I don‘t really do New Year‘s Eve anymore, I like sleep too much. 😂

But every New Year‘s day, I like to do a little bit of as many of the activities over the year that have brought me joy. Reading, writing, baking, hanging out with family, chatting with friends.

This year may have been unprecedentedly bad, but I still managed to make joy for myself. & that‘s energy I plan to carry into 2026.

#MajicMonday @Eggs

Two young adult novels published together are my pick for May!

Emilie stows away on a sky ship intent on new discoveries and has some amazing adventures!

If you, like me, fell in love with the aesthetics of the Disney movie Treasure Planet, you‘ll find this right up your alley!

#12BooksOf2025 @TheEllieMo

#WeeklyForecast

Accidentally put my up next audiobook on my Book Report last night! Which should show how excited am I to get to it this week!

#BookReport

I read a couple really interesting non fiction books this week!

For April I have picked this Appalachian horror novel. A time displaced witch and a former mining employee fight back against a negligent mining corporation and a secret evil hidden deep within the mountain.

Beautifully atmospheric and deliciously creepy, it‘s filed under “botanical horror” on my Storygraph! 😂

#12BooksOf2025 @TheEllieMo

For March, we‘ve got an absolutely breathtaking graphic novel adaptation of one of my favorite fantasy novels! Ged‘s story of fighting against a darkness is beautifully portrayed in these illustrations!

#12BooksOf2025 @TheEllieMo

February‘s choice is a book about monsters. What makes a monster, and how can we stop the monsters when we don‘t teach the language used to identify what they do?

#12BooksOf2025 @TheEllieMo

Thanks for doing this @TheEllieMo !

January‘s pick is a Japanese fabulist tale of a mysterious restaurant where the customers can have a final meal with a lost loved one. A beautiful examination of grief and closure, with delicious recipes!

#12BooksOf2025

You ever thought to yourself that you need to know more about bats? Then this is the book for you!

In all seriousness, this was a lot of fun. Years ago, I read a bunch of these kind of micro histories, and I had forgotten how much fun it is to really sit down w/ someone wildly passionate about a VERY specific subject. It jumped around a bit too much within the sections, but it was a lot of fun & very informative! 🌕🌕🌕🌕🌑

I really loved this book! This had a whole slew of my favorite things in stories. Time travel, the power of stories, a lady knight, fantastical Arthurian vibes.

Probably my favorite book of Harrow‘s so far. 💖

#SundayFunday Hope you all are doing well, and let‘s hope for a better 2026! Don‘t forget to tag me in your posts!

After centuries serving as an undead knight to a tyrant, Rottgor decides to enjoy his retirement by starting a restaurant & adopting a child whose existence threatens the whole city.

A sweet story about changing your life, finding joy even when you don‘t think you deserve it. Loved the concept of city full of the dead & the livings. There were a few too many characters that felt unnecessary, but I‘d love to see more in this universe.🌕🌕🌕🌕🌑

Happy Christmas, or the season of fairy tale retellings! ❤️💚❤️💚 #BookHaul

It seems as if art departments are always underfunded, so the Bob Whites come together to run a bikeathon to raise funds for the arts @ the high school. But then there is vandalism & threatening calls.

Another fantastic story of the Bob Whites coming together to work for their community. A mystery that Trixie seems to fall into more, & real communication between friends! Also, love that I still have to look up words for Mart. 🌕🌕🌕🌕🌑

I‘m finished getting ready to head over to family‘s for Christmas Eve in a bit, and I just knew this had to be my word for #WeirdWordWednesday !

Whether you celebrate Christmas or not, I hope you all are safe and warm, and with people you love!

Thank you all for making this site such a respite. ❤️💚❤️💚

I am making a commitment to increase the nonfiction I read in 2026.

And why not make it fun? Every month I‘m going to try & read a nonfiction book based on 12 of my favorite historical American Girl Dolls. #AmericanGirlReads

And then I thought, why not expand it? So I made a Storygraph challenge with some possible fiction & nonfiction prompts for each doll.

https://app.thestorygraph.com/reading_challenges/decd114d-c3bf-4960-a1c3-b761b26...

The life of Madame Restell, one of New York city‘s most accomplished abortionists in the late 1800s.

This was a fascinating look at a unique woman. From such an impoverished life, she quickly became a wealthy woman while providing an important aspect of women‘s health care. Frustrating to read, as we are fighting the same goddamned fight, & also weird tone shifts, & unnecessary tangents, like an entire chapter on architecture.🌕🌕🌕🌗🌑

I just used this one for my Sunday Funday post, and I really loved it! The description of the weather and everyone cozied up in the gorgeous inn was perfect for winter reading!

#MiddleGradeMonday @Karisimo @Daisey

1. Visited England with my mother! 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿
2. Started writing again! ✍️
3. One of my best friends got engaged! 💍

#MajicMonday @Eggs

#WeeklyForecast

I can‘t even begin to describe how excited I am for this Moby Dick retelling I‘ve got coming up! 🐳

#BookReport

What a fascinating range of books this week has been!

5,000 years after the Labyrinth, the Minotaur is working as a line cook in the American South. & all he wants is to live his life & make the connections all people crave.

Such an odd little book. Just the day by day life of the Minotaur. Paced pretty slow. Tonally, it flip flops between tits/ass jokes & melancholy examinations of the deep loneliness that affects those seen as Other by their community. Not sure how I feel about the end.🌕🌕🌕🌑🌑

Nate‘s just looking for a break after losing his job. Then he gets sort of kidnapped by a former Marine & a girl w/ too many secrets on the run from the government.

Fun road trip story, kind of like a queer Firestarter meets ET w/ interesting characters (especially Art!). The pacing felt off, particularly in the 1st half, & the narrative got a bit repetitive, but it‘s also a sweet story of finding family in the face of destruction.🌕🌕🌕🌗🌑

This was a lovely little story about a mysterious inn, pirates, ghosts, and a hidden treasure.

I should actually continue this series!

#SundayFunday Have a happy Solstice or Christmas or anything that you choose to celebrate this week, and don‘t forget to tag me in your posts!

There‘s a little coffee shop where the patrons can sit & come to terms w/ huge changes in their lives like loss or a first love.

This was sweet, but I went into it expecting a little more. There are only three parts, & I did appreciate the open ended qualities of each, but I wish each had had a little more time, & I definitely wish that the coffee shop itself had played a bigger role.🌕🌕🌕🌗🌑

Hahaha! Nice! Anyway, I totally guessed on half of these, and I‘ve only seen this movie once like six years ago! 😂 Might have to brush up on this movie!

#TTT #TakeThreeThursday @dabbe

After escaping the icy Tundar, Sena & Remy land on Remy‘s old home jungle planet w/ a plan to find Remy‘s lost friend. Only, an ex partner holds that info hostage until Remy agrees to help the revolution.

Remy wasn‘t quite as engaging a narrator as Sena had been, but this was still a fascinating sequel! Planet wide revolutions, conspiracy, betrayals, there‘s a lot happening here, sometimes too much. But engaging enough I‘d read book 3!🌕🌕🌕🌗🌑

Has my day been absolutely full of things that need doing, and have I enjoyed being around and helping the people I love? Yes.

Am I looking forward to tomorrow when nothing is expected or needed of me, and I can bury myself in blankets and books? Also yes.

#WeirdWordWednesday #WeirdWords @CBee

Non-fiction #MyLitsyAwards ! @CSeydel ‘s template again!

Best Overall - Girl Warrior

Best People to Hang Out With - The Mythmakers

Most Gripping - Read This When Things Fall Apart

Most Dishy - The King‘s English

Most Entertaining - Useless Etymology

Biggest Surprise - Murder Ballads

Saw @CSeydel ‘s #MyLitsyAwards and just knew I had to fill it out!

Best Buddy Read - A Witch‘s Guide to Magical Innkeeping

Best characters to hang out with - the City Watch in Feet of Clay

Best Auld Lang Spine book - A Strange and Stubborn Endurance

Best New to Me Author - Molly O‘Neill

Most Sequel Worthy - Of Monsters and Mainframes

Biggest Surprise - The Tainted Cup

This was such fun! Loved going back over the year.

Din & Ana‘s newest case might be their most difficult w/ the victim found in pieces, negotiations of the Empire acquiring a new kingdom, & a terrorist threat on the horizon.

The world building astounds me! Combined w/ in depth character work, a mystery that kept me guessing even as I predicted 1/2 the solve, Bennet‘s quickly becoming a favorite. I am getting a touch irritated w/ the repetition of how Din‘s Engraving abilities work. 🌕🌕🌕🌕🌑

There were a lot of picture books about Kwanzaa to be found, and then I found this one!

I vaguely remember seeing Chocolate‘s NEATE books in my Scholastic Fair growing up.

#MiddleGradeMonday @Karisimo @Daisey

Getting up out of my nice, warm, cozy bed and going to work.

Except now I‘m home from work, so I‘m curled up with a blanket and The Princess Bride movie. ❤️

#MajicMonday @Eggs

#WeeklyForecast

I‘m almost done with A Drop of Corruption, and what do you mean I have to wait until next year for the next book?! 🥺

#BookReport

I finished two ARCs this week! 🎉🎉🎉

Bree‘s destiny as a Scion of Arthur is under threat when the Order doesn‘t want to acknowledge her claim, & a mysterious Hunter that has been chasing her ancestors appears.

An intense roller coaster of a sequel! The world gets fleshed out a lot more, we got more of the magic, & Bree making connections outside of the Order. I do find myself impatient w/ the love triangle, & I‘m not a fan of cliffhangers. But I‘m excited for book 3!🌕🌕🌕🌕🌑

There is nothing in the world quite like a gift from someone that knows you really well! 💖

I can‘t wait to dive into this retelling of the Minotaur in the American South.

Why yes, I did make a bookmark out of the gorgeous wrapping paper.

My nibling gave this to me a couple years ago for Christmas. I had never read the book before, and we had been talking about the movie.

I thought it wouldn‘t live up to the hype it has, but it absolutely did. ❤️💚❤️💚

#SundayFunday Stay safe and warm today, and don‘t forget to tag me in your posts!

It is dark and chilly outside, so I‘m curled up with a book, hot chocolate, and a lovely candle. I‘m all set. 💖

No one is expecting Nancy to return to Eleanor‘s School. But ghosts are killing the living statutes of the Halls of the Dead. & Nancy needs all the help she can get.

Love the return of Nancy! The story got to acknowledge how hurtful her leaving had been, showed friends reconnecting after a long time apart, gave us insights into 2 new worlds! I was frustrated by who the villain turned out to be, otherwise a solid entry into this series!🌕🌕🌕🌕🌑

10 people are invited to the mysterious Soldier Island. At dinner, they are each accused of getting away w/ murder. & then the 1st body drops.

1 of my favorite Christie stories. A fascinating examination of morality, & a spectrum of guilt. 1 of her stories where you must reread it, because as soon as you know who did it, you can go back & truly appreciate the breadcrumbs she trailed. & Stevens is utter perfection in this creepy mystery.🌕🌕🌕🌕🌑

Happy Sea of Monsters day, yesterday! The nibling came over and had requested a blue dinner for the premier.

The blue bread and blue ranch dressing worked a treat!

The blue dye for the potato chips did not. 😂😂😂 #BookAdaptations

A mystery author‘s book signing is upended when the author mysteriously collapses. Lana puts her investigative skills to work when it turns out the author was murdered.

I love the settings for this series. The community is so lovely & works together so well. & the friendships Lana has are so fun. & while the mystery was predictable, all the suspects were set up well. Was less of a fan of Adam in this 1, but that might just be me.🌕🌕🌕🌗🌑

I actually haven‘t read this one, but it‘s been on my TBR forever! I really enjoyed the Artemis Fowl series, so I‘m looking forward to reading this some time!

#MiddleGradeMonday @Karisimo @Daisey

#MajicMonday @Eggs

I can see the pinks and golds and blues of the sunrise as I finish getting ready for work. ☀️

Robert Burns‘s poetry and songs.

A delightful collection that really showcase the author‘s love for his country‘s landscape and history, and people. So many poems lovingly describing people he knew. I need to find some of these read out loud. 🌕🌕🌕🌗🌑

#WeeklyForecast

It‘s sequels all the way down for my upcoming reads!

#BookReport

So many good books read this week!

Princess Melilot has been sent away to marry a king after failing at too many quests. Her travels bring her into conflict w/ mutant monsters, 12 identical huntsman w/ secrets, & a talking misogynistic lion.

I was giggling like a loon. I really love fairy tale mash up stories, & this one referenced so many. But also manages to be a compelling story of a princess finding her own power & coming to terms w/ fraught familial relationships.🌕🌕🌕🌕🌗

I remember reading this book years ago, and the original cover with the red mittens and the snow just stuck in my head!

#SundayFunday Have a safe and warm day, and don‘t forget to tag me in your posts!

“Bookstores are the happiest places on earth.” 👍🏻👍🏻

#FirstLineFridays @ShyBookOwl