Xepherus Reads

  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: 18/50) Books Read Not in a Category: (121) Total Books Read: (139)   Updated 10/03/2026   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 Flicker in the Dark by Stacy Willingham 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-  Middle of the Ni...

      Hello, Fellow Book Worms and Book Dragons,            At the beginning of the year I decided to change the way I tackled my To Be Read shelves. I used a bell jar filled with photo stickers of various book covers. As the covers were added the jar became too small. I graduated the collection to trading card snap boxes: one for comics and one for novels.    I took into consideration nearly 10 years of collecting digital books and my current TBR shelves. I used my HP Sprocket to print 4 book covers per sticker. I cut the covers out and combined any series or authors into tiny baggies for easy retrieval. The rest were stacked together loose. Sample of my 2" x 3"sticker sheet    Let's take a few minutes to see how my experiment is progressing. And the changes that were made since:    Always maintain 50 or more books in the jar. (I have exceeded that number, adding comics and graphic novels to 2 trading card boxe...

  Hello, Fellow Book Worms and Book Dragons, July was a fun month for reading. I tackled a 24- hour readathon, visited some old favorites, and added more research for my second novel. Here are the results. Novels Read in July: A Game of Lies by Clare Mackintosh Other People's House by Clare Mackintosh Comics Read in July: Aliens: Dead Orbit#3 by James Stokoe Aliens: Dead Orbit#4 by James Stokoe Batman '89: Echoes #1 by Sam Hamm & Joe Quinones Batman '89: Echoes #2 by Sam Hamm & Joe Quinones Batman '89: Echoes #3 by Sam Hamm & Joe Quinones Batman '89: Echoes #4 by Sam Hamm & Joe Quinones Batman '89: Echoes #5 by Sam Hamm & Joe Quinones Batman '89: Echoes #6 by Sam Hamm & Joe Quinones The Huntress #14 by Joey Cavalieri and Joe Staton The Huntress #15 by Joey Cavalieri and Joe Staton The Huntress #16 by Joey Cavalieri and Joe Staton TBR Jar Hopes: Winter in Paradise by Elin Hilderbrand What Happens in Paradise by Elin Hilderbrand ...

  Hello, Fellow Book Worms and Book Dragons,            At the beginning of the year I decided to change the way I tackled my To Be Read shelves. I created a jar filled with photo stickers of various book covers. As the covers were added the jar became too small. I graduated the collection to a trading card snap box.    Let's take a few minutes and see how my experiment is doing.  And the changes that were made since:   Always maintain 50 or more books in the jar. (I have exceeded that number, adding comics and graphic novels.) Read what I pick (this still works very well. In the event of a DNF , I label the back of the sticker and set aside with other books I did not finish.) If the book chosen is part of a series, draw another book. (series are now in small baggies. When the baggie is pulled, I choose the next book in the series). Set aside my chosen book into a small baggie to minimize re-drawing that book. (This has worked w...

  Hello, Fellow Book Worms and Book Dragons,          Occasionally, I start a book and do not finished it. There are varying reasons why. One of my notorious DNF books was Whispering Shadows by Jan-Phillip Sendker. It started it twice and left it for another three years. In the end, I gave it four stars, wondering why I did not finish it in the first place.   This year I repurchased one DNF, and added several more. As the list got bigger, I decided to challenge myself.    What if I made a list in July and revisited it in December to track my progress?    I am curious to see if the following books will be finished. DNF List Stats The Perfect Husband by Lisa Gardner (started July 2021/ DNF'd July 2021/ reason: started on a plane ride and was set aside for vacation.) Murder Road by Simone St. James (started April 2024/ DNF'd May 2024/repurchased when I found it 60% off at a sale/ original reason: lost interest. But I did like what I ...