Xepherus Reads

  Hello, Fellow Book Worms and Book Dragons,        August was one of the most productive reading months I have had in a long time. The balance between writing my second novel, and re-formatting of my debut novel added adrenaline to August. My desire to read and challenge myself was at its peak.    Here are my results (reviews linked in title).      Novels Read: Don't Let Him In by Lisa Jewell The Wilds by Sarah Pearse Comics Read: Amazing Fantasy #15 by Stan Lee & Steve Ditko   Amazing Spider-Man #1 by Stan Lee & Steve Ditko Batgirl Special #1 Barbara Randall Kesel & Barry Kitson Blackbird #4 by Sam Humphries and Jen Bartel Blackbird #5 by Sam Humphries and Jen Bartel Blackbird #6 by Sam Humphries and Jen Bartel Fantastic Four/ X-Men #1 by Chip Zdarsky & Terry Dodson Fantastic Four/ X-Men #2 by Chip Zdarsky & Terry Dodson Fantastic Four/ X-Men #3 by Chip Zdarsky & Terry Dodson Fantastic Four/ X-Men #4 by Ch...

  Hello, Fellow Book Worms and Book Dragons,           The Wilds is the third book in the Detective Elin Warner Series. It is written by Sarah Pearse and is published by Penguin Random House.    Elin Warner survived The Sanitorium and The Retreat with cracked ribs and a new outlook on life. She reconnected with her brother, Isaac, and she has managed a getaway to Portugal for some R&R. In the past, Kier, has found love with celebrity chef, Zeph. He is charismatic and whisks her off her feet. But when she heads to Devon for her brother's wedding, she is introduced to Zeph's dark side.    She begins to investigate her new beau only to find past bad break up, where Zeph stalked and terrified his ex.  As Kier and Elin's stories converge in Portugal, a killer may be on the loose. Kier has disappeared in the same vacation spot Warner has chosen. Can Elin and her brother find out what happened to Kier before a killer finds them? ...

    Hello, Fellow Book Worms and Book Dragons,         The Retreat is the second book in the Detective Elin Warner Series. It is written by Sarah Pearse and is published by Penguin Random House.    The events of The Sanatorium catapulted Detective Elin Warner out of administrative leave, and into a murder investigation. Weeks later Warner is officially back on the job. Someone is picking off vacationers at Reaper's Rock, a wellness retreat off the English Coast.  Elin meets up with Jo and her vacationing group after one of their own is found broken and bloody at the bottom of a cliff.    Elin cannot trust any of them and keeps her sense sharp. As she breaks in a new partner and deals with a new boss, Elin is against the odds. But a mysterious stalker has begun threatening Elin, leaving photographic evidence that they are steps away from her. Could the stalker and the killer be one-in-the-same? Elin will have to move quickly before ...

  Hello, Fellow Book Worms and Book Dragons,         The Sanatorium is written by Sarah Pearse and is the first book in the now three-book series. It is published by Penguin Books and was a Reese Witherspoon pick.     In it, we are introduced to Elin Warner, a detective on leave after a traumatizing case almost killed her. She is on her way to the posh hotel, Le Sommet, in the Crans-Montana area of Switzerland. There, she will be reunited with her estranged brother, Isaac, to celebrate his engagement to their longtime friend, Laure.    But the hotel has a past that has been kept hidden from the public. It is a past that begins a new body count, as staff begin to turn up dead. And with a snowstorm, avalanche, and cunning killer on the loose, can Elin defy the odds to solve the case or become the next victim?    The Sanatorium was a page-turner. Pearse has a writing style I enjoyed and she gave the reader a cast of excellent...

  Hello, Fellow Book Worms and Book Dragons,      It is time to begin sharing my  2026 Xepherus Reads  Reading Challenge results.    The challenge dates are January 1, 2026, to December 31, 2026  Book Challenge books read: 13/50) Books Read Not in a Category: (89) Total Books Read: (102)   Updated 08/29/2026   Xepherus Reads Challenge categories (in alphabetical order):                 A 2025 Goodreads Choice winner- A banned book- A biography of a celebrity- A book a Netflix show was based on- A book by a debut author- A book by your favorite author you have not read- Not a Happy Family by Shari Lapena (****) A book featuring your favorite character- One Last Kill by Robert Dugoni (****) A book from your childhood- Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury  (*****) A Book of the Month Club Book- A book over 500 pages- A book published during the 1970s- A book pu...