Gray After Dark by Noelle W. Ihli

Posted on January 20, 2026 by Amanda

Book #5 in 2026
4.5 out of 5 (photo from Goodreads)

This book really drew me in. I kept wondering what it was like to be Miley. I did feel like the first part of the book moved slowly but it picked up and I wanted to know what would happen.

Miley has an accident that puts into question her ability to participate in biathalon in the upcoming Olympics. She takes a summer job at a camp. While on a run on her own in the remote woods, she is abducted.

She is taken to an off-the-grid cabin where her captors aim to keep her to help with their planning for when the world ends. Miley has to figure out if and how she can escape, not knowing if anyone is looking for her.

In another point of view, Brent, a friend of Miley’s is out searching for her. He tries to find clues to what happened to her but as more time goes on, the hope of finding her dwindles.

Because this was inspired by a true story, I had to look up information about the person it was based on.

Posted in 2026, Books, Psychological Thriller | Leave a comment

Love, Mom by Iliana Xander

Posted on January 20, 2026 by Amanda

Book #4 in 2026
3.5 out of 5 (photo from Goodreads)

I thought this was an interesting book. It kept my attention. I figured out the twist before it was revealed and I’m not sure how I felt about the ending but it didn’t detract from the rest of the book for me.

Mackenzie is the daughter of a famous author. Her mom dies in a car accident. Mackenzie starts getting letters from her mom that make her question her past and who she is.

Stop here if you want to avoid spoilers!

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Posted in 2026, Books, Psychological Thriller | Leave a comment

Bury Your Gays by Chris Tingle

Posted on January 15, 2026 by Amanda

Book #3 in 2026
3.0 out of 5 (photo from Goodreads)

This is a little hard for me to review. I liked the main character and his best friend. I liked the concept of the plot. But I didn’t enjoy the writing.

Misha has been nominated for his first Oscar. He’s being pressured by his producer to kill off a gay character for ratings, however, he’s not comfortable doing that. He has to decide what to do and in the process deals with issues from his past.

Posted in 2026, Drama | Leave a comment

The Children on the Hill by Jennifer McMahon

Posted on January 14, 2026 by Amanda

Book #2 in 2026
2.5 out of 5 (photo from Goodreads)

This is another book I listened to where it wasn’t bad but compared to other books by the same author, it wasn’t a favorite. There’s the usual creepy kind of feel in this book as with the author’s other books.

Viv and Eric live with their Gran, who is a doctor who works with those who are mentally ill. One day, Gran brings home Iris to live with them. She becomes like a sister to Viv and Eric.

In another storylin,e Lizzy is a podcaster who travels to Vermont to try and find out what happened to an abducted teen.

Viv starts to wonder what her grandmother is up to and what she really works on. Lizzy tries to chase down the missing girl and fight off ghosts from her past. I wanted to know what happened with both storylines but I didn’t feel overly engaged with any of the characters.

Posted in 2026, Mystery, Psychological Thriller, Thriller | Leave a comment

Flight of Dreams by Ariel Lawhon

Posted on January 14, 2026 by Amanda

Book #1 in 2026
3.0 out of 5 (photo from Goodreads)

This wasn’t a bad book but it wasn’t a huge hit either. I kind of felt like I was reading the Hindenburg version of Titanic. The plot covers the stories of several characters throughout the course of the flight. Going in, you know there’s a disaster. It’s just a matter of who survives and how interesting their story is as you go through the plot.

There wasn’t much about the history of the Hindenburg or why it crashed. I liked the arcs of some of the characters but not all of them. Compared to other books I’ve read by this author this is one of my least favorite. I don’t regret listening to the audiobook but I think I was expecting more.

Posted in 2026, Historical Fiction | Leave a comment

The Drift by C.J. Tudor

Posted on December 31, 2025 by Amanda

Book #76 in 2025
3.0 out of 5 (photo from Goodreads)

I liked the eerie atmosphere of this and even the *big reveal* was somewhat creative, but overall I think there were too many characters for me to feel like I connected with anyone.

This is set in a dystopian future where there’s threat of a virus turning people into zombie-like creatures. The plot follows the story of three people as they’re stuck in situations with other people where their lives are in peril. Will they survive? Will they figure out what’s going on in each situation that makes things more mysterious and dangerous?

Stop here if you want to avoid spoilers!

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Posted in 2025, Books, Dystopia, Horror, Science Fiction | Leave a comment

The Lies They Told by Ellen Marie Wiseman

Posted on December 31, 2025 by Amanda

Book #75 in 2025
3.0 out of 5 (photo from Goodreads)

I went into this book thinking I’d be reading more about eugenics, which I didn’t think was the case. The first two thirds of the book felt a bit slow but the last part went quicker for me.

Lena Conti is looking to immigrate to the US. She begins working for a a distant relative after being separated from her brother and mother at Ellis Island. Lena has a two-year-old daughter that she fought to be able to stay with.

Silas takes the two of them in so that Lena can help around the house and with his two kids. The state of Virginia is looking to paint “mountain folk” as uneducated and can therefore be taken by the state. The state also is looking to take Silas’ land.

How will Lena, only 20 herself, be able to take care of her daughter, two other children, and adapt to her new life?

Stop here if you want to avoid spoilers!

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Posted in 2025, Books, Drama, Family, Historical Fiction | Leave a comment

The Book of Alchemy: A Creative Practice for an Inspired Life by Suleika Jaouad

Posted on December 16, 2025 by Amanda

Book #74 in 2025
5.0 out of 5 (photo from Goodreads)

I started this book as an audiobook and ended up purchasing a copy to have and finished reading this way.

Throughout the book the author and others give writing prompts. As I was listening to the book I tried writing all of them down but thought it would be better and easier to have a copy of the book to refer to. I’m hoping that in 2026 I will use some of the prompts and do some writing myself. I don’t know if I’ll hand write in a journal or do something more blog style.

Posted in 2025, Books, Non-Fiction | Leave a comment

The Night Sister by Jennifer McMahon

Posted on December 16, 2025 by Amanda

Book #73 in 2025
3.0 out of 5 (photo from Goodreads)

Not excellent but not bad. I can see what others might like it. This book does have a paranormal flair to it. I didn’t mind this. Parts of the story seemed to drag on for me.

There are multiple storylines to follow. I listened to this as an audiobook and while each chapter said where you were going, I don’t know if not actually seeing it made it harder for me to keep straight what was going on at each spot.

Piper and Margot are sisters who grew up playing with their friend Amy in a successful hotel. Amy is accused of a horrible act, which leads the two sisters to remember their past and learn more about Amy’s mom and aunt who each thought the other had a big issue.

Posted in 2025, Books, Drama, Supernatural | Leave a comment

King of Ashes by S. A. Cosby

Posted on December 16, 2025 by Amanda

Book #72 in 2025
5.0 out of 5 (photo from Goodreads)

I loved this book. I didn’t want it to end. There’s a lot of violence in it, which is typical for the author. I felt a strong connection to the Carruthers family. They showed the point of view of a family that doesn’t always make the right choices but they still look out for each other.

Stop here if you want to avoid spoilers!

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Posted in 2025, Books, Drama, Family | Leave a comment