The Shadow Cabinet by Maureen Johnson
At no point reading The Shadow Cabinet was I completely sure of what would happen next. I’m still not clear on what ended up happening and it’s a real shame it ended on a bit of a cliffhanger without another book released from the series in the last more than decade. Hopefully eventually there will be another book so the confusion of the third book’s ending can be cleared up.
4 (out of 5) Stars
Books Read in 2026: 73
Pages Read in 2026: 24,706
Daisy Darker by Alice Feeney
Daisy Darker is one of those books where I had no idea where it was heading and was extremely shocked by the twist. Only once had something made me question what turned out to be the case, though I never once suspected the culprit. It is also one of those books where I immediately wanted to talk about it with someone else, but that someone could only be a person who had read it because just talking about it would either spoil the whole thing or require a lot of explanation. Truly an excellent book.
5 (out of 5) Stars
Books Read in 2026: 71
Pages Read in 2026: 24,199
Note: Must be done one season at a time. Two prompts per season may be slightly changed (ie character hates their job could become character loves their job).
SEASON 4, completed: August 18, 2026
You Can Go Home Again: Set in a small town – Wish Upon a Christmas Star by Karen McQuestion
Hair Today, Goon Tomorrow: There is a haircut – The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins
I Ain’t Gonna Spray Lettuce No More: Character quits their job – Darling Girls by Sally Hepworth
Fishing for Virna: Character returns after a long absence – The Torchbearers by Ally Condie and Brendan Reichs
Shallow Boy: Character sings – Kill Joy by Holly Jackson
Janitor Dad: Character owns a store – Queen of Babble Gets Hitched by Meg Cabot
Singled Out: Involves a reality show or podcast – Match Me if You Can by Lindzee Armstrong
Dangerous Secret: Character is being abused – The Names by Florence Knapp
Sixteen Candles and Four-Hundred Pound Men: Character misses something important – Layla by Colleen Hoover
Turkey Day: Involves class differences – Matched By Design by Lindzee Armstrong
An Affair to Forget: There is an ultimatum – Two Can Play by Ali Hazelwood
Easy Street: Involves the mob – A Fortune of Sand by Ruta Sepetys
B&B’s B’N’B: Character is in a place they shouldn’t be – The House of Hades by Rick Riordan
Wheels: Character goes to court – Mad Honey by Jodi Picoult & Jennifer Finney Boylan
Chick Like Me: Deals with sexual harassment – Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus
A Long Walk to Pittsburgh (Part 1): There is a misunderstanding – First and Forever by Lynn Painter
A Long Walk to Pittsburgh (Part 2): Character lives with a non-parent relative – The Guncle by Steven Rowley
Uncle Daddy: Single mom/dad – The Extraordinary Disappointments of Leopold Berry by Ransom Riggs
Quiz Show: Character is a contestant in a game – Out of My Mind by Sharon M. Draper
Security Guy: Character is fired – The Nanny Diaries by Emma McLaughlin & Nicola Kraus
Cult Fiction: Involves a cult – The Madness Underneath by Maureen Johnson
Learning to Fly: Set at college – An Academic Affair by Jodi McAlister
An Academic Affair by Jodi McAlister
An Academic Affair was full of so many romance book tropes and somewhat acknowledged this was the case. I loved that. The ending was perfect even though it wasn’t totally the happily ever after sort. More of a this is great for now sort which was just fine.
5 (out of 5) Stars
Books Read in 2026: 70
Pages Read in 2026: 23,860
The Library of Unruly Treasures by Jeanne Birdsall
The Library of Unruly Treasures is an adorable book with a lot of character development. I read it to my elementary age children and they all loved it. There are some names and words that are nearly impossible to pronounce so it’s a good thing there’s a handy pronunciation guide in the back. Make sure to read the author’s note!
5 (out of 5) Stars
Books Read in 2026: 69
Pages Read in 2026: 23,491
Match Me by Christmas by Lindzee Armstrong
Match Me by Christmas is a very enjoyable book. I have enjoyed all the books in this series. They are a bit formulaic but that actually is a large part of why I like them. They are excellent mind vacations. This particular story is very sweet with an adorable ending.
5 (out of 5) Stars
Books Read in 2026: 67
Pages Read in 2026: 22,764
Filed under Adult: Romance, Reason: B&N Book Challenge
A Fortune of Sand by Ruta Sepetys
So often historical fiction is dreadfully boring, but Ruta Sepetys has always managed to make her historical fiction books interesting and exciting. A Fortune of Sand looks at Prohibition era Detroit and wealthy auto-related families. Most important to the story is what happened to women who were too creative or had too many opinions. It’s all set on a backdrop of things that really happened such as a jewelry heist at the Detroit Institute of Arts.
5 (out of 5) Stars
Books Read in 2026: 66
Pages Read in 2026: 22,582
No Dumb Questions by Jason and Travis Kelce
There are several dumb questions in No Dumb Questions, but also a lot of good questions. If you listen to New Heights none of these will be new questions. The audiobook is mostly taken directly from the Podcast (I actually recommend reading it that way because the printed version is slightly edited and the way the brothers talk over each other is always funny).
4 (out of 5) Stars
Books Read in 2026: 65
Pages Read in 2026: 22,241
First and Forever by Lynn Painter
I enjoyed First and Forever so much. It was a sweet story with the perfect happily ever after. My only complaint is that it hit a little too hard foreshadowing the third act breakup. Of course I knew it was coming, I didn’t need to be reminded every other page. Otherwise it was pretty much perfect. It reads fast and is an excellent feel good mind vacation.
5 (out of 5) Stars
Books Read in 2026: 64
Pages Read in 2026: 22,014
Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus
I found the first about third of Lessons in Chemistry to be quite dull, but as sometimes happens it got way better in the second half. There was a decent amount of humor but still got across just how hard it was to be a woman, let alone a woman in science, sexity to seventy years ago very well. There were many interwoven threads that came together in a very satisfying way.
4 (out of 5) Stars
Books Read in 2026: 63
Pages Read in 2026: 21,707
Mama Reader 