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: Let Her Be (Hush, #6) by Lisa Unger

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Prime Reading Short Story Book Review of Let Her Be (Hush, #6) by Lisa UngerLet Her Be (Hush, #6) by Lisa Unger is a short story that opens with the main character attempting suicide and going through a treatment plan to get better. When his ex-girlfriend disappears, he elicits the help of their mutual friend Emily to find out what happened.

I decided to read this story without reading the synopsis because it is written by one of my favorite authors. Had I realized the story included domestic abuse and attempted suicide, I might have passed on it. However, I persevered and wanted to find out what happened to the ex-girlfriend. 

There were some red herrings that completely threw me, and the person who I thought was involved wasn't involved. I have to say I was shocked by the ending and didn't care for the revelation. As for the characters, there weren't many in the story, but I have to say I didn't care for the main character. The rest of the characters were likable.

Four out of five stars is what I gave Let Her Be (Hush, #6) by Lisa Unger. It's well written and many people will love it, but it was just a little too dark for me. This short story is available for purchase or to borrow from Amazon with their Prime Reading program.

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