#44 [2026/CBR18] Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy

I first saw Wild Dark Shore (2025) by Charlotte McConaghy on NPR's Favorite Books List. I had already put a hold on it, but then my husband read it as well. So, as soon as I could get my hands on it, I started reading. I ended up liking Wild Dark Shore even more than my husband. There was just so much going on. The book begins on a stormy, isolated island with an aura of danger around every turn. We're slowly introduced to the characters and their stories, and it's hard to tell if any of them have good intentions. But there are other consequences as climate change and higher ocean levels are quickly swallowing up the island and its precious storage of seeds. Although it sometimes reads as a suspense novel, the themes of love, grief, growing up, and betrayal make this a more powerful and memorable novel.

Rowan and his three children (Raff, Fen and Orly) are caretakers of what used to be a small research island located close to Antarctica. Because of rising waters, the island is going under. Everyone else has left and the family is sticking it out until the last boat comes to pick them up. Communications are down, and there is no way to get in touch with anyone off the island. There is a storage facility for seeds from all over the world, but after an intense storm, the generator to keep the storage system cold has gone down, threatening their survival.

The storm also brought in an injured woman. Fen, Rowan's seventeen-year-old daughter finds her near shore and swims out to save her. The woman's name is Rowan, and she said she came to the island looking for her husband. Everyone is acting cagey and it is clear that no one is telling the full truth. 

Instead of Fen living with her family, she sleeps alone in the boathouse down by the water. The youngest boy Orly is basically a plant encyclopedia, and he follows Rowan around the living quarters like a lost little puppy. The oldest brother, Raff, and his father are more difficult to read. As Rowan's injuries improve, she is able to explore around the island and try to figure out what might have happened to her husband. Raff said he left on the last ship, but Rowan never heard from him. When she finds her husband's hidden passport, she knows they are lying to her.

Throughout this novel, the effects of climate change are glaringly obvious. First is the rising ocean water forcing the evacuation of the island. Second, is the concern for the seed bank. With plants being devastated by the warmer temperatures, the seed bank was a safeguard so the Earth would not lose too much diversity. Unfortunately, with the seed bank getting warmer as well, there are only so many seeds they can save. Finally, Rowan's dream home that she'd spent years building in Australia had burned down from intense fires made worse by climate change.

All of the characters have faced or are facing losses so profound and heart wrenching, and all this is tied together with the losses we have and will have from climate change. Yet the book wants us to keep caring, keep loving, and not give up.

"Not only do I feel this weight, I see the future laid out before me. A vast stretch of crops and nothing else, nothing wild or natural, and even these neatly planted rows threatened on all sides by flame and flood. All of earth, a wasteland." (120)

"There is such peril in loving things at all, and he feels sort of proud, in fact, that he just keeps on doing it." (294)

"But here is the nature of life. That we must love things with our whole selves, knowing they will die." (232)

#43 [2026/CBR18] Book of Lives: A Memoir of Sorts by Margaret Atwood

I've only read three books by Margaret Atwood, including The Blind Assassin, The Handmaid's Tale, and The Testaments. I was impressed by all of them, but The Handmaid's Tale made a lasting impression on me. I cannot overemphasize how much that book affected me, and how it comes to mind whenever another unfortunate current event strays a little too close to the plot. Because of my admiration for Atwood's writing, I took an online "Masterclass" with her. Although I don't remember too many specifics of the class, I recall finding Atwood clever and funny. So. when I saw that Atwood had a memoir out, I knew I wanted to read it. 

I came into Book of Lives (2025) knowing almost nothing about Margaret Atwood. However, after over six hundred detailed pages, I learned a lot about her childhood, her personal life, and her professional life. A lot of the information was new to me and very interesting. Atwood is Canadian. Her father was an entomologist, and she spent much of her childhood in the woods of northern Quebec--living in various cabins and shelters built by her father. Back before the age of helicopter parents, Atwood had a lot of time and freedom to run around in the woods with her older brother.

When Atwood was old enough to go to school, they would spend the school years in town and then head out to the woods again in the summer. She described how one, particular "mean" girl during her elementary years was the inspiration for her book Cat's Eye, and how much she learned from that relationship.

Besides Atwood's unconventional childhood, I was also not aware of how much education Atwood had obtained. Besides a bachelor's and master's degree in literature, she also pursued a Ph.D at Harvard. In addition, Atwood was always creative, and she dedicated herself to writing when she was still pretty young. It's easy to imagine that Atwood's success was destined, but it took a lot of guts to stick out such an unlikely dream. It was Atwood's consistent hard work that eventually paid off.

On a more personal note, Margaret's romantic partner, Graeme Gibson played a huge role in her life. She met him when they were both married to other people, but they eventually got together despite the potential messiness of Graeme's ex-wife and three kids. They were together for over forty years, having one child together, and never marrying. Atwood mentions that she would have liked to be married and have another child, but Graeme did not. Sometimes the fact that she was not married was held up as a feminist ideal, but she did not intend it as such. When Graeme eventually got dementia, his decline was heartbreaking to read about.

I am glad I read this book. I learned a lot about Atwood's life, and I was impressed by how much she could recall of the past. There were many witty, little lines thrown in here and there that really made the book feel like her. On the other hand, there was also a lot of detail that could be tiresome and hard to follow. Atwood delves so deeply into who she worked with and various companies and editors, that I had a hard time keeping them straight. I was always more interested in the personal stories and Atwood's often quick, pointed observations of the many sexist things she's seen in her life. 

#42 [2026/CBR18] Thrown for a Loop by Sarina Bowen

I read my first Sarina Bowen novel over ten years ago. The Year We Fell Down (2014) involved romance, college, and hockey, and I really enjoyed it. I continued to read Bowen's romance novels, and I thought I'd read all of them. But when I was hunting for good romance novels to take camping with me, I discovered that I'd missed some. I guess I forgot that Bowen might continue writing, and I hadn't checked if she had anything new. And that's how I found Thrown for a Loop (2025).

Almost all of Bowen's books involve hockey and romance, and this one is no different. Chase Merritt is an MVP star player on the New York Legends NHL team. Zoe Carson is a former champion figure skater who has recently been hired by the New York Legends as a skating coach. Zoe has to prove herself as the first female coach in the NHL, but she also has a history with Chase that makes things more difficult. 

Ten years earlier, Zoe and Chase were counselors at a figure skating camp. Thrown for a Loop alternates between showing how Zoe and Chase originally met and fell in love with their present day struggles. Chase was a hockey college star when his coach said he could stay in the dorms, continue working out, and make some money being a counselor for the camp. Chase's coach was also Zoe's uncle. Zoe was also a counselor and certainly the star of the camp (either heading to the Olympics or already making it, I can't remember). Her overbearing and controlling mother is her coach and in charge of the camp. Chase and Zoe were immediately attracted to each other. Chase had a penchant for fun and gave Zoe snacks when her mother restricted her food. 

Their young romance was really very sweet, but obviously something had gone wrong because in the present day, Chase was furious at Zoe. It didn't help that he had been struggling on the ice lately. He didn't really think that Zoe could help him, but he was also desperate for something to improve. Then the video from ten years before of Zoe and Chase skating together became public, and the team thought it would be great publicity if they did it again--for charity. 

As the book continues, we get closer to the end of the summer, finding out what had happened ten years before to pry Chase and Zoe apart. In present day, the two are interacting during skating sessions. They are slowly getting closer again, but they haven't had a good talk about why Chase is so mad, or why he cut off contact with Zoe in the first place. In addition, Zoe is still trying to get some independence from her controlling mother and current ex-husband as they both pry into her life.

We eventually find out that there was an unfortunate and desperate miscommunication at the end of camp that changed Chase's life. However, fortunately and expectedly, everything works out in the end.

I enjoyed this book. I listened to it on Audiobook, and I had a good time with it. I do think I enjoyed Bowen's earlier books a little bit more. I'm not sure if they are actually better, or if they just felt that way because they were newer to me. My only complaint is from the Audiobook. I know the narrators often do different voices so we can tell the characters apart, which can be helpful. But the voice for the hockey team owner's personal assistant was so nasal and annoying that I disliked her character. Yes, I could tell her apart from Zoe, but it was not worth it. I'd rather have more "Zoe said" lines thrown in than listen to weird voices. And the personal assistant is the love interest in her own book that I read later. I had to put that voice out of my head in order to enjoy that novel.

#41 [2026/CBR18] Scarlett's Hero by Gia Cobie

I enjoy camping and backpacking by myself, and I have found that romance novels are some of the best books to read when I'm alone in the dark wilderness. They are generally easy to read, entertaining, and usually do not creep me out. So, when I had a trip coming up, I gathered a couple of romance novels for my easy reading entertainment. I first saw Scarlett's Hero (2024) by Gia Cobie on an Instagram advertisement, and even though I was a little skeptical, I decided to give it a try. I'm a sucker for a protective romantic hero, after all.

The book takes place in a small, idyllic little town called Sleepy Hollow. Scarlett is a nurse who does home health care and Grant is an ex-Seal who now owns a construction company. And if that isn't enough sexy tropes for you, he is also a volunteer firefighter.

The book begins with Scarlett at the home of one of her favorite, elderly patients. A masked man comes into the house and attacks her. She is able to fight him off and barricade herself in the patient's room before calling the police. Grant (ex-seal, construction worker, firefighter) is friends with Scarlett and is expecting her to come over for dinner. When she doesn't show up he gets worried, calls her and heads right over. He finds the home awash with police and first responders, and he gathers Scarlett right up and takes her home.

Scarlett certainly likes Grant, but they haven't pushed their relationship beyond friendship because of various baggage they both have. But after Scarlett is attacked, Grant takes it upon himself to keep her safe. When she is attacked again--and injured this time--he takes her back to the security of his home. His friends, who own a personal protection/bodyguard company also help out. Spending all this time together brings them closer, and their relationship progresses.

For months, Scarlett is never alone. Finally, they figure out that the elderly man had given almost everything to Scarlett in his will. When the son found out, he hired a hit man to take out Scarlett, thus ensuring that he would still inherit. Now that they know who has after her, Scarlett is finally safe and free to be by herself. She is also free to go home, but by this time, Grant and Scarlet want to continue living together.

Grant finally feels secure enough to leave Scarlett at home alone while he runs into town to pick up breakfast. Well, that was a mistake. Almost immediately, an intruder gets through the gated yard and kidnaps Scarlett. It turns out that the kidnapper is the first man who attacked her. He was paid to kill her, but he liked her spunk and decided to kidnap her and make her his wife. Fortunately Grant and friends track her down and save her again.

What struck me most about this book was how much violence the heroine suffered. It felt like every other page someone was trying to kill her. And just when she finally thinks she's safe, she gets kidnapped! It would be utterly terrifying, and if I were her, I would be paralyzed by fear--afraid at home and afraid to go out. Poor Scarlett even suffered violence before the book began. Apparently she was held hostage, and her friend had to kill her attacker to save her life in a previous book. One of the weirdest parts is that this book is one in a series of eight books, called Heroes of Sleepy Hollow. It seems like every book has a heroine suffering crazy amounts of violence, and they all live in Sleepy Hollow. So, this tiny, idyllic town is full of women who have lived through unimaginable things.

Fortunately, I read this book when I was still car camping and could lock my doors at night. I do not think this would have been a good read for backpacking alone. I liked the protagonists, and I'm glad they got together, but the violence was a little over the top for me.

#40 [2026/CBR18] Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid

I've read a number of books by Taylor Jenkins Reid and enjoyed all of them to varying degrees. I picked up Malibu Rising (2021) because I was going on a road trip and needed some audiobooks for the ride. I barely looked at the description. It was enough for me that I knew the author and it was available. Fortunately, I really enjoyed this book. It kept my attention through hours of tired driving and helped to keep me awake. 

***SPOILERS FOLLOW***

Malibu Rising follows the four Riva siblings for one day in Malibu as they prepare for their "end of summer" party at Nina's mansion on the beach. All four siblings grew up surfing. Nina is the oldest and is a famous model. Jay is a world famous surfer, and Hud became a world class photographer following Jay around the world taking surfing pictures. Finally, Kit is the youngest at twenty years old. She is still trying to figure out who she is.

Malibu Rising jumps back and forth in time between the day of the party in present day, and the past--beginning with how the parents of the Riva kids originally met. We learn a lot about everyone in the family as we get closer and closer to the party. Once the party begins, a lot of things come to a head.

Mick and June Riva met on the beach. Mick was an aspiring musical artist, and June only knew she wanted something more exciting than working in her parent's seaside restaurant all her life. Mick was charming and irresistible, and it wasn't long before the two were married. Unfortunately, Mick is an egotistical cad who is incapable of fidelity in a relationship. June found this out shortly after giving birth to Jay. A woman showed up on her door with another baby, leaving it with June because Mick was the father. Mick ingratiated himself back into June's life long enough for them to have Kit, but he stayed away from June and his kids throughout their childhood. June, a tragic character, ended up working at her family's restaurant after all. She was barely able to keep them afloat while Mick enjoyed his stardom.

When June dies an early, tragic death, it is seventeen-year-old Nina who steps up and takes care of her brothers and sister. All four children grow up with different scars from their childhood, but they care about and take care of each other.

The party brings everything together. Hundreds of people are there, and they all have different agendas. Kit wants to finally kiss a man. Hud is determined to tell Jay that he's in love with Jay's ex-girlfriend. Nina is just trying to keep moving after a difficult breakup, and Jay is struggling with his worth when he finds he can't surf anymore. In addition, Mick makes an appearance, as well as another young woman who may or may not be yet another child of Mick's.

And that's just the family stuff. In addition, there are hundreds of guests determined to get wasted and/or high and/or make a name for themselves. The chaos felt real.

As I mentioned before, I really enjoyed this book. The characters were interesting and memorable, and I was invested in the story. I felt June's pain from Mick's betrayal in my gut, and I wanted to see what happened to their kids. My only complaint was that the party was sometimes a little hard to follow on Audiobook. There were just so many characters, and I sometimes had a hard time remembering which was which. On the whole, though, I really enjoyed this book. I'm rating it my second favorite Taylor Jenkins Reid book so far, after Atmosphere.

#39 [2026/CBR18] Bombshells by Sarina Bowen

I went through a phase some years ago where I read a lot of books by Sarina Bowen because I found them fun and entertaining. Recently, I was looking for good road trip books, and I looked her up again. I realized that I had missed a couple, and decided now was the time to do some catch up. I'm not sure if I intentionally skipped over Bombshells (2021) or I somehow missed it, but I was happy to find another Bowen book that I had not read.

Sylvie is from Canada. She is still grieving the recent death of her mother. She has a crush on one of the Brooklyn Bruiser stars who lived at her home when she was a teenager. And she has just joined the Brooklyn Women's Hockey team, the Bombshells. With almost no warning, Sylvie takes what she can and moves in with some fellow Bombshells players. The player she's had a crush on most of her life keeps her at arms length, but she meets another Bruisers player, Anton.

Anton is immediately transfixed by Sylvie, and they begin spending time together. They both teach a swim class to local youths, and they jog together. Their attraction is immediate and undeniable, and soon enough they give in to it. Sylvie is confused at first, but she's been slowly giving up on her crush for quite a while now, and Anton is irresistible. Anton was having a more difficult time because he felt like he was betraying his teammate.

So the two keep their trysts secret for a while until it becomes impossible. However, it all works out in the end.

There's not too much drama in this book. Sylvie does have to improve her performance on the ice, and the two share some fun times together. Anton is known as a playboy and he has to stop being scared of commitment before they stop keeping secrets. But for the most part, Sylvie and Anton are on the same page.

I have always enjoyed reading Bowen's novels, and this one was no different. I never get bored while I'm reading. However, I wasn't very interested in the dead mother leaving impenetrable "signs" via hairpin for Sylvie. I found it both annoying that Syvie's mother was controlling her daughter from the grave--and unbelievable. I also realize that Bowen needed a couple of obstacles to throw at Sylvie and Anton, but Sylvie's crush seemed a little bit of a stretch. It was a tricky balance to have Sylvie be hung up on someone else, but also hooking up with her happily ever after.

On the whole, though, I enjoyed this book.

#38 [2026/CBR18] Bound by Ali Hazelwood

I'm a sucker for all Ali Hazelwood books, so when I saw that she had a new novel out, I picked up the Audiobook without even thinking. Bound (2025) is apparently only available on Audiobook until October of this year, when it will be released in print with its partner book, Unbound. I'm assuming that Unbound is a continuation of Bound, but I'm not really sure.

Veronica "Vero" is a grad student who grew up with her con artist parents. She mostly did not follow in her parents' footsteps, but when she needed money, she began forging some old books and manuscripts for her boss. This brought her to the attention of Dr. Viktor Ashworth, a professor at her school. He kidnaps her and then offers her a million dollars to help him out with his own forgery. Vero agrees.

For months, Vero is driven to Viktor's museum/palace-like residence to work on the manuscript. After a couple of unusual incidents, she figures out that Viktor and his friends aren't quite human. It turns out that Viktor is hundreds of years old and is a Revenant (vampire). He can handle the sun with sunglasses, but that's because he's old and powerful. As the two work together, they begin to like each other more and more.

Viktor wanted Vero to fake a very old document that Viktor had written himself and contained the instructions for turning people into Revenants. He wanted her to change some of the instructions because there was a rogue Revenant killing people left and right, and he did not want him to have the knowledge to turn people.

One day, Vero is attacked as she is leaving Viktor's residence. Viktor saves her, and the two become a real couple. The finale takes place in Boston when the document is finished, and the Revenants lay a trap to find the bad guy. It doesn't quite work out the way they hoped, and Vero runs over there to try to help a friend that gets caught up in the mess. Vero is badly injured. When she wakes up, Viktor has turned her into a Revenant, and the book is over.

This is my least favorite Hazelwood book so far. I'm not that into paranormal stories anyway, but this did nothing for me. The romance was incredibly slow, the love interest's voice was very stodgy. In addition, the whole purpose of the forgery and the bad guy was undeveloped, with everything wrapping up very quickly in the end. 

I also couldn't help but compare it to complaints I've heard about Twilight. Viktor is centuries old and a professor, but interested in a young, graduate student. Before she is aware, he sneaks into her apartment and drinks her blood, so he can read her thoughts and keep track of her better. She told him in conversations that she did not want to be immortal, but he thought he felt something different from her in her thoughts. He also didn't want to lose her, so he turns her without any discussion. She is happy about this, so it's not a problem in the book, but I found it all more creepy than sexy.

Not for me. Unbound might be better, but it also might be the first Hazelwood book that I skip.