What's On My Nightstand (March Edition)

I don't know if you're like me or not, but I have stacks and stacks of really great books just begging to be read, but there are seasons of life when my brain just cannot process the good stuff. Just like my taste buds at times crave sweet snacks or a bag of my local fast food fries, there are times when my brain revolts and simply wants the "junk food" of books. Stories that have a happy ending and plots that don't take up any brain space or require any "heavy lifting" in the thinking department. March has been just such a month for me. 

I made it to March 7th and hadn't finished any of the non-fiction books I've been slowly working my way through, and then I found a series I wanted to try out before letting one of my younger teens read, and I ended up reading three books in three days. Not my proudest additions to my Goodreads "Read" shelf, I must admit (much like when I used to count calories and had to add the exact number of peanut butter cups I'd eaten that day...), but I keep telling myself that reading something is better than reading nothing at all. I think. 🤔

Photo by Tuyen Vo on Unsplash

Consider these the M&Ms of the electronic book world. It got even worse when I finally caved and did the $0.99-for-3-Months trial of Kindle Unlimited, which not only had this series on it, but so many like it. Consider that fair warning that I have no idea what's going to be on this monthly book roll from now until early June, but it may not be the finest literature list you've come across on the internet. However, my reviews will continue to be honest, so there is that! 

NOTE: The first two on this list received three stars - NOT because I think they're worthy of three stars, but because, for what they are (lower-level, Old West, Christian romance novels), they're not written by AI and they're clean enough for me to let my younger teen daughter read. The third one was just a two-star, even by the standards I'm using, and by #4, we were down another star. Sorry Ms. Rawlings.

1. Tomorrow's First Light by Naomi Rawlings - ⭐⭐⭐ I'm always on the lookout for books that will grab the interest of my teen girls, without getting graphic. I saw this one on Amazon and decided to give it a try before trying it on my girls. It was a very quick read, enough of a plot to keep it interesting, with a lot of unique characters. A few repetitive phrases, and definitely NOT deep literature, but clean and enough simple romance to charm the teen girls in my household. {Amazon Associates Link}
2. Tomorrow's Shining Dream by Naomi Rawlings - ⭐⭐⭐ If you grew up reading Janette Oke (Love Comes Softly) or Michael Phillips (the Corrie Belle Hollister series), the first two books in the "Texas Promise Series" have been reminiscent of those. A little cheesy, a little too much drama about feelings, a few Bible verses thrown in for good measure, but...clean. With enough stolen glances, brushing of hands, and almost kisses to thrill the heart of a teenage girl (which is why I'm reading these before my girls do). {Amazon Associates Link}
3. Tomorrow's Constant Hope by Naomi Rawlings - ⭐⭐ Not much more I can say about this that hasn't already been covered in the previous two reviews, but here's the gist: man sends for a mail-order bride, they enter into a loveless marriage of convenience, unencumbered by physical attraction (for a few days), he discovers her secret past, decides to protect her (while swearing all the while he will never love again after his first wife died in childbirth - a fact that is stated ad nauseam), they inevitably fall in love but each holds back from telling the other because of their original agreement to have a platonic marriage. Conflict and danger are a given, a touch of drama, and the inevitable happy ending, complete with tender caress and gentle kiss. My youngest teenager would love it.
4. Tomorrow's Steadfast Prayer by Naomi Rawlings - ⭐ These are getting more and more cringy, thus the one star. One reason is that I don't like drama, and I don't enjoy a lot of tense moments, and this one had a lot of rustlers, almost getting caught, and sneaking around. I also don't enjoy stories where you just want to shake the characters and tell them to just say it, or stop making assumptions. Basically, this is not my kind of series, but I'm pushing through to the final book (thanks to Kindle Unlimited!) for the sake of a kid who might want to read them (though I'm leaning towards no at this point... they're clean, yes, but annoying). There are a lot of good (or better) books in this world, no reason to encourage junk food, right?
5. Tomorrow's Lasting Joy by Naomi Rawlings - ⭐⭐ Good heavens, I'm glad to be done with this series. I think I'm the only person on Goodreads giving these books 1-2 stars, but in addition to there being discrepancies (Cain "running his hand through his hair" after he had been shaved, for one), it was just a lot of locations, several new characters being thrown around without much explanation or resolution, and a lot more killing and violence in this one (enough that it knocks the series out of the running for my youngest gal). And although nothing is described in detail, rape is implied, and there are some pretty grizzly deaths in this one.
6. The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion: Vol 1 by Beth Brower - ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ This was such an unexpected delight after some real downers. Written from the viewpoint of the personal diary of Miss Lion, my expectations were low, though I had seen a number of positive reviews on Goodreads from friends who have read the series and raved about it. However, one never knows (different tastes and all). But, at least with book #1, they were correct. Utterly delightful, enough sarcasm to keep this INTJ entertained, and plenty of storyline hanging out there to suck me into Book #2. Would recommend! Bonus, it's available for free on Kindle Unlimited if you have access to that! {Amazon Associates Link}
7. Why Should I Be the First To Change? by Nancy Missler - ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ I laughed out loud while reading this book because it was totally relatable. This absolutely aligned with my own experience of learning how to love God, which requires total surrender of self. God's Word teaches us the "secret sauce" (Deut. 6 & Matt. 22) to "love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind," which leads us to the second greatest commandment (Lev. 19 & Mk. 12) to "love your neighbor as yourself." Learn what it means to love God...it will change everything. This short book is simply Nancy's story of how that happened for her and what changed. It could just as easily be mine...with personal details changed. It can be yours as well. If you want to read her story, this is an older book, but the truths within are still relevant because God's truths never go out of date. Out of print, but available on Kindle for $5.95. {Amazon Associates Link}
8. The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion: Vol 2 by Beth Brower - ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Another winner! I am utterly sucked into this series. And, so far, no AI writing in sight. Hallelujah. Delightful character development, fantastic plots, all told through the unique view of Emma's diary. The perfect spring series! Read it. {Amazon Associates Link}

Even though five of my March books ended up being a disappointment, the fact that I still managed to read eight books this month makes me happy. That puts me at the half-way point for my reading goal this year (40 books), and I'd love to think that I'll continue in this pattern and make it to 40 by the halfway point of the year...but if 2025 taught me anything, it's that life happens. Which is why I'm reading while the sun shines! 

If I were going to recommend one series so far this year, it would be, hands-down, The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion. What a hoot! Loving the tone of the writer and the ways that the stories unfold. Reminds me a tad bit of The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, but with more sarcasm. They have really been the best spring read (and all the hype from reviews on Goodreads and from friends wasn't wrong!). 

What's on your nightstand (or Kindle) at the moment? 

What's On My Nightstand (February Edition)

So here's something I don't love as a reader: finding a new series and getting sucked in, only to have the writing go downhill after a few books. I think we might see this more and more as authors start to rely on AI a little too much (yes, I, too, just heard Dickens, Austen, Christie, and a plethora of past writers roll over in their respective graves). I've had two series now that started strong and then lost steam around book three or four. Because of the stronger starts, I continued to push through until I just couldn't take it anymore. From repetitive phrases to ever weakening plots, eventually you wear out your audience. 

And yes, I recognize that the very authors I referenced earlier (Charlie, Jane, and Agatha) could also be accused of being stuck in a rut (oh look, a poor urchin, hungry, in a dirty city, or yet another woman of no fortune who happens to find a love match with a wealthy gentleman, or oh my goodness, another murder in a small village or foreign location?!), and yet, for a variety of reasons, their works stands the test of time. ChatGPT has not advanced to the stage of providing the depth of human emotion that we find in Ebeneezer Scrooge, or the complicated character of little Fanny Price, or the mustachioed confidence of Hercule Poirot. Rather, they were dreamed up, developed, and eventually saved, loved, or (in the case of poor Poirot) killed off, totally evolved out of the minds and imaginations of creatives who understood the necessity of relatable humanity in their characters, which is something that a soulless AI writing aid cannot give. 

I believe it is also why the series I read recently started strong, but then fell off. My theory is that the authors had good ideas, and they wrote without pressure. But then when the ideas took off, the push for more stories, faster, cause them to lose their creativity and rely on technology to help them churn out tales a little too quickly. The end result was that, in addition to losing their creative juices, they also lose readers who would be willing to wait longer between books if it meant having something worth reading. I am no indiscriminate novel reader. The mere trash of the common circulating library I hold in the highest contempt. ~ Jane Austen

Photo by Jakub Żerdzicki on Unsplash

On that note, here's what I read in Feburary. As you can see, there are decidedly fewer books than January (which is why when I do get into a reading binge I just go with it, because at least I haven't fallen behind schedule this way), and they are both in the category of, "Please stop using AI to help you write." I have several other books in progress at the moment, but didn't manage to complete any of them before the month's end. However, I'm still reading something every day, so I'll take that!

1. Loving Lieutenant Lancaster by Sarah Eden - ⭐⭐ In short: repetitive and predictable. I loved the unpredictable nature of the author's writing in Book #1. Book #2 was still different enough to make it enjoyable. By book #3 the plot was obvious and the ending inevitable. The only difference in Book #4 is that it's Linus Lancaster, rather than one of his sisters, whose time it is to quickly fall in love. But when the books are centered around romances, it's not really a surprise for predictability to come into play. And while I still appreciate the purity of the relationships (nothing more than stolen glances, hand holding, and towards the end, a light kiss), it just feels more and more like the books I would have wanted to read in junior high. After four books I've grown weary of love at first sight or infatuation in two weeks. I'll probably read book #5, just to close out the series, and I'll add this caveat: if these were cheaply available in paper format, I would definitely let my younger teenagers read them. {Amazon Associates Link}
   
2. The Valentine Cipher by Anna Elliott and Charles Veley - ⭐⭐⭐ Honestly, more like a 3.5 star, and a decided improvement on the previous book in the series. There were still some repetitive phrases and women with "hair pulled back into severe buns," but overall, it was slightly less Nancy Drew-esque, and who did it wasn't immediately obvious. However, I'm pretty sure Merriweather was British army, and they put him in an American uniform, and towards the end, bad guys were coming out of the woodwork. 😏 It might have been a little excessive. Plus, for Pete's sake, please don't have Nigel or Evie get kidnapped in the next one!! That plot line is getting a little old now. This was one of those "final chance" books before I wrote the series off, and it passed well enough that I'll give the next book a try when it's released. A basic, semi-cozy mystery. {Amazon Associates Link}

What are your feelings about authors who use AI to help them write? Yea or nay? 

What's On My Nightstand (January)

January is the month of restarts. Refocusing on our goals (simple or complex), refocusing on our health, refocusing on what we want to change by the time December rolls around again. Our houses get a refresh as we remove all the tinsel and trappings and put away the sparkle for the next eleven months. Our Instagram feeds are full of inspiration and ways to renovate ourselves this year, with a healthy dose of "cozy" vibes to keep us firmly in winter mode. It's easy to think that January is the only month that this can take place, and while it's true that it comes most naturally this time of year, I like to look at each day in the same way most of us look at the first of January. Every day is a new opportunity to try something new, made a different choice, eat better, move more, gripe less, and learn from yesterday's mistakes. So whether you stuck with all of your goals for the last 31 days or not, remember: tomorrow is another new start and it's never too late! 

My Simple Goal list included reading 24 books this year. As I said then, I would love to push that to 36 or 48 or even my original 2025 goal of 60, but we're going to start small and work up and if we go beyond that, I'll give myself an overachieving high five. January was a pretty strong start (as it usually is - winter being my best time for reading), and here are the books I checked off my list over the last 31 days...

1. Your Guide to Not Getting Murdered in a Quaint English Village by Maureen Johnson & Jay Cooper - ⭐⭐⭐⭐ This was on my wish list for a while, and then (without knowing it was one my wish list) a friend gave it to me for my birthday last month and I absolutely loved it. Yes, I still just gave it four stars (because, come on, five star books need to really be five stars!), but for a little graphic/short paragraph book, this was pretty fantastic. I wasn't actually sure what to expect, but from page one I found myself snorting. If you've read any Agatha Christie mysteries or other similar British murder series, you'll recognize many of the seemingly innocent yet surprisingly sinister characters and locations, bound to be full of murderous intentions (beware all village fêtes, for example, and stay away from the church bell tower!). If you, or someone you know well, love a cozy British murder, this should definitely be on your list for next year's stocking (along with a cute bookmark - another friend gave me a tea bag bookmark, similar to this one, which you could actually make with scraps!). {Amazon Associates Link}
2. From a Far and Lovely Country by Alexander McCall Smith - ⭐⭐⭐⭐ I always love a trip to Botswana to visit Mma Ramotswe. The stories are simple and yet, surprisingly, complex, involving regular life and common troubles that makes the characters relatable, even if you've never left your mid-west hometown. In this particular book I was getting a little concerned at how he was going to wrap up all the loose threads of the story. And even though McCall Smith waited until the very last chapter to wrap up every story line...he did so, beautifully, as always. When the world appears to grow more insane by the day, I encourage you to take a trip over to Zebra Lane or make a stop at the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency and have a cup of red bush tea with Mma Ramotswe and Mma Makutsi. Always a pleasure. {Amazon Associates Link}
3. Let the Biscuits Burn by Abby Kuykendall - ⭐⭐⭐⭐ If I were just viewing this through the lens of what I got out of it, I would give it two stars and say that it offered nothing earth shattering (hospitality was a normal thing in my family). However, if you're new to it this is a good starting point because we are all called to "practice hospitality," not just those who have the gift of it. Kuykendall offers real life examples of how she first practiced hospitality as a single woman, and now as a relative newlywed and new mom. This is also where she lost me a bit because I chuckled over her being "so busy," but the things she shares are still valid and good, food for thought and encouraging to those who didn't grow up in a hospitality-rich environment. In a world where opening your home to others is a lost art...people are just happy to be invited. Personal Note: Making people feel at home in your house follows learning how to love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind, because only then you will learn how to love your neighbor as yourself...and your door should begin to open because all you're really doing is loving your neighbor. {Amazon Associates Link}
4. The Missing Pets Mystery by Rachel Ward ⭐⭐ I actually have this as a set of five books for Kindle, but each one is a full book (and can be purchased separately), so even though Kindle will mark it as having read one book, I'm counting it as five. Now that that's out of the way, here's the nitty gritty: This was a definite improvement from the first book (in no way was it clean, mind you, still f-bombs and innuendo, but at least no graphic sex scenes this time), and it feels like the author is settling in a bit. However, it is a reality stretch because how many mysteries can a supermarket employee be involved with that involve the same supermarket staff? Although, to be fair, I guess it's no different than the number of murders per capita in Cabot Cove, Maine, where Jessica Fletcher lived (Murder, She Wrote). Here's the only thing you really need to know: Would I recommend the series? No, I still would not. That hasn't changed from Book 1. I'm only continuing on because I already own Books 1-5 (the $2.99 special for all five). Had Book 2 taken after Book 1, I would have shut it down. Even so, my recommendation is: Pass.
5. Steve McQueen: The Salvation of an American Icon by Greg Laurie & Marshall Terrill ⭐⭐⭐ In the introduction, Laurie says he's never written fiction before, clarifying that the "fiction" part of this story is his road trip in his classic car, though not saying whether he actually met up with the people he talked to about McQueen (getting there by plane and rental car instead of an epic road trip) or if he used the phone or if it was all research from his co-author. He said the road trip itself was a "literary story-telling device," but he could have done without it and I wouldn't have been left guessing what was fact and what was fiction. That aside, as much as I appreciated how Laurie intertwined his life story and its similarities with McQueen's formative years...there were times when his own self-importance-through-survival rubbed me the wrong way. Is this about Steve McQueen or Greg Laurie? Did both Laurie and McQueen have difficult childhoods? Yes. Did God save them both? Yes. Although, on that count, we didn't get there until the very end of the book (just as McQueen didn't get there until the end of his life). Laurie does a decent job wrapping it up in the closing chapters, and because this was one of the last books (if not the last) that my mom read before she died, I am willing to say it's an okay book (and one that spoke to her during her own final weeks battling cancer). Even though it wasn't a favorite book of mine, it could be an encouraging read for others, as it was for my mom.{Amazon Associates Link}
6. Seeking Persephone by Sarah M. Eden ⭐⭐⭐⭐ I read this in a day, practically in one sitting! Such a sweet story, with a total lack of impropriety, unnecessary crassness, foul language, uncomfortable bedroom scenes, or anything else that makes so many other books these days something that I am totally uncomfortable handing my teenage girls. But this is like taking Beauty and the Beast and mixing it up with Jane Austen (but with some hand holding, a couple of marital kisses, and some longing looks). My only complaint is that it's only on Kindle, but at least there are several books in the series. I also saw a trailer for a movie they are making from the book (done with a kickstarter compaign) which I'm looking forward to seeing whenever it's finally released (this year, according to their website). {Amazon Associates Link}
7. Courting Miss Lancaster by Sarah M. Eden ⭐⭐⭐⭐ This is a really lovely follow-up to book #1 (Seeking Persephone). Although the plot line and inevitable ending were obvious from page 1, that didn't stop me from enjoying the book or the progression of Miss Lancaster's relationship with a certain family friend. Sweet, clean, and the ultimate happy ending for all. My biggest complaint about this series is that it's Kindle-only, and I would love to have these books in paperback for my girls (who don't do ebooks), but otherwise, a really lovely set of sweet, innocent romance stories (something I'm not typically a fan of, so this has come as a bit of a surprise). {Amazon Associates Link}
8. Midwinter Murder: Fireside Mysteries from the Queen of Crime by Agatha Christie ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ I think I was around 13 or 14-years-old when I first picked up an Agatha Christie mystery (I believe it might have been Murder on the Orient Express), and I was hooked. It's been a few years since I have re-read any of her detective stories (though I did read her autobiography in October 2024), but I love Christie's writing. I love her short stories (though not as much as I love her longer tales). But mostly, I adored the cover and interior of this (Hardcover from the UK) book (absolutely beautiful - my copy is pictured above). If you want the beautiful cover, you have to cough up for the hardback, because the U.S. paperback just isn't the same. My one complaint was that there wasn't necessarily a winter theme to all of the stories, but that's not enough to make me give it less than 5 stars. Perfect January read. ❄️ {Amazon Associates Link}
   
9. Romancing Daphne by Sarah M. Eden ⭐⭐⭐ So far, this has been my least favorite of the series, but it was still enjoyable and I read it in a day. While the first two books received four stars from me, this one, however, was just a three star. For one thing, there were some inconsistencies (like Adam's clear threat not to physically touch Daphne, and yet it was ignored almost immediately), and the ending with the Lancaster's father wasn't tied up. However, it was still delightful to see another sister married off, and I look forward to giving the next book in the series a go. {Amazon Associates Link}
10. Out to Canaan (Mitford #4) by Jan Karon ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ I have lost track of the number of times I have read through this series, but it never gets old. The perfect cozy series for hard times, crazy seasons, dark winters, or just because. Father Tim seems to get better with each reading, mostly because as I age I begin to understand him more. I can see things in his character that I couldn't understand before, ways of looking at the world and at people, feelings that resonate as they just didn't when I was 20 years younger. And yet, there's something for everyone in this story and series, and I cannot recommend them highly enough. I'm quite excited that she's coming out with a final book in the series and look forward to getting my hands on it later this year! {Amazon Associates Link}

One month in, ten books finishes. I'm quite pleased with that start! We'll see what February holds, but I've been working to develop some habits that will hopefully help me to continue to making reading a priority in 2026. In the mean time, hit me up with the best book you read in January! 

Happy Reading!

Year's End (December Reads and Favorite Books)

Twenty twenty-five was one of the best years -- and one of the most challenging -- of my forty-four years of life. Goal setting in January didn't include walking with my mom through six short weeks of cancer and death, and yet I wouldn't have it any other way. Caring for her was one of the greatest privileges of my life, and the gift of losing my mom when she still remembered me (unlike her mom, who didn't know any of us when she passed away in her 90's) is something I can genuinely give thanks for. Watching my dad figure out life without his sweetheart of 64 years has been incredibly heart-wrenching, but also given me moments of pride (along the same lines of how I feel as I watch my 21-year old figure out her life). From giving Mom's eulogy on a balmy June evening to sending three of my teenagers overseas for the summer the following morning, God's goodness was manifest to me. Whether saying an earthly farewell to my mom or a temporary goodbye to my kids, I can say with certainty that the Lord is good, His mercies are new every morning, and His faithfulness is, indeed, great.

So many of my goals for the year changed when we found out Mom wasn't long for this world. Originally I had planned to read five books a month -- and was on track to do so -- but when Mom got sick, all ability to read went out the window. Even though I had a lot of time on my hands as I sat in waiting rooms or sat with her, my brain was unable to focus on words. After she passed and I was down to one kid in the house for the summer, I thought I would be able to catch up. Instead, I often found myself sitting in stillness, sometimes crying, as I processed everything that had taken place over the previous months, still unable to pick up a book. By August I realized I needed to revise my goal from 60 books to a mere 36. Life happened. And along with embracing the goodness of God, I also began to embrace contentment. Contentment in the seasons. Contentment in the goals. Contentment in doing what I could and letting go of the rest because, in the end, it really didn't matter as much as I thought it did in January. 

Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash

Even though I had to lower my 2025 reading goal, a few days before the end of the year I still managed to tick that goal box and discovered a rather enjoyable series towards the end of the year. Below you can see both my reviews of what I read in December, as well as my top five books/series of 2025. 

1. The Murders at Clarion Castle by Anna Elliott and Charles Veley - ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Overall, I would say that this one was more intense than previous books in the series, it definitely kept my heart rate a little elevated (though I never thought any of the gang would die... it's too Nancy Drew-esque for that!). Evie's realization that {SPOILER} someone she thought long dead was, in fact, not, was not a surprise (saw that one coming from a couple of books ago), however, it didn't dim my enjoyment of the story. The way each of the characters are growing and becoming more confident and working together is enjoyable, and even though I would call this one less "cozy mystery" and more action, it was still a good addition to the series. Four stars. {Amazon Associates Link}
2. The Harvest Festival Murders by Anna Elliott and Charles Veley - ⭐⭐ The authors have been cranking out these books and you can really tell with this one. Lots of loose, dangling ends and the main plot kept getting run over by all the half-finished side stories. Just as Katherine is preparing to unload her story about Greta (the German Land Army girl who disappears from the story and wasn't central to anything!) with Harry and Nigel, the next chapter opens with her standing in the village hall being fitted for a wedding dress. Um, how did we get here? What happened to Greta? One moment Evie is sneaking around a suspicious Spitfire crash site with a gun in her hand, but an hour later she's back at the hospital and kicking herself for not being armed. And if one more woman's hair was described as "Pulled back severely" in a bun, or one more "scared face" with "darting eyes" showed up in the story, I was going to scream. I'm all about getting more books out, but don't sacrifice the editorial portions of the writing. This definitely needed some help and made it far less enjoyable than previous stories in the series. {Amazon Associates Link}
3. The Scrooge Conspiracy by Anna Elliott and Charles Veley - ⭐⭐ I would probably give this one 2.5 stars, but it really needs a good line edit. This series started out strong, and don't get me wrong, I'm still enjoying it, but there are more and more redundancies and explanations of things we already know (that last bit is what makes it feel like a Nancy Drew). I also noticed more loose ends or quickly tied up ends (for example, Lyle's quick summary of what happened with the villain of the story and the leader of the Black Briers). The writing feels rushed (they're cranking out a new book every 2 months or so!), and they fall back on a lot of cliches. All the style critiques aside...it was fun to read this one at Christmas and enjoy the twist of the play (even though the hyper focus on the oil was a bit much for something that was then quickly explained). I'll keep reading, because they're clean and they're fun, and when I just want an easy, mindless read, this absolutely fits the bill and keeps me reading, but I'm still a bit disappointed that rather than getting better (as they did in the earlier books), they've settled into quick writing and pumping them out (a la Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys). {Amazon Associates Link}

Top 5 of 2025

1. The Homefront Sleuth's Mysteries* by father/daughter duo Anna Elliott and Charles Veley - If you are looking for a clean, British, historical mystery/spy/murder story, give this series a try. Aside from editing issues, I really don't have many complaints about any of the books I've read in it. Think Nancy Drew meets Miss Marple. 
2. Born Survivors by Wendy Holden - Absolutely incredible story of life and death and hope within the confines of Nazi concentration camps. This is history we should never forget or we will end up repeating it. Highly recommend.
3. Rocket Men by Robert Kurson - The story of the Apollo 8 crew, their mission, their personal lives, and their dedication to the mission many didn't think would (or should) happen, but ended up being key to helping the U.S. win the moon race. If you're at all interested in the NASA Apollo program, this is a must read. 
4. The Hawthorne and Horowitz series by Anthony Horowitz - I made my way through several of these books early on in the year and was surprised by how much I enjoyed them and even the quirky writing style. Relatively clean, interesting characters, I felt that the books continued to improve, so if you tried one and weren't a fan, try again.
5. The Thursday Murder Club series by Richard Osman - Loved the first three in this series (a total surprise), but he almost lost me on book #4. There were aspects of the story I loved (and made me bawl, honestly), and parts that I really felt we could have done without. However, he redeemed himself in book #5 and I will definitely give book #6 a try when it comes out.

*Amazon Associates Links

Just as I did in 2024, I'm implementing a book buying freeze (unless I have free ebook credits or other credits) for 2026 as I have collected a substantial amount of TBR stacks again this year (and received more for my birthday and Christmas - no complaints!!!) and it's time to make a dent in the pile. #BookwormProblems And I'm aiming for that 60 book goal again, but holding it loosely, because you just never know what's around the next corner of life, right? Here's to a 2026 that is full of joy, laughter, growth, and, as always, lots of good books!

What's on your TBR list for 2026?

26 Simple Goals in 2026

In keeping with tradition (well, from the last two years anyway!), I spent some time coming up with a list of 26 things to work towards over the next twelve months. If you read my last post, you'll know that these are simply things that I aim towards, giving me something to check off on the days that I accomplish them, and things to help me stay focused when the world is going crazy. When my mom got sick last spring, even on the days when I was at their house all day, every day, I stuck to some of my goals like glue. When I couldn't control anything related to my mother's battle with cancer, I could scrub the individual grout lines of our bathroom floor (one of my simple goals: clean something in the bathroom every day). By the time my Mom passed away, our floor had never been so clean (we have small tiles and lots of grout) and dust bunnies were running for their lives in our bedroom. I remember talking to a friend about it at the time, and her perspective was that it gave me normalcy. Something to focus on besides the fact that my mom was dying. She was right, of course. During that season I never missed a day of walking either. But I needed to breathe, to be away from noise, and have time to process. Walking (another goal) gave that to me. 

Although sometimes we see goals as things to beat us up when we don't accomplish them, I prefer to see them as opportunities each day to celebrate when we do. So what if I didn't walk 5 days a week all year? Most weeks I walked at least 1-2 times, and that's more than I had been doing, so it's still a win. So what if I had to change my reading goals from five books a month to three? My mom got sick and life happened and I still managed to read 36 books last year. That's a win. Perspective changes everything.  

Photo by Sincerely Media on Unsplash

Not knowing what 2026 will hold (after all, I still have one aging parent and two in-laws, four teenagers - one of whom is college-bound, and a 20-something daughter; I homeschool and proofread and mentor, and let's not even talk about laundry and feeding people!), I stuck with the theme of simple, doable, goals. Areas where I want to continue to grow, where I've already made some progress in the last two years, but that still present a challenge to me, so achieving them feels like a success. 

26 in '26

We'll start with the low-hanging fruit and then move on to the slightly larger goals.

1. Intentionally spend time with my dad each week - this could be dinner out, having him here, taking food to him, or just stopping by to say hello.
2. Intentionally connect with family who are not local to me (text, phone call, cards, etc.)
3. Getting up when the alarm goes off at 5:30 - this is intended to give me space to think, pray, read my Bible, drink coffee, and generally wake up and prepare for the day before school starts at 8:30.
4. Read 24+ books - I'd love to hit 36, or 48, or 60...but I'm holding this goal loosely.
5. Read 1+ chapter a day from a physical book (paper, in my hands, not Kindle)
6. Clean one thing a day in our bathroom - this could mean a 30-second swipe of the counter, or a full-on hand scrub of the floor, depending on the season of life I'm in!
7. Clean/dust something every day in our bedroom (same simple rule as above)
8. Implement "simple cleaning schedule" in a new room each month (living, dining, library, etc.) - I've always hated cleaning, so finding a way to make it less of a dreaded task and more of a "no big deal because it's 30 seconds, not 30 minutes," is the ultimate goal here.
9. Pick one day a week to purge the same number (or higher) of items as the date - so a version of the Minimalists clean out challenge, but just four times a month (4 items on the 4th, 15 items on the 15th, etc.).  
10. Stick to my Christmas and Birthday budgets - I say this every year, that I'm going to go smaller next year, but we really have come to a time when financially and mentally, it doesn't make sense to continue to add stuff to the household. All our kids are getting older, and experiences (or cash) are more appreciated.
11. Make "No Spend Month" the standard rather than the exception - I really don't need anything, but social media and Amazon and bored browsing tell me otherwise, which means those habits need to change as well.
12. Buy no new physical books - I am once again at a point where I have an overwhelming number of books already on my shelves (added to this year), and since I'm working on the budget as well, this seems like a good way to work through what I already have! I'll leave it open for ebooks, as long as I'm using existing credit for them.
13. Save cash for special events - I already have envelopes and checklists set up for this, I just need to be intentional about utilizing them (and filling them).
14. Refill Savings accounts - we have multiple accounts for different spending requirements, but this last year I had to pull from all of them, so it's time to buckle down and repay myself. And on that note...Goal #13...
15. Lunch and dinner at home, 6 days a week (minimum) - back in 2012, when the Hubs and I buckled down to pay off in one year what remained on our mortgage, we limited ourselves to going out to eat once a month. Add 14 years and a handful of kids and going out even once a month is almost cost-prohibitive. Chick-fil-A costs $80 for six of us to eat. The local Mexican restaurant is $150 with tip. So this is really a necessary cut, but makes it more fun if I call it a "goal" and then get to mark it as successful. 😉 
16. Travel somewhere and/or make time to regularly do something fun - this might mean spending some money or getting creative, but the time with kids at home is fleeting.
17. More family movie nights, more intentional time together - see: time with the kids at home is fleeting.
18. Work on photo books monthly - every year for Christmas I make a photo book of everything that's happened in the last twelve months and then have it printed for our kids and my dad. I'm always rushing around at Thanksgiving, trying to get it done so I can take advantage of the Cyber Monday sales. This year, I'd like to work on the book at the end of each month so that when Thanksgiving comes, I'll only have to put in November's pictures and it won't be as rushed or stressful. 
19. Get back into Duolingo French - I've still been using the app daily (a goal from 2025), but I've been focused on learning chess and have gotten away from French. I'd like to become more proficient at actually understanding the language.
20. Watch French language YouTube channels and/or shorts - to assist with the above, and could also be French subtitles on movies I know well.
21. Learn/practice ASL - Last year the Hubs and my kids all started learning ASL. I was in the middle of caring for my mom when this happened and my brain couldn't take on anymore at the time. However, I just purchased Lingvano Pro for the year at 50% off, and I want to make sure I get the most bang for my buck there. Which means I have to use it.  
22. Get moving again - I never did pull out the stationary bike in the basement, and although I did walk more (outside) last year, I'd like this to become something I'm more intentional about doing in 2026. 
23. Drink more water (80 oz. a day - minimum), cut down on sugar (special occasions only, not 4 PM cravings!), and smaller portions - I'm at a season of life where all the things that always worked no longer work. I've accepted I will never be the size I was at 25, but I'd at least like to be healthy as I turn 45 this year.
24. Don't be afraid to pursue jobs that scare me - meaning, jobs that I don't feel qualified for, or jobs that stretch my knowledge base. I come across as confident in many ways, but secretly I fight a lot of impostor syndrome. 
25. Rent a dumpster or set aside a week for a full-house purge this summer - In addition to the regular purging days, it's time for a major clear out. Both the hubs and I are feeling overwhelmed by all the stuff that has collected in our basement, garage, cabinets, closets, and drawers. The time has come. And since we'll be kid-less this summer, seems like a good time to purge.
26. More analog, less screen - I've already been attempting this. With aging parents (and new drivers) we cannot go totally without a phone (emergencies happen), but I want to focus on being more present when people (including my kids) are around, and even when they're not, not to be so tied to the "glowing oracle that rots my brain."   

And there you have it, 26 simple goals in 2026. Okay, some simple, some not so simple. But all of them doable, depending on my motivation and how much time and energy I'm willing to invest. Honestly, I think if I focused solely on #26 (staying away from my phone more), I could probably easily achieve all of the previous 25 goals. It's amazing how much time is sucked away from that stupid little box, not to mention brain cells. 

So what say you? Join me in my quest for simple goals and daily achievements? Join me in setting aside the electronic device that you may very well be reading this on right now? Join me in rejoining the world and making the most of the time that we have been given on this earth? I hope you will!

Here's to a healthy, joyful, and growth-filled 2026!

Share some of your goals in the comments!

3 Lessons from 2 Years of Simple Goals

For the last couple of years I have made the decision to select a handful of "simple" goals to focus on during the year. This has allowed me to keep the momentum going while not feeling like a total failure by the end of January. Whether it's the goal to read more (even if it's just a page or two a day) or move more (walking the driveway once or twice a week) or eat better (put down the cookie, drive past Starbucks without stopping for a calorie-laden treat), being able to check off a box gives me a little boost and keeps me coming back for more. 

Photo by Glenn Carstens-Peters on Unsplash

My first list was "24 in 24" and in looking back at it now, I am so thankful for some of those goals, such as intentionally spending more time with my parents. In December of 2023, when I made that one of my simple goals for the year, I had no idea that my mom would be gone in June of 2025. But for a year and a half I intentionally stopped by their house, made time for meals, and encouraged my kids to spend time with their grandparents. And now that she's gone, I'm not sitting here full of regrets. 

LESSON: If you're putting off seeing someone because the timing is inconvenient, STOP. Call them. Write an actual card and mail it. Stop by their house and spend an hour talking. Invite them over for a meal or offer to bring food to them. There will come a day when that is no longer an option, and you will wish that you could.  

In my "25 for 25" I kept some of the same goals (like spending time with my parents) and tweaked others. Again, in looking back on the goals I set towards the end of 2024, even though I didn't know what the year would hold, I'm actually surprised by the number of them I was able to mark off, even with all the curve balls. I tweaked those goals a bit last January, and I'm so glad I did. Not only were we more intentional with our time, but we took three trips this year and made lots of family memories, we did special events out of the blue, and we were able to focus on different kids at different times. 

LESSON: Aim for something and you'll have a better chance of hitting it. Leave it up to chance, and you'll be left with nothing but a pile of regrets and no time left. It doesn't have to be a trip to Disney with the whole family, it could be $1.50 slushies from the grocery store on a random Tuesday. Don't put a price tag on being together. 

And so here I am, with 2026 bearing down on me, minus one parent, with four teenagers in tow. Our calendar is full, plans are already in process for sending four kids overseas for seven weeks this summer (and we get a temporary empty nest!) and then one kid off to college a week after they return. My dad will be 85 this year, so anything could happen there. I have a physical list of things I need to get done this week, in January, in the spring, before August...you get the idea. 

LESSON: Life never slows down, it just changes. There will never be the "perfect time" to do the things you want to do, so go ahead and make the list. Fix dates on the calendar (in pencil!). Make (refundable) plans. Be intentional with your time, money, goals, and brain space. If you want to read 50 books in 2026, then that means you need to carry them with you, use the Kindle app, and say NO to doom scrolling and binge-watching. We don't get more time, but we do get something of a say in how we use what is given to us. Use it well. 

Are you setting goals (simple or not) for 2026?

Care to share? Hit me up in the comments! 

#iamthankful for BOOKS! (Or what I read in November)

Hard to believe we have just completed the eleventh month of 2025 and there remains just one month between us and a new year. So much has happened since this time last year, so much that was unforeseen (like my mom dying), and it makes me stop and wonder what I'll be saying at this time next year. Will I be adjusting to the loss of another family member? Will I be down to just three kids remaining in our house? Will I still be proofreading and trying to hit reading goals? Only time will tell, but what I know for sure is this...no matter what, God is good.

This was the first Thanksgiving without my mom being around, and we knew it would be different, but it was still good. We headed up to Virginia to spend the holiday with two of my siblings, a nephew and his family, my dad, and some family friends. In a year with so many changes, it was helpful to be somewhere entirely new. 

Photo by Priscilla Du Preez 🇨🇦 on Unsplash

After our family time, we continued north, taking our school-aged kids to Williamsburg and Jamestown to enjoy the Christmas festivities. What that meant was that by the time Thanksgiving week rolled around, I was pretty much done with all of my reading for the month, but here's what I managed to sneak in around packing 146 Operation Christmas Child Shoeboxes, visiting family, and exploring history with our kids.

1. The Spectre of Hawthorne Manor (Homefront Sleuths #2) by Anna Elliott & Charles Veley - ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Let me just say that book 2 in this series did not disappoint. While there are some weak spots (Harry continually tripping up right before an attack comes to mind, or dangling plot lines - like what happened to the housekeeper?), this book proves that the series definitely has a lot of potential and I appreciate the lack of crude language or unnecessary lusty bits. They leave it on a nice cliff hanger, while still tying up the story for this book (reminds me a bit of the old Nancy Drew stories, honestly). The writing isn't at the level of Agatha Christie, but it's a really nice group of characters in a lovely little English village, fighting evil and figuring out life in a world continually changing due to the war. Four stars. {Amazon Associates Link - FREE with Kindle Unlimited, or $3.99 to buy}
2. The Spitfire Murders (Homefront Sleuths #3) by Anna Elliott & Charles Veley - ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Another really nice addition to the series from Elliott and Veley, complete with character growth and historically-based plots. And I will add, again, that the series continues in the vein of a more grown up version of Nancy Drew, with a cohort of friends swooping in at the last minute to save the day. There were a couple of typos or plot details that were wonky (like, one minute the two hostages are bound and gagged, and the next minute they're no longer gagged), but overall, it was an enjoyable, easy read. The more I read these books the more I am sucked in, and luckily for me...they are writing and publishing the next books quickly. Four stars. {Amazon Associates Link}
   
3. The Judas Monk Murders (Homefront Sleuths #3) by Anna Elliott & Charles Veley - ⭐⭐⭐⭐ This series keeps improving with each book. The writing gets better, the plots become more detailed without becoming cluttered, the characters are developing at an appropriate pace, all in all, enjoyable writing. I will say that there are some plot lines that have not been a surprise...certain people turning up, for example. You can see where they're headed before you get there, but it hasn't made the stories any less enjoyable. Clean, lacking the sensationalism or modern (woke) twists that so many of these types of series have now, which is refreshing. This is the series I've been looking for for a while, just a bit of cozy British mystery, with a hint of romance, but not enough to really distract from the primary plot of the story. I almost gave this one five stars, but I reserve that for the very best of books and writing. But...for a clean, cozy mystery...five stars. {Amazon Associates Link}

Only three books, but I thoroughly enjoyed them all and am about 50% of the way through the next book in the series, and recommended it to a friend over Thanksgiving as well. I still have a few books to go before I hit my (lowered) goal for the year, but I have every confidence that it will happen before the 31st. In the meantime, Happy December, Merry Christmas, and I'll see you in January with a review of what I read this month and my favorite books of 2025, along with some reading goals for 2026. 🎄📚🎯