Starting my Up All Night New Years Eve book box from #OUABC

I‘m too old to be up all night but I do hope to read until midnight & finish the book tomorrow.

Happy New Year! 🖤🎊🖤

#Read2025 #Naturalitsy #WinterSolace

I‘ll close out my 2025 reading with this final book. I admit that I was not great about reading it daily & would have to catch up sometimes, but I quite enjoyed this daily look at trees. Beautiful photos & great writing & a blend of nature, science, history & folklore.

On to my transition book & 2026 reading. 🎊

#Read2025 #SeriesLove2025

Finished today for #SheSaid December pick. I struggled a bit with this one but I‘m glad I stuck with it as I ultimately ended up liking it & giving it a soft pick for its imagination & world building. It did slog a bit through the first 1/2 & I struggled with all of the characters & the back & forth-but when it kicked into gear, it was much better. Will I read the next one in the series? Maybe, but not for a few months.

#Read2025 #SeriesLove2025

I needed a quick, driving around book the last few days to finish a Kindle Challenge so I picked this holiday novella reread from my Kindle library. It makes me want to read the whole Half-Moon Hollow & Jane Jameson series again.

#Read2025 #SeriesLove2025

Finished last night for my third & final #Roll100 pick, #58: Any ARC

I feel lucky to have gotten this ARC for one of my favorite series—it‘s Book #4 in the Haven‘s Rock series, a spinoff of The Rockton series. This book finds Casey & Dalton balancing family life with keeping their secret town in the Yukon safe when they come across two hikers near their territory. When one turns up dead, they need to find the ⬇️

#Read2025

Glad I finally read this one (even better that it came with yummy chocolate as my #jolabokaflodswap) even better. It was a very unique story set in Seattle where a zombie apocalypse occur & our MC, S.T., a semi-domesticated crow who loves humans (mofos) fights for survival with his best friend, a bloodhound named Dennis. It‘s not perfect & slogged a bit but it made me laugh, cry (especially hard at one part 😭), & appreciate Seattle.

#HaikuADay #HaikuHive

A mellow NYE day so far, picked up groceries & reading snacks, holds from the library & an Rx. Stopped for ramen with a few chapters of my final 2025 book. Eating long noodles on NYE is supposed to be lucky & bring longevity & a fresh start to 2026. 🍜 I‘ll take I‘ll the luck I can get!

New Year Noodle

Long noodles mean luck,
Cutting hardship from the past,
Welcoming the new

Happy New Year‘s Eve & New Year everyone! 🎊

#12BooksOf2025

Another semi-difficult choice for July as I also read & loved Death of the Author & I Who Have Not Known Men, but this #CampLitsy2025 pick really had my heart. ❤️❤️❤️

#HaikuADay #HaikuHive

Two days of work felt like a week & I‘m happy to have the next two days off. It inspired today‘s haiku.

Two days, long enough
To remember how to rest
The new year beckons

#Read2025

Finished the audiobook yesterday & while I didn‘t love this one as much as The Change (the dark humor was less), I still really enjoyed it. The narration of the audiobook was excellent & once we got through the characters‘ backgrounds & stories, I was caught up in the story. For some reason, I was midway through the book before I realized it was set in the same place as The Change & I liked revisiting some of the characters. I do ⬇️

Joining in the #Welcome2026Readthon officially in 90 minutes when work ends. 😉

Hoping to close out my 3 in-progress books (I‘m almost done with the #2 & midway through The Fifth Season for #SheSaid ) by tomorrow afternoon & then The Ordeals will be my crossover NYE/Day book with Cold Wire #CholeGongReadAlong & H&S #AuldLangSpine & #AuthorAMonth2026 what I start first for 2026. 📚🎊📚

#Read2025 #SeriesLove2025

Finished Sunday for #BobWhiteBuddies I kinda sorta remember this one from my childhood. A bikeathon through the preserve to raise money for the high school art program that stops at Mrs. Vanderpoel‘s for her cookies & Mr. Maypenny‘s for hunter‘s stew? Sign me up! Trixie & the gang (with Di & Dan along for most of it) have to also solve a potential counterfeit ring & figure out who wants to stop the fundraiser. I liked ⬇️

#12Booksof2025

I tossed & turned on whether to pick this one or Wild Dark Shore for June but Starter Villain was such a delightfully unique surprise (& my first from Scalzi) & it made me laugh a lot, so it gets the win.

#HaikuADay #HaikuHive

Today‘s haiku is inspired by this photo & the beauty of clouds.

Cloud Collector

I collect cloud views
Puffy dots of latte foam
Cushioning my soul

#MajicMonday

I‘ve celebrated the past several years by getting the #OUABC Up All Night box & starting the book NYE & finishing it New Year‘s Day. The tagged book is this year‘s & it comes with gifts to open along the way, so it makes it fun. I get favorite snacks & shut my house down so I don‘t breathe in firecracker smoke. 😷

For 2026, my word is “Light” to look for the light, be the light for others & just be lighter in this dark world.🕯️

#12BooksFor2025

Would I have predicted a non-fiction book about Tuberculosis would have been my top book in May? (Another great reading month.) No, but this one got me in the heart & I keep recommending it to people.

#Naturalitsy #HyggeHourReadathon

My #HyggeHour tonight will be spent with Trixie & the Bob-Whites for #BobWhiteBuddies

On the couch, drinking a Peppermint Bark Hint Water & noshing on some of my #Jolabokaflod chocolates from @JamieArc (thanks again!)

Mood is sad that 6 days of PTO flew by & tomorrow is Monday but relieved that it‘s another short week with 2 days work, 2 off, 1 day work, then the weekend.

#HaikuADay #HaikuHive

Yes, I did spend literal hours getting my internet working this weekend so to avoid a tech appointment tomorrow, simply because I hate making awkward small talk when people fix stuff at my house. But me & my new customer service chat buddy Saron, finally got ‘er done.

Here‘s my haiku about it. 😉😂

Introvert Logic

Hours spent chatting
With customer service reps
No tech visit, please!

#12Booksof2025

Another tough month to choose a favorite, but I‘ll go with this one because the audiobook had me captivated.

#Read2025

Finished this morning for #SundayBuddyRead this is not a book that I normally would choose or even knew anything about but I found myself caught up in it. The writing is bleak & beautiful & a lot unfolds in 160 pages. I found myself both frustrated with & rooting for our unnamed narrator, a young Native American man, living on the res in Montana. Of course the usual careful research & discussions led by Christine made it come to life.

#HaikuADay #HaikuHive

Just this for today‘s haiku.

Quiet can be good
It does not ask the questions
That have no answers

#12Booksof2025

March was a good reading month too but I‘ll give it to this one, excellent historical fiction & a compelling story.

#HaikuADay #HaikuHive

Today‘s haiku was inspired by my Friday, mid-morning hangout at the coffee shop reading my ARC of a new book of a favorite series, not out until February. It was quiet, slow & pretty perfect.

A Perfect Friday

Hot coffee, soft bread,
Long-awaited series book,
Nothing else needed.

#Read2025 #SeriesLove2025

Snuck this cozy in to fill my last #OUABC 40-Book Challenge prompt “Mass Market Paperback” as I picked it up for 50 cents at the library book store. First in the Ashton Corners Book Club Mysteries, I liked it fine, so it gets a soft pick. The usual small Southern town with too many characters to keep good track of, book club made of multiple generations & a hot sheriff love interest. I might read another or I might not.

#Read2025

This one has been on my TBR & I needed a short book to fill a Goodreads “Favorite Fiction” prompt so while it wouldn‘t be a typical December read for me, I went for it. It‘s somewhat depressing but the writing is beautiful & it‘s well worth the read.

#Read2025 #MonthlyNonFiction

Read as my second #Roll100 December pick #73 Any Memoir/Biography & to fill a prompt in my Goodreads challenge. I wanted to like this book for it to be funnier & more about actual cults. I just didn‘t get it or like it, especially the audiobook. I didn‘t know this comedian so I tried watching her special on Netflix & it didn‘t help me find her less annoying. I sped through the last third for the sake of the prompt.

#Read2025

A decent quick-listen thriller set in a private chalet in the Alps during the Christmas holiday. (Note to self, never go on a private holiday ski trip with rich acquaintances—it never ends well!) The narration was good & while a bit predictable, it was a good book to run holiday errands to & also it was free on Audible.

Happy Boxing Day & #5JoysFriday! I‘m ensconced at the coffee shop on this Friday midday, happy not to be working & here are my joys:

1. Probably my biggest joy this week was indulging in a Monday overnight in a nice hotel with harbor views, room service & big soft king bed. Restful renewal joy.💙

2. I finished my OUABC 40-Book Challenge (+ all my Goodreads & Amazon challenges). A joyful feeling & free book coming.📚

3. This cute, personalized⬇️

#12BooksOf2025

Some great books in February too, but this non-fiction one was an unexpected favorite. I found myself totally caught up in it. 🪶

It‘s already Friday for some of you & that means it‘s time for #5JoysFriday where we take a pause to think about those 5 things big or small that brought us joy this week. 💛💛💛

To join in simply make your post, use the #5JoysFriday tag & tag me & anyone else you want to invite to the joy party. Use the background if/as you like.

Everyone is welcome to feel & spread the joy! 💚🤗❤️

#HaikuADay #HaikuHive

Today‘s haiku is inspired by this photo I took of boats in the harbor & the one with a mast lighted like a tree. Christmas & joy in general can be found all around us.

Among tied-up boats
One small tree lights up the night
Joy docks anywhere

Happy Holidays to all! 💚🎄❤️

#Read2025

Finished yesterday for #ChildrensClassicRead2025 Thus was a sweet book that was a great read for the season. I liked the family & found family themes, along with hope, giving & the abundance of nature. It made me want to have maple syrup on snow.

#Read2025

Completed for #AuthorAMonth December #NoraRoberts I read Robert‘s books back in the day, but it‘s been literal decades, so I went to Libby to find a standalone & this one came in first. I enjoyed it, mainly the Appalachians setting, characters & the mystery/thriller aspects. Overall not bad, a good don‘t-have-to-think-too-hard about-it book & I may read the other book when my hold comes in. With this one, I have read all 12 authors! 🎊

#12BooksOf2025. Thank you @TheEllieMo for continuing this fun tradition!

I read some great books in January 2025 but I think this one was my favorite for its blend of books, humor & pathos. 💙📚💙

#HaikuADay #HaikuHive #WeirdWord #weirdwordwednesday

Today‘s haiku is inspired by the joy found in a tiny soft warm cookie 🍪 handed out by my server at brunch today “for the holidays.” I love the word Lagniappe:

“Lagniappe is a word used in Louisiana to refer to a free giveaway or a small gift added to a purchase or experience as a little something extra.”

Lagniappe

Joy in the small things
Warm peppermint chocolate chip
Gifted after brunch

Thank you so much @JamieArc for a perfect #JolabokaflodSwap box! I‘m excited to finally read this book & WOW to all the🍫 One of my favorite things is trying different “local” chocolates & you really came through! I already sampled a Michigan Mint, the name of the Yooper Bar is awesome & I love Sanders Sea Salt Caramels! Is there really such a thing as too much chocolate?

Much appreciated as I settle in for a quiet #Jolabokaflod tonight.🍫🎄⬇️

I went to the restaurant attached to one of my local grocery stores & had brunch with my favorite Mexican Street Avocado Toast (hard to see with the over easy eggs on top) & side chicken sausage. Now back home relaxing & getting ready to open gifts on the phone with my friend & then #Jolabokaflod this evening. 🍫📚

Wishing everyone who celebrates a Happy Christmas Eve & if you don‘t celebrate, Happy Wednesday! I hope you find peace in the day.

#HaikuADay #HaikuHive

I have not been writing my daily haikus but I did a thing & got a ridiculously low Kama'āina rate on a hotel room last night & treated myself, kicking off my holiday PTO with some pampering, room service dinner & reading. My view of sunset over the harbor was worth the price of admission alone & inspired this haiku.

Harbor View

Boats gently bobbing
Sun settles into the sea
The calm settles me

#Naturalitsy #HyggeHoyrReadthon

Spending my #HyggeHour reading the tagged book for #ChildrensClassicRead2025 while listening to holiday movies in the background.

Drinking a Hint Spiced Pear water because I need to hydrate & eating some of the Mambo Magic Sticks my colleague gave me because I always hoard the mango ones in meetings.

Mood is good because while tomorrow is going to be a very busy day, I have the rest of the week off. 🙏🏼💚❤️💚

#Read2025 #SeriesLove2025

Finished last weekend for #EBBR & as usual, I didn‘t review it right after I read it & forgot most of it but I did solve a few. I do remember typing sentence (high school typing class) & the rattling dollar but I missed several of these as the solutions were really odd tiny details. I don‘t really remember this one from childhood, but, it still gets a soft pick for nostalgia‘s sake.

I had yesterday off & I am still late to the #5JoysFriday party. 🤦🏻‍♀️ But I say there is no time limit on joy so here goes:

1. Having Friday off & then Tuesday-Friday next week is a big joy. It‘s been a tough work year & I need the break. 💛

2. Receiving Litsy card swap mail brings me joy.💌 I‘m sorry that mine were mailed out late but they should reach most before the end of the year.

3. I‘ve been watching a holiday movie per night & ⬇️

#Read2025

I‘ve only read Joe Hill‘s stories before because I have a hard time sticking to big books. So why did I read this one? A strong recommendation by a Silent Book Club “friend” who loves horror & the fact that I wanted to get the Audible “Mount Everest” badge for listening to “a title that is longer than 20 hours.” I ended up really liking it & thought the narrator & cast made it entertaining & most of the time flew by as I listened ⬇️

#Read2025 #SeriesLove2025

Finished earlier in the week for #FictionalTraveler December #HomeForTheHolidays theme

Set in a Christmas-y small town in Oregon (still feels like home to me), the MC, bakery owner, Cinnamon Peters, finds a body in the woods behind her bakery & it‘s a judge of the local Gingerbread Competition & someone seems to be trying to frame her for the murder. This was a fine holiday cozy & I would read another from the series.

Can I just tell you how happy I am that tomorrow is Friday & I have the day off?! It also means it‘s about that time to share those 5 things (big or small) that brought you joy this week. A week where we need a big boost of it.

To join in, make your post & tag it with #5JoysFriday & then tag me & anyone you want to share some joy with.

Everyone is welcome to join in!

Thank you @JamieArc !!! My #JolabokaflodSwap arrived safely!📗🍫 The tough part is waiting to open it! 🤗

#Jolabokaflod

#Naturalitsy #HyggeHourReadathon

For tonight‘s #HyggeHour I‘m reading the 11th Encyclopedia Brown book for #EBBR & then probably starting the pictured cozy for #FictionalTraveler

I‘m on the couch drinking holiday herbal tea & eating a local chocolate bar with lilikoi & coconut.

Mood is fine. It will be a busy but short week with a trip to Hilo & a 3-day weekend & I‘m happy about that.

#Read2025

I read this for a challenge prompt & quite enjoyed this novella about a group of robots who band together to take over a noodle shop in 2064 post-apocalyptic San Francisco. Cozy & sweet, it also explores some deeper themes.

#Read2025 #SeriesLove2025

Finished this paranormal cozy mystery for #ThematicCozies December #Holiday & it was just okay for me. I think it‘s a spinoff from another series so it felt like I was dropped in the middle of the backstory rather than being a first book & there were also a few too many characters for my taste. I didn‘t hate it but don‘t know if I‘d bother to read another when better cozies are out there.

#Read2025 #SeriesLove2025

Finished last weekend for #NancyDrewBR this one involves pottery, stolen Chinese vases & artifacts, missing Chinese nationals & the hunt for a kaolin clay pit (River Heights continues to have it all). Nancy gets knocked out so our Nancy Noggin Knockout counter #NNK moves to 12/26. 🤕 I look forward to discussing it with the group tomorrow.

#Read2025

Read this while standing in line at the post office yesterday & thought it was a good, quick read. Not that Christmasy-besides the play on the title & that it‘s Christmas time but that‘s okay. Free with First Reads & Audible Originals.