Space Station Mir

 Here are my goals from last year.  And here are my bookish goals for 2026! Bookish Goals for 2025 Read 52 books.--I didn't want to overburden myself, and I have no regrets. I ended up reading 84 books, which is less than the fluke of last year's 90 (the most in my adult life!) but still pretty good.  Read at least 14 books by authors of color.--13 books would be 25% of 52 so I decided to add another for luck and in case I end up surpassing my overall reading goal again. I ended up reading 13 books by authors of color, which is less than 25% of 84, but still better than last year.  Read and review all of the books I have accepted or will accept for review this year.--I did this! I reviewed all the books I agreed to review in 2025--and I actually have no books to review yet in 2026, so I'm at net zero for reviews for once.  Read at least 3 books by women in translation--I've already read one!--Unfortunately, that was the only one I read all year-- The Housekeepe...

 I'm a day late, and new authors seems more do-able than all bookish discoveries--plus, I think these were my most important bookish discoveries in 2025 anyway. Happy (late) Top Ten Tuesday! Best New-to-Me Authors in 2025 Jessica Topper and Amanda Usen--Grouping them together since I've only read their joint Matzo Ballers Hanukkah romance series. Technically, I finished the first book on December 31, 2024, but I read three of them in 2025 (and one already in 2026!), so I think it's fair to count them as new-to-me approximately as of 2025. I just love their joyful, sexy, Jewish brand of Hanukkah romance: they're both incredibly funny and compelling writers who create complex and interesting characters from the get-go. I will definitely continue reading the Matzo Baller series and probably check out some of their other books as well. J. Penner--I became absolutely obsessed with their Adenashire cozy fantasy books in 2025! They are definitely now on the must-read list for ...

 Woof. This was--I guess kind of an average reading year? Mostly good or decent reads, a few mediocre ones or ones that weren't for me. The books I'm including below are the ones I've thought about most this year--particularly The Feather Thief and Better Living Through Birding --it's hard to imagine I only read them in 2025! I guess I'm officially a nonfiction fan now. Happy Top Ten Tuesday! Best Books I Read in 2025 Thistlefoot by GennaRose Nethercott--I loved Baba Yaga as a kid and I love this modern, Jewish take on the story The Feather Thief: Beauty, Obsession, and the Natural History Heist of the Century by Kirk W. Johnson--I'd recommend this to anyone. Just a fascinating story--I never knew how much I wanted to know about fly-tying and the mystery of dead nineteenth century birds Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins--Another gut-wrenching Hunger Games triumph--and maybe unfortunately one more for our times  Lessons in Magic and Disaster by Charlie ...

 As usual, it's that time again to adjust the Top Ten Tuesday topic because tonight is the third night of Hanukkah. Hanukkah always starts on the 25th of Kislev but that sometimes needs some adjusting on the Gregorian calendar. Happy third night to my fellow celebrants, and happy almost-winter and/or winter holidays to everyone else! Since I also missed last week's topic, I've decided to share some cozy snowy reads--the topic was books set in snowy places but Jana added cozy and I like that as well-- to get into the wintery mood as well as some books I'd like for Hanukkah. Books Set in (Cozy) Snowy Places Love You a Latke by Amanda Elliott--This one is set during Hanukkah in Maine and NYC, so lots of cozy snow and wintry scenes in this evocative Hanukkah romance--and yes, it does involve a lot of food... The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis--Narnia is, of course, not an entirely nice place when the Pevensie children enter it, yet Mr. Tumnus, Mr. and Mrs....

It's already mid-fall, so I've already read some of these, but I imagine I'll finish more before the fall is out! I'm reading quite widely these days--I seem to be reading 3-6 books at any given time, because of book clubs, yes, but also mood, format, and availability. Happy Top Ten Tuesday! Books On My Fall 2025 To-Read List An Amateur Witch's Guide to Murder by K. Valentin--I received this ebook for review from LibraryThing, and I've never been quite so pleased with my choices! This was a hilarious ride from the get-go and crammed full of witchy Goth kid oddities and gore--a perfect Halloween read, and hopefully the beginning of a series! A Bridesmaid's Guide to Murder by Abigail Scott--Another ebook I received for review from LibraryThing--and whatever it is, books ending in "Guide to Murder" are killing it for me these days! (Let's not look too deep...) I'm not finished, but I'm loving it so far. Don't Forget to Write by Sara Go...

 Last week was a holiday for me--Shana tova if you celebrate!--so I decided to share my fall TBR this week, in addition to book covers that give off fall vibes. I think we did something similar with the fall vibes a few years ago (five, to be exact ), so I tried to find a few new ones.  Happy Top Ten Tuesday! My Fall 2025 TBR Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas--I didn't want to continue with ACOTAR, but checking out this series, and I am cautiously optimistic! The Listeners by Maggie Stiefvater--I got to meet her at the Baltimore Book Fest and bought her latest book--adult historical fiction with a side of mysticism set in 1940s Virginia at an out-of-the-way hotel/resort. All the Way to the River by Elizabeth Gilbert--Preordered since I've loved and reread all of her books, and it was very special to get to see and hear her speak on her book tour! Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins--I know I'm going to love this (and probably cry)--waiting for the right rainy day.  G...

 I missed this topic last week, so this freebie post is my chance to make it up! A lot of mine would probably be the same as Jana's , but I'll try to throw a few different ones in there. It is definitely shaping up to be an outstanding year for the fun, cozy books I'm most drawn to these days! (And I'm clearly not the only one.) I discussed a lot of these in my last post , so I've only added quick descriptors for the ones I didn't. My Most Anticipated Books Releasing in the Second Half of 2025 Lessons in Magic and Disaster by Charlie Jane Anders, Publication Date: August 19, 2025 All the Way to the River: Love, Loss, and Liberation by Elizabeth Gilbert, Publication Date: September 9, 2025 The Maiden and Her Monster by Maddie Martinez, Publication Date: September 9, 2025--"A gorgeous, atmospheric debut fantasy that reimagines the Jewish myth of golem in a tale rooted in history, folklore, and sapphic romance"--Say less! The Eight Heartbreaks of Hanukkah...

 Happy Spring! I've missed the last few Top Ten Tuesdays , so I'll take the opportunity to share my Spring TBR list here. Per usual, it's books I'm reading for book clubs or just what I'm interested in right now, rather than anything especially seasonal. Although, the birding book I'm reading now does feel apropos, as I hear more birdcalls outside my window, the daffodils and forsythia are blooming, and the cherry blossoms are budding. I feel like a lot of people read specific books in the Fall especially and sometimes for Winter or Summer. Does anyone out there have specific Spring reads? What are you all planning to read for Spring? My Spring 2025 TBR Better Living Through Birding: Notes from a Black Man in the Natural World by Christian Cooper (Book club read)--I'm almost done, and so glad I suggested we read this one! I love the birding parts, and it's more of a memoir than I expected, but fortunately, as a fellow Marvel and Star Trek fan, Cooper ha...

 I posted my Bookish and Not So Bookish Goals for 2024  last year. I accomplished a lot of them! First, I'll review how I did on my goals from 2024, and then I'll share my goals for 2025. Bookish Goals for 2024 Read 42 books--I again wanted to go a little easy on myself, but feeling up to this since my goal last year was 36 and I read 48. Well, I read 90 books in 2024, mission accomplished! Read 11 (25%) books by authors of color, from this specific list (below)--I haven't been doing well with this goal in the past, so instead of the more vague "25%" goal, I'm defining 25% of my reading goal and actually creating a list of books I want to read that fit this criteria to choose from. If you're interested, my list below includes books that have been on my TBR awhile, including some literally on my shelves. I read 13 books by authors of color, some of which were from the included list but most were not.  Read and review all the books I've accepted for revi...