reading – Page 3 – That Library Girl

The Sunday Salon / The Sunday Post #30

What is the Sunday Salon? The Sunday Salon is a place to link up and share what we have been doing during the week. It’s also a great opportunity to visit other blogs and join in the conversations going on there. Hosted by Readerbuzz.

What is the Sunday Post? The Sunday Post is a blog news meme hosted by Caffeinated Reviewer. It’s a chance to share news~ A post to recap the past week on your blog and showcase books and things we have received. Share news about what is coming up on your blog for the week ahead. Join in weekly, bi-weekly or for a monthly wrap up.

I honestly have BARELY been on social media this whole entire week! After I got home from work I would listen to an audiobook and do a puzzle. It’s been a breath of fresh air actually. I finished two puzzles this week, which is a huge accomplishment for me.

The dog decided to chew three of the pieces

Wednesday my husband and I went out to dinner with our friend and his wife. We had a great time hanging out, just catching up, and the food was delish!

I am making my way through Dead In The Water by John Marrs. So far it’s a good book. Some themes in this book are hard for me to read and this is why I am taking my time with it.

I am dual reading/listening to Empire of Silence by Christopher Ruocchio. I tried just reading it back in November and life got in the way and the book got put on the backburner until it had to be returned to the library. The audiobook hold came in via Libby so I borrowed it along with the book again. I only had the audiobook for two weeks from the library and they are gonna take it back later today (OH NO!!!!!!!!!!!!) because at the time of writing up this post I am only 81% in, aka I have FIVE AND A HALF HOURS LEFT in the audiobook! Let’s pray I can finish it before Libby snatches it out of my grasp!

I am going to start In His Wake by Chad Zunker today on my Kindle. He’s a familiar author whose books I enjoyed and I need something of a palate cleanser from the denseness of Empire of Silence.

If you’d like to be friends with me on Storygraph, this is my profile page.
I stopped using Goodreads and refuse to go back.

I am currently trying out Pagebound. This is my profile page if you’d like to be friends on the app.

If I am not listening to an audiobook while doing a puzzle, I put The Golden Girls on as background noise. The show is on Hulu. It’s a classic and still cracks me up!

The Sunday Salon / The Sunday Post #29

Monthly Wrap Up: January 2026

Stacking The Shelves #7

WWW Wednesday – February 4, 2026

Spotlight: The Valet by Bonnie Traymore
WWW Wednesday
The Sunday Salon/ The Sunday Post #31

WWW Wednesday – February 4, 2026

Welcome to WWW Wednesday! This meme was formerly hosted by MizB at A Daily Rhythm and revived on Taking on a World of Words.

The Three Ws are: What are you currently reading? What did you recently finish reading? What do you think you’ll read next?

I just started reading Dead In The Water by John Marrs. A friend of mine received a paperback ARC and lent it to me to read.

I threw myself on the Libby waitlist for the audiobook of Empire of Silence by Christopher Ruocchio. Yes, I did borrow the hardcover from the library last year and started the book, but it took a backseat at some point and I ended up returning the book to the library a month later. The audiobook is totally keeping my attention and I am invested in Hadrian’s journey!

For HRCYED 2.0 I needed a book with 7+ colors on the cover. You Shouldn’t Be Here by Lauren Thoman is a First Reads backlog book that fits this prompt. I totally forgot what the book is even about so I am gonna go in blind later tonight.

I finished reading The Invisible Woman by James Patterson and Susan DiLallo. I gave this book an average rating because it was just alright to me.

I finished listening to Nine Pines by Kiersten Modglin. I was not a fan of this one.

A new month is about to start, so new plans have emerged. These are the books I am trying to get to in February.

Don’t forget to link up with Taking On A World Of Words to share your WWW!

Stacking The Shelves #7

From #1 New York Times and #1 USA Today bestselling author P. C. Cast—a passionate and magical epic bringing alive Celtic legend, perfect for romantasy fans who love Sue Lynn Tan and Thea Guanzon and historical fantasy fans of Madeline Miller.

Step into the mystical world of the Isle of Skye in 200 BCE, where legends come to life, goddess and gods walk the mortal earth, and the Queen of Shadow holds court. But Scáthach is no ordinary queen. Daughter of the Underworld goddess Bēfionn, golden-haired Scáthach is not just a brilliant trainer of warriors, her divine mother has gifted her with the ability to pass between the living world and the Underworld and has granted her dominion over shadows.

Scáthach dedicates her life to training the most talented warriors from across the ancient world at Dunscaith Castle, her impenetrable fortress on the magical Isle of Skye. When Cuchulainn, the Hero of Ulster, son of the Irish god Lugh, arrives asking to become one of her students, Scáthach reluctantly agrees to train him—even though she has serious misgivings about his violent past and the mindless berserker who sleeps within him and whose rage, once awakened, has always been uncontrollable…until the Hero of Ulster meets the Queen of Shadow. Scáthach soon realizes Cuchulainn is much more than the brutal, emotionless warrior everyone expects him to be. And the Hero of Ulster begins to believe he might take control of and even change his foretold fate.

As their growing attraction deepens, Cuchulainn’s father, the God of Light, forces him to retrieve a weapon that will seal Cuchulainn’s fate and forever take him away from the Queen of Shadow. But when Scáthach joins him on the quest through the most dangerous and disturbing parts of the Underworld, Scáthach discovers that her fate may lie in the Underworld and, perhaps, she might be able to forge a future for herself and Cuchulainn by tricking death herself….

Proof of Price: $0.00

Monthly Wrap Up: January 2026

Good morning, readers! Somehow…. I read 7 books this month. Thank goodness for audiobooks at this point. I overwhelmed myself with lots of plans and I ended up scratching all of them and going to comfort books to help my reading along. ALL of my ARCs were neglected – it happens :(

If you’re not following me on Storygraph, you should! This is my page. Like a lot of people, I mostly stopped using Goodreads.

The Sunday Salon / The Sunday Post #29

Life was pretty good this past week. Had a day off of work on Monday because of all the snow and ice, so the husband and I spent the day in the living room doing our hobbies (him video games and me reading). Tuesday I had a delayed opening so I was expected into work at a later time, obviously. The work day went by so quick! Wednesday my husband had an after work meeting, Thursday he bowls after work and Friday he went to a concert with some work buddies… which means I was home after work with the dog those three days. Did I get a lot of reading done? OF COURSE NOT! :( I got a lot of a puzzle done while listening to The Golden Girls in the background lol. What a slacker if you ask me.

Saturday I was asked to work. School isn’t open on the weekend, how can you work? It’s what we call a “catering”. A school activity is taking place and they need use of the kitchen. To ensure safety someone who works in the kitchen must be present. My manager (who is the person who normally does it) could not attend due to a prior commitment so she asked me if I would like to. I agreed.

I am going to start Dead In The Water by John Marrs today. I am borrowing this ARC copy from a friend. I actually really like Marrs’ books so I am not sure why I am having a hard time starting this one.

I needed one more book to complete a category for HRCYED 2.0 and chose a book I already own that fits the prompt. I am not far into You Shouldn’t Be Here by Lauren Thoman. The premise is interesting but there’s a character already that is making me want to put the book down and never open it again. We shall see if I can get past it…

If you’d like to be friends with me on Storygraph, this is my profile page.
I stopped using Goodreads and refuse to go back.

I am currently trying out Pagebound. This is my profile page if you’d like to be friends on the app.

Like I said above, I threw on the first season of The Golden Girls while sitting doing a puzzle. The show is on Hulu. It’s a classic and still cracks me up!

I liked another Harlan Coben TV show and Netflix has now suggested a ton of them for me to watch. This one was pretty good too!

The Sunday Salon / The Sunday Post #28

Review: Inside Man (Head Cases #2) by John McMahon

Library Stats and Savings For January 2026

Review: Two Witches and a Whiskey by Annette Marie

Books Acquired In January 2026

Monthy Wrap Up: January 2026
Stacking The Shelves #7
WWW Wednesday
The Sunday Salon/ The Sunday Post #30

Books Acquired In January 2026

Good morning readers! These are all of the books that I acquired/received/borrowed onto my shelves, virtual and/or physical, for the entire month of January:

I borrowed all of these from Libby.

Acquired: 12

Total spent this month: $0.00

Total spent this year: $0.00

Review: Two Witches and a Whiskey by Annette Marie

Title: Two Witches and a Whiskey
Author: Annette Marie
Format: audiobook
Length: 8 hours 9 minutes
Rating: 4 stars
Publication Date: February 28, 2019

Two Witches and a Whiskey by Annette Marie was an absolute delight to listen to, and the audiobook experience made an already engaging story even more immersive. From the very beginning the story pulls you in and never lets go. The pacing translates beautifully to audio, with sharp dialogue, well-timed humor, and escalating tension that makes it hard to press pause. Every chapter flows smoothly, keeping the momentum high and the stakes clear.

One of the biggest strengths of the audiobook is how vividly the characters and their relationships come through. Hearing the interactions really brings the banter, emotions, and shifting dynamics to life. The friendships, rivalries, and found-family moments feel incredibly natural, and listening to those relationships develop adds an extra layer of connection. The characters chemistry is a joy to experience through audio.

Overall, the Two Witches and a Whiskey is a thoroughly engaging and entertaining experience. The combination of a gripping story, strong character relationships, and lively dialogue makes it easy to get completely absorbed. It’s the kind of audiobook that makes commutes fly by and keeps you looking for excuses to listen just a little longer. Highly recommended for anyone who loves urban fantasy and character-driven storytelling.

Library Stats and Savings For January 2026

I absolutely LOVE using my library for all my books and audiobook needs. I do not have a lot of money to blow on a hobby, so I found a good way to support my community, my library and my reading habit! The library has a ton of resources and I always check there first for audiobooks I want to listen to or books I want to read. Libby is my friend and I have multiple library branches hooked up to my account for maximum borrowing.

I thought it’d be fun to post monthly updates about my library stats, on top of keeping up with my official challenge page.

*I use Amazon pricing, or the price on the receipt when I leave the library*

Review: Inside Man (Head Cases #2) by John McMahon

Title: Inside Man
Author: John McMahon
Format: audiobook
Narrator: Will Damon
Length: 9 hours 35 minutes
Publication Date: January 13, 2026

Inside Man by John McMahon is a gripping, smartly constructed thriller that kept me fully invested from start to finish. McMahon writes his cast with depth and emotional realism, making it easy to become immersed in their world and genuinely care about what happens as the story unfolds.

The dual investigations are especially compelling. As the two cases gradually intertwine, the tension builds in a way that constantly pulled me forward. Just when I thought I understood where things were heading, new connections emerged, keeping the story fresh and unpredictable without ever feeling forced or confusing. The pacing strikes a great balance between thoughtful development and propulsive suspense.

The audiobook elevates the experience even further. Narrator Will Damron does an outstanding job, bringing nuance and authenticity to each character’s voice. His performance enhances the emotional beats and sharpens the tension, making it hard to stop listening.

I received a complimentary audio copy. Thank you to the lovely people I reached out to at Macmillan for allowing me to have this ALC on my NetGalley Shelf.

The Sunday Salon / The Sunday Post #28

I’ve been coughing since pretty much right after Christmas, then all of a sudden it got out of control on Tuesday, to where I felt like total crap! I ended up taking the day off of work on Wednesday and went to the doctor in the morning. They checked my lungs, asked me a few questions about the cough, looked in my mouth/throat, and said it’s just a post nasal drip (since I am not coughing up anything). I was given medicine to help stop my cough. The doctor said it could take up to a week to completely stop coughing. So while the meds are helping out I am still coughing most of the day. I am just completely over all this useless coughing! P.S. so is my husband lmao!

I am writing up this post on Saturday night, and we are supposed to be getting some huge snow storm around the time you will be reading this post. I checked in with the kids to make sure they were safe and situated at college. Let’s pray it’s not as huge and monumentos as the news is making it out to be so we can get on with the rest of January. P.S. I won’t know if I have to be at work on Monday until later today, depending on the roads and snow and all that.

I am almost halfway through The Invisible Woman by James Patterson and Susan DiLallo. James Patterson is a comfort author for me. His books are filled with short, fast paced chapters that keep me reading.

I picked up my Kindle finally, and dove in to The Bone Queen by Will Shindler. Will I finish it before it publishes in early February? Don’t think so, since I am reading at a sails pace lately. But, I am trying and that’s all that matters. I am currently around 20% last time I remember looking.

I put myself on the wait list on Libby for Nine Pines by Kiersten Modglin. It was my turn to borrow it the other day but I just haven’t been in the audiobook mood lately. I am only an hour in at this point.

If you’d like to be friends with me on Storygraph, this is my profile page.
I stopped using Goodreads and refuse to go back.

I am currently trying out Pagebound. This is my profile page if you’d like to be friends on the app.

None this week.

Mailbox Monday

Top Ten Tuesday: Goals For 2026

WWW Wednesday – January 21, 2025

Review: Inside Man (Head Cases #2) by John McMahon
Library Stats and Savings For January 2026
Review: Two Witches and A Whiskey by Annette Marie
Books Acquired In January 2026
The Sunday Salon/ The Sunday Post #29

WWW Wednesday – January 21, 2025

Welcome to WWW Wednesday! This meme was formerly hosted by MizB at A Daily Rhythm and revived on Taking on a World of Words.

The Three Ws are: What are you currently reading? What did you recently finish reading? What do you think you’ll read next?

I am reading The Invisible Woman by James Patterson and Susan DiLallo. As a comfort author and not knowing what to read, I picked this one up on a whim. So far it’s good, and I like the main character Elinor.

I had no audiobooks lined up to listen to next, so I went with the next book in the Guild Codex Read-along. Yes, a little early but it is what it is. I am enjoying it so far, which is no surprise to me.

I am still hopeful that I will read at least one of these ARCs before the month is over. I’ve been in a Kindle slump (is that even a thing? LOL!) – just that none of t he ARCs are calling to me when I pick up the Kindle. Last year I received a lot of ARCs that published in January and February. At the time I was like ‘I have plenty of time to get to these, that’s months away’… and now here we are in January.

Don’t forget to link up with Taking On A World Of Words to share your WWW!

Top Ten Tuesday: Goals For 2026

Reading Goal: 50 Books. Reading is supposed to be a marathon, not a sprint. I feel like I am always rushing through books because I wanted to hit high goals and “keep up with the Jones'”. This year I want to take my time with the books I want to read, remember the plot, and enjoy the stories more.

Reading Goal: I will be doing another ZERO spending year again. I love my library, and Libby and Hoopla have been life savers for books I want to read and don’t want to spend money on. I’m supporting my community by using the library! I plan to keep myself accountable on spending with my Google sheets, like the last four years.

Reading Goal: I am not requesting or accepting any eARCs this year. No requesting on Netgalley, Edelweiss or any companies I am affiliated with, unless it’s a book I REALLLLLLLLLLLLLY want to read and know I can read it around the time I am approved. I want to make use of my library as much as humanly possible and get through my backlog of ARCs/books I have on my Kindle already.
P.S. If an ARC shows up on my doorstep as surprise mail then it is what it is.

Reading Goal: I want to try to read some bigger books this year. That was my plan last year and then I ended up abandoning it early on. I plan to choose a few series with thicker books and get to them this year.

Mailbox Monday

I am apart of James Patterson’s Street Team, since he’s the author who got me back into reading as an adult I cherish that they accepted me on the Street Team two years ago.

I was sent a hardcover copy of The Invisible Woman by James Patterson and Susan DiLallo. It published two weeks ago on January 5th.

From New York Times bestselling author James Patterson, an undercover FBI agent investigates a family with suspected ties to organized crime—by posing as their live-in nanny.

No one sees her, but she sees everything. Elinor Gilbert was once a young woman with a thriving career at the FBI.

Now decades past solving crimes with the bureau, she is personally and professionally forgettable.

Which is exactly what her former FBI boss needs. He disguises Elinor as a middle-aged nanny, and casts her as an agent on the inside of his investigation into a New York art dealer suspected of ties to organized crime.

But as Elinor pushes toward the truth, her superpower—anonymity—morphs into a fatal flaw.

The more the invisible woman integrates into her “host” family, the more dangerously memorable she becomes.

The Sunday Salon / The Sunday Post #27

Life this week has been a challenging one and I do not want to get into it right now. It’s been a very stressful new year thus far, with lots of drama and tears. Absolutely NOT how I wanted to start 2026!

I did get to spend Thursday night out with my daughter. We went to Chik-Fil-A for dinner, to help support Tim Tebow’s Night To Shine which is being held at my church again this year. My daughter is constantly online and always has the phone in her face (like most young adults do these days) and it was awesome that she put her phone away and we just spent mom-daughter time together.

But now she has to go back to college today, as spring semester starts on Tuesday. She’s been home since December 17th and I am sure it’s going to be a hard transition for both of us to deal with. I’m gonna miss her already and she hasn’t even left yet.

Currently:

My progress in The Shadow of What Was Lost mostly halted, for no real reason other than I haven’t been in a fantasy mood lately. Some of what is currently going on in the story was confusing me and I am not in the mindset for having to think hard while reading, so I didn’t pick this up this week. I may just return it to the library when it’s due and come back to it. I haven’t decided yet.

I decided to start reading The Invisible Woman by James Patterson and Susan DiLallo. James Patterson is a comfort author for me. His books are filled with short, fast paced chapters that keep me reading. I made a decent amount of progress in this book yesterday!

My Kindle has taken a backseat since every time I pick it up I cannot find a book I want to get into and just put it down. None of my ARCs are calling to me.

Just Finished:

I reached out to Macmillan to ask them for ALC of this audiobook, as I listened to the first book in the series last year. They were so nice and sent me one via NetGalley. I enjoyed the audiobook! My review is on Storygraph.

I didn’t know what to listen to once I finished Inside Man, so I borrowed The Shut-In, a Bookshots audiobook from Libby. This one was alright though. With most short stories they sometimes feel rushed at the end. I did not really care for the ending and my rating reflected that.

If you’d like to be friends with me on Storygraph, this is my profile page.
I stopped using Goodreads and refuse to go back.

I am currently trying out Pagebound. This is my profile page, if you’d like to be friends on the app.

I did not read this book but just decided to turn this one the other day. And pretty much binged it! The cast is great and I was invested in what happened to Paige and why she ran away from home. Yes, it does get a little repetitive with the “She’s my daughter I have to find her” from Simon, Paige’s dad. But I get that it moves the story along so I let it slide.

I thought it was a good show so I recommend it.

The Sunday Salon / The Sunday Post #26

Spotlight: Murder At 30,000 Feet by Susan Walter

January Mid Month Update

Mailbox Monday
WWW Wednesday – January 21
The Sunday Salon/ The Sunday Post #28

January Mid Month Update

I thought a mid-month update might be fun to share. Just some random babbling…

I was consistently reading every single day, but also reading at a slow pace. It took me what felt like forever to finish my first book of the year. Yes, I am taking my time and not rushing through books this year… but still, lol. I have not been feeling well, and have been more stressed than usual, which is probably contributing to all of this. Then the other day I opened my Kindle and didn’t want to read the book I was into so I spent an hour looking through my virtual shelf and then browsing Libby before deciding that it was tine for bed instead (since that whole thing took way too long). I am trying to avoid a reading slump this early in the year!!!!

All of my challenges pages can be found at the top of my blog this year. I am going to try my very best to keep up with them. So far I have been so that’s a plus!

I am mostly quitting Instagram. I do not care one flying F about it anymore. No matter what I do I get almost no engagement… even when in an engagement group. Whatever I’m over it.

Spotlight: Murder At 30,000 Feet by Susan Walter

Under the cover of turbulence, a killer strikes. With nowhere to land and nowhere to hide, who will save the passengers from this nightmare at 30,000 feet?

It’s a ticket to paradise. Flight 868 with nonstop service to San Juan, Puerto Rico. Over a dozen tipsy passengers are off to a destination wedding. A team of high school baseball players are headed to a tournament. The plane is packed with people eager to escape their lives, and others who can’t wait to return to their beloved home.

But sweet anticipation turns to terror when a lightning strike short-circuits the avionics and plunges the plane into darkness. When the lights come back on, a passenger is found brutally murdered, with only a bewildered air marshal to solve the crime. He soon realizes that several passengers are harboring dark secrets, but the identity of the murderer eludes him. There’s only one certainty: the killer is on the plane.

Thousands of feet above the earth with thunderstorms closing in, the danger outside is as grave as the mounting threat within. Can the captain outrun the storm? Or will the murderer among them bring the plane down first?

Passion, betrayal, and murder collide in this high-stakes, locked-room mystery. A must-read for fans of T. J. Newman and Jeneva Rose.

I received a complimentary e-copy through Thrill Book Lovers: The Pulse.

The Sunday Salon / The Sunday Post #26

This first full week of January has been crazy busy and super stressful. I am still coughing from when I was in North Carolina, and it’s driving me batty actually.

Monday was the first day back to work since the holidays. It was uneventful, but I was exhausted when I got home. My son’s college friends came down to south Jersey to hangout with him.

The kids do not drive (this is a long story that no one cares to hear, lol) so I have to drive them places. They both had a passport appointment on Tuesday (because a vacation may be in the near-ish future). They both had a dentist appointment Wednesday for a regular check up. And my daughter had a dermatologist appointment on Thursday. So after work I had to come home, change and get them to where they needed to be.

Friday I went to work like normal. Ran a quick errand afterwards, then I finally got a chance to put my feet up and relax when I got home.

Saturday we went to my husband’s parents place to do the family Christmas thing with his side. We had a very nice time there!

I straightened up the house all morning while the boys went to church (I didn’t go because I am still coughing like a champ). My daughter slept in, but I like cleaning while no one is under foot lol.

Currently:

My progress in The Shadow of What Was Lost mostly halted, for no real reason other than I haven’t had a real chance to sit down and pick it up. I am enjoying the book though. I want to finish this trilogy this year too so I am gonna definitely make time for it this upcoming week.

I picked up this ARC of Murder at 30,000 Feet by Susan Walter. Do I have an irrational fear of flying? Yes I do. Why the hell did I sign up for this book you ask? Because I’m crazy, haha! These people are stranded up in the sky with a murderer on board as someone found a mutilated body in the bathroom. Wild!

Just Finished:

My review will be posted at the end of the month, but lets just say that I am very much into this series and liked this book a lot!

I did read this ages ago, but wanted a quick reread to finish the series up later this year. I liked the book. Definitely riding the mid 2000’s YA love triangle coat tails like all dystopian books at that time did, but overall I was into the book and read it at a quicker pace than I normally do.

If you’d like to be friends with me on Storygraph, this is my profile page.
I stopped using Goodreads and refuse to go back.

I actually listened to the audiobook of His & Hers by Alice Feeney on NetGalley when they first introduced audiobooks to their website. I gave it five stars because of the twist at the end. The audiobook MADE this book absolutely fantastic! So when I heard this was gonna be turned into a show I had to watch it. At the writing up of this post I watched three episodes.

The Sunday Salon / The Sunday Post #25

My January 2026 TBR Plans

Spotlight: We Were Never Friends by Kaira Rouda

WWW Wednesday – January 7, 2025

HRCYED2.0 – Update 3

Adding To My Main TBR List

Saturday Series: My 2026 TBR

WWW Wednesday
January Mid Month Update

Saturday Series: My 2026 TBR

This year I am going to try to focus on getting series I started finished up to publication. And more than likely just keep better track of series I have ever started in my reading journey and decide if I want to keep reading them or not.

I am also doing a year long series challenge this year, so I am definitely wanting to keep myself accountable.

These are five series I want to get to this year. Have you read any of these? Let me know in the comments :)

Adding To My Main TBR List

The death of reporter Dean Dawson’s estranged father in a boating accident leaves Dean and his brothers with mixed emotions. After all, the man abandoned his family and lived a life of inexplicable lies and broken promises. But four months after that fatal night cruise, their father is becoming a greater mystery than they imagined.

When a presidential candidate is assassinated in Austin, Dean is contacted by April North, his former girlfriend and an associate of Dean’s father at a powerhouse law firm. She’s stumbled upon a shocker. A cryptic text she wasn’t supposed to see on her boss’s phone not only implicates the firm in the assassination but also suggests that Dean’s father may still be very much alive.

As the brothers are pulled into a dark conspiracy, Dean and April are on the run as the next targets of a mysterious assassin—and one kill shot away from discovering the truth and a father’s dangerous secrets.