News and Updates
This week, I had the opportunity to connect with fellow readers and a few authors at an event put on by the Forsyth County Library system. It’s been nearly a year since my last in-person author event here in Atlanta, and 8 months since the Amelia Island Book Festival. This event reminded me of why I love the book community – I made new friends, got to hear exciting news about upcoming books I can’t wait to share with you, and got to experience a literary world outside of the pages of a good book. I will have more details and insights for you later this week, and I’m working on finding my next big in-person event. If you’re local in Atlanta, keep an ear out – I’d love to meet up with you next time!
This Week
Magical Realism is the theme for this week – a genre I have grown to love so much! From Alice Hoffman’s Practical Magic series to the writings of Heather Webber, these books are a reminder that magic exists all around us…you just have to look!
Reading Challenge: Magical Realism
TJ Klune swiftly became a favorite author of mine after reading The House in the Cerulean Sea. Practically dystopian and feeling like cross between Orwell’s 1984 and Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events, the story about children who have the power to change the world and the adult dead set on making sure they know acceptance and love really just awed me. I was so excited to learn a sequel was coming out last year and immediately started making plans on when I could add it to our reading challenge calendar!
Arthur, Linus, and the children are back in Somewhere Beyond the Sea, along with some new friends…and a few enemies. My favorite part of this book? Lucy and the way he comes into his own, learning what right looks like to him!
If you’re looking for other great books for this prompt, try one of these:
- The Dead Romantics, Ashley Poston
- The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, VE Schwab
- Midnight at the Blackbird Cafe, Heather Webber
- Remarkably Bright Creatures, Shelby Van Pelt
New This week
None of our pre-release reviews are hitting shelves this week, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t great books coming out! Here’s a few in our pre-order cart:
- A Guardian and a Thief, Megha Majumdar
- Intermezzo, Sally Rooney
- The Missing Pages, Alyson Richman
- The Wayfinder, Adam Johnson
In Case You Missed It
Last Week’s Prompt
The Three Musketeers from Alexandre Dumas is arguably the first action/adventure romance novel that set the stage for so decades of heartthrob action books since. If you, like me, grew up in the 80’s and 90’s, you will most likely remember the 1993 movie starring big names like Charlie Sheen, Kiefer Sutherland, and Chris O’Donnell. Originally published in 1844, the work is set during the reign of King Louis XIII of France and with a backdrop of the political drama leading to the French Revolution.
I give The Three Musketeers 4.3 out of 5 stars. This is my second time reading this novel and I love it as much as I did originally – when I read it in high school French class. I chose the audio version of this book and found it easier for me – I did not get as distracted by the French names. If you’re looking for a good romance novel with a brave fighter coming to save the damsel – this book is for you!
Last Week’s Article
While I’m still finalizing the 52 weekly prompts we will use this coming year and will release the full list later next month, just before Thanksgiving (holiday shopping deals and wishlists are great ways to get books for the challenge!), I shared some exciting updates for our 2026 Reading Challenge! The monthly prompts will center on different genres of fiction covering a wide variety you all have told us you’d like to see more of. Beyond new monthly and weekly prompts, we are also joining a new platform to make it easier for you to read with us. Get all the details in last week’s article here.
Last Week’s Preview
Can you believe this is the 21st installment in the Jack Ryan series? This book is a great jumping off point for readers new to the series – it focuses more on the youngest Ryan children who are making a name for themselves in the military intelligence world. My favorite part of this novel is the continual thread of “will he or won’t he?” – President Ryan has the ability to intervene on his children’s behalf, but would that take it a step too far? I have enjoyed the Jack Ryan Jr series as well and would love to see more books focused on Katie and Kyle in the future!
Reading Challenge Prompts
Are you reading along with us for October? Here’s the full list of our upcoming weekly prompts. Not up for reading a book every week? That’s ok – we have a once-a-month prompt, too! Our monthly theme for October is Black – look for a book with a black cover or black in the name.
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What I’m Reading
- Current print book: Clear and Present Danger, Tom Clancy
- Current audio book: Over Yonder, Sean Dietrich
- Book I’m most looking forward to: Streets of Laredo, Larry McMurtry
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