Is Cincinnatus in perimenopause? Because I can totally relate to this paragraph. The rest of this very Modernist novel-in-translation...I'm not sure.

Our epic Christmas Week rainstorm is rolling in so the lighting is icky, but the cookies are yum. Cookies, coffee, book: The holiday has officially begun at my house.

1) Gained clarity around my goals and priorities for teaching and volunteer work.
2) Made progress recognizing my unhelpful/maladaptive behavior patterns and taking responsibility for addressing them.
3) Narrated my first full audiobook.

2025 has been an uncomfortable learning year, and I suspect 2026 will be similarly challenging, but thank you, @Eggs , for the reminder to celebrate the positives. #majicmonday

#Jolabokaflodswap arrived! @LMJenkins @MaleficentBookDragon

Did someone from Litsy send me this sweet tote? It arrived from the store/distributor with no note, and I'm 97% certain I didn't order it for myself and then forgot I ordered it. I'd love to know whom to thank!

It took me a while, but I finally got my November Bookends Post up: https://imperfecthappiness.org/2025/12/20/bookends-november-2025/

Now to settle in and enjoy some tea and a book (and maybe a cat or two) while I try to fight off the winter cold I've managed to come down with this week. Fingers crossed that with that prescription (cats, tea, books, rest), I'll be 100% (or close to it) before the big holiday hustle begins!

This novel takes the term "housewife" literally. It's a creepy and emotional look at the way that patterns of behavior and cultural expectations keep women tied to certain roles and how little time changes that. It reminds me a bit of "The Yellow Wallpaper." Despite the spooky occurrences, the direction the novel took left me feeling more hopeless than creeped out.

I usually audiowalk, but I opted not to listen to the tagged while walking through the fog the other night. The ambience was creepy enough without adding a creepy story. I'm content to listen at home and let my family startle me by walking into the room.

I was a little surprised that I only missed one question. I don't think of myself as a huge Home Alone fan, but I guess I saw it during my formative years so it stuck with me. Also I'm pretty sure I saw it about a dozen times, so that probably plays into it.

Thanks for the tag, @dabbe ! #TTT

I appreciate the nonlinear way that this novel is told. It mimics the way that memories come to mind, one leading to another without respect to chronology. The father-daughter relationship here also feels accurate, portraying the desperation that can overtake even the most settled of grown-ups when their connection to a parent---especially a parent whose presence is unreliable---is threatened. Insecure attachment...the gift that keeps on giving.

This book is not perfect. It's got more of the author's own life in it than I prefer, and Clayton invokes two individuals whose writings I find insufferable, but it also brings together so many elements that speak to me and puts different experiences, relationships, and reactions into context. It offers validation, research (such as it is), and actionable suggestions, and these are valuable enough to me that the positives outweigh the negatives.

I visited the rose garden in the mist yesterday, and the roses looked candied. #beautybreak

I had a lovely morning! Dropped my teen off to rehearse for Tuba Christmas then audio-wandered around the park and the zoo listening to the tagged and pondering what it is I want separate from others' needs. The highlights were misty roses (I'll probably share those photos later) and a pair of red-shouldered hawks in the Andean bear enclosure. And the tuba playing, of course. I love brass ensemble music at the holidays.

1) Both a joy and a ?: Younger kid drove to school today (learner's permit fun!).
2) Birthday week brought exploration of parts of town I don't usually get to explore, including a cute coffee shop, AND a class of 4-year-olds sang me "Happy Birthday".
3) Seasonal foliage and decor at the park.
4) I adopted an avocado tree and named it Larry.
5) Semiannual haircut!

#5JoysFriday @DebinHawaii

My teen had a concert at a local college, and after we dropped him off for his call time, his dad and I wandered campus and (of course) ended up at the library where we found these adorable reshelving carts with "Hello! My Name Is" badges. The names are Shelvester Stallone, Arnold Shelvinator, Buffy the Vampire Shelver, and Mishelve Obama. I find them delightful.

I'm not a big fan of the Creative Writing MFA Meta-fiction genre, but I love an unreliable narrator, so those two things together kind of even each other out (and Robbie is unreliable, even to the point that it's difficult to tell when the story takes place...Robbie says she's a "Zoomer" at 23, but Simone is GenX at not yet 40; the math doesn't work*). Like young MFA students, the novel is a bit precious, but also clever and reasonably enjoyable.

I had a busy but fun birthday yesterday. I even had a few moments to start a book while enjoying patio coffee. I always worry that I bring sadness to artistic baristas by opting for alternative milks that don't do well for foam art. I should probably always pick oat milk (except that I like almond better).

Today is lots of meetings, recording auditions, and later a concert my teen is playing in, so I'm glad I got a little downtime yesterday.

#NLHS and #JolabokaflodSwap went out today. #NLHS is in two boxes because one thing was the tiniest bit too big for the one box and I knew if I delayed to wait for the right size box for everything, I might not get the swap out in time.

@WildAlaskaBibliophile @TieDyeDude @MaleficentBookDragon

Maybe a little more straightforward than I'd like as far as the symbolism goes, but it's a cute idea, and I was invested for the duration of this short novel. There's a lot here about the limitations of shaping ourselves to please others, feeling like we don't belong and worrying that we'll never be loved and clinging to things and people out of fear. It's a very young book in that sense. I mean, I'm older than the MC's parents. #tob26 longlist

I've mentioned it on Litsy before, but volunteering with the literacy-focused nonprofit Words Alive is one of the highlights of my week. The organization is having a big fundraising push, and if you'd like to learn more about Words Alive and the work I do with them, please visit the link below (and if you're moved to donate, that would totally rock):

https://charity.centuryclubsd.org/fundraiser/6848737

I searched the internet hoping the reality TV show The Swan was made up for the book, but alas, it really aired. For two seasons. I would have known if I hadn't forgotten about the existence of Extreme Makeover.

When one of the avocado trees we grew from a pit died, I bought a salvia to plant in its place. I can see it from my regular reading and tea-drinking spot, and I love watching the hummingbirds and bees and hoverflies visit. It gives me the sense that I'm collaborating with Nature. (No hummingbirds in this photo, but I know they're out there.) @Eggs #MajicMonday

I finished this one late last night. It's not really my thing, but my sister and I are trying to reinvigorate our Sisters Book Club, and this book has sisters in it. I like the descriptions of New Zealand and of surfing, but there are too many emotional non sequiturs and about-faces for my taste. I felt like the author was trying to manipulate my emotions, which isn't something I enjoy. It's a decent story, though.

Received my #nlhs #naughtylistholidayswap! I opened the box not knowing it was the swap, but once I figured it out, I didn't open any of the contents and I set it aside for opening day. @BarkingMadRead

I'm waiting on one more item I ordered to arrive and then I'll be packing up and shipping my swap. Hopefully that will go out Tuesday, but I'll update when it's on its way.

@WildAlaskaBibliophile @TieDyeDude

I don't totally get this novel, but it seems to be about a true crime author who is reckoning with the reality of his profession and at a deeper level about how a story can be factually accurate without being true. There's no such thing as objective storytelling. The author has to pick sides---protagonist, antagonist, villain, hero---which is by definition not objective. There's also something vulnerable here about how we've all been children.

I audiowrapped some presents while listening to the tagged book. In related news, after 26 years, our previous little tree was too dilapidated to continue, so we got a "big" one (5.5 feet tall) to start using this year. It's our first time with a tree we put on the floor instead of on a table. I want to get some creepy ornaments for it, but my family aren't as into the idea.

This book totally hit the spot for me. It's tragic and terrifying on a global scale while at the same time fiercely personal and quiet. I love how the story unfolds and the feeling of hope that accompanies the fear and uncertainty. The way I feel reading this one reminds me of how I felt reading Smith's There But For The, which isn't really anything like this one in plot or structure. #tob26 longlist

If only Alexis Coe could write all the presidential biographies, the #USPresidents challenge would be a breeze! I tend to be very cautious about biographies because so many of them are exhaustingly detailed and give little sense for the personality of the subject. Not Coe's biography of GW! She does an excellent job of highlighting the events that illuminate his personality without getting readers lost in the weeds.

@Amiable @TEArificbooks

December #bookspinbingo!

@TheAromaofBooks

This isn't my favorite Poirot mystery, but it might be my favorite portrayal of the friendship between Poirot and Mrs. Oliver. I enjoyed the reflections on aging and the many conversations between long acquaintances that feel more at the center of the novel than the mystery itself, which isn't overly complicated (although some (in my opinion unnecessary) complexities are layered on top of the solution).

November #bookspinbingo card. I got my #doublespin, didn't get my #bookspin, but I scored a bingo, baby!

This format is oddly motivating for me, and I wonder if I can apply it to other areas of my life, like writing or household chores, or if it only works for something I'm already doing anyway.

@TheAromaofBooks

I almost DNFed this one because it dragged in the middle, but I persisted, and I think that was the right choice. This scratched the itch for contemplative literary fiction that I've had after immersing myself in horror for a couple of months. It deals with familial relationships and the ways that we can manipulate others to meet our own needs and distract from our sense of mortality and/or feelings of powerlessness. So, uncomfortable but good.

December #bookspin and #castthedie list. I might trade out one of these to put in Lion by Sonia Walger, but aside from that, this should pretty much be my list. Lots of #ToB26 longlist and my ever-aspirational #Roll100 titles.

@TheAromaofBooks @PuddleJumper

Pond lights at the Botanic Garden's Lightscape exhibit. I could make a dozen posts just with photos of this outing, but I am exercising self control. #beautybreak

@anncrystal @dabbe @dilara @jessclark78 @amiable @tamra @originalcyn620 @sace @amyg @thebookhippie @kspenmoll @liseworks @uncommonlycozies @karisa @cuilin @jenlovesjt47 @monalyisha

According to Julia Cameron, I'm not the only one resistant to Artist's Dates. Hoping for inspiration (or at least more direction), I checked this book out on Libby. It's a quick read, and it did give me more ideas. More interestingly, it helped me see that I already routinely do things that I never considered Artist's Dates, like getting a massage or going to a park or baking a treat. So, yay me, I guess?

I am so lucky to have a little sister who knows that my love language is Books. (She gave me the okay to open my b-day gift early.)(And she's not on Litsy and lives across the country, so I probably could have kept it a secret if she hadn't given me the go-ahead.)

My family surprised me with flowers to celebrate the release of my first audiobook (tagged). Let me know if you'd like a promo code for a free copy. I have some for the US and the UK, and I would love to get some reviews (good, bad, or mixed)!

Email me or DM me on Instagram if you're interested: Charity at ctlvoiceover.com, ctlvoiceover on IG

Post-feast, pre-reading-and-pie-time sunset walk.

Happy Thanksgiving, Happy Thursday, Happy Football, Happy Reading Time. Happy #beautybreak

A sweet and surprisingly alarmingly scary middle-grade horror. This is a genre that didn't exist when I was a kiddo, so in fifth grade I skipped straight from Beverly Cleary to Stephen King and Edgar Allan Poe. This novel has narrative interspersed with poetry and shares several features with Gaiman's Coraline. It's probably around the scariness of Poe.

One last #beautybreak before I take a break from my phone for family time and food prep.

@anncrystal @dabbe @dilara @jessclark78 @amiable @tamra @originalcyn620 @sace @amyg @thebookhippie @kspenmoll @liseworks @uncommonlycozies @karisa @cuilin @jenlovesjt47 @monalyisha

We do not care that the gas pump is convenient and in the shade. If you're driving a Tesla, you should not be sitting at the pump when other people are waiting to fill up their tanks. Use one of the parking spaces, buddy. #WDNCW @dabbe

#beautybreak from a walk through a county park yesterday.

@anncrystal @dabbe @dilara @jessclark78 @amiable @tamra @originalcyn620 @sace @amyg @thebookhippie @kspenmoll @liseworks @uncommonlycozies @karisa @cuilin @jenlovesjt47 @monalyisha

I am excited to announce that the audiobook edition of MURDER AMONG THE MARIGOLDS by Diane Scotland, narrated by *me* is now available for purchase on Audible! I'll drop the link in the comments.

The novel is a sweet cozy mystery that takes place during a small-town fall festival. There's some G-rated romance, a quirky best friend, and a cat and a dog who help spot clues when their humans get stumped solving the mystery.

This is a love story set in the midst of an in-progess global apocalypse. It's filled with lust, miscommunication, and attempts by one party to anticipate the desires of the other (and missing the mark, as so often happens). I'm not sure I *like* this novel, but I love Xe Sands's narration and the story definitely touches on some interesting ideas about love, connection, and mortality.

This variation on a haunted house story combines elements of Poltergeist, Lovecraft, It, and The Shining, with a nod or two to Amityville Horror. Overall I enjoyed it, although the message is somewhat less subtle than I prefer in my favorite horror.

I love it when the palm trees get dressed up for the winter holidays. #beautybreak

@anncrystal @dabbe @dilara @jessclark78 @amiable @tamra @originalcyn620 @sace @amyg @thebookhippie @kspenmoll @liseworks @uncommonlycozies @karisa @cuilin @jenlovesjt47 @monalyisha

My Saturday night reading companion. Trying to make some progress on this book, but I keep getting distracted.

This novel wasn't a complete hit for me, but I did enjoy the author's exploration of otherness and belonging, of watching tragedy over which one has little to no control unfolding in ways both real and absurd and not knowing the proper response. This novel feels almost existentialist or perhaps Stoic in the sense that it recognizes both the futility of action and how this futility makes our own storytelling and meaning-making all the more crucial.

This #beautybreak brought to you by sunrise and our very dirty front window. I regret not having the windows cleaned before rainy season started.

@anncrystal @dabbe @dilara @jessclark78 @amiable @tamra @originalcyn620 @sace @amyg @thebookhippie @kspenmoll @liseworks @uncommonlycozies @karisa @cuilin @jenlovesjt47 @monalyisha

I usually don't enjoy epistolary novels, but between the reviews and the fact that I know one of the narrators, I decided to pick this one up on audio, and I am so glad I did. It felt a little disjointed at first, but once I got the hang of it, I just loved it. Sybil's character arc is so moving and beautifully drawn. Now I feel like writing letters (I've already written notes to two neighbors to go with some treats we're giving them).