self-imposed reading challenges
plus reading recs!
It is that time of year when Goodreads begins to passive-aggressively tell me to “press on!” regarding my self-selected reading goal. Every year since 2015, when I started participating in their “Reading Challenge,” I’ve completed the challenge and won the virtual trophy. Yes, some years my goal was only 25 books, and yes, other years there was some panicked listening to audiobooks at 2x speed, but a girl does what a girl has to do. Sure, it’s an arbitrary goal chosen by no one other than myself that I have the power to edit at any time, and literally no one other than me knows or cares about it, but I’m a Type-A Virgo who cannot back away from the words “goal” or “challenge” no matter how hard I try. (Don’t ever ask me about my Apple Fitness rings.)
Anyway, I’m currently sitting at 58 out of 70 books read with 47 days left to go. “Read 2 books to get back on track,” Goodreads keeps helpfully telling me. I have Ali Brady’s Merry Little Bookshop, described as “somewhere between a long novella and a short novel” queued up next, so that should help me make some progress. And then of course the teetering TBR tower on my nightstand …
I can read 12 books between now and the end of the year, right? Right?
Since I’m thinking about Goodreads and reader reviews, I thought that maybe I should say something about the current Book Threads drama about a writer responding to a negative review (in which she was not tagged), but you know what? I am extremely weary of the discourse, and I have so many better ways to spend my time than thinking about online drama. So! Let’s move on. ❤️
If you’re looking for reads to finish out your year, here are the last six books I’ve read:
📚 The Better Mother by Jennifer van der Kleut. This thriller doesn’t publish until February 10, 2026, but lucky me, I got the chance to read it early — and I read it in one sitting. Things get messy after a woman, pregnant after a one-night stand, learns that the father of her unborn child wants to be involved … as does the ex he recently reunited with. The gaslighting in this one is intense, and it’ll leave you unsettled in the best way!
📚 Grape Juice by Eliza Dumais. One of the 831 novellas, this short, romantic story is about a woman who travels abroad to France to pick wine grapes and starts a relationship with an alluring but emotionally complicated Frenchman. As someone who recently picked grapes during our trip to Georgia, I was fascinated by the technical details!
📚 The Belles by Lacey N. Dunham. I love books about the dark side of girl groups, and The Belles, a gothic suspense novel set at an exclusive girls’ school with a dark reputation, scratched all my itches. I’m shelving it next to Bunny, which you know is high praise from me.
📚 An Academic Affair by Jodi McAlister. This was my Book of the Month pick this month, and it was such a fun read! A cute enemies-to-lovers romance with a fake marriage to boot … and it had footnotes! I love footnotes. (PS: If you’re interested in joining Book of the Month, you can use this link to join for just $5.)
📚 Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid. This made me really want to rewatch For All Mankind! (Is that show ever getting a fifth season???)
📚 Thirst Trap by Gráinne O’Hare. Messy stories about young women adjusting to adulthood is one of my favorite subgenres, and I devoured this novel about three friends/roommates trying to move on after the death of their fourth roommate. It sounds heavy, but it had a lot of humor, too. (Note that it’s set in Ireland, meaning I had to Google a lot of Irish slang!)
Pssst … if you’re in the mood for a fun, second-chance romance to fill out your reading, may I recommend Both Things Are True? Or if you want something suspenseful, consider preordering my friend Christina Kovac’s newest, Watch Us Fall, which comes out on December 2! It’s about four close friends/roommates whose lives are thrown into turmoil when one of their exes (who happens to be a prominent television personality) goes missing. It’s sooo good.
Tim Burton season. I saw someone online describe the time period when Halloween decorations haven’t been taken down yet but Christmas decorations are starting to go up as “the Tim Burton Zone,” and I love that! We watched The Nightmare Before Christmas over the weekend to celebrate. I was worried the kids would think Oogie Boogie was too scary (I think Oogie Boogie is scary!), but the elder monster was mainly unnerved by the fact that Sally’s limbs kept coming off.
My bonfire candle. Last year, I bought a candle from IKEA that smells like a bonfire. Google tells me that it’s name is ENSTAKA and that it’s no longer available, which makes me very sad because I’ve very much been enjoying having a tiny bonfire on my desk. (I light candles when I work because it keeps me at my desk — I can’t just walk away from a small fire, can I?)
Mood reading. My TBR is towering with books that should read, that I intend to read, but, man, if I’m not in the mood for that particular book or genre, I’m not going to read it. (This is why I don’t last in book clubs.)
Dark nail polish. I came of manicure age when Chanel’s Vamp nail polish had a chokehold on all of us, and it remains in my mind the highest level of cool, second only to Lauren Conrad’s black nails on The Hills. I’m no longer emo enough to wear black nail polish during the summer, but when the leaves start to fall, I immediately reach for something dark! (Currently flipping between Cateye and To Me You Are Perfect.)
Reading aloud to my kids. Confession: My son is really into the Wings of Fire series, and I preordered the graphic novel version of Darkstalker for him. It was released on November 4 and arrived at our house shortly thereafter. Meanwhile, however, he checked out the chapter book version of the book from his school library. He can read, but the book has 400 pages and that’s a bit much for him, so I’ve been reading it to him. I know once I give him the graphic novel, he’ll start reading that himself and not need me to continue reading the chapter book to him … but I’m really enjoying reading it aloud. (Even though sometimes I forget which voice I used for which dragon and he calls me out on it, lol.) My plan is to give him the graphic novel after we’ve finished reading the book together.
In case you missed it, I’m offering some new book coaching items:
🌟 First, I am super excited to be offering Your Novel Starts Here, a 12-week small group coaching program in the beginning of 2026! If you want to write a novel but aren’t sure where to start, this is the program for you! Weekly sessions on storytelling elements like character development and pacing, plus exercises to build your skills, office hours to ask questions, and endless motivation! LET’S WRITE A BOOK!
🌟 I rarely offer 50-page critiques, but I’m opening some slots on my calendar for them until the end of the year!
🌟 Finally, my books have been closed to full manuscript consultations for a few months … but I’m now accepting new manuscript consultation clients! If you need another pair of eyes on your manuscript, let’s talk!
If any of those items catch your eye, you can learn more on my website or reach out to hear more! I’m also planning on starting to offer a paid tier of writing and publishing tips here, so keep your eyes peeled for that!
Until next time, friends! Happy weekend.
xo KB
Thanks so much for including The Better Mother! Glad you enjoyed it! And btw I just finished Both Things Are True and I’m OBSESSED over Sam & Vanessa!! Loved it and didn’t want it to end! ❤️