Tag: romance

When I was a teenager, I read voraciously and without any real pattern. There was a lot of organic discovery at the library, no tracking whatsoever (I’m still sad about all the books I read that I’ll never remember and therefore never be able to mark on Goodreads), and so much rereading of my favorite books.

As I’ve gotten back into reading as an adult and found bookish communities online, it’s been delightful. Goodreads is amazing (and maddening), I have a bookish bullet journal that I love (and would have loved in high school if I’d known it was a thing), and I have also discovered seasonal reading, which very much fits my personality and is super fun for me.

Today I am sharing what types of books I tend to read at different times of the year, and giving a recommendation for each category.

January

The start of a new year is always exciting. There’s a fresh-page feel to everything you do. Probably because of New Year’s and the focus on goals, one of my favorite genres to read is nonfiction self help books. I think I am extra motivated in January to make changes to my life, so self help books are more exciting then.

I also love to read Agatha Christie in January. My goal is to read one book a month by her throughout the year, but I get extra nostalgic about her books during the first month and often will read multiple by her.

January is also a month that I love to get a good start on my reading goals, by knocking out some of faster reads on any of my lists. This is especially true of my goal to read all the unread books I own in January by the end of the year. Finding quicker reads on that list to get through is a fun way for me to start off my reading year strong.

Self Help Book Recommendation:

Atomic Habits by James Clear

Atomic Habits has been my number one spot for their nonfiction self help for years now. The information in it has been life changing for me, and it is a very accessible read with a lot of fun stories in it. I also get more out of it every time I reread it.

The number one thing that has been helpful for me from the book is the idea of small habit changes–you don’t need to make these huge changes in order for your life to get better. As you make small course corrections, your identity begins to shift. As your identity begins to shift, you begin making more changes in that direction, which then affects your identity and it’s a cycle. When I am struggling in an area of my life, I often look at small changes I can make to my behavior or to my environment that will make big differences to my trajectory. I also have started small with habits when I first read this book (such as reading in my scriptures) that I am still going strong on now–and they aren’t as small as they were when I started!

Agatha Christie Recommendation:

The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie

The Murder of Roger Ackroyd is not Agatha Christie’s most famous book, but it’s up there. It is my favorite because I had such a great experience with the whodunnit journey. I loved not knowing who had done and coming up with theories and then when the reveal happened, I was very surprised. And yet, looking back, it all made sense to me.

I also really enjoyed the format of the story and I tend to really like the mysteries with Poirot.

Other favorites have been And Then There Were None, Murder on the Orient Express, A Caribbean Mystery, One Two Buckle My Shoe, and any of the short story collections.

Fast Read Recommendation:

What Does It Feel Like by Sophie Kinsella

What Does It Feel Like is a three hour audiobook, so very short and quick, but very hard hitting. It follows a famous author who wakes up in the hospital with no memory of how she got there, until they inform her that she had brain surgery because of brain cancer. She then has to work through memory issues, recover from the surgery at Christmas time, and get used to her new life as things are much different now.

Despite being short, the story packs in a lot of emotion. I have to admit that I bawled through it. It is partially autobiographical (in that Sophie Kinsella went through a lot of the same experiences as the main character, though she made some things up and the characters are fictional), which only made it more powerful and emotional of a read for me.

February

With Valentine’s Day being in February, I often focus my reading on romance books. This includes regency, YA contemporary, and romcoms. The only caveat I have with romance books is that I avoid any books with open door scenes and only read clean romance.

Regency Recommendation:

A Game of Hearts by Joanna Barker

I tend to enjoy regency romance books sparingly, but I do enjoy them. Joanna Barker is one my favorite authors for the genre and my favorite book by her is A Game of Hearts (though A Heart Worth Stealing is a close second).

A Game of Hearts follows Marigold, who loves archery and wants women to be able to compete as well as men and especially wants to beat out her long-time rival Tristan. The book starts off with my personal favorite romance trope, hate-to-love, and then moves to a marriage-of-convenience trope by the end of the book. Both are executed on very well and are fun to read. The characters have great chemistry and the story is believable for the time frame it takes place in. I loved it from beginning to end.

YA Contemporary Recommendation:

Love, Life, and the List by Kasie West

Kasie West has a large backlist of clean and sweet YA romances (her newer adult romcoms are not clean). I have enjoyed many of them and this is one of my favorites.

In Love, Life and the List, Abby has an unrequited crush on her best friend and a desire to be a “real” artist. To improve her art, she sets herself a list of ten things to do over the summer to get out of her comfort zone and really experience life–but finds she must change herself along the way. I love the relationships, both the romantic friends-to-lovers and her relationship with her friends and Grandpa. The character arc is very satisfying and the romance has a sweet conclusion to it. If you enjoy YA contemporary, Kasie West is a great author to check out.

Rom Com Recommendation:

Hello Stranger by Katherine Center

Adult rom coms are some of my favorite books to read as an adult reader, but I also love clean romance books. Katherine Center is one of my favorite authors for clean rom coms and my favorite book by her is Hello Stranger.

Hello Stranger follows an portrait artist who experiences a rare complication from a minor brain surgery–face blindness. She can see, but faces are all a jumble to her. As she struggles to hang onto her artistic dreams, she also has to deal with family issues, health issues with her beloved dog, and a love triangle with two very different men. I loved the whole story, from the very beginning, but the ending was my favorite–there is a plot twist I never saw coming, but looking back, was very well foreshadowed. I loved it and wish I could read it again for the first time.

March

With Middle Grade March, I mostly read middle grade books in March. I love focusing on middle grade books across different genres and participating in the readathon with others.

Middle Grade Recommendation:

Framed! by James Ponti

One of my favorite middle grade authors is James Ponti (he also wrote City Spies and Sherlock Society) and my favorite book series by him is Framed!

Framed! is a series that follows a boy named Florian and his friend Margaret who use a TOAST, the Theory of All Small Things–a tecnique for solving mysteries small and large. Using this theory, Florian get involved with an FBI case and eventually begin working as a secret FBI consultant. Between his schoolwork, of course.

The plot is full of mysteries and action, the themes involve friendship and growing up, and there is a strong family base to it all. I love the way Florian and Margaret solve the mysteries with TOAST and I loved the themes and growth of the characters throughout the series. My kids all loved the series as well.

April

April is when Spring starts teasing us with warm weather just to get cold again and it’s also the month of my husband and I’s wedding anniversary. This time of year, I love to read romances and classics. I read other genres as well, but those tend to be ones I’m drawn to around this time.

Romance Recommendation:

The Secret Bridesmaid by Katy Birchall

The Secret Bridesmaid was one of my favorite books in 2025. It is a contemporary romance following Sophie, whose job is a “professional bridesmaid”. People hire her to be their bridesmaid, to both plan the wedding and pretend to be their friend for the wedding, as their bridesmaid. She gets hired by the parents of a rich and spoiled girl to be a bridesmaid, but the girl doesn’t want her and does everything she can to make Sophie’s life miserable. I loved the hate-to-friendship relationship there and of course, the romance that made the whole situation even more tricky. I also appreciated how clean the book was.

Katy Birchall is a new author to me, but I enjoyed this book so much, I want to try out her other books and love recommending this book to anyone who enjoys clean romance.

Classic Recommendation:

The Blue Castle by LM Montgomery

I have many classics that I love and most classics are very well known and talked about. I wanted to pick one that I haven’t heard a lot about but that I loved–The Blue Castle. LM Montgomery is most famous for Anne, but I’ve loved many of her other books.

The Blue Castle is actually my favorite by her. It is an adult romance following Valancy. Valancy is 29, unmarried, and feeling stuck until some shocking news from her doctor spur her to make some changes in her life. The book has a romcom feel to it, with misunderstandings, character growth, and an adorable romance. I had never even heard of this book until a couple of years ago and didn’t know such a gem existed!

May-July

From May to July, as I am enjoying all the warm weather with my kids and family, I love to read fun and light books. I tend towards contemporary books (particularly ones that take place in the summer) and chicklit type books during these months.

Contemporary Summer Read Recommendation:

The One with the Kiss Cam by Cindy Steel

A really fun summer contemporary book is The One with the Kiss Cam. Cindy Steel is another of my favorite authors for romance and this one is the prefect read for summer time.

It starts off with two strangers ending up on the kiss cam together–and spending the rest of the evening together. They go their separate ways and it’s as if their spur of the moment date never happened … until years later, when the main character Nora starts a new job and bumps into her “kiss cam date” in the elevator. Life didn’t exactly take her where she had wanted to go over the years, he’s dating someone else, and she’s a rule follower while he’s more of a throw the rule book out kind of guy. I loved the book from beginning to end, and especially the ending.

Chicklit Recommendation:

Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarity

If you could magically read one book for the first time again, what would it be? Mine would probably be Big Little Lies. I devoured it the first time I read it and I love rereading it (especially when I listened to it with my husband, that was really fun), but it is the kind of book that is best on the first read.

Big Little Lies follows three kindergarten moms as they become friends and live their lives, all leading up to … something. A murder? An accident? We’re not sure exactly what happened, but Liane Moriarity gives the reader just enough information to know something big happened and desperately want to know what happened, all while getting heavily invested in each character and hoping most of the theories you’re coming up with are wrong. I love the way Liane Moriarty writes characters and the way she handles tension. This was my first book by her and remains my favorite.

August

With summer wrapping up, August often feels like a turning point in the year, with the end of the year coming fast. For that reason, August is often a month in which I take a look at my reading goals and make significant progress in areas where I’m lacking. This is is especially true of any big books on my TBR, that I know I’ll need more time to get through, since September is my month for shorter reads and then it’s onto the holidays.

Big Book Recommendation:

The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson

If you are looking for a reading investment–whether that’s because you want to get your money’s worth out of a credit or you simply enjoy reading larger books sometimes–The Stormlight Archive series is a great pick.

It has a bit of a steep learning curve right at the beginning, but then once you get into the book, the characters are amazing. The ending of The Way of Kings is one of the best I’ve ever read (only surpassed, in my opinion, by the ending of the third book in the seires, Oathbringer). Despite its size, this book is one I’ve come back to and reread time and time again. This is also a great time to pick up the series, because it is going to have ten books in it, but the series’ arc is split in two and the first arc just finished up with the release of book 5.

September

Because I love to participate in 30 Books in 30 Days, a readathon where you do just that and read 30 books in September, this is a generally a month of short reads for me. For the readathon, short stories and novellas count, but I also love to read some actual novels that are quicker reads, especially ones on my TBR list. I’ll save short books all year for September.

Short Read Recommendation:

The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion

I love this series, and in my opinion, the farther you get into it, the better it gets (my personal favorite is book 8!). The first two books in the series are very quick reads–the audiobook of the first is a little over three hours and the audiobook of the second is four and a half hours. After that, they get longer (six to nine hour audiobooks).

I actually love that the first two are shorter–it allowed me to read them when I wasn’t as invested yet, and feel like I was making good progress on a new series. The first especially would have been harder for me to get through if it had been longer, but by book three, I was already invested and ready to read the books no matter their length. By book 8 (the last one released, though book 9 is expected to release this year), I was devouring it and wishing it was longer, despite it being the longest book yet (a twelve and a half hour audiobook).

Short Read Recommendation:

Agatha Christie plays

I love Agatha Christie and actually, a lot of her books are quicker, shorter reads. If you really want to get a quick read–the kind you can read in a day or one sitting–then her plays are the perfect pick. Because they are formatted as a screenplay, they are mostly dialogue. I think it usually takes me 1-2 hours at most to read through them.

My favorite plays by her are The Unexpected Guest, Mousetrap, and Spider’s Web. They are all quick reads but they still have characters that draw you into the mystery and twist endings that feel fun and satsifying, whether you guess them or not. Reading her plays are also a great way to get a taste of what her writing and stories are like before committing to reading her longer novels, something that can be daunting if you aren’t as used to the old fashioned language.

October

October is the start of all things spooky, but in a fun way. I’m not as into hardcore horror and definitely not gore, but I still like to get into the spirit of Halloween. In October, I love to read Mystery, Thriller, Horror Fantasy/Fantasy, and Witch or Magic Books (including Harry Potter).

Mystery Recommendation:

Murder at Mallowan Hall by Colleen Cambridge

Colleen Cambridge has become one of my favorite mystery authors over the last few years and my favorite series by her is Phyllida Bright.

Murder at Mallowan Hall follows Phyllida Bright, the fictional housekeeper to Agatha Christie. Phyllida is very efficient in all areas of her life and loves Christie’s books, especially Poirot. When a murder takes place at Mallowan Hall, Phyllida feels it is her duty to investigate. She uses Poirot as a role model as she balance her housekeeping duties with her attempts to catch a dangerous killer. The series blends the detective plot with a Downton Abbey-esque subplot really well, as well as a romance that I love and great mysteries.

Thriller Recommendation:

Mother-Daughter Murder Night by Nina Simon

I love thrillers, but I don’t love heavy language, sexual content, and gory violence. It can be hard to find thrillers that I love that aren’t too much for me, but this one hit the spot.

In Mother-Daughter Murder Night, it follows a grandmother with cancer, a mother, and her daughter. It’s described as Gilmore Girls but with murder, which is an apt description. I love the dynamics between the three generations and the way the relationships between all three of them grow and change throughout the book. The grandmother is such a fun character to read about and the mystery of the thriller is a compelling one.

Fantasy Recommendation:

Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson

I read first read Mistborn almost 15 years ago and it has remained my favorite fantasy book through all that time. Every time I reread the book, I just love it more.

Mistborn combines amazing characters with a really cool magic system, secrets in the world to uncover, and a heist feel (in the first book, the main group of characters are pulling a heist and in the rest of the series, they are dealing with the fallout of that heist). The first book is great on its own, but the ending to the series is the best part. I love the twist that is revealed at the end, as well as the way everything is wrapped up. This series is also great for Halloween time–it isn’t a gritty fantasy, but it also isn’t a lighthearted one and the feel fits into fall in the perfect way.

Magic Book Recommendation:

A Pinch of Magic by Michelle Harrison

If you are looking for a fun-filled book revolving around magic for Halloween, A Pinch of Magic is a great choice.

A Pinch of Magic is a middle grade fantasy book following three sisters who inherit a “pinch” of magic each, but also a live with a curse. In attempting to break the curse, they get themselves into a dangerous situation and have to use not only their little bit of magic, but their own wits and each other to get out of it.

The book is a fun middle grade that has strong family relationships, a cool magic system, and atmospheric world. It does a really good job of setting up an impossible problem and then solving that problem in a satisfying way.

November

November is that awkward time between Halloween and Christmas, at least for me. There’s Thanksgiving–a holiday I love–but there aren’t really ‘Thanksgiving books’. What tends to happen for me is the first half of November ends up being a continuation of October-ish reads and the second half of November leads up to December. And once Thanksgiving is over, I dive into my Christmas books!

November Recommendation:

The Lost Man by Jane Harper

Jane Harper is one of my favorite authors, though it suprised me how much I enjoyed her books when I first started reading them. She writes slower paced, character driven thrillers set in Australia and I devour her books each time I pick one up.

The Lost Man is a stand alone following a family living on a cattle property in outback Queensland. The land is harsh and unforgiving. The three brothers are grown with their own families and lives when one of them is found dead on the land. If he didn’t lose hope and leave himself there to die, there are few suspects that could be responsible. The book combines mystery, family drama, survival in a harsh land, suspense, and a dash of romance. I was gripped throughout the entire story and couldn’t stop thinking about it when I finished reading it. It is my favorite of Jane Harper’s books so far.

November Recommendation:

The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion by Beth Brower

I know I already recommended this series, but that just goes to show how much I love it. There’s something about the atmosphere of this series that feels perfect for November.

The series has festivals and celebrations, a Christmas (I think Christmas happens in the fifth book), grief, friendships, and a love of reading and books. Whether you are reading this in November as a lead up to Christmas or just to get through that cold but not yet festive time of year, it is perfect. I also feel the themes explored throughout the book are very appropriate for Thanksgiving and the time of year that focuses on being grateful for the relationships and blessings in our life.

December

December is my most seasonal read-heavy month of the year as I mostly focus on Christmas books leading up to the holiday. My favorite thing is sitting in front of the tree while reading whatever Christmas book I’m in the middle of. I don’t focus on reading goals and often don’t read as much because of how busy the season is. Once Christmas is over, I finish up any last minute books for my reading goals and I also love to finish off the year with a romance book or two.

Christmas Book Recommendation:

The Complete Christmas Books by Lucy Maud Montgomery

I read this story collection last year and with one exception (The Red Room), I was delighted with every single one! I loved how wholesome and service oriented each story was, it really brought the spirit of Christmas into my home as I read them.

They are broken up into two sections–Christmas stories and New Year’s stories. The stories in both sections have a similar feel to them, of uplifting each other, sacrificing for others, and focusing on those around us rather than ourselves. I read the Christmas ones leading up to Christmas and then read the New Year’s ones between the two holidays and really enjoyed both. I am planning on reading most of the stories with my kids next year during the holiday season.

Christmas Book Recommendation:

Christmas Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella

I like Sophie Kinsella, but I actually didn’t love Confessions of a Shopaholic as much as other people do (I preferred the movie). I was pleasantly surprised when I ended up loving the Christmas sequel to the novel.

In the book, Becky adores Christmas. But this year, she’s in charge of hosting and things are not going well. It was so fun to read all about her antics and the problems she got herself into along the way, but also her determination to get herself out again. There was a cute Christmas message and the ending was so heart warming, it brought me to tears. It was a delightful read that got me right into the holiday mood.

Romance Recommendation:

The Key to my Heart by Lia Louis

Lia Louis is a new author to me and I want to read more by her after this book. The Key to my Heart deals with grief, friendship, and romance in the best way.

Natalie’s husband passed away two years ago, but she’s struggling to move on with her life. Then someone mysteriously starts leaving sheet music of her husband’s favorite songs for her. As she tries to solve the mystery of who could be leaving the sheet music, she meets new friends and begins to wonder if maybe she could find new love for herself again after all.

The book deals with grief in a very touching way and I loved the way the book handled all the different relationships, from old friendships to new friendships to the romance. The writing actually reminded me of Sophie Kinsella, but with a more serious tone. I loved the book and can’t wait to try more from this author.

Those are the different books I tend to read throughout the year–some months more seasonal, others less so. I have found a lot of joy in reading more seasonally as I’ve gotten older! Do you read seasonally? What types of books do you like to read at different times of the years? I’d love to hear from you!

February was a pretty good reading month for me, full of romance books. We were sick for a lot of the month, which allowed me more reading time as we rested (as well as less reading time when I was so sick I just wanted to veg).

In February, I read 18 books and 4,875 pages, for an average of 270 pages per book. I read 15 books by female authors and 3 by male authors. I read 4 physical books, 7 eBooks, and 7 audiobooks. I borrowed 7 of the books I read and owned 11 of them. I read 5 middle grade books, 3 YA books, and 10 adult books, with 5 read alouds with my kids. Of the books I read, 2 were rereads and 16 were new reads and 3 were new releases. I read 5 books that are part of a series, starting 1 series, finishing 1 series, and reading 10 stand alone books. I read 3 books on my 2026 TBR list (now having read 6 of 33). I read 9 five star reads, 8 four star reads, 1 three star reads, and 0 two or one star reads.

Here are my FIVE favorite books from February:

A Proper Scandal by Esther Hatch

A Proper Scandal is a regency romance following Grace, who has been shuttled from place to place until arriving with her aunt, who gives her two weeks to find a husband before being kicked out. She has a sizable dowry and is beautiful, so she needs to be careful to avoid unscrupulous men in her search, but with such a short amount of time, she might have to put someone in a compromising position herself. I loved the plot of the book, with how often people are trying to entrap someone else. I also loved the romance, the two main characters were great for each other and it was fun to watch them overcome all the obstacles they faced to come together.

Tailored Realities by Brandon Sanderson

Tailored Realities is a new release by Brandon Sanderson. It is a collection of short science fiction stories he’s written over the last ten years, with a new “short story” titled Moment Zero (it’s pretty long for a short story) as the centerpiece of the collection. I loved listening to it! I really enjoyed revisiting the stories I’d already read and it was fun to see the new ones (there were some shorter ones that I’d never come across before that were older) and Moment Zero was a very enjoyable read for me. I also really loved Brandon Sanderson’s postscripts for each story.

Romeo and Juliet for Kids by Louis Burdett

Romeo and Juliet for Kids was a really fun read for the kids and I. It incorporated a lot of the original wording, but put it into a poem that was more understandable. The illustrations are all drawn by other kids and made my kids laugh. I still helped my kids understand some of what was going on as we read the story, but they were invested in the characters (I warned them it was a sad ending). I loved being able to visit the story in a way that was more accessible for them but kept the spirit of the original.

The Cowboy’s Game by Cindy Steel

The Cowboy’s Game was my favorite romance read of the month. I have to admit, I teared up multiple times. It had that light hearted rom com feel to it, with lots of banter and funny moments, but it also had some depth to it as the characters worked through their past and were able to be there for each other. I loved the main character’s sweet little girl and the role she played in everything and the ending was just perfect.

The Happy Life of Isadora Bentley by Courtney Walsh

The Happy Life of Isadora Bentley was such a fun read! I loved Isadora’s character, even with all her flaws at the beginning of the book. She met such great friends and it was so fun to watch their relationships grow and change her as a person. The romance was so sweet and her character arc was very well done.

Bonus: My favorite reread!

Book of a Thousand Days by Shannon Hale

You know I love to include a bonus book in these post–my favorite reread, as I don’t count rereads in my list of favorite books each month. This month, my favorite reread was Book of a Thousand Days. I remember loving this book as a teenager and rereading it now, I still love it! I love Dashti’s character and the romance in it. I also love the way Saren grows, and the role Dashti plays in that growth. This reread was extra fun because my 11 year old daughter was reading the book at the same time and loving it. We kept comparing what day we were on. It is so fun to share things like this with your kids!

Those were my favorite reads from the month of February! What were your favorite books from last month? What is a book you’ve read recently and loved?