2026 mystery reads!

My sisters and I carried on our tradition of wrapping TBR books for each other so we have one to reveal and read each month. I'm glad we did, I really loved doing it last year, and I think having those mystery reads has kind of shifted my mindset when it comes to reading from my TBR shelf and purchasing new books. Even outside my mystery books, I made a much more concerted effort to read books from my already owned TBR list over something else, and I specifically pulled from my TBR for my Read Harder books before I looked outside it for ideas. Also, I used the library (yay!) way more, particularly for Read Harder and book club books - I bought less than half the number of new books in 2025 versus 2024. It's interesting, to me anyway, because this honestly wasn't even a conscious thing that I decided to do, it just happened naturally by being more aware of the books I have waiting for me to read.

That said, I did finish 100% of the books I bought in 2024, while I only read about two-thirds of them in 2025...but we don't need to talk about that. It was mostly my monthly subscription books that I didn't finish last year, and I'll get through them!

Anyhow, my shifting book purchasing and reading habits aside, it's mystery read time! I've been giving it some thought, and something I'd wanted to be more consistent with last year and wasn't was actually sharing my thoughts after reading each book. It was tricky posting the book reveal at the start of the month and then either circling back to the last month's in the next reveal post or trying to slot in a review after already having posted about that book once, so after this week's post, I'm going to make a change and start recapping each month's Read Harder progress at the start of the following month and then reveal AND review the mystery book at the END of that month. That way I'll have already read it, instead of posting about a book I know nothing about and being like "shrug, hope I like it!"

All that said, this month's mystery read is Greenwild by Pari Thomson, and "shrug" I hope I like it! 

It's a middle grade realistic fantasy described as The Secret Garden meets A Wrinkle in Time, which seems promising, and I've already read the first few chapters and am very intrigued. It's the first of at least three books in a series, so we'll see if I end up reading the whole series or if I gripe that it didn't need to be more than one book.

Read Harder 2025: The End

Well, let's see...when last we caught up about Read Harder, I was working on Cantoras and Information Hunters. I have since finished Cantoras, which was beautiful and sad and hopeful. Still working on Information Hunters, but I'm getting close to being done. Like I said, it's interesting, but a bit slow and a bit dry. Plus it doesn't help that I read it before bed, so I usually only read a couple of pages at a time. I'll get it done.

I was not a very good library steward, I kept Braiding Sweetgrass until I finished it. 😬 Sorry, people who were waiting for their hold to come in! I did also check out the audiobook, though, so I listened to it when I couldn't sit and read the book and read when I couldn't listen to the audio, and that helped me get through it a little faster. I also finished Earth Keeper, discovering in the process that apparently I've read it before? Who knew! Somehow I accidentally put a different edition on my TBR without noticing, silly me. Hey, a good read twice, nothing to complain about!

The cozy book challenge, Her Good Side ended up being SO good! I still couldn't tell you if it's fuckin cozy or not, but I found it delightful - sort of To All the Boys I've Loved Before-esque, a different vibe but just as cute, and I loved the main character, her love interest, and all her friends. I was eager to add the author's other books to my TBR after being so into it, but as it transpires....that's her only YA book. Le sigh.

Last but not least, reading a holiday romance that isn't Christmas! Sadly, The Matzah Ball was a dud - the story centered around I guess friends/lovers to enemies to lovers, but the whole "friends/lovers" bit was when they were TWELVE at summer camp, and the way that they were both still SO fixated on their camp drama was deeply weird. Age them up and make them camp counselors and maybe it would have made more sense, but as it stood...uncomfortably strange. Maybe that by itself would have been something I could look past, but the rest of it was just...so boring. I gave it 200 pages and then gave up. Fortunately, my beautiful new library opened, so I got my copy of A Holly Jolly Diwali, and I found that adorable. I wish there had been a little more focus on the actual holiday, which happened pretty early in the book, but I found the characters mostly likeable and I thought the romance was very sweet. 

And now...Read Harder, 2026 edition! 

I'm telling y'all, 2026 is going to be my year. I've already rolled for each month's challenges, I've got a journal set up to track titles and keep notes, and I'm working on getting the books chosen for the first few months of the year. My goal this year is to pick as many books as possible from my existing TBR on the Storygraph, so I can attempt to whittle that behemoth down. It will never happen, but I'll continue to fight the valiant fight. I'll also probably pick two options for each month, just in case I really hate one and give up on it or really like one and finish it super fast. 

For January, here's what's on deck:

#6: Read a gothic novel published in the last ten years. (Did I have to google what a gothic novel was to be sure I was picking something in that vein? Yes, I did.) My choices for this are The Year of the Witching by Alexis Henderson, which seems somewhat spooky, and My Dear Henry by Kalynn Bayron, a retelling of Dr. Jekyl and Mr. Hyde. Intriguing!

#19: Read a book by an intersex author. Unsurprisingly, can't really filter for intersex authors on my TBR! I ended up searching for lists of recommendations, and I found three that I'll be trying out - Trans Liberty Riot Brigade by L.M. Pierce, Rought Paradise by Alec Butler, and A Proper Young Lady by Lianne Simone. Excited for all of these!

And there you have it. Let the 2026 Read Harder challenge begin!

Revelle - Lyssa Mia Smith

Initial Draw: ☆☆☆☆
Character Development: ☆☆☆☆☆ 

Plot/Writing Style: ☆☆☆☆☆

Overall: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

From the cover:

"Luxe Revelle, star of her family's fantastical show, knows the splendor is just an illusion. With Prohibition threatening their livelihood, her family struggles to make a living, watering down champagne and patching holes in their sequined costumes. So when the son of Charmant's wealthiest family makes Luxe an offer - all the liquor the Revelles need to stay in business, in exchange for posing as his girl and helping him become mayor - she can't refuse.

The moment Jamison Port sets foot in Charmant, he can't shake the feeling of familiarity. An orphan with as few memories as gemstones, he's desperate to learn what happened to his parents. But as he delves into the island's secrets, he risks angering the wrong person and discovering a truth that just might break his heart.

When Luxe and Jamison accidentally meet, the sparks that fly are more than her magical enchantments. But keeping secrets from powerful people is a dangerous game...one that could destroy them both."

📚📚📚 

I read a lot of books, and I'd say I enjoy the majority of them, but it's been a bit since I read a book that had me as riveted as this one. The initial draw was already there - a historical fantasy set during Prohibition on a mysterious, magical island off the coast of New York, I'll read that book any day. And then I started reading and it was even better than I had expected. The world was gorgeous and intriguing, and the pacing was perfect. Just enough mystery to be tantalizing while information was revealed at exactly the right time to keep you wanting to read one more chapter.

Speaking of reveals, MY GOD, there were a few that got big reactions from me, to the point where I had to try and recap the entire book to my husband when I had about three or four chapters left because I was like "what is happening?! How will they get out of it??" I was reeling for probably the last half of the book. I read this at night before bed, and it was so hard to put it down when I had to go to bed.

Beyond the plot hooks and excitement, I think the thing that ultimately made me fall in love with Revelle was the character building. There was a pretty solid cast that was built out, and I found them all so lovely and endearing! I'm not sure I could pick a favorite if I tried. The book started off feeling like it would primarily focus on Luxe and Jamison, and while most of the action obviously centered around them, the way it became almost an ensemble story was really impressive. Villainous villains, starry-eyed love interests, fiercely dedicated family...all so well-crafted.

I always feel like I do such a bad job with these because I talk around the actual content of the book when I should probably be describing specific things that make me feel the way I do, but just like with every other review that I do this, I don't know how to talk about specifics without spoiling things! All I have to say is if you like magic, if you like intriguing historical fiction, if you like cool stories...read this book.

The best VRBOs have puzzles

I'm not generally the person who ends up actually booking the VRBO when we go places, so I don't ever get to leave reviews after a stay. But if I did, I would bump the rating up a little if at least one good puzzle is provided. It's simply good customer service. In this VRBO case the presence of puzzle was sort of negated by the fact that they locked the AC (allegedly by accident?) so we couldn't adjust it and then they didn't have any fans in the bedrooms (for the love of god, who doesn't have at least a standing fan??). But hey, at least there was a puzzle. And a Boardwalk one, at that! Red Rock Adventure.

You may recall that I've talked about my love for Boardwalk puzzles, specifically their national park puzzles, in a previous puz post, so while this isn't a part of the national park collection, it's a similar enough vibe and it was nice to get to do another of these without having to buy it for myself. It was a 500-piece, but the pattern of the table made it a little more challenging, so I was genuinely worried that I might not finish it before we headed back home! It was a great puzzle experience, though. I continue to love Boardwalk's unique piece shapes, and this puzzle had the added fun of having little critters and easter eggs incorporated, which was a nice little treat. A solid five stars for this puzzle.

December mystery read

It's December 7th, and I finally today remembered to actually open my mystery book. I knew it was December, but sometimes my brain is like yes, it's December, but it's a separate December from the one where I'm supposed to do this. I don't know how to explain it, but once I had two things scheduled for the same date in April and legitimately thought the same date was two different days, even though I knew they were both the same date. I don't know.

Anyhow, my last book of the year is The Poison Season by Mara Rutherford! 

I just read another book of hers a few weeks ago and LOVED it, so I'm looking forward to this one, especially because last month's mystery book ended up being kind of a snore. If this is anywhere near as good as her other book (A Curious Kind of Magic) was, then it'll be a strong end to the year!

One last month to read hard!

What a great month of reading! As noted, I ended up getting amped for Isla to Island, so that was done before November, which left plenty of time for reading the FOUR books I chose for my remaining two challenges. Black Cake was a beautiful story, so many twists and turns, so many moments of heartbreak and joy. I couldn't put it down. I also really enjoyed Lifting as we Climb, there was so much I didn't know and so many key women of the movement who I either hadn't heard of at all or had only heard bits and pieces about, so it was amazing to learn more about them. I'm currently reading both Cantoras and Information Hunters, they're a little slower-paced than the others, but I'll get them done at some point. (Don't get me wrong, they're good, just not "I can't put this down" types of books)

And now, on to December! My last challenges!

Challenge #13: Read a non-fiction book about nature or the environment. True to form, I couldn't decide! I chose Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer and Earth Keeper by N. Scott Momaday. (I checked these out super early from the library, and there's a waitlist for Braiding Sweetgrass, so now it's due like...now. Literally today. And I haven't read it yet, haven't even started. I really fucked myself there.)

Challenge #18: Read a cozy book by a BIPOC author. The thing about this one is it isn't always immediately discernable whether a book will be "cozy"? Sooooo I picked three to see if any of them actually qualified - Fake Dates and Mooncakes by Sher Lee, Her Good Side by Rebekah Weatherspoon, and Dating Dr. Dil by Nisha Sharma. I got the audiobooks for Fake Dates and Dating Dr. Dil from the library, so I've already listened to those, and honestly, I couldn't fuckin tell you if they qualify as cozy. I'm not sure I totally understand what does. What I CAN tell you is that I hated Dating Dr. Dil and thought Fake Dates and Mooncakes was okay but a little meandery. I got a hard copy of Her Good Side, and I feel like even if none of the three end up being a cozy book, I'm counting this one as done. Tried three times? That's an A for effort. 

Challenge #22: Read a holiday romance that isn't Christmas. I'm perpetually on a hunt for wintry media that doesn't center Christmas, so I love this challenge for me. I picked The Matzah Ball by Jean Meltzer and A Holly Jolly Diwali by Sonya Lalli. I started The Matzah Ball today, and I had the audiobook of A Holly Jolly Diwali on hold, but I just checked my wait time and discovered their ownership of their digital copies has expired.😭 The fuuuuuck?! The library system that's closer to my house doesn't have a physical copy, so I've got a hold in and paused at my other library system until December 6th (!!!!) when AT LAST they open their newest branch (!!!!!) which I've been waiting for for LITERAL YEARS (!!!!!!!) because it's in the neighborhood across the street from mine! 😍😍😍 I'm very excited, in case that wasn't clear.

Anyway, that brings us to the end of the year and the conclusion of another Read Harder challenge! We'll meet back here in December to peruse the 2026 challenge list and keep the ball rolling.

Tales from Beyond the Rainbow - Pete Jordi Wood

Initial Draw: ☆☆☆☆☆
Character Development: n/a
Plot/Writing Style: ☆☆

Overall: ⭐⭐

From the cover:

"These are the fairy tales that history forgot - or concealed. Tales in which gender is fluid and where queer stories can have a happy ending. From the humble sailor who finds his handsome prince to the transgender market girl who becomes queen, from Europe to Asia via the African savannah, LGBTQ+ folklore researcher Pete Jordi Wood has combed through generations of history and collected and adapted ten unforgettable stories featuring queer characters."

📚📚📚 

*deep breath*

The thing about this book is, I didn't read closely enough and just kind of assumed that Pete Jordi Wood was heading up the collection of an anthology of updated fairy tales by various authors. Why would I assume that? Because Pete Jordi Wood is white, and many of the stories included in this book come from other cultures, and the subtitle of this book is "Ten LGBTQ+ Folk Stories Proudly Reclaimed" and it seems wild and bold to me to declare a collection of stories from other cultures "proudly reclaimed" because you, a white person, is rewriting them.

Like...was there no way to solicit authors from those cultures to put a new spin on an old folk tale?

It was impossible?

So yeah, that's a little sus to me. Related, not a lot of differences between some of the stories. I know they're based on folklore, so maybe those folktales were virtually identical and that's why the reclaimed, amazing, much better spin was also identical, but this seems like a problem that inviting collaboration from authors of that culture likely would have solved. Just saying. It really didn't help that in addition to being incredibly similar, the writing was also kind of flat. 

And then even beyond all that, what topics did this proudly reclaimed, more queer-inclusive book of "updated" fairy tales feature? Transphobia as the driving plot point, in many of the stories. Bury your gays as the driving trope in at least two of the stories. I suppose it's possible that this is just me, but personally when I'm reading a book called Tales From Beyond the Rainbow that boasts updated stories featuring queer characters, I expect more centering of queer joy and less of exactly the same thing that queer people experience in real life, but make it fantasy! 

Anyhow...I was very excited about this book, checked it out from the public library to read so I could decide if I wanted to buy it for my school library. And I'm glad I did, because no, I will not be adding it to my library. Womp womp.