On My Nightstand February 21, 2026

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Night walks have been very pleasant lately

Another week in the books. Somehow we persist. We had lacrosse tryouts and wisdom teeth surgery, and work commitments here in this house. Plus the start of Lent. Is it any wonder I’m feeling scattered? Sometimes I am way too hard on myself.

Quote of the week

“The alternative is resistance, but you’re too busy reading novels.”
— The Book Censor' Diary by Bothayna Al-Essa

cat naps

On My Nightstand This Week

Kindle - Still working on my ARCs. I think I’ll pick a mystery thsi week.

Audiobook - I have When I’m Gone Look For Me In The East by Quan Barry going for my book club.

Paper Book - I just started Heaven’s Keep by William Kent Kreuger. I was mad at the previous book in this series, but I decided to keep going.

winter walks

Hang in there everyone, and happy reading.

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Show Us Your Books February 2026

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February feels

January saw me reading all over the world. It makes sense- we were snowed in so I partook in some armchair travel. Reading stories set all over is my favorite thing so I’ll count this as a good reading month!

Four and Five Star Reads From January 2026

(in no particular order)

The Memoir of Stockholm Sven by Nathaniel Ian Miller - Sven was a loner so arctic Norway suited him just fine. Eventually though people (and dogs) found their ways into his life. Sven was a great character and this book was perfect for winter reading. I‘m glad this came into my life when it did.

Eight Very Bad Nights Edited by Tod Goldberg - I love noir in the winter, and Hanukkah related noir at the beginning of the month made it extra fun. (Started in December but I’m slow.)

State of Wonder by Ann Patchett - I read this because Sybil wrote to Ann Patchett about it in The Correspondent. I liked it. Somehow it was both slow and fast all at once with good complicated characters. I was a little bit torn about the ending but I guess it all made sense.

Slow Noodles by Chantha Nguon - This book from the survivor of the Cambodian genocide will stay with me for a long time. The recipe for making noodles in a refugee camp was gut wrenching from getting black market noodles to procuring water to cook them in. Everyone should read this.

Travels With George by Nathaniel Philbrick - George Washington meets Travels With Charley meets the life and times of Nathaniel Philbrick. I enjoyed learning about all 3. I also learned a few things about Alexandria, the town where I’ve lived for 20 years or so. I thought the reflections at the end were great and hopeful. Washington, Steinbeck, and Philbrick all had similar experiences when it came to everyday people.

Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins - My first read of 2026.

I liked this, but found it a little depressing knowing the games would still be going on when Hamitch was a grown man. Very hopeless. Well written hopelessness though.

Have a great month everyone!

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On My Nightstand February 14, 2026

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winter sunrise

Happy Valentine’s Day if you’re into that. Happy Saturday if you’re not. The super busy end of year weekends seem to have started early this year, so I’m just hoping for some down time with my books and my cats. If not summer is only 126 days away.

Quote of the week

“I believe, in my heart, we were intended to prize life and enjoy it, so long as we retain it.”
— Shirley by Charlotte Bronte

snack and a book

On My Nightstand This Week

Kindle - Still trying to get through my ARCs. This week it’s Watching Over Her by Jean-Baptiste Andrea.

Audiobook - I’m about to start something new. I have a few choices on Everand, but I haven’t decided yet.

Paper Book - Still working on Malinalli by Veronica Chapa. It’s good but slow.

my internet is misbehaving so i just need to keep this cat pic here i guess

Hang in there everyone, and happy reading.

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This post is linked to The Sunday Post on Caffeinated Reviewer.

On My Nightstand February 7, 2026

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well hello there

We’re starting to get back to normal here. Those who needed them are on the right meds for covid and the schools are open again in person for at least most of the day. (Full days next week PLEASE??) I’m actually looking forward to going back to my physical therapy tomorrow.

Quote of the week

“Did you really think you were the hero of this story?”
— Kind Sorrow by Joe Hill

she is always judging me

On My Nightstand This Week

Kindle - I have an ARC for Death by Java by Alex Erickson.

Audiobook - I am making my way through the maze that is The Unveiling by Quan Barry.

Paper Book - I got a book called Malinalli by Veronica Chapa out from the library. It’s really different and interesting so far!

see?

Hang in there everyone, and happy reading.

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My February 2026 TBR

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January Beginning TBR: 448
January Ending TBR: 502 (Hoping to get this under 500 by Feb. 28)

I’m just a few days late which isn’t bad after battling covid and snowcrete for the past couple of weeks. I fell behind on my ARCs late last year so I’m trying to get a few read this month. I also have a few challenges going on and am trying to read from the TOB Shortlist before the tournament happens in March.

My February TBR

The Director by Daniel Kehlmann

Whale Fall by Elizabeth O’Connor

Shirley by Charlotte Bronte

The Foursome by Christina Baker Kline

Deadly Appearances by Gail Bower

Malinalli by Veronica Chapa

Endling by Maria Reva

If You Love It, Let It Kill You by Hannah Pittard

Buckeye by Patrick Ryan

Death by Java by Alex Erickson

The Beautiful and the Damned F Scott Fitzgerald

Cursed Daughters by Oyinkan Braithwaite

Pet Sematary by Stephen King

A Tender Struggle by Krista Bremer

The Schwa Was Here by Neal Shusterman

Watching Over Her by Jean-Baptiste Andrea

When I’m Gone Look For Me In The East Quan Barry

Sea of Grass by Dave Hage and Josephine Marcotty

First Family by Joseph J. Ellis

So Far Gone by Jess Walter

That’s all for this month. Happy reading everyone!

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On My Nightstand January 31, 2026

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cat model

Well the storm did materialize, and luckily we did keep our power. Unluckily covid is making rounds around our house which isn’t pleasant when you need to shovel every day. Things are looking up though, and this weekend’s storm will likely miss us. We’re all ready for things to go back to normal. Or as normal as things get these days.

Quote of the week

“There was a crow
Shook down on me
The dust of snow
From a hemlock tree

Has given my heart
A change of mood
And saved some part
Of a day I had rued”
— Dust of Snow by Robert Frost

sunshine on snow

On My Nightstand This Week

Kindle - I’m about to start Stolen by Ann-Helen Laestadius.

Audiobook - I was reading King Sorrow by Joe Hill on Everand when they abruptly took it off the platform! I got my credit back and was able to use a credit on another platform so I can start again this weekend. This wasn’t a pleasant development mid-shovel session though! Has this happened to anyone else?

Paper Book - Nothing at the moment. Kindle has just been easier lately.

the Potomac river a few hours before the storm

Hang in there everyone, and happy reading.

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This post is linked to The Sunday Post on Caffeinated Reviewer.

On My Nightstand January 24, 2026

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hiking along the potomac

We’re waiting to see if this giant storm actually materializes. Fingers crossed it’s enough to keep me in reading all weekend, but not so much that we lose power.

Quote of the week

“Every friendship is distinct. And, my dear Sven, allow me to say that if you never allow for the possibility that someone might care for you on your own merit, their way of demonstrating it will always feel unusual or inadequate.”
— The Memoirs of Stockholm Sven by Nathaniel Ian Miller

dirty looks from the cat

On My Nightstand This Week

Kindle - We’re on Cambodia for #FoodAndLit this month so I’m reading Troubling The Water by Abby Seiff.

Audiobook - I started King Sorrow by Joe Hill. It’s SO GOOD!

Paper Book - Nothing yet. I’m thinking about South of Broad by Pat Conroy.

sheep!

Hang in there everyone, and happy reading.

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This post is linked to The Sunday Post on Caffeinated Reviewer.

On My Nightstand January 17, 2026

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a moment of quiet before a meeting last week

I am really looking forward to this long weekend. I ended up with food poisoning last weekend and I spent my one free day dizzy and doom scrolling. That was not helpful at all. This weekend I hope I just get a glimpse of that feeling when you’re lost in a really good book, although like most people it’s hard to get away from the “what has happened now” feeling.

Quote of the week

“Often, after an active morning, she would spend a sunny afternoon in lying stirless on the turf...”
— Shirley by Charlotte Bronte

my favorite t shirt

On My Nightstand This Week

Kindle - I’m behind on my book club books as usual. I need to read The Memoirs of Stockholm Sven by Nathaniel Ian Miller.

Audiobook - I’m about halfway through Slow Noodles by Chantha Nguon.

Paper Book - Still working on The Chesapeake Requiem by Earl Swift.

cold mornings on metro

Hang in there everyone, and happy reading.

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This post is linked to The Sunday Post on Caffeinated Reviewer.

Show Us Your Books January 2026

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Happy New Year! It’s my first Show Us Your Books post of 2026, which means I am looking back at the books I read in December 2025. I read quite a bit in December, but that was a lot of re-reads. So here are the few 4 and 5 star reads of new to me books from last month. (In no particular order.) You’ll see my reading was heavily influenced by the TOB 2026 Long List.

The Best of the Best, December 2025

The Correspondent by Virginia Evans - An excellent audiobook, and a great choice for last read of the year. I loved all of the letters and the book references.

Julie Chan is Dead by Liann Zhang - This was a wild ride! I will never scroll through Instagram in the same way again.

We Do Not Part by Kang Han - This book was haunting and just short enough so that the confusion of not knowing exactly what was going on didn’t make me want to quit. It touched on the generational trauma of the Jeju massacre, which is something the world doesn’t know enough about. Grateful for books that share hidden history.

Christine by Stephen King (technically a re-read but since it’s been 40+ years I’m counting it as new) - It felt like King could have been describing social media and the terrible hold it has over some young men when he was talking about Arnie and Christine. Creepy.

Have a great month everyone!

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This post will be linked to Quick Lit on Modern Mrs. Darcy.

My 2025 Wrap Up

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2025 was a tough year for a lot of reasons, and I don’t feel like I had a good reading year. It was just too hard to concentrate for big sections of the year. There were a few highlights though.

  • Re-reading all of Jane Austen’s books in order was a balm. Emma used to be my favorite, but in 2025 Persuasion knocked Emma off her throne.

  • I read Nancy Drew books and Stephen King books almost every month, and both gave me joy in their own weird ways.

  • I read books set in every Canadian province but two, and that is a country with some dang good books.

  • Of the 230 books I read 30 were re-reads. Sometimes when you can’t face anything new it’s great to have old favorites you can turn to. The world is very uncertain. There’s sometimes comfort in knowing the ending.

  • I should read more poetry in 2026. 2025 was lacking.

On My Nightstand January 10, 2026

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love walking and looking at clouds

This week has been a lot. I am reeling from the news, and exhausted from being thrown back into life head first while the world is set on fire. I am thankful for the act of reading and for the thoughtful community of readers I have found myself in.

Quote of the week

“I got to figure,” the tenant said.

”We all got to figure. There’s some way to stop this. It’s not like lightening or earthquakes. We’ve got a bad thing made by men, and by God that’s something we can change.”
— The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck

a rare moment of peace between these two

On My Nightstand This Week

Kindle - I need something simple with a clear ending, so cozy mysteries it is. I have Crouching Buzzard, Leaping Loon by Donna Andrews out from the library.

Audiobook - A friend told me about a fantasy set in 1920’s DC so I grabbed it from the library right away - The Monsters We Defy by Leslye Penelope.

Paper Book - I started The Chesapeake Requiem by Earl Swift over the summer but didn’t get very far. (Me not the book.) I’m trying again now that I have repaired my attention span somewhat.

started this one again. 2026 needs some poetry.

Hang in there everyone, and happy reading.

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This post is linked to The Sunday Post on Caffeinated Reviewer.

Walking Wednesday January 7, 2025

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Given the holidays I actually got to walk all over instead of around my one block last week. Back to normal this week. I’m actually looking forward to getting back on schedule.

This week I’m listening to Travels With George by Nathaniel Philbrick for a US presidents reading challenge.

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On My Nightstand January 3, 2026

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winter sunrise

Happy New Year! Despite all indications from the world around me I am beginning this year with optimism. Fingers crossed, you know?

Anyway, operation break the reading slump is going well. Let’s just hope this keeps up next week when we get back to our normal schedule.

Happy reading everyone!

Quote of the Week

“People care. They care a lot. They just don’t know what to do to help.”
— Katrina: After The Flood by Gary Rivlin

dominoes!

On My Nightstand This Week

Kindle - I’m working on The Catch by Yrsa Daley-Ward. So far the Tournament of Books 2026 list has been a good one. Hope this one keeps up.

Audiobook - I’m doing a challenge to read about the presidents in order this year starting with George Washington. So I got Travels With George by Nathaniel Philbrick from the library.

Physical Book - I went back to A Chesapeake Requiem by Earl Swift after letting it fall by the wayside last summer. It’s a good book. Life just got away from me.

national harbor in maryland

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My January 2026 TBR

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The awakening sculpture at national harbor in maryland

December Beginning TBR: 415
December Ending TBR: 448 (Thanks Tournament of Books)

I’m excited to kick off the 2026 reading year. I started a whole new reading journal and am starting all of my global reading challenges all over again. There’s nothing like a fresh start, is there?

December was rough and I haven’t been reading much, and what I did read was mostly re-reads. Hopefully I’ll be back to my bookworm ways in January. A lot of these books are from the Tournament of Books 2026 long list which I am very excited about.

Here is my January TBR.

The Mobius Book by Catherine Lacey

Recipe for Persuasion by Sonali Dev

Troubling the Water by Abby Seiff

A Wizard’s Guide to Defensive Baking by T Kingfisher

Cursed Daughters by Oyinkan Braithwaite

The Memoirs of Stockholm Sven by Nathaniel Ian Miller

Crouching Lizard, Leaping Loon by Donna Andrews

The Catch by Yrsa Daley-Ward

Travels With George by Nathaniel Philbrick

Nobody’s Girl by Virginia Roberts Guiffre

Romeo and Juliet: A Novel by David Hewson

The Burning Heart of the World by Nancy Kricorian

King Sorrow by Joe Hill

The Unveiling by Quan Barry

The Buffalo Hunter Hunter by Stephan Graham Jones

State of Wonder by Ann Patchett

Chesapeake Requiem by Earl Swift

Late Nights on Air by Elizabeth Hay

The Last Emperor of Mexico by Edward Shawcross

Stolen by Ann-Helen Leestadius

Happy reading!

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On my Nightstand December 6, 2025

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I hope everyone in the US had a good Thanksgiving, and that December is being good to you all. We’re good here - even got a bit of snow which is unusual in Virginia this time of year. (We’re usually February/March snow people.) I am in full on holiday elf mode so you know that means I will be flying through the audiobooks.

Happy reading everyone! Remember to breathe!

Quote of the Week

“I will never forget my first oyster, it was like a bad dream sliding down my throat...”
— One Christmas by Truman Capote

On My Nightstand This Week

Kindle - I’m still reading A Death in Diamonds by SJ Bennett. I haven’t been reaching for my kindle as much just because this time of year I already look at a lot of screens.

Audiobook - I have Julie Chan is Dead out from the library, and due in 4 days. Can I do it? Yes I can! (Powered by raw cookie dough don’t judge.)

Physical Book - I went back to A Jane Austen Education after finishing Persuasion late last month. I really like this cozy little memoir/analysis of Jane’s works.

This post is linked to The Sunday Post on Caffeinated Reviewer.

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Snowed In 2025

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This is a fun challenge from Litsy…

You've found yourself in a lonely cabin in the middle of nowhere. Heavy snowfall means you are #SnowedIn but you've found several books, a warm blanket, and a comfy chair. Time to settle in and read away the night.

Make a list of books and someone else will pick what you read. You will also pick what someone else reads. (I am requesting that my match pick 5 books.)

The books I want to read all come from the 2026 Tournament of Books Long List (https://www.tournamentofbooks.com/the-year-in-fiction-2025):

Antidote by Karen Russell

Beneath The Moon and Long Dead Stars by Daniel Wallace

The Buffalo Hunter Hunter by Stephen Graham Jones

The Correspondent by Virginia Evans

The Catch by Yrsa Daley-Ward

The Director by Daniel Kehlman

Flashlight by Susan Choi

The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny by Kiran Desai

Metallic Realms by Michel Lincoln

Mothers and Sons by Adam Haslet

Palaver by Bryan Washington

Run For The Hills by Kevin Wilson

Sky Daddy Kate Folk

So Far Gone by Jess Walter

The Ten Year Affair by Erin Somers

Theft By Abdulrazak Gurnah

Tom’s Crossing Mark Z. Danielewski

Underspin by EY Zhao

The Unveiling by Quan Barry

We Do Not Part by Han Kang

Thank you!

On my Nightstand November 22, 2025

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Happy almost Thanksgiving. We’re not hosting this year so I for one am looking forward to a little down time to catch up on my reading and to get started on my Christmas baking.

Quote of the Week

“Funny how the days you weep, you can also have the fullest, deepest laughs.”
— Bug Hollow by Michelle Huneven

On My Nightstand This Week

Kindle - I’m excited for the new Her Majesty The Queen book that just came out, but while I was figuring out the best way to get that one I realized I had one I hadn’t read yet! Even better, at some point I had bought it and it’s on my kindle! So this week I’ll be reading A Death in Diamonds by SJ Bennett.

Audiobook - I am so excited to dive into the 2026 Tournament of Books Long List. I’m starting with The Emperor of Gladness by Ocean Vuong.

Physical Book - Still working on 107 Days by Kamala Harris. I’m also about to start The Funeral Ladies of Ellerie County by Claire Swinarski for book club.

This post is linked to The Sunday Post on Caffeinated Reviewer.

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Show Us Your Books November 2025

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I re-read a lot of books in October, but I also fit in a few great new/new to me reads as well. October is one of the best reading months of the year, and I partook in it.

The Best of the Best From October

The Bane Witch by Ava Morgyn - This book starts with a woman faking her death to escape her abusive husband and then goes full throttle into serial killers, feminism, the supernatural, and family ties. I don’t want to give too much away but I just loved it.

Sisters in the Wind by Angeline Boulley - Boulley returns again to Northern Michigan for another engrossing book. A great mystery that touches on Native American adoption. Don’t skip the afterward.

Ghosted by Amanda Quain - A fun Northanger Abbey retelling where Northanger is a possibly haunted boarding school.

Dark Carnival by Ray Bradbury - I didn’t realize this was out of print when I picked it to read this month. I finally tracked it down and I’m glad I did. The short stories in this collection were creepy and unsettling in the best possible way. My favorites were the one about the misunderstood vampire and the murdering baby. (If you’re interested in this book it happened to be featured on the Overdue podcast last month!)

Have a great month everyone!

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This post will be linked to Quick Lit on Modern Mrs. Darcy.