We’ve been hosting a 30 Minute Reading Challenge on here but I missed posting for a couple days but with August shutting the door and September coming in I wanted to resume the challenge.
But there is something’s I wanted to change instead of sharing a book with you every day we will be doing the challenge on Monday while highlighting a book for adults, on Wednesday we will be sharing a cookbook and on Friday a children’s or teen book.
As I was cleaning up this morning which is Monday I wanted to share the Adult Book I’ve chosen to read this week. With all the books I have in my home I could have picked one of them.
I was in Winco the other day and they had books for 80 percent off. In the box was a book by Fern Michaels called Rock Bottom after reading the book jacket I decided this was a book I wanted to read.
Sometimes I buy a book because it calls to me. Other times it might be a book someone recommended the author of. And sometimes I find a book for $5.98 at WinCo and think, “Well, for that price, why not?”
That’s how I ended up with Rock Bottom by Fern Michaels who is a new Author for me to read even though I knew the name because she’s actually one of my best friend Debbie Finney Sutton’s favorite authors.
I also have a feeling other women in my family have read her books. So when I spotted Rock Bottom, I thought it would be fun to choose it as my Monday adult book for our 30-Minute Reading Challenge.
Then I looked a little closer. Book #35. Wait. Thirty-five? Books in this series? OMG LORD help me. Apparently, I had just walked into the middle of a very long story. And now I have questions.
I still believe reading every day is a wonderful habit and thirty minutes of reading a day can add up to a lot, and I want to encourage families and adults to make books part of their everyday lives.
But we’re changing the challenge so you don’t have to read every single day. Like I said earlier we’re going to feature: Monday — Adult Book, Wednesday — Cookbook and on Friday — Children’s Book.
The goal isn’t to give you another assignment. It’s to give you a reason to pick up a book. So Rock Bottom is the book I’m choosing to read this week. And before I’ve even read it, it has already sent me down a rabbit hole.
The cover is blue, with a beautiful sun in the upper right-hand corner and a road leading toward a bridge. The Bridge reminds me of the Golden Gate Bridge, and it has the kind of scenery that makes you wonder where the road leads.
Then I turned the book over. There is a beautiful photograph of Fern Michaels holding two puppies, with a bookshelf full of books behind her. And that bookshelf? That’s my kind of bookshelf and I would love to pet those puppies.
The bookshelf is the kind that makes you want to pull out a book, find a comfortable chair, and settle in for the afternoon. And those puppies certainly didn’t hurt. The only thing missing is a glass of Sweet Tea.
Fern Michaels was a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author with more than 110 million copies of her books in print. She wrote the Sisterhood series, the Men of the Sisterhood series, The Godmothers, and dozens of other novels and novellas.
But I was especially interested in what she did beyond writing. Fern Michaels built and funded large daycare centers in her hometown and was a passionate animal lover who helped outfit police K-9s across the country with special bulletproof vests.
That caught my attention because I love hearing about people who use their success to help others and animals. And then there’s another little detail. Fern Michaels reportedly shared her South Carolina home with her dogs and a resident ghost named Mary Margaret.
A bestselling author. A house full of books. Dogs. And a ghost. Then I learned Fern Michaels died in November 2025 at the age of 92. But her books and her legacy continue. Rock Bottom is Sisterhood #35.
Then came Backwater Justice, #36, followed by Code Blue, #37. And the official Fern Michaels website now lists Blood Money as Sisterhood #38. That immediately made me curious about how those later books came together.
Were they completed before her death? When were they written? What was already finished? Those are questions I’m going to research rather than pretend I know the answers. And honestly, that’s part of what I love about books. One question leads to another.
Because Rock Bottom is #35, I suddenly realized something. I need the backstory. The Sisterhood begins with Weekend Warriors, Book #1. And now I want to know how these women met, how their friendships developed, and what happened during those first 34 books.
Fern Michaels explained that readers could jump into the series because each book contains enough backstory to follow along. But I want to start at the beginning. I want Book #1.
And this is where my family comes into the story. When I told David that I had discovered a new book I wanted to read and that I had bought Book #35 and wanted to find Book #1, he didn’t tell me I had enough books.
He didn’t ask why I bought #35. He simply said: “Go ahead. Buy Book 35” When your husband tells you to buy Book 35, knowing there are 35 books in the series, you know he’s supporting your love of reading.
David knows books are part of what I do here at Greatful Moments. I feature books and I read them. I review them after I’ve actually read them. And I look for ways to turn books into family learning and adventures.
So when he says, “Go ahead,” that means more to me than simply buying another book. That’s support. Of course, he may go broke by the time I finish the series. But we’ll find the books at libraries. We’ll look at Half Price Books. We’ll check Ollie’s. We’ll watch for bargains. We’ll figure it out.
If you asked Charlie about this plan, I’m pretty sure he’d run from the house screaming: “NO MORE BOOKS!” “Mom! I said NO MORE BOOKS!” “Take it back!” “TAKE IT BACK RIGHT NOW!”
Then he’d look around my house and say: “You ain’t got no more room for books, Mom!” According to Charlie, pretty soon I’m going to have to live on the roof because I’ve got too many books. He might have a point. But I still believe you can never have too many good books.
I haven’t read Rock Bottom yet. So this isn’t a review. I haven’t decided whether I love it and I haven’t decided whether I’d recommend it. I haven’t chosen a favorite character and I haven’t earned that opinion yet.
This is a book feature and the beginning of my Monday 30-Minute Reading Challenge adventure. Now I’m going to read the book. And I’m also going to find Weekend Warriors. That means a trip to the library is coming. And possibly Half Price Books. And who knows what else we’ll discover along the way?
Because what we didn’t realize when David said, “Go ahead. Buy Book 35” was that those four words were about to start another Greatful Moments adventure. And somewhere in all of this, I still have to find my Scary Chairs because September 1st is here!
Giving my family more places to go and more things to see. More things to get done. Poor David. But I know what he’s going to say. “Move ’em out.” And that’s exactly what we’re going to do. I’ll start with the book. Then we’ll see where the story takes us.
If you’re a Fern Michaels fan, I need your help! Did you start with Weekend Warriors? Did you read the Sisterhood books in order? Can you jump into #35? And which Fern Michaels book should I read next?
I found Rock Bottom at WinCo for $5.98. If you’d like to look for your own copy, you can find it through my Amazon affiliate link. If you purchase through my link, I may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you.
You can also visit Fern Michaels‘ official website and explore her complete book list. For now, I’m off to read. This isn’t the review yet. This is where the adventure begins. Grab your book and favorite beverage and join me on the front porch.
Greatful Moments — Grateful, Thankful, and Blessed.
Thank you,
Glenda, Charlie and David Cates
