I came down with the flu yesterday & am not feeling great, so all the family has been sent off to my son-in-law's family for Xmas lunch. I'll be curling up in bed with a cup of Earl Grey & broken homemade mince pies. The paracetamol has kicked in, I got a good haul of books from Santa, & for the 1st time in ages, there's a sprinkling of snow outside to look at, so I'm starting to feel less sorry for myself.
Merry Christmas to all that celebrate it
Thank you so much @tdrosebud for this book. I now have the whole series. And if you can believe it, I had never had Dove until recently because I thought they only did dark chocolate. I was missing out. It is delicious! I love everything in this #Jolabokaflodswap package. And I had to show the wrapping paper. It was so pretty I almost didn‘t want to rip it open. Happy Holidays.
pickThis was a much better advent. But oh man, it was a lot of Christmas Eves. Super cute, and I may out it away to read another year in the future. #67-2025
pickI was probably going to like this book no matter what, given its focus on Wisconsin, football, and Amish folks. But it also happened to be a beautifully written story (by an author who lives in the same county I grew up in!) with some characters that will stay with me. Love finding an addition to my own “Top Books of the Year“ list in late December. ❤️
so-soMagical pencils that unlock memory? I was all in. Loved the family legacy, the historical Shanghai storyline, and the bond between Monica and her grandmother. But the romance subplot lost me—too quick a reconciliation after a betrayal that left a bad taste. Still, a creative debut that mixes historical fiction, speculative magic, and family drama in an original way. ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Heck yes! Kirsten Miller is 2 for 2 in 5 star ratings and I don't give those freely. This was amazing and hit all the marks of the gender equality books that have dominated my non-fiction selections in 2025. This book is the And Then There Were None (Christie) × When Woman Were Dragons (Barnhill).
pickAnna Kate returns to her Southern roots to bury grandma Zee and close her cafe, but it turns into so much more…
#Read2025 #LitsyAtoZ #Pantone2025
@DieAReader @Texreader @BarbaraBB
pick
This gorgeous story gives us a glimpse into the lives of 3 people, each arrive after their deaths at a photo studio run by Hirasaka. They select a photo from each year of their lives to add to the lantern that will be their "life flashing before their eyes". We get to know a nursery teacher, a yakuza enforcer & a young abused girl. The ending was so satisfying it made my heart hurt & I'll be thinking about these characters for a long time.
pickLife, & Death, & Giants, by Ron Rindo (2025)
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Premise: Lives are changed when a shockingly large baby is born into a Wisconsin Amish family.
Review: There are things I could criticize about this book, but as I leave it I simply don‘t want to. In the end, it‘s a gorgeous story about life in all its beauty, pain, and complexity and it handles complex issues of faith, community, and choice with all the nuance they deserve. ⬇️
Thank you all! I am feeling better today. Fever's gone 😁 13h