Tag Archives: Reading Challenge

Reading challenge checkin for 2026.01: January’s reads

The PolyBlog
February 9 2026

My reading challenge for 2026 is 63 books, which would be a little over five a month. So far, I’m on track, at least for fiction. In January, I reviewed 17 books, but only 5 of those were new reads this past month.

  1. All Systems Red by Martha Wells (2017) – BR00293 (R2026) – 🐸🐸🐸🐸⚪
  2. Newbie Werewolf by Sue Denver (2022) – BR00294 (R2026) – 🐸🐸🐸🐸⚪
  3. The Last Starfighter by Alan Dean Foster (1984) – BR00297 (R2026) – 🐸🐸🐸🐸⚪
  4. The Compound by Aisling Rawle (2025) – BR00298 (R2026) – 🐸🐸🐸🐸⚪
  5. The Games Gods Play by Abigail Owen (2024) – BR00299 (R2026) – 🐸🐸🐸🐸⚪

On the other hand, my TBR pile exploded with book suggestions from 40 different book clubs, so my pile didn’t exactly go down. 🙂 Against my reading challenge “bingo” card (see the link below), I’m going to code:

  • All Systems Red as “Rebel” for the Murderbot hacking his governance module;
  • Newbie Werewolf as “Fantasy creatures”, for obvious reasons;
  • The Last Starfighter as a “childhood favourite”, I loved that movie back in ’84 when it was released, a long time treasured movie, and the book holds up well;
  • The Compound as “Infrequent genre”, as it is a little too contemporary or pop-culture for my normal tastes; and,
  • The Games Gods Play as “Fantasy Adventure”, although the setting is relatively modern.

I’ve updated the reading challenge with my latest TBR list, although it’s getting out of control. I have over 800 books on my Kindle. Say what? How is that possible? Oh, right, I’m a Book Goblin (credit: Elizabeth Wheatley) and I’m hoarding!

Oh well, on with February’s reads!

PolyWogg’s Reading Challenge 2026

The Godwulf Manuscript by Robert B. Parker (1973) – BR00199 (2021) – 🐸🐸🐸🐸⚪

The PolyBlog
July 13 2021

Plot or Premise

Spenser is hired to find a rare book stolen from a university and the first witness he talks to ends up standing over a dead body within a day, but claims she didn’t do it.

What I Liked

This is the first book in the long-running Spenser series, and it is one of my favorite series of all time. Quirk and Belson are introduced, as well as some general hoodlums, and it is classic Spenser. Keep plugging along, doing what he wants to do or thinks is right, even after the book-napping is resolved.

What I Didn’t Like

Without Silverman or Hawk, it almost feels like Spenser’s on vacation on his own, not quite a full Spenser story. As such, it runs a bit more linearly than some of his other books.

The Bottom Line

Welcome to Boston’s finest

A String of Beads by Thomas Perry (2015) – BR00198 (2021) – 🐸🐸🐸🐸⚪

The PolyBlog
July 11 2021

Plot or Premise

Jane is asked by the elders of her tribe to find an innocent man charged with murder and to help him until things are cleared up.

What I Liked

The introduction of the elders was a great development, and showed that Jane’s work has not gone unnoticed by the clans. They not only are aware of it, they approve and ask her to put her skills to use with another member, a childhood friend of Jane’s.

What I Didn’t Like

The secondary characters didn’t work that well for me…a woman whose story reads like a bad rape fantasy, a cop who happens to be an expert tracker and who happens to follow her despite having no idea who she is or any evidence he sees her, and some crooks who are okay, but not compelling.

The Bottom Line

Average story raised up by the initial clients.

Poison Flower by Thomas Perry (2012) – BR00197 (2021) – 🐸🐸🐸⚪⚪

The PolyBlog
June 27 2021

Plot or Premise

Jane breaks an innocent man out of jail but the real criminals grab her and torture her to talk. She doesn’t, of course, which sets off a long series of other events.

What I Liked

The crooks figure out that Jane is a pro, and that others must know who she is, so a lot of other hunters from previous books show up again. She ends up managing almost three fugitives at the same time — the original, a stray she picks up along the way, and herself.

What I Didn’t Like

The storyline is a bit hard to follow, as well as the original crime itself, the reason for everything getting started, and the logic behind how the medical supply stuff was all supposed to work. Equally, some parts seem almost like a dumb Sylvester Stallone or Bruce Willis movie where the good guy gets tortured, and a short while later, is ready to rock and roll again.

The Bottom Line

Over the top for violence.

Runner by Thomas Perry (2009) – BR00196 (2021) – 🐸🐸🐸⚪⚪

The PolyBlog
June 25 2021

Plot or Premise

Jane is retired, ready to give advice if need be to would-be runners looking for her help, but she spends her days being the dutiful supportive wife of her surgeon husband. At a fundraiser for the hospital, a bomb explodes to hide the activities of a group of hunters determined to capture a pregnant girl before she can get to Jane.

What I Liked

As always, Jane is going to help. If she doesn’t, there’s no book, right? So yes, she helps the runner, gets her away, finds a way to get her safe, and Jane does some other sleuthing to help her stay hidden. I liked the “lull” in the action so to speak as Jane tries to return to her normal life after helping the girl, giving her some time to get ready for birth etc., and there is a surprisingly deep storyline about the fact Jane has been trying to have a baby of her own with no luck conceiving.

What I Didn’t Like

There are two elements in the story that I found a bit strained. First, Jane gets her away, gets her safe, and is helping her “get ready” for the birth. Annnnnd then just says, “See you later, I’ll be back before the due date”. Why does she leave? No real reason, it’s stupid. With predictable results. Equally, the final parts of the novel seem more like Die Hard than a Jane Whitefield novel.

The Bottom Line

Surprising mix of depth and misplaced action.