WWW Wednesday: January 7th, 2026

WWW Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Sam at Taking on a World of Words.

The Three Ws are:

What are you currently reading?

What did you recently finish reading?

What do you think you’ll read next?

Here is what I am reading, recently finished, and plan to read from Thursday to Wednesday.

Let me know if you have read or plan to read any of these books!!

Happy Reading!


What I am currently reading:

The continuing saga of a band of military survivors trying to survive in a world destroyed by unknown creatures.

Abbey goes to her home city looking for answers, while others are transported to a place strangely familiar.


What I recently finished reading:

The continuing saga of a band of military survivors trying to survive in a world destroyed by unknown creatures.

With the battle for the camp behind them, Zach and Abbey set out on their journey to Boston, but quickly run into a world dealing with the Cascade in its own unique way.


What I plan on reading Thursday through Sunday:

The continuing saga of a band of military survivors trying to survive in a world destroyed by unknown creatures.

As the beings from another world try to correct their mistake, the humans must do what they can to survive while also battling their own kind.

It happens every year. A select few disappear, never to return.

From The Falkland Islands to the Himalayas, Puerto Rico to England – people are vanishing without trace or explanation. A young man who’s lost everything stumbles across an ancient secret.

Can he unlock the mystery? Will he find those who need him?

…can he escape the Unknown?

Would you survive?

The Barner family relocates to Cold Hollow, a small town nestled in a Vermont mountain range. They find it to be quite charming and the inhabitants endearing, except for a few residents. Odd laws are enforced, confrontations begin, and insanity reigns as a madman sits upon his imaginary throne, trying to keep the threads of his dream from unraveling. Will Sophia and Angus Barner be able to protect their children from the malevolence that lurks within the small township? With a corrupt police force in place, will vigilante justice come into play? How many disturbing murders have to happen for things to change? This the story of Cold Hollow, a place you’ll never want to visit.

“The sun is shining, birds are chirping, and people are dying.” Life is not always perfect in the town of Cold Hollow, but with Mayor Myrna Bradbury at the helm, it might be someday. When a batch of newly paroled convicts arrives to take up residence in the small town, disappearances of longtime townsfolk begin, gruesome human remains are found, and a government inspection is looming on the horizon. Time is of the essence as Myrna and the new chief of police are thrust into an investigation the likes of which they had never imagined. Welcome to Cold Hollow, the place where the fun never ends. Grab your copy today and enjoy!

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading?—January 5th, 2026

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? a place to meet and share what you have been and are about to be reading over the week. It’s a great post to organize yourself. It’s an opportunity to visit, comment, and add to your groaning TBR pile! So welcome in everyone. This meme started on J Kaye’s blog and then was hosted by Sheila from Book Journey. Sheila then passed it on to Kathryn at The Book Date.

Jen Vincent, Teach Mentor Texts, and Kellee of Unleashing Readers decided to give It’s Monday! a kid-lit focus. If you read and review books in children’s literature – picture books, chapter books, middle-grade novels, young adult novels, or anything in those genres – join them.


What I am Reading Now

Being locked in a military cell was Zach’s world, until the world ended.

A group of ex-military try to survive and make sense of a post-apocalyptic world destroyed by unimaginable creatures, while dealing with their own dark pasts.


What I am reading Monday and Tuesday:

Rescuing what’s left of humanity while being hunted by creatures that shouldn’t exist.

A group of ex-military having made it to the salvation of the Austin camp, team up once again to go back out and rescue eighteen thousand people from across the country.

The continuing saga of a band of military survivors trying to survive in a world destroyed by unknown creatures.

Having made it to Portland, they are tasked to help bring children and the ill back to the safety of camp Bravo, while the mystery of what happened to the world grows deeper.

Goodreads Monday: A Demon Bound (Imp: Book 1) by Debra Dunbar

This is a weekly meme in which anyone can choose and highlight a random book from their Goodreads TBR. It was formerly featured on LaurensPageTurners and was taken over by Budget Tales Book Blog.


Goodreads Synopsis:

Imps just wanna have fun.

All Samantha Martin wants to do is drink beer by the pool, play mischievous pranks on the humans, and get her hot neighbor in the sack—oh, and avoid the angels who won’t hesitate to execute her on sight.

But when her naughty hellhound lands her in trouble and she’s blackmailed into catching a killer, Sam finds herself in the crosshairs of the very beings that want her dead. Run to Hel and give up all the earthly pleasures she’s learned to love? Stay and face a certain death? Or use her impish wiles to and hope to survive?

WARNING: This completed series has laugh-out loud antics, an OCD werewolf, and a sexy angel. Get ready to binge read!

Bookish Travels: December 2025 Destinations

I saw this meme on It’s All About Books and decided to do it once a month. Many thanks to Yvonne for initially posting this!!

This post is exactly what it says: the places I travel to in books each month.

Enjoy my travels, and please let me know if you have read these books.


Countries I visited the most: United States, England

States/Provinces I visited the mostIllinois, Florida

Cities I visited the most: Chicago, London, Rosewood


United States

Missouri (Kansas City), Illinois (Chicago), California (Napa Valley)
Illinois (Chicago), Alabama (Birmingham), Tennessee (Chattanooga)
Florida (Rosewood)
Nevada (Las Vegas)
Florida (Rosewood)
Florida (Rosewood)
North Carolina (Rome)

China (during the Opium Wars)

Linhua, Changsha, Canton, Shanghai, Wuhan

England

London
London
London
London
London
London
London
London
London
London
London
London
London
London
London
London
London
London
London
London
London
London
London

WWW Wednesday: December 31st, 2025

WWW Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Sam at Taking on a World of Words.

The Three Ws are:

What are you currently reading?

What did you recently finish reading?

What do you think you’ll read next?

Here is what I am reading, recently finished, and plan to read from Thursday to Wednesday.

Let me know if you have read or plan to read any of these books!!

Happy Reading!


What I am currently reading:

Possessed villains. Intriguing guardians. Multiple words.
Ava Davenport is in the midst of her wedding preparations when her world is thrown upside down by a night visitor. He has a mind blowing message and Ava can’t keep her mind off it and… off him.

˃˃˃ The Contact
When she can no longer tell the difference between dreams and reality, she visits a shrink and a shaman. But when neither of them truly understand her, Ava gets closer with her visitor who explains why she is the most sought after person in all the worlds.

˃˃˃ The Descendant
Ava is not a regular human. She possesses abilities no other being in any world can imagine. She is the key to the evil Xemlix plan of enslaving Earth.

After being almost captured by the cruel villains, she is rescued by Meldrick Richglow, her night visitor, and she crosses the portal to the Lapo civilization, the land of milk and honey, where she is safe, but not for long.

The evil Xemlix are terrorizing Earth and can only be defeated with Ava’s supernatural abilities, which haven’t yet awakened.


What I recently finished reading:

While serving in the army in Afghanistan, Michael Cooper is informed that his wife and child are dead, killed in a store robbery in Modesto, California.The police have no leads, and while Mike finishes his tour and his enlistment, the case goes cold.Eight months after his families death, he returns to Modesto determined to hunt for justice.It’s up to Michael and his friends to track down the elusive killers and bring them to justice. If they can.


What I plan on reading Thursday through Sunday:

From the author of Breaking the Beast, the award-winning thriller, Erebus, and The New Homefront Series comes The Shepherd: Society Lost, Volume One, the first installment of the four-book Society Lost Series.

The Shepherd is the first installment of the post-apocalyptic and dystopian thrill ride of the Society Lost Series! If you like SHTF, TEOTWAWKI, vigilante justice, prepper, dystopian, post-apocalyptic tales filled with action, adventure, tragedy, and triumph, join Jessie Townsend as he and his family struggle in a collapsing and uncertain world.

The Shepherd: Society Lost, is an action-packed post-apocalyptic thrill ride detailing the struggles of former Sheriff Jessie Townsend as he and his family seek shelter from a crumbling world with a self-sufficient life on a homestead deep in the Rocky Mountains.

Sanctuary soon becomes what he meant to escape, peaceful bliss slipping into desperation and despair in the aftermath of events that shook the foundations that shaped our world to the core.

An unholy alliance of conspirators had sought the collapse of our civilization in order to rebuild and reclaim it as their own. Never truly intending to coexist, the unlikely allies found their courses diverging, leading to a struggle that dealt the final death blows to our society. In the absence of the order and structure of our modern civilization, evil, suffering, and chaos were unleashed throughout the world.

As the post-collapse struggles of the outside world begin to threaten Jessie’s mountain hideaway, a return to the world he left behind becomes a chance for redemption and survival in—a society lost.

Betrayal is the second installment of the post-apocalyptic and dystopian thrill ride of the Society Lost Series! If you like SHTF, TEOTWAWKI, vigilante justice, prepper, dystopian, post-apocalyptic tales filled with action, adventure, tragedy, and triumph, join Jessie Townsend as the struggles in his collapsing world continue.

After leaving Spence and the rescued girls with Jӧrgen and the remainder of his group, former Sheriff Jessie Townsend traveled the new and unforgiving world alone and on foot, continuing his quest to find his sister.

Still suffering tremendously from his tragic loss, Jessie walked the Earth as a prisoner of his own thoughts. Armed with his trusty old Colt Single Action Army pistol and an AR-10 platform rifle, Jessie was ready for whatever violence that may come his way. Although each of his days had a purpose, continuing on his quest that may or may not end before his death, Jessie felt a certain level of emotional numbness that only being alone could provide him.

Jessie found solitude in his empty heart—solitude that he felt he desperately needed—but not a day went by when he didn’t think back to those whom he had encountered along the way. In this mad and twisted world, devoid of law, order, and the civility that people around the world had come to expect as the norm prior to the great collapse, Jessie knew that there were still good people out there. Good people who would have to face the evil that this lawless and dangerous new world had spawned once the walls of society came crumbling down around them.

As his travels took him east past the Rocky Mountains and through the desert southwest, Jessie encountered the scene of a recent ambush near Fort Sumner, New Mexico. Appearing to him that children may have been involved, he could not simply pass on by without investigating further. Putting his former tactical and law-enforcement skills to use, he soon became both the hunter and the hunted as he resolved to impose justice on those who would betray others in their own quest for power. What his enemies would soon come to realize, however, is that you should never underestimate a man with nothing to lose—especially a man with an unquenched thirst for vengeance—in a society lost.

A cocoon of naiveté shatters on Rita Warren’s thirtieth wedding anniversary, when a terrorist murders her ex-Marine husband Jared and thirteen other movie goers.

Ensnarled in a cover-up that puts her in an assassin’s crosshairs, Rita must unravel a web of lies and connections that date back to Jared’s service in the Iraq war – before a mysterious kidnapper returns Rita’s daughter Zoe one body part at a time.

This fast-paced thriller is one you won’t want to put down from beginning to end.

When Tim, Maria and Bob’s fourteen year old apparently model son goes missing, they are baffled and distraught. A police investigation reveals Tim wasn’t quite the son they thought he was. Frantic attempts to find him fail, and when their quest becomes an obsession this causes problems between them. But they never give up, and are determined to find him DEAD OR ALIVE, even though it may cost them dear.

Book Haul 2025—December

Books I acquired in December. Unless stated, all books were free when I downloaded them


BookBub

Caribbean Shipwreck by Sal Bianchi

Lost Souls by J.T. Bishop

Gingerbread Gamble by Melody Tyden

A Duke by Scot by Amy Jarecki

The Boss Problem by Meg Garnet

Blurred Red Lines by Cora Kenborn

Wolf Spell by Tasha Black

Running as Fast as I Can by John David Graham

Synapses by Debra Erfert

Elsker by S.T. Bende

Christmas, Pursued by a Bear by Ryann Fletcher

Pointy Hats and Witchy Cats by Addison Creek

Fur Coat No Knickers by C.B. Martin

The Forever Contract by Leigh James

Until You Forgive by D.M. Davis

Con: Lord of Conquest by Louisa Cornell and Andrea K. Stein

One Night Only by Jennifer Farwell

The Advocate’s Labyrinth by Teresa Burrell

Rookie Mistake by Lisa Suzanne

Iron Will by Daphne Loveling

Kathmandu Killers by Luke Richardson

Dark and Stormy by Juliet Keane

Ready to Ride by Juliet Keane

Sin by Skyler Mason

Unforgotten Dreams by Elizabeth Ann Thompson

Wind Chime Wedding by Sophie Moss

System Manipulation by Kenny King

Cthulhu: Grimoire by Eric Malikyte

Shaken and Stirred by Lilly Atlas

Savage Wild Hearts by Sean Fletcher

Harpy by David Neth

Rock Crush and Roll by Hunter Snow

Cliff Diver by Carmen Amato

Made in Acapulco by Carmen Amato

Vanity Project by Andre Spiteri

The History Teacher by Susan Bacon

Primed by Paddy Hirsch

Ruin by Caitlyn Dare

Bend Her by Cassie Alexander

The Gingerbread Witch by Lauren Greenwood

November Homecoming by Bokerah Brumley

The Mayfly by Ben Rogers

First Strike by Richard Turner

Shifter School by Gwendolyn Druyor

Broken Boys Break Hearts by J.B. Heller

The Extractor by Ethan Jones

The Fortuna Coin by Karen Ann Hopkins

Home for Hanukkah by Rebecca Crowley

Wired by Evelyn Adams

Dancing with Lies by Summer Cooper

Wicked Witchmas by T.M. Cromer

Pescadero by Hollis Brady

Stranded No Where by E.A. Lake

Between Ink and Shadows by Melissa Wright

SOS Hotel by Adam Vex

Jingle Bell Hell by Angela Casella

Got You by Erik Therme

By-Catch by David Earth

Stillborn Armadillos by Nick Russell

The Long Shadow on the Stage by Nichole Heydenburg

The Cottage by the Cliffs by Maeve McBride

Broken Crown by M.J. Crouch

Bottled Secrets of Rosewood by Mary Kendall

The Gargoyle Grinch by Lilith Stone

Blood and Dust by J.C. Paulson

The Summons by MaryLu Tyndall

Debra Lee Won’t Break by Katherine Pickett

A Drifting Sun by Ashley Capes

I’ll Be Married for Christmas by Claire Cain

A Cowboy and His Neighbor by Emmy Eugene

A Cowboy and His Mistletoe Kiss by Emmy Eugene

The Cowboy’s Christmas Crush by Emmy Eugene


From My TBR

Nuts and Dolts by Marc Jedel

Play by Play by Kaylee Ryan

Silence by Apryl Baker

Where Fate Whispers by E.G. Tudor

Grave Covenant by Tobias Youngblood

Up for Air by Christina Berry

Tribe of Daughters by Kate L. Mary

Switched by Angela Lam

Age of Magic by Tim Vee

In the Howling Storm by Nicola Italia

Peppermint Cookie Murder by Trixie Silvertale

A Duke Confounded by Anya Wylde

Dark by Kat Kinney

Disorderly Conduct by Rebecca Zanetti

The Advocate’s Killer by Teresa Burrell

Now and Forever by Aleatha Romig

Missy Goes to West Point by P.G. Allison

The 11th Precent by T.H. Morris

Show of Honor by Tawna Fenske

Dying to Go by Marcy Blesy

A Little Twist by Tia Louise

Keeping Kate by Patricia Keelyn

Improper by Darcy Burke

Christmas with an Alien by Tana Stone

The Devil’s Playground by Carin Hart

Audrey by Kelly Moore

What Grows From the Dead by Dave Dobson


Book Mail

December 2025 Wrap-Up

Personal Highlights from this month:

  • We took Jesper (my deaf tuxedo) to the vet and explained what was going on between him and the other cats. I agreed to try him on Fluoxetine. But, not a pill or a liquid. Instead, the vet sent a prescription to Chewy’s pharmacy, and they compounded it (I didn’t know that could be done for animals). And, I’m not giving it to him orally or through food. Instead, I am putting it on the inside of his ear. The vet said it gets absorbed faster there.
  • We finally got around to putting up our Christmas lights. They went up on December 7th. Usually, I would have had them up the weekend after Thanksgiving, but it rained. And we both were busy during the week.
  • We still do not have a tree. But not from lack of trying. I have a brilliant orange-and-white cat (Tony) who likes to destroy Christmas trees. And he has taught the younger cats (Kevin, Yuki, and Marcy) to destroy, too. So, we’re getting a stick-on one… lol.
  • We also had mice get into the tote (it was stored in my outdoor storage), where I had my ornaments and decorations. Everything was destroyed, from the skirt to the ornaments that the kids made in elementary school to my nativity scene. Nothing was salvageable, and I was distraught over the kids’ ornaments.
  • I decided to combine two of my shelves on Goodreads, and well, that blew up in my face. Somehow, and I am still not sure how this happened, my “Read” shelf got copied to the shelf I was trying to delete, and to my “Want to Read” shelf. So everything was in triplicate. I ended up going through every single book and placing them where I wanted to go. It took me about a week, and I am still a little grumpy about it.
  • I was very sad to hear that Sophie Kinsella passed away from brain cancer. I loved her Shopaholic series, as well as her other books.

Reading Highlights from this month:

  • I finished the Cambric Creek series (The Minoan Bride, Morning Glory Milking Farm, A Blue Ribbon Romance, Sweet Berries, Moon Blooded Breeding Clinic, Two for Tea: Welcome to Asathe, and He Loves Me Not) by C.M. Nascosta. I loved this series, but it might not be for everyone. The books’ spice level ranges from very mild to scorching hot.
  • I finished book 1 of the Industrial November on Tour series (Hiding in the Smoke). I liked the story, but didn’t like how Bren acted for 65% of the book. Sofia was very upfront about what she wanted in a relationship, but Bren didn’t listen. Of course, there is a very predictable twist to the storyline.
  • I finished book 1 of The Gunpowder Chronicles (Gunpowder Alchemy). I enjoyed this book. The book’s steampunk and historical angles were on point. The romance was a little “meh.” I enjoyed this book and can’t wait to read the rest of the series.
  • I am going to finish the year up reading The Knight’s Ridge Empire series (Wicked Summer Knight, Wicked Knight, Wicked Princess, Wicked Empire, Deviant Knight, Deviant Princess, Deviant Reign, One Reckless Knight, Reckless Knight, Reckless Princess, Reckless Dynasty, Dark Halloween Knight, Dark Knight, Dark Princess, Dark Legacy, Corrupt Valentine’s Knight, Corrupt Knight, Corrupt Princess, Corrupt Union, Sinful Stolen Knight, Sinful Knight, Sinful Princess, Sinful Kingdom, and Knight’s Ridge Destiny). This is a very dark and very sexual series. I loved it….lol.

Books I Read:


Monthly Playlist (I use songs featured in the book, if there are any, along with a playlist generated by ChatGPT).


Featured Song of the Month

It’s Monday? What Are You Reading?—December 29th, 2026

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? a place to meet and share what you have been and are about to be reading over the week. It’s a great post to organize yourself. It’s an opportunity to visit, comment, and add to your groaning TBR pile! So welcome in everyone. This meme started on J Kaye’s blog and then was hosted by Sheila from Book Journey. Sheila then passed it on to Kathryn at The Book Date.

Jen Vincent, Teach Mentor Texts, and Kellee of Unleashing Readers decided to give It’s Monday! a kid-lit focus. If you read and review books in children’s literature – picture books, chapter books, middle-grade novels, young adult novels, or anything in those genres – join them.


What I am Reading Now

Jonah Rowe, a bored accountant and aspiring novelist, is sick and tired of his job as an accountant. He is burnt out from all the office gossip, politics, and double talk, and he longs for his life to matter. Truth be told, Jonah wants anything besides the lame routine of coasting through his workday….only to psych himself up enough to do it all over again the next day. He only wishes that his life had some meaning.

Amidst the combination of writer’s block and society’s expectations to have a “real” 9-5 job, Jonah gets his wish.

His world is turned completely upside down one evening when his vision inexplicably turns blue for several moments. He then receives a warning from a spectral visitor that not only is he in danger, but everything in his life is about to change.

Overnight, Jonah transforms from an overworked, underpaid accountant to the centerpiece of a spectral battle. Will he rise to the occasion? Can he accept that everything he knows about life and death is completely wrong? And, most importantly, will he be able to comprehend and harness the power of the mysterious 11th Percent?

Follow Jonah’s journey in this new breed of ghost story!


What I am reading Monday and Tuesday:

While serving in the army in Afghanistan, Michael Cooper is informed that his wife and child are dead, killed in a store robbery in Modesto, California.The police have no leads, and while Mike finishes his tour and his enlistment, the case goes cold.Eight months after his families death, he returns to Modesto determined to hunt for justice.It’s up to Michael and his friends to track down the elusive killers and bring them to justice. If they can.

For millennia humanity has fought against the notion of magic. Superstition and irrational fear have slowly been replaced with reason and logic. Our species entered the twenty-first century with only the slightest trappings of our former, peasant selves. This was our downfall. For science and magic are merely transitory fluctuations our planet has experienced a thousand times in its history. As has happened in the past, so must happen again. As the Phase sweeps over the earth, America is lost in chaos. Electricity and gunpowder become useless, and anarchy rules. From amongst this pandemonium strikes forth one man, an ancient from the dark past, who realizes the plight of humanity and strives to create order in the bedlam of the present. Professor Avedesh gathers those he knows to have the magical strength of the ancients; those whose very genes carry power. Fighting off starvation and shadowy cults that pursue them, the Professor must teach his followers to use their latent powers, not only to save themselves, but civilization.

Goodreads Monday: Drained (Agent Hank Rawlings: Book 1) by E.H. Reinhard

This is a weekly meme in which anyone can choose and highlight a random book from their Goodreads TBR. It was formerly featured on LaurensPageTurners and was taken over by Budget Tales Book Blog.


Goodreads Synopsis:

A known serial killer is once again taking lives in Chicago. Bodies drained of blood are being strewn across the city. For former Tampa homicide sergeant, Hank Rawlings, tracking down the man responsible for the killings becomes his first assignment at his new position, agent in the FBI’s homicide division of the serial crimes unit. Almost before the ink dries on the new job’s acceptance papers, Hank finds himself in Chicago, knee-deep in an investigation with a mounting body count. While every lead brings him and his partner closer to the killer, the one that puts them directly in front of him threatens them most.

Beat the Backlist 2025—December

Prompts I finished in December


Based on or inspired by a true story