Full of High Sentence | But A Bit Obtuse

(on the first day of reading I got so anxious I almost returned it but turned out that was brought on by cough cough hormones which resolved themselves cough cough and I wasn’t anxious anymore. But the way the author keeps the rising tension going was so well written)

2. Best sequel you have read in 2026 so far

Probably Everyone in This Bank is a Thief? This series continues to be really fun.

5. Biggest disappointment

Hmmm maybe The Unicorn Hunters, honestly. It started out beautifully (Arden's writing is glorious, she creates full-color tapestries out of prose), but I felt like it fell off somewhere in the last 50 pages (it began like a historical novel and ended full-on fantasy), and I could not quite get on board with ret-conning Louis of Orleans (historically a jerk) as the romantic interest. (Also, ugh, I did not need the detailed sex scenes.) Anyway, I quite enjoy historical novels that add a splash of fantasy, but I did not find it satisfied that itch for me.

12. A book you need to read by the end of the year

3. A new release you want to check out

I was kinda interested in reading Kathryn Stockett's The Calamity Club, but it's huge, and my sister said it had some difficult content, and I'm not sure I'm up for that at the moment. (Feel free to recommend stuff to me in the comments. I am notoriously bad at keeping up with anything new.)

7. Favorite new author (either new-to-you or debut)

Becca Syme! Love her practical writing advice.

10. A book that made you happy

Best book you have read in 2026 so far

Already answered, but since it was extremely hard to choose, I'll also give an honorable mention to Becca Syme's Dear Writer, You Need to Quit and her other books on writing craft. Definitely the most helpful books on writing that I've encountered in recent years!

4. Most anticipated book release of the second half of the year

Best book you have read in 2026 so far.

Already answered, but this time I'll answer it for fiction: I loved the Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing duology. I was so impressed with it from a historical research and stylistic standpoint, the flavor it had of being collected primary sources, the dreadful hypocrisy of Enlightenment ideologies against the backdrop of the American Revolution, the accurate representation of religion in this particular historical context (and Bible verses applied and used correctly!), and the way the characters acted with what information they had, without the benefit of knowing how the history ends!! 😭 That said, it was also DEVASTATING.

6. Biggest surprise

I read Louis Sachar's Small Steps finally, because The Boy had read Holes--and while I thoroughly enjoyed it, I was surprised by how much more thematically YA it is than Middle Grade, and decided The Boy is not quite ready for it.

8. Favorite new character

I have listened to a ridiculous amount of All Creatures Great and Small this year (I think I only have the final collection left?), and unsurprisingly, I love James Herriot with all my heart. 😅

9. A book that made you cry