I don‘t like romance novels. But I‘m a sucker for books with academic settings, so I gave this a try. I should know by now to trust my genre preferences. Call me a cranky old lady, but I just can‘t buy into the romance trope of “girl gives up the dreams she‘s had for years for a guy she‘s known for a few weeks.” And I was disappointed that this had a lot less “academic” plot points than I‘d hoped. Points for realistic dialogue, though. I guess.

What worried George Washington more than anything else was what might happen if a president‘s chief priority was to divide rather than unite the American people.

How heartbroken Washington would be to see what the United States has become 250 years after all the hard work and sacrifices he made to help create it.

#USPresidents

When Washington was in Charleston, SC, in 1791, city leaders asked for his portrait to be painted by renowned artist John Trumbull. They rejected his first draft which depicted George at the Battle of Trenton, saying they wanted one of him touring Charleston. Trumbull‘s final painting shows George, the skyline of Charleston — and the hindquarters of his horse with tail erect, as though he‘s about to poop on the city. At least that‘s the legend. 😄

I wanted to love this book because I was so enthralled by “North Woods.” But this novel was just …okay. The pacing was uneven and I found myself skimming at times. It was interesting to read a plot set in the Eastern Front of WWI, though —that‘s not a perspective I think I‘ve ever seen much of before now.

YES, PLEASE

Here‘s a “book-related” post that succinctly explains the current state of the U.S. for those who are still trying to ignore it. Or even worse —justify it.

I can‘t anymore. I literally cannot. If you want Litsy to be only “book related,” I‘m sorry to inform you that it‘s too late for that. Those of us who read history know where this trajectory is going. Those of you who read historical fiction should also have an idea and a basic understanding. If you are hiding your head in the sand, you need to look up and look around you. We all need to be part of the solution. Now.

#MondayMood

Some people celebrate Dry January. I already don‘t drink. This is more in my wheelhouse. 🤷🏻‍♀️

From 1776-1807, New Jersey‘s state constitution gave voting rights to any adult —male, female, white or black —who had lived in NJ for at least a year and was worth at least 50 pounds. In 1807, the Anti-Federalist state legislature restricted the right to vote to white males in order to prevent women (who tended to vote Federalist) from participating in the 1808 presidential election. 😡

Pg. 32
#USPresidents

In the Venn diagram of “technical descriptions of complex medical procedures” and “beautiful passages that flow like poetry,” this book sits squarely in the intersection. The author, a journalist-turned-doctor, tells the story of a young girl who dies and the young boy who lives after receiving her heart. It‘s lovely and heartbreaking and informative, all at once. Thanks to @fredthemoose and #AuldLangSpine for putting it on my radar!

After extracting Washington‘s last remaining tooth, his dentist John Greenwood kept the rotted tooth as a keepsake and wore it on a key chain. 😳

Pg. 17

#USPresidents

Good morning, #USPresidents people! While the goal is one nonfiction per month for each president, Melanie and I thought that some/all of you may find yourselves reaching for additional material as you go. We‘ve created a bingo card for those who like an extra challenge and want to work on it throughout the year. 🙂 Enjoy!

“Washington‘s postwar persona found expression in other, less tangible ways. In addition to his evolving attitudes towards slavery, he seems to have reevaluated the role of religion in his life. Although he continued to attend church, he stopped taking Communion. No one is sure why.”

(pg. 13)

#USPresidents

Took today off from work. Guess what I‘ll be doing all day. 📚📚

And with that, I‘ve completed my Goodreads challenge for 2026. Now I can just relax and read for entertainment and pleasure without the hovering stress of continuously chasing an arbitrary number all year. 🎉📚

Also diving into this one today for #chunksterchallenge2026. It‘s the 15th year in a row I‘ve committed to reading a book of approximately 1,000+ pages and starting it on Jan. 1. It‘s been my own personal #chunksterchallenge all these years. I‘m thrilled that so many of you have embraced the chunkster love and come along for the journey! Remember: Don‘t be afraid of a chunkster. It‘s just one page at a time until the end. You can do it ! 👊🏼

2026 is looking like it‘s gonna be a good one. 👍🏼👍🏼🎉

Raising a mug of tea and a Swedish cardamom bun to @fredthemoose as I dive into my first #AuldLangSpine read of 2026. Happy reading, everyone!

My stack of books for #GeorgeWashington in the #USPresidents read. I‘ve started both the tagged book and “Travels With George,” and hope to make my way through the other two if I have time.

As we begin our journey through the history of #USPresidents, here‘s a graphic that you can use to share any interesting, fun or surprising information that you uncover while reading about the presidents, their administrations, their families, their pets… etc!

Happy 2026! It‘s time to kick off the #USPresidents read with our number 1 guy: #GeorgeWashington
Read a nonfiction book by or about him during the month of January—your choice!

Well, since I never got an email with the fancy new end-of-year Goodreads graphics (even though I‘ve been on GR since 2016) and I‘m still waiting for StoryGraph to generate my official 2025 report, I threw in the towel and put one together myself. 🙄
So long, 2025! Onward and upward.

#2025wrapup

My Top 10, in no particular order. I can‘t rank them —they were all good! #2025wrapup

Saw this posted on the Massachusetts State Library social media pages, if anyone is interested in doing this challenge!

Wrapping up the year with my stats for the month of December 2025 since I won‘t finish the book that I‘m reading today.

Squeezed in one last read for 2025. I enjoyed this one —it‘s well-written with interesting and believable characters. The timeline jumps were a bit confusing, though.

Keeping the holiday spirit going with treats in my mailbox from @Bookzombie @Texreader @peanutnine and @DebinHawaii !

#holidaycardswap

#MondayMood

After several complaints because the Men‘s Book Group is the only one at our library that regularly reads nonfiction (and they won‘t let me attend — I‘ve asked), they finally created a “Nonfiction for Fiction Readers” group with the intent of reading narrative nonfiction. Huzzah! 🥳 These are the books for the first quarter.

Thank you so much for my #jolabokaflodswap package, @Meshell1313 ! I squealed out loud when I unwrapped the chocolate—I love Tony‘s Chocolonely! 😍 And @dabbe , look —Snoopy hot chocolate! 👍🏼

I adore this swap —thank you for hosting every year, @MaleficentBookDragon ! 😘

Merry Christmas and happy Jolabokaflod to all!

Reading this and “Careless People” in the same year has confirmed my belief that social media is responsible for the downfall of society. 😖

Present company excluded, of course.

More #holidaycardswap goodies in my mailbox from @KLyn1 @Tkimsal and @ncsufoxes ! I‘m absolutely loving all the treats—book people are the best!

I‘m weary of the “dysfunctional families who don‘t communicate until a weekend gathering forces them to confront their issues” trope. And several of the characters annoyed me. I likely won‘t remember the plot in a month. But the book was engaging enough to hold my attention for the duration, so I‘ll call it a soft pick.

Truer words have never been spoken.

@Gissy , thank you so much for the beautiful #holidaycardswap treats! 😍

All I want for Christmas …

I‘m ready for Jan. 1! I‘ve accumulated my stack of books for the following challenges:

#chunksterchallenge2026: “Mark Twain”
#auldlangspine: “The Story of a Heart”
#USPresidents: “George Washington”
IRL Library book club: “In the Garden of Beasts”

Today‘s #holidaycardswap greetings of the season from @HeyT , @EclecticBookLover and @Readergrrl ! Thank you all, and happy holidays to you! 🙂

More #holidaycardswap goodies in my mailbox today! Thank you, @AmyG , @Cuilin and @dabbe !
❤️💙🩵

Every year I celebrate Jolabokaflod by gifting books to a number of my colleagues who also love reading. I include an explanation of the holiday and a piece of chocolate. This year I gave out 11 books and introduced the tradition to several coworkers who are new. I make sure to tell everyone that the books are used copies so nobody feels obligated to read it if they don‘t want to. I adore the Jolabokaflod message of sharing the love of reading!

Loving the fun mail arriving every day from the #holidaycardswap ! Thank you so much for the holiday cheer, cards, stickers and bookmarks, @BookishMarginalia @TheBookHippie @BookwormAHN @Born.A.Reader @lauraisntwilder !

As we head into the final weeks of the year, here‘s a look at the exciting things to come in 2026 as we gear up for the #USPresidents challenge! This is a gentle reminder to get your library holds in soon. 🙂

Interesting and informative account of the development of Ozempic and other GLP-1 medications and their impact on public health and culture, with a look at societal expectations of “beauty” and the lengths that people will go to in order to be thin. Are these drugs too good to be true?

Sigh.
He isn‘t wrong.

#beautybreak

I wanted to like this book, but the main character just sucked all of the enjoyment out of it for me. She‘s self-absorbed, going through a marital mid-life crisis, and sleeping with every male and female she encounters… and oh, yeah, her best friend is dying in hospice. When her friend actually says, “please don‘t make my eulogy all about you” I thought that was a perfect summary of this story. Meh. Moving on.

Some Stuff About Me
#AuldLangSpine

1. I tripped Queen Elizabeth II when I was 9 years old. True story.

2. I hate coffee. Yes. I said it.

3. My favorite color is green.

4. I‘m a New England native who can trace my family‘s roots in Massachusetts and Connecticut back to 1627.

5. I‘m a genealogy buff. I started doing research when I was 12 and haven‘t stopped. And boy, have I found some interesting skeletons by shaking that family tree… ⬇️

I was mostly entertained by this for about 280 pages. Then I got tired of it and just wanted it to be over. So those last 140-ish pages were a bit of a slog. Ask me in 6 months and I probably will not remember what this is about.

#MondayMood on a Wednesday

What a lovely and nostalgic look back at a time (1930s) and a place (Deep South Alabama) in a young boy‘s life. (And that boy is a very lightly fictionalized version of Truman Capote.)
With that #FictionalTraveler 2025 is a wrap!

#HomefortheHolidays