Seriously Mum, Where’s That Donkey? by Alan Parks

Seriously Mum, Where’s That Donkey? by Alan Parks

Seriously Mum, Where’s That Donkey? is a bunch of random stories about two expats from Britain living in the middle of nowhere on a Alpaca farm in Andalusia. Most of the stories are funny or cute. Some aren’t. As I read, I found myself getting more and more annoyed at the author and his wife and their continued refusal to speak/learn Spanish even though they literally live in Spain now. Often he seemed almost boastful about only speaking English and annoyed when they would find out someone they thought only spoke Spanish actually could speak some English.

3 (out of 5) Stars
Books Read in 2026: 78
Pages Read in 2026: 26,338

Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid

I found Atmosphere to be very easy to put down. It dragged a lot. There were interesting points, of course, and it was a good enough read. The last chapter was incredible and emotional, kind of like all of the heart of the book was put in those few pages, making the ending great.

3 (out of 5) Stars
Books Read in 2026: 77
Pages Read in 2026: 26,022

Tastes Like Shakkar by Nisha Sharma

Tastes Like Shakkar by Nisha Sharma

Tastes Like Shakkar is a little bit spicy enemies to lovers book with a hefty dose of Desi culture wrapped up in a retelling of Much Ado About Nothing. The characters are fun. It focuses on two side characters from the first book of the If Shakespeare Were an Auntie series. The ending was surprising and made me excited to read the third book in the series.

5 (out of 5) Stars
Books Read in 2026: 75
Pages Read in 2026: 25,547

The Shadow Cabinet by Maureen Johnson

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 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, though strange book.

4 (out of 5) Stars
Books Read in 2026: 71
Pages Read in 2026: 24,199

Finished My Boy Meets World Season 4 Episode Reading Challenge

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 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 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 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

A Fortune of Sand by Ruta Sepetys

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