Do you set reading goals? or participate in reading challenges?

Last year was the first I’d ever tried, and it didn’t quite go like I anticipated. Not only did I not read all the books I’d listed here last year on my beginning of the year goal page, I read less than I wanted to in general.

Sort of.

When I reevaluated my reading year, I discovered I read a ton more non-fiction than I first supposed, few of which I logged into Goodreads. I also read several full-length novels for critque partners…all of which are books not yet published and so can’t be entered into Goodreads. (But let me tell y’all, there are some AMAZING stories coming out in 2020.)

So this year, instead of claiming what and how many books I’m going to read at the beginning of the year, I’m just going to give myself freedom to have an ambiguous list with a mixture of fiction, non-fiction, and not-yet-published. 🙂

I AM going to start of my 2020 TBR pile with these books on top:

1865 – Marietta Hughes never wanted to be a spy, but the family legacy of espionage is thrust upon her as the War Between the States rolls on. Unknown to her, the Knights of the Golden Circle – a Confederate secret society bent on destroying the Union her brother died for – has been meeting in a hidden lair beneath her home. Faced with the secrets of her late husband and his brother, whom she thought she could trust with anything, Marietta’s world tilts out of control. Can she right it by protecting a Union agent infiltrating the KGC?  

Slade Osborne, an undercover Pinkerton agent, is determined to do whatever is necessary to end the conflict between the North and the South. When he infiltrates this secret cell, it isn’t just their inner workings that baffle him – it’s the beautiful woman who seems to be a puppet for the new leader and yet…so much more.  

Do they dare trust each other in this circle of intrigue? Will their shared faith sustain them? And can Mari and Slade stymie the enemy long enough to see their beloved country reunited?

A feisty army laundress must disarm a grieving Confederate captain’s pride to win his heart. A minister’s daughter abandoned during war must rely on faith to survive. A wounded widower feels God has forsaken him. Will her devout care bring medicine to his soul or rub salt in his wounds? Ellen White is assigned to attend a debilitated artillery captain after the Battle of Second Manassas. She offers God’s strength, but Gideon Sharpe would rather rely on his own. He would prove himself devoted to his motherless infant daughters, the sort of father he never had.Ellen longs for the security of a home and to feel cherished. Can a jaded and broken man be God’s plan to fulfill her fondest hopes?

Can Love Form Amidst Tensions of War?

During the clash between Union and Confederacy, quiet Tennessean Pearl MacFarlane is compelled to nurse both Rebel and Yankee wounded who seek refuge at her family’s farm. She is determined to remain unmoved by the Yankee cause—until she faces the silent struggle of Union soldier Joshua Wheeler, a recent amputee. The MacFarlane family fits no stereotype Joshua believed in; still he is desperate to regain his footing—as a soldier, as a man, as a Christian—in the aftermath of his debilitating injury. He will use his time behind enemy lines to gather useful intelligence for the Union—if the courageous Rebel woman will stay out of the line of danger.

So be on the lookout for these reviews to come up soon!

If you noticed the Civil War theme to the books, it’s because I’m researching and writing my own Civil War novel. Remember how I said I read a lot of non-fiction? This year is no different. I’ve already read three research books for the Civil War with sixteen more on my desk as I type. I can’t wait to share more with you.

What are your reading goals and challenges this year? Are there any books I should put on my reading radar?

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