Food for thought…

#PROUST2026 @TheBookHippie

Happy New Year, fellow #MonthlyNonfiction readers! What will everyone be reading in January? And do you plan to go through the Dewey classifications in numerical order, or just jump around each month?

I‘ll be reading The Ride of Her Life, by Elizabeth Letts. (600‘s)

Everyone welcome! I‘m tagging those on my 2026 list. If anyone would like to be added or deleted, please comment below.

A lovely tour through Christmas celebrations in 7 European countries. Illustrated with lots of photos, and many recipes included. The history of the traditions are explained, along with modern adaptations. I found some customs to be charming (pop up carousels in France) and others less so (eels for Christmas Eve dinner in Italy!)

This was my #MonthlyNonfiction pick for December, and my last book of 2025! A nice ending to my reading year.

Okay, fellow #FictionalTraveler friends, where is everyone headed for our January #AnimalKingdom prompt? I‘m headed to the lovely world of The Wind in the Willows. Believe it or not, I‘ve never read it!

All are welcome to join us. I‘m tagging everyone on my 2026 list. If anyone would like to be added or deleted, please comment below.

Fellow cozy fans… what cozies will everyone be clearing from their shelves in January? My choice is tagged: The Darling Dahlias and the Confederate Rose. #3 in a series I enjoy!

#ClearTheCozies

Tagging all those on my 2026 list. If anyone would like to be added or deleted, please comment below.

Everyone welcome!

#ReadOrDonate friends! What will everyone be reading and/or donating in January? My choice is the tagged… Joan is Okay.

Tagging all those on my 2026 list. If anyone would like to be added or deleted, please comment below.

Everyone welcome!

I‘m hosting several challenges for 2026. Everyone welcome!

All are low-key, dip in and out as your schedule allows. None have discussions. Just read your book selection and post about it using the hashtag. All have companion challenges on StoryGraph, for those who like to plan and track.

#FictionalTraveler
#AllergicToChunksters
#ReadOrDonate
#ClearTheCozies
#MonthlyNonfiction
#BooksToSavor

Looking forward to reading together!

@LitsyEvents

My favorite book of July was Wives and Daughters, which I read with @BarkingMadRead and the #HashtagBrigade. Elizabeth Gaskell never disappoints!

#12BooksOf2025 @TheEllieMo

My January #ReadYourKindle list! Thanks for hosting again, @CBee ! 💙

My January #BookSpin list! 🎉🎊🎉
Thanks for hosting this fun challenge again for 2026, @TheAromaofBooks

My favorite book of June was the magical The Summer Book, by Tove Jansson.

Thank you, @AllDebooks @TheBookHippie @Chrissyreadit for hosting #MidsummerSolace . I would never have discovered this gem on my own.

#12BooksOf2025 @TheEllieMo

This beautifully written novel was hopeful and bittersweet and sad, with realistically drawn characters behaving in believable ways. It felt like a true depiction of the immigrant experience, torn between two worlds, and leaving your family behind, knowing you may never see them again. It made me think about my own immigrant ancestors, wondering what their experience was like.

Looking forward to our #LiteraryCrew discussion, @Librarybelle 😃

A group of Canadians is stuck in Caerphilly, Virginia, for Christmas because their grumpy boss won‘t let them go home. The townspeople try to help them make the best of it, and lots of small town charm, food, and festivities abound. And of course there‘s a murder, too! A fun, lighthearted, cozy holiday mystery.

#ThematicCozies #HomeForTheHolidays

Fascinating look at Paris in the last half of the 19th Century, as seen through the eyes of a woman who experienced life in all social stratas. The grit and the glamour, she lived it all, from circus performer to courtesan to famous opera singer. But even as a smart, talented woman, she was at the mercy of people - primarily men - more powerful. On the whole, a rather sad tale.

#BookedInTime #ParisBelleEpoque @Cuilin
#AllergicToChunksters

I‘m enjoying a glass of wine and a virtual trip to Europe for #HyggeHour tonight!

This would have been much better as a movie or Netflix series. The premise was cute, the characters were lovable, and there were several laugh-out-loud scenes. But… the writing was just not good, and in some cases cringe-worthy. Some paragraphs were just fine. Others were filled with oddball metaphors, random details, and bizarre banter. It almost felt like there were two authors. 3⭐️

And that‘s a wrap on #ReadOrDonate for 2025!

This is a “not a challenge” challenge! It is for all those books, often beautifully illustrated, that are meant for savoring. Best when read very slowly, maybe only a page or two a day. No deadlines. No prompts to satisfy. Just relax, read, gaze, think, dream, enjoy.

Use the hashtag #BooksToSavor to share your favorite finds with the rest of us!

I‘m “allergic” to chunksters, so I tend to avoid them. But there are SO many great books that are chunksters! So, #AllergicToChunksters is back for another year! If you would like to tackle a few chunksters yourself this year, do join me!

My definition of a chunkster is any book over 500 pages long, but feel free to use whatever definition makes sense to you. If it scares you, it counts!

Everyone welcome! Tagging those who participated in 2025.

It‘s time to do something about those overflowing book shelves! #ReadOrDonate is back for 2026. Each month, choose one (or more) books that you vow to read that month…. or else!

At the end of the month, if you have NOT read the book, it MUST leave your house!

If you HAVE read the book, you may choose whether to keep it or donate it.

Everyone welcome! Comment below to be added. 😃

Tagging those who participated in 2025.

@LitsyEvents

#MonthlyNonfiction is back for 2026!

Read at least one nonfiction book each month. 12 nonfiction books in the year. Optional bonus prompts available for extra books and tracking by Dewey category.

Everyone welcome!

Very low key… dip in and out as your schedule allows. Read through all the Dewey categories if you‘d like… or just read whatever nonfiction books spark your interest.

Tagging those already on the 2026 list. 😀

Predictable but still fun and festive. A quick, cute holiday read.

#ReadYourKindle @CBee

Sweet and heartwarming story, set in a small North Carolina mountain town at Christmas. A quick and happy read. Perfect for this month‘s #FictionalTraveler #HomeForTheHolidays prompt. 🎄🎅🤶🎄

Cozy mystery fans… are your shelves overflowing with cozy mysteries just begging to be read? This challenge is for you! Read at least one cozy mystery each month of 2026. Read 12 books to complete the challenge, but there are 12 additional bonus slots for those of you who‘d like to read more.

We‘ll use the hashtag #ClearTheCozies. Everyone welcome! Tagging those who have already expressed interest. 😀⬇️

A fascinating fictional imagining of a “post rapture” world. How do those left behind react to the grief, loss, and utter confusion? Among those left behind, which relationships survive? Which crumble? Great reading.

Another great #LiteraryCrew selection. @Librarybelle

Heartwarming, clean, sweet, and feel-good. Like a Hallmark Christmas movie in print form.

#Pantone2025 #VaporBlue @Lauredhel

#ReadYourKindle @CBee

My goodness, what a thoughtful, wise, sensible, beautiful book. I listened on audio, but I‘m buying a physical copy, because I want to read it again and again, highlight passages, and write in the margins.

#Pantone2025 #Winterberry @Lauredhel

#FictionalTraveler is back for 2026! Through the magic of books, we‘ll travel to 12 different interesting locations.

The rules are simple:

1 - Each month, choose a book that fits your interpretation of the monthly prompt.
2 - Read (and hopefully enjoy!) the book.
3 - Post a review, using the #FictionalTraveler hashtag
4 - Participate every month, or dip in and out as your schedule allows.

Everyone Welcome! ⬇️

@LitsyEvents

Grief. Loss. Sadness. Drugs. Alcohol. Madness. Hollywood. All the crazy haze of the late 1960s. Wow… this was a lot.

My November choice for #AuthorAMonth. So glad I have finally read something by Joan Didion, but not sure I‘m eager to read more. Time will tell. She really plays with your head.

@Soubhiville

Okay, cozy friends, what is everyone reading for our December #Holiday prompt? I‘ll be reading Dashing Through the Snowbirds.

This will be our last month for #ThematicCozies . For 2026, our mission will be to #ClearTheCozies , since many of us seem to have large stockpiles of cozies on hand that we‘d actually like to read!

I‘ll do a separate post for that, but in the meantime, if you know you‘d like to join in (or not), please comment below.

What will everyone be reading and/or donating this month? My choice is The Twelve Dates of Christmas.

#ReadOrDonate will be continuing for 2026. So if you still have more books than shelf space, as I do, and want to continue on this journey to get them read, or say goodbye forever, just comment below!

Tagging those who participated this year, but all are welcome. ⬇️

My selections for #CastTheDie ! A nice mix! Thanks, @PuddleJumper 😀

Where will everyone be traveling for the #FictionalTraveler #HomefortheHolidays prompt this month? I‘ll be traveling to Virginia with Dashing Through the Snowbirds. 🎄

#FictionalTraveler will continue for 2026! I‘ll do a separate post with the new prompts, but feel free to comment below if you already know you‘d like to be added to or removed from the tag list. Everyone welcome!

As we approach the end of the year, I‘d love to hear how everyone fared in the #AllergicToChunksters challenge. Personally, I have amazed myself by completing 6 chunksters this year! Seeing everyone‘s posts throughout the year has really been motivating for me. Thanks to each of you for your participation. We‘re all in this together!

I‘ll definitely continue this challenge for 2026. I‘ll post more about that once I‘ve got the StoryGraph ready. ⬇️

My #ReadYourKindle list for December. 100% Holiday reads! 🎄

Thanks for hosting, @CBee !

My December #Roll100 books. 28 Summers feels a bit out of place, lol.

Thanks for hosting, @PuddleJumper !

My last #BookSpin list of the year! Thanks for another year of reading fun,
@TheAromaofBooks 💙💙💙

My #CastTheDie list. All are books I own. 1-12 are holiday books🎄, and 13-24 are books that I meant to read earlier this year for various challenges, but didn‘t get to. 🙄

Thanks for hosting, @PuddleJumper !

Time for our last #MonthlyNonfiction2025 selection of the year! What will everyone be reading? My choice is Rick Steves‘ European Christmas.

We will be continuing for 2026. Please comment below if you‘d like to be added to, or removed from, the tag list.

Everyone is welcome! The challenge is simple: read one nonfiction book each month.

Tagging all who participated this year. It has been fun exploring nonfiction together!

I have 4 great choices for #ReadYourKindle this month! @CBee

Well, this was…. different. I enjoyed the first half. After that, not so much. Almost every character got on my nerves, some parts of the plot were totally predictable, some made me angry, and some were just plain strange. And the ending… what the heck?! Can‘t wait for our #KindredSpiritsBuddyRead discussion. I‘m sure it will be lively. @BarbaraJean

#Pantone2025 #LavenderBlue @Lauredhel

#NovemberDreams #HopeCore

Here are the books I hope and dream to read in November. Thanks for the reminder, @Cuilin Fingers crossed for both of us!

Hello, #FictionalTraveler (s)! It‘s November and we‘re heading to #Asia ! What will everyone be reading?

Also - I‘m trying to decide whether to continue #FictionalTraveler for another year. Please comment below to let me know your thoughts. 🤔🤓🙂

This month, I‘ll be reading The Travelling Cat Chronicles.

My #HauntedShelf total for #BlackCatCrew was 9044.

Thanks to @PuddleJumper for being an amazing host, and to @BookwormAHN and all the other team captains for leading us through all the fun! Thanks, too, to everyone who hosted bingos, readathons and challenges! This is such a fun October tradition, but it could never happen without a lot of thought and effort. Happy Halloween and huge kudos to all of you! 🎃🐈‍⬛🎃

Magic candles, a snarky talking cat, a small town populated by friendly witches… what‘s not to love? First book in the series, and I look forward to reading more.

#BlackCatCrew @BookwormAHN
#OneSnackToRuleThemAll #CandyCornies @Bookwormjillk
#Pantone2025 #WispyClouds @Lauredhel
#CastTheDie @PuddleJumper

My November #ReadYourKindle list. Thanks for hosting, @CBee !

Many thanks, @BethM , for this delightful #AHRS swap!

Pies and Prejudice looks fun. I can use it for the #ThematicCozies November prompt, #Food !

I have been wanting to read The Pig Did It for quite awhile. Can't wait to dive in!

And I have never heard of Reese's popcorn! But oh my goodness, it's divine!

You are a good stalker 😘, because you truly found gifts that are perfect for me! Many thanks! 🎃

Happy Halloween! 👻

#HauntedShelf #BookScavengerHunt

#Graves #Landscape #Group #Weapon #Smoke #Boots

#BlackCatCrew @BookwormAHN

My November #BookSpin list. @TheAromaofBooks

This book, based on the Essex Witch Trials of the 1640s, was truly spellbinding.(Forgive the pun; it‘s the most appropriate word I could think of.) I highly recommend listening on audio. I found the narrator‘s voice to be quietly mesmerizing, and was perfectly suited to this story. Although the story is sad, it conveys a real sense of what it was like to live in England during the witch craze of the Cromwellian era. Petrifying.

Okay, cozy friends, November is all about #Food ! What yummy books will everyone be reading for #ThematicCozies ?

My choice is Caramel Pecan Roll Murder.

Is anyone interested in continuing for 2026, with a different theme? Maybe locations/settings, or letters of the alphabet, or specific words in the title, or just by cleaning our shelves of cozies we already own? Thoughts?