Top 10 Tuesday: Goals for 2026

Welcome back to Top 10 Tuesday, following the list from That Artsy Reader Girl! (Yes I am now going to try to pull 10 for every week).

This week's prompt is..... goals for 2026

These are in no particular order

1. Prioritize only ARC reading for books I am particularly excited about
2. Have more fun here on my blog!
3. Continue to support indie authors
4. Read at least 10% non-fiction
5. Read 24+ physical books
6. Read a classic
7. Read a lower % of romance
8. Make more money through my content (just being honest it is expensive to simply live)
9. Host an amazing WPS for 2026!
10. Keep reading and loving LGBTQ+ books

Do we have any goals in common? Anything that should be on my list? Feel free to ask for clarification on anything. Let's inspire each other together!

Here it all is in a pretty lil' graphic as always

I am so excited to help each other stay motivated and accountable on my goals. Y'all are always welcome to keep me accountable on any goals I am slacking on throughout the year. See you next week!

Top Five Tuesday: Most Anticipated Books Releasing in the First Half of 2026

 Top 5 Tuesday: Most Anticipated Books Releasing in the First Half of 2026

Welcome back to Top 5 Tuesday, now following the list from That Artsy Reader Girl! As always, I do a top 5 instead of a top 10 because I tend to struggle to find 10 books for prompts.

This week's prompt is..... most anticipated books releasing in the first half of 2026

These are in no particular order

1. All the Little Houses by May Cobb
2. Just Friends by Hayley Pham
3. In Her Own League by Liz Tomforde
4. Our Perfect Storm by Carley Fortune
5. It's Not Her by Mary Kubica

Unfortunately this does sort of spoil a but of my upcoming Can't Wait Wednesday posts, so try not to mind that. We can all pretend to be surprised when they come up! Other than Hayley, I have read and enjoyed at least one other book by these authors. Hopefully all of these will be great. Do we have any in common?

Here it all is in a pretty lil' graphic as always

What are some you are looking forward to this year? I would love to gush together! See you next week!

 Top 5 Tuesday: Best Books I Read in 2025

Welcome back to Top 5 Tuesday, now following the list from That Artsy Reader Girl! As always, I do a top 5 instead of a top 10 because I tend to struggle to find 10 books for prompts.

This week's prompt is..... best books I read in 2025

These are in no particular order

1. One Golden Summer by Carley Fortune
2. Bunny Season by Bindi Kennedy
3. The Trouble with Love and Coaches by Harriet Ashford
4. The First to Die at the End by Adam Silvera
5. We All Fall Down by Erin FitzGerald

I took a break from these in December for my Indie Author Advent, which I really enjoyed. That said, I am very happy to be back to this fun little challenge. I had a lot of trouble picking my top 5 our of my 5-star reads so this is a smidge of a random pull from them. Just know there are a ton of honorable mentions I wish I could've included (which I could if I did top 10, but shhhhh, I do not normally have 10 picks for a prompt).

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Again so happy to be back to this. What were some of your top reads you think I should give a try? Here's to many fun lists in 2026!

 Top 5 Tuesday: Authors I Am Thankful For

Welcome back to Top 5 Tuesday, now following the list from That Artsy Reader Girl! As always, I do a top 5 instead of a top 10 because I tend to struggle to find 10 books for prompts.

This week's prompt is..... authors I am thankful for

These are in no particular order

1. Harriet Ashford
2. Erin FitzGerald
3. Jennifer Lynn Barnes
4. Bindi Kennedy
5. Dani Galliaro

Happy Thanksgiving season to those who celebrate! While I am against the holiday in terms of its heavily falsified history, I do like that it encourages people practice gratitude. As such, I'm expressing gratitude for authors I love. Most of these are people I now consider friends. The only exception is Jennifer Lynn Barnes who I do not know personally. She is on this list because her books got me back into reading for fun in high school. If I hadn't picked up The Naturals my freshman year, I would probably not be writing this blog post right now. 

Here it all is in a pretty lil' graphic as always

I am looking forward to all of the family time this time of year lends itself to. Crazy that the next time I do this list it will be December aka my birthday month! Does anyone have any fun ideas of what I could do for it?

 Top 5 Tuesday: Modern Books I Think Will Become Classics

Welcome back to Top 5 Tuesday, now following the list from That Artsy Reader Girl! As always, I do a top 5 instead of a top 10 because I tend to struggle to find 10 books for prompts.

This week's prompt is..... modern books I think will become classics

These are in no particular order

1. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
2. The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab
3. The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
4. The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
5. Becoming by Michelle Obama

I have a terrible radar for classics so these are all honestly shots in the dark. I have read The Hate U Give, which was a very important story. I absolutely adore Becoming so this one is honestly just aspirational. I feel like The Hunger Games is the only pick I am confident about. It is relevant enough to the zeitgeist for me to believe in it becoming a classic of today. Do you agree with my picks? Why or why not?

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In terms of personal updates, I can share that my Indie Author Advent is in the works and shaping up to be a lot of fun! I'm super excited for all it will offer in December!

Top 5 Tuesday: Books I Enjoyed Outside of My Comfort Zone

Welcome back to Top 5 Tuesday, now following the list from That Artsy Reader Girl! As always, I do a top 5 instead of a top 10 because I tend to struggle to find 10 books for prompts.

This week's prompt is..... books I enjoyed outside of my comfort zone

These are in order with most recently read first

1. My Roommate From Hell by Cale Dietrich
2. Meant to Burn by Shae Ruby
3. You Too?: 25 Voices Share Their #MeToo Stories by Janet Gurtler
4. The First to Die at the End by Adam Silvera
5. Will My Cat Eat My Eyeballs?: Big Questions from Tiny Mortals about Death by Caitlin Doughty

For the most part, all of these are in one genre I am comfortable in, and one (or more) that I am just starting to dip into. This blend makes them less intimidating to pick up an give a chance. I'm proud of myself so far this year with how much I have given various genres a try. Hopefully I can keep it going in 2026! What genres are outside of your comfort zone?

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This past week has been so relaxing and healing. Being able to actually get a decent night's sleep definitely helps. I've been bale to read a lot more and am becoming a content machine due to my upcoming Indie Author Advent. I'll see you again tomorrow for some gushing!

 Top 5 Tuesday: Books Randomly Picked from My Shelf

Welcome back to Top 5 Tuesday, now following the list from That Artsy Reader Girl! As always, I do a top 5 instead of a top 10 because I tend to struggle to find 10 books for prompts.

This week's prompt is..... books randomly picked from my shelf

All of these will be pulled from one of my TBR shelves. As such, I cannot share my thoughts on them. Let's see what I find!

These are truly in a random order this time.

1. Bookish People by Susan Coll
2. In It to Win It by Sharon C. Cooper
3. Too Wild to Tame by Tessa Bailey
4. The Handsome Girl and Her Beautiful Boy by Henry Holt
5. What You Left Me by Bridget Morrissey

To pick these, I found my TBR shelf in this house (not my main home at the moment) and used a random number generator. There's some fiction, romance, and I think some suspense. The variety that is hopefully ahead of me is quite fun! Who knows when I'll get to these, so don't get your hopes too high for reviews soon 🤣

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Have you read any of these? Happy to say I've had the opportunity to spend my time with family, which is healing in and of itself. I also now have a bit more time to read, which I am ecstatic about. See you tomorrow for some gushing!

Top 5 Tuesday: Halloween Reads

Welcome back to Top 5 Tuesday, now following the list from That Artsy Reader Girl! As always, I do a top 5 instead of a top 10 because I tend to struggle to find 10 books for prompts.

This week's prompt is..... Halloween reads

These are actually in order by my favorites this time

1. Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas
2. Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
3. Meant to Burn by Shae Ruby
4. Summoned by Shae Ruby
5. Three Tainted Teas by Lynn Cahoon

I will be truly frank here... these are the only books I have read as an adult that could at all count for Halloween. Spooky and/or paranormal generally are not my vibe. Neither is fantasy as a whole. Some of these are my current reads, but some of these are completed. I am really scraping the bottom of the barrel, but I wanted to participate a bit in being seasonal. 

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My day-to-day has been a major struggle. I have also struggled to get much reading done amongst everything else on my mind. That said, being here and talking about books... this is the most coherent I have felt all week. So even with my personal life trying to blow up, I will be here getting my slice of happiness with my bookish friends. I hope all of you are having more peace. See you tomorrow!

 Top 5 Tuesday: Cozy Reads

Welcome back to Top 5 Tuesday, now following the list from That Artsy Reader Girl! As always, I do a top 5 instead of a top 10 because I tend to struggle to find 10 books for prompts.

This week's prompt is..... cozy reads

These are in no particular order

1. In Love's Key, Reprised by Guri Nojiro
2. Ringtail Bedtime by Sandra LJ
3. Pillow Thoughts by Courtney Peppernell
4. The Lion in the Library by Amy Award
5. Sweet on You by Dani Galliaro

There is quite the variety of reading reccomendations here so there should be something here for every reader. From poetry, to manga, to romance, to children's, everything that I read that could be called cozy is here. I do not read fantasy so for cozy fantasty recs you should check the recs of others.

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Oh gosh things in my personal life are an utter mess not gonna lie. A lot of big changes and depressing things, but books are my happy place through this all. Thank you for sticking with me and see you tomorrow for some gushing!

 Top 5 Tuesday: Books I Wish I Could Read Again for the First Time 

Welcome back to Top 5 Tuesday, now following the list from That Artsy Reader Girl! As always, I do a top 5 instead of a top 10 because I tend to struggle to find 10 books for prompts.

This week's prompt is..... books I wish I could read again for the first time

These are in no particular order

1. The Naturals by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
2. How to Keep House While Drowning by K.C. Davis
3. Love on the Brain by Ali Hazelwood
4. The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren
5. You Will Get Through This Night by Daniel Howell

All of these books are my 5-star reads that have left an impact on me to this day. I would love to get the magical feeling from them again. What is somethin you would love to read again for the first time?

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Look at me here again for another week! Go me! I liked how easy this prompt was honestly. It was nice to recall all of these wonderful stories again and consider a reread. See you tomorrow!

Top 5 Tuesday: Satisfying Book Series

Welcome back to Top 5 Tuesday, now following the list from That Artsy Reader Girl! As always, I do a top 5 instead of a top 10 because I tend to struggle to find 10 books for prompts.

This week's prompt is..... satisfying book series

These are in no particular order

1. The Naturals series by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
2. Wolf Mountain Ranchers series by Erin FitzGerald
3. Orleans University series by Maren Moore
4. So Not My... series by Evie Sterling
5. Streams and Schemes series by Rebecca Kinkade

I am admittedly not the best at finishing series, but here are a few that I did finish that I feel like were bangers all the way through. All are romance series apart from The Naturals. I know there are a lot of series currently in progress that I am reading and loving. I would be happy to include those if a similar prompts comes up again when those series are concluded.

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It took me a minute to find all completed series, but I did it! All of these have different vibes, but all are ones I loved. Have any of y'all finished any of these series? See you tomorrow!

 Top 5 Tuesday: Books With Fall Covers

Welcome back to Top 5 Tuesday, now following the list from That Artsy Reader Girl! As always, I do a top 5 instead of a top 10 because I tend to struggle to find 10 books for prompts.

This week's prompt is..... books with fall covers

These are in no particular order

1. The Pumpkin Spice Cafe by Laurie Gilmore
2. The Dead Romantics by Ashley Poston
3. If It Makes You Happy by Julie Olivia
4. You Again by Kate Goldbeck
5. Uncharmed by Lucy Jane Wood

While I have not read any of these yet, all of the covers alone have sold me. They all have those gorgeous fall colors and elements. I hope I can get to some of these this fall!

Here it all is in a pretty lil' graphic 😁

Things are still a lot in my personal life, but I am here doing the thing, and that is an accomplishment. See you tomorrow!

 Top 5 Tuesday: Books on my Fall 2025 TBR

Welcome back to Top 5 Tuesday, now following the list from That Artsy Reader Girl! As always, I do a top 5 instead of a top 10 because I tend to struggle to find 10 books for prompts.

This week's prompt is..... books on my fall 2025 TBR

Are any of these gonna be particularly fall-ish? I am not sure. Let's find out together!

These are in no particular order

1. Galloway's Gospel by San Rebellin
2. The Final Gambit by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
3. The Girl from Devil's Lake by J.A. Jance
4. Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas
5. The School for Thieves by Peter Burns

There are a bunch of thrillers on here, which feel pretty fall-themed to me. Multiple of these I got in book mail, some are on hold at the library, and one is to continue a series. Will I actually get to all of these? Probably not, but it is a fun hold, isn't it?

Here it all is in a pretty lil' graphic 😁

I have a LOT going on in my personal life, but I still made it here, so go me! I am quite proud of myself. If you see me less active on Instagram and Bsky, that is why. I have also had to switch to an old laptop due to my current one stopping charging. It feels so weird to type on this one now. I shall see you tomorrow for Can't Wait Wednesday!

 Top 5 Tuesday: Books I Liked but Can't Remember

Welcome back to Top 5 Tuesday, now following the list from That Artsy Reader Girl! As always, I do a top 5 instead of a top 10 because I tend to struggle to find 10 books for prompts.

This week's prompt is..... books I liked but can't remember

These are all pulled from my 5-star reads of the past few years. No offense to any of these authors, I read well over 100 books in a year, so they cannot all have long-lasting brain space.

These are in no particular order

1. Hook, Line, and Sinker by Tessa Bailey
2. Spy x Family Volume 7 by Tatsuya Endo (I do not remember this specific volume)
3. Komi Can't Communicate Volume 5 by Tomohito Oda (I do not remember this specific volume)
4. The Problem with Forever by Jennifer L. Armentrout
5. Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell (not sad about this one)

Just because I do not really remember these now, does not mean I did not love them at the time. They stood out to me then, and I do at least remember enjoying them, just almost none of the plot. Have you read any of these?

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Yes, I did skip this week's actual prompt and pulled from an old prompt. I am not good with candle scents, so it would've been a highly boring post. My day job has been ROUGH the past week or so, which has made making content a bit harder. I will still do my best, though. See you tomorrow for gushing!

Top 5 Tuesday: Villains

Welcome back to Top 5 Tuesday, now following the list from That Artsy Reader Girl! As always, I do a top 5 instead of a top 10 because I tend to struggle to find 10 books for prompts.

This week's prompt is..... villains

It feels like spooky season is approaching with this prompt! It will honestly be a bit of a struggle to find characters for this prompt, as I do not tend to read books that include villains. Let's see what I find.

These are in no particular order

1. Rocky from the Webs We Weave series by Krista and Becca Ritchie
2. Troye from the Green Line Ice series by Bindi Kennedy
3. Josie from Battle of the Bookstores by Ali Brady
4. Charlie's right-hand man (sorry, I do not remember his name) from The Greatest of These by Erin FitzGerald
5. Diana from We Did Nothing Wrong by Hannah Jayne

Alright, none of them are villains, but they all make mean choices. Rocky is definitely not actually a villain, but he does have very questionable morals and is a con artist. Troye is certainly not either, to be honest, but he does play a partially antagonist role in the books. Josie is just a jerk a number of times, so due to my personal dislike of her, she is on this list. The one character I cannot remember a name for is the most villainous... I'm just a romance girlie, okay?

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Look at me, successfully completing another week! Truly exciting stuff! Yay me! I hope to see you again tomorrow for me gushing about another book I am excited for!

 

Top 5 Tuesday: Books with Occupations in the Title

Welcome back to Top 5 Tuesday, now following the list from That Artsy Reader Girl! As always, I do a top 5 instead of a top 10 because I tend to struggle to find 10 books for prompts.

(Yes, I am late today, I am sick and doing odd shifts at work, so I am doing my best)

This week's prompt is..... books with occupations in the title

These are in no particular order

1. The Trouble with Love and Coaches by Harriet Ashford
2. The Manicurist's Daughter by Susan Lieu
3. The Berry Pickers by Amanda Peters
4. Game, Get, Matchmaker by Evie Sterling
5. The Serial Killer Guide to San Francisco by Michelle Chouinard

This was honestly such a fun prompt to look for. I had a bunch that most certainly referenced an MC's profession and whatnot. Even one that mentions being a hockey boy, but I dug deep into my reads from last year as well and found titles that truly due include the name of a profession. The last book on this list does count because one of the characters is a tour guide.

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Truly, I think this week's prompt is my favorite I have done so far. I hope there are more like this on the list soon in the future! I fully intend on doing this (actually on Tuesday) next week, so I shall see you then!

Top 5 Tuesday: Books with a High Page Count

Welcome back to Top 5 Tuesday, now following the list from That Artsy Reader Girl! As always, I do a top 5 instead of a top 10 because I tend to struggle to find 10 books for prompts.

This week's prompt is..... books with a high page count

These are in no particular order

1. The Charlie Method by Elle Kennedy
2. The First to Die at the End by Adam Silvera
3. Destructively Mine by Krista and Becca Ritchie
4. The Girlfriend Zone by Lauren Blakely
5. Ice Breaker by Ariel Dawn

I am the first to admit I tend to avoid books with over 500 pages. It takes a lot of a book to hold my attention for that long and to make me feel that the high number of pages is necessary to the narrative. Each one of these books was able to hold my attention with no issues! Some are even 5-star reads! Do you tend to like chunky reads?

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I've got a lot on my plate lately, but I wouldn't have it any other way. As long as I keep a schedule, I should do just fine! Hopefully, next week I will be able to talk about books that are more in my normal page range. See you then!

 Top 5 Tuesday: Books Guaranteed to Put an End to Your Reading Slump

Welcome back to Top 5 Tuesday, now following the list from That Artsy Reader Girl! As always, I do a top 5 instead of a top 10 because I tend to struggle to find 10 books for prompts.

This week's prompt is..... books guaranteed to put an end to your reading slump

These are in no particular order

1. Red Card by Maren Moore
2. When Ivy Met Adam by Jennifer J. Coldwater
3. Punt in the Dark by Ariana St. Claire
4. The P*ssy Next Door by Amy Award
5. The Party by Natasha Preston

Red Card by Maren Moore comes out today and is personally healing my reading slump, so it absolutely deserves a spot on this list. The rest of these are relatively quick reads that can help you get another book under your belt. For me it is always ease of reading that lets me get back into things.

As a preschool teacher, I do want to share that I will count some of my picture book reads to my total as well. I sat down and read the book; it has words, therefore it is allowed to count. If you are really feeling extra slumpy, this can be a super-easy way to finish a story, which can ignite your passion for reading again.

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I am admittedly proud of myself for all that is going on in my life right now! I have truly been doing a lot better and getting a lot of wins after a while of struggles. Despite the new business, you aren't gonna get rid of me that easily! I'm still gonna post when I can and read lots of great books, just maybe not as fast. See you next week!

Top 5 Tuesday: Beachy Reads

Welcome back to Top 5 Tuesday, now following the list from That Artsy Reader Girl! I finally got my stuff together enough to follow the official prompts! 

This week's prompt is..... beachy reads

These are in no particular order

1. One Golden Summer by Carley Fortune
2. The Guncle Abroad by Steven Rowley
3. Summer Romance by Annabel Monaghan
4. The Trouble with Love and Ink by Harriet Ashford
5. The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren

Honorable mention to Beach Read by Emily Henry, but that felt like a way too obvious choice. Only One Golden Summer (a 5-star read) was read this year because, unfortunately, my reading this year has lacked that fantastic beachy reading vibe. This is something I really want to fix through the rest of this year. 

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I'm sorry I've been very inconsistent about posting here. In truth, my personal life has been incredibly busy with travel, a new job, and a health scare. Things are all good now, but I am trying my best to adjust to my new normal. Hopefully, I will see you back here for another Top 5 Tuesday next week!

 

Top 5 Tuesday: Books with Hearts on the Cover

Welcome back to Top 5 Tuesday! This week, I'm feeling the love, and what better way to celebrate than with hearts

This week's prompt is..... books with hearts on the cover

These are in no particular order

1. Wild Love by Elsie Sliver
2. The Girlfriend Zone by Lauren Blakely
3. Punt in the Dark by Ariana St. Claire
4. The Trouble with Love and Coaches by Harriet Ashford
5. Overturned by Lamar Giles

These are all books I've read in 2025. Admittedly, there may be some higher-rated books in previous years, but I try to keep my picks as recent as possible on here. These are all books I enjoyed and would recommend. 

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I'm so happy I got a chance to get this up for you all this week. Yay me for pre-planning! I'll see you all next week for even more fun!