I think it’s perfect that we’re starting 2026 with the “What Are You Reading?” post. I love that we’re sharing the books that are starting the year, and sharing how we’re starting the new year.
My Treasures in My Closet post will be up tomorrow. In fact, it’s actually ready to go. So many books and favorite authors are scheduled for February! I’m not in a hurry to see January rush by, but the next month’s books look terrific!
As many others did, I ended the old year at home, watching basketball, football, and reading. Snow and the overnight prediction made me uneasy about going out. That’s okay.. I’m starting 2026 with a book that, title-wise, should have ended 2025.
I’m reading A Grim Reaper’s Guide to Cheating Death by Maxie Dara. “Nora Bird works for S.C.Y.T.H.E., which might seem odd for someone as terrified of death as she is. But ever since her parents died in an accident when she was six, she’s been obsessed with avoiding risk, and what better place to learn how to cheat death than the company that employs the nation’s grim reapers? The work enables Nora to learn all about the myriad ways you can kick the bucket, which is comforting…until one day, a file crosses her desk with a name she recognizes. Her twin brother’s. The twins haven’t spoken in six months, but Charlie is all Nora has left. Completely against her cautious nature, Nora steals the file and flees, racing to her brother’s house. She begs him to trust her that his death is imminent, and they hit the road (with his parrot, Jessica, who has plenty to say) in an attempt to evade both death and S.C.Y.T.H.E., whose sole mission of collecting souls has been disrupted by Charlie’s continued existence. Alas, every time Nora saves him, a new cause of death appears in his file. Someone is determined to take Charlie out, and Nora will have to use everything she’s ever learned about death to discover the culprit.”
What about you? How are you starting 2026? What foods will you eat on New Year’s Day? (Pork is from my German heritage, so I’m having ham.) What are you reading?
David and I have just come home after a nice cozy New Year’s Eve dinner at our older daughter and son-in-law’s home. Our 15-year-old grandson had wanted to change the look of his room, and had asked for slatted wood panels for Christmas. David had been there most of the afternoon helping him put them up. Mostly teaching our grandson how to do it and then having him do the work, which was fun for both of them, and the end result looks great. The junior hockey champions game was on TV while we were there, with Canada beating Finland. Then some fireworks started in the neighbourhood and their dog is terrified of the noise – poor thing was shaking like a leaf.
Plans for New Year’s Day will include a morning walk, a breakfast with slightly more effort put into it than usual just for the occasion, and then hopefully reading for much of the rest of the day.
One book to finish off 2025:
AND THEN THERE WAS YOU by Sophie Cousens
At college, aspiring screenwriter Chloe was voted ‘most likely to succeed’. But now, with her ten-year reunion coming up, she is as far from successful as she can imagine – she’s not written a play, she’s back to living at home with her parents after a bad break-up with her boyfriend, and while she does work at a production company, it’s as a personal assistant to a not-great boss.
She doesn’t want to turn up at her reunion all alone and see how all her former fellow students are living the lives they dreamed of. So when a friend hands her a business card for a dating service she figures why not? She’ll at least have a great guy by her side, taking some of the focus off her.
Enter Rob – the man the dating service has matched her with. He’s a pleasant surprise, being well-read, good looking, thoughtful, and attentive. There is a twist about Rob though, that I won’t spoil by revealing here.
I thought the premise was intriguing (if a bit concerning), and I liked that Chloe showed emotional growth during the reunion. I also enjoyed all the interactions as these former students met each other again. But I was a bit disappointed that I didn’t care about the characters as I’d hoped to; most of them felt ‘flat’ and uninspiring, and not very mature. The book was just alright for me. It’s the first I’ve read by this author, so I’m not sure I’ll be in a hurry to read another.
On to books to be read in 2026!
What a nice way to end 2025, Lindy, spending time with family. I’m sure David enjoyed the time with your grandson. Enjoy breakfast, followed by a day of reading. It sounds as if 2025 ended with a disappointing book. I hope 2026 starts with an enjoyable one.
Lindy, I think I’ve read all of Sophie Cousen’s books. I haven’t found the later ones as good as the first. She’s actually admitted some of them are based on movie plots. I might be giving this one a miss. Thank you for the review.
It’s almost 1:30 here and there are still people setting off fireworks so no sense trying to go back to sleep yet. We’re supposed to get some light snow overnight so we’ll probably start the year off watching college football and working on a jigsaw puzzle.
I finished up the year with two cozy mysteries.
THE BARK BEFORE CHRISTMAS by Laurien Berenson. A prize show dog goes missing during a private school’s Christmas bazaar. I happened to catch the dog show on TV while I was reading this so it was fun seeing what all of the different breeds of terriers in the book look like.
VOWS OF MURDER by Lynn Cahoon, part of her Tourist Trap series. Will the local police chief’s wedding be derailed by the death of a cult leader or can his fiancé help solve the murder while hosting his family? This had way too much going on for a fairly short book.
I’m starting the year off with a library book, THE CURIOUS KITTEN AT THE CHIBINEKO KITCHEN by Yuta Takahashi. Eating a remembrance meal at a remote Japanese restaurant will transport you back in time for a brief visit with a deceased loved one.
Good morning, Sandy, whenever you read this. I hope you were able to go back to sleep. I haven’t read one of Laurien Berenson’s books in years, but I always liked them. And, I loved the dogs! The Curious Kitten sounds as if it could be a good book.
Good morning, and Happy New Year to all. We woke up to the unpleasant sight of snow flurries, but I think it’s stopped now. Still, I’ll have to clean them off the car. Jackie did a lot of packing yesterday and we will start to load the car today.
I read 122 books last year, all but 8 of them fiction. My short story total was down a lot, superficially, from a ridiculous 928 to a lower than average (for me) 643, but last year’s total was inflated by a couple of books of very short stories – like one or two pages each – that inflated the total. This year, on the other hand, was the reverse, as I seemed to have a lot of longer stories and novellas. Also, in 2024 I finished 48 books of short stories. In 2025, it was 47.
Anyway, reading. I closed out the year with 76 short stories in December, the highest total for any month. The one collection I finished was Ann Packer’s first, Mendocino and Other Stories, which I liked well enough to borrow her second book of stories to read this year.
The other book I finished this week was one Tracy mentioned as having been read by Glen, Hwang Bo-reum’s Every Day I Read; 53 Ways To Get Closer To Books. Thids is a collection of short essays by the Korean writer about books and reading, and it was a short, fast, pleasant enough read, though I was not bowled over by it. As someone who reads every day, I did not need her to get me to read. I already do!
I probably won’t get much done in the next week as we’ll be packing, then four days on the road, then unpacking, though I’m sure I will at least get my daily short stories read. I hope to finish the John M. Floyd collection (RIVER ROAD) before we leave. From the library, I also have Geraldine Brooks’s memoir, MEMORIAL DAYS, the Brandon Sanderson SF story collection I’ve been reading (these stories are of Stephen King length!), the next Tim Sullivan book, Denis Johnson’s TRAIN DREAMS (recently made into a movie), and Elly Griffiths’ THE FROZEN PEOPLE.
Jackie finished and loved Abby Jimenez’s JUST FOR THE SUMMER, third in her trilogy. She’s now on Deanna Raybourn’s KILLS WELL WITH OTHERS, which I read last year.
Oh, that ugly white stuff! I hope you don’t have any of that on your trip to Florida.
My resolution this year is to make sure I read every day, but I don’t think I need advice. I just need to not be so lazy.
It was a good year for reading for you, Jeff. I hope 2026 brings you enjoyable books and short stories.
How exciting to have not one, but two, days of catching up at Lesa’s this week! We had a wonderful dinner out with friends last evening, although the two mile drive there was one of the scariest in a long time. Total white out and slippery roads. Thankfully the dinner and the company made it worthwhile. Looking forward to watching the Rose Bowl parade today and tonight the Vienna Philharmonic on PBS. In between I’ll continue to work on a 500 piece puzzle, which I am woefully terrible at but I will persevere!
I finished two books this past week. I am hesitant to report about the one that I really didn’t care for, as it’s a favorite series and author. The book was “A Grave Deception” by Connie Berry. Based on the Goodreads reviews, so many others did like it, so I am going to chalk it up to not being in the mood for an archeological dig during the Christmas holiday.
The other book I absolutely loved and did not want it to end; namely, The Forget-Me-Not Library. Juliet Nightingale’s car breaks down in the town of Forget-Me-Not. This is not a random occurrence in this magical town. Forget-Me-Not is where people come for healing, even if they don’t know it. Juliet had been on a trip to try to find herself – and her memory. She, and her Grandfather, had been hit by lightning months earlier. Her Grandfather did not survive. Juliet did, but her long term memory was impacted. Juliet finds her memory, love, and true friends through the intervention of the townspeople, and especially those who live in the house where her car died. Absolutely loved the characters. A definite top 5 fav of 2025.
I appreciate your insight on both of these and might give them a try. Happy New Year!
And, tomorrow, Mary, I have suggestions for future reading. The list of February releases looks terrific.
I’m in the mood for an archeological dig, so I hope Connie’s book works for me. And, the other one sounds good.
I’m glad you made it to your friends’ safely!
Mary, The Forget Me Not library is one of my favorite Heather Webber books.
I need to read more by her, I think!
I see you asked about food. We’re having leftover pizza (with roasted peppers, and mushrooms on my half) and a Caesar salad. Not going out (other than, maybe, to clean off the car before it freezes).
Your book sounds like a favorite show of mine, the 2003-04 Showtime series DEAD LIKE ME. A young woman is killed by falling debris from a space station, and becomes a “grim reaper” whose job is collecting souls from the newly dead and helping them move on.
Cleaning out the refrigerator before you go, Jeff? Leftover pizza sounds good. So does that TV show.
Happy New Year, everyone! We stayed in last night. I ended up making a kind of fancy dinner—lentil mushroom ragú with polenta and on the side some steamed clams (not planned this way, I forgot that it was a fish share day). Today I’ll do a lot of dishes and make a delicious black eyed pea dip so our luck works out.
I’ve had some time to read and have to say I was disappointed in Witches of Dubious Origin. (Sorry, Lesa.) I thought it was an uninspired remix of current witchy tropes and the Discovery of Witches TV show. I also read the latest Royal Spyness, From Cradle to Grave, which kept my interest in the characters going. I appreciated that Georgie recognizes she has instincts and can trust them.Similarly just fine was the Queen Who Came from the Cold.
A book I loved rereading was Writers and Lovers by Lily King. It has good insights into the writing life and the choices we make as we mature.
I am currently reading A Forbidden Alchemy, which was on an NY Times list of books that were under the radar in 2025. It is great, and the physical book has gorgeous endpapers which evoke the book’s atmosphere. The premise is a society where magic is fueled by a rare element found deep in the earth. The ruling class (Artisans) controls the magic and the laborers (Crafters). We enter the story through two twelve year old Crafter children who are being tested for their magical aptitude in the capital and follow them through a class war that develops. So worth reading, and I think Kim might like it.
Happy New Year, Trisha! Is black-eyed pea dip a thing, or did you invent it?
I never saw A Discovery of Witches, so I wouldn’t know. I knew the book wouldn’t be for everyone. That’s where I heard of A Forbidden Alchemy.
Here is the dip recipe, we really like it!
https://www.thepioneerwoman.com/food-cooking/recipes/a9811/zannies-black-eyed-pea-dip/
Despite my negative comments I am sure I will read the next book in the Dubious Origin series since I usually really like Jenn McKinlay’s books. It cracked me up when Zoe said she went to college in New Haven, which is how people say they went to Yale without saying they went to Yale.
I didn’t know that about New Haven, Trisha. I’m sure Jenn knows that. She’s originally from Connecticut.
Thanks for recommending A Forbidden Alchemy, Trisha. It DOES sound like something for me, so I’ll get it!
What is a fish share day please?
The fish share is kind of like a fish club. After you sign up, each week you get a pound of whatever is freshest/most local/ most sustainable from our local fish market. It sounded like a good way to eat more seafood on a regular basis (with some variety baked in) and a good way to celebrate living in the Ocean State (Rhode Island). I usually pick up on Wednesdays and had overlooked it being New Year’s Eve, oops.
You don’t really think of other things, and of anything being open late on New Year’s Eve.
Thank you! I can see it’s a good idea but I don’t think I’d ever be organised enough for that!
Fish is very expensive here, despite Scotland being a maritime country with a still functioning fishing industry.
We buy mainly from a wholesaler near Aberdeen harbour. Even they don’t offer much variety – the last time we were there we bought hot smoked salmon, sea bream and tuna. Apart from octopus, which I couldn’t face, there was little else.
My husband loves mackerel but we haven’t seen it on sale for ages. Also we seem no longer able to buy salmon steaks on the bone rather than the universally popular fillets.
Trisha, I looked up that recipe for black-eyed pea dip, and found a black-eyed pea soup at the Pioneer Woman site. We are having Hoppin’ John with black-eyed peas today, and I will try that soup sometime. The dip sounds too spicy for me although I am sure I could adapt it.
Happy New Year one and all. I have read my first book of 2026 just this morning. Beware The Solitary Drinker by Con Lehane which I greatly enjoyed. I am about to begin my next: Murder At The 42nd Street Library again by Lehane.
Oh, I like Con Lehabe’s books. I’ve read all of them in The 42nd Street Library series, and I’m planning to read his February release, Murder in the Reading Room. Happy New Year, Dennis! Great way to start the new year.
Happy New Year, everyone! I was actually shocked to see that it is What Are You Reading day, since I haven’t had any card games or Toastmasters meetings for the past 10 days or so and, of course, the holiday celebrations and Nick’s birthday dinner have taken up a lot of my time, which I loved. But I’m prepared for 2026 in that yesterday I made a new spreadsheet where I write my reviews. I turned in my “Favorites of 2025” post to Lesa yesterday but, as usual, I am late compared to those of you who also do a Favorites list. Even so, I managed to read two books this week and have started a third.
Tricia O’Malley calls STARTING OVER SCOTTISH a standalone novella, but I’m not sure it’s either. I think it is more of a prequel to Highland Hearts Holiday Bookshop, which I read a week or so ago, and is 182 pages long (short, to be sure, but longer than a novella?). Either way, it was an entertaining way to spend some time during Christmas week. Harper is tired of her diverse temp jobs and wants a new start, so she jumps at the opportunity to spend a few weeks in Scotland for a “Scottish Pub Experience,” paying to live above a pub and run the business. She doesn’t expect to find that The Royal Unicorn is currently out of business and may be up for auction, and that she will be sharing the apartment with the startled Scotsman who owns the building. But Harper soon discovers that she enjoys (and is good at) running a business, she’s happy to avoid Christmas with her mother and disparaging grandmother, and the man who was at first reluctant to share his apartment, even temporarily, is very attractive and can be quite accommodating, after he tames his grumpiness. Reed, a designer and salesman of international travel packages, has his own issues, as the grandfather who raised him after his parents were killed in a car accident when he was a boy has recently died, leaving the pub and the building to him. The relationship between Harper and Reed is satisfying, even though there is barely time in this “novella” to thoroughly explore the couple’s backgrounds and very different personalities. I also enjoyed the women of the local book club–featured as well in the other O’Malley book I recently read–who can’t resist helping with the pub renovation and reopening. The Christmas vibes are present, even for Reed, who avowed that he hated Christmas. If you are someone who enjoys holiday (or holiday-adjacent) novels) or getting familiar with a small town that is the location for a series, I would recommend this book.
In THE STAR FROM CALCUTTA, the fifth book in the Perveen Mistry series by Sujata Massey, set in the early 1920s, Perveen is still the only female lawyer in Bombay, even with her law degree from Oxford. Her father has recently made her his partner, but there are still limits to what she is permitted to do in their family law firm. Indian women are allowed few rights, and their treatment by men is often shameful. Perveen has to watch her step to make sure she doesn’t violate the customs of the day. Briefly married and now divorced, she knows she will always be tied to her ex by law and will never be able to give herself to another man, including the Englishman she meets in secret. A depressing situation to be sure, and not easily resolved. The case in this story involves the burgeoning cutthroat (silent) movie business in India, where the biggest female action star has recently left the film company that made her a star to join the one run by her husband. At an early screening of an upcoming film featuring Roshana, an attendee associated with the film business is found dead, and there is concern that his suspicious death could negatively affect the success of the new movie and the company that has produced it. Perveen’s best friend Alice also plays a role in the story, which highlights her immaturity and threatens their friendship. Although I expected this plot to be interesting, it fell flat for me. Perhaps it was because the stakes in the previous novels were higher, mostly about women whose welfare was ignored by the men in their lives or by law enforcement. Also, I felt that the conclusion was way too abrupt. I don’t know if this series has run its course, but I’m willing to give it another try. (March)
Margie, I bet Rosemary could handle a novella that has a temporary job in Scotland, rather than one in which the woman inherits a pub or bookshop or bakery, etc. You’re right. Starting Over Scottish sounds longer than a novella, but it sounds good.
We’re back on schedule with What Are You Reading? next week, just as the rest of the world is back on schedule following the holidays. How self-centered is that? I don’t know if the rest of the world is really back on schedule or not, but we are!
Trisha, A Forbidden Alchemy sounds very interesting. Thanks for mentioning it!
We had a nice New Year’s Eve with our daughter and her family. She is a very good cook, so we had tasty things to nibble on. After our grandson went to bed, we played board games and Pictionary with our granddaughter. Pictionary is a drawing version of Telephone and as most of us can barely draw a straight line, it was non-stop laughter!
Today will be a quiet day for my husband and I. I am currently reading An Unhallowed Grave by Kate Ellis. A woman everyone likes is found hanging from a yew tree in a church graveyard. DS Wesley Peterson must uncover her past to solve the crime. An archeologist friend of Peterson’s is conducting a dig near the site and is able to provide insights into the current day murder. So far, an enjoyable read.
I love Kate Ellis’ books, Jennifer. I don’t read them often, but I have about ten or so, unread, on my shelves, so I can read them when I want something I know is good. I love the combination of archaeology, history and police work.
I stayed up for the change of the year and I am glad that I did. I skipped it last year! Finished Michael Connelly’s The Crossing and enjoyed it. He made sure that he didn’t lose any readers by summing up things twice. Now I am reading a win from GoodReads, a historical fiction book with tiny print. The Water Lillies of Mishipeshu byKarla Cruise.
She has researched the area of Michigan and Northern Indiana deeply but it is difficult to get through it. There are nuggets of history but it is like panning for gold in Lake Michigan. She has a section in the back of the book, historical notes which I read first before each chapter. I have learned about the mistreatment of Native Americans in detail. Not giving up on it but is work.
It sounds dense, Carol. I’m glad you ended/started the new year with a good book!
OH! It is Thursday, isn’t it?! I was surprised when I popped in here to discover it’s Thursday! Happy New Year everyone!
i am jus starting a new book. We’ll see how it goes.
The Queen of Wishful Thinking by Milky Johnson
Description from NetGalley –
Her mother said if she could imagine doing something in her head, she could do it in real life. But as hard as she wishes for a new life, can Bonnie ever make it happen?
Bonnie Brookland grew up in the vibrant world of antiques, surrounded by the comforting chaos of market stalls, old treasures, and the loyal friends who became her second family. But lately, life has felt anything but colorful. So when she stumbles upon The Pot of Gold, a struggling antique shop in a quiet corner of her British town, something about it tugs at her. It feels like home.
The Pot of Gold is a dream come true for Lewis Harley, who left behind a high-pressure investment banking career after a health scare in his forties. Craving peace and purpose, he’s poured everything into the shop. But things haven’t gone to plan, and the business is struggling. That is, until Bonnie walks through the door.
However, both are navigating lives that aren’t easy to leave behind. And when long-buried secrets rise to the surface, Bonnie and Lew must each decide how much they’re willing to risk to rediscover themselves–and whether the life they’ve always hoped for might still be within reach.
A warm, uplifting novel about second chances, finding light after loss, and the quiet magic of building a life you love.
I hope The Queen of Wishful Thinking ends up being a good book, Kaye. I love to start the new year with a good book.
Yes, it’s Thursday! Hard to believe, isn’t it?
Hello from Aberdeenshire, where it is already dark (4pm) and where the snow that’s been falling intermittently all day is now starting to freeze. I’ve been out to feed the birds three times, they are so hungry and I hate to see them scratching around on the frozen earth.
Fortunately for us we don’t need to go anywhere. This morning we did go for quite a long walk along the Deeside Way, seeing almost no one apart from a few hardy dog walkers. This afternoon we have been engaged in the necessary but tedious task of turning out our food cupboards. I did manage to cull a few items, some of which had shamefully old ‘use by’ dates (although I personally don’t think that things like tinned goods and cake decorations really do go off.) David has put everything else back in order. Unfortunately I am not at all good at maintaining his complex filing systems….
Having been in Edinburgh for Christmas, we were happy to stay at home last night. I went to bed quite early but David stayed up for the bells. I had recorded a BBC ‘John Le Carre night’ and we watched the first programme from it, a documentary made in the 1970s in which Le Carre talked about his childhood (awful), his work as an intelligence office for the British government and his writing career. He was very interesting on the psychological make-up of a spy. Also interviewed were his former wife Anne, a man who was head of the East German intelligence service from the time that the Berlin wall went up until it came down again, and two academics who had taught Le Carre at his boarding school and at Oxford. It was a fascinating programme – I thought I knew most of what there was to know about this author, but I learned a lot more.
Tonight the new series of THE NIGHT MANAGER starts – I would like to read the book, as I think the only Le Carres I have read are TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY, SMILEY’S PEOPLE and A MURDER OF QUALITY. I read them all when I was a teenager and I’m quite sure many things went right over my head, so i should really start again from the beginning.
At the moment I am *still* reading Jilly Cooper’s RIVALS, but am really getting into it now as I’ve had more time for concentrated reading sessions. I’ve also almost finished Julian Barnes’ THE PEDANT IN THE KITCHEN, which is quite entertaining but not as good as Jay Rayner’s CHEWIN’ THE FAT, which I read earlier this year, and which I think I included in my Favourite Reads of 2026 list. Both books are small collections of newspaper articles, but Jay is so much more animated and funny when he launches into his many pet gripes about restaurants, dinners with friends and food fads. Julian is writing about his own home cooking, and rails against cookery books that don’t give specific measurements (what is a ‘glug’ of olive oil?) or omit advice much needed by the amateur cook.
I finished Jay and Kay Slater’s LIFE IS MEALS, which was OK but not as good as I had hoped. It has an entry for every day of the year, each one about food or drink, but far too many of them just presented wikepedia-like facts about a food, a drink, a chef or a restaurant. The most interesting parts for me were those in which the Slaters talked about their own cooking and eating, whether at home or in restaurants, but there weren’t many of these, and I didn’t ever get a feeling for the authors as real people. The book is beautifully produced but I fear I’ve already forgotten most of it.
On Tuesday of this week I took the bus to Dundee to visit the V & A’s GARDEN FUTURES exhibition. Several friends had raved about it – one has been three times – so I wanted to see it before it closed later this month.
I had a really lovely day out – the exhibition was excellent. Beginning with the first gardens – depictions of the Garden of Eden, and gardens in ancient Persia and India, some of them woven into beautiful tapestries and rugs, it moves on to look at the garden city project (and how its good intentions backfired), the guerilla gardening movement in New York City, the relationship between colonialism and gardens (Jamaica Kinkaid is one of the activists working in this field), changes in gardening fashions, and new technologies aiming to bring gardening into harmony with nature instead of the usual battle between the two.
There were little gadgets that you could press or wave about to recreate specific birdsongs, and ‘smell boxes’ that enabled you to experience the scents of many plants. There were displays about new gardening ideas across the world. There were photographs of Victorian plant collectors and information about the damage that their collecting often did (eg they changed the names of indigenous plants to English ones, and failed to learn anything about the plants’ medicinal properties.)
There was stuff about William Morris and the Arts & Crafts movement, a display about the Weleda company, and there was a whole display about Derek Jarman, the late film-maker and writer, who made a very unusual shingle garden around his house, Prospect Cottage, in a remote part of the Kent coast overshadowed by the Dungeness power station. I listened to an interview with him in which he said that he should always have been a gardener, and that film-making ‘was just for fools.’
I also had coffee and a delicious scone in the V & A cafe, which looks straight out over the River Tay. I was fortunate enough to get a window table; I sat and read my book enjoying the fabulous views.
January 2nd is a public holiday in Scotland, although many shops will be open. So we are looking forward to a quiet weekend – on Monday everything will start again, which in some ways will be good and in others less so! We have a LOT more snow forecast, so it’s time to batten down the hatches and read, watch TV – and no doubt clean out more cupboards (David has got the bit between his teeth now…)
I hope everyone has a cosy and safe week. And I hope to read a lot more in 2026, though I will *never* reach anything like Jeff’s tally!
January 2 is also a holiday in Switzerland. It’s called Berchtoldstag, and no one quite knows why or what its purpose is (“bercht” is a medieval German word for “shining”). All I can say is, it’s great to have an extra holiday!
Hi Kim,
I never heard of that holiday, I looked it up and found theories about it but nothing is sure about it. That is fascinating,
I never heard of the holiday, either. Thanks, Carol, for looking it up so I didn’t have to!
That garden exhibit sounds amazing, Rosemary! I can understand why your friend went a bunch of times. It is neat that the exhibit could be experienced with multiple senses, not just visually.
Rosemary, thanks for mentioning THE NIGHT MANAGER. There was a piece in the NY Times today about it, and apparently it will be running this month here too, not long after it is on there.
We’re rewatching the hilarious DERRY GIRLS and watched my favorite episode last night – the wedding/”Rock the Boat” episode. Who knew that song was such a hit over there.
The worst part of winter for me is that it gets dark so early. Fortunately for us, sunset is 4:40 in New York now, but 5:40 where we will be in Florida.
Rosemary, I think Jeff would admit you’re out and about a lot more than he is, and you have a busy family life, with your mother, and adult children, and forthcoming grandbaby. So, there are reasons he reads a lot more than you do.
Just look at the day you spent at the V&A exhibit. And, of course, the cleaning of cupboards! (grin)
And, you do get a great deal of reading done as well.
Happy New Year!
I loved the first of the Grim Reaper’s books, so I am looking forward to the second. Thank you for the review, Lesa.
Two books for me this week. I finally finished all the Christmas books with Last Stop on the Winter Wonderland Express by Rebecca Raisin. Aubrey’s fiancé dumps her at the altar. She decides to go on her expensive honeymoon solo through Europe’s Christmas markets on a snow train with stops in Paris, Copenhagen, and Stockholm ending up in igloos in Lapland. While most passengers on the train are madly in love and on honeymoons, Aubrey meets up with a group of single passengers who dub themselves “The Unlucky Love Travel Club”. Hijinks ensue and love is found by the end. This was a fluffy amusing read.
My second book was one that Carol Jeanne passed on last week-The Tortoise’s Tale by Kendra Coulter. It did take me a while to settle into it as the narrator is the tortoise. It was told the story of a tortoise taken from its ancestral land and to an estate in California where she observes all the cultural changes from the 1940’s to the present. I found it a quiet enjoyable read.
Happy Reading!
Thank you, Sharon, for mentioning The Tortoise’s Tale. I haven’t decided if I’ll pick it up or not. I have so many books on TBR piles and on NetGalley. But, quiet sometimes works for me.
Morning from NE Dallas where we are in shorts and t-shirts and glad the house is still standing. The fireworks and gunfire started just after dark last night, picked up around 8, and then got really going from 11 to around 1 though we had another blast of it around 3 in the morning. 12:30 there was suddenly a ton of gunfire that sounded like a warzone. I looked at my back bedroom window and saw tracers going up from somewhere very close by. Flaming idiots.
Current read is THE CROSSROADS by C. J. Box. Long been a fan of this series. This one comes out next month and I am reading it now via NetGalley. Their listing…
Description
Game warden Joe Pickett fights for his life as his daughters try to uncover who shot him and left him for dead in this riveting new novel from #1 New York Times bestseller C. J. Box.
Marybeth Pickett gets the call she has always dreaded: her husband Joe is in critical condition with a gunshot wound to the head.
Joe was found in his pickup at Antler Creek Junction, a crossroads connecting three ranches. Each road leading to a dangerous family. Each family with a different bone to pick with the local game warden. Marybeth and the new sheriff assume that Joe was ambushed by one of the families, but they have no idea which one since Joe didn’t say where he was going or why.
With Joe unconscious and fighting for his life with Marybeth at his side, Sheridan, April, and Lucy split up and investigate each of families to uncover the truth of what happened to their father, before it’s too late.
This year at Round Rock there were fireworks starting at 6:00 p.m. But not gunfire, thank goodness. There has been a lot of warnings about shooting guns up in the air not being safe. I guess someone decided to refrain!
It just amazes me how so many don’t have the good sense not to shoot a gun in the air. No wonder we have warning labels on pizza boxes.
Rub it in, Kevin, that you’re in shorts and tee shirts. We still have snow.
I like the idea of Pickett’s daughters investigating. Not something you see every day in novels.
As Sharon says, Happy Reading!
Under the 1966 Climate Status Ac t, it had to be done. It is a Federal felony not to do so. By the way, it is 75 here and 90 down San Antonio way.
I enjoyed it. Read about 80 percent of it yesterday. It ended very well which was a relief.
Currently working on THE POLITICIAN by Tim Sullivan.
Happy New Year, friends. Last night I made a special dinner for the three friends my husband and I have been celebrating New Year’s Eve with for at least 25 years, and we had a great time. In the old days, we used to stay up quite late, but now it’s all we can do to chat over the one glass of Prosecco served at midnight until 1 a.m.
Pork and black-eyed peas were always served by my parents on New Year’s Day when I was a child–my father was from Louisiana! It’s not a tradition I’ve continued here–I’m not sure I can find black-eyed peas in the Swiss stores.
Somehow, I only managed to read one book since last Friday–one of Mary Balogh’s Regency romances, which are my comfort books when I’m too busy to concentrate on anything. But with all the baking and cooking I’ve been doing, I’ve almost finished listening to THE RAVEN SCHOLAR (672 pages), by Antonia Hodgson, and I’ve been very caught up in it. Still, I’ll wait until I see how it ends before I give my final opinion. I imagine it’s the beginning of a series, so I imagine I’ll be a bit frustrated by being left hanging. Still, if there’s a #2, I’ll read it.
Kim, it is interesting to hear that black-eyed peas were a part of your New Year’s Day as a child. I grew up in Alabama and I don’t remember having that tradition at my house as a child, but I learned about it as an adult in California, and we started having Hoppin’ John on New Year’s day because I loved black-eyed peas.
Happy New Year, Kim! There’s nothing like a traditional meet-up is there, even if it’s not what it used to be? I thoroughly enjoyed Christmas Day with my sister’s family as they dropped in throughout the day.
This year, a Mary Balogh book, I hope!
Of course!
Lesa, the book you are reading sounds interesting. And I like the cover. We had rain last night and supposedly rain will continue for a few days, but right now it is sunny.
On New Year’s Eve we always watch movies and we carry one over to New Year’s Day. We don’t always have a theme, but this year our movie marathon was Mystery Science Theater 3000 episodes. Yesterday we watched OUTLAW (a fantasy, based on the Gor series, with Jack Palance but no one else recognizable) and TEEN-AGE STRANGLER (a 1964 juvenile delinqency murder mystery movie, sort of). Tonight we will finish up with PRINCE OF SPACE, from 1959, a Japanese science fiction invasion movie.
On New Year’s Day, Glen always cooks Hoppin’ John, a dish with black-eyed peas, so that we will good luck all year. He cooks sausage with rice, and we add black-eyed peas on the side. It is delicious, I love it.
Glen is reading MURDER FOR CHRISTMAS by Francis Duncan, originally published in 1949. I read it a few years ago and enjoyed it, but that is about all I remember. A country house mystery.
I am reading I SEE YOU’VE CALLED IN DEAD by John Kenney, published in 2025. Glen discovered this book but he hasn’t read it yet. I am enjoying it a lot; it is just the right book for my reading mood now. It is about obituary writer who is having a very bad year. It is satirical and humorous and odd, set in New York City, and I like the characters.
Happy New Year to all.
Happy New Year, Tracy! I like Nora in the Grim Reaper books, and I’m enjoying this one with her brother and his parrot. He’s much more adventuresome than she is.
Country house mysteries blend together for me, but I enjoy them even if I don’t remember them later.
I intended to read I See You Called in Dead, but never did get around to it.
For New Year’s, I went to Korean Barbecue, and then went ballroom dancing. It was raining pretty hard the whole time.
Didn’t read much this week.
King of the Ring by Gavin Evans; A history of the heavyweight champions of boxing. The stuff about the early champions was great, and the discussions of the rules changes of the 19 century was interesting. The book also shows the complete collapse of the sport after Mike Tyson’s self destruction.
Glen, I always enjoy reading about your regular activities as well as the books you read. You have as much variety in those activities as Rosemary does.
Happy New Year!
Rain here in Northern California and the fireworks and cherry bombs kept up until 1:30 am this morning.
New Years Eve I finished An Unquiet Peace by Shaina Steinberg and liked it as much as her first in the series Under The Paper Moon. Ex OSS operatives now in Southern California and looking for the family of a German scientist they evacuated in WWII.
Since I was awake at 1:30 I started and finished Local Woman Missing by Mary Kubica, which I had abandoned after Part One earlier in the year due to explicit child abuse. Turns out once past that it had a wicked plot and nuanced characters. Guess that is why it is on so many top ten lists.
Watched the Rose Parade on replay and enjoyed it more than years past. Too bad about the rain, but they all carried on like troopers.
Happy New Year and good reading to you all in 2026.
Happy New Year, Karen! I read the first Strindberg novel. I liked it, but not enough to move on to book 2. I’m glad the second one was good.
For the sake of all pets, veterans, and those of us who like to sleep, I wish fireworks didn’t go on so long on the holidays. At least you had reading time.
Happy Reading!
Definitely on my list..,am reading THE PICASSO HEIST. Pretty good..Kim made pork cutlets and sauerkraut for New Year’s Day lunch…