It's Monday! What Are You Reading? August 31, 2026 #IMWAYR

  

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is a place to meet up and share what you have been, are and about to be reading over the week. It's an opportunity to visit other blogs and to comment on their reads. And ... you can add to that ever growing TBR pile! So welcome everyone. This meme started with J Kaye's Blog and then was taken up by Sheila from Book Journey. Sheila then passed it on to Kathryn at the Book Date. And here we are! 

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Thanks for stopping by. I hope you all have a good week. 

Happy reading!

What I'm currently reading

Falling for Peachtree Bluff

(Peachtree Bluff #5)

by Kristy Woodson Harvey

print ARC for review

Pub date ~ September 15

The Backside of Hades

(Deadwood Undertaker #4)

by Ann Charles & Sam Lucky

e-book from my TBR shelf for a challenge

Published September 2022

What I recently finished

The Blackbird Season

by Kate Moretti

print from my TBR shelf for a challenge

Published September 2017

Angel on Board

by E. J. Thornton

e-book from my TBR collection for a challenge

Published January 1998

Shibby Magee

by Carrie Kabak

audio-book from the author

Published March 2026

Read my thoughts here

What I am going to read next

(this is always subject to change)

 😊

A Fire Sparkling

by Julianne MacLean

e-book from my TBR shelf for a challenge

Published August 2019

I really love my reading life!

What are you reading this week?

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Be sure to check the sidebar for all of my current giveaways!   

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? August 24, 2026 #IMWAYR

 

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is a place to meet up and share what you have been, are and about to be reading over the week. It's an opportunity to visit other blogs and to comment on their reads. And ... you can add to that ever growing TBR pile! So welcome everyone. This meme started with J Kaye's Blog and then was taken up by Sheila from Book Journey. Sheila then passed it on to Kathryn at the Book Date. And here we are! 

**************************************

Thanks for stopping by. I hope you all have a good week. 

Happy reading!

What I'm currently reading

The Blackbird Season

by Kate Moretti

print from my TBR shelf for a challenge

Published September 2017

Angel on Board

by E. J. Thornton

e-book from my TBR collection for a challenge

Published January 1998

Shibby Magee

by Carrie Kabak

audio-book from the author

Published March 2026

I've  read this already and now I get to enjoy listening to it.

What I recently finished

The Handmaid’s Tale

(The Handmaid’s Tale #1)

by Margaret Atwood

print from my TBR shelf for a challenge

Published 1985

What I am going to read next

(this is always subject to change)

 😊

Falling for Peachtree Bluff

(Peachtree Bluff #5)

by Kristy Woodson Harvey

print ARC for review

Pub date ~ September 15

I really love my reading life!

What are you reading this week?

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Be sure to check the sidebar for all of my current giveaways!   

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? August 17, 2026 #IMWAYR

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is a place to meet up and share what you have been, are and about to be reading over the week. It's an opportunity to visit other blogs and to comment on their reads. And ... you can add to that ever growing TBR pile! So welcome everyone. This meme started with J Kaye's Blog and then was taken up by Sheila from Book Journey. Sheila then passed it on to Kathryn at the Book Date. And here we are! 

**************************************

Thanks for stopping by. I hope you all have a good week. 

Happy reading!

What I'm currently reading

The Handmaid’s Tale

(The Handmaid’s Tale #1)

by Margaret Atwood

print from my TBR shelf for a challenge

Published 1985

Shibby Magee

by Carrie Kabak

audio-book from the author

Published March 2026

I've  read this already and now I get to enjoy listening to it.

What I recently finished

The Wish List Trip

by Kerry Lonsdale & Orly Konig

eARC for review

Pub date ~ September 8

Mother Daughter Sister Stranger

by Hank Phillippi Ryan

eARC for review

Pub date ~ September 1

What I am going to read next

(this is always subject to change)

 😊

Falling for Peachtree Bluff

(Peachtree Bluff #5)

by Kristy Woodson Harvey

print ARC for review

Pub date ~ September 15

I really love my reading life!

What are you reading this week?

*************************

Be sure to check the sidebar for all of my current giveaways!   

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? August 10, 2026 #IMWAYR

   

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is a place to meet up and share what you have been, are and about to be reading over the week. It's an opportunity to visit other blogs and to comment on their reads. And ... you can add to that ever growing TBR pile! So welcome everyone. This meme started with J Kaye's Blog and then was taken up by Sheila from Book Journey. Sheila then passed it on to Kathryn at the Book Date. And here we are! 

**************************************

Thanks for stopping by. I hope you all have a good week. 

Happy reading!

What I'm currently reading

Mother Daughter Sister Stranger

by Hank Phillippi Ryan

eARC for review

Pub date ~ September 1

The Handmaid’s Tale

(The Handmaid’s Tale #1)

by Margaret Atwood

print from my TBR shelf for a challenge

Published 1985

Shibby Magee

by Carrie Kabak

audio-book from the author

Published March 2026

I've  read this already and now I get to enjoy listening to it.

What I recently finished

Class Reunion: Keep Your FRIENDS Closer

(Raising the Bar #2)

by Gail Ward Olmsted

eARC for review

Pub date ~ October 1

The Safe Room

by Lisa Unger

audiobook from Amazon Original Stories

Published July 2026

Run for Your Life

by Lucinda Berry

audiobook from Amazon Original Stories

Published July 2026

What I am going to read next

(this is always subject to change)

 😊

The Wish List Trip

by Kerry Lonsdale & Orly Konig

eARC for review

Pub date ~ September 8

I really love my reading life!

What are you reading this week?

*************************

Be sure to check the sidebar for all of my current giveaways!  

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? August 3, 2026 #IMWAYR

   

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is a place to meet up and share what you have been, are and about to be reading over the week. It's an opportunity to visit other blogs and to comment on their reads. And ... you can add to that ever growing TBR pile! So welcome everyone. This meme started with J Kaye's Blog and then was taken up by Sheila from Book Journey. Sheila then passed it on to Kathryn at the Book Date. And here we are! 

**************************************

Thanks for stopping by. I hope you all have a good week. 

Happy reading!

What I'm currently reading

Class Reunion: Keep Your FRIENDS Closer

(Raising the Bar #2)

by Gail Ward Olmsted

eARC for review

Pub date ~ October 1

Run for Your Life

by Lucinda Berry

audiobook from Amazon Original Stories

Published July 2026

What I recently finished

Songs of Willow Frost

by Jamie Ford

print from my TBR shelves

Published September 2013

Paper Ghosts

by Sarah Addison Allen

eARC for review

Pub date ~ September 1

The Calamity Club

by Kathryn Stockett

audio-book from my TBR collection

Published May 2026

So, so good, especially on audio.

What I am going to read next

(this is always subject to change)

 😊

Shibby Magee

by Carrie Kabak

audio-book from the author

Published March 2026

I've  read this already and now I get to enjoy listening to it.

I really love my reading life!

What are you reading this week?

*************************

Be sure to check the sidebar for all of my current giveaways!  

Shibby Magee by Carrie Kabak ~ My Thoughts #ShibbyMagee

Shibby Magee by Carrie Kabak

Sibling Relationships, 326 pages

Published February 20, 2026 by CORBYN

☘️ A character-driven Irish tragicomedy threaded with wit, heartbreak, and bittersweet redemption.

Echoing the tones of the TV series Fleabag, Shibby Magee is wry and wickedly irreverent, while reflecting the sharp, dark dynamics of The Banshees of Inisherin. For readers of Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan, Trespasses by Louise Kennedy, and Donal Ryan’s The Queen of Dirt Island, Shibby Magee offers a warmer—but no less incisive—portrait of a woman shaped by childhood abandonment and social prejudice, following her across two defining life stages as she struggles toward dignity, love, and self-possession.

When their mother, Vera Coffey, disappears after announcing she's a Traveller/Mincéir, Shibby and her twin sister, Dorah, are abandoned to a settled family already cracking at the seams. Under the iron rule of their viciously prejudiced grandmother, the two girls grow up on opposite tracks: Dorah, arrogant and bold; Shibby, bruised and quietly resilient.

As Shibby stumbles into adulthood, she's drawn to men who either abuse or dump her. She finds fleeting stability in the fast-paced chaos of a restaurant kitchen—but a question gnaws at her: is her future in the rooted life of the settled or on the open road to God only knows where? With the fierce support of a chosen few—Alice Duffy, housekeeper turned surrogate mother; Moochie de Barra, an affectionate stand-in for an emotionally absent father; and Kitty Dooley, a Traveller whose loyalty never wavers—Shibby begins to uncover hard truths about identity, family, and what she desperately needs to find where she truly belongs.

    

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My thoughts about Shibby Magee~~

(I love to note the first lines of the books I'm reading. First lines can really grab a reader's attention and I love seeing where the author takes the reader after their first line.)

First line—"While it's freezing outside, the Gubbeen's kitchen is like a little corner of hell. A pit of ceaseless clamor and blistering heat."

I didn't know what to expect when I started reading Shibby Magee. The cover definitely intrigued me. And then I was drawn into the life of Shibby and her twin sister, Dorah. What a tragic life they lived, with their mother leaving them at such an early age and being left with an abusive grandmother and a questionable, loving father. 

The story of Shibby is told in two timelines—one when she and her sister are young and just trying to survive life, and then later in their lives when they are supposed to have it all figured out. I felt very connected to Shibby, not that I lived the same kind of life, but rather because I felt all that she was going through and empathized with her and her rough life. This was a story that opened my eyes to the life of the underprivileged and how the struggle to find happiness and peace is real for everyone. 

I thoroughly enjoyed Shibby Magee and look forward to reading more by this author. 

I received a copy of Shibby Magee from the author and this is my honest opinion.

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Praise for Shibby Magee

“Carrie Kabak follows the indelible, indefatigable Shibby Magee during two crucial years in her life, one in girlhood and then another at midlife womanhood, as she struggles against prejudice, cruelty, and abandonment in her search to find her true place in an increasingly confounding world, be it in a bustling restaurant or on the road as an Irish Traveller—an extraordinary, wily community I’d never heard of before and was delighted to encounter. Warm, wise, with dashes of wit, Kabak’s novel is just magnificent.”—Caroline Leavitt, New York Times bestselling author of Pictures of You, With or Without You, and Days of Wonder

“In this captivating and insightful novel, Carrie Kabak introduces the unforgettable Shibby Magee, who navigates adulthood in search of love and stability while grappling with the enduring shadows of childhood abandonment. Filled with multi-dimensional characters and evocative imagery, this is a heartfelt and poignant story that lingers long after the final page.”—Holly Kennedy, Edgar Award Nominee and Giller Prize Longlisted author of The Sideways Life of D

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About the author

Published by Penguin Random House, Carrie Kabak's novel, Cover the Butter, was an Independent Booksellers' Pick, won an Audiofile Magazine award, and was nominated for a Quills Award. Her essays appear in For Keeps and He Said What? (Seal Press), Exit Laughing (North Atlantic Books), Faith (Simon and Schuster), and Dumped (She Writes). Carrie's latest novels, Shibby Magee and Every Mole and Freckle, will be released in spring and fall 2026, and Mali Morgan's Summer in spring 2027.

​

Alongside her writing, Carrie works as a book cover artist for major publishers after working for many years as a production designer at Hallmark Cards. ~ Goodreads

Connect with Carrie

Website | Facebook | Goodreads | Amazon

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Be sure to check the sidebar for my current giveaways!

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? April 13, 2026 #IMWAYR

 

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is a place to meet up and share what you have been, are and about to be reading over the week. It's an opportunity to visit other blogs and to comment on their reads. And ... you can add to that ever growing TBR pile! So welcome everyone. This meme started with J Kaye's Blog and then was taken up by Sheila from Book Journey. Sheila then passed it on to Kathryn at the Book Date. And here we are! 

**************************************

Thanks for stopping by. I hope you all have a good week. 

Happy reading!

What I'm currently reading

Summer State of Mind

by Kristy Woodson Harvey

print ARC for review

Pub date ~ May 5

The Memory Library

by Kate Storey

e-book from my TBR for a challenge

Published February 2024

No Place I'd Rather Be

by Cathy Lamb

audio-book from my TBR

Published August 2017

What I recently finished

Shibby Magee

by Carrie Kabak

e-book for review

Published March 2026

A Crimson Promise

by Grace Greene

(Crimson Grove #2)

eARC for review

Published April 7, 2026

Read my thoughts here

A Gritty Little Tourist Town: Bar Tales from Costa Rica

by Willa Goodfellow

print ARC for review

Published April 7, 2026

Read my thoughts here

What I am going to read next

The Mountains We Call Home

(The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek #3)

 by Kim Michele Richardson

eARC for review

Pub date ~ April 21

I really love my reading life!

What are you reading this week?

*************************

Be sure to check the sidebar for all of my current giveaways!  

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? April 6, 2026 #IMWAYR

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is a place to meet up and share what you have been, are and about to be reading over the week. It's an opportunity to visit other blogs and to comment on their reads. And ... you can add to that ever growing TBR pile! So welcome everyone. This meme started with J Kaye's Blog and then was taken up by Sheila from Book Journey. Sheila then passed it on to Kathryn at the Book Date. And here we are! 

**************************************

Thanks for stopping by. I hope you all have a good week. 

Happy reading!

What I'm currently reading

A Crimson Promise

by Grace Greene

(Crimson Grove #2)

eARC for review

Pub date ~ April 7

Read my thoughts about book #1 here

A Gritty Little Tourist Town: Bar Tales from Costa Rica

by Willa Goodfellow

print ARC for review

Pub date ~ April 7

No Place I'd Rather Be

by Cathy Lamb

audio-book from my TBR

Published August 2017

What I recently finished

Dark Current
(Sutherlin Files #2)
by Ashley Farley
eARC for review
Pub date ~ April 7
Read my thoughts about book #1 here


The Diner
(The Seaside Saga #26)
by Joanne DeMaio
e-book for review
Published March 2, 2026


Everything We Left Behind
(Everything #2)
by Kerry Lonsdale
audio-book from my collection
Published July 2017
This is a re-read for me because the author is releasing book #4 this summer!
Read my thoughts here


The Doll's House: A Short Story
by Lisa Unger
audio-book from Amazon Stories
Published September 2024

What I am going to read next

Shibby Magee

by Carrie Kabak

e-book for review

Published March 2026

I really love my reading life!

What are you reading this week?

*************************

Be sure to check the sidebar for all of my current giveaways!