end of opera rehearsals this week, I also finished this audio book. The third book in the Big Shots series, this one was perhaps the most thought provoking. Sieg, a professional hockey player, is scheduled to have dinner with his estranged father to meet the woman he plans to marry. Dreading the meal, Sieg makes a stop where he is charmed by the lovely Chloe. After what can only be described as “love at first sight,” Sieg’s world comes crashing down at dinner when he learns that his father plans to marry Chloe’s mother! How is it possible that the love of his life is about to become his step-sister? Bailey once again provides a story that is engaging and entertaining. Be warned…the spice level is high! 4 stars

The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris. I have to admit that this novel has caught my eye repeatedly when browsing in the bookstore. I think I steered clear because I expected the text to be simply too dark. I could not put this book down once I started. Yes, the details of life in the camp were disturbing and sorrowful. However, the love and hope that permeates each page lifts the story significantly. 4.5 stars

What I’m Currently Reading

Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan (00:29 of 13:53). When one audio ends, another begins. I’ve heard good things about the movie, so I decided to take a look at the book finally. It is also a way to knock out another of the Lunar New Year mini challenge books. I’ve only listened to the first chapter. I enjoyed it, but I have to listen very carefully because of the reader’s accent.

And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie (p. 22 of 247). Mysteries are rarely high on my list of reading selections, but I find myself needing to read another for the 2025 Reading Challenge. I’m still meeting all of the characters and appreciate that Christie said of this novel that it was the most challenging to write. I’m looking forward to experiencing some fine writing even though it is not a genre I typically enjoy.

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Feb 17

San Antonio Adventures (February 17, 2025)

by kennithfreeman

After our last visit, I made a whirlwind trip to San Antonio to represent Wayland at the Texas Music Educators’ Convention. With an attendance approaching 30,000, it should not be surprising that the convention center was buzzing with activity all week long. Long hours on the exhibit floor and lots of conversations with friends, colleagues, and prospective students meant that my reading was severely diminished this week.

Sadly, Friday was such a busy day (and also my birthday) that I failed to read a single page. Sigh. My streak of 54 consecutive days of reading a minimum of 20 pages has come to an end. I wasn’t too surprised. The last full day of TMEA is always a marathon with exhibits opening at 9am and we work straight through until we close the alumni reception around 11pm. Oh well, time to get to work on a new reading streak!

What I Finished This Week

Reset by Dan Heath. While driving to central Texas, I was able to finish this audiobook. I found many of the ideas presented in this book about changing the direction of your business when resistance is present very interesting and helpful. I anticipate that I will obtain a hard copy of the book in the future so I can review the material and reflect on it. 3 stars.

Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston. I finished this American novel in the quiet of a San Antonio hotel before all of the craziness of the week began. I enjoyed this book more than I expected. I found the examination of the life of a black woman in Georgia and Florida in the early 20th century to be engaging. While I was extremely surprised by the book’s ending, I found myself reflecting on the content for several days after finishing my reading. I selected this book as part of the “Happy Lunar New Year” mini-challenge; the prompt was “features a wise character.” 3 stars.

What I’m Currently Reading

Diamonds Aren’t Forever by Connie Shelton (p. 68 of 339) I knew that reading at TMEA would be challenging, so I wanted to read a fluff piece. As you can see, I didn’t get very far, but I am enjoying the book thus far. The basic premise is quite funny as well. An older woman’s family heirloom necklace was stolen from a museum. After the police could not retrieve it, she hired a private investigator to find it and return it. Thankfully, the PI was successful. Only problem — he returned a replica to the woman and is making for the hills with the valuable jewels. Fueled by their anger, a group of women devise a plan to steal the necklace from the thief and return it to its rightful owner.

Book Lovers by Emily Henry (1:51 of 11:23). After a very loud week in San Antonio, I was looking forward to enjoying a bit of quiet on the drive home. After letting my ears recover for several hours, I was finally ready to begin a new audiobook. Since I didn’t plan for the drive, I selected a book already in my library. So far it is proving to be very humorous and makes fun of the typical “Hallmark romance” novels that so often make their way to my bookshelf.

That’s it for now. Even though I’m not traveling this week, things look as though they are going to be quite busy after all. Here’s hoping that I continue to make some progress in my reading pursuits this week.

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Dec 9

The End is in Sight (December 9, 2024)

by kennithfreeman

The Fall semester is quickly winding down at Wayland. Classes are finished in Plainview and all that remains are finals and turning in grades. I cannot wait to be done! It’s been a long semester and I’m ready for some down time with family.

Thankfully, the last week of classes aren’t insane for me. Mostly, I’m just making sure everyone knows what will be covered on their finals and scheduling piano juries. That means that I had lots of time to do some reading. So I was a very happy little bookworm until the respiratory infection made another appearance at week’s end.

What I Finished This Week

The Twelve Days of Christmas by Debbie Macomber. On Tuesday, I took a quick trip to the local library to see what kind of Christmas themed book I could find that I could read fairly quickly to complete one of the prompts for the December mini-challenge on The 52 Book Club. I had seen Macomber’s name on shelves many times before, but I don’t think I have ever read any of her works. It seemed like the perfect time to give this short novel a try. Julia lives across the hall from Cain, a curmudgeon who is bringing down Julia’s joyful Christmas spirit. After describing her interactions with her personal “Ebenezer” to her best friend, she is given the advice to “kill him….with kindness.” As Julia launches her Kindness Project on Cain, she also decides to blog about the experience. Since it is a Macomber romance novel, of course the two will fall in love. Will their love be strong enough when Cain discovers what Julia has said about him in the blogosphere? This was a really cute book that warmed my heart without playing too hard on the romance.

How My Neighbor Stole Christmas by Meghan Quinn. As I shared in my introduction to this book last week, this novel centers around a local contest to see which of the villagers has the most Christmas spirit. With clear references to Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas, the narrator speaks in rhyming couplets and regularly speaks directly to the characters. Quinn’s novel is humorous and filled with spirit. It is also very mature in its content. This is not an “open door romance”; that term does not adequately express the extremely spicy content. Reader, beware of your surroundings!

What I’m Currently Reading

The Cinnamon Bun Book Store by Laurie Gilmore (p. 186 of 347). When the December Mini Challenge arrived in my email on Monday evening, I made my way directly to Barnes and Noble to see what Christmas books were on display that might grab my interest and fulfill one of the prompts. I was disappointed to find that only holiday romances were prominently featured. (What does this say about our society? Do only those who read romance novels want to be in the holiday spirit? I digress….) Since one of the prompts has to do with seasonal treats, the title caught my eye; what I failed to notice is that the cover clearly indicates an autumnal setting. What’s most funny is that this novel’s opening is at the end of summer…so I completely missed the prompt. Anyway, I have the book so I’m reading it and must admit that it is cute. Hazel, the manager of the bookstore, will soon turn 30. She feels as though her 20s have slipped away and she hasn’t had much adventure in life. It seems as though she is being prompted to be more adventurous as she is finding books shelved in the wrong places with dog eared pages and highlighted passages. Hazel takes these as clues to her personal adventure (yeah…it’s as cheesy as it sounds). In a blueberry patch late one evening, Hazel has had too much to drink and tells the handsome fisherman, Noah, about the clues she has found. Noah agrees to follow the clues with Hazel to see where they may lead.

A Christmas Murder by Mary Grand (p. 66 of 317). My reading life began with mysteries. I spent many hours in the pages of books featuring Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys. Somewhere along the way, I ventured away from the mystery genre. It was partially because of the violence and the suspense. (In case you haven’t figured it out yet, I’m not a fan of things that go bump in the night!) Since I am on a bit of a romance overload at the moment, I decided this was a good time to try out a mystery. Set in an English manor during Christmas, Grand’s novel features the members of a large, wealthy family who are coming to the countryside to celebrate Christmas together. As I have forced myself to get started in the book, I am realizing why I tend to avoid this genre. The novel opens with the murder that must be solved before jumping back in time to slowly bring all of our parties together in the manor. I’m still in the “introductions” stage when what I really want to know is what happens to the corpse that has been discovered. It just feels that mystery writers take forever to fully develop their characters before moving forward with the plot. I’m hoping that this book gets better quickly and that I am mistaken in my assumptions about mysteries since I have a few of them on my reading plan for 2025. I guess I’ll just have to let you know how things turn out as I continue to plow ahead in A Christmas Murder.

JFK Jr.: An Intimate Oral Biography by Liz McNeil and RoseMarie Terenzio (6:18 of 14:54). I did a little more listening this week about JFK Jr. This week explored his entry into the spotlight, being named People Magazine’s Sexiest Man Alive in 1988. From this point on, people were aware of his relationships with Brooke Shields, Julia Roberts, and Daryl Hannah. It was also around this time that John made his entry into the political landscape, introducing his uncle at the 1988 Democratic National Convention. As I have said for several weeks now, my hope is to make significant progress in this audiobook while driving home to Arkansas later this week.

There you have it. Hope you all have a great week of reading!

~Kennith

Christmas Mini Challenge romance The 52 Book Club

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