Book 39 for 2026: "The Black Bonspiel of Willie MacCrimmon" by W.O. Mitchell, about a curling match played against the Devil.
#PopsugarReadingChallenge (About my favorite sport at the Winter Olympics.)
#The52BookClub (Requires suspension of disbelief.)
#BLQChallenge26 (Absurd premise.)
#ThisChallengeKilledTheBookworm (Bargain.)
http://www.lauraruthloomis.com/whats-new/book-39-for-2026-the-black-bonspiel-of-willie-maccrimmon
A book outside your comfort zone - May 16, 2026 - I wanted to like this book more than I did. How can a book about dragons and magic be boring? It actually put me to sleep every time I tried to read it. It didn't start to get interesting until after 500 pages. There are much more exciting dragon and magic books out there.
Rating ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ 3/4
#popsugarreadingchallenge #bookstodon #bookstodoner #fantasy
A book that makes you want to travel to Italy - May 15, 2026 - This series is the clash of Roman and Greek mythology. The characters travel through Italy trying to make their way to the house of Hades and endeavor to save the world. This one takes a darker turn than the others. My daughter says it's good, but not as good as the third one.
Rating ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
#popsugarreadingchallenge #bookstodon #bookstodoner #fantasy #heroesofolympus #youngadult
A book about a book club - May 10, 2026 - I didn't care for the narrator for this one which may have influenced my rating. Story was less about book club and more about romance. Meh.
Rating ⭐️⭐️1/2
#popsugarreadingchallenge #bookstodon #bookstodoner #romance #booksaboutbooks
Book 36 for 2026: "Hype: How Scammers, Grifters, and Con Artists Are Taking Over the Internet—and Why We're Following," by Gabrielle Bluestone.
#PopsugarReadingChallenge (About influencer culture).
#The52BookClub (Commas in the subtitle).
http://www.lauraruthloomis.com/whats-new/book-36-for-2026-hype
A book about women astronauts - May 5, 2026 - The 5th book in the Murderbot Diaries involves Murderbot protecting Dr. Mensah's teenage daughter while fighting a network virus and rescuing ART's crew. Good thing it can multitask. It takes place in space so I guess all the female characters are astronauts 🤷♀️. That's what I'm going with.
Rating ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
#popsugarreadingchallenge #bookstodon #bookstodoner #scifi #humor #murderbotdiaries
Book 35 for 2026: "The Hunger Moon: New and Selected Poems, 1980-2010" by Marge Piercy.
#PopsugarReadingChallenge: Paired prompt: two books by married or partnered authors. (Will be paired with "You're Married to Her?" by Ira Wood.)
#The52BookClub: Paired prompt: two books by related authors.
#BLQ26: An author you love.
#ThisChallengeKilledTheBookworm: Such a fungi.
http://www.lauraruthloomis.com/whats-new/book-35-for-2026-the-hunger-moon
Book 33 for 2026: "The Nearest Exit May Be Behind You," essays by S. Bear Bergman.
#PopsugarReadingChallenge (Trans or nonbinary protagonist).
#The52BookClub (Uneven number of chapters).
#BLQ26 (Book you own but haven't read).
http://www.lauraruthloomis.com/whats-new/book-33-for-2026-the-nearest-exit-may-be-behind-you
A book set in Michigan - April 20, 2026 - This book takes place during the pandemic on a cherry farm in Northern Michigan. It centers around a mother telling her three daughters, who have come to stay during the lockdown, stories from her past. The author makes you feel like you are right there with them listening as the story unfolds.
Rating ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
#popsugarreadingchallenge #bookstodon #bookstodoner #womensfiction #motherhood #literaryfiction
A book with sugar in the title- April 16, 2026 - This book is all smut and no substance. I was expecting a retelling of the Nutcracker and was not prepared for the number of times 🐱💋 made it's way into the narrative. Probably shouldn't have listened to it at work. 🤭
Rating ⭐️ ⭐️
#popsugarreadingchallenge ##bookstodon #bookstodoner #fantasy #romantasy #smuttybooks
Laura Loomis
Allison Picks Books