What Have You Been Reading Lately?

We’re a little more than halfway through 2026, and I was perusing my reading list so far this year. I use the Goodreads Challenge to track my reading progress. Here’s what I’ve read the first half of this year. (I’m a little behind schedule, but I’ll catch up on my reading as soon as all my edits are done, and I finish the manuscript that I’m working on.)

• Dial A for Aunties - Jesse Q. Sutano

• Fallen Star - Lee Goldberg

• A Crime of Poison - Nancy Haddock

• Cashed out Cold (ARC) - Anna St. John

• At Death’s Dough - Mindy Quigley

• The Uninvited Corpse - Debra Sennefelter

• Killer Secrets - Jackie Layton

• Killing Cupid - Laura Levine

• Caught on the Book - Laura Gail Black

• Catering to the Dead - Kim Davis

• Elvis and the Dearly Departed - Peggy Webb

• String of Lies - Mary Ellen Hughes

• The Vicious Vet - M. C. Beaton

• Scot Free - Catriona McPherson

• A New Lease on Death - Olivia Blacke

• Girl Sleuth: Nancy Drew and the Women Who Created Her - Melanie Rehak

• French Quarter Fright Night - Ellen Byron

• Come Shell or High Water - Mollie MacRae

• Sugar and Vice - Eve Calder

• A Golden Opportunity for Murder ARC - Rebecca Saltzer

• Pour Choices (ARC) - Adrian Andover

• Between Roquefort and a Hard Place - Linda Reilly

What have you been reading this year?

What's on Your Summer Reading List?

What is on your summer reading list?

Last month, I asked my newsletter readers what was on their list for their summer reading. These are in no particular order, but I think it’s going to take me longer than just the summer to get through all the great suggestions.

• The Lumber Baron's Wife by Lynn Austin

• The Bookshop of 99 Doors by Jaime Jo Wright

• Murder Local Style by Leslie Karst

• Murder Plays Second Fiddle by Heather Weidner (Squee!)

• Circle of Influence by Annette Dashofy

• The Boat House

• Pretty Beach

• Palm Beach Rogues

• Cleo Dang Would Rather be Dead by Mai Nguyen

• 26 Beauties: A Women’s Murder Club by James Patterson (Several people chose this.)

• Theo of Golden by Allen Levi

• Shipwrecked Faith by Danielle Grandinetti

• The Well-Placed Lie by Kari Lee Townsend

• Brighter Than Before by Courtney Walsh

• Jessie’s Girl by Lauren Biel

• The Aloha Lagoon series

• Echoes of Memory by Sara Driscoll

• Summer State of Mind by Kristy Woodson Harvey

• The Little Italian Hotel by Phaedra Patrick

• The Library of Lost and Found by Phaedra Patrick

• All That Lies Beneath by D. L. Wood

• A Flicker in the Dark by Stacy Willingham

• Hidden Pictures by Jason Rekulak

• Harsh Winters by John Randall

• Our Secret Summer by R. S. Grey

• The Lost Summer of Louisa May Alcott by Kelly O'Connor McNees.

• Whiskey Business by Adrian Andover

• The Summer List by Amy Mason Doan

• Tabby Trouble by Emmie Lyn

• Our Italian Summer by Jennifer Probst

• Secret Lives and Private Eyes by Heather Weidner (Squeee again!)

• Last To Fall by Lynn H. Blackburn

• Clawed and Dangerous by Rita Mae Brown (more than one person recommended this)

• The Most Mysterious Bookshop in Paris by Mark Pryor

• Denise Grover Swank’s books

• Abigail Keam’s books

• A Deadly Episode by Anthony Horowitz

• M. C. Beaton’s books

• Ellen Riggs’ Bought the Farm Mysteries

• Knight’s Storm by Katie Reus

• A Moveable Feast by Ernest Hemingway

• Outliers: Team Two by S. A. Hoag

• Knight’s Obsession by Katie Reus

• Teddy Bears and Ghostly Lairs by Heather Weidner (Squeeee!)

• Phaedra Patrick’s books

• D. L. Woods’ books

• Freida McFadden’s books

• City Hall by Bentley Little

• Revival by Stephen King

• Ghost Camera by Darcy Coates

• Memory Man by David Baldacci

• The Library of Amorlin by Kalyn Josephson

• Soulgazer by Maggie Rapier

Do You Track What You Read?

Happy New Year! Do you track of what you read? I do to keep up with series that I like, and to preserve a record by year of what I’ve read because once or twice I’ve bought or checked out a book that I didn’t remember reading.

I use Goodreads to keep a log of what I’ve read with their annual reading challenge. Years before the site, I started with a list in a Word document that I could search. There are many good sites and applications out there to record your reading progress.

• The reading challenge helps me see my stats at the end of the year. Goodreads creates a nice graphical summary with my details.

• It helps remind me to leave a review when I finish a book.

• I share what I’m reading in my author newsletter, and it helps me to keep that organized by month.

• And I just like data. I can compare what I’ve read during different years and see fun facts like the longest and shortest books.

What do you use to track your reading progress?

Heather's Favorite Books of 2025

Here are my favorite reads this year in no particular order…

Favorite Cozies:

• Vice and Virtue by Libby Klein

• Chocolate Can Be Deadly by Kim Davis

• Welcome Home to Murder by Rosalie Spielman

• Basket Case by Nancy Haddock

• A Plus One for Murder by Laura Bradford

• A Fatal Feast at Bramsford Manor by Darci Hannah

• Mousse and Murder by Elizabth Logan

• Axe Me No Questions by Paula Charles

• Whiskey Business by Adrian Andover

• The Jig is up by Lisa Q. Mathews

• A Zappy Little Christmas by Paula Charles

• Paint the Town Dead by Nancy Haddock

Favorite Suspense and Thrillers:

• The Secret of Secrets by Dan Brown

• King of Ashes by S. A. Cosby

• The Pharaoh’s Tomb by LynDee Walker and Bruce Coffin

• The Proving Ground by Michael Connelly

Favorite Historical Mysteries:

• Harry Houdini Mysteries: The Dime Museum Murders

• Disco Dead by Marcia Talley

Favorite Police Procedural:

• Hidden in Smoke by Lee Goldberg

Favorite Nonfiction:

• Heaven Help Us: How Faith Communities Inspire Hope, Strengthen Neighborhoods, and Build the Future by John Kasich

What were your favorites this year?

What Have You Been Reading This Summer?

What have you been reading this summer? My reads have been a mix of cozy mystery and suspense.

I really love Kim Davis’s Cupcake Catering Mysteries. What a fun series!

Marcia Talley’s Disco Dead is a great read that focuses on forensic genealogy to solve a gruesome murder from the 1970s.

I’m going back and reading the Jack Reacher novels that I missed for some reason. Nothing to Lose is an early one. And Lee Goldberg’s Hidden in Smoke is a chock full of action and suspense.

I had the pleasure of reading two, fun ARCs (Advanced Review Copies) for Michelle Bennington’s Killer Cache and J. Kent Holloway. Both mysteries that will be out soon. Michelle’s is about an amateur sleuth who is a hoarder, and J. Kent’s is about a magical holiday place.

Reading - Why It's Important for Writers

I was always that kid who got excited when the teacher gave us free reading time. Reading has always been a way for me to relax and to escape into other worlds and a chance to solve a mystery.

Reading, especially your genre, is also important to writers. And here’s why:

• If you want to go the traditional publishing route, you need to know what is out there. It’s always good to have an idea where your book fits.

• If you are querying publishers, look at the publishers/imprints and see what genres and subgenres they are publishing.

• If you are querying agents, check out the author’s notes or the acknowledgments to see who represents them. If it matches your genre, add them to your list to research.

• Reading builds vocabulary and exposes you to literary techniques and styles.

• When I decided to write a cozy mystery, I spent almost a year reading every cozy I could get my hands on. I took note of themes, types of sleuths, locations, the voice (first or third person), the tense the story is written in, and the major/minor characters.

• Follow authors and publishers that catch your eye. Sign up for newsletters to see what’s new and releasing next.

• Follow book bloggers, podcasters, and book reviewers on social media and see what they are reviewing.

• Reading is research.

What would you add to my list?

What Are You Reading This Summer?

What have you added to your summer reading list? I’m always looking for recommendations, especially new to me mystery series. Here’s what I’ve been reading lately.

I recently discovered Laura Bradford’s series. She has sleuths with unusual jobs and lives. These are fun reads to add to your beach bag. Also check out Lisa Q. Matthews and Darci Hannah. They have a bunch of quirky characters who get themselves into all kinds of tricky situations.

Diane Kelly’s series are always a must read, and her latest, Dead Post Society, will not disappoint.

And you need to check out Michael Rigg’s debut mystery, Voices of the Elysian Fields. It’s a medical thriller set in New Orleans.

Who are your favorite new reads?

Do You Set Reading Goals?

I was the kid who was excited when the teacher said to read quietly. It’s rarely that I don’t have a book or my Kindle library more than an arm’s length away.

I don’t usually do New Year’s Resolutions, but I do set a reading goal each year on Goodreads to track my history. It’s helpful, and it reminds me to leave a review for the authors. The graphic that Goodreads creates each December is great to see your progress and your stats. Here’s mine for 2024.

For writers, reading is important. It helps you learn with what’s happening in the genre you write and to stay in tune with who is publishing what. Reading is research.

It’s also a great way to support your fellow authors. Buy and share their books. Write a review. Ask the library to add the books to its collection.

Hop over and follow me on Goodreads.