Hello everyone! It has been forever since I did any book reviews, and I think I skipped over some books. Oh well I guess. This review has the last book I read in 2025, and the first two that I finished in 2026. Let’s start with that last book of 2025, The Bewitching.
“Back then, when I was a young woman, there were still witches”
This book snuck in at the last minute, and made it right onto my favorites list. It was amazing. I was deep into the story reading one night during a wild storm – rain that pelted the house so hard that even Miso, who was curled up on my legs, jerked her head back and flattened her ears, and the wind whipped by so fast and furious that the windows rattled. And I am not exaggerating! The night otherwise was quiet, it was later in the evening and Wyatt was asleep and Billy was downstairs playing video games. I had the house to myself, along with the book and the storm. I probably should have gone to bed, but I kept reading during that storm and I was freaked out.
This book is filled with an overwhelming sense of foreboding. The story is told through three different points of view, from different times in history – the early 1900s on a farm in Mexico, 1930s New England, and 1990s New England. I love this multilayered approach to the story, and how we can learn from previous generations. It is hard for me to say which timeline and story that I liked best, because I loved them all, although the early 1900s storyline of Alba was a bit slower and took me longer to get hooked. I loved this book and I am so glad that I own it!
This book does have some trigger warnings, so look them up if needed.
I was looking for an audiobook to listen to when I ran into this one on Libby. I had just watched A Biltmore Christmas starring Bethany Joy Lenz, so she was fresh in my mind. I loved the cover, so Sweet Valley High, and I did like the series One Tree Hill, for at least the first two seasons. So, I went for it.
I am glad that I did! This book is read by Lenz herself, which made it all the more real, hearing her story in her own words and voice. Becoming part of this cult was a slow roll, a creeping insidious happening, one that would be hard to see coming until it was too late. It was couched in love bombing and isolation, preying upon people looking for connection, to others and to Christ. However, what happens is much more than that. It was also about total control to the organization, of resources and time and most of all the people. It was struggle, but Lenz was able to escape and tell her story, and I am so glad that she has since found happiness and independence.
This book had been on my TBR forever, and I am so happy that I finally read it. It is a short book, a quick read, but not a fluffy one. It is bleak, yet also hopeful. I have never read a dystopian novel like this one, that at its center you really could feel the heart of the characters.
When the lights go out in a small northern Anishinaabe community in Canada, nobody worries at first. This happens all the time. However, as the days turn into a week, and they don’t hear anything from the South about what is going on, things begin to seem a bit more dire. Food supplies begin to dwindle, they must conserve all of their resources, and most importantly, work together and look out for each other. This is their way. Community. They care for each other. They share. They collaborate and help. They endure. They remember the old ways, they remember their culture. They gone through other “end of the world” events before as a people, and have survived. When they were sent from their homes to an unfamiliar land, when their children were rounded up and sent to residential schools – these also were end of the world events. And still, here they are.
However, the world begins to creep in, and threatens the community.
A sense of dread and doom lays heavy over this book, it is bleak, and scary to consider such isolation and lack of resources. Yet there is also that feeling of something more.
I could talk forever about this one, but I don’t want to give too much away. It is a short book and I don’t want to ruin anyone’s reading experience with spoilers. However, if you have been sleeping on reading this, I absolutely recommend it.
In case you missed Part 1 and Part 2: So, on November 22, 2024 I started a little book book, as I call it, but it is a journal of the books I have read with a few jotted thoughts, quotes I like, and stickers. I am an archivist and chronicler at heart, and I have been having so much fun journaling my reading experience this way. I thought it would be neat to share my favorite quotes from all the books I have read – in different parts of course.
We have made it into May!
“Life, I know is written on our faces. I lifted my right hand and involuntarily stroked my own cheek, wondering what stories life would have written there when I reached the end of my days.”
“One belief does not negate the other. They can exist at the same time.”
‘Every time someone wants to throw away a book, a little bit of my soul dies.’
“The girl knows, though, that remembering can be difficult. She always has so much inside her head: songs, stories, things she has to learn, things she wants to forget but that keep coming back. When she needs to remember something, she often forgets it, but she always remembers whatever she wants to forget.”
“…’ the guy wears a tweed coat, Edwards! Willingly! That’s super shady in my book. And he says he’s an archaeologist but I don’t think that’s even a real job. It’s a job that people have in movies, like pumpkin farmer or professional Christmas tree stylist.”
“How many times in her life has she said yes to a boy or a man just because it was the easiest thing to do? How many times has she let a man take what he wanted, instead of taking something for herself?”
“I’m not good at staying mad at people.”
I read this right after Wyatt’s surgery and I wasn’t working on my book book. I will tell you that I wrote down in my two lines of notes that my favorite part was Fifi.
Same as above. I wrote that my favorite part was the descriptions of fall in the Daniel Boone National Forest.
Same. Lol. My favorite parts were the reunion she had with someone special and the cozy snowy vibes.
Same, and last of the survival reading mode. I also decided after this one I wasn’t reading anymore in this series. I didn’t really enjoy it.
“Outside it was the coldest of winters. Cold stars shone over the icy bay and the cold hit you as you turned the corners. Then it was delicious to settle down in a warm kitchen. Pelle beamed and filled the stove with wood; this was all just as it should be, with everyone sitting together, warm and cosy, singing and talking.”
And that is it for today! Have you read any of these?
I have a little cold that I have been nursing my way through and spent the weekend being cozy and warm and watching movies. I fully intended to write my Soup and Story Saturday post last night, but I ate my soup, took a shower, crawled under the covers, and that was it. Game over. All productivity was lost after that.
So I am just combining it today, sort of, with this post.
First off, what I am reading. I didn’t do much reading last week, unfortunately. Before I got the ick from Billy and Wyatt, Wyatt and I finished up his book, The Celery Stalks at Midnight. I didn’t get a chance to grab my library book at all, and in fact, Billy ended up picking up my holds Friday night, with all the books I wanted to read in that stack. So I finally got to start the book I had been waiting for.
It is literally everything I need right now. I am reading slowly but I am really enjoying it. This series is such a light fluffy series and that is precisely why I like it.
I spent a lot of time curled up watching shows with Wyatt, YouTube, movies. This is not usually me but I will say I am feeling pretty rested. Wyatt and I watched lots of Frog and Toad. He will watch them over and over, and we both really enjoyed the Christmas Eve episode a lot.
As for movies, we have watched Emmet Otter’s Jug- Band Christmas, Christmas at the Catnip Cafe (which was soo cheesy but I 100% loved it), Bramble House Christmas, and Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmas. Tonight, we are going to watch another Hallmark Christmas movie. I am excited!
Soup and Story:
I won’t make this post super long with a story, but I was so grateful for this ramen last night. I absolutely love it. The restaurant is at the back of a gaming center, where people go to play tabletop games like DnD and Warhammer. It is pretty smart for them, because people will sit and play all day and they are probably just making so much money off the gamers which good for them. This food is amazing too. I could eat it everyday.
Around the Interwebs:
So I cohost a few different things with Lisa at Boondock Ramblings, although I have been doing poorly the past 10 days or so. I am just going to quote her here:
Lisa at Boondock Ramblings and I host a monthly bookish link party called A Good Book and A Cup of Tea. This link-up is for book and reading posts or anything related to books and reading (even movies based on books!). Each link party will be open for a month. You can find that link up for this month here.
We are also hosting Comfy Cozy Christmas! Anything holiday related – any December holiday – at all that strikes your fancy and you write about, please think about sharing on our linky. You can find the link for that at the top of my page in the menu or here.
We also will be starting Crafternoons back up in January and we hope to post the dates soon!
And that is it from me today! Stay safe and take care of yourselves my friends!
Hello everyone!! I hope that you are all doing well! As for me, well I caught the cold that Billy and Wyatt had. Yay. Thanks for sharing guys. I’ve been laying low the past few days, trying to get that rest in. We canceled our Blackbirds Troop meeting last night and it hurt me to do it, but I didn’t feel well, Billy and I both have laryngitis, and we don’t want to share our germs with our friends for the holidays most importantly.
The Monday after Thanksgiving, Wyatt and I took a little road trip to my dad’s. We had a secret mission to get Billy’s Christmas present, and there is a store there that sells them – bonsai! I am telling Billy not to read this post too, I obviously don’t want to spoil the surprise. He has wanted one forever, and we found a great nursery called Green Witch Gardens. My dad and stepmom went with us, and my stepmom is babysitting the bonsai until I get it closer to Christmas. It is the coolest store, with a tortoise and cats and a ton of bonsai. However, they only had teeny ones or huge ones, and the huge ones were very pricey. So, Billy is getting a tiny baby bonsai. He will be happy though. Then I realized I needed to come home from our shopping trip with Shellie, that I told Billy we were doing, with something at least. So I picked up a teeny little baby cactus.
Two days later though, Wyatt was congested. No runny nose, just all in his head, I could hear it in his voice. Then a few days later, had a cough at night and that was it. Then Billy caught it, and he had the same. Now, my turn. Blah. I have drainage and laryngitis and it is no fun at all. I have way too much to do but I want to get this out of my system before Sunday so I am resting. Lol. Billy and Wyatt were doing much better after like four days so I am hoping I will too. And enough about this, blah!
Before all the sickness, or in between, we masked up and went to a local event at the River Raisin National Battlefield. It was so cool! It was called Echoes of a French Noel, and I thought there would be more Christmas stuff (there was none lol) but we still had a lot of fun. There were re-enactors, interactive displays, and a huge longhouse to walk through. They had a candle making station, which Wyatt really loved and it cracked me up that he was so excited over it but he is my child so it tracks, a cannon that we could load (obviously not a working one), madeline cookies which we love, and it was just really neat inside. We found an opportunity for our Blackbirds to try archery there, which I need to follow up on.
I of course had to look around the gift shop – they always have unique items and Christmas is coming! However, I was excited that they had a section of used books, and I bought two, and paid a total of $5.00 for them!
We then popped over to the Conservatory, one of my favorite shops in SE Michigan. I am usually successful at finding a plant as a gift for my MIL there, but this time they were low in stock. I will check back closer to the holiday to see if they restocked. It was super pretty though, decorated for the holidays. Wyatt kept telling me he was happy too, so that made me happy. We didn’t find anything for my MIL but we did buy another cactus. I am going to just blame homeschool for this new interest. Wyatt is learning about deserts and desert life, the things that live and grow there, and we did a whole section just on the Saguaro.
I mentioned that Wyatt is studying deserts and one thing that I thought make it more fun this December is filling out the paperwork to get another junior ranger badge online. We are doing the steps for the Sonoran Desert National Park junior range badge, and I was just going to skip over the nature center scavenger hunt, when I realized we had a lot of the items on the list here in our house.
Sunday morning I got up early and drove my friends and I through a winter weather advisory to the Annual Potter’s Market that we have been going to every year. I wore my mask and I am glad that I did, since my family is sick and I was maybe coming down with it. We all poked around, putting stuff in our baskets, taking it out, adding new things. I just love it, and we saw such cool items! I bought more tiny things. I am obsessed for some reason (I’m a goblin, that is why). I did buy a small turtle for Wyatt’s stocking, and I think he will like it.
I had a great time with Chrissy and Kelly. It is hard to carve out these moments but they are always special when we do.
Later that night, we watched Emmet Otter’s Jug Band Christmas, and I wanted to make it seem happy and magical, so I rearranged things and changed the lighting and added some treats.
Then we had the rest of the week. Mainly all of us trying to not feel yucky, resting, and that sort of thing. I did make scones before I went down, and they are fantastic! I have been adding different family recipes or recipes that I have found and that turn out well to a journal and using it as a cookbook. This scone recipe is my stepmom’s and they are so good. Wyatt doesn’t usually eat baked goods, except cookies, and he loves these!
And that was the last interesting thing that I did this week. I am super bummed can you tell? I had so much fun planned! Now I just need to wait this out a bit but it is hard! Send me all your good healing vibes friends!
I hope that whatever you do today, you do something that makes you smile!
As for reading, I gave it my best, but I was defeated. I had a DNF. The Hogfather. I am going to try again next year, after learning more about Discworld. Lisa’s (at Boondock Ramblings) husband suggested I start with The Color of Magic instead, then read the Death line of books first. So, I will give it another shot!
Sorry Hogfather. We will try again next year.
This week I am reading the next in the J. Penner Adenashire series, A Fellowship of Games of Fables. I love Jez so I am excited to read her story! And, I must like these books because I almost never read past book one in a series!
The Screens:
So, we have been watching all the Christmas and holiday things we can find. We watched all the episodes of the Victorian Farm Christmas, Tudor Farm Christmas, A Garfield Christmas, and Bramble House Christmas, which is a Hallmark Christmas movie. I of course loved it. We also watched Paddington for the first time and realized, Billy is Paddington in person form! Ok, he just has a Paddington style coat, and loves orange marmalade. Everything we watched was perfect.
It was a slow week around here. It was not only arctic cold out, but Wyatt was feeling under the weather. So we took it easy, especially since he had a big appointment with the orthopedic surgeon on Friday. The surgeon is very pleased with Wyatt’s healing, and has decided it is now time to schedule the next surgery, this one to remove the hardware they put into Wyatt to hold his hips in place as he healed. I am so not ready for another surgery, but he said springtime, and that it will be an easier recovery.
We also got lots of Christmas shopping done, mainly via the internet but Wyatt and I also took a secret trip to pick up a gift for Billy. I won’t say what it is here but I am excited. Saturday we also masked up and went to something called Echoes of a French Noel at the River Raisin National Battlefield near us, and had such a great time. Then this morning I went to the Potter’s Market with Chrissy and Kelly. I will do a coffee catch up post later this week, but we had so much fun!
Tonight we are having a comfy cozy movie night, with hot chocolate and treats in front of the little fake fireplace tonight, and I am so excited!
And that is it from me for now! I hope that whatever you do, you do something that makes you happy!
Hello everyone!! This is just a little Saturday post, where if you want to chat about soup that you have made or eaten or a recipe you have, and tell a story about your life, a memory, a book you are reading, anything, here is your chance!
The soup for today is broccoli cheese, a favorite of mine during the winter. It is just so creamy and delicious!! Wyatt asked for a painting dinner, where we all do various art projects and eat, which Billy was skeptical about but it worked! I thought we would give it a try and if it didn’t work, we would just pause painting/drawing/coloring until we finished eating. It went fine! When I was kid we used to have reading dinners, where we would allowed to bring our books to dinner and read while we ate. Those were always a treat, so I thought it would be fun to let Wyatt have this easy wish. Especially since he didn’t feel super this week. He was all congested poor kid. He had a great time painting and eating his dinner. We all just scraped together whatever and did our own little pursuit.
Lately, I have been daydreaming about snug cabins in the a snowy woods, thick blankets, warm fires, mornings drinking coffee slowly. A trip away at Christmas. Just a short one. Like a night or two, me and Billy and Wyatt, a quiet in the chaos. A step back for a moment. I wouldn’t miss Christmas with my family and friends for anything, but a little trip to a little cabin might be nice. It is too late for one this year, but maybe next year. I even started looking at different places on Airbnb. Chalets, A-frames, little log houses. Deer and woodpeckers and rabbits – and hopefully not bears. We don’t need to drive all that far to find ourselves in the “wilderness” here in Michigan. I can see those evergreens lining the roads now, all covered in white.
The closest I ever came to this dream, because I have had it before, is a snowboarding trip Billy and I took with my dad, my brother, and one of his friends. My brother and his friend were both in high school, and Billy and I were in our early twenties, recently married. We arrived to my dad’s friend’s A-frame in the woods in the dark of night, and on those country roads it was difficult to find. It had been snowing hard the whole way, and the snow was already piled high. We found it finally, then moved our bags inside, claiming our rooms. Billy and I took the main floor, that had two walls of windows. Which was pretty cool in the morning, but that night was sort of intimidating, all those big trees and who knows what else lurking outside? My dad and the guys were upstairs in the loft and it was late, so after a quick look around we went to bed. We were going to the resort the next morning early so that all the guys could hit the slopes. They were all snowboarding, while Dad and I were hanging out in the lodge. It was not as picturesque as I romanticized though. I had pictured reading in a big chair near a fire, hot chocolate next to me, while they all exhausted themselves in the snow. I still had fun however reading, it just was not the hallmark movie setting I pictured.
Eventually the guys all tired themselves out – or at least Devin and Shaun. They came back, minus Billy. I was of course like where the heck is Billy? And my brother was like, “Oh, we passed him on the way down. He was laying in the snow.” I immediately panicked and ran outside like I was going to run up that mountain and find him, maybe a St. Bernard with a cask of rum or whatever by my side. I stood at the base of the ski lift, contemplating my next move, when I could see my own little Crash coming down the mountain, back on his board. I let out a sigh of relief, both that he was ok, and also that I did not have to go up that mountain. I am terribly afraid of heights and can’t even fathom getting on a ski lift. We thankfully were heading back to the lodge to get cleaned up, and go to the city of Boyne Falls for dinner and for some shopping. I think it was Boyne Falls at least.
The next morning, we piled back into the car, and headed back downstate, stopping at one of my favorite places in Michigan – Hartwick Pines. I love going there, and I love it even more in the winter. We hiked the trails in the snow, surrounded by some ancient trees, stumbling onto the maple sugaring shack they have there, the historical lumberjack camp, the church. I loved every moment of it. We went inside to warm up before heading back to the car, and gazed through the huge windows at the birds feeding outside. Well, I did. The guys were exploring the nature center but I was glued to that vision of snow and trees before me.
Eventually we hit the road again, and in a few hours we were home, all tuckered out by our adventures. But I remember what those days felt like, the glorious majesty of the woods and forests and snow. And I want Wyatt to see that too, and feel that magic of winter.
And that is it from me today! I hope that whatever you do, you do something that makes you smile!
If you have a post, feel free to link up! Or just share in the comments!
So, on November 22, 2024 I started a little book book, as I call it, but it is a journal of the books I have read with a few jotted thoughts, quotes I like, and stickers. I am an archivist and chronicler at heart, and I have been having so much fun journaling my reading experience this way. I thought it would be neat to share my favorite quotes from all the books I have read. It will be multi-part, because it would be like a crazy wall of text post if I did it all at once.
Jan. 4, 2025 – 1st book of the year!
This is just a snippet of a quote.
“…a little life surrounded by love and hope and magic.”
Jan. 5, 2025
“She and Coco were sitting in the kitchen of the Egg, Ollie’s rambling old farmhouse. They’d gotten themselves mugs of hot chocolate and were seeing who could build the biggest marshmallow pyramid on top.”
Jan. 7, 2025
“Too many men were raised by families that expected them to hide their emotions at all costs.”
Jan. 14, 2025
“…all around us the earth had erupted with silver rabbits washing their faces with moon dew.”
Jan. 26, 2025
“I mourned the loss of older lighthouses like Pottawatomie. There was something magical and romantic about them.”
Feb. 1, 2025
“Matthias gazed upwards, feeling as if he were slowly turning with the silent Earth.”
Feb. 5, 2025
“Either her laugh is starting to sound attractive – or I really am going mental.”
Feb. 8, 2025
“Shooting stars and auroras – things people come to love without the need to interrogate what makes them beautiful.”
Feb. 9, 2025
“Allow yourself to be where you are”
Feb. 16, 2025
“Being content with not being some extraordinary, larger than life badass, and instead loving being me. Sometimes talking too much. Often daydreaming about nothing. Being a good archaeologist, even if it means never being a great one. Telling corny jokes. Being known for always bringing the best snacks. And wearing fanny packs like they are going out of style.”
I think I am going to like this lookback.
I hope that whatever you do today, that you do something that makes you smile!
It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? is hosted by Kathryn at Book Date
Hello everyone!! I hope that you are all doing well. We had a pretty good week here last week, just a few bumps but mostly good. Today we are working on some projects around here before heading to my cousin’s house for a family get together of cousins, which my cousin hosts once a month. I love that our kids are growing up around each other!
Read Last Week:
I loved both of these books. How to Talk to Your Succulent is a middle-grade graphic novel, and deals with loneliness, grief, and the importance of open and honest communication, in a very whimsical and magical way.
I knew I had to read Shady Hollow. I love anthropomorphic animal stories, and the main character is a fox to boot? This book was really well-written, and I feel like I learned a bit about the process of journalism as well while reading (with a little extra clarification from Lisa). All in all, a very good cozy mystery, full of woodland creatures!
Reading This Week:
This week I am reading A Fellowship of Librarians and Dragons by J. Penner! I am looking forward to it; I mean, just look at all those cozy cute images on the cover! I want a unicorn teapot! And cinnamon rolls! And a dragon!
Billy and I have been watching The Great British Bake Off all week. It always makes us both want to bake! This time it was Billy’s turn, and he made a savory monkey bread last night that was delicious. It was filled with cotswold cheese and was so good. He is going to make a version for Thanksgiving and I am excited. He is going to add olives which I think will be the perfect touch.
Wyatt and I also prepped for Christmas movie watching! We decided to put all the names of the movies we want to watch into a jar and every time we are going to watch one, Wyatt will draw that night’s movie.
Around the Internets:
Just a reminder that Lisa hosts a monthly linky, that I help with, called A Good Book and a Cup of Tea. Make sure to link up any book related posts! We love to hear!
Also, we will be hosting Comfy Cozy Christmas starting the day after Thanksgiving! Anything holiday related – any December holiday – at all that strikes your fancy and you write about, please think about sharing on our linky – and I hope I can get it working again on my blog before then! Again, we love to hear everyone’s stories!
And that is it from me today! I hope that whatever you do, you do something that makes you smile!
Hello everyone! I am writing from my bed this morning, it is so cold and I am not ready to get moving quite yet. I do have a cup of coffee next to me though, thank goodness, that will help with both issues, although it is Friday and Wyatt and I have a lighter day on Fridays.
This past weekend was my birthday! I feel like I have been celebrating all month, with all of the surprises my family and friends have had for me. They have all been so thoughtful and made me feel very special for my 50th.
On Saturday, my dad and stepmom had a party for me out at their house, and it was so chill and relaxed and just what I needed. Good food, lots of cake, family, and laughter. I loved just hanging out with my family, chatting and eating and then I took the kids outside and they were all playing hide and seek, even Wyatt. It was a nice time.
Sunday morning Billy, Wyatt, and I had plans to go to Le Supreme in Detroit, which is a French brasserie. We love their brunch menu and we got all shined up to go (Marsha, I wore my fox dress outfit!) – however, my son decided to gift me a special surprise right as our food arrived, by throwing up right in my lap. I told him I have had better gifts before. We managed to keep things low profile and cleaned up and then packed Wyatt’s food up and went home. Billy and I both had egg based breakfasts and left them behind. The waiter was so nice, and gave me a raincheck for a free creme brulee when we go back. And we are having a redo, and this time I think Wyatt will stay home with a grandparent. Ah, life with a medically complex child. Lol. It is that pesky side effect of his medication – and we never know when it will occur since it is not everyday.
The day after my birthday would have been Billy’s older brother’s birthday, and we remember him every year on that date (well we remember him everyday, but especially the 17th). He passed at 26 from squamous cell cancer of the mouth, and we tell stories about him to Wyatt all the time. About George’s tarantulas, which is one reason I took Carl in, his love of old cars, his carpentry and automotive skills, which is where Billy learned a lot of what he knows, from his older brother. He would have been 53 this year, and probably still been giving Billy a hard time but then bailing him out as well. He was a good big brother. I remember one winter, Billy and I had been watching a movie and it was over about 1 am. Billy went out to his car, and the battery was dead, so he called George. George came over in the bitter cold, and together they jumped Billy’s car, while sitting in George’s. I would check on them occasionally out there, chatting while they waited, and I remember thinking how happy they both looked, despite it being freezing cold, pitch black, and jumping a car. Just two brothers doing brother things. He was one one of the good guys, and we miss him everyday.
On Wednesday my dad came by and kicked me out of the house, telling me to go do something for me. I decided to check out Brooks Books, a local bookstore. I knew they had decorated for Christmas, and I thought it would be nice to take Wyatt there next month for our book and cookie outing. However, it was very nice to go by myself for once. I had so much time to just look at everything, in quiet. I picked up a book while I was there, Cold Clay, the second book in the Shady Hollow series. It was a nice refresh midweek!
And, I also got my items from when I went to the tie dye place with my friends! I had made a pashmina scarf, a tote bag, and socks, which they donate to the unhoused. I really love how both my scarf and tote bag turned out! My scarf makes me think of malachite, and it is so pretty!
And I here I am, looking like an art teacher from a 1990s romcom!
And that is it from around here this week. I hope that whatever you do, you do something that makes you smile!
Still Life, With Cracker Crumbs.. 