Wednesday, July 1, 2026

Alternate mid-year reading checkup

In a comment on last year's (2025) reading challenge mid-year checkup post, I noted that Modern Mrs. Darcy had posted a podcast episode on the same subject! albeit with a slightly different focus. (I wonder if I got the inspiration for this post, at least in part, from a previous MMD post?) I did not listen but I did read the transcript. And in the comments, MMD team member Shannan listed 13 questions that guided their conversation.  

I've only JUST read 13 books (plus one more, for 14 total) this year to date (cough! and sob...), and not all of the questions were easy to respond to -- but here are the questions, and a few answers from me. (Links for books I've read go to my reviews on this blog -- the most recent review, in the case of re-reads. Links for books I've yet to read go to their Goodreads page.) If you decide to answer any of these yourself, I'd love to read your responses!

*** *** *** 

MMD Questions: 

1. Fav fiction book you’ve read so far this year.
2. Fav nonfiction book you’ve read so far this year.
3. Fav sequel you’ve read so far this year.
4. New release you haven’t read yet, but want to.
5. Most anticipated release for the second half of the year.
6. Biggest disappointment.
7. Biggest surprise.
8. Favorite new author (debut or new to you).
9. Newest fictional crush.
10. Newest favorite character.
12. Book that made you cry.
13. Book that made you happy.

*** *** *** 

My responses:  

1. Fav fiction book you’ve read so far this year.

In terms of new fiction I've read (i.e., not a re-read), that would be "The Queen Who Came in From the Cold" by S.J. Bennett. As I said in my review, "Queen Elizabeth is gone now, but long may she reign in these delightful books. :) "  I also wound up enjoying "The Mitford Affair" by Marie Benedict a lot. 

2. Fav nonfiction book you’ve read so far this year.

I haven't read much non-fiction so far this year, or in recent years generally (I used to read more non-fiction than fiction!), but I very much enjoyed the one non-fiction book I have read so far: "Gimme a Crisis" by Howard Green, about the Canadian bank and CEO I used to work for. 

3. Fav sequel you’ve read so far this year.

That would also be "The Queen Who Came in From the Cold." 

4. New release you haven’t read yet, but want to.

"London Falling" by Patrick Radden Keefe (which I've actually just started!). "Say Nothing" was mind-blowingly good, and has stuck with me in the 7 (!!) years since I first read it. I still recommend it all the time. (I have a couple of his other books in my TBR pile too.) 

(ETA:  I drafted this post in advance, and actually just finished this one this morning! -- review to come!) 

5. Most anticipated release for the second half of the year.

Looking forward to "We Chase Shadows," the next "We Solve Murders" mystery by Richard Osman, coming out this fall, and "Death on the Royal Yacht," the sixth book in the "Her Majesty the Queen Investigates" series by S.J. Bennett, also publishing this fall. 

6. Biggest disappointment.

Not exactly a disappointment, because I didn't have any great expectations going in, but "The Hacienda" by Isabel Canas is not something I would have picked up on my own if it wasn't a book club read.  Sometimes I'm pleasantly surprised by a book club pick -- but reading this one confirmed that -- although it wasn't necessarily badly written (and it did keep me turning the pages!) -- it just wasn't really my kind of book. 

7. Biggest surprise.

Probably "Regeneration" by Pat Barker. It sounded interesting, but I didn't expect to find such well-drawn female characters in it too. Also the presence of several of the best-known WWI poets (Sassoon, Owen, Graves) was a pleasant surprise. The group I was reading the book with checked out some of their poetry as a "tangent," and it still packs a wallop, 100+ years later. 

8. Favorite new author (debut or new to you).

Pat Barker was new to me, and I would definitely like to read the other two books in the "Regeneration" trilogy, as well as some of her other work. 

9. Newest fictional crush.

It's from a re-read, but that would definitely be Commander Graham Gore, the hero/love interest of "The Ministry of Time" by Kaliane Bradley.  :)  

10. Newest favorite character.

Not new, because it was a re-read, but William Single in "The Four Graces" is many D.E. Stevenson fans' favourite male character, and he would definitely be a runner-up to Graham Gore as a fictional crush for me.  

12. Book that made you cry.

"In Memoriam" by Alice Winn, especially at the end (even though I'd read it before). 

13. Book that made you happy.

Couldn't pick just one (all re-reads): "You Are Here" by David Nicholls, "The Ministry of Time," and "The Four Graces." 
Posted by at No comments:
Labels: , , ,

Reading challenge mid-year checkup

For the last five years around this time, I've done a mid-year check-in on the status of my Goodreads Reading Challenge and other reading goals -- and since the year is now halfway over (ummm.... WTF?!)  I thought it was timely to do it again.  :)  

In my 2025 Reading Year in Review post in January, under "Goals for 2026," I wrote: 

  • ...I ended the year with 38 books read. I did not reach my Goodreads Reading Challenge Goal of 45 books (nor did I come anywhere near equalling my 2021/best-recorded total of 59 books, when my goal was 36).  I initially thought I'd keep my goal of 45 books in 2026 -- but, given the recent events in my life, reading has taken a back seat for the time being (sadly, I have yet to start a book in January).  So I've decided to downsize my 2026 goal slightly to 40 books (and hope to do better than that...!). It's still a "stretch" goal, based on the past few years, and still works out to 3-4 books per month on average). 
    • While I'm grateful for my book groups and the boost they give to my reading totals, and while I intend to keep up with them in 2026, I'm hoping to be able to read more of my own choices this coming year too.  :)   

So.  Here we are at the midpoint of 2026 -- which suggests I should be about halfway toward my goal -- i.e., I should have read 20 books by now to keep up the pace of 3-4 books per month in order to reach my goal of 40 by the end of the year. 

I'm not there. (Not even close.)  :(   As I said in my Reading Year in Review post, recent events in my life (in particular, the death of my mom, the sale and cleanout of my parents' house, and spending extra time with my dad) have meant reading has not been as much of a priority, or as easy to fit into my day. 

I am currently at 14 books finished  = 35% of my 2026 goal (5 books behind schedule to meet my goal). I read 1 book in January, 4 in February, 1 in March, 2 in April, 2 in May and 4 in June.  Percentage-wise, I'm well behind where I've been at this time in previous years (when my goal was larger, 45 books):  44% of my goal in 2024 and 2025,  56% in 2023, 64% in 2022, and I was already at 94% in 2021 (! -- albeit my goal then was just 36 books -- and, I should note, it was peak pandemic then too! = not much else to do but sit around and read!). 

The online book clubs and readalongs I've been involved in over the years have not been as active recently, and/or I've not had as much time or interest to take part, which may also have contributed to my declining numbers.  In the past, these groups have provided some gentle deadline pressure that's kept me reading (albeit not always books of my choice). 

Some of these groups have sadly gone by the wayside in recent years, but I'm still involved in the D.E. Stevenson group on Groups.io (which has been taking a bit of a hiatus recently  -- although we do have a book for the summer now). I'm also continuing in my role as co-host of the book club within the Childless Collective (formerly Gateway Women/Lighthouse Women) private online community (which involves a lot of re-reads of books I've already read and recommended to the group). 

I'm also still taking part in some of the slow readalongs hosted by Simon Haisell at "Footnotes and Tangents." I haven't had time (or, frankly, interest) to get involved in all of the new offerings this year, but I did read "Regeneration" by Pat Barker with the group this spring  (and am glad I did!), and am planning to join in when we read "The Children's Book" by A.S. Byatt later this year.  

Realistically (given the way the year has been going...!), it's unlikely I'll reach my goal this year (never mind improve on previous years' totals).  :(  But that doesn't mean I'm going to stop trying, or revise my goal at this point.  I realize that, realistically, I am never going to be able to read all the books I would like. (There are still a lot of books on my "priority TBR list" -- which has expanded considerably since I posted about it in 2021..! -- that I haven't read yet!). 

But it's still fun trying, right? 

Did you set any reading goals for 2026?  Are you making progress toward them? 

Posted by at No comments:
Labels: , , ,

Right now

Right now...* 

*(A (mostly) monthly series/meme.  Explanation of how this started & my inspirations in my first "Right now" post, here. Also my first (similar) "The Current" post, here.)

June finally started feeling like summer!  We had a few hot/humid spells, especially earlier in the month, and at the very end, and a few days with some strong winds, but for the most part, it's been just pleasantly warm.  

Some of the things I/we did this month include: 

  • Grocery shopping expeditions to the supermarket (June 1st, 8th, 15th, 22nd & 29th). 
  • Rode the subway downtown (something we don't do too often these days!) to the Art Gallery of Ontario to see the Paul McCartney photography exhibit ("Eyes of the Storm"), which was closing on June 7th. Well worth the trip! I think I had a smile on my face the entire time we were there.  :)  
  • Spent a few hours with SIL & LGNephew #2 (June 3rd, 10th & 24th) -- as we did in the past with LGNephew #1 and LGNiece. His mom's mat leave ended and she returned to work on June 1st.  
    • He was joined by his big brother (LGNephew #1) when we went there on June 29th. (LGNephew #1 will be there for the rest of the summer, now that school is out until September!) and we enjoyed seeing them both and taking them to the nearby park for a little while. :)  
    • (LGNiece recently started attending a daycare/preschool program, where she's thriving, but she may join them occasionally!) 
  • Spent the morning at the mall, walking and shopping (June 9th -- first time back in a while! -- June 16th. 23rd & 30th). 
  • Bookstore browse (June 12th & 19th), followed by the first gelatos of the season! (June 12th), and a quick stop at the supermarket (June 19th). 
  • Had the plumber in (again!) to unclog the kitchen sink & bathroom sink drains (again!), and (finally!) fix the master bathroom shower so that it runs warmer than just mildly lukewarm. (Last referenced in this post -- the boiler issues, diagnosed in January, while we were still in Manitoba, took more than two months to fix!!) (June 18th) 
  • Stopped by the drugstore to pick up a prescription, buy some stamps and mail a few cards/letters at the post office counter there, and then went to the supermarket to pick up some takeout rice bowls for dinner. (June 18th) 

*** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** 

Also right now:  

Reading: I finished 4 books in June (all reviewed on this blog, as well as Goodreads & StoryGraph, & tagged "2026 books").  Year to date, I've read 14 books,  reached 35% of my Goodreads Challenge goal, and am currently 5 books behind schedule to achieve it by year end.  

Midyear reading challenge checkup coming shortly....!  
Current reads: 
  • "London Falling" by Patrick Radden Keefe. Finished this morning;  review to come!  
  • "Still Glides the Stream" by D.E. Stevenson, with my DES group. We started reading & discussing this book on June 22nd at the suggestion of a group member (who also offered to organize the discussion), and will finish in mid-August It's a book we last covered in 2021 (my reviews here & here). Currently 18% completed. 
    • I usually read the book all the way through myself first, and then follow along with our chapter-by-chapter discussion ( = two full reads) -- but since I still remembered this one fairly well, and had other books to read, I decided I'd just follow along with the group this time around. 
    • There are still a few other DES books I have not yet read, or read since I was a teenager, and I would have preferred to read one of those for the group instead of a re-read (and a fairly recent one at that) -- but I don't have the time or bandwidth right now to suggest and organize one of those myself, so...!  
  • "The Forsyte Saga" by John Galsworthy. After mulling it over (see this post!), I accepted a commenter's suggestion to do a readalong together!  Currently 60% completed. 
  • "Childless: A Woman and a Girl in a Man's World" by Fabiana Formica.  This one is beautifully written, but slow going, and I was reading it (or trying to...!) at Mom & Dad's last summer (2025), where there were a lot of distractions. I've put it aside for the moment to focus on other reading priorities, but I've completed 33% to date.
  • "L.M. Montgomery and Gender," an essay collection edited by E. Holly Pike & Laura Robinson. Slowly working my way through, in between the other books...! 
Coming up: Most of my book groups have their next reads plotted out for a few months in advance -- and listing them here helps me keep track of what I should be reading next. ;)  
    • "Treacle Walker" by Alan Garner.  (Starts this Friday, July 3rd;  running for three weeks through July 24th. Not sure I'm doing this one...) 
    • "The Children’s Book" by A.S. Byatt (September–December) (Planning to take part in this one, as I've never read Byatt and this one sounds interesting.)    
A few recently purchased titles (all in digital format, mostly discounted ($5-10 or less) or purchased with points): 

*** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** 

Watching: 
  • World Cup games. We're not as into it as some people are (and dh is more interested than I am) -- and the fact that Italy is not in the tournament is a huge disappointment locally (it would have been bonkers in this particular suburb if they had...!)  -- but it's still been fun watching some of the games and the local coverage -- particularly since Toronto is one of the host cities!  AND Canada has been doing so well so far...!  
  • Last Saturday morning, I tuned into a Zoom session from the LM. Montgomery Institute's biennial (every two years) conference in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island -- the keynote address, given by Megan Follows, familiar to many as THE definitive "Anne of Green Gables" n the 1980s mini-series. She and her daughter are doing a documentary about the character of Anne and why she remains so beloved to so many around the world, more than a century after her creation.  Hearing Megan talk about her experiences was a delight, and I will look forward to seeing the documentary someday!  
  • I've forgotten to mention this one before, but we've gotten hooked lately on "The Great British Bake-Off," which CBC has been showing (in reruns) from 5 to 6 PM on weekday afternoons. (All the seasons are available to stream on CBC Gem.) We recently saw (I think?) season 15 (from 2024?), and a really fun Christmastime episode featuring British soap opera stars from "Emmerdale," East Enders" and (my Mom's longtime favourite when I was growing up) "Coronation Street." (I  just checked, and it is still on CBC every night (!), as well as on CBC Gem!)  
    • None of the GBBO  hosts/judges were familiar to me -- and the accents can occasionally be a little indecipherable ;)  -- but we've been enjoying it hugely.  :)  
      • (My guess was that Noel Fielding is an aging rock star from the 1970s -- he certainly looks the part, lol.  Close -- he's an actor!)  
    • They also show the Canadian version from time to time in the same time slot, and sometimes one of Jamie Oliver's cooking shows as well.  
Playing:  
  • Heardle Decades: (as of June 30th):  
    • Heardle 60s: 74.2% (950/1281, 385 on first guess), up 0.1%. since May 31st. Max streak: 21. 
    • Heardle 70s: 75.0% (770/1027, 433 on first guess), up 0.3% from May 31st. Max streak: 18. 
    • Heardle 80s:  41.3% (363/878, 141 on first guess), down 0.1% from May 31st. Max. streak: 6 (up from 5 in May).
    • Heardle 90s: 32.9% (322/979, 83 on first guess), down 0.2% from May 31st. Max. streak: 9. 
  • NYT Connections: 
    • By May 31st, I had completed 654 games, won 89% of them (unchanged since Dec. 31st), including 352 "perfect puzzles" with zero errors, and 20 where I got the most difficult/purple category first (an increase of 2 since Dec. 31st). Maximum winning streak:  45 (unchanged since June 30th, 2025).  Current streak:4.  
    • As of June 30th, I'd played 684 games and won 90% of them (a gain of 1%! since Dec. 31st), including 370 "perfect puzzles" with zero errors, and 20 where I got the most difficult/purple category first (unchanged since May 31st). Maximum winning streak: 45 (unchanged since June 30th, 2025). Current streak: 9.. 
Listening:  

Following:  . 

Eating/Drinking:  
  • Over the past 18-24 months, we've been trying to eat healthier and lower our cholesterol -- and avoid having to take (more) medication -- since some less-than-stellar bloodwork results for both of us in fall 2024 and then again (for me) last November (2025, as mentioned in November's Right Now post). 
    • I ended June 1.8 pounds less than when the month started.  Overall, I'm down almost 16 pounds since late October 2024 -- close to my lowest weight in more than a decade -- and almost 28 pounds from my heaviest-ever weight  (in August 2021). 
      • (Dh is down almost 18 pounds overall since fall 2024.)
  • Takeout meals included the usual pizza slices, soup and teriyaki rice bowls from the supermarket, thin-crust wood oven pizza and rotisserie chicken. (It's gotten a little boring lately, to be honest -- but it's not easy finding takeout meals that are (a) cheap-ish (b) not too horrible in terms of cholesterol and (c) something dh & I can agree on...!)  
Wearing:  With the advent of consistently warmer, sometimes humid weather, shorts and tank tops have been added to the wardrobe roster, along with short sleeves, capris & sandals. :) 

Buying (besides books, lol):   Plane tickets to visit my dad (again) in mid/late July. The house sale will have closed by then. We'll celebrate his 87th birthday while we're there. 

Irresistible summer clothes for the great-niblings and Little Princess #3.  :)  Lots of bargains right now!  

A cute red & white summery sundress, on sale at Suzy (AKA Suzy Shier, which has been around since I was in university, maybe even high school??). I hadn't been in a Suzy store in years, but spotted it on a rack as I was walking by at the mall, went in and tried it on). $20 plus tax (Canadian)!  (Score!!) 

Noticing/Appreciating:  The longer days and increased daylight... although, of course, we're now past summer solstice and the days are gradually starting to get shorter again...

Hoping:  That the a/c holds out in the heat wave we're having right now!  :p  (Temperatures in the 30sC;  humidex readings well into the 40sC. For reference, 30C = 86F, 35C = 95C, 40C = 104F and 45C = 113F.  Yuck!)  

Prioritizing:  Staying cool...!

Loving:  The days this month when the weather has been nice enough that I could sit outside on the balcony with a drink and a book for an hour or two. 

Trying:  To put down the phone/laptop more often and read more books this summer.  

Wondering:  Whether I'll get through my mental to-do list before we leave for Dad's again. (I suspect not...! -- certainly not all the items...) 

Wanting: To get back to the local art gallery where I have a membership soon... they have some new exhibits as well as a few that are closing soon that I'd like to see. 
                        
Feeling: Relieved to have the shower issue (and other plumbing issues) fixed. Happy to be spending time with Little Great-Nephew #2 (and looking forward to spending more time with his older brother too, now that school is out!). 

Coming up in July/Anticipating: Canada Day (which is actually today!) & Fourth of July 250 (U.S.) hoopla... Mom & Dad's house sale closing (also today, July 1st)...  our 41st wedding anniversary... spending some time with both the LGNephews at SIL's this summer... SIL & BIL's birthdays (which we'll miss out on celebrating with the family, because -- see next item!);  another trip to Manitoba to see my dad and celebrate his 87th (!) birthday. 

Posted by at No comments:
Labels: , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)