4 books I’m reading right now (+ my team’s picks!)

Frankly, this year has not been my best reading year so far – currently I’m seven books behind my Goodreads goal (175 books this year) and I’m not doing a good job catching up.

But I am enjoying the books I’m reading – here are four I’m in the middle of right now!

Culpability by Bruce Holsinger
My friend Jessica Turner recommended this book to me months ago and my library hold finally came up! This one is about a family who is a car crash in their self-driving car and their wrestle with their part in the fatal accident – I’m into it so far!

Johnny Tremain by Esther Forbes
We started listening to this audiobook back in the fall before our trip to Boston but we lost steam and never finished it. I decided this past week that I’d like to finish it up (I think I read it all when I was a kid, but I remembered basically nothing past his accident).

The Nine Moons of Han Yu and Luli by Karina Yan Glaser
This is the book I’m reading aloud to my girls right now. You probably know Karina Yan Glaser from her wildly-popular Vanderbeekers series and this one – a dual narration book set in 1930s New York City Chinatown and 700s China – just snagged a Newbery Honor. We’re all enjoying it a lot so far!

The Lost Year by Katherine Marsh
I can’t remember where I saw this book recommended – I’ve checked it out from the library multiple times and didn’t even crack it and then after I finished The Briar Club for Everyday Reading Book Club, I realized that this was a book about the devastating (and hidden) famine in Ukraine that was referred to in The Briar Club. I finally cracked it open and have been blazing through it!

And here’s what the team is reading right now!

Analese

The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion: Vol 5 by Beth Brower
After reading the first volume of this series, I didn’t have any intention of continuing. But the pull of a screaming deal on Kindle Unlimited and everyone saying to power through books 1-3, was too strong. And I’m so happy I did! This series is light, witty, and entertaining. One thing to note, I wouldn’t have continued if these books were long. It didn’t feel like a massive time commitment since the first couple of books are barely over 150 pages.

Kelsey

The Favorites by Layne Fargo
My family is really into the Winter Olympics right now and this book was the perfect companion to our obsession. Katerina Shaw and Heath Rocha, who both come from dysfunctional families, grow up finding refuge in each other and eventually become ice dance partners chasing Olympic gold. Their journey is anything but smooth, with plenty of drama along the way! I was so hooked and the audiobook is incredible with the full cast and told in a unique documentary style.

Jennifer

Beast of Ten by Beth Brower
While I wait for the ninth volume of The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion to come out I made it one of my 2026 goals to read all of Beth Brower’s books. I have a couple of friends who have just raved about the Beast of Ten so I decided to start there. It’s a Beauty and the Beast retelling with a strong theme of redemption. I’m just getting into it. Excited to read something else from this author I have come to revere.

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