Two women escape burnout by swapping houses for the holidays, one to spend time on a farm in a small town, the other to spend time in a big city where she can stretch her wings and be her true self. I loved watching the relationships develop, and thoroughly enjoyed the main and side characters. While not terribly original, this was a fun read with a satisfying flow and ending. #LGBTQIA #Christmas #SmallTown #BigCity #HouseSwap

A low pick. If you enjoy stories where mean rich characters get knocked on their butt and learn to love the Christmas spirit as they drop headfirst into a romance, you might enjoy this. I enjoyed the characters and overall story. Some of the growth felt weak and unearned, and some things were a bit too easy for Matthew. Otherwise, thoroughly charming. Points for anxiety disorder rep. #LGBTQIA #Christmas

Jordan adopts an injured baby elephant who helps her find new ways to get back into sports she loves. Beautiful art paired with fun characters, disability inclusion, and a well-paced plot make this an enjoyable read. I loved meeting Jordan‘s team. The end took a bit of a journey into a genre I didn‘t realize we were in, and I can‘t decide if I loved or disliked that 🤭 it was cool because it reminded me of folklore. #Comics #Disability #Animals

Follow Lina into a chaotic, magical town where she lives with a condescending woman and fills odd jobs to “earn her keep.”This was a pretty cute, imaginative adventure full of interesting problem-solving and silly characters. Probably an excellent read for many kids! It‘s exactly the kind of book I would have hated but wished I loved 😆 it featured as a Libby community read recently which is why I picked it up. #Magic #MiddleGrade

Cheers to the local libraries that supported my reading in 2025! I look forward to seeing what books I add to my Read shelf in 2026. This year I am setting a goal to read at least 12 books from my own shelves, a difficult feat when you work doing social media for a library and always find new books while you‘re working 😆 I‘m starting a new job elsewhere this year, so hopefully it won‘t be as challenging!

Almost finished all of the bonus prompts from this year‘s LGBTQIA+ book bingo! Speaking of, I should hopefully have the bingo board for 2026 finished soon and will get it posted. If you use Storygraph, though, the challenge is already live! #LGBTQIA2025 #LGBTQIA2026

My husband 3D printed me the best bookmark 😆 #Bookmark

Another warm, cozy, and welcoming series of cute cafe adventures. These charming comics look at many topics, from dealing with anxiety disorders to being autistic to just being yourself. Perfect for anyone looking for affirmations or seeking to understand themselves and others. A great reset from a stressful day. #Comics #Neurodiversity

I had a complicated relationship with this and for a while was just reading because a friend recommended it. It took too long for the author to invite me into the story (2 hours), I hated how many sections there were before chapter 1, and a lot of stuff felt unnecessary in the begging. After about 10 hours I did start enjoying things and looking forward to what happened next. I wish the women had more page time or there were more women leads.

Very charming and cozy watching these two work hard to figure each other out and grow closer. I wound up looking qualia since it never came up in the book, and understanding this concept of fleeting moments and one-time experiences really heightened my experience of this quiet, slow-paced story. #Manga #LGBTQIA

Dive into the world of legends and fairytales with a food focus as you learn about the magical and health properties of foods. I loved this, it was such an interesting and informative read. It was especially fun learning about alewives. #Magic

Well organized with a lot of good information. I‘ve added this to my kitchen as a reference book. There was a big focus on sympathetic magic when it comes to being male and female, which doesn‘t resonate with me but is likely useful for people who it does resonate with. There‘s also a big emphasis on ingredients being organic, so this is just another book that leans into the notion that organic is purest for magic.

My husband and I started a used book gift tradition for Hanukkah, and this was one of the books I gifted him a few years ago. Since then, we read from it each December, slowly making our way through all of the poems and stories. A lot of them are fairly odd or dull, so I wouldn‘t necessarily call this a treasury 🤭

Had a surprisingly fabulous spot of luck in the book corner of Goodwill. I don‘t usually find this many books but it seemed someone had dropped off many queer reads and witchy books from their collection, as well as authors I‘ve read and enjoyed! Plus an instant pot book that tells me how to use the darn thing 🤭 #BookHaul #UsedBooks

I really enjoy Grant‘s poem comics and the subjects he tackles. His work is thoughtful and always makes me smile or feel targeted 😆 this collection was particularly interesting as he portrayed many abstract concepts related to thought and also explored many topics from self-confidence and time management to busy thoughts and writer‘s block. #Comics #poetry

Deb takes you through teenage years filled with friendship, broken self-image, cultural connections, blossoming art skills, and just trying to stay alive when so much seems to be working against you. This book is well organized and has a lot of visual interest while conveying to readers who may face similar struggles and traumas that they are not alone. Recommended to check the content warnings. #Comics #AAPI #MentalHealth

A group of space-bound travelers find themselves unexpectedly isolated together and learn to find comfort in each other‘s company. What a beautiful look at the human experience (without a single human character)! Each character‘s background and complicated social experiences are explored deeply and their relationships with fellow bubble mates is well paced and highly rewarding. Very much worth a read, but know it‘ll remind you a lot of 2020.

Three siblings take a crash course through how not to handle holiday romances, and the punches keep coming. I read this over the summer and enjoyed it. Each character's story is interesting and well-paced, with a satisfying conclusion. I almost felt overwhelmed by so many things happening at once but it felt balanced enough to keep me going. Do read the content warnings. #LGBTQIA #Holdays #HolidayRomance

Wonderful, beautiful, and delightfully cozy and affirming, as much of K's work tends to be! I love their inclusive stories that bring in disability, queerness, discovering self-confidence, family, found family, and more so seemlessly. It's fun to watch this friendship blossom and see them support each other in discovering themselves. Also, the cutest sheep!! 😍 #Comics #LGBTQIA

We see some excellent relationship development in this volume with Natsume's friends gaining a deeper understanding of his experiences with yokai and a look into Natsume's relationship with his foster family. I really enjoy the pacing of this manga. The author has really gotten the hang of balancing a slice-of-life feel and high stakes storylines. #manga

A friend and I realized we both read and loved this as teens, so now we (plus my husband) have formed a book club for a re-read. So far, just as fun as I remember interspersed with more awkward writing than I realized. Definitely excited to read more. I'm collecting every played song in a playlist on Spotify (skipping ones just mentioned unless also implied that it may have been played).

The stakes in this volume feel much higher than other volumes as Natsume draws the attention of a terrifying clan of exorsists. Very interesting developments and setting the stage for later conflict. I adored the bonus chapter where Natsume tries to teach the yokai human games. #Manga

We get to see more growth from Natori, who as usual pushes growth in Natsume as well. The episodic nature of each chapter is starting to drop off a bit more in this volume for something more cohesive, which I'm delighted to see. It was also fun having the bonus chapter about Reiko. #Manga

This continues to be a charming manga exploring LGBTQIA+ and new ally experiences alongside in-panel baking and dessert recipes. Toshi continues to grapple with the concept of coming out, and his staffer continues to delve into what it means to support the queer community. #LGBTQIA #Manga #Baking

While I enjoy this series over all, this volume was just alright to me. I didn't quite fall into the drama with Bishamon and her family, didn't understand the transformation of her clothing at any stage, and wanted more of a look at Iki's situation. I also felt like Bishamon's strength was undervalued here. #Manga

One of my favorite things about this series other than how pretty and fun to read it is would have to be the way Natsume builds friendships everywhere he goes. It feels like there are two Book of Friends--the one from his grandma and the manga itself. #Manga #Friendship

Marlene's mom says she has bad hair and has it straightened at the salon every Sunday, but Marlene hates the salon and just wants to wear her hair natural. This was a lovely book exploring self-confidence, hair care, family, identity, and Black Dominican joy. The illustrations are lovely and do such a good job of conveying emotion. The author also takes care in handling mom's hesitance toward natural hair. #BIPOC #Comics

Somehow the adventures in this book were much more high-stakes than usual, and the storytelling was a bit more solid. We got an excellent look into Reiko's past, Nyanko Sensei's motivations, and Natsume's relationship with his foster family. #Manga

Another delightful set of adventures. Always fun to have returning side characters. The arm reaching through the ceiling definitely made me laugh but I would probably panic if that happened to me 😆 #Manga

It took me a bit to get used to the episodic chapters from this series being serialized in a magazine first. This was another adventurous volume and I enjoyed the yokai and human friends Natsume meets along the way. It was very fun seeing him meet Hinoe. #Manga

What a fun way to experience my favorite Shakespeare play! The art style is charming (but all the characters are weirdly sexy) and the modern English version was interesting to experience. This would definitely be a good companion for anyone having a bit of trouble understanding the story in its original form. #Manga #Classics

Take a deep dive into different aspects of bird intelligence. I enjoyed learning about many birds native to my area from blue jays and chikadees to crows, and many I am not familiar with as well. The author takes a look at intelligence in birds' natural habitats, as well as intelligence shown for human purposes. #Birds #Nature #Nonfiction

Two of the apprentices team up to take on the next test in their academic journey: get their chosen bird creature through an ancient stone tunnel. This absurdly beautiful and adorable manga took a bit of a Full Metal Alchemist turn in this volume. #Manga #Magic

Our library brought in Jonathan Case as part of our big community read. It was an interesting and powerful talk taking us on an adventure through the twists and turns of his career and the difficult cur balls thrown at him by life. He seems like a charismatic illustrator and author and I look forward to continuing to follow his work. #Comics #Library #AuthorTalk

Chika's idea of dating is different from her friends or the guys she dates. She chases the idea of being normal as she enters college and soon discovers a word that changes everything: asexual. I really enjoyed this manga. I definitely felt similarly to Chika before learning about asexuality and fell on researching it as soon as I discovered it. I like how the side characters help her expand beyond definition into deeper understanding. #LGBTQIA

What stories are told through implication and subtext alone? Haunted by her family's secrets, Temim chases this question, as well as seeking connections with her Jewish and queer identities. I enjoyed this fairly abstract but vividly told book. I wish we had a bit more closure but given everything else I think that wouldn't have been true to this story's nature. I enjoyed the connections with Polish Jewish ancestors, that's my family's story.

We recently aquired a 3D printer and are having some fun printing various items. I found a file for this cute book tracker for my bookshelf. (Tagged is my 113th book this year) #BookCounter #Bookish

A girl and her scientist guardian travel around making medicine from monarch butterfly scales to survive against a sun sickness that wiped out Earth's mammal populations. This was one of my library's community reads this year and I really enjoyed it. The art is beautiful, the characters are delightful, and the world is vividly imagined. Loved Elvie's journaling throughout, and they even stop at nearby Cave of the Winds! 🤩 #Nature #Comics

Like any short story collection, some stories were more enjoyable than others. I definitely had fun reading this and getting to know or re-experience so many wonderful authors, and I love a good collection with trans and nonbinary characters. My favorites might be the one with the storm lighthouse and the one narrated by the magic school. #LGBTQIA #Magic #ShortStories

Enjoying an author visit with Meg Long hosted by our library district today. I read the book so I could promote it better for the library (where I work) and it was both hit and miss for me, and this author talk is such a delight. Meg seems like such a delightful person and genuine author (and definitely ADHD cognitive style). Give her a read if you like adventure, tough girls, wolves, and planets that will chew you up and spit you out.

When Shrike is crowned Oak King and fated to be killed by the Holly King to preserve the change of the season, he scrys for someone to help him and is lead to a mortal man. This was a fun but wandering read. There were a few things that felt like if cut, the book would be no less ritch. Due to this, the climactic battle feels very short. Overall, though, a fun fantasy story. I'd read more in this universe. #LGBTQIA #Fantasy #Birds

A girl or teenager secretly takes a study abroad in Vietnam to find her mother's family and meets the writer/food vendor of her dreams. This was pretty cute and there was a lot of attention paid to the culture and setting. Both characters' fears and griefs were well explored. I couldn't decide if the characters were Middle schoolers or high schoolers though. I think high school? They often felt much younger. #LGBTQIA #AAPI #Vietnam #Food

Here are my final points for this year's #HauntedShelf @PuddleJumper

🎃From midway checkin: 774 pts
🎃pre points: 60 pts (forgot to add to midway)
🎃word scavenger hunt: 30 pts
🎃book cover scavenger hunt: 465 pts
🎃book chain game: 880 (forgot to add to midway)
🎃cluedo: 190
🎃time reading: 260
🎃posts: 12
And not a single bingo line complete 😆

👻total: 2,671 for #BlackCatCrew @BookwormAHN

Thanks to the tagged author who encourages people to do so, we always put out free used books (which we buy at the annual big book sale from our library's Friends org) for Halloween alongside the treats we hand out. This year we also did food for folks in need. Both were a huge hit! 📚🎃🍬 #Halloween

These should be my last book cover scavenger hunt finds for #HauntedShelf #BlackCatCrew!

📚The House in the Cerulean Sea: building
📚Kilt for Christmas: tartan (the only find that was not on my shelf)
📚Venom: scream (thanks random dude in the corner!)

@PuddleJumper @BookwormAHN

A few more of my finds for #HauntedShelf book cover scavenger hunt! #BlackCatCrew

📚Wayward: Supernatural
📚Saga: bloody
📚Tea Dragon Society: unputdownable
📚 Descender: red

@PuddleJumper @BookwormAHN

Lewis does some interesting storytelling in this graphic memoir. I like the way he represents his anxiety, and uses the man points and character selection to convey his dysphoria. Moving through your late teens early 20s while also transitioning can definitely be complicated and I'm glad he shares his story here. #LGBTQIA #Nonfiction #Comics

Another fun continuation of this story. I am enjoying seeing the characters slowly grow through their relationships. I wish we saw a little more growth through their music like we did in the first two volumes, but that's my only tiff. #LGBTQIA #Manga

Tan's work is always to visually and conceptually compelling, and these three short stories are no exception. They tackle the bigness of depression, the lost feeling of not fitting society's expectations, and the process of colonization. This is a pretty quick read since it is formatted like a picture book. #Art

Another set of book cover scavenger hunt finds from my shelves for #HauntedShelf #BlackCatCrew

📚Dreams of Gods and Monsters: cursive
📚Hell Followed with Us: frightful
📚The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet: atmosphere
📚Inkheart: smoke (probably)
📚Strange the Dreamer: yellow
📚The Hobbit: possessive

@PuddleJumper @BookwormAHN