Category: Books

Six in Six 🌸📚☕️ {Day 54}

amyofhearthridge1 Comment
Beauty in the midst of construction zone! 😅🥰

I’ve enjoyed Jessica’s blog for awhile now and I saw she was joining in a bookish blog hop about our 2026 reading! I used to blog hop a lot and really enjoyed linking up with others over a common topic. 😍 I’m joining her at Words & Peace for this reading meme reflecting about your first six months of reading.

Instructions from Emma at Words & Peace:

In 2021, Jo at The Book Jotter started hosting the meme Six in Six.
She stopped blogging in 2025, so I have decided to host it myself.

What is 6 in 6?

The idea is to look back at the books you have read so far in the six months of this year.
Now, I love plays with numbers, so I’m extending this meme:
you can post any time in July, or as early as 6/6, June 6th.

What do you post?

Choose 6 books in 6 categories.
You can come up with your own category, or choose among the following examples (copied from Jo’s blog):

  • Six new authors to me
  • Six authors I have read before
  • Six authors I am looking forward to reading more of
  • Six books I have enjoyed the most
  • Six books I was disappointed with
  • Six series of books read or started
  • Six authors I read last year – but not so far this year
  • Six books that took me on extraordinary journeys
  • Six books that took me by the hand and led me into the past
  • Six books from the past that drew me back there
  • Six books from authors I know will never let me down
  • Six books I must mention that don’t fit nicely into any category
  • Six books I started in the first six months of the year and was still caught up with in July
  • Six trips to Europe
  • Six blogging events I enjoyed
  • Six bookish things I’m looking forward to
  • Six Espionage or Historical Novels I enjoyed
  • Six Cool Classics
  • Six Non-US/Non-British Authors
  • Six From the Non-Fiction Shelf
  • Six books that didn’t live up to expectations
  • Six books that I had one or two problems with but am still glad I tried
  • Six books that are related to The Great War or Second World War
  • Six bookshops I have visited
  • Six books I’ve read in an English translation
  • Six books which are better than the film
  • Six books which are worse than the film
  • Six books that have sport as their major theme
  • Six favourite places to read
  • Six books read on kindle and then went and bought an actual copy
  • Six books I abandoned
  • Six classics I have read
  • Six books I have read on my Kindle
  • Six physical books I have read
  • Six book covers I love
  • Six book covers that bear no resemblance to the story contained within
  • Six books to read to avoid politics
  • Six books I have read but not reviewed
  • Six books I have read in lockdown
  • Six classic mysteries
  • Six books about Royalty
  • Six pretty book covers
  • Six books set in a country other than my own
  • Six books that feature a Pandemic
  • Six books that are great when self-isolating
  • Six books recently added to my wish list
  • Six mysteries, thrillers or crime novels NOT by Agatha Christie
  • Six books with titles connected to rivers, seas and storms
  • Six nature related books
  • Six books about Librarians and Libraries
  • Six books I really want to buy in the next six months
  • Six books that feature a building in the title

My categories I’ve chosen to share about are:

  1. Six favorite genres so far
  2. Six favorite reads so far in 2026
  3. Six favorite Booktube Readathons
  4. Six New-to-Me Authors
  5. Six Mysteries I loved
  6. Six Books I Read from My Shelf

My Six Favorite Genres: (many are a mixture of these below! I’m such an eclectic reader!)

  1. Fairytale/Classic Retellings
  2. Fantasy
  3. Historical Fiction
  4. Mystery
  5. Young Adult
  6. Middle Grade

My Six Favorite Reads so far 2026 (so hard to choose!)

  1. The Secret of Honeycake by Kimberly Newton Fusco (beautiful, heartwarming Middle Grade)
  2. The Robe by Lloyd C. Douglas (gorgeous, Biblical Historical Fiction)
  3. The Will of Many by James Islington (wonderful epic Historical Fantasy)
  4. Through Rushing Waters by Catherine Richmond (Heartbreaking Historical Fiction)
  5. Mistress Pat by L.M. Montgomery (beautifully written classic)
  6. Dawn of Wonder by Jonathan Renshaw (classic fantasy story of an underdog!)

My Six Favorite Booktube Readathons So Far this Year: (You can still join these! I don’t follow the monthly prompts, I just fill them in as I go!)

  1. Jurassic Reading Challenge
  2. Read Your Bookshelf Challenge
  3. Journey Through Time Historical Fiction Reading Challenge
  4. Passport to Summer Reading
  5. Summertime Bingo
  6. Summer Book Bingo

Six New-to-Me Authors

  1. Carrie Cotten, Christian Fantasy, The Huntress
  2. Derin R. Hicks, Middle Grade, Shakespeare Mystery Duo-logy
  3. Kate Stradling, Cozy Fantasy, Deathmark
  4. Sheri Cobb South, Regency Romance, The Weaver Takes a Wife
  5. Lloyd C. Douglas, Biblical Historical Fiction, The Robe
  6. Michael Perry, Memoir, Population 485: Meeting Your Neighbors One Siren at a Time
Want to try this one from Douglas soon! About Apostle Peter!

Six Mysteries I have enjoyed :

  1. Death in a Strange Country (and Quietly In Their Sleep) by Donna Leon (Commisario Brunetti Series)
  2. For Whom the Book Tolls by Laura Gail Black (cozy mystery)
  3. Breach of Trust by DiAnn Mills (Romantic Suspense Mystery Thriller)
  4. Alex Rider: Scorpio (and Snakehead) by Anthony Horowitz (mystery/spy thriller series)
  5. Dead in the Water by Denise Swanson (small town mystery)
  6. Secrets of Shakespeare’s Grave (and sequel Tower of Five Orders) by Deron R. Hicks (Middle Grade)
My library is currently all dismantled for remodeling! 🥲📚♥️

Six Books I actually Read from My Own Shelf (Physical/Kindle Shelf):

  1. Caddie Woodlawn (reread) by Carol Ryrie Brink (Middle Grade Historical Fiction)
  2. Fatal Fudge Swirl by Meri Allen (Cozy Mystery)
  3. This is Happiness by Niall Williams (hauntingly beautiful Historical Fiction)
  4. The Road Past Altamont by Gabrielle Roy (beautiful book in translation about Mother/Daughter relationships)
  5. Followed by Frost by Charlie N. Holmberg (charming reimagining of Disney’s Frozen, YA Fantasy)
  6. Persuasion (reread) by Jane Austen (Regency)
Polyphemus Moth on our deck!

How has your reading year been so far? 📚📖

Wednesday Wonders 🌸🌺🌼 {Day 51}

amyofhearthridge5 Comments

listening to ♥️🌿 ~

I’m taking a Booktube watching break/Instagram break and a few days in, it’s already been nice. I’ve mostly been listening to the birds on my deck early in the morning. Starlings are loud and strange sounding birds. 🤣 Recently, I got to hear two owls (Barred?) chattering because I went out there at 4:00 am. I did get in the Agatha Christie audiobook of Dumb Witness, Poirot and Hastings make me laugh! 😂 I also got the audiobook Ruby Holler in, but we’ll see if I get to it. I decided to soft quit Calculated, my last audiobook, because I have to be in the right mood for revenge stories. I do like the main female character, though, and setting, so I will probably finish it.

Watching ♥️🌿~ my hubby, three younger kids, and I traveled to see the biggest steam train recently. It was used during WWII to haul big loads over Utah mountains?! We had a fun Tookish adventure together! 😅♥️ I read almost a whole book there and back! 😂 Otherwise, I haven’t been watching much? I hope to watch the movie ‘Summer of Monkeys’ with my kids as we are almost finished with the book. 🥰♥️

Reading ♥️🌿~ I talk nonstop here 😂😏 about my reading, but I’m currently most enjoying The Mysterious Magic of Lighthouse Lane, What you are looking for is in the library, and The Bride of Fallen Stars is intriguing me on my Kindle.

Noticing ♥️🌿~ I’m mostly noticing flowers, trees, and seedlings. 🌱 🥰 It’s a wonderful time of year!

What are you listening to, watching, reading, noticing? ♥️🌿~

May Reading Journal 📖📓 {Day 50}

amyofhearthridge5 Comments

My cat May decorations ended up being fun!🤩

Reading and journaling bring me so much joy 🥹 so the marriage of the two is a double dose! I don’t really plan, but just go with whatever is inspiring me in my sticker/washi stash. I had a kind of slow start to my reading in the beginning of May, my reading mood was changing, had some meh/ok-ish reads at the start. I pretty much hated Date with Danger! 🤣 The end of the month reading though was amazing! I loved all the Middle Grade reads for a small readathon on Booktube called Middle Grade May! Especially, Secrets of Shakespeare’s Grave and its sequel, Tower of the Five Orders by Deron R. Hicks. I really enjoyed the Christian historical light fantasy, The Huntress, also. Honorable mention goes to The Little House in the Highlands which is based on Laura Ingalls Wilder’s ancestors. It was a slow start but SO cute! I made some good progress on my newest bingo boards I printed off from Pinterest, also. Georgette Heyer is hit or miss for me, but I loved two of her Regency romances, Arabella and Sylvester. Overall, a great reading month.

What are you reading or creating? 😍♥️

Finishing & Anticipating Reads 📚{Day 47}

amyofhearthridge6 Comments

What a fuzzy book! 😻

Now that summer is close at hand, my TBR stacks are exploding!

Here is what I’m currently finishing on my Kindle ‘stack’! My reading mood is pretty light as we have a heavy, busier season with remodeling:

A bit slow? May try the next in series?
I got this one for Mother’s Day, begins a teeny bit draggy, but cute, light fantasy middle grade about Bee, who can bake a wee bit of feelings into her baked goods. I love the tulip bulb smuggling pirates and the second half has been fantastic!
Sequel to a wonderful children’s mystery story about a brother and sister saving their father’s place in the family’s publishing company! (The Secret of Shakespeare’s Grave) This one has Shakespeare, Marlowe, other bookish nods, hidden messages, and just a lot of delight! I enjoyed the first, the best, but this one is great, too.

I think my mood? is still a bit on the lighter side but shifting to historical fiction, especially American Revolution possibilities to honor the 250th birthday this year.

Lighter maybes on my stack!

A Booktuber I like to watch wrote this and I want to dive in! I’ve tried about 10% and I like her writing style!
Sign me up for anything lighthouse! It’s one of my reading buzzwords. Do you have any favorite lighthouse fiction recommendations? I love this cover and can’t wait to try it!
Banned books and ancient Korean Pride & Prejudice retelling? Yes, please. I’ve enjoyed some of Hur’s historical fiction in the past.
I’ve heard great things about this, like Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None vibes?

A few historical fiction I’d like to try!

Fictionalization of Deborah Samson’s story. A woman who joined the Patriot army in disguise during American Revolution.
Boston Tea Party and modern day, hard-hitting topics in a dual timeline with thread woven between eras.

There’s a lot more in my stack, but these are catching my eye! Are you a mood reader or make a list and stick to it reader? Do you read more than one book at a time?

Happy Saturday! ❤️🌻

Moments {Day 44} ✨

amyofhearthridgeLeave a comment

•Barnes & Noble meandering• grottos with gorgeous color • THREE delicious coffees in 2 days• baby robin on my hubby’s knee•flowers everywhere•warm sunshine•turquoise earrings, red bandanna, and jean jacket•succulents in crevices•deep purple everywhere• flat and rolling fields, endless sky•

Paper Pile Peek {Day 43} 📜📝📓🔖

amyofhearthridge2 Comments

✨•what are you working on?•✨ Eeek, books and journals, pens and stickers, lists and scribbles, total bliss! ✨😁🥰

Just around the corner…{Day 41} 🩷💜🤍🧚

amyofhearthridge3 Comments
A few fun readathons!

I had so much fun 🤩 setting up my June reading pages and I’m looking forward to filling the pages with mini reviews and book covers from my reading. It was nice to sit and just rest in a teeny bit of creativity!

How are you!? Have you been creating anything or reading/watching anything great? 💜

Walking & Words {Day 36}

amyofhearthridge2 Comments

Boredom is not a condition to be feared or avoided. Instead, it is a crucial element that fosters creativity, independence, and self-discovery among children. Boredom challenges children to engage with their inner world, to invent, and to explore, thereby laying the groundwork for a lifetime of learning and innovation. We must not shield our children from boredom but instead embrace it as a powerful catalyst for growth. It is essential to resist the cultural pressure to fill every moment of a child’s day with structured activities and digital distractions. Instead, we should provide spaces and opportunities for them to experience the fruitful solitude that boredom can offer.

~Ginny Yurich

Retelling & Reimagining Reads I’ve Enjoyed ♥️🌿 {Day 35}

amyofhearthridge9 Comments
Sick of my sky photos yet? 😎 I can’t help myself! 😂🌞✨☁️

Hi Friends! 📚🌸 Book chat here today! One of my favorite relaxing genres of books to emerge over the past few years is retellings or reimaginings of longstanding favorites. I know the literature purists probably would scowl at me, but I can’t help myself. 😂♥️👊🏼 These are all considered “sweet/clean” reads depending on your taste levels. I put a note on each regarding content.

Katen Witemeyer ~ I’ve enjoyed THREE of this author’s sweet retellings, Fairest of Heart, a Texas retelling of Snow White, with a fantastically drawn villain, Cloaked in Beauty, a great Texas twist on ‘Red Riding Hood’ (romance a little heavy handed in this one, FYI 🤮), and also her To Love A Beast, retelling of ‘Beauty & the Beast’. I don’t personally recommend the Cinderella one because I couldn’t even get past the first chapter due to a character’s heavy fake Southern accent. 😂🫣🤭😎 Maybe you wouldn’t mind?

Sadie: An Amish Retelling of Snow White ~ I don’t read hardly any Amish fiction anymore, but Sarah Price’s retellings are fun, unique mashup, and I find them relaxing! Again the villain stepmother was very well drawn and I thought Price made you think deeper about why she was acting the way she was. Price’s ‘Beauty & the Beast’ Amish story is great too! I want to try her Pride & Prejudice title someday although the Persuasion title wasn’t great. 😂

East by Edith Pattou ~

This would be a perfect read for winter! Slow and atmospheric retelling of ‘East of the Sun, West of the Moon’ tale. This is SO well-written and intriguing! I think about it often. You have to work at it a bit, but in the end you are rewarded. This was a bit on the darker and creepier end, keeping in the tradition of folktales. I want to try the other in the duology, West.

Agnes Aubert’s Mystical Cat Shelter by Heather Fawcett ~ I have a mixed experience with this author’s books due to my appreciation of traditional morality, but overall, this was a super cute reimagining of Diana Wynne Jones’ Howl’s Moving Castle! If you like cats, cozy shops, time/space slips, magical fantasies with artifacts, books, etc and quirky characters, you may enjoy this. The only other one of hers I FULLY enjoy is a retelling of Anne of Green Gables with magic called Grace of the Wild Things.

Deathmark by Kate Stradling ~ This is a super unique, cozy fantasy retelling of LM Montgomery’s The Blue Castle. The cover is darker than the content. It does have a plague and some grimness to the beginning, just FYI! I really enjoyed this and hope to reread soon.

Awakened by Rosanna M. White ~ I loved this unique take on ‘The Little Mermaid’. This is a long, intricate story and it has the author’s Catholic faith pretty strongly woven in. I was very intrigued and impressed by this! Mermaid stories aren’t my favorite, but I thoroughly enjoyed this very strange and creative version. The romance is heavier in this one, just FYI, than I prefer, but overall, tastefully done.

Suspended in the Stars by E.A. Hendryx ~ This is like a Greatest Showman and Star Wars mashup! 😂😂😂 I really especially enjoyed the first 3/4 of the story, the last 1/4 was a little slower, but it was SO creative and unique, I had to include it here. Sweet romantic subplot, but a bit insta for my tastes. Try it out!

Soot & Slippers by Kate Stradling ~ This was such a lovely, yet tense novella and interesting angle to take with a ‘Cinderella’ retelling. I loved the sewing/designing part of this and reading the creations Cinderella came up with! The ending was a bit too perfect for me, but for a short tale, this was very well done! The stepmother is CREEPY in this one! 🫣

How ‘bout you? Do you like reimaginings on favorite folktales and classic stories or are you appalled at me!? 😂♥️😍🌿 Happy Reading!

~

Wednesday Wonders {Day 34} 🌿♥️

amyofhearthridge3 Comments

•listening•

I’ve been mainly listening to two audiobooks when on walks or cooking.

I don’t LOVE revenge stories, but this is very creative so far! Chinese American Math genius is rescued from prison to save a failing company. Can she get revenge on the woman who put her in prison?
Reading the new book out from Bright Eating founder with my friends.

I’ve also listened to a little Booktube and music. I heard an Oriole singing above us when my little boys, daughter’s finance and I where sitting at the campfire. It was beautiful!

•watching•

Spring burst out around us! It’s glorious! My daughter and her relationship! They were able to visit Mother’s Day weekend and it was so good to visit.

•reading•

We are finishing up a lot of our school books as we need to be done early this year! My two little boys and I are almost finished with Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and we laughed so hard at the preachy Ompaloompa songs. 😂 I just finished a raw, realistic historical fiction about a woman’s journey to true faith as she struggles to survive on the Dakota prairies. Spring for Susannah is my second Catherine Richmond and it won’t be my last.

•noticing•

I am noticing how much we are asked to trust and let go of as Christ-followers, women, mothers, sisters, and friends! I find myself drowning if I hold on too tight and try to control out of fear. I’m noticing I need to choose to surrender to the Lord.

How about you? What are you listening to, watching, reading, and noticing?

I’m trying to keep going with my 100 Day Project even though my posts aren’t always perfectly consecutive! Life gets life-y! Thanks for commenting and sharing your thoughts with me on this journey!

🌿♥️🌲

Maud {Day 32}

amyofhearthridge3 Comments

Do you have a favorite-of-all-time author? Mine is L.M. Montgomery and I can’t tell you what a joy and delight it is to be back in her books! I finally finished the Pat Duology and Mistress Pat was such a delight. The gorgeously drawn natural world, quirky characters, human-like cats, trees, and houses that she wrote bring me untold delight. I’m currently rereading the Emily Starr books with a group even though I’m savoring them and they are flying through them. 😂 I’m slow. I also picked up Anne of Avonlea to continue my journey through the Anne series this year in honor of my own Anne’s marriage. It’s surprising and wonderful how much my gorgeous surroundings come alive with Maud’s words floating through my heart and mind. It’s actually so life-giving.

Montgomery’s stories make me think GREEN. My favorite color!!! Perhaps because of her love for trees 🌳🌿🌲 and green gables?! 😅