by Crystal Caudill | Apr 30, 2026 | Book Reviews, Reading Challenge
It’s another month of our Tackle Your TBR Pile reading challenge. So dig through that stack of books you’ve been meaning to read that’s taller than you and start reading!Â
Don’t forget to comment at the bottom of the post for your chance to win a book off my prize shelf. *The list of prizes from my shelf can be found here.*
Reading Challenge 2026: Tackle the TBR Pile
This Month: April – Funny Book
Next Month: May – Indie Author
Hearts in Circulation by Sarah Monzon
Genre: RomCom
Can a rundown bookmobile be the vehicle that brings two unlikely hearts together?
Little Creek’s bookmobile is more of a death trap on wheels than a vehicle of literary delights, and circulation librarian Hayley Holt is afraid it’s going to careen down a mountainside with her in it. Yet she sees it as a way to serve her community and be worthy of the liver transplant that saved her life as a child. However, her fears come true when the bookmobile breaks down and a rockslide traps her in the small hollow of Turkey Grove.
Reclusive mechanic Levi Redding lives in tiny Turkey Grove to get away from people. He can handle getting the bookmobile running again, but the endless chatter and unsettling touches from the vibrant librarian leave him overstimulated. When forced proximity leads to a misunderstanding, a note of apology begins an epistolary friendship, proving that sometimes the happiest of endings aren’t contained within the bindings of a book.
Purchase Links:
Amazon
Review
For the most part, the only straight romances I enjoy are the ones with depth to them. Not only does Hearts in Circulation have that beautiful depth, but it’s also funny and has representation for those with sensory processing disorders and organ transplants. Seriously. Sarah Monzon knows how to make you laugh while also twisting your heart, making you swoon, and helping you understand life from someone else’s perspective. I may not have SPD like the hero, Levi, does, but I resonate with being overstimulated by too many sensory inputs for too long or at too loud a volume. And reading about the fear and survivor’s guilt of being a liver transplant recipient was really thought-provoking. I won’t give spoilers away, but the way Levi loved on her and helped her confront those buried feelings gave me ALL the feels. They were both so protective and considerate of one another that it was truly a blessing to read… and so swoony. It did get a little more touchy-feely than I generally prefer, but it stayed well within the boundaries of Christian Fiction.Â
I recommend this book for those who love romcoms that make you laugh out loud while plunging you to new depths of understanding for those around you. Oh, and those who love a good swoon with a hero who struggles but is oh so sweet to and protective of the heroine.
Giveaway Details
Here’s your chance to win a book off my prize shelf. Comment with what YOU read for your chance to win! Entries close on 7th of each month. Open to legal U.S. residents and international residents. *International winners will receive a $10 Amazon gift card in lieu of a book from the prize shelf due to shipping costs.* See Giveaway Policies for more details.
by Crystal Caudill | Mar 31, 2026 | Reading Challenge
It’s another month of our Tackle Your TBR Pile reading challenge. So dig through that stack of books you’ve been meaning to read that’s taller than you and start reading!Â
Don’t forget to comment at the bottom of the post for your chance to win a book off my prize shelf. *The list of prizes from my shelf can be found here.*
Reading Challenge 2026: Tackle the TBR Pile
This Month: March – Title/Author with Same First Letter of Your Name
Next Month: Funny Book
My Review
I don’t often read contemporary romance, but Angela Ruth Strong’s romcoms will always be an autobuy for me. Just like in her other books, Claire Halloway is Winging It is full of comedy, real life, deep character growth, and healthy relationships. I adored getting to see the behind-the-scenes of being a flight attendant and pilot, living vicariously through Claire’s travels and experiences, and witnessing two adults making the hard decisions in order to pursue a healthy relationship and future. I can’t wait to read the next book in the series, and will definitely rereading this one!
Claire Halloway is Winging It by Angela Ruth Strong
Genre: RomCom
Romance takes to the skies, but will turbulence make it tumble?
When Claire Holloway’s dream of becoming a ballerina plummets into the realm of unachievable, she’s left with her boyfriend as her only support . . . until she decides to become a flight attendant for the free travel. She moves of state and into a crash pad with a gaggle of other flight attendants, and her fear of losing Wyatt skyrockets.
First Officer Nathan Stuart has been a bit cynical since he and his fiancée broke up, but when he meets a somewhat frazzled Claire on her first day in the Seattle airport, they quickly hit it off. When they end up on the same crew, he takes Claire under his wing and they form a friendly bond.
Wyatt’s once-supportive attitude sours into resentment and makes Claire wonder if her newfound joy is the right flight plan. Pulled between two men and balancing her new career, she must learn to listen for God’s direction and follow it closelymdashjust like her crew obeys air traffic control.
Purchase Links:
Amazon
Giveaway Details – Winner: Dana M.
Here’s your chance to win a book off my prize shelf. Comment with what YOU read for your chance to win! Entries close on 7th of each month. Open to legal U.S. residents and international residents. *International winners will receive a $10 Amazon gift card in lieu of a book from the prize shelf due to shipping costs.* See Giveaway Policies for more details.
by Crystal Caudill | Feb 28, 2026 | Book Reviews, Reading Challenge
It’s another month of our Tackle Your TBR Pile reading challenge. So dig through that stack of books you’ve been meaning to read that’s taller than you and start reading!Â
Don’t forget to comment at the bottom of the post for your chance to win a book off my prize shelf. *The list of prizes from my shelf can be found here.*
Reading Challenge 2026: Tackle the TBR Pile
This Month: February – Title/Cover with Heart, Love, or Couple
Next Month: March – Title/Author with same first letter of your name
Love in the Castle Library by Ann Swindell
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Predictability and efficiency have marked Delphine DuVert’s orderly life as Castle Stewardess in the small European country of Lethersby—until she is tasked by the monarchy to hire a British researcher. Lethersby needs help solving the 100-year-old mystery of their Lost Queen, a young royal who disappeared into the night during World War I.
Delphine’s split-second decision to hire Jack Worthington, a doctoral student at the University of Oxford, has long-lasting consequences when he steps in to protect her from an angry colleague determined to ruin her life. The only catch? That protection looks like Jack posing as her beau. Delphine hesitantly accepts Jack’s offer—and finds her heart being stripped of every predictable and efficient emotion she’s ever had.
Jack Worthington believes that his instinct to protect Delphine was the right one, even if it means posing as her boyfriend. But he’s determined to stay focused on his research for Lethersby—and to keep his emotional distance after reeling from a broken heart. Yet as the clues to discovering the Lost Queen’s story unravel and the court case determining Delphine’s fate looms, both Delphine and Jack must step out in faith, choosing to trust that what God has ahead for them is more valuable than the lives they thought they wanted.
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Purchase Links:
Amazon
Review
I have been waiting for this book to come out since I read the first book. I’m not a straight romance girl (the fact that this one has a bit of mystery tied up in it helps), but the spiritual depth of this and the previous book has totally sucked me in. The characters are so real. Their struggles are so relatable. Their fears are something I can relate to, even if I’m not actually afraid of them. (I’m trying to leave out something that may feel like a spoiler.) The romance was sweet, realistic, and didn’t make me squirm. (Do remember, I can’t watch cartoon characters kiss. I certainly struggle to read kiss scenes. And yes, I do write them. But only because I have to as a basic requirement of writing the romance genre, and I pull in my writing buddy who loves writing kiss scenes to help me. LOL) I’m already biting at the bit for book three. Ann’s writing definitely makes me want to improve upon my own.
Specifically, what did I love besides the above? I pretty much had the “twist” figured out from almost the beginning, BUT Ann made me second-guess myself enough that I was cheering I was right at the end. Also, I love reading about healthy relationships, and this one was definitely a good example.
I recommend this book to anyone who likes a touch of mystery in their sweet, healthy romances. It’s a beautiful story of two people helping each other to grow in their faith, discovering unexpected love, and doing what it takes to respect and protect each other while growing that love through challenges.
Giveaway Details – Winner Marti
Here’s your chance to win a book off my prize shelf. Comment with what YOU read for your chance to win! Entries close on 7th of each month. Open to legal U.S. residents and international residents. *International winners will receive a $10 Amazon gift card in lieu of a book from the prize shelf due to shipping costs.* See Giveaway Policies for more details.
by Crystal Caudill | Jan 31, 2026 | Reading Challenge
It’s another month of our Tackle Your TBR Pile reading challenge. So dig through that stack of books you’ve been meaning to read that’s taller than you and start reading!Â
Don’t forget to comment at the bottom of the post for your chance to win a book off my prize shelf. *The list of prizes from my shelf can be found here.*
Reading Challenge 2026: Tackle the TBR Pile
This Month: January – Genre Don’t Usually Read
Next Month: February – Title/Cover with Heart, Love, or a Couple
I had the privilege of meeting Lisa at the last Rendezvous, and this was the series she recommended I start with. I have since bought the rest of the series to binge sometime over the next month and a half. YA Time Travel definitely isn’t my norm, but I did enjoy reading it. The knight hit every stereotype you can think of, and it amused me even as I rolled my eyes. The concept of how time travel occurred was fascinating. Unsusprisingly, my favorite parts were the battles. They were exactly what you would expect of medieval times, and the time-travel heroines were spunky and generally smart. I wouldn’t say it’s my favorite thing I’ve ever read, but I was intrigued enough to want to finish out the whole series.Â
It also helps that the series is my son’s girlfriend’s favorite series. What better way to connect with her than over books?Â
Waterfall by Lisa T. Bergren
Genre: YA Time Travel
What do you do when your knight in shining armor lives, literally, 700 years away?
Most American teenagers want a vacation in Italy, but the Betarrini sisters spent every summer of their lives with their mother, a famed Etruscan scholar, exploring the romantic hills. Stuck among the archeological site, Gabi and Lia are bored out of their minds…until Gabi places her hand atop a handprint in an ancient tomb and finds herself in fourteenth-century Italy. And worse yet, in the middle of a fierce battle between knights of two opposing forces. Suddenly Gabi’s life has become much, much more interesting…
Purchase Links:
Amazon
Giveaway Details – Winner: Sabrina
Here’s your chance to win a book off my prize shelf. Comment with what YOU read for your chance to win! Entries close on 7th of each month. Open to legal U.S. residents and international residents. *International winners will receive a $10 Amazon gift card in lieu of a book from the prize shelf due to shipping costs.* See Giveaway Policies for more details.
by Crystal Caudill | Dec 31, 2025 | Book Reviews, Reading Challenge
It’s the LAST month of our challenge: Tackle Your TBR Pile. (HAPPY NEW YEAR, by the way!!!! So go dig through that stack taller than you of books you’ve been meaning to read and start reading away.
Reading Challenge 2025: Tackle the TBR Pile
If you’re anything like me, you have a TBR pile that is bigger than you can hope to read in a lifetime. This is the year we’re going to try an tackle at least twelve of those books. Head to your shelves and find books that fit each month’s challenge.
This Month:Â December – Oldest book on your TBR pile
January – Genre you don’t usually read
The Gilded Age: A Tale of Today
by Mark Twain and Charles Warner
I’ve been wanting to read this one for research purposes for a long time, but the audiobook was dauntingly long when I didn’t have much time. I’m honestly still not finished, but I’m getting close. The Gilded Age definitely has all the Mark Twain I’ve come to expect, and the intro by Mark Twain makes it clear this is a satirical piece about the times, written with a co-author. It had lots of “main” characters and storylines that all converged. It was an intriguing listen, with much of the story focusing on the con of speculation, the poverty of the time, and the pursuit of the American dream of getting rich quickly. It was a clear view of the haves and have-nots. It was a good read for one time, but it’s definitely not one of my favorite Mark Twain books. I doubt I’ll revisit it, but I’m glad I read it at least once.
Genre: Satire (Contemporary at the time, historical now)
Plot Overview:
A satirical masterpiece that named an era—and still defines our own.
First published in 1873, The Gilded Age is a bold and biting political satire co-authored by legendary American writer Mark Twain and journalist Charles Dudley Warner. Set in post–Civil War America, the novel follows the Hawkins family and a parade of lobbyists, land speculators, and corrupt politicians chasing wealth and influence in Washington, D.C. and the frontier.
More than just a historical novel, The Gilded Age offers a scathing critique of greed, government corruption, and the illusion of progress—issues that remain deeply relevant in today’s political and economic landscape. Its themes of speculative capitalism, moral compromise, and institutional decay echo powerfully in the 21st century.
Giveaway – Marti was December’s Winner!
For your chance to win a print copy, comment with what book YOU read for this month. Use the Rafflecopter below for extra entries and to mark that you left a comment. Entries end on the 7th of each month at midnight EST, and the winner will be drawn sometime that week and notified by email. The winner will be announced on the Rafflecopter widget. *Giveaway Policies can be found here.
What did you read for the challenge? What were your thoughts on it? Would you recommend it?
by Crystal Caudill | Dec 23, 2025 | Reading Challenge
It’s time to announce the 2026 reading challenge, and I’m sticking with the TBR pile. Who knows? Maybe that will be the overarching theme from now on. I don’t know about you, but I have a TBR pile that will outlive me. Without further ado (and thank you for your help):
2026 Reading Challenge: Tackle the TBR Pile
If you’re anything like me, you have a TBR pile that is bigger than you can hope to read in a lifetime. This is the year we’re going to try an tackle at least twelve of those books. Head to your shelves and find books that fit each month’s challenge.
January – Genre you don’t usually read
February – Title or Cover with: heart, love, or couple
March – Title or Author Name begins with the first letter of YOUR first or last name
April – Funny Book
May – Indie Author
June – Has a setting of somewhere you want to visit
July –Â Patriotic theme, time period, or character profession
August – Classic title
September – Animal on the Cover
October – Unusual Occupation
November – Favorite Season is on the Cover
December – Read what you want!
What are some books you’re hoping to knock off your TBR pile next year?
