Friday Fun - January 23, 2026

Welcome to my Friday Fun post. This is where I share with three different book parties that post on Fridays: Book Beginnings on Fridays, the Friday 56, and First Line Friday.

This week I have two books to share with you.

I'm finally reading Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins.

I'm also starting The Royal Nanny by Melody Carlson.

        Book Beginnings on Friday    

 

(Please join Gilion Dumas for Book Beginnings every Friday to share the first sentence (or so) of the book you are reading, along with your initial thoughts about the sentence, impressions of the book, or anything else the opener inspires. Please remember to include the title of the book and the author's name.)

and

First Line Friday

(Please join Carrie for First Line Friday.)

Here are my Book Beginnings/First Line Friday selections:

 Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins:

"'Happy birthday, Haymitch!'

The upside of being born on reaping day is that you can sleep late on your birthday. It's pretty much downhill from there."

I had to share more than just the first line this week. Poor Haymitch. 

The Royal Nanny by Melody Carlson:

"After two years of teaching missionary kids on a remote island in the South Pacific, Meredith Cardwell was ripe for change."

I wanted to learn more about her teaching the missionary kids and why she needed a change. 

Now for:

The Friday 56 

The Friday 56 is normally hosted over at Freda's Voice. But Anne from My Head is Full of Books is taking over for a while. 

Rules:

*Grab a book, any book.
*Turn to page 56 or 56% in your eReader
(If you have to improvise, that's ok.)
(If you have to improvise, that's ok.)
 *Find any sentence, (or few, just don't spoil it) that grab you.
*Post it.
*Add your (url) post below in Linky. Add the post url, not your blog url. It's that simple.

Here are my Friday 56 selections:

Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins:

"Then I get it. Around this time every year, a couple of Booker Boys take bets on the Hunger Games tributes. Like how old will the kids be, Seam or town, the number of tesserae they carry. The betting continues through the Games, with odds on deaths and districts and the ultimate victor. It should be illegal, but the Peacekeepers don't care."

The Royal Nanny by Melody Carlson:

"After dinner, Meredith asked if the children would take her on a tour of the grounds. 'The gardens look so pretty, and I noticed you have a swimming pool as well as a pond out there.'

Katerina still seemed to be studying Meredith with a dubious expression, but she agreed to take her outside. Perhaps with a diabolical plan to take her into the woods and leave her there?"

Reviews:

Last week I shared one book in my Friday Fun post. Here is the link to my review:

Braving Fiery Waters by Sarah Hanks 

Two weeks ago, I shared one book. Here's the link to my review:

Deadly Secrets by Penny Zeller

Three weeks ago, I shared two books. I already shared the link to the one review; here's the link to the other:

In Books & Battlefields by Heather Tabers

Braving Fiery Waters by Sarah Hanks Review

 

So many Godly, encouraging truths along with a fantastic time travel adventure back to the time of the St. Louis fire in the 1800s. 

I absolutely loved Braving Fiery Waters, the second book in Sarah Hanks' Time Sailors series. I loved the premise when I first learned about the series before Braving Strange Waters released a couple of years ago. And I was so excited when I learned that book two was going to be released. Though the person traveling through time was a completely new character, the original three ladies have roles in this book. 

Marina is a widowed, single mother of two teenagers. Two young people who are full of attitude, you know, teenagers. LOL. Marina wants to make some wonderful new memories with Aiden and Brinley, so she has planned a fun vacation. Unfortuately, plans go awry when she ends up time sailing to the White Cloud in 1849, leaving her teens behind. 

We get to also see the story through Aiden's POV. You can see the snarkiness and the attitude, but we also see the grief. The grief from losing their father and not being allowed to mourn. But we also see how much these siblings love each other and try to watch out for each other. But. . .they are teenagers, so that doesn't always work out. 

We also see the story through Claire's POV. Claire is one of the main characters from the first book. She and Wendy had stayed in the present while their friend Stella had time traveled. Spoiler for book 1 ahead. . . Claire had ended up marrying Bearett Duncan, a decendant of the Dr. Duncan from the past who helps those who time sail. So, she is able to help Aiden and Brinley. Or at least she tries. You remember I mentioned they are teenagers, right? LOL. 

I also wanted to mention Nevaeh as she was such an awsome character. We don't get to see the story through her POV, but she has a huge impact in the spiritual lives of the characters. 

So, there is a lot going on in both time frames. Marina needs to figure out what the mission is that she needs to accomplish so she can time sail home. Without changing the history books. And while trying to deal with her grief and wondering if her kids would just be better off without her. Aiden is struggling through a breakup while also trying to deal with the grief from his father passing away. Brinley is also struggling of course, but we only see her from the others' POV. And Claire stuggles with a lot of self doubt and just not being good enough. They are all trying to find their way.

I have to say, I completely connected with Marina's doubt and frustration with trying to deal with her teens. And Claire's feelings of unworthiness. But the truths that were shared throughout the story really helped uplift me. I highlighted so, so many passages where God's truths were shared. The Gospel story is shared along with the plan of Salvation. Prayer is an important part of their lives. I loved seeing each characters' development and growth. 

And I absolutely loved the last page of the story and learning what we have to look forward to in book three. Definitely can't wait to read that! And I highly recommend this book. 

I received a copy of this book from the publisher and was not required to write a favorable review. These are my own honest thoughts.

Deadly Secrets by Penny Zeller Review

 

Deadly Secrets is another great romantic suspense story from Penny Zeller. A great start to a new series.
The story is told from three different points of view.
Harper is a real estate agent who suddenly starts getting threatened and stalked when she begins to show a certain property
Kade is a police detective who ends up investigating her case in there small town. A town that used to be so safe.
And we also get to see the story through the eyes of the anonymous villain. In fact, the story begins with a prologue from his point of view where we learn that he does not take well to betrayal.
The suspense ramps up as the story progresses, though the reader knows when something is going to happen to Harper because we get to see the villain's plans. But this guy is quite devious and does a pretty good job staying off the detective's radar.
I have to say, I did not suspect culprit until right before it was revealed.
As usual with this author's books, faith plays an important role in the lives of the characters. They pray, attend church, read their Bibles, and put their trust in Him.
And there are some awesome side characters that help make this story awesome, and one in particular that drove me crazy. Could NOT stand this person. I do wish we had learned more about what happened to this character at the end of the book.
This book is a complete story, no cliffhangers, and I'm thinking I might know how the author is planning on continuing the series. We'll see.

I received an e-copy of this book as a member of the launch team and was not required to write a favorable review. These are my own honest thoughts

In Books & Battlefields by Heather Tabers Review

I absolutely adored In Books & Battlefields by Heather Tabers. This is the second historical romance that I've read by this author and it did NOT disappoint. This story takes place during WW1 on American soil, in an army camp in Alabama. 

We get to see the story from three points of view.

Isabella travels from her home in Colorado to be a librarian in the army hospital.

Deputy Nathaniel is her brother's best friend who has been pining for her for a while, but hasn't had the courage to tell her. He follows her to Alabama by securing a job as a sheriff's deputy. 

Major Byron is the chief doctor in the army hospital and things get off on the wrong foot between him and Isabella. 

I admit, I wasn't a huge fan of the doctor at first, but he had issues to work through. There was also a secret in Isabella's past that was holding her back from finding love. I sort of went back and forth on who I was hoping would win her love.

But there was so much more than this love triangle. I loved learning more about WW1 and libraries in the army. And the author added in some great suspense with danger coming from an unknown source. Plus some spies. I don't really want to say anything else about that. 

I loved that faith was important in the lives of these characters and we see them going to the Lord and searching for his will. Some important truths were shared. 

And I just loved learning that this is book one in the series and we'll get more of a certain character's story. yay!

I received an e-copy of this book as a member of the launch team and was not required to write a favorable review. These are my own honest thoughts

Friday Fun - January 16, 2026

Welcome to my Friday Fun post. This is where I share with three different book parties that post on Fridays: Book Beginnings on Fridays, the Friday 56, and First Line Friday.

This week I have one book to share with you.

I'm starting an eARC of the newest Christian time travel book by Sarah Hanks. Braving Fiery Waters is the second book in her Time Sailors series and it releases on January 21st.

        Book Beginnings on Friday    

 

(Please join Gilion Dumas for Book Beginnings every Friday to share the first sentence (or so) of the book you are reading, along with your initial thoughts about the sentence, impressions of the book, or anything else the opener inspires. Please remember to include the title of the book and the author's name.)

and

First Line Friday

(Please join Carrie for First Line Friday.)

Here is my Book Beginnings/First Line Friday selection:

 Braving Fiery Waters by Sarah Hanks:

"The traffic light ahead shone yellow, and Marina slammed her foot on the accelerator."

I wondered why she seemed to be in such a hurry.

Now for:

The Friday 56 

The Friday 56 is normally hosted over at Freda's Voice. But Anne from My Head is Full of Books is taking over for a while. 

Rules:

*Grab a book, any book.
*Turn to page 56 or 56% in your eReader
(If you have to improvise, that's ok.)
(If you have to improvise, that's ok.)
 *Find any sentence, (or few, just don't spoil it) that grab you.
*Post it.
*Add your (url) post below in Linky. Add the post url, not your blog url. It's that simple.

Here is my Friday 56 selection:

Braving Fiery Waters by Sarah Hanks:

"Claire gestured to the guest room. 'I was planning on making tacos for dinner. Sound good?'

'Sure,' they mumbled in unison.

An uncomfortable dinner with strangers who thought they were the boss of him and his sister. Joy. How could this be happening? They'd taken a family vacation to Crazy Town."

Reviews:

Over the last several weeks I have shared that I have been rereading the Hunger Games trilogy and the first prequel before starting the new book. 

Here are my reviews:

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins 

Friday Fun - January 9, 2026

Welcome to my Friday Fun post. This is where I share with three different book parties that post on Fridays: Book Beginnings on Fridays, the Friday 56, and First Line Friday.

This week I have one book to share with you.

I'm starting an eARC of the newest Christian romantic suspense book by Penny Zeller. Deadly Secrets is the first book in her new Close Proximity series.

        Book Beginnings on Friday    

 

(Please join Gilion Dumas for Book Beginnings every Friday to share the first sentence (or so) of the book you are reading, along with your initial thoughts about the sentence, impressions of the book, or anything else the opener inspires. Please remember to include the title of the book and the author's name.)

and

First Line Friday

(Please join Carrie for First Line Friday.)

Here is my Book Beginnings/First Line Friday selection:

 Deadly Secrets by Penny Zeller:

"Betrayal has consequences."

Yes, I guess it does. I wondered who betrayed who and what the consequences were going to be. 

Now for:

The Friday 56 

The Friday 56 is normally hosted over at Freda's Voice. But Anne from My Head is Full of Books is taking over for a while. 

Rules:

*Grab a book, any book.
*Turn to page 56 or 56% in your eReader
(If you have to improvise, that's ok.)
(If you have to improvise, that's ok.)
 *Find any sentence, (or few, just don't spoil it) that grab you.
*Post it.
*Add your (url) post below in Linky. Add the post url, not your blog url. It's that simple.

Here is my Friday 56 selection:

Deadly Secrets by Penny Zeller:

"From the way his brows furrowed and he stroked his clean-shaven chin, Kade wasn't convinced.

'I know he's not the guy in the hoodie and the guy who pulled a knife on me the other day.'

'No, he's not, but he did have a conversation with the guy who pulled a knife on you and mugged you.'"

Reviews:

No reviews to share this week.

Reading Challenges 2026 Introduction

I'm gong to be attempting several challenges again this year. I say "attempting" because last year I completely failed at most of my challenges because the majority of my reading was of ARCs for launch teams and NetGalley, and the books just didn't meet the challenge prompts.

The first challenge again comes from the Avid Readers of Christian Fiction Facebook Group I am in.

Tackle the TBR Pile is from Crystal Caudill's blog.

There is also the reading challenge from the Eating Our Words Facebook group. 

I'm joining in with The Posse again:

I'm again joining in with the Read Your Bookshelf Challenge from Chantel Reads All Day. 

One of the authors I follow, Malissa Chapin, is again doing a challenge on her FB page, Malissa Chapin's Merry Band of Book Lovers. I completely failed her challenge again last year, but I decided I could try again.

Here's the challenge from the Faith Filled Fiction FB group. I love that it is a bingo and not needing to read a specific book in each month.

 

I'm also going to try to read a book set in each of the 50 states with the Literary Escapes Challenge. Last year was the second year I attempted it. Unfortunately, I didn't get all 50 states. I'm actually not sure how many I did get.

A couple of years ago I decided I would try her Alphabet Soup Challenge. I'm not exactly how well I did last year, but I wanted to try again this year..

And seeing as I'm reading a bunch of books anyway, and reading many different authors, I figured I'd try the Alphabet Soup Author Edition this year. Just to see how many letters I can get with what I am already reading. 

I'm also going to try to read books set in as many European countries as possible with the 2026 European Reading Challenge from Rose City Reader. Last year I read books from only two different European countries. I'm hoping to increase that number this year. 

Additionally, she has the TBR 26 in '26 challenge. Last year I only got one book read off of my TBR pile. As I mentioned above, most of my books were ARCs.

Finally, I am joining in again with a  yearly challenge from the Scripture Literature-You Are What You Read FB group. I like this one because I can just fit the books in as I read them.

So, here it is:

1- Star Crossed Lovers

2- A Haunting

3- Author shares an initial with you

4- Biblical Relic

5- I can relate

6- A Social Contruct

7- Story of Survival

8- Comfort Zone

9- Spiritual Gifts

10- From Lore

11- Coming of Age

12- Starting over

13- Prodigal Family Member

14- Friendship

15- A Different World

16- Takes place in Europe

17- Favorite past category

18- Isolation

19- Redhead Protagonist

20. A Diagnosis

21. Elderly Protagonist

22. Number in the Title

23. Wrongly Accused

24. Book you got from a thrift store

25. Flowers on the cover

26. Choose your own Adventure  

My Goodreads goal is to read 100 books this year. Last year I had set it at 110 and I ended up only reading 80 books. 

Okay, so this looks like a lot again. However, a couple of them fit the fact that I want to read from my TBR shelf. And recording books that fit into the alphabet is just that, recording books I am already reading. I won't force myself to read a bunch of books JUST to get the letters I'm missing. And of course, I try to combine challenges when possible. And with the yearly challenges, I read books for the other challenges and then see where they fit in the yearly challenge lists. Also, when I pick books for the monthly challenges, I will try to choose books that take place in different states or countries. Also, I'll probably prioritize the challenges I've been doing longer if I start struggling with keeping up.