Category: Home Educating

Wednesday Wonders 🐦‍⬛🍂 {Victober 2026 Wrap Up Edition}

amyofhearthridge13 Comments

Good morning, it’s a perfect, autumnal-gloomy-type morning and I have a hefty to-do list to keep me company. I prayed for wisdom and clarity for the day and was so encouraged and inspired by Revelation 1! 😍😻♥️

This piece was mentioned in a book I was reading. Isn’t it lovely? ☺️

~♥️listening♥️~

I so enjoyed relistening to The Canterville Ghost. I love this hilarious story by Oscar Wilde about an American family who inherits an English mansion with a ghost included. The ghost is VERY offended that the family isn’t scared of him! Highly recommend! This encouraged me to try The Importance of Being Earnest! I finally got around to listening to this play and it was so funny, too! I’m continuing my listening of The Pickwick Papers and I loved the Christmas chapter when Mr. Pickwick and his friends are celebrating at Mr. Wardle’s home. There are so many unique covers for this book. I had fun looking through them! Even though I’m listening, I occasionally look through my copy, because the illustrations are amazing! My non-Victober listen currently is The October Country by Bradbury! It took a long while to get the audio from the library! I’ve listened to half? of these before and his writing is PERFECT. These are creepy, but the kind of creepy that is delicious and delightful. 🎃

~♥️watching♥️~ I didn’t watch anything on film specifically for Victober, except Darryl’s music pieces and Kate’s lovely Blind Victorian Book Rating Series! I did watch a few Victober related Booktube videos!

I could watch raindrops forever. Mesmerizing. 🌧️💧⛈️🩵💙

~♥️reading♥️~ I finished Dr.Wortle’s School by Anthony Trollope with my local friends. I felt a wee bit distant from the characters, but loved the fascinating themes of how people in a small village are judged when a secret is revealed! How are we as Christians to treat others going through a hard time that has a scandalous tint to it? It really challenged me and made me think! 🤔 I also really enjoyed My Lady Ludlow by Elizabeth Gaskell, the only longer work of hers I hadn’t read. The widow Lady Ludlow is extremely interesting character as she is stuck in the aristocratic/hereditary views of her station and finds her principles coming up against the reality of life running a huge estate and her influence in the surrounding area. There were so many GREAT characters to love, root for, and be intrigued by in this shorter novel/novella? I came to appreciate Lady Ludlow’s dilemmas (and other characters tensions, too) even if I felt frustrated by her stubborn adherence to form and tradition. This had a couple long meanders, but otherwise, was so fantastic! I also thoroughly enjoyed slowly beginning tackling two nonfiction biographies about Elizabeth Gaskell and Charlotte Mason. I’m continuing these for Nonfiction November! I finally finished the gothic ‘horror’ Uncle Silas by J. Sheridan Le Fanu. Victorian ‘horror’ isn’t like today’s modern stuff, but leans more to the campy or psychological. I didn’t enjoy this book. Too very slow and then I absolutely hate gaslighting/manipulative characters especially over women who didn’t really have a lot of freedom or rights in Victorian inheritance issues. It gives me this trapped/claustrophobic feeling and I despise that! 😱😬 There was a little in the middle about a group of female friends (ironically, they all had M names!) that was more domestic and friendly, but this wasn’t for me. Ick. 😫

~♥️noticing♥️~ I noticed the beauty of Thomas Hardy’s nature writing before in his novels and thought I would love his poetry! I sure do! I noticed how observant he is about little things and details! I noticed that I’m enjoying finding out the fate of two impoverished sisters who get split up and shuffled between relatives! I’m still slowly reading Ayala’s Angel by Trollope and he’s again challenging conventions. Ayala has an idealistic idea of love and marriage, but the reality for poor middle class Victorian women was very different. I also BARELY dipped my toes into A Chaplet of Pearls by Charlotte Mary Yonge. I’m excited because I know nothing about that time period of history touching on French Huguenots ! The introduction by Yonge was fascinating and she also referenced a painting! I think it’s this one! I had SUCH a lovely Victober and made journal page to attempt one Victorian read a month in 2027! I hope to share it soon!

Millais

~♥️what are you listening to, watching, reading, or noticing?♥️~ Happiest Wednesday!

Wednesday Wonders ✨

amyofhearthridge5 Comments

listening 🍂~ my sister recommended Jervis Campbell to me and on my initial listen, I’m loving it! I can’t wait to take some time to read his lyrics and dive in a bit more. I’m STILL plugging away at The Pickwick Papers and it’s cracking me up all the while annoying me, also! 😂 Good ‘ole Dickens. I’m carrying it over into November.

watching 🍁~ Thanks to Kim 😅, I’ve enjoyed episodes of Cinderella and the Four Knights on YouTube. A wee repetitive, but over all, very sweet and funny. My littlest and I really enjoyed Charlie Brown and the Great Pumpkin. 🎃 I kind of want to rewatch it again soon! 😂 We watched a couple episodes of Over the Garden Wall, but they are CREEPY for my youngest! We’ve been keeping tabs on the Milwaukee Brewers in the World Series, too! Very exciting! I’m a fair-weather Wisconsin sports fan. I only pay attention when any of them are doing well! 🤣 My 17 yo daughter is a super Brewers fan, so she is over the moon! Let’s go, Brewers! 😁✨Tonight could be the night! ⚾️

reading 🍂~ I’m most excited about The Emmanuel Promise by Summer Joy Gross. I’m a couple chapters in and I can tell it’s going to be a powerful read for me! 🥹♥️🙏🏻 I’m really enjoying a last minute Victober addition , Ayala’s Angel by Anthony Trollope! I have many piles to choose from, but my mood seems to be shifting to beautifully-written children’s literature, nonfiction, and historical fiction.

noticing 🍁~ I was so blessed to attend a women’s retreat with my sister and the weather and scenery were SO breathtaking! It was so nice to relax and catch up with her. I also saw the strangest sight near my home this past week. A heron on top of a 40 foot tree! 😂 My hubby snapped a photo as I was driving.

What are you listening to, watching, reading, noticing? 🍂🍁✨🎃♥️

Current Favorite Reading Genres/Buzzwords/Loves ~ ✨♥️📚

amyofhearthridge10 Comments
The Worst Witch by Jill Murphy (Book 1) plus Sophie on my lap! 🥰🐈

Happy Monday! ☕️ I’ve been a bit MIA and I’ve missed poking around blog land. How are you? I’ve been thinking a lot about my favorite hobby and decided it would be fun to share my reading themes/genres/buzzwords with you! If I can I will give you an example of a book I’ve read! Many of these are mashups of others, but I’ll categorize them under the MAIN subject they fall under. I won’t be necessarily going deeply into plot or content, so please check into it before reading yourself or handing to child. ♥️ If there’s heavy content, I’ll mention that, but MOST of the books I read are on the sweet 😅 end. This of course, it’s not an exhaustive list, but a few of my favorites from recent memories. 🥰♥️📚

Historical Mystery 💕~ Matthew Shardlake Series (Tudor Time period – gruesome), Maisie Dobbs (Interwar Time period), Man of Shadow & Mist by Michelle Griep, The Mysteries of Pendowar Hall by Syrie James are a few I’ve loved! Newer-to-me The Bangalore Detectives Club!

Historical Fantasy💕 ~Green Rider Series (check content), My Happy Marriage Light Novel Series, Race the Sands by Sarah Beth Durst, The Winter Ghosts by Kate Mosse, Dawn of Wonder by Jonathan Renshaw, James Rollins (check content) and Michael Crichton (content). The Will of Many was fantastic.

Historical Fiction 💕~ Laura Frantz books, A Gentleman in Moscow, and author Catherine Richmond books, I loooved her Through Rushing Water. The Robe by Lloyd C. Douglas was fantastic Biblical historical fiction. Captain Blood by Rafael Sabatini!

Nature/Seasonal Driven 💕~ Gladys Taber’s memoirs about her farm, Robert MacFarlane’s poetry book The Lost Spells. A lot of L.M. Montgomery’s novels has this, try Pat of Silverbush and Mistress Pat! The Summer Book by Tove Jansson! Susan Branch cookbooks/memoirs!

Character-driven Detectives 💕~ Commissario Guido Brunetti Venice Police Procedural Series (check content), Sherlock Holmes by Sir Conan Doyle (check content), Miss Silver Mystery Series by Patricia Wentworth (violence), Maisie Dobbs Series by Jacqueline Winspear (check content), and Hercules Poirot Mysteries (violence) by Agatha Christie.

Gentle, Sweet Regency Romance 💕~ Georgette Heyer is my favorite for these because they are silly and light, but generally well-written. Alissa Baxter has had a few I enjoyed! Mr. Gardiner and the Governess by Sally Britton was sweet. Unequal Affections by Lara S. Ormstrom is a lovely retold version of Pride & Prejudice that I thoroughly enjoyed. Sarah E. Ladd has some fun titles, too!

Victorian Literature 💕~ Elizabeth Gaskell is an absolute favorite here! I recommend Wives & Daughters, North & South, Mary Barton, and Sylvia’s Lovers, My Lady Ludlow, especially. After the books, there are amazing BBC film adaptations of some of her works. The Three Brides by Charlotte Mary Yonge and The Return of the Native by Thomas Hardy. You have to work a bit hard at Victorian Literature, but you will be greatly rewarded! A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens is a wonderful place to start!

Character-driven “Middle-Grade” (genre doesn’t matter here, if well-written and character led)💕~ The Chronicles of Narnia and Harry Potter are my favorites! I recently read A Snicker of Magic and it was so good. The Worst Witch Series by Jill Murphy is so sweet and has darling illustrations. My favorite lately was The Secret of Honeycake by Kimberly Newton Fusco! Ruby Holler by Sharon Creech! The Hobbit by J.R.R.T. goes without saying. Eva Ibbotson! Kiki’s Delivery Service 1&2!

Cozyish, Magical Realism 💕~ The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern (check content), Emma M. Lion Series, Garden Spells and First Frost (check content) by Sarah Addison Allen are so cozy! Leif Enger! RAY BRADBURY!

(Well-written) Cozy Mysteries 💕~ (Think Hallmark + Crime 🤣) A Seaside Cafe Mystery Series by Bree Baker, Murder With a Hint of Pumpkin Spice by Laura M. Drake, Gladwynne Grant Mystery Series by Lisa R. Howeler, and the Northwoods Mystery Series by Annie McEwen!

Archeology Anything 💕~ James Rollins (Sandstorm!) , Dan Brown, and Michael Crichton (check content on these three), Karabos by Lyndsey Llewelyn, Kate Mosse (check content)!

Family/Found Family Stories 💕~ The Story Girl and The Golden Road by L.M. Montgomery, Jane of Lantern Hill by Montgomery. Melissa Wiley’s The Martha and Charlotte Years Series. Authors O. Douglas, Molly Clavering, and D.E. Stevenson are wonderful! Carol Ryrie Brink! Noel Streatfield! Gary D. Schmidt (tear-jerkers!)!

American Midwest/West 💕~ Laura Ingalls Wilder Series, Laura Frantz, multiple Carol Ryrie Brink (Caddie Woodlawn, Magical Melons, The Winter Cottage)! The Native Patriot by Pegg Thomas, Leif Enger! The Virginian by Owen Wister! Maud Hart Lovelace!

Character-driven Experimental/Sci-Fi/Time-Travel 💕~ Timeless Series by Gabrielle Meyer (a few of these were meh for me, but I enjoyed the Jack the Ripper one – time travel with a unique twist), Connie Willis’ historical time travel! and the Thursday Next (check content) Literature time travel police. Orion the Starborn and Orion and the Door of Echoes by K.B. Hoyle are both great!

Lighthouses 💕 ~ jury is still out on finding a favorite! 🤩 Do you have recommendations? The Tides of Time by Sarah M. Eden was pretty good, had time travel, too! Pelican Point by Irene Hannon and Mysterious Magic of Lighthouse Lane by Erin Stewart were recent ones that were ok!

Indigenous/Native American 💕~ The Brave and others by James Bird (check content), Birchbark House by Louise Eldrich, Where the Lost Wander by Amy Harmon (check content). The Star That Always Stays by Anna Rose Johnson was fantastic.

Classic Christian Nonfiction 💕~ C.S. Lewis’ The Great Divorce, anything Amy Carmichael, Mother Teresa, Oswald Chambers, Lilias Trotter, Charlotte Mason, Watchman Nee, A.W. Tozer, Edith Schaeffer, Ruth Bell Graham, etc!

Poetry 💕~ Wendell Berry, Jane Kenyon, Jessica Powers, Emily Dickinson, Robert MacFarlane, among many, many others!

Character-driven Thought-Provoking Philosophical/Spiritual Vein💕~ Elizabeth Goudge (A City of Bells, The Scent of Water, Pilgrim’s Inn and her children’s books, A Little White Horse, Henrietta’s House, and Sister of Angels), Jane Austen (Persuasion, Pride & Prejudice, Northanger Abbey, Mansfield Park, Lady Susan) and Kazuo Ishiguro ( Remains of the Day and Klara and the Sun). Never thought I’d end up here by Ann Liang. Liang has several I’ve enjoyed (check content). Gabrielle Roy and Niall Williams! What you are looking for is in the library by Michiko Auyama! Leif Enger!

Character-driven Literature Themed 💕~ Thursday Next Literary Detective Series (language, check content), The Invisible Library Series by Genevieve Cogman (check content) and The Great Library Series by Rachel Caine (check content)! These last two lean heavily into Historical Fantasy, too. I looooved Deron R. Hicks Shakespeare Mysteries for children !

Sweet Fairytale Retellings 💕~ Fairest Son by H.S.J. Williams (gender-bent Snow White) , To Love A Beast and Fairest of Heart by Karen Witemeyer, Bluebeard and the Outlaw by Tara Grayce, and The Winter Prince by Constance Lopez. I highly recommend, Beauty Reborn by Elizabeth Lowham (check content). Followed by Frost by Charlie N. Holmberg, and Belle: Amish Beauty & Beast by Sarah Price was a cheesy, but fun mashup! East by Edith Pattou was a darker, extremely well-written ‘East of the Sun’ retelling. Joanna Ruth Meyer is consistently a great loose fairytale re-teller author, too! Agnes Aubert’s Mystical Cat Shelter by Heather Fawcett was fun! Britain Kalai Soderquist’s Glass Roses: A Victorian Fairytale!

A bit of a splurge! Gorgeous hard cover of 2nd book in Kiki Series! I’m a sucker for cats! 😻

How about you? Have you ever thought about your favorite things in books? What are your favorite genres/tropes/buzzwords? 📚💕☕️

What’s currently in my quiet time bag…✨

amyofhearthridge4 Comments

I really love the daily rhythm of getting up to make coffee, read Scripture, journal, and dip into a few devotional or slow reads. It happens MOST mornings.

Here’s what’s in my bag currently, this changes constantly except for the journals and Holy Bible, those are always present.

Every couple of years, I get a new journaling Bible because I fill them up! I try new translations, occasionally. I’m really enjoying this one! The floral journal is a prayer diary etc. This is very personal, not always pretty, but I love seeing God’s faithfulness. I don’t write in it everyday because I use the margins in the journaling Bible, too. But if I need more space or want to “get something off my chest”, I use the journal.

There’s often pens and highlighters, plus I just started a new five year journal this year! I usually list a bit of the day or gratitudes!
My husband’s grandmother’s prayer book! I’d like to read through this soon. That’s a print of her wedding I’m using as a bookmark.

A few books I’m slowly dipping into currently. As Kingfishers Catch Fire is new-to-me collection of sermons and I’ve never completely read Rose from Briar by Amy Carmichael. The other two are rereads, a beautiful daily devotional and a health book.

My cute tote holds it all, so I can sit wherever I need to! I had to make it mobile with remodeling.

What’s on your quiet time stack? Do you have specific times/things you like to include?

Happy Monday! ✨♥️

Saturday Snaps 📸

amyofhearthridge2 Comments
Victorian adjacent nonfiction that I’ve been dipping into! 😍♥️
Nature outing with friends! 😍♥️
Layers are back! 😂♥️😍

How was your week? ♥️🙏🏻✨🍁

The Simple Woman’s Daybook 🍎🍏🍎

amyofhearthridge4 Comments
A homeschool mom friend’s amazing dahlias that she grew! 😍♥️ She gave some to us!

{Full disclosure ~ bit of a busy week, so this is a few days of answers mashed together 😅}

FOR TODAY~
Outside my window…🍁 it has been simply gorgeous! Breezy, cool, yet sunny and warm midday!


I am thinking…🍁 about so many things, Scriptures I’m reading, writing deadlines, a nature outing, relationships, and of course, what to make for dinner! 😅

I am thankful for…🍁 two local friends and our little book club! 🥰 The foliage and weather has been sublime! I’m in heaven with the sound of the rustling, golden corn fields!


From the kitchen…🍁 we tried these this week and they were GOOD, one of my children had stomach aches with too much flour.


I am creating…🍁 articles/collages for my writing project, attempting October daily blog posts (already welched this week! 🤣), have a backlog of pen pal letters to respond to, still want to make a wreath of the eucalyptus from my daughter’s wedding for her, need to begin Christmas crafting, want to keep poem momentum, reading journal, church girls group lessons, homeschool group lessons etc. 😁 You get the drift.


I am going…🍁 on a nature outing with some of my kids and friends! Very excited! ♥️

My younger sister made me this lovely candle holder! It has a flickering battery candle! How CUTE is that!? I need more! Hahahaha!


I am wearing…🍁 it’s a bit chilly, so green stocking hat, green tennis shoes, green pants?, green flannel shirt, and jean jacket? 😅🍏🌿🌳💚


I am reading…🍁I talk exhaustively here on the ‘ole blog about what I’m reading, but here ya go! 😉 Victober is still prominent! I’m slowly listening to The Pickwick Papers. I finished Uncle Silas and while I liked parts of it, it wasn’t a new favorite. I started My Lady Ludlow, the only longer Elizabeth Gaskell I haven’t read! I’m relistening to The Canterville Ghost because it’s another funny Oscar Wilde that I really enjoyed in the past. I’m actively reading another in a cozy mystery series, too. The kids and I just finished The Horse and His Boy and it was so good! 😊


I am hoping…🍁 to make a dent in some of those above creative projects later today or tomorrow and to take a walk!


I am hearing…🍁 my 17yo cleaning kitchen and chatting with my 7 yo. Birds chirping and my fan whirring. 🥹♥️


Around the house…🍁 my big porch purge is still staring at me with beady eyes. 👀


One of my favorite things…🍁 anticipating an upcoming women’s retreat with my sister. 🥰♥️


A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week…🍁 everything I said above! Possible coffee with my mom! I need to figure out how to wrangle all my family here at home to use a free pass we were given for a local attraction!? 🤔😂 It’s hard to get our schedules to align!


Here is a picture thought (or two) I am sharing for you…

Treasure!
✨✨✨

Peek into my Public Library Stack (Part 2) and Reading Mood Shift and Random Thoughts 📚✨

amyofhearthridge6 Comments
Creepy books I checked out to try! I’m still mostly interested in Labyrinth and The Poe Shadow. That’s because the are historical mysteries with archaeological/ephemera elements.
Waiting for the 3rd in Hierarchy Series so I tried the author’s backlist. Not what I want at this time!
A seasonal friend recommendation and a retelling of sorts from an author I’ve enjoyed before.
Cozy, illustrated reread!

✨Just like that I feel sick of my darker, adventurous mystery/sci fi titles I’ve been checking out of the library and I’m turning more to my cozy, comfortable reads. What are your go-to types of books when in need of something comforting? 🥰♥️☕️ Some books I choose to stick it out with and be disciplined. My light reading, I’m much more flexible with quitting if I’m not ‘feeling’ it. Do you read every book you start to the end?

I’m thinking classic-feeling, character-driven, children’s literature, cozy mysteries, and of course, continuing my Victorian literature selections for Victober. I have plenty of Victorian classics choices to keep me going all autumn and into winter! I also have plenty of favorite niche type book stacks around my room, many of them on my 50×50 list. Also Im a big rereader of favorites for comfort. I’m hoping I can keep this mood up for the rest of the year!

I’ve been reading the Holy Bible in New Living Translation this year and I’m loving it so much! I just finished Hebrews and was blown away with its challenging beauty. 😍♥️✨🙏🏻

I’m seriously decluttering my online stuff. I go in spurts with reading apps and social sites. It’s time to let a lot of it go. I’m truly an analog lover and my energy levels need to be turned toward home and those around me. It gives me more brain breathing space, too, to write regularly, collage, walk, dabble in photography, journal, and write pen pals, which are all things I love!

It’s a gorgeous day, blustery, and sunny here! ✨Happiest Tuesday to you! ♥️

Monday Ponderings ♥️🍁

amyofhearthridge3 Comments

‘Pencil and Paint’ by Eleanor Farjeon

Winter has a pencil

For pictures clear and neat,

She traces the black tree-tops

Upon a snowy sheet.

But autumn has a palette

And a painting-brush instead,

And daubs the leaves for pleasure

With yellow, brown, and red.

p. 90, A Poem for Every Autumn Day, edited by Allie Esiri

Oh, happy day! Victober is here! 🍁🍂🧡🤎🖤 + October Collage/Writing Challenge

amyofhearthridge11 Comments
Book mail!

My friends! My favorite reading month of the year is here! Victorian literature has blessed me in so many ways. It’s beautiful writing, it’s gorgeous atmospheres, it’s delicious characters, and it’s over-the-top dramatics! 🎃

I’m hoping to be posting here a bit more this month (daily?!🤞🏻) in celebration of a beautiful month here in the Midwest USA and Victober.

I love putting bits and pieces of the ephemera of life together. Whether that be in the form of a poem, collage, quilting (hope to get back to it someday), pictures, quotes, making soup, lists, journals, or sending moments through the post. I invite you to join me in whatever way you can. 🤎 Post here in my comments, write in your own journal, post something yourself in your online home, or just meditate in your heart. Let’s rejoice together about a ‘new month with no mistakes in it…yet.’ 😁

My first little verse and collage in honor of this momentous month! 🍁

Which spooky or Victorian book should I start this very afternoon? The possibilities are endless! 🍁

May your coffee be hot and your book long and wonderful!

Happy October beginnings! 🧡🤎🖤🍁🍂🌾🎃

Third Quarter Reading Favorites 🍂🧡🤎🖤

amyofhearthridge18 Comments

First Quarter Reading Favorites

Second Quarter Reading Favorites

Hello, Friends! Happy Victober Eve! 🖤🍂 Can you believe we are headed into the 4th quarter of 2026!? 😳😱♥️ Here are my favorite reads of July-August-September in short snippet reviews ~

Classics ~🍂

Captain Blood by Rafael Sabatini – so, so good! A kind-of ‘gentleman’ pirate with a moral compass, and a Robin Hood-ish loyalty to his men and the less fortunate.

Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh – fading English aristocratic family, questions of their Catholic faith, and deeply, poignant thoughts on change. I was pleasantly surprised by this book! Reading it with my two local friends made it even better!

The Summer Book by Tove Jansson, translated by Thomas Teal- (reread) a heart-wrenching book I was craving about changing familial relationships, growing older, seeing with the eyes of a child, and living close with the land. Beautiful, beautiful book! The little granddaughter’s sassy attitude towards her grandmother bothered me a lot more this time through, just fyi!

The Virginian by Owen Wister – I finished another 50×50 read! I so enjoyed chatting with my buddy reader about this book. Unique POV’s, beautifully written, deeply intriguing characters. I ended up loving this! Brutal western cowboy violence, just FYI and conversations around the birthing of the American West.

The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde – I’ll tack this in here, because this was a last minute listen as an early start to Victober! I absolutely loved this hilarious play about two British gentleman and the craziness that ensues from perpetual stretching of the truth.

(random)/misc) Victorian-ish Epislotary Romance~ 🍂

Glass Roses by Britain Kalai Soderquist – If anyone wants a slight Victorian adjacent light romance, I recommend this one! It’s written in letters between two cousins. One cousin’s story is Cinderella-ish and the others Beauty & the Beast. I really enjoyed it!🥰😅♥️

Fantasy/Sci-Fi ~

The Silver Chair by C.S. Lewis -(reread) Great characters! Puddleglum, Eustace, and Jill are off on a Narnian adventure. A lion 🦁 included! ♥️ My four younger kids and I are going through the whole series together.

Firebird by Kathy Tyers – sci-fi Star Wars-ish story with unique world and great characters! Deeper conversations about what we believe truly affecting how we live. I read this as part of Sci-Fi September. The first is included free on Audible currently. I’m now reading Fusion Fire, the second in the five? book series.

Mystery ~🍂

A Lesson in Secrets by Jacqueline Winspear – despite the clunky, morally gray additions to this series, I still find Maisie Dobbs, a very compelling character and enjoyed the new chapter in her private investigator life.

The Bangalore Detective Club by Harini Nagendra – A young newlywed couple begins their life together and solve a mystery in 1920’s Bangalore, India. I really enjoyed this first and the second was good, too, definitely will be completing the series.

The Electric Detective by Peter Ward – A droid wakes up realizing she has been created to assist the police in solving a murder. Things aren’t what they seem! AI, technology, and moral questions arise. Fascinating and a little creepy. A touch of innuendo, just fyi.

Resort to Murder by Annie McEwen – Set in Wisconsin, I really enjoyed the family dynamics of running a small resort together! Great characters and the mystery was good too. The second was good, as well. I’m waiting to read on since they follow the seasons and the next have a snowy setting.

Gladwynn Grant Cozy Mystery Series by Lisa R. Howeler – Small town characters and intrigue! I loved Gladwynn and her grandmother! These were so sweet and gentle.

Nonfiction ~🍂

The Opt-Out Family by Erin Loechner – very interesting look at a former social media influencer’s decision to pull out completely from it all! I liked how she presented her information. Personal stories and ideas for alternatives, but not a guilty formula.

Jane Austen’s Bookshelf by Rebecca Romney -I really ended up enjoying this classic book lover’s ode to reading and book collecting. I loved learning about different women authors that may have inspired Jane Austen. A little of the author’s whining, but overall, I loved this!

Do Something Beautiful for God by Mother Teresa – daily quotes pulled from Teresa of Calcutta’s words. Highly recommend!

The Spirit-Controlled Woman by Beverly LaHaye – A bit dated, but powerfully convicting look at how Spirit controlled living can help us with our personal weaknesses and strengthen us to love like Christ.

Magical Realism ~🍂

Crosstalk by Connie Willis – (reread) I loved revisiting this book around a company with a secret project in development to connect romantic couples by mind emotional sensing. The MFC’s family is VERY annoying and the stress of a company environment can be a bit much, but this hilarious book brings up questions on autonomy and telepathic abilities. Innuendo and light language. What we think we want isn’t always right at all. Very cute and ridiculous fun. I reread this for Sci-Fi September.

Dream of Kings by Sharon Hinck – a fantasy retelling of sorts of the Biblical story of Joseph. Light dream telling feels slightly magical. I loved the slow discoveries of our MFC as she deals with grief, finding her place in a new land, and new, complicated friendships. Very slow, sweet romantic subplot.

A Snicker of Magic by Natalie Lloyd – a town with a snicker of magic. This is a heart wrenching story of a young girl who dreams of belonging. The writing was lovely and the longing so palpable. The townsfolk and family dynamics, so great and realistic.

I think those were my favorites from a summer of reading! I read so many great books, what a blessing. How about you? What were some of your favorite summer reads? 😍♥️ What things are you looking forward to picking up this autumn? 🍂 🎃 Goodbye, September ~ welcome, October! 🧡🤎🖤🍂🍁🌾

Happy Autumn! 🍂 Victober 2026 Heap of Hopefuls and other October Reading Chat~ 🖤🎃🤎🎃💛🎃🧡🎃🖤

amyofhearthridge5 Comments

Here’s a look at my upcoming (October + Victorian Literature = Victober) Reading Possibilities! I also added a few more hopefuls. I usually don’t have such a specific pile of books to read because I’m a mood reader. Only Victober is special enough to warrant a special TBR plan! 😍🥰♥️There are specific prompts/challenges and I’ll try to hit those, but mostly attempt what I’m excited about!

Dark brown Box headings are the prompts for this year which I believe is the 11th Victober!

I’ve already begun Dr.Wortle’s School with my local friend’s bookclub. I’m very interested in Daniel Deronda, too!

I really want to get to this one sooner than later!
If I can get an audiobook in from library, I’d love to finally get to this play!
My Kindle is FULL of Victober goodness and I’d love to tackle a couple of these! I have even MORE hiding in there. 😍😫😂👀

I’m not going to add any buddy reads other than my local friends and maybe attempting to finish the group read! {I started Uncle Silas a few years ago, so hope to finish it!} I’m pretty full with outside commitments, so need to keep reading open.

I’d loooove to read this! It’s on my 50×50 list and Gaskell is legitimately an interest to me. She is my favorite Victorian author. In fact, many of these books are on my 50×50 list!

Hawthorne isn’t technically a Victorian, but he was writing in America during Queen V’s reign.

Many more lovely things to choose from on the stacks!

Other reads I’m very interested in for October! I have an ‘unread’ Ray Bradbury on my 50×50 list and I think The October Country would be a great listen. I bet an audiobook would add even deeper enjoyment to these creepy short stories.

I also have an ‘unread’ LM Montgomery collection from my shelf on my list. I think this one would be perfect! 🤩

A friend recommendation specifically for October!

Another friend or two? let me know that the newly translated Book 2 is now available at public libraries! I can’t wait! I’m a huge Kiki’s Delivery Service fan! Book and film!

I’m hoping to bake a special meal/treat for the family today and put out a few autumn decorations! We can’t do too much with remodeling, but it will be fun to a little charm. Maybe we could watch It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown, which is one of my fall favorites! Or one of the less creepy episodes of Over the Garden Wall. 🤣

Happiest Autumn, friends. 🎃🍂♥️🥰 we have a play and an apple orchard/pumpkin patch visit on the schedule. What are you excited to read, watch, do in autumn? 🍂