Show Us Your Books July 2025

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marilla of green gables in front of my june blooms

June was the best reading month I’ve had in years. In retrospect I was probably hiding from the world news, but I guess there are worse coping mechanisms. Long light nights, a pause in sports, and a lighter work schedule also probably helped. Here are some short reviews from the best of the best reads in June. (I’m not including re-reads here. These are in no particular order.)

Heartwood by Amity Gage - It’s been a long time since a book made me stay up past my bedtime. This one was so worth it though. It’s one of those books where the story is about one thing (missing hiker in Maine) but really it’s about something else (women.) I loved this. Might be my favorite all year.

The Brothers K by David James Duncan - This book took me months to read but it was worth it. It’s a chunkster about a troubled family trying to make their way through the 60’s and the 70’s in Washington. I recommend it.

Marilla of Green Gables by Sarah McCoy - I really liked this. It was a new story about Marilla’s younger years, and it took some turns but seemed true to the originals. Recommend for Anne fans.

Becoming Duchess Goldblatt by ? - I was annoyed with this anonymous author at first, but somewhere around the time she met Lyle Lovett she began to grow on me. Her Twitter posts appeared on my feed but I wasn’t a devoted follower. I have seen the portrait at the National Gallery a few times though.

Audition by Katie Kitamura - I wouldn’t have liked this book as much if it wasn’t for a buddy read. Honestly I’m not sure what happened, which made for a really good discussion!

Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy - Whew, this one really packed a punch. It’s a billion degrees here and sweaty, but I felt as if cold ocean water was creeping in all around me. The island and the whales were my favorite characters.

Be Ready When The Luck Happens by Ina Garten - Super privileged and unrelatable but still a good listen in a roll your eyes kind of way. (Ina don’t panic if you can’t find the perfect antiques to furnish your Paris apartment. It’s not that serious.)

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My May TBR

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My April 2025 TBR

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March Beginning TBR: 457
March Ending TBR: 474

I read 18 books in March, but apparently not many were on my TBR. Or maybe I added a bunch more books than I read? I honestly can’t remember. Either way I should look at that before the summer reading lists come out.

March was a really good reading month for me, and so I have high hopes heading into April.

Here’s my list:

A Bit Much by Lyndsay Rush

The Earth Cries Out by Gary Gardner

Digging Up The Dirt by Miranda James

Mystery of the Moss Covered Mansion by Carolyn Keene

No Nest For The Wicket by Donna Andrews

The Land of Little Rain by Mary Austin

I Don’t Care If We Never Get Back by Ben Blatt and Eric Brewster

How To Resist Amazon and Why by Danny Caine

Back After This by Linda Holmes

Nature’s Best Hope by Doug Tallamy

The Long Walk by Stephen King

The Heiress by Molly Greeley

Maud Horton’s Glorious Revenge by Lizzie Pook

Murder Most Royal by SJ Bennett

The Man In The Brown Suit by Agatha Christie

We Are All Good At Smiling by Amber McBride

The Perks of Being A Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

The Mill On The Floss (First Half) by George Eliot

Something by Kate Quinn

Something set in Rwanda

Piece of cake, right??

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Walking Wednesday July 12 2023

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Holidays lead to out of the ordinary walking routes! I’ve been having a great time reminding myself of local attractions including the National Mall and early morning baseball games.

For audiobooks I’ve been alternating between The Outsider by Stephen King and Yellowface by R.F. Kuang.

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Thrilling Books That Take Place In The Great Outdoors

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The moon behind some clouds

I love thrillers where the characters are fighting against each other but also natural elements. It adds such tension when someone has to fight their enemy and mother nature at the same time.

Do you like these books too? Here are a few of my favorites.

The Alex Carter series by Alice Henderson features a badass heroine who saves the earth while fighting the bad guys. I’ve really enjoyed both books in this series so far, and am looking forward to the next one.

The River by Peter Heller had my heart in my throat the whole time. A book about buddies on an easy paddle in Canada quickly turns to life and death as they flee wildfires and killers.

The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon by Stephen King — Baseball can’t solve all your problems, but it sure can help a lot as Trisha found out when she had the bad luck to get lost in the woods.

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The Best Road Trip Audiobooks for Adults

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One of my favorite parts of road tipping is listening to good books with my husband while the kids snooze in the back seat. We've never been people to read the same paper books, but we can usually find plenty of audio books to amuse both of us. Here are some of our favorites.

Fortune's Children by Arthur T. Vanderbilt II -- The history behind the Vanderbilt family is fascinating, and the gossipy parts are fun too.

A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman -- There are two types of people - those who have read A Man Called Ove, and those who have it on their TBR. If you haven't got to it yet, a road trip would be a great time to listen to this wonderful story.

Destiny of the Republic by Candice Millard -- James A. Garfield is a forgotten president, and was so glad I had the opportunity to learn more about him in this fascinating audio book.

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee -- You can't go wrong with a classic, especially when it's read by Sissy Spacek.

Wait Till Next Year by Doris Kearns Goodwin -- I loved this baseball memoir. If you grew up in a baseball family you'll relate.

What's your favorite road trip audio book?

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