News and Updates
It’s hard to believe, but we’re starting the final week of the school year! As we move into one of the busiest seasons for parents and teachers alike, I want to offer a gentle reminder—your reading goals might slip, you may not pick up a book at all, and you might not even get a quiet moment to yourself. And that’s okay. Reading challenges are meant to inspire flexibility, not add pressure. Give yourself some grace during the busy days ahead, and remember: reading should always feel like a joy, never a chore.
This Week
This week’s theme beautifully blends magic with action and adventure. It’s a world of danger and high-stakes drama—but also one filled with dragons, curses, and unforgettable quests. The combination makes for vivid, cinematic storytelling, which is why this genre thrives on screen and has gained such a strong following in recent years.
Monthly Reading Challenge: Fantasy
Weekly Reading Challenge: Sword & Sorcery
One of the most beloved stories in this category is William Goldman’s The Princess Bride. With its swashbuckling adventure, memorable villains, and just a touch of magic, it captures everything that makes fantasy so much fun. While it has the heart of a classic heroic tale, it’s the sharp wit and playful banter that truly make it unforgettable.
For the sake of time, I opted for the audiobook—and was delighted to discover it’s narrated by Rob Reiner. His films were such a big part of my life growing up, with several landing on my all-time favorites list. Getting to hear his voice bring this story to life was an unexpected gift, and all the more meaningful in reflecting on his legacy.
If you’re looking for other great books for this prompt, try one of these reads recommended by our StoryGraph community:
- The Book of Three, Lloyd Alexander
- The Broken Sword, Poul Anderson
- The Hobbit, J.R.R. Tolkien
- The Once and Future King, T.H. White
New This week
Two of our most anticipated releases are hitting shelves and shopping baskets this week:
Henry Ford is often remembered as a visionary whose innovations reshaped industry, earning him lasting prestige. Yet a century ago, his ambitions were far more controversial—especially beyond American borders.
In Jungle of Ashes, Brynn Barneau brings this complex history to life through a compelling work of historical fiction, exploring Ford’s attempt to control every step of his supply chain. What he didn’t anticipate was that nature had already perfected the growth of rubber trees—and that local communities would resist the imposition of American ideals. The result is a fascinating, layered story of ambition, culture, and the limits of control.
Ward Larsen’s first venture into the Jack Ryan universe delivers an impressive result with Tom Clancy: Rules of Engagement. By bringing in the two youngest members of the Ryan family, the story takes on an immediate, high-stakes intensity, unfolding like a political thriller pulled straight from today’s headlines.
Larsen’s own background lends an added layer of realism to the narrative, enriching the intricate military strategy and intelligence details that define the series. It’s that authenticity that makes his storytelling so compelling. I often find myself reading Jack Ryan novels more than once—and this is one I already know I’ll be revisiting.
In Case You Missed It
Last Week’s Prompt
Lucy didn’t know what to think the first time she opened the wardrobe and found, not coats, but snow. It became even more unbelievable when she stepped through and discovered an entire world on the other side of that wooden door. So when her siblings didn’t believe her, she understood—but she still wanted to share the wonder of Narnia with them. What the children didn’t yet realize was that danger waited within all that beauty.
C.S. Lewis’s classic The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe has been a family favorite in our house for years. As an introduction to the world of Narnia, it delivers a spellbinding story of danger and deliverance—rich with biblical imagery and told in a way even young readers can enjoy.
I give The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe 4.35 out of 5 stars. I picked it for the Read With Lindsey reading challenge prompt “portal fantasy” and listened via audiobook. After reading this aloud to my children so many times, it was a treat to experience it with someone else narrating. This is the story that first introduced me to the idea of portals—and it had me checking my grandparents’ closets and the space under the stairs, just in case. If you and your kids enjoy books like Tolkien’s The Hobbit, you’ll likely enjoy this one, too.
Last Week’s Articles
Portal fantasy has a way of staying with us because the real magic is not just in the doorway — it is in the world waiting on the other side. Worlds of magical creatures and fantasy landscapes always seem to wait behind a closet door or an enchanted keyhole. If you love fantasy books with immersive settings and unforgettable atmosphere, the list in last week’s article is for you!
We explore four fantasy worlds and the reasons why readers have grown to love each. After you get the full rundown here, leave me a comment with which one you’d choose to visit first!
Last Week’s Preview
Tom Clancy Rules of Engagement is one of the stronger recent entries in the Ryanverse, blending procedural suspense with high-stakes military action in a way that feels both timely and entertaining. Ward Larson brings real authority to the material, especially in the crash investigation and technical details, but the novel never gets bogged down in jargon. Instead, it moves with confidence, building tension steadily while giving readers a story that should satisfy longtime series fans and still welcome newcomers.
What makes the book especially effective is how current it feels. Its focus on geopolitical instability and vulnerabilities in modern military systems gives the suspense extra weight, while Larson also makes good use of Katie and Kyle Ryan, who come across as more fully realized here than in some earlier appearances. I give Tom Clancy Rules of Engagement 5 out of 5 stars. For readers looking for a fast-moving thriller with convincing detail and broad appeal, this is an easy recommendation.
You can read the full review here.
Reading Challenge Prompts
I always say that fantasy isn’t a genre I read very often… and then I look at the list of fantasy sub-genres and realize I absolutely do. Think Practical Magic, The Hobbit, and so many others—they all belong here. Magical realism, in particular, hooked me a few years ago through Heather Webber’s writing, and I can’t wait to share some longtime favorites with you. I’m also excited to step a little outside my comfort zone this month and explore a sub-genre I don’t read often at all: paranormal fiction.
May is Get Caught Reading Month, and with several of our favorite authors celebrating birthdays in the weeks ahead, it felt like the perfect time to lean into imaginative, transportive reads. I can’t wait to see which fantasy books you choose to pick up this month!
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What I’m Reading
- Current print book: The Sisters and the Sword, Sam Davey
- Current audio book: Assistant to the Villain, Hannah Nicole Maehrer
- Book I’m most looking forward to: Pretty Dead Things, Kelsey Cox
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