Today I finished an audio reread of The Tale of Genji. I did not listen nearly as carefully as I read the first time a few years ago, but I found it interesting how some scenes were so familiar from the previous read. It is still a beautifully written but infuriating story.

#1001books #Reading1001 #audiobook #Translated

For #MiddleGradeMonday I‘m sharing the classic Christmas read about the Herdmans and a new one that I just picked up to read this week. Stealing Christmas doesn‘t have a lot of reviews, and they are very mixed so we‘ll see how it goes.

#MiddleGrade #Christmas

I don‘t usually participate in the Sunday #HyggeHour because I‘m frantically working to get things ready for another week of school, but it‘s Christmas break! So, this evening I‘ve settled in for a bit to catch up on some of my reading of Letters from Father Christmas. I love Polar Bear‘s antics and the illustrations on every reread.

#HyggeHourReadathon #TolkienChristmas #FellowshipOfTolkien

This has been on my TBR for a while, so I listened to it today. It‘s a fun origin story for Santa Claus including how he started using a sleigh pulled by reindeer, getting in houses through the chimney, filling stockings, and his immortality, all with with no Christian connections.

#MiddleGrade #Christmas #audiobook

📷: Giving the pets a little extra attention after a busy week at school.

Eve & Andrew have been best friends forever, but at the start of 8th grade everyone around them suddenly decides they need to be girlfriend & boyfriend. Both really want to just stay friends, but now they don‘t know how to get back there.
Middle school relationships are frequently a mess, and this book covers pretty much all the ways. Yet, at its heart, it‘s about the importance of friendship and communication.

#MiddleGrade #TRS2025

This was a fun read, but it was also pretty light on plot. I kept hoping for more backstory and detail.

#MiddleGrade #GraphicNovel #TRS2025

More Friday joys shared on Saturday
💛 Last week of school before break and Secret Santa fun with my colleagues
💛 My Jolabokaflod Swap package arrived! @Gissy @MaleficentBookDragon
💛 Christmas cookie swap & Making Chex Mix
💛 Quiet Saturday mornings with the pets
💛 Looking forward to few days with no specific plans except time to prep things for Christmas visits with family

#5JoysFriday #DaiseysJoys

@alexus_sb I ran into a shipping issue, but your swap should now be on its way. Hopefully, it will have smooth sailing the rest of the way.

#JolabokaflodSwap

Ok, friends, I thought I had a few books featuring Hanukkah on my shelf, but apparently Let It Glow (also recommended by @Karisimo ) is it. So, I‘m looking for all your winter holiday recommendations.

Therefore, I‘m cheating a bit for the prompt. In this story, the family celebrates the entire season of Christmas including but not limited to days for St. Nicholas, St. Stephen, and the Three Kings.

#MiddleGradeMonday #MiddleGrade #Christmas

I‘ve had this book on my class shelves for years but never read it myself. It was a lovely story about community and hope. I loved seeing Marly‘s joy in everything she learned from the names of beautiful spring flowers to all about tapping trees for maple syrup.

#ChildrensClassicRead2025 #Newbery 1957 #MiddleGrade #Pennsylvania #MsDsLibrary

Another Saturday edition of weekly joys

💛 The pets
💛 Crockpot meals
💛 Eggnog & baking cranberry eggnog bread
💛 Christmas shopping with friends
💛 Holiday reads & readalongs

#5JoysFriday #DaiseysJoys

This is another tough one for me to review. Through much of it, I wondered what in the world I was listening to. I know it was full of symbolism, but I‘m not sure how much I understood. There were parts that left me baffled, others that made me laugh out loud, and some that were just brutal. The cats of the Majestic might have been the most interesting part for me.

#1001books #audiobook #Ireland

I‘m already behind on my own schedule, but this evening I read a few letters with supper. In the 1927 letter, Father Christmas mentions the Polar Bear and the Man in the Moon playing snapdragon, grabbing and eating raisins or almonds from a burning bowl of brandy. The article linked in the comments includes instructions if you‘re looking for a new holiday game.

#FellowshipOfTolkien #TolkienChristmas #Christmas #Reread #ReadAndEat

I read this one a few years ago and keep meaning to reread and continue the series, but I still haven‘t.

#MiddleGradeMonday #MiddleGrade #Christmas

Join @Karisimo and I in sharing Christmas middle grade reads with magical characters (Santa, elves, etc.).

#MiddleGradeMonday #MiddleGrade #Christmas

A quiet Friday night at home is the perfect time for a glass of cranberry wine and a few pages from each of these December reads. I also listened to the next chapter of The Crime at Black Dudley while I made supper.

#FellowshipOfTolkien #TolkienChristmas #Christmas #ChildrensClassicRead2025

💛 First snow of the season & coming home early from school
💛 Ceramic pen holder & desk decoration that I can change seasonally
💛 Books, blankets, & warm beverages
💛 Christmas lights
💛 The pets

#5JoysFriday #DaiseysJoys

I started this middle grade read today, and I think it‘s going to be perfect for December. It‘s been on my shelf a long time, but I‘m just now finally picking it up for the children‘s classic read with @TheBookHippie

📷: Luthien just came in from running in the snow and had a bath. Now, she and La Gata are ready to snuggle in for the evening.

#MiddleGrade #ChildrensClassicRead2025 #MsDsLibrary

It‘s been several years since I read Code Talkers, but it is still one of my favorite historical fiction books set during WWII. Grenade is about the Battle of Okinawa. The books on the right are nonfiction for middle grade readers.

#MiddleGradeMonday #MiddleGrade #WWII #MsDsLibrary

#MiddleGradeMonday is back! Join @Karisimo and I in sharing middle grade reads each week.

Also comment on one of our posts if you would like to be added to a tag list. I‘ll tag a few people I know have participated before.

Happy December! I completely forgot to consider posting in advance, but I will be doing my annual reread of Letters from Father Christmas if anyone wants to join me. The schedule is just a general plan to spread the letters out over the days between now and Christmas. Please share your thoughts as you read!

I‘ll only tag everyone on my #FellowshipOfTolkien list on this first post.

#JRRTolkien #Christmas #Reread #TolkienChristmas

November 2025 #BookSpinBingo

I didn‘t listen to as much nonfiction as I hoped, but it was still a good month overall. I also fit in some great middle grade reads and a couple from the 1001 list.

#MonthlyStats #ReadingStats #DaiseysReadingSummary

I didn‘t put much effort into reading this one during the fall after the readalong was over, but I‘m back to it again now. It‘s good, but frequently I‘ve wanted something lighter when I was reading in print. However, it feels a fitting read now as the weather turns colder here, and I absolutely want to finish it before the end of the year.

#KLBR #DoorstopKristin

I listened to Titus Groan several years ago and did not especially enjoy it, so it‘s taken me a long time to try this second book. Gormenghast Castle is a world of its own peopled with truly interesting characters. I enjoyed this book more than the first, but it‘s still a slow moving story where I kept waiting for more to happen.

#1001books #audiobook

Another Saturday morning edition of Friday joys

💛 A Saturday of watching my niece play volleyball
💛 Thai food with my sister & niece after volleyball
💛Thanksgiving break & a visit home to see my family
💛 My pets, my sister‘s pets, and my niece‘s bottle calf
💛 Thanksgiving food
💛 Coffee

#5JoysFriday #DaiseysJoys

This book deals with some very real aspects of grief while also being an amusing mystery set in Charleston, South Carolina. I loved Charlie the parrot and how the family came together in their time of loss.

#MiddleGrade #TRS2025 #SouthCarolina

This one falls somewhere in the middle of the Dickens books I‘ve read. I didn‘t love it, but I found plenty to enjoy as I listened. Most of the main characters are very much good or evil, but throughout the book there are many interesting characters.

#WhatTheDickens #audiobook

This evening I‘m making some time to read with Gandalf. So far this is an amusing middle grade story that also delves into to the reality of grief after the death of a family member.

#MiddleGrade

This is another great historical fiction by Jennifer Nielsen. Set in Poland throughout WWII, it follows Lidia from the initial German invasion through the final days of the German occupation. It‘s a harrowing story of those who joined the Polish resistance. I‘ve read stories of the Jews in the Warsaw ghetto, but this was a broader story of resistance throughout the city.

#audiobook #MiddleGrade #WWII #TRS2025

A visit to the library yesterday means choosing a new middle grade book to start with breakfast today. I‘m picking up Fowl Play first.

#BookAndBreakfast #MiddleGrade

A couple weeks worth of joys since I never made time to post last weekend

💛 Beautiful northern lights from my backyard
💛 Homemade sourdough brownies
💛 My pets
💛 Time to bake the fruitcake for this holiday season
💛 Cozy blankets

#5JoysFriday #DaiseysJoys

Today I learned these yew trees may have inspired Tolkien‘s door into Moria. It‘s a perfect Tree A Day and Tolkien crossover.

#ATreeADay #NaturaLitsy #FellowshipOfTolkien #NonfictionNovember #NFNovember #TodayILearned

I‘m excited to collaborate with @Karisimo to bring back weekly #MiddleGradeMonday posts! We‘ve got some prompts planned, but we would also love to hear what kind of #MiddleGrade books you would like to share or for which you would appreciate some recommendations. Let us know your ideas in the comments.

This is a light pick for me. I enjoyed it but didn‘t love it. I appreciated the early history of how bookstores developed in the U.S. and found the stories of well-known independent bookstores interesting. However, this is an incredibly broad topic, and hearing about a few specific bookstores I know or have visited just made me want to learn of more variety for my list.

#audiobook #Nonfiction #NonfictionNovember #NFNovember #LitsyBookClub

I‘ve read a few books about Tolkien, Lewis, and the Inklings, and I still thoroughly enjoyed the style and perspective of this book. It‘s not strictly a graphic novel biography as it alternates full pages of text with panels and also includes a few narrative fantasy elements, but it is full of factual information about both writers and their friendship. The art was also great.

#NonfictionNovember #NFNovember #GraphicNovel #FellowshipOfTolkien

Sunday morning #BookAndBreakfast

This is a fascinating look at the relationship between Tolkien and Lewis with pages of text and illustration interspersed with full graphic novel panels featuring a lion and wizard. There‘s a lot about their beliefs and writing styles more than events of their lives.

#Nonfiction #NonfictionNovember #NFNovember #BreakfastWithTolkien #FellowshipOfTolkien

There wasn‘t anything especially surprising for me in this story of public school girl getting the opportunity to attend an elite private school with a secret society, but it was a fun listen for today.

#MiddleGrade #audiobook #TRS2025

This is an interesting book of short descriptions of women authors of early gothic stories to present day. I don‘t consider myself much of a horror or speculative fiction reader, but I enjoy reading a wide variety. There were several authors I have read and plenty more that piqued my interest. I enjoyed the listen, but a print copy would be ideal for better noting books to add to a TBR.

#Nonfiction #NonfictionNovember #NFNovember #audiobook

Another Saturday edition of joys:

💛 A few new to me jars and dishes from my grandparents‘ house
💛 Trying out some new math activities with my classes
💛 The pets! They‘re all getting a little snugglier as the weather cools.
💛 Friday night pizza and football
💛 A Saturday with nowhere to go

#5JoysFriday #DaiseysJoys

Today I learned that J.R.R. Tolkien & Edith (his future wife) spent time in tea shops as teens throwing sugar cubes into the hats of unsuspecting ladies.

This is a graphic novel biography of C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien, and so far I‘m intrigued by how it‘s put together. It‘s also nice to read something a bit lighter about them.

#FellowshipOfTolkien #Nonfiction #TodayILearned #NonfictionNovember #NFNovember #GraphicNovel

I feel I haven‘t read much nonfiction this year,
so I‘m trying to remedy that with some #NonfictionNovember choices. I‘ve started this audiobook about female authors of horror & speculative fiction. It‘s fascinating & mentions a good mix of authors with whom I‘m familiar as well as others unknown to me. Each section gives a bit of author information & a reading list.

📷: A happy Luthien out for a run today

#NFNovember #Nonfiction #audiobook

I thoroughly enjoyed this middle grade dystopia set in a future world where all information is digital, paper books are incredibly rare, and few know how to read well. It‘s got plenty of action but also a clear message about the importance of books and not censoring information.

#MiddleGrade #audiobook #TRS2025

October 2025 #BookSpinBingo

I don‘t feel like I read very much in October nor was there an absolutely amazing book, but it was an enjoyable reading month.

#BookSpin 14 - Westfallen
#DoubleSpin 7 -

#ReadingStats #MonthlyStats #DaiseysReadingSummary

This is an interesting piece of WWII history, but I was disappointed in the book itself. It seemed to skip over some key aspects of the initial Japanese invasion of the Aleutian Islands. The stories of the different people didn‘t make the impact I expected and felt somewhat disjointed. It may be even harder for young readers without any prior knowledge to follow the course of events.

#Nonfiction #MiddleGrade #YA #WWII #Alaska #MsDsLibrary

This summer I had the opportunity to visit the Alaska Aviation Museum in Anchorage, and it includes an exhibit about the Japanese invasion of the Aleutian Islands during WWII. As I walked through it I realized I‘ve had this book in my class library shelf for a few years and never read it myself. I started it today during our seminar reading time.

#Alaska #YA #Nonfiction #WWII #MsDsLibrary

This story includes sea dragons mostly hunted for profit in an area of tropical islands, and their eggs are especially prized for magical properties. There is also some interesting magic with the tattoo like markings of some characters. This description includes nothing of the main characters, but that‘s hard without giving away key details.

📷: I listened today as I worked around the house & started some baking projects.

#audiobook #YA #TRS2025

This was an enjoyable reread of a book I haven‘t read in several years. The idea of running away and hiding in a museum is a fun one, and there‘s a bit of a mystery for Claudia and Jamie to investigate as well.

It‘s also been a while since I spent a quiet Friday night with a book and cup of tea, and it was very much appreciated.

#MiddleGrade #MsDsLibrary

This was a great story of friendship, love, and resistance during the WWII occupation of Jersey, one of the Channel Islands. I enjoyed the stories of this community focused around two best friends, Grace and Bea, as they work against the oppression of Nazi occupation. There were also wonderful historical notes at the end.

#LitsyBookClub #audiobook #WWII

💛 The pets!
💛 I have completed all the steps to add HS math to my teaching certification.
💛 Parent teacher conferences yesterday and no school today, meaning a 3 day weekend!
💛 A pumpkin spice shake on my way home from errands today
💛 Time to stay home and bake tomorrow

#5JoysFriday #DaiseysJoys

I finished listening to this over the weekend, and I‘m still not sure what I think about it. I frequently found the way the narrator described things and how he inserted himself in the story entertaining. However, the way things came together at the end seemed abrupt to me, and my overall impression was more a so-so than a pick.

I put this on hold for #AuthorAMonth, but just now got to it.

#1001books #audiobook