Curioussquared's Books and More in 2026 pt 2

Hello everyone! I'm Natalie. I have participated in the challenge on and off over my 15+ years on LT, and consistently over the past several years.

I'm located in the Seattle area, where I live with my husband and dogs. I do most of my reading curled up on the couch with my retired racing greyhounds Otter and Kermit and new additions borzoi puppies Goose and Malcolm, or listening to audiobooks while doing chores and walking the dogs.

I read mostly fiction, with a heavy emphasis on fantasy and sci-fi, romance, YA fiction, general fiction/literature, a scattered mystery here and there, and the occasional non-fiction title.

I'm pregnant and due in July, so I expect my reading will change drastically in the second half of this year. I'm keeping my reading goals simple: 100 books, and focus on books off my shelf. Ideally, I'll read at least 26 books off my shelf (for 2026), but I'm not really focusing on the precise numbers, just want to keep making progress on the endless TBR.

Showing off one of the gorgeous handmade blankets we received at our baby shower a few weeks ago -- my cousin's fiancee crocheted us this special one with all four dogs spotlighted :)

Books I rated 5 stars in 2025, not including rereads

Slow Dance by Rainbow Rowell
The Return of Fitzroy Angursell by Victoria Goddard
You Should Be So Lucky by Cat Sebastian
Shark Heart by Emily Habeck
Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan
The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year by Ally Carter
Governess Gone Rogue by Laura Lee Guhrke
On the Bright Side by Anna Sortino
Conclave by Robert Harris
Red Side Story by Jasper Fforde
Knife by Salman Rushdie
I'm Still Here by Austin Channing Brown
Still Alice by Lisa Genova
Starfish by Lisa Fipps
The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate DiCamillo
Doomsday Book by Connie Willis
The Game of Courts by Victoria Goddard

Books read in 2026

January
1. Pictures of You by Emma Grey (library)
2. The Storm of Echoes by Christelle Dabos (off my shelf)
3. Morning Glory Milking Farm by C. M. Nacosta (library)
4. Olive and the Dragon by Victoria Goddard (library)
5. The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store by James McBride (off my shelf)
6. The Shepherd's Crown by Terry Pratchett (reread)
7. Out on a Limb by Hannah Bonham-Young (library)
8. The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion, vol. 2 by Beth Brower (library)

February
9. A Five-Letter Word for Love by Amy James (library)
10. Silverborn by Jessica Townsend (off my shelf)
11. Flirting Lessons by Jasmine Guillory (off my shelf)
12. Fool's Errand by Robin Hobb (reread)
13. Daughter of the Merciful Deep by Leslye Penelope (library)
14. Golden Fool by Robin Hobb (reread)
15. Love, Off the Record by Samantha Markum (library)
16. The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion, vol. 3 by Beth Brower (library)

March
17. The Wall of Winnipeg and Me by Mariana Zapata (library)
18. Fool's Fate by Robin Hobb (reread)
19. Mirrored Heavens by Rebecca Roanhorse (library)
20. The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion, vol. 4 by Beth Brower (library)
21. The Friend by Sigrid Nunez (library)
22. Dragon Keeper by Robin Hobb (off my shelf)
23. First-Time Caller by BK Borison (library)
24. The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion, vol. 5 by Beth Brower (library)

Books read in 2026

April
25. Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros (off my shelf)
26. Lord of Scoundrels by Loretta Chase (library)
27. The Charismatic Emerald by Suzanne E. Zitzer (off my shelf, friend's manuscript)
28. Dragon Haven by Robin Hobb (off my shelf)
29. Bringing Up Bebe by Pamela Druckerman (off my shelf)
30. The Rose Code by Kate Quinn (off my shelf)
31. Jade War by Fonda Lee (off my shelf)
32. The Dutch House by Ann Patchett (off my shelf)

May
33. Holy Terrors by Margaret Owen (off my shelf)
34. City of Dragons by Robin Hobb (off my shelf)
35. The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion, vol. 6 by Beth Brower (library)
36. Murder by Memory by Olivia Waite (library)
37. The Queen of Nothing by Holly Black (off my shelf)
38. Platform Decay by Martha Wells (off my shelf)
39. The Name Game by Beth O'Leary (library)
40. Snake-Eater by T. Kingfisher (off my shelf)
41. The Marriage Portrait by Maggie O'Farrell (off my shelf)
42. Jade Legacy by Fonda Lee (off my shelf)
43. The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion, vol. 7 by Beth Brower (library)

June
44. Trickster's Choice by Tamora Pierce (reread)
45. Blood of Dragons by Robin Hobb (off my shelf)
46. Everything Is Tuberculosis by John Green (library)
47. Nobody's Baby by Olivia Waite (library)
48. The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion, vol. 8 by Beth Brower (library)
49. Agnes Aubert's Mystical Cat Shelter by Heather Fawcett (library)
50. Trickster's Queen by Tamora Pierce (reread)
51. The Wild Robot by Peter Brown (library)
52. Birth Vibes by Jen Hamilton (library)
53. The Birth Partner by Penny Simkin (off my shelf)

Books read in 2026

July
54. Book Boyfriend by Emily Wibberly and Austin Siegmund-Broka (library)
55. Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao (reread)
56. Penric's Demon by Lois McMaster Bujold (library)

August

September

Books read in 2026

October

November

December

Welcome to my new thread!

Happy new one, Natalie.

Thank you Paul!

36 books read: Murder by Memory by Olivia Waite

When detective Dorothy Gentleman wakes up in a body that isn't her own on board the spaceship she inhabits along with thousands of other humans journeying to a new planet, she must investigate why she's suddenly in a new body and if it's related to a death that occurred around the same time...

This novella is very very short (under 3 hours) but packs a whole lot of worldbuilding into a small amount of space. I really enjoyed meeting Dorothy, her nephew and his partner, Fairweather the ship, and the other characters and getting peeks into what promises to be a totally fascinating world. I'm looking forward to book 2! 4 stars.

Hello and happy new thread!
That blanket is also so cute, my gods.

Happy new thread! I love the baby blanket with the dogs. So adorable!

Happy New Thread! I'm in Blaine for the week and enjoying the cool weather. I send healthy third trimester energy.

Happy new thread, Natalie!

Wishing you lots of quality reading time in the next month as you await baby's arrival. :)

>1 curioussquared: Oh that is quite a lovely blanket. What a thoughtful gift.

Happy new thread!

Happy new thread and I LOVE the blanket up top. SO cute!

>11 Ravenwoodwitch: Thank you Angela! I know, I died when I saw the blanket and also was laughing because she had to rush to add a 4th dog when we announced we were keeping Malcolm 😂

>12 foggidawn: Thanks, Foggi :)

>13 elorin: Thanks, Robyn! I hope you enjoy your time in WA :)

>14 MickyFine: Thanks, Micky! A little freaked out by the fact that I can now say I'm having a baby NEXT MONTH 😶

>15 figsfromthistle: Thank you Anita!

>16 Berly: Thanks, Kim! Good to see you around the threads :D

Happy new thread! Looking forward to having a new reader soon. 😀

A month?!?! Okay then. What last minute things are you trying to fit in? : )

Happy new one, Natalie!

>18 drneutron: Thanks Jim! We have lots and lots of books ready for the little guy :)

>19 Berly: Hi Kim! Closer to two months if I go all the way to my due date. Still have to unbox and organize a lot of stuff but I'm feeling pretty good -- if he came today, I'm sure we'd be fine.

>20 katiekrug: Thanks Katie!!

37 books read:

38 books read:

Happy new thread, Natalie! Glad to see you're already getting some great reads in, from Murder by Memory to the new Murderbot. And that blanket is simply gorgeous!

>23 curioussquared: I'm glad to see that you had a grand time with the newest Murderbot.

happy new thread!! so happy to see you're feeling well and having fun. wishing the best for your and your fuzzy family as baby approaches!!

>24 bell7: Thanks, Mary!!

>25 MickyFine: It's hard not to have fun with Murderbot :)

>26 yolklor: Thanks, Lor!!

39 books read: The Name Game by Beth O'Leary

Charlie Jones shows up on the Isle of Ormer bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, ready to transform her life as the island's new farm shop manager. But there's a problem: there's ANOTHER Charlie Jones, also newly arrived, who claims that HE'S the new farm shop manager. The farm shop owners have no idea what happened or where the mix-up occurred, and both Charlies are desperate for their chance at a new start on the idyllic Ormer. Who is the real Charlie, and who will ultimately win the job?

As Beth O'Leary novels go, this one probably ranks somewhere in the middle for me. I loved Ormer as a setting -- I want to visit even though it doesn't exist :) The book is told through journal entries and emails and that style was a little confusing at first -- and as it turns out, that was deliberate. There's a twist at about 75% through that left me very confused for a bit as I worked my head around what was going on. It was a little mind-blowing and reminded me of the twist in The No-Show, but maybe had slightly less of an impact than the twist from that book. Overall, I enjoyed this a lot and gave it 4.5 stars, but I don't see myself rereading it.

Happy new thread! I am just catching up and I think I have to go finish reading your old thread... LOL

>28 curioussquared: Already on The List but glad to see the experience was enjoyable.

Happy new thread, Natalie! I hope you are having a super Saturday!

>28 curioussquared: I read O'Leary's The Flatshare and enjoyed it, so I will give that one a shot too. Thanks for the review and recommendation!

I didn't know O'Leary had a new one out (not that I've read all of her others yet, though...)!

>29 clamairy: Thanks Clam! Good to see you :)

>30 MickyFine: I hope you enjoy, Micky!

>31 alcottacre: The Flatshare is still my favorite O'Leary, Stasia, and I think I liked The Switch, The No-Show, and Swept Away better than this one, but they're all pretty good (aside from The Road Trip, which I do not recommend.

>32 katiekrug: Hope you enjoy it when you get to it, Katie! You may be interested in the list I made Stasia above.

Hi Natalie! Wow, what an amazing blanket! Stitchers are so very talented. Do the dogs know how special it is to be immortalized in fiber?

>34 AMQS: As someone who has no stitching talent, I agree! I don't think the dogs know, but I sure do :)

40 books read:

Another O'Leary fan and I will have to get back to Murderbot!! : )

>33 curioussquared: I loved The Flatshare so much, but I have not loved any of her other books as much, and actively disliked some. Since you put this one below several of her others, it doesn't make me feel any urgency about checking it out. I might get around to it eventually.

>36 curioussquared: Yes, I felt the same way about this one! Not in my top three of her books, but I loved the dog, and the cozy vibes.

>37 Berly: Murderbot will always welcome you home, Kim :)

>38 foggidawn: The Flatshare is definitely my favorite, and has become a comfort read for me. I can see myself rereading the ones I mentioned above, especially The Switch, but I haven't as of yet. I don't see myself rereading this one. It's hard for a T. Kingfisher to break into my top 3 because she has so many books! I think I overall prefer her more traditional fantasy over her more modern books or her horror, but the fact that I read and enjoy her horror at all is amazing.

I'm very behind on reviews and life updates, but just a quick note that I finished Agnes Aubert's Mystical Cat Shelter yesterday and loved it, and today I saw that it's on sale for $2.99 on Kindle so I snagged my own copy. I know a lot of folks here loved it too so I wanted to do a PSA!

Happy Friday! It's been ages since I did any kind of life update.

We're officially less than a month out from my due date so things are in prep mode around here. Just trying to get as much done as possible before baby boy makes his debut! The nursery is just about done, the bassinet is set up in our bedroom, and we got the car seat inspected yesterday, so I think we're pretty close to ready (whatever that means). There's still a lot of organizational stuff I'd like to accomplish but if it doesn't get done it doesn't get done. I did order a bunch of baby gates and would like to get those installed ASAP once they arrive so we can better contain the dogs. Goose and Malcolm have a bad habit of busting past gates that aren't actually attached to the wall and they also like to open doors....

Also trying to get as much done as I can at work before I go out. Baby was measuring almost 6 lbs at my 34 week ultrasound so he's getting very close to fully cooked and it's very weird to know he could choose to come at any time now.

That's really all that's going on here -- just trying to prep for some big changes ahead!

Currently reading: The Birth Partner in print, Birth Vibes on audio (see a theme?), Witch King on Kindle (this one is not part of the theme, lol).

Currently watching: Just finished watching The Other Bennet Sister with my best friend and LOVED it. More immediately, please. Also watching an enormous number of World Cup games and I started the new season of Love Island UK because I think it will be ideal postpartum watching (read: requires zero brain power) and I wanted to be invested in this season's cast before baby gets here, lol.

Currently playing: Randomly got really into Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom again and have been having a lot of fun with that the past few weeks. I never actually beat the game (I always end up running around doing all the side quests before I go to the final battle) so maybe I'll try to do that before baby gets here? Or not, lol.

Glad to hear things are going well, Natalie. Wishing you well as you get ready for baby's imminent arrival.

>42 MickyFine: Thanks, Micky :)

41 books read:

Hi Natalie!
Silly dogs giving you trouble with gates. I'm curious, what are your thoughts about them with the baby?

Exciting times! Good luck with the baby gates (they always gave me trouble) and lots of great baby wishes!

>45 Ravenwoodwitch: Hi Angela! I think they're going to be very excited about the baby but also very jealous, and the big thing will be to keep them from climbing on him out of love and jealousy 😂 Then once the baby starts solids I think they will all be best friends!

>46 elorin: Hi Robyn! Gate installation is in progress. Some of them have been more difficult to install than others but the ones that are up are working great. Tim is hoping to have them all installed by the end of the week.

42 books read:

43 books read: The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion, vol. 7

Emma and Pierce look for time to discuss the events of last book, but are constantly interrupted by an unexpected visit from Aunt Eugenia, Islington being ill, and more shenanigans, as usual.

Excellent as always. Still loving these and they just get better as they go along. This one felt a little bit sitcom-y in the way Emma and Pierce keep getting interrupted, but it didn't bother me like it did one of my friends. 4.5 stars.

No baby yet! T-minus 16 days to due date 😶 Still feeling pretty good physically aside from absolutely horrific heartburn and acid reflux so I am very ready to be done with that part. Baby feels like he's trying to punch his way out through my abdomen Alien-style.

Finally got through my May reviews and going to try to get through June this week.

Still focusing on baby prep over here. We're pretty much ready (nursery 95% done, bags 95% packed, etc.) but there's always more to do. I've done some garage organization, freezer meal prep, and hung up random pictures that have been waiting to be hung for years this week, so as you can see nesting is in full swing 😂 Right now we have contractors over upgrading our AC which will hopefully be LIFE-CHANGING.

Currently reading: Recently finished Book Boyfriend, Iron Widow, and Penric's Demon on audio and now listening to Cinder House. About 250 pages into Fool's Assassin in print and already mourning the end of the Realm of the Elderlings :( Got a little bogged down in Witch King on Kindle; I imagine I'll get back into it soon.

Currently watching: So much World Cup and some Parks and Rec. Tim and I will probably dive into the new season of Dark Winds soon.

Currently playing: Lots of Tears of the Kingdom.

44 books read:

>51 curioussquared: I haven't read Tamora Pierce in such a long time!

Glad to hear you're still doing well and that nesting is going smoothly. Plus, you've got lots of good reads on the go.

Have you stocked up on audiobooks? I know one of my friends did a ton of audiobook listening while doing feedings with her little one.

>52 foggidawn: She's my go-to comfort read, so I feel like I end up cycling through the Tortall books every 4-5 years.

>53 MickyFine: Thanks Micky! Yep, lots of audiobooks on deck. In addition to Cinder House, I have Heavenly Tyrant, The Glittering Edge (YA novel written by an acquaintance from college that I've been meaning to read), Piecing Me Together, and Penric and the Shaman checked out, as well as like 20 suspended holds that could be ready very quickly ;) I might also try to set up a Kindle stand to make reading during feedings easier.

45 books read:

Happy to hear you're getting cozy and doing well! Baby bookworm seems excited to see the world!
It took me half a year, but I'm almost done with Assassin's Quest. I suppose the Ship books are next for me?
Just got to the part where Fitz gives Molly's location to Fool, not knowing Will has been inside Fool's head... heart wrenching stuff, the mind games and battles via Skill are one of the most engaging parts of the books for me. Poor fella. This has maybe been one of my favorite books so far, since there's a lot more focus on the female cast. Kettricken still has my whole heart.

Wishing you (relatively!) restful and joyful days ahead!

Thinking of you and the baby! Happy nesting!