This summer reinforced just how powerful a dedicated reading challenge can be. Having that structure kept me on track, gave me a sense of momentum, and took the uncertainty out of choosing what to read next. Also, I loved the sense of community with my work colleagues that came about as a result of this shared reading challenge.
An added bonus was that as part of this reading challenge, I was able to count two books toward my ongoing Nordic Literature Reading Challenge, which was especially satisfying. Sadly, my literary travels beyond Europe stalled, so that will be a priority for the fall. Luckily, I already have plenty of books on my shelf that fit that goal.
How was your summer reading?
After long being on my radar but me being uninterested in reading it due to it being fantasy, I finally read it since it was selected for my book club. It generally alternated between Addie’s current life in 2014 in New York City and her past starting 300 years ago in France when she sold her soul to live forever. The cost was that no one would remember her. However, that changed in 2014 when she met Henry who actually did remember her. I enjoyed the structure with the alternating timelines, and the glimpses into how she learned to live with the conditions of the curse were interesting. Despite it beginning to feel a bit repetitive over time, I did really enjoy the story, probably aided by the fact that the audiobook was excellent. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
- Summer Reading Challenge: A book from an author’s backlist; A book with a dual timeline; A banned book
Dream State by Eric Puchner (2025)
Set in Montana, this is a story about college friends that takes place over decades. It begins with a wedding in 2004 at which the bride makes a decision that will dramatically change the lives of the groom and best man, two college friends, and have long lasting effects on their families to come. It is not a light and easy read, but a deep and thought-provoking read about relationships and the long lasting consequences of our actions. The element of climate change interspersed throughout was unexpected but interesting. I really enjoyed the book. Might I be biased because it’s by an author from my alma mater and featured friends from there and even included chapters that took place there, and I read it for a college girlfriend reunion? Maybe so. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
- Summer Reading Challenge: A book about friends; A book that spans decades
- Read Around the World: North America (Montana, USA)
- Read my own shelf: Gifted
This story takes place in Iceland in the 1820s and is based on the true story of the woman who was the last person to be executed in Iceland. Agnes was charged with the brutal murder of two men and sent to an isolated farm to await execution. As winter passes and her execution nears, Agnes shares her story with the local priest assigned to her spiritual care, and over time, the family’s initial hostility softens as they begin to understand the circumstances around her situation. I enjoyed the book, especially the strong sense of time and place, but I wasn’t totally enthralled by the story itself. ⭐️⭐⭐️
What Kind of Paradise by Janelle Brown (2025)
Audiobook Narrated by Helen Laser and Peter Ganim
This was a mystery and coming-of-age story that takes places in the 1990s rural Montana and dot-com era in San Francisco. Jane grew up with her father in an isolated cabin off the grid in Montana. All she knew about her past was that they used to live in the Bay Area but moved after her mother died in a car accident. As Jane became older she began to question the world beyond their cabin. When Jane unwittingly becomes a piece of a horrible crime, she strikes out on her own to navigate next steps. It questions the role of technology in our lives and was a fun and engaging throwback to the 1990s. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This features an exclusive wedding on a remote Irish island. The story with its alternating perspectives between the bride, the bridesmaid, the best man, the plus one, and the wedding planner certainly kept me turning the pages eager to find out what happened next. However, they were all such unlikeable characters! And they had so many secrets amongst themselves. ⭐️⭐️⭐️
- Summer Reading Challenge: A wedding-themed book; A book from your TBR list
- Read Around the World: Western Europe (Ireland)
- Read my own shelf: BOTM
Run for the Hills by Kevin Wilson (2025)
Audiobook Narrated by Marin Ireland 
I really enjoyed this road trip book in which four half siblings – who did not know of each other before – are on a quest across country to find their common father. They are all so different with totally unique experiences with their dad which added an intriguing piece to the story. I loved seeing this found family flourish over time. I highly recommend the audiobook! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
- Summer Reading Challenge: A book set on a mode of transportation
No disappointment when I finally read this book which has been on my TBR list for a long while, and I will gladly continue the series. Set in a small, rural town in East Texas, it was a suspenseful noir following a suspended Black Texas Ranger as he investigated the murders of a Black man from Chicago and a local white woman. It had a strong sense of place with memorable characters. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
- Summer Reading Challenge: A book in a series; A book with an animal in the title or on the cover
- Read Around the World: North America (Texas, USA)
My friend was right. Elizabeth Strout is a great author. Olive Kitteridge, a retired school teacher in her 70s, is the thread that binds the stories in this book together. Taking place in a coastal town in Maine, Olive is the main character in some stories while in others she just makes a cameo appearance. Olive is a memorable character – not always likeable but always honest. I grew to really like her. (FYI, reading the physical book worked much better for me than listening to the audiobook because of the jumps in time.) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
- Summer Reading Challenge: A book by a friend’s favorite author; An award winner or nominee (Winner of the Pulitzer Prize, 2009)
- Read Around the World: North America (Maine, USA)
This was the most fun book of the summer. Set on a private island along the coast of Rhode Island over a week, it is about a super rich, dysfunctional family dealing with the sudden death of the father. He left in place an inheritance game they all had to participate in, including a sibling who had been excluded from the family five years ago. There’s sibling and family drama of course, but also an unexpected romance. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
- Summer Reading Challenge: A beach read
- Read my own shelf: BOTM
- Read Around the World: North America (Rhode Island, USA)
Island by Siri Ranva Hjelm Jacobsen (2016)
Translated from the Danish by Caroline Waight (2020)
This was my first experience with the Faroe Islands, a self-governing archipelago in the North Atlantic that’s part of Denmark. It is the story of a young Danish woman who explores her family’s history and connection to the Faroe Islands. It was interesting to get some insight into the culture and history of the Faroe Islands, but oftentimes it was hard to follow the story as it jumped back and forth in time and place between the three generations of the family. ⭐️⭐️
What have you been reading lately?
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This was a quiet, slow-burn mystery/thriller about a woman who took a summer job at a vineyard in coastal South Carolina to escape staying with her estranged mother and to try to finally move on from her traumatic past. Soon after arriving, however, she finds an old diary written by one of the vineyard’s owners and becomes obsessed with it as she begins to realize it’s linked to her sister’s disappearance over 20 years ago. I really enjoyed the simmering tension with its twists and turns. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This was an unusual murder mystery that sparked very mixed feelings in my book club. The story centers around Janina, an eccentric older woman in a remote Polish village near the Czech border. She’s into astrology, translates William Blake poetry, and cares deeply about animals. When a neighbor is found dead—and more bodies turn up under mysterious circumstances—Janina throws herself into the investigation convinced that the animals, in particular the deer, are taking revenge on the humans who harm them. I liked Janina’s quirkiness, though her astrology was a foreign language for me, and appreciated the setting which was a new experience for me. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
How to Read a Book by Monica Wood (2018)
When I first read that this memoir was about a DNA test that would reveal that the author’s beloved father was actually not her biological father, I assumed the story would focus on her search for her biological father. And partly it was, but that wasn’t actually the heart of the story – and that’s what I liked about it. It became an investigation and mystery about how much her Jewish parents, now both gone, knew and understood about the fertility treatments they pursued in the 1960s. And then it was a thoughtful reflection about what truly makes us who we are. It definitely exceeded my expectations. ⭐️⭐⭐️⭐
