New Used Bookstore in Town

As I pointed out in this post, a new bookstore for used book opened in my town, diagonally across from the bookstore that opened back in February. It had been more than 20 years since our last bookstore had closed. Now there are two, across the street from each other--kind of seems weird. 

Again here the photos from my group's little trip to the store on Halloween, and some photos of the store's exterior:

It's small store, much smaller than the used bookstore that used to be in a nearby town. I was upset when that one closed. Now I've got one in my own town. 

So far I've only gotten three used books from the new store. The books are priced individually. Two rather unexpected finds: two different books by Barbara Cartland--something that seems hard to  find. Four years ago, one of the challenges I participated in had "A book by Barbara Cartland" as a prompt. One was listed in my library's database, but they were unable to locate it, so I requested another via their Zip books service (ordering books not already at the library). The aforementioned now-defunct used bookstore did not have any of her books, despite how large the store was. And I have never seen any of her books in thrift stores either. So I was surprised to find two of her books in one small used store. The two books were this and this one.

The 52 Book Club’s 2026 Reading Challenge

Another favorite is now out, much earlier than usual. 

1. Set in an ancient civilization:
2. Kangaroo word on the cover: An Offer From a Gentleman--Julia Quinn
3. Written without quotation marks: Red at the Bone--Jacqueline Woodson
4. Has a dust jacket: Two Can Keep a Secret--Karen M. McManus
5. Featuring a conspiracy: Eye of the Beholder--Jayne Ann Krentz
6. Title starts with O: The Odious Duke--Barbara Cartland
7. Title starts with P: Pachinko--Min Jin Lee
8. Three-syllable word in title: The Bodyguard--Katherine Center
9. Featuring a natural disaster:
10. Spans a decade or more: The Indigo Girl--Natasha Boyd
11. Requires suspension of belief: The Raven Boys--Maggie Stiefvater
12. A genre-defining read: Her Renegade Rancher--Jennifer Ryan
13. Bookface: The Lady Has a Past--Amanda Quick
14. Includes a character list: 6 Rainier Drive--Debbie Macomber
15. Subtitle with a comma: The Art Thief: A True Story of Love, Crime, and a Dangerous Obsession--Michael Finkel
16. Deus ex machina:
17. Author's bio mentions their dog: Heart & Seoul--Jen Frederick
18. Provokes strong emotion: Me (Moth)--Amber McBride
19. A nosy neighbor character:
20. Day of the week in title:
21. Written in the 1800s: Andersen's Fairy Tales--Hans Christian Andersen
22. Spotted in a TV series or movie: Empire Falls--Richard Russo
23. Grumpy sunshine trope: Say You'll Remember Me--Abby Jimenez
24. Uneven number of chapters: Sounds Like Love--Ashley Poston
25. Includes a red herring:
26. Title in a serif font: A Fall of Marigolds--Susan Meissner
27. Two or more authors, one pseudonym: The Paradise Problem--Christina Lauren
28. From a series at least eight books long: 44 Cranberry Point--Debbie Macomber
29. Set in the Arctic or Antarctic: Us Against You--Frederik Backman
30. Author related to another author:
31. Author related to author in Prompt 30:
32. Publisher staring with the letter B: Reclaiming Our Space--Feminista Jones
33. Standalone fantasy novel:
34. Inspired by the top-grossing movie the year you were born: The Last Telegram--Liz Trenow
35. Character with a secret identity:
36. Award-winning book from last year: Atmosphere--Taylor Jenkins Reid
37. Started on the 26th of the month: Made You Up--Francesca Zappia
38. Domestic fiction: After I Do--Taylor Jenkins Reid
39. A book that cost you nothing:
40. Author's first and last name start with the same letter: The Accidental Bestseller--Wendy Wax
41. A guide to...: How to Walk Away--Katherine Center
42. Includes a handwritten interior font: Sunshine Nails--Mai Nguyen
43. Goodreads recommendation for you:
44. Literary Device: Personification:
45. Biographical fiction:
46. Nonfiction about character in Prompt 45:
47. Diacritical mark on the cover: Color Me In--Natasha Diaz
48. Related to the word "Nemesis":
49. In the 800s of the Dewey Decimal System: Master Harold...and the boys--Athol Fugard
50. Set in a castle:
51. Includes a map: The Endless Beach--Jenny Colgan
52. Published in 2026:

Unabridged Podcast 2026 Reading Challenge

 Another favorite is up for next year. I'm now just one book away from completing this year's challenge.

1. From a favorite author's backlist: Great Big Beautiful Life--Emily Henry
2. Memoir by a trans author:
3. By an AAPI author: Heart & Seoul--Jen Frederick
4. About the environment: Conservation Canines--Isabelle Groc
5. From an Awards list: Taiwan Travelogue--Yang Shuang-Zi
6. Published in your year of birth:
7. Work in translation: The Librarian of Auschwitz--Antonio Iturbe
8. Adapted into an award-winning film or TV series: The Viscount Who Loved Me--Julia Quinn
9. About an animal: The Black Stallion--Walter Farley
10. Middle-grade graphic novel: Apple Crush--Lucy Knisely
11. Work of YA history or historical fiction: Sang Spell-Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
12. Nonfiction audiobook: Self-Sufficient Living--Andy Westley

November Bookish Bingo

Here is the new card for November.

My Books:

1. Frozen: The Junior Novelization--Sarah Nathan (7 squares): Audiobook, Save the World/Universe, Reluctant Chosen One, Travel, Secret/Forbidden, Missing Person, Unlikely Friendship
2. A Snake Falls to Earth--Darcie Little Badger (7 squares): E-Book, Not in a Series, Indigenous, Weapon on Cover, Sci Fi/SFF, Fall Colors on Cover, Free Space 
3. The Best of Enemies--Jen Lancaster [re-read] (3 squares): Feminism, Book Club, Physical Book
4. Intermezzo--Sally Rooney (1 square): Library Book
5. Blackmail and Bibingka--Mia P. Manansala (2 squares): Free Book, In a Series
6. For Never & Always--Helena Greer (1 square): Family Dinner
7. As Seen on TV--Sarah Mlynowski (1 square): Shelf Love

22 squares completed on November 28

Beyond the Bookends Winter 2026 Reading Challenge

 Here is the winter bingo card. Although it says Winter 2026, it begins in December 2025.

1. Cozy Mystery (December): The Gingerbread Bakery--Laurie Gilmore
2. Book Set in Italy: One Italian Summer--Rebecca Serle
3. Office Romance: When Christmas Comes--Debbie Macomber
4. Book Being Adapted (January): The Bodyguard--Katherine Center
5. Fantasy Duology: a) Carve the Mark--Veronica Roth b)The Fates Divide--Veronica Roth
6. Book Like Downton Abbey: The Odious Duke--Barbara Cartland
7. Mystery or Thriller About Writers (February): Camino Island--John Grisham
8. One of our favorite books of all time OR of the last year: Tress of the Emerald Sea--Brandon Sanderson
9. NYE Story: This Time Next Year--Sophie Cousens

Challenge completed on February 28

Popsugar Reading Challenge 2026

One of the challenges I look forward to every year. It's come out early this year. The categories have gotten a little bizarre. And some seem difficult, but I'll do my best to complete them.

Main Prompts

1. A book where gardening or a garden is central to the plot: Moss Hysteria--Kate Collins
2. A book that features a platonic friendship between a man and woman: The Raven Boys--Maggie Stiefvater
3. A book you meant to read in 2025
4. A book that starts with the letter "Z": The Zig Zag Girl--Elly Griffiths
5. A book about women astronauts: Atmosphere--Taylor Jenkins Reid
6. A book with an overweight main character whose story isn't about losing weight
7. A book about a granny hobby: The Quilt--T. Davis Bunn
8. A book about a sexless marriage: The Paradise Problem--Christina Lauren
9. A book with a "type C" character
10. A book about a horse or with a horse on the cover: The Black Stallion--Walter Farley
11. A book with a dad as the primary caregiver: Empire Falls--Richard Russo
12. A book with "pop" or "sugar" in the title
13. A book featuring a character with a hidden past: The Lady Has a Past--Amanda Quick
14. A book set in Michigan or written by an author from Michigan: Great Big Beautiful Life--Emily Henry
15. A book about new beginnings: The Year of Pleasures--Elizabeth Berg
16. A book less than 260 pages: Red at the Bone--Jacqueline Woodson
17. A book about your favorite event in the Winter Olympics: Us Against You--Frederik Backman
18. A love story that defies social boundaries: Distant Shores--Kristin Hannah
19. A book about teen angst: Me (Moth)--Amber McBride
20. A book with a character who does Pilates or Lagree
21. A book about a bachelorette trip
22. A book about a book club
23. A book you were hoping would fit into a prompt but doesn't: The Cracker Factory--Joyce Rebeta-Burditt
24. A book about postpartum: This Close to Happy--Daphne Merkin
25. A book that explores influencer culture: Little Pieces of Hope--Todd Doughty & Josie Portillo
26. A book with a character who navigates infertility: The Wedding People--Alison Espach
27. A book with a character who has curly hair: The Goodbye Quilt--Susan Wiggs
28. A book about debt
29. A book that takes place during harvesting season: Apple Crush--Lucy Knisely
30. A travel ghost story
31. A book that makes you feel FOMO
32. A book with an underwater civilization
33. A book about college: Camino Island--John Grisham
34. A book with a trans or nonbinary protagonist
35. A book that makes you want to travel to Italy: One Italian Summer--Rebecca Serle
36. A book about a mob (fiction or nonfiction)
37. A book about a pop star: Sounds Like Love--Ashley Poston
38. A book with any type of fruit on the cover or in the title: The Orange Blossom Special--Betsy Carter
39. A book with a character who runs a marathon: 50/50--Dean Karnazes
40. A book outside your comfort zone: Self-Sufficient Living--Andy Westley

Advanced Prompts

1. A book in a different format than your usual: physical, audio, eBook: Make Me Rain--Nikki Giovanni
2. A book inspired by a real song, album, band, or artist
3. Two books written by real-life partners or spouses (1)
4. Two books written by real-life partners or spouses (2)
5. A book that features birding
6. A sapphic comic
7. A book told entirely through letters: The Not-So-Secret Emails of Coco Pinchard--Robert Bryndza
8. A book with a shadow daddy
9. A book with a mention of your zodiac sign
10. A book about Afrofuturism

Last Night

Some pictures from last night. A costume contest was held and I took third place. So many of the pictures turned out blurry.

And someone els had the same idea as me. She even wore the same leg warmers and mesh shirt (not visible in the pictures):