2026 Holiday Reading Challenge | The Running Bibliophile

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Who doesn’t love a good challenge, especially when it pushes you to read outside your comfort zone or discover a new author? I’ve always wanted to join a reading challenge or reading bingo, but so many of them feel repetitive. So, I decided to create something a little different. It doesn’t mean a challenge like this isn’t out there; I just haven’t come across one myself. Introducing The Running Bibliophile’s 2026 Holiday Reading Challenge, a fun and unique way to expand your reading list while celebrating the spirit of the year. This challenge features 14 books of your choice, with one key twist: each book’s plot must revolve around the specific holiday mentioned. The challenge runs for January 1 through January 31, 2026. To keep things exciting, you may not duplicate any books on the list. By the time you've completed the challenge, you will have read 14 new books to diversify your reading list. To kick things off, the first prompt is simple: choose any holiday-themed book as l...
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Book Review: Welcome Home, Caroline Kline by Courtney Preiss

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NetGalley ARC of Welcome Home, Caroline Kline by Courtney Preiss
Welcome Home, Caroline Kline by Courtney Preiss opens with Caroline Kline couch surfing in New York City due to her no longer having a job and her fiancé breaking up with her. The cherry on top is when Caroline finds out her father is not doing well and has to go home to New Jersey to help out. She finds one thing she didn't expect ... true love.

I received an Advanced Readers Copy of Welcome Home, Caroline Kline from NetGalley for free in exchange for my honest review.  The synopsis of this book was intriguing, and I absolutely love baseball, so I couldn't wait to dig in to this story.

Unfortunately, the story started off a bit slow and continued to be slow at points throughout the book. The slowness of the plot made it difficult to stay interested in the characters and their fate.  At one point, I didn't really care if I finished the story or not.

With that being said, I'm glad I stuck with the book because the last 15% of Welcome Home, Caroline Kline started to pick up pace, and I found myself wanting to know what would happen. There are relatable moments throughout the book that brought me back to my younger self, which is probably one of the reasons I did stick with the story.

Although this novel redeemed itself, it just wasn't for me. I think people in their twenties and trying to make a career for themselves will relate quite well to the main character. Give Welcome Home, Caroline Kline by Courtney Preiss a read to see if it's for you. Three out of five stars is what I gave this book.

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