I’ve decided to try a few new things with the blog for 2026 instead of killing it. Here’s one of them: every week over on Argh Ink (Jennifer Crusie’s social blog), there’s a day when the Argh readers talk about what they’ve been reading. My lists are usually ridiculously long, because in spite of Day Job and everything else, I read a book a day on average. I keep a reading journal, and I use it for my weekly Argh reading recaps, and why not repurpose it here? This is your chance to see what I read and what I think about it. Note: Sometimes I don’t like a book. I will say so. This doesn’t mean you might not like it. If any title, author, or premise sounds interesting, give it a chance! And buy direct if you can!
1. ‘Thornyhold’ by Mary Stewart, in which a young woman inherits a house from an inspiring relative and finds herself in a small local mystery (familiar setup) while embarking on a new, creative, peaceful, loving life. The definition of a comfort read.
2. ‘Atmosphere’ by Taylor Jenkins Reid. F/F feat. two women astronauts 1980-1984. SO GOOD, there’s interwoven timelines which some readers hate, but I was GRIPPED.
3. [re-read] ‘One Giant Leap’ by Kay Simone, M/M about a veteran astronaut who falls in love with his new CAPCOM while on a 3-week mission. Srsly love this book. Author’s site HERE. The communicator dude has Meniere’s disease, which led me to …
4. [re-read] ‘Off Balance’ by Jay Hogan, M/M about a New Zealand fisheries officer who falls for a former ballet dancer whose career ended due to Meniere’s disease. Author’s site HERE.
5. ‘The Extraordinaries’ by TJ Klune, which I loved so much I instantly bought the other two in trilogy at full price.
6. [re-read] ‘In Step’ by Jay Hogan, M/M in same setting as Off Balance, feat. former bully with a truckload of Issues and visiting older choreographer.
7. ‘Limerence’ by Scarlett Drake, M/M rivals to lovers ballet romance, exactly what it says on the tin. I learned a new word (the title) and a new use for word (fondu, which in ballet means ‘melted’ so, yeah, same thing). High conflict story with a ton of very graphic sex including some acts that kind of grossed me out. Nothing outstandingly original about the plot but these dancers dance (unlike some alleged dance romances out there), the characters were well drawn, and I bought the HEA.
8. ‘Strangers in the Night’ by Richard Tyler Jordan. Borderline porn, a farce about a small-town Iowa TV station taping a reality show in which six gay men, all strangers, are shut up in a house for six weeks, with one to be voted off (by the others) every week. I read the whole thing more to see how this scenario got wrapped up than because I cared for any of the characters. It’s entertaining, especially if small-town cozy fiction gives you hives.